Samantha grinned while the triplets giggled. “Florian has been arranging everything. She’s so happy to be able to plan a wedding again that she won’t let anyone else help.”
Werrin gave her a look and a nod. Florian was going to have help whether she wanted it or not. Naria joined them then and the entire royal party headed to the Sheridan farm house that Samantha still called home.
Anness was on the steps with her mother, and Java broke away to run into her arms. Anness closed her eyes and just held Java for a moment before saying, “Java, I’ve missed you so much.”
“Not half as much as I’ve missed you,” Java whispered to her mentor. Looking up, she grinned broadly. “Marta sends her regards. She decided to remain in Linkville, so Captain Rivers won’t have to look over her shoulder.”
Anness nodded, then knelt to the dukes and duchesses. “Welcome to our home, my lords and ladies.” Introductions took place indoors, with Sam and the triplets running interference and sending for servants when needed.
Werrin cornered Florian immediately. “Florian, we need to discuss the wedding plans.”
Florin looked startled, and a little frightened. “As you command, Duchess Werrin.”
Werrin looked at her and grinned. “The first thing is for you to stop calling me duchess. We are going to be spending a lot of time discussing things, and it will be a nuisance. Now, what have you done so far?”
Florian looked at her, her wide eyes still a little fearful. “I’ve contacted the Prelate of Waldemar in Lender’s Dale. That’s who Prince Panit said he preferred. Duchess Samantha agreed. I have also...” Florian continued, detailing the arrangements that she had made as far as providing for the wedding guests.
Duke Kaster smiled, seeing everything was well in hand, and turned back to the conversation in the room. “...So when Merrit sent the Greencastle Guards to the border, they balked, saying that they were just here to protect Pan. Pan disagreed, but the commander was adamant about it, so he went to the border himself. Merrit was laughing so hard at the captain’s expression that I thought she was going to choke.”
“Who’s the commander, Sammy? Evand didn’t tell me before I left,” Kaster asked, his tone telling everyone that he was furious.
“Lord Captain Stern Cheesewright. Pan called him Cheese Head,” Mayrie replied, grinning.
Kaster closed his eyes briefly. “That’s being kind. I would like to send a few messages, if I may. Lord Cheese Head and Pan will both be here soon.”
Sam grinned and nodded, and Maygren disappeared for a moment. She returned with a woman in Lender’s Dale Guard ruby and white, with corporal’s stripes on her shoulder. The corporal carried a lap-desk and presented it to Duke Kaster without saying a word.
Duke Kaster wrote quickly and folded his note, then used his signet ring to seal the wax. The corporal left with the note and instructions to make all speed to deliver it to Prince Panit. With the messenger on the way, there was nothing to do but wait, so Kaster rejoined the conversation. Looking at the triplet who was closest he grinned. “Which one are you?”
“Maylee, Duke Kaster.”
“Maylee, I’m pleased to see you again.” Kaster smiled, trying to see if he could find a difference that would let him tell without asking. “Do you know how long it will take for that message to reach Pan?”
“No, Sir. Not exactly. The relays are just being set up, but I’d guess between three and four days. They’re at the northeastern end of the border.” Maylee smiled shyly at the duke. With Sam and Java they could be themselves, but with the elder royals, and the especially the strangers, they were being extra careful.
Kaster nodded and joined the discussion of how and where the forces were to be deployed. Arten was speaking through his steepled fingers.
“We need an overall commander. Someone with the knowledge and authority to forge all of our forces into a single unit.”
“Who do you have in mind, Arten?” Senden asked. He and Nera were taking an active part in the discussion.
Arten tilted his head slightly to the right. “I was thinking of Merrit. She’s led an army against Frander’s generals before and succeeded. None of my commanders have led a large-scale battle before.”
Kaster and Senden nodded. “No one on the continent has,” Senden noted. “That’s one of our problems.”
Kaster smiled grimly as he looked Samantha in the eye. “Sammy, we are going to steal your Guard Commander.”
“Excuse me, my lords, but are we talking about stopping Frander or attacking him?” Maygren asked, looking back and forth between the elder dukes. “It sounds as if you’re planning to attack him in Lakeland.”
“I thought I’d made that clear,” Arten answered, looking about the room. “Samantha, we’ve decided to stop Frander once and for all. Not just block his conquest but throw him all the way back to Glimmerrey. And possibly out of Glimmerrey as well.”
Samantha surprised her elders by bursting out laughing. “Yes! Thank you all so much. I’ve wanted to propose just that for ages.”
Naria laughed as well. “Sammy, we’re not stopping at your borders. The Hiddendell force is headed to Blue Lake City, along with all the mercs we’ve been able to hire. We’re going to reinforce the Lakeland Guard and take the battle to Frander.” Turning her eyes on the triplets, she grinned. “We are going to need you three as well.”
The triplets looked at Samantha, and at her nod, grinned at Naria. “We would be honored...”
“...to join your crusade,...”
“...Duchess Naria.”
Java burst out laughing at the look on Naria’s face as the triplets whiplashed her. “Now you know what I went through all the time.”
“Amazing,” Naria muttered. “Absolutely amazing.”
* * *
Captain Rivers was given temporary charge of the force and led the Guards and mercs north and east toward Merrit’s headquarters with orders to attack Lakeland. They were to make as much progress as possible before winter made fighting impossible.
Kaster, Arten, and Senden also sent as many Magi as they could round up and sent out messages for more. There were some very powerful Magi making their way to Merrit, including Adept Veldin. He, along with a number of other, older Adepts, was unhappy about it, but he dared not refuse. Magi, like mercs, obeyed a very strict code of conduct where instructions from their employers were involved.
As the force departed, Werrin and Florian finalized their plans. Panit arrived seven days after his father had sent the summons to find the Sheridan barn transformed. The rains had begun, and it was the only structure large enough to accommodate the crowd that was gathering to honor the royal couple. The grain and hay had been removed and carefully tarped in the fields, and seats had been arranged in the hayloft for the royal visitors. Other seating was arranged in the lower portion, after it had been scrupulously cleaned, for the lesser nobility.
County lords and ladies from all three duchies were arriving every day, and accommodations became a little cramped as the fields and pastures were covered with tents. There was a certain amount of grumbling from the lords and ladies from Greencastle and Hiddendell, but satisfaction from the nobles of Lender’s Dale. Lord Quinlan Blanton of El County summed up the feelings of the Lender’s Dale nobility.
“If the duchess is still sleeping in a borrowed bed, then I don’t have anything to complain about. If she’s not even seeing to her own comfort, then I’m sure she’s not slighting me intentionally.”
The visitors from Greencastle included all the county lords, naturally, and they were joined by their counterparts from Hiddendell. While none of them dared make a fuss, their feelings were evident to all. Especially to Java and the other royal children. Gemin and Elissand, Dena and Barten, along with Java and Jah’Moke, joined forces to make anyone who complained feel like a heel. Lord Daveed was the first, and last, lord to make a serious issue of his accommodations.
Captain Sheridan and Captain Corban escorted a very annoyed Dave
ed Cross to the stable of the Sheridan farm. “What is the meaning of this? I was told that Princess Dena wished to see me.”
“I do,” Dena answered from the hayloft. “Come up here, Lord Cross.” She waited until he had reached the loft and saw the group of people who awaited him. He quickly noted the presence of Java and Jah’Moke but had to be introduced to the others. His discomfort grew dramatically when Barten, Gemin, and Elissand were introduced.
“Lord Cross, it has come to our attention that you object to the housing arrangements here in Morrisdale,” Dena said in a honey-sweet purr. She waved one hand in a circle, indicating the stable loft. “These are our quarters, and we do not object to them. If you find that you are unable to stay in what has been provided for you, I am sure my brother and his future wife will not miss your presence.”
“Princess, I...”
“Don’t bother, Lord Cross,” Gemin interrupted. “Pan and Samantha have been doing what’s necessary for the duchy. If you, in your arrogance, cannot abide with the same conditions that we live under, then leave.” Gemin’s eyes were cold as he looked at Daveed.
“Sammy is sleeping with the triplets, sharing a pair of beds in the room that Mayrie normally occupies,” Java put in, drawing a scowl from Daveed. “Our parents are making do with a single room each, and the servants are sleeping in tents. Even Duchess Nerassen and Duke Senden are sleeping in a single room, though I don’t know how much sleep they’re getting with their children present.”
Daveed looked back and forth between the most powerful people in the duchies and seemed to collapse in on himself. Nodding, he climbed down and retreated to the house where he and Shannon were being hosted by an aged crofter and his granddaughter. Seeing the royalty sleeping all together in a hayloft had stilled his complaints. At least he had a room with a real bed and door.
Elissand was covering her mouth with both hands to stifle her laughter until Daveed was well away from the stables. Java and Dena were having similar problems. Barten laid back and caressed Dena’s belly. “I’ll bet he stays.”
Jah’Moke nodded. “Yes, he will. He is too convinced of his own importance to let an opportunity like this pass.” He settled and let Java slip into his lap.
Gemin frowned and settled with Elissand rubbing his shoulders. He wasn’t overly happy with sleeping in the loft like a commoner either, but at least he was with his peers. Mostly. Looking at Jah’Moke, he couldn’t resist a jibe. “This must be just like home for you, Jah’Moke.”
Jah’Moke frowned. “No. We don’t have barns or stables. Home for me is a tent.”
Gemin frowned while the others laughed. Elissand frowned at her husband’s discomfort. “Are the Latté going to attend as well?” she asked, looking at Jah’Moke.
“I hope so, Elissand, but I’m not sure,” Java answered. “I sent a letter to Carr’Bon Veer asking him to head this way. I want to hire them for Lender’s Dale.”
“Don’t you think Pan or Sam should do that?” Dena asked, looking sideways at Java.
“Yes, but they’re a bit preoccupied right now,” Java answered, stretching in Jah’Moke’s arms. “Do you think I should just suggest it? Let them make the decision and just provide the gold?”
“Can you afford it?” Barten asked cautiously. “Lady Shair has already contracted the Vandals with your gold. Can you, personally, afford another mercenary company?”
Java nodded. “Easily. Shair just used the Mountainstand Account. The Link Account has more than enough in it to hire the Latté.”
The others shared looks all around. Stories of Java’s generosity were well known to them, but it was still a shock to hear her say she was willing to empty her accounts for the sake of Samantha. Gemin decided to change the subject.
“Java, we’ve seen the triplets, but haven’t met them. Will you introduce us? I think that, seeing how Sam and the triplets can’t be mentioned separately, we should get to know them.”
Java laughed and nodded, then slipped out of the loft to fetch them herself. She returned after a few moments with the three young women behind her. “Mayrie, Maygren, Maylee, I would like to introduce Prince Gemin Cambar and his wife, Princess Elissand, and Prince Barten Livingston and his wife, Princess Dena. My friends, these are the Salem sisters.”
The triplets curtsied very prettily but kept their faces carefully neutral. As with Pan, they felt uncomfortable with these royals. Duke Kaster and Duchess Werrin also made them feel strange. It seemed to be a family trait. “We are pleased to meet you all,” Mayrie said carefully.
The four Greencastle royals stared, trying to find the differences between the girls and failing. “Java, how can you tell them apart?” Elissand asked, totally mystified. All she and the others saw were three attractive twenty-year-old girls who seemed to be exact duplicates of one another.
Jah’Moke answered, “Long and painful experience,” while Java laughed. “Living in close quarters with these three is a constant adventure.”
Mayrie stuck her tongue out a Jah’Moke, making him join Java in laughing at them. Java quieted, though she continued to grin broadly. “The triplets are hard to tell apart, but it is possible. They have three very separate personalities, and it shows.” She briefly detailed how to distinguish one from the others, much to their discomfort. “Experience is the best teacher though. It took me almost a year to get it right all the time, and we were living together at the time.”
The triplets were frowning at Java but kept glancing at the rest of the people in the loft. Java saw and guessed what was wrong. “Do they feel the same as Pan?”
“Yes!” Maylee answered sharply, then looked at the floor. “Sorry, Java. We just...We don’t know what it is. Duchess Werrin feels like this too. There’s something different about them.”
Gemin and Dena were looking at each other, and at the triplets. Java looked at them and nodded. “It might be a good idea to tell them.”
“Do you think Pan told Sam yet?” Dena asked her brother.
Gemin shook his head. “No, he said he hasn’t. He doesn’t want to frighten her.”
“Frighten Sammy? Not likely,” Java chuckled until Mayrie finally lost her temper.
“What? What are you talking about? What is it about you and Pan and your parents?”
“We are not entirely human,” Gemin answered. He then detailed what they were, as far as they knew. “What you are feeling is something that only a few very powerful Magi have been able to detect.”
“Assassins?” Maylee asked.
Maygren tilted her head to look at the prince and princess. “Cats?”
“I like dragons better,” Mayrie added, grinning. “Even Sam would have a hard time facing down a dragon.”
“Yes, assassins. And all the rest,” Java answered, getting the girls to look at her. “When I went to Greensboro that first time, Duchess Werrin told me her tale. Then she demonstrated her skills. She’s faster than Shair or the captain. She’s better with knives than anyone I’ve ever seen. One of her uncles was the captain’s teacher.” She grinned as she looked at Dena. “If Dena wasn’t pregnant, I’d let her throw you around a little to keep you in line.”
“Wow,” was the only reply that any of them could make.
* * *
It was early the next day when the wedding took place. Florian Sheridan stood in as Mother of the Bride, an honor she took very seriously. Anness, Shair, and Naria stood by as Samantha’s matrons. Java, Robin, Nerassen, Dena, Elissand, and the triplets stood in as her maids.
The Prelate of Waldemar swallowed visibly as the royal party assembled. Waldemar was a minor god in Lender’s Dale, and the prelate was a commoner by birth.
As Panit was escorted to the altar by his father and the assembled dukes, Gemin, Barten, and Jah’Moke took their places at his side.
The prelate performed the ceremony carefully, not missing a single phrase or nuance. After all, it wasn’t every day that a duke and duchess were married, and it was the rare priest who got to officiate
.
When the two had become one, lighting a single candle and extinguishing their separate candles, Java broke down and wept. She felt as if her own daughter was being married, and her joy overwhelmed her. She wasn’t alone. There were few dry eyes in the loft, and even the dukes and princes were having a hard time keeping their composure.
Sam and Pan disappeared as soon as the ceremony was completed, leaving their parents and friends to celebrate. Into that happy tableau rode Lord Captain Cheesewright.
He was dressed in full formal regalia, his uniform glittering with his medals and ribbons. He approached the celebration with a haughty self-assurance that told everyone how important he was. Walking up to a young woman, he tapped her on the shoulder. “You, girl, where is Duke Kaster?”
Java looked up at the man who had addressed her as “girl” as if she were a servant again and snarled. “Who the hells are you?”
Lord Cheesewright was startled and angered by the girl’s tone and his hand automatically swept up to slap her. Or at least he tried. Before his hand fell Java had moved and caught his wrist, flipping him to land on his back in the damp grass. Java’s normal escort of Hiddendell Royal Guards had him instantly pinned, swords and daggers drawn and ready.
Duke Kaster had seen him arrive and was on his way to intercept the oaf before he did anything stupid. Seeing him suddenly disappear and the Hiddendell Royal Guards rush toward the scene made him hurry his steps as he made his way to the disturbance. He arrived to find the captain still on the ground, fuming.
“Cheese Head, what did you do now?” he asked angrily.
Lord Cheesewright was startled by the duke’s use of the offensive nickname. “Lord Duke, this wench assaulted me!” he cried, pointing up at Java. “Arrest her!”
Kaster looked at Java with a raised eyebrow. Java shrugged. “I have a deep-seated and long-standing dislike of being referred to as ‘girl’. Even at Equintain we were treated with more respect than that. As for how he got to the ground so fast,” she turned her eyes on the still recumbent lord, “never try to strike a Scout. We tend to object.”
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