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Chapter Text

Mina stared at her hands silently as she listened to her siblings argue in front of her. They had been yelling since her brother had come home with his grand plan to get their family back into good standing with the leaders of their people, the Genii. The fact that they were yelling about her did not spur her to join the argument, even though it was her future they were debating.

“You can’t just marry her off to one of Cowen’s men. Especially not him!” Mina’s sister fumed.

Their brother Caleb threw his hands in the air in frustration.

“Your well-being is my main responsibility, and I’ve run out of options to get us back into Cowen’s good graces. What else would you suggest I do Thali?”

“The marriage is not the idea that I am opposed to, it’s the person you want to marry her off to. He’s a cruel man and he is much older than her! Couldn’t you pick someone else? Ladon would be a much better choice. He’s closer to her in age and is close to Cowen.”

Caleb sighed and shook his head.

“I didn’t choose who she is going to marry. I brought the idea before Cowen and he made the choice. Commander Kolya is one of his most trusted men and is in good standing within the Genii. Not to mention that he is one of the best fighters we have and could protect her.”

Mina decided she had finally had enough of their bickering and stood up from her chair, bringing her siblings’ eyes to her.

“I wish the two of you would not act as if I am a child. I know that this decision is for the best, and I am willing to do my part to bring the Delaine name out of the dirt. Even if that means marrying someone that may not be the youngest or kindest man available.”

Thali looked at her sister with pity and crossed the distance between them, placing her hands on her shoulders.

“Are you sure Mina? You don’t have to do this.”

Mina met her sister’s eyes, giving her a sad smile.

“Yes I do. As a Genii, it is my duty to help my family and my people. If this is how I do it, so be it.” Mina embraced her sister and jokingly added, “and please don’t offer Ladon as an alternative. I’ve known that man my whole life. He’s a snake in the grass, and we both know it.”

Thalia chuckled quietly and returned her sister’s embrace. Caleb cleared his throat to get their attention.

“Does that mean that you will marry him?”

Mina pulled away from her sister and turned to face her brother.

“Yes Caleb, I will follow your plan and marry him.”

........................................................................

Acastus Kolya stood before Cowen’s desk, not sure what to make of what the man had just said to him.

“You wish for me to enter into an arranged marriage? Are you sure I am the best candidate for this? Surely someone younger would be better, someone like Ladon or Mekhai?”

Cowen shook his head and walked around the side of his desk to stand beside Kolya.

“Caleb Delaine came to me in an effort to restore his family name to good standing to fix the mistakes made by his father. His suggestion was to marry off his younger sister Mina to someone trustworthy and in good standing. My mind immediately went to you.”

Kolya raised his eyebrows at the mention of Mina being the younger sister of someone that was barely 30. His mind went to Sora Tyrus, who he had taken under his wing after her father’s passing. He wasn’t sure how comfortable he was with being married to someone close in age to one of his students.

“Again I suggest someone younger. If this girl is young, surely she will want a husband that she could live out her days with.”

“She is nearly 28, so not as young as you are thinking. I’m sure things will work out. If you are truly unwilling, I will find someone else. If it eases your worries at all, you could simply view this as an order and be done with it.”

Kolya closed his eyes in thought. He had never seen marriage as a priority. He could always go with Cowen’s idea and view it as an order. Arranged marriages were not common among the Genii, but not unheard of. The couple usually was able to work things out and live in a way that suited them both.

“I will marry this girl.”

Cowen nodded in approval and moved to sit behind his desk again.

“Very well. I will let Caleb know. I imagine the engagement will be short and then you can resume normalcy after the ceremony.”

Kolya bowed his head in agreement before turning and leaving the room. He made his way down the corridors of the underground facility until he reached the entry to the surface. As he walked the path towards the above ground settlement, his eyes drifted to the groups of younger people milling about. One of them could be his future wife. Since he had no idea what Mina Delaine even looked like, he was at a loss when it came to finding her within the crowd.

Kolya entered his home and glanced around. There was nothing of significance in the home that showed someone actually lived there. Maybe having a wife would do him some good, put a little color in his life. He walked back to his bedroom and grabbed a small box out of the drawer of his bedside table.

He opened the box to reveal the one thing left to him by his mother. Though he had never really planned on marrying, he had kept the ring after her death. It was simple, a silver band with a royal blue stone attached. It only seemed right that Mina should have the ring, given she was not likely going to want anything else from him.

His mind kept going back to what Cowen had said, this was simply a business arrangement. Romance had nothing to do with it. He decided that he would leave Mina to her own devices and simply be her husband by law, and nothing else.

Chapter Text

Mina paced back and forth across her bedroom, stopping every so often to look at the dress laying out on her bed. The dress was simple and traditional for a Genii wedding, ironically so since it was her mother’s and had come from a completely different culture. The dress was not the problem, however, it was what the dress represented. She was getting married in a few hours, to a man she had never met and was 15 years her senior. A man that was well known amongst the Genii as being cold and harsh. Mina’s thoughts were interrupted by her door opening and her sister entering the room.

“Mina? Are you alright?” Thali inquired quietly.

Mina looked from the dress to her sister, inhaling slowly and focusing her thoughts.

“At the moment, not really. But I will be. I just want to get this over with.”

Thali looked at her older sister with sympathy.

“You never know, this might turn out better than you think. For all we know, there could be a good man under that harsh exterior.”

Mina smiled at Thali’s suggestion, always the optimist. She let out a long sigh and picked the dress up off the bed. Thali moved forward and helped Mina into the dress, lacing up the strings in the front and back. Once the dress was on, Mina could feel the pressure of what she was about to do increase on her chest. Suddenly she felt like she couldn’t breathe and her eyes began to water.

“Mina? What’s wrong?” Thali asked with concern, guiding Mina to sit down on the bed.

Mina’s breaths came in gulps as she bent over, her head in her hands. Thali gently rubbed her sister’s back, offering small soothing noises.

“You don’t have to do this, you know. I can go talk to Caleb and we can call the whole thing off.”

Mina shook her head and sat up, brushing the dampness from her eyes. She took a few deep breaths before turning her gaze to Thali.

“I can do this. I made a commitment to help my family, and I plan to follow through with it. This isn’t how I pictured my wedding day would go, but it’s how it’s going to be I guess. Can you do my hair for me?”

Thali sighed and nodded solemnly, grabbing a brush from Mina’s bedside table. She watched her sister’s expression in the mirror as she styled her hair, watching Mina’s eyes express her fear and sadness. Once her hair was finished, Mina stood up and gazed at her own reflection in the mirror.

“It’s time to face the music.”

…………………………………………………..

Kolya stood silently at the front of the empty event room within the tavern. He didn’t know what he was expecting. He didn’t have many friends, and the ones he did have were off planet on missions. From what he had heard about the status of the Delaine family, it didn’t surprise him that they wouldn’t have many people there for them either. He chuckled softly to himself at the fact that he had something in common with his bride to be.

His attention turned to the door to see Cowen and Mekhai walk into the event hall wearing uniforms that matched his own. Both men nodded in greeting and joined him at the front of the room.

“You ready for this?” Mekhai asked.

Kolya turned to the younger man and raised an eyebrow.

“This is simply me following orders Mekhai, nothing more.”

Cowen smirked at Kolya’s statement.

“At least give the girl a chance Kolya, you may enjoy having a wife around.”

Their conversation was cut short by the door opening again and a young redhead with short hair poking her head in the door. Kolya was taken aback by the woman’s young appearance, concerned that he was looking at the face of his wife to be.

“Is everyone ready?” the young girl asked.

“Yes Thali, we are ready,” Cowen answered her.

The door closed again and Kolya turned to look at Cowen in disbelief.

“I thought you said she wasn’t that young. I’m not sure I am comfortable marrying someone who is barely an adult Cowen.”

Cowen returned Kolya’s accusatory statement with a look of confusion.

“What are you talking about?” he gestured to the door, “You mean Thali? She’s not the one you’re marrying. You are marrying Mina, that was her younger sister.”

Kolya let out a sigh of relief and focused on the door again, waiting for the woman he was really going to marry to walk through it. He was disappointed when the door opened to reveal the same girl as before. She walked across the room from the door and stood at the other side of Cowen. He glanced at her, surprised to find her looking at him with disdain. He turned his gaze back to the door to see two more people entering the room.

Kolya had met Caleb Delaine before, but never his sisters. He suddenly wished that he had met them before this day. Mina’s red hair matched her sister’s, but fell past her shoulders in gentle curls. She walked slowly across the room on her brother’s arm, and Kolya’s eyes never left her face. When the pair reached the front of the room and joined the rest of them, Caleb released Mina’s arm and took his place between Thali and Cowen. Mina stood opposite Kolya and looked up to meet his eyes. Kolya was surprised by the mixed emotions he could see. Fear, sadness, confidence, and hope mixed together with the soft hazel color.

“We are here today to join together in matrimony this man and this woman,” Cowen started, bringing Kolya out of his trance.

“Who gives this woman to this man?” Cowen continued, turning his gaze to Caleb.

“I Caleb Delaine give this woman, my sister Mina Delaine to Commander Acastus Kolya to be his wife,” Caleb stated clearly.

Cowen nodded in acceptance and turned back to the pair before him.

“Could the two of you please join hands?”

Kolya lifted his hands in front of him with his palms up. Mina brought her hands to meet his and gently placed them over his. He marveled at how small and delicate they appeared compared to his. He closed his hands over hers, grasping them as gently as possible.

“Mina, please repeat after me. I Mina Delaine, daughter of Markand and Nola Delaine, take you Commander Acastus Kolya to be my husband.”

Mina took a deep breath before repeating the words exactly as Cowen had said them.

“I Mina Delaine, daughter of Markand and Nola Delaine, take you Commander Acastus Kolya to be my husband.”

Cowen turned his attention to Kolya, saying a similar thing. Kolya met Mina’s eyes, seeing the fear and sadness he had seen before prevalent above everything else. The poor woman was terrified of marrying him. The honorable man in him wanted to put a stop to this and save the beautiful woman before him from doing something she clearly didn’t want to do. The soldier in him knew that this marriage was ordered by Cowen, and if he didn’t do it, he would pay for it and Mina would likely be married off to another man she didn’t want to marry. Finally, the part of him that was nothing more than a man, who saw a beautiful woman standing before him, wanted nothing more than to take his chance and scoop her up while he had the chance.

“I Commander Acastus Kolya take you Mina Delaine to be my wife,” he strongly repeated Cowen’s words.

Cowen gestured to Thali and Mekhai, indicating for them to hand the rings to the couple. Kolya accepted the ring from Mekhai and watched as Thali handed Mina a simple silver band, giving her sister’s hand a reassuring squeeze as she did. Mina slid the ring onto his finger, and he did the same for her. The rejoined hands and both looked to Cowen.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mina Delaine, you are now Mina Kolya. Commander, you may kiss your bride.”

Kolya looked down at his new wife and released her hands. He gently took her face in his hands and closed the distance between them, placing a soft kiss on her lips. The kiss lasted only a few seconds before he pulled away, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. His hands fell from her face to his sides. When their eyes met again, he swore he could see a change in her emotions. Her fear and sadness had faded slightly and the hope had returned. The corner of his mouth quirked up slightly, but returned to its neutral position when Mina quickly looked away.

A hand grasping his shoulder forced him to look at Caleb, who was extending his hand for him to shake. He shook the young man’s hand, his gaze shifting to Mina embracing her sister behind him. He watched the pair of women turn and leave the event room together, leaving the men alone.

Chapter Text

Mina walked down the path that ran through the village, arm in arm with her sister. On her back, she carried a pack with her belongings. She was meeting her husband at the edge of the village to go to her new home. Once the ceremony had ended, she and Thali had returned home to gather her things. Neither one of them had said anything about the ceremony or the fact that Mina was now married to a man that she had never met until that day.

“There he is,” Thali said quietly, breaking the silence between them.

Mina looked to the end of the path before her to see her new husband and Caleb standing together. She swallowed her nervousness and closed the distance between the two pairs. She released her sister’s arm and embraced her for a few seconds before moving to her brother. As Caleb wrapped his arms around her, he leaned down and whispered into her ear.

“It won’t be as bad as you think it is. I can’t promise you will be happy, but he will take care of you.”

Caleb released her and took a step back, giving her a small smile. Mina returned the smile before turning her attention to Kolya. He offered his arm to her, which she took, and they continued down the path, leaving Caleb and Thali behind.

As he led her down the path, Mina looked up at him. His face expressed no emotions, but she could sense that he felt as awkward as she did. She wasn’t sure what he expected out of this marriage. She didn’t even know what she herself was expecting. There wasn’t clear expectations when it came to an arranged marriage. This arrangement was nothing more than a businesslike transaction to her family, and orders for him. While she racked her brain for ideas on how to make this marriage mean something besides good standing for herself and her siblings, she didn’t notice that they had turned off the main path. Eventually Kolya stopped in front of a small house. Mina pulled herself out of her contemplative state and took in the dwelling before her. It was not exactly what she had expected of a man that had dedicated his life to the Genii military. She had suspected that he lived in a bunker in the underground part of their civilization, not a quaint little farmhouse.

“Welcome to your new home,” Kolya said, uttering his first words to her outside of their wedding.

Mina pulled her arm out of his and walked forward, opening the door to the house. As she entered the main room, she took in her surroundings. The kitchen and dining area sat off to one side, with a small living space on the other side of the room. A hallway at the back held three doors, a bathroom and two bedrooms.

Mina heard the door close behind her, indicating that Kolya had followed her into the house. She turned her gaze from the room to look at his face again. This time, she was able to see something more than a blank stare. He almost looked worried, like he was awaiting her opinion of his home. The fact that he seemed to value her opinion touched Mina’s heart. She gave him a reassuring smile.

“It’s lovely. Different than I expected, but I think that I will enjoy making this my home.”

She watched as relief washed over his face. It seemed to soften his hard appearance, which changed Mina’s view of him. When he wasn’t actively frowning, he had a handsome face. When his eyes met hers, Mina realized that she had been staring and looked away quickly.

Kolya crossed the room and opened one of the doors on the back wall, revealing a bedroom with a single bed and a dresser. He looked to her and gestured to the room.

“I hope this room will be satisfactory for you.”

Mina’s face must have expressed her confusion for Kolya closed the distance between them and gently grasped her hand. Mina started slightly, as she hadn’t been expecting him to touch her. She instantly regretted her actions when he quickly released her hand.

“I know that this marriage is not something you wanted. I expect nothing from you and I wanted to give you your own space. I don’t plan on making your life any more difficult.”

Mina could see the sincerity on his face, and she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel. It almost seemed like he had been hurt by her reaction to him touching her, but when she looked in his eyes, she saw nothing that showed he felt anything towards her besides indifference. She could have sworn that she had briefly seen something at their wedding in his eyes that could only be described as lust or affection. The brief kiss they had shared had sparked something between them, but that spark seemed to have disappeared. Part of her wanted to kiss him again just to test it out, but her self-control and want to avoid the awkward conversation afterwards stopped her.

“Thank you Comman…” Mina started, stopping herself from finishing her formal addressal, “what would you like me to call you? Commander just doesn’t seem like something you should call your husband.”

The corner of Kolya’s mouth rose in a smirk.

“You may call me Acastus.”

“Very well. Acastus, thank you.”

Mina pulled one of the straps from her pack off of her shoulder, and walked into her new bedroom. She opened the bag and began to unpack her belongings. As she began her work, she glanced out the door to see Kolya had disappeared. She hadn’t heard the door close, so she assumed he was still in the house.

Her mind returned to her previous thoughts of what it would be like if she tried to reignite the small spark she had felt between them a few hours ago. They were stuck in this situation together, so maybe they should make the most of what they had been given. The room she was standing in pulled her back to reality. He had purposefully given her her own room, separating her from him. He had said that he did it for her benefit, but what if she had misread the feelings she thought she saw in his eyes. What if he really wanted nothing to do with her?

Chapter Text

Over the next two months, Mina slowly settled into her new life. She had made a few personal touches to her new home, making it look like someone actually lived there. Judging by her husband’s sense of being out of place at home, she assumed he had not spent much time there before her arrival. Being a military man, she figured that he spent most of his time below ground in the bunkers with most of the other military families. In their two months together so far, she hadn’t been able to get much out of him about his personal life. She knew that he had grown up in this house, but once his parents had passed and he made serving Cowen and his predecessor his priority, he had no use for his surface home. Marriage had never been high up on his list of priorities, he had told her hesitantly. When she had expressed to him that it hadn’t been a plan of hers either, he seemed to relax, but still remained distant.

Most of the time, he was below ground training others or attending to other matters assigned to him. Her time was spent on the surface, working on the farms with her sister and the other farmer families. Every night, the two of them returned home, she prepared dinner, which they usually ate without much conversation, and they retired to their respective bedrooms. This was not at all what she had expected married life to be, but then again, their marriage was not one born of an actual relationship. This was strictly business, for both parties. That was what she continued to tell herself every morning and night as they went their separate ways.

Some days while she was working in the fields, she would watch the young married couples around her that genuinely cared for each other. They seemed to be happy and their lives together had some meaning. A few times, she had noticed Thali looking at her with pity when she noticed Mina’s observant behavior. Mina wouldn’t go so far as to say that she felt jealous of these other couples, but she definitely felt something. She felt empty, like something was missing. She hadn’t felt this way before marrying Acastus, but now that she was married, it seemed that something inside her had changed. She actually wanted to be happy, wanted to feel loved and wanted, wanted to feel married. S

he kept these feelings to herself, not even expressing them to Thali. It was bad enough getting her looks of pity when she didn’t have any concrete proof that something was wrong. If she knew that something was going on inside her, Mina knew that Thali would only increase the frequency of the looks. It wasn’t just her either. Mina had noticed several other people, including her brother, giving her looks of pity since her marriage had begun. She didn’t feel that her exterior behavior had changed in any way, but deep down she knew that they could all see a change in her. Today, she had dodged many looks as she moved about the field. It was getting to be almost unbearable. She stopped her work and turned to her sister.

“Is it that obvious?”

Thali looked up from her work, brushing her hands off on her apron.

“Is what obvious?” she asked.

“That I feel different and incomplete since my marriage. Everyone seems to have formed a permanent look of pity when I am around.”

Thali sighed and stood up from the ground, grabbing Mina’s hand and pulling her to a more isolated area of the field where they could talk privately.

“I don’t think it is as obvious to everyone else as it is to me, but something has definitely changed about you. You never really had an interest in marriage before, but now whenever you see a couple or a family, you get this look on your face.”

Mina tilted her head in confusion, narrowing her eyes.

“What kind of look?”

“Like you want that life. You want to be married and have a family.”

Mina held up her left hand, displaying the ring on her finger.

“I am married, remember? And I’ve never been much a motherly type.”

Thali looked at her sister with raised eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest.

“What?” Mina asked, “It’s the truth.”

“I meant happily married to someone you love and who loves you back. As for the not being the motherly type, you helped raise me. At 11 you took on the role that neither Caleb or dad could fill. You took mom’s place, and then 5 years later, you took dad’s place too. If anything, I would say you are overqualified for motherhood.”

“I don’t think there is such a thing as being an overqualified mother,” Mina joked, cracking a small smile at her sister.

Thali rolled her eyes and reached out to take Mina’s hands.

“If family and happiness is something that you want, reach out and get it. On your wedding day, you said you wanted to make things work. Talk to Kolya, get to know him. For all you know, he could want the same thing.”

“I don’t think so. Our marriage is just an order to him. He’s only doing his duty, following Cowen’s orders.”

“But somewhere within him, he is just a man. And you are a great catch. Any guy would be lucky to have you!”

Mina laughed softly at her sister’s declaration.

“I’ll make sure to tell him that.”

“Make sure that you do. I know of one guy that would kill to be in his shoes.”

Mina sighed and shook her head.

“Oh will you quit with that. Ladon does not have feelings for me. We haven’t even seen each other in over 5 years. He probably doesn’t remember me, much less have feelings for me. I don’t know how you got it into your head that he liked me. Especially since you were 10 when you met him.”

Thali tapped her head with her finger.

“I just know things. And I know that Ladon has been head over heels for you since you met. Sora told me when we were younger, and she knows him better than I do.”

Mina rolled her eyes and walked away from her sister back towards the area they had previously been working in.

“You are both delusional. The point is moot anyways. I am married and I have never felt that way about Ladon, no matter how he feels. You know that. He’s too pompous and thinks he knows everything.”

Thali laughed and followed Mina across the field.

“Well since Ladon is off the table for you, I guess you’ll just have to make things work with your husband.”

Mina shook her head again and threw a small handful of dirt at her sister. Thali let out a small shriek and moved further away from her. The two laughed as they continued their work, Mina feeling better than she had before. Even though nothing had really been said that would help her in her current situation, spending time with her sister always lifted her spirits. The cheerful mood that had fallen over her did not last long, evaporating at the sound of a loud explosion.

All the heads in the field turned to the source of the sound. Mina’s eyes met Thali’s and they both turned and ran in the direction of the sound. They were joined by other concerned people running towards the commotion. Running through a small patch of trees, the group came upon the clearing where the testing was done for some of the smaller explosive experiments.

They were greeted with the sight of debris scattered throughout the clearing, several people laying on the ground, and a cloud of smoke covering the area. Mina noticed one of the people laying on the ground had blonde hair and quickly ran over to his still form. She rolled the man over and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw her brother’s dirty face covered with scratches.

“Caleb!” she shouted, shaking his shoulder.

To her relief, Caleb coughed and opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He let out a low groan and sat up slowly.

“Uhhh, what happened?”

“That is exactly what I would like to know,” called out an irritated voice from a few feet away.

Mina turned her head to see Cowen rise from where he had been knocked over by the blast. He certainly did not look happy. His anger seemed to be directed at a smaller figure that approached a piece of debris. Mina narrowed her eyes, gazing through the smoke to see what poor soul had caused this unfortunate incident and angered Cowen.

“I thought it was ready!” Ladon shouted from his place near the debris.

Caleb let out another groan as he attempted to stand.

“Well you were wrong,” he stated bitterly.

Thali joined her siblings and helped Mina get Caleb to his feet. They both took an arm on their shoulders and wrapped their arms around his waist, helping him away from the debris field and guiding him to sit on a log. A man about Mina’s age came running into the clearing, carrying a bag. He made his way over to where they were sitting, pulling medical supplies from his bag.

“I came as soon as I heard the explosion. I really wish I was informed when dangerous tests are taking place so I can be ready for injuries,” he said in an irritated tone.

“I didn’t inform you because I was told that this test would be successful. I didn’t think your services would be needed Corric,” Cowen fumed as he walked closer to where Ladon was still crouched.

“I don’t know what went wrong!” Ladon yelled.

“You don’t need to yell Ladon, we can hear you just fine,” another voice called out from where Cowen had been.

Mina turned to look in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see her husband standing there, brushing stray debris from his clothing. He walked over to where she and her siblings were sitting. He glanced at her for a second before turning his attention to Caleb and the medic named Corric. Corric had tended to Caleb’s wounds and looked up to Kolya.

“He’ll be fine. Ladon on the other hand, may have hearing damage. That’s probably why he’s yelling.”

Kolya jerked his head in Ladon’s direction.

“Go tend to him. He’s not doing any good stumbling around yelling.”

Corric nodded and walked away from Caleb in Ladon’s direction. He placed his hand on Ladon’s shoulder and led him to a place to sit so he could check him out. Kolya glanced at Mina once more before turning and walking over to Cowen. Mina narrowed her eyes at the scene briefly before turning her attention back to Caleb. She untied her apron and poured some water from her canteen on it, using it to wipe some of the dirt off her brother’s face.

“Are you alright?”

Caleb winced as she grazed over a scratch on his face.

“I’ll live. Not sure about Ladon though. He seemed really confident that this test was going to work.”

“What were you testing?” Thali asked.

“Ladon’s been working on containing a smaller explosion so he could observe their progress on the main weapons they’ve been working on. He thought he had succeeded in creating a method to observe them, but it seems he was wrong. Either his containment system is faulty or they haven’t worked out the kinks in the smaller explosives.”

“If it wasn’t ready, why did he test it?” Mina asked, “and why were so many people put in danger to test it?”

“Cowen’s really been pushing him to work harder. After the news that the wraith have woken up earlier than expected, he’s been pushing all the teams to the breaking point. I was here to offer moral support to him, but now I kinda wish I hadn’t been here.”

Mina sighed and again looked over to where her husband was talking with Cowen. She had never been a big fan of Cowen’s, sharing her father’s opinion of the man. Now his decisions to push Ladon’s experiments had put her brother and many others in danger. From what Caleb had told her before, she knew that they hadn’t been anywhere close to having a working method of fighting the wraith. Now Cowen was pushing to get things done faster. They simply didn’t have the resources to make it work.

The people that had gathered in the clearing had started to disperse, returning to their work. Corric returned from tending to Ladon to report to Cowen and Kolya.

“He’s mostly alright, but his hearing will be out for a while. Expect a lot of yelling and him not being able to hear you for a while.”

Cowen threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

“Wonderful. I thought maybe we had made some progress, but it seems that we have taken a step back.”

He turned and stormed off the field, Kolya and Corric following him back to the entry to the underground bunker. Mina watched the three men walk off before looking back to where Ladon was wandering around, picking up random pieces of rubble and looking at them with disappointment.

“Thali, why don’t you take Caleb home? Finish cleaning him up and make sure he gets some rest.”

Thali nodded and helped Caleb to his feet, holding onto his arm as they walked to support him if he needed. Mina walked over to where Ladon was standing and gave him small wave. He looked up at her and blinked in surprise.

“Mina! What are you doing here?” he asked loudly.

Mina raised her hand, motioning for him to speak quieter.

“You don’t need to yell. My hearing is fine. It’s yours that’s damaged,” she told him, raising her voice so he could hear her.

Ladon turned his head so he could hear her better.

“Sorry,” he said not quite as loudly, “doc said my eardrums were hurt in the blast. I can’t hear myself talk very well.”

Mina nodded in understanding.

“Are you alright otherwise?”

Ladon’s expression fell as he gazed around the clearing.

“My pride is wounded and my head hurts, but other than that I’m alright.”

Mina bent over to pick up a piece of Ladon’s experiment off the ground. She turned it over in her hands, looking at the charred parts.

“I think you need to work a little more on this.”

Ladon shook his head and took the piece from her hands.

“I really thought it was ready. I had hoped that we had finally gotten somewhere and that Cowen would be happy with my work.”

Mina was not used to seeing this side of Ladon. In the whole time she had known him, he had always been too over confident in his abilities. Being appointed as Cowen’s chief scientist at such a young age had not done anything to lessen his ego. It was one of the things that had pushed her away from him when they were younger. This disappointed, downtrodden Ladon was someone completely different. She reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, an encouraging smile on her face.

“I’m sure things will work out better next time. Maybe make sure it works before testing it around Cowen and other people though. Avoid this kind of disaster in the future.”

Ladon returned her smile in gratitude. She watched his eyes rake over her face, and she began to think that maybe Thali had been correct. Her suspicions were confirmed when Ladon’s expression changed as his gaze fell on her hand.

“Are you married?” he asked in a surprised tone.

Mina followed his gaze down to the ring on her finger that she had been waving in Thali’s face earlier.

“Yes. I got married 2 months ago. Arranged marriage.”

“Who did you marry?”

“Kolya. My brother and Cowen made an agreement to help my family get in better standing.”

Ladon’s mouth turned down in a frown. Mina was sure now that Thali had been right. He did have feelings for her. Now she was married, and to his commanding officer. She took a step back, putting some distance between them.

“I’ll let you get back to work on your experiment. I’m glad you are alright. Bye Ladon.”

Ladon raised his hand in a half-hearted wave before he walked away to collect more pieces of his failed experiment. Mina sighed and walked across the clearing back in the direction of her home. The work day was nearly over, so there was no point in returning to work. She spent the remainder of the afternoon preparing dinner.

When Kolya returned home from the bunker, she had everything ready. All through dinner, she kept covertly glancing across the table at her husband. He hadn’t said anything since arriving home, which was nothing out of the ordinary. Even outside their home, when she had seen him after the explosion, he hadn’t said a word to her.

As was the usual, they finished their meal in silence and she cleaned up afterwards. She walked to her bedroom door, turning to look at him sitting in front of the fireplace. He had a glass of liquor in his hand and he was silently looking into the fire as he often did after dinner. She wanted to say something, anything to strike up a conversation. Maybe do what Thali had suggested earlier and talk to him about her unhappiness. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She let out a sigh and simply said goodnight before entering her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

She changed into her sleeping clothes and laid down to go to sleep. Her mind kept wandering to her conversation with Thali and her conflicted feelings about having a family and happy marriage. Ladon’s smile and disappointed expression appeared in her mind, stirring up doubt.

Had she made a huge mistake in agreeing to marry Acastus? Would she have been happier if she had gone against her brother’s plan? Maybe someday Ladon would have told her how he felt and they could have moved forward together. Now she would never know, and she was here in her own bed in her husband’s childhood home. As she thought over her situation, for the first time in a long while, Mina quietly cried herself to sleep.

Chapter Text

Mina stood in her kitchen, staring out the window at the dreary weather outside. She never knew what to do with herself on days like this. There was no work to do in the fields, even if it wasn’t raining. She didn’t have much to do at home and had no real friends outside of her siblings. Thali had plans with her friends and Caleb was always busy with his military duties, so they didn’t even have time for her. To say that she was lonely wouldn’t be completely accurate, as she liked having time to herself, but she was bored out of her mind.

She looked around her simple home, and her eyes fell on a music box sitting on the mantle. She had never really noticed it before and wondered if it had always been there. She walked over to it and turned the key on the side, winding the gears inside. The box began to play a soft melody that she had heard before. It was a song that her mother had played when she had been a child. Mina began to slowly sway to the music, memories of her childhood filling her head.

She remembered following her mother’s guidance as she moved smoothly around their living space, demonstrating different dance moves that she had learned. Her father had always sat silently watching, a smile on his face. Caleb had tried to join in a few times, but he was an ungraceful being, often times tripping over his own feet while dancing. He didn’t have the grace that Mina and their mother possessed. As the memories flooded in, Mina began to imitate her younger self’s movements. She spun around the room, moving her feet and arms in sync in flowing movements.

Mina was so caught up in the music that she didn’t hear the door open. Not aware of her surroundings, her dancing caused her to bump into her entering husband. Mina let out a yelp of surprise and stumbled in her movements. Kolya reached out and gently grabbed her arms, preventing her from falling over. Mina regained her balance and looked up at her husband with surprise.

“I’m sorry Acastus. I didn’t know you were home.”

Kolya released his hold on her arms and gave her an apologetic smirk.

“I’m sorry I startled you. You looked like you were enjoying yourself. I see you found my mother’s music box.”

Mina flushed lightly and brushed some hair away from her face that had fallen loose during her dance. She hadn’t expected him to come home and find her dancing.

“Yes. It caught my eye and I was curious if it worked. The song it played was a song that my mother would play when I was younger. We would often dance to it as dancing was a large part of her culture on her home planet.”

Kolya walked over to the music box and rewound the key, starting the song over. He turned back to Mina and held out his hand. Mina raised her eyebrows in confusion, but stepped forward taking his extended hand. He pulled her closer to him and placed his other hand on her waist. He began to lead her in a slow dance, swaying to the music. Mina felt a smile form on her face as they danced together. This was not something that she expected she would ever do with her husband. He was actually a decent dancer. The song seemed to end too soon and Kolya stopped their movement.  He released his hold on her hand and removed his other hand from her waist.

“You are a wonderful dancer Acastus. Where did you learn to dance like that?”

Kolya gave Mina a small smile, gazing back over at the small music box.

“I learned from my mother as well. Like yours, she came from another planet and another culture. She thought it was important that I learn to dance. She said it would be an important factor in impressing the ladies. Can’t say I’ve ever got much use out of the skill however.”

“Well I found it impressive, so I guess she was right.”

Kolya turned his eyes back and met hers, and Mina swore that she could see something there that resembled the affection she had noticed on their wedding day. They were standing so close to each other, and like she had before, Mina felt the desire to close the distance and kiss him. Their moment was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Kolya’s warm expression slipped away and he moved away from Mina to answer the door. He pulled it open to reveal a dripping wet Thali. Mina rushed to her husband’s side, pulling her soaked sister inside.

“Thali! What are you doing out in the rain? You’ll make yourself sick!”

Thali waved her hand at her sister, dismissing her concerns.

“I come bearing good news! Alaina had her baby, a little boy!”

Mina softly laughed as she grabbed a towel from the kitchen to wring out her sister’s dripping hair.

“And you felt the need to come tell us that in the middle of a rainstorm?”

“Well, you told me to let you know when it happened. I know that you are always interested to hear when babies are born, since you love them so much.”

Mina’s smile faltered as she turned her gaze to her husband. He didn’t seem to be listening to the conversation and had moved to sit in his usual chair, ignoring the sisters. Thali followed her sister’s gaze and realized what the issue was. She lowered her voice so that only Mina would hear.

“Have you not talked to him yet? I thought you were going to do that.”

Mina shook her head and replied in a low tone.

“I never said I was going to talk to him. That was your idea, not mine. It’s not something I feel like discussing right now.”

Thali rolled her eyes and returned to the topic of Alaina’s new baby, not wanting to make a scene in front of Kolya.

“They are having a gathering in a few days to present him and reveal his name. Alaina told me to pass on a message to you saying that you were invited. She actually said that you were both invited as her husband knows yours well apparently.”

Mina looked over to her husband again, clearing her throat to get his attention.

“Did you hear that Acastus? Callistair and Alaina Dart invited us to their gathering to celebrate the birth of their son.”

Kolya nodded his head in confirmation.

“I’ve known Callistair for a long time, so I suppose it would be right to honor his invitation.”

Mina turned her attention back to her sister, giving her a small smile.

“You can tell Alaina that we would be happy to attend. I look forward to meeting the newest member of the Genii.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

A few days later, Mina found herself once again in the event room that she had married her husband in nearly three months prior. The room was filled with people that had gathered to celebrate the birth of the Dart baby. Callistair and Alaina had revealed his name to be Lowell. They had presented him to all in attendance and everyone had offered their congratulations. Even Cowen was present at the celebration, honoring the couple with his blessing on their child’s future. Mina gazed around the room, taking in the sight of all the merriment around her. There hadn’t been much celebrating in quite a while. Ever since the revelation of the early awakening of the wraith, her people had been on edge. It was nice to see them in a happy setting once again.

Her gaze fell on the new parents, who were both beaming and conversing with guests. Like she had before, Mina began to feel the gnawing feeling of emptiness in her gut. She felt like something was missing, much like she had felt when gazing upon other couples she came across. Alaina almost seemed to be glowing with happiness, even though she looked exhausted. Mina knew that Alaina had always wanted a family and had told her so on many occasions. The two of them had grown up around each other, both coming from surface dwelling families and being a similar age. Now Alaina had fulfilled her dream, and she was sharing her happiness with anyone that would listen.

Mina was pulled out of her thoughts by a soft nudge to her elbow. She turned to look at Thali, who was standing next to her. She had that look of pity in her eyes.

“You are making that face again,” her sister pointed out.

Mina sighed sadly.

“I may as well admit it, I want that. I want a child. I want a loving husband.”

Thali reached over and took Mina’s hand giving it a squeeze.

“I know you do. Your face throws it all out in the open. But, you might want to know that I’m not the only one that’s noticed.”

Mina looked at her sister with confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

Thali looked pointedly across the room at something, indicating for Mina to look as well. Mina looked in the direction her sister had indicated and was surprised when she saw her husband’s face looking back at her. Their eyes locked for a moment before Mina quickly looked away.

“Are you sure he’s noticed? He could simply be looking in this direction.”

Thali shook her head and gave Mina’s hand another gentle squeeze.

“I’m pretty sure he figured it out. He’s been watching you for a few minutes now. I saw his gaze go from you to them and back again. He looked concerned and surprised. I think it is time you talked to him Mina.”

Mina nodded in resignation and looked over in her husband’s direction again. He had looked away from her, but he still had a troubled look on his face. Mina had a feeling that he would bring it up soon if she didn’t herself.

As the celebration dragged into the evening, Mina excused herself from her sister’s company and made her way outside to get some air. She walked down the path a little ways away from the building, before sitting down on a rock. She gazed up into the night sky, counting the stars to distract her mind from the millions of thoughts swirling around inside.

“You lied to me before, didn’t you?” a voice said, coming up behind her.

Mina jumped slightly at the sudden voice. She turned around to see her husband standing a few feet away.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

Kolya closed the remaining distance between them, sitting next to her on the rock. He wouldn’t look at her, but Mina could tell he was bothered by something.

“When you told me that family was not a priority to you, you were lying weren’t you?”

Mina opened her mouth to protest, to prove him wrong, but no words would come out. He finally turned his head to look at her and she was surprised to see that his expression seemed almost sad.

“You want a family. You want what Callistair and Alaina have. You only told me that you didn’t because you thought you lost your chance. I want you to know that isn’t true. I’m giving you an out…”

Mina scrunched her face up in confusion, not sure what he was talking about.

“An out? What do you mean?”

“I want you to be happy. You didn’t ask to be married to me. If you want to find someone that you can love and have a family with, I won’t stop you.”

Mina’s eyes widened in response to his words. He was offering her a chance to find love wherever she wanted. He didn’t realize that what she really wanted was to find that with him, not someone else. She wasn’t sure how to phrase that in a way that wouldn’t scare him, as he didn’t seem to want the same things from her.

“Oh Acastus, that isn’t necessary. I am perfectly fine with how things are. I don’t need to find someone else. I don’t need a family. I’ve already had the chance to raise a child, as I helped raise Thali.”

Kolya shook his head, surprising Mina by reaching out and taking her hand.

“It’s not the same. Are you sure that you don’t want to find someone else? Someone you can be happy with?”

Mina looked at her husband’s concerned face and realized that this was the perfect time to tell him how she felt. She didn’t have the courage to form the words, so she took a small step in the right direction. Leaning forward, Mina placed a gentle kiss on Kolya’s cheek.

“I’m sure.”

She watched as Kolya’s eyes widened in surprise at her kiss. He stayed silent but she could sense that he was confused.

“The one thing I do want is to have a better relationship between us. I’m not asking you to love me or anything, but I would like us to at least have a friendship. Something more than simply saying goodnight and good morning to each other and sharing meals.”

Kolya’s surprised expression faded and was replaced by a small smile. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it and standing.

“That I can do.”

Mina returned his smile and stood as well. The two of them silently walked back towards the celebration, keeping a small space between them. Mina could feel some sort of progress building between them and she continued smiling the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Mina and Thali were busy at work in the crop fields, when their work day was interrupted by the sound of a man screaming. Both women’s head shot up and turned in the direction of the scream. Mina halted her work and acted quickly, running in the direction of the other workers in the field. She soon came across the sound of the scream. One of her fellow farmers, a man named Liam was lying on the ground, clutching his leg. Bright red blood was seeping through his fingers and falling onto the ground. Mina’s eyes slid over to the farming instrument on the ground that had caused the wound, a pickaxe that had broken off the handle and hit Liam in the leg.

“Oh dear,” she muttered under her breath as she kneeled beside the bleeding man, “Liam I need you to hold very still. We need to get this bleeding under control.”

Liam’s face was twisted with pain, but he nodded in agreement to Mina’s command. Thali came up behind her kneeling sister and covered her mouth to stifle a gasp.

“Oh god! Liam!” another woman shouted as she came across the scene. Liam’s wife Annie had joined them on the ground, grabbing onto her husband hand.

Mina quickly reached behind her and undid the strings for her apron and proceeded to tie the clothing article around Liam’s upper leg. She pulled it as tight as she could in an attempt to slow the bleeding. The small group around Liam was growing steadily as more people came over to see what had happened. Mina turned to one of the men in the group and shouted a command at him.

“Quickly! Go get help!”

The man was quick to obey her command and took off towards the town, searching for help. Mina knew that they had little time, as Liam was still losing quite a lot of blood. She waved some more people from the group over and started issuing commands to them.

“Grab his arms and legs! We need to get him closer so the help doesn’t need to come so far. You two grab his legs and you grab his arms. Annie I need you to hold his head. I need you to help my sister support his body while I apply pressure to his leg. Thali give me your apron.”

Everyone did as she said, and Mina pressed her sister’s apron over the wound, applying pressure as the group of them slowly moved Liam across the field. When they reached the edge of the field, they were greeted by the help she had sent for. Two men with a stretcher met them and they gently placed Liam on the stretcher. As the men carried him towards the entrance to the compound for medical help, Mina continued to walk alongside, holding her hands on the ever bleeding wound. The small group moved as fast as they could, with Annie running in front of them telling people to move out of the way.

Liam had lost consciousness as soon as they had put him on the stretcher, which concerned Mina. Soon enough they had descended into the compound, rushing down the hallway towards the infirmary. When they entered the room, Corric was ready for them, meeting them at the door and taking Mina’s place. Mina stepped out of the way and watched as Corric rushed to save Liam’s life. Annie sobbed at her side, shaking like a leaf. Mina wanted to reach out and comfort the woman, but her hands were covered in blood.

She felt almost as if she were in a haze, watching Corric work before her. She almost didn’t register the person that touched her arm to get her attention. She shook her head to clear the hazy feeling and turned her attention to the person. The woman beside her guided her to a sink to wash the blood from her hands. Once she had been cleaned up, she followed the woman’s direction to a small waiting room off the infirmary. Annie was already there, pacing back and forth across the small space. Her head whipped towards Mina as she entered the room.

“Did you hear anything? Will he be alright?” she asked in a shaky voice.

Mina shook her head again and gave the woman a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry Annie, I don’t know how he is. They ushered me out.”

Annie’s hands went to her hair and she began to anxiously run them through it. Her eyes fell to Mina’s front, which was still covered in blood. She began to sob again and returned to pacing the room. Mina found a seat, knowing she couldn’t do anything to help Annie.

They waited in the room for what felt like hours, Annie almost leaving track marks on the floor from her pacing. Finally the door opened, revealing the same woman that had brought Mina to the room. She looked relieved.

“You can come in Annie. Liam is out of surgery.”

Annie practically ran from the room into the infirmary. Mina stood from her seat and moved to follow her. The woman at the door held out her hand to stop her.

“Corric wants to speak to you as soon as he tells her how Liam is doing. He asked me to tell you to stay out here.”

Mina nodded and retook her seat. A few minutes later, Corric came through the door and made his way across the room to where she was sitting. He offered her his hand to shake, which she took. He released her hand and sat beside her.

“You are Mina Delaine right? Caleb’s sister?”

“It’s Mina Kolya actually, but yes.”

“That was some quick thinking that you did. Where did you learn that?”

Mina’s mouth quirked up in a small smile as she remembered that it had been her mother that had given her the medical training. She had made sure she knew how to take care of a wound in case she needed to help someone in their militant society.

“My mother taught me when I was younger. I’m surprised I remembered what to do since I was 10 when she taught me.”

Corric seemed impressed with her skills, especially since they were so unpracticed.

“I could use someone with your quick thinking to help me. If you hadn’t been there when Liam was hurt, he would have bled out before the help got to him, not to mention before he got anywhere near me. We don’t have enough help down here and I can’t be everywhere I’m needed.”

Mina looked at Corric in confusion. She wasn’t sure what he was saying to her.

“I’m sorry, are you offering me a job?”

Corric let out a light laugh.

“I guess I am. I will have to talk to Cowen about it, but I could really use your help. You wouldn’t have to leave your current post. You would actually be where I need you, on the surface. I can’t always get there when I’m needed.”

Mina’s smile widened at the idea that Corric was proposing. She could do something that would be helpful and more productive than her daily farming tasks. At the same time, she wouldn’t have to abandon Thali and lose the time she spent with her sister.

“If you can talk Cowen into it, I would be more than happy to help.”

Corric looked relieved that she had accepted his offer. He stood and offered her his hand again to shake.

“I look forward to working with you in the future.”

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

As Mina emerged from the entrance to the underground portion of the settlement, she was ambushed by her younger sister.

“Mina!” Thali shouted her name as she grabbed Mina’s arms to grip her full attention, “what happened? Is Liam alright?”

Mina nodded in answer to her sister’s question.

“He lost a lot of blood, but he will be alright. Had I not thought quickly, he would have been much worse. Thankfully the training I got from mom came in handy.”

Mina watched as her sister’s face fell at the mention of their mother. Thali always had a hard time discussing the woman that she had never met. When she was younger, she had thought it was her fault that she had died, but luckily she had grown out of that thought process. Mina quickly changed the subject, moving away from the topic of their mother.

“You want to walk me home, I desperately need a change of clothes, and people might get the wrong idea if I am walking home alone in the dark covered in blood.”

Thali’s expression quickly changed from the down state she had entered. She let out a small chuckle and linked arms with her sister.

“People might think you killed someone,” Thali joked.

Mina laughed at her sister’s attempt at humor.

“Who would I have killed?”

Thali shrugged as they walked on, having trouble thinking of a person that her nonviolent sister would want even want to hurt, much less kill.

“I don’t know, but you still look suspicious.”

Mina laughed again, glad the mood had changed so quickly.

“Thanks a lot Thali.”

The two sisters walked through the darkness until they reached Mina’s home. It was still dark inside, which meant that her husband had not yet returned. Mina bid her sister goodbye and entered her home. She walked into her bedroom to change into some non-bloody clothing, not bothering to turn on lights as she went. She lit a candle as she entered the room, not wanting to bother turning on the gas lamps. While she was searching for some clothing in the dim lighting, she heard the front door open, signaling that her husband had returned home.

“Mina?” she heard him call out as he turned on a light in the main room.

Mina stopped her search for new clothing and exited her room to see her husband standing in the middle of the main room. As she walked into the light, her eyes soon caught sight of the bright red liquid on his forehead. She let out a gasp.

“Acastus! You’re bleeding!” she shouted at him, running to grab the first aid kit from the bathroom.

Kolya’s hand went up to his head and he brought it back down to see blood on his fingers. He shrugged as if it was nothing.

“I didn’t even notice.”

Mina sighed in frustration as she gestured for him to sit at the table so she could stitch him up. She muttered under her breath about bleeding men as she got to work.

“How did this happen?”

“Sora was lucky today and managed to strike me. I bandaged it up earlier, and I thought it was fine. I guess I was wrong.”

Mina was surprised at the small spark of jealously that she felt at the mention of Sora. The girl was well known among the Genii for her good looks. What was her husband doing spending time with Sora?

She shook her head to clear that thought, remembering that it was her husband’s job to train the members of the Genii military. She wasn’t quite sure where the jealousy had come from. It wasn’t like they had a normal marriage. He had already given her a chance to find someone else, so he wasn’t connected to her in that way that would encourage her to be hurt by him paying attention to another woman.

Mina scowled at her own thought process, turning her focus back to what she was doing. She finished stitching up the wound on her husband’s forehead and wiped the remaining blood off with a wet cloth.

“All finished,” she said, walking around to the front of Kolya to get a better look.

Kolya looked up to thank her and she saw his eyes widen.

“Mina! You are covered in blood!”

Mina looked down at the front of her clothes. She had forgotten that she had been interrupted from changing them by her husband’s entrance. Kolya stood from his chair and gently grabbed her arms, his eyes scanning her as if he was looking for wounds.

“A man was injured today in the field by a pickaxe. He was bleeding a lot and I helped get him to the infirmary. I haven’t had a chance to change my clothes yet. I was in the middle of doing that when you came in, also covered in blood I may add.”

Kolya used his grip on her arms to turn her around, guiding her in the direction of her bedroom.

“You can go clean yourself up, don’t let me stop you.”

Mina did as he suggested, returning to the main room minutes later in bloodless clothing. Kolya was sitting in his chair, and he looked up when she entered the room. Mina gestured at her clothes.

“There. No more blood. For either of us.”

Her husband gave her a small smirk as he stood from his chair. He crossed the distance between them and gently grasped Mina’s hand. She looked up at him in confusion, but he said nothing. He simply led her to the kitchen, pulling out a chair for her. Mina sat in the chair and for the first time noticed that the table was set before her. In the short time she had been gone, he had fixed a simple salad for dinner. This was the first time she had seen him prepare food in the three and a half months that they had been married.

“You didn’t need to do this Acastus. I could have made dinner.”

Kolya shook his head as he sat across from her.

“You’ve had a busy day it seems. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

Mina recanted the day’s events to her husband, excitedly telling him about the job that Corric had offered her. He seemed to think that it was a good idea.

“It will give you a chance to see what goes on beneath the surface. Not many people that are raised on the surface have that chance unless they join the military. Our lives will be a little more connected this way.”

Mina tried to grasp what he was trying to say. It almost seemed like he was happy that she would be working closer to him. Corric had said he needed her on the surface, but the way he made it sound, he needed help everywhere. Maybe this was the thing she needed to get closer to her husband. She smiled to herself at that thought. The accident was almost a blessing in disguise, as it brought her to a new point in her life.

As they finished their simple dinner, Mina glanced across the table at Kolya a number of times, trying to gauge what he was thinking and if it matched up with hers. She felt a small amount of hope flare up in her chest. Maybe this was their chance.

Chapter Text

It didn’t take long before Cowen approved Corric’s request for Mina to join the medical staff. Corric came to the house two days after their conversation with the news. When she heard that Cowen had approved the decision, she was relieved. Farm work had never been her plan for life, just one that had been handed down to her.

“You can come in tomorrow and I will give you an overview of how things work,” Corric told her before leaving her to celebrate.

When Kolya came home that night, Mina startled him by yelling the good news as he came through the door. She waited expectantly for his reaction, hoping it would give her some insight into what he thought of them working closer together.

After he got over the initial shock of her springing the news on him the instant he walked through the door, he gave her the first genuine smile she had seen from him. He further surprised her by grabbing her hands and gently squeezing them.

“That is wonderful news Mina,” he said, his smile lighting up his face.

Mina returned his smile and glanced down at their connected hands. Ever since she had initiated contact with the simple kiss on his cheek, he had seemed more willing to touch her. The quick change from the silent brooding man she had known since their wedding to the man before her now gave her hope. Maybe she had been right and there had always been something there hidden behind the invisible wall of chivalry.

As these thoughts bounced around her head, Mina felt the overwhelming urge to close the distance between them, if only to embrace him. She quickly dashed that thought, not wanting to push things between them. Progress was slow, but it was still progress. She pulled her hands away, careful to keep her happy expression visible so he wouldn’t take offense.

“I’m looking forward to working in a different environment. But for now, I have things to do, so go about your business.”

Mina made a shooing motion in an attempt to keep the mood light. It seemed to work, as her husband let out a deep chuckle as he moved away from her in the direction of his bedroom. She went to work preparing dinner, keeping her back to the room. She could hear him enter the room again and make his way to the living space, but what she noticed more was the sense that she was being watched.

She didn’t dare turn around, afraid that she would see him looking at her and not know what to do with that idea. Lately, she had been feeling more aware of her husband and his actions. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she could feel something growing inside her. Her sister would say she was falling for her husband. The thought made Mina laugh quietly to herself.

“What’s so funny?” a voice said behind her.

Mina jumped at the sound and spun around to find her husband standing behind her. She was brandishing her spoon at him in defense. The smirk that she had secretly come to love appeared on her husband’s face. He looked down at the spoon she was pointing at him.

“Are you going to attack me with that? I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Mina shook her head and lowered her spoon. She placed it on the counter beside her and turned her attention to the man before her.

“Sorry about that. Did you need something?”

Kolya reached around her and placed his hands on her upper arms, pulling her off to the side away from the stove. He released her and picked up the spoon that she had relinquished. Mina raised her eyebrows in confusion at his actions.

“Acastus what are you doing?”

“I am perfectly capable of making dinner, you don’t need to be the one that is always slaving away in here. I didn’t marry you to just have you be a homemaker.”

Mina was surprised at his statement. Other than the simple dinner he had made two nights ago, he had never offered to help before. She was secretly grateful, as she actually detested cooking. She stepped away to let him work, moving to set the table instead. As she worked, she kept her eyes fixed on him. She wondered where this behavior was coming from. Why was he suddenly being so nice to her?

Once the dinner was ready, they sat together at the table to eat, not saying much. Mina kept glancing over at Kolya throughout dinner, trying to get a sense of what had happened to make him act this way. One of the times she looked at him, she was alarmed to find him looking right back at her. She quickly averted her eyes and looked down at her plate.

“What’s bothering you? Is there something wrong with the food?” he asked with mild concern.

Mina shook her head and without looking at him, stood up from the table and gathered her dishes.

“It’s nothing. I was just surprised by your gesture is all.”

Mina could feel the warm atmosphere suddenly cool. She internally kicked herself for even saying anything. She placed her dishes in the sink and focused on the darkness outside the kitchen window. The silence in the room was deafening. Even though he hadn’t responded, Mina could sense that she had offended him. She had basically called him lazy by saying that him contributing was surprising. The sound of a chair being pushed back broke the silence and she heard him walk away from the table. She sighed and started washing her plate, keeping her head down.

She jumped when Kolya startled her for the second time that night. He was behind her again, standing very close to her. She didn’t turn around, afraid to look at him.

“Mina,” he said softly, lightly touching her arm to get her attention.

Mina turned around to find him closer than she had expected. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she kept her head down.

“Yes?”

She felt his hand under her chin as he encouraged her to look at him. Once she was, he released her.

“I’m sorry if I offended you in any way. I didn’t mean to. If cooking is something that you want to do, I will leave it to you. I simply wanted you to know that I don’t expect it. I don’t expect you to keep house for me. I am not the only one that works all day, and you deserve a break too.”

Mina’s eyes looked straight into his, and she could discern his honesty. He didn’t want her to be a simple housewife. That was why he had been so happy that she had been approved to join the medical team. He wanted more for her. She was touched by his concern for her happiness.

“I appreciate that you feel that way Acastus. I actually hate cooking,” she offered breaking the stillness between them with a small guilty smile.

He let out a genuine laugh, causing Mina’s smile to widen.

“Well I guess that settles it. I’ll be cooking from now on.”

Mina laughed along with him, glad that her worries about offending him had been unfounded. They were still standing rather close together and she could feel his body heat radiating off of him. All she would have to do is stand on her toes and she could meet his lips. Her eyes drifted to the area of his face in question. Koyla seemed to notice her attention and his own eyes raked over her face. Mina swore she could see him moving even closer to her and she reciprocated. They were so close, just a few inches between them.

That was as close as they got however. He suddenly pulled away from her and put some distance between them, clearing his throat. Mina tried to not let her disappointment show as she wiped her damp hands on her apron. The dishes could wait until the next day. She walked away from the scene of the almost kiss towards her bedroom.

“Goodnight Acastus,” she said over her shoulder before entering her room, closing the door behind her.

She sunk to the floor, her back against the door. Her heart was beating fast and her face felt flushed. He had nearly kissed her and had pulled away. What happened? Did he doubt her or was he simply caught up in the moment?

~~~~~~

The following morning, Mina emerged from her room to find her house empty. A small note was sitting on the table. Mina picked it up to read it.

Mina,

Hope you have a good first day.

Don’t let Corric overwork you.

Acastus

Mina smiled at the sweet note. She hadn’t expected it at all. After their awkward encounter last night, she expected he would be running for the hills, not leaving her notes wishing her luck on her first day. She clutched the note to her chest and felt her heart swell. She gathered her things and placed the note in her pocket before going out the door.

When she arrived in the infirmary, Corric was nowhere in sight. She glanced around and noticed a door that could very well be his office. She walked over to the door and raised her hand to knock, but stopped when she heard voices inside. The conversation sounded very heated. She recognized one of the voices as Corric’s and the other one belonged to a woman. Mina couldn’t decipher what they were saying, but figured it was a private conversation. She walked away from the door and sat on a chair on the other side of the room. Before long, the door opened and the woman that Corric had been talking to came out and quickly crossed the room before exiting. Mina got a glimpse of her face and could tell that she was upset. Her eyes were drawn back to the door by the sound of Corric’s voice.

“Mina. I didn’t know you were here.”

He seemed embarrassed that she had witnessed the argument that had happened. Mina decided to quell his fears and waved her hand dismissively.

“I haven’t been here long. But I am here and ready to get to work.”

Relief washed over Corric’s expression and he closed his office door before crossing the room to where she was.

“Why don’t I show you around then?”

.After Corric had given her the tour, he put her right to work. Three people had come into the infirmary with various injuries. One of them was Sora. Corric had sent Mina to deal with her while he tended to the other two. Mina tended to a few cuts on Sora’s arms and face. Sora told her that they were from training.

“What are you training for? It’s not like we get attacked on a regular basis.”

Sora looked at Mina suspiciously.

“He hasn’t told you has he?”

Mina suspected she was talking about her husband but played along as if she didn’t know who Sora was talking about.

“Who hasn’t told me what?”

“Your husband. Cowen assigned him to train a task force. Eventually we will be ready to strike back against those Atlanteans. Take back what belongs to us.”

Mina wasn’t sure what Sora was talking about. She knew that the relationship with the people of the ancient city was strained, but didn’t know why. Whatever the reason, Cowen felt that he needed to act against them. This explained what her husband had said about Sora hitting him during training.

“Well it seems you have some work to do. Your injuries are minor, but they could be much worse if you ended up on the wrong side of fight against a stronger fighter.”

Sora scoffed at her words and rolled her eyes.

“What do you know? Until recently, you were just a farmer.”

Mina’s lips formed a thin line as she finished bandaging up Sora’s cuts. It was better if she just kept her mouth shut. Sora was almost as prideful as Ladon sometimes, she always had been. After she was finished, she gestured to the door to signal that Sora was good to go. The young woman jumped off the table and walked confidently out of the room. Mina glanced over to the two men Corric was tending to. They seemed worse off than Sora, more cuts covering their chests and arms. It seemed that Sora had gotten off easy.

The rest of the day Corric spent teaching her procedure for the infirmary and introducing her to the limited staff. It was a lot of information that was given to her in a short time. She tried to memorize everything he told her. It wasn’t long before more people came in with various injuries and maladies. Corric hadn’t been kidding when he said he was understaffed. Mina was busy until he told her she could go home.

When she finally got home, she felt exhausted. She hadn’t expected to have to do so much on her first day. Farm work was hard labor but didn’t require a lot of mental power over the course of the day like this job required. She collapsed into a chair in her living room, not caring that it was her husband’s usual chair. She leaned on her hand, going over everything she had learned that day. As she sat there, she could feel her eyes start to drift shut. It wasn’t long before she fell asleep sitting in the chair, her face resting in the palm of her hand.

That was how Kolya found her when he returned home. He almost didn’t notice her when he came in. He glanced around the room when he didn’t see her and his eyes caught glimpse of a small figure in his chair. He crossed the room to find her sound asleep.

“I said not to let him overwork you,” he said softly.

He reached out and pushed a stray clump of hair behind Mina’s ear. As he looked down at her, he felt a rush of affection. She looked peaceful when she slept. He didn’t want to disturb her. At the same time, he had slept in that chair before. It was not comfortable and he woke up with a sore neck. He left her on the chair for a few minutes, disappearing into his bedroom to shed his uniform.

When he returned, Kolya bent down to her level, reaching underneath her legs with one arm and placing the other behind her back. He lifted her into the air, surprised by how light she was. Her head fell sideways into his chest as he carried her to her bedroom. He felt his heart swell at the contact and he smiled. Placing her gently on the bed, he moved to remove her boots from her feet. He pulled the blanket over her unconscious form and brushed the hair behind her ear again. He moved to leave the room but paused before leaving. Without much more thought, he bent down and placed a soft kiss on Mina’s forehead. Mina shifted at his touch and Kolya froze, afraid that he had woken her. When her eyes remained closed, he let out a sigh of relief. He stood up and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Chapter Text

When Mina awoke the next morning, she was instantly confused. She slowly sat up in bed, trying to figure out how she had gotten there. Pushing the blankets aside, she noticed she was still wearing her clothes from the day before. Her boots sat on the floor near the foot of the bed. Sliding off the bed, Mina walked over to the door, opening it and peering into the main living space. Her husband sat at the table eating breakfast, and he looked up at the sound of her opening door.

“Good morning,” he called out from the kitchen.

Mina padded out into the room in her stocking feet, taking a seat across from him at the table. He looked amused, so she assumed her hair was a disaster. Self-consciously, she smoothed it down, running her hands through the tangles.

“The strangest thing happened. I swear I fell asleep in that chair last night,” she said pointing across the room at his chair in front of the fireplace.

Kolya nodded and returned to his breakfast.

“You did. I put you in your bed last night. You would have woken up with a sore neck if I had left you there. I’ve slept in that chair before and severely regretted it in the morning.”

Mina took in his words and tried to remember if she had noticed that she had been moved. She must have been sound asleep when he moved her.

“Well thank you Acastus. I didn’t mean to fall asleep out here but I was so exhausted when I got home.”

“I told you not to let Corric overwork you,” Kolya said with an almost scolding tone.

Mina smiled at the memory of his note, which was probably still crumpled up in her pocket.

“It wasn’t so much being overworked as having to learn a lot in a short time. I wasn’t expecting having to treat patients on my first day. Speaking of patients, I heard that you put some of them there, including a certain redhead with too much confidence in herself.”

Kolya paused his eating and looked up at his wife. He wasn’t sure, but her tone almost sounded like an accusation.

“I assume you are talking about Sora. Did she tell you how she got her injuries?”

Mina nodded in response, not saying anything. Kolya sighed and stood up from his chair, moving closer to where Mina was sitting.

“Cowen has assigned me to train a strike force consisting of our best fighters. He plans to use them to infiltrate the ancient city when they aren’t expecting it, and he wants me to lead the attack. We don’t know when the opportunity will present itself, so I’ve been training them as best that I can in a short period of time.”

Mina nodded again and she looked down at her hands. She knew that if this mission failed, whenever it happened, it would mean that she would most likely lose her husband. As that thought crossed her mind, she thought of him saying he was training the best fighters.

“Is my brother on your strike force?”

Kolya shook his head, not sure why Mina was asking that.

“No he’s not. He’s in the back up group of soldiers that will support us if needed. I only selected a few that have the skills needed to infiltrate the city.”

Mina’s mind again drifted to someone else that would likely be on that strike force.

“Sora, Mekhai, Ladon, Kai. Those are the type of people you are taking?”

“Well not Mekhai. He’s leading the support troops, but yes to the others.”

Mina was weighed down by his confirmation. She had a good chance of losing her husband, but not her brother. She was bothered by the fact that Kai would be going, as he was starting a relationship with Thali. This mission had the potential to cause a lot of pain. Leave it to Cowen to come up with a plan like this.

“Whenever this strike happens, I hope it goes well. We have a lot to lose if it doesn’t.”

Mina watched her husband’s face to see if he understood her hidden meaning about not wanting to lose him. If he did, he didn’t show it with his expression. Mina stood from her chair and placed her hand on his arm.

“Let me know before you leave on this mission.”

She didn’t give Kolya a chance to respond before turning and walking away to get ready for the day. Entering her room, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She absentmindedly fiddled with her wedding ring, the thought of losing her husband ever present in her mind. She hadn’t expected this reality when she started to fall for him. It hadn’t occurred to her that she may lose him.

Mina spent the rest of the day feeling like she was in a fog. She could hear Corric speaking to her, and she did as he asked, but she didn’t really feel present in her work. She was glad that Corric didn’t know her enough to know that something was wrong and ask what was going on. The pressure of the worry only increased as the day went on. Sora came into the infirmary again, this time with a nasty cut on her lip. As Mina stitched up her split lip, she thought about what her husband had said that morning. He was training them harder than he normally would, and it seemed that they continued to fail.

“Do you feel ready?” Mina asked Sora as she put the finishing touches on her wound.

Sora looked at her with a confident look on her face.

“Of course. We have been training every day for this. We will not fail.”

Mina wished she had the same confidence that Sora did. She walked away from the young woman and was surprised when the infirmary door opened to reveal Ladon. He looked equally surprised to see her but quickly switched his focus to Sora.

“It’s time. We need to get ready.”

Mina felt her heart stop at his words. The time had come, and much sooner than she thought. She watched Sora jump off the medical table and follow Ladon out of the infirmary. Mina wanted to follow them, tell them not to go, stop them from going to their deaths, but her feet were frozen in place. She only moved when Corric came up behind her and cleared his throat to get her attention.

“We need to go brief them on what medical supplies are important that they retrieve. I want to make sure we get all we can.”

Mina followed him through the door and down the hall, feeling like it was her that was walking to her death rather than the fated strike force. When they rounded the corner, she saw the group of soldiers preparing to go. Corric approached the group and began to tell them what he needed, providing each of them with a list. Mina watched silently, her eyes scanning the group. It consisted of the people that she had listed off that morning, plus eight others. Her husband was nowhere in sight. As soon as she thought that, she heard his voice behind her.

“Let’s move out. We need to go to Manaria first to gain access to the city. Our time is limited, as this storm will do a lot of damage to the city. We need to get in and get what we need before it hits.”

The entire group nodded in acceptance and moved together down the hall towards the exit to the surface, leaving Mina standing with her husband and Corric.

“We will get whatever supplies are available. I’m sure you will have more than you need doctor.”

“I don’t think there is such a thing as too many medical supplies Commander. I wish you luck and that you return safely.”

Kolya nodded and turned his attention to Mina. She took in all the details of his face, afraid that this would be the last time she would see it. He didn’t look worried at all, which concerned her even more. Sora and Ladon would be overconfident enough. They didn’t need another overconfident member on their team, especially their leader. Mina reached out and touched her husband’s arm, letting it drift down to his hand.

“Good luck Acastus.”

His mouth twisted into the smirk she loved as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Without saying anything, he released her hand and followed his team down the hallway. Mina stood frozen in place, watching him walk away. As soon as he disappeared from her sight, she felt herself start to panic. The overwhelming urge to chase after them and stop them rose in her mind again. Before she could stop herself, she took off down the hall and followed the group to the surface. She caught up to them before they got very far and called out to her husband.

“Acastus!”

He paused and turned around at the sound of her voice. The rest of the group stopped in their tracks and looked back as well. Mina closed the distance between them until she was standing just under a foot away from her husband. Without much more of a pause, Mina launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling his face down to hers. She crushed her lips against his in desperation. She was delighted when she felt him reciprocate the kiss, wrapping his arms around her back, pulling her closer to him. After what felt like hours, Mina broke away from the kiss, burying her face in his shoulder.

“Please come back to me Acastus,” she whispered before releasing him.

He released her from the embrace, his hand reaching out to cup her cheek. His expression was so mixed, Mina wasn’t sure what emotion she was seeing.

“I will,” was the only thing he said before pulling away completely and continuing his trek to the gate.

Mina watched him walk away again, this time with a little more hope. She hoped that she had just given him something more to fight for, something to come back to. As she watched him pass the group and take the lead, her eyes grazed over Ladon’s face. His expression was a mixture of sadness, anger, and jealousy. Mina wasn’t shocked by his reaction, but she figured he would do more to hide it. Her attention was torn from his face by the feeling of someone touching her shoulder. She glanced to her side to see her brother standing beside her.

“They’ll come back. We just have to have faith.”

Mina reached up and placed her hand over his on her shoulder.

“I hope so.”

For the remainder of the night, Mina alternated between laying down starring at the ceiling and pacing the length of her living room. Thali and Caleb had come to sit with her until they heard something. Corric had given her a radio, telling her that he would call her if he needed her help when they returned. Mina knew she wasn’t the only anxious one in the room. Thali had been sitting in the chair nervously biting her nails. Caleb sat silently at the table sharpening his knife. He was waiting for orders to report to the gate to go with the support troops to assist Kolya’s strike force.

The sound of static coming from the radio caused all three of them to jump. Mina and Caleb both looked at the device, waiting to hear orders for one of them. Mekhai’s voice came from the device, calling for the reinforcement troops to gather at the gate. Caleb looked at his sisters, dread in his eyes. Mina shook her head vigerously.

“It only makes sense that they need backup. I don’t know how Cowen expected them to succeed with such a small group.”

Caleb said nothing, not wanting to extinguish Mina’s hope. He grabbed his knife off the table and walked over to the door. Mina and Thali followed him and stood on the porch as he walked away in the direction of the gate. Thali reached out and grabbed her sisters hand, holding on tightly.

“They can do this. They’ll come back to us,” Mina whispered, trying to reassure herself more than Thali.

It wasn’t long before the radio buzzed again, this time with Corric’s voice. He was calling Mina to the compound. Mina and Thali looked at each other with concern before they both took off out the door. They reached the entrance to the compound in record time, nearly running into Corric as they approached.

“What’s going on?” Mina asked, out of breath from running.

Corric’s expression was grim. He looked between the two sisters, his eyes lingering on Thali.

“It’s not good. The original strike force lost many of its members. Apparently Atlantis isn’t going down without a fight. Unfortunately, most of the support troops have been lost as well.”

“What? How?” Thali asked desperately.

“It seems that someone raised the Atlantis gate shield and stopped most of the troops from getting through. Sadly, most of the company was killed as soon as they entered the gate.”

Mina felt her grip on her sister’s hand slip as Thali fell to her knees, a sob escaping her mouth. Not only were things not going well for the original strike force, but now it was a possibility that Caleb had been killed. Corric crouched in front of Thali and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Caleb was one of the first few through. I think he made it through before the shield was raised. I can’t be sure, but that’s what I saw.”

Mina felt numb. The world seemed to be going by around her but she was oblivious to it. Things were going just as bad as she had feared they would. The next time they heard a radio, it was Ladon’s voice coming through.

“We are retreating. The city is going to be lost any minute.”

Mina pulled Thali to her feet and the pair of them raced towards the glowing gate with Corric not far behind them. When they reached the gate, they were met with the sight of four men coming through in pairs carrying supplies between them. Thali let out a shout of joy when she saw Caleb, rushing forward and throwing her arms around his neck. Mina was relieved that Caleb had made it back, but her eyes focused on the blue glow of the gate. She watched expectantly, waiting for more to come through.

The small group in front of the gate ducked out of the way as bullets came flying through the gate. Following the gunfire, a person stumbled through the gate, sprawling out on the ground. Mina ran to the man’s side, helping him to his feet. It was Ladon. She felt the panic raising in her chest again as she looked at the gate again. She grabbed Ladon’s shoulders and shook him.

“Where is he Ladon? Where is my husband?”

Ladon looked over his shoulder at the gate, panting from his escape.

“He was right behind me!”

Mina’s question was answered when another figure fell through the gate onto the ground before the gate closed behind him. She abandoned Ladon and rushed to his side, gasping in relief when she saw her husband’s face. Her relief quickly evaporated when she felt stickiness on his shoulder and saw that he was unconscious.

“Corric!” she screamed, pressing her hand against the bleeding wound.

Corric ran to her side and cursed when he took in the sight before him.

“Help me get him to the infirmary!”

Mina watched helplessly as Mekhai dumped the supplies off one of the stretchers and helped Corric lift her unconscious husband onto it. She prayed fervently that he would survive.

“Please let one good thing come out of this disaster.”

Chapter Text

Mina followed Corric and Mekhai as they carried her unconscious husband to the infirmary. She had left Caleb to tell Thali about Kai’s death, not sure that she would be able to watch her sister’s world crumble while her own was on the edge itself. When the group reached the infirmary, Mekhai helped Corric move Kolya to a surgical table. Mina watched nervously from the doorway as Corric cut away her husband’s uniform. He looked up from his work and saw her standing in the doorway. He nodded his head in her direction while speaking to Mekhai.

“Get her out of here. She doesn’t need to watch this.”

Mekhai moved towards her and grabbed her arms, attempting to pull her out of the room. Mina struggled in his grasp, attempting to stay where she was. Unfortunately for her, Mekhai was strong and managed to pull her from the room. Once the door closed behind them, he released her struggling form. Mina tried to move past him to the door but her blocked her path.

“Let me through!” she yelled in his face.

He held her back and shook his head.

“You can’t be in there. Corric needs to focus and he can’t do that with you watching his every move. The Commander is in good hands. Let him work.”

Mina reluctantly stopped trying to get past him and let her head fall into Mekhai’s chest. He awkwardly patted her back in an attempt to soothe her as she let out desperate sobs. After a few minutes, she regained her composure and pulled away from him. She walked over to a chair and sunk into it, staring silently at nothing.

She sat in that chair for what to her felt like forever, too overwhelmed to do anything but stare blankly at the wall. Mekhai stood guard in front of the door in case she tried to enter again. He only stepped away when it opened from the other side. Corric walked through the door and gave Mekhai a reassuring nod. Mekhai let out a sigh of relief and gestured to Mina. Corric crossed the room to where she was sitting and crouched in front of her.

“Mina?” he asked, touching her hand gently to bring her out of her brooding state.

Mina’s eyes focused on him as she realized that he was speaking to her. She quickly stood up from her chair and looked frantically at the door. Corric stood from his crouched position and touched her arm to grab her attention.

“He will be fine. He has a lot of healing ahead of him, but he’s alive.”

Mina let out a relieved sob and flung her arms around Corric, nearly knocking him over. He was more receptive than Mekhai had been and gently returned her embrace. She released him and stepped back, a hopeful expression on her face.

“Can I see him?”

“He’s unconscious and will be for a while since I sedated him for the pain, but you can go sit with him.”

Mina turned and nearly ran into the recovery room, the door swinging wildly behind her. She slowed her pace when she saw her husband lying unconscious on a bed. She walked over to him and took  in the sight before her. He was connected to a few machines that were making various noises. His entire left shoulder was bandaged. Mina reached out and pushed his damp hair back from his face. She gently ran her hand down the side of his face before leaning down to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

Stepping away from the bed, she grabbed a chair from against the wall and placed it next to the bed and sat down. She grasped her husband’s hand in hers and held tightly, as if she was willing him to heal fast. It wasn’t long before she felt her eyes drooping in exhaustion. She leaned on the side of the bed and let her eyes drift shut, quickly falling into an exhausted slumber.

Ladon came into the infirmary the following morning with a pounding headache. Sheppard had done a real number on him when he knocked him out. Thinking it was more than just a headache, he wanted to get Corric’s opinion.

“Corric? Are you here?” he called out as he entered the room.

The man in question walked out of his office, waving at Ladon, signaling for him to be quiet. Ladon looked across the room and saw Mina sound asleep in a chair at Kolya’s bedside. He scowled at the sight, but quickly changed his expression as Corric approached him.

“What can I do for you?” he asked quietly.

Ladon gestured at his head while grimacing.

“I was knocked out during the siege and my head still hurts.”

Corric narrowed his eyes and seemed to be staring at Ladon’s eyes. He gestured for Ladon to follow him to the exam table. Ladon sat on the table as Corric pulled a light from his pocket. He shined it in Ladon’s eyes. Ladon shied away from the light, wincing in pain. Corric made a quiet humming noise.

“Are you nauseous at all?”

Ladon thought about the question and remembered that he hadn’t felt like breakfast when he woke up with the splitting headache. His stomach had felt like it was churning, still did a bit. He nodded in response, instantly regretting it when a sharp pain went through his head.

“Sounds like a concussion. Why don’t you go lay down on that bed over there and I will get you something for the pain. I want you to stay here where I can monitor you for at least today. I’ll let Cowen know what’s going on.”

Ladon did as he was told, sighing at the thought of Cowen. He couldn’t be happy with how the mission had gone last night. They had lost many soldiers, Sora was left behind, and Kolya had been shot. Apart from some medical supplies, they hadn’t gotten much out of the mission. He glanced across the room at his commander lying unconscious. It was his fault that the mission had gone south. They were only meant to retrieve what was rightfully theirs, not attempt to take the city.

Ladon’s gaze went from Kolya to the sleeping woman at his side. His eyes softened at the sight of her and he sighed. Even though she was sleeping, he could see the worry in her face. He felt a twinge in his heart that the worry was directed at Kolya rather than him.

“Here you are…” Corric said as he approached with the pain killers, stopping mid-sentence when he noticed Ladon staring at Mina.

Corric let out a sigh of pity. Ladon turned away from looking at Mina and focused on Corric. He shrugged as if to ask what Corric was sighing at.

“Are you ever going to let that go? She’s married Ladon. Even if she wasn’t, you know she doesn’t feel the same about you.”

Ladon scowled as he took the meds from Corric.

“How would you know? She could.”

Corric shook his head and took the bottle of pain killers from Ladon, handing him some water.

“You are in denial. If you wanted her, you should have done something seven years ago when you had the chance.”

Ladon scoffed at Corric’s opinion.

“Denial? That’s rich coming from you. Have you told my sister that you’re in love with her?”

Corric narrowed his eyes and shook his head again.

“That’s different. Things between me and your sister are complicated.”

“Just like this situation,” Ladon countered.

Corric walked away from him towards the supply cabinet to return the bottle to the medicine supply.

“No Ladon. My situation involves two people that have too many responsibilities to have a healthy relationship. You’re in love with a married woman that has never showed any interest in you.”

Ladon had to admit that Corric had a point. Mina had never reciprocated his feelings. He had been in love with her since he met her, and all she had shown him was a range of feelings from contempt to polite friendliness. He didn’t respond to Corric, not wanting him to know that he was right. He laid down on the bed, facing away from the couple across the room, not wanting to see the woman he loved sit at another man’s bedside.

Chapter Text

Mina awoke from her post at her husband’s bedside not long after Ladon had settled in. She rose her head from the bed and groaned as her necked creaked in pain from sleeping at the awkward angle. She turned her head and looked at her still unconscious husband. Unconscious, but alive she told herself. Mina gave his hand a gentle squeeze before standing up from her chair. She looked around the infirmary and noticed Ladon laying on the bed across the room. He seemed to be awake.

“Ladon? Are you alright?”

He rolled over on the bed to face her direction. He gave her a pained smile.

“Doc says I have a concussion. I was knocked out during the mission by the wonderful Major Sheppard. My head is pounding like a hammer, but I’ll be alright with some rest.”

Mina shook her head in disapproval. This mission had been a disaster, just as she had feared. Her husband was shot, Ladon had a concussion, and many men were dead. No one had said what happened to Sora, but Mina hoped the young woman was still alive and not dead.

“I’m glad you aren’t seriously hurt. I can’t say the same for my husband,” she said, gesturing behind her at Kolya’s unconscious form.

Ladon looked around her at the man in question. Mina could see a look of resentment in his face. She wondered if that was the same resentment she had seen before they left or if something that had happened on the mission. She felt so in the dark about the events of the previous night that had caused so much harm.

“Ladon, what happened? What made things go so badly?”

Ladon’s eyes didn’t leave Kolya’s form as he began to tell her what had transpired.

“We were only meant to retrieve what was owed us and then leave. It seemed the Commander had grander plans for us. He decided to try and take the entire city in the name of the Genii.”

Mina groaned and buried her face in her hands. The overconfidence that she had worried about had reared its ugly head.

“What about Sora? She didn’t come back with you.”

Ladon shrugged in response.

“I don’t know. She went off on her own on some personal revenge quest. Kolya tried to call her back, but she ignored him. We had no choice but to leave the city, which meant leaving her behind. I’m guessing that she is still alive. I don’t imagine Teyla Emmagen would kill her unless she had too. I’m sure they have her locked up somewhere in the city if it survived the storm.”

Mina was confused by Ladon’s story. She knew that Sora had a falling out with Teyla. She didn’t know the details, but she couldn’t imagine what would drive Sora to kill a woman she had known for most of her life. Especially Teyla, since Mina had never met someone as kind as her.

“Well, I hope that she’s alive. We’ve lost enough good soldiers.”

Their conversation was brought to a halt when Corric entered the room. He walked over to Mina and nodded towards the doorway.

“Why don’t you go home Mina? There isn’t anything you can do here. I’ll radio for you when he wakes up, but it won’t be for a while now. I’ll need your help with sorting the supplies they managed to bring back, so I’ll need you focused and well rested. I don’t imagine sleeping in that chair all night was very comfortable.”

Mina rubbed her sore neck. Corric was right, she needed some actual rest. She also had a sister to comfort. Mina wasn’t sure if she was quite ready to face Thali. After what Ladon told her, it seemed that her husband had led them all into a death trap. It didn’t seem right that she would get her husband back but her sister wouldn’t be getting her boyfriend back.

Mina gave Ladon and Corric a small wave before walking out of the infirmary. She made her way to the surface and walked in the direction of her old home. When she reached the door, she hesitantly raised her hand to knock. The door swung open to reveal Caleb, who didn’t look like he got much sleep either.

“How is she?” Mina asked, concern for her sister covering her face.

Caleb sighed and gestured for Mina to enter the house before closing the door behind her. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he led her to Thali’s bedroom door. Mina couldn’t hear anything, so she assumed her sister was sleeping. Caleb pushed the door open and called out to their younger sister.

“Thali? Mina’s here to see you.”

Mina entered the bedroom and walked over to sit at her sister’s side. Thali didn’t move, but Mina could see that her eyes were open which meant that she was awake.

“How are you doing? I can’t imagine this is easy for you.”

Thali sniffed and wiped some residual moisture from her face. She wouldn’t look at Mina, but Mina could tell that she had been crying for quite a while. Her whole face was as red as her hair. Mina wasn’t sure what to do. She had comforted her sister many times when she was a child, but now she had no clue what to do.

“Can I do anything for you?” she asked, hoping to get some kind of response.

The one she got was not what she wanted. Thali turned to her and gave her an angry look.

“You can leave me alone,” she said in an empty sounding voice before turning back away and closing her eyes.

Mina felt her heart constrict at the rejection from Thali. It seemed like she didn’t want anything from her. She slowly stood up from the bed and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She could feel her eyes watering up and her heart felt heavy. Caleb looked up when she exited the room and he was startled by Mina’s expression.

“What happened?”

Mina shook her head and wiped at her eyes.

“She doesn’t want to speak to me. She told me to leave her alone.”

Caleb’s concerned expression changed to one of confusion.

“What? Why? You are her favorite person in the universe. Why would she want you to leave?”

Mina bit her lip and fidgeted with her hands before looking up to meet her brother’s eyes.

“Because I still have a husband, but she lost Kai. And it’s my husband’s fault he’s dead.”

Without saying another word, Mina hurriedly walked out the front door and took off down the path in the direction of her other home. She kept her head down so people that passed her couldn’t see the tears running down her face. When she reached her home she went straight to her bedroom and laid down on her bed. She let her tears flow freely until she fell into another restless slumber.

Mina was later startled awake by the sound of her radio buzzing. Corric’s voice followed once the buzzing sound ended.

“Mina? Are you there?”

Mina quickly sat up in bed and grabbed it off her bedside table. She frantically searched for the button and pressed it down.

“Yes! I’m here!” she practically shouted into the radio.

“He’s awake. He’s not in the best mood but he’s awake. If you want to come see him, you can.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Mina swung her feet off the side of the bed and stood up. She quickly got herself back into some sense of order and left her house, nearly running to the entrance to the underground compound. She pushed past people in the hallways and quickly reached the doors to the infirmary. She came to a screeching halt when she heard yelling within. Pushing the door open a crack, she peered into the room.

Cowen was standing in the middle of the room between Ladon and Acastus’s beds. He was pointing an accusing finger at her husband, his voice booming in the enclosed space.

“Your mistakes have cost us so many men and resources. You did not follow the orders you were given. Not only that, but you didn’t even get what I sent you there for besides the medical supplies. You also left Sora behind to be a prisoner.”

Mina gazed over at her husband. He seemed to be taking the verbal beating without complaint. He looked disappointed, but she wasn’t sure if that was because he knew that he made mistakes or if he was simply disappointed that he had failed in his mission. Ladon on the other hand looked like a child that had been scolded. His face was downtrodden and he wouldn’t look at either Cowen or Kolya.

Cowen continued his tirade for several minutes before informing Kolya that after he was healed, he would face the consequences of his actions. After he was done, he turned and stormed from the room, nearly running Mina over in his hurry to leave. He didn’t even give her a second glance before storming down the hallway. She watched him go before turning to enter the room. Three sets of eyes turned to her when she entered the room with various emotions behind them.

Corric showed pity. Ladon showed embarrassment. The worst was her husband’s. She could only see the disappointment and anger. She knew that was directed at her but she had hoped to see another emotion when he awoke from his sedated state. Corric crossed the room to speak with her, pulling her back through the door into the waiting room.

“I’m sorry you had to see that. Cowen showed up not long after I called you. I didn’t have time to contact you again and tell you not to come. If your husband was in a bad mood before, I don’t imagine it was made any better by what just happened. If you want to go see him, you still can, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Mina’s face fell in disappointment. This was not the reunion she wanted to have with her husband. Any progress that had been made before he went on his mission had come to a grinding halt the moment that mission failed and he was berated for it. She nodded in acceptance before turning to leave the infirmary for the second time that day. Before going through the door, she turned to Corric again.

“At least tell him that I was waiting for him. Tell him that I wanted to see him.”

Corric nodded and Mina walked through the door, letting it swing close behind her. As she walked down the hallway, she could feel the joy she had felt earlier slip away and more heartache pile on top of the load placed inside her by her sister’s earlier rejection.

Mina waited until the following day before returning to the bunker. She didn’t want to make it look like she was avoiding seeing her husband. Besides that, she knew Corric needed her help. When she reached the infirmary, Mina skipped walking through the recovery area and walked right to the supply room. To her relief, Corric was in the room already working. He looked up as she entered the room.

“Hello Mina. Are you here to see the Commander?”

Mina shook her head and pointed to the pile of supplies that he was cataloguing.

“I’m here to help you with this. You said you needed my help.”

Corric looked unsure but picked up a clipboard and handed it to her. He instructed her on how to catalog everything before saying that he unfortunately had other duties to attend to.

“I’m glad you are here. I’m afraid I don’t actually have the time to do this. If you need any help, just come find me.”

Mina waved him away, indicating he was free to go back to whatever he needed to be doing. He left her to work. She worked on logging everything that had been brought back for many hours. The busy work was good for her, as it kept her mind off of her various problems. Her husband didn’t seem to want to see her and her sister wanted nothing to do with her. She worked constantly throughout the day, only stopping to take short breaks. When she had successfully logged everything, she went to work putting it all away. Corric came into the storage room to find her nearly done with the work.

“Have you been in here all day?” he asked.

Mina nodded as she put the last few things on the correct shelves. She picked up the list that she had made and handed it to Corric.

“Everything is catalogued and put away. I hope it’s to your standards.”

Corric looked over the list and gazed around the very organized room. He looked impressed.

“Good work Mina. I wish I had hired you sooner. This supply room has always been very unorganized.”

Mina smiled at his praise. She had always been very organized. It drove her siblings crazy. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and was shocked at how late it was.

“Wow. I can’t believe it’s so late. I should probably be getting home.”

Corric gestured behind him in the direction of the recovery wing.

“Aren’t you going to see you husband?”

Mina’s smile faded as she thought about the rejection she had felt yesterday when she entered the room to see him.

“Does he want to see me?”

Corric shrugged.

“I don’t know. He’s been very quiet all day. Once Ladon left, he spent most of the day sleeping. He was talking in his sleep. Most of it was nonsense but I was able to pick out two things.”

Mina raised her eyebrows quizzically. She didn’t know Acastus talked in his sleep.

“What did he say?”

“He kept muttering about Major Sheppard. According to Ladon, he’s the one that caused so many problems on the mission. The only other thing I could decipher from his mutterings was your name.”

Mina’s eyes widened in surprise.

“My name?”

She felt her heart swell warmly at the sound of that. The warmth seemed to crush the nearly overwhelming heartache she had been feeling. She turned away from Corric and left the room, making her way into the recovery wing. As she entered, she looked over at her husband’s bed. He looked to be awake, but he was simply staring up at the ceiling. She slowly approached his bed as to avoid startling him.

“Acastus?” she called out softly.

He turned his head to look at her and she could swear she saw something light up in his eyes, but it was quickly covered up by his gloomy expression. He looked away as suddenly as he had looked at her without saying anything. Mina moved to sit in the chair that she had fallen asleep in the first night.

“How are you? Are you in much pain?”

Kolya’s face scrunched up in a way that she guessed was meant to be a version of shrugging without actually moving his shoulders.

“Nothing I haven’t experienced before. Not the first time I’ve been shot. It will heal.”

Mina started to reach out to touch his arm, but thought better of it and pulled her hand back.

“Well, I hope you heal quickly. The house seems empty without you there.”

She hoped that she had conveyed that she missed having him around without directly saying it. Now didn’t seem like the best time for grand gestures and expressions of feelings. When he didn’t respond, Mina sighed. She stood up from the chair again and stepped around to the end of the bed where she would be seen.

“I just wanted to come by and see you before I went home. I hope you aren’t in too much pain. Goodnight Acastus.”

Her stomach in knots, Mina turned away from her husband and walked away from the bed. Her feet felt heavy with every step she took towards the door. She desperately wanted to hear him tell her not to go. When she reached the door and he hadn’t said anything, the crushing sensation that had been lifted earlier returned. Mina walked through the door with her head hanging down. She slowly trudged home in the dark, collapsing on her bed when she reached it. She felt too numb to cry and didn’t feel like sleeping either. She simply stared at her ceiling like her husband had been doing, letting the numbness spread over her entire body.

Chapter Text

Another week passed before Corric was comfortable with letting Kolya return home. When Mina was finally able to get him home, part of her wished that she could send him back. In her few visits to his bedside, he had barely spoken to her. One of the times, he was angrily lashing out at everyone around him, so Corric had turned her away before she could see him. Now that he was standing here in their home, she was unsure of what she was supposed to do. He hadn’t spoken the entire walk home and he still remained silent as he walked over to his chair and eased down into it. Mina watched him wince in pain as he adjusted his arm that hung in a sling.

“Can I get you anything Acastus?” she asked hesitantly, keeping her distance.

He gestured with his good arm in the direction of his liquor bottle, indicating that he wanted a drink. Mina shook her head in disapproval.

“Corric said you weren’t supposed to have an alcohol for a while. He said it will slow down the healing process.”

Kolya scoffed at her answer and went back to ignoring her presence. Mina sighed and walked towards her bedroom. She stopped and scooped up the bottle he had asked for and carried it into her room, deciding to remove the temptation by hiding it out of sight. She placed the bottle in the bottom drawer of her dresser under some of her lesser used clothing, including her wedding dress. Before closing the drawer, she ran her fingers gently over the dress. When she had stood up and married her husband, she hadn’t foreseen this outcome. She didn’t expect to be caring for an angry man with a gunshot wound that wanted to drink away his pain. She closed the drawer and walked back out into the main room.

“Are you hungry at all?”

Her question hung in the air as he refused to answer her. Mina sighed again and made her way to the kitchen to make some dinner. He had to eat eventually, so she may as well have something ready for him when that time came. She sat alone at the table eating her dinner, watching his sit silently on the other side of the room.  If this was going to be a regular thing from now on, Mina would surely lose her mind. She had gotten used to his companionship and now it had been stolen from her before she had a chance to appreciate it. Once she was finished with her dinner, she placed his in the cooler box and walked in his direction.

“If you decide you are hungry, your dinner is in the cooler.”

The only response she got was him shifting in his chair. She ignored his flippant attitude and acted as if nothing was wrong, gently patting his knee sympathetically.

“I know you’re disappointed Acastus, and I know you are in a lot of pain. Things will get better again; I know they will. You are too valuable to Cowen for him to cast you off completely.”

This time she was granted a response, but not the one she wanted. Kolya stood up from his chair quicker than she expected, knocking her over to the floor. He looked down at her with a furious expression covering his face.

“There is no way you could know that. Things are not that easily fixed. You can’t always have your brother step in and fix it for you by marrying you off. Although it seems that plan has failed as well since I no longer seem to be in good standing, so you are stuck right back where you were.”

Without another word, he stomped off to his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Mina sat on the floor, frozen in shock. In the months that they had been married, he had never shown her anger. Now it had come out in full force, and it slightly terrified her. She stood up slowly from the floor and walked into her own bedroom. Sitting down on her bed, she tried to keep her mind from going to places she didn’t want it to. He was just frustrated from his current situation, that’s all. Things will get better.

Over the course of the next few weeks, things did not get better. Every time her husband would try to do something that would require the use of both his arms, he would get irrationally angry. Mina watched him break things and knock things over. She was immensely grateful that he was taking his anger out on objects and not her. Still, she flinched every time she heard the yelling and crashing that indicated another object in their home was a victim of her husband’s rage.

Every night when she returned from her work in the infirmary, Mina found him sitting silently in his chair staring into the fire. The only consolation she felt was that he would still eat dinner. He remained silent, but at least he was eating. He would finish his dinner and then disappear into his bedroom. Mina would watch him walk away and then proceed to clean up any messes that had been made during the day by his anger.

Things wouldn’t be so bad if she had someone to talk to. Thali still wasn’t speaking to her and Caleb was busy all the time. Since they had lost so many of their soldiers in her husband’s failed mission, Cowen had enforced more military training. This meant that Caleb had virtually no free time. It also meant that there were more injuries coming into the infirmary. By the time she returned home, Mina was exhausted. Still, she pushed through her nightly routine of cleaning up the carnage of her husband’s rage.

One day she was on her way home when she ran into a group of people returning from the fields. Among the group was her sister. She kept step with the group and called out to her sister.

“Thali! May I speak with you for a minute?”

Thali stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest, pinning her sister with an annoyed stare.

“What do you want Mina?”

Thali’s attitude towards her pushed a final button inside her and Mina could no longer hold in the emotional baggage she had been burying.

“I want to talk to my little sister! Is that so much to ask?”

Thali seemed taken aback by her sister’s outburst. However, she maintained her cold front.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“I miss you Thali. I miss having someone to talk to. I miss my best friend. I don’t know what you hope to accomplish by giving me the cold shoulder for weeks on end.”

Thali’s annoyed expression quickly changed to match her sister’s fiery anger.

“Do you know what it feels like to have someone you deeply care about ripped away from you? Someone that didn’t have to die?”

Mina was shocked that Thali would ask her that question.

“Of course I do! I watched both of our parents die! You were too young to remember, but Caleb and I had to stand and watch while they executed our father by firing squad! I was 16 and I watched him die right in front of me!”

Thali’s angry expression softened and transformed into one of regret.

“Mina…I didn’t…”

“Do you want me to feel as miserable as you do? Well you got your wish! You lost Kai, and that is truly horrible. I lost something too. My husband barely looks at me and he only speaks when he is lashing out in anger. I finally was getting the chance to have something good in my life and it once again has been taken from me.”

Mina could feel the angry tears rolling down her face, but now that she had started, she couldn’t stop.

“Had he been taken from me like you lost Kai, maybe I could recover. This is almost worse. He’s right in front of me and I can’t do anything to help him. You have the chance to move past your loss. You will always remember Kai and it will always hurt that he was taken from you, but you are young and have the chance to move on. I have a duty to my husband and I am failing!”

Thali closed the distance between them and pulled her sobbing sister against her in a tight embrace. She made soothing sounds as Mina sobbed into her shoulder.

“I’m sorry Mina. It wasn’t right for me to be angry at you. You didn’t do anything. I needed someone to lash out at, and you were a convenient target.”

The two sisters stood there for several minutes, holding onto each other. When Mina’s sobs started to ease up, she stepped back, breaking the embrace. Thali wiped some of the tears from her sister’s face.

“You don’t always need to be so strong Mina. I wish you would have told me this sooner. Maybe I wouldn’t have been such a jerk to you for so long. You should have told me to get my act together. I’m no longer a child.”

Mina nodded at her sister’s words and was relieved that the anger between them had been dispelled so quickly. She embraced Thali again before motioning in the direction of her home.

“I should be getting home.”

Thali’s expression turned to one of concern and she looked her sister’s face over. She grabbed Mina’s arms and gave them a thorough look-over.

“He isn’t hurting you is he?”

Mina shook her head.

“No he’s not. At least not physically. Can’t say the same for my spirit. For once in my life, I feel like giving up. Every day I feel a little more of my strength seep away.”

Thali gave her the look of pity that Mina had come to be accustomed to. She linked arms with her sister as they began the trek back to her home. Thali released her when they reached her front steps, but grabbed her hand again to get her attention.

“Give him time Mina. Caleb has been telling me over and over that he’s sure no one regrets what happened more than Kolya. I’m sure the names of all those we lost are floating around in his head. It is probably eating him alive and he doesn’t know how to deal with it. Time will tell, if you give it the chance to.”

Mina smiled at her sister’s words. Even at 17, she was wise beyond her years. She waved at Thali as the younger woman walked away and turned to enter her house. She was surprised to find it dark. She turned on the lamp near the door and looked around the room. It was a complete disaster. She followed the trail of carnage to her bedroom door, which was wide open. Mina turned on the light for her room and was surprised by what she found.

Her entire dresser looked like it had exploded. In front of it sat her husband, the bottle of liquor that she had hidden empty in his hands. He appeared to be unconscious. Mina clambered over her belongings to his side, pressing her fingers to his neck, searching for a pulse. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt the thrumming beneath her fingers.

Mina reached out and removed the empty bottle from her husband’s hands, placing it on top of her dresser. Situating herself against the dresser, she gently eased her unconscious husband down so his head was resting on her lap. Taking extra care to protect his injured shoulder, she pulled one of her spare blankets out of the mountain of things on the floor and draped it over him. Exhausted from her busy day and her outburst with Thali, Mina quickly fell asleep leaning against her dresser, softly running her hands over her husband’s hair.

Chapter Text

Mina was awoken by someone softly calling her name and tapping her shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked from the sunlight coming through her window. She focused on the face in front of her to see her brother. He looked concerned.

“Mina, what happened?” he asked, gesturing to the piles of clothing covering her bedroom floor.

Mina moved her head around in an effort to ease the stiffness. She looked down to see that her husband was still unconscious on her lap. She gently moved his head to rest on one of the piles of clothing and reached out her hand for Caleb to grab. He took a hold of it and pulled Mina to her feet. Mina reached out and grabbed the bottle that sat on top of her dresser and showed it to her brother.

“It seems my husband was determined to drown his sorrows. I hid this from him when he first came home. I guess he found it.”

Mina bent down and placed her arms underneath her husbands in an attempt to get him upright.

“Help me get him on the bed.”

Caleb moved to help her and together they were able to move Kolya from the floor to Mina’s bed. He looked around the room, shaking his head at the mess. Mina began to pick up her clothing, sorting it into various piles on top of her dresser.

“Not that I’m not grateful, but why are you here?”

Caleb glanced down at the sleeping man on the bed and gestured to the living space. Mina followed him out of her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

“You didn’t show up in the infirmary, which concerned Corric. He sent me to find you.”

Mina swore under her breath, looking at her kitchen clock and noticing the time.

“I didn’t know it was so late.”

She walked over to the table by the front door and grabbed her radio. She pushed in the frequency for the infirmary and waited for Corric to respond.

“Corric Indo here,” his voice came from the radio in her hand.

“Corric this is Mina. I’m so sorry that I’m not there. I will be there as soon as I can.”

A moment of silence caused Mina to panic slightly. Had she lost her position because she had overslept? Corric’s voice coming through the radio again brought a gasp of relief from her chest.

“Come in when you are ready. I’m glad you are alright. I’ll see you soon.”

Mina placed her radio back on the table and headed back for her bedroom.

“Thank you for coming to get me Caleb. I’m going to get ready and do a bit of cleaning up before I leave.”

“Do you want me to help?” Caleb asked as he looked around the house, noticing the entire mess outside of her bedroom.

Mina shook her head, picking up random items as she walked.

“You have other things to do. I’ll see you later.”

Caleb started towards the door but stopped when Mina spoke again.

“Please don’t tell Thali about this. She has faith that he can change and make me happy. I don’t want to dash the only hope that she has right now.”

Caleb didn’t respond but gave his sister a grim look before exiting her home. Mina made her way to her room to try and find something to wear out of the piles she had started. Careful not to wake her husband, she quickly got dressed. She picked up the remaining clothes on the floor, adding them to the piles. As she moved around her room, she was surprised that she hadn’t come across her wedding dress yet. This confused her, as it was one of the things that had been on top of the liquor bottle.

As she glanced around her now much cleaner bedroom, she noticed a bit of white sticking out from underneath the end of her bed. She bent down and pulled the article in question, holding it up for inspection. It seemed that her dress was the only thing that hadn’t been tossed haphazardly in her husband’s search for the bottle of liquor. Mina carefully folded the dress and placed it back in the drawer. She wondered why he had spared the dress but nothing else in their home.

Choosing to not think on it any further right now, she walked back out of her room and began picking more things up in the living room. After she was satisfied with what she could do in a short time, she left her home to go to the infirmary. When she arrived, she was glad to find it empty. The entire time she had been worried that Corric was swamped with patients and that she had abandoned him to deal with them without her. Corric must have heard her enter the room, as he peered out of his office when she entered.

“Ah Mina, good you’re here.”

Mina felt embarrassed that she was late. It was a first for her. She was never late for anything.

“I’m terribly sorry Corric. I had some trouble last night with my husband and was dealing with the aftermath this morning.”

Corric looked concerned and similar to what Thali had done the day before, he scanned her for visible injuries. Mina sighed and crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

“No he didn’t hurt me. He hasn’t hurt me at all. I wish everyone would stop jumping to that conclusion.”

Corric’s expression changed to one of pity.

“It’s a valid concern Mina. Your husband is going through a lot and the anger I saw from him while he was here was concerning. I don’t think he would intentionally hurt you, but something could still happen.”

Mina knew Corric was right. The first time that her husband had lashed out in anger, she had been terrified that he would turn his anger on her. So far he hadn’t, but it could still happen. She wanted to think that it wouldn’t. She hoped that whatever had been sparked between them before the horrible mission that had started all this would keep him from lashing out at her.

Thali Delaine liked to think that she was a rational person. That ideal disappeared the moment someone she cared about was being hurt. Despite what he had been asked, Caleb told her what had happened. During her break, Thali stormed across the village in the direction of the Kolya home, determined to give her sister’s husband a piece of her mind. When she arrived at the house, she surged forward, pounding on the door. The door opened to reveal a very irritated and tired looking Commander Kolya.

“Thali? What do you want?”

Thali barged past the man and look around the space. Even though it had been mostly cleaned up, she could tell that the house had been trashed. Some of the furniture was still askew and things were missing that could have been broken. She whirled around to face Kolya, her anger boiling to the surface.

“Have you no shame? Why did you feel the need to trash the house? My sister has done nothing but take care of you since you returned and this is how you repay her?”

Kolya seemed surprised at the anger exploding out of the young woman in front of him.

“I never thought highly of this marriage arrangement, but she was determined to make it work. At some point, she even seemed like she could be happy. But all of that disappeared the moment you stepped through the gate.”

Thali was nearly seething, more so at the fact that he wasn’t responding in any way to her yelling.

“Do you have nothing to say? Apparently lately all you do is yell and destroy things. I won’t let you destroy my sister. You don’t deserve her, you never have.”

Thali didn’t give Kolya a chance to respond before she stormed back out through the door and back in the direction she had come from. Kolya stood in his doorway watching her walk off, stunned by her words.

Mina walked slowly down the path towards her home. She had stayed late to help Corric in an effort to make up for her being so late. In reality, she dreaded going home. She was afraid to see what state her husband would be in after waking from his alcohol induced slumber. When she had told Corric what happened, he told her that even though it wasn’t good for the healing process, Kolya would be fine once her sobered up.

Mina walked up her steps and walked into the house. It was dark apart from the small amount of light that seeped out from under her husband’s bedroom door. Wanting to avoid the situation all together, Mina walked straight to her room and closed the door. Turning on the lamp in her room, she was taken aback by the sight before her. The piles of clothing that she had left on top of her dresser were gone. She opened the drawers to find all of her clothing neatly put away. She wasn’t sure what to make of this development. She decided to leave it alone for now and changed into her sleeping clothes, collapsing on her bed.

Staring up at the ceiling in the dark, Mina could swear she heard music coming from the other room. It sounded like the song that she had danced to with her husband that played from his mother’s music box. She sat up in bed and listened more carefully. Now she was certain that she was hearing correctly. Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she padded to her door and opened it slowly, trying to avoid making a sound. Stepping softly, Mina moved to stand outside the other bedroom door. The sound of the music floated out from under the door, bringing the memory of her dance to her mind.

Even though they hadn’t been the best of times, they were still better than what was happening now. At least then, her husband showed more than just anger. When the song came to an end, Mina realized that tears had begun to stream down her face. Sniffing, she wiped them from her cheeks and returned to her room. Lying down on her bed, she thought back to all the positive memories she had experienced in the past few months. She hoped that they wouldn’t be the only ones she would have.

Chapter Text

A week passed before Mina even saw her husband again. He had been spending most of his time in his room or gone from their home. When she did see him again, she was given the silent treatment. There was no discussion about what had happened the night he ransacked their home or the fact that he had cleaned things up afterwards. Mina decided that if he was going to continue to give her the silent treatment, she would give it right back. She spent more time at the infirmary, trying to stay far away from home as long as she could. The silence was driving her crazy. It almost made her miss the yelling.

One day while she was working in the infirmary, her husband came in to see Corric. Mina glanced up from the records work she was doing at her desk for only a second to register who had walked through the door. She briefly met eyes with Kolya before looking back down to her work. Luckily for her, Corric noticed him enter as well and called him over. Mina kept her head down, but watched him walk across the room with slightly lifted eyes. Corric examined Kolya’s shoulder and seemed satisfied with the healing that had taken place.

“Well Commander, it’s time for you to be out of your sling. You aren’t done healing though so I will have to say you cannot return to duty quite yet. I do recommend that you get some exercise to prevent any stiffness.”

Kolya nodded in acceptance and moved his left arm around to loosen it up. Mina saw him wince slightly but he seemed glad to be out of the sling. She hoped that would improve his attitude a bit. She looked back down to her work and tried to concentrate. Her attention was grabbed again when Corric called her name.

“Mina could you come here please?”

Mina stood from her desk and walked over to him, keeping her eyes averted from her husband. Corric handed her some kind of salve and a gauze patch. He gestured to the man she was avoiding.

“I’m afraid that I have somewhere to be. I need you to help your husband by applying this to his healing wound and bandaging it up. It will help with the scarring.”

Mina said nothing but moved to follow Corric’s orders as he left the room. With Corric gone, the room was still with silence. Mina applied the salve to her husband’s scarring shoulder and placed the bandage over it. After doing this on both the front and back, she began to walk away but was stopped by him grabbing her wrist. Mina’s eyes widened in surprise and she finally looked at his face.

“Commander? Is something wrong?”

Kolya looked torn between embarrassment and hurt. He didn’t release her wrist, but looked away from her.

“I’m sorry Mina.”

Mina wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for. His behavior for the past two months? His destruction of their home in search of the alcohol? She attempted to pull her wrist away and was surprised when he let go. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say.

“You are free to go Commander.”

She walked away from him to wash her hands. She wanted him out of here so she could think straight. He didn’t say anything else to her. He pulled his shirt back on and walked out of the infirmary. Mina glanced over her shoulder to see him go through the door. She internally scolded herself for what had just happened. He had apologized for something, saying the only pleasant thing to her in months, and she had brushed him off.

When Corric returned to the infirmary, Mina ignored his presence. She knew that he had left her to deal with her husband on purpose. Even though he never said anything directly, she knew he wanted things to get better for her. A number of times, the woman she had seen before had come into the infirmary and left upset after talking to Corric. Mina imagined that he was having his own relationship problems, and instead of fixing his own, he was trying to fix hers.

Instead of going home when she was done for the day, Mina headed for her old home. She didn’t want to return to awkward silence so soon after the botched apology earlier today. Thali was glad to see her when she arrived and invited her in. They sat together in the living room, sipping on some tea. Mina disclosed what had happened that day and the week of silence before to her sister. Thali listened intently and then an expression of guilt spread across her face.

“That might be because of me.”

Mina was confused by what her sister said.

“You? What do you have to do with it?”

Thali bit her lip nervously and looked away from Mina.

“I may have yelled at him…”

Mina nearly choked on her tea and coughed to clear her throat.

“You what?!”

Thali shrunk away at the loudness of Mina’s question.

“The day after he destroyed your house, I went over there and yelled at him. I said he didn’t deserve you. I thought it would help him get his head out of whatever hole it has been lodged in for the past few months.”

Mina groaned and leaned forward, burying her head in her hands.

“That is the opposite of helpful Thali.”

Thali looked down at her hands in shame and fiddled with the material of her skirt.

“I know. I’m sorry Mina. When Caleb told me what happened, I just got so angry. I want you to be happy.”

Mina lifted her head and gave her distressed sister a half-smile.

“I appreciate that. I don’t know if what you said made things better or worse. I almost prefer the yelling to the silent treatment.”

Mina and Thali finished their tea, moving onto more pleasant conversation topics. When it started to get late, Mina accepted the inevitable and left for home. She walked down the path in the dark, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. When she reached her home, it was dark inside. Either her husband wasn’t home, or he was holed up in his room again. There was no light coming from under his door, but that didn’t mean anything. Mina went into her own room and closed the door. If he was home, she didn’t want to interact with him. One awkward moment per day was enough for her.

Over the next two weeks, Mina and Kolya actively avoided each other. Occasionally they would bump into each other in the evening, but they would both move away from each other and go about their business. Mina desperately wanted to say something to him, but she felt that it wouldn’t make things any better. He had returned to duty, overseeing the training of military members. She spent all day in the infirmary. Every so often, men would show up with injuries that were inflicted by her husband. It seemed that his injury hadn’t slowed him down much.

Mina was exposed to another awkward moment when he came in for another exam on his shoulder. Corric wanted to be sure that he was healing properly. This time, he didn’t ask her to do anything as his previous meddling hadn’t done anything to help.

Mina was soon busy when Ladon came into the infirmary holding a towel to his head. Since Corric was busy with her husband, Mina rushed over to help Ladon. She reached up and moved the towel to reveal a large gash.

“Ladon what happened to you now?” she asked as she led him to an exam table.

Ladon winced as she cleaned the wound with a cloth. Mina looked closely at the wound to make sure that nothing was inside it. Sure enough, there were small metal fragments embedded in the wound. She grabbed some tweezers and started pulling the fragments out.

“This time it wasn’t my fault. Someone else’s work wasn’t constructed properly and came apart, hitting me in the process.”

Mina shook her head as she cleaned the wound again after being sure all the metal was gone. She got to work stitching the wound up, Ladon wincing every time she did anything.

“You really should be more careful Ladon. One of these days, you are going to get seriously hurt.”

Ladon glanced up at Mina with a small smirk on his face.

“Oh now you are concerned about my well-being. I don’t remember that concern being there when we were younger and you gave me a good crack on the head. How things have changed.”

Mina was suddenly aware that he was attempting to flirt with her. That was usually how he ended up with the cracks on the head that he was talking about. He would say something flirtatious and she would hit him.

Mina glanced over to the other side of the room where Corric was still speaking with her husband. She wondered if he had heard Ladon’s attempt at flirting. When her eyes met up with his across the room, she got her answer. He was looking right at them but didn’t seem to be expressing any emotion. Mina got the sense that he simply didn’t care. Another man was flirting with her right in front of him and he did nothing.

Mina could almost hear her heart break inside her chest. Her mind went back to what Kolya had said to her months ago when he offered her an out. He didn’t want her. Their moments that they had shared had meant nothing, simply him being caught up in the moment. She could have sworn that he wanted her when he had returned her goodbye kiss. It seemed that she thought wrong. With tears welling up in her eyes, she finished her work on Ladon’s forehead and indicated he was free to go.

When she turned back around, Mina was glad to see that Kolya was gone. She cleaned up the mess from treating Ladon and returned to her desk. She crossed her arms in front of her and buried her head in them, letting the tears flow. She sat like that for several minutes, quietly crying into her arms. A hand on her shoulder startled her and she sat up quickly. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and looked up at Corric, who had touched her.

“Mina? Are you alright?”

Mina nodded weakly and tried to pull herself together. By the look on his face, Mina could tell that Corric didn’t believe her. He reached behind her and pulled her jacket from the back on her chair and handed it to her.

“You can go home for the day Mina. Unless some disaster strikes, I don’t foresee us being terribly busy for the rest of the night.”

Mina took her jacket from his hand and gave him a grateful look. She walked slowly home, her mind reeling with what she had learned that day. When she reached her home, she looked around. This place had begun to feel like home before the failed Atlantis mission. After they had returned, the warmth of the place had disappeared. This was no longer a place for her. Her husband didn’t want her here.

Mina went to her bedroom and pulled her pack out from under her bed. She began pulling her clothing out of the drawers and placing it in her pack. When she had nearly everything of hers packed away, she came to her wedding dress. She held it in her hands, looking down at it with disappointment. It was her mother’s, but looking at it broke her heart. It reminded her of what she almost had and lost. She carefully laid it out on her bed and closed up her pack. Mina walked out into the hall and grabbed some paper and a pen from the desk and began to write a letter to her husband. When she finished, she folded it up and placed it on the kitchen table. Returning to her room, she grabbed her pack and hoisted it onto her back.

When she reached the front door, Mina glanced down at her left hand and noticed her wedding ring. She walked back over to the table, removing the ring from her finger. She placed the ring on top of her letter and left the house, not looking back.

Chapter Text

Caleb and Thali welcomed Mina with open arms when she arrived on their doorstep with her pack on her back and eyes red from crying. She returned to her old bedroom, sinking onto her bed and her pack falling to the floor. Her broken heart was heavy in her chest but she felt empty. Even though things had been hard these past few months, it hadn’t occurred to her that she wasn’t wanted. In that single moment in the infirmary that day, it hit her all at once. Mina laid down on her bed, blankly starring up at the ceiling, hoping the numbness would spread to stop her heart from hurting so badly.

Mina had only been laying there for a short time before she heard yelling coming from downstairs. She sat up and cocked her head to listen more carefully, trying to discern the voices. One of the voices was definitely her brother, but the other sounded muffled. She stood up from the bed and opened her door a crack so she could hear better. Without the door blocking the sound, she could tell who the other voice belonged to. It belonged to her husband.

“Where is she? Let me see her!”

Mina stepped out into the hallway, but stayed away from the top of the stairs. She wanted to know what was going on, but also wanted to avoid the impending conflict.

“She doesn’t want to see you!” Caleb responded to her husband’s angry question.

“I need to talk to her. Mina!”

Kolya’s voice almost sounded desperate. Mina felt her broken heart swell. What did he want? She took a few steps forward to stand at the landing at the top of the stairs. She looked down at the three figures standing at the doorway. Caleb was physically blocking the doorway, preventing her husband from entering the house. Mina crossed her arms over her chest defensively, trying to keep her face blank.

“What do you want Acastus?”

He looked up at her in desperation, gesturing at Caleb.

“I want to talk to you. Will you please tell him to let me in?”

Mina moved her hand to signal to Caleb to let Kolya pass. Caleb moved out of the doorway, but kept his eyes on the man. He grabbed Thali’s arm and pulled her off to the side so she wouldn’t do anything rash. Kolya entered the home and moved to stand below the stairs, looking up at Mina.

“Can you come down please?”

Mina shook her head in response, keeping her feet firmly planted.

“I’m fine up here. Now what do you want?”

He sighed at her refusal to descend and held up his hand. Between his fingers was her ring that she had left with her letter.

“I want you to come back. I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting these past few months.”

Mina shook her head again.

“Why should I? You don’t want me there, you never have.”

Kolya lowered his hand and his shoulders drooped in defeat.

“I know it may seem like that, but Mina it’s not true.”

At those words, Mina could feel anger boiling up in her chest. He was lying to her face. She abandoned her resolve to stay upstairs and quickly descended, startling the other three people in the house. She pointed her finger accusingly at her husband.

“That’s a lie! If you wanted me there you wouldn’t have trashed my room! You wouldn’t treat me like I barely exist. I am your wife and you never have seen me that way. To you I’m not your wife, not a woman, or even a person. I’m just the thing you got stuck with because you were ordered to have me. I’m basically an object for you to keep in your home.”

Kolya was taken aback by her words. He reached out to touch her, but Mina backed away from him.

“No. Don’t touch me. I don’t want you to ever touch me again!” Mina screamed at him, her anger turning into tears.

Mina continued to back up, moving back towards the stairs. She kept facing him, not wanted to turn her back on him.

“You once told me that I didn’t have to do this. I could have an out and be happy. Well, I’m taking it. I’ll go to Cowen and have our marriage annulled and you can go back to your old life.”

Kolya stepped towards her and held up his hands.

“Mina stop. Listen to me. I’m sorry that I hurt you with my actions. I was so wrapped up in my own pain and feelings of guilt that I didn’t see I was hurting you. I tried to apologize but I wasn’t sure what I should apologize for. When I was given silence, I left it alone, hoping things would smooth over.”

Mina stayed at the bottom of the stairs, her watery eyes focused on her husband, taking in everything he was saying to her.

“You are more than an object to me. To say I don’t want you is far from the truth. I have wanted you since the moment I saw you. I made a promise as your husband and I want you to be by my side. But like I said before, I didn’t want you to be forced into anything, so I kept my distance. I waited for you to make the first move. When you did, it made me so incredibly happy, but I had to leave. If I hadn’t left on that mission, this never would have happened.”

Mina’s expression softened. She had been wrong. He truly wanted her after all. Part of her felt guilty for accusing him of not wanting her when he had all along.

“Acastus…” she started, not sure what to say.

Kolya stepped closer to her and held out his hand again with the ring resting on his palm.

“Please come back to me Mina.”

Mina felt a small twinge in her chest. She had said the same thing to him before he left for Atlantis. She reached out and took to the ring from his hand and held it in her own. She looked down at it for a few moments before looking back up at him, meeting his eyes. His face held a hopeful expression. She could feel the pieces of her heart melding together in her chest.

Closing her hand around the ring, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his midsection. She let out something akin to a sob as she buried her head in his chest. Kolya returned her embrace, holding her tightly against him.

“Are you saying yes?” he murmured into her hair.

Mina pulled away slightly so she could look up at his face. His brown eyes stared deeply into her hazel ones. She couldn’t grasp any words to answer him so she simply stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his. They stayed connected like that for a few moments before separating. Mina released him from the embrace and opened her hand to reveal the ring again. Kolya took the ring from her hand and slipped it back onto her finger, squeezing her hand gently before pulling away.

Mina flexed her hand, fiddling with her ring with her thumb. It felt right for it to be back on her hand. The short time she had been without it, her hand had felt odd. She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Mina and Kolya both turned in the direction of the sound and saw Caleb and Thali. Mina blushed in embarrassment. Throughout the whole ordeal, she had forgotten that her siblings were standing there.

“That was very touching. Now that this was resolved, are you going to treat my sister better?” Caleb asked with a threatening undertone.

Kolya wrapped his arm around Mina, holding her close.

“I made a promise to take care of her, and that is what I will do. I have been shirking my duty, and I mean to make it up to her.”

Mina smiled up at him before turning her gaze back to her siblings.

“I guess I don’t need to be staying here after all.”

Thali nearly jumped for joy that her sister was happy again. She returned Mina’s smile before walking upstairs to grab her sister’s pack. She returned and handed it to her. Mina took the pack and left the house with her husband. Similar to the first time he escorted her to their home, he linked her arm with his the entire way there.

When they walked through the door, he turned on the lamp by the door. Mina dropped her pack but stopped short at the sight of her letter laying on the floor. It looked like it had been dropped there as if in shock. She bent down and picked it up. Turning to face her husband, she noticed his sad expression at the sight of the paper.

“I only read part of it and I panicked,” he admitted.

Mina noticed the edges of the paper were crumpled where he had gripped it. As she looked over her words, she noticed splotches on the paper where her tears had fallen while she was writing it. She wasn’t even completely sure what it said.

“Do you want to know what it says?” she asked, holding the paper up.

Kolya reached out and took the letter from her, crumpling it up in his hands. He tossed it into the trash bin in the kitchen and took Mina’s hands in his own.

“I don’t want you to have to relive what you were feeling when you wrote that. I didn’t have to get very far to feel your heartbreak. I’m so sorry that I made you feel like that Mina.”

Mina wondered how many times he was going to apologize. It was a nice change from the yelling and the silent treatment. Still, part of her still felt hurt. She wanted to forgive him completely, but there was still the lingering thing in the back of her mind.

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier today?”

Kolya looked at her with confusion, not sure what she was talking about.

“What are you talking about?”

Mina felt another pain of guilt go through her. Maybe he hadn’t noticed Ladon’s attempt at flirting. Her reason for doubting him may be unfounded.

“The whole reason I walked out. Another man flirted with me right in front of you and you said nothing. That made me think that you didn’t even care.”

Kolya seemed to realize what she was talking about and the smirk that she had so dearly missed spread across his face.

“You mean Ladon? I didn’t even notice. He’s had a thing for you for years and nothing has come of it so I figured it was nothing.”

Mina’s jaw dropped in shock.

“You know?”

Kolya chuckled in response.

“I’m not completely blind. I’ve been training him for a long time and have overheard many of his conversations. I always assumed he was talking about Sora, but I figured out it was you when I saw his face after you kissed me.”

Mina stared at her husband in surprise.

“It doesn’t bother you?”

Kolya closed the distance between them and pulled Mina close to him. He bent his head to give her a soft kiss before replying.

“Not when I know that I have you, and not him.”

Mina was surprised by his sudden affection. It was such a change from his behavior of the past few months that it nearly gave her whiplash. Still, she liked the change. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him into another kiss like the one she had given him before. He seemed even more eager to reciprocate this time. Mina was shocked when he lifted her from the ground. She pulled away from him and gasped.

“Acastus your shoulder!”

He smirked at her and surprised her by shifting her in his arms to a bridal carry.

“It’s just fine.”

Mina laughed at the sudden change in position. She didn’t often realize how tall her husband was. Now that she was in her arms, she felt like she was flying. He carried her across the house, with her smiling and laughing softly the whole way.

Chapter Text

Waking up in a bed that was not her own was a strange experience for Mina. The feeling that she was not alone was also strange. Mina lay very still, staring at the celling in silence. As happy as she was that things had taken a better turn, now she was stuck in the awkward moment when she wasn’t sure what was going to happen. She felt movement on the bed next to her and quickly shut her eyes. Hoping to avoid the awkward conversation, she pretended to be asleep.

Luckily for Mina, her husband hadn’t noticed she was awake. He left the bed to get ready for the day, leaving her to her supposed slumber. Mina’s eyes flew open again and she returned to staring at the ceiling. She was suddenly aware of the fact that she had left her pack near the front door. She sat up and wrapped the spare blanket around herself, sliding out the bed and padding over to the door. Sure that her husband was in the bathroom, Mina opened the door and slipped out of the room. As she crept quietly away from the door, she kept her eyes focused on her pack on the floor. Not looking around the room, she crossed the space quickly.

“Nice outfit,” a voice said from the kitchen.

Mina let out a shriek and nearly dropped the blanket she had wrapped around her. She spun in the direction of the voice and saw her husband looking at her with an amused expression. Mina clambered to make sure she was truly covered. Kolya chuckled at her efforts.

“I’m afraid it’s a little too late for modesty.”

Mina glowered at him as she snatched her pack from the floor and quickly retreated to the bathroom. Slamming the door shut behind her, she buried her face in her hands in embarrassment. Apparently he didn’t feel any awkwardness, which made it even worse. She was alone in this. She got ready for the day slowly, prolonging the inevitable. She emerged from the bathroom, dropping her pack and the blanket in a heap between the bedroom doors. She would deal with them later. Peering around the corner, she couldn’t see her husband in the kitchen anymore. Feeling that she was safe to come out, Mina walked into the kitchen to get herself some breakfast.

“Morning.”

Mina shrieked again and prepared to throw the spoon in her hand at the owner of the voice, Kolya chuckled at her reaction and moved forward to take the spoon from her.

“Again with threatening me with a spoon. I’m going to hide them if you keep doing that.”

Mina held the spoon out of her husband’s reach and returned to making herself some breakfast.

“You think you’re funny, but you shouldn’t sneak up on someone in a room with knives. You might get hurt.”

Kolya moved to stand behind Mina, wrapping his arms around her, stopping her movements.

“Considering you keep attacking me with spoons rather than knives, I think I’m safe.”

Mina felt her cheeks flush at his sudden closeness, but most of her initial embarrassment had disappeared. She turned around in his arms and held up the utensil in question.

“So far you have been lucky.”

Kolya smiled down at her and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Mina forgot about the spoon and wrapped her arms around his midsection, returning his kiss. He pulled away and placed another kiss on her forehead.

“Good morning,” he said again.

“Good morning Acastus. Now if you are done sneaking up on me, I would like to eat my breakfast in peace.”

Kolya took a step back, releasing Mina from the close embrace. He left Mina to her breakfast, returning to the bedroom to finish getting ready. When he returned, Mina was finished with her food and was nearly ready herself. The two of them gathered their things and left home together. Reaching the compound, they both turned to go their separate ways, but Mina stopped Kolya by grabbing his hand. He turned to look at her and she stepped closer, going on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek. She then released his hand and continued on her way to the infirmary.

When she arrived at the infirmary, Mina almost had a skip in her step. She walked over to her desk, calling out a cheerful greeting to Corric. He raised an eyebrow at her happy entrance, having gotten used to her usual quiet demeanor.

“What’s gotten into you this morning?” he asked.

Mina simply smiled at him and shrugged.

“It’s just a good day, that’s all.”

“Uh-huh,” Corric replied.

Mina ignored his response and started looking over the things he had placed on her desk. He always had work for her to do. Like he had told her, Corric planned to make full use of her organizational skills. His records were a mess, and Mina had been reorganizing them bit by bit. She knew the medical history of many people within the Genii that she had never met. As she worked through the never ending pile on her desk, Mina came across three files that she felt needed to be brought to Corric’s attention.

“Corric? Are you aware that there are three women that are all expecting babies relatively soon?”

Corric emerged from his office and walked over to her desk. He took the files from her and glanced over them. Mina watched his face scrunch up in confusion.

“No I did not know that. I mean, I know all of these women and know what their health has been like, but I never made the connection that they would all be due around the same time. That could very easily become a problem.”

Mina wasn’t sure why he was so concerned.

“How so?”

Corric gestured at the empty infirmary. The only other staff members he had were off working other places. The position he had originally planned to give Mina had been reassigned when he realized her organizational skills. He promised it was temporary, but so far, she had spent most of her time at this desk. Most of the time, it was only the two of them to care for any patients that came in.

“I am one person. If all three of these women were to go into labor around the same time, that could spell disaster. I don’t suppose you have any training in child birth?”

Mina shook her head.

“Sorry Corric. My only experience was the birth of my sister, and I was 11 when that happened.”

Corric returned the files to Mina and walked over to a bookshelf against the wall. He pulled a rather thick book off the shelf and carried it back to Mina’s desk, handing it to her.

“It’s not the same as hand’s on training, but it will have to do in a pinch. I want you to study this very thoroughly. I need you to be prepared to help me if the situation arises.”

Mina thumbed through the book, her eyes widening at the large amount of information she could need to learn in a short time.

“I’ll do my best.”

Corric gave her a grateful look before returning to his office. Mina placed the book on the corner of her desk. She would have to tackle that project later. She still had a lot of work to do when it came to organizing Corric’s records. It was probably best she got that done as soon as possible in case any more serious things popped up that he wasn’t aware of.

Once the day had blurred past her, Mina was ready to go home. She had worked extra hard to make sure she could get as much done as possible. Several paper cuts and some sore eyes later, Corric sent her home. She grabbed her book from her desk and started her trek home. She was glad that the house was empty when she reached it. She needed some alone time to get started on her heavy reading load.

Walking over to one of the chairs in her living room, Mina sunk down into it. Her eyes skimmed over the sight of her pack sitting on the floor where she had left it there that morning. Her mind was pulled away from the task of reading to think about what she was supposed to do with her clothes. Was she supposed to put them back in her old dresser? Was she supposed to move into her husband’s room? It hadn’t been discussed. Nothing had been. Things had just escalated and no serious discussion had taken place. Mina decided that she would put that problem off for later and delved into the large volume on her lap.

When Kolya returned later in the evening, he found her still in the chair, deeply engrossed in her book. He peered under her hand at the title and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“Doing a bit of light reading?”

Mina looked up from her book and smiled at him. Slipping a small piece of paper in to mark her spot, she closed the book and placed it on the end table.

“It seems that the Genii will be gaining three new members in quick succession soon and Corric is not prepared to handle their entrance by himself. He wants me to be prepared in case he needs my help.”

Kolya nodded in understanding and started walking in the direction of the bedroom. He stopped short at the sight of her pack sitting on the floor. He looked back at her and pointed at the bag.

“Aren’t you going to unpack?”

Mina’s smile faded and she avoided his gaze. He noticed her hesitation and crossed the room again to where she was sitting. He crouched down in front of her, taking her hand to encourage her to look at him. Mina bit her lip and refused to meet his eyes.

“Mina what’s wrong?”

“I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. Things changed so quickly and we never talked about anything.”

Kolya seemed to grasp what she meant. He took her chin in his hand in an another attempt to get her to look at him. This time she cooperated and met his gaze.

“When I said I wanted you by my side, I meant it. We are husband and wife. What’s mine is yours. That includes the bed. The arrangement we’ve had up until now was for your own comfort. How we proceed is entirely up to you.”

Mina was touched that he felt that way. When he had pointed out the pack, she had been worried that he would think she wasn’t going to stay.

“I would have unpacked earlier, but I didn’t want to make any assumptions. But by me not unpacking, I don’t want you to think that I’m prepared to bolt at any minute.”

Kolya stood from his crouched position and pulled Mina to her feet as well. He took her entire face in his hands, and like that morning, placed a kiss on her forehead.

“I never intend on chasing you away again. I would like nothing better than for you to stay.”

Mina smiled and wrapped her arms around him, her head resting against his chest.

“Good because I’m not going anywhere.”

They stood together in silence for a few moments before Mina pulled away from the embrace. She reached down to grab her book off the end table. As soon as she had it in her hand however, her husband removed it.

“I think you’ve done enough reading for tonight. It’s getting late.”

Mina turned and looked at the clock. He was right. It was late. He had returned later than usual so she hadn’t realized how much time had passed. Now that she thought about it, she was exhausted. Right on cue, her mouth stretched in a yawn. Kolya returned the book to its previous position on the table and grabbed Mina’s hand. He pulled her in the direction of the bedroom, grabbing her pack as he passed it. When they entered the room, he placed it on the bed and released Mina’s hand.

“I’ll leave you to unpack your things. I’m sure you didn’t get any dinner since you were buried in that book. I’ll be back shortly.”

He left the room and Mina was alone. She opened her pack and began pulling her belongings out. She felt like she was experiencing her first night in this house all over again. Opening a drawer in the dresser, she discovered space and began to put away her clothing. Once all of her stuff was put away, she changed into her sleeping clothes and placed her empty pack on the floor beneath next to the dresser.

Right on time, her husband returned with a bowl of soup for her that he had warmed up. She took it gratefully and sat on the edge of the bed to eat. While she was occupied with her dinner, Kolya disappeared again. When he returned, he had showered and returned in his sleeping clothes. Mina placed her empty bowl on top of the dresser. She could deal with it in the morning. She turned her attention to the bed.

Kolya pulled back the covers and climbed in. He patted the space beside him, indicating that she should do the same. Mina hesitated. She hadn’t had any trouble last night, but this time it was different. She mirrored her husband’s actions and pulled the covers aside, climbing in beside him. She remained upright however. He gave her a questioning look.

“Sorry. Other than last night, I haven’t shared a bed with another person since Thali was ten. It’s a bit different for me.”

Kolya resituated himself and patted the pillow behind her. Mina followed his nonverbal instructions and laid down. Once she was horizontal, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her towards him. Once they were situated, Mina found herself resting her head on his shoulder with her hand on his chest.

“You’ll get used to it, I promise,” he uttered softly.

He placed a kiss on top of her head and tightened his arm around her. Mina felt secure with his arm around her and she could feel her eyes start to droop.

“Goodnight Acastus,” she whispered sleepily.

“Goodnight Mina.”

Chapter Text

It took Mina less than a week to get used to sleeping in the same bed as another person. Each night she would fall asleep in her husband’s arms, feeling more secure than she ever had before. Along with the comfort of his embrace came her inability to sleep without it. She had been sleeping alone for so long but in such a short time, she had become dependent on his presence. She learned this when he was late coming home one night.

Mina had returned late herself, tired from a busy day at the infirmary. She wasn’t surprised to find her house empty. Her husband had come home late before, usually because he had some business to attend to. She imagined that Cowen was making him work hard to pay for his mistakes. She waited for a little while before climbing into bed, settling into her usual position. It felt completely different without him beside her. Mina shifted positions several times, turning from one side to another. She flipped onto her back and sighed in exasperation.

“What’s wrong?” a voice asked from the doorway.

Mina sat up quickly and turned to see her husband standing in the doorway. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an accusatory glare.

“Where have you been?”

Kolya smirked at her tone and walked over to the bed, bending down to give her a kiss. When he pulled away, Mina’s angry expression had faded.

“You know you can’t always do that.”

Kolya shrugged.

“Do what?” he asked innocently.

“Upset me and fix things by kissing me.”

“Why not? It seems to work.”

Mina glowered at him and flopped back down on her back. She turned away from him and closed her eyes. He chuckled at her response and climbed into the bed after changing into his sleeping clothes. Mina was finally granted what she had been waiting for when he wrapped his arm around her waist.

“You want to tell me what I did that upset you?”

Mina ran her fingers along his arm and pulled it closer to her.

“You were late. I need you here to sleep.”

Kolya didn’t say anything, but Mina could sense that he was pleased by her revelation. He tightened his hold around her waist and Mina felt her exhaustion take hold, pulling her into a restful sleep.

The next few days were full of excitement. One of the women that had been on Corric’s list went into labor, forcing Mina to test out what she had been learning from her reading. Corric wanted her help to give her some practice. When it was all over, Mina felt exhilarated. Mom and baby were both healthy and Mina had learned more than she had from the book. The act of bringing a child into the world was not a glamorous one but it was beautiful. As she got the new mom settled into a bed, she smiled at the little bundle in the woman’s arms. She congratulated the mother and left her to rest.

Mina walked over to Corric’s office door, looking in to see him filling out the necessary files to document the birth. He looked worn out, not from the birth, but from something else. Mina glanced around his office and noticed a pile of clothing in the corner along with a blanket on his small couch. She cleared her throat to get his attention. He looked up from his work and gave Mina a questioning look.

“Yes Mina?”

“Traya is settled in. If you don’t need me for anything else, I’ll be going home for the night.”

Corric gestured to the paperwork he had been filling out.

“As soon as I finish this, you can file it and head home.”

Mina nodded and gave his office another glance.

“Corric, have you been sleeping here?”

Corric looked over at the pile of clothing she had noticed and gave her a guilty look.

“Yes I have. For the past few nights at least. I wanted to be here in case something happened, like Traya or one of the other women going into labor.”

Mina narrowed her eyes at him. She could tell he wasn’t being entirely truthful. There hadn’t been any appearances of the mystery woman for a while, so obviously something had happened there.

“Is that all? You aren’t avoiding someone?”

Mina could tell she hit a nerve when Corric winced slightly at her question.

“Not avoiding per say. Just want to keep things quiet for a while. I’m tired of fighting. It gets us nowhere.”

Mina nodded in understanding.

“I understand that. Who is she?”

“Dahlia Radim.”

Mina was surprised by the last name.

“Radim? Ladon’s sister I’m assuming?”

“Yes. But things don’t always work out the way we want them to. She’s almost as busy working as Ladon. Cowen works her almost as hard, if not harder. It’s not good for her health, but she won’t listen to what I have to say. She wants to do all she can to serve the Genii, even if it slowly kills her.”

Mina understood why Corric would be worried about that. Her own husband’s desire to serve the Genii had gotten him shot. Cowen was a demanding leader.

“I’m sorry Corric. Hopefully some progress will be made on whatever they are working on. If things slow down, maybe the two of you will have a chance.”

Corric gave her a grateful look before turning back to his work.

“I hope you’re right.”

When Mina left the infirmary a short time later, she wasn’t expecting to run into her brother. He was headed to the place she had just left. He had a bruise over his eye and a split lip.

“Caleb! What happened?” Mina asked.

“I was training and may have slipped up a bit. Took a nasty blow to the head.”

Mina gestured behind her to the infirmary doors.

“Head on in. Corric will check to make sure you don’t have a concussion or anything.”

Caleb patted his sister on the shoulder before walking into the infirmary. Mina watched him go and was surprised when another hand touched her shoulder.

“I’m afraid I may have hit him too hard.”

Mina turned to the sound of the voice and saw her husband standing beside her. She should have known he was the perpetrator. She let out a quiet laugh.

“Isn’t the brother supposed to beat up his sister’s partner, not the other way around?”

Kolya laughed at her comment and reached down to take her hand.

“I guess that’s how it usually goes, but not in this situation. You heading home?”

Mina nodded and squeezed his hand, smiling up at him.

“I’m going to stop by and see Thali, but then I’ll be going home.”

“Ok. I’ll be late again tonight, so don’t wait up for me.”

Mina gave him a disappointed frown, which made him laugh again. He leaned down and gave her a light kiss.

“Don’t pout. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

He kissed her again and released her hand before walking away. Mina watched him disappear around a corner before walking toward the exit to the surface. She reached her sibling’s house before long. Thali was glad to see her.

“Mina, how are you?”

“I’m fine. Or I should say, I’m better than fine.”

Thali could see that her sister was in a much better mood than the last time she had seen her.

“I take it things have been going well?”

Mina smiled as she thought about her husband. To say she was smitten with him would be all too true. Now that the unspoken attraction had come to light, she spent most days like she was floating. Thali waved her hand in front of her sister’s face.

“Hello? Mina, are you in there?”

Mina blinked and refocused on her sister.

“Yes did you say something?

“I asked if things were going well. I guess I got my answer. Are you happy?”

“Yes I am,” Mina said with a dreamy smile.

Thali laughed at her sister, shaking her head.

“You look like you are up in the clouds. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy.”

The two sisters sat and talked for a while, covering a variety of topics, including Calbe being injured in training.

“Isn’t Caleb supposed to be the one being a tough guy? He’s the older brother.”

“That’s what I said! I guess when your sister’s husband is one of the main trainers for the entire Genii military, it’s a different story.”

Mina and Thali laughed at their brother’s expense. Caleb had always put up a tough front, even had some backing behind him. He was a good fighter, having been trained by their father from an early age. Mina had suffered many bruises from being his sparring partner growing up. Their father had wanted them to be prepared, hoping they would follow in his footsteps. Mina smiled sadly at the thought of her father. Thali gave her sister a questioning look.

“Hey. Where did your mind go? You look sad.”

“Just thinking about dad. He was an excellent fighter. I imagine he could give Acastus a good fight if he was still around.”

Thali laughed at that thought.

“I’m sure dad would have scared off any men that came sniffing around either of us. Even the commander, as tough as he is. But I’m sure he’ll strike fear into your daughter’s boyfriend’s hearts someday.”

Mina’s smile faded at Thali’s mention of a daughter. In her happiness fog of the past week and a half, the thought of her previous wishes had been covered up. The subject of children hadn’t been discussed. The only time they had talked about it was when he told her she was free to have a family with someone else.

“You disappeared again Mina. What’s going on now?”

“It’s nothing. I just don’t know if there will be a daughter to for him to embarrass.”

Thali rolled her eyes at her sister.

“You still haven’t had that conversation? I think it’s time you do.”

“It’s too soon. We’ve only been ‘together’ for just over a week. I can’t spring children on him so soon.”

“Mina, you’ve been married for almost six months now. I don’t think it’s too soon to talk about it.”

Mina shook her head. She didn’t know if her husband even wanted children. Her concern before had been on if he even wanted her. Now that she knew that, she had another obstacle in her way.

“We have time. I don’t want to scare him off. I’m only 28, we still have plenty of chances to have children, if that is what we decide to do.”

Thali pursed her lips in concern.

“You know that isn’t quite true. There’s a reason our people get married and have children so young. It’s not safe when you get older. Look at mom. She was 37 when I was born.”

Mina knew Thali was right. Most of the women she knew had children before they were 30 to avoid any complications. That wasn’t the only thing that worried her. She also had the problem of having an older husband. Having lost her own father at 16, she knew it was hard.

“When the time is right, we’ll talk about it. We just aren’t ready.”

When Mina returned home from her visit with her sister, her spirits had fallen a bit from their conversation. As she walked past the spare bedroom that used to be hers, she glanced in. She could very easily picture a nursery. She could almost hear the sound of little feet running across the wood floors of her home. She could even picture the small faces of the beings she could bring into the world. A little boy with curly brown hair with brown eyes to match. A girl with bright red hair and blue eyes like her sister.

Mina felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind and she looked up to see her husband standing behind her. He looked down at her with a curious expression.

“What are you still doing up? And why are you standing here, staring at nothing?”

Mina looked at the clock and noticed it was late. How long had she been standing there imagining a possible future? She turned around and embraced her husband.

“I didn’t realize the time. I was simply lost in thought.”

The two of them walked away from the empty bedroom into their own. Mina’s previous thoughts were buried when she was distracted by her husband kissing her. It seemed that he could fix things, at least temporarily, by kissing away her problems.

Chapter Text

In the following few weeks, Mina witnessed the birth of two more healthy babies. The joy she saw on the faces of their parents warmed her heart and broke it simultaneously. Every night for the past couple weeks, she had tried to work up the courage to talk to her husband. The image of the children she had imagined constantly floated in her mind, smiling at her. Motherhood had never been a plan of hers until she was faced with the fact that she may not experience it. She worried that she had jumped the gun by telling him that having a family wasn’t important to her.

In reality, children shouldn’t be a priority in their marriage at that moment in time. They barely knew each other. The things she knew about him was that he was overconfident, reckless, and had a temper. None of these were good traits to have when someone small and defenseless depended on you.

Mina was pulled out of her thoughts by a rumbling sound moving through the compound. The items on her desk rattled and she grabbed her cup to prevent it from spilling. She looked across the room to see Corric emerge from his office.

“What was that?” she asked.

Corric shook his head and crossed the room to the radio system. He grabbed the receiver and spoke into it.

“This is Corric. What was that rumbling? Is medical assistance required?”  

Corric’s question was answered by another noise, this time a louder rumbling. He shared a look with Mina and the two of them sprang into action. He grabbed his med kit and headed out the door with Mina on his heels.

“I’m getting really tired of hearing that sound!” Mina shouted as they ran, yelling over the alarms that had begun to sound in the hallway.

“You get used to it,” he replied.

As they ran down the hallway, they could smell smoke coming from the area that the labs were located. Corric cursed and turned the corner. Mina followed behind him but was stopped short when she ran into his back. She peered around him to see smoke pouring from a room down the hall. There were several people outside the room, coughing as they stumbled away from the smoke. Corric broke out of whatever trance had stopped him and ran in the direction of the people.

“What happened?” he asked, checking people for injuries.

One of the people raised her hand to get his attention, coughing roughly before speaking.

“Some chemicals were mixed incorrectly and exploded. Some were knocked unconscious and weren’t able to get out. Some men went in to retrieve them.”

As the woman was speaking, a group of people emerged from the smoke filled room. Mina and Corric moved forward to help move the injured people to a safe distance to examine them. Another explosion shook the hallway as a pair of men came through the doorway, knocking them down. Mina walked over and helped the larger of the two men to his feet.  

“Are you hurt sir?” she asked, checking him for visible injuries.

The man shook his head and gestured at the one he had helped out of the lab.

“I wasn’t in there when the explosion. I went in to save him.”

Mina bent down to check the man on the ground, rolling him onto his back. When she moved him, he coughed and blinked rapidly at her. When she saw his face, she sighed.

“Ladon! What did you do now?”

Ladon started to sit up and looked around the hallway at the group of people. He seemed to be looking for someone.

“Where is she?”

The other man shook his head in confusion.

“I don’t know what he is talking about. He was barely conscious when I found him and he kept mumbling something about a ‘her’ and ‘Dahlia’”.

Mina’s eyes widened and she joined Ladon’s search of the crowd. She hadn’t seen Dahlia in the group, but she could have overlooked her in the chaos. She stood from Ladon’s side and pointed at the man before her.

“You!”

“Commander Pranos ma’am,” he answered.

Mina waved away his answer. His name wasn’t important right now.

“Was anyone else in there? A blonde woman?”

Pranos shrugged unhelpfully.

“I couldn’t be sure. There was so much smoke and the flames were growing.”

Ladon stumbled to his feet and nearly toppled over, Pranos catching him before he could.

“She’s still in there. Dahlia!”

Mina glanced down the hall at Corric. He had heard Ladon’s outburst and his attention was grabbed. He started to move in the direction of the doorway.

“No! We need to get her out!”

His movement was stopped when a pair of arms wrapped around his midsection. Mekhai stood behind him, holding him in place.

“Oh no you don’t.”

Reinforcements must have shown up while Mina had been talking to Ladon and Pranos. Mina watched Corric’s desperate attempts to free himself from Mekhai’s grasp. She glanced at the room that would surely be fully engulfed in flames and smoke by now. Making a split second decision, Mina pulled her jacket off and wrapped it around her head. She ran into the room before anyone could stop her. She could hear someone yelling her name but she didn’t stop.

As soon as she entered the room, Mina could feel her lungs filling with smoke. She coughed and moved across the room carefully, avoiding the open flames. She squinted in the bright light and looked around the room, searching for any sign of a person.

“Dahlia! Are you in here?”

Mina heard a faint sound that was quickly drowned out by the roaring of the fire. She tried to locate the source of the sound, but the smoke made it hard to see anything. The jacket over her head only hindered her vision further. She lowered it to improve her line of sight and was relieved when she saw a hand sticking out from behind a lab table that was on its side. Mina gingerly climbed through the burning debris in the direction of the hand. When she reached it, she could see the woman it belonged to.

“Dahlia? Can you hear me?”

Dahlia lifted her head weakly and coughed. She pointed at the debris that had fallen on her, trapping her in her positon. Mina moved forward to move it from Dahlia’s body, but quickly pulled her hands away hissing in pain when she was burned by the debris. She acted quickly and wrapped her jacket around her hands so she could move it without injuring herself. Once she had moved the item from Dahlia, she moved back in front of her to help her up.

“Dahlia can you stand?”

When she got no response, Mina bent down to look closer at her face. She was disappointed to discovered that Dahlia was unconscious. She wouldn’t be able to walk out of here and Mina certainly couldn’t carry her. The smoke was starting to get to Mina and she was starting to have a hard time breathing herself. They wouldn’t last much longer in here.

Mina grabbed onto Dahlia’s wrists and began to pull the unconscious woman in the direction of the door. She was dismayed to discover that her previous route was no longer an option and she had to find an alternative. More debris fell from the ceiling around them, some falling dangerously close to them, causing sparks to fly from the burning flames. Mina felt a searing pain on her hands and released her grip on Dahlia’s wrists. She screamed in pain and clutched her hands to her chest.

“Someone please help!” Mina screamed, hoping someone in the hall would hear and come to their aid.

She bit her lip to take focus away from the pain in her hands and grabbed Dahlia’s wrist again, starting to move in the direction of the door again. She coughed roughly, feeling her lungs starting to give out from the smoke. When she was only a few feet from the door, she felt her legs give out under her. She couldn’t go any further.

“Help!” she called out weakly before she laid her head down on the ground.

Mina tried to focus on breathing, but there was no oxygen in the room to enter her lungs and she could feel herself losing consciousness. As her eyes started to drift shut, she could hear shouting. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her upwards, causing her to lose her grip on Dahlia’s wrists.

“No…”

As she was pulled from the room, her lungs were grateful to get some oxygen. Mina coughed and looked around her with barely opened eyes. She watched another person emerge from the room behind her, Dahlia in their arms. The person holding her placed her down gently on a stretcher and she was able to get a good look at their face. The brown eyes that she saw were unmistakable. Her husband’s worried face filled her field of vision as she was lifted on the stretcher. That was the last thing she saw before she finally lost consciousness.

When Mina regained consciousness, she was surrounded by the bright lights of the infirmary. She could feel the oxygen mask covering her face and reached up to move it. When her hands entered her field of vision, she was surprised to find them bandaged. She lowered them again and using her elbows, pushed herself into a sitting position. The infirmary was filled with injured people and bystanders. Mina looked over to the bed next to her and was relieved to see Dahlia lying in it.

“Mina, how are you feeling?” a voice asked.

Mina turned her attention to the source and saw Corric standing between her bed and Dahlia’s. He looked absolutely worn out. He reached out and patted her arm, clearing avoiding her hands. Mina gave him a weak smile, wincing in pain.

“I hurt everywhere, but I’ll live.”

Corric let out a sigh of relief and glanced in the direction of the unconscious woman in the next bed.

“You saved her. You have my eternal gratitude, along with Ladon’s. Thank you Mina.”

Mina gave him another smile and turned to look across the infirmary where the man he had just mentioned was sitting on a bed talking to a group of people. One member of the group turned to look at her and her eyes met her husband’s. Corric noticed where her glance had gone and patted her arm again.

“He’s upset about what happened and that you willingly put yourself in danger. But I think deep inside, he’s proud of you.”

Kolya broke away from the group and started to cross to Mina’s bed.

“I guess we’ll find out in a moment,” she sighed.

Corric backed away as the commander approached, leaving the couple to converse privately. Mina kept her eyes down, avoiding her husband’s gaze. Neither of them said anything for a few moments, but the silence was eventually broken by Kolya.

“Mina, why did you run into a room filled with fire?” he asked in a pained voice.

Without looking at him, Mina looked over at Dahlia again.

“She was in there. She deserved to be saved. Not only is she a brilliant scientist, but she means something to people.”

Kolya shook his head and placed his hand under her chin to make her look at him.

“But it didn’t need to be you. You could have been killed.”

“Well Corric tried, but Mekhai stopped him. No one else was moving to do it and we were running out of time. I did what I had to.”

Kolya’s concerned expression morphed into a combination of exasperation and pride.

“You were very brave Mina. I don’t know if I could have done that.”

Mina’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“But you did. You pulled me out of there.”

Kolya shook his head.

“I went a few steps into the room to grab you. That is different from what you did.”

Mina reached up with her bandaged hand and placed it on her husband’s cheek.

“Thank you for puling me out, nonetheless.”

He smiled at her and leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead.

“I will let you rest. Corric said you can come home in a few days, but I want you to heal.”

He kissed her again, this time on her lips, before walking away. Mina felt her eyes start to flutter shut again as she gave into the exhaustion that engulfed her.

Chapter Text

After a few days in the infirmary, Corric was convinced that Mina was able to go home. She dressed with difficulty, struggling with her bandaged hands. Until her burns healed, she wouldn’t be able to do much of anything. Once she had gotten herself together, she made her way back into the main room to grab her things that had been sitting at her desk for the past few days. Her attention was grabbed by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her.

“Excuse me, Mina?”

Mina turned to face the man that had spoken and came face to face with Commander Pranos, the man she met the day of the fire.

“Hello again Commander. What can I do for you?”

“The doctor said that you should be escorted home and as your husband is busy at the moment, he sent me in his stead.”

Mina nodded in understanding. Corric likely wanted to make sure she would get home safely. She did think it odd that Pranos had been sent rather than her brother, but she brushed away the thought. Pranos held the door open, allowing her to pass through. They walked silently together down the hall to the entrance to the surface. When they exited the compound, Mina was greeted by a cold burst of air. She didn’t normally spend so much time underground and seemed to have missed the changing of the seasons.

“It’s cold today,” she said, trying to start a conversation.

The commander shrugged out of his overcoat and placed it over her shoulders. Mina gave him an appreciative smile and they continued walking in the direction of her home.

“I think it was a very brave thing that you did the other day,” Pranos said as they walked.

“My actions were no different than yours. We both did what was necessary to get people to safety.”

“That is true, but it was not expected of you as you are not a member of the military. Also, I don’t think many people would have gone into that blaze to save anyone at that point. I was surprised to see your husband go in after you. He must really care for you.”

Mina smiled at his words.

“I like to think so. How well do you know my husband? He must trust you if he sent you to escort me home in his place.”

“I have known him for many years. He is one of my closest friends and I respect him a great amount. I don’t think he deserves the amount of punishment that Cowen seems to believe he does.”

Mina wasn’t sure that she completely agreed with Pranos. As much as she cared for her husband, he had to live with the consequences of his actions. But she also knew the guilt he felt over what had happened on his failed mission to Atlantis. She had watched it unfold in his anger in the months following his failure.

The two of them continued their walk in silence. When they reached her home, Pranos went ahead of her and opened the door, ushering her inside.

“Are you alright to be here alone? I’m afraid that I can’t stay, as I have an off-world appointment.”

Mina nodded and placed her things down on the table. She gingerly removed his coat from her shoulders and handed it to him.

“I should be fine. Thank you Commander.”

Pranos bowed his head as a farewell before leaving, closing the door behind him. Mina walked over the chairs in front of the fireplace and sat down. She held her hands out in front of her, looking down at the bandages with annoyance. She didn’t like feeling helpless. There wasn’t much she could do without her hands, except sit in this chair and stare at the cold fireplace. She couldn’t even light it for warmth. That had her reconsidering her statement that she was fine alone.

Standing up from the chair, she walked over to the small closet and pulled out her coat. She gently pulled it on and left her house, closing the door to the best of her ability. Despite what Corric felt, she hadn’t really needed an escort home. She was perfectly capable of walking about on her own. Braving the cold, Mina did the only thing she could think of to entertain herself and began wandering around the village. Because of the weather, she did not run into many people, so her walk was a lonely one. This allowed her to be alone with her thoughts.

She thought about the events of the past few days. While she had been in the infirmary, she hadn’t had many visits from her husband. He had stopped by twice while she was there. She saw more of Ladon than of her husband. Truth be told, she was glad to be out of Ladon’s constant company. He spent most of his free time sitting at his sister’s bedside, which was right next to Mina’s. He told her many times how grateful he was that she saved Dahlia, and Mina was afraid that her actions may have encouraged his affections for her. There had been a few times that she noticed him looking at her, and it made her feel both uncomfortable and sorry for him.

In the 12 years that she had known Ladon, his feelings for her were never a secret. She had hoped he would grow out of them and move on. If things had gone different and she hadn’t developed feelings for Acastus, maybe she would have eventually entertained the thought of being with Ladon. But that was moot now, and it was pointless for him to dwell on his feelings and what could have been. She wanted to do something to make him move on, but she wasn’t sure what.

While she was lost in thought, Mina didn’t realize that it was getting dark. She was nowhere near her home and didn’t have a light. She looked around her to try and get her bearings. She had wandered near the burial ground while she was buried in her own head. She hadn’t been here in many years. In the quickly fading light, she picked her way through the simple markings to the place where her parents were buried. When she came to their resting place, she knelt to the ground between the two stone markers. MIna reached out with her exposed fingers and brushed over the engraving on her mother’s marker. She could feel her eyes well up with tears.

“If you were here, you could tell me what to do mom. You could help me with so many things. You would tell me what to do about Ladon and help me deal with the stubborn man that is my husband.”

Mina glanced to her right to her father’s marker. She laughed quietly. Her mother would know very well what it was like to have a stubborn husband. She reached out with her other hand to brush over her father’s name as well. She felt the marking over his name and quickly pulled her hand away. She knew what that marking meant.

Traitor.

Mina stood from her kneeling position and said a final silent goodbye to her parents before beginning her trek home. As she got closer, she could hear someone calling her name. She looked up and noticed her husband standing on the porch. He stepped down and quickly walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“Mina, where have you been?” he asked in a concerned tone of voice.

“I went for a walk and lost track of time.”

He ushered her into the house, which was a warm change from the outside air. He helped her out of her coat and guided her to sit by the fire.

“It’s cold out there. You had me worried sick. I was expecting to find you here, but you were gone when I came home.”

Mina gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

“I’m fine Acastus. I burned my hands, that’s all. The cold won’t kill me. It was nice to be outside after being underground for the past few days.”

Kolya shook his head at her. He placed a kiss on her temple before going to warm up some food for her. Mina watched him and smiled to herself. She knew he cared, but he didn’t often show it. He returned with some soup, which she accepted gratefully. The two of them sat in silence as she ate, with him never taking his eyes off of her.

The following day, Mina was left to her own devises. Before he had left that morning, Acastus had gotten her to agree that she wouldn’t wander off like she had the night before. So here she sat inside with a book. The longer that she had been working with Corric, the more books he sent home with her to study. She had fallen behind, so her injury gave her the perfect opportunity to catch up on some reading.

Her day alone at home was interrupted when her husband returned in the middle of the day. He touched her shoulder in greeting as he walked past her into their bedroom. Mina looked up in confusion as he passed her. The front door opened again and Pranos entered her home. Mina stood from her chair and greeted the man.

“Commander. Is something going on?”

Pranos gestured at her closed bedroom door.

“I’ll let him explain.”

The two of them waited for Kolya to emerge. When he did, he had changed into different clothing. He was strapping his gun holster onto his belt as he walked out of the bedroom.

“Acasus, what’s going on?” Mina asked, worried by his actions.

“Pranos and I are going off world. We have a problem that needs attending to.”

The way he said it concerned Mina.

“A problem? What kind of problem?”

Kolya sighed before answering her.

“The Atlantians are close to recovering a device that will give them power. The last thing they need is more power, so I intend to stop them from acquiring the device.”

Mina stared at her husband, blinking a few times as she processed what he had just told her. He was going after the Atlantians again. She could feel her worry slowly growing into anger.

“You mean to tell me that the two of you are going to single handedly stop them from getting this device. The same people that have bested the Genii not once, but twice now?”

Kolya could sense that his wife was getting angry and placed his hands on her upper arms.

“It is not just the two of us. We have a group. We intend to strike while Sheppard and his team are at a disadvantage.”

Mina’s anger boiled closer to the surface and she took a deep breath to calm herself.

“Just to be clear, you are going after the man that has already killed a large number of our people and shot you?”

He didn’t need to say anything for Mina to see that what she said was correct. She pulled away from his grip on her arms, stepping back away from him.

“Why?” she asked, her voice rising in anger. “Is Cowen having you do this?”

Kolya and Pranos exchanged a look and Mina realized the horrible truth.

“You are doing this against Cowen’s orders, aren’t you?”

Kolya’s face showed nothing, but Mina noticed a sheepish look cross Pranos’ face. Not saying anything, Mina turned away from the men before her and walked quickly to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Kolya flinched at the sound of the door slamming. Pranos gave his friend a look of pity.

“That went well,” he offered jokingly. “You going after her?”

Kolya sighed as he looked at the closed door.

“I don’t know. We need to go, so I don’t really have time to talk to her about it.”

Pranos grasped his friend’s shoulder and gestured at the door.

“I will go with the team and keep watch. You join us once you’ve dealt with things here. You don’t want to leave while she’s angry.”

Kolya chuckled at his words.

“If you had experienced what it’s like to be screamed at by an angry redhead, you would be insisting I leave right now.”

Pranos smirked before walking out the door, leaving his friend to deal with his angry wife. Kolya crossed the room to the bedroom door. He opened it slowly, wary of what was behind it. He entered the room and saw Mina standing on the other side, staring out the window. He could practically see the steam coming out of her ears.

“Mina? Can we please talk about this?”

She didn’t turn around, which prompted him to throw his arms up in the air in defeat.

“Why are you so angry?”

Kolya was surprised when he heard a sniffling sound. He crossed the room to stand next to Mina. He turned her towards him and he felt his heart twinge when he saw her face. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

“I don’t want to lose you. I was already faced with that once and I’m not ready to go through that again.”

Kolya pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

“This will be a simple mission. If we succeed, we will have dealt a significant blow to the Atlantians. It may be enough to get me back into Cowen’s good graces.”

Mina pulled back a small amount so she could look at his face again.

“And if you fail?”

“I don’t want to consider that as a possibility. I believe that we will succeed. We will have them at a disadvantage.”

Mina pulled away from the embrace completely, turning to look out the window again.

“That’s what you thought last time. Look how that turned out.”

Kolya sighed and moved to stand in front of her, blocking her view of the window. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. He pulled away and before releasing her face, he brushed away some of her tears with his thumbs.

“I will return to you, I promise. Whether I succeed or not, I will come back.”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead, knowing that action brought her comfort. He felt her arms wrap around his midsection. He returned her embrace briefly before pulling away from her.

“I need to go. I will see you when I return.”

Kolya walked away from her and out of the bedroom. Before leaving the house, he turned and looked back to see her standing in the doorway. He gave her a small wave before exiting the house and walking in the direction of the gate.

Chapter Text

Mina stood starring out the front window of her house, her eyes darting back and forth across the frozen ground outside. She searched the darkness for any trace of her returning husband. She had been pacing back and forth across her house the entire time he had been gone, stopping only briefly to sit when her feet began to ache. Waiting to hear something was worse than the feeling of impending doom she had felt before he left.

Mina saw some movement outside and leaned closer to the window to get a better look. She noticed a figure walking towards her home, but the stature of the person did not match that of her husband. She watched the figure walk to her porch and she felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of knocking at the door. Mina took a deep breath to prepare herself before walking over to open the door. A young man that she had never seen stood in her doorway, a nervous and worried expression on his face.

“Are you the wife of Commander Kolya?” the young man asked.

Mina nodded slowly, feeling the building panic inside her rising to the surface.

“Is my husband alright?”

The man gave her a small nod.

“Yes ma’am. I am from the planet Dagan, where your husband was working. He assigned me the task of coming to you if something went wrong.”

At the mention of something going wrong, Mina let out an exasperated sigh. She knew something would happen, and she hated being right about it.

“What happened?” she asked.

“His mission did not succeed and now he is trapped in an underground chamber. The people of Dagan were supposed to send someone to retrieve him, but they have no intention of following through. They would rather leave him down there to die and be rid of him and the trouble he caused for them.”

Mina sighed again and told the man to stay at the doorway. She walked over to the closet and retrieved her coat before returning to the door.

“Come with me. I need to get some help.”

The man followed Mina through the dark across the village until they reached her old home. Mina knocked on the door loudly, hoping she would be heard. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a disheveled Caleb with a lantern.

“Mina? What’s wrong? It’s the middle of the night.” He looked around his sister to the man behind him and raised his eyebrows in confusion. “Who’s this?”

“I need your help. My husband seems to have gotten himself into trouble again and I can’t help him on my own.”

Mina held up her bandaged hands as evidence. Caleb nodded in understanding before disappearing behind the door again. Mina stood on her siblings’ porch with the other man, waiting for her brother to return. When Caleb reappeared, he had changed and donned his coat. The three of them stepped off the porch and headed in the direction of the gate.

~~~~~

Mina and Caleb followed the young man across a large field on the planet of Dagan, shining a lantern to light the way. He led them to an opening in the ground with a device over the gap. A large stone sat off to the side, and the ground around the hole showed signs of struggle. The man pointed down into the opening.

“He’s down there,” he told them.

Caleb held the lantern down into the hole while Mina knelt at the side, looking down into the darkness.

“Acastus? Are you down there?”

A figure moved into the light shining in the hole and Mina saw her husband’s face looking up at her. He looked disheveled, but otherwise alright. She let out a sigh of relief. Her relief quickly dissipated when she realized he was alone.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

He nodded but held his tied hands in front of him.

“I’m trapped in more ways than one,” he answered in a defeated tone.

Caleb leaned over the opening of the chamber, fiddling with the device hanging above it.

“Don’t worry Commander, we’ll get you out.”

Mina held the lantern as Caleb and the other man worked to get the device situated. Caleb lowered the belt and tossed his knife down into the shaft so Kolya could free himself of his bindings. Mina watched as the two men lifted her husband out of the hole, moving forward when he neared the top to assist in any way that she could. Once he was on solid ground, Mina threw her arms around his midsection.

“I’m so glad you are alright. What happened?”

She looked up into her husband’s face and she could see sadness underneath his disappointment.

“Our mission was nearly successful, but as usual, Sheppard was two steps ahead. He sabotaged my efforts at the last moment and left me down in that hole. His team killed all my men.”

Mina’s heart sank at his words.

“Pranos?” she asked, realizing the source of his sadness.

Kolya nodded in response, but she could sense something else was bothering him.

“Pranos was killed by my own actions. There was a dangerous puzzle and he rushed through it on my orders. It’s my fault that he’s dead.”

Mina reached up a cupped his cheek with her bandaged hand. She swore she felt wetness touch her fingers, but she wasn’t sure. She had seen anger, pain, and regret in her husband, but never sadness.

“I’m sorry Acastus.”

He reached up and gently removed her hand from his face, holding onto her fingers as he lowered their hands. He turned to the other two people and nodded in thanks.

“Thank you for getting help,” he said to the young Daganian man.

The man bowed slightly in response before turning and walking away, leaving Mina alone with her husband and brother. The three of them walked towards the gate, Mina’s hand still entwined with her husband’s.

When they returned to their own planet, they went their separate ways; Caleb to his home and the couple to theirs. They walked in silence until they reached their home. Once the door closed behind them, Mina turned to face her husband.

“I know you are hurting from the loss of your friend, but I warned you this would happen. I knew if you went to that planet, something would go wrong. Was it worth it?”

Kolya’s refused to look at her, his eyes focusing on a random spot on the floor behind her. He shook his head and walked away from her, moving to sit in his chair in front of the cold fireplace. Mina stood rooted in place.

“I’m sorry that Pranos is dead. I know it’s hard to lose someone that you care about. I’m not trying to hurt you by saying ‘I told you so’, but it’s the truth.”

Kolya didn’t seem to be bothered by her words. He simply sat silently, starring at nothing. Mina wondered if he could even hear her or if he was lost in his own head. She walked over behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She half expected him to brush her off, but when he didn’t, she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. She gently squeezed his shoulders before releasing them and leaving her husband to be alone with his thoughts.

Mina went into their bedroom, closing the door behind her. Sitting down on the bed, she leaned forward and rubbed her eyes. Her mind raced through the events that would likely happen the next day. As soon as Cowen got wind of what had happened, her husband would surely be reprimanded. He was already on thin ice from his last mistake, so who knew what would happen to him now. She felt like she needed to do something to help him, to help both of them out of this mess.

~~~

A few days passed before Mina saw her husband again. She imagined that he had been severely reprimanded by Cowen and wanted to be alone. He likely had been spending all of his time in the military quarters that were in the bunker. Not wanting to be at home sitting idly, Mina convinced Corric to let her come back to work, even if it was to just do paperwork. Her hands had begun to heal from the burns, but she could tell that there would be scars. She sat at her desk, looking at her injury and thought back to the situation that had led to her injury.

She and Corric had run into a dangerous area to save injured people. When Corric tried to go save Dahlia, Mekhai stopped him because he was valuable to the Genii as the only real medic. That was one of the reasons he had recruited Mina, but her training had been lacking. She could serve a more useful purpose working in the field like had originally been planned. She thought back to what Pranos had said to her about not being a member of the military, so she didn’t need to rush into danger to save people.

An idea popped into Mina’s mind at that thought. She had a plan that could help multiple situations at once, she only needed the courage to act on it. Getting up from her desk, she straightened herself up. She called out to Corric, telling him that she would return in a little bit. Leaving the infirmary, Mina made her way in a direction she had never gone before. She headed straight for Cowen’s office. As she approached, Mina noticed a woman sitting behind a desk outside Cowen’s door. She approached the woman and cleared her throat.

“I would like to speak to Chief Cowen whenever possible,” she said.

The woman looked up at Mina and gave her a friendly smile.

“He’s not busy at the moment. Who should I say is here to see him?”

“Mina Kolya.”

Cowen’s secretary stood from her seat and knocked on the door behind her. Mina heard a voice answer her knock and the woman opened the door to speak to the occupant inside. After a moment, she returned and gestured to Mina and then to the door.

“You can go in.”

Mina nodded and took a deep breath. She had never spoken to Cowen directly before. Her opinion of the man was not a high one, but he was the most powerful man in the Genii so she was nervous. She walked around the desk and entered Cowen’s office, closing the door behind her. Cowen looked up from his paperwork to look at her. Mina clasped her hands behind her back to hide their shaking.

“Hello Mina. I must say that you are not the Kolya I expected to come groveling at my feet.”

Mina winced slightly at his remark but held her head high.

“Chief Cowen. I have come before you with a proposition.”

Cowen sat back in his chair, his interest peaked.

“And what proposition would that be?” he asked.

Mina took another deep breath before continuing, her idea strong in the front of her mind.

“I understand that the Genii do not have much in the way of medical staff, which was the reason behind my hiring as Corric’s assistant. My initial hiring purpose was to serve as a sort of field medic for those working on the farms, but that seems to have changed due to need for my help elsewhere. The need for a medic that is capable of serving in a situation involving combat or disaster has become clear and I wish to offer myself up for that position.”

Cowen narrowed his eyes at Mina, unsure of what she was getting at.

“Do you mean to say that you want to serve as a medic for mobile teams? I can’t allow that as you have no military training. I can’t send you out there unprepared.”

Mina could see that her point was not getting across to Cowen and that she needed to elaborate.

“What I am requesting sir is that I be trained so I can serve that position.”

Cowen let out a small laugh of disbelief.

“You are a bit too old to begin training now. We usually start training our soldiers much younger than you.”

It dawned on Mina that Cowen was not aware of her past. He was not privy to the information she thought he was.

“Except I would not be starting from scratch sir. When I was a teenager, my father trained me alongside my brother and his other students. I am unpracticed, but I do have existing fight skills. All that is needed is proper training to hone my skills.”

Cowen raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“I was not aware that your father had trained you. Why did you not join alongside your brother when you came of age?”

Mina’s confident attitude slipped slightly and she blinked a few times to regain her composure.

“That was not the life my parents wanted for me. But what they wanted does not seem to apply now. I have a duty to fulfill, to my people and my family.”

Cowen smirked at her mention of family.

“Meaning you feel you need to make up for the mistakes of others, namely your husband.”

Mina’s eyes fell to the floor at his comment about her husband. One of the main reasons she had come up with this plan was to help pull herself and Acastus out of the situation that had found themselves in due to his actions.

“Yes sir,” she answered solemnly.

“It seems that you continue to attempt to make up for the mistakes of your family members. First by marrying Kolya and now this. You have a very noble attitude, I admire that.”

Mina wasn’t sure she was comfortable with Cowen admiring anything about her. She viewed it as a point in her favor however and raised her eyes again to meet his. Cowen seemed to be in contemplation for a few moments before he gave her an answer.

“I heard about your actions the day of the lab fire. Your quick thinking saved Dahlia Radim’s life. It would be valuable to have someone like that in the field should your team come under hard times. I accept your proposal and approve of you training.”

Mina’s mouth quirked up in a small smile that she quickly hid behind a small cough, masking her happiness at her success. Cowen stood up from his chair and walked over to the door. He opened it and spoke with his secretary for a few moments before returning to talk to Mina.

“Kenna will have some forms for you to fill out and then she will see to your assignment. I wish you luck Mina.”

Mina thanked him before leaving his office to fill out the forms his secretary handed her. Once she finished, she returned them to the woman. She was assured that she would hear from her in a day or so. Mina left and headed back in the direction of the infirmary. She let out a big breath of air as she walked and let the tension dispel from her shoulders. She had succeeded in her plan, but now she had another thing to deal with.

What would she tell her husband?

Chapter Text

Mina heard back from Kenna the day following her conversation with Cowen. She was assigned a locker in the women’s side of the military bunker that held her uniform and other materials. As she walked into the locker room, she felt very out of place. Several people turned and looked at her with questioning expressions. Mina smiled and gave a small wave in greeting. A few women returned her smile but others simply ignored her and looked away. She let out a sigh and made her way over to her locker. Opening it, she found several items.

She had a uniform, two pairs of boots, and a hat to wear. A belt hung on a hook in the back of the locker with holsters for a gun and knife. Sitting on the shelf was a wrist communicator, a knife, and a simple pistol. Mina reached in and picked up the pistol, weighing it in her hand. She had never held a gun before. All of the training her father had given her was in hand-to-hand combat. She placed the pistol back on the shelf and grabbed the card with her assignment.

Since she was receiving both military training and medical training, her schedule was packed. Three days a week she would be training with her new commanding officer, with days of training under Corric dispersed between. She had the final day off to do as she wished or to make up for things she was falling behind in.

Kenna had told her that she was to report to the office of Commander Nikomi Lunn after she changed into her uniform. Mina pulled the uniform and a pair of boots from the locker and quickly changed into them. She gave the weapons belt a glance before deciding against putting it on. She closed her locker and looked at herself in the mirror. Straightening up her uniform, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She placed her hat on her head and left the room, walking across the underground city towards the commanders’ offices.

As she walked, Mina silently prayed that she wouldn’t run into her husband while she was down here. She wasn’t sure how she was going to tell him what she had done in an attempt to save the reputation of his name. She didn’t imagine he would take it very well, as he didn’t normally react to things in a good way. When he had finally returned home the night before, he had barely spoken to her. She could tell that he was still stewing from whatever punishment Cowen had dished out to him. Not wanting a repeat of the events from before, Mina left him alone to stew as she formulated her own plan. Now that her plan was working out, she was nervous about him finding out before she had a chance to fix things.

Mina kept her head down as she walked down the hall, hoping her hat would hide her identity if she did come across him. She managed to reach Commander Lunn’s door without an issue and rapped her knuckles on the door to request entry. Her knock was answered by a voice telling her to enter. Mina opened the door and stepped into the small office, closing in behind her. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back like she had done when she was before Cowen. Her attention focused on the woman sitting at the desk before her, her eyes widening slightly when she recognized her.

“Ah Mina, good you’re here,” NIkomi said, standing from her chair and offering her hand for Mina to shake.

Mina unclasped her hands and shook Nikomi’s hand briefly before returning to her previous stance.

“I was not aware that you were part of our military. I just got your file today and was looking over it before you came in,” NIkomi said as she took her seat again, gesturing at the open file on her desk. “I see that your name is now Mina Kolya. I knew Acastus had gotten married, but not who the woman was. I must say I was surprised to learn that it was you. How did that come about?”

Mina cleared her throat before answering. She hadn’t expected an interview of sorts. Just like she hadn’t expected her commanding officer to be the mother of one of her childhood friends.

“My marriage was an arrangement that was made between my brother and Chief Cowen. It was made in an attempt to ease tensions between Cowen and my family and put our name back in good standing after my father’s supposed treason.”

Nikomi narrowed her eyes at Mina’s response. “I knew your father. He was a good man. Whatever his actions may have been, I don’t believe that he deserved what happened to him. I’m sorry that your family has been put through that pain, even if it was so many years ago.”

Mina nodded her thanks in response to Nikomi’s condolences. She was the first one to offer them. Everyone else had simply branded her father a traitor and left it at that.

“I also don’t think an arranged marriage was the solution, especially to a man that is so much older than you. I didn’t necessary approve of Alaina’s marriage to Callistair either, but it was what she and my husband wanted, so I kept my silence. My question for you is, are you happy? Is this marriage something you want?”

Mina was taken aback my Nikomi’s question. Other than her sister, no one had expressed concern for her happiness. She supposed that everyone viewed it as fulfilling her duty, similar to her decision to join the military force. The Genii were not known for caring about the personal happiness of their people, merely the survival and functionality as a people.

“It was difficult at first and we have had some rough patches, which have led me here, but I care for my husband a great deal. I am here to help dig him out of the hole that he has put himself in.”

Nikomi let out a small chuckle, shaking her head. “You can’t fix all the problems caused by men, you will be stuck fixing them until you die dear.”

Mina smiled at Nikomi’s remark. She didn’t expect her to clean up the messes of her family, as Cowen had told her she was doomed to do. The fact that Nikomi sympathized with her warmed her heart. Mina decided that she wouldn’t mind serving under her command.

Nikomi turned to a new page in Mina’s file and looked over her copy of the schedule that Mina had. Her eyes widened as she scanned the packed schedule and looked up at Mina skeptically.

“Are you sure you can handle the pressure of this schedule? With only three days a week to train you, I will need to push to your limits. I do not have many students at this time, but I do have a strict regimen that I expect them to follow. For you to follow this regimen on your schedule, you will need to work twice as hard as anyone else.”

Mina nodded affirmatively. “I am prepared to what I need to. The need for someone with my training is too important for me to duck out because the work is too hard.”

Nikomi pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as she analyzed Mina’s face. Mina could sense some doubt, but she ignored it. Nikomi closed the file and stood up from her desk again. She walked around and gestured to the door to indicate for Mina to go out into the hall. Mina did as instructed and was followed out by Nikomi.

“Come with me. I will show you where you need to be and at what times,” Nikomi said as she began to walk down the hall with Mina in tow.

Mina followed Nikomi to multiple places in the compound, making mental notes of where she needed to be and what she needed to do. Once Nikomi finished her tour and explaining things, she released her, telling her to communicate with Corric about what he expected from her. Mina left the training area of the compound and headed back in the direction of the compound. She felt overly anxious every time she turned a corner. Walking around in uniform was risky, as she could run into her husband anywhere. She made a decision that she would tell him what was going on as soon as she got settled into her new routine.

When she entered the infirmary, she looked around for Corric, but couldn’t see him. She called for him a few times but got no answer. He must have been called away somewhere. He would have much more on his hands during her absence, a fact that he was very displeased about. He hadn’t said anything directly to her, but Mina could tell he was disappointed that she was giving up her position as his assistant to follow a different path.

Unsure of what to do, Mina made her way over to her desk and sat down to wait for Corric to return. She didn’t have to wait for long before the doors opened again. When she looked up to see who entered the room, she was disappointed to see that it was not Corric. Her disappointment quickly faded when she noticed that the people that had entered were very distressed. Ladon was supporting his sister as she winced in pain, clutching her stomach. He looked around frantically before his eyes met Mina’s.

“Mina help her! She was working and suddenly screamed out in pain.”

Mina quickly walked over to the pair and helped Ladon guide Dahlia to a bed. Once she was settled, Mina pulled off her jacket and threw it on the bed behind her, leaving her in a tank top and uniform pants. She moved to do the same for Dahlia, trying to access the other woman’s midsection so she could examine her.

“Dahlia, I need you to tell me where it hurts.”

Dahlia winced again and placed her one hand on her lower stomach, the other tightly squeezing Ladon’s hand. Mina lifted Dahlia’s shirt a small amount to expose the area she indicated, but stopped when she noticed some blood on the front of Dahlia’s pants.

“Were you injured?” Mina asked, searching for some sort of injury on Dahlia’s abdomen.

Dahlia shook her head in response as another wave of pain hit her and she let out a small cry. Ladon stood at his sister’s side and looked at her with concern.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Mina furrowed her brow in confusion and shrugged. “I can’t see any source of bleeding. I’m going to need to remove her pants to get a good look. You might want to go in the other room Ladon.”

Ladon looked at his sister and gave her hand a squeeze before letting go and walking out of the room to give the women some privacy. Mina pulled a curtain around them and helped Dahlia remove her pants. She was alarmed when she saw a large amount of blood on the inside of the pants. The sight brought back the memory of something she had read in one of the books Corric had given her about childbirth.

“Dahlia, are you pregnant?”

Dahlia’s eyes widened in surprised at Mina’s question.

“I don’t know. I guess it’s possible.”

Mina’s face fell as she realized what was happening.

“I’m sorry Dahlia, but it seems that your pregnancy has abruptly ended in a miscarriage. That’s why you are in so much pain.”

Tears started to fall down Dahlia’s face as she covered her mouth in shock with her hand.

“I didn’t even know. How did I not notice?”

Mina placed her hand on the woman’s shoulder, giving it a sympathetic squeeze.

“It just happens that way sometimes. I assume Corric was the father?”

Dahlia nodded before her tears increased and turned into sobs. Mina held out her other hand, which Dahlia took and held on tightly as she sobbed through her pain. Mina couldn’t imagine the pain, both physical and mental, that Dahlia was going through. She didn’t know the woman very well, but she imagined the loss of a child was hard on anyone, no matter the stage of the child’s life. She stood beside Dahlia until most of the pain had dissipated and she cried herself dry. Once it was over, Mina helped Dahlia get cleaned up before moving her to another bed to rest.

“Do you want Corric to know what happened?” she asked as she pulled the curtain around the recovery bed to give Dahlia some privacy from other people that may enter the infirmary.

Dahlia shook her head in response. “There’s no point in upsetting him about something he didn’t know about.”

Mina nodded. “I’ll leave it up to you on if you want to tell anyone.”

Dahlia reached out her hand and grabbed Mina’s. “Thank you Mina. Could you please send Ladon back in here?”

“Of course,” Mina said giving Dahlia’s hand a final squeeze before walking away to retrieve Ladon.

She let the two of them talk in private, walking back to her previous position at her desk. She leaned forward and rested her head on her palms, letting out a defeated sigh. If dealing with this kind of situation was hard, she couldn’t imagine how it would feel when she was in the field and lost someone. Maybe she wasn’t as prepared to deal with this as she thought.

Chapter Text

Over the course of the next month, Mina was pushed to her limits. Given the fact that she could not train in any hand-to-hand combat until her hands had healed from the burns, Nikomi had pushed her in every other method of training. She would have her run until her lungs felt as they would give out, practice at the firing range until her ears rang, and had her memorize so many uses of simple weapons in combat that her head spun. On top of Nikomi’s training, Corric had been constantly drilling new things into her mind every chance he got, giving her new books to read every night. Mina barely got through an entire chapter before falling asleep in her chair by the fire.

Acastus had questioned her constant exhaustion, but she blamed it on extensive training from Corric alone. She wasn’t ready to share her secret with her husband until she was able to see some success from it. He had stopped moping around the house, so she assumed Cowen had let off on the criticism. At least that part of her plan seemed to be fruitful. She hoped that other things would improve to the point that she could prove that her actions had made a change. Until she saw those results, Acastus would be kept in the dark as long as possible.

Once Corric was satisfied that her hands had healed, he gave her the go ahead to begin her other training. Mina had been dreading this part. She hadn’t practiced her hand-to-hand combat since her father’s death. That was over a decade ago, and she was left feeling unprepared. When she walked into the training room that Nikomi had directed her to, she was surprised by who she found there.

“Caleb? What are you doing here?”

Her brother gave her a smile in greeting and gestured to the corner where Nikomi was standing.

“Commander Lunn thought that it would be best if your training was overseen by a small group, since it seems to be something of a secret.”

Mina’s face contorted in a guilty expression. She hadn’t told her siblings the full extent of her plan. Only that she had joined the military to fill a special position, leaving out the secretive nature of the training. She knew her brother could be trusted, but the smaller amount of people that knew the truth, the better.

Caleb gestured for her to move to the center of the room. He walked over to the edge of the room and grabbed two wooden staffs from the rack on the wall, tossing one to Mina as he walked back in her direction. Mina reached out her hand and caught the staff, looking at her brother with confusion.

“I thought we would be beginning by hand-to-hand training,” she said pointing at the staff in her hand, “this is not part of that.”

Nikomi moved out from her place in the corner to stand between the siblings.

“Your brother told me that it has been quite a while since you have had any training. The staffs allow a sort of barrier between two opponents so they are not immediately forced to deal with the strength of the one they are fighting. Unlike you, Caleb has continued training and is one of the best fighters I have seen other than Sora Tyrus, your father, and your husband. I don’t want you to get severely injured on your first day because you were outmatched by such a superior fighter.”

Mina glanced around Nikomi at her brother to see a smug grin on his face. She knew that he was thinking of all the times she had made fun of him for his lack of grace as a child. She was about to be on the other end of the mocking spectrum. The only advantage that she had against him was the fact that she was smaller than him.

“I want you guys to take it slow. At the same time, I want to see what there is to work with, so there will be no formality to this match,” Nikomi said as she backed away from her position between the two of them, “Mina I want you to be on the offensive until I blow my whistle, then I want you to switch to defensive while Caleb attacks you. You are free to do any moves you feel like, just don’t play dirty.”

Mina nodded in response and grasped her staff with both hands. Caleb stood with his staff directly in front of him, his eyes focusing on Mina. Taking a deep breath, Mina prepared herself, thinking of what she would do to launch an offensive strike against her brother. Nikomi’s whistle shrieked, the sound echoing in the small room. Mina moved forward towards her brother, raising her staff to strike him. Before she could get anywhere close to him, he raised his and blocked her blow. Mina grunted as the staff vibrated in her hands from the impact. Caleb’s smug expression returned and Mina could feel the rivalry of their teen years burning inside her.

Mina quickly spun around, swinging her staff as she spun. Out of the corner of her vision, she could she Caleb moving his staff up to block her blow, so she changed her mind mid-spin and lowered hers, landing a blow to Caleb’s leg. He let out a sound akin to a yelp, causing the corner of Mina’s mouth to rise in a smirk. It was a small victory, but it felt good to wipe the smug grin from her brother’s face. Mina’s victory was short lived and was interrupted by the shrieking sound of Nikomi’s whistle. Her eyes widened as Caleb recovered from the blow to his leg with wild swing of his staff. Mina fell forward as he hit her between the shoulders, landing on her stomach with a whoomp as the air was knocked from her lungs.

Nikomi’s whistle blew again and she walked over to where Mina was lying on the floor.

“First lesson: don’t let little victories distract you. You never know what’s coming.”

Mina nodded and pushed herself off the floor, getting to her feet. She bent over and picked up her staff from the floor before turning to face Caleb again. She glared at him for his actions, but got a shrug in response.

“Sorry little sister, but you left yourself wide open.”

Mina narrowed her eyes and got back into position, waiting for the whistle again. When she heard it, she didn’t hesitate before quickly closing the distance between them, swinging her staff high in the air. Caleb raised his above his head, blocking her blow. Growling in frustration, Mina swung wide and low, hitting Caleb’s legs with her staff. She was surprised when he cried out in pain. She must have swung harder than she thought. He bent down to grasp his shin where she had hit him.

Mina began to lower her staff, but she heard the sound of the whistle, leading her to focus her attention on her brother’s movements, not letting herself get distracted like she had before. It was a good thing she was paying attention, because as soon as the whistle sounded, Caleb seemed to recover from his pain and swung his staff at Mina’s feet. Mina jumped to avoid the blow, not wanting to get knocked off her feet again. He quickly clambered to his feet and raised his staff to swing several times. Mina managed to block each blow, but she stumbled backwards a little each time his staff collided with hers. When the whistle blew again, Mina almost didn’t hear it over the sound of the clashing staffs.

“That’s enough!” Nikomi yelled as the two of them stopped their movements.

Caleb stepped away, leaning on his staff as he caught his breath. Mina braced herself against the wall, letting her staff fall to the floor. She glanced over at her brother, surprised to see a look of admiration on his face. Nikomi made a shooing motion with her hand in Caleb’s direction.

“You are dismissed Caleb. I would like to focus on some individual things with your sister.”

Caleb nodded and gave a small bow of respect before returning his staff to the rack and leaving the training room. Mina watched him leave before focusing her attention on the woman in front of her.

“How did I do?” she asked curiously.

NIkomi reached down and picked up Mina’s staff from the floor.

“Not bad for your first day. You are very easily distracted. You focused yourself in the second round, but would you have done that if I had not said anything?”

Mina shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “I guess I don’t know.”

“We will have to see in time if it will continue to be a problem. I know you were probably expecting more today, but that is all I want from you in this department today. I’ve noticed that my training has been hard on you.”

Mina raised her eyebrows in confusion. She had purposefully avoided complaining about how exhausted she was and the constant burn in her legs from the running Nikomi had made her do. She didn’t want to appear weak when she had so much to prove.

Nikomi’s expression softened. “It must be my mother’s intuition. Every day you seem less eager to preform and I can see the circles under your eyes. Just because you need to train twice as hard, does not mean you stop taking care of yourself. I know tomorrow is your day off, so I want you to rest as much as you can. Take some time and take care of yourself. All of this training will do you no good if you run yourself into the ground.”

Mina knew Nikomi was right. She would get nowhere if she overdid it.

“I will make sure that I take some time to myself.”

Nikomi smiled and placed her hand on Mina’s shoulder, giving it an encouraging squeeze. She made a shooing motion at Mina, indicating that she was free to leave. Mina copied her brother’s action of bowing in respect before leaving the training room. She made her way to the locker room to change back into her regular clothes before returning home. As she walked down the hallway, Mina could hear voices approaching. Her eyes widened in a panic when she recognized one of the voices as belonging to her husband. Mina looked around frantically, searching for a place to hide. Her training attire would definitely raise Acastus’ suspicions, so she needed to make herself scarce.

Keeping her head down, Mina stuck close to the wall, hoping that she could pass without being noticed. She didn’t have high hopes, knowing that her red hair made her stand out, especially since Sora was still gone so the amount of redheads was decreased. She moved quickly along the wall, pausing when she reached the corner. She peered around the corner and let of a sigh of relief when she saw that her husband was walking away from her. Mina quickly walked in the opposite direction, darting around the next corner. Once she had reached the locker room and changed her clothes, she felt more at ease. Mina wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to hide this secret from her husband. Every day she spent training, she risked him finding out. She would have to tell him soon, before he found out some other way and it exploded in her face.

Chapter Text

The following two months proved to offer increased difficulty in hiding the truth. As Mina continued to train, NIkomi and Caleb increased the intensity of her training. Cowen had made it clear that he intended for her to be in the field as soon as possible, so they needed to get her ready fast. With the increased training came many injuries. Every day she spent fighting them left her with bruises, cuts, and sore muscles. Mina was thankful that her husband was otherwise preoccupied with his own affairs to be too romantically inclined. She was also glad that it was winter, allowing her to wear long sleeves and pants all the time to cover her injuries. She made special effort not to wince when she moved or bumped a sore spot. Every time she went into the infirmary with a new injury, Corric would shake his head and give her an annoyed look.

“You know you can’t hide this from him forever. Eventually he will notice,” he said as he stitched up her latest cut from the dueling knifes they had used during training that day.

Mina sighed, wincing as Corric poked her with the needle. She knew he was right. He hated keeping her secret as much as she did. When he finished, Mina pulled her sleeve down to cover her bandaged forearm.

“I will tell him soon,” she assured Corric, “when the time is right.”

Corric shook his head and walked away to put his tools away. “It’s been 3 months Mina. I think you’ve waited long enough.”

Mina rolled her eyes in exasperation. Corric had been on her case to tell her husband the truth since the beginning. “I’m sure you and Dahlia tell each other everything right?” she said in an annoyed tone.

Corric paused in his work, not turning around when he spoke. “That’s different. Dahlia and I are not married. Besides, there is nothing for us to keep from each other.”

Mina silently wondered to herself if he knew the truth about Dahlia’s failed pregnancy. If he didn’t, there wasn’t much truth behind his statement. “You would be surprised what people keep from the ones they care about,” she said as she jumped down from the exam table.

Corric turned around to face her with a confused expression. “What is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

Mina shook her head dismissively as she walked towards the door to the infirmary. “Nothing. Thanks Corric.” She gave him a small wave before exiting the infirmary, heading in the direction of the exit to the surface.

When she reached her home, Mina was relieved that she was alone. Heading to the bedroom, she pulled off her training gear to change into her sleeping clothes. As she pulled her shirt over her head, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror standing in the corner. Her midsection had definitely slimmed down from her vigorous training. As she rotated, Mina noticed that her back was dotted with bruises. A fairly large one covered the left side of her lower back above her waistband. Constantly being knocked to the ground and hit with the fighting staffs was taking a toll on her body.

The sound of the front door opening and closing startled Mina out of her self-observation. She scrambled to grab her top and pull it over her head, covering the bruises back up. Her heart sank when she turned around to see her husband standing in the doorway staring at her. His eyes were wide in concern.

“Where did you get those bruises from?” he asked, closing the distance between them. He lifted the hem of her shirt to expose her lower back to his view. One of his hands gently grazed over the large bruise.

Mina racked her brain to find an explanation for her injuries that didn’t out her secret activities. Her husband’s eyes moved from her back to her face, awaiting an explanation. She said the first thing that came to mind.

“There was a man in the infirmary today that broke his leg. He wasn’t handling the pain too well and swung his arm out. He knocked me over and I fell into a cart. Not a big deal, just a bruise. Corric said it will heal and I will be good as new.”

Kolya raised his eyebrows in concern. “That bruise looks bad. Does it hurt?”

Mina placed her hand on his left arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Not as much as a gunshot wound. I will be fine Acastus,” she said, hoping to reassure him that she would be fine.

He pulled her to him, enveloping her in his arms. Mina returned the embrace, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I’m glad you are alright,” he murmured into her hair. “When I walked in and saw the bruises, I feared that you had been in an explosion or something.”

Mina pulled away slightly from the embrace and looked up at him. “I think you would have heard if there had been an explosion. Especially if I had been injured. Corric would have been sure to tell you.”

Kolya raised one of his hands to cup her face. “Not if something happened to him too. Also, I was off-world today, so I would have been a little out of the loop. I worry about you when I’m away.”

Mina let out a small laugh. “You worry about me? You are the one out in the field.” She gestured to his shoulder again. “You are the one that gets shot at and left in holes in the ground to die. I don’t think I’m the one that needs to be worried about.”

Kolya gave her a small smile. “Nevertheless, I feel anxious until I see you again.” He bent his head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before releasing her from the embrace.

He grabbed his sleeping clothes from the dresser before disappearing into the bathroom to shower. Mina watched him go, her smile fading as he disappeared. She felt so guilty lying to him. He seemed to genuinely care about her and her well-being. If he knew the truth about what Cowen had planned for her, he would never let her out of his sight again.

++++++++

Over the course of the next week, Mina actively fought to hold her ground against her brother while they were training. She wanted to avoid acquiring more bruises that would raise her husband’s suspicions again. So far she had been succeeding. Every hit that Caleb aimed at her, she was able to block and retaliate against. Her confidence grew with each successful blow.

“You are getting better at this,” Caleb said when they paused their sparring for a break.

Mina smiled at her brother with a smug expression. “Someday, I may be better than you.”

Caleb laughed at her statement as he took a drink of water. “Don’t get too confident little sister. I’ve had years of training; you’ve only had months. It’s only been so extensive because Cowen ordered it to be. It will cool down before you have a chance to get that good.”

He reached out and ruffled Mina’s hair, earning himself a glare. She set her water down and returned to the training area. “Let’s continue then. I want to get as much practice while I can.”

Caleb shrugged and joined her, raising his staff to begin their sparring match again. Mina gained the upper hand fairly quickly but she was overcome with pride from her success. Caleb used it against her and disarmed her, knocking her staff from her hand. Mina raised her arms to defend herself, using only her body to defend herself from his oncoming attacks. One of his blows hit her in the jaw, knocking her to the floor. Mina let out a cry of pain at the blow and clutched her face with her hand. Caleb dropped his staff and ran to her side.

“Mina are you alright? I didn’t mean to hit you in the face!”

He helped her to her feet, pulling her hand away from her face so he could look at it. Her lip was bleeding and she could feel her jaw throbbing. Caleb’s face fell as he looked at the damage he caused.

“You should go to the infirmary,” he said as he ushered her to a place to sit down.

Mina scoffed at his suggestion. “You think? Oh Corric is going to have a field day with this.”

++++++

As she sat on the exam table, Mina waited patiently for Corric’s blow up. She could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. He was dabbing disinfectant on her cut lip while she held ice on her jaw.

“What? Nothing to say?” she asked as he worked.

Corric looked up at her in irritation. “I think it would be safe to say that the secret will be out soon. This will be a little hard to cover up.”

Mina pulled the ice away from her face and picked up the small hand mirror on the stand beside her, looking at her face. She winced when she caught sight of the bruise forming on her jawline. “Don’t you have anything I can use to cover this?”

Corric narrowed his eyes at her before disappearing into his office. He came back and handed her a small container. “You can use this pigment cream. It should cover the bruise somewhat and make your skin look closer to the color it should be.”

Mina tried to give him a grateful smile, but it quickly disappeared when the movement caused intense pain. She hissed at the pain and put the ice back on her face. “Thank you Corric.”

He frowned at her as he handed her another container. “Here is some medication for the pain. It should also help with the swelling.”

Mina could tell that he was annoyed. “What’s the matter? Did I do something to upset you?”

Corric’s expression remained serious as he crossed his arms over his chest. “That cream is the last thing I do to help you hide this. I’m done helping you lie to your husband.”

Mina slid off the table and slipped the two containers into her pocket. “I don’t understand why you are so upset by this.”

“You may be willing to lie and hide behind excuses, but I’m not. Your husband is a very intimidating man. He was in here a few days ago to ask me about the patient that ‘pushed you’ and caused the bruises on your back. He questioned how I run things and insinuated that you weren’t safe here. Like it was my fault that you got hurt.”

Mina sighed and ran her hand through her hair. She gave Corric and apologetic look. “I’m sorry that he did that Corric. When he asked where the bruises came from, I told him the first thing that came to mind. I didn’t think he would come after you.”

Corric shook his head and walked away from her in the direction of his office again. “Well I’m done covering for you, so I suggest you tell him the truth soon.”

Mina flinched as he slammed his office door behind him, leaving her alone in the infirmary. She gave the closed door a regretful look before leaving. The entire walk home, she felt like something was dragging her down. Her secret was not only affecting her anymore. If she didn’t say something soon, her friendship with Corric would suffer more. Not to mention the damage her marriage would suffer. She made up her mind that she would tell Acastus the truth within the next few days, no matter how hard it was.

Chapter Text

When Mina reached her home, she applied some of the cream that Corric had given her. She was amazed how well it covered the bruise. The only noticeable things were that her jaw and cheek were still swollen, and she had the cut on her lip. She heard the front door close and her husband call for her. She exited the bathroom and walked over to greet him. Making sure to keep her injured side out of the light, she lifted up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.

“I’m glad you’re home,” he said as he walked over to sit down in his chair. “I feel as if we haven’t seen much of each other lately.”

Mina followed him and moved to sit in her own chair, but she was stopped suddenly when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap. Mina laughed at his actions and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was surprised by his spontaneous flirtatious attitude. It seemed that as time went on, he grew more comfortable in their relationship. That thought made her heart sink. The moment he found out she had been lying to him, that comfortable nature would disappear.

Kolya seemed to notice her quick change in mood and looked at her in concern. “Are you alright? It seems like something is bothering you,” he asked.

Mina pushed her guilt down and gave him a smile, careful not to wince at the pain it caused in her jaw. “Everything is fine. Just liking your sudden need to be close to me.”

He returned her smile and leaned forward, capturing her lips in a kiss. Mina could feel the warmth and desire behind the kiss, and it gave her butterflies. When he cut the kiss off, Kolya placed his forehead against hers.

“I always enjoy being close to you,” he said softly.

Mina felt her heart flutter at his words. He had made it clear before that he cared about her, and that he found her attractive. His current actions felt different. To Mina they almost felt loving. That was something that she hadn’t really considered. Was it possible that he was falling in love with her?

Mina felt the sinking feeling once again in her heart. She released her hold on his neck and stood up from her seat in his lap. She bent over and gave him a soft kiss before walking in the direction of their bedroom. “I think I’m going to bed. I’m pretty tired.”

Kolya stood up from his chair and crossed the room to join her at the doorway. He stretched his arm out in front of her, placing his hand on the doorframe, blocking her path into the room. Mina looked up at him in confusion. When her eyes met his, she could see that the simple admiration of a few minutes ago had disappeared and had been replaced by a burning fire. Kolya used his other arm to pull her close to him and released the doorframe to enclose her in his arms.

“You aren’t getting away that easy,” he said as he bent down to kiss her again.

Mina could feel the desire from before, but it was much stronger this time. She wasn’t sure what had brought this on, and she still felt the pit in her stomach, but the feeling of his arms around her chased her guilt back into the recesses of her mind. She reached up and once again wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Kolya smiled through the kiss, a low chuckle escaping him. He pulled away slightly, eliciting a small noise of frustration from Mina. “Not feeling so tired now are you?” he asked.

Mina shook her head vigorously, causing him to chuckle again. “I thought not,” he said before kissing her again.

+++++++

The following morning, Mina woke to find herself alone. The small amount of light coming from under the door told her that her husband was in the bathroom getting ready for the day. She climbed out of bed and started to get ready herself. When she turned on the light, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The cream had been rubbed off her face, either from the previous night’s activities or just from sleeping. Her bruise was in full view. Looking around the room, Mina felt herself begin to panic when she couldn’t locate the cream to reapply it. She realized that it was in the bathroom.

The bathroom door opened and her husband emerged. He noticed her panicked expression and titled his head in confusion. “Mina? What’s wrong?”

Mina turned her face away from him and began to get dressed, keeping her head down. “Nothing…” she said unconvincingly.

Kolya crossed the bedroom and gently grabbed her arms to turn her towards him. “No, don’t do that again. What is wron….” He stopped mid-sentence as he took in the bruise on her jaw. His eyes widened and he gently grabbed Mina’s chin to turn her face to get a better look. “What happened to your jaw?”

Mina pulled herself from his grip and pulled her shirt over her head before walking out of the bedroom. “It’s nothing Acastus.”

He followed her into the hallway and grabbed her arm to stop her. “That’s what you said about the bruise on your back. This one looks worse. What happened?”

Mina looked up at him with a sad expression which made his eyes widen again, a panicked expression covering his face. “I didn’t do that, did I?”

Mina shook her head and relief washed over his face, erasing the panic. “Where did it come from then?” he asked with concern.

Mina sighed before answering him. “I got it while training.”

Kolya’s expression changed to one of confusion. “Training? Training for what?”

“Field medic training. Fight training. Soldier training. Whatever you wish to call it. I was hit with a staff in the face yesterday while training.”

Mina could see the gears turning in her husband’s mind as he absorbed what she said.

“Soldier training? Why would you be doing soldier training?” he asked.

Mina pulled her arm from his grasp and stood up straight, imitating the pose of a soldier standing at attention. “Lieutenant Field Medic Mina Selene Kolya. I’ve been training to fill the position as a field medic. In order to do that, I had to join the Genii military.”

Kolya’s expression changed again from confusion to disbelief and anger. “You joined the military? Without telling me? How long has this been going on?” he asked, his voice getting louder with each question.

Mina shrunk back from his anger, but quickly regained her composure and stood up straight. “3 months ago. Right after you returned from Dagan.”

Kolya moved away from her and started pacing back and forth across their living room. Mina could see the anger rolling off of him in waves. She wasn’t sure what he was more upset about, her actions or the fact that she had hidden it from him. She hesitantly reached out her hand. “Acastus please…”

He stopped his pacing and pointed at her aggressively. “Why would you do this? Why would you willingly put yourself in danger like this? Give a rational answer!”

Mina started to speak but he cut her off again. “And no more lies!” he shouted.

Mina’s hand fell to her side and she tried to keep her expression calm and collected. “I wanted to do some good. I wanted to help get the Kolya name out of the dirt. I had hoped that by doing this, I could help undo some of the things you have done to anger Cowen.”

Kolya moved closer to Mina, his eyes glowing with a completely different burning fire than the night before. “You mean you did this for the glory? You gave yourself up to serve Cowen to make yourself look better?”

Mina shook her head and reached out to him again, starting to tell him that wasn’t correct when he turned around and stormed out the front door, slamming it behind him. Mina’s words died on her lips and her arms feel dejectedly to her side. Her calm from before had disappeared, leaving her feeling empty. The loving and trusting air from the night before had evaporated, leaving anger and betrayal in its place.

+++++++

Mina was extremely grateful that it was her day to be in the infirmary. She had less of a chance of running into her husband here. Corric seemed to sense her distress and gave her some space. Around lunch time, he made his way over to her desk.

“Everything alright?” he asked with concern.

Mina looked up at him with a broken expression, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Not really. My secret is out, and it went as well as I expected.”

Corric’s eyes widened in surprised. “How did that happen? What gave you away?”

Mina gestured at her bruised face. Now that Acastus knew, there was no point in covering it up. “My face gave it away. He saw the bruise this morning while the cream was rubbed off. He questioned me about it, so I finally told him the truth. He completely blew up, just as I suspected he would.”

Corric reached out and gave her hand a sympathetic pat. “I’m sorry Mina. It had to come out. It wasn’t good to continue hiding something this big from him. I’m sure he’ll calm down and things will get better.”

Mina shook her head, an expression of uncertainty covering her face. “I’m not so sure. You know how long it took him to move on from his failure before. He was so angry and hurt. I don’t know how long it will take or if he will be ever be able to look past this. I lied to him for 3 months.  I hid an entire part of my life from him. He has every right to be angry.”

Corric gave her a look of pity before she waved her hand to shoo him away.

“Go on. I’m trying to think of other things right now. Let me concentrate on reading.”

He left her alone like she asked, and Mina tried to focus on the book in front of her. It seemed like she read the same paragraph five times before she gave up and slammed the book closed. She looked up at the clock and noticed it was time for her to go home. She had been dreading this all day long.

Pulling on her jacket, Mina left the infirmary and headed home. When she walked in the door, she could still feel the anger in the room. It surrounded her, even though she was alone. Mina couldn’t handle it. She went into the bedroom, and grabbed her pack from under the bed. After packing some clothes into it, she pulled it on to her back. She made her way back to the front door and for the second time in her marriage, she walked out the door with a heavy heart.

Chapter Text

When Mina had shown up on her siblings’ porch, Caleb had let her in without a word. He seemed to have figured out what had happened without Mina saying anything. She had gone up to her old room and collapsed on her bed, fighting against the urge to shed the tears building up in her eyes. She wouldn’t allow herself to cry. She had brought this upon herself and she was determined to keep a strong front. Mina tossed and turned the entire night, eventually giving up on trying to sleep. She laid flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness of her old bedroom. Her eyes itched from tiredness and from the tears she refused to shed.

Her mind kept playing over the events from the previous morning. The rage in her husband’s eyes, the loving attitude from before completely washed away by his anger. Mina didn’t blame him, he had every right to be angry with her. She had made a big decision on her own, and then hid it from him for multiple months. She only worried about the fact that they wouldn’t be able to come back from this.

When daylight broke through her window, Mina sighed and threw the covers off her body. She sat up and rubbed her eyes until she saw spots. Getting up from her bed, she made her way downstairs to join her siblings for breakfast. When she got downstairs, Thali and Caleb were already sitting at the table eating. Thali looked up at the sound of her arrival, a pitying look on her face.

“Did you sleep at all?” she asked, taking in the sight of Mina’s red rimmed eyes.

Mina shook her head and sat down next to her sister. She took the plate of food that Caleb offered her without a word and began to eat. She could feel both of them starring at her, waiting for her to offer some sort of explanation.

“You know you can’t hide from him forever,” Caleb said, turning his gaze away to focus on his plate.

“I know,” Mina murmured under her breath.

Silence filled the room for a while before Thali broke it again. “You shouldn’t have kept this from him. Especially not for so long.”

Mina’s fork clattered down on her plate and she turned to shoot an angry glare at her sister. “Wow Corric, you look and sound exactly like my sister! You don’t think I know that? I’ve been hearing the same thing from him the entire time. I wish I could go back and change things, but I can’t!”

Mina pushed herself away from the table and stormed back upstairs. Thali moved to follow her, but Caleb stopped her. “Leave her be,” he said gently, “she just needs some time.” Thali settled back into her chair and flinched at the sound of Mina’s door slamming upstairs.

+++++++++

Mina sank to the floor on the other side of the door that she had just slammed. She ran her hands through her disheveled hair and banged her head against the door behind her. She sat on the floor for a few minutes, her eyes closed as she tried to make sense of the thoughts swirling inside her head. She felt bad for snapping at Thali. It wasn’t her fault that everything was crashing down around her. Mina wished she could go back and change things, even if it was just a few moments so she could avoid lashing out at her sister.

Mina remained on the floor for a while, until her back was sore from the position she had been sitting in. She slowly got to her feet and walked over to her pack, pulling things out of it. She started to get ready for the day so she could get out of the house. It wouldn’t do her any good to continue moping. Today was technically her day off, but her current situation was making her antsy, and she needed to burn off her frustration. She pulled on her training clothes and pulled her long hair back into a braid to keep it out of her face.

When Mina emerged from the bedroom, the house was quiet, signally that Caleb and Thali were both gone. She made her way down the stairs and out the door, shivering when the cold wind hit her. Determined, Mina closed the door behind her and started to run along the pathway to the entrance for the underground bunker. Descending to the lower portion of the Genii settlement, Mina made her way in the direction of the training center. When she entered the training room, she was surprised to find it nearly empty. Her attention was drawn by a noise in the hall, which prompted her to stick her head back out the door she had just entered. Nikomi stood with a group of other soldiers in the hall, waiting for something. She turned and noticed Mina standing in the doorway.

“Ah Mina, why don’t you join us? I was just about to start a group endurance run,” Nikomi called out, waving Mina over to join the group.

Mina crossed the hall and stood with her fellow trainees. She recognized a few as her eyes grazed over the group. Her eyes landed on Ladon, who gave her a small wave. Mina was surprised to see him. She didn’t think he did much physical training anymore, as he was more invested in scientific studies. Apparently Cowen still required him to continue his training. She returned his wave and turned her attention to NIkomi. Nikomi raised her whistle to her lips and blew it, signifying it was time to start running.

Mina had done this many times on her own, but never with a group. She was nearly knocked over when the people around her starting moving at the sound of the whistle. Mina got her footing and starting running alongside the others, surprised she could keep pace with some of the people she knew to be more experienced. As the group made their way through the halls, people moved out of the way so they could pass. This was a regular occurrence, so everyone knew to stay out of the runners’ path. As Mina approached a side hallway junction, she noticed her husband standing at the edge, watching the runners go by. She met his gaze briefly, but quickly turned her face away, focusing in front of her. This run was supposed to keep her mind off of him, not add more fuel to the flames. She passed by him and continued on with the rest of the group.

The run seemed to go on forever, turning many corners and going up and down stairs. Once Nikomi was satisfied that they had run far and long enough, she blew her whistle again, bringing the runners to a stop.

“Alright everyone, you are free to leave. Remember to stretch,” she said to the group, waving them off to signal they were dismissed.

Mina made to walk off, but was stopped when Nikomi voice called out to her.

“Mina stop, I would like to speak with you,” she said, walking over to where Mina was standing. Mina turned to face the taller woman and stood at attention. Nikomi waved her hand at her, dismissing her respectful stance. Mina eased out of her stance and looked at Nikomi questioningly. “Yes Commander, what can I do for you?”

Nikomi tilted her head to indicate for Mina to follow her as they walked back down the way they had come on the run. The two of them walked together in silence for a few moments before Nikomi spoke again. “It was good to have you as part of a group for once. I take it by the expression on your husband’s face as I passed him, he knows the truth?”

Mina nodded silently, wondering if it was really that obvious that things had not gone well with Acastus when he found out her secret. “He isn’t exactly happy about it. I’m afraid that we have reached a difficult part of our marriage.”

Nikomi nodded in understanding. “Every couple goes through difficult patches, no matter their circumstances. I know I’ve had my fair share with my husband. Xander has not always supported every choice I’ve made, and you certainly can’t expect Kolya to either.”

“I know,” Mina said, her face falling at the return of her feelings from that morning, “I just fear that this is something that we may not be able to come back from. He was so angry when he found out. I’m afraid that anything I do to fix things will blow up in my face, just like this did.”

Nikomi scoffed at Mina’s words, surprising her. “He will get over it. I’m sure his pride was just injured by the fact that you had to fix his mistakes.”

Mina shook her head. “The thing is, I didn’t get to fully explain my motivation before he blew up. He doesn’t know the entire story of why I did what I did.”

Nikomi’s face softened and and stopped walking, holding out her arm to stop Mina. “Would you like me to speak with him? We may not always see eye to eye, but we do have a respectful understanding between us. As someone that is privy to the information behind this situation, it may do some good for him to hear it from me.”

Mina was touched by Nikomi’s offer but she shook her head again. “As much as I wish things could be fixed as soon as possible, I think this is something I have to deal with on my own.”

Nikomi raised her eyebrows in surprise, but nodded in agreement. “Very well. Unless he comes to talk to me directly, I will stay out of it.”

“Thank you commander,” Mina said.

Nikomi reached out and rested her hand on Mina’s shoulder. “Please call me Nikomi when it is the two of us. As hard as may have worked to get to my position, it still makes me feel weird to hear people address me as so, especially when it is someone like you that I have known for a long time.”

Mina smiled up at the woman. “Thank you Nikomi. I hope things will get better between myself and Acastus, but it will only get better from my own actions, not those of others.”

++++++++++++++

The following day, Mina showed up for her normal training session much better rested. The run from the previous day had exhausted her enough that she was able to sleep through the night. She was ready to tackle the day before her. Although Mina’s secret was out, Nikomi continued her private training sessions with Caleb as her sparring partner. Today they were focusing on unarmed hand-to-hand combat. Mina liked sparring this way, as this was where she had the most experience. Her father had focused on this method, building upon the dance skills she had learned from her mother. It had always suited Mina well, allowing her to use her small stature to her advantage. She was able to evade her opponents strikes with her fluid motions. It wasn’t very good for an offensive method of fighting, but it allowed her to avoid getting hurt when others used their larger size and strength against her.

Mina and Caleb sparred over the course of the morning, with Nikomi offering comments from the side of the room. They stopped for a break when Nikomi blew her whistle. As Mina turned away from her brother, she stopped short in her tracks when she saw her husband leaning against the wall of the training room. She hadn’t noticed his presence, and she wondered how long he had been there watching.

“Commander,” Caleb said, standing at attention when he noticed Kolya was in the room, “can we help you with something?”

Nikomi turned around to look at the man in question. “Commander Kolya. I wasn’t aware you were here. If you are looking to use this training room, we will be finished in an hour or so.”

Kolya left his place by the wall and crossed the room to join the small group. “Actually, I came to observe the Lieutenant’s training. I wanted to see what has been happening for the past few months without my knowledge.”

Mina flinched at the way he addressed her. Like she was nothing but an underling. She distanced herself from the group, walking over to drink her water, turning her back to her husband. She didn’t want to look him in the face while he talked about her in a demeaning tone.

“I’ve been quite pleased with her training so far,” Nikomi said, coming to Mina’s defense against Kolya’s critical attitude.

“We could provide you with a demonstration if you like Commander,” Caleb offered.

Mina sighed at her brother’s suggestion. That was the opposite of what she wanted to do right now. She placed her water bottle back down and turned to face the group. Her eyes drifted to her husband’s face and she was surprised to see him looking back at her. She averted her eyes and returned to her place at her brother’s side.

“I think I would like to see how she fairs against an experienced fighter,” Kolya said as he started to pull his jacket off.

“I guess that would be alright. Mina?” Nikomi said, glancing at Mina.

Mina’s eyes widened and she looked at her with a panicked expression. She knew that she wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Nikomi took a step back, motioning for Caleb to follow her. Caleb glanced between the two commanders and his sister, his expression mirroring Mina’s. He hadn’t expected this either.

Mina took a deep breath and stood up straight, steeling herself against what was about to happen. She easily caught the staff that was tossed in her direction and moved into a defensive stance, ready for whatever her husband had to throw at her. She met his eyes and felt a determined expression cover her face. When he swung at her with his staff, Mina was prepared. She quickly moved out of the way, hitting away his blow. She moved forward to strike, but he blocked her easily, knocking her slightly off balance. Mina regained her balance in time to block another strike, the force of the blow vibrating through her arms as the staffs clashed together.

Mina glanced up at him and saw nothing but focus and determination. He was determined to make her fail. Anger swelled up inside her and she started a barrage of attacks, not giving him time to retaliate. When he blocked her last blow, Mina reacted in the only way she thought she could. She released her staff and spun around to kick him. She was surprised when her motion was stopped by him grabbing her foot, holding her in place in an awkward mid-kick position. Mina’s eyes widened in a panic as she realized she was trapped. He used his hold on her foot to pull her off balance and cause her to fall. Mina hit the floor hard, forcing the air out of her lungs. She looked up at her husband in disbelief. He returned her look with one of disappointment.

“The ability to defend yourself will only get you so far. You are nowhere near ready to be put in any combat situation,” he said before grabbing his jacket from the floor and exiting the training room.

Mina watched him walk out the door before she clambered to her feet, brushing off Caleb’s attempt to help her up. She chased after her husband’s retreating figure, calling after him.

“Commander!” she shouted multiple times as she followed him down the hall.

He ignored her calls until she stopped and yelled, “Acastus!”.

Mina could feel herself shaking with anger and confusion as she watched him turn to face her. “Why are you so determined to see me fail? Does my failure make you happy?”

She could see his anger boiling beneath the surface, but for once he was keeping it in check.

“Of course I don’t want you to fail. Failure would mean your death if it came at the wrong time. That is why I don’t think you should be in this position in the first place. You don’t have what it takes to make this work,” he said calmly moving closer to her, causing her angry courage to wane a small amount at his closer presence.

His words sent a stabbing pain through Mina’s chance. Not only did he not want her to do this, he didn’t believe she could. She took a step back, her anger billowing up inside her again.

“You seem to be the only one that feels that way. Caleb, Nikomi, and even Cowen have more faith in me than you do. I thought that you would at least give me a chance to prove myself.”

Losing her will to argue, Mina turned to walk away, but was stopped when Kolya reached out a grabbed her arm. She turned to glare at the offending hand on her arm, her eyes moving up to meet his.

“Cowen only pretends to have faith in you because he can use you to his own advantage. He will lose nothing if you fail. It will just be another experiment on his part. Your sacrifice will have been for nothing!” he said, his voice getting louder as he spoke.

Mina’s expression softened a little at the concern in his last statement, but she still felt angry at his lack of faith in her. She pulled her arm from his grasp and started to walk away again.

“I know you think I did this just for the glory, but maybe you should take a step back and look at why I did it.”

Kolya shook his head and his anger started to show again as he pointed at her. “I don’t care why you did it. You need to walk away from this before you get hurt.”

Mina spun around to face him again, anger burning in her eyes. “You have no right to tell me what to do Acastus! You are my husband, not my owner. And believe me, the former can change if you so wish.”

Without another word, Mina stormed away, leaving Kolya standing in the hallway alone.

Chapter Text

Kolya watched his angry wife storm off, taken aback by what she had just said to him. He hadn’t expected her to express a desire to walk out on their marriage. She had done it before when he had let his anger consume him after his failure in Atlantis, so he should have seen it coming this time. He sighed and walked in the direction of his office, where he could be alone. When he reached the small room, he slammed the door behind him in frustration.

“How did things get so screwed up?” he muttered to himself as he settled into his chair.

Kolya looked at the photo he had sitting on his desk. It had been taken at a gathering a short time before he left for Dagan. Thali had taken it and given it to him without her sister’s knowledge. Mina stood beside him, a smile on her face as she looked up at him. While he never looked particularly happy in photos, he could see a different side of himself in this one. His smile was almost invisible, but he knew it was there.

He had never really admitted it to himself, but Mina made him happy. Her presence warmed his heart, even when she was yelling at him. Today had been different. He saw the pain that his thoughtless words had caused her, and the anger that had been her response. This time, her words chilled him to the bone. She made it very clear that the future of their marriage was in his hands, but if he pushed her too far, he wouldn’t be able to stop her from leaving him for good.

A knock on his office door brought him out of his thoughts. He called out for the person to enter. When he saw who entered, he wished he had asked who it was first. Nikomi Lunn entered his office, closing the door behind her. She stood before his desk with her hands on her hips, giving him a scolding look.

“What do you want Nikomi? I’ve been yelled at enough for today, so if you’ve come to scold me, please don’t,” he said in a tired tone.

“I have not come to scold necessarily, but to bring some things to your attention. While Mina may be your wife, she is also under my command. I feel a sort of responsibility to her as her Commander, so the scene that I saw unfold before me today has brought some concerns to my mind.”

“You mean as a mother, not a commander. She isn’t one of your daughters Nikomi, just a student,” Kolya said.

“That may be true, but I care about her happiness as much a mother would. Since her mother is not here to fill that role, I am stepping up in her place. Also as your colleague, I feel the need to bring information to your attention that you may not be aware of,” Nikomi said, placing her hands on the front of his desk. “We are equals Acastus, whether you think so or not.”

Kolya snorted at her words. “We may be equal in rank Nikomi, but I am still her husband. What happens in our marriage is frankly none of your business.”

“Mina asked me to stay out of it, but after you proceeded to humiliate her and make her feel like a failure after she has trained harder than any other initiate I have ever trained, my vow of silence requires breaking.”

Kolya was surprised by Nikomi’s accusation that he had humiliated Mina. That hadn’t truly been his intention. He only wanted to show her that her current path was dangerous.

“She lied to me Nikomi. She made the decision to join the military without even bothering to discuss it with me.”

Nikomi raised her eyebrow in surprise. “And I’m sure you tell her everything. Did you tell her that you were planning on taking the city of Atlantis when you left on a simple retrieval mission? Did you tell her the truth about your past deeds before she came into your life?”

Kolya pointed his finger at Nikomi, anger boiling up inside him. “She does not need to know the details of my past. What’s done is done, there’s nothing that can be done to change it. As for the Atlantis mission, she knew it was going to be dangerous when I left. I told her that there was a possibility I wouldn’t return.”

“So you’re honest when it’s convenient. Have you bothered to ask her why she did what she did? Why she went behind your back?” Nikomi asked.

“Considering our last two conversations have been shouting matches, there hasn’t really been an opportunity,” Kolya said, settling back into his chair.

“She felt the need to fix your mistakes. Since she was 16, she’s been making up for her father’s mistakes. She even married you, a man significantly older than her. Now the union that was supposed to help her is dragging her down further.”

“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel about me Nikomi?” Kolya said with a scowl.

“I do not mean to offend you Acastus, but your decisions of late have not been the most. Your failures have cost her the security that she acquired by marrying you. But, because she has come to care for you, she has tried to make up for it rather than leaving you. She found a way to protect not only herself, but also you,” Nikomi said, pointing at him as she spoke.

“How has she protected me? How does her endangering her life protect me?”

Nikomi stood up from her leaning position and shook her head in disappointment.

“Are you blind to the things around you? Your mistakes have cost you Cowen’s favor, and with it, the protection it gave you both. Mina has made herself valuable to both Cowen and the Genii. While Corric is a great medic, he’s no soldier. Mina has the potential to be a good soldier alongside being a good medic. She can be useful, which makes her an asset in Cowen’s eyes.”

“Or someone he can use and discard when it suits him,” Kolya pointed out.

“Good medics are hard to come by in a people of farmers, soldiers, and scientists. Mina has inserted herself into a valuable position that secures her future, with or without you.”

“You still haven’t told me how it protects me.”

“If Cowen wants Mina’s loyalty, you won’t find a gun to your head. If anything happens to you, he loses her, because despite her intelligence, I’m pretty sure that girl loves you.”

Kolya was surprised by what Nikomi said. Of all the words he could have used to describe his and Mina’s relationship, love was not one he would have thought of.

“I’m not sure how accurate that is now. Her opinion of me is pretty low at the moment,” he said quietly.

“Well then you need to fix that before you lose her,” Nikomi said with finality before turning and leaving his office.

Kolya glanced back to the picture he had been observing earlier and focused on Mina’s face. Did she love him? Did he love her? He wasn’t sure of either answer.

Chapter Text

Several days had passed since Mina had told her husband that the future state of their marriage was in his hands. The fact that she hadn’t seen or heard from him in the days that followed led her to believe that he had taken her seriously. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Although she knew that her dishonesty was a large part of the issue, she was still very angry with him. As much as she cared about him and hoped that they could salvage their marriage, they had a lot of things that needed to be fixed before that could happen.

Everyone around her had been quiet on the subject, which was unusual, especially on Corric’s part. She had expected a million ‘I told you so’s from him, but he hadn’t said a word. They worked side by side on her days in the infirmary, helping injured and sick members of their people. Although they chatted in a friendly manner, and Corric was teaching her many things about immediate care, the comradery they had shared before seemed to have faded. Mina wondered if Acastus had gone after Corric as well, causing him to freeze her out.

“Corric, are you alright?” she asked at the end of the day as they were cleaning up.

He didn’t look up from his clipboard when he answered her with, “Yes I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“Because outside of normal work conversation, you no longer speak to me like a friend. If something has happened, I would like to know what I can do to remedy it. I’ve already lost my husband’s good will, I don’t need to lose your friendship as well.”

Corric looked up from his work and met her eyes, an apologetic expression covering his face.

“I’m sorry Mina. I guess I was just trying to avoid the awkward conversation. I know you don’t want to hear me tell you that I’m not surprised that your deception caused such a massive blowout. I figured if I avoided the topic, it wouldn’t come out.”

“Avoid the topic? You don’t really talk to me much at all anymore, so I would say you succeeded. Also, don’t worry about it. I’m very well aware of the fact that I messed up.”

Corric chuckled softly. “Well at least you admit it.”

Mina rolled her eyes as she pulled her jacket on. She waved goodbye to Corric, glad that he didn’t seem to be angry with her. As she walked down the hallway she could hear a conversation coming from down the hall. Normally, she would have kept moving, but when she recognized the voices and heard her name mentioned, Mina stopped to eavesdrop.

“I know that my sister lying to you upset you Commander, but is there any chance that the two of you will work things out? She doesn’t say anything, but I know she’s unhappy,” Thali said hopefully.

Mina heard her husband sigh at her sister’s request.

“I don’t know Thali. Mina made it clear that she is willing to walk away, and if that’s what she wants, I’m prepared to let her do it.”

Mina felt her heart constrict in her chest. He was giving up on her. She had given him a choice, and his choice was to let her go. Before she could stop it, a choking sob escaped her throat. Thali and Acastus looked around the corner at the sound, both of their eyes widening in surprise. Mina started to back away from them, tears forming in her eyes. Thali stepped forward as if to follow her, but Acastus beat her to it. He started to walk towards Mina with his hand outstretched.

“Mina…stop. Let’s talk,” he said softly.

Mina shook her head and turned away from them, taking off down the hall towards a different exit to the surface than the one she had originally been heading towards. She could hear her husband calling for her, but she didn’t stop. Mina didn’t stop running until she reached home. She heard Caleb say something to her as went past him, but the actual words didn’t register to her ears. Once she reached her room, Mina slid to the floor, collapsing against the door. For the first time since the initial argument she had with her husband, Mina succumbed to her tears.

For the next week, it wasn’t just Acastus that Mina was avoiding, but her siblings as well. She left early and came home late. Eventually, her luck wore out and she bumped into Thali when she came home from a day at the infirmary.

“At last!” her sister cried out, embracing her. “I’m sorry about what happened. You weren’t meant to hear that conversation. I’m afraid I just made things worse rather than fixing them.”

Mina returned her sister’s embrace, realizing that she really hadn’t been upset with Thali. She had simply wanted to avoid talking about what had happened. Her heart still hurt from her husband’s words.

“I don’t blame you Thali. I should have seen this coming. After what happened, it was inevitable.”

Thali looked at her with pity, something that Mina had not missed. It was like the beginning of her marriage all over again, only this time it was the end of her marriage. Thali seemed to sense her unease and changed the subject.

“You know what might make you feel a little better? If you went to the Firelight celebration tonight!” she suggested excitedly.

Mina appreciated the effort Thali was making, but shook her head. “I don’t think I can handle going. He will be there, and I’m not quite ready to face him.”

Thali’s excitement waned and she stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, which made Mina roll her eyes. Even though Thali was almost an adult, she knew the pout always worked on Mina, just like it had when she was a child.

“I don’t really have anything to wear,” Mina said as an excuse.

Thali waved her hand dismissively, grabbing Mina’s hand and dragging her in the direction of her bedroom. She released her and opened her closet, removing a green dress and handing it to Mina.

“Thali, your clothes won’t fit me,” Mina said as she inspected the dress, “you are much skinnier than me.”

“Well, that won’t be a problem. That dress was mom’s. It’s too big for me, but it should fit you perfectly. Also, it will go well with your hair and eyes.”

Mina admitted defeat and carried the dress up to her room to get ready. Thali had been right, the dress fit her perfectly, accentuating her curves and hanging level with her knees. She pulled her boots on and looked herself over in the mirror. Satisfied with how she looked, she made her way back downstairs to join her siblings. Thali beamed at her from her place by the door.

“You look great! Just one final touch,” she said reaching out, removing the clip from Mina’s hair, allowing it to tumble down around her shoulders.

Caleb handed Mina her coat and they left for the event hall. It was full of people, loud and boisterous. The Firelight celebration had always been Mina’s favorite. It signified that winter was nearly over and the celebration was full of joy and dancing. She smiled at the sight of all the people gathered together, but the smile quickly faded when she noticed her husband standing against a wall talking to a few men. Thali seemed to notice him too and snapped her fingers to get Mina’s attention.

“Hey! Don’t worry about him. Tonight I want you to dance, smile, and have fun. Deal?”

Mina’s smile returned in a small upturn of her lips. She nodded and let Thali pull her into the crowd. The two danced together to the music, laughing as they spun in circles. After a while, Mina left the dance floor, claiming she needed to rest a bit. She made a point to place herself away from where Acastus was standing, wanting to put as much distance between them as she could.

“Thirsty?” a voice at her side asked.

Mina turned to see Ladon standing beside her, offering her a mug. She took the offered drink and smiled in thanks.

“You look nice tonight,” Ladon said, returning her smile.

Mina groaned internally at Ladon’s constant need to flirt with her. It had seemed to increase in intensity every time it happened. She thanked him for the compliment and continued drinking the beverage he had given her.

Mina looked around the room, observing the people around her rather than the man next to her. Her eyes found her brother in a corner, talking to the girl she had seen in front of Cowen’s office. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation and she was smiling a lot. Moving along, Mina saw Alaina and Callistair Dart standing together. Alaina was swaying to the music with their 6 month old son Lowell in her arms, Callistair looking on with a smile.

The joy that Mina had previously felt slowly began to slip away as she observed everyone else’s happiness. She finished her drink and placed it on a table behind her. Turning to Ladon, she reached out her hand.

“You wanna dance?” she asked.

Ladon looked like she had given him a gift. He nodded and placed his mug next to hers and took her hand. She led him to the dance floor as a new song began. Ladon placed one hand on her waist and started to guide her around the room. The song was slow, but not intimate, so there was a space between them as they danced. Ladon was a good dancer, but nowhere as good as Acastus. When the song came to an end, Ladon released her. Mina was about to leave the dance floor when she heard a voice behind her.

“May I have the next one?” the voice asked.

Mina turned around to face her husband, her heart in her throat. Not daring to speak, she bowed her head in agreement. He took the same position Ladon had as a song much more slow and intimate started. Mina bit her lip nervously and looked everywhere but her husband’s face as they began to dance. It was similar to the first time they had danced together, but instead of hopeful sparks between them, there was only uncomfortable silence. It wasn’t long before the motion stopped and Mina felt Acastus’ hand move from her waist to her chin, tilting it up so she was looking at him. When she met his eyes, Mina could see sadness and regret.

“Mina…” he started softly.

Mina pulled away from him and averted her eyes again.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do this,” she blurted out before walking away.

Mina pushed through the crowd towards the exit, leaving without her coat. She wrapped her arms around her against the wind and briskly walked through the darkness. Mina was only halfway home when her movement was stopped by someone grabbing her arm. For the second time that evening, Mina turned to see her husband standing behind her.

“Acastus, please…” she said with a quivering voice, “just let me suffer in peace.”

She saw him wince slightly at her words, but instead of releasing her, he pulled her closer. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. Mina let out a small whimper at the close contact. She had missed having his arms around her, something she hadn’t even admitted to herself.

“Come home,” he said into her hair.

Mina pulled back a small amount so she could look up at his face. He was pleading with her to come home. The anger she had seen was gone, now replaced with desperation.

“I thought you wanted me to leave,” she said.

Kolya shook his head and placed a hand on the side of Mina’s face.

“Never,” he said before leaning down, capturing Mina’s lips in a soft but desperate kiss.

Chapter Text

Kolya sat in his chair, staring at the burning fire in his living room. He fiddled with his ring, turning it with his thumb, as he perused his own thoughts. He couldn’t get the image of Mina’s expression when she overheard his conversation with Thali. Judging by the heartbreak he saw in her eyes, he suspected that Nikomi had been correct about Mina’s feelings. Now he had gone and destroyed whatever sliver of goodwill remained between them, without even meaning to.

Kolya hadn’t seen Mina since the incident in the hallway, which made her absence from their home even more painful. As upset as he was about the lies, he wished he could take back his anger and bring her back. He missed her warm presence, the slight dancing movement she made as she walked around their home, the feel of her beside him at night. He decided that the next time he saw her, he would do everything in his power to bring her back to him.

The next time Kolya did lay his eyes on his wife was when he spotted her entering the Firelight celebration. He hadn’t originally planned on attending, but a sudden visit from Thali earlier that day had changed his mind. The young woman was very intent on reuniting him with her sister, so she insisted that he come to the celebration. She had made in clear that she would get Mina there, no matter what.

Kolya was very glad that he had decided to come. Mina looked beautiful in her green dress, her long red hair flowing down her shoulders. Her eyes found him quickly and his heart stung when she quickly averted her eyes. If he was going to fix things, he needed to do it quickly. Throughout the evening, he kept his eyes on Mina as she moved around the room. After she had danced with Thali for a while, she made her way to the edge of the room to rest. Kolya saw this as the perfect opportunity. He moved to approach her, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Ladon approach her instead.

So far, Ladon’s interest in his wife hadn’t bothered him much, as Mina had been very loyal to him. But now that he had done such a spectacular job at pushing her away, Kolya feared that he may have opened the way for Ladon to move in. He watched Ladon offer Mina a drink and attempt to strike up a conversation. He smirked at the expression on Mina’s face, obviously uncomfortable with Ladon’s flirtation. Maybe he didn’t have anything to worry about.

His momentary joy was dashed once the song playing changed to a slower one. Mina started pulling Ladon to the dance space, assuming a position that wasn’t intimate in the slightest, but still fueled a rage inside him. Kolya watched their dance with keen eyes, jealousy burning beneath the surface of his calm façade. Once the song ended, he made his move. Pushing through the crowd, he came up behind Mina. Before she could walk away he spoke.

“May I have the next one?”

Mina turned to face him, her eyes widening slightly before she nodded. Kolya took Ladon’s place, resting one hand on Mina’s waist and taking her hand with the other. As they began to move with the music, he noticed that she was looking down. She seemed to be focusing on anything but him. Stopping their movement, Kolya raised his hand to her chin to make her look at him. He could see the discomfort on her face, which saddened him. He felt terrible for the pain that he had caused her.

“Mina…” he started softly, not exactly sure what to say.

His voice seemed to trigger something in her. She pulled away from his touch, her gaze avoiding him again.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this,” she said before turning and moving away from him as quickly as the crowd would allow.

Kolya stood still in the place she left him for a few seconds before following after Mina. He followed her out into the cold, walking quickly to catch up to her. Once he was close enough, he reached out a gently grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop and face him. The discomfort he had seen before had evolved into visible pain.

“Acastus, please…” she said with a quivering voice, “just let me suffer in peace.”

Kolya winced at the mention of her suffering. He needed to fix what he had broken. Pulling Mina to him, he wrapped his arms around her. He heard her whimper slightly as she accepted the embrace. He tilted his chin down and pressed his face into her hair.

“Come home,” he pleaded quietly.

At his words, Mina pulled away slightly from the embrace and looked up at him. He searched her face desperately for an answer, hoping she wouldn’t reject him.

“I thought you wanted me to leave,” she said.

Kolya shook his head and raised his hand to her face again, his thumb caressing her cheek.

“Never,” he said before leaning down to capture her lips in a kiss.

He felt his heart pounding as Mina returned the kiss, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck as she often had before. His arms engulfed her, lifting her slightly off the ground. When they pulled apart, he gently set her back down on her feet before placing another kiss on her forehead.

“I’m so sorry Mina,” he said softly.

He heard her let out a disbelieving laugh before saying, “you’re sorry? I’m the one that lied to you.”

Kolya peered down at her, realizing what a fool he had been to lash out the way he had.

“We both made mistakes, but I definitely could have handled it better.”

Mina shrugged, which was her way of agreeing with him without belittling him. He released her from their embrace and moved to guide her back in the direction of the gathering.

“Let’s go back inside, you don’t have a coat on and it’s cold out here. I’ve heard that you love the Firelight celebration, so why don’t we go enjoy it properly?”

Mina looked up at him as they walked, confusion clouding her face.

“How did you know…” she started to ask, stopping mid-question,” Thali. She pushed you in my direction didn’t she?”

Kolya smirked at the question.

“She felt bad about what happened the other day and wanted to make things better. Apparently I couldn’t take the correct steps to winning you back without some female guidance.”

Mina laughed, the sound warming his heart. How he had missed that sound. They eventually made in back to the celebration, reentering the throng of people. As they moved through the crowd, Kolya refused to lose his grip on Mina’s hand. The only time he relinquished her was when she went to dance with Thali again. He stood at the sidelines watching, an almost smile gracing his face.

“You know, that is the first time in a while that I have seen my sister truly happy,” Caleb’s voice said from beside him.

Kolya turned to look at the younger man, who had also been watching Mina and Thali dance. When Caleb also turned to look at him, he could see a protective aura in his gaze.

“Now that she’s happy, I want her to stay that way,” he said in an almost threatening manner. “If you break my sister’s heart, you won’t have a chance to fix it next time.”

Caleb pinned him with a determined look before walking away, leaving Kolya alone again. Even though the other man was less experienced in fighting than him, Kolya had no doubt that he would do anything to protect his sisters, even if it meant sinking to a lower level. Turning his gaze back to Mina, he could feel in his heart that he would do the same.

Chapter Text

The firelight celebration went long into the night, which led to Mina walking home alone as her husband had gone home hours earlier. She had considered going home with him, but he insisted that she stay and enjoy herself. After stopping to retrieve her things, Mina made her way home, walking slowly through the early morning mist. It was very quiet, which wasn’t unusual, but Mina felt as if something wasn’t right. A slight movement in the corner of her eye caused her to snap her head to the side. She saw nothing but the misty fog around her, but the uneasy feeling increased in her stomach.

Letting her pack fall off one of her shoulders, Mina reached in and pulled out her pistol before returning the pack to her back. Searching the fog for more movement, she continued moving forward, her pistol raised slightly in front of her. The silence around her was broken by a whooshing sound in the distance, followed by a high pitched buzzing that could only have one source. A wraith dart.

Mina sprang into action, running in the direction of her home as fast as her legs would carry her. She burst through the front door, flinging her pack on the floor as she crossed the main room to the bedroom.

“Acastus!” she screamed as she entered the room, “wake up! The wraith are here!”

Her husband sat up, startled awake by her loud entrance. Moving quickly, he emerged from the bed and grabbed his radio from the side table.

“We are under wraith attack, I repeat, the wraith are attacking!” he shouted into it.

Not waiting for him to dress, Mina moved back in the way she came, heading back in the direction of the door. Having left it wide open in her hasty entrance, Mina could hear even more darts outside. Over the noise, she could vaguely hear her husband speaking to her, his words not quite reaching her ears. He came up behind her, his hand touching her shoulder, causing her to jump.

“Mina, we need to get underground,” he said, pulling his jacket on over his shoulders and walking past her.

Mina nodded in agreement, moving to follow him out the door. The sound of people screaming stopped her in her tracks. Glancing around, she saw beams of light descending from the sky for a moment before disappearing. The light wasn’t the only thing she saw as her eyes frantically searched the fog. She could see figures walking through the fog, long shapes in their hands. It wasn’t just darts that had come through the gate, there were actual wraith on the surface. In her surprise at the sight, Mina hadn’t realized how much danger she was putting herself in by stopping. She saw a beam of light descend to her right, moving in her direction. Before she could react, she felt herself knocked to the ground by someone larger than her. Rolling over, she pushed herself up and saw her brother beside her, looking at her with wide eyes.

“Come on!” he yelled, pulling her with him as he scrambled to his feet.

Mina ran through the fog, Caleb pulling her by the hand. Her head frantically turned from side to side, searching for her husband. People surrounded her, running from the threat. She winced at the sound of wraith stun blasts hitting people, stopping their retreat. Soon, it was her retreat that was halted as Caleb was hit by a stun blast, pulling her to the ground with him as he fell.

“No…no no no…” Mina said, quickly getting to her feet.

Mina grabbed her unconscious brother under his arms, attempting to pull his larger form in the direction of safety. She struggled, slowed down by his weight. Calling for help did no good, as everyone around her was calling for help. Just as she began to give up hope, she felt her grip on Caleb’s arms slip as she was pulled from him. Mina looked to see who was pulling her and was relieved to see her husband’s face.

“Acastus help me! Caleb was stunned!”

Mina was surprised when she saw they weren’t alone. Her husband released his hold on her and was joined by Mekhai, each pulling one of Caleb’s arms onto their shoulders. The small group moved away from the chaos, moving in the direction of the tree-line rather than the entrance to the bunker. Mina followed the men, keeping her pistol in front of her, searching for any threat. A wraith warrior emerged from the fog close to where they were walking, but she moved quickly to aim at him. Firing her pistol, she hit him in the shoulder. The wound didn’t slow him down much, but she continued firing, placing herself between him and the escaping men. Eventually, one of her shots hit his face mask and he went down.

Mina’s mouth turned up slightly in triumph as she looked down at his still form. She scanned the area to make sure he was the only one around before following in the direction she had seen the others disappear. She stopped in her tracks at the sound of someone screaming for her. Whipping around, Mina spotted Thali running through the fog in her direction. Mina silently thanked the ancestors that Thali had remembered the thing they had all been taught as children by their father, to run for the trees during an attack. Mina reached out her hand, encouraging her sister along. Her hopeful expression quickly faded when she noticed another wraith chasing behind Thali, his stunned raised to fire. This one wasn’t a warrior but one of the other ones. Mina raised her pistol to fire, but she didn’t have a clear shot and didn’t want to risk hitting her sister. The sound of gunshots from behind her rang in her ears. Mina watched as Thali ducked while running and the wraith chasing her was slowed by the gunfire. Mina wanted to know who was firing, but didn’t want to let Thali out of her sight. Once her sister reached her, Mina grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of the trees, hoping their rescuer would take out the wraith in pursuit.

Once the pair had reached the trees, they quickly met up with Mekhai. Thali went to unconscious Caleb’s side as Mina looked for her husband.

“Mekhai, where is he?” she asked.

“He went back for you when he noticed you were gone,” Mekhai responded.

Mina heard a few more gunshots but they died out and were replaced by a loud shout. Not even thinking, Mina ran back out of the trees. She saw a figure on the ground, another one looming over it. The standing one started moving towards her and she raised her pistol to fire in the event it was not her husband that emerged from the fog. When the figured emerged and was in fact him, Mina let out a small laugh of relief. He closed the distance and grabbed her arm, pulling her back into the trees with him.

“Hopefully no others will head this way. I’m out of ammo,” Kolya said with disappointment.

Mina threw her arms around his midsection, burying her face in his chest, incredibly grateful it hadn’t been him on the ground. For the unknown numbered time, she thanked the ancestors for the survival of her loved ones. She felt him return the embrace and heard him say something, but she was so dizzy with joy that the words passed over her. He pulled away and said her name, finally grabbing her attention.

“We aren’t out of danger yet, we need to get underground,” he said, repeating his words form earlier.

Mina released her grip and moved away from him so he could help Mekhai move her brother again. The group moved to a hidden entrance to the underground bunker, descending into safety. Once they eased Caleb down to the ground, Mekhai radioed for help. It wasn’t long before Corric showed up with two additional men. They lifted Caleb onto a stretcher and carried him away.

“I’m going to need your help Mina,” Corric said. “There were a lot of people injured.”

Mina nodded and moved to go with him, but was stopped when Kolya grabbed her hand. She turned to look at him with a questioning glance. He pulled her back to him and kissed her earnestly. When he pulled away, Mina looked up at him with confusion.

“What was that for?” she asked.

“I almost lost you up there. Don’t do that again,” he said with an almost scolding tone.

“I’ll try not to. Watch over my sister, people need me,” Mina said before releasing his hand and following Corric down the hall to the infirmary.

 Mina and Corric spent the entire day tending to people, wounded both physically and emotionally. Each new grieved or pained face felt like a stab to Mina’s heart. Some had lost spouses, parents, even children. The wraith did not discriminate. Eventually the flood of people came to a halt. Mina was both relieved and saddened. As many patients as they had in need, she knew many more had been taken that they could not help. She collapsed into her desk chair, exhausted from the eventful day that had followed a sleepless night. Feeling her eyes start to droop, Mina lowered her head to rest on her arms and quickly fell asleep.

 When the horrible day had ended, Kolya headed to the infirmary in search of his wife. He was sure that she and Corric had been very busy and that she would be ready to return home. When he reached his destination, he looked around for Mina. Not seeing her, he searched out Corric.

“Ah Commander,” Corric said in greeting, “what is the status of the surface?”

“Not as bad as it could have been, but we lost many. Nearly 100 were taken or killed on the surface. There doesn’t seem to be any indication that our secret was discovered, so there is that positive note. How fares things here?”

Corric sighed as he flipped through a clipboard in his hands.

“Some were injured while fleeing, either by their own panic or the panic of others. Some are recovering from stun-blasts, including Caleb. They should be fine with rest. What I’m worried about is the mental and emotional well-being of the survivors. Many have lost family members, taken before their eyes while they could do nothing but watch.”

Kolya nodded in understanding.

“I fear the worst is yet to come. This culling was not completed to its full potential. They will return, and the outcome will be much worse,” he said.

Kolya glanced around the room again, looking for his wife.

“Where is Mina? If you can do without her, I think it would be best that she came home and got some rest. She hasn’t slept at all since the night before, I’m sure she’s exhausted.”

“You would be correct with that assumption,” Corric said.

He led Kolya to his office and opened the door to reveal Mina asleep on the couch inside.

“She fell asleep at her desk, so I moved her in here to rest.”

Kolya thanked Corric, who nodded in response before walking away. Kolya stepped into the office and bent down, brushing a lock of his sleeping wife’s hair away from her face.

“Mina, wake up sweetheart,” he said softly, touching her shoulder.

Mina’s eyes opened slowly, blinking as they took in the light. She sat up and looked around the room before focusing on him, confusion clouding her face.

“Why am I in Corric’s office?” she asked.

“He moved you here after you fell asleep at your desk,” Kolya responded. “Why don’t we get you home so you can get cleaned up and some proper rest?”

Mina looked down at herself and lifted the hem of her dress to inspect it, making a disappointed face.

“This dress was my mother’s, I hope it isn’t ruined,” she said as she got to her feet with his help.

Kolya secretly hoped the same thing, as he liked the way she looked in that dress. He guided Mina out of Corric’s office. As they walked through the infirmary, Mina stopped at the foot of Caleb’s bed. She let go of his hand and moved to stand beside her unconscious brother.

“Corric says he will be fine,” Kolya said reassuringly, “he just needs to rest.”

Mina bent to place a kiss to her brother’s forehead as if she was willing him to be alright. At the sight of the action, Kolya had a vague memory of feeling a sensation similar to that when he had been laid up with his gunshot wound. Had she done something similar to him while he was unconscious?

“Let’s go home,” Mina said, retaking his hand.

Kolya squeezed her hand and pulled her in the direction of the door, his heart warm in his chest.

Chapter Text

When the pair returned home, Mina headed straight for the bathroom to shower the grime away from the past two days of activity. She emerged feeling refreshed, though exhaustion still filled her body. She changed into her sleeping clothes and went into the main room in search of her husband. Finding him sitting in his chair by the fire he had built while she was in the shower, she walked over, bending to wrap her arms around him from behind.

“Do you feel better?” he asked. “I’m sure you’re glad to be home and out of clothes you’ve worn for two days.”

“It’s good to be home,” Mina agreed, “I’ve missed it.”

Kolya raised his hand to touch her arm, caressing it softly.

“It has missed you too,” he said quietly, “as have I.”

Mina smiled and shifted her head to place a kiss on his cheek. As she moved, she felt him shift slightly. It was a small movement, but it felt as if he had moved away from her. Mina brushed away the feeling, thinking that she must have been imagining things.

“You should go to bed,” Kolya said, standing from his chair and breaking her embrace. “You’ve had an eventful few days.”

Mina felt the feeling in her stomach again, like he was trying to put distance between them. Her smile faltered slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, nodding in agreement. She walked in the direction of the bedroom, brushing his arm as she walked past with her hand.

“Goodnight Acastus.”

The following few days, Mina watched her husband closely. Every night, they followed the same routine of her retiring before him. He also woke before her, leaving her alone both in the evening and the morning. Nothing intimate had occurred since her return, which normally wouldn’t have surprised Mina. At the same time she would have thought with their recent separation and his insistence that she return would have meant something. Other than a simple peck on the cheek as goodbye, he barely touched her.

Mina wasn’t sure what to do with the feelings creeping up inside her. He had seemed so eager for her to be back in his life. The passion of their initial reunion seemed to have disappeared and she felt as if she had gone backwards in time. His reluctance to even touch her hurt her, even though she tried to not to dwell on it too much. Wanting to know what was going on, she made the decision to talk to Acastus that night. She couldn’t fix things if he didn’t tell her what was going on.

When she returned home from her day of training, Mina was disappointed to find her house empty. After changing out of her training clothes, she made herself busy cleaning, trying to ease her nerves. In her anxious busyness, she didn’t notice when her husband returned home.

“Mina? What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m keeping myself busy, trying to keep myself from thinking about things that I would rather not.”

Kolya crossed the room and rested his hand on her shoulder, the first touch that he had initiated since the day of the wraith attack.

“What are you talking about? Has something happened?”

Mina pulled away from his touch and turned to look at him. He seemed to notice she had retracted from his touch and she saw something akin to regret cross his face. The pain that had been gnawing away at her for the past few days flared to full capacity.

“Nothing has happened, that’s exactly it. My own husband barely touches me.”

Kolya sighed and shook his head.

“Mina, I thought we were past this.”

“As did I!” Mina retorted. “But for someone that wanted me back here so much, you don’t seem to want me here.”

Mina dropped the broom she had been holding and threw her hands up in defeat.

“I understand that things still need fixing, but I had thought that you’d had forgiven me for my transgressions. If you haven’t, please tell me so I don’t build up false hope.”

Mina could hear the words spilling out of her mouth, like she had let loose a stream of emotion. She searched her husband’s face, desperately looking for a reaction. What she saw was a broken man. His expression alone forced her to take a step back from the situation and think that maybe she had read everything wrong. The possibility that she had screwed things up more brought more emotion spilling out of her, tears beginning to fall as she spoke.

“Acastus please, if I have messed things up so badly that you cannot forgive me, I need to know…”

Mina’s words were stopped when Kolya surged forward, taking her face in his hands.

“Mina, please stop,” he said, “it’s not you that I can’t forgive, it’s myself.”

“What? Acastus, what are you talking about?”

Kolya released Mina’s face and moved away from her, beginning to pace back and forth before her.

“You were supposed to have a good life, that’s what was promised to you when you married me. Instead of that, I have only given you pain.”

Mina began to regret her previous words, worried that they had sent her husband into a guilt-filled melt-down.

“Acastus, it’s not like that at all…”

He held up his hand to stop her from speaking.

“Please let me speak. Since I met you, I have been amazed by your incredible selflessness. First, you married me to help your family, sacrificing your own happiness.”

Mina wanted to interject that she was happy that she had married him, but he had asked her to remain silent until he had finished, so she held her tongue.

“You became a medic to help people, and then moved into your current position to help even more. Especially to help me. I have made too many mistakes and they have harmed not only me, but you as well. You took it upon yourself to try and fix what I broke and how did I repay you? I belittled you, I humiliated you, I hurt you.”

Mina couldn’t take his self-loathing anymore. Stepping forward, she grabbed his hand to stop his pacing.

“Acastus, look at me. I left because I felt that I had to. I lied to you, which I regret immensely. Even if I was trying to help you, I should have been honest with you from the start. I was so afraid…”

“You were afraid that I would lash out,” he interrupted, “and I did, so your fears were justified.”

Mina released his hand and took his face in her hands like he had done to her before.

“No. I was afraid that if I didn’t do something, I would lose you.”

Kolya seemed surprised by her revelation. His frantic expression softened and Mina could see something in his eyes that she couldn’t quite identify.

“We both said things in anger that we didn’t mean. I thought it was just you with a temper, but it seems we are both guilty of being hot-headed. I guess we are a good match that way.”

Mina’s heart warmed when she saw her favorite smirk appear on his face.

“I guess we are,” he said.

“Now that we have that settled, will you please explain to me why you have been acting afraid to touch me the past few days?”

Kolya closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around Mina’s waist and pulling her close.

“I’ve wanted to take you in my arms every time you were near me, but I’ve been too distracted by my own guilt.”

Mina sighed, sinking into his embrace.

“Please stop being so consumed with guilt and just let me have my husband back.”

Kolya pulled back slightly from the embrace, smiling down at Mina.

“Gladly,” he said before leaning down to kiss her.

Early the following morning, Kolya woke with his wife in his arms for the first time in quite a while. It was a feeling that he had missed greatly. He lifted his hand to lightly stroke her hair as she slept with her head on his chest. He hadn’t really admitted it to himself until the night before, but he was sure of his feelings now. He loved his wife. He had for quite some time, he just hadn’t known it. If it hadn’t been brought to his attention that maybe she loved him too, he would have continued to be ignorant of his own feelings. He only wished he had come to the conclusion on his own rather than having it brought to the foreground by others scolding him for his behavior. The thought of people scolding him brought back the memory of what had happened the day after the wraith attack.

A few days earlier…

Kolya walked down the hallway, making his way back to his office when he was stopped by someone calling his name.

“Commander Kolya, may I speak with you?” Caleb called out, running slightly to catch up to him.

Kolya turned to face the younger man, waiting for him to catch up. He gestured down the hall in the direction he had been heading.

“Of course Caleb, you can accompany me to my office.”

The two men walked in silence until they reached their destination. Caleb followed Kolya into the room, closing the door behind him and standing before the desk as Kolya sat in his chair.

“Now. What did you wish to speak to me about?” Kolya asked.

Caleb held his chin up high, as if he was trying to maintain his courage. He cleared his throat before he began to speak.

“I wish to elaborate on our conversation from the celebration. About my sister’s happiness.”

Kolya sighed. He leaned forward, folding his hands together on the surface of his desk.

“I got your message loud and clear Caleb. You want your sister to be happy, same as I.”

“Your actions of late have had the opposite effect Commander. You may have patched things up with her now, but how much longer before you upset her again? The happiness of my sisters is very important to me, and I will do what I have to to ensure it.”

Kolya scoffed at Caleb’s statement.

“If that were true, why did you marry Mina off to elevate yourself?

He could see that he had struck a nerve with that question. Caleb visibly flinched at his accusation, but was quick to regain his composure.

“I made the arrangement to help her, not myself. When I brought it before Cowen, I thought he would choose someone like Ladon or Mekhai. Not you.”

Kolya smirked at the echo of his own words. He had also suggested those two alternatives when Cowen approached him.

“As much as I disliked his choice,” Caleb continued, “Mina seems to have adapted quite well. That being said, I don’t know if she can be truly happy. I mean no disrespect Commander, but twice now, my sister has returned home with a broken heart because of you. I meant what I said the other night. If it happens again, you won’t have a chance to fix it.”

Kolya was amused by Caleb’s threat, but he knew that he meant it.

“I do outrank you Caleb, which you would do well to remember.”

Caleb seemed to understand this, but Kolya got the feeling that he simply did not care.

“I respect you Commander, despite my personal feelings towards you. You mean a lot to my sister, which means you must have some good qualities as she doesn’t give her heart away easily. You have the power to break her in your hands, so I hope you use it wisely.”

With that final statement, Caleb turned and left the office, leaving Kolya alone.

As Kolya pondered over the things Caleb had said to him, he gazed down at his sleeping wife. He knew she was strong, but according to Caleb, he had the power to break her. That was the last thing he wanted to do, which was why he had been so guilt-ridden the past few days. As much as he hated to admit it, Caleb’s words had affected him. Much like his brother-in-law, he wanted to protect Mina from not only physical harm, but emotional harm as well. She wouldn’t appreciate being compared to a fragile doll, but he knew there were many things in the galaxy that would harm her.

 Just a few days ago, she had been nearly been hurt by the wraith and he had been powerless to protect her. In fact, he had neglected her safety for his own, if only for a brief period of time. It had almost been enough to lose her. He vowed to himself that he would do what he could to protect her from now on, even if it led to his own demise.

Chapter Text

The following two weeks were full of activity. Winter had come to an end, so the farmers were busy in the fields, preparing them for crops. Mina herself was quite busy. Now that things were out in the open, her training had increased. On top of her training from Corric and the sparring with Caleb under Nikomi’s guidance, Mina had another task in her docket. Acastus had made it a condition that she train extra under his guidance. Before where she had free time was now filled with even more training.

At the end of her day in the infirmary, Mina headed to the training room. Today was her first day training with Acastus. She was nervous as he had knocked her off her feet fairly easily before. While Mina knew he wouldn’t deliberately hurt her, he was a tough teacher. She had patched up enough people in the infirmary that had been on the other end of his teachings to know that. When she entered the room, Mina was surprised to find it dark.

“Acastus?” she called out hesitantly, stepping into the room.

Mina was caught off guard when the door slammed shut behind her, leaving her in complete darkness.

“If this is your idea of a joke Acastus, I’m not amused. I thought this was supposed to help me.”

“This is helping you,” said his voice from somewhere in the darkness, “not every mission you have will be in well-lit areas. Try and find me in the dark.”

Mina sighed and squinted her eyes, attempting to locate her infuriating husband in the dark room. Based on the door closing behind her and the loudness of his voice, she could tell that he wasn’t too far from her. She could hear him breathing and soft noises that could have been footsteps.

“You have a very weird method of teaching,” she said, trying to engage him in conversation to help pinpoint his location.

When he didn’t respond, Mina rolled her eyes. He seemed to have anticipated her intent to find him. Blindly stumbling around the room, Mina soon found a wall and used it to guide herself around. She tried to keep her breathing and footsteps quiet so he wouldn’t sense her presence. With all of her focus on being quiet, she didn’t notice him in front of her until she ran into. Even though she had been looking for him, his presence still startled her. She let out a small scream, falling backward to the floor.

She heard him chuckle before the room filled with light. He walked over to her, offering his hand to help her up off the floor. Her pride wounded by her own reaction, Mina refused his hand and stood on her own. She placed her hands on her hips and pinned him with a glare.

“That wasn’t funny Acastus,” she said in annoyance.

Kolya closed the distance between them, an amused expression on his face.

“Yes it was,” he said, reaching out to pull her to him, “all that was missing was a spoon.”

Mina accepted his embrace, but narrowed her eyes at him.

“If I had a spoon, I would hit you with it,” she threatened.

Kolya chuckled again and leaned down, kissing her softly. Mina smiled against his lips, pulling away after a few moments.

“I thought we were here so you could train me, not scare the life out of me.”

“That was the plan. The scaring part was improvised.”

Mina rolled her eyes and stepped back, pulling herself out of his embrace. She gestured at the training room, showcasing the various methods of training he had to choose from.

“Well, what will we be focusing on?” she asked.

“According to what I’ve observed, Nikomi seems to be focusing on defending yourself rather than any offensive methods. I want to remedy that, because as I said before, the ability to defend yourself will only get you so far.”

Mina raised her eyebrows in confusion at his words.

“You do realize that I’m a medic right? My role is to help those around me. The training was simply so I could protect myself when the situation called for it. It was the only way Cowen would allow me to go into the field.”

Mina could see a look of concern mixed with frustration cross her husband’s face.

“The fact that you are a medic makes you valuable. Being a young woman makes you even more so. There may come a time when you have to fight back to prevent yourself from being captured.”

“Isn’t that just self-defense?” Mina asked.

Kolya sighed and closed the distance between them again. He reached out and spun her around to face away from him. Grabbing her wrists, he held them securely behind her back, immobilizing her.

“How would you get out of this situation?” he asked.

Mina contemplated her options. Stomping on his foot would be her first instinct. She moved to do exactly that, but her movement was stopped when he used his own foot to push her leg sideways, causing her to be even more immobilized than before. She grunted in frustration at her helpless situation.

“I figured you would try that. What you should do first is attempt to remove your wrists from my grasp. If you move them against my thumbs, you should be able to break free.”

Mina did what he suggested, moving her hands down and outwards, breaking his hold on him. She spun to face him, a smile on her face at her small accomplishment. He looked slightly amused, but kept a serious expression plastered on his face.

“Now you’re free, what do you do?” he asked.

“Run?” Mina guessed.

Kolya shook his head at her suggestion.

“What if your attacker runs after you? What if they have a gun? You wouldn’t get far.”

Mina’s previous joy evaporated. She knew he was right, but she honestly hadn’t given this kind of situation much thought. Like he had before, Kolya spun her around away from him. This time instead of grabbing her wrists, he gently placed his hand on the sides of her head.

“It will not feel good, but if you throw your head back and up into the person’s face, it should knock them off guard.”

He slowly demonstrated the movement by guiding her hand with his hands. Mina felt the top of her head brush his chin. The idea that she could do much damage to any man this way with her small stature amused her.

“I think I’m a bit short for that move Acastus,” she said.

“You’d be surprised how painful it is for someone to hit your chin with their head. Once you do that, they may be incapacitated enough for you to do more damage, no matter what size they are compared to you.”

“You seem to have high expectations of what I am capable of. Which is funny since you were so adamant before that I didn’t have what it takes.”

Mina could hear resentment in her own voice. She hadn’t meant for her words to come out sounding so accusatory, but she was annoyed that her husband may have been correct with his original assessment. She felt him withdraw from her, releasing his grip on her head. Worried that she may have said the wrong thing, Mina spun around to face him, ready to apologize for her tone. The expression she saw on his face surprised her. It wasn’t anger or a gloating one. It looked like pain.

“Mina, I know what I said before hurt you. That wasn’t my intention. I simply wanted you to take a step back and look at the situation. That is why I want to train you, to prepare you for the things that you may not expect. I don’t want you to get in way over your head and get hurt, or worse killed. I’ve seen that happen to people with more experience than you.”

Mina wasn’t sure if he was talking about Pranos, Sora, or even himself. She could see the real concern that he had for her well-being, and it warmed her heart. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around his midsection.

“I understand Acastus. I’ll try to listen and heed your advice.”

Mina felt him laugh as he returned her embrace.

“I would appreciate that.”

A few days later, Mina was leaving the training compound when her radio went off. Corric’s voice came from the speaker, calling her attention. He requested her presence in the infirmary. He didn’t sound like it was anything urgent, but it was unusual for him to summon her on her training days. As she turned the corner, she met up with her husband. He seemed to be heading in the same direction as her.

“Did you get summoned by Corric too?” Mina asked.

Kolya nodded in answer to her question.

“Why would he call both of us to the infirmary?” he asked.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” Mina said, opening the main door to the infirmary.

The pair walked into the room and were surprised what they found there. Corric was standing beside a bed tending to a patient, a patient that neither of them was expecting to see.

“Sora?” Mina asked in surprise.

The young woman turned her attention from Corric to the new occupants of the room. Her eyes scanned Mina’s outfit, widening in surprise.

“I get taken into custody for a few months, and you join the military? What’s next, you take over the Genii?” Sora said snidely.

Mina wasn’t sure where Sora’s hostility was coming from. Granted, they had never been friends, but she didn’t think Sora thought so badly of her.

“Be nice, your life may be in her hands someday,” Corric scolded Sora.

Sora rolled her eyes at Corric’s words and turned her attention to Kolya.

“Commander. Good to see you in good health. I heard Sheppard shot you while you were leaving the city.”

Mina looked up at her husband and noticed a small twitch of annoyance at Sora’s mention of his failure.

“I’m glad you have been returned to us safely Sora, as I wasn’t sure at first if you had survived. We will need to work on your ability to follow orders now that you have returned.”

Mina saw Sora’s face fall at his reprimand. She knew that Sora wanted approval at all times and didn’t take anyone’s criticism well. It was a trait that she shared with the younger woman, so she recognized the shame on her face.

“While it’s good to see she has returned, why have you called us here Corric?” Mina asked.

Turning away from his patient, Corric faced the couple.

“Sora is under his command, so it was protocol for him to be here to welcome her back. Also, I was ordered to bring you both here.”

“Why? Has something happened?” Kolya asked.

“She’s here,” Sora said, vague about who she was talking about. “I’m sure Cowen doesn’t want you anywhere near her after what happened.”

Mina had no idea who Sora was talking about, but she could tell that her husband did. He looked very uncomfortable and she noticed him glance at her briefly.

“Who is this mysterious woman?” Mina asked, wanting some clarification.

“Dr. Elizabeth Weir,” her husband said in answer.

Mina nodded in understanding. The leader of Atlantis and Acastus would not be on the best of terms after everything that had happened between him and her people. What confused her was the amused smirk on Sora’s face that seemed to be pointed at her husband’s discomfort. Mina grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.

“Acastus? Is there something you aren’t telling me?” she asked with concern. “I know things have never gone well between you and the people of Atlantis, but you seem extra uncomfortable about the fact that she’s here.”

Kolya met her gaze and Mina could see something she could only describe as shame hidden underneath his discomfort. She wracked her mind for something that could have caused that reaction. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind that she wished hadn’t.

“You’re attracted to her aren’t you?” she asked quietly.

The guilty gleam in his eyes was enough of an answer for Mina. She felt a twinge in her heart at the silent confirmation. Though she didn’t imagine it was anything serious, it still hurt. Releasing her grip on his arm, Mina stepped away from him. She saw him lift his hands to stop her from pulling away, but she put enough distance between them that he couldn’t touch her.

“I need to be alone,” she said softly before turning and walking out of the infirmary.

Knowing that he would likely stay in the infirmary until he knew Dr. Weir was gone, Mina walked home at a slow pace. She contemplated the information that she had acquired. She wasn’t sure why the idea of another woman being attractive to her husband bothered her so much, but it did.

When she reached home, Mina retreated into her old bedroom, closing the door behind her.  Laying on the bed, she stared at the ceiling, attempting to sort out the feelings bouncing around inside her. She could feel jealousy brewing within her, which she did not like at all. Mina sat up on the bed, letting out a frustrated sigh. She felt ridiculous. There was no danger of anything happening between Acastus and Dr. Weir, she knew that. It was simply the idea that he liked a woman that was superior to her in every way that bothered her so much.

Mina sat on her bed for quite a while, stewing in her jealous feelings. She had said that she wanted to be alone, but now it didn’t seem like the best idea. When she was alone, her mind tended to wander to places she rather it didn’t. After a while, she heard the front door open and footsteps approach the bedroom door.

“Mina?” said Kolya’s muffled voice from the other side of the door. “Can you come out so we can talk?”

Mina sighed and stood from the bed, reaching out to open the door and leave the sanctuary of the bedroom. She found herself face to face with her husband, an awkward tension between them.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Not really wanting to fight about her childish jealousy, Mina brushed it off. “It’s fine Acastus,” she said, trying to keep her face neutral.

He didn’t look like he believed her. He reached out and pulled her towards him, placing a kiss on her forehead.  

“You didn’t look like it was fine. You looked hurt,” he said with concern.

“Really Acastus,” she murmured into his chest, “it’s nothing.”

“Then why did you run away?” he asked, pulling away to look her in the eyes.

“I didn’t run away, I walked away calmly,” Mina said, almost jokingly.

Kolya tilted his head and gave her a small smirk. Her small attempt at humor seemed to lighten the mood a bit.

“Which is very unusual for you,” he said. “You want to tell me what is going on in your head?”

Mina shook her head, dismissing the problem.

“I had a small moment of jealousy, but I’m fine.”

Kolya laughed softly.

“You have nothing to be jealous about Mina. It was a brief moment of attraction that happened months ago, when we had just begun and things were new.”

“Then why were you so uncomfortable?” Mina asked.

The guilty expression returned to his face at her question.

“Because I remembered that moment and instantly regretted it. When you noticed, I felt even worse. I assure you Mina, any infatuation that was there was fleeting and is long gone. Why would I be interested in a woman that hates my very existence when I have you?”

As encouraging as his words were, Mina could feel the sinking feeling creeping up on her again that she had been pondering earlier.

“Because she is superior to me in every way. She’s a powerful, smart, beautiful woman in a leadership position. She’s what any man would want.”

Her husband’s guilty expression was replaced with one of confusion.

“Have you met her? You seem to know a lot about her for someone who has never even seen her.”

“Caleb described her in great detail once,” Mina said rolling her eyes. “He made her sound astounding. I imagine he had a bit of a crush on her himself, which makes me believe that she must be an amazing woman.”

“You are also an amazing woman Mina. You don’t have to be a genius or a leader to be amazing. You put up with me, which I don’t give you enough credit for. You are beautiful, selfless, and caring. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone else.”

Mina felt her heart swell at his words. She guessed that was the closest thing to an ‘I love you’ she would get from him, so she was willing to take it. Lifting up to her toes, Mina kissed him. He earnestly returned the kiss, pulling her closer to him. All her feelings of jealousy dissolved and were replaced with warmth.

Chapter Text

Over the next few months, Mina worked herself as hard as she could handle, eventually falling into a schedule. Training with Caleb and Nikomi on some days, with Corric and Acastus on the opposite days. Her “day off” was usually spent with records work and extra training. Mina was determined to be the best she could be in order to keep up with the other Genii soldiers that had been training their entire lives. After some time, she could feel herself getting stronger. Her lungs no longer burned when she ran, she had fewer bruises from sparring with Caleb, and her aim had tremendously improved. The training with Acastus on the other hand, only got progressively more difficult with every lesson, making her feel as if all her other work was in vain.

Having been knocked to the ground for the umpteenth time that day, Mina decided to not get back up again. Her body ached from the constant impacts with the floor, and she had had enough for the day.

“Are you going to get up?” her husband asked as he hovered above her.

Mina shook her head and covered her eyes with her forearm, blocking her view of his annoyed face.

“I have had enough for today, my body can’t take much more of this.”

Mina heard him sigh and she could sense his frustration bubbling up to the surface. She knew her answer would get that response, but at this point, she didn’t really care.

"Don't get huffy with me Acastus. I've reached my limit, and I don't want to get hurt," she said, dismissing her husband's disappointed attitude.

“I don’t want you to get hurt either, which is why we are doing this extra training. Caleb is too easy on you, too worried about not injuring you to truly push you to your limits.”

Mina moved her arm up and narrowed her eyes at him.

“The second half of what you just said contradicted the first half. I’ve seen and felt what you are capable of doing to your students. It may surprise you that I don’t wish to be thrown around and wake up the next morning not being able to move. Especially not by you.”

Mina stood from her place on the ground and walked towards the door to the training room. Not wanting to fight with him right now, she needed to leave before either of their tempers blew. Unfortunately, Kolya beat her to the door, his longer strides allowing him to cross the room faster than her. He held the door shut, blocking her exit. Mina looked up at his face, pinning him with a glare.

“Acastus move. I’m tired, I hurt, and I just want to go home. I’m done with this,” she said, attempting to push his arm off the door so she could leave.

“Why do you always do that?” he asked, not budging against her efforts to move him.

“Do what?” she snapped, staring up at him in annoyance.  

“Leave when you’re upset.”

Mina sighed and looked away, attempting to walk away from him again. He grabbed her arm and held her in place.

“Stop walking away from me and answer my question.”

Mina pulled her arm from his grasp, anger flaring inside her.

“Is that an order Commander?” she asked.

Mina could see the pain that she caused with that question, but he was pushing her buttons.

"It was an attempt to avoid an argument. I don't particularly enjoy yelling at you, but you seem to be determined to bring it out of me regularly. Now let me leave Acastus."

Kolya stepped aside, removing his arm from her pathway. Mina was surprised that had worked. Straightening up, she walked out of the room with her head held high. Part of her felt bad for using his title against him, but she kept walking, afraid to look back to him.

When she reached home, she took a long shower, trying to soothe her sore muscles. It helped to some extent, but she could feel places on her body that would no doubt be covered in bruises. Sure enough, when she stood in front of the mirror half-dressed, she could see the purple and blue marks covering her skin. There were also several scars from training daggers on her forearms, some still pink and healing. Her hands were blemished with burn scars from the lab fire. Looking at herself, even though her muscles ached, Mina felt numb.

She heard the front door open and close, signaling Acastus’s return. She heard his footsteps heading towards the bedroom, but Mina made no move to cover herself. She couldn’t take her eyes off of her reflection, repeatedly scanning over every scar and bruise. When Kolya entered the bedroom, he stopped in the doorway.

“Mina? What are you doing?” he asked.

Lost in her self-observant state, Mina barely heard his question. He crossed the room and stood behind her, meeting her gaze in the mirror. His presence in the reflection broke Mina out of her trance, and she could feel again. The feeling came out in a sob-like gasp, startling both her and Kolya. He grasped her upper arms and turned her towards him, away from the mirror.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes searching hers for answers.

“Why am I doing this Acastus? Why am I abusing my body like this? Why am I exhausting myself to the point where I no longer feel alive?” she asked, pain in her voice.

Kolya’s concerned expression was clouded with confusion at her questions.

“I thought you wanted to help people? Like you did when you saved Dahlia from the fire. That’s why you train so hard, so you can do what you set out to do. I know it’s been hard, especially since you have had to make up for your lack of training.”

Mina moved out of his grip, turning to the mirror again. She gestured at her battered body, disgust clouding her expression.

“But look at me! More of my body is scars and bruises than clear skin. I look nothing like myself.”

Mina saw him shake his head in the reflection.

“Because you have changed. You’ve become stronger, gained muscle. The scars tell a story of your hard work and the bruises will fade. You are just as beautiful as the day I met you, if not more beautiful.”

Mina’s distraught feeling faded slightly at his words, but she felt as if he was trying to placate her to calm her down.

“You don’t need to make me feel better Acastus. I haven’t exactly been nice to you lately,” she said, turning to face him again. “I’m sorry about the Commander thing. I could feel myself waiting to snap, which is why I tried to leave before it happened.”

The corner of his mouth turned up in his trademark smirk.

“One of my favorite things about you is the fire in you. Your need to prove me wrong, to put me in my place. Not many people have the courage to do that, but that fire seems to burn strongly in your family.”

At the mention of her family, Mina felt her heart sink. Her mind went back to the thing that had initially stressed her out so much, bringing back the feeling of doubt. Her face must have shown her feelings, as Kolya lifted her chin with his hand so she was looking him in the eyes.

“You were starting to come back to me, but you disappeared again. What is really going on Mina? What has put you on this path of self-doubt?”

"You were right before," she said "I want to help others. But what if I can't? What if I can't even help those that mean the most to me? What if I can't save them from the danger that may take them from me?"

Mina saw confusion in his eyes for a moment before realization dawned on him.

“You’re talking about the rules that Cowen put in place, aren’t you?”

A few weeks earlier…

Mina walked into the auditorium with Caleb and Nikomi, making her way to a seat. Cowen had called for an assembly of all military personnel. As she sat waiting for everyone to file in, Mina conversed quietly with her brother, both of them speculating on the reason that they had all been summoned. She glanced over to where the high ranking officers were and found her husband in the crowd. He looked in her direction and met her gaze. She gave him a small smile in greeting, which he responded to with an accepting nod. Once the auditorium was filled, Cowen stepped up to the broadcasting receiver. His presence at the front quieted the gathered crowd, everyone’s attention focused on their leader.

“In the past year, the presence of the wraith has increased in the galaxy. They were awoken from their long slumber earlier than planned, which has led to many deaths, some among our own people. During the last culling, we lost nearly 100 people.”

A wave of gasps and shocked exclamations spread over the gathered people before it was silent again.

"Also, unfortunately, our secret was nearly revealed to the wraith. Information gathered from a captured wraith before his death has led me to make a difficult decision. In order to preserve our people as a whole, to prevent the wraith from discovering the truth behind our way of living, we will need to make sacrifices."

Mina could feel the crowd tense around her as they anxiously awaited Cowen’s plan. Whatever it was, Mina was sure that it would not be received positively. Cowen hesitated in his speech, as if he could sense the same thing she did.

“When the wraith return, which they surely will, only military personnel will be allowed into the safety of the bunkers. That being said, simply being a member of the military will not grant you safety. Anyone on the surface at the time of the attack will not be allowed access to the bunkers.”

As expected, the crowd did not react well to this revelation. Shouts of outrage filled the room. People that served in the military but lived on the surface with their family made up most of the angry crowd. Mina exchanged a worried glance with her brother. They both had much to lose with the implication of this plan. While they both had a chance of preserving themselves, Thali didn’t stand a chance unless she was able to find a place to hide on the surface. Caleb’s new girlfriend Kenna was only Cowen’s secretary, not a member of the military, so she was at risk as well.

“What are we going to do?” Mina asked frantically.

Caleb reached out and squeezed her hand comfortingly.

“We’ll figure something out.”

Cowen stood on the center platform, raising his hands to quiet the angry crowd.

"I know this is hard for you all to hear. Many of you have loved ones on the surface. Some exceptions will be made, namely for young children and women who are expecting. I hope that this concession will help quell some worries you may have. If it were possible, I would grant every citizen safety. But I fear that would lead to the total destruction of us as a society. I have hope that our advanced warning systems will alert us to any impending attack, thus allowing those on the surface to find refuge somewhere until the danger has passed."

“How can I spend so much time training to help people when the status granted to me through that training puts my chances of survival above theirs?” Mina asked. “What about those with no idea that they can’t rely on the safety of the bunker? What about my sister? Cowen told us that we were not allowed to share his plan with non-military personnel, threatening to label us as traitors. When the Wraith attack, I can't help her. She will be on her own, they all will!"

Kolya pulled Mina into his arms, holding him tightly against him in an attempt to calm her.

"When the time comes, we will save your sister, I promise. She is your family, and you are mine, which makes her my family as well."

Mina sunk into his embrace, absorbing his promise with all her being. She knew her husband was a determined man. If he set his mind to something, he would do all he could to achieve it. She would be safe, Thali would be safe, they would make it out of this alive.

Chapter Text

Mina sat at her desk, staring blankly at nothing, her mind wandering from thought to thought without focus. She wasn't sure what was more tired, her mind, or her body. Cowen had been sending many squads to different worlds to assess the movement of the wraith in the galaxy. The members of the teams that returned were often in rough shape, if they returned at all. The infirmary was continuously filled with injured soldiers, too many for Corric to handle on his own. As a result, Mina had been pulled from her training many times to come to help him, sometimes working until late in the evening. She had lost count of how many times she had fallen asleep at her desk, only to be awoken by her husband when he came to find her and bring her home.

Luckily, tonight wasn’t as busy. The slow hours of the late evening in the infirmary allowed Mina to put her life on pause and do absolutely nothing for a blissful few moments. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and let out a deep sigh. Closing the folder in front of her on her desk, Mina stood up and stretched her aching muscles. She glanced at Corric's office door. It was cracked open a little allowing light to shine out. Walking across the room, Mina pressed her palm against the door and pushed it open. She found Corric in the position she usually was in, head resting on his arms and sound asleep. 

“Corric,” she said, gently shaking his shoulder to wake him, “why don’t you return to your quarters?”

“Hmmm?” Corric murmured as he sat up, blinking his eyes a few times to clear his vision.

“I can speak from experience that sleeping at your desk is not comfortable, and I don’t imagine that your couch is any more comfortable. Why don’t you go back to your quarters and sleep in an actual bed?”

Corric shook his head at her suggestion.

“I need to be here in case there is an emergency,” he said tiredly.

Mina sighed and grabbed his arm to help him to his feet.

“If there is an emergency, you won’t be much help if you drop from exhaustion. Let’s at least get you to a bed out there.”

Mina helped guide Corric to the closest bed, pulling a blanket over him after he laid down. Once he was settled, she returned to his office to turn off the light. Glancing around the small room, Mina guessed that Corric never really slept anywhere else. She made a mental note to herself to tidy it up for him in the next few days. Mina turned off the light and walked back to her desk to grab her bag. As she moved to turn off the main infirmary light, she heard Corric say something.

“Did you need something?” she asked, not quite hearing what he had said.

"I said, thank you. I don't know what I would do without your help Mina," he said quietly before falling back asleep.

“Probably drop dead,” Mina murmured to herself before leaving him to sleep.

Mina walked down the dark hallway, her pathway only illuminated by the dim nightlights. She figured Acastus was still in his office, as he usually worked as late as she did these days. As she walked down the hall that held the commanders’ offices, she could hear yelling. Before she could reach her husband’s office, his door slammed open, and Cowen stormed out. Mina hesitated, watching him disappear around the corner before moving forward. She walked to the entrance of her husband’s office and softly knocked on the open door.

“Acastus?” she called out softly, alerting him to her presence.

He looked up at the sound of her voice, and Mina felt her heart drop. He looked as exhausted as she felt. Anger, shame, and weariness filled his eyes. Entering the room, Mina closed the door behind her. Without saying another word, she walked around to the other side of his desk and pulled him against her. He rested his head against her chest and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Are you alright?” she asked quietly.

He pulled away slightly from her embrace and looked up at her, his expression softening.

“I’m not sure, but you showed up right when I needed you.”

Mina gave him a small smile and bent her head to press her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

“Thought it was time I repaid the favor,” she said. “You always seem to be there when I need you, so it’s your turn.”

Kolya smirked and moved to stand from his chair, breaking Mina’s hold. He took her hand in his and led her back to the door.

“Let’s go home. I’m tired of this room, this bunker, and the politics," Kolya said.

Mina wasn’t sure what he meant with the politics comment, but she guessed it had something to do with whatever had happened with Cowen. They made their way to the surface and walked through the darkness to their home. Once they reached home, Mina attempted to walk away but was stopped in her tracks by Kolya’s grip on her hand. She looked up at him with a questioning look.

“Acastus?” she said, searching his face for a clue to what he wanted.

He seemed like he wanted to say something, but no words were coming out. Mina raised her eyebrows in confusion and squeezed his hand.

“Did you want to say something?” she asked.

Kolya shook his head and pulled her to him, releasing his grip on her hand and embracing her. Mina didn’t know what was going through his head, but she figured he was too tired to know how to function right now.

“Let’s go to bed. I think we could both use some rest,” she said, pulling away from him and moving towards the bedroom.

Kolya watched Mina walk away from him into the bedroom. Walking over to his chair, he sunk into it. He felt foolish for his tongue-tied moment. The entire walk home, he had been working up the courage to tell his wife that he loved her. The sight of her standing in front of him, her caring eyes staring up at him, had made him lose his nerve. He feared that if he didn’t do it soon, he would lose his chance.

Cowen had made it clear that evening that he was hanging by a very thin thread. All of his mistakes had been building up, each failure pushing him further and further away from the leader's good graces. Every attempt to fix things had only made it worse. Kolya knew that if he pushed Cowen any further, he would likely lose his life. Nikomi's statement that Mina was the only thing keeping him alive was becoming very clear to him. Cowen himself had mentioned that Mina had more sense than he did, that he should imitate her example.

It was the first time that Cowen had mentioned Mina to him directly. That alone concerned him. His previous fears of Mina being disposable to Cowen overshadowed Nikomi’s assurance of her usefulness. Cowen could use Mina against him as a final punishment before ending his life. Kolya couldn’t get the image of a terrified and broken version of his wife out of his head. That fear alone urged him to tell her how much he loved her before he couldn’t. Yet, something kept holding him back. The burning feeling that she deserved someone better than him, the fear of loss, even the fact that she may not return his feelings kept pushing the words down further and further.

Kolya was pulled out of his inner self-hatred by Mina's voice calling for him from the bedroom. He stood from his chair, heading her call. Stopping in the doorway, Kolya watched her brush her hair in front of the mirror. She noticed him in the reflection and turned to look at him with concern.

“Are you alright?” she asked him for the second time that evening.

Kolya gave her a forced smile and closed the distance between them. He kissed her on the forehead as he passed her. Grabbing his sleeping clothes, he headed in the direction of the bathroom.

"I'm fine Mina. Go to bed. I'll be along shortly."

Mina didn't look like she believed him, but she placed her brush down and climbed into bed. Once she was settled, he disappeared into the bathroom. He needed a shower to give himself some time to think before he tried to sleep.

The following day when Mina was getting ready, her radio buzzed. When she answered it, Nikomi’s voice was on the other end.

"Good morning, Mina. Please report to my office as soon as possible.”

“Yes ma’am,” Mina said into the radio, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Mina finished lacing up her boots and twisted her long hair into a tight bun before leaving the bedroom. She noticed Acastus eating breakfast at the table as she walked through and stopped to kiss him on the cheek before she left.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he asked.

"I was summoned by Nikomi's office, so I have to leave. Sorry, I don't have time for breakfast. See you later, love," she said hurriedly as she walked out the door.

As she made her way to the compound, her mind ran over the words that had just left her mouth. She had never called her husband ‘love' before. It was the pet name that she had heard her father use for her mother when she was a kid. In her hurry, it must have slipped out. Hopefully, he hadn't noticed it.

Shaking her head to clear it, Mina focused on where she was going. It was unusual for Nikomi to summon her, especially first thing in the morning. When she reached her office, she knocked before opening the door. She was surprised to find that Nikomi wasn’t alone. Cowen and Mekhai were in her office as well, which made it quite crowded when Mina entered. She nodded in greeting at Mekhai and stood at attention, waiting for Cowen or Nikomi to tell her why she had been summoned.

“Well Mina, the day has come for your first mission,” Cowen said.

Mina shifted her glance to Nikomi, trying to hide the excitement and disbelief from her face. Nikomi’s expression did not encourage her, as it was clouded with doubt and concern. Did she doubt Mina’s ability or Cowen’s intentions? Mina had a feeling that Nikomi didn’t trust Cowen much more than she did, but unlike Acastus, Nikomi wouldn’t go against his direct orders.

"I'm ready for whatever you have for me sir," Mina said, hoping she sounded as sure as she wanted to rather than how she actually felt.

“Good,” he said, gesturing to Mekhai, “Mekhai will fill you in on the details. I only came to wish you luck.”

Mina wondered if he really meant that comment or if he was saying it to mock her. He seemed sincere, so she went with the former. She gave him a respectful nod, which he returned before leaving the office. Mina turned to face Mekhai, awaiting his briefing.

"We are going to visit a planet that is the home of one of our colonies. It was recently attacked by the wraith, and there are many injured. We are pretty sure the wraith are all gone, and the danger has passed, but Chief Cowen thought it would be better to send you rather than Corric. If there is still something lurking, he feels that you would be able to handle it better than he would."

Mina could feel some pride surfacing within her, but she squashed it down. Now was not the time to gloat. Corric was still a much more superior medic than her. He just wasn't much good in a fight.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” she stated.

Mekhai smirked at her eagerness. He dipped his head respectfully to Nikomi before moving to leave her office. Before Mina could follow him, Nikomi called her name.

“Mina, wait a minute. I want to speak to you before you leave.”

Mekhai stopped and turned to speak to Mina again.

“We’ll be waiting at the gate for you. Corric packed a med-kit for you, which will be waiting with us. Join us when you’ve finished,” he said before leaving the two women to talk.

Mina turned to Nikomi and relaxed a bit, letting some of her excitement show. It was quickly damped by Nikomi’s concerned expression.

“Now Mina, I know you’re excited, but you need to be careful. As Mekhai said, there's still a chance of danger. You need to be on your guard at all times."

Mina nodded, pulling herself back into a serious frame of mind.

“I understand. If you don’t mind me asking, why do you seem so concerned?” she asked. “Do you not feel that I am ready for this?”

Nikomi shook her head at Mina’s question.

"It's not that. I'm just worried that there's an underlying reason for Cowen deciding to send you out now."

“Why do you think that?” Mina asked in confusion.

"Lately, your husband has not been on Cowen's good list. I don't believe he would sink so low as to use you against him, but I've learned never to underestimate him. I suggest you do the same. Please be careful.”

“I will,” Mina said confidently before leaving the office to join the group at the gate.

Once they were through the gate, they still had to walk for a bit before getting to the settlement. Mina and Mekhai walked together with the rest of the group walking behind them. Mina didn’t know anyone else in the group. She recognized a few faces, but didn’t have names to go with them.

“So the last time I saw you, you were running into a room on fire,” Mekhai said, “how have things been since then?”

Mina smiled and chuckled softly. She held up her hands to show him the still fading scars that covered them.

“Less running into fires, I learned my lesson last time,” she said.

"Well, that's good to hear. It would be a shame for you to be covered in burns. It would break some hearts to see you hurt that way," he said, giving her a sly smile.

Mina was taken aback by his comment. Was he talking about Acastus? Or just men in general, including himself? She knew Mekhai had a flirtatious reputation. He had the pretty boy looks to go along with it; tall, dark hair, and piercing blue eyes. She knew a lot of girls liked guys like that. It was probably one of the reasons Thali had pushed her in Ladon’s direction. He also had the pretty boy look. Mina understood the appeal, but it didn’t do much for her.

Brushing off his comment, Mina focused on where she was walking. By staying silent, she denied Mekhai the satisfaction of feeling his words had power over her. He was easier to brush off than Ladon, as he took her silence in stride and gave up. They continued their trip in silence.

When they finally reached the village, Mina let out a gasp of surprise. Nearly all of the buildings around her showed damage, either from fire or explosive blasts. The people that were milling around the village showed signs of hardship. Some were supporting others as they walked, some were moving debris aside, and some were moving what looked like bodies covered with white sheets. Mina looked up at Mekhai in shock.

“When was the attack?” she asked.

His teasing mood had disappeared; his expression was serious as his eyes scanned his surroundings.

“It was last night. I didn’t know things were this bad. I would have brought more help.”

Mina shifted her pack on her back and started moving towards the village.

“Don’t just stand there. Let’s help these poor people!” she called out to the people behind her.

Mina walked into the center of the village, climbing up on top of a pile of rubble so people could see her.

“Anyone that is seriously injured, please make your way to that open area and sit down,” she said, pointing to a large area that was mostly clear of debris. “I will help anyone that I can, so don’t be shy.”

She climbed down from the pile and pulled her pack off, placing it on the ground in the middle of the clear spot. Opening it, Mina began to pull supplies out and lay them on the ground. Many people followed her instructions and began to file into the area, some on their own and some with the help of others. Mekhai and the others helped guide the injured in an organized fashion, keeping things moving smoothly. Mina made her way around the clearing, assessing injuries and tending to people as needed.

After they had been there for a few hours, Mekhai came over to where Mina was working.  He tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She stood from her crouched position to face him, her joints creaking in protest. She groaned as she swung her arms around to get her blood moving again.

“Why don’t you take a break?” Mekhai said. “You’ve been working non-stop for several hours.”

Mina glanced around at all the remaining injured people and shook her head.

“I can’t. There are still too many people that need my help.”

Mekhai handed her some water and pointed to a cinder block, indicating for her to sit down.

“They will still be here after you rest for a few minutes. Now go.”

Mina knew he was right. She took the water he offered and did as she was told. Settling down on the block, she stretched her legs out in front of her. As she drank her water, she looked around the area. Next to the clearing, there was an alleyway that led out of the village. As she looked down the alley, Mina swore she could see some figures coming over the hill, beyond which was the pathway to the gate. Narrowing her eyes, she was able to see more clearly that there was in fact movement, and it wasn’t human.

“Wraith!” she yelled as loud as she could, running back to Mekhai.

He turned and looked where she was pointing and shouted orders to the soldiers around the clearing.

“We’re under attack!”

The people in the clearing screamed and scrambled to their feet. Mina helped a soldier guide people into the safety of the intact buildings. Once the wraith reached the village, the people began to panic, dodging the blasts from their stunners and tripping over each other. Mina grabbed her pistol out of her holster. She began firing at the wraith around her while shouting for people to get to safety.

Once the last of the people had been ushered inside, Mina focused her effort on the wraith around her. One, in particular, headed straight for her, despite her firing straight into his chest. When he was a few feet from her, Mina felt her pistol die and stop firing. Throwing it, she stooped down and grabbed pieces of debris to throw at him. The wraith easily dodged her attempts and pushed her backward. Mina hit the ground hard, causing a sharp pain in her head as it bounced off the ground. She groaned as her vision went a little fuzzy from the impact. The wraith hovered over her, his hand poised over her chest to feed on her. Acting quickly, Mina pulled her knife from her belt and swiped blindly at the menacing figure. She heard him hiss in pain, so she figured she had sliced him. Closing her hand into a fist, she punched him in the face with all the strength she could muster. He fell off of her, allowing Mina to scramble away. She didn't get very far before he grabbed her ankle and dragged her back.

“Help!” she cried, struggling against his grip.

Mina heard a gunshot, and the grip on her ankle was gone. Rolling over, she saw Mekhai standing over her dead attacker. He stepped over him and walked over to her, holding out his hand to help her up.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

Mina felt the back of her head and winced as she pulled her hand away to see blood. There wasn’t much, but it still hurt.

“I think so. But I wouldn’t be surprised if I have a concussion. I hit my head pretty hard.”

“You put up quite a fight before he got the upper hand, “ Mekhai said, sounding slightly impressed. “You almost had it handled.”

“Yeah, well I was at a bit of a disadvantage. My usual opponents don’t usually try to feed on me.”

“I suppose not,” Mekhai said with a smirk. “I’m glad you’re ok. I don’t think I’d live very long if I came back without you. I don’t know who would kill me first: your husband, Caleb, or Corric.”

Mina chuckled, wincing at the sharp pain that went through her head at the action. Mekhai noticed her wince and his smirk disappeared. He shouted orders to the remaining soldiers.

"Alright men, let's round up the survivors and bring them back with us. It's obviously not safe here, and there isn't much to salvage. They can return for their personal things and to bury the dead once the wraith have moved on."

Mina moved to help, but Mekhai returned her to the block she had been sitting on before. He ordered her to sit and wait for him to help her back. She was glad to listen to him, as she was beginning to feel dizzy from the pain in her head. Once everyone was gathered, Mekhai came back and helped Mina to her feet. He supported her as the large group made their way towards the gate. Mekhai had radioed ahead, so help was waiting on the other side. When they stepped through the gate, Mekhai transferred Mina over to someone else so he could help the others coming through the gate. Mina looked up and found herself in Caleb’s grip.

“I thought you were going there to help the injured, not get injured yourself,” he said jokingly.

“Well, the wraith apparently had a different idea.”

Caleb guided Mina towards the compound, helping her down the stairs and to the infirmary. He sat her down on a chair as other patients already took most of the beds. Corric was stitching up an injured man's arm when he noticed her enter. He finished his stitching and told a nurse to finish up before making his way over to Mina.

“Why is it whenever there’s a crisis, the time that I need you the most, you get injured?” he asked in exasperation.

Mina shrugged at his question.

"I don't do it on purpose. Just give me something for the pain, and I'll help you. I only hit my head."

“Only hit your head?” Corric asked in disbelief. “You know better than that. Let me see.”

Mina leaned forward so he could look at the back of her head. He made a ‘hmm’ noise before pointing her in the direction of the med cabinet.

“It doesn’t look bad. Once things calm down a bit, I’ll get a better look at it. If you feel dizzy or your vision gets fuzzy, I want you to stop and sit down understand?”

“Yes sir!” she said, giving him a mock salute as she made her way to the cabinet.

Once the pain meds kicked in, Mina was able to pick up where she had stopped back in the village. Together, she and Corric were able to get through the injured much quicker. The light injuries they left for the nurses to tend to, focusing on the more severe ones. When they were finished, most of the people had been relocated to temporary living quarters, only a few remaining in the infirmary for observation.

Corric ordered Mina to sit down so he could get a better look at the back of her head. Shining a light on her, he pushed her hair away from the spot to examine it.

“You only need a few stitches. It’s hard to see where exactly where the blood was coming from with your red hair. Luckily, I have lots of experience patching up Sora’s wounds, so I was able to find it.”

Corric spread a numbing cream around the gash before stitching it up. As he was working, the infirmary doors opened. Both Mina and Corric glanced up, the former muttering “oh no” when she saw her husband standing there.

“Mekhai told me that you were on your first off-world mission and were injured,” he said with concern.

“Did he tell you how I was injured?” Mina asked.

"He said that a wraith attacked you."

“I was. And I was fighting him off pretty well for most of the fight. If I hadn’t been dazed from hitting my head, I probably would have won.”

“You hit your head?” he asked.

"She'll be fine," Corric reassured him, "she has a small gash on her head, and she likely has a concussion, but she will be fine in a week or two."

“Nowhere near as serious as a gunshot wound to the shoulder or burned hands and smoke inhalation,” Mina said, glancing up at her concerned husband.

He narrowed his eyes at her in response before turning his attention back to Corric.

“I’m done,” Corric said, “you can clean your hair, but you’ll need help to keep the stitches dry. Make sure you sleep on your side. I’ll write up an order for you to rest for a few days so your brain can heal from being jostled around.”

He walked away to wash his hands and write up the order, leaving Mina alone with her husband. She sat up and looked at him, reaching for his hands.

“Are you terribly mad at me?” she asked, giving him a small pout.

Kolya stared at her for a few moments before stepping forward to embrace her gently.

“No. Frustrated and worried, but not angry. I’m glad you’re alright.”

Mina smiled as she returned his embrace, closing her eyes and resting her sore head against his chest. They were making progress.

Chapter Text

Mina was glad to get her stitches out once Corric was satisfied she had healed enough. Even though she had only had them for a short period of time, they had been irritating. When he finished removing them, Corric sent her to the storage room for an inventory check. Things had quieted down a bit the past week, so they weren't as swamped as they were before. This meant it was time to work on getting things reorganized. Mina had already cleaned Corric's office, which received a mixed response from him of gratitude, embarrassment, and annoyance when he saw that she had moved everything from where he had put it. He had assigned her the storage room as her own space to work with and leave his stuff alone.

Mina looked around at the mess in front of her. It had no resemblance to the storage room she had organized before, as Corric had destroyed it again, throwing her whole system out of order. She sighed and got to work, putting everything back where it belonged.

Later in the day, Corric left on a house call to treat a child that had come down with Kirsan fever, leaving Mina alone in the infirmary. Her organizational work was interrupted by the sound of someone entering the infirmary. She stood up from her place on the floor and left the storage room to investigate. When she entered the main room, she came upon Sora limping across the room, searching for assistance.

“Hello Sora, can I help you?” Mina asked the young woman, smiling at her.

Sora scowled at Mina’s question and looked past her in the direction of Corric’s office.

"Is Corric here? I hurt my knee during training and need a brace of some kind."

Mina's smile faltered at her dismissal. She wasn't sure if she had done something to offend the younger woman or if she was simply in a mood. Although, with Sora you could never tell.

"He's not here right now. I can help you with that. Why don't you have a seat on the examination table, and I'll take a look at it."

Sora huffed in annoyance before following Mina’s direction, wincing as she pushed himself up onto the table. Mina pulled a chair up beside her and sat down before rolling up Sora’s pant leg to look at her knee. Gently feeling her knee cap and the tendons surrounding it, she looked up to watch Sora’s face for signs of discomfort. Seeing no reaction, Mina shifted Sora’s leg, straightening and bending her knee. Sora whimpered and twitched away from Mina’s grasp.

“Yeah, it seems like you sprained your knee. If you wear a brace while walking and rest it for a week or so, it should heal easily. I’ll give you a brace and some medication for the pain. You can come back in a week and have Corric look at it before you return to training to make sure it has healed completely.”

Mina stood from her chair and walked back into the storage room to retrieve the brace for Sora. She stopped at the medication cabinet and grabbed a small bottle on her way back, handing it to Sora when she returned to her side before moving to help her put the brace on.

"How did you do this to yourself? Did you have a misstep while running, or did someone knock you down while training?" she asked as she worked.

Sora scoffed at her question, rolling her eyes.

"Something like that. Apparently, my performance has not been up to people's standards since I returned from Atlantis."

Mina glanced up at her with raised brows.

“According to who? I’ve always been led to believe that you are exceptionally skilled for your age.”

Sora looked away, anger mixed with shame and embarrassment on her face.

"Ask anyone; I've lost my edge. I'm not good enough for anyone's expectations. It's always 'Why don't you work harder?' 'Why don't you do something useful to help your people?' 'Why can't you be more like Mina?'"

Her face turned back towards Mina with the last statement, resentment burning in her eyes.

“I’m not good enough because I’m not you,” she said, pain seeping into her voice.

Mina finished her work and looked at the young woman before her with pity.

"Sora, I'm nothing like you. I started later in my life and have accomplished very little. You are only 20 years old, and you are one of the greatest fighters and marksman the Genii have. There's no comparison, nor is there a need to make one."

“Then why does everyone want me to be you? Cowen and Kolya think I’m a failure because I was captured by the Atlanteans. Ladon doesn’t think I’m worth his time. Even my own cousin likes you better!” Sora yelled, tears welling up in her eyes.

Mina sighed as Sora pushed off the table and limped as fast as she could out of the infirmary, wiping at her face as she went. She nearly ran into a returning Corric as she rushed through the door, not acknowledging his presence as she continued on her way out. He called after her, but was met with silence. Turning to Mina, he raised his eyebrows in confusion.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

Mina stood from her chair and moved to return the pain medication bottle to the cabinet that Sora had discarded in her outburst.

"It seems that Sora has struggled since her return from captivity, and people have been pointing it out to her. Her failures have been compared to my advancements, leaving her feeling rejected."

“What? It’s only reasonable that she’d stumble a bit after being away for so long, but I can’t believe that it would be this bad. Who’s been doing this?”

"She mentioned Cowen, Ladon, and my husband specifically. Also, her cousin? She said even they have a higher opinion of me than her. I'm not sure what she meant by that."

Corric sighed and sat down on the chair Mina had vacated, rubbing his hand through his dark hair.

“She’s talking about me. She never had any siblings, so she’s always been rather possessive of attention, never really learning to share. The feeling that others have abandoned her, her recent failures, and the death of her father have pushed her into this irrational fear that our friendship is a threat to her relationship with me.”

Mina took a minute to process what Corric was saying. She hadn't been aware that he and Sora were cousins, especially ones with a close relationship. There was little physical resemblance, and they had very different temperaments.  Where Sora was headstrong and quick to anger, Corric was calm and compassionate. Her petit and muscular form was nothing like his taller lean form. His warm brown skin and dark hair were nothing like her freckled complexion and fiery red hair. The only similarities were their brown eyes, thick curls, and strong work ethic.

Having no cousins of her own, Mina had no example to compare them to. Drawing from her relationship with her siblings, Mina’s pity for Sora increased as she thought about how she would feel if their relationship was in jeopardy due to other people taking their place.

“I can’t imagine the pain Sora must be feeling from this. I didn’t even know the two of you were related,” Mina said, sitting on the edge of her desk.

"Not a lot of people do. My mother and her father were siblings. My father was not Genii, and his relationship with my mother was brief. I lived with him for the first 15 years of my life before he died, and I came to live here with my mother. Sora was only 3 when I moved here, so she latched onto me as an older sibling figure. I’m her only remaining family.”

"Maybe you should go find her. It seems like she could use some support right now. I'll talk to Acastus about it. I know he can get a bit harsh at times. There isn't much we can do about Cowen, but hopefully, things will return to normal with time, and she can recover from this setback. By that time, he may forget she was ever lacking in his eyes.”

Corric nodded and stood to leave again, pausing at the door.

"I'm sorry she lashed out at you, Mina. Her problems are not your fault."

Mina gave him a small smile, shaking her head.

"I understand where she's coming from in some small way. It's not easy to succeed when it feels like no one believes in you. She's strong. She'll pull through this. I'm not too bothered about it anyways. She's never been too fond of me, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon. I can deal with it."

He gave her a wave before leaving her alone again in the infirmary. Mina stood from her desk and returned to the storage room to complete her original task.

Once Mina finished her work, she closed up the infirmary for the evening. She imagined that Corric would likely return once he had comforted Sora, always ready to do more work.

Mina began her trek home her eyes pointed downward as her thoughts lingered on the encounter with Sora. As she turned the corner at the end of the hall, she nearly ran into someone. Apologizing profusely, she looked up and saw that it was Alaina.

“Mina! Just the person I was looking for!” Alaina said with enthusiasm.

“Well, you found me. What can I do for you?”

Alaina turned and gestured down the hall so they could walk together. As they walked, she told Mina about some upcoming plans.

“Callistair and I are leaving the day after tomorrow and going away for a few days. Our anniversary is approaching, and we wanted a chance to get away from everything and have some time alone together. That's a hard feat when you have an almost 10-month old demanding all of your attention."

Mina chuckled at that statement. They had enjoyed a few afternoons together the past few months, rekindling their childhood friendship. In that time, Lowell had started walking and was quick to get into mischief, driving Alaina up a wall.

“I would imagine that would be the case. I’m assuming you are coming to me in search of someone to watch him?”

Alaina glanced at her with a hopeful expression.

“I wouldn’t ask if I had another option. As you’re likely aware, my whole family is away visiting friends. Callistair’s sister is sick, so I’ve run out of options. I would hate to have to cancel our trip, as we’ve been looking forward to it.”

“Kenna is sick?” Mina asked. “It’s amazing everything hasn’t come crashing down around us without her there to help Cowen with his paperwork.”

Alaina smiled at Mina’s joke, stepping aside so Mina could ascend the narrow staircase to the surface, closely following up after her.

“It’s nothing serious, but I would rather not expose Lowell if I don’t have to.”

“I understand that. I’ll talk it over with Acastus tonight and let you know tomorrow.”

"Thank you, Mina. It will only be for an afternoon and overnight. My parents and sister will be returning the following day so they can take him off your hands. I know it will be your day off, but I would be so grateful for your help.”

"That sounds like it would be manageable. I'm sure it won't be a problem, Alaina."

Alaina stopped and hugged Mina before thanking her again and walking off in the direction of her own home. Mina finished her walk home, smiling at the idea of spending an afternoon with Lowell. She had developed a fondness for the boy, and his presence brought up fond memories of watching Thali grow up. It helped scratch the itch to have a child of her own, which she was grateful for. With her current schedule, she didn't have much time to dedicate to caring for a child, so it was almost a good thing to put that dream on the back burner for now. The thought of how much he had grown and the reason behind Alaina’s request brought a realization to the front of her mind. Her own anniversary was nearing as well. She made a mental note to talk to Acastus about that as well.

When she reached her home, Mina was pleased to find her husband sitting in his chair. He hadn’t been around as much lately, always working or going off-world for various reasons. It was nice to have him home for once. He looked up from his book at her entrance.

“Hey,” she said, crossing the room to give him a light peck on the lips, “I’m glad you’re home. I have some things to talk to you about.”

He smiled up at her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to sit on the arm of his chair.

“Is that the only reason you are glad to see me?” he asked.

Mina rolled her eyes at him and leaned her head against his.

“No, of course not. I also have missed you. Between my schedule and your constant busyness, we haven’t had much time together.”

“I am sorry about that,” he said sincerely, “we haven’t had time to continue your training either. We'll have to make some time to spend together. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Mina went through her mental checklist of things to talk about, trying to decide which topic to discuss first.

"Well, first of all, we may have a guest for an afternoon a few days from now if you're up to it. Alaina asked if we, or rather if I, would be open to watching Lowell for the afternoon and overnight the day after tomorrow. She and Callistair are going away for a few days.”

“What did you tell her?” Kolya asked.

“I told her that I would talk to you about it and get back to her. I figured you would be alright with it, but I still wanted to ask you anyways.”

Kolya’s expression faltered a bit as he thought over the idea of having a small child in their home. It amused Mina to watch him go through it in his mind. She didn’t imagine he had much experience with children.

“I’ll mostly be taking care of him, so you wouldn’t have to worry too much about it,” she offered encouragingly.

Kolya nodded, and his smile returned.

“Why not? I’m sure it will be fine.”

Mina turned and placed a kiss on his temple.

"Thank you, Acastus. Alaina will be very grateful to hear that. She was concerned that they would have to cancel their trip.”

 “Why are they going away anyways?” he asked.

"It's their anniversary, and they wanted to spend some time together without a small human demanding every minute of their attention," Mina said, "which brings me to the second thing I wanted to talk to you about."

Kolya made a humming noise of inquiry, prompting her to continue.

“If my figuring is correct, our own anniversary is approaching as well. I’m not sure as to what the exact date is, but I know it’s soon.”

Kolya pulled away from her and turned his head to look at her.

“Is it really? I can’t believe it’s been a year already.”

Mina nodded and moved to stand from the chair's arm, but was stopped by her husband's firm grip on her waist. She turned to look at him quizzically, but was surprised when she suddenly found herself falling into his lap. She let out a small yelp, followed by a giggle. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, pulling her closer to him. After a moment, he pulled back and looked directly into her eyes.

“It seems like it was not that long ago that I was standing up in that hall, waiting for a wife I never thought I would have.”

Mina raised her eyebrows at him and smirked.

“And are you happy with what you got?” she asked.

He narrowed his eyes at her, bringing out another giggle.

“What do you think?”

Chapter Text

When the day of Alaina and Callistair’s departure arrived, Mina was surprised to find her husband still at home when she returned from spending the morning with Thali. She would have thought he would have things to do that day and hadn’t seemed overly enthused with the idea of helping her care for Lowell.

“What are you still doing here?” she asked, walking over to sit in the chair across from him.

Kolya lowered the paperwork he had been examining to look at her with a raised eyebrow. 

“I was under the impression that we were meant to spend time with our guest together. I wasn’t going to abandon you to the task and hide away in my office. I think spending the afternoon with you would be a much more enjoyable way to pass the time.”

“Don’t you have things you need to get done? I said that I would be willing to look after Lowell myself if you weren’t interested in helping me.”

Kolya gestured to the file sitting on his lap. Mina peaked at the words written on the papers and could see that he was looking over medical reports for those under his command.

“I can complete my tasks just as well here at home. Besides, I might need your assistance to make sense of some of the things Corric has written in these files.”

Mina smirked at her husband’s attempt to find an excuse to stay at home with her. Her heart swelled at his need to stay around her more often, even if that meant spending the afternoon with a baby. She stood from her chair and walked over to stand in front of him, pointing at the file on his lap, which bore Sora’s name at the top.

“You might want to take it easy on her for a bit,” she said. “She’s having a rough time lately.”

Kolya furrowed his brow at her suggestion, shaking his head slightly.

“So I’ve noticed. She left in the middle of her training session the other day without a word to anyone. This says she has been given rest orders for the next week.”

“I did that,” Mina said. “She injured her knee and needs time to heal. I don’t want her pushing herself too hard and permanently injuring herself. And I don’t want you to give her grief about it either.”

“Mina, you know I need to push her to help her get better. You know more than anyone how much work it takes to make up for lost time.”

“Yes, I understand that. But, there’s a difference between pushing her to do better and belittling her because of her mistakes. She’s far too young for the pressure that is being put on her, especially after what she’s been through. I’m not asking you to baby her, just give her a little bit of leeway. At least until she has firm ground under her feet and feels stable in her own mindset again.”

Kolya seemed to be thinking over what she said, not giving her a reply, so Mina left him to stew in his thoughts as she went to make them some lunch. Alaina and Callistair would be coming soon and she wanted to be ready when they arrived. As the two of them ate their meal, Kolya still hadn’t responded to her suggestion, causing Mina to feel a bit uneasy. She wondered if she had overstepped in telling him to give Sora a break. 

Just as she was about to say something to him, there was a knock at the door. He got up from his place at the table to open it, revealing Alaina holding Lowell. Callistair stood behind her with a wooden frame in his hands. Kolya gestured for them to enter and Mina walked over to greet her friend.

“Are you excited to get away for a few days?” she asked. 

Alaina nodded and shifted Lowell in her arms, handing the bag she had on her shoulder to Mina to take. 

“It will be nice. I haven’t really had a break since he was born. My mom is always busy and I’m not sure Cassie can handle him on her own quite yet.”

“She’ll learn with time. But, for now I am more than happy to help out.”

“Thank you again for doing this. My parents will be back tomorrow and will take him off your hands. Dad said he’d watch over him until we get back.”

Callistair and Kolya walked over to join them, Callistair holding up the wooden frame he was holding.

“Where would you like me to put this?” he asked.

Mina couldn’t tell at first what he was holding, but after looking at it for a few moments, she figured it out. It was a portable railing to convert a normal bed to an enclosed one for small children. She hadn’t seen one in so long that she had forgotten what they looked like. 

“You can put it on the bed in there,” she said, pointing to the spare room.

“He’ll be needing a nap soon, so you’ll have use of that shortly,” Alaina said. “It seemed easier than bringing his entire crib.”

“I’m sure we’ll figure everything out,” Mina said reassuringly.

“Of course, I sometimes forget that you’ve done this before,” Alaina said. “Was Thali much of a climber?”

“Not a climber, but she liked to stick her legs through the bars and get them stuck,” Mina said, laughing softly at the memory. “Once she was old enough to start saying things, she would yell ‘Na!” over and over when she’d get stuck and need help getting her leg out.”

Callistair had emerged from the bedroom and had been motioned over to sit in the chairs with Kolya to have their own conversation while Mina and Alaina caught up. Mina imagined that he was eager to go, but was willing to give his wife some time to converse with someone that spoke in more than just single syllables. 

“Gah!” Lowell called out just as the thought crossed her mind, bringing a smile to Mina’s face.

“Gah, indeed. What a wise thing to say,” she said, letting him grab her finger with his little chubby hand.

Alaina smiled down at her son as his mouth opened in a big yawn. Mina pulled her finger out of his grasp and Alaina shifted him in her arms again.

“I’ll go put him down now so you don’t have to worry about doing it.”

Mina watched her friend disappear into the bedroom before turning her attention to where the two men were talking. They seemed to be engaged in a serious conversation, speaking at a lower volume that she couldn’t hear. Mina felt uneasy again, worry blossoming inside her. She didn’t like the idea of her husband having secretive conversations that were a precursor to him doing something risky.

As if he could feel her gaze on him, Kolya looked up from his conversation and met her eyes. Mina tilted her head, her eyebrows raised in a silent question. Rather than the guilty expression she expected to cross his features, Mina was surprised to see the tiny hint of a smile on his lips. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to interpret that. 

Removing her attention from him, Mina moved to place the bag Alaina had handed her near the door to the bedroom. Right as she put it down, the door opened and Alaina emerged. She looked relieved, which led Mina to believe that Lowell had fallen asleep quickly. The two of them moved away from the door to stand in the kitchen to talk, not wanting to make any noise that could wake him up.

“So where are you guys going?” Mina asked. 

“We’re going to visit a few places, stopping to see friends as we go. Our last stop will be Dorin before we return home to visit my grandmother. Ideally, we want to bring Lowell to see her sometime soon, but this time it will just be us.”

Mina felt herself tense up at the mention of Dorin. Alaina’s smile faded and she rested her hand gently on Mina’s arm.

“Have you talked to Kyra at all since you quarreled?” she asked.

“She made her opinion on things quite clear last time we spoke,” Mina said, shaking her head. “I haven’t felt the desire to speak to her. Not if she’s going to act that way.”

Alaina gave her a look of pity and sighed.

“Should I send your greetings if I see her?”

“I guess. Not sure if she would accept them, but you can try.”

“Who are we greeting?” Callistair asked, coming over to stand beside his wife.

“Someone Mina knows, but hasn’t seen in a while,” Alaina said, saving Mina from explaining. “Are you ready to go?”

Callistair nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist, guiding her to the door. Mina followed after them, holding the door open to watch them walk away. She felt her husband come up behind her and they both returned the waves Alaina and Callistair sent their way. Once the other couple had vanished, Mina closed the door and moved to sit in her chair by the fireplace again. 

Before Alaina had brought her up, Mina hadn’t thought of Kyra in months. Thinking of her now caused a twinge in her heart, bringing back the pain she had thought she buried. A gentle touch against her hand led Mina to look up. Her husband stood beside her, a look of concern covering his face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, kneeling down beside her. “Who is it that Alaina was talking about?”

Mina let out a heavy sigh at his question. She had never talked to him about this, knowing it would be a difficult thing to talk about, especially before they had grown closer. Now that things had changed, perhaps it was a good time to talk about it.

“You might want to sit,” she said, gesturing to his chair across from her.

Kolya did as she said, but only after dragging his chair closer to where she sat. He reached out and took her hand, an expectant look on his face. Mina took a deep breath before she began speaking.

“The person Alaina was talking about was my aunt. My mother’s sister Kyra.”

Kolya furrowed his brow in confusion. Mina had suspected that he wouldn’t know her aunt existed, especially since she had never mentioned her before.

“You don’t know about her because I didn’t want to talk about her,” she continued. “I haven’t spoken to her in about a year and we parted on bad terms.”

Mina could see the gears turning in her husband’s mind as he did the math.

“She didn’t approve of you getting married,” he said.

Mina shook her head and looked down, breaking their eye contact. She took another deep breath in an attempt to steady herself. She felt him squeeze her hand reassuringly, urging her to continue.

“When she heard Caleb’s idea, she was violently opposed. The fact that it was arranged, our age difference, and the fact that you are Genii were all negative factors in her eyes.”

“But you are also Genii,” Kolya said, confusion lacing his statement. “Why would that be a factor?”

“I’m half Genii,” Mina said. “At least that’s how she sees it. My aunt has never been a fan of the Genii and wasn’t happy when my parents got married either.”

“By that logic, I am also half Genii,” Kolya pointed out. “My mother wasn’t Genii either.”

Mina glanced up and gave him a small smile for his technicality.

“I think your rank as Commander would override that way of thinking. It doesn’t matter anyways. This was the last thing in a long history of events that she has disagreed with. It was just the thing that pushed her over the edge and made her walk away.”

“What other things has she fought you on?” he asked.

Mina thought over the many things that had happened in her life that her aunt had not approved of. Most of them were related to being Genii and the decisions that she and her family had made. What had previously brought her pain was now causing her anger to bubble to the surface.

“When my mother died, she suggested to my father that we would be better off living somewhere else. She argued that we needed a mother figure in our lives, a role she was willing to fill. When my father refused, she took it personally. As far as I know, she never spoke to him again after that.”

The memory of the incident brought back the image of her father and aunt yelling at each other in her family’s living room. Mina and Caleb had been hiding at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping on the conversation below. Eventually, the yelling had woken up Thali and they had been forced to leave their hiding spot and go to quiet her down while their father was busy.

“That doesn’t sound like it was your fault,” Kolya said. “She can’t possibly blame you for something that you had no control over.”

“Maybe not,” Mina said. “But the next thing was my doing. Five years later, we were put in the same situation once again when my father was executed. Kyra insisted that we come live with her, away from the Genii. She pleaded with us over and over, trying to make Caleb see that it was the right decision. He had already been enlisted by that point and he was determined to stay where he was.”

“And you stayed with him,” Kolya said.

Mina nodded again.

“In her mind, I doomed both myself and Thali to the life we had to live as semi-outcasts. I think that when she found out about our marriage, she had an ‘I told you so’ moment and felt justified in her reaction to the news. She said I was trapping myself in a way that I could never escape from.”

Mina could see the sadness in her husband’s eyes when she said that. She hoped deep down that he knew she didn’t feel trapped, but didn’t want to say anything that could lead him down that path of thinking if he wasn’t already on it. She felt him squeeze her hand again before taking her other hand in his.

“I can understand why you didn’t want to tell me about this, but I’m glad you did,” he said. “While I don’t feel that she had any right to treat you that way, I know how important your family is to you. If you want to reach out to her and try to repair things, I will do everything I can to support you.”

Mina shook her head and returned his comforting gesture, squeezing his hands tightly.

“I made my decision, and if she can’t support that, I don’t want her in my life. She is not my only family. I have Caleb and Thali. And I have you.”

Kolya released his grip on one of Mina’s hands and raised his hand to cup her cheek. 

“You’ll always have me,” he said softly before leaning forward to kiss her.

It wasn’t long before the sound of soft crying pulled Mina’s attention into the spare bedroom, the signal that Lowell had awoken from his nap. When she reemerged with a slightly grumpy looking little boy, Kolya laughed softly.

“I think I’ve seen his father make that exact face before,” he said.

Mina shifted the boy in her arms, bouncing slightly and making strange faces at him in an attempt to lessen his grumpy demeanor. Kolya watched in amazement as the frown faded and a tiny smile replaced it. While he had little experience with children, he imagined that the change in mood had been quick and unusual. 

“I’m not sure he had a long enough nap,” Mina said. “But he refused to stay laying down to go back to sleep. We’ll just have to hope that it doesn’t come back to bite us later.”

She shifted the boy once again and sat down on the floor, placing him in front of her. She placed a few toys in front of him to occupy his time and leaned back to watch him play. Kolya observed the pair of them thoughtfully, a slightly different scenario playing in his head.

He could see Lowell’s dark curls transforming into red ones, hazel eyes gazing in wonderment at the toys before him. In his imagination, a miniature boy version of his wife was sitting alongside Mina, turning to show his mother something he found fascinating. Kolya blinked rapidly and shook his head slightly in an effort to remove the image from his vision.

He wasn’t sure what had put the idea in his head. Perhaps the comment Callistair had made earlier about himself and Mina having a child of their own? Kolya knew that Mina wanted children, he had seen it in her eyes when the little boy before her had been born. Though she had denied it when he asked, he knew it was true. He had never thought about it himself, although until Mina came along, he had never thought he would have been married either.

Kolya looked over at Mina and Lowell again, his gaze focused on Mina’s smile as she watched the boy play with some blocks. After a few moments, Lowell shifted from his place on the floor and began to crawl across the space in his direction. Once he reached Kolya’s chair, he used the side of it to pull himself into a standing position. One of his small hands rested on Kolya’s knee while the other held up a toy he had brought with him.

“Gah!” he said, moving the toy in Kolya’s direction.

Confused on what he was supposed to do, Kolya looked to his wife for assistance. Mina smiled at him and nodded in Lowell’s direction. Turning his attention back to the boy, Kolya took the offered toy from him and held it in his palm. Lowell seemed pleased that he had accepted his gift and smacked his hand against his knee, making more nonsensical noises.

“I think he likes you,” Mina said. “Why else would he hand over something so precious as a toy?”

Kolya raised an eyebrow at his wife, judging her slightly for the comment. He received a smirk in return, which made him roll his eyes. Lowell began to move away from his chair, slowly toddling on his small legs in the direction of Mina’s chair instead, seemingly done with him. After a few steps, he lost his balance and fell down on his butt. Rather than trying to stand again or crawl, he simply scooted across the floor like that.

“You better get him before he gets into trouble,” Kolya said.

Mina laughed softly and crawled across the floor in Lowell’s direction, scooping him up before he could pull the blanket off her chair. She stood with him in her arms and moved him through the air in a swooping motion, causing him to giggle and squeal in delight. Kolya watched the scene with a soft smile on his lips.

Mina seemed to be a natural at this. That didn’t surprise him any, given her caring nature. She had shown him compassion when he needed it most, even though he probably didn’t deserve it. Despite their differences and lack of a good relationship, she had shown concern for Sora’s well-being. Her position as a medic was well chosen, giving her the environment to help people like she was good at.

She would be an amazing mother. If possible, I will do what I can to make sure she achieves that dream.