Translucia kissed him on the cheek again, with eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I understand, my red demon, and will keep my eyes open for you. Now, take your son home and hurry back.”
My father bowed. “By your leave, My Lady. Be well, my pixie friend.” He walked to the wagon, and I could see he was fighting tears at the parting also.
Father gestured for me to come to him and I signaled the girls to join us. When we were together, he put an arm over my shoulder and in my mind informed me that I’d chosen a beautiful wife. I agreed and thanked him, then felt him drawing energy and waited for the port.
It was a perfectly smooth transport that came from years of practice. We appeared by the stables and I quickly led Moonbeam to the groom, and told him that I had a wagon that could be put away, too. He bowed, said, “Yes, Your Highness,” and I knew I was home. While father was preparing to transport our gear, I asked him if he would send Aunt Alba to my room. He nodded and I ported the girls and myself back to my bedroom. It felt as if I’d been away for ages, not just a month or so.
All the girls were stunned by the appearance of my room. It was a perfect square fifty feet by fifty feet. My bed is a double king poster bed, but that isn’t the best part, as far as I am concerned. After sleeping in a tent on the ground, I was looking forward to a hot shower.
Star was standing by the bed and remarked, “You said that we could all sleep in your bed and I thought you were kidding, but it’s large enough that we could, with room to spare!”
“We could do that, I suppose, or the consorts could have a room of their own. There are ten rooms up here on this floor, and this is the only one occupied. I admit the beds in the other rooms aren’t as large as this one, but they are quite large.” I glanced over to the radiator and saw our gear in a pile. My father had ported it so smoothly that I didn’t hear it arrive.
There was a quiet tap at the door and I opened it a crack to see who’d found me. Aunt Alba was standing outside and almost tackled me when I opened the door. “It’s about time you dragged your butt back home where you belong. David said you needed me for something. What can I do for you that won’t involve flamestrike or power nullifying?”
“Aunt Alba, would you mind abducting the tailor from Valeview and bringing her here? My consorts had to borrow clothes from my wife, and even though they look beautiful, I’d like to have something matching made for them. I think we’re going to be meeting with Mother tomorrow, and I’d like for them to be perfect. I’m sure they’d like nightgowns, too, the kind you and my other aunts wear. Star has a couple old granny gowns, but I like the others much better.”
Star grumbled, “Granny gowns? I never heard you complain when I was sliding out of them.” Then she blushed profusely, realizing what she’d blurted out in front of Alba.
“James, I just fell in love with your wife,” revealed Aunt Alba. “I feel much better knowing that when I’m not around, you won’t be able to bully the girls. I think my money would have to be on Star.”
I chuckled. “She can be outspoken and I wouldn’t do a thing to change her. You see why I fell for her now, don’t you?”
“Of course I do! She’s beautiful and tiny enough to cuddle, and just mean enough to stand her ground, just like your favorite aunt! Now your aunt must play the part of an errand girl and fetch the tailor. I‘ll be back shortly.” With a small ‘pop,’ she was gone.
Ulia pronounced softly, “I’ll never get used to people appearing and disappearing like that!”
“Living here, it will become so commonplace that you’ll stop noticing,” I promised.
The girls began talking about what type of dress they would like have and had decided on a color before Alba returned. She knocked on the door and walked in, followed by the tailor, who came to me and hugged me; there was nothing awkward about it and station had never mattered here. She’d made my first baby clothes and had been a part of the family since before I’d been born. She asked me what she’d be doing for us and I explained the situation. She replied that she could make nice looking dresses and gowns for the four girls in no time. The girls started expressing their ideas, so I left her to discuss the details with them. Alba expressed regret that she had things to do, but promised to check on us often. I apprised her that I’d port the tailor back to her shop, but I would need someone to pick up the clothing when it was completed. Alba promised that she would check with the tailor in the evening. She ported away, and I sat in a chair out of the way while the girls were measured. None of the girls showed the slightest shyness about the measurements being taken, except Ulia. As her dress was being raised to measure her inseam, she glanced in my direction. I found something interesting on the wall to look at, facing away from them.
When she had finished, the tailor came to me and agreed that I had wonderful companions, and my wife was charming. She would have the dresses and nightgowns done by this evening. She wanted to know if I’d been needing uniforms for them also, but I explained that the girls weren’t in wizard training and I doubted that they would be. I loved them just the way they were. She expressed that she would either wait for or send for Alba, and she was aware that my return was to be a secret until I’d spoken to my mother. Then she took a deep breath and said that she was ready to go. I slipped a platinum coin into her hand; she took it with a smile. I focused on her shop, made sure that no one was inside and sent her to her spot behind the counter.
The girls were all watching and shook their heads when the tailor disappeared; I knew they would get used to it, but it would take time. We all sat around the small table in our room--‘our room’ sounded better to me than ‘my room’. With Star in my lap, we talked about the events of the day so far. All the girls were a bit overwhelmed by having met the King and being treated so kindly by him.
Just after noon, there was a knock at the door. I opened and Aunt Chloe was standing there. I figured that the game was up when I saw her, but she moved inside quickly and shut the door. She was floating plates of food with her and pronounced that she knew we couldn’t make it to the kitchen, so she’d brought lunch.
“Aunt Chloe, you know that by doing this you’ve made yourself a target if my mother takes this badly,” I warned.
“She was my sister long before she was your mother, and I think I can handle her. Now, I want to meet the young ladies that Alba is so infatuated with.”
I waved the girls over and introduced Salma, Matri and Ulia as my consorts. Chloe grinned and embraced each one.
I then had Star join me and revealed, “And this lovely young lady is my wife, Star. She is the girl who is going to, single handedly, cause a Queen to faint.”
“We can always hope, and I’d love to see that,” Chloe retorted. “If she bumps her head, I’ll fix her up. It’s very nice to meet the girl who owns the heart of my nephew.” She hugged Star to welcome her to the family. As she did so, the handle of her wand slipped from beneath her cloak. Star’s reaction was sudden and extreme.
Star backed away and went all the way to the floor in a submissive curtsey. She whispered under her breath, “Lady Chloe of the White Wand”, and stared at her shoes.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “James, will you please?”
I grinned and tugged Star up to stand. Chloe stated, “The common folk have given me that name, but I’m just Aunt Chloe to you. I assume from your reaction that you’re from Eredwynn. I know that adjusting to your new life in this family might be difficult, but I hope we can be friends. This misguided legend worship is something you should get over.”
Star bobbed her head up and down and tentatively stepped forward to hug Chloe again. “I’m sorry, Aunt Chloe, but I’ve grown up with all the stories and was unprepared. Everything has happened so fast and I’ve met so many people I never dreamed I would. Less than a month ago, I was on my way to be sold as a consort, and now all of this! Please don’t hold my behavior of a superstitious peasant against me.”
Chloe queried with a forced smile, “You indica
ted you were to be sold as a consort. May I ask who was selling you?”
I jumped in. “That is a story for another time. For now we’ll save it. Star and I have discussed it and we’ll deal with it later, if we must. I would prefer not to dredge up bad memories right now.”
“This conversation isn’t over, young man,” warned Chloe. “For her sake I’ll put it on hold, but the selling a girl into slavery won’t be tolerated. Your father went to war with the king over a similar thing once when you were tiny. If you try to drop it completely, I’ll have your sister Lia find him for me.”
“Okay, okay Aunt Chloe. I’ll revisit it when the time is right. You don’t have to threaten me with the healing spy. Say hello to my sister, and if you think she’ll be discreet, maybe she could come visit. My girls are only a little younger than she is and might become friends.”
Chloe turned to face my wife and consorts. “It’s been wonderful to meet you young ladies, and I hope we get to spend a lot of time together. James, your father is working on a morning audience for you and yours. I know you’re waiting on clothes for the girls, and they should be ready by dusk. I just thought you’d like to know that states of affairs are being arranged and your father is ready to turn over the castle as he’s planned. It’s a giant castle called Kethos.”
Star gasped. “That’s the province I came from! That castle is going to be our home?” She was so giddy that Chloe laughed.
“From what I’ve been told, that is the plan. You are going to need a dozen consorts to help you run the place.”
I grimaced. “Or maybe just three hard-working ones.”
Chloe grinned. “I’m sure your wife will do what’s best for you all. I need to get back to my room for a while, but I’ll pass your message on to Lia and I’ll see you all tomorrow.” With a quiet pop, she was gone.
We ate our lunch and then I showed the girls how the sink worked. I suggested they not to get too used to having running water, because I didn’t know how long it would take to get pipes run in Kethos. After seeing the hot water coming from the pipe, my wife informed me it would be a top priority. After the dishes were cleaned, we went back to talking about events and I was starting to feel like a prisoner in my own room. I’d get an idea and have to cancel it because I didn’t want to be seen yet.
Suddenly Lia was standing beside our table. The girls were so startled when she showed up, they knocked their chairs to the floor. Star, who had been sitting on my lap, was halfway across the room before she looked back. Lia was giggling so hard she could barely stand.
I shook my head. “Lia, that is what doors are made for; and the roof has a place set up for recall and porting.”
“Those things are for people who can’t see where they are going as well as you and I can. Ohhh, is this your wife? She really is adorable, just as Mom said.”
Star blushed and moved back to the table. “Thank you, Lia. That’s very kind of you to say, and it’s an honor to meet one of James’ siblings.”
Lia smiled and hugged her. “You have to tell me everything about how you two met, fell in love, chose your consorts and everything else. I’ve always assumed James would spend his life kissing frogs by the river and hoping one would turn into a princess.”
I stuck my tongue out at her and announced, “I’m going to take a shower. Matri, if you’d like to join me, I’d be happy to have the company.”
Matri stood, looking a bit flushed, and followed me to the water closet. Lia remarked to Star, “I don’t know how men make it through the day without us.” And Star started cracking up.
In the water closest, I turned the water on and adjusted the temperature. The spray head that Father had invented, with the help of the tinker, was a noisy thing. In the past, that had bothered me, but on this occasion I welcomed the noise. Laying a couple towels on the counter, I turned to Matri.
“You don’t have to join me if you’re not ready. You can go back in with the other girls and I’ll understand.”
She looked a bit frightened and very embarrassed, and I felt guilty for putting her on the spot like I had, but she started fumbling with the buttons of her dress. My hands weren’t nearly as shaky, and I assisted her and undressed myself. When I climbed into the warm spray, I instantly felt a month’s worth of stress melt away. Matri tugged her dress over her head, laid it on the counter next to the towels and stepped into the shower beside me. She never looked up from staring at her toes. I moved out of the way so the warm water washed over her, and she sighed, allowing some of the nervousness to leave her. Looking at me and grinning, she admitted that she’d had no idea bathing could be such a pleasurable experience. She was used to bathing in a tub that took a very long time to fill with the amount of warm water that had already gone down the drain here.
I asked if she minded me touching her and she shook her head no, so I leaned her head back and soaked her hair. There was some sweet smelling soap that mother had located somewhere, and I lathered her hair and then the rest of her. I could tell that my touch was having more than a cleansing effect on her. I lathered myself and while facing her, I had her tilt her head so I could rinse her hair. She put her arms around me to help with her balance, and pulled me against her. I finished rinsing and she raised her head and kissed me. I rinsed my hair and kissed her again when the task was finished. I ran my slippery, soapy hands over her, paying special attention to her breasts and firm little backside. Her panting was making me very glad for the noise of the shower, and also signaled that she was ready for me. I turned her so she was facing away from me, and she put her hands against the wall. She caught on quickly to what I had in mind and leaned forward to receive me. I ran my engorged member along her easily visible opening, seated myself inside and she pushed back onto me. We held that position until she was comfortable, and then she surprised me by pushing back quickly, taking all of me inside her. After the initial surprise wore off, I started moving in and out of her. Our breathing was ragged and our efforts to keep the noise to a minimum were hardly effective. Our movements became quicker until I couldn’t hold back any longer. Barely remembering birth control, I erupted forcefully inside her. I had to hold her up as her knees buckled from her own orgasm. Then I drew her to me and she turned to face me, kissing me and thanking me for being gentle and caring with her. I promised her I’d always care for her.
We dried off and wrapped towels around ourselves. We went back to the bedroom and no one seemed to have noticed that anything unusual had taken place. Donning my wrap-around robe, I tossed my towel back in the bathroom and suggested that Matri wait for her nightgown. Lia glanced up at that and announced that our clothes were ready; she could see them on the tailor’s counter. She asked if I wanted her to get them and I replied that if by that she meant going and getting them, then yes. I told her that if she was thinking about magically grabbing them while the tailor was in the back, then no, thanks. Lia giggled and disappeared. Star dug through her smaller bag and located a brush, and Matri sat on the floor by the bed while Star sat on the bed and brushed out Matri’s long black hair.
Lia returned quickly. She informed us that she had ordered other clothes for all the girls, since it didn’t look like they had much of anything. I thanked her, a bit skeptically, because I knew the little joker that my sister was. Lia pulled me off to the side and asked if I was going to have the girls tested. I told her no, because the girls were my refuge from all the magical stuff that I had to deal with. She thought I might just teach them shield, if they would be able to learn it. Dad had always believed that the shield spell was the most important one we had. I promised that I’d consider it and thanked her for her concern. She then wondered if I’d be glad when I could come out of the room, since there was a new group of really cute novices I might like to ogle. I laughed, telling her that just when I thought she was over her orneriness, she jumped back into the role.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning we all woke early. All the girls had slept in the bed with Star a
nd me, and there had been plenty of room. They had bathed and looked wonderful. They dressed in the new dresses and I thought the sea-blue color was perfect for them. The shin-length, pleated style was obviously the choice of the tailor. My father and I tended to like clothing that was a bit more revealing, but considering the occasion, this was probably a better choice. Aunt Alba brought us breakfast and fawned all over the girls, fixing and adjusting details that a man would never even notice. She let us know that our mother had an audience schedule with a group that hadn’t been named, and that was us. We were supposed to be in the receiving room, and would be announced as travelers from Sabia before entering the audience chamber. Father had suggested that Star and I go in together, followed by the three consorts. I could then introduce the consorts, saving my wife for last. Alba assured me that her sister would love all four of them and be happy for me. The only thing she might be a bit disappointed about was not being able to have a big wedding ceremony. I laughed, confessing that was something I was glad about!
As the time approached, Aunt Alba left to get a good seat, and the girls and I started downstairs. Several novices turned their heads and watched as we paraded by. We moved out of the dorm and to the receiving room. The herald bowed as we approached and then checked his notes. He asked if he had the instructions right and he was supposed to announce me as written. I asked who had given the instructions, and he said the King. I said that with the instructions coming from him, it might be best to leave it as written, to which he heartily agreed.
Our turn came, and the herald announced us as travelers from Sabia. My mother was looking bored, sitting in a chair on the dais. She glanced up as we were half-way to her and grinned. She stood and walked to the edge of the low platform to greet us.
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