Author's note: Well, it's been over a year since the last update... Sorry! Many thanks to Chattness for giving me the nudge I needed to get going on this again. I hope you all enjoy the new update!

-x-

Chapter Five: An Arranged Meeting

Jason suppressed a groan as he opened his eyes. It seemed entirely too early for the sun to be rising, yet the room was filled with soft light.

Trini shifted in his arms and made an adorably unhappy sound, also awakened by the sudden intrusion of light.

The bed, meant for one at best, was far too small for the both of them. They'd been forced to sleep all tangled up with each other, which hadn't made for a particularly comfortable night… but he would still take it over another night alone in his enormous bed back in Phaedos, even if he couldn't quite believe he was really here, in Taye, instead of where he was supposed to be in the Castle Phaedos.

Ninjetti teleportation was an amazing power, and he owed Billy tremendously for being willing to use it to reunite him with Trini for a night.

Speaking of Billy… the blue light had faded, leaving the room momentarily in darkness. After some fumbling, their friend managed to get one of the candles lit.

He peered at them fondly for a moment before announcing, "I'm afraid it's time to go, Jason."

Trini's eyes snapped open and she all but launched herself out of the bed—leaving Jason relieved that they hadn't bothered to undress last night, and that they hadn't been engaged in any potentially embarrassing activities just now—and toward her old friend. "Billy!" she exclaimed, tempering her enthusiasm to a safe volume at the last moment.

"I am glad to see you doing well, my friend," Billy told her. He looked a little lost until he wrapped his arms around her to return her hug. Trini was not often so physically demonstrative with her affections; Billy no doubt already had concluded something important from this. When he released her, Billy said, "Before I deal with Jason—" which drew an indignant sound from Jason "—tell me truly: are you safe here, Trini?"

She moved back to sit on the low bed, eyes downcast. Jason sat beside her and slipped an arm around her, a silent offering of support.

At last, she said, "I'm not sure."

"If you wish to leave, I will take you."

"I… thank you, but I don't think I'm ready to give up on this yet," she decided. "It's hard to be so isolated here, but I want to understand where I came from and what happened to my family. I can't give that up just because something happened that scared me." She paused and Jason realized there were tears in her eyes. "Besides, having first Jason and now you here has reminded me that even if I feel like I'm totally alone here, I'm not. I have Zack and Angela. I have your mom, Jase. And both of you."

"And all the rest," Jason told her, "just say the word. We'll be here."

Trini seemed to sag a little with relief. It was good to see some of that tension leave her. She'd seemed so ragged and frightened when he first arrived.

"Speaking of that," Billy said. "Katherine and I were up most of the night working on this." He was dressed in his workclothes, and withdrew a jeweled pendant from one of the many pockets. He offered this to Trini.

She accepted the pendant and inspected it as he continued. "Press the jewel and speak, and the person who holds the matching pendant will hear you, no matter the distance. One of us will keep it at all times," Billy assured her. "We'll come if you need us."

She looked so much happier, and so much more at ease than she had last night, that Jason for the first time felt that perhaps this all hadn't been a terrible idea after all.

"Thank you," she said, looking torn between crying and throwing herself into Billy's arms again.

Billy managed a somewhat watery smile himself, before flicking his gaze over to Jason. "Unfortunately, I think we can delay no longer. You must return to Phaedos with all speed, my friend."

Jason frowned. "It's still dark out. What's the rush?"

"It is dark here in the west, in Taye, but due to the rotation of the planet on which we stand, it is already morning east of here," Billy explained. "In Phaedos the sun rose over an hour ago. If we delay much longer, your routine will be disrupted. There is no way the Council will fail to notice this."

"So what?" Jason muttered, even though he knew exactly what Billy was getting at. The Phaedan Council had not failed to notice just how uncooperative their new emperor could be, and some members of that storied governing body were eagerly seeking any reason they could find to depose Jason and replace him with someone more agreeable to manipulation. If any of them Councilors, or the Phaedan public, knew that their emperor could just disappear to wherever he wanted to go in an instant, with or without their approval, it would not go over well at all. This unsanctioned trip, and any others he might take in the future, must be kept secret. He sighed. "Fine."

"Don't pout," Trini chided, some of her old humor and optimism creeping back into her voice as she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "We'll see each other again."

"I know," he told her. He squeezed her hand briefly before standing to join Billy.

The two of them linked hands, and then Ninjetti magic whisked them away, into the blue.

-x-

If Isabella knew anything about her son's clandestine visit, she gave no sign of it and Trini quickly decided it would be better not to bring it up. She didn't want to make extra trouble. She would tell Kimberly about it the next time they met, if she told anyone.

In the meantime, she joined Isabella at her table in the inn's common room, where breakfast was being served.

Zack and Angela had just joined them a few minutes later, when a man in ornate formal livery made his way into the room. Even though the room was full of foreigners, as Trini's retinue of borrowed guards also enjoyed their breakfast, this newcomer headed without hesitation for Isabella, and presented the Lady Scott with a slight bow and a missive written on fine parchment.

She opened it and skimmed the contents quickly; the messenger waited solemnly for her response.

"Tell your master that I accept the terms," she said at last, "and will meet with him this afternoon."

Saying nothing, the messenger bowed again and headed back the way he had come.

Once he had gone, Trini joined Zack and Angela in directing a questioning gaze to Isabella. The Lady continued calmly eating the rest of her breakfast as if the missive did not exist.

"What was that all about?" Zack asked suddenly.

Isabella finished chewing her food before turning her gaze on her three charges. "I have secured an appointment for Trini with representatives from the three foremost families on the Tayene Council," she said, as if it were no big deal.

While Lady Scott continued into an explanation of when the meeting would occur and what would be expected of each of them, Trini was stunned into silence. She had long since started to think this would never happen, letting her doubts erode her hopes for the future. Now, faced with the possibility of taking this first step toward her goal, she realized she wasn't fully certain what she hoped to accomplish with this meeting and what might follow. She wanted to establish once and for all whether she truly was the last daughter of the royal family of Taye, of course. But then what?

She didn't want to be a queen, though she knew that would be difficult for anyone in Taye to believe. Why else would a long-lost heir show up trying to establish her identity?

She would have to figure that out, and soon.

-x-

As promised, that afternoon Trini and Lady Scott made their way across the city to the former royal compound, which still served as the seat of Tayene government. For the first time, they truly made use of all the guards Kimberly had sent to accompany them. The guardsmen ranged around the carriage, no doubt drawing curious looks from the people they passed, but Trini had other things to worry about. As the carriage carried them toward their destination, Isabella kept up a constant stream of instructions, reminders of the proper protocols for meeting with courtiers. They had gone over all this many times, but the repetition was soothing at this point.

Trini found her understanding of some aspects of Tayene etiquette disconcertingly effortless; these were the things she had learned as a child, before Zordon spirited her away. He'd locked that knowledge away with the rest of her memories of her origin, and they had only been restored to her when the spell was broken. Other aspects of Tayene culture and behavior were things Li had taught her and encouraged her to remember about her homeland and its people. These were less automatic, but still a part of her. Only the specifics of courtly interaction were more or less new to her.

Once they reached the compound they left the carriage behind, following the officials who awaited them at the entrance. The compound was enormous and labyrinthine inside, having been expanded many times over its centuries of use, yet its winding paths and the rich splendor of its furnishings were eerily familiar to Trini. She had visited this place as a very small child, when her parents were still alive, and thanks to Zordon's magic those memories were as fresh as if they had happened mere months ago, instead of years and years.

Eventually they were given entry into a sumptuously decorated audience chamber where three men were waiting for them. These were dressed in fine, colorful silks, an expense that clearly marked them as senior officials. A group of lower-ranked officials clustered in one corner of the room, but they were clearly only there to serve and observe, not to interfere.

Isabella knelt deeply; Trini, in the awkward role of both supplicant and royal heir, was not to show such deference. Nor was she to look directly at any of the men, as no member of the royal family should deign to do such a thing. She found a spot on the opposite wall and stared fixedly at that, instead.

One of the men bid Lady Scott to rise. She did, and followed by introducing herself and Trini. Accustomed to playing the role of maid to Kimberly, Trini would have been more comfortable doing the introductions and stepping aside to let someone else do the real talking. But she could not do that here. Now it was her job to be the princess.

For a moment it struck her as funny that she had never questioned her inclusion in all of Kimberly's lessons and formal events, though no other maid had ever shared such privilege. Trini had been allowed because one day she might need those same skills, herself. She said a quick and silent thanks to the deceased King and Queen for preparing her in whatever small ways they could.

When Isabella had finished her introductions, one of the lesser officials stepped forward to introduce his betters. Representatives from three of the foremost Tayene families, and also members of the Council that had ruled Taye since the overthrow of the royal family: Lords Guo Ren, Cai Yang, and Nithit Chao.

It was this last who stepped forward to do the talking.

"Trinity…" he paused, lips forming what could have been a sardonic smile—or a smirk—as he addressed her directly. It was hard to tell when protocol demanded that she not look directly at him. "Did you know it caused quite the stir, the king and queen naming their child with a word taken from that barbaric language?"

She had not known that, and when he phrased it that way, it made her want to be defensive. Which was probably just what he intended. So she countered with, "I prefer Trini anyway."

It was the name she had grown up with, the name she had always assumed had been given to her at birth. But it was only part of the whole, just as she had known only part of her own story.

"Do you, now?" he asked, sounding almost amused.

"It is the name I have known all my life," she explained. "Trinity is… new."

She said it stubbornly, knowing Isabella would counsel her to accept her true name instead of insisting on the old. Yet though she might be "Trinity" in truth, she was still "Trini" at heart, and she had no desire to give up herself completely in order to be whatever everyone expected Trinity to be.

With greater generosity than she had expected, Lord Chao said, "Very well, Trini it shall be. For now. After all, we have not established that you are Trinity in the first place."

"Thank you," she managed. She would have to hope that her voice conveyed more grace than she felt just now.

A gesture from Lord Chao sent one of the lesser officials scurrying for the nearest door, where he pulled a string that caused a bell to ring somewhere outside the audience chamber in which they all stood. Several livery-clad servants entered a few moments later, carrying various paraphernalia including portraits of every member of the royal family and a large sphere carved from glassy, greenish stone. While the servants set out the things they had brought, and Isabella did likewise with the artifacts she had carefully carried with them, Trini was glad she had already taken the trip with Richie and the others to see the royal gallery. If she had not, the sight of those familiar and loved faces would have struck her even more painfully than it did now.

No one spoke, but their faces betrayed the same surprise and recognition Trini's friends had showed during their visit to the royal gallery. Trini's physical resemblance to the royal portraits would be difficult to deny.

She had thought that her resemblance and claim, together with the artifacts Isabella had saved, would be all that was necessary.

She had been wrong.

Lord Chao indicated the green stone sphere. The servants had settled it atop a metal stand, wrought so that much of its face remained visible despite the supports. "Your resemblance to the royal family is impressive," he admitted. "That is the first test. This is the second."

Trini wanted very much to frown her consternation, but did her best to avoid letting it show on her face.

"There have been many who claimed to be the lost princess," Lord Chao went on. "Some of them even resembled the royal family, as you do. None of them could pass this test." He paused significantly, as if to give her time to back out. "Place your hand upon this stone."

She wondered what would happen if she did as he ordered, but could see no way out of it. Should she refuse? Was this a test to see if she had any royal hauteur?

So she stepped forward and laid a hand gently atop the stone.

At her touch, it flared to life. Scenes pulled straight from her memories flashed across the smooth, green surface: her family, her childhood, her past, pulled out of her mind and displayed for all to see.

Trini yanked her hand back as if scalded, her heart racing and her breath coming in short gasps after the violation.

Isabella responded with tightly controlled fury. "How dare—" She cut herself off.

Trini followed her gaze, failing to remind herself not to look at anyone directly, and realized that the Council members all looked completely stricken.

"You had no idea what would happen," Isabella murmured. "Only that something should happen if this stone fell into the hands of the true princess." Trini had belatedly begun to arrive at the same conclusion, though she lacked Isabella's certainty. "The sorcerer left this behind when he spirited Princess Trinity away, didn't he?"

"He did." Lord Chao's tone was clipped, angry. Forced.

There could be, apparently, no more doubt. Which left Trini wondering: now what?

"This is not an auspicious development," Lord Yang said, speaking for the first time.

Trini's heart raced all over again. "In what way is it not auspicious?" she spoke before she could stop herself.

"Are you aware of the prophesies surrounding you, Trini Kwan?"

Gaze fixed belatedly away from everyone else in the room, Trini responded, "No."

"Do you mean to tell me that you did not return to the place of your birth in order to fulfill these prophecies? That you did not come here to restore magic to the land of Taye, and to restore the monarchy and your family's place in it, as well?" There was no cruelty to his tone, nor curiosity. His voice was flat, dispassionate.

"No." How could she, when she had only just learned that there were prophecies at all?

Silence fell over the room, ominous. Foreboding. Trini all but held her breath. Everything might hinge on this man and this moment. It might all be over, or it might just be beginning.

At last: "I believe you."

Three small words, and it felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Trini tried to remain passive and unmoved, as she was supposed to do, but it was difficult.

Lord Chao had by then recovered himself enough to add, "You have every appearance of being exactly who and what you say you are. You arrived in the company of an impeccable reference, a woman known to many who were present at the court of the former King and Queen." He paused. "And yet you must know that if we acknowledge you, it will only create trouble for Taye."

And there came the crushing blow, but she persevered. "The prophecies you mentioned just now," she murmured. Even if she did not believe the prophecies and intended to have no part in them, her official return, even so much as a recognition of her identity, would only fan the flames these men seemed to fear so much.

"Indeed."

Isabella started to speak, but Trini cut her off. "If I may," she said, fighting against a wince as she interrupted these powerful men. "Is the political situation really so dire that a few prophecies are cause for such fear?"

"I forget that there must be much you do not know, having grown up outside of our country," Lord Chao said. He was far too refined for a sigh, but impatience and exasperation were present in his voice nonetheless. "After the revolution, the country was sealed to outsiders, and to magic," he explained. Small solace that he at least saw fit to explain the way he might to a fellow councilor, and not to a child. "Since the barrier was pierced and the country threatened by a monster out of legend, there has been unrest. It has been building for months." He paused significantly. "And now you are here."

Trini didn't like it any more than he did, though she had no wish to explain why. She'd had more than enough of prophecies and conspiracies. Kidnappings, too.

"We were ignorant of these prophecies until our arrival," Isabella interjected smoothly, when it became obvious that Trini was tongue-tied. "And," she added, grave importance inflected in her tone, "we do not accept that they have any true merit." Just that easily, she'd made it sound as if Trini had not deigned to answer, rather than become too flustered to do so.

She was grateful for the older woman's guidance and protection, and felt a flicker of guilt for having even once thought Lady Scott might be motivated by anything other than affection for her.

"We are not in a position to acknowledge you as the true heir to the throne," Lord Ren said, speaking at last. "We are only three. The Council must be in agreement on this matter." He spoke slowly, carefully. And he paused, placing great weight on what he was about to say. "But as you appear to be who and what you say you are, you shall have my support when you bring your claim to the Council."

The others added their agreement, witnessed by the lower ranking officials still clustered at the edge of the room.

That easily, it was done. Trini and Lady Scott took their leave, however much it felt like they had been dismissed, and were led back out of the compound to where their carriage awaited.

"You did well," Isabella assured her, once they were safely within the carriage and could not be overheard.

"That was terrifying!" Trini admitted.

Isabella chuckled quietly. "It's always like that at first, my dear."

Trini put her hands over her face and breathed deeply, striving for calm. "Does it get better?"

The older woman rubbed her shoulder soothingly. It was something she'd done occasionally over the years when Trini was struggling emotionally, and it worked its customary magic on her now. She let out a long breath. "Okay, so I have their support," she ventured. "What now?"

"Now," Isabella said grimly, "We wait. They have pledged their support… for now. However, we must assume that any support or loyalty they offer is meant to serve their own ends, so we must be careful."

They were meant to be a comfort, but Trini found Lady Scott's words anything but reassuring.