After all, if he had not defended them, who would have? Ingolsol? Or Claudia?
That line of thought popped into his head as well, unbidden. Though he had no notion of who 'they' were. Nor what he was trying to protect them from. Ingolsol and Claudia, they too were names that he did not recognize, but the moment the names popped into his head, the room changed once more.
There was a sudden distance between him and the throne, a cascading set of steps. He was at the bottom of them, like a knight about to kneel before his king. The throne itself was no longer empty. At least, its armrests weren't, as two children, a boy and the girl, fought over it.
"Give it to me!" The boy said. His voice was unusually stern for a child.
"I will not!" The girl said back in return, prying the boy's hands off her arm, and quickly trying to shift her rear into the chair.
The boy grabbed her by her long blonde hair, and without an ounce of hesitation, he pulled, dragging her back. "It's not for you," he said unkindly. "You're too weak."
She cried out from the pain.
"You shouldn't treat your sister like that," Beam said to the boy. His words came unbidden, without thought, as though he had no control over himself.
Only when he'd spoken did the two children finally look at him. The boy narrowed his eyes, and tutted. "And now a mortal intrudes on our battle," he said, with far more haughtiness than suited a boy his age.
The girl seemed to be of the same opinion. She regarded him kindly, but there was a look to her eyes that made it clear she knew herself to be above him, as though she knew he was nothing but a dog, in the throne room of royalty.
But again, there was nothing, only him and his sword.
They looked at him differently this time. Then they shared a look with each other.
"Did you just take some of my power, worm?" The black-haired boy hissed, his eyes narrowed like a snake eyeing prey.
"I felt some of mine disappear too," the girl said. She looked just as unhappy.
Beam felt the muscles of his jaw tighten, and a smile rose to his lips. He took another step on the stairs.
"So that's what's going on," there was a sense of profound understanding then. No thoughts passed through his head, he still could not pause to consider his situation, but somehow, that emotion still sat there, as though everything made sense, as though everything was falling into place. "It's you two that's protecting me, is it?"
They shared a look at that. Their fighting had stopped for a moment. Both their eyes were still on the chair. One wanted it just as badly as the other. Beam could see the hunger in the girl's eyes just as strongly as it was in the boy's.
Beam took another step up the stairs.
"Mortal, cease your disrespect, remove yourself from these stairs," the boy spat indignantly. Again, the boy appeared older. Beam didn't notice when the change had happened. Now he was a man in his twenties, tall and imposing, his shoulders broad, his armour heavy, and a sword at his hip now, instead of a dagger.
"I have love for you," the girl told him all the same. "But this is not your place. I will be made to strike against you if you come any further."
She too was older. She was a full woman by now. A startlingly beautiful woman, with purple eyes, and silver hair, and a full two-handed war-hammer now, rather than the smaller single-handed hammer that she'd wielded before.