Timeless Two

18

"I haven't been back since I was given this to wear." Anna says as she helps Ari up from the wheelchair.

"Better let me go first," Ari says softly. She starts taking her top off even as she starts walking.

"What is she doing?" Alexis says stopping and staring as Ari goes through the vault door and disappears.

"She's taking off the clothes that will cause us trouble. She's getting you permission to enter without the proper clothing." Anna explains even as she changes. She's not so daring, she changes in the vault itself. The corridor is too exposed for her. The clothing is too exposed for her, even the modified version they are letting her wear.

Soon Ari returns. She walks with more strength and purpose than she normally does. She beckons the other two forward. She looks over Anna carefully and makes a slight change to the clothing.

"They are waiting for you Alexis." Ari says and walks forward with the nearly trembling nurse.

"Nearly complete now," One guard says.

"One still remains to be found," The other guard replies.

Ari turns to Anna, "Is Dr. Jaylen your aunt?"

Anna nods, "She wanted to do something to help others. She got tired of all the endless raiding and death."

"They need her to come here. Once you are freed of watching me, you will need to bring her here. Even if she doesn't want to find some way to convince her. She is needed for whatever the trees have planned. After the tribunal gets here it will be far more difficult to get people in and out of here." Ari tries to give Anna a sense of urgency.

"I'll do my best Ari, but Jaylen has always had a mind of her own. She refused to take over when I inherited at an age much to young. I'm not sure that I can get her here but I'll do the best I can." Anna says not just to Ari but to the trees as well.

Alexis in the meantime looks around her in wonder. She'd never seen anything like it. The trees were taller than the castle itself. The ground was soil and the dead remains of leaves and other plant material. Grass grows abundantly and tempts her to just lie down and take a nap.

"Alexis, come on, when the men are through they'll be sending in hopefully hoards of people. Let's get out of the way." Ari leads the way to the springs.

Anna sits down and just lets her mind wander. She knows that Ari won't leave the forest.

Alexis looks around unsure of what to do.

Ari jumps in the pool of water that surrounds the springs.

Suddenly Alexis desires to do the same. She swims to the center and finds herself refreshed.

"The first time I jumped in I froze. This time I needed to be refreshed and so I was." Ari says floating on the water.

Alexis doesn't say anything she too just floats and lets her worries and fears float away.

"He likes you, you know." Ari says suddenly.

Alexis startled sits up and promptly chokes on some water. When she could speak again she demands, "What are you talking about?"

"Jeshua, he likes you." Ari says and stands up in the water. It isn't really that deep so the water comes up to her waist. She takes her hair and wrings the water from it. The queen had forbidden her to cut it shorter than butt length. It gets really heavy when wet.

Alexis smiles and stands rather than trying to sit in the water. "What makes you think that? He likes women all women Ari. He's a womanizer, he loves them, and yes he'd protect them as well."