"Back when I was in the service of the crown, I had a fiancée that I was meant to get married to. It was an arranged marriage between our families, but I cared for him dearly, and I was looking forward to the wedding every day. But before we could have the wedding, the Primordials attacked our world, and my fiancé ended up being killed in the battle that followed. He died right in front of me, and I can still hear the sound of his body dropping in my dreams. It happened a long time ago, and I’ve been too scared to get close to anyone since. But for some reason, I feel like the prince understands me. I can see in his eyes that he has been through something similar, and even though he knows I have trauma, and he sees all my flaws, he was still willing to accept me. It just... meant a lot to me. What I feel for the prince is admiration, so you don’t need to worry. I’m not worthy of being with the prince."
Stella rested her chin on her raised knees as she said all this, and Gina felt sympathy rising from her heart as she heard about Stella’s past. Gina had heard about how bad the war between the Avarans and the Primordials was from Jason, so she knew that Stella was carrying a lot of guilt since she was one of the only people to survive. Gina also wasn’t surprised that Jason understood Stella so well. After all, Jason had gone through something similar when he stabbed Gina in the heart, and he had to hold her in his arms and watch her die. Even though Gina had come back to life, that wasn’t the sort of thing someone could just get over. Gina reached out and rubbed Stella’s back gently as she spoke.
"I’m sorry about what happened, Stella. I know it’s not the same, but at least now you have Jason and me. You’re my friend, and if you have any problems, then don’t hesitate to come to me, alright?"
Stella felt a great feeling of appreciation filling her heart when she heard this from Gina, and she nodded in thanks. But after a few seconds, Gina spoke up again.
"But I’m still not giving you permission to approach Jason. If you make a move on him, I’ll kill you."
Stella’s eyes widened, and she quickly started to wave her hands again while saying she wouldn’t dream of it! Jason was the prince, and she was just a soldier! Stella couldn’t even think of being with him!
Gina’s eyes narrowed as she asked.
"Then why were you staring at him before?"
"I-I said I was just admiring him. I just couldn’t believe how lucky I am to see the prince like this. Twenty years ago, I failed King Richard, and I punished myself every day because I believed that it would give me some sort of salvation. But now I’ve been given a second chance, and I feel like I don’t deserve this. The prince took me in at my lowest, and I have to repay him for that somehow. The royal family is scattered across the Primordial Expanse for now, but there will eventually be a race for the Avaran throne when King Richard decides to step down. Avaran isn’t like some other worlds that always give the crown to the eldest son. Instead, the children of the King come together, and they all decide which of the sons will become the new ruler. From what I’ve seen, I think Jason might have a real chance at claiming the throne in a few years. No, not just a chance. I think he might actually win against his other siblings. But it won’t be easy since the person with the most claim to the throne right now is Prince Gregory, the first son of King Richard’s first wife. He’s... a dangerous person."
Gina’s eyes widened in surprise, and she asked Stella what made her say Jason would have any chance at claiming the throne. Jason hadn’t even met any of his siblings other than Kai, and from what Gina heard, there were many of Jason’s siblings out there who were unbelievable powerhouses in their own right!
"And why in the world is Gregory the top contender for the throne if he is so dangerous?"
Gina frowned in annoyance as she remembered a story told to her by one of Bethsha’s aunts about how King Richard’s first son, Gregory, had eradicated an entire army of SSS and TITAN Ranks before he nearly killed King Richard’s fifth wife in anger! Why would anyone want that sort of person to be King?
Stella nodded along as Gina told her all this. Stella had actually been present during the meeting that King Richard had with his cabinet to decide on the punishment he would give to Gregory. It had been such a mess back then because everyone loved the fifth wife since she was so bubbly and kind! Stella remembered that Gregory had also been very bright and friendly when he was younger, but for some reason, he had grown up to become very tyrannical! No one wanted to talk about it, but everyone knew that it was obviously the first wife who had infected Gregory’s mind and made him like that!
"The first son has a chance at the throne as well because, regardless of how tyrannical he might be, there is no denying the power he weilds. He is undoubtedly the most powerful of all the royal children. But what I fear is that Prince Gregory might try to kill Jason because of the power struggle. I’ve heard of princes doing far worse in the pursuit of power, so that wouldn’t be a surprise."
Gina’s eyes immediately narrowed in anger as she heard about this, and she turned back to look at Jason as he ran a hand under his chin to clean some sweat. Jason was frowning at the wall of runes like it was his mortal enemy, and Gina felt a smile spread across her lips as Jason turned and winked at her before turning back towards the runes.
"If anyone tries to harm Jason, I’ll kill them. I really don’t care whether they’re his enemy or his brother."
Gina’s declaration was absolute, and she felt her resolve strengthening rapidly! Right now, Gina knows that she was going to find it hard for a few months since she was pregnant, but the moment she delivers this baby, Gina decided that she would get right back into her training! Gina had to make sure no one could even think about harming Jason while she was here! Stella smiled when she heard the protectiveness in Gina’s tone, and Stella also made up her mind to ensure the future struggle for the throne didn’t affect Jason in any way. Stella didn’t even know if Jason wanted the throne or not, but if it turned out that Jason wanted it, then Stella would carve her way through every single enemy that stood in their way to make sure her prince had what he wanted!
Time passed very slowly within Atlantis, and both Gina and Stella continued to watch Jason working on the rune. The purple sun outside had already begun to set, and it was being replaced by the yellow sun that cast the world in a brilliant blue light, but since they were so deep inside the castle, none of them could tell how much time had really passed. Gina was leaning to the side and resting her head on Stella’s shoulder tiredly, and Stella was still watching Jason with absolute concentration. The two women had spoken a lot over the past few hours, and Gina had finally begun to open up and accept Stella as a member of their family. Gina knew that Jason had brought Stella into the group because he wanted someone who could look after Gina if he wasn’t available, and even though Gina still wasn’t happy about being treated that way, she couldn’t deny that Stella was great company!