“So… I have some explaining to do… Hang on, is that STILL leftover pizza?”
Retvik rolled his eyes. “Yes, it is. Unfortunately it is over a week old, and I do not think it is good to eat.”
“Aw…” Tenuk frowned, then went back to what he wanted to talk about. “Anyway, well, dad worked shit out. Mostly because I woke up in my old, massive bed in the Grand Palace, just as dad wandered in to sit and sob for a bit. Honestly, I still feel awful about it because he was genuinely heartbroken at my disappearance and I neglected his feelings. But we had a long, hard talk, I chatted with Levik and Kohra as well, and we’ve some to some sort of agreement.”
“How did your dad take it?” Nyssi asked. “It as in, you coming back.”
“Better than I expected, admittedly. He… he really wasn’t doing well. Dad had literal stains on his fur from crying, and, according to Levik, he hadn’t taken his mourning scarf off since January, when they gave up looking for me and declared me dead.”
“You’re not going back though, are you?” Kayel butted in. “Because we don’t want you to leave. You’re one of us! You’re literally irreplaceable!”
Tenuk shook his head and sighed. “Well, good news, I’m not going back. I told dad that I’m happy being a gladiator, that I’m proud of who I am and what I’ve done and I 100% do not want to be Lord King. Kohra doesn’t want to be Lord King either. Levik… kinda does, but he’s aware that he’s too mentally addled to lead the Spasts overall, and he doesn’t trust anyone in general. I mean, he hardly trusts dad, and he refused to talk to anyone apart from Kohra when I disappeared because he believed he was going to be killed next… Which kinda turned out to be true, someone did attempt to bomb a car Levik was due to travel in, but since I was considered dead, everyone was on high alert and Levik wouldn’t leave the Grand Palace, well, he got lucky.”
“Not gonna lie, I’m so glad I don’t have siblings, nor am I tied to any sort of leadership, because, damn, between you and Retvik, your siblings have it rough…” Kayel muttered.
“How would you know if you had siblings though?” Nyssi queried. “You’re an orphan, you don’t know who your parents are! I know I don’t have any siblings, because mum laid her last clutch, my clutch, when she was 90 and she lost them all but me.”
“Normally some DNA testing is done, and I did ask if there were any matches when I was 18, but nothing came up, so I just assume I was a failed abortion or an early-laid egg and my parents weren’t registered Skyans, or maybe I was a parthenen egg. You though, you don’t have older siblings?” Kayel asked back.
Nyssi shook her head. “Mum was… well, she grew up in the midst of the Tharr stuff, she… she didn’t have traits the Tharr Clan liked so she wasn’t allowed kids until she and dad managed to escape. What… what’s a parthenen egg?”
Kayel shrugged. “In rare situations, Skyans can impregnate themselves. In even rarer situations, such ‘virgin’ eggs can be viable and grow into perfectly normal Skyans. But almost all recorded cases have been in underage teenagers so the eggs are generally aborted or adopted anyway.”
Everyone stared at Kayel, not really sure how to respond.
“Alright, firstly…” Tenuk gasped. “That’s fucked up. Secondly, can that happen to Rethans? Thirdly, can I get back to what I wanted to discuss?”
“Yes, no and yes!” Kayel smiled. “Sorry for interrupting.”
Tenuk glanced at Retvik, who had clearly just breathed a sigh of relief, then continued. “Eh, no worries. So, basically, dad is fine with me not being Lord King. And he also agrees with the idea of setting up a democracy, but we’ve got to get a bunch of trustworthy advisors and lawyers to help us work on that. In fact, dad’s also fine with my blue fur, he doesn’t have a problem as long as I don’t copy Levik’s black and green or Kohra’s white, blue and gold look. Doesn’t seem to mind my weird red eyes or my violent new job either.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“He…” Tenuk hesitated. “He wants me to re-take the family name. So I won’t just be Tenuk, I need to go back to being called Tanos Tou Ahvran, or at the very least, Tenuk Tou Ahvran. I’m royalty, I have to have a family name. I also… dad wants me to tell the world who I am. I’m one of the better-known Spasts around outside of our media empire, I’m the first modern Spast gladiator AND I fight for the arenas themselves, everyone seems to think I shouldn’t hide behind a pseudonym, that people might get upset or call foul play or something if they work out who I really am before I reveal myself.”
“Why would people be upset?” Retvik blinked in confusion. “You are still a fine gladiator, no matter where you came from.”
“I think people might… think I’m getting preferential treatment or something.”
“But Retvik’s brother-”
“Sibling.”
Nyssi eyed Retvik and tutted. “Retvik’s sibling is literally the High General. You met them.”
“Yeah, sure, but in Retvik’s defence, he was an exile!” Tenuk countered. “He’s only popular and famous now because Retvik went above and beyond, to the point that Retvik had protect his siblings, set a fricking universal record and save the universe for other Rethans to start accepting him again.”
Retvik didn’t seem too bothered. “I do not think most people will care that much. After all, most Thraki gladiators are famous before they become gladiators, and there is a slight Ksithan, Temthan and Vrekan bias to the arenas overall since there are way more of them… So, Tenuk, are you saying you need to reveal your real name?”
Tenuk nodded. “Yeah. I gotta tell the universe that I was Tanos Tou Ahvran. I just… don’t know how to do it.”
Kayel just shrugged again. “Just do it in our next Dessaron match. Tell the universe that you had amnesia, but a chance encounter with the gods gave you back some of your memories. I mean, people haven’t really pushed you on your identity that much but they’ve been curious, since you’ve never been seen with family and your best friend is a Rethan. Folks will be shocked, but I think they’ll appreciate the closure, you know?”
“You think?” Tenuk asked.
“Yeah, pretty sure of it, actually!” Kayel smiled. “Sure, your dad is, well, a prick, I guess, but the rest of your family seems nice. Would be nice to share.”
“I… I guess…” Tenuk trailed off. “Speaking of which… I think Levik kinda wants to become a gladiator too. But he’s not old quite enough yet.”
“You’re in your fifties though.”
“Levik’s 49 years old. You can’t get a proper job until you’re 50, which is next February. Dad’s not happy about it, but, like, Levik can’t be a politician or anything, he can’t hold a normal job, but he already had brain damage and can shapeshift as well as I can, so it’ll be interesting. But… like… I’m scared of how people will react.”
Kayel put an arm around Tenuk. “They’ll be fine.”
“You think?”
“They accepted me, and I’m literally a former assassin and sex-ed teacher. And I piss the Torr off by being a genderfluid whore, same way Retvik does.”
Retvik grunted. “I never understood that insult. Am I really genderfluid? I am intersex and use male pronouns instead of genderless ones, but I revert to genderless pronouns when among other Rethans.”
Kayel shrugged yet again. “Yeah, I dunno mate, I don’t think you are genderfluid, but, well, the posh, rich Torr with loud voices are assholes who complain about anything they don’t understand, so I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“Fair enough…” Retvik also shrugged as he got up. “Anyway, I am both hungry and thirsty, and I have prize money to spend. What do you want for dinner, Tenuk?”
“Why are you letting me pick?” Tenuk asked.
“Because we missed you and are glad you are back home.”
Tenuk paused, then smiled. “Heh. I missed you all too. You guys are great.”