Naria laughed while Arten smiled. “They probably know that already, considering how Naria and I work, but if you want to, that will be fine. I would also like you to move into the palace, Jah’Moke. I want you available at a moment’s notice.”
Jah’Moke bowed in his seat, though he looked unsure. “As you wish, Arten.”
Arten and Naria dismissed Java, Jah’Moke, and Robin, and they all went to Java’s suite. “Oh, Robin, it’s so good to see you again,” Java said, hugging Robin as soon as they were alone.
Robin returned the hug, kissing Java warmly on the lips. “I missed you, too. And you, Jah’Moke. Marlan is still here, by the way. He and I have been negotiating a partnership of sorts.”
“Oh?” Java asked, grinning. “How serious?”
“Not too serious yet. He’s still a bit unsure, and so am I. I mean, his family is old nobility. How are they going to react to me? I have trouble here with a lot of the lords because I wasn’t born to it,” she said, looking into Java’s eyes.
“I know. But it’s what he thinks of you that counts.”
“Not among the nobility, Java. Even if he is the fourth child, he still has to have his father’s approval.” Robin led Java over to a sofa and seated her with Jah’Moke.
Jah’Moke rang for a servant, and soon all of them were sipping hot tea. “Robin, what has been happening while we were gone? We found out about Lord Daveed trying to cause trouble in Link County, but what else?”
Robin sighed mightily. “Let me tell you...”
* * *
Java, Jah’Moke, Robin, and Marlan became familiar figures in and around Whitehall. Marlan and Robin’s relationship had become very close, and she confided to Java that she was hoping he would propose. Java could certainly see why when she spent some time with him. Marlan was a refined, elegantly handsome man who was a good match for Robin in almost all respects. His one flaw, to Java’s thinking, was that he was invariably proper.
“Marlan, if you don’t stop calling me princess, I’m going to scream!” Java said, glaring at Marlan across Robin’s dining room table. “My name is Java! Use it.”
Marlan looked at Java, a slight smile on his lips, and bowed his head. “As you command, Princess.”
“Aarrgghh!” Java shouted, then threw a piece of bread crust at him. Robin and Jah’Moke were having trouble staying in their seats as they laughed at their companions.
Marlan caught the crust and placed it beside his plate. “You really must work on that temper of yours, Java. It will be the death of you.”
“Or you,” she snarled back.
Jah’Moke reached over and squeezed Java’s hand, grinning. “He’s right, Java. You’re acting like Naria.”
Java looked at him and grinned, then made her face a mask of sobriety. “Good. We do have a family tradition to uphold, you know.”
Robin dissolved into laughter again while Marlan and Jah’Moke just smiled. “Java, what are your plans now that the war is over?” Marlan asked, broaching a subject he knew both Robin and Java wanted to avoid.
Java frowned at him, then shrugged. “I don’t know. Arten and Naria want us in Council with them at all times, and Robin is sitting in as the House Mage. The rest of the time we will have to study the laws and customs of the duchy. Did you have something in mind?”
“Yes, I did. I would like to steal Robin for a while. When Adept Veldin returns, of course.” He smiled broadly at Robin. “I would like to take her to meet my parents.”
Robin suddenly looked excited, and Java smiled deeply. Robin went to hug Marlan and looked at Java. “I think I’ll be traveling to Winterhaven, Java.”
“I think so, too, Robin. Oh, this is good news.” Java was smiling as broadly as Robin.
“Now, wait a moment. You know my situation. I must receive permission from my parents before I can even propose, Robin. Though I would very much like to do that.” He smiled, looking up in to her eyes.
“There is nothing that would make me happier, Marlan.”
CHAPTER 5: LOTHAR
Well, that didn’t go the way I expected.
Master Mage Rylova Del’Florin
LOTHAR LEFT WHITEHALL ON SCHEDULE WITH letters from Robin, Java, Marta, half the Firewalkers, Duke Arten, Duchess Naria, and anyone else who happened to want to send something toward Lender’s Dale. The “packet” of messages was four saddlebags full to overflowing, and he shook his head as he was loading Kalis with his belongings.
“I tell you, Barnum, this has been one surprise after another. First, Lady Robin not only tells me that I can go without a fuss, but she wants me to carry her messages for her, saving me my savings. Then she suggests that I take Kalis and says that it’s fine if I decide to stay with Merrit. Then the princess and everyone else who wants letters delivered come to me with more than I can carry, since I’m going that way anyway, and paying me a silver each to do it. If I didn’t know better, I’d say my life was charmed.”
Barnum grinned and helped see to it that Kalis’ tack was cinched tight. “Our lady is one in a million, Lothar, but what else would you expect? She and Princess Java are both Firewalkers. They think like we do. Besides, you know as well as I do how the princess feels about Merrit and her sister. She and Lady Robin have made it very clear. If they didn’t already have positions with Duchess Samantha, they would likely be in her counties rather than Lady Freeholm and Lady Skyhaven.”
Lothar grunted and nodded his agreement. He left before midday with a trader that he had contacted in hopes of hiring on with as a guard. He did not need the passage now, but he still needed someone to travel with. Traveling alone was still dangerous.
Granden Savinden was a spice merchant, and his caravan was guarded by a contingent of ten mercs from the Freemen. The Freemen were a loosely associated company of free agents rather than an organized company such as the Firewalkers. Most of the men were organized into small bands of five to fifteen men. They paid dues to Captain Elvin Barnstead and wore the uniform, but that was the extent of their association.
Lieutenant Avelin Coopersmith greeted Lothar as he rode up to the caravan. “Well, Mister Morrisdale, are you ready to go?”
“Oh, yes. Lady Robin and the princess have loaded me down with as many letters and missives as they could write, along with letters from their friends.” He patted the saddlebags. “When do we head out?”
“Immediately,” a voice said from behind him, and he turned to face Trader Savinden. “Everything is loaded, and all of my people are accounted for, so we are ready to go.”
The caravan of ten wagons and thirty-two men set out for Lender’s Dale on a surprisingly warm winter day. Lothar rode at the front with Trader Savinden and Lieutenant Coopersmith, avoiding the dust that the horses and wagons were kicking up. The trip was deadly dull, but Lothar enjoyed it nonetheless. The prospect of seeing Merrit again kept his spirits high.
The trip to Firedale took seven weeks at the wagon’s creeping pace. Added to the slow pace were stops in each town to bargain with the local merchants. Lothar had expected this, so he either patiently waited or visited the local inns to wash down the trail dust.
Finally, the road widened and Firedale came into view. The fort was an impressive affair, and Lothar whispered to Lieutenant Coopersmith, “I wish I was one of them, Avelin. The princess has made them landholders.”
Lieutenant Coopersmith grinned and whispered back, “You don’t have the teats for it, Lothar.”
The drivers maneuvered their wagons in to an open space next to the Scarlet Dragon, Sabrina and Shair’s inn, while Lothar went ahead and walked into the main room. Conversation faltered as he entered, and he got a taste of what it was like for a woman to walk into most inns and alehouses. Women varying in age from fifteen to forty looked him over like a prize stallion, and a number of the women made comments about checking out his “stud fee”. It was only his twenty years with the Thunderfeet that kept him from blushing.
“I’m looking for Lady Skyhaven,” he said with
a half-bow. “Is she here?”
Sabrina came out from behind the bar and walked over to face him. “She is not here, presently. May I help you?”
Lothar looked at her and recognized her from Robin’s description. “Mistress Sabrina, I am Lothar Morrisdale,” he said, pausing to bow deeply this time. “I have a number of letters for Lady Skyhaven and yourself, as well as Captain Rivers and a few others.” His name all but echoed in the suddenly silent main room, then he found himself surrounded by Firewalkers barraging him with shouted questions about their friends.
“Whoa, slow down, one at a time! Rowdy mercs! Let me put this stuff down and we can sort out the letters. At least two of these bags are staying here!” he shouted as he dropped the saddlebags onto a table.
Sabrina whistled for order, and then she and Sergeant Dewstouch helped Lothar sort while he answered questions as well as he could. Finally, he had to abandon the sorting to Sabrina and Yolan while he answered questions. Most of the women wanted to know about Java, Marta, Robin, Jah’Moke, and the exact date of Java and Jah’Moke’s wedding.
Walking over to the bar, Lothar climbed up and stood on a chair. Holding his hands up for quiet, he gave a brief account of the happenings before he left Whitehall. “...Princess Java and Jah’Moke had not been formally betrothed yet when I left, but I suspect that they are by now. The duke did not have any reservations concerning Jah’Moke, and no one expected Ambros Mountainstand to object either. Lady Freeholm is installed in Princess Java’s manor in Linkville. There may be more information in the letters.”
Granden and Avelin had entered while Lothar was speaking and waited until he was done before asking for the innkeeper. Sabrina stood and bowed sketchily to the two men. “How may I help you?”
“You can fetch your master,” Granden replied, looking past her to the knot of women surrounding Lothar.
“I am mistress of this house, Sir,” Sabrina said in a soft, angry tone. “What do you want?”
Granden was surprised by her answer, and her tone, and looked at her again. “I’m Master Trader Savinden. I have parked my wagons in the field and will need water and fodder for forty-nine horses and mules.”
Sabrina nodded. “And for your men?”
“They’ll sleep with the wagons. I’ll only need a room for myself, and another for Lieutenant Coopersmith,” Granden replied, again looking about the room. “You have a lot of women here. What are their rates?”
“This is not a whorehouse!” Sabrina shouted, drawing the attention of the Firewalkers. “These women are my customers. You had best realize where you are.”
Granden looked at Sabrina, surprised and angered by her shout. “Now look here...” he began but was interrupted by the Firewalkers.
“Hey, Sabrina, don’t turn ‘em down!” one woman shouted.
Another joined in. “Are they good for more than one time each? There are a lot of women here.”
“What do they charge? We haven’t had any boy-toys here in a long time,” a third woman quipped, eliciting laughter from her friends.
Granden was frowning mightily as he listened to the women, but Avelin was leaning against the doorpost, laughing. “I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen,” he gasped through his laughter. “Firedale is the home of the Firewalkers. They’re all women.”
“Well, that doesn’t mean they have to act like...” Granden began but was interrupted by Morgan.
“...Men?” she offered. “Now you know what it’s like for us everywhere else. This is our town, our home, and our inn. You behave yourselves,” she said, emphasizing the fact that this was their territory. Turning to the Lieutenant Coopersmith, she offered a quick salute. “Sergeant Morgan Roseville. How may I help you, Lieutenant?”
“I’m Lieutenant Avelin Coopersmith of the Freemen. I have nine men acting as caravan guards. We’ll see to ourselves, Sergeant. However, I would appreciate an introduction to your captain, if possible,” he replied, bowing slightly.
Morgan grinned and nodded, waving a hand at the door. “This way, if you please, Sir. I’m going to go get Lady Skyhaven. I’ll take you with me.”
The lieutenant nodded and followed Morgan out of the inn while Sabrina glared at Granden. “Meals are two coppers each. Beer and ale are three coppers each. Your rooms are ten coppers each. I would suggest that you warn your men to behave. The Firewalkers are the landlords, and the local enforcers,” she said, glaring at him.
Granden nodded and turned to leave, hurrying out the door as the Firewalkers laughed. Lothar sat at the table and shook his head. “And all this time I thought Princess Java’s temperament was the exception, not the rule.”
Yolan laughed at that. “Java is very mild. She’s too sweet to act like Morgan.”
Lothar just shook his head at that and continued sorting letters. Several letters were addressed to women present in the inn, and they were pressed to read them aloud to the rest. Yolan went first.
Yolan, how are you? We are all fine, except Jah’Moke. He is a bit overawed by Arten and Naria, but he is holding up. He has already asked Arten for permission to marry me, and we are going to go see my birth parents when things settle down a bit.
Lady Freeholm is headed to Linkville with the rest of the Firewalkers. We will be going down there soon as well. She will be in charge of the county, the same as Lady Skyhaven is there. (I still can’t get used to that.)
If he has not already passed through, Prince Panit of Greencastle is supposed to be headed to Lender’s Dale to see Sammy. If you see him, tell him that I said hello.
That is about all I have to say, except that I miss you terribly.
Java
“Our princess seems to be doing well.” Yolan laughed. “Who’s next?”
Dannett Hadden opened her letter and started hesitantly reading aloud.
Dannett, Ari wrote to me about your family. Your letters reached Whitehall before we did. Why didn’t you tell me you were from Link County? I have already sent your father a plow horse. The horse is a good one and is already trained and harness-broken. There is no reason for you to worry. They will be able to plant in the spring.
Ari also said that you were thinking about resigning to go home and help your parents. If you do, please stop by Whitehall and say hello. I miss seeing you as well as the rest of the patrol. Be well and take care of Ari. She won’t take care of herself.
Java
Ari was sitting behind Dannett and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “I told you, Dannett. Java won’t let anything bad happen to any of us, or our families. As far as she is concerned, we are her family.”
“I know, Ari, but I still...I just wouldn’t have felt right about asking for something like that,” Dannett said, looking at the letter in her hands. “When the horse died, Papa almost didn’t get his crop. It was only old man Collinton’s generosity that let him finish harvesting.”
“As Java is so fond of saying, there are advantages to having rich friends,” Ari reminded her, and everyone asked for the next letter.
Ari opened her letter next. It was surprisingly short, with nothing new except the last paragraph.
Ari, I need a favor. You know everything about everyone. When is Shair’s birthday? No one else seems to know and I don’t want to be obvious by asking.
Java
Ari laughed at that. “I think Lady Skyhaven is going to get a surprise this year,” she said, then looked at Sabrina. “Do you know?” she asked, grinning slyly.
Sabrina shook her head. “We’ve never discussed it. That is strange, isn’t it?” she said, her expression one of intense curiosity.
Ari’s grin deepened in to a wide smile. “Mid Summer’s Night. You know what that means.” She grinned as the room dissolved into laughter. Legend held that anyone born on the vernal equinox was blessed, or cursed, with an insatiable sex drive.
Ari was the last of the women present in the Dragon who had received a letter, and the news was rehashed several times before Shair arrived.<
br />
“Lothar, I hear you have a few letters to deliver.”
Lothar laughed and pointed at the pile on the table. “A few? Kalis is going to be glad to be rid of this load.”
Shair laughed and look her letters. There were three of them, one addressed to Lady Skyhaven, one addressed to Shair, and a third with the royal seal that was addressed to Lady Shair. She grinned at seeing that one. It had to be from Arten and Naria. She opened the one addressed to Shair and found that it was from Robin, not Java.
Shair, Java is holding up all right. She had a hard time after you left us at Greensboro, but she recovered. Marta helped her immensely, but she still took two days to regain her balance.
As you predicted, she is becoming much more comfortable with her authority, though she still prefers to be blunt whenever possible. Lord Danilad of Wyvern County found that out the hard way.
I sent your letter on to Ander, and one from Java as well. She still has some deep feelings for him. There is a rumor here that he has broken with the priests of Lebawan, but we have not received any official information yet.
Jah’Moke is doing fine, now that Arten has given his permission for them to marry. He does not want to sit in on the Council until the betrothal is formally announced. He and Java are a matched set. They are both as stubborn as a person can be.
I am doing my part to keep Java balanced and on course. I’ll let you know what trouble she gets into as soon as I can.
Robin
“Well, isn’t that a corker! Java can survive without me. I think I may faint.” Shair laughed, drawing laughter from the rest of the women present. “I wonder what’s in her letter?”
“Open it!” Sabrina all but shouted in her impatience.
Shair grinned and opened the letter addressed to Lady Skyhaven.
Dearest Shair, I miss you so much. I almost rode after you when you left me in Greensboro, but Marta kept me going. Arten and Naria took the news of your change of status quite well. Naria didn’t even faint. Arten shouted a bit, but he was just surprised. They were really surprised about Marta. Naria was almost angry with her for finally saying yes to a title.
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