Suvi calmed down after 10 mins. She was used to Rudra’s crazy antics. Amita didn’t care and even found the name cute. Rana and Satt didn’t like the name, but let it go. This was not an “official run” for them as they would do this again when they came of age - ensuring to avoid letting Rudra set the team name. It was just a little after 6 in the morning, and their run was in the next batch at mid-day, in 14 hours.

They decided to finish breakfast at the cafe and check out the market before riding out into the canyons around the ruins to explore. With the team name kerfuffle down, their discussion turned immediately to the visiting VIP.

“Prince Nal is touring the empire with his Companions and those of the Lost Prince.”, Amita finally let out her news.

“Yeah, they’d been here for a few days when they heard about the Five Island Trials and since the Companions are all of age, they decided to run the trials.”, Suvi continued.

“All the Companions are already at Stage 1, they will post a top 100 rank in the junior category.”, Rana added his piece.

“Wait, my Companions are here. I wonder if I should introduce myself before we do the trials or after. After might be better once we post a top 100…”, Rudra perked up.

“Don’t you start and don’t you think about spiking the trials. This is for Amita and me, you are here for the ride.”, Suvi replied sharply.

“His Companions?”, Satt was curious.

“He thinks he might be the Lost Prince””, Amita replied in a long-suffering tone, “Yashi found him in the forests a few months after Prince Shiv was taken. He has extensive and expensive bio-adjustments. And he has an overactive imagination and refuses to get serious about anything.”

“Wasn’t he…”

“Tested. Like all kids his age. No match. His origins are a mystery, but he had a mother who gave her life to get him his boon.”

“Bah, you’ll see one-day truth will out,” Rudra stated in an aggrieved tone, “anyway it is not as if most boys my age don’t fancy themselves as the Lost Prince.”, this was directed at Rana.

Rana smiled, “Of course, I’ve fantasised about being the Lost Prince, if nothing to just be able to talk to Niah.”, there was a longing in his voice, “She’s so se… so nice.”

“Just talk?”, Satt nudged him with her elbow. “I also find her hot. She’s an elf, but her figure rivals the curvy statues of Date Palm Temple.”

“I wouldn’t talk, I would… Ouwwww!! Owww!! Ok, Ok…”, Rudra was cut off with Amita stamping hard on his foot and glaring at him.

He gave her a quick hug, and her frown started easing, “You are just as curvy and hot as her, maybe more, you’ve got nothing to be jealous about”, earning him a hit across his head.

“I don’t care about that.”, she glared at him.

“Oh. Ohhhh. Sure. I seal my lips, on this”, Rudra said, winking at Rana, silently mouthing “Later”. Suvi saw that and frowned.

Rana smiled, “Well, I kind of feel bad for her.”

“Bad?”, there were multiple voices asking the same question.

“With no Prince, she and the rest are, ummm, not seen nicely. They are subject to so much speculation and innuendo.”, Rana was sheepish.

“I agree. They are adrift, over a sea of luxury on a blue-gold raft, of Empirical support, crystal encrusted with Empire financed training. But with me they would have the reason for their existence, something and someone to do.”, Rudra replied with a wolfish grin.

Suvi was annoyed at Rudra and about to tell him off, then she smiled at what she saw who un-Veiled between the boys.

“So, one of you wants to ‘talk’ to me, feels sorry for me and one of you doesn’t want to ‘talk’.”, Niah said softly as she pulled a chair from the adjacent table and sat down at their table, between Rudra and Rana, with a completely innocent look on her face.

“Don’t forget one of them is the Lost Prince, no our Lost Prince.”, said Gul as she joined Niah.

Rudra groaned as he saw three other girls lined up behind Niah and Gul. All five were at Stage 1.

---------------------------------

Royals would hire a mix of genders as companions for their children. No one could predict sexual orientation and Companions were meant for more than just sex. That is why Rudra couldn’t understand why Mara had selected five girls as Companions for the baby he’d substituted for temporarily. He didn’t for a second think he was the Lost Prince, but things like this made him wonder.

“Do we fight here, or out in the streets, or do we need to go into the canyons outside the ruins?”, he asked.

“To the point aren’t we. And what makes you think you’ll be fighting?”

Rana perked up at the thought of escaping a beating.

“If they are beating us up, we won’t be fighting.”, at Rudra’s words, Rana slumped.

Rudra looked at Niah’s eyes, smiled and then looked down, “All of this for some words.”

Niah lifted his chin with a short knife, smiling, with fire in her eyes, “Oh not your words alone. I get worse shit all time. You just happened to be the one to appear when I want, no need, to vent.”

“If you are not the Lost Prince”, there was acid in Gul’s words.

“My friend here gets a bit salty about that.”

“You know fighting me would be a big mistake.”, Niah’s eyes arched at that, amused, “After all, truth will out and then you will regret this. Mara also won’t be happy with you for this.”

“I am sure we will find ways to make it up to you, then. And surely you would then protect us from your mother.”, Gul’s words were like molten sugar.

“Mothers. Trust me no one can protect you from them.”, Rudra muttered under his breath. All at the table heard. 4 had questions, 5 snorted.

And then his “technical brother”, or maybe ex-”technical brother”, came up to their table with his entourage.

Rudra was amused to see Suvi’s grin vanish. He knew she had a crush on Karan, Nal’s best friend and Companion and the male pin-up of the Golden Sun empire. That’s when he realised, the news was about Prince Nal’s visit but everyone was really talking about his Companions and Shiv’s Companions, not Prince Nal himself.

“It is fine Karan, we’ve got this. These boys just want to ‘talk’ and ‘not talk’.”, Niah spoke, heading off the new group even before they spoke.

Rudra saw Karan nod. His face didn’t betray Rudra, but he was not happy. Companions were not servants or slaves. But they were meant to boost their ward. And here they were eclipsing him, talking over him. He’d never liked such people.

--------------------------------------------------

“Hey, it is my twin from the same mother. How’ve you been?”

Karan’s face flushed in anger and he was about to move, but a hand on his wrist stopped him. Prince Nal was curious so he pulled a chair and sat opposite Rudra. For a while there was quiet, the whole cafe had already stopped talking when Niah and her friends had dropped their Veils.

“I am doing fine. I heard you have a mysterious past.”, Nal smiled.

“No mystery, just lost and yet to be found. You won’t be running the Trials?”

“No. Not of age and not interested.”, Prince Nal said, a bit surprised.

“And with five a batch the Royal Companions already have a full team each.”

Nal smiled and shrugged.

“Take my spot.”, Satt suddenly offered.

“Yeah, team up with me bro.”

“No, it is ok, I really don’t…”

“It is fine. I am not of age and really not interested. Besides you’d owe me a favour.”

“You put her up to this?”, Nal commed Rudra privately. He received a smile and a shrug.

“Come on, agree. It’ll make for great news - Two brothers meet for the first time to go fight demons.”

“I appreciate it but I don’t need it. I know where I am in the shadow of my companions. I am where I want to be, not where they think they keep me.”

“I can see you take after Mara. But if you know their intent, then…”

“I truly appreciate the offer, but I’ll still decline. While I won’t owe you a favour, I will count you a friend…”

“Satyabhama, but my friends call me Satt.”

“Companions help prepare their wards for the world. Some, like yours, are honest in fulfilling their duty. Others… have more varied interests. You can learn from both.”

“Satt, it was nice meeting you. Hope you do well at the trials. Niah we are going for the auction, I am sure you wouldn’t want to miss it.”, Prince Nal ended the encounter.

“Thank you. This was interesting. Mother taught me that irreverence should be respected. Meeting you has taught me why.”

“I am full of lessons, you should hang around me more.”

“I am sure that would end either you or my Companions. Neither of which I want for now.”

Niah, looked at Nal, her eyes were blazing with fury, but she kept her face composed. She closed her eyes, nodded and got up. She wielded dual short swords. As she got up she unsheathed and sheathed her swords, switching sheaths and inflicting a deep cut on that smug boy. She tried. Her swords wouldn’t budge. There were impressions of two fingers on each sword sheath. She locked eyes with the still smiling boy, who gave her a two-finger salute.

As the royals walked away, each of them seemed to vanish. They were still there, but their Veils made people ignore the presence and the impression the royals left on their senses. Veils worked on people at the same or lower level as the Veil. Rudra was not affected, not till they cranked up the power feed to the veils. Niah turned back to look at him as she vanished, and he had to put some effort into resisting the urge to wave at her.

His unit let him know that his search across the Sea had not yielded any result. No records were found of the Companions of Empress Mara.