"If we don't fall asleep here first," Alana agreed.

Jaenelle nodded, smiling a little.

"They were the ones Cassandra sent the note about," she said. "I just took them to see Lorn."

"Seriously." Ardara sighed. "I can get used to this."

"Oh? And how did they do?" He knew Jaenelle would know he meant ranking as well as emotionally.

Alana hummed softly in agreement.

"They seem to be alright for now," Jaenelle said. "I'll keep an eye on them for a few days, while they settle." She smiled. "Birthright Sapphire Queens, both of them. I'll need an appointment with Banard to get their Jewels set in a few days."

Saetan blinked at that. "Both of them?" he managed after a moment. Two new Queens without a lick of training.

After a moment he knew another reason why Jaenelle had brought them here, to him, and he groaned.

"Both of them," Jaenelle confirmed, nodding. She could see the wheels turning in his head, and tried to give him a reassuring smile. "It shouldn't be too bad. After all, you managed to teach me, right?"

"There was only one of you," Saetan said. "You had an idea how things worked, although granted no more than an idea. And children are always easier to teach." He shook his head. "It's not my fault if this is an unmitigated disaster."

"It won't be a disaster," Jaenelle replied, grinning a bit. "Really, Papa, you're being dramatic. It will be fine."

Saetan gave her a bit of a look but sighed and nodded. "We'll see what happens," he said, mostly to keep her from getting too many wild ideas.

"It will be fine," Jaenelle said again. "Give them a bit of time to adjust, and I'm sure they'll learn quickly."

"Well, they will learn," Saetan said, shaking his head. "How quickly might not matter."

"Quickly enough," Jaenelle said. She was quiet for a moment. "We need them, Saetan. Two strong Queens. And with a little instruction in the Old Ways, they'll be good Queens."

"We need them, yes," Saetan agreed. "But we need to be careful, too. We don't want to overwhelm them." That might have been a bit pointed at Jaenelle, but only because he knew she was eager.

"I think they'll surprise you," Jaenelle said. "But I'll take that for what it is and go see what else needs my attention today."

Saetan chuckled quietly. "Just let me know when they're ready, witch-child," he told her.

"I will," Jaenelle promised. She smiled. "I'll let you work now." With that, she slipped out of the room again.

It took Ardara a few days to really settle in, but she did. She got used to this new place, and the power she constantly had around her neck now. She was feeling more steady, more even, than she remembered feeling her whole life.

Alana also settled in a bit more easily after a few days. As she got used to the new power she had, she began to notice that she could feel things outside of her normal five senses. She'd even ventured out of their room once or twice, and was starting to get a feel for the place and how things seemed to work. She definitely felt more at ease in her own skin now, moreso than she'd ever felt before.

Ardara plopped herself on the bed with Alana in the afternoon, grinning a bit. "So I found out I can do something cool," she said. "I'll show you. Close your eyes and kind of focus on your Jewel."

Alana blinked.

"Alright," she said, a bit wary. She closed her eyes and focused. "What am I looking for?"

"First you find your Jewel," Ardara said, speaking as she did it herself. "And then you kind of reach out from there. There's... like a line, almost." She found the line that she mentally labeled Alana across the Sapphire and poked it.

Alana jumped when she felt the nudge.

"That's amazing," she said. Carefully, she did the same thing back.

Ardara laughed a little at that. "Isn't it cool?" she asked, excited as she nudged back again. "I haven't tried much else, yet, I had to share this with you."

"That's awesome," Alana agreed, grinning. She nudged Ardara back. "And you know, I noticed something earlier. Sometimes I can kind of sense other people nearby, if that makes sense? Like some of the servants. I was reading one of the books that got left for us, and the only thing I can think of that makes sense is that they must wear a lighter Jewel than I do for me to sense them as they go by."

"You're right, that would make sense," Ardara agreed. "And it is quite possible, I mean, there are a lot of people here and not all of them can wear Jewels as dark."

"There are some who do," Alana said after a moment. "I know they do. I just... haven't encountered them. I mean, we're not the darkest out there."