Chapter 10: The king and I

Celia’s infection cleared up completely a week before we entered the capitol. The scars she wouldn’t let me see but Chandra assured me that they were slowly fading. I knew that I couldn’t wait much longer for a; very long, very hot bath. It had been four days since my last one at a small town’s inn.

According to Allard’s writ, he was supposed to take us straight away to the king, but since we didn’t enter the city until after nightfall, he agreed that we could stay at my house until we were summoned the following morning. He, thankfully, took all of our guards with him to the king’s barracks. Hector and Armand unloaded the carriage for me even though they too were both tired after a long journey. Each of them more than earned the pouch of coins that I handed them with my sincere thanks, we would never have made it without their help. I received two formal salutes before the experienced soldiers departed with appreciation of my generous bonus.

Emily and Dina left to go to the temple with promises that we would talk later after following us home. She knew the way to the temple but wanted to know where I lived was the excuse that Emily gave at not parting from us once we entered the city.

Celia, unsurprisingly, claimed to be too tired to go any further and politely asked to stay in my guest room. Since I haven’t been able to deny her much of anything since the night that I spanked her, I acquiesced. My household had been mostly empty for the last couple of months and even with the messengers that were sent ahead, only had two baths ready for us. The girls shared one and both demanded that I use the other making all sorts of derogatory comments about my odor. I didn’t think that I smelled of dead bears but who was I do argue with such stout opposition. Honestly, I didn’t complain or argue, for I wanted to be soaking in that warm that bath too much.

Cara my live in housekeeper, had a full fruit platter ready and while my bathwater wasn’t hot, it was clean and all mine. The girls had the good brass tub where I was washing an all too narrow barrel. I scrubbed and then soaked until the cold water became uncomfortable.

Stretching out on my overlarge purple bed in my purple room, royal purple decorated courtesy of Chandra’s grandmother who was the previous owner, I thought back on the trip and all that had happened. I made friends, enemies and found out what I needed to know about the slavers and slavery in general. I lost Megan and Yolanda, which sucked, but I found out about the war that was coming and hopefully we could stop it or at least mitigate the damage.

Kalabar.

Hearing the door open, I told Cara that we could leave the bath water until tomorrow. It wasn’t Cara.

“Can I sleep here tonight?” Here. I was laying on my towel naked when Celia walked in asking to sleep with me. I had already extinguished the candles but I still felt exposed.

“Yes.” I hurriedly snatched a pair of boxers and dressed before turning back the covers for her. She held the skirts up so they didn’t drag on the floor as she approached the bed, it looked thin and dark, most likely purple. She must have been wearing one of the nightgowns that remained from Chandra’s grandmother who was Chandra’s height. I stroked Celia’s damp strawberry curls and talked her to sleep. I had already foreseen my doom, and she had been part of it as Emily so merrily pointed out. I gestured to Chandra who still remained in the opening of my bedroom watching us. With my superior night vision, I saw her shake her head to the negative and gestured again for her to come in. She did wearily.

Wearing a thicker nightgown that matched Celia’s, she approached tentatively, I reached for her hand and pulled her to me. Celia had curled up to my back and already started drifting. The bed was more than large enough to fit the three of us and I pulled my soon to be lover in also. Chandra crawled in with us curled up against me too. I rolled over on my back and just enjoyed the feel of two very pleasant bodies, as they curled up against me.

“Night Chandra,” came from my left.

“Night Celia,” came from my right.

Neither said anything to me and I didn’t fall asleep until very late thinking of the consequences of tonight. While trying not to think of the two bodies that were wrapped around me sleeping peaceably. Both of them had their arms on my chest and had a leg over one of mine. It had to be intentional but there wasn’t anything that I could do about it, not that I really wanted to, both felt too good where they were.

In the morning Chandra woke me with a very brief kiss on the lips and then rolled off of me. I untangled myself from Celia and went through my morning ablutions while Chandra left the room and Celia remained sleeping. I dressed and met Chandra downstairs for our meeting with her father. After a quick breakfast we were greeted by a small contingent of soldiers waiting for us outside my house to escort us to the king.

This was the first time that I had ever been in a castle, the walled and gated area that we had to pass through seemed more than enough to stop any but the most determined and numerous foes. The castle itself looked to be three floors above ground and I guessed at least one below if not two. The entrance was lined with ancient tapestries on the walls and a long runner on the granite floor that we followed to the throne room. Even with the tapestries I still could feel a chill radiating from the stone walls.

It was a closed session, my first meeting with Chandra’s father. He reminded me of the pictures of Henry the VIII, over-stuffed and all too pampered, although without the robes that is so often pictured in Shakespearean plays. In the hall were eight guards that I could find, King Jonas, Queen Kristen, Lord Allard and Chandra and myself.

I didn’t expect a friendly visit since he summoned us at dawn and brought us straight here. They didn’t try and take my sword, nor did they harass us in any way. The guard leader, a minor noble named Whitey politely but firmly made it known that the king would like to see us now when he arrived at my house at dawn.

Celia remained in bed by my suggestion, I didn’t see a reason for her to get up and one of us should get some sleep. We would be back for her later, and Chandra grumbled nonstop until we left the house. Her expression changed to long suffering even after she bowed to her father.

The seneschal announced us making us sound all too much like a couple. I bowed with Chandra, where she replied, “You summoned me Father?” I replied, with a simple, “Your majesty,” and waited on his pleasure. The doors closed behind us while we spoke.

“I don’t recall giving you permission to take the Lady Megan home daughter.”

“You didn’t say that I couldn’t. Besides it’s not for you to say anymore, remember. I dedicated myself to Kassandra and to her teachings. Not to you.”

Ug.

This sounded like a long argument that they have been having for years and now I was about to get dragged into it.

“You are still of my household girl until you marry or become one of those Gods forsaken Sisters. You will obey me.”

Yikes, don’t let them hear that!

“No father, I won’t! I obey Lord Charles and the Sisters, not you!”

I am going to wring her neck for that.

And here she says that I make too many waves and provoke too many people.

He stood at the top of the dais looking down at us glowering with anger. “So you are Lord Charles of this America that I have heard so much about. What are you doing with my daughter?”

“Teaching her, Your Majesty.” I replied politely yet firmly.

“You don’t look like any of my scribes, what could you be teaching her while traveling all over my kingdom?”

“Trust, confidence, the ability to work with others, self sacrifice, self control and of course, the sword. She still has a lot to learn and apparently I need to work more on the self control aspect also,” I looked at her fondly, “but she is an exceptional student.”

She almost, not quite, but almost said something there. “Like I said, self control. She is learning, King Jonas.”

His face turned a brighter red and he screamed at me questioning my right to have anything to do with his daughter. Apparently, he caught a whiff of my fondness for her in my little speech. He even accused me of sleeping with his daughter. I stopped her from responding and tried to prevent the shouting match that seemed destined to occur.

“I did not give you permission to see my daughter.”

“But you entrusted her care to Mother Browynn, did you not?”

“Not for you to take her away. She is supposed to remain in the temple and learn. Not gallivanting around getting into trouble.”