“Esther!” said Charity, wrapping her arms around her. “It’s so good to see you!”
Esther smiled and tried hugging her friend back, but her arms were pinned to her side under Charity’s mammoth hug. Esther still felt uncomfortable whenever someone wrapped their arms around her so snugly—the memory of being assaulted still present in her mind—but she had taught herself not to stiffen up and give away her discomfort to those she cared about. “It’s good to see you too, Charity…or should I say, Mrs. Schmidt?”
Charity stepped back with a sheepish smile. “After I got back to Tewksbury, Ger and I hit it off, and when he asked if he could come courting…”
“I’m happy for you Charity. I’m glad you found someone,” said Esther.
“And you found someone, too!” said Charity, stepping back and looking her up and down. It was then that she finally noticed Esther’s small baby bump. Her bright green eyes suddenly widened. “You’re pregnant!”
Esther laughed again, “Yep.”
“How far along?”
“About fourteen weeks,” Esther replied.
“And showing already? You must be having twins!”
“I’m not having twins!” Esther shouted, grabbing her friend’s upper arms and shaking her. “I’m just…showing a little early is all.”
“We’ll see,” said Charity, laughing. “Listen, Tanya has been in Maypar the last couple of days but is returning today and should here soon, why don’t you and your…entourage,” she said, gesturing to all of the people around her, “come over to the Rosebud and have some refreshments. It’ll be lunchtime soon and you can eat and we can talk until Tanya gets back…unless you have other things you need to do?”
“No, that sounds wonderful. I probably do need to sit down with the Mayor for a few minutes to discuss a couple of things, but we can do that at the Rosebud, and it will be nice for my, ’entourage’ as you called it, to be able to relax and have a drink. I think my dad has some business to do and my siblings will want to search out some of their friends, but I came here to see you and Tanya, so that sounds nice.”
Esther spoke with her parents about her plans, then followed Charity and the Mayor to the Rosebud. As they approached the Inn, Esther caught sight of Janey and Rebecca Payton standing at the corner of Mr. Anderson’s Bakery. The looked back and forth between the Retribution and Esther, glaring. Their families never liked foreigners settling in Ardmorr, and Tewksbury in particular, and had been mean and spiteful all through her years growing up here. Her elevation in the world and arrival aboard such a spectacular looking ship with a crown upon her head must rub them particularly raw. Esther couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t hold any particular malice toward them, but it was nice to see their bigotry thrown into their faces.
As they entered the Inn, Gerold Schmidt came up to Charity, wrapping an arm around her waist and swinging her around before kissing her soundly on the mouth.
“Ger, not in front of guests,” Charity said, swatting her husband and laughing.
“It’s just Esther,” Ger said, still holding his wife around the waist with one arm.
“Your irreverence will be your undoing, boy,” a gravelly voice said from behind the counter. Gerold’s father, Jürgen Schmidt, came around the counter and walked over to Esther wiping his hand with a towel. He held out his hand out and shook hers firmly. “It’s good to see you again, Your Majesty. It’s been too long.”
“That it has, Master Schmidt,” replied Esther.
“Please, call me Jürgen. It seems odd to be addressed as ‘Master Schmidt’ by a Queen.”
“I wasn’t always a Queen,” Esther responded. “I’ll tell you what, I won’t call you ‘Master Schmidt’, if you don’t call me ‘Your Majesty’, deal?” Esther stuck her hand out again.
“Aye, lass, that’s a deal,” the big man said, shaking it.
“Great. Well, Charity and I have a lot of catching up to do and my men are hungry and thirsty, so if you don’t mind a full house, I’ll setup a rotation schedule so that all of my crew have a chance to come and get something to eat. I’ll pay for their meals and their first drink. After that, they’re on their own. My ship’s purser will come and settle the tab before we leave, if that’s agreeable to you.”
“Aye, lass, most agreeable,” the big innkeeper nodded happily.
“What about any problems that may come up, Your Majesty?” said the Mayor, a hint of concern tinging his voice. “With that many sailors drinking and carousing, there may be problems.”
“My crew was hand-picked from the best sailor’s in the Hadiqan Navy, and my officers are the best from both Ardmorr and Hadiq. However, things happen, so if it’s alright with you, Mr. Mayor, I’ll have a small contingent of marines on duty to handle any ‘problems’ that may arise. I’ll let the men know that they are to handle themselves as guests, but if anything comes up, my marines should be able to handle it.”
The mayor nodded. “That sounds like a wise course of action, Your Majesty.”
“Please, Mayor, call me Esther.”
The mayor chuckled. “That may be hard to do. I’m a bureaucrat and titles simply flow naturally. For instance, how comfortable would you be to call me Gavin in public?”
Esther shook her head with a smile. “I see what you mean.”
“Yes, it’s difficult not to use titles when one is talking from one government official to another. However, if you prefer, when it is just the two of us, I will call you Esther, and you are welcome to call me Gavin.”
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor, I think that is a wonderful idea.”
“Great,” he said, rubbing his hands together, “now why don’t we go sit down and we can discuss whatever you had wanted to talk to me about.” He gestured towards a table in the corner.
Esther walked over and sat down at the table. Master Schmidt brought a sausage and some sweet apple nectar for them to enjoy and she and the Mayor discussed a few logistical items for the time that the Retribution was going to be in the area. Although she planned to head back to her family’s farm tonight or tomorrow, she wanted to stay around Tewksbury until after Christmas. Her crew would go crazy being cooped up on the ship until then, not to mention the crews of the Achaemenes and the Piruz, so she and the Mayor had discussed the crews spending time in Tewksbury.
Esther had been thinking about wanting to do something nice for her hometown, and after hearing about the school from her family, she had decided to donate the rest of the funds—as well as the labor—for a brand new school to be built. It would give the crew of the three ships something worthwhile to do and help them get to know the townspeople. She didn’t exactly know how Asserius would feel about Hadiqan money being spent to fund an Ardmorran school, but she hoped he wouldn’t mind, given that it was his Queen’s hometown that benefited.
After they finished their discussion, the mayor excused himself and Charity walked over and sat down. “So how’s the life of a Queen?”
“Stressful,” Esther replied with a smile. “It’s good to see you Charity. I’m so happy for you and Ger I can hardly stand it.”
“Thanks, Esther. It was really tough when we all first came back to Tewksbury, but lately, things have just been great, and I love Ger,” said Charity, turning her head to stare at her husband. “He’s a good man.”
“That’s great, Charity, I—”
“Esther Kelley!” A loud feminine voice boomed across the Inn from the direction of the front door.
Esther looked toward the voice and saw her friend Tanya standing there, taking off her thick coat. Tanya was a tall, large boned young woman with strong, strikingly pretty features, flowing blonde hair, and large, bright blue eyes. Tanya was the same age as Esther, but where Esther looked younger than she was, Tanya had the physical maturity that made her look several years older, with an hourglass figure that made many girls their age jealous. Esther and Charity had often commented to each other that they often felt rather plain when they compared themselves to Tanya o
r Marigold.
“Actually, it’s Esther Kelley Asserius now,” she said with a grin, standing up and walking over to meet her friend. Tanya stretched her arms out, wrapped them around Esther, and lifted her off the ground in a great bear hug. Again, Esther had to consciously not let herself stiffen up, but it was fairly easy to do as she felt the overwhelming feeling of friendship from her tall friend.
Tanya set her back on the ground and held her at arm’s length, looking her up and down. “The crown befits you, Esther—and you’re pregnant?! Congratulations!”
“Thanks! And no, I don’t think its twins!”
Tanya gave her a questioning look. “The thought never crossed my mind.” Tanya looked around for a moment, then back at Esther. “Where’s Marigold? I assume she came with you?” Tanya asked.
“Yes she’s here, but…she stayed onboard the Retribution.”
Tanya and Charity both gave her a quizzical look.
“After her father died during the raid, she wasn’t doing well.”
“What do you mean?” asked Tanya.
Esther could see that her friend probably couldn’t understand what Marigold was going through. Tanya had her faults and areas of weakness, but mentally, she was as strong as she was physically.
“Losing her father in the raid almost crushed her inside, Tanya. She didn’t know how to deal with it, and returning here was…difficult for her. She wanted to see you, but she said she just couldn’t handle it right now. Not here at least. I think it might be good if I bring you and Charity out to the farm in a couple of days after she’s had a chance to process things a bit. Would you be able to do that?”
“Of course,” said Tanya. The concern evident in her voice. “Anything for Marigold. Tell her that we’re thinking of her and love and miss her.”
“I will.”
“Good then.” Tanya clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go have a seat and talk. Ger!” she shouted over her shoulder, “Bring me a malz, will you?”
“Right away, Tanya.”
“Oh, so you’ve graduated from apple nectar to beer now, have you?” said Esther with a smile.
“Not really,” Tanya replied, smiling back. “I always drank…just not where you or my father could see me.” Esther laughed as they headed over to the table and sat down with Charity.
- - -
The sun had dipped below the horizon and the Rosebud’s maple wood interior was lit by bright lanterns as Esther and her two friends continued to laugh and share their varied experiences over the last six months. She had decided to spare her friends the worst of what she had gone through, and they all had some good laughs at the more interesting parts—like when Esther had hidden in a rug and been rolled out in front of the King, or when Tanya had smashed two Madrausan’s heads together when the Nautilus had boarded the transports and freed the prisoners.
Finally, one of her marine’s stepped up next to her. “Your Majesty,” said the man in Hadiqan, “I apologize for the interruption, but the Piruz cleared a Hadiqan diplomatic courier ship, the Masoud, to approach. They just landed on the village green and I was told that they have a message for you from King Asserius.”
Esther looked at her friends with a raised eyebrow, then back at the marine. It was too early for Asserius to have received her letter asking to stay until Christmas, so she wondered what messages the courier ship was bringing. Asserius didn’t even know she was in Tewksbury, so the message must have been routed through Lancaster first and it worried her, especially since it was coming to her and not Admiral Marsena, who was in command of the fleet. “Alright, thank you Corporal Dilshad. Please let them know that I will receive them aboard the Retribution. Also, please locate and ask Mr. Jeffries to meet me there.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Corporal Dilshad said with a bow, then turned and left.
“Well, it seems that duty calls,” said Tanya, raising her mug in salute.
“That it does. Depending on what this is all about, I may or may not be back, so I’ll give you a hug now.” She stood and leaned over to give Charity a hug, then Tanya. “I’ll be in touch.”
Waving, Esther turned and walked toward Rosebud’s door.
- - -
When Esther and Mac stepped off the platform onto the deck of the Retribution, they were greeted by Lieutenant Ben-Ezra. “The courier is waiting in the dining compartment, Your Majesty,” he said.
“Very good, Lieutenant,” replied Esther, turning aft. Mac strode ahead of her and opened the door to the dining compartment and Esther stepped through. A man stood waiting inside, his hat tucked under his arm, dressed in a navy blue uniform. Behind him stood another man, this one a civilian wearing a suitcoat with a pin on his lapel identifying him as one of the diplomatic couriers. Both men bowed deeply as she strode nervously into the room.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” she said.
“Good evening, Your Majesty,” replied the captain of the courier ship. “I am Captain Kassim of the courier ship Masoud, and this is Mr. Malik, our courier.”
“I am pleased to meet you both. Have you eaten? Would you care for some refreshment?”
“Tea would be fine, Your Majesty, thank you,” said Captain Kassim.
“That’s fine for me as well, Your Majesty,” the courier responded.
Esther turned to Mac who nodded and left to prepare the refreshments. “If you’ll follow me into the great cabin, I think we’ll be more comfortable there.” She turned, walked through the aft door, and led them over to a small table with three chairs in the corner of the room. Captain Kassim stepped forward and pulled her chair out for her.
“Thank you, Captain Kassim.” Esther sat and turned to the courier. “I’m curious what has brought you here. I wasn’t expecting a message from the King until next week.”
“To tell you the truth, Your Majesty,” said Mr. Malik, “I don’t know what this is about either. There is only the one message and it’s a sealed letter for you, nothing else.” He laid a sealed envelope fastened to a small package on the table. “We have orders to remain on station until you read and respond to it.”
Esther lifted her eyes from the envelope to look at the courier’s face. “Well, gentlemen, it sounds like I’d better read this now. If you wouldn’t mind waiting in the dining compartment, I’m sure Mr. Jeffries will have your tea ready shortly. If I don’t call for you by the time you are done with your tea, you are welcome to head back to your ship, or go eat at the local Inn. I’ll let you know as soon as I have drafted a response.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Captain Kassim as they stood. Both men bowed deeply, then turned and walked out of the great cabin.
Esther stood and walked over to her desk, sat down in the chair, and pulled out her dagger. It may be large for the task of opening a letter, but the smaller dagger Geoffrey had given her was strapped to her inner thigh and less convenient to get to. She slid its sharp edge down the length of the letter and opened it, pulling out the parchment. She recognized Asserius’ handwriting:
My dearest Esther,
Though our time together was short, already I miss your presence terribly. Your intelligence, grace, and beauty invigorated my life after suffering the loss and betrayal of my Uncle as well as my former wife. I hope this letter finds you well. You should receive this before your birthday and I’ve included a small gift. I hope you like it. I wish that this letter were merely one of affection and birthday wishes, but I write with a heavy heart as there has been increasing pressure by the high nobility to take a second wife to help rule in your absence and to produce an heir. There are many more than originally anticipated who saw our marriage as a threat to the nobility, and their influence has grown swiftly. The news of your pregnancy has helped, but my Uncle’s treachery has severely weakened my position when we need it to be the strongest, and I fear that I will soon have no choice but to accede to their demands. At that point, they will force a bride of their own choosing upon me and it will be someone with political connec
tions that will weaken us even further, possibly even making you and your child a target for removal sometime in the future. Therefore, though I hesitate to ask for worry that it will injure one whom I truly cherish, I ask your permission to take another wife at this time—someone of my own choosing—before they force someone upon me. I have a dear friend from childhood whose family I trust. And although she is of relatively low nobility, they have a moderate amount of influence in Al Farnaka. I think that you would like her immensely. Her name is Yasmin. You met her at our wedding, but of course, there were thousands in attendance. Please send your response as quickly as possible. My deepest respect and love.
– Asserius
Esther sat back, a feeling of disbelief settling over her. She looked up at the ceiling above her head, a feeling of betrayal deadening her senses as a numbness spread through her body. Mac came in at that moment, but Esther waved him away. Does this mean the whole reason for Asserius marrying me was for nothing? She looked back down at the letter and read it again. It felt like her whole world was crashing down on her. Would Asserius even want me anymore? She remembered Yasmin, and she was a very beautiful woman. Her confidence felt crushed.
She sat there for a long time, staring ahead at nothing. Finally, she put the letter down, opened a drawer, and pulled out a piece of parchment. She picked up her pen and dipped it in the ink. Then, with a tear running down her cheek, she wrote:
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