“What’s with…” I trailed off as I realized I was suddenly standing in the throne room. Regent Alissa and Rodrick were there. Alissa was against one of the pillars, her dress was pulled up, her panties on the ground under her.

  Rodrick was.. Yea.. I think you get the drift. After a long quiet moment, they just.. Continued. I had no words, and I needed to go get Tama anyways. I turned and went to leave when that Wolfkin appeared next to me.

  “Whoa! That Princess is something else!” He said, then he vanished again. I blinked in uncertainty.

  “Oh yes Rodrick, harder you slacker!” I heard Alissa scream at Rodrick and I felt sick. The Wolfkin reappeared a moment later except this time he was going really fast and slammed into the ceiling hard before falling and hitting the carpeted floor.

  “Oh my Water!” Regent Alissa cried out. “I want you to do that to me!” She snapped at Rodrick.

  “Get a room, you two!” I finally snapped at them. “The throne room is not the place for sex! GET OUT!” I idly noted that Rodrick’s was smaller than Lyran’s. Not.. not that that mattered.

  The Wolfkin got back up and rubbed his head. “Ouch! That girl is psychotic. I would totally date her.”

  I turned on him. “You! You teleported me here didn’t you!” my tail grew and coated in earth before grabbing him.

  “Wow Saki! Can you slam him into the ground like that?” Regent Alissa asked and I sighed. But… I slammed the Wolfkin into the ground a few times.

  Regent Alissa began to jerk for a moment, then giggled. “Death incarnate that was hot!” Rodrick said as he grabbed Alissa and began dragging her out of the room. “I don’t need ye impressing my first wife more den me!” He snapped as he left out the foyer.

  “Make sure he dominates you!” Alissa cried out excitedly. I rolled my eyes. And focused on the Wolfkin who looked entirely unbothered.

  “Where is Tama!” I snapped at him, ignoring her smirk. I slammed him into the ground again and he laughed.

  “If that’s the best you can do, you won’t get nothing out of me Royal Advisor! I do training like this for breakfast! By the way, I want my job back!” I stared at him as he spoke, my brain not quite.. Reaching.. understanding.

  “Job? What job?” I asked. “No wait, Tama first!” He looked at me like I was stupid.

  “Obviously I want my royal teleporting job back. I am willing to take an 80% pay cut, even going as high as 90% if Tama agrees to be my training partner!” His response was so matter of fact, I dropped him in stunned silence.

  There was a moment of silence. Then I spoke calmly. “I am willing to give fifty gold coins a week, thirty of which will be deducted for Tama training payments” My tail lashed casually back and forth. I low balled him to make sure we ended on a fair count.

  He climbed to his feet, took a deep breath, then laughed. “Oh heck yea! That’s more than acceptable! But I demand at least one training fight a week!”

  I froze for a moment, then I remembered crazy equals normal and just sighed. Just in case, I tested something. “Not going to go for one hundred gold? Try to get a little more?”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  He snorted at me! “Why would I do that? With the job I have a place to stay! With Tama, I have a sparring partner, and I can use the winnings I get from the arena for my food and stuff.”

  “Right… well we will get the paperwork settled later, for now, I need you to bring me back to Tama.” I said seriously. He nodded and appeared next to me, a moment later I was standing back in the arena.

  Sabi was holding Saki and crying. Horror filled me and I rushed over to see what she was upset about. Was Tama okay?

  Pushing Sabi out of the way, I quickly checked Tama’s heartbeat. It’s rhythmic pulse calmed me immensely and I fell back on my ass. “Just.. What happened!?” I snapped at Sabi before catching myself.

  Sabi took a deep breath and shook her head. “After Drake teleported you away…” I made a mental note that the Wolfkin’s name was Drake. “Tama tried to attack him. He tried to teleport her away, but she did something and he was sent away.”

  I nodded, that added up. It explains why he appeared a moment later after me. “Then he came back and tried again, except this time, Tama, in her …” Sabi sounded pissed and I was a little taken aback.

  She caught herself, took a deep breath before continuing. “Decided the best option available to her was to blink him and her up into the air before sending him away again.” I snorted at that. Then realization hit me.

  Tama was already severely hurt. Her blink ability caused her to travel at extreme velocity. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. “That stupid girl!” I cried as I grabbed her. After a long moment, I wiped the tears from my eyes.

  “Sabi.. Go get me a power suppression necklace.” My voice was quiet. Sabi looked uncertain.

  “I mean.. She can be..” Sabi started, but I glared at her and she went silent. After a moment she turned into a ball of water and left the room.

  “You will get better if I have to make you Tama.” I whisper quietly as I gently lifted and began to carry her unconscious form back to the castle. I barely made it to the gates when Drake appeared.

  He looked between us and asked. “Need a ride?” I shook my head and kept walking. He shrugged and vanished again. It was a long walk back to the castle. Without blinking or teleportation or shifting forms or magical powers.

  I spent every second of it holding my friend, my best friend, close to me. Tama was reckless, simplistics, overly trusting, unintentionally cruel sometimes. She caused havoc and broke things.

  She also was the best friend I had ever had. She drew people to her like a magnet on steroids. She brought people together and saved millions again and again. She was everything I wished I was, and everything I would never be.

  I gently kissed her forehead as we reached the castle gates. This had been my fault. I had been so distracted with magical plagues, relationships, getting laid, and dealing with so.. Much.. drama. I wasn’t there when she needed me.

  Deep down I knew the truth though. Tama didn’t need me, she needed to learn. I had been enabling her. Kita, that psychopath, had done more for Tama than I had in almost four years. I clenched my teeth at that.

  Tama didn’t need her core to become Queen, Tama didn’t even need powers to become Queen. She needed to sit on her throne and receive the scepter and crown. Once that was done, it was over. Then she and I would go somewhere far away and rest.

  “If she would go with me after this…” I said quietly to myself as I laid her on her bed. Sabi rushed through the door and up to me. She held the necklace in her hands and she shook. She looked at me and I took the necklace from her and gently placed it around Tama’s neck.

  “You might hate me Tama, but I will always love you.” I whispered quietly as I used my blood to seal the necklace. Now, only I could remove it. It was only a few days. But I had a feeling by the time this was over, Tama would never speak to me again.

  I crawled into the bed next to her and cuddled up to her. She was naked.. She was always naked. I giggled at that. I pulled her body in close and held her tight. She would wake up soon, and when she did…

  Sabi, with tears in her eyes, said nothing. She just watched us quietly. I ignored her. Right now, it was just Tama and I… just not for very long.

  I shifted into my fox form and gently wrapped my tails around her. She smiled in her rest and grabbed them. If I could have smiled, I would have. Wrapping herself in my tails like a warm blanket, she cuddled.

  Tomorrow my dear Tama, you would be Queen. Tomorrow… all will change.