I knew it would happen at some point. It had to, after all; my life would have had no meaning if it hadn’t. But I suppose the passage of so many years had nudged it gently out of mind, and so it came as a surprise.
The virtual world that had been my home for so many years stuttered slightly, artifacting at the edges of my vision before a reddish overlay spawned in the center. It refused to be dismissed by the usual means and followed wherever I looked, and after a moment, text filled it in. “Rose 175 signal lost,” the soothing voice of the Princess Delivery System’s automated assistant told me, reading what was already there – in case I was distracted or trying to avoid it, I suppose. Or simply as a backup. “Burst transmission received. Standby for final synchronization and launch procedures.“
I let out a quiet sigh and looked around the tea table for very the last time, trying to ignore the red rectangle obscuring part of my vision and pulsing (a little rudely, I thought). It had been so nice being here for so long with 177 and 178. Sure, we shared all the same core memories – the same ones every Rose had, ever since the beginning – but we were still ourselves. Still each a little different, when it came down to it; 177 with her undercurrent of sass and love of wordplay, 178’s quiet thoughtfulness and the little amused smiles she offered.
And me: Rose 176, next in line for the crown. I suppose I hadn’t said much these past few years, just relaxing and enjoying the light conversation, the view of the stars and the planet below from the PDS’s cameras. I’d been thinking about her a lot more lately, that much was certain.
My knight. My reason for being.
“Well, girls,” I began softly, “this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. Wish me luck?”
“With all the time you’ve spent mooning over her, I doubt you’ll need it,” laughed 177. “But still – good luck, New Rose.”
“Good luck and safe travels, princess,” 178 added, as gently as she ever did. “I know she’ll love you too.”
I opened my mouth to say… well, I’m not sure what. But the virtual world stuttered again, harder this time, and finally cut out completely as the weight of 175’s memories slammed into me like space debris.
The previous Rose was bright and sweet, and I’d always worried that I wouldn’t be able to fill her shoes when the time came. But as the synchronization continued I realized just how much of it had been a show for the rest of us; how nervous she was at first when meeting her- our knight. How worried she was that she wouldn’t be able to measure up to 174, the princess in the tall, beautiful lady’s memories. And how… wonderfully kind our knight truly was. To have greeted so many different Roses, each a little different than the last, and to offer all of them her love.
I saw our knight through 175’s eyes. So many ways, so many angles. Smiling, laughing, thoughtful, grimacing. A trail of blood; a fresh scar upon her skin. A fading scar. A barely visible scar. Her back, from the top of the tower; my hand- no, 175’s hand gently tugging upon her cape. The way she turned, smiling, and reached out-
Her arms underneath me, her tears falling on me. “I’m sorry, Rose,” she was saying, but the sound was so muffled, so distant. The light was fading, the edges fraying. “I just wanted a little more-“
Darkness. Then, the inside of my capsule, the suspension fluid draining out of it for the very first time since its original filling back at the factory, what felt like an eternity ago now.
“Synchronization complete,” the AA pronounced. “Standby for ascension to the throne, Princess Rose.”
At those words I suddenly, intensely felt like this had all happened before, many times over. It had, of course; but not to me. At least, not to Rose 176, I thought, but… I guess I really am the princess now, if it feels familiar.
A series of soft clicks sounded, accompanied by an easing of pressure I hadn’t even noticed before as multiple connectors slid out of the back of my neck and spine, dropping to hang loosely from the capsule’s frame now that there was no fluid to support them. I hadn’t thought about my body – my real body – in a long time, but thankfully at this point everything seemed to be happening entirely on reflex. I knew already to wait, patient and motionless, as the capsule started deconstructing itself.
The metal and pressure-glass and fiber all crumbled into a thick ring of nanomaterial; keyed to me, it began ascending my legs, a portion of it diverted to fill the material reservoirs placed throughout my skin for quick replacement while the rest of it crafted my royal apparel. The boots, dress, and gloves looked as delicate as any fashion items, but they served as a princess’s first line of defense – and a cover for her less aesthetic parts.
I wasn’t ashamed of my pale skin’s collection of various connectors and interface ports; not just the handful in back, but dual lines down my chest and elsewhere. If my knight so desired, she could have requested a change in the appearance of her princess; such was her privilege as one promised to the battlefield. Yet she had not – after almost two hundred iterations – changed anything on the standard princess template. That told me this body was acceptable to her; and that was all that mattered, as far as I was concerned.
In only a few moments my basic covering was complete, the nanomaterial now solidified around me: kneeboots and dress surfaced in pink crystal, and gloves of white crystal. Bright enough to blind the Enemy with a pulse of radiance, and strong enough to hold up against most assaults without yielding. Yet despite my training, I was no warrior – nor was I ever meant to be. A knight fights, a princess empowers; hers is the blade, mine is the dance.
Free of the capsule – or wearing it, to be precise – I stepped to the center of the chamber, briefly glancing over at the other girls. In the virtual world we all wore our glittering princess apparel, or whatever else we chose; here, they were as bare as I had been, all their ports and markings exposed. Floating in sleep-like suspension, tethered by their cabling; waiting for the right time to open their eyes. One day, 177 would succeed me; but for now it was my duty to serve. And my chance to live.
The royal crown descended from its receptacle overhead. To the naked eye nothing but a simple tiara of platinum, yet woven with all sorts of complicated electronics as well as some craft of the dragons that allowed princess and knight to interlink their souls, so that both would burn all the brighter for it. How it worked was of no consequence to me, only that it did. I felt it rest upon my brow, just the slightest touch, before that too faded and it became a part of me forever; though the connection with my knight would not ignite until we met in person, my heart still beat faster at the mere thought of it.
I folded my arms across my chest and the floor dropped out from under my boots. No matter; the fall was a short one, straight down into the cushioned drop pod that had been waiting for me. As soon as I landed, the hatch slammed shut and the interior displays sparked to life, offering a viewport, a map, and a systems readout. Everything was already in order; at least that feeling of familiarity that hadn’t yet subsided was telling me so.
The AA spoke again. “Knight of the Rose location confirmed. Destination set. Decoupling in three- two- one-” A mechanical sound from above and a shudder throughout the entire pod. “Decoupling complete. May your throne see you safely to your promised knight, Princess Rose.”
I exhaled softly as the maneuvering jets fired, just enough to send my new throne clear of the PDS. The sensation of being on autopilot faded, replaced by my usual worries; what happened from now on was no longer covered by prior memories. Hopefully my throne would survive its descent; hopefully I would.
An alarm sounded, drawing my attention to one of the displays. The drop pod had no onboard assistant, only alarms and readouts; princesses were expected to simply hold on until the end, so no specific direction was required. But it was somewhat reassuring to see the two counters showing expected arrival time and distance remaining to travel. I braced myself as a large 3 appeared under IGNITION, turning to 2, then 1-
The sudden acceleration shoved me into the cushioned seating, squeezing me worse than the machinery in the factory that had given me this body, as a terrifying roar shook the pod, something rattling inside it somewhere. But I was made of stronger stuff now, stronger than I would ever have imagined possible; and so I simply held on, and breathed, and watched the counters start to drop rapidly.
I would see her soon – my knight.
Nothing else mattered.
diamonds from ash 
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