[Hope]

Lissa was surprisingly supportive of the date, even finding a flattering black dress from the shelter's stock of donated clothes and helping Hope prepare. But she would not relent and give Hope's prosthetic leg back. Transportation would be by wheelchair.

Hope fidgeted as the appointed hour approached. What am I, a teen again? A part of her doubted the appropriateness of it. An Empress can't ever have a long-term romantic relationship with anyone. But she could not deny her attraction. Although, a casual date won't hurt.

True to his word, Stephen arrived just as the sun touched the horizon, casting a reddened beam through the small window high on the opposite wall. Hope rose from the wheelchair on one leg, holding on for support. He wore a simple white collared shirt made of a silky material and smooth black trousers. His typical mussed hair had been tamed into orderly waves.

His eyes scanned her. "Wow... You look... You are stunning."

A warmth came to her cheeks. "Thank you. You are not so bad yourself."

"Shall we?" he said, lending a hand to help her sit in the wheelchair. "Our table waits."

"Where are you taking me? I really should not go out in public."

He grinned as he wheeled her out. "A very exclusive and private establishment. You'll see."

It confused Hope when the elevator went up instead of down, but when they emerged on the flat roof, she understood. On the far end sat a small linen-covered table with two chairs. Two place settings and a colorful flower arrangement between two shimmering lamps adorned the top. A tablet viewer propped up on a side table played soft music.

Hope smiled. "Exclusive indeed."

As Stephen wheeled her forward, he explained. "I come up here sometimes to escape. It has a magnificent view, especially at sunset."

Only a sliver of the retreating sun peeked over the white-topped mountains in the distance, painting layers of high clouds in reds and oranges against an indigo sky. At the edge of the city, the three-story building overlooked a valley with a slender ribbon of blue water and riparian green at the bottom. Beyond that, rocky hills littered with low scattered trees rose to meet the mountains.

Hope felt what little tension remained in her fade away. "Beautiful."

"Yes," he said, gazing at her. "And so is the sunset."

"Oh, that was a good one," Hope said with a giggle.

After seating his date at the table, Stephen served a simple meal from an insulated box on the side table. It comprised a brothy soup with dark bread, pasta with a spicy white sauce and vegetables, and bread pudding for dessert. As they ate, the sky transformed to night. The stars appeared one by one, becoming a multitude of twinkling lights. Rising twin moons provided an enchanting golden light.

Hope gazed at the horizon as the final sliver of day surrendered to the night. He asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Stephen, it is absolutely perfect. Thank you so much."

"The night is still young," he said, rising from his chair. "Care for a dance under the stars?"

She tilted her head. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm missing part of a leg. I don't think I can dance."

"Well, perhaps not a tango, but by dancing I meant swaying together to the music."

"Maybe I could do that."

Stephen picked her up in his arms and placed her on the makeshift dance floor. He took up her hand and with the other arm, encircled her waist, holding her close. Hope supported herself with a hand on his shoulder. True to his word, they swayed back and forth to a slow beat.

"This is nice," she whispered, lowering her head to his shoulder while taking in subtle scents of cedar and cinnamon. A contented peace washed over her, something that she had not felt for some time.

As the music transitioned from one piece to another, Stephen lifted her chin, brushing away a wayward dark curl, and lowered his lips into the warmth of her breath. "May I?" he asked.

No. We shouldn't go any further. Throwing doubts aside, Hope answered in an airy voice, parting her lips, "Yes."

Their lips connected, sparking a flame in her tinder-dry heart. At first, the kiss was as gentle as the night breeze, but Hope demanded more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and molded her body to his, pulling him in. Stephen obliged, tightening his hold around her waist and claiming all that she offered. The flames grew, threatening to consume her with a passion she believed forever forbidden. Hope wanted this, but she feared too much so.

She broke away, turning down and burying her head against his chest. Conflicting emotions of desire and duty, the self and the selfless, clouded her mind. She shuddered.

Stephen cupped her head with a hand. "Hope, what's wrong?"

"I... I can't do this to you."

"I assure you, I am very much a willing participant."

Hope turned her eyes up to his, her vision blurred with tears. "You don't understand, Stephen. I have powerful enemies and associating with me puts you at risk. You don't know who I am... What I am."

"What did you do that put you is such danger?"

She paused, then whispered the truth beyond her control, "I was born."

He held her at arm's length and gently pushed away an escaping tear with a thumb. "Hope, right now, your past does not matter, nor the future. I've learned that happiness can be a fleeting thing on this world, and we should treasure it when we can. We have each other in the now. Let's not miss this opportunity."

Damn him for being right.

Hope crushed her lips against his, surrendering herself to the now.

*****

Later in the morning, Lissa cast a knowing smirk. "You didn't sleep in your bed last night. So then, did your date go well?"

"Yes, very well." A warmth surged through Hope's cheeks. Better than well...

Blissful memories of the night flooded her mind — dancing close under the stars, the heart melting kisses, how he carried her to his bed, the sweet lovemaking, waking up in his strong arms. They slept in late, much later than he wanted. With an apology and a kiss, Stephen had returned Hope to her room, then left to attend to a growing line of patients at the clinic.

"I told Stephen he had better treat you right," Lissa admitted.

Hope smiled. "He was a perfect gentleman." Much more so than I deserved.

Her smile faded as a future grief shadowed her heart, an anticipated loss of something treasured. This was never meant to last.

"I will let you have your leg back today." Lissa lifted the prosthetic limb from a cart. "And I have a specific exercise program for you." With a touch of her viewer, the list appeared on a display panel above Hope's bed. Lissa's eyes narrowed. "I expect you to follow it to the letter. And don't you dare overdo it, or I will take your leg away again."

Hope gulped, her eyes widening to the threat.

*****

Lunch would be special. Having learned that today was Amil's birthday, Hope arranged for a treat. The boy grinned when Hope joined him with the rest of his classmates at the food hall. They shared a greeting unique to them. Standing face-to-face, they both extended prosthetic legs, clicking ankles together twice.

Halfway through lunch, Stephen joined the group, winking at Hope as he sat down. Angelique joined them a few moments later, adding her food tray to the table. She drew her lips tight and lifted somber eyes. Hope's gut twisted. Something has happened.

As lunch ended, one of the kitchen staff emerged with a tray of cupcakes with colorful frosting, one with a lit candle. Amil beamed at the attention.

Hope explained to the children. "It is an old Earth tradition that birthdays are celebrated with cake. Who likes cake?" A chorus of cheers erupted. "The candle is the light of life, and when the birthday person blows it out, he gets to make a wish. Some believed that the smoke from the candle carried the wish to heaven."

Amil's expression became pensive as he gazed at the small flame. After a nod from Hope, he blew it out and watched the tiny filaments of smoke rise in lazy laminar streams.

Stephen asked, "Did you make a wish, Amil?"

The boy kept his eyes skyward as the smoke dissipated. He replied in a small voice. "I want my mama to come back."

Hope put an arm around him. "I wish for that too, Amil. Maybe sometime we can go look for her. Would you like that?"

The grin came back and Amil nodded with vigor. He joined the rest of his classmates and tore into his cupcake.

Stephen pulled his eyebrows down and narrowed his eyes, motioning Hope and Angelique to a nearby table. As they huddled together, he said in a low voice, "Hope, forgive me, but you should not make promises to the children you cannot fulfill. It would just drive them further into despair. First it was that the Empress would come to them, and now that you will find Amil's mother."

Hope turned to him, gazing into his eyes, and reached down to take up his hand. "You don't understand, Stephen. I can make good on those promises."

Stephen wrinkled his forehead, but before he could probe further, Angelique interjected, "I have news, Hope. There was a riot at the Ring earlier today. Most of the prisoners escaped, but there were many casualties too. There is so much chaos that I don't know the fate of your brother."

Hope's heart caught in her throat as both fear and optimism fought in her mind. By a small margin, optimism won out. This sounds like Gab's work.

Angelique continued. "There is something else. A contact at the spaceport told me that Commonwealth warships have docked, and two squads of marines are coming down in the space elevator."

"They come for me." Hope dipped her head. "Please forgive me, but I have kept important information from you both, a kind of deceit. I must tell you that--"

A female voice interrupted Hope, crying out from across the hall. "Amil! Is it you?"

Amil's eyes shot full open. He turned slowly to the voice, his mouth gaping. "Mama!" he yelled, then took off in a wobbly run. The dark-haired woman met him halfway, dropping to her knees and encasing her son in a tight hug. Joyful tears traced her cheeks.

Shaking his head, Stephen turned to Hope. "Wow! You are good."

Hope shrugged in reply, but then someone else caught her eye. A tall man followed the woman in with familiar bushy brown hair and characteristic mischievous grin. Hope's breath hitched.

"Gab!" she yelled out. Walking with a limp, she wove through the tables and wrapped her arms around her brother, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I was afraid I lost you."

"Oh, no, I'm not that easy to get rid of." He replied, returning the hug. "What happened to you?" he said, looking at her bruised face, then down at her legs.

Hope pulled out from the hug. "I'll tell you later. I got to a long-range com. Dad is coming, and Eshe is with him."

Amil pulled his mother along with one hand to grasp Hope's hand with the other. He grinned. "Mama, this is Hope. She has a leg like mine! I was helping her."

The woman's brown eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. "Gabriel, is this your sister?"

He nodded, putting a hand on Hope's shoulder. "Yes, it is." His eyes turned down to her prosthetic leg. "Well, most of her." He yelped as Hope elbowed him in the ribs. Recomposing himself, Gabriel motioned to the woman. "Hope, this is Sura. She helped me escape."

"Sura, I am pleased to meet you." Hope held out her hand. "I pray my brother was not too difficult."

Trembling, Sura bowed with a hand to her heart. "Empress, I am honored."

"Sura, don't do that," Gabriel said, shaking his head. "She gets these delusions of grandeur."

With a huff, Hope escalated the bicker. "Not with a pain in the arse brother holding me back."

Putting on a grin, Sura tugged at Gabriel's arm. "I like her."

Coming up behind Hope, Stephen stammered, "Hope, what did she... Are you...?"

Hope turned, facing Stephen and Angelique, her lip trembling. "This was what I was trying to tell you. Celeste Ciel is my birth mother, but genetically, I am a daughter of Empress Iona. That makes me the Sol Empress heir." Stephen dropped his jaw, but no words came out. He held up his hands, then pivoted and walked away with hands on his head. Hope called out to him with a fractured voice, "Stephen, please..." Her eyes blurred with water as she watched him disappear out the door.

"Amazing these circles of fate." Angelique bowed her head. "Hope, I mean Empress, I will talk to him."

"Director!" a worker interrupted, running across the hall. "There are soldiers outside!"