She Would Love To, But...

Vrasha mustered her strongest surge of willpower and pushed the other woman aside. Even as she did, she felt a swelling of bitterness and regret. Longing for the touch of her friend and occasional lover. But she stomped down on it and closed it off, forcing herself to think of her duty and her people.

"I can't," She said. "Not right now. I enjoyed the massage but I need to question the slaves. I can't dally."

"Dally?" The corners of Elody's mouth turned upwards in a half smirk. "Is that what you would call it?"

"Besides enjoyable?" Vrasha said. "You know that I like it when we have fun together. But right now I have to do what I came here to do. I have to question the slaves, figure out what they know. Unravel Gelmina's plan and uncover what they're working towards."

"And all of that, you must do alone?"

"Alone? No. Never. I have you and the others."

Vrasha sat up on the bed, letting the dress hang off her as she got to her feet. She wriggled free of it and let it pile onto the floor before moving to the corner of the room where her luggage had been left. From there, she picked out a pair of leggings and a green tunic to wear. It was basic stuff, the sort of thing that no princess would ever dream of being seen in. But it suited her.

"I understand your need to see to your duty," Elody said, coming up behind her. Vrasha's skin tingled as Elody's hands gently massaged her shoulders. "But if you leave no time for yourself, you will burn out. Vrasha, you are only human. Only mortal. I may not understand the exact limits which govern you, but I know they exist. You can only go so far."

"I will stop when I need to," Vrasha promised. "I'm not stupid. I know I need to rest and recover. But Khol-Hon is burning, Elody. Even though the war is over, there are bandits who once were soldiers in my brother's army. There is massive debt to be paid. Towns and roads that need to be rebuilt. The borders have to be secured - we made many enemies - and the army has to be almost totally rebuilt. Traitors must be weeded out, and there are many who see me as a simple, weak woman. Easily led aside or removed to make way for their own ascent to power. I would love to take time for myself, but I cannot. For every moment that goes by could be the difference between a good future and a terrible one for those I lead."

"These things I know," Elody said."But you are not a machine, Vrasha. You are not the perfect ruler that some of your followers would wish you to be. You are human and you make mistakes, you get tired, you need to rest. If you refuse to admit that someone will exploit it. By fighting so hard you open yourself to the exact fate that you fear most."

"Then what do you want me to do? Abandon my people?"

"You would not be you if you would do that," Elody chided. "The woman I know would never surrender her people. Not in a million years. I have seen many things throughout my life. But rarely indeed have I met someone who burns as brightly as you. But you must admit to yourself that you are only human, that you can take breaks. That you do need to rest. I fear for you sometimes. You seem to think that our places are reversed. That I am the one who needs to take breaks while you can work away for your entire life. I have lived for far longer than you and I do not need to rest, but you treat me so much more gently than you treat yourself."

"Of course I treat you gently," Vrasha turned to look at her. "You're my friend. Without you, I would be dead by now or a **** to my brother. You sacrificed so much of your power to help me and burned things that you will never get back. Do you regret that? I wonder sometimes if you do..."

"Do I regret helping you?" Elody traced one hand over Vrasha's head, playing with her hair. "Not even slightly. My choices are my own. Do not blame yourself for them."

"I convinced you to do it, though. "

"You convinced me because you were correct. Do not apologise for that. Evil must be fought. Sacrifices should be made if they can deny it. And I had so much more to give than you. Do not mourn for what I lost. Even after the fires, I stand tall."

By now Vrasha had finished getting changed and the two women moved back out of the bedroom towards the slaves.