5 Chapter 4: Boundaries; Bonds

Sabriel and I were greeted by two crew members of the Vaurhaut. Looking at their raudrec, I could see that they were both at the rank of ensign. Coming down from the ramp of the load ship, we saluted the crew members who returned our salutes.

"Come with us, cadets. The captain requests your presence on the bridge." One of the crew members informed us.

I looked to Sabriel curiously as I was assuming that we'd be led to the trainee quarters and staying put for the remainder of the trip. She shrugged in response before we followed the ensigns.

The interior of the ship was so massive that there were actually several teleportation pads installed within each section to allow for speedy access to other sections. Needless to say, it was my first time encountering such advanced technology. "So let me get something straight first. This thing is supposed to deconstruct my entire body and then reconstruct it at another location, right?"

The ensign I was speaking to nodded in reply. "In essence, yes."

"And you're sure this is totally safe? What if something goes wrong in the middle?"

The ensign smiled. "Then you die." When I shot him a scathing look, he relented. "Look, we've all used these things for hundreds of years and there hasn't been a single incident like what you're describing."

"Right…" I started taking a deep breath to mentally prepare myself. As I was inhaling, I felt a force from behind pushing me forwards onto the teleportation pad.

"Hurry up already!" Sabriel's voice sounded from behind me as I stumbled while frantically trying to escape from the death trap.

Sabriel stepped onto the pad, preventing me from escaping despite my protests. "It will all be over soon, Auryn." She said as she restrained me.

"No! I can't die yet, Sabriel!" I shouted as the ensigns stepped onto the pad as well, pressing a button. I felt a strange sensation all over my body as if my skin was crawling off of me. Shutting my eyes, I hoped for the best.

The next time I opened my eyes, all my surroundings had changed. The walkway of the docking bay had now been replaced by a long and ornate hallway decorated with some sort of metallic material that I did not recognize.

I breathed a long sigh of relief. I had survived the worst part of my journey so far. Still recovering from my horrible experience, I let my three companions walk ahead of me for a bit until I could regain my bearings. Although I avoided any mishaps this time, I sure as hell wouldn't want to experience teleportation again. That probably wasn't an option though, since it was the quickest way of getting around the ship.

The two ensigns and Sabriel waited for me before the door that led to the bridge. When I caught up with them, one of the ensigns held his fragarec up to a small panel next to the door, causing it to unlock. "Please step inside, cadets. The captain awaits you."

Sabriel and I saluted the ensigns before we parted ways, entering the bridge. It seems that our footsteps were loud enough to alert the captain who rose from her seat. She pivoted neatly and precisely on her heel to face us. She was fairly tall, standing a good two heads above me. Her long auburn hair fell naturally around her shoulders, framing her beautiful and elegant face. If Sabriel was the sun, she was the moon. Her features were soft and subtle, but they gave her an air of grace and maturity. We stopped before her, saluting.

After the captain returned our salute, she immediately broke into a smile. "I am overjoyed to see that you have returned safely, Cadet Deusicar. I see that you have brought our first volunteer from Teuloc."

My head snapped to Sabriel inadvertently as the captain addressed her. I knew that Deusicar was the name of the royal family. A brief look of displeasure crossed her face as she responded to the captain. "Yes, ma'am."

The captain nodded, inspecting me and nodding as if she had confirmed something. "Cadet Deusicar, if you wish, please show him to the trainee quarters."

Sabriel and I saluted the captain once more before we pivoted on our heels and left through a door on the side. Luckily, the crew quarters section was close to the bridge so there would be no need for us to use the teleportation pads again. After discovering that Sabriel was actually an Imperial Princess, I began feeling strangely self conscious of my own position. I was not even an imperial citizen, but only a feudal subject of Teuloc's star system and lord. Although Sabriel had mentioned that social standing should have no impact in the military, I can't help but think that the captain's behavior towards her was extremely polite. Perhaps I had been overly familiar with her.

Sabriel turned her head to look at me. "Is something the matter, Auryn? Why do you walk behind me?"

It seems that I had unconsciously avoided walking parallel with her. It was most likely due to me being overly conscious about our social statuses. Regardless, I did not wish to offend her. "My apologies, your Highness the Imperial and Royal Princess…" I figured that I should take a more formal tone with her now. Surely I was acting far too casual with her on the load ship.

Sabriel's countenance immediately darkened and her brow was set in a sharp frown. Her cute lips were upturned in an expression of extreme displeasure. It seems like I screwed up. "I am not an Imperial Princess!" She rebuked me. "I am merely the daughter of a king! The Empress is my grandmother, but my father is a king. In fact, I am referred to as the imperial granddaughter within the royal family. 'Your highness the imperial granddaughter.' Is the sound of it not already off putting?" She snapped with a tone filled with annoyance.

"My deepest apologies, your Highness…" I tried to say, only to falter when Sabriel's displeasure increased exceedingly.

Sabriel turned around angrily, walking forwards at a brisk pace. "When I was small, I inherited a territory from my mother. That is why I was sometimes called Archduchess Ceti. When I enlisted in the military, the name 'Cadet Deusicar' became popular as well, despite my family name." She spoke without turning around to face me. "I thought I had told you, Auryn. You will call me Sabriel!"

My face met my palm in an expression of self disappointment. I paused my stride as I reflected on my self consciousness. She stopped to look at me. "I'm sorry, Sabriel, I didn't realize. Friends call you 'Sabriel' is what you meant."

Sabriel graced me with her beautiful smile. "That is not true. Only my father and the Empress refer to me without a title. My friends refer to me as 'Her Highness', or 'Princess Deusicar.'"

I frowned, puzzled. "Then why do you want to be called Sabriel by a person like me who you had just met?"

Sabriel gave me a long pause before answering. "You are the first one who has ever asked for my name. Even the people close to me call me 'Her Highness' so I never paid attention to it. I have been called that way ever since I was born." Sabriel paused again. "However, when I was growing up, I noticed that my friends called each other by only their names and it just made me feel… Envious. Just a little bit envious."

"When we were all together, it was as if they could not relax in my presence. It became more apparent when I noticed the difference in treatment." Sabriel continued. She looked down in melancholy as we walked. It seems that she was recalling memories that were not so pleasant for her.

I nodded as we stopped before the first door of a long line of doors. Sabriel gestured towards a panel next to the door. I held up my fragarec to the panel, a brief message displaying that it had registered me as the owner of the room. "I'm sorry, Sabriel." I said.

Sabriel shrugged as I opened the door to the room, inspecting the area and taking a seat on the bed. She leaned on the frame. "There is no need to apologize. I do not have the temperament to endure insulting names, but if it is a title, then I shall accept whatever it may be." Sabriel put on a nonchalant air. "'Your Highness' or 'Princess Deusicar' or even 'Archduchess Deusicar', you can call me whatever you wish, Cadet Parnyr." She said in an extremely formal tone.

"Ah, please let me call you Sabriel…" I said apologetically.

Sabriel pivoted on her heel, spinning around so that her back was facing me now. "Do not be foolish. It is not as if I said that I wanted you to call me Sabriel. In fact, when you asked for my name, I thought about including my title in it." She lied.

"Please, I want to call you Sabriel." I pushed.

"Do not hurt yourself, Cadet Parnyr. How about 'Your Highness Princess Deusicar' or whatever?"

I paused after her response, not knowing how to placate her. It seems like I had struck a nerve. It seems I have no choice. I got up from the bed, walking around Sabriel and placing myself in front of her. I raised my arms in surrender. "How can I get you to forgive me, Sabriel!?" I pleaded.

Sabriel stared at me for a second before she started giggling like the first time we met. I blushed. She looked at me mischievously. "You really did not realize I was a Deusicar, did you?"

"Not at all." I sighed as I slumped back onto my bed.

She stared at me with a thoughtful expression as she stood across from me now. "Hmm, really…" She then pointed to her eyes. "The name of this Deisonum is the Eyes of Seira. All those with royal blood possess it. That should be of assistance when you ever need to identify a member of the royal family."

I nodded my thanks. "I can't believe they didn't even teach me the basics of identifying royalty."

Sabriel gave me a wry smile. "Well, would you have treated me the same when we first met had you known I were Deusicar?"

I shook my head admittedly. "No, that I would not. By the way, it is awfully quiet here. Where are the other cadets?" I asked, suddenly conscious of the fact that it was only me and Sabriel in the room. Despite the door being open and the noise of our chatter inevitably echoing through to the walkway of the trainee quarters, the other rooms remained closed.

Sabriel shrugged. "I am not sure either. Perhaps they are at the mess hall. Speaking of which, I have not eaten since I arrived at the station."

As she spoke, I could feel that my stomach was uncomfortably empty. I must have been distracted by the thrill of my first flight through space. I stood up and beckoned to Sabriel. "Let's go get some food, then!"

Unfortunately, this was a trip that required the use of a teleportation pad. I had a nagging feeling that Sabriel enjoyed seeing me in fear of the device. Once she had managed to force me onto the pad, we arrived at a long walkway in the blink of an eye. The sides of the walkway were lined with a myriad of doors, most of which were clearance restricted.

Sabriel led me through the walkway until we reached a rather large door which opened of its own accord without us even having to identify ourselves with our fragarec. The room behind the door was revealed to be a medium sized cafeteria styled mess hall with multiple tables where groups of cadets sat and a self-serve area where one could order food and have it created for you by the matter composers. Though the food from matter composers didn't hold a candle to the food that was actually cooked by chefs, it still served its purpose to provide nutrients and acceptable taste.

I looked around at each table before turning to Sabriel. "Where should we sit?"

Sabriel shrugged. "I do not mind so long as it is not too crowded. You will find us a seat while I go collect our food. Do you have any preference?"

I quickly made a negative gesture. "Whoa! I can't possibly let the Princess-" My sentence was stopped by Sabriel's death glare. It wouldn't be wise of me to finish my sentence. Actually, it wasn't wise of me to start that particular sentence in the first place. "I mean, I'll go find us a seat right away, Sabriel!" I laughed sheepishly, running off quickly to avoid provoking Sabriel's irked annoyance any further.

I could still feel the heat of her glare burning into my back as I searched for a suitable table.