by S. W. Gunn
She then announced, “He needs training Lady Ofriki. Starting tomorrow he shall begin his training in ernest. We shall work together to support his post until he is trained for the task.”
Ofriki nodded at her statement and then asked, “Your Majesty as you have completed your council shall we close the meeting?”
Astir nodded at her.
Turning back to the members of the council Ofriki declared, “We shall have the first formal meeting of the council tomorrow after the morning meal.”
Astir knew that all meetings would only end with her leaving so she stood up and turned to Daell before asking, “Your Highness would you please escort me to the dining hall for the mid-turn meal?”
Daell stood up quickly and said, “It’d be my honor your Majesty.”
He stepped away from his chair and offered his left arm for her, which she took. He then slowly guided her towards the door.
As they walked away from the table he whispered to her, “ I’ve got no idea where the dinin’ hall is.”
She could not help but laugh loudly, which he responded to by shyly at her.
Speaking softly, she said to him, “Just walk straight and we will run right into it.”
They walked some distance down the hallway before he turned his head to glance behind them. She guessed that he was checking the distance from them and the room they were just in.
He looked back towards her and asked her nervously, “Are you sure this position is right for me?”
She stopped walking and turned towards him. He stopped and faced her. Reaching her up towards him she wrapped her hands around his thick neck and pulled him closer to her until thier foreheads lightly touched. Her eyes locked with his.
Speaking firmly, she said to him, “Daell you are capable of anything you put your mind to, it is the biggest thing that I have learned about you from talking to my brother and your friends. You will succeed at this tasking, in fact you will excel at it.”
“As you wish your Majesty.” He said to her with a smile.
She kissed him passionately. Astir had known that people in the palace would talk but she wanted him and she did not care who knew. He returned her passion with eagerness. She started kissing his lips but something consumed her so her kisses began to move from his lips to his cheeks and even his chin. While it did not help that she had no experience kissing a man, it did not stop her. After some time standing there kissing him madly she heard a cough nearby. They broke their kiss and looked in the direction of the person. It was Ofriki.
She said, “I apologize your Majesty. Unfortunately the royal couple is obstructing the path to the dining hall and it is time for the mid-turn meal.”
Astir immediately recognized the saucy tone in her voice while she was speaking. Even as the Primier Ofriki was still sharp of tongue in private with Astir and she loved every moment of it.
“I apologize my lady.” Daell said before surprising Astir as he gently picked her up off the ground from underneath her arms and slowly shifted her against a nearby wall and finally then setting her down on her feet.
“There’s now room to pass.” He stated before he began kissing her again.
Astir could hear Ofriki giggle as she passed by them. They kissed for some time before Astir broke their kiss. She looked into his eyes.
Softly smiling at him she said, “I love you Daell Skeidsson, my King”
“And I love you Astir Jofurrsdotter.” He replied kindly.
He reached his right hand out and gently stroked her cheek. If there was any doubt of her choice at the Kostir, it faded away right then as she knew that she had made the right choice. Reaching out again, she pulled on his neck and kissed him yet again. They stood against that wall kissing for quite some time before she heard the telltale sound of another person approaching.
A voice, which she immediately recognized as her brother, spoke from behind them, “Your Majesty I apologize for the interruption however I felt it best that you know that while his Highness appears strong, he is not fully recovered. Perhaps it would be wise for him to eat the mid-turn meal?”
She broke thier kiss and then looked at her brother, who she could see was enjoying himself. Astir nodded at him. Her brother turned and walked briskly towards the dining hall. She again looped her arm around Daell’s left arm and they began walking towards the dining hall. She just felt right on his arm however she noticed that the pace was slow which led her to believe that he had not fully recovered from his injuries. She leaned her head against his arm as they walked.
Suddenly she just remembered something she wanted to ask him, “How were you able to recover so quickly? When I saw you before you entered the throne room you were unable to walk without assistance.”
Daell continued to look forward as they approached the dining hall but he answered, “Your Majesty I was able to place my feet on Heima. She restored much of my strength. My body still aches heavily but I’m able to move on my own. I’m certain that I’ll fully recover quickly as each turn passes.”
Astir nodded in response to his answer. She was impressed with his abilities and it left her wondering just how powerful he would be once he was fully recovered. Whatever his abilities were, she was just pleased that she had finally listened to her heart at the end of the Kostir, even with her earlier foolishness during the Kostir. As she reflected back on it all, she had realized that her heart was his the moment she cornered him on that pier in Heimili. His words, conviction, and that smile of his had reached her, she just did not know it then. She raised her head from his shoulder as they entered the dining hall. Everyone there stood up as they arrived. Daell slowly guided her to the normal spot that she sat for all of the meals.
As she sat down he asked, “May I sit next to you again your Majesty?”
“Of course your Highness.” She answered.
He gingerly lowered himself into the chair next to her. Astir scanned the people at the table with them. Viga and Hollurn were nudging each other with grins on their faces. Ofriki was giggling and Astir’s mother and father were also smiling at them. She thought that they were glad to see the royal couple so happy but as she turned to look at her husband, she immediately realized what all the mirth was about. Apparently during their passionate moment in the hallway Astir had managed to smudge most of the application from her lips onto Daell’s face. His lips, cheeks, and chin were smeared in it. The hallway was so dark and she was distracted with kissing him that she had not noticed. She could feel the heat of embarassment rising on her face.
He glanced into her eyes and with a sincere smile he said, “Your Majesty I must say you look absolutely stunnin’ this turn, red is a fine color for you.”
With a cackling laugh Ofriki declared, “It looks stunning on you too, your Highness.”
It was more than everyone there could take and they all burst out in laughter. Her poor husband had no clue and looked very confused by her words. Astir even found herself laughing as well.
Picking up a nearby napkin she leaned closer to Daell as she said, “Your Highness, it would appear that you have managed to acquire some red application on your face.”
She then slowly began rubbing her napkin on his face to remove it.
With a faux stern look on her father's face he asked, “I wonder how the King managed to acquire red application on his face?”
Even more laughter broke out in the room. Daell must have finally realized what they were talking about because he began blushing deeply.
His friend Hollurn then commented, “Your Highness that is close, but I do not think that was how it got there.”
That caused even more laughter to come from the table.
Viga asked jokingly, “Perhaps one of the Jordling handmaidens missed the Queen this morning and brushed it on the King instead?”
Giggles, jokes, and laugher continues until a group of Jordling servants entered.
Chapter 3
Even as the King of Heima, Daell could still find ways to
embarass himself. It really did not surprise him because he was always great at embarrassing himself. He did not know much about the material that her handmaidens had placed on Astir’s face, but now he knew that it was called application and apparently it smeared off easily. He did not mind the laughter, even with the embarassment, because he still got to kiss her. He had to admit that he was surprised by the passion that she attacked him with while kissing but he had to admit that he found in extremely thrilling. It was something that he planned to repeat many times in the future. The mid-turn meal had arrived and he realized immediately that the person who cooked for them was someone who could cook anything. It was a mix of foods from every city in Heima. Daell recognized each dish from his travels, and it made him smile broadly. His travels throughout Heima were a wonderful time with the many friends he made and the things he saw engrained in his mind.
He turned to look again at Astir; she even ate her food with grace. Daell was amazed by her because he had always assumed that royalty were prim, proper, stiff, and boring people. The rare royalty that he had seen in the cities of Heima had actually reinforced that belief. However she was not any of those things. She played the role of Queen, and seemed to follow the rules that required her to be proper, but Daell highly doubted that passionate kissing in the main hallway of the palace was exactly proper. Which was something that he definately did not mind at all.
She noticed him admiring her and then gave him one of her beautiful smiles before saying, “Your Highness I appreciate the admiration, however I think you should eat your meal. Once your strength has recovered you can skip all the meals you desire admiring me.”
“As you wish your Majesty.”
Daell still had no idea what the extra utensils were but he figured that he will figure them out sooner or later. He savored each item as he ate it because it all tasted wonderful. While spending so much time with Astir, he had not realized how hungry he was. He tried to eat with as much civility as he could muster but it was quite a struggle since his body was screaming at him to eat faster. There was soft conversation at the table. Between bites he glanced around and he noticed that Viga, Hollurn, and Skemmra were in a deep conversation with Astir's Premier Ofriki. Daell suspected that his wife and the Premier were much closer than the business type relationship that he initially thought existed. His newly acquired parents were conversing with each other. They were laughing and touching each other as newly minted lovers did, as he and Astir did. It was pleasant to see.
“Your Highness what do you think of your first turn of rule?” Astir asked him.
Daell turned to her and said, “Your Majesty I don’t know about ruling anythin’, but being here with you is a dream come true for any man.”
She reached out her left hand to him and slowly stroked one of his cheeks, which he responded to with a wide smile. Her face lit as though she just remembered something.
She said, “Oh I just remembered something to ask you.”
“Yes your Majesty?”
“What is that small rodent that you had worn on your tunics during the Kostir?”
Hollurn laughed. Daell realized immediately that she was talking about the mus.
Daell chuckled before saying, “Your Majesty, I don’t know if you had noticed, but your husband is much smaller than the average Jordlin’.”
She nodded as she replied, “I did, although I noticed he is still larger than men of any other race.”
Daell grinned. He had never thought of it that way, before the Kostir his life revolved around being a Jordling. Yes he was small compared to Jordlings, but he still bigger than any Aldarnari, Vindiri, or Vatune.
“Well your Majesty, in the village were I’m from there is a small rodent called a mus. For most of my life it was a nickname that was given to me.”
“It is cute.” She stated.
Viga interrupted, “No growing young man would wish to be known as a cute rodent creature your Majesty”
Daell solemnly commented, “I must confess that I despised the nickname. It burned at my heart to hear people call me it.”
With a deep frown Hollurn said, “I must apologize then, I called you it many times.”
Speaking firmly to him Daell said, “No my friend, you are a brother to me. When you called me it, I knew it as a term of endearment. When others did, it was an insult. As if to say I was less of a Jordlin’ than them.”
Astir frowned at his words before saying, “I apologize for bringing the subject up.”
“No your Majesty, you see as time has gone on I’ve taken that small rodent as my crest. It is a badge of who I am, that is why I wore it on my tunics.”
She then announced, “Your Highness I shall ensure that it be placed on the upcoming royal crest in some manner.”
Daell smiled at her. There was a brief pause after her announcement.
“Oh yes!” Daell said, suddenly remembering Viga's words about training, “Your Majesty I forgot to ask. Earlier I’d spoken with Viga and he mentioned I’d be recievin’ some trainin’. I was curious who he was referrin’ to as ‘her’.”
Astir giggled while saying, “He refers to Fregna.”
Ofriki interjected, “Ouch.”
Viga nodded at her.
Astir's mother then spoke up, “Oh stop, Lady Fregna is not bad.”
Astir was shaking her head slowly as she said, “Mother when was the last time your knuckles were struck by that stick?”
Puzzled by their words Daell asked, “Stick?”
Astir turned to him and said, “You will see my dear. Just make sure you do what she says, when she says, and how she says.”
“Maybe she will not whack you with it too hard if you follow directions quickly.” Ofriki interjected.
“Not too hard.” Astir commented with an evil grin.
They both giggled. Daell was left with the impression that they must have recieved many whacks from this stick they mentioned.
“Your Majesty I was barely struck by the stick.” Astir's mother said evenly.
She barely had said a word, but a Vatune woman who was sitting next to her spoke up, “Drottni I believe your memory fails you. Fregna broke at least four sticks on your hands during our time of training.”
Astir looked shocked by her words and almost stuttered out, “Lady Gisa I would love to hear these stories”
Astir's mother looked at the Vatune woman and commented, “Perhaps Gisa, but I remember many sticks breaking on your hands as well.”
It was obvious to Daell that they were teasing each other. They both laughed.
Turning back to Daell Astir said, “To answer your question your Highness, your lessons will include culture within the palace, formality, history, ball room dancing, etiquitte, and of course plenty of economics. Lady Fregna is our instructor. She has instructed the last two Queens and I hope she will be alive to instruct the next Queen. However to warn you, she is somewhat stern.”
“Somewhat?” Ofriki asked, her voice laced heavily with sarcasm.
“Lady Ofriki my husband has fought beasts, negotiated with the Hyggja, defeated several men in my honor and I wonder if you are suggesting he might be in trouble with an elderly instructor?”
With a very evil grin on her face, Ofriki answered, “I know he will be in trouble with her.”
The table laughed loudly at her answer. Daell was curious to meet this Lady Fregna. She could not possibly be as bad as they claimed. As they ended the meal Astir rose, which everyone responded to by standing.
She then announced, “Your Highness, I think that it is best for you go get more proper rest. I must attend to Heima, perhaps Prince Vigamadir could take you on a short tour of the palace and then ensure you are in our quarters resting for the remainder of the turn?”
Viga stated firmly, “It shall be done your Majesty.”
“As you wish your Majesty, your command is my desire.” Daell told her.
She smiled at him and as gracefully as a bird flies, she glided from the di
ning hall. Her mother, the Primier, Skemmra and several others followed behind her. The room emptied until only Daell, Hollurn and Viga remained.
With a wide smile Viga asked, “Well Daell, shall we begin a quick tour of the palace?”
“Please, I find myself lost every time I take a step.”
Chuckling Hollurn said, “It took me a few turns to get it all down. Of course I do not have your abilities in exploration, so I doubt I will ever know the palace grounds like I suspect you will soon enough.”
Daell thought to himself that Hollurn was right about one thing, he intended to explore every nook and cranny of the palace grounds. He had also hoped to explore the rest of the island that they were on. As they walked through the hallways of the palace Daell became curious about the palace itself.
“How long has this palace been here?” He asked.
Viga answered, “The palace was built during the reign of the first Queen. Before her, the island that Bygod rests on was home to a small fishing village, which is now the village that rests on the shore beside the palace. It is said she chose to make this the location of her palace because she did not want the palace to be near any of the major cities. If it was near them, it would appear to favor that city over the others. Heimili itself was once a small fishing village known as Fiskborg. She had it built up into the major city it is now, along with deciding that it would have elections for its leadership.”
It was all quite intriguing to Daell and he decided that he actually was looking forward to the history lessons. It would be interesting to find out more about this and many other things he had never even dreamed about. Viga led Daell through the basic areas of the palace, the dining hall, ball room, main conference area, restrooms, and the doors to the throne room. They did not go into the throne room because Astir was there working.
He found himself quite tired from walking around the palace and Viga must have seen the tired look on Daell's face because he said, “Let us get you to the royal quarters, I think a nice nap will do you some good.”
