Chapter 39

"You are married?" Eslada asked. "And it didn't occur to you that I might want to meet your wife or come to the ceremony? Jorgarn, once this is decided, you and I are going to have a talk about what it means to be a family."

"It's not like that," Jorgarn protested. "There was no ceremony. Our system is simpler here. More like Longview's. We decided we wanted to wed. We went to the Councilor's chambers and recorded it. And we were married. It was less than a day from the time we decided until it was done."

Eslada's eyes were slits as she glared at her stepson.

"And you didn't think you should write to me?" she asked. "You didn't think I might want to meet this trollop you married."

"Hey!" Jorgarn said loudly. "Stepmother or not, I will toss you out on your rear if you speak of her like that again."

Eslada took a deep breath and apologized.

"You've met perhaps a hundred times," Jorgarn said. He heard the sound of laughter outside the door and he recognized it as Leyota's. "In fact, if you would like to meet her again, she's here. I married Leyota!"

"Little Leyota?" Eslada asked.

"She is not little anymore," Jorgarn said. "No, wait, that is not what I meant to say. Don't you dare tell her I said that! I meant she is an adult. She is one of the seven who govern Freeland."

Eslada had slumped into the chair when the door opened and Leyota and Bralan entered. Leyota saw Eslada's posture and Jorgarn's face and laughed.

"Well, I guess you told her," she said. "That leaves me to tell Bralan."

Bralan looked confused when Leyota took her hands.

"Bralan, I suspect I know why you're here," she said. "I have kept it from Jorgarn although it pained me to. I understand why he should return and I will try to convince him. But you must know something: He is my husband."

"You... ," Bralan stammered. "You married Jorgarn. I waited for months for him to send for me. When I heard what Denae did, I expected him to come for me, to ask to court me. Every day I was in the infirmary, Jorgarn was there. He visited me every single day. When it was time for me to return with the wounded, he kissed my cheek and told me he would see me soon. You knew this. I told you this. And you marry him as soon as you could get him away from me."

Leyota sighed and ushered her friend to a seat beside Eslada.

"I have long loved him, too," Leyota said. "I was a little more circumspect about it. But yes, I loved him as dearly and as deeply as you did. Perhaps even deeper, I'm not sure. So, yes, the very day the Council decided what would constitute a marriage, I asked Jorgarn, but I suspected from the outset it would be a short marriage. We sent an emissary to Emertland and he brought back news of Denae's descent. Your name was mentioned as a possible replacement. After all, you are the heroine who risked her life to save Emertland's greatest hero. You are graceful and intelligent and, well, you're nice. Everyone who meets you, loves you. Well, everyone with any sense."

She gazed at Jorgarn.

"This why I would not allow you to pledge your faithfulness to me," Leyota said sadly. "I suspected that Landor would come to understand that Emertland would be best served with Bralan as its Queen. I also suspected she would want you to return to be her Knight."

She looked back at Bralan, who had tears in her eyes.

"So, yes, I married him when I got the chance," she admitted. "I decided to steal a month or a year or a decade of happiness until you arrived for him. I'm not sorry I did but I am sorry that it caused you pain."

Bralan looked at the floor, ashamed of her earlier accusations.

"I probably would have done the same thing," she admitted. "I guess I am trying to do the same thing. But are you saying that you are willing to share your husband with me?"

Leyota sat beside Bralan and took her hand again.

"Sadly, I am not," she said. "What I am hoping is that you will be willing to share your husband with me."

"Wait!" Jorgarn said. "This is ridiculous! What are you talking about?"

"I will divorce you before we return to Emertland," Leyota said. "It would be unseemly for me to force Bralan to live a celibate life and I know she would. She could never have a child because the rules that apply to Denae would apply to her. She would never take a husband so long as you were nearby. So, I will divorce you so you can marry her. There will be no record of your marriage here. That page is already gone from the book. In fact, the only record of our marriage is beneath our bed. So I hope that Bralan will be willing to share you with me. There will be some shame involved if I were to have a child out of wedlock, but it would not be unheard of. I will survive. I can resume my role as your attendant, if you like. Or I am willing to simply be your mistress, but I think it best if we maintain a firm sense of discretion."

"I won't agree to this," Jorgarn said. "Bralan, I do care deeply for you. I probably even love you. I simply don't know. But I am certain that I love Leyota and I do not wish to leave her or betray her."

"You are not betraying me," Leyota said sharply. "I knew this day would come. I understood it and I accepted it. I do not wish to give you up. But I will do what is right and what is best for everyone ... just as I know you will, Jorgarn. And just as I know Bralan and Pernice and Lippit and my brother and Fieth and Belad and Vellendira will. They will not join you immediately; they will stay here and grow this land. But they will join you soon. Civil war looms in Emertland. Even now, Lord Troch is trying to raise an army in the former lands of Salaria, Gobrik and Vecad. He promises them independence again once his daughter-in-law is Queen. Personally, I think Denae will be killed quickly if the coup is successful that way his grandson will be a child King and his son, Frayon, can be Regent. You must return to protect Bralan. There is no other choice."

"Of course I will protect Bralan," Jorgarn said, "but what is this talk of civil war?"

"She's right, Jorgarn," Eslada said, speaking for the first time in several minutes. "Longview is situated near the old Salarian border – not that you would know since you've never visited – and there has been rumors and innuendo about seeking to break away from Emertland or seeking to overthrow the King; the time is right for it. An army of 100 farmers could probably take the Kingdom from Landor. All the good soldiers are here except for perhaps a dozen."

"We would attack from the north," Jorgarn stated.

"And by the time you got there, Landor and Bralan might be dead," Leyota said. "I expect it will take at least nine months for them to raise an army. I wish for you to accompany Bralan back to Emertland and resume your post. I will ask Pernice to accompany you. Fieth and my brother will rally the rest of the troops here and we will watch for the first sign of danger. I would suspect we can put together a 200-troop army in about three days if necessary. We will join you in Emertland, as quietly as possible, in six months."

"We?" Jorgarn asked. "You plan to stay here?"

"Yes, I will stay here," she said. "I am more valuable here. I have a spy in their camp. It happened quite by accident but it easier for her to get information to me here than in Emertland."

"Who are you?" Jorgarn asked incredulously. "You have spies and you kept this information from me for how long? Leyota, there is so much I don't understand."

"Yes, I kept it from you but not to hurt you," she said. "I kept it from you because I knew it would take me months to convince you I was right. But I have never lied to you. If you would have asked me, I would have told you. I expected you to ask me on our wedding night after what I told you when you wanted to pledge your faithfulness to me. Thankfully, you didn't. But Jorgarn, even though we will divorce, my pledge to you remains. I will love you always and I never be with another. Bralan, I hope that you will consider what I have requested but I understand if you won't. I have enjoyed having Jorgarn all to myself for the past few months."

Bralan sat silently and thought about all she had heard.

"I believe I would like Leyota to be my lead attendant once things settle," she said. "I believe it will make our ruse easier to digest. Jorgarn, will you consider being my Knight and later my husband? Even if you decide you wish it to be in name only, I ask that you give me a child. I would dearly love for our child to one day rule Emertland."

Jorgarn looked up at the three faces across from him. Eslada's showed understanding and concern, not only for Bralan but for him and Leyota, too. Leyota's showed sadness and a hint of resignation. Bralan's expression was one of expectation and longing.

"I will consent to be your Knight," he said. "The three of us will discuss anything further once the situation down there is resolved. I suppose I should go discuss this with Pernice."

Leyota hugged Jorgarn tightly and ushered him to the door.

"We won't be leaving for two more days," Bralan said. "Is there somewhere we can stay for two nights?"

"You can stay here," Leyota replied. "I will send Merg to Pernice's; they camp together every chance they get. I'm sure Drosset will enjoy it, too. Merg can regale him with stories of the longbow he created."

"And what of me?" Eslada asked. "Is there an inn?"

Leyota laughed.

"Nothing of the sort," she said. "We have about five dozen vacant dwellings so there has been no need for visitor accommodations. There is a vacant house a short distance from here if you would prefer to stay there."

"I think we should," Bralan said. "I hate that I'm stealing him from you. I don't think you should divorce him ... we'll figure something out. While you're both here, I think you should spend your time with him."

Leyota considered for a moment.

"I will spend tonight with him, to say goodbye to our marriage," she said as a small tear entered the corner of her eye. "Tomorrow, we will all spend the night here."

"Not me," Eslada said quickly. "I do not want to have any knowledge of what the man the world considers my son and the woman I consider my daughter do. Especially when there is another woman who once asked me to adopt her present."

Pernice looked at Jorgarn like he was insane. There was a near to even bet Pernice was correct.

"Denae is not the Heiress any longer," Jorgarn explained. "Bralan has been chosen. Leyota says the country is on the verge of civil war. I can't just leave her there with no protection."

"No, you can't," Pernice agreed.

"That's why I want you to come with me," Jorgarn said softly.

"Well, there is nothing holding me here," Pernice said. There was an air of resignation in his voice. Jorgarn's marriage to Leyota had dredged up painful memories for Pernice. He still missed Alite terribly. There were even days when he missed Rayna. "Sure, I'll come back."

"Once we make sure Bralan is safe, you'll be able to choose your path," Jorgarn said. "You were awarded a title upon our return. You might be a Lord in Emertland in a few months."

Pernice scoffed.

"I believe I would prefer to be a privy cleaner," he said. "These people, the ones with all the power, they only want more. They can never settle for what they have or share it with others. They want the whole pot. Rayna was like that. Denae turned out that way. I think Landor should pull all their titles and make them work for a damned living. Make them toil 16 hours in the fields for a loaf of bread. Make them spend six weeks on a ship so their family can eat for two more weeks. I would love to live to see that day. Instead we get these bastards like Troth and Symington who just keep taking and taking and taking. That is the real problem, you know. These nobles have grabbed so much power in the last hundred years that it has corrupted them. They believe that what they have is theirs by right instead of by accident. It is what I like so much about Freeland."

"Then you should return when this is over," Jorgarn suggested.

"But you will have to remain in Emertland," Pernice said.

"So long as Bralan is alive I will," Jorgarn said with a small nod. "So I hope that I am there for a long time."

Pernice sighed.

"You know, I was up on the hill that day," he said. "I was on the flank and we pushed them out pretty quickly. I saw Bralan spur her horse forward and I couldn't imagine why. Then I saw you on foot battling that huge bastard. Creator, he was a monster. I think Bralan saw their plan before anyone else. The man wasn't trying to strike you. His only aim was to make you stand still for the archers. If she had been a second later, that arrow would have killed you. Then she fell off the horse and drove it deeper in her leg. You went berserk. You cut the man you were fighting to ribbons and pulled Bralan behind the dead horse right as the second flight arrived. I had to tackle Usala to keep her back until we routed the archers.

"The thing is, I believe Bralan would have done that for me or Renoit or anyone," he continued. "I know she loves you. But I don't think she was even aware of who she was protecting. She just saw one us being targeted and leaped forward. So I'll stay with her."

He stopped talking suddenly.

"Landor made a good choice," he said quietly. "She will rally the country around her. Stories of her conduct in Gobrik were circulating when we returned. I think she was the first hero to come back. I had a dozen people ask me if it was true – that a small woman like Bralan rescued you from death."

"I told them it was a fact," he continued, laughing loudly. "I told them that she raced through a flight of 20 arrows to protect you. Many rounds were lifted to Bralan Longview during the short time we were there. I think she will be a perfect choice. Yes, I will go and I will stay as long as she lives. We may have to return here periodically to give training to the Freeland militia but I believe that the core of the Guard will stay in deference to the Heiress. Now who would have thought I would say those words a year ago?"

Jorgarn and Leyota spent a quite night together, talking and holding the other.

"It is only for a while," Leyota insisted. "In a few months, you and I will be together again. Yes, Bralan will be there, too. But really, is that so bad? You will get to wake up each morning with one of us. What do you have to complain about?"

Jorgarn knew she was joking but he knew she also was searching for reinforcement.

"I complain because I love you and I wished to spend the remainder of my days with you," Jorgarn said. "Yes, I understand your desire for Bralan to live a happy life, but I desire for you to live a happy life, too and I desire to always be your husband. I have enjoyed these months with you more than I've enjoyed anything in my life."

"I have too," Leyota replied. "That is why I have decided not to divorce you. There is no record of our marriage. No one can prove that we have done anything more than live illicitly. I will remain your Freeland wife. Bralan can become your Emertland wife. If we move to Swar though, you don't get a third. Now I want you on top of me and inside of me."

The last night Jorgarn would spend in Freeland for many months was more awkward. Leyota had wanted to have Bralan share their bed but the woman had insisted upon sleeping in Merg's room.

"She wants her first night with you to be private," Leyota whispered. "Well, she could have had a close seat but I suppose she will just have to listen as I pleasure my husband. I was going to offer her a few tips on what you like, too. I suppose you will just have to suffer through the teeth phase with her as you did with me."

She started to descend down Jorgarn's body but he stopped her.

"I am not certain everyone is as comfortable with this situation as you appear to be," he pointed out.

Bralan had offered no objection to becoming Jorgarn's Emertland wife, as Leyota had termed it, nor had she offered an objection to sharing his affection with Leyota. But she didn't seem eager about the proposal and Jorgarn wondered if Bralan intended to try to manipulate him as Denae had. It didn't seem to be in her nature but Jorgarn would never have thought Denae capable of such machinations either.

"I will make it clear to her that if you don't join us, I will disappear again," Jorgarn said.

Leyota slapped his chest.

"You absolutely will not make that clear to her," she said. "You will woo her and win like you did me. Once I return, we will set about making things work. Now, do you want me to take you in my mouth or in my flower? I would prefer both tonight but I will insist upon one."

"Flower," Jorgarn said. He wanted to be able to kiss Leyota as often as he could.

She smirked at him as she lowered herself onto his erection.

"Yes, I suppose you will be getting a lot of mouth and rear action in the coming months," she said. "Perhaps twice in my flower tonight and once in the morning."

She kissed Jorgarn feverishly before he could respond. Leyota murmured into his mouth as she established a steady rhythm. She had perfected the art of shifting her hips at just the right moment so her special button rubbed against the base of Jorgarn's member; it always sent a jolt of pleasure through her.

Jorgarn was startled when an additional weight caused Leyota to falter. He glanced over to see Bralan sitting beside them on the bed, staring at their coupling.

"Welcome!" Leyota said though gritted teeth as she established her tempo again. Bralan's nightwear was bunched at her waist and her nipples were visible though the fabric.

"Do you want him to touch you?" Leyota asked. "Would you like to kiss him while I ride him?"

Bralan's eyes were glassy but she shook her head.

"Do anything you want, Bralan," Leyota said as she slowed her pace. "Or nothing at all. We both love you."

A slight smile crept to Bralan's face and she reached out and stroked Jorgarn's hand which was resting on Leyota's hip. Leyota took her own hand and placed it atop Bralan's as she rotated her hips across Jorgarn's torso.

"Come closer to us," Leyota urged. "Why don't you get undressed? I'm naked and so is our husband."

Bralan slid close but shook her head at removing her clothes. She kept her right hand between Jorgarn's and Leyota's but her left hand slipped between her legs.

"Jorgarn has really nice hands," Leyota said when she saw what Bralan was doing. "He could make you feel wonderful."

Again Bralan shook her head; she had yet to speak since she came into the room. She continued to pleasure herself, slowly rubbing circles on her flower. As her breathing quickened, she took her hand from between the lovers' for a moment, then pulled Leyota's hand to her breast.

Jorgarn saw the look of surprise on Leyota's face but she didn't falter. She gently kneaded the nipple and caressed the flesh around it. Bralan's climax was much more subtle than Leyota's. Her breathing became ragged for a few seconds before she emitted a long sigh and slumped forward a bit. Leyota had ceased riding Jorgarn and instead focused on gently rubbing Bralan's tender breast.

Bralan sighed deeply again and sat up, removing her nightdress in a fluid motion. Her breasts were smaller than Leyota's, even smaller than Denae's. Her skin was flushed around her neck, further accentuating her blonde hair.

"You have nice hands, too," she said to Leyota with a small smile. "Do you mind if I use them from time to time?"

Leyota returned the smile and shook her head.

"So long as I can use yours too," she said. "Would you sit behind me and play with my breasts while I continue my ride?"

Bralan's blush deepened but she started to move behind Leyota, a look of anticipation on her face. Jorgarn was further surprised when Bralan leaned forward and kissed Leyota on the lips. Leyota responded by caressing Bralan's stomach gently. Jorgarn felt Bralan's wetness on his thigh as she straddled his legs. He could barely see her over Leyota's head but he saw her hands reach forward and cup his wife's bosom.