by D. R. Grady
“Now that we know for certain about Olga, Raene will simply keep Olga in the scullery or she can leave if she wishes. I doubt Raene will turn her off since Ostard likely didn’t give her a choice.” Stefana brightened. “It’s wonderful to know what happened to Genny and see that she’s safe.”
“So Stuart found her practically the minute he arrived?” Lajos couldn’t help but smile.
“He did. He was excited to see her again.”
His eyebrows rose. “Does this mean we’re going to keep Stuart for a while?”
“I believe so. Which is spectacular. He has an older brother who didn’t seem interested in castle keeping, but is showing interest now. Due to his birth rank, he’s more likely to step into their father’s shoes at Montequirst.”
“We need Stuart far more than Montequirst does.”
“True. And with Genny here, he’ll be content.”
A woman’s presence did soften most situations. He gave thanks for his new life all over again. “Oh yes.”
“But with him acting as the Palace Manager, won’t she, as a lady’s maid, not be deemed good enough?”
“Genny became a lady’s maid due to desperation. She hails from perfectly respectable lines. I shall simply make her a Lady-in-Waiting. Then she can assist me and still be Stuart’s wife.”
“Ah, you’ve thought this through.” Since Genny wasn’t coming this evening, he assisted Stefana in disrobing.
After the day’s excitement, they both required showering. Dust, animals, and hard work had left them grubby. They had only just entered the palace when the evening meal was announced. There had barely been time to wash their hands and faces before Stuart had the amazing meal served.
None of them complained, because while the nutritional bars sufficed, they left one desirous of more after a time. The exquisitely prepared meal had been welcome and delicious.
Life here in Swiftland was coming together in a manner he hadn’t envisioned. It had been difficult to perceive what the future held in this desolate place.
It took them so long to bathe, since they did so together, the water turned cold. With giggles from his entrancing wife and guffaws from him, they stumbled out of the shower and into large towels. Then he enfolded her in his arms again.
Beyond good, it was right to have this women here. Maybe this land they now ruled didn’t feel comfortable or normal yet, but Stefana did. She embodied this place, in his humble opinion.
And since he was the king, his was what counted.
He gathered her close, sealing their lips together as they tumbled onto the bed together.
Life was good. Very, very good.
Chapter 16
Breakfast hadn’t concluded yet when Fitch hobbled in. Stefana frowned at him. “Fitch, you need to put your feet up.”
He appeared taken aback for a moment. But in the manner of butlers, recovered his aplomb in seconds. “Thank you, my queen. There is a man here. Said he is some sort of buyer.”
“Oh yes. We’ve been expecting him. Thank you, Fitch.” She exchanged glances with her father, who set his napkin down after wiping his mouth. They both drained their coffee cups, enjoying the Montequirst brew.
Then rose together to greet their visitor.
To be polite, she inquired after his health, then led him into the large gathering room where she had nearly been forced to marry Ostard. She still shuddered at the very thought. This room required a complete overhaul before she would ever be comfortable in it.
The first step—to sell the piles of opulence. The dealer released an undignified squeal when he caught sight of the previous king’s intemperance. He ran from piece to piece, speaking so quickly his assistants had to stop him several times for clarification.
“Are you certain you wish to sell all of this?” Disbelief laced his question.
“We are.”
Her dad settled a commanding look on the dealer. “For top dollar, or we shall find other buyers.”
The dealer waved that away. It behooved him to ask top price for these pieces and they were all fine enough he could do so. “I have several clients who won’t question the price I set for many of these fine works of art.”
After they had compared notes and created an inventory of the pieces, he set his assistants to clear the room. He had brought transports for the items but might have seriously underestimated the amount required to haul the bounty away.
Stuart soon had the palace footmen in hand, as well as the dealer’s assistants, and it didn’t take him long to efficiently, and safely, store the items for travel. While they emptied the vast room, Stefana led the dealer to the fancy stones lining the palace courtyard and drive.
“These must go.”
Removing a special glass from his vest pocket, he inspected the stones, one at a time until satisfied with his assessment. “I have multiple clients who have expressed interest for these pavers. However did you . . .” He rattled away to himself, making notes in his crystal and probably happily calculating his commission as he wandered away to make certain the pods were properly packed.
She didn’t care what he did so long as he removed Ostard’s folly from the premises.
Lajos joined her and her father then. “The previous stones these awful things replaced are all stacked out by the stables.”
“Really?” Most excellent news.
“And there are men here who know how to lay them. They’ve agreed to start laying them once these are gone.” Satisfaction lined Lajos’ information.
“We can have these horrible things pulled up and replaced immediately then?”
“I’ve arranged for the men to start work as early as this morning. They’re eager to do so again.”
“We’ll have plenty of work for good masons.” She thought of the crumbling cobblestones throughout the land.
“I assured them of the same.” He glanced about them. “Where is your mother?”
“She and Stuart are conspiring on the palace. Once she’s satisfied he has things in hand, she’ll move on to health care for the people.”
“What are you going to work on?” Lajos brushed strands of hair off her cheek.
She smiled at him in thanks. “I’m planning to work on the designs for a coffee bean processing facility, a food preservation plant, and one that manufactures the nutritional bars. Those bars are always in demand, and Swiftland places us closer to several customers.”
“Three manufacturing plants?” His eyebrows rose.
“To start, yes. We’ll require construction crews to begin work as soon as we import the supplies they require.”
“As it happens, I’ve called in a few favors and those supplies should arrive within the week.” Lajos readjusted his sword, which was ever present at his side.
She shrieked and launched into his arms. “You’ve already ordered them?”
“I have. I also arranged for some men I know who build these types of facilities to arrive at the same time. They can have us up and running by summer, for certain.”
“That will be ideal, Lajos.”
He bent to kiss her, but the dealer interrupted them. “We’re finished here. I’ll be in touch the moment I’ve sold this lot.” He waved happily before disappearing inside the front pod with his assistants. The overfilled transports rumbled to life and then pulled out, taking many of the treasures of Ostard with them.
She enjoyed watching them trundle away.
“Once we receive payment for those items, we won’t need to dig into any of the monies we brought.” Lajos sounded satisfied.
“That’s good financial sense.” Her father also eyed the transports. “It’s better to use what is here rather than dig into your principal.”
“It will take time for the crops to take hold and the manufacturing to pay for itself.” She worried her bottom lip.
“The coffee experts have already wielded their new tools and have started clearing out the scrub overgrowth.” Lajos pointed to the coffee grove. “Josiah said he
’d like to try some new varieties. I’ve ordered those he asked for.”
“Of course you have, Mr. Coffee Addict.”
“If he’s willing to fuel my addiction, I’m willing to aid him in any way he wishes. Besides, Oxland is every bit as interested in the beans Josiah wants to cultivate.”
“In two years’ time no one will recognize this place.”
“I’m hoping for a year’s time.” Lajos surveyed his dismal kingdom with narrowed eyes, but she was certain he saw the potential, not the reality.
In their minds, and the minds of the people, everyone looked to their future, not their present or past.
Two weeks after they’d arrived, several gleaming new greenhouses showed promising little shoots in many of the pots. The new growth heartened many of them and Stefana was certain she had seen everyone from the compound passing through the earthy environs to inspect the sprouting hope.
They had shelter for the livestock and the three manufacturing facilities were coming along nicely. Every day she and Lajos rode out the inspect them. Many of their men had joined in the building process, with several being as knowledgeable as the men Lajos had hired, who did this regularly.
The coffee trees were cleared out, pruned, and additional trees planted. Among them the new varieties Lajos looked forward to sampling, as well as some tried and true varieties. The entire process watched over by a man who obviously knew what he was doing. He had offered several helpful suggestions for the coffee bean processing plant and the facility had thusly been modified.
New growth of full-on spring also revealed its own hope. With it, fields had been cleared, tilled, and worked and the seeds both Eduard and Raene had sent would be planted within the next week. The man heading the project exercised caution, and everyone acquiesced to his decision.
There was no one else with his skills and experience.
They had the greenhouses, and those would soon produce. Stefana had hidden some flower seeds in among the vegetables and fruits as she doubted these people had seen many flowers of late.
Orchards had been planted in the perfect spot of the country. They drew up plans for several more once this crop was harvested and they would have the precious seeds.
On their morning ride, Stefana and Lajos caught sight of transports snaking off in the distance. Recognizing the coat of arms, a new one, they both spurred their mounts to speed forward to greet their guests.
Raene nearly fell out of the transport, Vidar caught her, as Stefana dismounted and raced to her dearest friend. Their hugs were taken up with much laughter and chatter as they surveyed each other.
The two brothers saluted each other with the typical warrior greeting. They talked every bit as much as she and Raene, but neither admitted to such a thing.
Vidar grew serious after a few minutes of catching up. “There are dust clouds coming your way from the west.”
Lajos’ eye’s narrowed. “We haven’t heard rumblings from that direction.”
Ari had concentrated on their military and security measures, something that offered Lajos much comfort as he didn’t have the time right now.
“It’s mostly wild in those parts isn’t it?” Stefana pressed a hand to her chest.
“Yes. There aren’t established monarchies there. Most of the people are loners.” Lajos searched the horizon.
“Dust clouds aren’t a good sign when you’re still seeking to establish order.” Vidar urged Raene to enter the transport again.
“We need to take Aern and Fricassa and check this out.” Lajos gripped her waist and tugged her off her saddle, a second after she had mounted again. “Do you have a man who can take the horses back to the stables?”
A Montequirst man stepped forward and climbed onto her mare, but he took Isaac’s reins. Evidently, he remembered the high-spirited stallion. He set off at a gallop with the two horses while she and Lajos entered the transport.
It could maintain a faster pace while Vidar and Lajos both sank into themselves. By the time the transports halted before the palace, both dragons and Ari arrived. The two Aasguard warriors only took time to kiss their wives before they and Ari mounted the dragons. Then the five warriors ascended into the clouds.
Her heart climbed with them, and all but shattered. “They’re really worried.”
She tugged Raene into the palace where she raised the alarm. The people of their fledgling nation did exactly as Lajos and Ari had been coaching them for the past two weeks. The women and children descended into the catacombs where Stefana, Raene, and Stella led the way to the large chamber where an Aasguard warrior would normally reside.
The dragons were slowly making it livable for themselves, but were not as of yet, living here. It appeared they enjoyed the nearby cave and hunting for themselves. Fricassa had told her in an aside that it was excellent for them to keep up their skills like this, rather than grow fat and complacent.
Both dragons glowed these days, although she suspected part of that was because they were clearly in love.
She didn’t have time to dwell on their scaly romance though, because she heard the men mustering up, after they locked the greenhouse, and the livestock in the new stables, in the hopes of keeping them safe. Ari had been working with all the people, especially the men, in basic fighting skills and those who had shown the most promise, now led the men.
Stefana followed their progress on her handheld crystal. She tracked them because down to a man, woman, and child, she had grown fond of these people. The men suited up as best they could and followed Lajos’ instructions. Not one man wished to disappoint him, so they gave their very best.
She could do no other herself. Raene and she were the only defense for the women trapped in the marble chamber if they were assaulted. In other words, essentially Raene was their only defense, despite the impressive sword strapped to Stefana’s side. She had also, in between everything else that needed done, worked with Ari.
Who proved to be her favorite Aasguard warrior teacher thus far. Lajos offered far too much of a distraction. He hadn’t quite come around to admitting this. Besides, she had caught him appreciating her feminine form rather than her fighting form on more than one occasion.
Her brother enjoyed taking time to heckle her. A habit from childhood, and only made worse by their twin status and her rudimentary fighting skills.
None of that was true with Ari. She stayed on task and kept Stefana on task as well. It helped because Stefana also wasn’t as conscious about her mistakes. Ari pointed out what she did wrong, showed her how to correct it, and they moved on.
There was something to be said about having a sword strapped to your person, however. At least if they were invaded, she had a form of defense. The women all around her had been downtrodden for so long, they didn’t have the energy or the will to fight.
Her eyes narrowed. All that was about to change. They needed something to focus on right now. Even the children were unusually quiet.
“Montequirst has recently instituted sword and self-defense training for all females.” Upon this announcement, any tiny rustling in the background ceased. She had their undivided attention. “This same training is coming to Swiftland. Every female will learn these skills along with every single male.”
“Even the girls?” One of the children, she was probably about ten, but it was hard to tell because these people had been malnourished for so long. She might be a teen already.
“Especially the girls. All of you will learn. If you are sound of body, you will learn to defend yourselves and your nation.” The air stirred, with what felt like interest.
“So if these types of attacks happen again, we’ll be able to defend our children and our land?” A young woman cradling a child who probably wasn’t all that small, but appeared to be, asked. No babies or toddlers clung to her skirt or any of the other women’s. The smallest had perished with the eldest in the land.
“Yes. You’ll be taught the skills necessary to defend your own.” Stefana used the
hardest edged tone she could.
She glanced at Raene. “Simple self-defense moves do you think?”
“I do. Every single female in our nation, who is sound of body, has begun learning these skills, including me.”
“The Queen of Montequirst has learned sword play and self-defense?”
“How do you think I met my husband?” Mischief threaded Raene’s question.
“She stalked into the catacombs of the castle and demanded he teach her how to use her sword.”
“I didn’t demand, and I already knew the basics, but I wanted the very best to teach me the intermediates. My very life, virtue, and throne might have depended upon it. There is nothing worse than being helpless.”
The women drew a little closer. “You’ve experienced this, then?” An older women kept close eye on some little ones playing nearby, but Raene’s response sounded important to her.
“Oh yes. Both your queen and I have. We understand. Therefore, we made these decrees so that none of us would ever be placed in such a position again.”
“We’ll all have swords like the one you’re wearing?” A woman pointed to Driies.
“This is Driies. You might recognize it as Queen Bronwyn’s sword. Which has been handed down in my family through the generations.” This information created a stir among the women.
Queen Bronwyn had earned her legendary status. “Your sword was hers? She fought with it?” A school-aged young woman asked. She inspected the sword hilt carefully.
“Yes. She fought with this sword. And she passed it down to her descendants, of whom I am numbered.”
The women all stared at Raene in awe.
“She knows how to use that sword too. It’s not just a pretty decoration. You all will be given a sword that suits your size and age, and you’ll be taught how to use it. For now, we’re going to concentrate on self-defense moves.”
Stefana and Raene cleared a circle and they took turns being the aggressor and victim. And both of them instructed their eager class. These women might need these skills today should the army approaching gain ground.
