Ever since Aja found her family, and started to really become part of Ballentine"s royal family, she had always worried about her past catching up to her. Someone that may look to do her harm by hurting the ones she loved and those she had come to rely on. Ajay, Sher and the kingdom of Ballentine.
With all she knew about magic, science and technology, she knew a simple glamor spell could create a look alike. And that could certainly cause some damage given how much she looked after for Ajay. It was always there in her head. She had a responsibility to look after those she had come to love so very much and the people in which they ruled over.
So as time went on, she and William had created several fail safes to deal with a lot of different scenarios. William had come to admire the way she thought about defensive strategy, but then he thought with her life, she had just gotten really good at all of it.
Aja stepped through the gate and immediately was joined by William, the head of the Ballentine guard. The pair walked towards the palace, in deep conference.
"I"ll take care of the palace stuff. No one questions me walking around randomly." Aja glanced up at Willy, "they all just think I"m lost most of the time." she gave him a grin. William laughed a little. He had to admire the way she knew people perceived her. By her design of course.
"I"ll send a troop around to the stations along the water." he said motioning to the water line off in the distance beyond the castle grounds. "Make sure everything is top running order."
"Later on, I'll climb up on the palace roof.." Aja was saying and saw Willy glance up to the high rooftops then back to Aja looking shocked. "place the extra cameras."
"We could do that, Aja."
"Easier for me to do it. Faster too." She said to him and pointed back to the blueprints she drew up. "Here and here would give the best view front to back and a couple on the sides...Should give a good view of any incoming trouble." she patted her pack. "I"ll meet ya in the guard quarters when I got them set."
William was not a daft man. He had his standards and codes, but he recognized Aja came with a certain skill set that most of his men would spend years trying to perfect. He saw her head for the palace door and when she disappeared inside, he went to get his men into motion.
Aja made her way through the various corridors of the palace, she had to snag a step ladder from the maids closet for certain places in the halls, but she hid the recording devices well. Even if you knew where to look, they weren't easily seen.
She had just placed one in the dining room in the chandelier. Aja had no more than just soundlessly landed on the floor when a maid came in, putting a hand to her chest slightly.
"Princess." the maid bowed her head a little. "I was unaware of your presence. Please forgive the intrusion."
"May. My dear. It"s Aja." she smiled coming near the maid. "Ya do what ya have ta do. I'm jist wandering about da joint." Aja motioned to the room. "Sher decorates nice. I like to look at it so I can appropriately compliment her on the work."
"Of course, Prin?" Aja gave her a look and May caught herself. "Aja." Aja chuckled and patted her shoulder.
"There ya go." Aja gave a brilliant smile and then left the room to plant the remaining bugs.
Once she was done with those, she headed to the highest place in the palace that had outdoor access. One that Ajay was likely unaware existed. Aja had discovered it years ago and kept her own little secret in case she needed to flee some fancy event without being seen.
The wind had picked up, but that meant little to Aja, she"d had plenty of chances to practice her balance on high roof tops with wind. She made her way along, and got the all weather cameras she had picked up from Bismark for such an event set into place. While up on the south end of the roof, she noted a couple figures walking along below, looking around suspiciously and talking.
"Well, who do we have here?" Aja tugged out her binoculars and focused in on them. She knew one of them was one of Ajay"s guys, the other" "No way. If it's not my favorite pain in the arse." she kept her eyes trained on the man, it was a Pinewall advisor. The snotty one that didn't love the idea of Aja being in charge of weapons treaties. Mostly because Aja rarely gave the man what he was after. More often than not, he got older versions of the very weapons he sought to secure.
Aja grinned while watching him and the palace advisor. Man, his cheese would be really chapped if he discovered that Ociaeryn was supplied with far superior weapons and defensive equipment. And for little more reason than she just liked Ociaeryn"s leadership more. She didn't trust Pinewall in the slightest. Everyone she had met from there had set off an internal alarm bell that she could never quite put her finger on. Yet. She would in time.
The men ventured along and Aja made a note to include some weather resistant listening devices in the gardens. She secured some repelling equipment and then launched herself off the palace roof. Several of the guards saw her mid decent and pointed it out to the others.
She landed gracefully on the ground and was undoing harnesses when Ajay found her.
"Are you trying to break your neck"!" he called out alarmed as he got closer. Crap, potentially busted...unless"
"Nah." She grinned at him. "Jist doin a little field testing of some new equipment." she zipped the line back into the holder and smiled. "This is pretty awesome, J!"
"You just gave Sher a heart attack!"
"Uhhh." Aja grinned a little. "Whoopsie?" she did attempt to look sheepish, but Ajay just shook his head.
"What were you thinking!?"
"That yer roof is the highest point I could think of to test it out." She beamed a grin at him. "Wanna go?" she held up the harness to him with a bright smile. Ajay"s face was an interesting mix of amusement and annoyance.
"You"re going to break your neck one of these days, Aja."
"Maybe." She grinned putting the harness away. "But not today." Aja watched Ajay carefully, he seemed to buy her reason for being on the roof. She"d keep him in the dark a while longer, at least about that. She walked up to Ajay and kissed him on the nose. "And hello to ya too, Big Brother."
"You're trying to get out of trouble, aren't you?"
"I'm in trouble?" she asked innocently.
"Stop scaring us like that." Ajay hugged her close. "I can't lose you."
"J." Aja hugged him back and then swung out so they could walk arm in arm back to the palace. "I ain"t dying anytime soon."
"You can't promise that."
"No one can?" Aja paused. "Well, almost no one. I think several members of Collie"s family might live forever."
"I don't think we're immortal." Ajay smiled a little sadly, then he tried to appear more upbeat. "I believe Miss Colleen to have found a fountain of youth though."
"We don't actually know, do we?" Aja said quietly and squeezed his arm.
"No. But we'll keep looking for those answers." he gave her a kiss on the head.
This time with Ajay, was what made her favorite moments. Her and Ajay, walking together, talking, being siblings. Normal for all intents and purposes. As normal as this family got anyway.
"Ajay?" Aja said glancing around. "I have to tell you something."
"This doesn't bode well."
"No. It really isn't." Aja said with a grim expression. "When or if Ajia comes around. I need you to restrict what information you give out."
"Why?"
"She's not our sister." Aja put that out there and put her finger up when it looked like he was going to comment on the situation. "Think about that for a moment. I'll explain it." they made their way into the palace and towards his study. "A wave to an alternative universe went through RhyDin not too long ago. Our Ajia...has been replaced with another one." Ajay stopped and stared at Aja. "Ya may need scotch. It"s headache inducing to consider."
"I'm gathering that." Ajay replied and headed to the drink cart.
"So. The Ajia that was, is not the one that is." Aja leaned on the chair. "If that makes any sense."
"It does." Ajay sat down slowly. "I'm starting to see where you're going here."
"I'm taking steps to protect Ballentine." Aja said going over and getting her own drink. "You will have to slowly remove her from any political meetings." Aja turned to look at Ajay. "I"d recommend not telling her of future meetings. Easiest way to accomplish that."
"Consider it done." he said and she nodded.
"Not sure how to move forward with this, Ajay." Aja sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "She looks like...sort of talks like but isn't and honestly, I doubt now the other one was one of us."
"Surely you don't mean that."
"I do." Aja sipped her drink and slid down into one of the wingback chairs. "Think about it. We ..click. We can feel that pull. Blood to blood." Ajay nodded. "That was never there with her."
She saw Ajay thinking about that carefully. Reviewing his own memories, and moments interacting with Ajia. He looked at Aja after a moment, the knowledge of what his sister was saying, being seen as he slowly accepted it to be true.
"So now what?" Ajay asked.
"Well." Aja exhaled slowly. "It's confusing as all Hades to figure out how to explain all of this mess to ourselves. Much less anyone else."
"True."
"Ajay. I ain't gonna lie." she started. "I'm relieved."
"I can understand that." he watched her. "You've never trusted her."
"I never trust anyone who is overly pushy."
"This is why you put off the wedding." Ajay said slowly, it became clear to him. "Padriq was pushy."
"Yep." she sipped her scotch.
"I find out that after all this time, there is always something new to learn about you." he smiled at her.
"Likewise, Ajay." she gave her brother a wink. "Anyway. With her...this new her.." she clarified. "I doubt highly they will return here. Because she has yet to talk about you or here."
"But if she does, I take it you already have that covered?"
"I do." Aja smiled softly.
"Did I see William take a troop off to do something earlier?"
"Yep." she nodded. "I gave him his marching orders. They should be back on point soon." Aja glanced at her watch.
"You make running Ballentine easier on me, you know?"
"Nah. You have the hard part. You have to be nice to the stuck up people." Aja smirked. "I don't do so well with those people."
"I think we've learned that over time." he chuckled.
"Yes." she smiled. "I"m better when people just do what I tell them."
The pair remained silent for a little while. Each considering what it meant that Ajia wasn't actually a member of the family anymore.
"Any thoughts on how to handle this with others?"
"Honestly?" she sat forward. "Best course is just not to say anything. She's not around much. Hasn't been. It's not like anyone will notice. They may even forget she exists."
"You think so?"
"It's already happening in Arcadia." Aja said and leaned forward. "No one talks about her. Mentions anything having to do with her. It's like when Tru left, slowly...everyone forgot he ever lived there. He didn't spend any time getting to know anyone."
"And the same is happening with her?"
"Yes."
"Do you think it will work here too?"
"I do." it was a simple answer. Aja didn"t always elaborate with Ajay, he knew how she thought.
"You already have a plan, don't you?" He really didn't need to ask, Aja prepared for all events, likely to happen or not.
"I do." she nodded and eyed up Ajay who looked pensive. "You ok?"
"I am." Ajay answered slowly, then he looked at her more fully. "I will be."
"Good." Aja nodded and finished her drink, as she set down the glass, he could see how her mind switched gears almost. "William has the boys increasing surveillance around town. Something I was going to do anyway."
"You’re never happy leaving things be, are you?"
"Nope. Always room to improve." Aja grinned. "Professionals are predictable, but the world is full of amateurs."
Ajay laughed at his sister and shook his head.
"You would know."
"Yes." Aja stretched a little with a grin. "Anyway. We'll do what we have to do to protect what is ours and who we are responsible for." She turned for the door then. "You just keep being all diplomatic and I"ll prepare in case playing nice with the other children doesn"t work."
"You will come for dinner on Friday night." Ajay learned to phrase the questions like that.
"Yes, Master" don't beat me, Master?" Aja joked and then gave Ajay a snappy salute. "Jist tell yer chef I want to be able to identify my food, alright?"
"Of course." He chuckled as she left. His world had never been what you could classify as dull, it was even less that way since Aja had come into it. He just smiled as he picked up some papers and went back to work.
