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Chapter Text

The admiral showed the little group of guests down into the ship to the guest quarters at the stern. Dualscar often entertained other high ranking officers on his ship, and had the rooms installed for that reason. Warships rarely had such spaces. But the Admiral's flagship, the 'Hand of the Empress' was the second largest and grandest in the entire fleet, falling short only of the glory of 'The Golden Helm,' the Empress's personal ship, which was the biggest and most spectacular ship in the known world.

The guest quarters lay along a single narrow, windowless passage. The Admiral's broad shoulders brushed the walls on both sides as he swept down it towards the very end.

"The largest rooms are these two at the end," He said, gesturing to the final two doors, "The right shall belong to the Princess, and the left to me, as her imperial majesty will be staying in my quarters."

Tavros would have expected the Admiral to sound annoyed by this fact, but there was not a trace of irritation in his voice. Instead, he seemed both flattered and frightened by the Empress's invasion of his personal space. He turned back, where the apprentices huddled in a single file line, and gestured to two doors behind them.

"Eridan, you'll be there with Makara," The Admiral continued, "Your 'maid' can share with Serket, should she ever choose to show her face."

"Oh, good," Aradia said with a sharp toothed grin. Tavros briefly felt sorry for Vriska.

"And you, boy," Dualscar said, nodding to Tavros where he stood at the back of the group, "You and your mistake will have the room at the end all to yourselves, which will hopefully mitigate the damage you will inevitably cause."

Tavros was just grateful he wouldn't be sharing with Vriska.

"Speaking of which," The Admiral continued, speaking to them all again, "You and all non-essential personnel are confined to your quarters until the Empress is aboard and the ship is underway. Get in and get settled, it'll likely be another half hour. Once we're safely out of port, dinner will be served. Your royal highness, you and my son are invited to dine with me. The rest of can eat in the galley, with the crew. Now hurry and get out of the way. I have to go drag Serket in by her ear apparently."

They stepped out of the way to let the Admiral pass and watched him until he disappeared up the stairs.

"Well then," Princess Feferi broke the silence once he was gone, "If we're to be confined for now, we might as well do so together. Come along."

She opened the door to the cabin that had been assigned to her and the apprentices followed her in, all of them curious what a princess's room would look like. They were all disappointed of course, as the room had not been decorated to Feferi's tastes, which Tavros had a feeling would involve far more pink. Though the room itself was fairly large, it was decorated simply. A large bed filled the far corner, cocooned by thick velvet curtains. Comfortable armchairs and a coal brazier all bolted to the floor made a cozy sitting area. There was also a small table and chairs for taking tea or breakfast. There was but one real piece of decor, and that was a painting hung above the armchairs, which featured the 'Hand of the Empress' itself and of course the Admiral, standing astride its deck. Tavros was not surprised that Dualscar would hang pictures of himself in his guest rooms, though he had expected it to feature the Admiral more prominently.

"So what's this about being locked in until the empress boards?" Aradia asked curiously as they settled into Feferi's room, "Is that normal?"

Feferi and Eridan settled into the arm chairs near the fire, Eridan lifting the mesh guard over the pan to stir the coals to more life. Tavros, Aradia and Kurloz took the chairs at the breakfast table. Equius, mostly forgotten by everyone in the room, stood silent sentinel in a shadowed corner.

"Oh yes, very," Feferi confirmed, snuggling into her chair with a smile, "The empress despises being seen. She says it would ruin her air of mystery. I myself have never seen her in full light."

"You've never seen your own mother?" Aradia asked, sympathy in her voice, but Feferi didn't seem in the least bit bothered by it. She shrugged, smiling.

"Not even once!" She replied, "The palace servants had no idea she was pregnant until she handed me off to them, only a day or two old. No one has the faintest idea who my father could be. But then, the empress has always been secretive, even back when the empire was first formed."

Tavros frowned in confusion, puzzled by her wording. He'd heard people phrase it that way more than once, as though the current empress and the first empress were the same.

"Has she really, been alive that long?" Tavros asked, "She can't, possibly, be the same empress who conquered all of Alternia centuries ago?"

"She is," Feferi replied matter-of-factly, "She's quite an accomplished magician in her own right, you know. She's used her magic to extend her life."

"I suppose it must seem strange to commoners," Eridan said, seeing Tavros and Aradia's puzzled looks, "But her steady, unchanging leadership is what has made this empire so great. Other kingdoms have to go through a big messy exchange of power every generation or so and there's always a big violent kerfuffle over who gets to inherit and it’s just a mess. Our way is much better."

"And it means I get to be a princess forever!" Feferi said with a giggle, "That's certainly nothing to be upset about!"

Tavros was not so sure. Something about that just didn't sit right, but he wasn't sure how or how to explain his misgivings to Eridan and Feferi, who seemed perfectly at peace with the situation. Aradia's scrunched nose and narrowed eyes hinted that she might be similarly troubled, but she remained silent, presumably as lost as he was. Kurloz's opinion on the matter was, as always, inscrutable, staring into the fire with his fixed, stitched in grin.

"You know," Feferi said suddenly, her smile turning mischievous, "I think we could see the gangplank through that window. Maybe we'd be able to see her boarding?"

"You really think so?" Eridan said, leaning forward in his chair excitedly, "It's driving me crazy that Tavros has seen her and I haven't."

"I didn't really, see her," Tavros mumbled, "Just kind of, uh, the shape of her. She was just, a shadow in the dark, really. And also, I was really preoccupied at the time, because I thought she was going to have me, uh, killed."

Aradia was already at the window. There were two in Feferi's room. One looked out of the stern of the ship, the other along its port side.

"I don't think we'll be able to see much," She said, Eridan and Feferi already hurrying to join her, "The glare on the glass from the fire makes it hard to see through at all, and I can barely make out the gangway."

Kurloz, who'd been following Tavros as they made their way more slowly to the window, turned back at once to drop a lid over the brazier, snuffing most of the light from the room.

"Ooh, good idea, sir Makara!" Feferi said, clapping in excited approval, and hurried to close the slats on the lanterns that still illuminated the room.

Once the lights were out the window became clear, the night a glittering winter clarity over the cities dark port. There were still some lights in distant windows, but any within sight of the docks had been doused and shuttered against the empress's passing.

By pressing their cheeks to the frosty glass and looking back along the length of the ship, they could see the slope of the board leading up to the deck of the ship.

"Look, there she is!" Eridan said, practically bouncing against the glass.

Sure enough, Tavros saw a dark shape, tall and strange, moving up the street and on to the gangway.

"Who, are those people, with her?" Tavros whispered, a weird cold fear gripping his heart as he saw the four thin, small figures walking in the empress's shadow.

"Her favored servant-consorts," Feferi replied, "I saw one, once. I'm told they're slaves from a faraway land, and they're blind, so they can never tell anyone what she looks like."

"What did it look like?" Eridan asked curiously, "Was it really blind?"

"I only saw it for a moment," Feferi said, "I was lost in a part of the summer palace I should not have been in, when he (I think it was a he) appeared from behind a door carrying a tea set. He was so surprised to see me he dropped it, and all at once forgot I was there entirely. I don't believe he was entirely right in the head. He kept mumbling in a language I didn't understand and trying to put the teapot back together, scraping at the pieces no matter how his fingers bled. He had terrible scars."

Feferi shivered a little, the first time Tavros had seen her show any emotion besides delight and charming politeness. But a moment later she was smiling again.

"I got scared and ran away!" She said with a laugh, "I was only little. The poor ragged thing gave me nightmares for weeks. Now that I'm older I only feel sorry for it. My mother must have saved it from some awful fate, but I imagine there's only so much even she can do."

While she had been speaking, the strange silent procession had continued up the plank towards the ship, moving slowly. Not a one of the figures carried a light.

"Oh, look, she's stopped!" Eridan said in surprise, drawing their attention back to the dark procession.

The tallest figure had indeed gone still, halfway up the gangplank. It shifted, and though it was far away, Tavros was certain her head was turning, turning to look at the little cluster of children staring at her through a cold window.

An instant later, all the lights in the room suddenly flared to life. The lanterns opened wide and the lid came of the brazier, which flared into overwhelming brightness. At the same time, Tavros felt a hand on his arm and the back of his chair which yanked him back away from the window sharply. His yelp of fear was lost in the dismayed cries of the others as their view of the empress was obscured by the glare of the lights on the glass.

Tavros had never yet touched Equius before this. The demon's hand, not so much larger than his own, remained gripping his forearm as Tavros stared up at Equius. The demon's skin was piercingly cold, like touching ice with a bare hand. He froze in anticipatory terror of whatever rule had been broken to allow the demon to act on its own. But it only stared down at him, silent and unmoving.

"Did it do that?" Eridan asked, blinking and rubbing his light dazzled eyes, "Tavros, did your demon turn up the lights?"

"Why the heck would it do that?" Aradia asked, similarly dazed and annoyed, "You didn't order it to."

"I am allowed to take minimal defensive action if myself or my summoner is in immediate danger," Equius spoke before Tavros could, and his voice, usually chilly and implacable, seemed to Tavros's ears touched by a hint of fear.

A worried hush fell over the room. They had all quite forgotten Equius was there until just this moment, and to be so suddenly reminded there was a demon in the room only for it to inform them they were or had been in immediate danger was severely disconcerting. Tavros mastered enough courage to pull his arm free of Equius's grip. He huddled, worried, in his chair.

"A-anyway," Feferi said, trying to lighten the mood, "I think she's probably aboard now. Who wants to play a game until dinner? I have checkers!"

Everyone was eager for the distraction and the change in subject, but though Feferi did her best to occupy them with cards and board games, no one could quite find the chipper mood they'd been in before, and everyone's glances continually wandered back to Equius in fearful concern.

After a time, they felt the ship begin to move and realized they must be underway. The dark port soon vanished from Feferi's window and was replaced by open sea, and soon after a dinner bell was rung.

"Splendid," Feferi said, and there was relief in her voice, "Let's all go and eat. A good meal will help us all settle in."

She led the little party out of her quarters and up the stairs to the deck, Aradia and Kurloz helping Tavros and his chair with the steps, which Tavros anticipated would be a perpetual problem during the journey. He'd have to think of some way to deal with it, or else be more or less trapped in his room the entire voyage.

On the main deck they parted ways, Eridan and Feferi off to find the Admiral, Tavros, Aradia, and Kurloz heading down towards the galley, again encountering difficulties with Tavros and the stairs. They were being very patient with him for now, but Tavros had a feeling it wouldn't be long before this became too much of an annoyance for them. Tavros could sense that annoyance growing as they reached the galley and were swiftly stopped by a crewman, who informed them Tavros wasn't allowed in, the men being too suspicious of his demon. The man handed a prepared meal to Aradia without looking at Tavros, and told him he could eat in his room.

Aradia had thrown a fit, declaring it absurd and telling the crewman to suck it up and stop being scared of an eight year old, but the man hadn't budged, not even under the weight of Kurloz's most intimidating glare. Eventually they'd given up, and Aradia and Kurloz had dragged Tavros and his chair back up and then down the stairs again into the cabin hall.

"We'll see you after dinner I guess," Aradia said, clearly uncomfortable with leaving him, "I'm sure after a little bit they'll see you're not dangerous and they'll let you eat with everyone else."

Tavros just nodded, suddenly not sure he had the energy to eat anyway.

Aradia hugged him and Kurloz ruffled his hair and then they both hurried off, leaving Tavros, his tray balanced on his lap, to roll back to his room.

His door was near the stairs, so he hadn't far to go, but as he reached for it a door across the hall opened and Vriska emerged. Tavros had hesitated, frozen by the sight of her, and she went similarly still, her eyes wide. Tavros had almost started to think she hadn't made it on to the ship. Now he guessed she must have just been avoiding him.

Vriska recovered from her surprise first and drew herself up into the most imposing, disdainful posture she could manage, a hand on her hip, looking down her nose at him as he sat in his chair.

"So I heard my encouragement worked," She said archly.

"Encouragement," Tavros repeated, trying not to cower though the site of her made every part of him want to flee, "By that, do you mean, trying to murder me?"

"I wasn't trying to murder you," Vriska responded with a scoff, "Don't be so melodramatic. It's unattractive. I was just trying to help you get over your hang-ups and live up to your potential. And it worked, didn't it? You summoned a named demon and everything."

"You pushed me, off a roof," Tavros said quietly, "I can't walk."

"Yeah, you should really be thanking me," Vriska continued, ignoring him, "You probably would have chickened out of going entirely if I hadn't pushed you to prove yourself. You know you wouldn't have had the guts to go out on a battlefield before I helped you."

"I'm, not going to thank you," Tavros said, hunching down in his chair and looking for an exit, "You're, a bully, and probably crazy."

"I am NOT crazy," Vriska snarled, her false preening suddenly replaced with genuine anger, "Take it back. Say I'm not crazy, now."

Tavros shrank further into his chair, suddenly afraid she was about to finish what she'd started on the roof. Before she could do anything however, Equius stepped quietly forward to stand behind Tavros's chair. He'd been there the entire time, as he always was, easily overlooked, easily forgotten. He put a hand on Tavros's chair and focused his solemn, stony expression on Vriska. Her lip twitched, but she hid her anger again and stepped back.

"Whatever," She said dismissively, "See if I help you again. You're going to need me once the ship lands and you realize what a worthless coward you are."

She stomped off, leaving Equius and Tavros alone in the hall. Tavros found his door and rolled his chair inside, glad he had the space to himself. It was, without a doubt, a storage closet into which someone had shoved a cot. There was only a foot or two of space to the right of the bed. Not enough to wheel his chair into. He sat in the doorway, contemplating his luck.

"I could get rid of her, if you wished," Equius said behind him, "It would be very easy for me. She is the one that damaged you, correct? It would be only natural for you to seek revenge."

Tavros was shaking, still trying to calm down just from seeing her again. The last moments on the roof kept playing over in his head. The look on her face, the ground rushing up towards him. He shook his head violently to try and clear it.

"No, no I don't, want that," He said to Equius, "She's... she's just a brat. I don't think, she really believes half, the things she says. She just wants, to look tough."

"If you change your mind," Equius said, "I am always at your command."

Tavros was silent for a long moment, then looked up at Equius thoughtfully.

"Could you," He asked quietly, not able to meet the demon's eye, "Could you...lift me, out of this chair?"

Equius hesitated for a moment.

"I am not sure that would be wise," He said, and Tavros could see sweat on his forehead, "I do not believe your frail human form would be able to withstand my touch. I am exceptionally strong."

"Oh," Tavros said thoughtfully, "Um, then, maybe you could just, uh, pick up the chair and kind of, uh, dump me?"

He shrugged hopefully. Equius eyed the chair's metal frame and nodded. He reached for the chair at once and Tavros held his hands up.

"Wait, wait wait!" He said, "The food!"

Equius paused and Tavros leaned down to gingerly place the tray of food on the floor. As soon as it was secure Equius grabbed the frame of the chair near the wheels and hefted Tavros into the air, making him yelp in surprise. Equius raised the chair over the bed and tipped it, sliding Tavros out onto it in a heap. He tumbled face first into the sheets, his legs a tangle beneath him. He heard at the same time an ominous crunch and looked up from the pillows to see Equius had set the chair down again on top of his dinner. The demon made no apologies.

"That's all right," Tavros sighed, "I wasn't, that hungry anyway."

He rolled over and reached down to carefully straighten out his limp, unresponsive legs, then flopped back onto his pillow tiredly. Equius stood near the bed, watching him.

It was the first time since the cell they'd really been left alone together. Tavros found himself staring back at the demon thoughtfully. As frightened as everyone else was of Equius, so far the demon had done nothing to indicate he was dangerous. He hadn't done much at all really but lurk around behind Tavros in silence. That and show a sincere interest in protecting Tavros. Tavros hadn't been sure what to make of the demon's assurances that he wanted Tavros alive before, but he seemed to be proving it. The only question continued to be what did he want in return?

Tavros stared at the demon, acutely aware that he was alone with something very dangerous. Equius stared back, blue eyes glowing dimly in the darkness of the narrow cabin. There was a small porthole above the bed that let in faint moonlight, just enough to highlight Equius's shape in the darkness. Tavros wondered if he would just stand there staring all night. Did demons sleep? Would they need to share the bed? He couldn't bring himself to ask. But neither could he simply go to bed now with the demon hovering over him like that. The ruined tray of his dinner sat beneath the wheel of his chair, reminding him he hadn't had a real meal since lunch the day before he summoned Equius. Eridan and Aradia had shared snacks with him on the carriage ride to the ship but he'd really been looking forward to food regardless. Minutes ticked by in silence as Tavros contemplated his hunger and did nothing.

It was, to his surprise, Equius who broke the silence.

"Would you perhaps," The demon asked, "Care to talk?"

"About, what?" Tavros replied, cautious.

"Anything," Equius said, "I'm sure even your feeble human mind can manage a conversational topic or two."

"Are you, lonely?" Tavros asked, frowning thoughtfully as he looked up at the demon.

Equius didn't answer. He seemed to be regretting offering to talk at all.

"...what is our, contract?" Tavros asked at last, a little worried he didn't want to know the answer, "What, did I give you?"

"You gave me everything," Equius replied, "You sacrificed your entire self to bind me to this plane."

There was a moment of long silence as Tavros contemplated that frankly terrifying revelation, before Equius seemed to acknowledge he hadn't answered the full question and continued.

"In return, I also gave my full self to you," He said at length and with an air of embarrassment, "I was not aware then of the circumstances of your summoning me, or how lowly a creature you would turn out to be. Regardless, you own all of me in as much as I own all of you. We are for all intents and purposes one soul, one being."

Tavros could remember, at least in part, throwing himself into the ring in hopes of satisfying the demon before it hurt his friends. But to hear that the demon had made an equal sacrifice was a surprise. He couldn't even begin to process the thought that they were a single soul. What did that even mean?

"But, there was more to it, right?" Tavros said, "You said before, that I bargained for things, and that they were things you could do."

"You did," Equius agreed, "You offered the sacrifice and presented your wishes to me. I found they aligned with my own, so I accepted your offer."

"And what, are your wishes?" Tavros asked, "What, am I supposed to do for you?"

Equius was silent, but he was sweating despite the chill in the room.

"Equius?" Tavros said, eyebrows furrowed in concern, "What, did you wish for?"

"Is that," Equius said slowly, and Tavros thought he might be gritting his teeth, "An order?"

Tavros chewed his lip, considering it for a moment, then nodded stiffly.

"Yes, I think," He said nervously, "I, um, I order you to tell me, what my half, of the deal is."

Equius remained silent for another long moment, fighting the order, then finally spoke, the words broken and forcing themselves between his lips.

"I wanted to be understood," The demon ground out, "I wanted not to be alone. I wanted to escape the void. I would have accepted any summoner who called me, and you offered me not only escape, but near permanent freedom. Every moment I am here, being seen and spoken to, you are fulfilling your part of the deal."

Tavros turned on to his side in the bed, looking at Equius strangely.

"That's, really it?" Tavros asked, "It seems, too simple."

"If you had experienced the void," Equius replied, "You would understand the weight of what you offer me."

"The void?" Tavros asked, "Is that, uh, is that the demonic plane?"

Equius shook his head and was silent for a moment, searching for the words.

"What do you know of that place," Equius said, "What you call the demonic plane? What is it, in your estimation?"

Tavros frowned, unsure how to reply.

"It's, uh, it's another dimension," He said, "A world, outside this one, that's filled with energy."

"Then you do not understand it," Equius said, blue eyes glittering in the dark, "It is not simply filled with energy. It is an entity. A sentient universe, containing nothing but itself. Can you even conceive of what it is to be part of something like that? To know that kind of peace? There has never been a war in that place. Never a moment of strife or unhappiness. It knew nothing of those things until humans introduced them. I was a part of that great unending peace, and I was all of it, because there was no distinction, no individuals, just a single vast soul in endless harmony."

Equius was right, Tavros couldn't imagine it. There was no way he could understand something so strange.

"It sounds, nice?" He ventured, hoping that was the right thing to say.

"Nice is not the word for it," Equius replied, voice clipped and bitter, "It simply was, and was right, and was all I had ever experienced. Until it was taken from me. Until your people separated me from the whole and trapped me this way. There is no time in that place, not unless your people inflict it, like a wound. From the moment they sealed me, I always had been and always would be this way. An eternity of completeness suddenly replaced by an eternity alone, separated from the only other entity in existence, which was the universe itself. That is the void. To be surrounded by eternal peace and wholeness and unable to touch it. To have your most desperate screams go silent and unheard by anyone. I spent longer than your universe has existed in complete isolation. Until you called out to me. Is it any wonder I answered?"

Tavros wasn't sure how to answer, to be honest he was lost. Equius was hurting, that much was clear, but the reasons and how to help were beyond what an eight year old, even one as bright as Tavros, could understand.

"I'm sorry," He said lamely, knowing it wasn't enough.

"You were not among the creatures that sealed me," Equius replied, "I have learned enough of the workings of individuals to understand you do not bear the blame for their actions."

"So, you've been summoned before?" Tavros asked, squirming to get under the blankets, fumbling with his legs. "I wasn't, the first, right?"

"There were three others," Equius confirmed, "There is no time there, so the space between them was infinite as much as it was immediate. But I believe it has been some time since my last summoning."

"What were they like?" Tavros asked, pulling the blankets up to his chin, "The other times?"

"The first did not last long," Equius said, "I believe it was the same sorcerers who had bound me. I was new born and frightened and angry and I lashed out at them with all my strength. I believe I killed most of them before they managed to banish me again."

Tavros shivered at the thought of what Equius's full strength must have been like to overwhelm some of the most powerful summoners in history even when they were working in a group.

"The second time," Equius continued, "I was calmer. I had been alone so long I would have accepted any companionship, even that of the creatures that had bound me. But the summoning was done... badly. A life was offered to me, whole, as yours was, but not willingly. The high priest of a glittering king on a high golden throne summoned me as a gift to his lord, and threw a prisoner into the circle to satisfy appetites I did not have. I consumed the slave, but given unwillingly their life could not bind me as yours did. I destroyed much before the king himself descended and spilled my summoner's blood onto the circle. His life extinguished, I lost my grip on this place and fell back to the void."

Tavros eyed Equius uneasily, suddenly unsure of his earlier decision that Equius meant him no harm.

"The third time," Equius resumed, "I was desperate. I accepted the paltry sacrifice of blood my summoner gave me and quelled my rage, because anything was better than returning to the isolation of the void. She was a powerful sorcerer, old and weary. She had traveled far, and required both protection from great enemies, and eyes to see where she could not. She never ordered anything of me but to fly out above the world in one place or another and tell her what I had seen. I came to know that a lesser construct could have done the job easily. I will never know why she called on me instead. She recorded my observations, and I guarded her rest, and a year passed that way before she died in her sleep and I was returned to the void."

"Will you, have to go back when I die, too?" Tavros asked.

"No," Equius replied, "We are bound too tightly. If either of us is destroyed, both of us will cease to be. It is a far preferable option to returning to the void. But still one I would rather see delayed as long as possible."

"Me too," Tavros said, huddling a little deeper into his blankets, head crowded with strange and unpleasant thoughts.

"You have nothing to fear," Equius said gruffly, turning to face the window, "I will not allow anything to harm you. Pathetic as you are, all humans are weak compared to me. I will keep you safe."

Tavros wasn't so sure he could believe that. But there was nothing else he could do at the moment but sleep, and hope things were clearer in the morning.

It was, unsurprisingly, somewhat difficult to sleep with a demon watching him all night. He kept rolling over and catching sight of those blue eyes, and suddenly all hope of dozing off would be out the window.

He woke early the next morning, giving up on trying to sleep any longer. Equius had parked his chair near the edge of the bed, so Tavros dragged himself into it with some difficulty. He looked down at himself, realizing he was still wearing the clothes he'd been wearing dazing ago when he'd summoned Equius. He didn't imagine he smelled great either. He glanced once at Equius, wondering if he should ask the demon to turn away or something, then sighed and decided it didn't matter.

"Can you, hand me my bag, please?" He asked, and the demon obeyed. Tavros hadn't been allowed to pack, but Kurloz, in that oddly prescient way of his, had gathered some of his clothes and a few keepsakes for him. Tavros half wondered if the older boy had just been intending to keep them if Tavros hadn't been allowed to go with them. It wouldn't have been entirely out of character for the mysterious apprentice. Equius watched silently as Tavros dug out a change of clothes and began, with some difficulty, trying to squirm out of the ones he was already wearing.

"Do you require assistance?" Equius asked as Tavros fought with his pants.

"No, uh, no I've got it," Tavros said quickly, embarrassed, "I can, do this."

It took a while and was frustrating as anything Tavros had ever tried to do, but he did manage it. When he looked up from struggling with his shoes, he found Equius was, quite abruptly, wearing clothes as well. They were modeled after Tavros's, though Tavros recognized hints of Eridan's finery in them, as though he only just understood how clothing worked but wanted to look better than Tavros anyway. Tavros supposed it was a step up from the semi nudity he'd been wandering about in before. Not that there was much to see. Equius form was a construct, albeit one he designed himself rather than one Tavros had made. And Equius had clearly never seen a human naked.

Still, he smiled encouragingly at the change before turning his attention to the problem of the door.

"Do you, think you can open the door for me?" He asked Equius, "And then, uh, lift my chair, out of here?"

Equius moved around him to the door at once, then hesitated with his hand on the handle.

"The door is locked," He said, "Would you like me to open it anyway?"

"Locked?" Tavros asked in confusion, "Why is it locked?"

Confused, Tavros fumbled for a moment until he found the long stick with the chalk attached that he'd used in summoning from his chair. Kurloz had, helpfully, stuffed it into his bag. Tavros leaned forward in his chair and used the stick to knock on the door.

"Hello?" He called as he knocked, "Is anyone, out there? I'm, locked in?"

"Stop banging," Came an unfamiliar, unpleasant voice, "You're under guard. Admiral's orders. He'll come and let you out at his leisure."

Tavros let his stick drop, then tucked it into the back of his chair, expression solemn.

"I could still open it," Equius reminded Tavros, "Quite easily. They could not stop me."

"No, you can't," Tavros said, shaking his head, "I have to, do what the Admiral says. It's the only way, to show them we're not dangerous. If we go around, breaking things, and being uncooperative, we'll just give them more reason, not to trust us."

Equius's sour expression said he didn't agree, but he took his hand gently off the door.

"As you wish," He muttered.

Tavros, hungry and tired and feeling very alone, leaned back in his chair and pulled out one of the summoning texts Kurloz had packed for him to pass the time.

An hour or so later, he heard Aradia, Eridan, and Feferi in the hall.

"Oh cheer up, grumpy gills!" Feferi said with a laugh like champagne bubbles, "It's a beautiful morning!"

"It's a hideous morning," Eridan replied, grumbling, "Like all mornings. Because they all happen far too early for any sane person to enjoy."

"Are you calling your princess insane, Ampora?" Aradia said slyly, "How bold!"

Eridan started to reply sharply, but cut himself off, Tavros imagined, as they saw the guard outside Tavros's room.

"Pardon us," Eridan said in a tone that made it quite clear the guard was the one at fault, "But you're in the way. If I have to be awake at this hideous hour, so does Nitram."

"The prisoner is confined to quarters," The guard replied firmly, and with a noticeable pause before he added, "Sir."

"For what reason?" Feferi asked in her most imperious voice, stopping the torrent of indignant shrieking that was no doubt building in Eridan at this moment, "He has yet to do anything wrong. He has the demon well under control."

"Admiral's orders, your highness," The guard said, with only slightly more respect than he'd shown Eridan, "At night he's to remain under lock and guard until such time as the admiral releases him."

"This is absurd," Feferi said, and Tavros heard a stamp of her tiny foot, "I demand you release him."

"I apologize your majesty," The guard replied insincerely, "But as long as we're at sea, I answer to the Admiral, not you."

"My mother will hear of this," Feferi said, quiet and dangerous.

"It's all right," Tavros called out from behind his door, worried there was about to be trouble because of him, "Really, I'm okay! I can wait, until the Admiral lets me out. I have, uh, books and stuff."

There was a moment of hesitation beyond the door.

"Are you sure, Tavros?" Feferi called, "This is blatantly unfair treatment."

"It's okay," Tavros called, "I understand. I'll be, fine in here."

"All right," Feferi said reluctantly, "But I'll make sure the Admiral lets you out as soon as possible, all right?"

"Okay," Tavros said, "Thank you, your highness."

"If you don't make it out before breakfast ends," Aradia added, "I'll save some for you."

"Don't worry," Said Eridan, "We're not going to let him bully you."

Tavros wasn't so sure they'd have a choice. If even Feferi didn't have any real power here, then it hardly seemed likely they'd be able to fight Dualscar on anything.

They went on ahead without him and Tavros returned to studying, and not only because it kept him occupied and kept his mind off his aching stomach, but because he still needed to find a solution to his mobility on the ship. He couldn't rely on Kurloz and Aradia to haul his chair up and down stairs all day. It wasn't fair to them. Surely there was another way.

The voyage was to take many months even with favorable winds. The eastern continent was simply that far away. It was December when they set out and they were likely not to arrive at the front until late April. Discussions of the time the journey would take led them to realize that each of them would be having their birthday aboard the ship, except perhaps for Tavros, who might celebrate it on land if winds were fair. Kurloz's birthday would only be a week into their journey, before they'd even dropped Princess Feferi off at the seaside palace on the cape. Eridan's would be a month after that, then Aradia's in late March, followed by Tavros in April. Plans were already made for Eridan's birthday to be an extravagant ship wide affair, but they would find ways to celebrate Aradia's birthday with equal enthusiasm. Kurloz seemed to intentionally avoid suggesting anything they might do for his birthday, and actually seemed embarrassed that they'd discovered when it was. He refused to answer entirely when they asked how old he was turning, sticking his fingers in his ears and sprinting off down the deck until they gave up.

If Vriska's birthday would be happening during the journey, she made no mention of it. Tavros rarely saw her, though their quarters were close together. They'd had but the one awkward encounter shortly after the ship departed, and after that they had staunchly avoided one another. Vriska, presumably, couldn't be bothered with him if he didn't want her 'help.' Tavros was just afraid she'd throw him overboard.

As Tavros had expected, Dualscar did not relent on his insistence that Tavros remain under guard. Tavros supposed he should be grateful the man allowed him to wander the ship at all, and only locked him in at night. Tavros had the feeling he was maintaining a very precarious balance between maintaining his authority in front of his crew and not pushing Feferi far enough that she resorted to approaching her mother to settle the matter, a grenade pin of mutual destruction neither of them wanted to see pulled.

The empress had, unsurprisingly, not been seen since she boarded. The captain's quarters on the top deck were as silent as a sealed tomb. If her strange servants left it at night to tend to her needs, no one saw it. Certainly not Tavros.

Locked doors entirely aside, Tavros could not do much wandering even when he was allowed to. The problem of his mobility persisted even a week into the journey, though he had poured all his considerable spare time so far into trying to think of a solution. And the temporary fix of having Equius carry his chair certainly couldn't last. The frame was already bent out of shape where the absurdly strong demon always grabbed it. Tavros found himself afraid to ask the demon's help, for fear the chair would break and leave him entirely stranded.

Tavros had entertained a variety of wild possibilities for solving the problem, from building a construct cage around his legs like braces to support him, to some sort of permanent embedded summon that would give him wings. Fun concepts to imagine, but utterly impractical to implement. Days slipped by and no practical solution seemed to present itself. In the meantime, he ate all his meals in his room and was grateful if he could get his chair up on to the deck for a few hours of sunlight every day.

Kurloz's birthday was the day before they would reach the cape and Princess Feferi would leave them, a fact Eridan was already mourning loudly and often. Tavros was also sad to see her go, to a somewhat lesser extent. He hadn't known her long, but she was kind and funny and smart, with an unwavering sense of optimism and faith in humanity in general.

The party was not to be a large or gaudy affair, as neither of those things suited Kurloz, but there would be music and food and they would all be together and that was surely enough. Tavros found himself at something of a loss as for what to give his companion for a gift. If he'd known about the older boy's birthday before they'd boarded the ship he might have bought him something in town. Here he had only what small handful of belongings he'd brought with him, none of which would make suitable gifts.

Perhaps an hour before the party, he'd managed to get his chair onto the deck, and now rolled it back and forth near the starboard railing in the legless variety of pacing, still giftless, fretting. Equius stood nearby, silent as always, simply observing Tavros's panic.

"I could acquire something, if you wished it." He said on perhaps the five hundredth time Tavros had circled the length of the deck in his chair, "It would be easy."

"I don't, have any money," Tavros said dismissively, "And I won't order you, to steal things."

"Then order me to find something that belongs to no one," Equius said, frustration in his voice, "Just order me to do something. I demand you command me."

When Tavros gave him a strange look the demon continued, struggling to hide his growing ire beneath stiff formality.

"You have barely given me a single order since I was summoned," He said, trying to keep his tone even though he was grinding his teeth, "I have done nothing but follow you around, mired in childish antics, relegated to occasional manual labor. Don't you see I need to be useful?"

Tavros blinked, surprised by the ferocity of Equius's plea. He hadn't expected the demon to be so aggravated that he was not being ordered around. He had somehow thought Equius might appreciate that Tavros wasn't making the demon run around after Tavros's every whim.

"Why, do you want orders so bad?" Tavros asked, as curious as he was worried he wouldn't like the answer.

"It is a condition of our contract," He answered, "I must obey orders from you if I wish for you to fulfill your half of our bargain. I do not approve of unfairness."

Tavros supposed he could appreciate that. But he also sensed that wasn't all there was to it. Tavros's half of the bargain was about allowing Equius to be heard and understood. If he gave the demon nothing to do but lurk in the shadows and occasionally carry him around, he couldn't blame Equius for feeling slighted.

"Anyway," He said, letting it go for now, "I don't know, what I could order you, that would help in this case. There's, nothing but ocean, for days around us."

"You underestimate how quickly I can travel," Equius replied, "Just order me. Order me to find something. Bind me with as many caveats as you wish, only give me an order."

Tavros shifted uneasily, certain he would regret it, but the party would start soon. It couldn't hurt to try.

"Okay," He said, "Find me, a gift for Kurloz. Something, small, that he'll like. It can't, belong to anyone, you can't steal it. And you can't hurt anyone, to get it. Okay?"

"As you wish," Equius said, then turned and dove over the railing into the ocean. Tavros made a strangled sound of surprise and fear and rolled his chair quickly to the side to look for the demon, afraid he was drowning. But he saw no sign of Equius, just the waves breaking on the ships sides as it cut through the surf.

For perhaps ten minutes he sat worrying, imagining all the ways his order could have gone wrong. He should never have given in, he should have just stayed quiet- Then, just as suddenly as he'd jumped in, Equius jumped out of the water, landing back on the deck with a single powerful leap. Tavros, stunned, watched as Equius, streaming seawater, stepped up to his chair and held out an oyster.

"I believe this will do," Equius declared as Tavros reached for the mollusk, confused. It was a big one, wider than his hand.

"Thank you, Equius," Tavros said, supposing it could have gone much worse. Maybe Kurloz could eat it? He turned it over curiously in his hands, then shook his head.

"We had, better hurry," He said, "The party is starting soon. We don't want to be, late."

With Equius's help, Tavros returned to the guest cabins and made his way to Feferi's room, which was where their little party was being held.

Everyone else was already there when he rolled his chair inside, and they called out to greet him. Feferi's room was hung with streamers in a rainbow of colors. Tavros had no idea where she found them all. Knowing Feferi, she might just travel with them regularly. There was a small cake Eridan had bullied the ship's cook into baking for them, set up on a little table in the middle of the room. There were candles, and Kurloz was sitting in front of it. Kurloz always tended to look a bit absurd while sitting, all elbows and knees, his limbs too long for the rest of him, but with a party hat perched jauntily on his wild nest of dark hair and his expression screaming discomfort, he looked even sillier than usual.

"Sorry, I'm late," Tavros said, embarrassed.

"You're just in time!" Aradia said, waving him over. She was leaning on the back of the chair Eridan was sitting in, occasionally tipping it a little just to bother him.

"We're about to find out how Kurloz blows out his candles," Eridan confirmed, batting at Aradia as though he could shoo her away like a troublesome insect.

"I'm betting he turns around and pulls down his pants," Aradia said with a grin.

"Aradia!" Eridan scolded, looking scandalized, "Don't say such things in front of the princess!"

Feferi, meanwhile, was close to tears with laughter. Kurloz had both hands over his face in a posture of exhaustion.

"Well, hurry up and blow them out!" Feferi said, nudging Kurloz as she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes, "They're getting wax on the frosting!"

Kurloz removed his hands as Tavros pulled up to the table. He took a deep breath and the guests leaned forward, curious to see what he would do. There was a flicker of light and a gust of wind and suddenly the candles were out, leaving the entire party baffled as to how it had happened.

"How?" Aradia asked, fascinated.

"He didn't even move!" Eridan exclaimed.

Kurloz just sat smiling and looking pleased with himself.

They served the cake and no one dared to ask how Kurloz would eat it. Feferi had a little clockwork orchestrion only about two feet high, which she'd set up on the coffee table to play its tinny waltz while they celebrated. Feferi and Aradia had prepared party games, all of which were spectacularly silly, though Aradia's tended to be a bit on the crass side. Kurloz, though he had been obviously reluctant to do any of this, did seem to enjoy the games at least. Tavros was glad to see this party wasn't completely unpleasant for the older boy.

"It's time for presents!" Feferi declared at last. They gathered around an embarrassed looking Kurloz and Feferi, in her eagerness, all but shoved her elaborately wrapped gift into Kurloz's hands. Kurloz, by way of revenge, took as long as possible delicately peeling apart the paper so none of it would be damaged. Feferi, who'd been practically bouncing with excitement when she'd handed it to him, looked close to tears with the suspense by the time he finally revealed the gift. A delicate mask of silver wire and dyed feathers lay in the nest of carefully untorn wrapping paper. Kurloz's eyes widened in genuine surprise and delight when he saw it, lifting it up to his face at once. The feathers were all in the rich purple of the church and royal fuchsia and black. It looked made for Kurloz.

"I got it for a costume party this spring," Feferi said, "But it suits you much better than me I think! I do hope you like it."

Kurloz's grin confirmed that he loved it. He put it on at once and refused to remove it for the rest of the night.

Eridan went next, giving Kurloz one of his favorite rings. Aradia had talked the galley staff into letting her use the kitchen and had made Kurloz a tin full of candied apple slices, thin enough to slip through his stitches. Kurloz, beaming, certainly seemed to have rethought his position on parties.

Finally, it was Tavros's turn and, blushed with shame, he pulled out the oyster. After everyone else had given Kurloz things that were so meaningful and gorgeous he felt like the worst friend in the world handing it to Kurloz, but he had nothing else.

"I'm, sorry it's kind of, uh, weird," Tavros mumbled, looking away and rubbing at his arm self-consciously, "I, should have tried harder, to find you a better gift..."

Kurloz examined the oyster curiously, weighed it in his hand and then, to everyone's surprise, pulled out a knife. He wiggled the blade in between the oyster's shell, slid it backwards, and then turned it like a key. All at once the oyster popped open. Tavros watched curiously, wondering if Kurloz was going to eat it raw, and if so how. But instead Kurloz reached inside the oyster and plucked something out. Setting the shell aside, he cleaned whatever he'd found on his shirt, then held it up.

A pearl glimmered between his fingers, easily as wide as Tavros's thumb, and black as night. A chorus of impressed oohs and ahhs came from the guests.

"How did you find that?" Eridan asked, dazzled.

"How did you know it was in there?" Aradia added.

"I, didn't," Tavros admitted, "Equius, found it for me."

He gave the demon, who'd been lurking in a corner near the orchestrion since the party started, a shy, grateful smile.

"I didn't know summons could do something like that," Feferi said, "How spectacular!"

Kurloz was still admiring his gift, but at last he tucked in his pocket and reached down to surprise Tavros with a hug, mussing the younger boy's hair before he sat down again.

Gifts given and games played, they gathered around the warmth of the brazier to relax.

"He changes those stitches every night, you know," Eridan was saying with a shudder, "I mean, I suppose that's only good hygiene, but it's not something I ever really wanted to see."

"Oh hush," Feferi said with a laugh, "You're just still sore you didn't get a room to yourself."

"You can, trade with me, if you want," Tavros suggested, making everyone but Eridan laugh.

Kurloz signed something quickly to Aradia, who laughed.

"Kurloz says he's all for trading as well," She translated, "Tavros won't replace all the air in the room with smelly perfume every morning."

"It's cologne!" Eridan said, turning beet red.

"Well, my room will be empty by tomorrow evening," Feferi said once they'd stopped laughing, "Eridan could move in here, if he liked. Then you and Tavros really could share, Kurloz."

"I don't know, if the Admiral would let me," Tavros said with a shrug.

"Who says, he has to know?" Aradia cut in, "He can just keep locking the door to that closet every night, none the wiser. Or heck, I might move in there. It has to be better than sharing a room with Vriska. I have never met anyone so insufferable in my life. I used to think she was kinda cool, but spending more than five minutes with her at a time is unbearable. She can't stand not being the center of attention, and if she isn't the best at something then it's a waste of time."

Tavros had a feeling she could have kept going, but she stopped herself, realizing she was rambling.

"Anyway," She said, "I'm really hoping when we land she gets sent to some other part of the front."

"It's unlikely," Eridan said, "The Admiral will want to keep us all close. The whole point of this is publicity, remember? We have to show everyone back home how much effort we're putting into this fight, sending our best and brightest young summoners right to the front."

"Seems like a bad idea to me," Aradia said, "Putting your best people on the front with no idea what they're doing..."

"I don't approve of this whole war business," Feferi said with a frown, "People seem to act like the eastern kingdoms are populated with monsters or talking animals. But they're people just the same as us, and I'm certain they want peace just as much as we do. I'm bet if we stopped all this attacking and just talked to them they'd probably want to join the empire all on their own! We are such an excellent empire after all."

Tavros thought, if she could have become empress, she would have been a very good empress indeed. He'd like to see an end to the constant warring. There hadn't been a time since it was founded when the empire wasn't conquering someone. They hadn't even stopped during the rebellion.

"We don't have to approve of it," Eridan said with a shrug, "Only your mother does. We just have to do what she says. She's never steered us wrong before."

"So you don't approve of it either?" Aradia asked Eridan curiously.

Eridan shrugged, reluctant to say.

"It's not that I disapprove," Eridan mumbled, "I just don't really understand it. The newspapers in town are saying the eastern kingdoms always belonged to the empire and we're rescuing them from invaders, or that they attacked us first, but... I've heard the Admiral talk about it. They didn't do anything. The Empress just declared their lands were ours now and sent in the armies. I guess we must really need the land if the Empress thinks it's that important. It just... seems kind of weird to me."

"Me too," Aradia agreed, perhaps the first time she'd ever agreed with Eridan, "And I've seen maps of the eastern kingdoms. That place is huge, and full of people. I'm not the only one who thinks trying to conquer it is a bad idea."

"But that's the Empress's job," Feferi said, "Unifying all the kingdoms of the world into one empire has been her duty since the empire was founded. Once we're all one nation, there will be no more fighting or poverty or unhappiness because everyone will be listening to the Empress."

"But, there's still poverty and unhappiness, in the places she's already conquered," Tavros said quietly, "There are, places in the empire where commoners are, starving, every day."

"That's ridiculous," Feferi said, dismissing the entire idea, "My mother wouldn't let that happen."

Realizing the conversation had taken an unpleasant turn, they let it fall into silence, which hung awkwardly between them for a long, heavy moment. Then Feferi suggested another game and Eridan went to crank the orchestrion back to life. The party resumed, their worries quickly forgotten.

They stayed together long into the night, all of them eventually dozing off in the chairs in Feferi's room rather than returning to their own. Even Aradia's snoring couldn't convince them to separate tonight.

The next morning, the ship landed on the cape, the sea side palace standing grand and delicate on the cliff above them. It was a beautiful frosted cake of a castle, covered in graceful shell pink spires and high carved arches of white stone. Like something from a fairytale, made of spun sugar and blown glass. Tavros was surprised it didn't crumble in the breeze.

The morning was bitingly cold, but the sky was clear and the sun warm as they all saw Feferi to the gangway and watched her depart, waving goodbye as she vanished into the crowd at the docks, where a grand carriage was waiting to bring her to the castle. Eridan sniffled, watching her go, and quickly complained that he was catching cold. Tavros patted his arm reassuringly.

Eridan had always bragged that he and the princess would be married one day, but Tavros had assumed that was less about feelings and more about Eridan wanting to be a prince. After seeing them together however, he couldn't deny they were close, even if it was a closeness more like siblings than betrothed. Feferi had a talent for soothing even the worst of Eridan's tantrums and morose fits, and she seemed to confide in him for everything. Marriage wasn't something Tavros had every really thought about for himself, he wasn't even ten yet, but he thought maybe Eridan and Feferi could be happy together. If being apart didn't destroy Eridan first. He was having a hard time controlling his sniffles.

Tavros was concerned with the Princess's departure for a different reason. He had no doubt that it was in large part due to Feferi's presence that the Admiral had so far allowed him some small measure of freedom to wander the ship as he liked. Now that she was gone, Tavros was certain Dualscar would jump at the opportunity to lock him in the brig for the duration.

As they stood watching the princess's carriage disappear, Tavros glanced at where the Admiral stood near the port side railing, overseeing the loading of supplies for the rest of the journey, and saw the older man staring back at him with a cold glint in his eye. Tavros had been only an annoyance before, but by challenging Dualscar's authority on his own ship and weakening his relationship with the princess, Tavros had made the Admiral's dislike for him personal. Tavros shivered.

"Don't worry about that old coot," Aradia said later as they gathered in what had been Feferi's room to watch Eridan moving in, "We're not going to let him bother you."

"I really, don't think you're going to have much of a choice?" Tavros said with a shrug, "He's, the captain. He was, barely holding back, for the sake of the princess."

"Yeah, we can't defy him openly," Aradia conceded, "But that doesn't mean we can't do it at all. If he locks you in, I'll break you out. If he won't feed you, I'll steal food for you. We know he won't try to really hurt you because of Equius, so there's nothing to worry about."

She turned to give Equius, lurking behind them, a thumbs up and a grin. Equius didn't respond, except to start sweating more heavily. Tavros had noticed he did that a lot. He wondered if it was normal for demons.

"I thought you three were here to help me?" Eridan called as he staggered through the door with his arms full of clothes, "Stop gossiping and grab something!"

Tavros turned his chair to roll closer to Eridan and the other boy dumped the stack of clothing on him in relief.

"So, have we decided how to distribute the rest of the rooms yet?" Eridan asked, heading over to the wardrobe and waving Tavros after him, "I'm eager to see who gets stuck with Kurloz. No offense."

Kurloz shrugged in response, unbothered.

"I've been thinking about it," Aradia said, "And this room is big enough for two. What if I moved in here? No more cranky Vriska every day and night. I am supposed to be your maid after all."

Eridan pouted. Tavros knew how much he'd wanted a room to himself. But the other boy sighed and reigned in his disappointment.

"I suppose that would make sense," He said, "If you really don't want to take my old bed in Kurloz's room?"

"Nah, that spots for Tavros," Aradia said, "If anyone can handle Kurly's weirdness its Tav. No offense."

Kurloz made a helpless gesture and Tavros smiled at him apologetically. Tavros still wasn't sure switching rooms without telling the Admiral was a good idea, but Aradia seemed set on it, and it would be nice to have enough space to turn his chair around. Having to watch Kurloz change his stitches in the mornings was hardly too steep a price to pay.

"Anyway, she's right Tav," Eridan said, taking clothes off the stack in Tavros's arms to hang them in the wardrobe, "I won't let my father push you around. We've been more than a week at sea and your demon hasn't so much as spoken an impolite word. He's got no justification for treating you badly."

"He doesn't, really need justification," Tavros said, voice muffled beneath the pile of clothes, "But, thank you guys, anyway. I, really appreciate, how much you've helped me."

"No thanks necessary hun," Aradia said warmly, "You're our friend."

"You'd do the same for us," Eridan continued, "If you weren't, you know."

Eridan wiggled his fingers vaguely in Tavros's direction. Tavros frowned, and Aradia leaned over the back of the chair she'd been lounging in to smack Eridan lightly in the back of the head.

"Do you ever think before you open your mouth?" She scolded, "Honestly."

Eridan, patting at his disturbed hair indignantly, abandoned hanging his clothes to turn and argue with Aradia. Tavros watched, unsure how to help, until Kurloz lifted the clothes out of his lap, dumped them in a chair, and turned to wheel Tavros out of the room, leaving the other two to their bickering.

"Are you sure it's all right, to just let them fight?" Tavros asked, concerned. Kurloz just patted his head and pushed him into the room next door, which would soon be his and Tavros's. Most of Eridan's things had already been moved out, leaving one bed empty. Kurloz left, and Tavros rolled his chair between the two beds, relieved at the space. The room wasn't very large, certainly not as spacious as Feferi's cabin. But it was big enough for Tavros to turn his chair around and maneuver fairly easily. Just to see if he could, he pulled his chair up beside the empty bed and carefully lifted himself out and onto the mattress. Succeeding, he flopped onto the pillow and sighed in relief. It felt indescribably good to be able to do that for himself. No more being dumped out of his chair like a new born giraffe.

"Are you certain you wish to move into this room?" Equius spoke and Tavros jumped, having forgotten, again, that he was there. It was so easy to lose him.

"I, think so," Tavros said, sitting up, "It's, way more comfortable, than the closet. Why, wouldn't I want to move in here?"

Equius shifted uneasily.

"The Makara boy," He replied, "Something him makes me... wary. Perhaps we could room with the red girl instead?"

Tavros giggled a little, shaking his head.

"Aradia, wants to stay in the big room with Eridan," He said, "And, besides, Kurloz isn't bad. He's just a little strange. He doesn't mean any harm."

Equius made an indecisive noise, but Kurloz returned a second later, carrying Tavros's bag from the other room, which he set on the bed beside Tavros with a smile.

"Thank you, Kurloz," Tavros said warmly, "And thank you, for letting me stay, in the room with you. It's, really nice, being able to move around."

Kurloz just smiled, and made a small hand gesture, which Tavros had learned from Aradia meant 'It's fine.'

"Maybe, this will be a good chance, for us to get to know each other better," Tavros said with a smile, "I feel bad, that I know so little about you. You're, my friend, and I didn't even know your birthday was coming, until last week. I still don't know how old you are."

Kurloz leaned over to pat his shoulder as though to tell him not to worry about it, but he seemed as pleased as Tavros was that they could spend more time together. Assuming, of course, that the Admiral didn't interfere.

But the next day came and went and Dualscar, if he'd noticed the changing of rooms at all, made no comment. The winter sea carried them swiftly on towards their destination as the days passed and the nights grew colder. Tavros, still trapped by his chair, spent most of his time in his room, trying to find a way to escape it. He knew it wasn't his friends fault that he was stuck here while they could wander freely, but it was hard not to resent them when they came back laughing from some adventure they'd had on deck without him.

Most of his company these days was Equius, which was strange for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that Equius turned most conversations into a request for orders. The demon seemed increasingly frustrated with their near imprisonment on the ship, and with Tavros's refusal to make full use of him.

"I'll, give you an order, when I think of one," Tavros grumbled in reply to one of Equius's frequent complaints one day, sitting on the bed in his cabin, trying to focus on the book he was reading, "You can't blame me, for wanting to be careful, when the Admiral is just looking for an excuse to lock me up?"

"I do not believe you," Equius replied in annoyance, "You will continue ignoring me, ignoring my potential, because your useless human brain is too small to conceive of the possibilities."

"I conceive, just fine," Tavros said, lowering his book with a pout, "I just, don't want anyone getting hurt!"

"You have been reading the same three books since we boarded," Equius pointed out, "I could easily acquire new books for you, books more pertinent to your current studies. That would harm no one."

"It would harm, whoever you stole the books from," Tavros said seriously, "I have to, think about the consequences, Equius."

"Consequences," Equius scoffed, "You have no concept of the power I possess. You are beyond consequences. Or you would be if you would use me properly."

"I don't really, like your idea, of using you properly," Tavros mumbled, hiding behind his book, "It seems to involve, a lot of breaking things, and taking what I want."

"Yes, precisely," Equius agreed, "If there is anything I appreciate about the physical realm it is how incredibly satisfying it is to break things."

Tavros laughed a little at that, nervously.

"Well, I'll try and find something, you can break soon, okay?" Tavros promised, "But, a ship at sea, is not a good place, to be breaking things, uh, willy nilly. Especially not right now, when they're trying to get ready, for Eridan's birthday."

Equius made a small disgusted sound and sank onto Kurloz's bed. Tavros had only recently convinced the demon that it wasn't necessary for him to stand stiffly in corners all the time. He seemed to worry excessively about touching anything. As much as he claimed to enjoy breaking things, that only seemed to apply when he was breaking them intentionally.

"I do not like that one," Equius continued dismissively, "He dresses poorly and insults you and the red girl in the course of normal conversation. Throwing him a party for existing will not help his self-absorption."

"He's my friend," Tavros chided the demon, "He's not perfect, no one is, but, he tries really hard. And, he usually apologizes, when I point out that he's being, insulting."

"Your taste in friends is terrible," Equius said, and Tavros laughed quietly.

"He said, the exact same thing," Tavros said, shaking his head.

He paused as he heard voices in the hall, then quickly squirmed to slide off of the bed and into his chair. He rolled quickly to the door and opened it as Eridan, Aradia, and Kurloz were nearing.

"You're back!" He said brightly, relieved to see them after nearly an entire day alone in his room, "How are the, uh, preparations, going?"

"The entire ship looks like a really tacky violet dragon exploded on it," Aradia replied with a grin, "So, absolutely perfect for Eridan. They got his gaudiness down perfect."

Eridan scowled briefly, then shook it off.

"It's going to be spectacular, Tav," He said excitedly, "This will be my first time celebrating at sea. The crew has planned so much! There's going to be a feast, and fireworks, and music! The crew put together a band, can you believe that?"

He quickly fell to rambling excitedly, and Tavros tried to smile and not think about how little of the party he would actually be able to participate in. This wasn't about him. It was Eridan's party. He should be more excited for the other boy. But something in him would rather mope and be resentful...

He shook it off as he heard Eridan's ramble wrapping up.

"And of course after the fireworks we'll come back to my room," Eridan was saying, "Like we did for Kurloz's party. It was nice, doing something with just us. I think it should be a tradition."

"I would, like that," Tavros agreed. Especially because he would likely have to spend most of the part down here anyway.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Aradia said, leaning over to take a tray from Kurloz, "We brought you dinner! So you wouldn't have to go up and down the stairs again. I know how you hate that."

"Thanks, Aradia," Tavros said warmly, taking the tray, "I'm, starting to worry the chair, won't take much more."

Eridan hummed, crouching to inspect the battered wheelchair, the back bars of which were bent severely out of shape. The back wheels were, consequently, quite off and had made steering frustratingly difficult, if not impossible. Eridan tapped them thoughtfully, then stood with a shrug.

"Well, I have no idea how to fix that," He said, "But I'm sure we can get you a better one when we land."

"We're going to a war front, Eridan," Aradia pointed out, "I doubt there's going to be many skilled carpenters around."

"Then you clearly don't know that much about war," Eridan replied, "Somebody has to fix the boats and the trebuchets and all the other wooden things. And even if there aren't, we'll still figure something out. If all else fails, Aradia can sew him a harness and we'll just strap him to the back of his demon."

Tavros blushed with embarrassment at the thought of being carried around that way.

"I think, I'll keep researching, other options," He said quickly, "I have, a few ideas, for maybe making a, uh, slightly better chair."

The distant sound of a high, clear whistle interrupted whatever response Eridan was preparing. Kurloz hurried up the stairs at once, back out on to the deck.

"What is it?" Aradia asked, "What does that sound mean?"

"Storm clouds on the horizon," Eridan said dismissively, "They'll likely pass before we reach them. Don't worry about it."

The storm clouds did not pass before the ship reached them. By nightfall the ship was mired in them, engulfed in a powerful winter storm that threw frigid sheets of ice at the sails and rattled every timber with deafening blasts of thunder. Tavros had never had trouble with sea sickness before but as he lay in bed trying to ignore the flashes of lightning through his window that evening even he felt queasy.

By morning the storm still raged, and the sky was as dark as if the sun had never risen. Eridan's party was, without question, put on hold, a fact Eridan pretended didn't bother him, though he was obviously miserable.

All of them, too young and inexperienced to help, were sent down below to wait in Eridan's room where they would be out of the way. All but Kurloz, who was apparently considered old enough to be of use. They huddled near the brazier and each other for warmth while a good inch of water sloshed across the floor with every wave. Eridan stared moodily into the coals, moping. Aradia fidgeted with her leather bracelet, looking worried. Tavros wondered if the seawater would rust his chair. He wasn't so afraid of the ship going down. He had Equius after all. He knew he and the other apprentices would be safe. Though there were an awful lot of people on this ship he couldn't be so sure about.

The sound of a bell ringing loudly above them startled all three apprentices. Tavros and Aradia looked to Eridan at once for an explanation, to see him pale with worry.

"What does it mean?" Tavros asked.

"Nothing good," Eridan said, and stood suddenly, grimacing as the water splashed and soaked his trousers. He snatched one of his thickest cloaks out of his wardrobe and threw it to Aradia, grabbing another for himself.

"Come on," He said, "They need our help. Have you been practicing that telekinetic magic?"

"A little," Aradia said, standing and pulling the cloak on, "But I don't think it's going to be very useful here."

"You never know," Eridan said with a nervous laugh, clearly frightened, though he fastened his cloak and prepared to go anyway.

"Get me, one of those," Tavros said, pointing to the wardrobe, "I'm, coming too."

"No way," Eridan said firmly, "You're staying right here. You'll only be sliding around the deck like a loose cannon if you take your chair up there. You'll put people in danger. We'll be back soon."

Aradia gave him an apologetic look but said nothing, and the two of them hurried out, leaving Tavros alone. Well, not entirely alone. He was never really alone now. He turned to look at Equius somberly.

"I've got, some orders for you."

The deck was something out of a nightmare. The sky was black as midnight, the rain so thick it was difficult to see more than a foot past your nose. Crewmen rushed about their duties in a kind of organized chaos. Admiral Dualscar stood on the forecastle deck, bellowing orders down at the crew. The sails had been tightly furled since the storm began, but the wind had caught and torn one loose. Now it was snapping in the wind, threatening to break the mast if it wasn't secured. Eridan and Aradia had thrown themselves into helping secure anything that hadn't been tied down the day before and double checking anything that had been.

Tavros, clinging to Equius's shoulders as the demon carried him on his back, emerged into the freezing rain and immediately regretted it. What could he do to help here? What use was someone like him?

"There," Equius shouted to be heard over the din of thunder and wave, "In the rigging."

Tavros looked up and felt a rush of fear run over him. Against a backdrop of black sky and steel grey cloud, illuminated by lightning, Kurloz was scaling the mast in the gale to try and secure the loose sail. Tavros couldn't know if he'd been chosen for it, perhaps because he was light and agile and good with rope, or if he'd simply decided to do it on his own. Either way, as the rain poured down, soaking him to the bone in a matter of seconds, Tavros could feel nothing but fear for his friend.

"Order me," Equius barked, "Order me and I could go and fetch him down in an instant. Order me and I could do anything."

But Tavros couldn't find the words, frozen with terror. Kurloz, at the top of the mast, leaned out to snatch at the flying sail, stretching out with all his acrobat's skill until he was barely hanging on to the ladder with one hand, stretched to his full length to try and grab the wildly swinging canvas. As Tavros watched, the wind turned suddenly and the sail swung, striking Kurloz hard, knocking him free. Tavros's cry of fear was lost in the thunder as Kurloz clung to the sail for dear life while it whipped wildly in the wind, bucking like a horse determined to throw him.

"Save him!" Tavros shouted at Equius in wide eyed fear, "Save him!"

Equius needed no other encouragement. He dropped Tavros onto the deck and leaped, a single huge bound carrying him all the way to the top of the mast. He caught the sail, and rather than grabbing for Kurloz, dragged the entire sheet down, wrapped around the older apprentice. He tore the sail from its rigging like it was tissue paper as he leapt back down to the deck. He dumped Kurloz out as he landed, and the apprentice rolled out onto the deck, looking startled but unharmed.

"Kurloz!" Tavros called out when he saw the other boy, tears of relief mingling with the rain on his face.

Kurloz, still looking shaken, hurried to Tavros's side, pulling him into a tight hug. Tavros squeezed the other boy back, until he realized he was being scooped up and carried back towards the stairs.

"No, no I can help!" Tavros said, squirming to try and get loose, "They need my help!"

Equius's hand landed as lightly as the demon was capable on Kurloz's shoulder, but it still made the boy flinch and stop in his tracks. Tavros knew from experience there was likely to be a bruise there tomorrow.

"He wishes to stay," Equius said sharply, "I will keep him safe."

Kurloz gave the demon a mistrustful look, but seeing the stubborn frown on Tavros's face, knew he didn't have a choice. He handed Tavros into Equius's arms like a child, then pointed to where Eridan and Aradia were struggling to secure ballast barrels. Equius swung Tavros on to his back again and Tavros clung, legs swinging, as he ordered the demon to help. For hours they weathered the freezing storm. Every time it seemed everything was safe something else would break loose and a new problem would arise. More than once, Tavros sent Equius diving into the black and hellish sea to rescue crew men swept over by the relentless, hammer like waves. At last the Admiral called that nothing more could be done. The apprentices and the crew hurried below to hide and hope the storm would pass before the ship broke apart. Back in Eridan's room, they doused the brazier for fear the tilting of the ship would spill the coals and start a fire. Damp and freezing, they huddled together, all of them crammed onto the small couch. Even Aradia and Eridan were wrapped around each other with hardly a complaint, Aradia wedged in the corner and Eridan half in her lap, half in Kurloz's. Kurloz had his lanky arms around both Eridan and Tavros, still being carried by Equius, who'd taken the other far corner of the small couch. The demon's skin was almost as chilly as the water, but Tavros hadn't ordered Equius to put him down anyway. He wasn't sure the demon would have done it if he had, considering the imminent danger they were still in. Besides, right now he wanted everyone he cared about close and out of danger. They would never be safer than with Equius close at hand.

Cold and exhausted, they all fell asleep within minutes of each other, leaving only Equius still awake, watching over them in solemn silence.

They passed through the storm in the night and Tavros woke to blue skies in his windows again. The relief in all the apprentices was tangible. Stiff and shivering, they re-lit the brazier and got to work cleaning up.

Everything was damp from the flooding the night before, and it wouldn't be long before it began to go to mildew. Eridan refused to accept this, especially since he'd already missed out on his birthday party. He enlisted them all in drying or removing anything in his room that had been touched by the damp. To his credit, he did at least help them do it, rather than just delegating, as would have been normal for him. But that may have been motivated by how repulsed he was by the very concept of mold growing in his room.

Tavros had resigned himself somewhat to letting Equius carry him around, if only so he could leave the still damp and unpleasant guest quarters for the relative warmth of the deck. Equius was still wary about accidentally injuring Tavros's 'fragile human body,' so they improvised a kind of sling across the demon's chest that Tavros could lay in with minimal support. Tavros felt like some kind of weird infant, the feeling even stranger because the shape Equius had been keeping since he'd been summoned was one similar to Tavros in age. But it worked better than the chair, at least for now. Equius carried Tavros, Tavros's arms full of damp blankets, out into the sun so that he could lay them over the railing to dry. Aradia had already carried up the mattresses not just from Eridan's room but from all the guest rooms. Tavros laid the wet blankets out alongside the mattress, hoping they dried quickly. It was too cold to be sleeping in damp beds.

Curiously, Tavros noticed the crew men giving him solemn little nods as he passed, rather than stiffly avoiding and ignoring him as they usually did. He frowned, confused by the change in behavior.

"I suspect they appreciate our assistance last night," Equius offered when he saw Tavros's puzzled expression, "You were able to demonstrate with some efficiency that I am not a danger, but a useful tool."

"You really think so?" Tavros asked, not sure he trusted that they would change their opinions so quickly.

"They may not be inviting us to dinner any time soon," Equius replied, "But at least they are no longer waiting for us to explode."

"That is good, at least," Tavros said, hopeful that maybe the demon was correct, "It would be nice, to have more people on our side."

"I would not rely on them just yet," Equius said, "They still obey the arrogant one's father, who seems to dislike you."

"That's true," Tavros said with a sigh, "But, I could still change that, maybe. He's one of the best summoner's in the world, and he's my teacher. If I could just, find a way to make him, respect me..."

"I do not believe that will happen," Equius said plainly, "He is very concerned with your human social hierarchy, and you are less than the lowest rung on that proverbial ladder."

"Thank you, for reminding me," Tavros said, shoulders slumping as some of the air went out of his optimism, "I could still, try. Maybe, I can make him, see things differently."

"If you wished for me to erase his memory and damage his vision so that he no longer recognized to color of your skin, I could do that for you," Equius said as calmly as if he were explaining the rules of checkers, "But I cannot change people's beliefs, and I doubt you have this power either."

"My dad, changed a lot of people's beliefs," Tavros said, clinging to his hope despite Equius's words, "I know, I'll probably never be as good, as he was. But I just want to change, one person's mind, not the whole world. If I could just, make him see, that I'm worth his time, that would be enough."

Equius didn't respond, and Tavros glanced up from where he'd been staring out at the horizon and saw Equius was looking at him with a strange expression.

"Equius?" He said, wondering what the demon was thinking, "Is something, wrong?"

"No," Equius replied stiffly, looking away, "I was simply thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Tavros asked, "I mean, if you want to tell me. You don't have to."

Equius's mouth thinned into a frown that made his lower fangs stick out.

"Do you have any idea how frustrating it is when you do that," He grumbled, "I'm a demon you ninny. I don't want to tell you anything. I want you to order me to tell you!"

Tavros found himself laughing a little and, hesitant, he patted Equius's shoulder when the demon's frown intensified.

"You're so weird," Tavros said, shaking his head, "I'm sorry. I'll try, to order you more firmly."

"Don't apologize," Equius huffed in frustration, "You're making it worse!"

Tavros laughed harder, shaking in his dumb baby sling.

"You are the weird one," Equius grumbled.

Around noon Aradia escaped somewhere. They'd already mostly finished with Eridan's room and moved on to working on the other guest cabins, but Eridan still took the opportunity to complain loudly about her absence and how unfair it was that she'd abandoned them with all this work. Of course, by now Tavros and Equius were for the most part the only ones working. Kurloz was putting in a token effort but kept getting distracted and staring off into space for increasingly long periods of time. Eridan had fallen back into his usual habit of sprawling out on the nearest chair and ordering everyone else around rather than doing any actual work himself. Tavros didn't bother to complain about it or try to get them working again. He was close to needing a break himself, and beside he and Equius had worked out a fairly effective system that compensated for Equius's unruly strength and Tavros's mobility issues.

They were scrubbing the floors, something Tavros could actually do without needing to be in the sling, when Kurloz finally gave up all pretenses and flopped, ragdoll like, directly onto the soapy floor. Tavros was certain if his mouth were not stitched up he'd have been letting out a miserable groan to end all groans.

"Okay, maybe, you're right," Tavros said with a tired sigh, dropping his brush, "It's, time for a break."

"Oh good, lunch!" Eridan said brightly, "What are we having?"

Kurloz leveled one of his scariest glares on Eridan until the other apprentice gave in and went to fetch them all lunch himself, complaining loudly as he went.

Kurloz raised his arms weakly to sign something, too quick for Tavros to understand with his limited knowledge.

"He said 'why are we friends with that guy?'" Equius provided, crouching near Tavros as he waited for the apprentice to need help again.

Tavros looked at Equius strangely.

"How, do you know that?" He asked.

"It was simple to learn," Equius said defensively, "If you observed the red girl, as I have. She is an excellent teacher."

Tavros pursed his lips, looking at Equius in concern.

"She has," Equius said in a bare whisper, "Very graceful hands."

"Ew," Tavros said articulatly, covering his face with his hands, "Gross!"

Kurloz splashed soapy water at the demon as though he were chastising a misbehaving pet.

"How dare-" Equius sputtered, face turning purple as his blue gray skin flushed with embarrassment, "There is nothing impure about- I simply admire her!"

"I didn't know, demons could 'admire' people, like that," Tavros said with a laugh, "I thought, that only happened in stories."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Equius snapped, "I command you to be silent, impudent child. Respect your betters!"

"I thought, you were the one that wanted to be commanded," Tavros said with a laugh, "And since when, are you my better?"

"The arrogant one and his father are your social betters," Equius said with a sniff, "And I am better than them, and therefore exponentially better than you. You will command me because I've commanded you to do it, peasant."

Tavros flinched a little at that, and Equius seemed to falter at the sight of Tavros's frown. Kurloz was carefully looking anywhere but at the two of them.

"Equius," Tavros said quietly, "Do you, really feel that way?"

It was hard to read guilt on Equius's stony expression, but he was sweating harder than usual.

"I am better than you," he said stubbornly, looking away, "But... perhaps I was too quick to assume the rest. Human social systems, like everything humans make, are backwards and ridiculous."

Tavros accepted the near apology for what it was and went back to scrubbing the floor in silence. Equius shifted uncomfortably but said nothing else. Fortunately, Eridan soon returned with lunch, blissfully unaware of the tension he broke as he swept in bearing bread and fruit.

"Enjoy this," He said, tossing small apples and an orange apiece at them both, "It's the last of the fruit we picked up at the cape. The bread stores aren't looking good either thanks to the storm. We're going to have to put in to resupply, I think."

Kurloz traded Tavros his orange for two more of his apples almost immediately. Tavros assumed orange wedges wouldn't fit between his stitches as neatly as apple slices.

"Is there, anywhere to stop, between here and the eastern kingdoms?" Tavros asked curiously.

"There's a few islands," Eridan said, flopping back into his chair, "Mostly uninhabited but there's fruit trees and some natives to trade with."

"Natives?" Aradia appeared in the door like she'd just been waiting for an interesting topic of conversation, "What kind of natives?"

"I don't know," Eridan said with a shrug, "The kind that live on islands? Wild men living in huts in the woods. They're barely civilized."

"Civilized enough to trade with," Aradia said, sitting down next to Tavros, who threw her Kurloz's orange, "Civilized enough to have something we need."

"They're really not that exciting Aradia," Eridan rolled his eyes, sighing dramatically, "I don't know why you get so worked up about things like this. The old kingdoms, the natives, they're just a bunch of dirty, uncivilized people without the brains to build ships or cities."

"What do you know about it?" Aradia said sharply, beginning to get offended, "You've never seen them, never studied the old kingdoms. The old kingdoms had hundreds of cities, some of them grander than the ones the empire has now!"

"No they didn't," Eridan said dismissively, "Don't be stupid. Everyone knows the capital is the greatest city that's ever been built."

"No, it isn't," Aradia insisted, "Hundreds of years ago, there was a city on the western coast bigger than two capitols put together, filled with monuments thousands of years old!"

"Where did you hear that?" Eridan asked, wrinkling his nose in disbelief.

"I read it," Aradia said, suddenly evasive, "In a book."

"You mean you made it up," Eridan sneered, "Everyone knows the empress doesn't allow anything to be written about the old kingdoms."

"Well, maybe she-"

"Stop!" Tavros said, banging his apple on the floor for emphasis, "Please? I hate it, when you guys fight like that. And I bruised my apple..."

They both had the decency to look guilty.

"You're right," Aradia said, though she was still giving Eridan dirty looks over her shoulder, "I'm sorry Tav."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Eridan echoed.

Silence lingered for a moment before Tavros, picking at his bruised apple, spoke again.

"So, uh, what were you doing, all that time?" He asked Aradia, who shrugged and looked away.

"Nothing important," She said, "Just helping out somewhere else on the ship. There was a lot that needed cleaning up after the storm."

Eridan made a noise that said he didn't believe that for a second, which Aradia wisely ignored. Tavros noticed with some curiosity that her bracelet was missing.

"Anyway," Tavros said, "It'll be nice, to get off the boat and, uh, stretch my legs, a little. Figuratively speaking."

Aradia snorted and Kurloz threw an orange peel at him.

"It's only been a little over a month," Eridan said, "We've got a lot more to go."

"Yeah, you aren't going to get cabin fever and unleash Equius on us all, are you?" Aradia asked with a grin, "If you are, warn me ahead of time. I want to see Eridan get eaten first."

Tavros laughed, shaking his head.

"I don't know, I think Equius, would rather be unleashed on you, Aradia," Tavros said, winking at the demon, who refused to look at him, despite the fact that he was turning the same shade as Eridan's cloak. Aradia just looked confused, while Kurloz shook with silent laughter.

"I don't know what you're getting at," Aradia said, her expression dangerous, "But stop it now, or I'm taking your apples."

Tavros managed to hold it in for only a moment before a grin spread across his face as he glanced at the still shaking Kurloz.

"Equius wants, to take your apples," He snickered.

"THAT'S IT." Aradia threw herself at him, and not only took his apples, but tickled him till he cried for it. Equius refused his breathless pleas for help on the ground that Tavros was not in immediate danger, and their contract forbid him from hurting Aradia. Kurloz and Eridan just egged Aradia on.

Through his tears of mirth, as the ship carried them on towards their uncertain future, Tavros saw Vriska standing in the hall, looking in at them. Her expression was unreadable, something as hungry as it was angry. In the middle of what should have been a peaceful, happy moment, Tavros couldn't help feeling he'd somehow made a mistake somewhere.

Then she turned away, back to her room, and Tavros was distracted from his momentary grim thoughts by Aradia sitting on him. He forgot his troubles easily. He was only a kid after all, and here with his friends, and for the moment at least nothing was going wrong. If he couldn't enjoy this moment, then what was the point?