Chapter 51

The dance with Tillan was a holding-your-partner type as opposed to the normal type of formation dance where people moved around each other in complicated step routines. Hence, I snuggled into him and enjoyed the closeness until the music stopped. He then surprised me by dropping to one knee...

“My Lady Kiria, would you do me the great honour of becoming my bride?” he asked solemnly, leaving me utterly speechless, as, for all I knew that he intended to propose, it wasn’t normally done like this.

“I ... uh... , “ I began nervously, swallowing at being put on the spot.

The dancefloor had cleared and left the two of us the cynosure of all eyes.

“I would be honoured,” I finally squeaked out.

There was a huge cheer, which turned my blush almost scarlet and suddenly we were surrounded by well-wishers.

“Well done, Tillan! That’s how it was done on most of my home-world,” Dad congratulated him.

“You put him up to this?” I asked, somewhat bemused.

“He’s quite old-fashioned. He asked me for permission to marry you and then how my family tradition did it,” Dad explained with a smile.

“Talgard is oddly old-fashioned,” Tillan explained. “My Mum and Dad are looking forward to meeting you, along with my sisters.”

“A shame they couldn’t be here,” my Mum replied.

“I did offer to pay for a liner berth, but they politely declined,” Dad added.

“They would. Talgard society does not accept charity from strangers unless you’re desperate or in dire straits,” Tillan explained.

“Oh, I see,” Dad said, adding with a frown, “I hope I didn’t offend them?”

“No, you probably didn’t. It’s just tradition that we pay our way.”

“I see. So I probably should have gone via you?”

“That would have worked, yes,” Tillan chuckled.

I was then caught up in a hug by Amanda who had tears in her eyes. “Oh, that was just so romantic,” she gushed.

“He certainly surprised me,” I admitted.

“You looked it,” she giggled.

“I knew he was going to ask, but thought it would be like when Kleevas proposed to Torun,” I replied.

“Just you, him, your Mum and your Dad? Or in Kleevas’ case, Minno.”

“Yes, he totally caught me off guard,” I chuckled.

“He’s a good man, or so the AIs tell me,” Amanda replied with a smile as my Bro came up and gave me a hug.

“Let’s see you top that one, Bro,” I told him with a broad smile.

“Have to wait a year yet to do it officially, but I’ll think of something,” he chuckled, taking Amanda’s hand.

“No embarrassing the Princess Royal in public,” Trusha, who was Amanda’s guardian, admonished with a broad grin to show she wasn’t serious ... about this at least.

“As if I would,” Dayyev chuckled.

“Now why am I suddenly nervous?” Amanda laughed, the rest of us joining in.

“Congratulations, Kiria,” Flinn greeted me, husband Tellun in tow. “Always nice when a plan comes together,” she added with a nod towards my Mum.

“You do make a very lovely couple,” Tellun added. “Flinn has told me how she helped you get together.”

“Interfered in my love-life you mean?” I replied with a grin.

“Hey, you were the one who couldn’t bring herself to ask basic questions,” Flinn answered with a bigger grin.

“I’d have got there,” I replied to looks of absolute disbelief apart from Tellun who didn’t know me that well.

“You’re supposed to do it before you hit menopause, sis,” Dayyev chided me with a broad smile.

“Dayyev!” I snapped out, before going bright red as laughter broke out.

And so the party went on, with it helping to heal some of the stresses we who had been fighting had felt somewhat.

The following day, Torun and I found ourselves sitting and talking with my Mum who was in counselling mode as she took us over the events of the war and our part in it. For my part at least, I had not realised just how much fear and anger I’d been repressing as I’d simply tried to get on with my job. However, Mum probed and picked at the defences I’d put in place and, with the aid of Torun and her wand, released all the stresses that had built up in me that I’d been sitting on, pretending they weren’t there as my mind defended itself from the horrors I’d been through.

“You should be fine now, my love,” Mum finally said. “It’s all out and you’ll be able at least to deal rationally with it.”

“Thanks, Mum, Torun,” I replied, my body coated in sweat. “I hadn’t realised just how it was affecting me.”

“You’ll probably have a few bad dreams, but nothing worse.”

“The drugs I administered will help you relax too,” Torun added. “Your whole system was stressed out with post-traumatic stress.”

“Yeah, I know that now. I’m pretty sure Ground Force would have got round to me sooner or later though,” I nodded.

“The AIs would have intervened if it affected you doing your job, otherwise they let you get on with it. Fortunately, when she visited, your Mum spotted some worrying signs.”

“Part of my job is counselling my Guardians after violent encounters with the gangs. I just got good at it,” Mum replied. “But now it’s your turn, Torun. You might not be as bad as Kiria, but it’s still there.”

“Er ... yes, Kirim.”

Afterwards we took the three kids for a stroll around the median shopping district of Hrunesh block; not doing a lot, just looking into various displays and finding out what the kids wanted to do in their futures.

“I want to be a Healer,” Truna confessed. “Aunt Cass says I have the aptitude for it. But I don’t think I’ll do it in the forces though.”

“If Cass thinks you have the aptitude then I’m pretty sure you’ll be good at it,” Torun replied.

“The AIs say I’m good at micro-hypercircuitry,” Hilli told us. “They want to educate me further in AI core design.”

“Wow! That’s seriously impressive, Hilli,” I answered. “Very few people can do that as most of it is handled by the AIs themselves.”

“Yes, Aunt Vilgra was telling me that as well. I was planning on joining Ground Force, but Kirim said only one of our generation was required to serve and a gift like mine should be nurtured and developed away from Ground Force.”

“She’s right on that. Even Officer Training would never let you take advantage of that skill,” I agreed.

“I want to train to be a retainer,” Galh spoke up.

“For the palace?” I asked.

“Yes. Ganla (Hiqua’s eldest daughter) lets me help when we visit.”

“That’s a good job and you meet all sorts of interesting people,” I nodded.

“Yes, Ganla’s being courted by Terro, the son of Meritocrat Dolsann.”

“Oh, I know him. He’s part of the Bureaucracy of Communications now. He’s a nice person, always tolerant of us kids when we were younger,” I replied, realising just what a small world it could be at times.

“He went to Ala Academy as well?”

“Yes, though in a different career stream to me and the others.”

“Well, Ganla says I have the ability to do the job and it seems like fun.”

“Best kind of job,” I chuckled.

“Do you have fun in your job, Kiria?” Truna asked.

“At times, plus I work with good friends.”

“Nothing quite so satisfying in seeing someone who’s been ill, leave all fixed up,” Torun added.

“But what about the fighting?”

“That can be scary, but it’s something I’m good at too,” I said.

“She definitely is good at that,” Torun confirmed.

“Trusha, Aunt Manny’s bodyguard, is training us, but I doubt we’ll ever be as good as her,” Hilli informed us.

“That’s because she has trained since being an infant,” I answered. “I’m not as good as she is either.”

“Oh, she said that Janilla and Rigg have had twins,” Truna added.

“Oh, that’s lovely. They were both my original trainers,” I replied, pleased that friends of mine were doing well.

“Trusha said it means they’ll be staying on Marblos for a few years.”

“I guess so, though Janilla’s dad is Head of Kilios so they’ll be well looked after.”

“Kilios?” Torun asked.

“Suppliers of Imperial bodyguards and trainers of close protection teams,” I replied, missing out the other bits Kilios got up to, such as espionage, AI hacking and sabotage.

“They sound very professional if they are protecting Amantil.”

“They are. They also protect Princess Royal Jessin, Emir Grigo and, I think, Hegemon Nild as well as Voice of Truth Aramissa.”

“Isn’t that a little odd, one company protecting the Heads of State in differing Realms?”

“Part of their contracts means they will not under any circumstances betray or work against the contract. It means if you want to get at Amantil you can’t hire Kilios,” I chuckled.

“And Amantil couldn’t hire Kilios to get at Jessin ... not that she would.”

“That’s right. As far as I’m aware the Empire or the Gershonian Realm don’t go in for assassination though.”

“The Emirate?” Torun asked curiously.

“Not sure. They rule their Realm radically differently to most of the others,” I shrugged.

“The Emirate did, during its civil war, use assassins,” the AI interjected. “Currently there is no evidence that its present ruling faction does.”

“Thank you, AI,” Torun replied.

“You’re most welcome, Torun.”

The following daylight working period, Torun and I reported for duty to march in the victory parade through the various levels where the people could view us. The AIs had attuned our armour to a gleaming silver mode with senior Commanders in gold. Also on view to the public were our Regimental Banners, something that rarely appeared away from our bases as we generally did not carry them into battle.

The route we were taking had been designed and built for the various annual Empire Day parades. It zigzagged up from the lower levels to terminate in front of the Imperial Tower where the High Court met which was on the uppermost level. I soon spotted our Healing section as the Troopers moved into their position for the march and waved to them as, unlike Torun, I wasn’t to march with them, but to lead the Regiment, along with Gust and the other senior Commanders. It was also noticeable that the Troopers were all equipped with their polearms and swords and, despite the fact it was a parade, looked flat-out dangerous.