Knights and Dreamers

Chapter 5

Juliet is already moving to awaken Sylvia when the access panel behind us hisses open. We hear the familiar footsteps of the High Smith as she enters the cockpit and approaches us. 

“Hmm, interesting modifications,” she muses as she places a hand over Juliet’s. “Don’t be so quick to get back into the action though,” she warns us. “The Archmage desperately wants to take a peek at you.” 

After a moment’s hesitation, Juliet lets out a sigh and climbs out of the harness. “Who’re they sending out then?” she asks as both our curiosity comes to the forefront. 

“Kestis is heading out now. So don’t worry your little head about it.” We’re both relieved that it’s Hollis and Tegan taking point. Of all our classmates, they’re probably the best. We can’t deny that they’re better than we ever were. 

The High Smith lets out a small breath of air as she stares into Juliet’s eyes. She takes out a little red crystal that looks an awful lot like a Heart Stone and touches it gently to my partner’s temple. “You really in there Gordon?” she asks. 

“I am,” I reply, hoping that shard will let her hear me. “I’ve been in here since Clawpounder crushed my side of the pod.” 

Frowning, Constance pulls the crystal away. “Unbelievable,” she mutters. 

“What is?” Juliet asks while rubbing the spot where the red shard had been pressed into her skin. 

“Since we’re not compatible, I’d never be able to form a proper bond with you, but in my years I’ve learned a few extra uses for the Heart Stones,” she explains. “Mostly it lets me detect the presence of thoughts and feelings, even if I can’t tell what they are. And, despite conventional knowledge saying it’s impossible, I can feel two distinct sets inside you.” She shakes her head. “The Archmage is going to have a field day,” she sighs. 

We both know exactly how she’s feeling as we’re dreading the rapidly approaching meeting for much the same reasons. Archmage Kelvithor was already insufferable about us being a hetero bonded pair. I can only imagine how intense he’s going to be regarding us sharing a body. 

The High Smith guides us out of Sylvia and to one of the various lounges that connect directly to this hangar. She leaves us here, sparing us one more look before heading off to intercept the Archmage.

As we wait, I find myself drifting off, thinking about the years and years that the Archmage spent testing our bond in every way he could think of.

****

We were nearing the end of our training, and the Archmage was no closer to figuring out what made us so special. He’d tried test after test, and nothing bore fruit. 

Meanwhile, as a consequence of our time spent together, and our continued training in Sylvia, Juliet and I were growing closer than ever. 

“Gods be damned, it’s a fucking shame you know?” Juliet growled as she came out of the shower. She’d given up on modesty around me since she realized we were going to be living in close quarters for the rest of our lives. Understandably, this left me dealing with a number of extremely uncomfortable side effects. 

“What is?” I asked while shifting my book ever so slightly so that it hid my misbehaving member. I hated the damn thing most of the time. Sure it sometimes felt good to touch, but most of the time it was awkward and in the way, and that was when it was flaccid. When erect, it was downright unbearable as it just left me feeling tense, like a spring loaded piston ready to release.

“That you’re a man,” Juliet whined softly as she flopped down next to me on the bed. “You’d be perfect otherwise,” she lamented as she peaked at what I was reading. 

I hoped beyond hope that she didn’t see my -

Nope. She saw it. That smirk on her face said it all. 

“Seems that you agree with me,” she laughed, unaware of how her teasing just made the throbbing worse. “I mean, seriously. Aside from your body, you’re perfect. We like just enough of the same things to get along, but we have enough differences that it stays interesting.” She leaned back against my pillow as she sighed. “And you just get me! You get me in a way nobody else does, not even my own sister!” 

“I remember your sister from family day,” I commented, trying to change the subject. Juliet would go on that rant a lot, especially during those days. “She seemed nice. How’s she doing by the way?” I continued. 

Juliet fixed me with a firm look. “You realize she was so nice because she liked you right?” Now that didn’t seem right. “And she’s still pining over you,” she scoffed. “We have the same damn taste aside from gender, and if it wouldn’t be beyond awkward, I’d suggest you two date!” 

The idea of being with my partner’s sister was not one I liked to entertain. She was cute, sure, but it’d be like going for the silver medal, even if I could never have gold. I’d long since fallen in love with Juliet, a fact that I tried very hard to keep from her. It was hard, but clearly not impossible, even with our souls entwined, as she never brought it up. 

“See? That look on your face! You’re not even remotely into my sister, are you?” she points out with a deep hearty laugh. “By the gods, it’s like I custom ordered you and then someone fucked you up along the way!” 

Wincing, I rolled over to look away from her. I knew she didn’t mean it, but it still hurt to be reminded of what we could never have.

Juliet put a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Ack, I’m sorry Gordon, I didn’t mean it like that. You know I love you as much as a lesbian can love a man, right?” I nodded slowly, still feeling like hot garbage. “Like, you’re more than just a friend, or even a brother,” she explained, her lips close to my ear. “We just have a different sort of love, you know?”

I didn’t get the chance to respond as we were interrupted by a call from the Archmage. He had another test to run and needed us present for it.

The two of us made the short trip to our boss’ lab. We were only a couple of floors below his personal chambers and he frequently would call us to swing by for a test or two. 

Wondering what he had in mind this time, I pushed the door open and let Juliet in first.

“Such a charmer,” she teased while poking me in the chest. My heart nearly stopped at the playful banter. I was doomed. I knew it, she knew it. There was no way for me to survive the rest of our term together.

It definitely didn’t help that the only time I felt comfortable was when we were bonded in Sylvia. Something about escaping my own form was just so alluring. Feeling both Sylvia and Juliet’s bodies made it easier to ignore my own and feel something close to peace for once.

As we entered the lab, I found myself looking around while lost in thought. The Archmage liked to play pranks now and again, so it was a bit of a crapshoot as to whether he’d approach us normally or if he’d -

“Help me!” a squeaky voice called out from one of the tables. I rolled my eyes and met Juliet beside it. We searched the various vials and flasks for whatever had spoken and eventually found the Archmage, shrunken to the size of an apple and seemingly trapped inside of a tall glass container.

“We could leave him there,” Juliet suggested with a wicked grin. The Archmage gasped in mock horror while I rolled my eyes at his antics. 

“Ah, but who would pay us?” I pointed out as I picked up the big flask. “Besides, someone will let him out eventually. Might as well be us. Maybe we’ll get a reward.” I turned to the incredibly powerful mage who was in no way trapped. “So, boss, do we get a reward?” I asked.

“Oh of course, a reward fit for a king!” he replied in that high pitched voice. “Now let me out!” 

With a shake of my head, I tipped the flask upside down, emptying a flowing mist out and onto the floor. The vapor quickly coalesced into the Archmage. He dusted himself off and fixed us both with narrowed eyes. “Would you actually have left me in there?” he asked, his tone more amused than anything.

“Guess you’ll never find out,” Juliet replied with a giggle.

“Right, yes. Well, let’s be moving on then,” he waved us over to a ridiculous looking machine in the corner. “This here, is the… the… actually, I don’t think I came up with a name. Quick, Gordon, give me a name for the thing!” 

I blinked as he put the spotlights on me, first a metaphorical one then a literal one, conjured above me. “Terry,” I answered, only panicking a little. 

“Terry? Really? Just Terry?” he chuckled as he confirmed my answer. When I nodded, he shrugged theatrically. “Then Terry it is. This here, is Terry, and Terry is a very special machine.” He guided us each into one of the tubes on either side of the device. “What Terry does is measure a bond for any irregularities.”

“Haven’t you done that sort of test before, sir?” Juliet asked, sounding absolutely bored. I felt the same way, but had already resigned myself to the nonsense. 

“Well, yes. But this one is an order of magnitude more precise. Now hold still,” the Archmage instructed as he pulled the lever.

****

“So,” Juliet says softly, bringing my attention back to the present.

“So,” I repeat.

“We’ve got a moment before the Archmage gets here,” my partner points out. “We should probably figure out what our goals are.”

“What do you mean?” I can feel her lips curl into a smile. 

“Well, we can try and get you a new body or-”

“No!” I cut her off. “I don’t want to go ba-” I bite my metaphorical tongue. This is too much. It’s not fair for me to want to ride along with Juliet, even if I feel more at ease than ever before. “It’s… we… Sylvia only has the one harness,” I point out as if I’m not painfully obvious about what I really want.

“Gordon…” she sighs softly. “You really hated that body, didn’t you?” I don’t say anything, but she seems to be able to feel my emotions well enough to get my answer. 

“It sort of reminds me of a friend I had growing up,” she comments after several minutes of silence. “We used to think she was a boy,” she chuckles. “Then after we started doing those soul searching exercises, she realized she was a girl.” 

“We had a few folks like that in my class too, but what does that have to do with me?” I ask, feeling awfully confused. 

“Well, my friend told me that she never felt comfortable in her own skin until the mages were able to shape her body to match her soul.” Her voice is soft, and gentle, like she’s coaxing a skittish animal to approach her.

“I still don’t see what that has to do with me. I did those soul searching exercises too, but I never found anything.” Sometimes I wished I had, but I kept that to myself.

“Didn’t you also say that you struggled with it too? That your teachers pointed out that you needed to realize something about yourself?” She grins as she looks down at her own body, giving me a full view of her perfect form. “Maybe you just missed it.”

Could that really have been the case? Could I have been trans this whole time? It’s hard to fathom. You almost never hear about trans people since it's easy to address and is always caught early enough that the magical procedures are done when people are kids.

A realization dawns on me as everything falls into place. “Juliet. If… if that’s the case, then that explains how we were bonded!” I can feel her agreement resonating in the shared spaces of our mind. 

“I was starting to suspect it just before the accident,” she admits. “I had planned to discuss it with you and look into getting you the help you needed, but then well… you know.” She shakes her head, her soft hair moving about her face and filling me with joy. “When I heard your voice in my mind, I knew instantly it was yours even if it sounds nothing like you used to.”

“What do you mean by that?” I have a feeling I know the answer, but I have to be sure. 

“You sound like a woman of course,” she confirms my suspicions, which fills me with giddy delight. “So I’ll ask you again, do you want your own body?”

“I -” The lounge’s door slams open, interrupting my train of thought as the Archmage bursts into the room.

Damnit.

“Juliet! And presumably Gordon?” he asks, eliciting a quick jerky nod from Juliet. “Splendid! This is marvelous news!” he gushes. “We were so distraught by your apparent death my good sir, I’m full glad you’re still with us.” 

Calling me sir has always made me feel awkward and uncomfortable, and it’s always confused me. But with the latest revelation, it’s now clear why.

“Actually, before you get too riled up sir, we need to clear something up.” Juliet cuts him off with practiced ease. He stops in the middle of winding up to another big speech and gestures for Juliet to continue. “Well, Gordon and I, have realized that they were never a man. My partner has always been a woman and just didn’t realize it. That’s why we could bond.”

Several emotions crossed the Archmage’s face before he settled on disappointment. “Really? After all this time, Gordon was just trans? How… anti-climatic.”

“Kind of rude, don’t you think?” Juliet chastises him. He quickly looks startled and starts to stammer.

“A - Apologies g - girls,” he manages to say. “I was just expecting something less… mundane.” He lets out a sigh before perking right up. “Though, this current situation does pique my interest.” His face lights up as if he has the most amazing idea ever. “I know what to do ladies! Let’s go use Terry!” 

End Chapter 5