”Take him with you.” Anara said.

”It’s my duty to go. My father would be ashamed of me if I let you go into danger without me.” He told her with determination.

”Where… where is your father?” Kes asked, looking from Tresit to Anara.

”He’s…” Anara started to say.

”He died bravely, a… a noble death. Yes, mother?” Tresit said, a little vulnerability in his voice that he tried to cover with bravery of his own.

”Yes, my son speaks truly. A noble death, so we were told.” She said softly.

”Oh, I’m sorry. What happened?” She asked Anara and Tresit both, looking between them.

”A campaign.” Anara began. ”He was conscripted to service. A rival sect wanted to take this planet from us. He and my brothers went to fight. Only one of my brothers returned. Tulk.”

”…I see.” Kes remembered, and was sure Anara would have rather that if only one among the three were to have returned, Tulk would have been her last choice.

”We had no one left, but him. No family.” Anara said.

”He is no family of mine.” Tresit protested.

”Tresit…” Anara spoke, then shook her head, looking from Lanam, who was listening to them talk intently, to Kes. ”Can we talk of this… another time? Please, Kes?”

”Of course.” Kes agreed easily, understanding that there were things that Anara did not want to say in front of the young Lanam… though, Kes supposed that, as hard as it was for her to believe, Lanam had actually lived for more than twice her lifetime so far. It was hard to accept. The girl still seemed so much like the child she appeared to be. Kes would have thought that, despite outward appearances, if the children were really so old, that they would act as adults would. It didn’t make sense. The only explanation she could think of was that perhaps Anara was lying to her for some reason, or mistaken somehow, but those explanations didn’t seem very likely at all. She especially couldn’t bring herself to think Anara would do something like that, or that she’d even have a reason to. She’d been inside her mind, after all, and she hadn’t sensed anything that would tell her that Anara wasn’t trustworthy. ”Well, we should go, before the sun heats the air too much. That is, if you still want to come with me?” She asked Tresit a little playfully.

”Of course I do.” He told her, looking to his mother for permission.

Anara nodded to him, and he tried to hide his smile.

”Let’s be going then.” She went to Anara and hugged her goodbye. ”Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back to you safe and sound, I promise.” She whispered to the other woman.

”I know you will.” Anara said softly, though Kes couldn’t mistake the undercurrent of fear and worry that were there none the less.

Kes got up and dressed fully. Tresit, seeing her do so, did the same. He saw her knifes and looked impressed.

”Be brave, big brother. I love you, heart and blood.” Lanam told him.

Tresit smiled to her, though she couldn’t see it, so he caressed her cheek fondly. ”Heart and blood, little sister. Always.” He told her.

Anara went to her son then and got to her knees and hugged him. ”My noble son.” She said, the emotion in her voice plain. ”I am so proud of you. As I always have been. Be safe.”

”I will be. I will come back.” He told her.

Anara smiled falteringly, looking from him up to Kes, obviously holding back tears. Kes smiled fondly to her. How could it be that this woman tugged on her heart so, in such a short time? She swallowed her emotion and held out her hand to Tresit. ”Let’s go then.”

He nodded and took her hand, and they left.

——–

to be continued