Accidental Champion Boxed Set
Page 92
Chapter 43
Cari reached up and tugged at the collar of her new uniform jacket while she waited for the ceremony to begin. The tabs on the collar denoted her rank as a senior lieutenant. The facing colors running down the jacket’s front and on the cuffed sleeves were those of the Empress’s Own Imperial Dragoon’s.
Beside her, wearing similar garb was Rodrigo Dumont. His ear-to-ear grin hadn’t left his face since he put the jacket on earlier that morning. Cari knew this was something he’d long dreamed of.
Behind her stood their three sponsors, the newly reinstated Dragoon sergeants Liam, Chance, and Thad. Across from where she stood, Percy, Helen, and Francesca returned her smile. Each of them wore an Imperial Navy officer’s uniform. Percy had the single pip on his collar of a junior midshipman, while Francesca and Helen were each sporting the four silver bars of a ship’s captain.
All of Cari’s friends still showed a few signs of the injuries sustained in their assault to reach the audience hall to stop the coronation of Prince Timron. Cari was surprised Percy was able to stand after the wounds he had taken protecting Jaycee. He had insisted he be here for this farewell so here he was, standing in his uniform, chest puffed out with pride despite the fact he leaned on a crutch and had a sling cradling one arm.
A young, familiar voice drew Cari’s attention to the other side of the room. “The prospective Dragoon officers will please step forward to be received into the Empress’s Own Imperial Dragoon regiment.”
Cari smiled as she and Rodrigo stepped forward. Jaycee, or more correctly, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Jacinda the First, Defender of the Realm, Warden of the Northern Reaches, Princess of the Cairn Islands, and Lady of the Crystal City sat on the golden throne at the other side of the small, private audience chamber adjacent to the royal apartments.
To the young ruler’s right stood her new regent, the Duke of Tandon, flanked by his chief aide, the newly promoted Captain Stefan Claridge. Beside Stefan stood the reinstated commander of her personal guard, Colonel Sharp in his Imperial Dragoon uniform. To her left stood Cari’s father and mother, Prince Hal and Princess Mona, both wearing modern imperial attire as befitted their rank and position as royal champions of the young Empress.
Cari could have claimed that right and position, too. She was a princess in her own right and had earned the role of Jaycee’s champion over the course of the last year and a half. For this ceremony, though, she’d chosen the more modest garb as a senior lieutenant of the Dragoons. Hers was a ceremonial appointment, unlike Rodrigo’s. Nothing could eclipse her position as a member of the royal House of Dix and its role as champions of the realm. This award was, however, the thing she was most proud of and she looked forward to her new status in the regiment.
Rodrigo stood by Cari’s side so he, too, could receive his official commission as a member of the Empress’s personal guard. He’d known the little girl seated on the throne in front of him long before he realized she was to become his Empress. Now he stood before her, his head bowed to receive this honor he’d sought for so long.
The two new Dragoon officers prepared to swear an oath to defend the Empress from any threats that might come her way. Cari knew he’d take the charge as an officer in the Dragoons very seriously, just as she would.
Jaycee addressed Rodrigo first. “Through the course of more than a year, you have defended me from those who would have preferred I perish along with my family. Though I offered any boon you might request as a reward for your service, you chose this position in my personal Dragoons. You and all your companions each chose to take on a role of imperial service and for that, the Empire and I are eternally grateful.”
Jaycee paused and nodded to the three newly minted naval officers standing to the side before continuing. “Therefore, Lieutenant Dumont, take your place in the regiment as an officer and a gentleman. In addition to your rank as a senior lieutenant, however, I also bestow upon you the title of Baron of Steading Dumont, to be situated on the shores of the Western Sea. I have directed that your ancestral home be rebuilt, and a majordomo appointed to manage the estate during your absence.”
Rodrigo, newly raised to the nobility, bowed his head. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I shall serve you to the limits of my abilities and beyond.”
He stepped back to his position in front of the other Dragoons. Cari moved to join him but stopped as Jaycee called her name.
“Princess Cari, please remain where you are. You have fulfilled the charge given long ago to your family by my great-grandmother. You have served as my champion and protector, as befits your title and rank. I ask you again to remain here at my side as a member of my privy council to assist the Duke of Tandon in my regency until I come of age.”
“I regret that I cannot take that position at this time, Your Majesty,” Cari shook her head. She’d discussed this with her parents and the young ruler at length before arriving at her decision to return home and complete her schooling before she came back to Fantasma on a more permanent basis. “I must go with my parents back to Earth. It is my home and where I must remain until my studies are complete.”
Jaycee’s eye’s saddened at her words and Cari pressed on to reassure the little girl who was trying to be so big and brave on a throne that seemed so large compared to her small, six-year-old body. “Have no fear, Jaycee. My mother repaired and recharged the artifact your great-grandmother used to summon me here. You have that to call for help if your need is great. My family continues to serve yours, even though we are far away from the empire and its needs.”
Cari’s mom laid a reassuring hand on Jaycee’s shoulder. “Now that we possess the transporter device I constructed to reopen the portal to our world, we will all be sure to check in on you as you grow and learn throughout your reign.”
“Promise?” Jaycee asked, looking up at Cari’s mom.
“Yes, we promise,” Mona replied.
“Must you leave so soon, though? Surely you can stay a little longer.”
Cari took a step forward and knelt next to the throne, taking Jaycee’s hand in her own. “You’ll be fine. Duke Korran will serve you well and your loyal Dragoons have been restored to protect you.”
“But we’ve been unable to locate my Uncle Timron. He will surely try to take the empire away from me if he can.”
Colonel Sharp cleared his throat and spoke up. “We will find him and bring him to justice, Your Majesty. He may have escaped for now, but he can’t run away forever.”
“You needn’t be afraid of anything like that anymore,” Cari reassured her. “He cannot hurt you now. The people of the Crystal City and the whole Empire have cheered your coronation. They support you. Duke Korran supports you, and Rodrigo and the others in the Dragoons will be here at your side to protect you.”
Hal came over and stood beside Cari, looking down at the young Empress. “You have only to call us, Your Majesty. One of us will come to your aid when you need us most. For now, though, it is time for us to leave. We’ve been gone from our home too long. Mona, Cari?”
Cari stood and took her place between her parents as her mom pulled out the strange device she’d created to transport them home. Mona gripped both handles and squeezed the lever on the right to activate the portal device, opening the way home.
Waving at Jaycee and her other friends one last time, Cari stepped through the glowing portal, following her parents back to their home.
Sadness lay heavy on her heart at leaving Fantasma, but she knew she’d return. She had a whole life of adventure ahead of her.
In the mean time, have you read the Accidental Traveler trilogy about Cari’s father, Hal?
Get started here with book 1 - The Accidental Thief.
Also by Jamie Davis
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The Accidental Traveler LitRPG Trilogy
(with C.J. Davis)
The Accidental Thief
Accidental Warrior
The Accidental Mage
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Accidental Champion LitRPG Trilogy
(with C.J. Davis)
Accidental Duelist
Accidental Raider
Accidental Dragoon
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Book 1 - Extreme Medical Services
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Eldara Sister Series (2 Historical Fantasy books)
Book 1 - The Nightingale’s Angel
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The Complete Broken Throne Series (5 Urban Fantasy books)
Book 1 - The Charm Runner
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The Delivery Mage Series (5 Urban Fantasy books)
Book 1 - Deliver or Die
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Book 1 - Cyber’s Change
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About the Author
Jamie Davis, RN, NRP, B.A., A.S., host of the MedicCast Podcast and Nursing Show (NursingShow.com) is a nationally recognized medical and nursing educator who began educating new emergency responders as a training officer for his local EMS program. His programs and resources have been downloaded over 6 million times by listeners and viewers.
Jamie lives and writes at his home in Maryland. He lives in the woods with his wife, three children, and a dog.
C.J. Davis is an IT professional, an avid gamer, and a collector of all things geeky. He lives and works in Maryland with his fiancé.
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