Chapter 6

Hayden stumbled forward off the train, and into the brilliant sunlight. The cold cut straight through his thin clothing, making him shiver—but he endured it. A servant he barely saw extended one hand towards him, taking the bag off his shoulder. 

He wasn't sure how close to get to the powerful woman—the one he'd seen depicted in fine portraits and posters all over Sunyshore since he was born. Strange that she looked exactly the way the portraits showed. There were no lines on her face, or gray hairs. 

He bowed when he reached her, the same way he'd once done for an arcanine who visited their shop from a far country. His father made him stay down five whole seconds before he looked up. For the ruler of all Sinnoh, he gave it ten seconds.

Or he would have, if soft fingers hadn't taken him by the shoulder, and lifted him with irresistible force. Somehow, this little woman was stronger than anyone he'd ever met. "You don't have to do that anymore, child. It is right to show respect to those with age and experience. But we do not bow to equals. We offer our hand, and we show our daemon, and we smile. Try it."

It was not a request. Hayden extended his right hand just as Ahuiliztli emerged from his jacket again, hovering timidly in the air beside him. Her presence attracted many staring eyes.

"Down here," ordered the daemon, just as Hayden took the offered hand. Meanwhile, Liz dipped low, closer to another human being than she ever wanted to be, except for family.

The shaymin sniffed at her, then rose onto its short, stubby legs. Of all creatures, how was that so powerful?

"Ah," said the lady, shaking Hayden's hand firmly. "Pardon my caution, child. But I have experience with ditto who pretend to be what they are not. I had to know you were genuine." 

She let go, then waved back the way they'd come. "Everyone, welcome young Hayden to my household! I expect him to be treated with the same respect as any child of Shaymin House. Should you fail to do so, you will face my displeasure." 

She turned, and Liz freely returned to Hayden's shoulder. He followed her back along the path, fighting back his desire to sneeze. He had so many questions—but he should probably ask them when they weren't surrounded by strangers and servants.

"I can't tell what she's thinking," Liz thought to him as they walked, in total silence. "I could try to push, but—"

"No," he shot back, urgently. "I bet she wouldn't like that. Not her."

Hayden felt what Liz did about the servants and staff all around them. Some were bored, and saw this day more or less the same as any other on the job. A few others were intimidated by Hayden, afraid of the change he represented. There was only one exception, the one carrying his bag. 

Hayden slowed a little to eye her. She wasn't that much older than Hayden himself, a girl dressed as a maid, with a gothita following beside her. Her hair was an unnatural mix of stark white and black, one of the more common differences he found in the servants here. 

No fear from her though, or boredom. She knew something the others didn't.

A carriage waited for them at the edge of the strange train station. There were several staff near the front, along with a handful of rapidash to pull it. Would Lin end up in a place like this, pulling things for a noble with her daemon one day?

"I almost forgot," said the noble lady leading them, stopping just beside the carriage. She left the servant there to awkwardly stare as she turned back on Hayden. "You may call me Lady Gracidea for now, Hayden. When you know me better, I may allow something else. But for now, that seems appropriate. My husband, should you ever see him here, you may call Lord Gracidea. He spends most of his time on migration, and precious little tending to the family affairs—but thus it is with the men of our house. He cannot help what he is."

"Yes, Lady Gracidea."

She stepped into the carriage, leaving the door open behind her. He followed her in. Strangely, so did the maid girl. It was nice of her to take such good care of Hayden's things.

Even stranger, the matron of Shaymin House only glanced at her once, rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to Hayden. "Of course we have more in common than we have differences, don't we? Only one male of your whole species at a time, always the most powerful. That must make for strange family reunions."

Hayden's mouth hung open. He realized he was staring, and shut it again almost as quickly. "I don't, uh—I don't know what you're talking about, Lady Gracidea. I've never seen a mew before. My family have reunions all the time—but most of them are foxes. Not mew."

"Of course, of course." The carriage started rolling forward, along a single-lane road cut through the forest. This was real forest, as wild and untamed as any could be. Just past the road were old-growth trees as thick as small buildings that rose an incredible distance into the sky overhead. 

The road was cast in perpetual indirect light, with ferns and flowers growing freely just beyond it. How could such important people live in a place so wild?

At the same time, the open window filled his nose with the smells of strange new places, of trees he'd never seen and pokémon he'd never encountered. Maybe while he was living here he would get a chance to wander that forest, and explore the secrets it kept hidden.

"I've mobilized the entire staff on your behalf," Lady Gracidea continued. "But your arrival was so sudden and unexpected that it may be a little while before we finish preparing adequately for one like you. If anything is missing, please let the staff know so they can provide it."

Hayden settled into his seat, reluctantly retreating from the window. Liz made no such movement, leaning out the glass and letting her tail trail into the carriage. Compared to the train, they were not moving very quickly, so they had plenty of time to get a good view.

"I'm guessing I couldn't just go back to live with my family, and save you the trouble?" Hayden asked hopefully.

The woman's smile vanished, her expression turning instantly stern. "That desire is… understandable. It is nevertheless impossible, child. You are no longer like them. Ordinary people and their pokémon are so much simpler than you are that being around them puts them in danger. You do not even understand your powers. You don't know the meaning of Unity, or how to seek it. As painful as this separation is, I promise it is the kindest thing you can do for them."

She reached across the carriage, resting one hand on Hayden's shoulder. "I have their names from the mayor I appointed. I promise you they will want for nothing. They may miss you—it is natural for even commoners to experience attachment to those close to them. But they will not suffer for your absence. When you read their letters, you will see that. They will be honored because of you."

That was more or less what all the stories said about the rare few who settled as legendary pokémon across history. They went on to do amazing things, becoming the heroes and villains of myth and legend. There were usually shrines built where they had appeared, where families would take their children for many years to come.

Would there be a shrine to Hayden, next time he visited his home?

"Yes, Lady Gracidea," he said, slumping back into his chair. It didn't matter how much he wanted to argue with her. She radiated the same aura as any adult who had long-since made up their mind. 

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" asked the ruler of the Sinnoh region. But not to Hayden—her attention was on the servant. "Obedience is a simple principle. The commoners are masters of it, maybe you should learn some."

"Because they don't know any better," the maid muttered. "Look at him. Lost, confused. Thinks he can just go back to live in a ditch."

Hayden's mouth fell open. It was the kind of language he expected to get a lowly servant whipped. The woman riding with him was basically a god—she had ruled across human lifetimes, continuing in perpetual beauty with an army of supernaturally powerful soldiers. One did not argue with the great families. 

Apparently the maid could. "He will learn. Mew are supposedly the most adaptable of all pokémon. Their transformation is far more than a crude imitation—it's indistinguishable from the real thing. I've heard their Eldest has maintained it for months or years at a time, the world's most perfect spy."

Then she noticed Hayden's attention, and she turned towards him again. "You must be overflowing with questions, child. Ask, and I will try to answer. I'm afraid you will probably not get this opportunity often. I have an entire region to govern, usually on my own. So you will have to make do with your governess and tutors for most concerns."

"There's a house up there," Liz thought to him, pointing ahead of them through the trees. "Bigger than city hall. Bigger than a train station!"

That meant they were running out of time. "What will I do here?" he asked. "At home, there was a shop that needed me, chores, and my sister to teach me. What does a mew do?"

"Chores." The maid giggled. "He'll join me within the week. Maybe he'll sweep my floors if I ask him nicely."

Hayden's attention snapped towards the strange maid. It wasn’t so much that he was unhappy about a “servant” talking to him that way. But he knew a bully when he heard one. He'd beaten Corrin back in Sunyshore, only to find himself face to face with an even worse brat.

"You will not work, obviously," Lady Gracidea said, acting as though she hadn't even heard the maid's remarks. "Your role in these next few years will be as a student. Of Unity first, but also decorum, politics, grammar, mathematics. It is in Unity you will be most deficient, since the practice is unknown outside our grounds. When you're ready, we'll involve one of the Gurus in your instruction. Before that, members of my staff will tutor you."

"What is… Unity?" he asked. He felt exceptionally stupid asking, given how often she repeated the term. His guess seemed well-founded, since the maid started giggling the instant it left his lips. Hayden did his best to ignore her, too. Bullies fed on attention. If he could deny her that, maybe she would leave him alone.

"Unity is what you see before you." Lady Gracidea reached up, running one hand through the overflowing leaves of her hair. "It is what the Great Families give to those who serve us, and only to those who serve us. You will strengthen the bond with your daemon, until you share her powers."

She opened her hand, holding it in the center of the carriage. Dark green vines spread from her fingertips, flowering into life from nothing like a pokémon's attack. They didn't strike at anyone, and relaxed almost as soon as they appeared, falling away from her arm. "All that they can do, you will do too. And in you—this will bring their resilience too. Their lifespan, strength, and power. How else do you think the Great Families rule for so long?"

"We could fly together!" Liz landed in his lap, curling her long tail around his leg. "I think we will anyway. I bet I could pick you up and carry you with enough practice. But it would be nice if you pulled your own weight."

Hayden pushed her gently over with two fingers, sticking his tongue out at her. Seconds later, the carriage jerked to a halt. "Well, we've arrived at Shaymin Mansion. You will not see me often, Hayden. But from this day forward, know that you are Hayden of Gracidea. You leave your old life behind at my doors. I will meet with you as often as I can, to review your progress."

She leaned forward, patting Hayden's shoulder with one hand. "I sense great potential. So long as you are growing towards that potential, I am not concerned with the road you choose to approach it. Do honor by your house, and it will give honor to you in return."

She let go, then clambered from the carriage, leaving Hayden alone. Except for that annoying maid carrying his stuff.

"Guess you'll want to see your room," she said, watching him. "Or do you want to sit alone in here for another few hours, until it gets dark? Carriage drivers would love that I bet."

"I'm ready," he said, stiffening. "Could you show me the way?"

"Since you asked." She rose, then hopped out. "Don't flatter yourself thinking this is an everyday thing. I just wanted to be here for today. You're just so important, you and your kitten. But you have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"I didn't get myself into anything," he shot back. "I didn't get to decide about coming here. The police showed up to take me away."

She rolled her eyes. "You think that makes it better? All that does is make you sound pathetic. Now come on, before I change my mind."