Evaluation

Queen Bee hastily left the Dreamscape just before the announcement was complete. In the space between her exit and her entrance into the waking world, she considered a few things among the stars of the void.

Her time in the Dreamscape had been enlightening at the very least. Helios had not only met her expectations but far exceeded them as a fighter and as a companion in battle.

She learned that their connection ran deep. Sometimes Helios reacted to her thoughts before they were even fully formed.

Helios's powerful breath was the biggest surprise. Kosi had never demonstrated that ability.

Or had he?

Noble remembered Kosi's bounding leaps when he scaled the city wall. He had breathed out each time as he sailed through the air.

At the time, Noble had assumed that the rhythmic breathing was merely to push more power into the Symncus's muscles as he pounced. But now she realized he might be putting extra force into his impossible leaps through more magical means.

Even Emira had seemed hesitant to go up against Kosi's roar. Now Noble wished she had watched her friend and protector's fighting style more closely back when they first met.

But that time had passed.

So she would count the blessings she did have instead of dwelling on what might have been.

Helios appeared in the void beside her and she smiled at him.

"You did well. Better than well, actually. I am proud of you."

The Symncus, of course, didn't answer. But he lowered his head before returning to her soul sea.

Opening her eyes, Noble enthusiastically threw open the pod's door.

Perhaps a little too enthusiastically. Still unused to her increased strength, Noble's gauntlets made indents in the alloy pod's handle. If she had pushed any harder, the hinges and wall might have suffered damage as well.

'Oops!'

Wincing, the duelist gently lowered the lid to hide her blunder and dismissed her Fraudulent Facade.

The handle was still functional at least. She would worry about it later. For now, her main concern was located in the other room.

Her family.

Even though Helios had been triumphant, Noble couldn't help but feel guilty at having stayed too long in the Dreamscape. She wouldn't make them wait any longer.

Still in her Queen Bee armor, Noble returned to her living room. Even with all the protection, she felt very exposed.

Peeking over the couch and from the recliner, four pairs of eyes were staring intently at her as soon as she entered the room.

"I'm back," the mother said sheepishly, unsure of exactly the welcome she would receive. Her own emotions were too overwhelming for her to get an accurate reading of the room.

That was until Fort lifted the rest of his face over the back of the couch to reveal his Cheshire grin.

"Did you enjoy your one round in the Dreamscape?" he asked innocently.

'Blasted man! Why do you always have to be right?!' 

Hadn't he predicted she wouldn't stay longer than planned?

"I never said how long a single round was," she brushed her hair behind her shoulders defiantly.

"I don't know that anyone has ever defined one round as eleven matches," Blaze pointed out, mimicking his father's innocent gaze.

"Mother, I think you may have a problem with counting. I can help with that!" Brock gave his mother a thumbs up.

"Or I can help you find a good tutor," Rain chimed in, her serious face offset by the laughter in her eyes.

"All right. You all have had your fun," Noble placed her hands on her hips before dropping them to her side. "I admit that may have a bit of a problem when it comes to the Dreamscape. I lost track of time. I am sorry I was gone so long!"

"Long?" Rain raised one eyebrow. "You've barely been gone twenty minutes."

"Really?" Noble glanced at the closest clock. It was time for the kids to head to their rooms, but only barely.

The first ten battles had all taken an average of a minute or less with a few being only seconds long. And the last one felt like an eternity, but really even it was only around ten minutes of intense fighting.

'Huh...interesting.'

Noble shrugged. "Now that we have established that I am terrible with time....what did you think?"

"THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Blaze held up a datapad. "I took notes of each battle for you to look over later."

"Thank you, son," Noble blew her youngest boy a kiss.

"That was quite a show. I can't believe he ate a competitor," Rain was somewhere between amused and still shocked.

"And stole a lady's heart," Noble added with the tip of her mouth slanting upwards.

"That's because Leo is the best. He has the strength and the swagger." Brock pumped his fist in the air.

Noble furrowed her brow. "Leo?"

"Helios–Leo. It's called a nickname, Mom!" Brock sounded exasperated at having to explain himself.

"I see." The professor chuckled lightly.

"Whatever you call him, he and his handler did amazing this evening. Perhaps another prize is in order?" Fort winked, making Noble blush.

"Dad, we can hear you, you know," Rain covered her face with her hand.

"Good." Fort's smile only grew bigger.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I didn't do much," Noble folded her hands behind her back. For the most part, she had felt like a front-row spectator more than a participant.

"She's right, Dad." Blaze set down the datapad and clasped his hands. "If anyone should get a prize, it should be Brock and I since it was our idea. So, Mom, can we possibly have that ride on Leo's back now?"

His mother's eyes swirled slightly as she raised a gauntlet in protest.

"Oh no. You all promised to head to bed remember? Tests are tomorrow. Maybe this weekend we can do a bit more. After my interview with Frey, there will be no reason to hide him anymore." Noble caught her husband's surprised expression.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" he stood up as he examined her face.

"I'm sure. At this point, it is better to come out with my own statement than to rely on misinformation from others." Noble knew from experience that the person who broke the story could control the narrative.

And the professor wanted that control for herself.

Fort wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her forehead lightly. "Whatever you need from me, I will do. If you want me to contact the government's public relations person, I can."

"We can talk about that tomorrow," Noble set aside the thought for the moment. "Right now I think certain people need to get ready for bed unless they want a real duel without practice weapons!"

The boys exchanged glances.

"Last one to bed has to battle Mom with their eyes closed!" Brock cackled as he raced off.

Blaze was hot on his tail. "Not fair! You got a head start."

Watching her brothers' mad dash, Rain clicked her tongue. "Boys…can't live with them…can't ship them off to boarding school."

"Don't pretend you don't enjoy their antics. They keep life exciting," Noble winced as she heard a crash down the hall.

Rain nodded seriously. "I suppose, but sometimes I could do with a little less excitement…"

"Trust me, I understand more than you know," Noble chuckled softly. "And I can say with confidence that I will take those raucous boys and you over anything else."

Rain's eyes softened as she looked at her mother. "I love you, Mom. It's good to have you back."

The two ladies hugged and Noble felt her eyes fill with tears. "It is good to be back, Rainy. I love you too." 

They stayed like that for a moment, both feeling like wounds had been healed. Finally, Rain let go and smiled. 

"Goodnight Mom. Goodnight Dad!" 

Fort watched his daughter leave. "When did she get so grown up? I swear she was just a little girl last week." 

His eyes caught Noble's and he stopped his reminiscing. Fort cleared his throat. 

"Now that I have you alone..." 

Another crash down the hall pulled the parents' attention. Fort balled his fists. 

Sensing his mood, Noble kissed his mouth quickly and winked. "I'll get them settled and I'll meet you in a moment. A real moment, not a Dreamscape one." 

Fort narrowed his gaze and smiled. "Fine, but one moment, and then I'm coming after you!" 

The look in his eyes made Noble's heart skip a beat. "I'll be quick!"

She floated down the hall quickly to give some carefully worded 'promises' to the boys if they didn't calm down and sleep. 

But when she returned to the living room, Fort was gone.