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"Oh!" A voice said as Inlé entered his room. Queen Titania stood cheerily beneath the window.

Inlé closed his door quietly behind him, saying, "Queen, what are you here for today?"

"Oh Inlé, my dear, don't act so upset!" She pounced on him and hung from his neck as she answered matter-of-factly, "I came here to see you, of course! Mmmm. You smell so good."

"I smell as I should," Inlé said, trying to peel the petite queen off of himself. "Good Queen, please think of your station. It is unbecoming for you to be seen so."

"Station?" the faerie moaned. "I ran away to see you. And who's here to see us? Besides," she snuggled in closer despite Inlé's attempts, "this feels good too. Mmmm."

"Was this all you came here for?" Inlé asked.

"Of course!" Titania beamed.

Inlé sat on the edge of the bed, defeated, and patted the faerie queen's head. "Very well. I suppose this cannot hurt for a short bit." Titania purred her agreement and curled onto his lap.

When the sun began to set, Inlé shifted and said, "Queen, I believe it prudent that you return now to your kingdom. Your retainers will be worried, Highness."

"They're used to it," she answered. "Don't be a worry-wort."

"But is it truly safe to leave for so long? I am aware, good Queen, of the transience of alliances in the courts of Faerie. Your absence ..."

"Is proof of my power," Titania interrupted. "Those who see it as a weakness will make an attempt and fail, all others will be cowed by the concept that I am mighty enough to leave and gain standing."

"So even I am a calculated part of your politics," Inlé mused.

Titania chuckled. "Come now, Inlé my love. Don't think so highly of yourself. You are you, I am I, and we neither are the other's pawn. Therein lies the love."

She snuggled down and purred again. "Besides, I haven't been this comfortable since ... Never mind."

After a quiet pause, Inlé asked, "Is there anything I can do to help, Queen?"

Titania looked up at Inlé, blind with unshed tears. "Believe me, child," she said huskily, "this is enough." She rested her head back in Inlé's chest and sat silently.

This was the first time Inlé had heard Titania speak without the glib, energetic edge in her singsong voice. After a long pause, he said, "Very well. But we cannot make this habitual, highness."

The mischievous note returned to the queen's voice as she sang, "Then I'd best make the best of it!" and tackled him onto the bed.

Inlé slept that night on his bed. He had owned the bed for four years, but in all that time he had never before slept in it. The change gave Inlé a droll sense of security, a comfort he'd not felt in years. If only his dreams were as comforting.

Inlé found himself in the blackness once more facing his own image. It was grinning like a wolf, hungry for the thing before it.

"What would you say if I said I saw Titania today?" Inlé asked.

"Which one?" The copy replied uninterestedly.

"She came to me."

"Oh. Her," the copy said, suddenly more interested. "Shackin' up with an older woman now, are you? Don't let your date find out."

"So," Inlé said in realization, "You know everything up to a point, then only what you yourself observe. Hmm."

"Your point?" The copy asked flippantly.

"Now I need only find you."

"But can you?" The copy mocked. "And before I get to you?"

Inlé shrugged nonchalantly. "I do not know. We will see."

"Shouldn't you be getting back to your lady-friend?" the copy asked teasingly. "Don't want her to think you've gotten disinterested."

Inlé turned away from the mockery and asked as he walked off, "How can you be so like me and yet so very, very different?"

"Them's the breaks," the copy called after him. "Just hope I don't cause you too much trouble."

Inlé opened his eyes to find Titania sitting sadly on his chest. She was staring out the window at the full moon. "It used to be like this all the time, you know?" Titania said, thinking aloud. "Just the two of us."

Inlé lifted his head slightly, "You and the late king, Highness?"

Titania jumped in surprise. "Ah, Inlé! You're up! I thought you were still asleep."

Inlé sat up, sliding the Queen from chest to lap. Even then, his head was turned down to look at her face. "I give you my most sincere apologies for interrupting, Highness. I did not intend to intrude on your private musings."

"No," Titania answered. "That's fine."

She paused a moment, looking down, then said, "Obi and I, we were always together. He was a lot like you, you would have gotten along. Or hated each other.

"But either way, he was the only one for me, truly. And now that he's gone, it's still all just so ..." Her throat cracked as she tried to stifle the pain welling in her throat.

Inlé pulled her head tenderly to his chest. "Shh," he breathed. "I know."

"Silly boy," Titania scolded gently, "no you don't. And I hope you never ever have to." Titania sobbed quietly into Inlé's chest for the rest of the night, as he sat silent vigil, the anchor in a storm of sorrow.

Description
"Oh!" A voice said as Inlé entered his room. Queen Titania stood cheerily beneath the window.

Inlé closed his door quietly behind him, saying, "Queen, what are you here for today?"

"Oh Inlé, my dear, don't act so upset!" She pounced on him and hung from his neck as she answered matter-of-factly, "I came here to see you, of course! Mmmm. You smell so good."

"I smell as I should," Inlé said, trying to peel the petite queen off of himself. "Good Queen, please think of your station. It is unbecoming for you to be seen so."

"Station?" the faerie moaned. "I ran away to see you. And who's here to see us? Besides," she snuggled in closer despite Inlé's attempts, "this feels good too. Mmmm."

"Was this all you came here for?" Inlé asked.

"Of course!" Titania beamed.

Inlé sat on the edge of the bed, defeated, and patted the faerie queen's head. "Very well. I suppose this cannot hurt for a short bit." Titania purred her agreement and curled onto his lap.

When the sun began to set, Inlé shifted and said, "Queen, I believe it prudent that you return now to your kingdom. Your retainers will be worried, Highness."

"They're used to it," she answered. "Don't be a worry-wort."

"But is it truly safe to leave for so long? I am aware, good Queen, of the transience of alliances in the courts of Faerie. Your absence ..."

"Is proof of my power," Titania interrupted. "Those who see it as a weakness will make an attempt and fail, all others will be cowed by the concept that I am mighty enough to leave and gain standing."

"So even I am a calculated part of your politics," Inlé mused.

Titania chuckled. "Come now, Inlé my love. Don't think so highly of yourself. You are you, I am I, and we neither are the other's pawn. Therein lies the love."

She snuggled down and purred again. "Besides, I haven't been this comfortable since ... Never mind."

After a quiet pause, Inlé asked, "Is there anything I can do to help, Queen?"

Titania looked up at Inlé, blind with unshed tears. "Believe me, child," she said huskily, "this is enough." She rested her head back in Inlé's chest and sat silently.

This was the first time Inlé had heard Titania speak without the glib, energetic edge in her singsong voice. After a long pause, he said, "Very well. But we cannot make this habitual, highness."

The mischievous note returned to the queen's voice as she sang, "Then I'd best make the best of it!" and tackled him onto the bed.

Inlé slept that night on his bed. He had owned the bed for four years, but in all that time he had never before slept in it. The change gave Inlé a droll sense of security, a comfort he'd not felt in years. If only his dreams were as comforting.

Inlé found himself in the blackness once more facing his own image. It was grinning like a wolf, hungry for the thing before it.

"What would you say if I said I saw Titania today?" Inlé asked.

"Which one?" The copy replied uninterestedly.

"She came to me."

"Oh. Her," the copy said, suddenly more interested. "Shackin' up with an older woman now, are you? Don't let your date find out."

"So," Inlé said in realization, "You know everything up to a point, then only what you yourself observe. Hmm."

"Your point?" The copy asked flippantly.

"Now I need only find you."

"But can you?" The copy mocked. "And before I get to you?"

Inlé shrugged nonchalantly. "I do not know. We will see."

"Shouldn't you be getting back to your lady-friend?" the copy asked teasingly. "Don't want her to think you've gotten disinterested."

Inlé turned away from the mockery and asked as he walked off, "How can you be so like me and yet so very, very different?"

"Them's the breaks," the copy called after him. "Just hope I don't cause you too much trouble."

Inlé opened his eyes to find Titania sitting sadly on his chest. She was staring out the window at the full moon. "It used to be like this all the time, you know?" Titania said, thinking aloud. "Just the two of us."

Inlé lifted his head slightly, "You and the late king, Highness?"

Titania jumped in surprise. "Ah, Inlé! You're up! I thought you were still asleep."

Inlé sat up, sliding the Queen from chest to lap. Even then, his head was turned down to look at her face. "I give you my most sincere apologies for interrupting, Highness. I did not intend to intrude on your private musings."

"No," Titania answered. "That's fine."

She paused a moment, looking down, then said, "Obi and I, we were always together. He was a lot like you, you would have gotten along. Or hated each other.

"But either way, he was the only one for me, truly. And now that he's gone, it's still all just so ..." Her throat cracked as she tried to stifle the pain welling in her throat.

Inlé pulled her head tenderly to his chest. "Shh," he breathed. "I know."

"Silly boy," Titania scolded gently, "no you don't. And I hope you never ever have to." Titania sobbed quietly into Inlé's chest for the rest of the night, as he sat silent vigil, the anchor in a storm of sorrow.