This was much better than dealing with prophecies, or waging war.

I was here again to wage war, as my last few visits had been about, but it wasn't as pressing. The neighboring nations had gathered some mercenaries, unable to even field their own armies anymore. Odds are this would be one of the last battles I'd have to fight in for Merit and her Oasis for some time… as long as it didn't go bad.

"Go bad," I scoffed at the idea as I placed the pipe into position.

Adjusting the pipe, I connected it to the small trap and went to squishing the ends. I used quick friction, spinning them in my hands as if wringing a wet towel, to force the two together. The pressure was great enough, and done quickly enough, that the two softer ends of the connectors got squished together, forming a slight bond.

It wasn't enough, of course, thanks to how copper worked. So I gathered up some of the putty paste Nebl and I had concocted together years ago and I went to slathering it on the section, as to make sure it'd not leak in the future.

The putty took several days to harden, but once it did it became not just rubbery but an almost perfect seal. Perfect for pipe work, where I didn't want to or have the ability to weld anything.

Only real problem with it was the damned stuff was a pain to make, and I only ever had so much to use at once. The bucket near my feet was now less than half full, and I knew it was all that was here. I'd not be able to make any more before I left, which meant I'd need to send some down here before I came back next time as to finish the job I was doing now.

Once finished with that section of pipe I stepped back to study my handiwork, and then went to turn the water pressure back on. The circular crank was at the end of the small hall, and squeaked as I turned it. I heard the water fill the pipes quickly, where one even banged thanks to the shift in pressure, and after a few moments of listening and watching… I was glad to see there were no more leaks, and the pressure was strong even through the whole hallway.

Pleased with myself, I nodded and went to gather up the tools and supplies. As to go down to the next hallway, for the next floor's pipe works.

"Why do you look like you're having so much fun, Vim?"

Stepping out of the hallway, I smiled down at someone who didn't belong in the sub-basement of the castle. A place that was damp, somewhat dark, and smelly.

"What's that?" I asked, unable to contain my amusement as I stared at what was likely the most dolled up Merit I'd ever seen.

She had a puffy dress on, that had actual flowers all over it. Seemingly not just sewn into it, but maybe even grown into it. Honestly it looked way too fancy to be what it was, someone had genuine spent a long time on it. Even the little vines, coming from the flowers, had somehow been formed into tiny little designs on the dress. It was like someone had taken a flower garden and made a ball gown out of it.

"Shut it. It's Nasba's idea. The Wevling people like clothes made of plants," Merit complained.

"Don't you like plants too? Why the red face?" I asked as I carefully stepped past her, making sure to not touch her or her dress. I wasn't filthy, but I had been working down here for most of the day already.

"Because I feel ridiculous. And I like growing plants, not wearing them," she complained further as she followed me to the next batch of pipes.

"I have noticed the ducks do like to dress up. Or well, all birds do I guess. Either they love clothes, or love shiny things. Though I've noticed never both," I said as I thought about it. The Weaver, not far from here, was the same. She and her husband made enough clothes each year to give each member in the Society several sets. Yet they had no love or desire for jewels. Or money, for that matter.

Walking down the hallway, I scanned the pipe system and looked for any that needed attention. Oddly this one seemed in a much better shape than the last one, even though older. I only found one spot that was leaking, and it was such a small leak that I almost didn't bother with it.

"Sucks for me because Nasba finds dressing me up to be the funniest thing to do ever since she's figured out what sex is. I can always tell when she's going to do it with him because she wants to get me all dolled up, as if I was the one going to do it and not her," Merit grumbled.

I frowned at that. I now had several odd questions, and I didn't know if I wanted answers to any of them.

Wait, so her little fox was her first relationship…? Surely not, right? Nasba was as old as Merit, and they were both several hundreds of years old by now.

"Yes. This is her first attempt at having a partner. Though something tells me it will be the last. She does nothing but complain about him, but seems to love him more than she loves me," Merit said as I went to turn off the water pressure in this hallway.

I frowned at the queen who was being suddenly self-loathing. "I'd wager against that. But let her have her romance Merit, not many of us ever do."

"You telling me that just makes me want to shove one of these pipes up your backside," Merit said.

Ha.

Tapping the section where the pipes were leaking, I made sure the water had gone still inside of it. Once I was sure, I went ahead and pinched the pipe on both ends, around where it leaked, and broke it off from the system. Some water, some very hot water, poured out but I didn't mind it as I messed with the two spots I'd just torn the pipe from. I stuck a thumb into both ends, rounding and flattening the broken and torn copper I'd just ruined. Once it was back to form, at least as well as I could get it, I went to get a new piece of pipe.

"Why am I having to suffer these political meetings, and being treated like I am by Nasba, while you get to hide down here playing with pipes?" Merit asked.

"Because I slaughtered over five hundred people the other day for you. All by my lonesome. I didn't even get a thank you," I said as I lined up the new pipe. It was a tad too long, so pinched the top piece off, removing an inch more.

Merit scoffed. "You slaughter humans as easily as I cry myself to sleep."

Frowning at that, I decided not to comment to it as I slid the pipe into place.

Once secured, I squeezed it a little at the ends. Just as I'd done the last time. Then I went to get some of that putty.

Before I found the bucket, I found Merit. She held the bucket up, glaring at its contents.

"Is this all that's left?" she asked.

"Yes. I'll have Nebl send you more. I'll pass through the smithy on my way back once we're done," I said.

Her glare went from the bucket to me… then she looked around us, at the miles of pipes along the walls.

"What…? You helped build this place, Merit. That was how long ago now?" I asked, wondering if she was upset with the state of her castle. It was growing old, but it was old.

"We're five years from our two hundredth anniversary," she whispered.

Oh…? Two hundred already? For some reason I thought it was only a hundred or so.

Stolen story; please report.

"A mighty lineage," I said.

"One strife with war. I should have never accepted the Wevling kingdom into our banner," Merit said softly as I went and scooped up some of the putty from the bucket she still held.

"Maybe. But it allowed us to avoid that prophecy, didn't it?" I said. That had been what… fifty years ago? Maybe not that long.

Time was really starting to blur lately. I blamed the chaos. The wars weren't as bad as they had been, but that was not because it was going well.

We'd lost several other kingdoms. More than a hundred locations since the beginning of the wars.

The reason I wasn't needed as much anymore was not because our enemies had been defeated… but simply because there were not as many of us to protect anymore.

Maybe I was bad at this.

Honestly I was probably better suited to stuff like this.

Fixing pipes. Not ending wars.

Which was funny, because I really felt like I was damned good at the latter.

"This war, Vim. It's not one I feel like we should be having," Merit then said, a little softly.

"Then don't have it? I'm here to obey your orders, Merit. I can't dictate your rule or kingdom. You have advisors for that," I said. She's lately been almost asking me to rule for her, and not just because she wanted me to be her king. She almost seemed…

Glancing away from the pipe I was about finished with, I studied the sad fish. She was looking down, and her bucket had fallen to her side. It was touching her dress, and I stepped over to grab it from her. As I did, I sighed as I noted a small glop of the putty on her dress. I went to clean it, as best I could, but before I could grab it she had grabbed my hand with hers.

"Vim," Merit said my name, and I winced.

Hopefully this wasn't another attempt to woe me. The last one had not gone well. It had made me leave early, even though I still had things to do. It was why I was now fixing pipes, I should have done this last time I was here.

"Merit," I said calmly.

"Am I a bad queen?" she asked.

"All rulers are bad, Merit. The question is not if you're bad, but if you're cruel. Are your people happy?" I asked.

She shifted and frowned at me. "They act like they are," she whispered.

"Then you're a good queen. At least, not a cruel one. And to me that's good," I said.

She took a deep breath, squeezed my hand and sighed. "I'm sending you and the rest off to war again. To kill. To slaughter. All because I don't want to share these waters with another," she said.

"They don't want to share it, Merit. They want to rule it. To own it. Even if they have to poison it with your blood, and the blood of our people. I'd not call that sharing," I said.

"Maybe so. But maybe it's because I'm too hardheaded. Too stupid, to find a better solution for us all."

I scoffed at her.

"Don't scoff, Vim! I'm being serious!"

"I can tell," I said.

"Then…?" she asked worriedly, tears in her eyes.

"Then nothing. Do what you think is best, Merit. I'll support you no matter what. As I always have. As I always will."

"Because you pity me. You won't, can't, give me your heart so you give me your loyalty," she said.

Well…

She wasn't outright wrong with that, which made it hard for me to say anything to it. Instead, I knelt a little and reached over to clean off the putty from earlier with my free hand.

"Why are these little problems bothering you so desperately, Merit? Although a headache, they are in the end just petty politics. Not worth your stress or tears," I said.

Her lips quivered as she squinted her little eyes. "Nasba's pregnant."

My eyebrow rose upward. "Okay…?" How was that bad?

Merit's eyes narrowed, and her tear stricken look suddenly became furious. "She's pregnant, Vim!" she shouted at me.

"Okay…! Yes. I'm happy for her. Why aren't you?" I asked. Unsure what was wrong. Merit always complained about Nasba, but there was no doubt of her love for her. Merit would sacrifice this whole kingdom, and even everyone in it, to protect Nasba. I knew the truth, even if Merit didn't.

"What if she feels it's not safe enough for her here? To raise her children?" she asked quickly.

Resisting a smirk that wanted to pry at my lips, I nodded. See? I had been proven right already.

"Then make it safe enough for that to not even be a thought?" I said.

"I've been trying! Yet I keep having to call on you for help! Because I'm too scared to send my own people to war, too afraid to lose the few friends I have, and…!" Merit began to ramble, but then went quiet… and I realized she had bit her tongue.

A tiny line of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, so I hurriedly reached up to stop it from dropping onto her dress. She made an odd noise as I scooped up the little bit of blood with the same hand she still held.

"Have you talked to Nasba about it yet?" I asked.

"No."

"You should. For both of your sakes."

"What if she tells me she wants to leave…?" she asked worriedly.

"Then… either fix it, so she doesn't… or go with her? Really Merit, you're usually not one to hesitate to make such decisions," I said.

She sniffed at me and gulped, likely to swallow the rest of the blood in her mouth. "What would people think? If I abandoned them all just for that, after all this time?"

"Who cares what they'd think?"

"I do."

"Well, now you're sounding like me. Stop that." Merit finally broke a tiny smile, and I sighed as I stood and gestured at her. "Let me finish this pipe, Merit."

"Of course I'm not as important as a stupid pipe. That thing probably connects to some toilet or something too," she complained.

"Actually I think this is to the showers," I said. This hallway was the fifth floor, right? Then yes. The showers.

"Oh. Those are important. You wouldn't believe how smelly some of them get out here in the desert without those," she said.

I laughed at that and nodded. "I do know, actually."

"You would…" she mumbled as I finished messing with the pipe… and then turned to properly face the little queen of this oasis.

"Merit, I see you as a friend," I told her.

"I see you as something else, though you don't want to hear it."

I nodded, I didn't.

"My point was… I'll always support you. No matter what you do, or why you do it. I've waged war for you. I helped you make these lakes. I put up with all those who complain about how you are a part of the Society, yet not. Just as I do for Nebl, the ravens, Berri and so many others," I said.

"If you're trying to make me feel special Vim, it isn't working," she said.

I laughed at her as I brushed my hands on my pants, cleaning them of the putty and other gunk. "Yeah. I'm bad at this. Basically Merit… you just need to decide what you want to do. Want to wage war with the world? Let's do it. Want to tear it all down and run off, starting anew elsewhere? Not the first time. I don't know if you've noticed Merit, but half of the Society is gone. All the other kingdoms are falling, if not completely gone already. And most of them were far bigger than you, with a hundreds of our members trying to keep them afloat. Yet here you are, stuck in war yes, but otherwise perfectly fine? Your people are happy. Your cities healthy. You have no famine. No plague. You're not under siege, and your economy isn't collapsing around you… by all metrics you're doing just fine, Merit. Be more proud of yourself," I said.

Merit studied me for a moment, and then sighed. "Hearing you say such things makes my heart hurt," she said softly.

"Yeah, makes my head hurt too. Why is that?"

She scoffed at me. "What would you choose, Vim? Your kingdom or your friends?"

Hmph. "Well, that's a trick question for me… let's just say I'd make the wrong mistake, since I usually always do," I said carefully.

A corner of Merit's mouth curled upward. "Funny. I'll let that pass then, for now. After this war is over you and I will need to have a talk about this," she said as she rolled a shoulder, and went to adjusting her dress a little. Had it slipped…? I couldn't tell, but it must have considering the way she was tugging at it.

"Sure thing. I'm to assume that means we're going to leave soon?" I asked.

"In a few days. I have one last meeting with the others… I'm actually late to it. I had come down here to see if you'd come up with me, and be my king for once."

"Sorry. Just a plumber this time," I said with a tiny tap on one of the nearby pipes.

"Plumber…?" Merit mumbled the word but sighed and shook her head. She stepped past me, heading for the exit.

She only made it a few steps before she paused and turned to look at me. I smiled at her, and wondered what else she was going to say… then she gave me a prideful grin.

"I told you Vim. One day I'll make you jealous. You'll regret ignoring my affection one day," she said as she hurried away, her strange plant dress making odd noises as she did.

"I hope I do, Merit," I said softly as I was left behind, alone surrounded by pipes.

I really do.

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