He stood up. “It is time for me to go. Have a good evening, Jess. I’ll see you tomorrow,” and he motioned to Moab as he walked from the room. They went directly to Alec’s suite, where Alec said goodnight and closed the door. It had grown awkward. With Bethany’s death, and the assumption of the duties of the monarchy, life was different. Alec remembered again why he had hesitated long ago to take the throne. Imelda too had feared the constrictions that the palace would create. Here he was in a place where the nuances and perceptions of actions carried consequences. And he had no way to step down now, he knew, or the Dominion itself would crumble.
He heard sounds in the room next door, a great deal of hushed voices and occasional giggles. He stood up from the bed, pulled on a hooded white robe, and left his room, walking through the hallways unescorted, and out the gate into the city at night. Alec stood in a shaded niche and watched the people of the city walk by. Many were going to the fountain that stood in the plaza at the location of the explosion he had used to destroy the demons. The explosion that had thrown he and Jeswyne together for months of solitary escape from the world.
Alec began to walk randomly through the city. He passed a man who was coughing heavily. Alec reached out and healed him of the tuberculosis he suffered from. He kept on walking, past a home where a baby was crying in severe distress. Alec reached in through a window and took away the pain. He went to the cathedral, where even at night people were kneeling at the altar, seeking miraculous cures, and he touched them all, healing their sicknesses. The energy he spent on the healing felt like a relief, able to distract his mind from all the other issues going on. He returned to the palace, creating consternation among the guards when he strolled up to the gate alone, and went back to his room, where he slept soundly.
When he woke up in the morning, the first thing Alec thought of was Armilla. “She would have taken me to the armory and whipped me for going out like that last night,” he thought to himself. Upon opening the door, he found Moab and three other guards waiting.
“We understand we’re going to have to be less trusting in our guard practices,” Moab told him. “I heard about your little stroll last night. I heard about it from Rihm and Holbanks and many others too.”
“I was a bodyguard for the Duke of Goldenfields for a time,” Alec told Moab as they began to walk down the hall. “And I would have been angry at any sovereign I was supposed to watch who snuck out like that too.”
“Your majesty,” he heard Stracha’s voice behind him.
He turned and bowed to her. “It’s a pleasure to have our ingenaire in the palace with us,” he told her. “What’s on your mind?”
Whatever the topic was, it seemed to suddenly lose its immediacy. “Nothing urgent. We can talk some other time. Lady Jeswyne has asked me to join the trip to the battle front, so I’m sure we’ll have other opportunities to chat.”
Puzzled, Alec bid her goodbye and continued on his way to the armory, where he worked out with several guards. That afternoon he joined the rest of the procession of people making the boat trip to the battle front. “Ready to get used to the army life again?” Alec asked Givens as they stood leaning against a railing watching the shore line slip by.
“I think living in a palace has been a nice change of pace,” Givens replied. “And following your little friend around has definitely been a nice change of pace. But if you’re going to go crack the whip and get this army thumping away at the invaders, it would be nice to be one of the ones that will keep them on the run.”
Alec slept on the deck with several others, allowing the women to have the cabins below. Four days later they were off-loading at a rickety dock close to the battlefront, and the following day they reached the headquarters tent of the Dominion forces. “Stay close to her, Givens,” Alec instructed as they entered the military camp. “We don’t need anything to happen to her this close to sending her home unharmed.”
Alec was ushered into a tent where the high command of his forces waited. “Your majesty, it’s a mixed blessing to meet you at last. We are very sorry about the loss of the queen. She was someone we all respected for her strength and her character. But we are in awe of the stories we hear about you; if you live up to half your billing, we know the Dominion will soon be free of this long occupation.
“I am Field Marshall Ulltar, originally from Frame, but in the service of Oyster Bay for over twenty years,” the leader of the group introduced himself. He was a tall burly man, with a great deal of facial hair.
“This is General Millerson of Goldenfields,” he announced as he pointed to a man standing by a chair.
“Are you related to the Millershome trading family?” Alec asked.
“A distant cousin, your majesty,” the general said with a bow.
“Over here is General Lockeson of Stronghold,” the marshal turned to his right to indicate a swarthy, short man wearing a bright blue uniform jacket.
“I had almost as many friends in Stronghold as I had in Goldenfields,” Alec said to the man.
“You are remembered very fondly there your majesty. There’s even a waterfront tavern named after you, The King’s Belt. There’s a story about your performance there,” Lockeson replied.
“There may be truth to the story,” Alec admitted. “The cousins took me with them to a few taverns the first night we were in the city, and we had an adventure in one.”
“And this is the leader of the Bondell forces in exile, Major Chambers,” Ulltar next introduced a slender, well-tanned man.
“And Bondell too was an interesting place I experienced,” Alec said.
“That seems like a polite way to avoid saying anything!” Chambers laughed.
“No, I had many adventures in Bondell. I learned something important there too, through my own stupidity. And I appreciated the folks there and their courage in standing up to the coup leaders from Oyster Bay when they had so little to fight with.”
Chambers bowed his head in appreciation.
Alec and his commanders settled into conversation. The stories of Alec's battles with the demons, as well as his identity from the prior age, and his acquisition of the crown of the Dominion were all sufficient for the military leaders to accept his authority, reinforced by his easy manner of wearing a sword and bandolier of knives at the introduction.
"We received notice that you wished to parley with the Michian forces, and we sent a messenger under a white flag yesterday to make contact. The man who carried the flag earned a promotion - it was the first time we've tried to parley in all these years. There's never been any question of exchange of prisoners or holiday armistices or anything else. We weren't sure how they would respond, but they accepted the messenger, and he returned with the news that we may parley with them tomorrow at noon," Ulltar said. "We thought that would give you time to arrive here."
"Very good," Alec said. " Now, what is the situation in the field?"
"We're at a standoff," General Millerson of Goldenfields replied. "We think we have slightly larger forces than they do, surprisingly, but the terrain is too rough for us to take advantage of that. They don't seem to want to use their demons any more, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your part in frightening that option away."
"Do they not want to use the demons, are they afraid to use them and lose them, or are they out of sorcerers?" Alec asked.
"We do not know. We have no knowledge of their internal workings; you know more about them than we do," Millerson replied.
"All I know is that I'm glad they don't have one here, at least not right now," Alec answered.
"Amen to that," Lockeson agreed.
"Could we ship a force to get behind the lines?" Alec asked.
"We have talked about it, but there isn't enough shipping capacity. We could put a battalion to sea, but they wouldn't have a lot of chance of surviving in uncharted lands once they landed," the field marshal said.
"Not too far down the shore there is a very defensible citadel that Bondell
used in the war against the Oyster Bay coup leaders. I think it was called Salt Crust," Alec said. "A battalion could safely remain there, and thwart their supply lines. We might be able to establish a base there that would force them to withdraw.
"Why don't you put some scouts in small ships to see how far it is?" he suggested. He looked at the representative of the Bondell exile forces.
"We can put our men in the scout ships to help in exploration! We would recognize the citadel," Chambers from Bondell said. "I agree it could be held for a long time, from what I've heard."
"What parley do you have in mind with the invaders, sire?" the Stronghold commander asked.
"I have a member of the emperor's family who we took captive in battle at Oyster Bay," Alec began.
"What a priceless bargaining chip!" Ulltar exclaimed.
"We will honorably hand her over to their side with no conditions," Alec said calmly. "I just want to make sure they are prepared to receive and treat her as she deserves. We will place no conditions nor seek any advantage from her misfortune.” His tone settled the question so firmly that the others only glanced at each other for a moment.
“Soon after that transfer of the imperial niece is accomplished, we will offer a second parley, and inform them that they have the opportunity to begin to retreat from the Dominion peacefully in the next week, after which we will show no mercy,” Alec continued.
“Will you prepare the troops for an inspection the day after tomorrow?” Alec asked. “Following our announcement about the return of the Lady Jeswyne, I doubt the Michian forces will be prepared to attack us. We’ll officially transfer Lady Jeswyne after the inspection.”
“I’ll go check on arrangements for my small retinue,” Alec said. “You have one great advantage our army didn’t have in the lacertii war – I don’t have a whole court to bring with me to the front! When we went to fight the lacertii in Goldenfields,” he bowed to Millerson, “I had so many nobles and ladies and courtiers along! I had to coddle them of course to maintain their support for the crown after I had just returned from Stronghold,” he bowed to Lockeson.
“I am sure my generals never forgave me for leaving the whole pack of hangers-on with them while I left the army and rode behind the lines!” he laughed. “I won’t do that to you. I plan to be part of the action this time,” he promised, and left the tent, the generals grinning at the promise of a new kind of war they were about to experience.
Alec strode through the camp, past the established tents to the spot in the rear where new tents were going up for him and the other new arrivals. “Alec, may I talk with you?” Stracha called to him as he walked past one tent. He halted, and waited as she stepped over to join him.
“Would you like to walk with me while we talk?” he asked.
Stracha matched his step. “Will you be honest with me?” she asked.
He turned to look at her, and observed the serious countenance she wore. “Yes Stracha, I owe you a great deal, and you’ve been a good companion. Although I’ve learned it’s dangerous to step in to this type of conversation with a girl, I will do it for you,” he ended with a smile.
“I think I understand that you and the Lady Jeswyne traveled through time together to a deserted forest, right?” Stracha asked.
“Yes, that’s about right,” Alec agreed.
“And even though it only seemed like a few weeks to us, for you and Lady Jeswyne it was many, many months?” she asked.
“It was a long time for us,” Alec said as he thought about the healing and the swimming and swords and etiquette and boat-building. “Yes, we were together there for much longer than folks realize.”
“And do you realize how much Jeswyne changed while you were gone?” Stracha asked. “Think about it. For you, you lived for twenty years or so, then you were trapped with a demon for fifty years, and now you’re back. So you’re seventy years old in some ways, and maybe not so old in experience, but still older and wiser than she is by a long shot.
“For her, those months were a big piece of what she knows about life. Not to mention her physical changes. You’re aware of those I imagine?” Stracha said drily.
Alec blushed. “We ate a very unusual diet. There was almost no meat for us, but we ate a lot of plants, and I found a great variety, all of which were healthy and good for us in many ways. I know that, plus the fish,” he smiled at the memory, “was very beneficial. She blossomed while we were there. She knows that too, I think.”
They were still walking now, past Alec’s intended goal, strolling alone outside the camp as the discussion continued.
“She knows she’s grown. She doesn’t really know how pretty she is,” Stracha said.
“I imagine there will be lots of boys ready to tell her,” Alec said.
“She really only wants one to tell,” Stracha said quickly.
Alec understood. “I can’t. Not now. It’s so soon. Bethany is in my dreams every night,” he answered.
“You know that tea ceremony you carried out with Jeswyne in the palace before we left?” Stracha asked.
“I know it well enough to get it mostly right,” he answered literally.
“In her culture, there are specific meanings to those ceremonies. For that particular ceremony, the first time a boy performs it with a girl, it is a formal introduction, the opening up of a courting routine,” Stracha explained. “You and she performed it once together when you were in the wilderness,” Stracha added, and Alec nodded. “She told me a great deal about this.
“The second time a boy performs the ceremony, it is a signal of his intent to pursue the girl. If she obliges him and carries it out, it signals her willingness to let him pursue. It’s not an engagement in our terms, but it’s close,” the girl explained, taking Alec’s arm in hers.
He groaned at the implications. “But she knows I don’t know that!” he protested.
“She does,” Stracha agreed gently. “Now the third time the ceremony happens between those two, if they both go through all the steps correctly, is confirmation of their plans to get married.
“Among their royalty, a man does not call a woman by any informal name or nickname unless they have been, intimate,” Stracha added. “How many times have you called that girl Jess or Jessie?”
“I didn’t know that either,” Alec protested. They had turned, and were walking back to the camp.
“She knows, Alec. She knows, yet these things that mean so much to her have happened. You were the only person she knew for a long time. And you may be the first person who treated her as an adult and a friend, not as an imperial master. Then life changed dramatically, and you disappeared and ignored her for days. And you happened to take her with you and she watched your fiancée die in your arms. You’ve wrecked the girl emotionally, Alec,” Stracha said simply. “Not intentionally, not maliciously. But she is in love with you. And tomorrow you’re going to give her away forever. She’ll go back to the imperial family, and be used as a typical pawn, married off to some son of a nobleman somewhere. She’s told me she can guess the two or three likely candidates.
“She thinks she will be even more valuable as a family asset, now that she can be portrayed as the woman who survived the exotic life among the barbarians,” Stracha told him. “And she doesn’t want that.”
They were back on the borders of the camp, and Alec felt anguished. “You need to know this. Make her departure as peaceful as possible. Use your spiritual powers and give her comfort,” Stracha told him. “I’ve only known her a few days, but she is a dear girl. And don’t tell her that I’ve told you all of this, please.”
“Stracha, I would rest easier if I didn’t know this, but I think you are right to tell me. I knew she was fond of me, at least as a friend; we had a very comfortable relationship while we were in the wilderness. I will try to bring some comfort to her,” Alec felt great sadness at the thought of Jeswyne’s discomfort.
“I know you’ll do the right thing,” Stracha said with a smugness that
caused Alec to scrutinize her closely.
“You said that like, I don’t know, like you know something,” Alec accused.
“Don’t you worry, your majesty,” Stracha reached up and patted him on the cheek as they reached camp. She left him to return to Jeswyne.
Alec was disconcerted by his conversation, and walked aimlessly through the camp as he tried to digest the information Stracha had given him. He found himself in front of the infirmary tent, and paused. As an idea occurred to him, he turned and walked rapidly back to where Lady Jeswyne’s tent stood.
“Is Lady Jeswyne available to take a stroll?” Alec asked Givens in a formal tone. A half minute later, Jeswyne stood at the tent entrance. “Would you like to take a walk with me today?” Alec asked.
“Certainly Alec,” She said with a smile.
They began to stroll through the camp. “I’d like to know if you’d be interested in a little game tomorrow?” he asked.
She looked at him quizzically. “You won’t really have time for games until you give me back to the Michian forces, will you?” she asked.
“I was thinking that we might have the fun of putting veils on you when we approach them for the parley,” Alec told her. “They don’t know that you are with us, and they don’t know that we intend to repatriate you. So if we could get you inside the tent before unveiling you, we could see the shock on their faces!
“It’s juvenile, I know, but it’s the only thing I can think of that will lessen the sadness I will feel at your departure,” he said. They had reached the infirmary tent, and stood. “You have been a good friend for months, and a consolation for my grief. I will remember you always Jeswyne.”
Her eyes were brimming with tears. “You promised me one time that you would take me to the promenade for the emperor someday, so that we could eat food from the booths and shop among the vendors and get jostled by the crowds, Alec. I will hold you to that promise.
“Why have we stopped here?” she asked as she dabbed a cloth at her eyes.
Preserving the Ingenairii Page 32
