Gods Save The Queen Bk. 01 Pt. 01

© 2025 Duleigh Lawrence-Townshend. All rights reserved. The author asserts the right to be identified as the author of this story for all portions. All characters are original. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental. This story or any part thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review or commentary.

This is a tale that I have been aching to write for a long time. Once again, I return to a genre that I absolutely love: Romantasy. I now have the skills, and the beta reader (Thank you so much K!) and the backing of my muse. If you find familiarity in this tale, it's inspired by another tale that I loved writing so much I almost cried when I came to the end. I foresee tears this time too...

Gods Save the Queen

Book 1 - Part 1, The Enchantress

Preface

How did I get to this point? I hated that woman! Just the sight of her once angered me, and now here I am. I sat in the familiar temple office wondering how my life had come to this point, and I searched my mind for the clues that would reveal the route of that voyage. How did I go from an orphan to captain of the Royal Guard, to village witch, and now to this?

I rested in the temple, trying to ease the beating of my heart and my spinning head by looking up at the mural on the ceiling. "Nick, I'm so proud of you," said grandpa. "You are taking the next great step in becoming a man."

"Grandfather, I was the captain of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Breaze, I saved Queen Octavia from countless dangers, mostly against her will, I returned home and became the only male witch on Kodu..."

"Yes, yes, I've heard those stories," said Grandpa. "They may even be true." I was about to shout at him, but he leaned across his desk with a grin. "Now you come to the hard part. This is what makes a man. The test starts today and continues until the day you die, and if you succeed, then you can call yourself a man."

Grandpa was always very cryptic when he gave me advice. I was used to getting his advice in riddles and hints that didn't reveal their meaning until long after I survived the test. "I have to wait until I'm dead to call myself a man?"

"A real man never calls himself a man," said grandpa as he leaned back and crossed his arms. "He gives others cause to describe him as such. Only posterity can call you a great man, or an evil man."

I had to know, so I asked, "what am I if I fall between great man or evil man?"

"A guy," said Grandpa sadly. "A fellow, a chap. You can become a good guy, or a rotten guy, or just a guy."

"But not a man?" I asked.

Grandpa sadly shook his head. "No. Guy in itself is just a term that means, 'almost a man.' You have the ability to be a man starting today."

"Am I going to be a good man or an evil man?"

Grandpa thought for a moment, then said, "Yes." He nodded his head to emphasize his point.

"You're awful feisty today. This being dead suits you."

"I've been dead a long time and I'm getting quite good at it," said Grandpa proudly.

My parents were gone when I was at the age of five, so I was raised by my grandmother and grandfather, and both had died before I was born. Nana Peacock was my mother's grandmother, and she was a powerful witch. I'm not sure how I was related to Grandpa. I asked him once, and he said something like, "I had three sons, Knute, Kaleb, and Karl, Kaleb had a boy and two girls Dolf, Anna, and Celest. Dolf had one son, Ruddie. Ruddie married a girl from Upper Moss Hallow and had two girls..." I fell asleep during Grandpa's recitation of the family lore, but I think it was seven generations making him my Great-great-great-great-great-great Grandfather. Either way, I took his name of de la Montesquieu, he's the one that named me Pommeraie.

I still remember the anguish of when my life became a nightmare. I was an only child, raised by my mom, a witch, and my dad, who was a butcher, I think. All I remember of that time was the love that I was showered with, and the laughter, even though we lived in The Tubes, the worst slum on Kodu. To this day, I wonder if I will be able to show my own son such love as what I first got. And then it fell apart. Something changed in dad and he became addicted to thyme. Not the spice, the drug. Thyme makes you feel like time had no control over you, that you were powerful and pain free. It was highly addictive, but the feeling it caused came at a price. Thyme addicts were violent, and hate filled between thyme trips. Ivo began beating my mom, Jutta, until she crawled off into the night to die. I was five years old when Dad slipped me some Thyme and I woke up alone in a trash heap with a puppy that I named Pepin.

Pepin and I lived in that trash heap for years, which was a surprise, because an abandoned kid in the Tubes rarely saw another birthday. Other kids would come and go, but Pepin and I stayed. I changed clothing as I grew by stealing it from the corpses of dead kids. I only crept out from under the trash to drink from rainwater puddles and slip into the Temple of the god of Divine Fools and steal the food offerings and drink the holy water. Soon, Pepin and I were having conversations. I believe it was the holy water we drank, but Pepin and I could converse.

Then one day we were caught, an acolyte or a priest grabbed me and placed his hand on my forehead and said, "are you Jutta Peacock's child?"

"Yes! She's dead! Leave me alone!" I fought to escape, but the priest wouldn't let me go.

"She's not dead, but she's not well. Your great-grandmother loves you and can't wait to see you."

"She's dead!"

"True, but she still loves you."

I woke up the next morning to find myself in a one-room cottage. The cottage was a witch's cottage that changes in size as the family grows or shrinks. I ran outside to find myself on a small farm surrounded by forest, and to the north an enormous mountain. I ran through the woods looking for Pepin and returned to the cottage exhausted. I must have cried for two entire days. I cried myself hoarse and refused to eat any of the food in the cottage until Nana Partridge, my mother's grandmother, came to my aid. She raised me; she dried my tears and gave me strength. She taught me to feed and care for myself as I lived alone with her, and she did a good job raising me for being a dead witch.

Nana taught me everything about plants and herbs and medicine, but when it came to needing to know 'head things' like reading and writing and cyphering, she sent me down to the village of Elm Springs, to the Temple of the Woods, where Grandpa was found. The Temple of the Woods was a non-denominational temple. There's no (living) temple priest, so anyone can go in and pray to any god they want. Grandpa didn't seem to understand my anguish, and he made me repeat over and over why I was crying. By the time he said he understood, I had stopped crying and accepted the fact that I was being raised by the spirits of dead ancestors.

It wasn't an easy life being raised by two spirits that were a mile apart from each other, (they both get upset when you say ghost) but I learned, and I grew, and I had a home to return to when I was cold. I learned to travel from temple to temple, and finally Grandfather said, "You have gone as far as I can take you, if you want to continue in your education, I suggest going to the Kingdom of Breaze and studying at the Temple of Good Health. I thought that would be a great place to continue my studying to become a witch, so I made the four temple hop to Breaze, where they said my education would only cost twenty hours of guard duty per week. It included food and a cot, so I figured why not?

I completed my education, but I stayed on as a guard because I was so good that they put me on the King's detail, and I found I loved King Alfrich. And then he married HER, and my life went into another major upheaval. I hated her because she could read my mind... nobody else, just mine. Do you know how difficult it is when your future queen, who looks like a 21-year-old sex goddess, can read your mind? Even when you're with your own fiancée and the king?

"Here," said grandpa, pointing to a drawer in his desk. I opened the drawer and there was a silver key on a ribbon, exactly like the gold key I wore on a ribbon around my neck. "My gift to her," said Grandpa. "Give her a kiss for me."

"I will," I said as I choked up. This was a temple key. With that key, you could unlock any temple on Kodu and enter. Once you enter a temple using a key, you can come out in any other temple without speaking to the temple god. Temple keys are never lost. If you are given one, and you lose it, it will turn up as you search for it. If it's stolen, it will return to you. But if you die, it will return to the temple that gave it to you. "What does this mean, grandfather?"

He gave me a look that clearly said, 'Are you stupid?' "It means that this is the start of an entirely new journey for you and your bride."

"I'm tired of wandering," I said, and I was right. It was a long enough journey to get to this point in my life.

"This part of the journey is the quickest, time is going to fly, but it can also be the hardest if you and your bride are not in sync with each other."

"And where will this journey take me?" I asked.

"Only as far as King Ottmar allows," he said cryptically. "Good luck my boy," he added with uncharacteristic cheerfulness, and he faded from sight so I didn't have the chance to ask him what he meant by that statement about the king. After all, I'm a witch. I don't obey the vague desires of the king. I heal his people and livestock.

Then, as I was examining the silver key, my best man, Trei Metzgar, stood at the door and said, "Captain, they're ready for you."

"Thank you Trei," and I got up and followed him out to the glade beside the mill pond. It looked like the entire village of Elm Springs was there, along with several farmers from the outlying areas. Standing at the head of the group was King Ottmar, king of Uduithia, and his wife, Queen Elinor.

Queen Elinor shook my hand firmly and said, "We're so happy for you Nick."

"Now you have your very own queen," chuckled King Ottmar.

"Thank you both," I said as the village minstrel, Rickets, began playing his lute, and the bridesmaids opened the flaps of the white tent where my bride was prepared and she stepped out...

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Chapter 01 - Pommy and Ziska

"What do you want to do, Pommie?" asked Ziska as she gazed up at the puffy clouds that drifted overhead.

Pommie took a long time to answer. It wasn't because the choice was difficult, but because he was almost asleep. It was so comfortable there in the soft grass, laying on a hillside, looking up at an azure blue sky at the white cotton ball clouds as they drifted by. The day was warm, and the breeze was gentle, and it was hard to keep his eyes open. Finally, he spoke. "I'd like to spend the entire day doing this with you... naked."

"Men!" huffed Ziska, and she squeezed his hand. Then she rolled onto her side and looked at Pommie. "That may not be a bad idea," she said with a lusty grin. To Pommie, Ziska was beautiful. She was shapely but muscular, her blond hair glowed in the sun and her radiant smile out shown it. Her breasts were firm and filled Pommie's hand nicely, but he wasn't in a grabby mood today. Ziska's smile was the sweetest thing Pommie had ever seen. She rolled back onto her back and said, "I want to know what you're going to do. Your enlistment is up in ten months..."

"Eight months," said Pommie. "I was awarded two months for the Domissi take-down."

"That's right I forgot," said Ziska. Landia Domissi was a member of parliament that tried to kill the king. Pommie stopped him and the King awarded Pommy with two months of vacation which he hadn't used yet. "So, are you going to reenlist? Or are you going to get out and hire out as a mercenary?" she asked.

That caused Pommie to chuckle. "Can you see me as a mercenary? Doing uniform and locker inspections every morning?"

"I would spend gold to see that," said Ziska.

"Reenlist? No. I'm done. I want to go home. I'm just a farmboy and I miss the mountains. If I find the right woman, and that's a big if," he said, teasing Ziska, "I want to go back to the farm. I want to get back to relying on myself, raising chickens and ducks and rabbits and goats. I want to plant corn and all the other good things we grew before I came here." He said 'here' with a sneer.

"That sounds like a noble undertaking for an old soldier," she said as she looked up at the sky. "Would you..." the question caught in her throat. For the past five years, it was Ziska and Pommy, Pommy and Ziska. They talked about everything together, everything about the future. He gets out in eight months. She has another year and a half to go.

Pommy sat up and said, "Come here lieutenant," he said and he patted his lap.

Ziska sat up and sat in his lap. She put her arm around him and said, "What would you like Captain?"

"I will always have an opening on my farm for you," he said as he gave her a kiss. "And in my heart."

"Yeah, but you're getting out on the fifth of Nebula, I get out the following Starend."

"The king also owes me one favor, and I think I'm going to ask him for either an eight month extension, or an eight month early release for you," said Pommy.

"What are you saying?" she gasped.

"I'm saying here before the gods of all that are, that I love you Franziska Thornhammer, I can't see a future ahead of me without your smiling face and your loving heart." He opened a small box and said softly, "Lieutenant Helga Thornhammer, without you I am lost, please join with me and together there is nothing we cannot conquer. Will you complete my life and marry me?"

"What? And be a farmwife chasing cows and chickens? I suppose you would want me to suck your cock during lunch too, isn't that right?"

"Ziska I..." He was shocked. How did he deserve a response like that?

Her angry glare softened into a sweet smile. "Pommy, I'm just playing with you. I didn't know you were going to propose... I thought I owed you a surprise too. Yes! I'll marry you! Put that ring on my finger and mark me as yours!"

He slid the ring on her finger, and she studied it with tear-filled eyes. Ziska's finely crafted Warrior Woman persona melted, and she threw her arms around Pommy and wept. She finally whispered, "I love you!" and they kissed passionately.

"You are my only reason for being here," whispered Pommy. "If it wasn't for your love, I would have gone home a long time ago."

"I can't wait!" she gasped and looked at the ring. "Franziska de la Montesquieu... Missus Pommeraie de la Montesquieu!" She sighed and rubbed her smooth cheek against Pommy's cheek. "It's so much easier to spell than Thornhammer."

"How is that possible?" chuckled Pommy.

"M comes before T," said Ziska. "Now when we line up alphabetically I can be closer to the front of the line!"

"My real name is much easier to spell," said Pommy, then he regretted saying that.

"Real name?" asked a confused Ziska.

Pommy leaned back on the grass, and Ziska rested her head on his shoulder. "Pommeraie is not my first name, de la Montesquieu is actually my middle name, and my last name is Stein."

"Huh? How does that work out?"

"I was born in Torwin-Armistad," said Pommy. Torwin-Armistad is the largest city on the entire planet of Kodu, as far as either of them knew.

"Fancy!" said Ziska, who was born in a little fishing village on the Breaze coast.

"No, not fancy at all. Torwin-Armistad is so big it takes two days to walk from one side to the other. I was born on the Armistad side which is mostly slums and cattle yards. I was born in the Tubes, the worst part of the worst city."

"The Tubes?"

Pommy nodded. "It's all narrow alleys; you can't walk three abreast in most of them. The buildings are so close you have to keep your windows closed in the morning, otherwise when your neighbor dumped out his night-soil, it would end up in your apartment." He sighed. "My mom was a dreamer. There was a prince named Pommeraie de la Montesquieu, and she was sure he would lift her out of poverty, so she named me after him."

"She sounds like fun! I can't wait to meet her," chirped Ziska.

"She's dead, I think." Pommy frowned then said, "In for a penny, in for a pound... my dad beat her to death. My last memory of my mother was her crawling off into the night leaving a trail of blood."

"Pommy! Oh gods! So you had to stay with your father?"

"Yeah... until he got tired of waiting for me to die. He dropped me off in a trash heap behind the Temple of Saehrimnir, the god of Divine Fools. One day an acolyte dug me out of the trash heap and took me into the temple. We went into the temple of Saehrimnir in Torwin-Armistad and we came out in a little non-denominational temple in the mountains and he gave me to a witch to raise me. I spent the next eight years raised by a witch and a temple wizard."

"That's sweet," said Ziska.

"They're both dead," added Pommy.

"What? What happened?"

"I don't know. I never asked them."

"What do you mean?" demanded Ziska.

"I was raised by two ghosts. Nana Peacock, the witch, taught me how to raise veggies and chickens, how to fish and trap rabbits and squirrels. Grandpa taught me my letters and numbers and how to navigate through the temples. I would hop back to the Temple of Saehrimnir, nick a loaf of bread and maybe a potato or two, and dash back to Elm Springs. Grandpa didn't mind, he said the temple offerings would be eaten by the priests and given to the needy, and an eight-year-old boy living with a ghost is about as needy as you get.

"What do you mean, navigate through the temples?" asked Ziska.

"All temples on Kodu are interconnected through the æther. If you have magical skills you can get through, it's fairly simple once you can see it, but you need the magical skill to see it. The trick is knowing where to go. We could go directly between here in Breaze to any one of five temples in Uduithia where I'm from, but the transfer would be too demanding. We'd suffocate."

"There's no air in the æther?"

"Not exactly suffocate, it's more like overwork yourself. So, you take short hops with fifteen minutes to recover between each hop."

"I've never heard of such a thing," said Ziska.

"I knew I'd find you two here," came a gruff voice behind them.

Pommy looked back up the hill. He saw a huge, muscular brute wearing an armored breastplate with no undergarment, and a pair of leather trousers. It was Jehans Du Gouey, the biggest man Pommy had ever seen. Also, one of the nicest. "Sergeant Du Gouey, what is with that get-up?" asked Pommy.

"My shirt and blouse are in the laundry, sir."

"Why are you bothering us on our day off, sergeant," said Ziska in a scolding voice.

"My apologies lieutenant, but the king asked me himself, he said 'find those two lascivious miscreants and have them in my chamber by three of the clock!'" said Sergeant Du Gouey.

"Lascivious miscreants?" demanded Ziska.

"Aye, ma'am. The king said it himself."

"Jehans, do you know what lascivious miscreant means?"

The demi-giant pondered a bit, then said, "Miscreants are troublemakers, but the word lascivious has me stumped, it does," he said with a nod and a half grin.

"Our sovereign must be dealing with the healers again," giggled Ziska.

"Could be worse, he could be dealing with the priests," said Pommy, as he helped Ziska to her feet and they walked hand in hand to town.

"Well...?" said Jehans with a grin as they approached the city gate.

"Well, what?" demanded Captain de la Montesquieu.

"Did you ask her?" Jehans tried to whisper, but he's not capable of such subtleties. He's a demi-giant; they're not quiet people.

"Yes, I asked her."

"You told him?" demanded Ziska.

"I found him in the jewelry store when he bought the ring," said Jehans with a booming laugh.

"What does the king want us for?" asked Pommy, hoping to change the subject.

They walked through the streets of Enkmaar, the capital city of the Kingdom of Breaze. Ahead of them were Mariseau Castle and the Royal Guard barracks. "I suppose we better dress for the meeting with the king..." said Pommy. He was upset because he spends every waking hour in uniform. A day off in linen trousers and a loose blouse and with Ziska dressed the same was a luxury.

They got to the portcullis and had to be vouched in by the on-duty Commander of the Gate, Ven Holsten. Rather than fussing that the gate guard should have known who he was, Pommy asked Sergeant Holsten, "Ven, what is going on? This was a touch unusual."

"Threats against the king by the Palace Dawn organization," said Sergeant Holsten.

"Legitimate threats, Ven?"

"Same as always, but we're taking it more seriously this month."

"Why?"

Ven shrugged, but as they got to the barracks in the lowest chambers of the castle, Ven whispered to Pommy, "I think the King will tell you more about it."

Pondering what Ven said and not paying attention to where he was walking in the dimly lit hall, Pommy followed Ziska into her room. "Do you mind?" demanded Ziska.

"Huh, oh, sorry Missus Stein," said Pommy, and he turned around and left.

"What? Get back here," and Ziska. She grabbed his collar and pulled Pommy back into her room for a kiss, then shoved him back out into the hallway, colliding with a young troop that was returning from the chow hall.

"Shot down again captain?"

"Yeah, that's how it goes." Pommy turned through the next identical door into his own room/office/closet. He had a cot, a footlocker, a small desk and stool, and a rack to hang his dress uniforms. He sat down on his cot and smiled. She said yes! He wanted to leap for joy. He wanted to sing. He wanted to tell the world. Then came a knock at the door. "Yes?"

The door opened, and there was Ziska, wearing nothing but a small towel around her waist. "What uniform are we wearing for this meeting?"

Inside, Pommy was both thrilled at seeing her etched, but very feminine body, her firm breasts, her narrow waist... Outside he smoothly said, "I like what you have on, but let's go with office dress."

"You're such a dick," she said and blew him a kiss and returned to her room.

Pommy shook his head and chuckled. She said, Yes! May the Gods have pity on me.

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Chapter 02 - The New Queen

Pommy and Ziska checked each other's uniform as they stood outside of the King's private chambers. While they made sure each other's uniform was perfect, the king's butler sighed in impatience. "How shall you be introduced?" the butler finally asked in his whiny, nasal voice.

"The commander and vice commander of the Royal Guard," said Pommy, like he always did. The butler always asks the same damn question. Maybe it's because he's required to, but Pommy and Ziska were getting sick of his weak yet haughty attitude. Then he realized he didn't know the butler's name. He's been popping in and out of this chamber for over four years and he didn't know the butler's name. King Alfric just calls him steward. "What is your name steward?" asked Pommy.

"Pardon sir?"

"Your name. What is your actual name. It's clearly not steward."

"It's Hodgkiss sir." The butler was clearly miffed that he was asked that question by a mere soldier. For his part, Pommy didn't like men that got miffed.

"We are ready, Hodgkiss. You may announce us."

"Very good sir." Hodgkiss knocked once on the door and announced, "The commander and vice commander of the Royal Guard, sire."

"Show them in," said the king. "And bring us coffee... soldiers like coffee."

As Pommy and Ziska crossed the threshold, the king's clock chimed three times. They stopped four feet from the king and bowed deeply as Pommy announced, "Your majesty. Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu and Lieutenant Franziska Thornhammer of the Royal Guard reports as ordered."

"On time as usual, now I know what I shall get you two as a wedding gift. Arise! Sit with me."

"Sir, we... uh... it's not..."

"Captain Montesquieu, the very nicest thing about being king, is that people tend to do what you ask them to do, now sit and we will talk."

"Yes sire."

Pommy and Ziska sat side by side on the couch across from King Alfrich, who looked out the window over the city and sighed. The monarch's years of loneliness were weighing on him heavily. His only son, Prince Talon, was captured by anti-royalist rebels and burned at the stake. Three years later, Queen Elören, the last elf to sit on a throne in the Kingdom of Breaze, committed suicide. "My name, Alfrich, it means king of the elves, did you know that?"

"No sire, I did not know that" said Ziska in a soft voice.

"Where did all the elves go? There was once one elf for every human or demi-human in Enkmaar City. Now they are rare," the king said sadly. "The elves despise war, even though they are best at it."

"I believe they left for Edhellond," said Pommy.

The king nodded sadly. "Elf Harbor. I wish to go there some day. My dear Elören came from Edhellond. She couldn't take the loss of Talon" His voice trailed off into sad silence.

Pommy and Ziska let the silence last nearly a full minute. They looked at each other and came to a silent agreement. It was Ziska that had to break the king's melancholy mood. "The reason you called for us my lord?"

As if waking from a trance, the king smiled at his protectors. "Congratulations on your engagement, I was wondering how long it would take you."

"Huh, we're not..." started Ziska, but Pommy stopped her. You don't contradict the king. That's his advisor's job.

"How did you find out, sir?"

"I have a fairly adequate intelligence network but if you are wondering, no. I wasn't spying on you, but if I mistook the meaning of your ring, Lieutenant, I apologize."

"You saw that sir?" gasped Ziska.

"Lieutenant, when you enter my chamber I look at more than your eyes," said the king.

"He just asked me today," she said as she brought her hand up for the king to see the ring.

"Very pretty lieutenant." Then the king called out, "Steward! Who won the betting pool?"

Hodgkiss stepped forward with a large pasteboard grid with dates and initials all over the board. "It was Baron Sotheby, sire. You were off by a full week, my lord."

Ziska shrieked in surprise, but Pommy laughed happily. It's not unusual for the people of Mariseau Castle to start betting pools on the oddest things. A previous king made it illegal to bet on competitive sports, but that didn't stop the fair people of Mariseau Castle from betting on everyday things like the date of new births and how long it would take for someone to purchase a house. In betting pools like this, the winner gets half of the proceeds and the targets of their attention get the other half. Hodgkiss presented Pommy and Ziska with fifty pounds sovereign. "That's a fair start to a new home."

"Actually sire, we want to return to the Snowcross Mountains. I have a farm waiting for me at the base of Morna Oron," said Pommy respectfully, using the elven name of Black Mountain.

"Then that should get you what... three cows? Or maybe a pair of mules to work your farm."

"You understand," said Ziska happily.

"I know my people better than you think, but do you know me?"

"We're here to guard you sire, never to judge or needlessly speculate," said Pommy.

"You are the only people in the castle I can feel comfortable talking to. Did you know that I too am engaged to be married?" asked the king with a wry smile. He was trying to recover from his melancholy from moments ago.

"Really sire?" gasped Ziska. This was a surprise.

As Hodgkiss finished setting out the silver coffee service, King Alfrich said, "steward, could you ask the princess to join us? And bring a cup of tea for her if she would prefer that."

"Yes, your highness," and Hodgkiss disappeared into the depths of the king's apartment.

"Both the parliament and the house of lords have been demanding that I marry," said King Alfrich. "For the past month, it's been a parade of eligible princesses and... gods! Do these nations attempt to educate their daughters? The only thing most of those candidates could talk about was flower arranging. I got to the point where I decided I would marry the first candidate that refused to talk about flower arranging."

"Flower arranging? Are you still going on about that my liege?" came a feminine voice. "I can do flower arranging if you'd like, but why some people put so much importance on it is beyond me. Are you looking to marry a florist my king?" As she spoke, a vision of beauty entered the room. She was as tall as Ziska, but softer, rounder. If it wasn't the gown that tugged her into a perfect hourglass frame, then she was a vision of perfection. Her hair was jet black and tumbled over her shoulders. Her face was divinely cute, with violet eyes, a tiny nose and full lips. Her breasts were large and, from what her neckline revealed, were flawless. Her waist was tiny, and her hips were round and wide. Pommy chuckled to himself how the farmers in his home village of Elm Springs would say she had "childbearing hips."

Pommy and Ziska snapped to attention and bowed, and the woman looked shocked at their display. "As you were," said the king as the woman eased herself into the couch next to Alfrich. Only when she was seated did Pommy and Ziska sit down. "This is the lady Octavia Anghart. Octavia, these are the commanders of my guard Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu and Lieutenant Franziska Thornhammer."

"You are quite beautiful!" gasped Ziska, whom Pommy thought was the most beautiful woman on Kodu.

"Oh, it's mostly makeup. And my figure... some people would say I have childbearing hips." She looked directly at Pommy as she said that. For his part, Pommy steeled himself and didn't show a reaction. He might as well have been deaf. "Captain de la Montesquieu, I understand you are from Torwin-Armistad. Are you familiar with the Temple of Saehrimnir?"

"Yes, I lived in their trash heap for several years with my dog Pepin."

"I do not jest Captain; I was left at the Temple of Saehrimnir as an infant by my parents. I like to think they left me there as a foundling because it is the foremost center for wizardry. I was raised by the priestesses and earned my license to conduct magic. The Baron and Lady Anghart adopted me at the age of fifteen. It was a full, formal adoption." In the kingdom of Breaze, a full, formal adoption confers royal blood onto the adoptee.

"I jest not either, my lady." But he refused to speak further until the king ordered him to respond. "I was abandoned there by my father and I think it was because it was the nearest trash heap to our home. I was raised in the Tubes. Outside of the temple, it is a very dangerous neighborhood for small children to roam the streets, begging for pennies and drinking from rain puddles. I would sneak into the temple at night and steal the food offerings to the gods and drink the holy water, both Pepin and I. They blamed my thievery on a ghost named Nick."

Lady Octavia looked both amused and shocked. "You are the infamous Nick?"

"For a while I was. I'm sure it was a kindhearted acolyte that allowed me to enter the tabernacle and pilfer the offerings. Another acolyte caught me red handed and carried me off to Elm Springs in the Snow Cross mountains to be nursed back to health and educated there. I took the name of my foster parents, de la Montesquieu."

"What was your name before that?" asked Ziska.

Pommie shrugged and thought for a bit. "Something Stein. I don't remember the first name." Then he leaned forward and stared deep into Octavia's violet eyes. "I apologize for sounding gruff or suspicious, but this is out of the blue, even though we saw the other contenders filing in and out of the king's suite."

"I hope to allay any fears you may have Captain, and I know my place. I hope I can give the king an heir as quickly as possible, and learn the machinations of the castle so if need be I can give the king sage advice when asked."

"Then I suppose we are here so you can chose who will lead your security contingent?" asked Ziska.

"That's the primary reason," said the king.

'She'll consider me because I'm the hometown boy,' thought Pommy. 'When the hell can Ziska and I get married with all this going on?' but he kept his thoughts to himself. His thoughts were not the king's and new queen's concern.

"The other reason is to go over wedding plans and coronation," said Octavia.

"Security first, my dear. The rest is all window dressing," said King Alfrich.

"Wisely said, your highness," said Pommy.

Ziska slugged Pommy in the leg. "You tell him that all the time!"

"And his majesty agrees with me... finally." Then to Octavia he said, "My lady, here, inside of the apartment we don't venture unless invited like today. This is your world. Unless a threat enters it, then it becomes our world. Outside these doors, it's all our world. Your task is to select who will manage your security outside of these doors."

"Hmmm, such a choice," said Octavia. "I'm tempted to select the hometown boy, and I believe I would be more comfortable with Captain de la Montesquieu, but I believe that Lieutenant Thornhammer could escort me into places that men generally do not enter."

"Do you disagree Captain?"

Pommy was shaken from her parroting his thoughts, but he continued without showing his emotions. "I concur with my future queen's selection."

"One thing bothers me however," said Octavia. "Wouldn't it be convenient if we get your marriage done before we start with our marriage and coronation?"

"We're country folk," said Ziska. "All we need is our friends and a witch."

"And a keg of beer," added Pommy, still covering his shock.

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 03 - Of Men and Gods

"What is wrong?" demanded Ziska. "You're pacing like an expectant father."

"No, I'm pacing like a security chief with a huge issue on his hands," muttered Pommy as he paced around his office/dorm room. Finally, he grabbed the voice tube, blew into it, then called out, "Orderly! My office!"

"How do I get one of those?" asked Ziska.

"Marry me, we're a complete set."

A stern looking young female corporal soon knocked on his door and stepped inside. "You rang?" Blowing into the voice tube cause a small bell to ring down at the Charge of Quarters desk.

"Lieutenant Thornhammer and I are going to interview a witch in Elm Springs. Tell Lieutenant Sandherr she will be in charge of security for the kings new fiancée, and Sergeant Du Gouey will cover the king. We should be back this evening for the king's formal address." He handed a signed document that said exactly what he just told her. "For Lieutenant Elodie Sandherr."

"Kings new fiancée?"

"That's classified, until his address tonight. If I come back and everyone knows, I will hunt you down and fuck you up."

"That's not exactly a disincentive," said Ziska, causing the orderly to snort, holding back the laughter.

"I'm sure Corporal Lockhart knows exactly... what... I... mean," said Pommy, glaring at the corporal that was quietly melting under his stare. "Dismissed."

"Yes sir," said the corporal, and she dashed off to try to find some cool, fresh air.

"Ok, why are we really going to Elm Springs? And how are we going to get there?" asked Ziska.

"We take the temple. Oh, and we're going to Torwin-Armistad," said Nick. "Grab your cloak. It may still be snowing in the mountains."

"Wait, what... the mountains?"

"Shhh! Ok, the usual City Watch rules apply." The usual City Watch rules were to just watch, and no matter what happens, don't look surprised. They put on their cloaks and stepped out into the early morning darkness. Sunrise was an hour away, but Pommy wanted to be on the other side of the continent when that happens. He led her to The Temple of Tervis, the god of health.

"Isn't it a bit early to worship?" asked Ziska. She tried the door and it wouldn't open no matter how hard she tugged the handle.

"It's never too early to worship," said Pommy. He grabbed the handle and held it, muttering under his breath. Ziska saw a slight glowing around his hand and the handle and, with a soft click, the door opened. Pommy led a stunned Ziska into the silent temple.

"Can you do that everywhere?"

"I really don't know. So far just temples and your bedroom."

"My what? Are you sneaking in just to look at me sleeping in the nude?"

"Ah-ha! I knew you slept in the nude!"

They were bickering and teasing in soft voices when a tall young man entered the room. He wasn't glowing, but there was light about him. He was very tall and in perfect health, and he was naked. Ziska fought to keep her eyes off of his 'equipment' which was abnormally large. "Captain de la Montesquieu, it's not often I see a keyholder in this temple."

Pommy ignored his statement about being a keyholder and said, "Lord Tervis, may I introduce Lady Franziska Thornhammer, my lieutenant. Ziska, this is Tervis, the god of health."

"You're real? I mean I knew you were real, but I didn't know you were real-real. I mean..."

"Lady Thornhammer, I am happy to meet you," said the god as he bowed and kissed her hand.

"We need to travel, Lord," said Pommy. "We need to travel to Torwin-Armistad and speak with the high priest at the Temple of Saehrimnir."

"That is quite a journey," said Tervis. "Do you have a route planned?"

"I think the temple of Sapona, then the temple of Snupp, then the temple of Cardea in Elm Springs, then on to the Temple of Saehrimnir."

Tervis patted Pommy on the shoulder and said, "I approve. Come back safe my friend!" and he faded from sight.

"What was that?" whispered Ziska in the dimly lit temple.

"That's gods for you. He probably went back to bed, or whatever he was up to," said Pommy.

"Is he always nude?"

"Yes he is," chuckled Pommy. "That's probably why there's always a long list of applications for temple maiden at this temple."

"So, he was just wandering around naked when we walked in?"

"No, he came out because I opened the temple door. I told him my plans, and he approved, left his mark, and went back to bed. Sometimes they hang around and talk, others don't even come out." Pommy turned toward what appeared to be four columns arranged in a square. "Here's the doorway, hold my hand tight and don't let go."

"Why? What's..." as they stepped between two of the columns, something happened. The lighting changed around them, the air became thick and heavy, there was a sound around her, and then they stepped into a completely different temple. Ziska felt completely out of breath, even though whatever happened only took a moment.

"Are you ok?" asked Pommy. "We're in Teurnia and we're going to rest and recuperate here for about fifteen minutes."

"I'm ok, and who is that?"

Pommy turned and saw a tall humanoid with broad shoulders and gray skin. He had a squashed look to his face and had black hair even more unruly than Pommy's hair when it grows out. He was wearing a robe made of very substantial-looking canvas. "My lord, may I introduce my fiancée Lieutenant Franziska Thornhammer, Ziska this is Sapona, the god of Stone."

"Welcome to my temple Captain de la Montesquieu, it has been too long. I took the liberty to inform the king of your arrival." Then the god looked at Ziska and saw that she was pale and shaking. "Pommy, is she ok?"

"It's her first temple hop. She's never spoken to a god before."

Just then, two guards entered the temple. "Captain de la Montesquieu!" shouted the taller of the two. His bluish skin told Ziska that he was from the high mountains of the Pellis range. "We are here to escort you to the palace!"

"Karl, relax," said the second guard, a tall, fair, elegant elf. His stubby pointed ears and purple eyes told Ziska he was a mountain elf. "Pommeraie, my dear friend. It's been far too long," said the elf as he hugged Pommy.

"Leo, let me introduce you to Franziska Thornhammer, my Lieutenant, Ziska, this is Major Leomaris Autumnfall, we trained together at the Temple of Health for years."

The elf that Pommy introduced as Leo took Ziska's hand and kissed it, then standing he said, "This one is in love! Is it with you Pommy?"

"How did you know?" gasped Ziska. Did elves have the power to read a woman's mind and dig out her romantic secrets?

"Elves can see subtle things that most humans would never notice," said Leo with an air of mystery and superiority.

"He saw your engagement ring," said Pommy as he put an arm around Ziska and patted his friend Leo on the shoulder.

"Yes, that was the key factor," laughed Leo. "Let us be off, King Lars awaits!" Leo and Karl led Pommy and Ziska out of the temple into the cool morning in the mountains air. The palace area they were walking through was filled with gardens and fountains, but their beauty was lost on Ziska. Surrounding them were tall, craggy mountains, and she was entranced by their majesty and beauty.

Ziska was from a fishing village and she had never seen mountains except far, far off in the distance. Now she was in the middle of them in the mountain fortress of Termagant's Bane, where the sovereign of the kingdom of Teurnia resides. All stonework in the palace was made of the same dark, gray-colored rock. On the low garden walls it was rough cut, it was smooth underfoot on the walkways, and on ornamental items like fountains it was polished to a mirror finish.

Finally, they reached a patio where the king, queen, and three elf maidens sat at a large table. "Is this her?" asked the king. "Is this the one you write about?" He leapt to his feet and pulled a chair out for Ziska to sit down.

"Your Majesty, this is Franziska Thornhammer my lieutenant in the Royal Guard and my fiancée. Ziska this is his royal highness, the King of Teurnia, Lars Ranzau. Next to him is his wife, the Queen of Teurnia and Ambassador to Teurnia from Edhellond, Rania Haldir of Clan Neithaor. The elf maidens with them are his executive assistants Lana, Nora, and Olah Ulavaris," he said, gesturing to the triplet elf maidens.

One of the elves said, "It's now Lana, Nora, and Olah Ranzau." The three elves smiled with pride.

"Why didn't you tell me about the wedding?" asked Pommy. "I would have taken some time off."

"It was during that whole Landia Domissi event," said King Lars. "I couldn't deprive a king of his guard right after an assassination attempt."

Pommy leaned over to Ziska and said, "honey, when I was in class with Leo, we'd hop back here on weekends and King Ulrich's day and Lars would hang out with us."

"Especially on King Ulrich's day," said Lars with a knowing grin, and he raised his coffee in salute.

Queen Rania leaned over to Ziska and whispered, "We got married on King Ulrich's day." She added a wink which only confused Ziska.

"What is King Ulrich's day?" asked Ziska.

"This castle is under a curse," said Queen Rania. "Four hundred years ago, King Ulrich was facing unrest and political threats from all factions in the city, so he made everybody's clothing disappear. Every year for one day, everyone is naked."

"What happens to their clothes?" asked a shocked Ziska.

The triplets giggled and Leo, who also joined them, said, "They just go away."

"Everyone wears rags or paper dresses, or just start the day naked," said Pommy.

"Most people prefer to experience the Great Unrobing at noon," said Leo.

"So, I take it that the city empties out and everyone comes back after it's over?" guessed a shocked Ziska.

"Oh hells no!" laughed the triplets.

"It's amazing!" said Olah. "It's the great equalizer."

"Imagine, for one full day there's no class distinction, nobody is wearing rags because that's all they have," said Olah's sister Ulavaris.

"Friendships are made between the oddest of companions!" gushed Nora. "Pauper and prince gather in the park to play chess for years to come because they met in a naked game of chess on King Ulrich's day."

"I am proud to say it's the biggest celebration in the Lark Spur mountains," said King Lars.

"I'm really impressed with the people," said Queen Rania. "It's an enormous party with food and booths and the children running naked in the streets having fun. Then, after the fireworks and the children go to sleep, the party really starts."

Ziska glared at Pommy, "and you come here for this and you still tell me that you're pure?"

"I even came with an incubus, and at most I got a kiss and a handjob."

"There's no such thing as an incubus!" insisted Ziska.

"Yes there is!" said the triplets, who then broke up into giggles. The king raised his hand sheepishly.

"He has a tail!" said Nala, the mischievous elf.

"It's a big one," said Olah, Nala's younger sister by a few minutes.

"I can vouch for your future husband," said King Lars. "Believe me, some very beautiful women tried very hard to change his mind."

"I knew you were out there somewhere, waiting for me," said Pommy and he gave Ziska a kiss.

The rest of breakfast was a conversation over young Pommy before he joined the guard full time to satisfy Ziska's curiosity. After breakfast, they strolled back to the temple, the triplets and Queen Rania walking with Ziska, while Pommy followed with Leo and King Lars. "Why are you making this trip, Captain Pommeraie?" asked Leo. "It's not like you to hop up and temple hop halfway across the Edux continent."

"I need to talk to the priests at the Temple of Saehrimnir. I'm doing a background check on our future queen."

"Is there a problem captain?"

"I believe she can read my mind," said Pommy. "This could be a security risk. If she were affiliated with a terrorist organization she could read my thoughts on securing the king and plan accordingly."

"You need to find her background," said Leomaris Autumnfall as he idly carried two sausages wrapped in a napkin. "But check her training. Was she trained to do that? Is it a natural talent? Did they even notice it? And can she read someone else's mind?" He handed the wrapped sausages to Pommy. "For your next stop."

"Thank you Leo. And I will follow that line of questioning." As they entered the temple, they said their goodbyes. "We will be returning this evening, I don't know when but if the hour is reasonable we'll say hello again."

"If you can come for dinner, our chef is making venison roast, it is incredible," said King Lars.

"We will try," said Pommy and, holding hands with Ziska, they entered the temple's gateway and stepped out into a dark, dusty temple. There were cobwebs hanging in every corner, ancient and desiccated loaves of bread sat in the offering plate. "We just need to rest," said Pommy quietly.

"What is this?" whispered Ziska.

"This is the temple of Snupp, the god of Wolves," said Pommy as he laid one of the sausages he carried on the offering plate.

"Where are we?"

"Elbreshowth on the Moor."

Ziska gasped. Elbreshowth on the Moor is the location for every ghost story she's ever read as a child or recited by the fire on a bitter winter night. "Where's Snupp?"

"Right here darling," came a smooth, almost oily voice from the shadows. Pommy winced when she said that, but she didn't call on the god of the wolves. She just mentioned his name. Even the staunchest atheist knows, when you call on a god and he hears your plea, he will do your bidding for a fee. Snupp finds ways to make you wish you never called on him.

"Lord Snupp, we are weary travelers. We left you an offering so that we may rest for a bit."

They could hear the god sniff for a moment. "Mutton!" roared the voice and out of the shadows stepped a half man, half wolf. Like the two other gods that Ziska has seen, he stood over eight feet tall, was covered with black and brown hair, and while he didn't have a muzzle like a dog, he had a similar nose, teeth, and ears. "I smell Teurnian mutton!"

"We brought a sausage from our meal with King Lars," said Pommy.

"King Lars?" asked the confused god.

"He's the king of Teurnia."

"Lars? Lars is king of Teurnia now?"

"Yes, his father Eric chose to retire soon after Lars married Princess Rania."

The wolf-god closed his eyes and thought, then nodded. "Yes, I remember now. News is slow to get here, and it is quiet on the moors."

"Thank you for allowing us a quiet respite Lord Snupp, we shall be on our way."

"Next time you come through, bring news, that's always red meat to a solitary god," growled Snupp. "I would like to hear what happened at Breaze."

"Breaze?" gasped Pommy and Ziska.

"No, that isn't right," muttered Snupp. "It's so confusing when you move about in time and space."

"Good day my lord," said Pommy as Snupp pondered the thought that rang in his head. He took Ziska's hand and headed into the temple portal.

Pommy and Ziska were long gone when Snupp got it right. "It's what WILL happen in Breaze, that is the question. How is that going to work itself out?" Then he looked around and found himself alone and sighed. "Humans are hind sighted when it comes to time," he muttered. "And they don't even taste good." He snatched the sausage off the offering plate and disappeared into the shadows, leaving the old bread behind. Wolves don't eat bread.

<><><><><>

They emerged in the temple of the woods out of breath and their chests aching. "What's going on?" asked Ziska.

"We didn't wait long enough in Snupp's temple," said Pommy as he tried to catch his breath. "I think this is the gods way of making you ask yourself if this trip is necessary."

"Dolt," said Ziska and she banged her hip against Pommy, almost knocking him over.

"Grandpa! Are you here?" called Pommy. He was home. This little temple of the woods in tiny Elm Springs is where he learned to be free of the terror and hunger of his youth.

The temple was tiny compared to the three that they have seen so far. The temple portal was small, the columns narrow and so close together that two could barely fit between them shoulder to shoulder. The offering plate was brimming with fresh fruit, even though Pommy said there was no temple god and the temple priest was a spirit.

"Who used to be the god here?" asked Ziska.

"The original goddess was Thitune, goddess of Fertility, which occurs naturally here on chilly mountain nights," said Pommy with a grin. "Grandpa said she moved on to a more profitable location."

"More profitable?"

"To a god believers are currency. It's what keeps them going. The more believers a god has, the more power he has."

"So, the people here don't believe in the gods?" asked Ziska.

"Oh they do, but they believe in gods the same way they believe in trees. Gods are a part of life here, but when the thunder rolls and the lightning flashes, they don't think about Ides, god of the Sky, they think 'I better get the sheep in from the pasture.' That's tough on a god."

He showed her around the tiny temple and went back to the priest's office, where Grandpa appears when he's in the mood. "Grandpa?" but Pommy got no response. There were several chairs, shelves of books, small schoolhouse size slates and a bucket of sticks of chalk and a pot belly stove. "We used to have classes here. I taught the other kids reading and cyphering."

Outside, the rain was pouring. Pommy wanted to show off his tiny village, but there wasn't much more to see than a tiny general store, a watermill, a blacksmith shop and a couple of houses. They stood by a window in the small office that looked more like a confused bookstore and watched the rain come pouring down. "Thank you for coming with me," said Pommy. "I hope to gods I don't anger the king by doing a background investigation on his fiancée."

"It's your job," she said softly and gave him a sweet, reassuring kiss. "You're doing it for the good of the kingdom."

"What am I missing?" He hugged Ziska close, a nagging feeling of impending failure clawing at him. He hoped it was just pre-wedding jitters.

"We will see in Torwin-Armistad," said Ziska.

"Are you recovered?" asked Pommy.

"I think so," said Ziska. "What causes that?"

"Grandpa told me that when we temple hop we are fighting the stream of the Macrocosm, which is a fancy way to say everything."

"I don't follow," said Ziska.

"Ok, picture yourself having to get from one place to another and it's 500 miles. You can magically squeeze those two places together but that causes a river to form between the two locations. The non-magical thing to do is to walk around the river but that's still 500 miles. Using magic, we swim that river. It's not a long swim but we're fighting a current so we have to relax when we get to the other side before crossing the next river. Magically it's a lot of work but we didn't walk 500 miles. Does that help? That's how Grandpa explained it to me."

"It's incredible, I've never heard of such a thing before," said Ziska. "Is there a way to build a bridge across the river so you don't have to fight the stream?"

Pommy grinned. Such a brilliant question! They're going to have such a wonderful marriage. "Yes it is, but magically it's expensive so you only want to do it between two temples that are very far apart, and you're sure that nobody is going to stumble in there. You also cut down on your number of temple portals by one."

"Is all that true," asked Ziska as they walked back into the sacrarium and approached the four columns. The next time they stepped out, they were in the vast temple of Saehrimnir, the god of Divine Fools.

<><><><><>

"Welcome seeking of truth," said a hooded acolyte that met them as they emerged from the portal. "Would you enjoy refreshment as you recover from your travel?"

"Yes, we would like fruit juice," said Pommy.

"I'd rather have water," insisted Ziska.

"Not in Torwin-Armistad," whispered Pommy. "It usually comes from the Armistad river, and you don't know how many kidneys it was strained through first."

Ziska looked at Pommy and smiled. "Fruit juice sounds good."

They relaxed in the large open sacrarium, sipping apple juice and looking around at the amazing round room. The sacrarium had six sets of portal columns, and quiet people were leaving and arriving. High above was the fabled dome of Saehrimnir that was covered with mosaic murals of different deities. "Which one is Saehrimnir?" whispered Ziska.

"The stag," said Pommy and pointed out that many of the images were centered around a huge buck with gigantic antlers.

Ziska noticed Pommy was silent, and it wasn't out of respect for the large sacred enclosure. "Are you ok?" she whispered.

"Yeah, just soaking up manna."

"What?"

"Magical energy. It flows into our world through these temples."

"You're not a wizard are you?" she asked.

"No, don't be silly," said Pommy as he rose and urged Ziska to stand. "I'm a witch."

"You're a riot," said Ziska. She clearly didn't believe him because everyone knows a witch was a woman! "I'm glad you told me before we got married..."

He led her, protesting all the way, to the library where he found records of the Saehrimnir University. "Let's see... she's about my age so she should have graduated last year?" He found nothing but her name under the list of students in 3425. He looked through the 3424, and 3423 and found her name, no record of classes or grades received or even what subject she majored in. He stopped looking at university records and switched to Temple records and found the following entry:

Lady Octavia Anghart

Temple Priestess - training complete Nebulique 15, 3422

Ordained at the Temple of Saehrimnir Luminex 13, 3422

Enrolled in Saehrimnir University, Whorl 2, 3422, majoring in advanced magic and divination.

Graduated Æther 16, 3425.

"Ordained on Luminex thirteenth," said Pommy softly. "It's when the stars cast dancing shadows."

" Yeah, so, what do you mean?"

"The poles shift, it causes the stars to dance," said Pommy.

"Everyone knows that. It happens on Whorl twenty first, it's called a stardance." Ziska spoke to Pommy like she was speaking to a child.

"It actually happens four times a year, the stardance on Whorl twenty first is the most pronounced. The one on Luminex thirteenth is the least pronounced but it's considered highly magical." He slid the tome back to the shelf and said, "We have a problem here. She's not listed in the University records, but she's listed in the temple records."

"So, maybe there was a mistake," said Ziska.

"No organization makes a mistake that big," said Pommy. "There's a reason for everything and..."

"... the only difference between a conspiracy theory and the truth is legwork," sighed Ziska. It was one of Pommy's favorite axioms.

He led her back into the massive sacrarium to an information desk in the center of the sacrarium and said, "I need to speak with the University Viceroy."

The slim, balding man with a huge nose behind the desk looked at Pommy like he was a worm. "Why would I allow that?" the clerk asked in a nasal voice that sounded like a moan.

"I'm with the Breaze Free Press and I'm writing a story on an alumni of the Saehrimnir Temple University."

"You still haven't answered the question," moaned the clerk.

"Fine, and when Viceroy Chrezius Sanguine discovers you denied his chance at an interview when an honor graduate of this university marries King Alfrich of Breaze, I'm sure you'll have a proper response."

"Which alum?

"Lady Octavia Anghart. She graduated in 3425."

"No, I don't see anyone here by that name. Sorry," said the clerk.

"That was just last year! She's listed in the temple records as having graduated from the university."

"Then there must be an error in the temple records," said the clerk. "Have a good day."

"Wait," said Pommy. "The temple records are the word of Saehrimnir himself, are they not? Let me summon him and he can tell us how he made such an error."

The clerk snickered, a nobody in an odd military uniform summoning a god? It's not possible. But Pommy turned his back on the clerk and clapped his hands three times and shouted in ancient Metsa Keel, the language of the forest elf, "Issand Saehrimnir! Ma anun teid!" (Lord Saehrimnir, I beseech you!)

Just then a twelve foot tall man appeared as if stepping out of a mist. He was handsome with masculine features and curling sandy hair, and he radiated an aura of power. He wore a simple toga with a belt that showed off his muscular physique and sandals, as if trying to hide the fact of his omnipotence through the common clothing of 3000 years ago. Everyone in the temple stopped, most fell prostrate to their knees and lowered their heads to the polished granite floor. The temple went silent, then Saehrimnir boomed, "Pommeraie?" He looked around, then smiled. "Pommy?" when he saw Pommy. "It has been a long time."

"My lord, I come seeking knowledge..."

"Granted!" said Saehrimnir with a laugh.

Pommy felt volumes of esoteric knowledge rush into his head and the sensation knocked him backwards into Ziska's powerful arms. She caught him, but they both sagged to the floor. "What did you do to him?" gasped Ziska.

Saehrimnir crouched down and said, "I granted his request. Pommy is one of my children, one of the forgotten little ones that struggled to survive against the evil of man. I can deny him nothing."

"We come looking for information on Lady Octavia Anghart but her information was not in the University records."

"An example of the evil men can do," snarled Saehrimnir. "She is one of my children too, her parents taken by temple acolytes, sold into slavery for mere money," He spat out the word money like it felt vile on his tongue. "I have corrected that clerical error, and those responsible have been corrected also." As Saehrimnir faded from sight, screams of agony could be heard from deep in the university offices.

"We have to go," hissed Pommy as he struggled to his knees.

"The information on Lady Octavia," said Ziska. "Saehrimnir said he replaced it."

"I got it right here," said Pommy and he tapped his temple with his finger. "We need to go home." Ziska helped him to his feet, and they elbowed through the crowd of onlookers that gathered to touch Pommy and gain the blessing of Saehrimnir. They stumbled into the nearest temple gateway and stumbled out of the gateway into the tiny temple in the woods.

Head pounding, body shaking as he tried to process the centuries of knowledge that Saehrimnir poured into his head, Pommy staggered out into the rain to cool off and he collapsed on the muddy street.

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 04 - The Road Back

Pommy awoke in a soft bed covered with furs. He was naked, wearing only a gold key on a ribbon around his neck. He saw his uniform was hung up to dry next to an open window. He didn't recognize the place at first. It's changed. It now has a bedroom. The last time he was here, it was a one-room cottage. He got up and pulled on his shorts, then stumbled to where he knew the out house was and relieved himself. Then he grabbed a horn mug off a shelf and went to the sink and worked the pump handle and soon he had an ice cold mug of mountain fresh spring water.

Sipping on the most delicious water he had ever drank he turned and there in her rocking chair was Nana. "I'm tired Nana. I'm coming home."

Nana Peacock nodded. "And you'll be bringing a woman with you," said the apparition. "It will be good to have children here again."

"Ziska and I haven't discussed children yet."

Nana smiled with a rueful smile and picked up her knitting and went back to the receiving blanket she was knitting. "The pretty blond is waiting for you outside," and she faded away.

Pommy stepped out onto the porch, his head still spinning from the amount of knowledge that Saehrimnir dumped on him. He was afraid it was going to be a long time before he had it all sorted out. He sat down on the porch and looked at the beautiful pond there in front of him; it was just across the wagon path from town. He could see the trout and bass leaping after the insects already this morning. The sky was light, and the sun was just creeping over the horizon far to the east. To his left, the north, Morna Oron, the Black Mountain, rose in its densely wooded majesty. He knew behind him, to the west, was a thick strip of woods separating his fields. To his right, the south was a mile of woods so thick he could cut lumber his whole life long. The straight wagon path through the woods led to Elm Springs, to the tiny Temple of the Woods, the only school many people in Hay-on-Wægn county knew. Right behind that, the tall ridge of stone named Breeders Peak, and right behind that, the box canyon of Waleston, where Waleston Town lay, the capital of the kingdom of Uduithia.

Home.

Ziska came walking around the corner with Erin MacClenny, the neighboring farmer who was keeping an eye on the place until he returned. He was teaching her about the magic of crop rotation. "What used to be corn here is now all sweet clover. It's a chore baling up, but it will bring a fine profit up north in Pennshire or down south in Slate Bottom Creek. Ah, master Stein, back from the dead are we?"

Pommy shook his head from side to side slowly. The pain was still there. "I need to learn to name my requests better when praying to gods in person." Ziska dashed up on the porch and wrapped her arms around Pommy from behind the chair he was sitting on.

"If ye'd learn to take the train instead of hoppin' from one temple to the next ye'd avoid them rascals," said the old farmer.

Pommy kissed Ziska's hand and said, "Does she meet with your approval Mister MacClenny?"

"Aye, that she does. She'll bear a fine lot of little Pommy's to man yer farm as well."

"What?" laughed Ziska.

"That's the highest compliment I ever heard him pay a woman," said Pommy with a laugh. "Did you speak with Nana?"

"She just told me where to lay you down, and I haven't seen her since. Are all ghosts like that?"

"They are lately," said Pommy, wondering why Grandpa never showed up to see him. To think of it, Nana wasn't very talkative herself. She said what needed to be said, then faded from sight. "How long have we been here?"

"You collapsed yesterday about noon. The blacksmith helped me get you in his wagon and we brought you here."

"Trei," said Pommy with a smile.

"Trei Metsker's son Wayne is Pommy's partner in crime. You should bid him hello before heading out," said Mr. MacClenny.

"What?" asked Pommy suddenly.

"You dedicated your life to your king," said the old farmer. "Aren't you returning to Breaze?"

The thought of returning to Breaze sent chills through Pommy. A sudden dread filled him. "I..."

"Pommy," scolded Mr. MacClenny. "You gave your word to a king! Our word is all we have here on Morna Oron. It's proof of our honor and what makes us men. Who would buy a crop from a man that went back on his word to a king?"

"Come on Pommy," urged Ziska. "Just a couple more weeks and we'll be married and King Alfrich will release us from our contract and we can come back. I'm starting to like chickens."

Pommy's head spun worse than ever as the bales of knowledge that Saehrimnir poured into his head found a place to roost. "I can't..." and his voice stopped working. What was he going to say? What was so scary in front of him?

"A walk in the fresh country air will do him a peck of good," said Mr. MacClenny, and Ziska agreed. She dressed him in his uniform that she had washed the mud off of, helped him strap on his boots, then belt on his sword. Pommy went nowhere without his sword.

It was a pleasant walk down the slope to Elm Springs, and there in the village Pommy introduced Ziska to the boys. The boys were a small group of retired farmers and workers that spent their day watching Trei Metsker swing his hammer and craft horseshoes, nails, knives, and tools of all sorts. The big entertainment for the boys was when Wayne took his turn at the hammer as an apprentice blacksmith.

With his head still spinning, Pommy introduced Ziska to Harry Neumann, the local cobbler, Kevyn Haven the miller, Allyn Evans the farrier (he was shoeing a horse next to Trei's furnace), Merle Rorie, a farmer, Tiernan Brighid, another farmer, and Sieffre Merrick, the senior member of The Boys. Village legend had it that Sieffre owned the village and it might be true. He owned a huge farmhouse and across the street he owned a horse stable and a farmhouse that backed up against Breeders Peak, along with the mill and the general store. He didn't own the temple, the blacksmith shop, and Harry's tiny cobbler's shop.

Pommy looked at the elm trees that stretched over the road making a shady green tunnel. The main road ran east-west between Breeders Peak and Morna Oron, paralleling west flowing Creel Creek. It was so peaceful. The spinning in his head slowed down as he gazed at the glade by the mill pond. "I..." He pointed to the glade, but the thought faded.

"What is it Pommy?"

"That's where I've always known where I was going to get married."

"It's beautiful, but we're getting married in the throne room," maintained Ziska.

"Yes... maybe... we..." but the thought faded, but he still clung on to the memory of his desire to marry by the mill pond in this peaceful village.

Sadly, it was time to leave, and with cheery farewells; they walked over to the temple. The temple was a small wood sided building that could be a hardware store, or a bookstore, or a house for that matter. Half was Grandpa's office; the other half was the sacrarium that was open day and night for the casual worshiper. Pommy could conduct services if he were ordained... maybe the new queen in Breaze will ordain him before he and Ziska depart for home.

"Go in through the office," said Pommy as Ziska reached for the sacrarium door. "I want to introduce you to Grandpa." She tugged at the door, but it was evidently locked. "Let me, I have the key," said Pommy and he grasped the door handle and held it until the door clicked and he pulled the door open. Grandpa's chair behind the office desk was empty. A bit of new knowledge crept forward in Pommy's mind, causing Pommy to press his hands together, bend low at the waist and say in Ancient Enzaron, "Palun näita ennast" (Please show yourself)

An old man came to sight behind the desk, and he didn't look happy. "Where did you learn that?" he demanded.

"Saehrimnir, he..." Pommy shrugged hopelessly.

Grandpa rose and placed his spectral hands on Pommy's temples and sighed. "That damn fool," groaned Grandpa. "I'm sorry lad. It will sort itself out soon. I suggest avoiding wine, that will slow the process. Tea at the most."

"What happened?" asked Ziska.

"I told Saehrimnir that I came seeking knowledge," Pommy told Grandpa.

"He doesn't understand humans," said Grandpa. "He's the perfect patron god of divine fools." The ancient spirit sat down and said to Ziska, "Saehrimnir gave my lad a lifetime of knowledge in a matter of minutes."

"Is that bad?" she asked.

"It is for you," said Grandpa. "You'll never win an argument with him again."

Grandpa began to fade but stopped when Pommy begged, "Please, I want your blessing on our marriage."

"Aye lad, you have my blessing on you and Ziska. You shall be joyful and happy together until that sweet, sorrow at life's end." When he said that, he disappeared.

With a deep sigh, Pommy led Ziska into the sacrarium and to the temple gate. They emerged in the temple of Snupp and Pommy slumped onto a stool at the edge of the sacrarium and leaned against the wall. Ziska had the sausage that Pommy had carried and placed it in the offering tray, then sat next to Pommy as he slept fitfully, muttering and shaking in his sleep.

He woke about twenty minutes later and they entered the temple gate without seeing Snupp, but emerging at the Temple of Sapona, the god Sapona was there waiting for them.

Sapona put his hands on the sides of Pommy's head and swore, "Pask!"

"Is it bad?" asked Ziska.

"He will recover, but he's not going to like the god who did this to him."

"It was Saehrimnir," said Ziska.

"Pommy is one of Saehrimnir's children. He means well, especially with the street urchins, but he overcompensates sometimes."

Ziska looked up, and Leomaris Autumnfall was leaning in to look at Pommy. "He should remain here until he's well," said the Elf.

"We need to get back," groaned Pommy. "We have to report to the king."

"We should send Ziska back and let her explain to the king that Pommy has taken ill, and she should report."

"No," said Pommy. "We went out together, we return together, or did you forget your oath?" he glared at the elf.

"You're not being left behind," said Leo. "You're staying back to recover."

"Thanks to Saehrimnir, the entire report is in my head, I can't send her back without me."

"Are you going to be OK Pommy?" asked the concerned elf.

"Grandpa says I will, that's good enough for me." He turned to Ziska and asked, "Have we had enough time?" She silently nodded with a concerned look on her face, then he got up and led her to the gateway.

"Stay strong, my friend," said Leo as they bumped fists. Then a sudden dread overwhelmed the elf, and he pulled Pommy and Ziska close for a hug. Then he watched his friend disappear into the gateway with a sigh. He walked back to the palace and reported to King Lars that Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu of the Breaze Royal Guard passed through the temple along with Royal Guard Lieutenant Franziska Thornhammer.

"What's the matter friend?" asked the King. "You look like you lost a brother."

"Maybe I did."

<><><><><>

"Hodgkiss, we are ready, you may announce us," said Pommy to the king's butler.

"The king... he's not happy, sir."

"My job isn't to keep him happy, it's to keep him alive," said Pommy.

Hodgkiss nodded and disappeared into the king's chambers and stood before a furious king. "The commander and vice commander of the Royal Guard, sire."

"Show them in," said the king. "And inform Lady Anghart they are here. She may have questions for them also."

As Pommy and Ziska crossed the threshold, the king's clock chimed eleven times. They stopped four feet from the king and bowed deeply as Pommy announced, "Your majesty. Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu and Lieutenant Franziska Thornhammer of the Royal Guard report as ordered."

"Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu! What gave you the idea that investigating the background of my queen was something that I would enjoy?" demanded King Alfrich.

"My commission, which was signed by you, is not to entertain you sire but to keep you alive. Her background was not investigated before her initial meeting with you. I instructed her valet to give her a tour of the kingdom to keep her away from you while I investigated her background."

"Arise Captain de la Montesquieu and Lieutenant Thornhammer. Now, what did you discover?"

"Sire," said Ziska. "I beseech you, allow Captain de la Montesquieu to sit. He was touched by the god Saehrimnir and is grievously incapacitated."

"The captain is not capable of standing before his king? Maybe he is not capable of fulfilling his duties."

"Sire, I'm fine. I apologize for taking the lieutenant with me, but I felt she would be needed to verify anything we discovered. Unfortunately, much of what I learned came from Saehrimnir directly and the lieutenant was not privy to that information. But she did see enough to justify the investigation."

"Such as what?" demanded the king.

"Sire, the Saehrimnir University Viceroy Chrezius Sanguine purged Lady Anghart from the University records, but he didn't purge her from the temple records," said Ziska.

"Is this true?" demanded King Alfrich.

"Yes sire, it is," said Pommy. His skin was pale, his cheeks were flush, and he had broken out in a clammy sweat.

"What did Lord Saehrimnir do to you?" asked the king.

"I summoned him and said that I was seeking knowledge, so he gave me some."

"Over a lifetime's worth of knowledge," said Ziska. "It almost killed him."

"What kind of knowledge?"

"Mostly esoteric, arcane, some even forbidden. I'm still sorting it out." He was starting to shake.

Just then, the king noticed that Lady Octavia had entered the room. He rose and said, "my lady, please sit and relax."

"I would not feel comfortable being seated if our guests were standing."

"Our guests were investigating your background while you were touring the kingdom," said the king. "Do you still want them to relax?"

"Of course! How could I consider myself a good hostess if the men and women that dedicated their lives to protect you suffer while I watch. Captain de la Montesquieu, please! Sit down before you fall down. I insist!"

"Your future queen insists that you sit," said the king. "Please sit."

"I will not have it that the palace in Mariseau Castle is ungracious," said Lady Octavia. "Is there anything I can procure for you Captain?"

"Ice, my lady. In a napkin."

Lady Octavia rang a small bell, and Hodgkiss appeared from the next room. "Please locate some ice for the captain and bring it wrapped in a napkin."

"Pommy, what is wrong, do you need a surgeon?" asked the king.

"I had years of arcane research dumped in my head and it's all sorting itself out," said Pommy. "It is a quite unpleasant experience. I would have preferred gaining the knowledge through years of research."

Hodgkiss brought some ice chips wrapped in a napkin for Pommy, who pressed them to his forehead. "Hodgkiss, thank you, sir."

"You are welcome Captain," said Hodgkiss straightening.

"Now, what did you learn?" asked Lady Octavia.

"Lady Octavia, you don't mind having my officers digging around in your background?" asked King Alfrich.

"My lord," started Lady Octavia softly. "Our marriage is not a union of passion but of politics. It is Captain de la Montesquieu's duty to ensure that your bride be a politically safe choice. With the wedding being public knowledge, his inquiries are overdue and we must deal with what he discovered."

"I am sorry my lady," said the king, taking Octavia's hand. "I suppose this political marriage is becoming one of passion for me as the date draws near."

Octavia blushed and patted the king's hand. "I too feel the political trappings falling aside. Please go on Captain."

With an affirming nod from the king Pommy started. "I found several things that could be used to embarrass the crown or mayhap be used as blackmail," said Pommy. "Saehrimnir considers Lady Octavia and I to be siblings. That could be used as a political wedge between the crown and his guards."

"What?" shouted the king. If a god considered something to be true, then it was true, according to the king.

"We were both foundlings," said Octavia in a quiet voice.

"I was tossed in the trash outside of Lord Saehrimnir's temple," said Pommy. "Lady Octavia's birth parents were poisoned and they left her with the temple maidens to raise her." Octavia nodded in agreement sadly. "Her parents were put on a ship and taken to Idamaa, where they were given the antidote and worked as slaves. Her father worked in a marble pit and her mother was put to work in a palace kitchen."

"They're alive?" gasped Octavia.

"I personally don't know," said Pommy. "I'm still sorting through the knowledge Lord Saehrimnir gave me. I'm sure that he considers all orphans that come to his sanctuary to be his children."

"Is there anything else Captain?" asked King Alfrich.

"She's a wizard."

"What do you mean?" asked the king.

"How can that be?" asked Ziska.

Octavia and Pommy looked at each other sadly. Finally, Pommy said slowly, "Just as I am a trained and certified witch, she is a trained and certified wizard."

"How can that be?" asked the king.

"I hid in the classrooms as a little girl and listened to the lectures," said Octavia. "I loved the subject matter so much that I enrolled in classes dressed as a boy and scored high marks." She saw the questioning looks and said, "I was a foundling, my only educational opportunity was temple maiden with no route to priestess. I was bored."

"It's not natural," said Ziska.

"How could they not know you're a woman?" gasped the king. He eyed Octavia's full breasts, narrow waist, and round hips. Her modest dress was incapable of hiding her feminine assets. Octavia looked uncomfortable and wrung her hands. "Captain, do you know?"

"She disguised herself and she enhanced her disguise with a cloaking spell," said Pommy. "She sat quietly in the class and did nothing to attract attention to herself and she learned the material."

"It's blasphemy!" gasped the king.

"It's brilliance," said Pommy. "In fact, it's quite funny. She named herself Facade Incognito in one class and the crazy old wizard never caught..."

"How can you say it's brilliant?" demanded Ziska. "It's perverse!"

"She found something she enjoyed, and she loved it so much she was able to discover more and more about the subject. She used the knowledge they gave her to learn more and eventually gained the knowledge that a mage with decades of practice and study should have. Your future queen is a genius. Am I wrong about anything, Lady Octavia?"

The stricken woman shuddered and shook her head. Pommy was absolutely correct. How did he know?

"A wizard is a man!" insisted the king. "The magic is different from witches magic."

"Not terribly different, the basics of the magic is the same, the spells and recipes and results are different," said Pommy. "Witches magic is aimed at the land, concentrating on herbs and medicine, wizards magic is aimed at the stars concentrating on power and fame, but the same basic principles are used."

"What led you to that theory?" asked Octavia. Then her eyes grew enormous. "You're a witch!" she gasped.

"Yes, I am a witch," said Pommy, trying to stay conscious.

"You really are?" shrieked Ziska.

"I don't know what the shock is," said Pommy weakly. "I've told you that I'm a witch. This is the third time I've said it. I just said it a few moments ago."

"I thought you were kidding!" shrieked Ziska.

"Why would I kid about that?"

"How did you become a witch?" asked an astounded King Alfrich.

"The same way a boy becomes a farmer. A farmer learns his trade by being raised by a farmer. I was raised by a witch. Actually, the spirit of a dead witch, yet she was still the witch of Hay-on-Wægn County and people depended on her. I had to do the things for her that required hands; I mixed medicines, I cured ditch-foot in the sheep of the county, I even learned her recipes. I can birth everything from a lamb to a pony, to a calf. Even a person. And I'm a damn good farmer too."

"You really are a witch?" asked Octavia hopefully.

Pommy smiled and nodded. "One time Nana got in an argument with Goody Hanretty. Nana said she could 'train a boy to be a witch before Goody could teach a girl to tie her boots.' I went to the monthly coven and took the oral exam and was qualified to be a solo witch, so Goody Hanretty had to pay off the wager in hen's eggs. I came here to learn more so I could help my people back home."

Pommy looked around the room. He saw shocked looks on the face of the king and Ziska. He might as well told them he was an ape, then proved it by pealing a banana with his feet. "I'm sorry, I wasn't hiding this information. It's just... I was never asked if I had any magical training or skills. If you think I'm not worthy of being a guard or a husband, I will go."

He looked from the king to Ziska, and back and only read the shock on their faces. "I understand... by your leave, your majesty." He got up and staggered to the door and left.

"Lieutenant! Grab him!" snarled the king. "Get the stake ready, we have two to burn before sunset!"

"You beasts!" scolded Octavia, and she leapt to her feet. She muttered under her breath and made the sign of the seven with her hands. There was a pause in the room. Even the dust motes floating in the sunbeam coming through the window stopped. Then life returned. "Pommy!" cried Octavia, and she ran to the door.

"What happened?" asked Ziska as she followed Octavia.

"He said he wasn't feeling good..."

"Steward," called the king. "Help Lieutenant Thornhammer locate the Captain."

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 05 - Signs and Portents

The future queen mopped Captain de la Montesquieu's fevered brow with a cool damp cloth. He slowly fought his way to wakefulness. "What happened?" he mumbled as he tried to focus on the face above him. He looked around and realized that he wasn't in his barracks room. This looked like a guest suite at the palace.

"I rearranged our conversation," said Octavia. "You told how I was accused of being a wizard, and you said that you were accused of being a witch in your youth."

"That's not what was said," said Pommy.

"It is now," said Octavia. "I didn't change any facts, just how they accepted certain statements. They still burn false wizards and warlocks in this land, you know."

"They haven't done it in generations."

"The king was considering that option," said Octavia. "When you got up to leave, he settled on it."

"What has gotten into the king's head? He never would have thought that weeks ago," said Pommy.

"Your head seems to be settling down" said Octavia as she helped him sip water.

"How do you know what is going on in my head. Do you read minds?" he asked as he finished a drink and lay back down.

"Just yours, a little, I can't read anyone else," then she changed the subject. "Are you able to take some broth?" The reason for her changing the subject became apparent as the door opened.

"Lady Anghart, Lieutenant Thornhammer is here," said the young page at the door.

"Send her in! Her man is awake," said Octavia.

"Yes ma'am!"

"Pommy! Are you ok?" asked Ziska as she knelt beside the bed and peppered Pommy's face with kisses.

"I'm ok," he gasped as he tried to capture her lips with his. It was like their last encounter was a bad dream and he wanted nothing more than to make it go away. As for the witchcraft, they'll deal with that when they get to their farm at the foot of Bare Mountain. "Still tired but I'm ok."

"Are you still dealing with whatever Saehrimnir did to you?" she asked nervously.

"I think it's done now, I just need some willow bark to get rid of this headache."

"Willow bark? So, they weren't kidding? You really are a witch?" asked Ziska, but from her expression Pommy could tell she wasn't upset.

"I was raised by a witch," said Pommy. "I'd hurt my back lifting a sheep or something and she'd say, 'get me some willow bark."

"I can make some willow bark tea, captain," said Hodgkiss, who was hovering near the door. "We keep it for the king's migraine headaches."

"Thank you sir," said Pommy as Hodgkiss hurried off for the tea.

Ziska placed her palm on Pommy's forehead. "You still have a fever and are clammy. You should stay here another day or two."

"Another day or two? How long have I been here?"

"Four days," said Ziska. Pommy could see Lady Octavia behind Ziska, nodding in agreement.

"I have to get back to work," he groaned and tried to get up.

"Stay!" ordered Lady Octavia. "You need your tea and you need to get your strength back."

She was right. Even though his head pounded in pain, the constant milling of ideas and thoughts has ended. He could finally think straight thoughts and review the decades of knowledge that was dumped on him. Hodgkiss brought him the willow bark tea. The tea was stronger than what his Nana prescribed and it tasted woody, but it was sweetened with honey. "This is how the king prefers his willow tea," said Hodgkiss.

"It's perfect, was the bark fresh or dried?"

"Dried, of course captain. Tea from fresh bark is rather bitter, you may as well chew the soft bark. The healing effect is the same, but this is more gentle, wouldn't you say?"

"Thank you sir," said Pommy. "This is the way my grandmother made it when I injured myself on the farm."

Hodgkiss straightened up and smiled. Pommy called him sir! He was going to have to speak to the young captain in private.

Another person desiring to speak to Pommy in private was Lady Octavia, but it can wait until Ziska leaves. Octavia left Pommy in the care of Ziska, happy that their relationship was mended with her shuffling of history. She left and passed a potted banana tree in the arboretum, and as usual, the tree had several fairies fluttering around it. "Star-apple, come with me," said Octavia.

"Ok!" said the tiny pink haired fairy happily, and she fluttered along with Octavia as the queen-to-be headed down an ancient stone spiral staircase down to where the dungeons remained. Only a few prisoners were there. King Alfrich was not a vengeful king, but there were a few crimes that earned an extended stay in the dungeon. One was treason.

The fairy glowed and provided all the light Octavia needed as she followed a little known path through the dungeons until she came to a dimly lit room that was once used to extract confessions and bodily organs from prisoners. "Hello professor!" called Octavia.

Surprised at the sound of her voice, a robed man with a long white beard looked up from his book. "My dear!" said the palace wizard, Izhar, seeing Octavia enter. "I didn't expect a visit today."

"Well, the wedding is back on," said Octavia.

"Oh? Is the captain better? I would love to interview him. Imagine, to be imbued with the knowledge of the universe, by a god no less!" gushed the old wizard.

"He's feeling better, but the wedding was moved to Mystara eleventh. I want to see what the skies look like for that day."

Professor Izhar pulled a book from a shelf and muttered, "No... There shouldn't be a wedding that day."

Octavia didn't hear him because she was inspecting the mobile. Hanging from the high ceiling was a marvel of wizardry, a mobile that showed the solar system. The sun which was named Thaal, and their world Kodu. It was once thought the universe circled Kodu, then as wizards studied the sky and developed advance mathematics, it showed that Thaal was the center of Kodu's universe, but even that isn't the end of the story. There was another planet that circled Thaal, the giant planet Zigu, which was named for the goddess Zigu, the goddess of the night. It orbited closer to Thaal than Kodu, and every 88 days Zigu and Kodu passed closest to each other, which caused Kodu to rock. Tides were odd, and the stars danced in the heavens and sometimes the ground shook. Astrologers considered this to be a time of bad luck... but then they consider most things to portent bad luck.

The mobile even showed Zigu's two largest moons, Ceeus named for the god of good luck, and Uztris, named for the god of the dawn. It showed Kodu's three moons, massive Kuu named for the god of the moon, bright red Rahn named for the god of blood, and tiny Livi named for the god of loss. Livi is rarely seen, and when it is, it's often mistaken for a faint star. Octavia went to the wall where the mobile adjustment was made and spun the handle. Gears growled as planets and moons moved on their paths around Thaal until, on the indicator panel, the date showed Mystara 11, 3430. She turned around and gasped at what she saw.

"Oh, that does not bode well," said Izhar as he studied the planetary alignment. Everything was in alignment: Thaal, Zigu, Ceeus, Uztris, Livi, Kuu, Rahn, and Kodu. The bodies were in a straight line... even the moons. There would be no moon in the sky that night.

"I've never seen that before," gasped Octavia. While the sun, Zigu, and Kodu aligned four times a year, the moons never cooperated.

The old wizard turned to his library and pulled out an ancient almanac. "Alignment, alignment, alignment..." the old wizard muttered as he flipped through the ancient pages. Octavia looked over his shoulder and when the article he was looking for popped up, she pointed it out with a manicured finger.

"Oh dear," said the wizard as he read. "The darkest of nights, the night of long knives. Scoundrels will move in the darkness. When the dawn comes, the wizard who is not, and the witch who cannot be, must find their calling before the winter winds or all will be lost."

"Who wrote your almanac?" asked Octavia.

Izhar flipped to the title page and Octavia nudged Star-apple closer to give the old wizard more light for his reading. "In the year 330, Wizard Arass transcribed the words of our patron god, Tervis."

A three millennia old forecast? Octavia knew she had to go to the source, but first she had to talk to King Alfrich. "Thank you my friend," said Octavia. "I must speak with the king." and she headed back upstairs with the fluttering fairy flying over her head, lighting the path.

Fairies are cute little creatures that look like four inch tall human women with dragonfly wings. The wings give them speed, stability, and the skill to fly almost anywhere. Fairies rarely wear any clothing, especially on warm days, and they also glow. Temples decorate their Yule trees with fairies that glow different colors. Octavia heard it told that farmers use fairies to light the way when riding a wagon late at night and they reward the fairies with honeycomb or bananas if available. It's cheaper than lamp oil, and you also get the added conversation with the fairies to make the journey go faster.

She returned Star-apple to her friends and went to check on Pommy. She peered into his room and he was resting quietly; he was no longer sweating and fighting unseen dangers in his sleep. The king's fiancée looked at Pommy, and as usual, her heart leapt. He wasn't big and muscular; he was wiry, and quick. He was brave; he faced down a god to get the truth about her, and he did it for his king. He was engaged to a woman that could crush her in a second, a woman that looked like she was ready to take on a farm and several children. Octavia would have loved the chance to take on a farm and several children, if they were Pommy's children. "Have a wonderful life my captain," she whispered and kissed his now cool forehead.

Octavia walked away, fighting the tears. The moment she first saw Pommy, she felt her heart leap. She realized to have a happy marriage with King Alfrich, she would have to let Pommy go. That way, her feelings for him wouldn't cloud what, if there was any, happiness she would get from her arranged marriage to Alfrich. Then she heard from Pommy himself that he wanted to end his enlistment, resign his commission, and return to the farm. She was torn. He would be gone... no longer a worry. But he would be gone... there would be no more joy in her life.

She wandered up to the king's study to inform him of what she and Izhar discovered, and she heard sounds coming from the king's bed chamber. They sounded like cries of passion.

The door was partially open, and she peered inside, but the king was not alone. He lay on his bed looking up at the blond woman that rode his manhood. She was not a waif but a strong, sexy woman with broad muscular shoulders and golden hair. Her lieutenant's uniform was tossed on the chair next to the bed. When the blond cried out in pleasure, it was Ziska's voice. With a yelp of shock, Octavia fled. She ran blindly through the palace and out a side door and didn't stop until she found herself in the temple where she curled up in a corner and cried.

She cried for Pommy's lost paradise. His marriage shattered before it began. The man she admired most in the world was betrayed by his own bride.

"What troubles you niece?"

Octavia looked up, and it was Tervis, the god of health and the patron god of the kingdom of Breaze. Major gods were all related, so being considered the daughter of one god, she was now a niece to the ones that cared about humans. "I read a prediction you made about Mystara 11, 3430."

"I made a lot of predictions about that date... the one about the snow on Mount Elmore?"

"No, about the witch and the wizard."

Tervis nodded sadly. "I am sorry my niece, there is not much I can help you with, other than to tell you to stay close to the witch, he has a temple key."

He called the witch that cannot be... a 'he.' That's got to be Pommy! A sudden rush of hope coursed through Octavia, and she almost squealed. Instead, she said, "Thank you Lord Tervis."

The god looked worried then said, "You have hard times ahead dear Octavia, and I am bound by the annals of time which deem what can and cannot be spoken, but I can say this, when you dance with the witch, keep your eye on the king."

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Chapter 06 - Two Weddings

Mystara, the month of mysterious celestial nexus. The court astrologer predicted nothing but joy and for Lady Octavia's future, they saw the first child to be a male, an heir to his father's throne, her second child a girl who becomes a witch, powerful and respected throughout the kingdom. They even predicted twins. Varnus Rigby, the court astrologer, took Octavia aside and said, "I see that all your children will be delivered by a witch and not the court surgeon."

"Good, I trust witches." She said that loudly, hoping Pommy heard her.

Pommy returned to his duties with a vengeance. Whenever the king stepped out of the palace, he was escorted by Pommy and the demi-giant Sergeant Jehans Du Gouey. Jehans was actually a very sweet person with a warm personality, but he looked fierce, and when he fought, that sweet personality disappeared.

The king's butler, Hodgkiss, took it upon himself to teach Pommy the intricacies of court conduct, but Hodgkiss also became a source of information. Rumors of an uprising kept Pommy and his agents busy. Unfortunately, the makeup of security in the Kingdom of Breaze was fractured. Pommy's authority went no further than the palace of Mariseau Castle. The surrounding city of Enkmaar was protected by the City Watch, and the surrounding kingdom was protected by the army, and the three organizations had no connection to each other. There was no information sharing among the three which Pommy railed against in his final daily meeting with the king before the ceremonies started.

"Pommy, it's fine. Captain Riley Heliot, commander of the city watch says that the city is happy and ready for the wedding. Duke Engeramus, commander of the Army says that the kingdom is peaceful and happily waiting for the ceremonies."

"I apologize your highness. It's my duty to be suspicious. It's what keeps you alive."

"I appreciate that Pommy, but let's just get through this day and we can take a breather."

"Aye, sire." Pommy turned to Ziska and said, "Hey, let's go find a witch and get married."

"Sounds like fun!" said Ziska and the two Royal security agents left King Alfrich and Lady Octavia in their apartment.

Octavia was in her drawing room getting the royal gown put on, but she heard Pommy and Ziska leave and muttered, "Cheating bitch," under her breath.

"What was that my lady?" asked Helen, her lady in waiting.

"I said I cannot dance in this heavy thing."

"I believe your wardrobe has suitable gowns for the festivities this evening."

"I feel like a walking circus tent in this thing," muttered Octavia as she practiced moving about in her gown. Her wedding gown was a riot of white. Layers and ribbons and frills formed a big tent that pinched her already narrow waist and accentuated her large bosom. It was decorated with pearls, diamonds, and white roses. Somehow she had the feeling that the dress maker was celebrating the first virgin to enter the palace in ages. With a frown, she thought that she would be the second virgin here in a long time. Pommy was here first.

"You just have to walk up the aisle once, then sit on the throne and let your population adore you," said Helen. "Then you can change, have dinner with the king, and head to your coronation ball."

She frowned. The next time she saw Pommy he would be married and she could no longer dream about him. How could she face him every day in his duties as head of the royal guard? She needs to talk Alfrich into letting Pommy go as soon as possible, or it could be Pommy's children becoming heirs to the throne...

"My lady? Are you well?" asked Helen.

"I... I need time to understand all of this... go get some tea Helen, take a break and give me ten minutes."

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In the Royal Guard barracks, the tables and chairs in the dining hall were moved to the side and the guardsmen gathered for a country wedding. There were several people from the palace staff in attendance also, friends of Pommy and Ziska. Finally, an older woman in a black gown and a stovepipe hat arrived and stood in front of the crowd. "In case you've never been to a country wedding, it's a simple ceremony for hard working people," she said. "I am Deron Barlow, a friend of the groom, and a practicing witch for over fifty years. The ceremony is short, and is in three parts. I introduce the couple and with a bit of magic determine if they are related. This is a very important part in the rural areas where families are large and winter nights are long."

When the chuckling died down, she continued. "I will ask if either is forced to be here for any reason, or has any reason why the wedding cannot be held. I will then give them a chance to escape. If one runs, you let them go, your job will be to hold back the other one and console him or her. If nobody runs away, I say the magic words and we have a married couple. Any questions?"

"Yes," said Pommy's best friend, Jehans Du Gouey. "Is this a legal ceremony?"

"Yes it is. Every Wednesday I report to the king the ceremonies that I conducted that week and the king's scribe will enter it in the royal logs. In the smaller kingdoms the bride and groom appear before the king who gives them his blessing. Any more questions? Are we ready? Let's have everyone that wishes to marry come up here."

The crowd parted and Pommy and Ziska walked up to the witch arm-in-arm. They were both wearing their dress blue uniforms; they were dark blue lined with silver piping on the epaulets, belts, and sleeve cuffs. Ziska's uniform featured a floor-length skirt and Pommy's featured Jodhpurs that bulged at the hip and riding boots. Both wore the medals they earned, and both carried the beautiful mithril/steel cutlass swords that King Alfrich gave them as wedding gifts. He also gave Pommy a beautiful, dwarven pocket watch. A little salute to Pommy's incredible sense of timing. Ziska was beautiful with her hair done in waves, a white veil, and baby blue straw flowers decorating her hair. Pommy never looked so happy in his life.

"Please share," came a whisper in Deron's mind. A picture of the sad, lonely queen-to-be sitting alone in a room came to her mind.

"I must tell them," Deron thought.

"Yes, that is fine."

Deron softly asked, "Do either of you know Octavia Anghart? Do you have any objections to my sharing with her this ceremony?"

Ziska looked confused and shocked, but this was something Pommy grew up with. In the mountains, witches shared their view of things all the time, from a cake that didn't turn out quite right, to a difficult lamb birth. He also wasn't shocked that she didn't know who Octavia was. Witches ignore popular culture, politics, and sports. Most of those things never make it out to the country or up into the mountains anyhow. "No, that's fine," said Pommy. "She's our friend."

That shocked Ziska even more. She didn't see Alfrich and Octavia as friends but as employers. Deron pressed on with the ceremony. "Pommeraie de la Montesquieu Stein, and Franziska Thornhammer, do you both come here of your own free will to marry each other, to live in relative harmony forsaking all others?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I do."

"Then hold each other's hand and with your free hand hold mine..." Pommy and Ziska held each other's hands, then each took one of the witch's hands. "Concentrate on your reason for being here," said the witch. Actually, there's no reason for that and the only reason she says it is because she takes a few moments to determine if there are any familial relationships between the bride and groom. It just sounds more mystic when you tell them to do something like that. Sometimes the things that pop into the young couple's minds are quite funny.

Not this time, however. The groom was filled with excitement for his new life with the woman she loved. Ziska was thinking of something else completely. Did the one named Octavia see what they were thinking of? Deron Barlow felt no relationship between the bride and groom, and returned to the ceremony. "That being done, I found no familial reason to object to this marriage. Have either of you been forced into this or are having serious second thoughts? Speak now, don't be afraid."

Pommy just smiled, as happy as ever. Ziska shook her head no, so Deron continued. "Last chance. If either one of you wants out, the exit is right behind you, you're free to go and your friends and I will hold back and comfort the other. Go now!" But neither moved. "Then, with the blessing of the king, I pronounce you husband and wife. Kiss now and seal your commitment."

As Pommy and Ziska kissed, their friends burst into cheers and gathered around the bride and groom. Deron felt the connection break with Octavia and wondered why she hadn't heard that the king was marrying a witch.

After about five minutes of cheerful congratulations, Captain de la Montesquieu raised his hand. "Ok folks, we have another wedding to attend, please take your positions!" The crowd of royal guards began to disperse and Pommy went up to Deron and pressed a gold coin into her hand.

"That's far too much captain."

"It's for the orphans you tend to," said Pommy. "Go give them my best."

"You're a good man, Captain De la Montesquieu." The old witch hugged Pommy and whispered in his ear, "you're a much better man than some people appreciate." With that, the witch left, wishing she could tell Pommy what she saw.

Pommy turned back to Ziska and gave her another kiss. "Are you ready, Mrs. de la Montesquieu Stein?"

"Help me take this veil off," said Ziska. She was tugging at her veil, but the straw flowers were pinning it in place.

"Wear it," said Pommy. "You'll be riding next to the new queen, you'll look like a member of her wedding party to an on-looker."

"Ok, wish me luck," said Ziska. She and Pommy kissed one more time, and she trotted off, grasping her sword pommel to keep it from rattling.

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"Lady? Lady Octavia?"

Octavia sat weeping in her room. The simple wedding ceremony was so sweet and pure. A simple ceremony for honest, hardworking people, but when it came time to see if the bride and groom were related, the witch Deron Barlow saw something else, and so did Octavia. They saw Pommy's joy at finally marrying the woman he loved. His days and nights of loneliness were over! They saw that Ziska loved Pommy differently. He was just a step up the ladder Ziska was climbing; the king was power, power with benefits, and Ziska was sure he'd keep his mouth shut. Ziska intended to become a high-ranking member of the king's staff, and she didn't care who got in the way.

"Lady Octavia, your carriage awaits."

Octavia looked, and there was Helen, looking at her with a concerned look. "I suppose it's too late to run, eh?" she tried to smile for Helen and she failed miserably.

"Aww, darling, that's just bridal jitters. Come now, let's go get this over with. There's a crown waiting for ye." Helen tried to reassure Octavia as she fixed the new queen's make-up. "Once ye settle in at the ball ye'll be just fine."

Finally, she got up, and they walked to her door and there, waiting in the hall, was Ziska. "Are you ready Lady Octavia?"

"I can find my way through my own apartment, thank you very much, Lieutenant," snapped Octavia. "Wait for me at my carriage."

Stunned at Octavia's angry snap, Ziska looked at Helen. "Nerves," said Helen. "Just go. We'll be there in a moment."

"Helen, what is the sense of this? I'm going to ride the carriage around the castle, just to enter the front door? I can be down at the chamber quicker if I just go down that hall," she said, pointing at a hall.

"My lady, it's not for you, it's for the people! They want to see their new queen, and they can't get into the palace. This is their only chance. And think of all those little girls out there wishing they was you, this is a Fairy Tale come true, the little orphan girl becomes queen. This is for them."

"I suppose," but Octavia did not want Ziska near her.

She stepped out the door and climbed into the gilded carriage drawn by two immaculate white horses. She got in and settled with Helen helping. "I'll meet you at the entrance my lady," said Helen, and she headed back to the palace. As the procession commander prepared to call a start, Ziska started to climb into the carriage.

"What are you doing?" demanded Octavia.

"I'm getting in."

"And if someone approaches the carriage, how are you going to draw your sword if you're sitting here? I would expect Captain de la Montesquieu to train his forces better."

"How am I supposed to..."

"Figure it out!" snapped Octavia.

"My lady!"

"Do you want me to inform Captain de la Montesquieu how you keep your king entertained?" demanded Octavia. "I will tell the king that if he needs a trull, he needs to find one without political ambitions. Drive on!"

Trull? Trull was the lowest form of prostitute. She was just called a whore by the queen. Ziska watched the carriage roll off without her and she pulled the veil from her head and let it drop. How did she find out? What was she going to do now?

Lady Octavia was not happy, she felt nauseous, what did she just do to Pommy? Then she realized that it was now up to Ziska. She will tell the king to cut it off with that trollop and let Ziska figure out how to salvage the ruins of her career. With luck, she'll make a fair farm wife. Octavia now has a kingdom to worry about and she doesn't want the proclivities of an aging king to destroy Breaze before her son can ascend to the throne.

Remembering Helen's instructions, Octavia waved to the little girls, who cried and cooed as the new queen waved to them. Some actually wept with joy as she paid special attention to them. The children started pushing to the carriage and Octavia became worried that they would be crushed under the wheels. "Driver! Stop!" she called when a tiny, dark-haired girl burst out of the throng and raced to the carriage. She could be no older than three, but she was so excited, probably because everyone else was. She was panting and had a huge smile, her eyes wide in wonder as the fairy-tale princess stopped to see her.

A guard moved up to get between Octavia and the child but Octavia waved him back and the child climbed into the doorless carriage. "Well, hello little one," said Octavia as she picked up the child. "What's your name?"

"Gigi!"

"Well Gigi, your mommy is worried about you. Why don't you come visit me tomorrow after all this nonsense is over, is that good with you?"

"Uh huh!" The little girl nodded her head in excitement.

"Here's your mommy," and Octavia handed the child to a dark-haired woman whose expression was one of mortification and terror. "Here you are," said Octavia as she handed the little girl to the woman. "I was scared she'd be runover by the carriage."

"I beg your pardon your highness," said the terrified woman.

"It's ok, I understand excited little girls. Sometimes I want to be one again. If Gigi wants to visit, please come, we'll have a tea party."

"Tea!" cried Gigi as she was carried back to the crowd, who cried a collective "Awwww!" of adoration.

Soon she was at the front door of the palace. The palace guard was in their full ceremonial armor and lined the path she would follow into the palace. When the carriage stopped at the front of the palace, Pommy and Ziska stepped up to the carriage. Pommy assisted the future queen out of the carriage, and they both escorted her inside.

They spent an unbearable amount of time in the palace foyer waiting for the ceremony to start. Not having a father to escort her down the aisle, Lord Flaminio, the Duke of Westshore, was asked to guide her to the king. But just before it was time to step out, Octavia said, "I would prefer Captain de la Montesquieu to escort me."

"My lady?" asked the duke.

"I'm sorry, but Captain de la Montesquieu has been very kind to me over the weeks leading up to this moment, and he's a favorite of the king. And he looks dashing in his dress uniform, don't you think?"

The duke smiled and said, "At my age, I don't think I can make it all the way to the end of the aisle."

The organist broke into a bridal march, and a confused Pommy led her down the aisle. "I don't understand," Pommy whispered.

"Just let me spend a few minutes strolling with a friend one last time before I get locked away in a gilded cage," said Octavia, who suddenly felt very sad and lonely. Why did she agree to this nightmare? Why must her first man be someone old enough to be her grandfather? It's not fair! People who get married before a witch get three chances to get away, I get none.

All too soon, a nonplussed Alfrich took Octavia from Pommy and led her to the altar, where they knelt and listened to the temple priest from the Temple of Tervis pontificate and bloviate. She hoped at some point the god Tervis would arrive and take her soul leaving a corpse in this ugly gown; she prayed that lightning would strike and end the ceremony; she dreamed that Pommy would come to his senses, dash up the aisle and sweep her up and they would ride off into the mountains on a stallion... but he never arrived. Within the hour, Octavia was Octavia Queen of Breaze and second wife to King Alfrich.

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Chapter 07 - Night of Prophesy

Pommy and Ziska spent the evening of their wedding night preparing the ballroom for the royal reception. The orchestra was set up and tuning up while Pommy had his men and women inspect every table for a sign of a weapon, be it steel or magical. He even had the kitchen staff that was setting out the salt cellers and pepper mills taste their seasoning for signs of poison.

"Captain! Over here!" shouted a young corporal.

Pommy headed over and at the king's table, the corporal found a dagger taped under the table. "Good find corporal," said Pommy. The knife was still in its sheath and the color matched the underside of the table. It could easily be missed with just a cursory investigation. Pommy pulled the knife from the table by the tape and wrapped it in a napkin and handed it to a corporal. "Run this down to the wizard, his name is Izhar or something like that. I need to know anything he can divine from this." Then he looked at the crowd of men and women from the Royal Guard and City Watch that gathered. "We found a knife at the kings table! It was easy to miss because of the color, so let's start over. You, you, and you, start flipping chairs over and look for knives. You and you, get completely under the tables with a lamp. The rest of you, double down your efforts. Let's move!"

The Royal Guard, with help from the City Watch, sprang to work, flipping chairs and climbing under tables. "What do you think?" Ziska whispered.

"I think that was planted to distract us, to lead us away from the real threat."

"What should I do?" Ziska asked.

"Go tell the king's food taster that we've found a threat, he may be in for a long night."

Just then a young sergeant came up to Pommy and saluted. "Sir, the army unit is here."

"More fun. Oh joy," groaned Pommy and he saw the Army colonel headed his way.

"Where do you want us Captain?" asked a large, mustachioed army colonel.

"Have them line up in the hallway for inspection."

"Inspection? That's an insult!" roared the colonel.

"Then go back to the barracks and wait further orders. This is my palace, this is my security operation. Like it or not, tonight you work for me, colonel. Sergeant Du Gouey, with me!"

"I can't have fighting men standing around like toy soldiers," fumed the colonel as they headed over to where the army unit was gathered. As they walked, the demi-giant joined them.

"Toy soldiers is exactly what is expected from them tonight. Window dressing." Pommy pointed to his men in their dress uniforms, crawling under tables and inspecting every ingredient used in the kitchen. "Your men are trained to fight in the field, I wouldn't dream of getting in their way out in the field. The City Watch is trained to maintain order in the streets, I would never get in their way. My men are trained to fight in here. Right now, they're working their asses off to prevent a need to fight, but if it comes to a fight, they will fight and they will win and they will not disturb the very important guests or embarrass the king."

"And you want us to stand around and watch?" fumed the colonel.

"Personally, I don't want you here at all, but the king requested a detachment from the Army and from the City Watch. I've already inspected the City Watch and they're assisting in security requirements. It's your turn now."

"Line up for inspection," called the colonel, and reluctantly the army troops fell into line. Pommy went down the line, looking the men up and down.

"Boots unpolished, breast plate rusty, helmet corroded. Present your sword soldier." The soldier pulled his sword out of the scabbard and it was dinged and rusty... or was that blood? But the blade was sharp. Down the line he went. They were mostly passable, but there were some truly awful examples. "Soldier, is your razor broken?"

"No sir."

"Why didn't you shave?"

"Wasn't told to sir."

"My you're a bright one. You're told to form up for a special detail and you enter my palace looking like a dollar a day mercenary. Are you a mercenary, soldier? Or are you just stupid?"

The soldier sputtered and fumed, but kept his mouth shut. "The captain asked you a question soldier. Are you a mercenary or are you stupid?" asked Sergeant Du Gouey with his booming voice. With that, the soldier snapped and dove at Pommy with a drawn dagger. Pommy stepped aside and grabbed the man's wrist and painfully twisted it up behind his back, forcing the man to his knees.

"Drop the knife," Pommy growled and finally the soldier released the knife. It was the same style of dagger they found under the table. "Guard!" Pommy shouted and two guards appeared. "Take this one to the dungeon, we'll charge him with attempted regicide."

The troops gave a collective gasp. Regicide requires a day on the rack, and when all your tendons are ripped and broken from all of your joints, you're eventually executed.

"Listen up! Your orders were to be here with boots polished, breastplate polished, helmet polished, and ceremonial sword clean. If you brought any other weapons with you, daggers, knives, brass knuckles, gats, clubs, black jacks, saps, etcetera, you will be charged with attempted regicide and placed in the dungeon to wait trial. If you want to avoid this, you may drop any of those items and kick them across the hall, right now, and we'll pretend it didn't happen."

He turned his back and when the sound of dropping knives stopped; he turned around again and there were over a dozen daggers, along with several sets of brass knuckles and a half dozen gats laying on the floor. "Look at this," said Pommy, and he picked up an outsized dagger in a highly polished sheath. "Someone who can't figure out how to polish their boots was able to polish this sheath." He pulled the blade and admired it. "It's going to make a great hunting knife, thank you." He buckled it to his belt and resumed the inspection.

In the end, Pommy divided the army unit into three groups. One group was presentable enough to stand in the ballroom and be admired by the guests. A second group was barely passable and was allowed to stand outside as the guests entered the castle. The third group was so sloppy and poorly presented that they were sent back to the barracks, except for another moron that had a dagger hidden up his sleeve. Sergeant Du Gouey spotted that, and he joined his fellow slob in the dungeon.

"I could have your bars for this!" sputtered the colonel.

"You go do that sir. You go right up to the king and say, 'Captain de la Montesquieu followed your orders to the letter and I don't like it.' Make sure you pout a lot. The king likes men who pout. It shows their soft side." Pommy put on a set of brass knuckles and squeezed his fist around it.

"You insolent cur! I will have your neck for this!"

"I don't care what you do colonel. When you go whine to him like a schoolgirl, the king will either congratulate me or fire me. I have a farm waiting for me, so either way you'd be doing me a favor." And he walked away, still playing with his new brass knuckles.

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"Ladies and gentlemen," cried the herald, "Please rise for King Alfrich the Third, and Queen Octavia." The orchestra played the well-known march, Gods Save the King, as Alfrich and Octavia entered the ballroom. The king still wore his royal attire and cape, but Octavia changed from her wedding gown to an off the shoulder midnight blue formal gown with mithril silver designs. It had a deep cleavage that embarrassed Octavia, so she pinned it with a barony of Folstonborough badge. She topped the dress with a bejeweled tiara that nestled in her raven locks. It looked far more comfortable than the heavy gown she wore for her wedding and coronation. The crowd applauded their entry and continued until King Alfrich held his hands up for quiet.

"Thank you all for coming. I never thought I could find a queen like our dear departed Elören, but Octavia is like that and more. She's wise in the way of politics and magic, and she's already contributing to the good of our kingdom. She comes to us from Torwin-Armistad and the god Saehrimnir himself considers her his daughter." The applause grew and Octavia nervously rose and bowed, then sat down before the king continued.

"Another child of Saehrimnir, my head of the Royal Guard, Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu and his lieutenant, Franziska Thornhammer also celebrated their nuptials today." Pommy and Ziska stood behind the king and queen and bowed slightly to the applause, which was joined by the hoots and whistles from the royal guardsmen scattered around the room, causing laughter among the guests. "Thank you all for coming, and please join us in our wedding feast."

Pommy was torn, his emotions danced all over the spectrum. He was overjoyed that he was married to his closest friend, his dearest love, and he'd soon lose his virginity. (Although the only person to know that is Ziska) But at the same time, he feels like he lost a friend. His step-sister, as far as Saehrimnir is concerned, Octavia, has been avoiding him for the past two days. At first, she terrified him. She was reading his mind and that scared him, but after getting his brain cooked by Saehrimnir, their relationship grew close. They could talk about anything, and she was almost excited to hear about his farm. But that's all over now. Whatever opportunity they had for a life with each other, no matter how slim, was gone.

There was one thing that bothered him. She said that she could only read his mind, nobody else. There was something in all that learning that Saehrimnir gave him that addressed that. What was it? As he pondered this, Ziska leaned over and said, "Is there a problem?"

"Other than the mad desire to rip your uniform off and take you here in front of everyone? No."

"You say the sweetest things... for a virgin... uh, how many army troops are supposed to be in here?"

"Twelve," said Pommy.

"I count fourteen," said Ziska. "Should I be concerned?"

"Yes." In Pommy's world, if something isn't 100% right, it's 100% wrong. Anything that would threaten the life of his king or queen needed to be corrected or killed, and he trained his men and women to think the same way. He began scanning the crowd again. There were indeed fourteen army soldiers in the room. He made a hand gesture and Lieutenant Elodie Sandherr soon appeared at his side.

"Yes?"

"See that army troop over there by the kitchen, and the one over by the rear exit over by the orchestra? They're not supposed to be here. Find out what's going on. Use Sergeant Du Gouey if you need but don't make a scene."

Lieutenant Sandherr was new, but she wasn't stupid. She was damn good at what she did regardless of her stature; she was a tiny brunette. Pommy couldn't understand what a little woman like that was doing in security, but she passed all the field tests, so he's been training her. Tonight is her graduation ceremony. "How do you not make a scene with a demi-giant?" she muttered and headed off.

While sweeping the crowd, Pommy and Ziska saw Lieutenant Sandherr and Sergeant Du Gouey approach the two soldiers, and they ended up stepping out the rear exit. "Don't go out with them," hissed Ziska, but the two Royal Guardsmen must have heard something to make them want to step outside with the two army troops.

They continued to watch the crowd, and as they watched, Pommy realized the scent he was smelling all evening long was not the dinner that was served. It was Octavia. It was a heart stopping combination of floral, and a bit of citrus, and an excited woman. He finally leaned over to Ziska; first he checked and the perfume wasn't her. "Did you notice the queen's perfume?"

"She doesn't wear perfume. She says that whores use it to mask social diseases. She says 'soap and water is the best perfume.'"

Ziska laughed at that, but Pommy loved the sentiment. His Nana used to tell him that all the time. The problem was that hot water was a luxury in the mountains, but as she taught him witch magic, he could make a few logs burn in the stove all day long. A large pot and a kettle on the stove and he had hot water whenever he wanted it. His revery was interrupted by Ziska who said, "We have a problem captain."

She only called him captain when there really was a problem. Pommy looked around. There were now sixteen army troops, no, seventeen in the ballroom. He made a gesture with his hand which put all his people on high alert... but where were Lieutenant Sandherr and Sergeant Du Gouey? How did he lose a demi-giant?

As the kitchen staff began collecting the dishes, the orchestra leader turned around and said, "Let's not forget, this is a wedding reception! Could we get our newlyweds on the dance floor?"

The king and queen rose; and Pommy gestured for Sergeant Touénot Duhamel to come over to him. As Duhamel approached, the king turned to Pommy and said, "Let's go, Captain de la Montesquieu. This is a mandatory formation," then King Alfrich and Queen Octavia stepped out on the dance floor.

As Pommy and Ziska followed the king and queen out to the floor, Sergeant Duhamel trotted up to Pommy, who hissed, "Find Sandherr and Du Gouey and get them back in here immediately. They went out the rear exit with some soldiers."

"Aye-aye sir."

They stepped out on the dance floor and as they had practiced; the king gave Ziska a congratulatory kiss on the cheek, and Pommy gave Octavia a quick kiss too, and he smelled her perfume. It filled his head and made him dizzy. But he heard her say, "Captain, keep your eye on the king."

"Yes, your highness," and he turned to Ziska and gave her a long passionate kiss that had the crowd laughing and applauding. They were still kissing when the orchestra started playing the Bridal Processional. It was a cheerful yet romantic piece and Pommy and Ziska were soon dancing in time with the orchestra.

"What did the queen want?" asked a suspicious Ziska.

"She asked me to keep an eye on the king," replied Pommy.

"Nothing else?"

"No, in fact that's the most she's said to me since the wedding."

Relieved that the queen didn't tell Pommy about Ziska's affair with the king, she joined with Pommy in watching the king and the crowd at the same time. However, the next dance may end everything if the queen reveals her anger with Ziska to Pommy.

The music stopped and a new dance started, the Breaze Harbor Waltz. They started dancing and just before their practiced exchange of partners, Pommy said, "I don't know what has you and the queen on edge, but I love you. That's all that matters." Just then the two couples came together, and it looked like a collision, but the king went one way with Ziska and the queen went the other way dancing with Pommy.

They melted into each other's arms, clinging tight to each other, as if they let go they would cease to exist. The smell of her perfume made his head spin, and it made the dancing romantic. I love your perfume, your majesty, he thought.

Octavia let out a little cry of terror then finally she said Pommy... I am afraid... so I am going to ask the king to release you from your obligation as a thank you for your service.

I don't want to go. I...

Pommy! Please, go back to your mountain. Go be happy with Ziska, raise your sheep and your children.

Something was seriously bothering the queen. Just tell me what is wrong, and I'll go, he begged her.

Pommy, this is all wrong. If you stay, the next king will be your son, not Alfrich's. She looked into his eyes and said, I'm sorry, but we're too close already... we're not even speaking out loud. Pommy, I don't wear perfume!

Reality came crashing down on Pommy from different angles. No, they weren't speaking out loud; they were speaking on a different level, and her perfume, what is that... and where are my men? He looked around and saw Army General Victor Steinhauer step on to the dance floor. He wasn't in a dress uniform; he was dressed for combat with breastplate, shin guards, and sword.

Pommy felt the surrounding air become thick jelly, holding him back, preventing him from moving as fast as he could. In horror, Pommy pushed Octavia away and pulled his mithril/steel cutlass, but it was too slow. He couldn't move in this thick air. Horrified, he watched the general bring up his broad sword. Stay behind me and stay close! And he raised his mithril/steel cutlass. "PROTECT THE KING!" he shouted aloud, and the entire gathering went into a panic.

General Steinhauer shouted. "Mors tyrannis malis!" (Death to evil tyrants) and Pommy saw the head of the army pull back his sword, then thrust forward in a stab. "ZISKA!" shrieked Pommy, as General Steinhauer's sword plunged through Ziska's back, through her heart, and into King Alfrich's heart. With all his might, Pommy brought down his cutlass, slicing Victor Steinhauer's arms off at the elbows. The general fell back, shrieking in horror while the king and Ziska slumped to the ground, lifeless.

"ZISKA!" Pommy dropped to his knees and looked for signs of life. "Ziska, my dear Ziska," he wept, but it didn't take a witch's magic to see that the king and Ziska were dead. Their deaths were instantaneous. Pommy roared his sorrow and anger at the ceiling. All of his reasons for living were gone... his king, his wife, gone.

Pommy unbuckled Ziska's sword belt and took her belt, scabbard, sword, and the pocket watch the king gave her in one quick grab, and got back on his feet. He gave Ziska's sword belt to the queen and said, "Belt this on and stay behind me." The crowd shrieked as the killing began. The army went to war against the guests of their king and the royal guard, even though the instigator of the uprising, the Commanding General of the Army Victor Steinhauer, was still looking at the stubs of his arms that were spraying blood. He shrieked in shock as his life slowly drained away.

"Alfrich!" wept Octavia. She wanted to run to her husband, but she was terrified. Death was all around them. The army went crazy, stabbing and slashing, cutting down visitors and guards alike. She watched Pommy begin to hack and stab at the shrieking general, swearing and cursing the dying bastard as he sliced up the man who took his Ziska and his king.

"Rally to me!" shouted Pommy. "Save the queen!" and the few remaining Royal Guards and City Watch tried to get to him, but they were cut down. The army turned their blood-shot eyes on Pommy and the queen and Pommy gave up the idea of protecting the King's body. "There's nobody coming to help us my queen. Back exit," said Pommy.

"Yes, captain!" They backed their way to the exit door near the orchestra, Pommy's cutlass swinging and slashing. He was a master swordsman with the cutlass, and no one could get near him without risking fatal injury. Several of the army soldiers that he had embarrassed earlier tried to get close, but all went down with their throats slit open. Pommy and Octavia dove out the exit door and Pommy shoved it closed, hoping he could latch it somehow. Maybe break off his sword tip in the latch wedging it closed. As he looked around desperately. Octavia put her hand on the latch and there was a bright flash and the latch was welded solid.

"It won't hold," she said. "They'll break the door down."

Pommy grabbed her hand and silently said Follow me, and he led her down the unlit hallway, where in the darkness he tripped over three bodies, Sergeant Duhamel, Lieutenant Sandherr and the gentle giant, Seargent Jehans Du Gouey. He picked up Jehans' cutlass and sobbed, "I'm sorry old friend." Then he and the queen slowly made their way through the dark hallway to the exit.

Stepping outside, there were five army soldiers waiting by the light of a torch, and they were facing Pommy and a terrified queen who drew Ziska's sword and held it straight up like it was a torch lighting her way. "We're leaving," said Pommy. He crouched in a ready position with his cutlass in his sword hand and Jehans' sword held as a shield. "You can step aside or lay down and let us step over you. It's your choice."

"You know we're not going to do either of those," said the largest of the soldiers and he shoved another soldier toward Pommy. The soldier came at Pommy with his broad sword and Pommy warded off the blow with Jehans' cutlass while slashing the throat of the soldier with his own cutlass.

"See, he's laying down for us," said Pommy with an evil grin. The master swordsman was preparing to give these fools a last lesson in swordplay. He crouched, both swords at the ready, and two soldiers came at him. Faster than they could see, Pommy took them both out with just a few strokes of his cutlasses. This left just the large soldier and a smaller fellow holding the torch. "Come on, funny man, it's time to play."

The soldier holding the torch lost his nerve and threw the torch down and ran. The minute he did that, Pommy sprang and stabbed the bigger soldier in the inner thigh, producing a fountain of blood which extinguished the torch. Pommy slid Jehans' sword into his belt and took Octavia's hand, and he led her through the narrow streets of the capital city. Where are we going? she asked silently.

The Temple, and on to Teurnia, we have friends there. They emerged from a dark, narrow alley and they should have been facing the temple, but instead they faced a pile of bricks and glowing embers. The Army started their uprising by burning down the escape route.

Frustrated and angry with his failure, Pommy wanted to cry, he wanted to shout; he wanted to turn back and kill until he ran out of victims. Pommy please, I'm scared. What do we do?

He frowned and thought, then silently said, We march through the night to Haddosa Bay, hire a boat to Edhellond, then hire on to a river barge and head upriver to Teurnia.

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Chapter 08 - The Death of Pommy

It was the darkest night Pommy and Octavia had ever seen. The moons were lined up between Kodu and Zigu, leaving only the stars for light. It was like the gods took the moons away, giving Pommy and Octavia the perfect cover of darkness to slip away.

"Should I carry you?" asked Pommy.

"No, I'm not injured," she said softly.

"I was worried about your shoes, weren't you wearing fancy dress shoes at the wedding?"

"I'm wearing dancing shoes, I expected to spend most of the evening on the dance floor," said Octavia. Then she smiled. "During the ceremony my feet were bare under that wedding dress." That made Pommy smile. At summer marriages in the mountains, it's traditional for the bride to be barefoot. Some say it's a sign of servitude, others say it's just less to take off as soon as the guests are gone. Either way, the mountain folk think it's kind of sexy.

They came to a rise and looked out over the valley below. Far off in the distance should be Haddosa Bay. They traveled overland, avoiding the roads and sticking close to the tree lines so they couldn't be spotted against the sky. They stopped every hour for a quick break and Pommy would give her his uniform jacket to keep warm. He studied the sky and said, "two and a half more miles."

"How do you know?"

"I really don't know, just some of the stuff that Saehrimnir dumped on me. I think I'm navigating properly."

"What are you going to do when you get home?" asked Octavia after a long pause.

"I can't go home, not like this. I'm going to take you to Torwin-Armistad then I guess I'm going to..." he shrugged. "Vespil, Scoburg, Xuantang..."

"I would like to go to Xuantang," said Octavia. "I hear they have gold laying in the streets."

"It is a rich country as far as gold is concerned, but they consider copper more valuable. Many a man has made a fortune importing copper there."

"Let's go there, it sounds like more fun than Torwin-Armistad."

"You don't get it," said Pommy, "I'm looking for some place to die."

Octavia sat up to scold Pommy... or say something to him when she saw an orange glow behind them. "What is that?"

Pommy stood and stared at the glow. "Those ignorant bastards... that's Mariseau Castle burning." He slumped to the ground and groaned. "I failed it all, I couldn't protect my wife, my king, or even my home..."

"It's not your fault," said Octavia.

"No, but it was my sworn duty." He forced himself to his feet and said, "Come on, let's get out of this kingdom."

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Ten miles inland, a messenger rode up to a small, mounted unit. The winded rider handed the unit commander a message from the acting head of the Breaze Army. "The king is dead; the killer ran off with the queen and set the palace ablaze. All units are required to search for Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu and Queen Octavia of Folstonborough. Kill on sight. The bounty is only for their bodies as proof of their just rewards."

"Who is running the country right now, corporal?" the commander asked the messenger as he crumpled his copy of the message.

"Sir, Lord Ermes Flaminio, the Duke of Westshore. He's going to be crowned once the new temple is completed so the new god will bless the ceremony."

"Who is the new temple dedicated to?"

"Zeddicus, sir."

The commander closed his eyes. It all fell together. Zeddicus is called the god of dreams, but that's a lie. Zeddicus is the god of lies. A nice choice by army officers that grew tired of not fighting. The army upper ranks removed the "peace monger" Alfrich and instead crown a senile old fool who will do anything they tell him to do. Then they can go on the march and waste young Breaze soldiers' lives while the officers bask in the glory of watching a battle from afar.

All of that was not his job. His job is now to hunt down and kill Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu. He dismissed the messenger and told him. "Tell any other mounted unit to drive Pommy to me. I know him. I know his style of fighting. Only I can get him."

"Yes sir," and the messenger mounted his tired horse and rode off to where a unit of lancers was exercising.

"What is it Lieutenant?" asked a young sergeant.

"Mount up! We have been ordered to kill a friend."

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They found a farmhouse that was unoccupied. The occupants may have gone to Enkmaar for the wedding and the coronation. They found some clothing that fit them and changed, leaving Pommy's uniform (without medals) and Octavia's dress hanging in the closet, then after drinking their fill from the well, they left a few coins on the kitchen table and walked off sharing a stale loaf of bread.

They arrived at Haddosa Bay before sunrise. The long, dark night was almost over. In the pre-dawn light, they saw a small single mast sailing boat tied up to the end of a pier. A realization came over Pommy. "I can operate that boat."

"The term is sail," said Octavia. "Are you going to rent it? Hire it?"

Hoofbeats in the distance startled them to action. "Steal it," said Pommy.

"You can't steal, it's wrong!"

"If those are Army horses, they're carrying people looking for us." He lowered Octavia into the boat and climbed down himself and pushed the boat away from the pier with an oar. The only thing they carried were their cutlasses wrapped in a blanket. With fumbling fingers Pommy put education to task and clumsily hoisted the sail, dropped the center board, and seated himself at the stern. A gentle offshore breeze pushed them out into the calm sea and they disappeared into the morning fog, while back on shore, several mounted calvary searched for the queen and her rescuer.

Pommy steered west until land was hard to see behind them, then they turned south, keeping land within sight. Finally, as the sun came up over the distant mountains to their left and burned off the mist, Haddosa Bay lay behind them to the north, Pommy dropped the sail and they sat becalmed. It had finally caught up with him... the killing, the blood, the running. He closed his eyes but when he did; he saw poor Ziska's lifeless eyes looking up at him, accusing him.

"Why didn't you save me Pommy?"

"Huh?" He looked around and he was alone with Octavia. There was no one else. All there was to see was the western sea and Octavia. "Was I asleep?"

"Maybe for five minutes," she said.

"Come sit here. Hold this, it's the tiller. This is the jib, don't let it swing, with this breeze it needs to be right here. With Octavia commanding the boat, Pommy hoisted the main sail which caught the gentle breeze. "You got it?"

"Yes," she said in a tiny, unsure voice.

"Be right back," and he went to the bow of the boat. In the bow was a sail box and in there was the foresail. He tied it off using a knot he knew, but had never tied or had ever seen before, and then raised it up and, making sure it was secured, he went back to the stern and sat next to Octavia. "You should get some rest."

"You need rest too... are you ok Pommy?"

He looked at this beautiful woman, a combination of a desire for her welled up in his heart, along with revulsion. How could he be panting over this woman while his wife lay dead in the rubble of Mariseau Castle? Finally, he said softly, "Pommy is dead."

"Huh?"

"Pommeraie de la Montesquieu is dead. If anyone asks, he died trying to protect the king."

"Then who are you?" asked a confused Octavia.

"Me? I'm nobody, just a farmer and a wood cutter from Elm Springs in Uduithia. The name my parents gave me was Nick Stein. Pommeraie de la Montesquieu came from a ghost that I called Grandpa."

"I don't know what my real name is," said Octavia. "The temple named me Octavia because the number eight is sacred to Saehrimnir and I was the eighth foundling they took in that week." Then sorrow filled her face. "This is all my fault, isn't it."

"No, it's some ass in the army that wanted to be king. I hope it was the guy whose arms and legs I chopped off. He just took the opportunity when everyone was gathered in the ballroom."

"I'm good for now," said Pommy and Octavia curled up and leaned against him and was soon asleep. They dashed south along the Breaze coast, and Nick spent his time playing with the sail rigging and the tiller, seeing which angle his jib should be set. He had so much knowledge but no experience, so he had to see what the knowledge meant in the real world. He was hoping by the time Octavia awoke, he would be an expert sailor. His first thought, though, was stopping for drinking water and bread.

While Octavia napped, the wind dropped, which gave Nick the opportunity to search the boat. He found plenty of fishing equipment. Although he's only fished for trout and bass in the ponds and streams of Morna Oron, the Black Mountain, he was sure it couldn't be too different from the sea. He assembled a rod and found a hand carved lure, then gave it a little witch magic to make the lure more attractive to the fish, and he dipped it into the water.

When Octavia woke, she found Pommy... no, Nick laughing and fighting a fish with a pole. "Come home to Nick, baby!" he cried and laughed and pulled aboard a large bright silver fish.

"What is that?" asked Pandora as Nick whacked the fish with a small wooden club to stun it, then detached it from the lure and put it on a stringer.

He heaved the heavy stringer out of the water and said, "This is gold! These are Silver Panfish, and they're one of the most desired fish in the sea. We must have found a school of them." He picked up the club he was using and handed it to Octavia. "This is yours. It fell out of your sleeve while you slept."

Octavia gasped and took the club. "Are you ok honey?"

"I'm fine," said Nick.

"Not you, my staff." She stretched the club out like a spyglass to a six foot long pole of dark brown, almost black wood and examined it for damage.

"I'm fine, just don't let the monkey play with me, please?" said the staff.

"It's made from a Prudent Oak," said Octavia. "He contains the wisdom of the ages."

"That stick called me a monkey!" said Nick.

"It appears I overestimated your mental capacity," said the staff.

"Listen you talking piece of firewood, I'm trying to keep the queen alive. If you're not with me, you're against me," snarled Nick.

"Oh dear, it appears I upset your pet monkey," said the staff to Octavia.

Nick pulled out the dagger that he took from an army thug. "It's whittling time!" he snarled at the stick.

Octavia quickly collapsed her staff to a foot long and slid it back up her sleeve. "I'm sorry, he's kind of full of himself."

"What is that thing?"

"I told you, I'm a wizard. That's my staff. Saehrimnir himself gave it to me. That's probably why he's so puffed up on himself."

"Well, I'm a witch," said Nick. "You don't see me conversing with brooms and cats do you?"

"They're probably ignoring you," came from Octavia's sleeve. The bickering went on until Nick spied a village on the shore and steered toward the shore, hoping to sell his fish and buy a cask of water and maybe a meal.

<><><><><>

Eight men on horses rode into Gannett Bay. They weren't light cavalry or dragoons; they were heavily armored lancers. Their horses were enormous brutes, Shire horses standing almost twenty hands tall and weighing a ton and a half each. They rode through town, the horses' massive hooves churning up dust as they made their way to the village pier. It was a small fishing village, nets hung up for repair, and lobster pots stacked waiting their turn to catch the huge lobsters that the Western Sea was known for.

The leader urged his horse out onto the pier, where an old fisherman was mending his net. The dock creaked and groaned under the weight of the massive horse. "I'm looking for a woman," said the mounted knight.

"You an' most every man," said the fisher without looking up.

"Have you seen the queen?" demanded the knight.

"I had a pair of 'em last night... got beat by a straight flush."

"We are looking for Queen Octavia Anghart, daughter of the Baron of Folstonborough, priestess to the god Saehrimnir."

"Sounds like a busy girl," said the fisherman. "I doubt she would have time for the likes of you."

"She's traveling with a royal guardsman."

"A fancy bint and a toff dandy in a fancy uniform? We ain't seen the likes of them. No sir."

"Have you seen anything unusual?"

"There was that nice couple, a fisherman, and his wife, a witch. Nick and Aggie were their names. They caught over a dozen of the biggest, sweetest silver panfish you ever saw. He brought 'em to my wife and said, if ye cook up two of these with all the fixin's I'll sell the rest to you for a silver each. They ate, told us stories of living in Uduithia and then they was off." Then, in a conspiratorial whisper, the old fisherman said, "We sold every one of them silvers for five coins each!"

"Which way did they go?" asked the knight.

"North. They hopped back on the boat and went north."

"Thank you," The knight slowly backed off the dock and addressed his troops. "They're headed south."

"He said north," said a second night.

"If that is Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu, he's circling back to fool the local folk. Why would he go back north? He knows they're both being hunted for killing the king."

<><><><><>

They were constantly ahead of the heavy lancers who suspected they were in a boat and were asking every harbor master if they saw a couple, a lanky man and a curvaceous woman, both dark-haired, both with a Torwin-Armistad accent. The answer was the same: you just missed them by half a day, and as they traveled down the coast, their lead on the followers grew longer.

"I love sailing," said Octavia. "There's something peaceful about it." She wanted so much to open her blouse and feel the sea breeze against her breasts. She was sure she could have done it, if Pommy wasn't mourning Ziska and Alfrich. They were becalmed again. It happened at midday; the winds would drop for an hour or two and Nick would take the opportunity to slip into the water to cool off.

Octavia couldn't take it, she wanted to cool off as well. "Don't look Pom... uh... Nick." Being a gentleman, Nick turned around and Octavia took off her dress, her slip, and her camisole. Then, wearing only her knickers, she slipped into the water. It was cool and refreshing and it brought to mind a dream someone else had. "Nick, what is your pond like?"

Nick had slipped into the water too. "My pond?" came his response from the other side of the boat. "It's over an acre in size. On the north side is a pine forest, on the south side is a pasture where I penned my sheep and goat. It's fed by a stream that comes down off the mountain, and there's a waterfall you can dive off of. It's so relaxing on a hot summer day."

"Those must be your dreams I see," said Octavia. "I see dreams of you swimming naked in a pond with another woman... was it Ziska?"

"Ziska was afraid of water; she was terrified of swimming," said Nick sadly. "It was her only weakness, and I found it so endearing..." Then all the pain and sorrow of the past days broke through and he wept like a child as he clung to the boat. Deep, aching sobs wracked his body, and he didn't notice Octavia clinging to him, weeping too.

All the blood, all the lives lost... the entire royal guard, maybe even the advance team. Lieutenant Claus Hillingham had a small mounted 'advance' unit that would go somewhere ahead of the king's visit and prepare security before the king and the main unit of royal guards arrived. The amount of death staggered and sickened both Nick and Octavia and they clung to each other in the warm waters of the western sea and wept.

Nick wept for his lost loves, Ziska, Alfrich, beautiful Mariseau Castle and his men and women in the royal guard. He loved every one of them, and sadly, he saw every one of them die. All but Lieutenant Hillingham's advance team. He prayed to every god he ever met to keep Claus and the team safe.

Octavia wept for King Alfrich. Although she didn't love him, she liked him and enjoyed his company. She didn't get to find out why Ziska risked her marriage to Pommy by sleeping with Alfrich. She hoped it was more than a lust for power. She wept for all the deaths she witnessed. The only death she didn't mourn was that murdering bastard General Steinhauer. He will roast in hell for his cowardice. Mostly she wept for Nick, for the pain he bears and for the fight he's currently struggling with. The fight with her.

"Oh damn it," groaned Nick, bringing Octavia to the here and now. "The boat got away." She looked, and it had drifted about ten feet away, which normally wouldn't have bothered her, but they were far from shore. "Stay here, tread water," said Nick, and he swam after the boat. Octavia didn't know what he meant by treading water but an image came to her from Nick's mind, so she gently kicked her legs and moved her arms back and forth and she stayed up in the water.

At the boat, Nick hoisted himself up on the gunnel and Octavia saw that he wasn't wearing his shorts. 'He's got a cute butt,' she thought. He grabbed a coil of rope and tossed it to Octavia, who grabbed it and he reeled her back to the boat. She looked up at the gunnel. It seemed so far over her head. "How do I get in the boat?"

Nick grabbed the gunnel and said, "Use me as a ladder." He lowered himself into the water, and he felt Octavia climbing up, her little bare feet felt good on his shoulders. She scrambled into the boat and climbed in the bow while Nick climbed into the stern. She got a good look at his "Maypole" and she gasped. It was the first one she had ever seen attached to a grown man. She had helped change dozens of diapers at the temple orphanage, but this... She was suddenly terrified, and at the same time excited. She had put nothing larger than her finger inside down there... but that! And it's not hard.

Nick continued to be a gentleman and kept his eyes closed as he lay back in the stern. "How are we going to dry off?" asked Octavia.

"Use the sun. Just let me know when you get your camisole on so we can get under way, I'll keep my eyes closed."

He kept his word and kept his eyes closed, but it shouldn't have been a surprise to Octavia. His heart was so shattered that thoughts of other woman would not happen for a while. Soon her breasts were dry enough to put her camisole on. "Ok, I'm covered."

Nick sat up and pulled on his shorts. He then started cranking a winch, which hauled up the main sail. He didn't haul up the foresail; he was going to stow that and try to abandon this boat in pristine condition. "Ok, let's head into shore and look for work."

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Chapter 09 - Arn River Showdown

A middle-aged couple strolled into the ancient elven kingdom of Edhellond. They had sold a dozen large ladderfish, a favorite of the local elven population, and were able to get the shop owner to cook one of them up for their dinner and they ate their fish on the dock. "Can you cook?" the man asked the woman he was sharing his meal with.

"Yeah, a little, why?"

"Let's take a barge up the river to Teurnia," he said. "I'll sign on as the mule skinner, and you sign on as the cook, and we'll take a nice leisurely cruise up the Arn river, we'll have a roof over our heads, three square meals a day, and we'll have a few dollars in our pockets when we hit the temple and go home."

"Why are you so interested in collecting money?"

"Because I'm going back to my farm and all I have after eight years of working for the king is three swords and two pocket watches. I need to buy some critters and a mule."

"What about me?" asked the woman, her eyes filling with tears.

"You're a queen," whispered the fellow. "Farm life isn't for you. Have you ever seen four feet of snow?"

"I want to," she said sadly.

"It's a hard, cold, life broken up by watching the blacksmith make a wrench or a horseshoe. Why would you want to do that?"

"I'm afraid... I'm so, so afraid, and I know that near you I'm safe."

"Ok, let's talk about it again when we get to Teurnia. For now, we're just Nick and Aggie Stein, canalers looking for work in a new location. Ok?" Octavia nodded and sniffed. She felt like he was abandoning her already.

They saw a barge tied up to a pier with a sign that said, "Hiring Upriver Bound" Nick knocked on the side of the cabin and called "Permission to come aboard?"

"Granted, if you're looking for work," said a voice from inside the cabin.

They walked across the wobbly gang plank and ducked down the staircase into the barge cabin. "My name is Jack Pine, Captain Jack Pine," said a gray-haired old barge master. "Looking for work?"

"Yes sir," said Nick. "I just got cashiered from the army and my Aggie and I are looking for honest work. I used to be a mule skinner on the Gjorgiev River in Uduithia. I helped haul ore from the copper mines during the summer when there weren't much to do but watch the hay grow."

"And the missus? What does she do?"

"She can cook, sew and anything else you could expect a witch to do."

"A witch eh?" grinned Captain Jack. "Welcome aboard, you two will be in cabin four. We'll be shovin' off at sunrise. I stocked the kitchen today but check what we have and see if you need anything more. We have a crew of six, and I expect three meals a day. Six am, noon, and six pm."

Cabin four turned out to be a closet just big enough for a person to stretch out in. There was a bunk that was wide enough for two to lie side by side, and that was it. Octavia set her staff in a corner and Nick groaned. "It's going to be watching us?"

"It's my chaperone," said Octavia. "Let's go look at the kitchen."

The kitchen was small and compact and the stove was a large, ancient coal fired device. They had all the basics, but were short on herbs and spices. Nick went and introduced himself to their mule, Jettie, then he and Octavia walked into town. They walked past the human areas near the river and into the Elf dominated areas and bought bags of fruit, along with the spices and cheese that Nick figured they'd need.

The next morning, the Telepta Queen pulled away from the shore loaded down with twenty tons of manufactured goods and mail for the men and women of Termagant's Bane. The Telepta Queen would return in two weeks with 30 tons of Telepta ore for the elf foundries in Edhellond to refine into mithril and mithril/steel. They cast off and the four men of the crew manned the poles and pushed away. Nick also carried a pole and used that to lift the tow line over the barges moored ahead of them. "Come Up Jettie!" shouted Nick, and the mule began to pull. "Good girl Jettie!" Captain Jack took his position as a steersman, and their upstream adventure began.

Soon they came to Lock #1. This was the first time Nick ever used a lock. On the Gjorgiev River they had a steeper incline, but the barges just took their chances in the minor rapids. Nick blew the trumpet he carried, and the board changed from red to green so he didn't have to stop. "Come up, Jettie, good girl!" They moved the barge into the lock, which looked like a long, narrow canal with a door at each end. A dwarf turned a crank, which closed the downstream door, and another dwarf cranked open the upstream door, letting water into the lock. One of the other crewmen tossed the lock keeper his fee and the upstream doors opened wider, letting in more water and lifting the Telepta Queen three entire feet.

They emerged from the lock canal, and there was a downstream heading barge and Nick gave two toots on the bugle, warning the crew that they had another barge to pass. They lifted their tow rope over the downstream barge and continued upstream, and they never paused for the lock, which impressed Captain Jack.

Octavia spent her days on board with the crew. They learned quickly not to get fresh with her or they'd find themselves sweeping out the cargo hold with no memory of how they ended up down there. Nick fashioned a fishing pole for her and made a lure with a bit of witch magic and the crew fought to take turns hauling trout in from the river Arn for Aggie to cook. Nick spent his days walking along the shore, guiding Jettie and letting Octavia pick his mind for trout recipes and ideas about what life on a farm, and what life as a Royal Guardsman, was like. She grew up a shrine maiden, which was incredibly boring.

In the evening they'd get in the bunk and she would drop the spell that made them look middle-aged and they'd sit in the dark, in their underwear, talking about the day, about anything that came to mind. He would massage Octavia's feet until she purred with delight and always when they woke up together, they were both facing the same end of the bed.

It was becoming addicting to see Octavia's beautiful face first thing in the morning. 'I'm going to miss this,' thought Nick as he gave her a brief peck on the cheek before he worked his way on deck to relieve himself. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. On their last morning aboard the Telepta Queen, Nick heard hoofbeats in the distance. So did Octavia's staff. "Octavia deer, mounted soldiers approach."

Shit! She pulled on her frumpy dress, pulled the three cutlasses out from under the bed, and dashed barefoot up on deck. She gave Nick his sword, Jehans Du Gouey's cutlass, and she strapped on Ziska's cutlass and they both leapt to shore, spooking poor Jettie. They were quickly surrounded by mounted troops, not the heavy lancers that they feared, but the remains of the King's Royal Guard, Lieutenant Claus Hillingham, and the seven remaining soldiers.

"Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu! You are to come with us. You are charged with regicide and multiple counts of murder."

"Pommeraie de la Montesquieu is dead!" shouted Nick. "I killed him and burned his body so there would be no bounty on his corpse."

"I see you carry the cutlass of one of your victims," growled Claus.

"There's a reason why you were put on the guard's advance party, you could take orders. Take this order, run away. There is a bounty on your heads too. Follow me to Teurnia, I can vouch you in. They need excellent soldiers..."

Claus startled Nick and leapt off his horse and approached Nick with his hands open. "Pommy! Listen to me!" Suddenly, Claus's hand dropped to his sword hilt. Time slowed for Nick as he prepared to kill a friend.

"FREEZE!" boomed a voice that echoed off both sides of the Arn river valley. Everyone froze. The eight horses, the seven riders, Claus Hillingham, and even Octavia were stuck in position. They weren't frozen, they just couldn't move. As the sunlight filtered into the river valley, two dragons, a gold and a black dragon, dropped to the tow path. Dozens of Teurnian soldiers stepped out of the trees, led by Major Leomaris Autumnfall.

"My gods Leo! How close were you going to let that get?" asked Nick.

"Only until you wet your pants in fear. So you're Nick again? I thought you hated that name."

"I hate Pommy even more, it means nothing but failure and agony."

Leo turned his attention to Octavia. He touched her shoulder and said, "Madam, could you release the charade you cast on my brother Po... uh, Nick? He's quite ugly at twenty-five, but at fifty-five he's terrifying."

She released the spell, and Leo gasped when he recognized the rightful Queen of Breaze. "My lady! A thousand pardons!" and he dropped to his knees, as did the rest of his men.

"Please do not insult the man I have chosen to guide me," said Octavia in her most queenly voice. "It gives my staff ideas."

"I beg your pardon, your highness, but there is an arrest warrant out for Pommeraie de la Montesquieu for the murder of King Alfrich, General Victor Steinhauer, Lieutenant Franziska Thornhammer, Lieutenant Elodie Sandherr, Sergeant Jehans Du Gouey, Sargent Touénot Duhamel, and that's just the ones I remember."

"As queen of Breaze I hereby absolve Captain de la Montesquieu of any and all wrong doing."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way your highness. I have a king who wants to speak to Pommy."

"Then I officially declare him dead as this stranger said," said Octavia.

"It's not going to work, my queen tried that trick once herself. Come on Nick." Then he unfroze the remaining Royal Guard. "You fellows crossed into our territory in uniform without a treaty, what do we call that?"

"Armed invasion," groaned the troopers.

"Yep come on, everyone to the castle. You and you give up your mounts and assist the barge with getting upstream."

"I have to get my stuff," said Octavia and she clumsily got back onto the barge and ducked below deck and came back up with their blanket, her shoes and her staff. She wrapped their swords up in the blanket and Nick helped her up onto a horse and tied the swords behind the saddle.

"Captain, this is what I wanted to give you." He handed Nick the pocket watch that King Alfrich gave him for a wedding present. "We also have your uniform; we found it in a farmhouse along with the queen's party gown."

"Where did you find this?" said Nick as he turned the watch over and over and looked at the intricate carving. "I thought I had it with me." He opened the cover and, for the first time, he noticed the carving on the inside of the cover. "To the only man in my Kingdom that I trust."

"It was in your uniform pocket."

"What did he inscribe on Ziska's watch?" Nick asked.

"Nothing," lied Octavia. A quick spell erased the inscription before Ziska could ever see it, and that inscription was something that Octavia intended to take to her grave.

Nick turned to assist Octavia on her horse, but she shook her head. He looked into her eyes and saw terror. She's never ridden a horse, and the thought of being thrown from a horse terrified her. "You don't ride horses?" asked Nick.

"I will when you can become one," she said, and she clung to his arm. "I'll walk."

"Will you ride behind me?" asked Nick, and Octavia answered with a silent nod of her head. "Ok," and he swung up into the saddle. He looked at the guardsmen, his remaining guards, and said, "Sara, Isin, help your queen up behind me." The two women hopped off their horse, and they boosted Octavia up behind Nick. "Hold on tight," said Nick.

"I will," she said, and she clung tight. Nothing in her life prepared her for riding a horse. The temple priestesses that raised her informed her that there was no reason for a temple maiden to spread her legs like this. That caused some giggling among the older girls, but she never understood what the humor was... until now. Bits of her were rubbing as the horse moved. It was very disconcerting.

Nick wheeled his horse around, following Leo as they rode off along with the eight guardsmen, and one hundred mounted Teurnian soldiers upriver toward the castle.

"What the hell is going on here?" demanded Captain Jack as the formation of Teurnian soldiers rode off.

"Captain, you're going to love this story," said the Teurnian soldier that Major Autumnfall assigned to his barge.

"To blazes with the story, that was the best mule skinner I ever had!"

<><><><><>

Feel my love...

Octavia was riding in a hazy dream state as they rode along the peaceful Arn River. The motion of the horse, the nearness of Nick, the sound of his heart as she held her ear to his back lulled her into a sweet, foggy dream. She didn't want to fall in love with Nick. She still remembered the looks he gave her when they first met. She was stealing his king from him, and he hated her for that. And she was a wizard. He hated her for that too; he saw her as a threat to the kingdom. She didn't want to become a wizard; she was just reading. It just happened. Then Saehrimnir blessed her ascendancy to wizard, so what could she do?

Feel my love...

When she first saw Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu in his 'field uniform' all leather and midnight blue and mithril piping, he looked like he could take on the world - and win. He was so in love with his lieutenant... did he see her as a threat? How could she betray his love by sleeping with the king? Octavia vowed to never tell him, but she knew he will find out and she began to weep for his future agony.

Feel my love...

She knew what she had become, but she could not predict how Nick would react when he finds out. Maybe he didn't know what an enchantress was. All she could do was hold him tight, revel in his feel and his scent, and hope he doesn't hit her when he finds out.

Feel my love...

Just past the noon hour, they rode through the city gates to the cheering from a small crowd waited for the soldiers' return, probably the families of younger soldiers, out on their first no-notice deployment. The city gates passing overhead and the cheers of the crowd roused Octavia from her dreamy nap.

"You ok back there?" asked Nick. In answer, Octavia snuggled closer. "Ok, we'll be dismounting soon, hang on." She whimpered in response. Her butt ached, her back ached, her hips ached, but she didn't want it to end. They soon rode into a huge pasture and, one by one, the troopers dismounted and unsaddled the horses and took their saddles up to a large barn like structure.

Inside the barn they hung the saddles, bits, and horse blankets on numbered racks. Then, at large troughs with running water, the troops washed the trail dust off. As they were brushing the dust off each other, Dante Fletcher, the First Sergeant of the Mounted Royal Guard, came up to Nick and held a rolled bundle. "Sir, the troops of the Mounted Royal Guard respectfully request that you wear this when you present us to the king."

"I don't..." started Nick, but he was interrupted.

"That's a wonderful idea!" said Octavia cheerfully. "And I'll put on my gown, then we'll present ourselves to the king!"

His uniform had been rolled up and tied to a saddle bag and when he unrolled it, he found that it was a wrinkled mess. "It's unwearable," he said. "I can't present myself to the king in this." His batman, if Corporal Heinz was still alive, would shriek and swear the entire time he pressed the uniform back to the state that he demands.

"Do not forget Captain, that one of us is a witch!" said Octavia cheerfully.

Even the epaulettes, those mithril silver tassels at the end of his shoulder boards, were a tangled mess. He felt more presentable in his mule skinner garb, but he followed Octavia into an unused horse stable to dress. He closed the stable door, and she moved close to the front corner where a passerby wouldn't see her dressing. "Turn your back!" she ordered, and Nick turned and faced the back wall as he changed.

When he was finished, he turned around, and Octavia looked perfect. She wore a midnight blue gown that matched his uniform, mithril silver jewelry, and even her queenly tiara. "Oh dear, you boys get so messy," said the queen, and she began lightly running her hands over his uniform, smoothing the wrinkles, ironing the creases, polishing the buttons and his medals. She had his medals in her handbag, and she expertly pinned them to his jacket.

With his uniform squared away, she helped him attach his mithril/steel cutlass to his sword belt, and he was ready. "When I regain the throne, I think I'll make you my royal consort. Do you agree?"

Nick was stunned at the way his uniform turned out, so he agreed with Octavia. It might be easier on his back to be the queen's assistant. At least that's what consort means, right? They stepped out of the stable to the shock of the Royal Guards. "Do you have an iron in there sir?" asked one of the troopers.

"The queen has learned a few magic tricks with fabric," said Nick and Octavia gave the rest of the troops a quick once-over with her fabric spell, pressing their uniforms and polishing the silver buttons. These poor troops have been through so much, the queen magically pressing their uniforms was not much of a shock.

"Lieutenant, are we ready to proceed?" asked Nick.

"The unit is yours to command sir," answered Claus Hillingham.

"Squad! Line up, columns of two, protective posture!" called out Nick in his clearest military, commanding voice. Quickly, the squad lined up in two columns of four on either side of Nick and Octavia. Van Spengler, the shortest trooper, traditionally carried the unit guidon flag from the point position. "Lieutenant, take us out!"

Lieutenant Hillingham called, "Parade cadence... Forward MARCH!" The troops stepped out. The parade cadence told the troopers to pull their swords an inch out of the sheath, then slam in back down whenever their right foot hit the ground. The resulting clicks from the marching troopers echoed off the stone buildings as they marched through the capital city of Lutetia. Nick gave directions to the lieutenant where to take the formation, so as they marched through the streets the Lieutenant would call out "Column left, MARCH" or whatever was needed.

"You doing ok?" Nick softly asked Octavia.

"This is kind of fun," she said. She tried to keep in step with the surrounding troops, but her skirt was so long nobody would notice if she was out of step, so she just tried to stay in rhythm.

"Let me know if we're going too quick, we can adjust our step," said Nick.

"I'd feel better if we could hold hands," she said shyly.

"In formation? The troops would rebel." When Octavia stopped giggling, Nick called out. "FIRST SERGEANT! Give us a cadence for the Queen."

"Aye sir!" called First Sergeant Dane Fletcher. Then he began to sing:

"Iron shod and sword in hand..."

"FOR THE QUEEN!" shouted the formation, including Nick.

"We ride and fight for queen and land."

"FOR THE QUEEN!"

"Steel will ring and shield will break..."

"FOR THE QUEEN!"

"But none shall cause our hearts to break."

"FOR THE QUEEN!"

"Through mud and blood we do not yield..."

"FOR THE QUEEN!"

"We are the wrath of the battlefield."

"FOR THE QUEEN!"

"That was so thrilling!" gushed the young widowed queen. Who would have guessed that her first genuine laugh of joy would come when marching through a foreign city with her remaining troops?

"Do Sally Bluestockings!" called someone from the back. The request made the formation chuckle as they marched.

"Do NOT do Sally Bluestockings," said Nick and Claus at the same time, causing the entire formation to chuckle even louder.

"Why not?" asked Octavia.

"It's about the girl left behind," said Nick.

"So?"

"By the end of the song the only thing she has on is her blue stockings."

"Ohhhh!"

However, by that time, they were at the palace. It was a massive castle made of the same gray stone that the entire city was made of and the streets were paved with. As they came up to the steps, Claus called out, "Route step, march!" and the troops broke step and climbed the thirteen steps to the palace entrance. They halted at the palace door, a huge, imposing thing of wood and iron. A side door opened and the palace herald stepped out. "Who commands this invading army?"

"Lord Smithson!" called Nick. "I demand your surrender... or a sandwich."

The herald walked up to Nick with a huge grin. "Captain Monty! It's so good to see you. We all feared you were lost." They shook hands and hugged.

"Lord Smithson, this is Octavia Anghart, the queen of Breaze, my lady, this is Lord Smithson, herald to the court of King Lars Ranzau, ruler of Teurnia, protector of Mons Sunnah mountains and all creatures therein."

"Your majesty!" gasped Lord Smithson as he took her hand and dropped to a knee. "We thought you were lost too."

"I'm here," said Octavia, trying to think of something queenlike to say.

Major Leomaris Autumnfall and eight Teurnian Royal Guardsmen stepped out the small side door and lined up next to the Breaze troops. "Lord Smithson," said Leo. "I believe the queen and her protectors are going to request sanctuary in our fair city, is that right... Nick?"

"No, not sanctuary, we are not seeking religious protection. And not refuge," said the queen. "We are not refugees. We are Breaze and we have been allied with Teurnia for centuries."

Leo patted Nick on the shoulder. "Your queen is wise my friend. Let's go see the king." He gestured and the two massive doors slowly slid open and it was clear that the two inch thick oak was a façade. The doors were two feet thick granite.

"Line up boys, said Nick and the troopers lined up as before but this time each one had a Teurnian on his side. "They're here to protect their king," said Nick. "Just follow your training."

"Squad, forward, march!"

From the throne, King Lars Ranzau and Queen Rania Haldir watched the troops enter. They knew exactly what was going on, because they had flown over the 'battlefield' on the Arn River that morning. When Nick and Octavia headed upriver on a barge wearing a disguise spell to look older, it was reported to Lars that two people entered Teurnia and were approaching the castle, masking their identity with magic. Then, when dragon flyovers reported that a squadron of eight Breaze mounted troops were racing up the towpath, it became too delicious to ignore. He dispatched Leomaris and 100 crack riders, then he and Rania both mounted their dragons to watch the two meet the eight, meet the one hundred.

Lars chuckled to himself. There's nothing his old friend Pommy could do now to surprise him.

The troops' formation became a line across, and each Breaze trooper dropped to one knee with their heads bowed. "My lady," called King Lars. "What brings you to our fair land?"

"Your majesty," said Octavia. She said it way too loud because she was nervous, but she continued. "We seek shelter in your land to give us time to plan our next move."

"And who is 'us' dear lady?"

"A thousand pardons sire. I am Queen Octavia Anghart of Breaze, ruler of Breaze and the northern plains. These are my remaining loyal troops, my mounted royal guard, and my fiancé, Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu.

Fiancé? Thought Lars and Rania at the same time. Damned if Pommy didn't surprise him again!

<><><><><>֍<><><><><>

Chapter 10 - The Hearing

"POMMY!" cried King Lars of Teurnia and he gave Nick an enormous hug. "Gods be damned it's good to see you. I thought we lost you."

"It's good to be seen," said Nick as he felt Octavia's hand slip into his. "Your majesty, may I present Queen Octavia, the surviving sovereign ruler of the kingdom of Breaze."

"Queen Octavia," said King Lars. "Please allow me to introduce my Queen, Rania Haldir of Clan Neithaor."

Queen Rania grasped Octavia's free hand and being an elf, she realized in an instant, what Octavia's true nature was. "Does Pommy know?"

"No, I think he has a guess, but we've been concentrating on so many other things. It's been confusing. I'd like to feed my men," she said.

"Major Autumnfall, take these men to the dining hall."

"Yes sire."

"Pommy, please follow me," and the king led Nick up several floors, with Octavia following. He led Nick to a beautiful suite. "My friend, I'm afraid I'm going to have to place you under arrest until your innocence can be determined. If you'd like a larger cell, I can arrange one."

The room was massive. To one side was a canopy bed that could easily fit four people. Next to it was a dining table and sideboard. Across the room was a fireplace and a library. It had an outdoor patio overseeing the courtyard garden, and an enormous bathtub. "It's a gilded cage, but it's a cage," said Lars. "You have access to anything in the palace, including the hot spring. Just tell the guard where you want to go, and they will escort you, but we can't let you into the temple."

Nick sat on the bed and looked at his hands sadly. "How many murders am I charged with?" His voice was a harsh whisper.

"Nine," said King Lars.

"I served my king in various capacities for that many years," said Nick sadly. "In all those years, three hundred fifty eight days each year, I never drew my sword in anger. I held him when he wept the day we found Queen Elinor's lifeless body."

{Footnote: Nick was exaggerating. On the planet Kodu, there are only 352 days in a year}

"We will send lunch up in a few minutes," said Queen Rania.

"Why not the temple?" asked Octavia as she sat with Nick and held his hand.

"Pommy has..." started Lars, but Nick interrupted.

"Please call me Nick, your majesty. Pommy died with his wife and his king. Nick Stein is the name I was born with, and the name I intend to die with."

King Lars looked truly saddened when Nick said that. "My apologies." The king turned to Octavia and said, "my lady, Nick has a temple key. He can step into a temple gateway without the permission of any gods or temple priests and go anywhere."

"I didn't know that" said Octavia. "Could you please send our clothing up here? I love this gown but it contains some sad memories."

"Will you be dining with us?" asked King Lars. "We will be having an Edhellond sea lettuce salad, one of Rania's favorites."

"I will take my meals here with Nick," said Octavia firmly.

"You are not under arrest, my lady, you are free to move about the palace, or the city if you desire."

"Meaning no disrespect, your majesty," said Octavia firmly. "But my right hand has been nailed to a wall, and I'm given freedom to move about? My place is here, with my advisor, my protector."

Queen Rania, who had been silent for most of the conversation, whispered something in Lars' ear. He looked at Octavia and his eyebrows shot up. "Then by all means, Nick, Octavia, please join us for lunch. We will be dining with my legal team."

Nick and Octavia rose and their hands remained joined as they followed the king and queen down to the first floor, then into the central courtyard. The central courtyard was a forest garden. It was filled with exotic trees and flowers and birds of all kinds. Butterflies and miniature dragons fluttered from tree to tree. Large honeybugs, a type of honeybee but three times the size with iridescent wings, drifted about the garden on buzzing wings. An octet of fairies sang popular songs and followed them down the winding path that led through the courtyard. An arched bridge lifted them over a stream that flowed through the forest; it was filled with dazzling fish of a multitude of colors.

"This is beautiful!" gasped Octavia.

"It's also secure," said Lars as he pointed up. Above them on balconies were elf bowmen, ready to shoot anyone not allowed into the courtyard. "There's so much natural ambient noise that makes it almost impossible to overhear a conversation."

"It's beautiful!" said Octavia as they were led to a clearing in the shade of a rose-elm tree. All sat at the table, but there were three empty seats.

"It's beautiful but also very practical," said Lars. "All of my wives are forest elves and this makes them happy."

"Wives?" asked Octavia, shocked.

Nick put his lips next to her ear and whispered, "He's not human."

Lars smiled at Octavia and said, "He's right. I'm... Oh, right on time, here's my legal team," and three beautiful, nearly identical female elves stepped up to the table. Nick rose and the three elves cooed when they saw his dress uniform.

"Pommy, aren't you locked up?" two of the elf maidens said in unison.

Ignoring what the elf said, Nick turned to Octavia and said, "Dear, this is Lana, Nora, and Olah Ulavaris. They are married to King Lars. He snagged up the only elf triplets on Kodu."

"Four wives? You must be some kind of incubus!" gasped Octavia.

"He is," said Nick.

"He is!" said Queen Rania with a knowing smile.

"I was kidding," scolded Octavia.

"But that doesn't mean you were wrong," said Lars with a boyish smile.

"You're an incubus?" asked Octavia.

"Yes he is!" said his legal team as they settled in their chairs.

"That makes several very rare creatures seated at this table," said King Lars. "There are not many of my kind, there are no other elf triplets known, and there is only one of you."

Octavia glared at Lars. "I'm sure there's other female wizards in the world, it's not really all that hard to do."

"No, there isn't any other female wizards and you know that's not what I was talking about. Ah our lunch is served."

Servants brought shell shaped bowls of a salad that Octavia had never seen before. It was mostly dried sea lettuce, but there were many other vegetables involved. Like a standard elf salad, there was no salad dressing, instead other items were added to add flavor, like chopped fruit or fried leeks. This salad had several small fish and shrimp along with the chopped vegetables and fruit. It was tossed with a touch of grape syrup.

"How is this hearing going to play out?" asked Nick.

The triplets spoke together softly, then one of them said, "King Lars will take memory testimony from all witnesses. Based on their memory testimony, King Lars will determine if your claim of innocence is sufficient. If it is sufficient, the king will declare you innocent and any attempt to prosecute you would be considered an insult to the king and potentially an act of war. If it is not sufficient, you will be turned over to the trial authority in Orfeo."

"In where?" demanded Octavia.

"Orfeo. It is what Lord Ermes Flaminio plans to rename Breaze to... or has publicly announced the future name change."

"Orfeo is another name for Zeddicus," said Nick softly.

"That ancient, drunken, corrupt pedophile!" said Octavia firmly. "I should have known Flaminio was behind it all!"

"My lady," gasped Lana. "It is bad form to address royalty as such."

"What are they going to do? Kill my husband? Blame my guard? Put a price on my head and hunt me for hundreds of miles? I will not stand for it! And I will not tolerate changing Breaze to Orfeo."

"Changing the name is one thing, your highness," said King Lars softly. "Building a temple to Zeddicus and consecrating it gives Zeddicus a portal into Kodu."

"So?" asked Queen Rania. "He's the god of dreams. What's the big deal?"

"That's a lie," said Lars. "He's the god of lies and the king of the underworld. You do not want the god of Lies running free on Kodu."

Nick groaned. Zeddicus... also known as Shayde Quinn, Sangrey, Orfeo, and Natas. The ruler of the dark, the eater of souls. God of lies is one of the nicest things you can say about him. Octavia placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and whispered, "what are you thinking?"

"It's rumored that there are tunnels and caves under Morna Oron. Dwarven keeps, Mountain Elf castles, human mines. As soon as this humiliation is over I'm going to bury myself in one of them and let this world tear itself apart with Zeddicus."

"If there is a humiliation, it will be the accusers from Breaze," said Nora firmly.

"We only want the truth," said her sister Lana.

"Am I allowed to provide a defense during this hearing?" asked Nick.

"There's no need for that," said Olah. "The king makes a ruling on the memory testimonies; there are no arguments."

"What if I have a question on procedure?" asked Nick.

The three elves leaned together and whispered, then they turned to Nick and Nora spoke. "You cannot speak unless questioned in the hearing. But Lana agreed to represent you. Direct your questions to her."

Lana turned to Nick and said, "this is a hearing using memory testimonies. There is no cross examination, there are no follow on questions. The solicitors are allowed to ask four only questions; will you bear witness?' is that your name? how did you kill the king? and then what did you do? It doesn't matter what you verbally say, but you have to answer the question. Each question is intended to stir the memory. A wizard on each side of you will project the images of your memory above your head. The image plus what you say is a memory testimony. The king will make his decision on what he hears you say and what he sees. Anything else, any outburst, any incorrectly worded question, any additional question is a subversion of how this hearing is set up and my husband takes these hearings very seriously."

"Understood," said Nick, and a blackness fell over him. He was being prosecuted for performing his duty. A conspiracy of lies was formed to bring an end to his life in a noose or on a stake. He fell silent as the conversation went on around him. His life now depended on the decision of an incubus. Nick has known Lars since the first time he 'temple hopped' from Uduithia to Breaze and paused in Teurnia, but at the same time, he didn't know him. An incubus is not human. They have different values and they think differently. Plus, Lars changed since he reached his prime and assembled his harem. He changed again when his father retired and passed the throne to him. Nick didn't know Lars anymore, but he knew that Lars wouldn't turn down a request.

"Nick! Pommy! Whatever you answer to now!" called Lars, waking Nick out of his trance. "Where were you?"

"I was reviewing my options," said Nick without looking up from his uneaten lunch.

"I'm sure your worries will come to nothing, but ease your burden. We've been friends long before we became allies, speak to me," said a concerned king.

"If you find against me, I have two requests, if I may, your majesty."

"I doubt it will come to that, but speak, what do you desire?"

"I request that my friend Leomaris Autumnfall escort Queen Octavia to Uduithia and give her my cottage. Leo knows where it is. Take the remains of the royal guard to protect her."

"It shall be done. And your other request?"

"If you find guilt and are to turn me over to Lord Flaminio's troops, I will admit my guilt to you if you promise to perform the execution here. I know I will find a merciful death among friends."

Octavia shrieked when she heard that. She grasped his arm, weeping and pleading for him to banish such thoughts, but Lars nodded. "It shall be done."

<><><><><>

The throne room was a crowded mob. Politicians and royals from all over Western Edux came primarily to discover what happened in Breaze. Breaze was a friend. The farmers of Breaze provided grains and cattle to feed many of the western kingdoms. Then suddenly the pipeline closed, and the palace of King Alfrich refused to respond to their requests for information. The rumor mills insinuated that the new queen killed him.

Most of the people from Teurnia who viewed the marriage and coronation and left immediately after the ceremonies were in the throne room audience. The people of Teurnia that stayed in Breaze to attend the king's ball never returned home.

The throne room was arranged for court, with a desk for the prosecution and a desk for the defense. To the king's left was the witness stand, a large, uncomfortable chair with a court wizard on either side of the chair. The benches set up for the audience were soon filled as viewers from all over the middle shores and the Mons Sunnah mountains. Passenger barges with the well-to-do and the curious were still unloading when the king rapped his staff on the ground and called, "Inquisitor, you may present your case."

"Hear ye all!" shouted Nora Ulavaris. "On Mystara 11, 3430, King Alfrich, king of Breaze and ruler of the northern plains was brutally murdered along with over seventy guests of the king and queen. Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu stands accused of murdering King Alfrich and Lieutenant Franziska Thornhammer and seven others. This hearing is to determine if there is enough evidence to seek a prosecution of Captain Pommeraie de la Montesquieu in these and other brutal slayings. Any and all witnesses are liable to provide memory testimony in this hearing."

Nora paused to let silence reign in the throne room. When all murmuring stopped, Lars nodded and Nora turned to Nick and said, "Captain de la Montesquieu, could you bear witness?"

"Yes." Nick slowly walked across the throne room and sat down in the witness chair. When he was seated, Nora asked, "Is Pommeraie de la Montesquieu your name?"

"It is what I am called but it is not my birth name. The temple priest of the Temple of the Woods in Uduithia gave me this name when I was eight and brought me into his family." The wizards on either side of him nodded that he was telling the truth, then held the tips of their staffs next to his head.

"Captain de la Montesquieu, can you tell us how you killed the king?"

"I did not kill the king!" insisted Nick. Above him, the image of his memory of the king's death was shown. The audience in the courtroom gasped as they saw General Victor Steinhauer murder Franziska Thornhammer and King Alfrich as they danced. They saw everything, Nick's brutal killing of the general, of fighting back to the exit, of tripping over Jehan's body, then fighting his way past the army clods in the doorway.

"After that, what did you do?"

"The queen and I traveled overland in the dark to Haddosa Bay, then by boat to Edhellond, then we hired on to a cargo barge to travel upstream to here." As he spoke, snippets of his memories showed above his head."

"Thank you."

"Your majesty!" cried Tierri Pithou, a solicitor from Breaze. "These memories are fabrications. It's nothing like what I saw. My witnesses will show you the truth."

Lars raised a hand for silence, then gestured to Nora to continue. "Will her majesty, Octavia Anghart of Folstonborough, Queen of Breaze and ruler of the northern plains bear witness?"

Before Octavia got up to take the witness stand, Nick kissed her hand and whispered, "be Octavia." The terrified young woman nodded. His instruction to 'be Octavia' told her to let her true feelings out and not act like an emotionally isolated sovereign. She sat down in the chair and Nora asked, "Are you indeed Octavia Anghart?"

"Yes, the temple priests named me Octavia when I was placed in their care, and Anghart became my name when Baron Anghart adopted me."

"Your majesty, can you tell us how you killed the king?"

"I did not kill the king! It was awful! It was a beast in armor; he stabbed Ziska and my king at the same time! I was married only six hours!" She broke down in tears and the court saw her memories above her head, of Nick chopping off the general's arms, of fighting back anyone that got near her, of leading her through the black hallway and tripping over his men and being jumped by five men in army uniforms as they stepped outside. The viewers of her memories could feel her terror and were saddened for the young widow queen. People openly wept over the first two testimonies.

"After that, what did you do?"

When her sobbing subsided, she said, "Captain de la Montesquieu guided me overland..." Her memories of fleeing through the darkest night she had ever seen were seen by everyone. Then her memories of sailing up the Edux coast and seeing how he worked to calm her down. Of long days on the river barge and sitting up nights with Pommy talking while a cool breeze came in through the tiny port hole.

"Thank you."

"Your majesty!" cried Tierri Pithou, who leapt to his feet. "You didn't ask the most important question. Octavia are you in love with Captain de la Montesquieu?"

"Do not answer that!" said the king, and he gestured the solicitor from Breaze to approach the throne.

"Your highness?"

"Mister Pithou, this is a hearing using memory testimonies. There is no cross examination, there are no follow on questions. You are allowed to ask four questions. Also, Mister Pithou, regardless of what you think, Queen Octavia is royalty. Your outburst was an attack on her position. You are fined one hundred gold or you will spend one year in prison. You have one week to choose. Now go sit down and keep your tongue stilled until it is your turn, or I will cut it out of your head."

As he spoke, the king's eyes glowed red, and it was then that Terri Pithou realized that the king was not a human being. He returned to his seat, pale and shaking. He sat, realizing that the general who sent him to do this did not know what memory testimony was. Finally, he was startled back to the hearing when Nora said, "Mister Pithow, do you have a witness?"

"Yes, sorry, I have three. Osmund Pownder, will you bare witness?" A skinny, nervous person sat on the witness chair and Terri Pithow said, "Is Osmund Pownder your name."

The skinny man thought about it, then said, "Yes," but the wizard on either side of him shook his head no. The king made a gesture and two guards dragged the skinny man off the witness stand.

"What was that?" demanded Terri.

Nora grinned and said, "he's being taken somewhere else where they will help him remember his real name. Your next witness Mister Solicitor?" Elf maidens can be soul crushing when they want to.

"Francis Mareys, will you bare witness?" A large, scarred man with greasy hair and a broken nose got on the witness seat. "Is Francis Mareys your name?"

"Yes." This time both wizards nodded their heads and placed the tips of their staffs near his head.

"Mister Mareys, how did you kill the king?"

"I didn't kill no king; I was serving tables when I saw that fellow there stab the king."

The memories were jumbled, but somehow they showed Nick jumping up from his seat and stabbing the king in the back while he was dancing with Octavia. In his memory, Nick was wearing an army uniform, and he stabbed the king with a small knife.

"What did you do then?"

"I, uh, I hid, I didn't want to get killed."

The memories were clearer this time. Mister Mareys remembered stabbing and slashing people that were cowering under the tables. The audience gasped as they watched Mareys follow Nick and Octavia to the exit, but in the dark hallway Nick slashed his sword arm.

The next witness, Jacob Daunce, was worse. His memories of Nick killing the king were jumpy and hard to understand. His memories of what he did after the king's death were pursuing Nick and Octavia out of the ballroom, but he stopped at the exit door and was ordered to kill members of the orchestra. Blood, body parts and chopped instruments flew as Daunce and several other men dressed as waiters fell on the orchestra like starving tigers.

"Are there any more witnesses?" asked Queen Rania. The elven queen was clearly disgusted by what she had seen. The audience who came to see blood was nauseated by the memories they were witnessing.

"I have two more witnesses," said Nora with a smile that only another female elf would be able to read. With a nod from the king, she continued. "Rys Oladi, will you bare witness?"

"Yes I will," said an elf, and he rose slowly to take a seat in the witness seat. He was clearly a mountain elf, and Nick remembered seeing him at the ball. Mountain elves are rare. Their pointed ears stick out instead of back, and his eyes were huge and purple. There's very few mountain elves left and Rys was injured. His arm was in a sling and he was bandaged in several places and walking with a severe limp.

After Rys slowly seated himself in the witness chair, Nora asked, "Is your name Rys Oladi?" He said yes and the wizards affirmed his answer then placed their staffs next to his head. "How did you kill the king?"

"I didn't kill the king, I was on loan to the Royal Breaze Orchestra for the wedding, coronation, and ball. I played cello and I'm told I was good. Then right in front of the orchestra General Steinhauer entered through the rear exit, pulled a broad sword and stabbed through Lieutenant Thornhammer back and into King Alfrich's heart killing them both immediately. I clearly remember watching the horror on the captain and the queens faces. Just hours after their weddings they were both suddenly widowed. I remember wondering if I knew any music as sorrowful as their expressions..." and the elf broke down in tears. The memory images over his head were clear. It happened just the way he said it happened.

"What did you do then?"

"We, the entire orchestra, were trapped in the corner... we couldn't escape, we were slaughtered. All I could do is pretend I was dead but still, some maniac stabbed me over and over..." The memory images above Rys's head showed the previous witness, Jacob Daunce, stabbing him again and again.

When he fell silent, King Lars stepped over to the witness stand and assisted Rys to his feet and helped him back to where he was sitting. Then Lars dared a look at Nick and Octavia and they were both in tears, trying to hold back the pain of what had happened three weeks ago.

"Any more witnesses," the king asked as he slumped into his chair.

"Just one," said the elf with a rather evil grin. "Terri Pithou, will you bare witness?"

The solicitor from Breaze realized that he had two armed guardsmen standing behind him. "I would rather not."

"You're already looking for a year in prison, would you like to make it five years?"

"I can't!" sputtered Terri. "You don't know those people. They'll kill me!"

"So will I," snarled Lars from the throne.

Terri finally sat down on the witness stand. Nora waited a long time until he was uncomfortable, then asked, "Is your name Terri Pithou?"

"No." He refused to say any more, but the Wizards nodded their agreement, then put the ends of their staffs close to his head.

"How did you kill King Alfrich?" asked Nora.

"I didn't kill him." Above his head were images of standing in line in the hallway in an army uniform, with Captain de la Montesquieu inspecting everyone and chewing them out. "I cannot wait to talk to your commanding officer over your sloppy, lazy appearance," the captain roared. There was a quick flash of an officer lying dead in his office, stabbed with his own lance. Then there was the image of standing in the ballroom against the wall, while he and his buddies pretended to be tin soldiers. They watched the people eat, then the orchestra called for the king and queen to dance. The general was supposed to strike right away, but he was late getting into the ballroom because of a demi-giant that refused to die in the hallway. When he struck, the king was dancing with the Captain's wife. The soldiers lining the wall actually laughed about that! That was their signal to strike.

"What did you do then?"

The man who identified himself as Terri Pithou once again said, "I didn't kill the king." Images of wanton slaughter appeared over his head. Chopping, stabbing, hacking at guests who crawled under the tables. An image of him stabbing a pregnant woman straight through her swollen belly while her husband begged for mercy, caused the crowd in the courtroom to rise and demand retribution. The people shouted for revenge while Nick and Octavia clung to each other and wept.

"Go up to your room," said Lana. "Let us sort this mess out."

Nick helped Octavia to her feet and together they walked out the side door of the courtroom. A glance back over his shoulders showed Lars watching as two furious soldiers roughly dragged the man once known as Terri Pithou out of the court room. They were followed by soldiers dragging Jacob Daunce and Francis Mareys to the dungeon as well.

Two guards guided Nick and Octavia out of the throne room while Nora, Lana, and Olah tried to restore order. They led the couple through a side door, then up several flights of stairs to Nick's room. There, Nick took off his uniform and hung it up, then wearing only a pair of shorts, he lay down on the bed. "I need a nap, my queen."

She joined him in the bed they shared for the past two weeks. Neither of them could really get much sleep. Whenever their eyes closed, the memories of the past came roaring back at them and sleep became impossible. They'd get up to find a book to read or sometimes end up clinging to each other, wishing the nightmares away. Occasionally Octavia would wake to find Nick at the table with a book on wizardry, trying to levitate a spoon. But after the hearing, something changed. They both felt like something had been purged, and they both felt sleep creep up on them.

Octavia took her normal position with her head on Nick's shoulder. He felt more relaxed. He always tensed up when she did this, but this afternoon, he put an arm around her and pulled her close. "My queen..." he said, but she stopped him.

"Are you going to say something sad? 'My Queen' is so formal."

"No, I don't think it's sad, but you are my queen, even though your kingdom is a kingdom of one."

"What do you want to say?"

"What I'm saying is, you've called me your fiancé several times... I need you to know that I am still mourning Ziska's death. We were lovers for over a year and her death is sorrowful to me."

"I'm sorry," said Octavia in a whisper. "Alfrich was a good man, but we were barely friends. We were headed in that direction so I don't know the sorrow you feel. I am sorry, I'll stop calling you my fiancé."

"No, that's not what I'm saying. When you say that it gives me hope that I'll rise out of this nightmare of malaise and sadness that I've been living in. What I'm saying is I'm sure that someday I'll be proud to hear you say that, and I will eagerly call you my fiancée as well."

A feeling of joy ran through Octavia. She believed deep in her heart that she had become an enchantress - THE enchantress - and that she could make him fall in love with her with just a wink, a magical gesture, and his heart would be hers. But would that be right? He'd end up a slave to her, be it wanton desires, or just a desire for a well-cooked meal. No, she would continue to hold back the urge to do the simplest of spells and let it happen naturally between them. Until then, she'd share her feelings for him whenever they touch.

Feel my love...

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To be continued...