"No," Robin growled gruffly. "You're not using my body for..."

"Just to talk?" Amber asked again. "Please. Can you both be here, so he can watch and see that we're just talking? Does the totem allow that?"

"I should know you," again, the voice coming out of the man's mouth was a strange mixture, that shifted back and forth between two accents. "Your spirit is familiar, but something's hiding you from me. Is that Biden's fear, or Madir's machinery? I should have all of my memories, not scattered fragments."

"You know me," Amber smiled weakly, "I hope you can remember. Maybe my body is different, though. It took me forever to remember who you are." And seeing the confusion still in those gold-rimmed eyes, and hearing the murmur of confusion from the others still, she decided to answer all their questions. "I am Orsertro, your Excellency."

"What?" Arnie gasped, but Amber was already kneeling, lowering her head to the ground in a gesture of subservience that had stood the test of time.

"Please," Amber continued when she was looking only at the gravel path, "Tell me you remember me now."

"I remember... I asked you not to kneel, because I wanted to see you stand for once."

She laughed. They both laughed, and the tension shattered like an icicle.

"Amma," Amber ran forward, and put her arms around the big man as he squatted down to reach her level. Her arms weren't quite long enough. She hadn't expected to feel anything so strongly, but as soon as she'd spoken, she knew how much she'd missed Ammadrine. Even if she could barely remember the time they'd spent together, she was sure this was what it might feel like to miss someone you hadn't seen for thirty thousand years. It seemed like forever.

"I missed you," It was the only thing Amber could think of to say, and it took a half-second for her to realise that she hadn't actually spoken the words aloud. Ammadrine had said exactly the same thing.

"I missed you too."

"Are we going to get in trouble? You were supposed to be forcing me to fulfil my role, to be the Immaculate Princess who is the perfect conduit for power to enter the universe. Feelings don't come into that."

"But that's a human body, right? You can't have feelings as the Immaculate Princess, but maybe the human princess can. I think everyone's okay with that now."

"So can we... I mean... I never expected you to be so young. What do we do now?"

"I don't know how much of me is still left. Of Orsertro, I mean. Maybe I'm not the guy you loved any more. Maybe you'll have to find someone else."

"It feels right, somehow. When I hold you like this, I want to protect you forever. Is that human emotion talking?"

"I think they call it love," Amber whispered, leaning closer. "The kind you have for your mom. Maybe that's a different kind of love. But it's a feeling, right?"

"I don't know what I feel now. It surprises me how the humans manage it."

"I think that's the same for everybody. We both need time to learn. I'm a little kid, and you're a million years old but still never been kissed." She giggled a little, and then caught herself. "I'm sorry, you were so upset about that, I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay. I can wait until you're grown up, until you know if Orsertro's feelings are still alive in your heart. If you even want to, all these lives later."

"You can if you want to. I kind of thought about it, on the way here. Like in all the fairytales, a kiss is the sign of true love to let you come back alive. And I think all that love stuff is a bit gross, maybe, but if it's you, then I wouldn't mind. People have died trying to save the world, so I think a kiss wouldn't be too much."

"You don't need to. I can feel my emotions, feel my spirit through the crystal, and through the satellites. I think just knowing you're here is enough to awaken my powers. Someone worth fighting for. The kiss... I've been secretly hoping for, but the prophecy is about love itself, not some physical act. Unless you really want to?"

Amber closed her eyes. She didn't know what she was doing, it just seemed right. Maybe it was Orsertro's dreams in the back of her mind, a moment he'd been waiting for just as long as his Princess. Or maybe it was Jack, taking a guess about the right thing to do in a situation he'd never expected. Her heart was pounding now, not quite sure what to expect.

She could feel Ammadrine's breath, smelling slightly of cherries like she always used to. And then the faint brush of lips on her cheek, the gentlest touch possible. For a moment she didn't know what to say or do, and they both broke into laughter at the same time.

"I think..." Ammadrine tried to catch her breath a moment later, "I think my host would have strong words if I were to do anything else. But a real, physical sign of emotion, that's something I've never done before. It feels good. Thank you, Orsertro."

"Thank you. And the other stuff, maybe when I'm grown up. You can find a new body if he doesn't like it, right? Someone that doesn't mind sharing?"

"They've always been girls before," Ammadrine admitted, "Willing to share their bodies in exchange for a chance to protect their castle, their convent, their church, their school. Every time Madir managed to slip a demon through the cracks, there'd be someone who would do anything to stop it. And I think some of them found it kind of romantic, searching for my destined love."

"And on that note," Mel had been getting gradually closer, and now he was confident enough to interrupt, "I only caught a bit of that, but I think you both know we've got a whole congress of demons to beat. Are you really Ammadrine? Are you really the Princess?"

"Yes, and you're the one who decided I should be locked in my chambers and kept in isolation to prevent me developing feelings for any of my friends. You're the one who told Madir all about our meetings after he was banished, and got Gethrase Evi killed in an ambush. So don't talk to me about what I've done wrong in my first life."

"No, I didn't mean– I... I'm sorry, I guess."

"Can we just fight the demon?" Jack snapped, "And save the family reunion for some other time?"

"Fine. But don't let Robin do anything stupid with my body."