3.43: Departure

Aprilia nuzzled into Jack’s warm chest after another session of lovemaking. His thick, protective arms wrapped themselves around her. The closer the day of his departure drew, the more she wanted him. When her breathing had finally settled, she looked up at him.

He was breathing slowly, his eyes closed, but she could tell he was still awake. His mind no doubt already chasing the next problem, as always.

“When will you be back?” she asked.

His eyes opened slowly.

“Hmm… I don’t know, baby. There is so much to do after the wedding. I’ll first see how Hrodric’s reforms have fared. It would be a disaster if those crossbows find themselves in the hands of corrupt men. Then I want to tour the entire border of Nahnon, find any vulnerable spots and see what we can do to improve their security. We also need to improve our relations with Norrgal and Sindhu.”

His expression soured at the last word.

“What’s wrong with Sindhu?” she asked.

“Reshma.”

“What?”

He looked into her eyes.

“I would tell you, but…”

He hesitated, then sighed.

“What the hell. If our enemy can reach here, we’re screwed anyway, and… you are the one person in Chadom who should know. Promise you won’t tell anyone?”

“I promise.”

“Reshma is… the daughter of the former ruler of Sindhu.”

Her eyes widened.

“She’s a Princess?” she couldn’t help but say the words out loud.

“Shhh… and yes, she is. Her uncle took over the throne after her father’s death, and…” he paused, “she and her mother were forced to flee the kingdom.”

“Why?”

“Her mother was pregnant. The new Maharajah didn’t want any potential competition.”

“Poor girl. Her story is a lot like ours.”

“Yeah. Even worse in some ways.”

“How?”

“That’s… for her to reveal. Her existence alone is a threat to the Sindhu royalty.”

Her eyes widened even further.

“Not much,” he added hurriedly, “since Laira isn’t dumb enough to invite a war by pressing that claim, but some men can be rather paranoid.”

She stared up at him.

“Yes. Men like me,” he said, rolling his eyes. Then he went unusually silent.

“If…”

He hesitated, then stopped.

Aprilia’s throat tightened at the tinge of fear in his voice.

Jack could be slow to act, but that was him thinking things through, sometimes far too much. Otherwise, he was almost recklessly brave.

What had frightened him?

He breathed out loud.

“If she bears a son, she would become a much bigger target.”

Her eyes flew open.

“She is pregnant?”

He paused, licking his lips, then glanced cautiously at her.

“Maybe. After… after we became really close, she was just as enthusiastic as you about having a child.”

“So?”

“That was two weeks before I left Nobhart for here, so I don’t know.”

“Did the Queen not say anything in her letters?”

“No.”

She exhaled, settling herself back onto his chest.

After a while, she looked up.

“If… if it’s dangerous for her to be in Nahnon, you can move her here. We’ll keep her safe.”

He nodded.

“Thank you, baby. I’ll do that.”

Then he looked into her eyes.

“Are you… fine with that?”

She let go of a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

“Yes. Just don’t go around impregnating half the kingdom while you are away.”

“I won’t. Promise.”

She looked up at him.

He looked calm enough, but she could tell he was worried about Reshma.

“Jack, will you be safe in Nahnon?”

“Huh? Yes. Vozoran is still away. They’re not exactly known for their naval prowess, so they’ll have to conquer either Sindhu or Norrgal before they can attack Nahnon. It might take them years to stabilize Amlain before that.”

“I meant Dukes Stormhaven and Grauberg.”

His lips quirked in a faint smile.

“Someone has been diligently learning her geography.”

She smacked his chest.

“Be serious.”

His playful expression vanished as soon as it had arrived.

“They are definitely acting suspiciously. Ironfeld ignored a direct order from Laira. Counties can’t afford to ignore monarchs. Not unless they have big backers.”

“So?”

“Hmm. I showed the repeating crossbows to the nobles at the betrothal feast to give her enemies something to think about. I bet that is what’s keeping them in check, or maybe it inflamed them. We… should be fine.”

“You said should, not will.”

His thick, warm arms tightened around her, pressing her into his body.

“There is no guarantee of safety anywhere, baby. Not even here, in our fortress of a country.”

Aprilia knew that from first-hand experience. Her fingers began to tremble.

“Take the new weapons with you,” she said, forcing her voice to be steady.

“Can’t. There’s only one reliable gun right now and the cannons are too big to hide. I’ll be fine. Soon, the Royal Army will answer to me just as it does to Laira, and it’ll be equipped with our repeating crossbows.”

“Please remain safe,” she said, tears gathering in her eyes. “I couldn’t bear to lose you.”

“I’ll do my best. I promise.”

He bent down to kiss her.

She reached up to meet him.

──────── ⋆✩⋆ ────────

With only a week left till my wedding, I decided to depart for Falkenheim the next day.

I would spend a day or two checking up on the state of the county with Moore, Godwin and Elric, then leave for Aldersthron with my family, giving us a few days to spare in case the sea decided to not cooperate.

The evening before my departure, we invited Aprilia’s parents for dinner.

The two of us spent the afternoon cooking various dishes for them.

She was surprised when I first joined her in the kitchen.

“You can cook?” she asked in surprise.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s easier to produce results in the kitchen than in the workshops. Sometimes I just want an easy win.”

Aprilia’s mother and Master Almar arrived with cautious smiles.

The living room came alive with fragrances of herbs and spices as Aprilia carried the dishes to the table.

Once we had eaten, Master Almar looked at me cautiously.

“By the way, Sire. I heard something about another marriage,” he asked.

“Yes,” I said weakly. I was suddenly flustered. “I’ll need permission from the Nahnoan Church first, so no one can question the legitimacy of the upcoming marriage. I don’t want to cause problems for Laira—the Queen. Once there are no doubts about the succession, I will be free to marry Aprilia.”

“Oh.”

“I hope it won’t take too long,” Aprilia’s mother said softly. “I want to hold my grandchild before my hair turn gray.”

I suppressed a smile.

Before I could tell her that we were trying our best every night and morning to fulfill her wish, Aprilia kicked me under the table. Hard.

“Ow. Right in the shin,” I hissed.

She glared at me, before a reluctant smile forced its way on her lips.

After her parents left, coy smiles on their faces, I turned to her.

“What was that for?”

“Because of what you were going to say.”

“You don’t know what I was going to say.”

Her look could cut diamonds.

“I know what you are,” she whispered.

“What am I?”

“A goat. Always in heat.”

“Hey! That’s not true!”

Her slender hand shot forward, landing between my legs, finding something long and semi-erect.

Her lips curved upward.

“See?” she whispered.

I matched her expression.

“Judging by your actions, so are you.”

She bit her lower lip, looking up at me through thick lashes.

Abandoning the dirty dishes, I pulled her towards the bedroom.

The next morning, I woke up refreshed and alone.

Aprilia was already up. She helped me dress and wouldn’t stop fussing over me, even after I was finished.

I took her small hands in mine.

“You’ll be fine.”

“I—”

“You have a friend to keep you company now, don’t you?” I said, looking around for the wooden replica.

She smacked my chest. “Give Reshma and the Quee—”

“Use her name.”

She paused, then exhaled. “Laira. Give them my regards.”

I chuckled. “You don’t have to be so nervous about them. They know about you. Reshma already likes you.”

“And the Queen?”

“Laira… is a little uptight. More responsible. Just like you. You’ll have to meet her before she can trust you.”

She nodded silently.

“See you soon, beautiful.”

Giving her a final kiss, I turned and left our home.

In the castle’s courtyard, my eight bodyguards stood at attention.

Shining steel poleaxes in hand, repeating crossbows slung on their backs. Their dark brown uniforms had been replaced by more regal looking dark blue suits, covered by steel cuirasses and pauldrons, polished to a mirror finish.

Pretty stupid, but we couldn’t escape the medieval dress code completely. Appearances mattered.

These were the same eight men who had accompanied me to Aldersthron. All except for Benno, who was training crews of artillerymen now, and Wenik, who couldn’t run any longer.

Noah’s face was a field of scars, but they had all sealed shut.

“Back on guard duty, boys?”

They nodded silently.

Jaklen, who had been the last-minute addition last time, was the ninth man there. The Captain of our new unit of Marines.

“Sire, are we not going to take the new weapons with us?” Ethan asked.

“No. I don’t want to risk any nobleman seeing them in action. A smart one might figure out they are much more than just weapons.”

“What else are they?”

“A revolution.”

I looked at each of them.

“When someone with a few weeks of training can kill a nobleman, no matter how well-trained and armored, from a hundred meters away, it destroys not just the conventions of war. It threatens the feudal structure itself.”

Their expressions sobered up.

“Never tell anyone about them.”

They nodded in unison.

The Ducklings were huddled together close to them.

I went to them.

“Take care of yourselves, you five. Don’t get in too much trouble and learn everything you can from the more experienced people.”

“We will,” Aldren said for everyone.

“Good, and don’t try to make a flying machine of any sort yourself. I’ll see you in a few months.”

The People’s Council, led by Elder Erickson, came forward.

“We will pray for your safe voyage and happy nuptials. May your marriage be fruitful and bring good fortune to us all.”

“Thank you Elder.”

Me, my bodyguards and Lothar mounted our horses and began trotting out of the castle.

“Wait for me!” Aprilia shouted from behind.

I turned around.

“Changed your mind?”

“No. Let me come with you to the Bay.”

I dismounted and helped her onto the horse before climbing behind her.

The destrier complained beneath our weight, but I coaxed him forward.

People stopped their work on the insulae and cheered as we trotted along the main road.

I waved back to them.

Once out of the construction zone, I looked back at the castle.

A small wooden house riddled with holes sat atop one of the stone bastions. A loft for the two dozen young homing pigeons I had brought from Nobhart, along with the other animals. It would be months before the pigeons could fly back home from far away. Which meant no way to quickly communicate for some time.

I hoped there would be no need for it.

Unlike landlocked places, at least we had ships, which were still a lot faster than overland messengers.

The castle’s white limestone walls now stood more than four meters tall, with men already putting planks between them and the palisade to create the second level of rooms. In a month or two, the whole castle would be finished, with another level of a hundred rooms. Enough space for fifteen hundred people, even if they would be packed tight, one month before winter arrived.

When I had first left for Nahnon months ago, the buildings around it had been little more than foundations, and now some of them were only weeks away from being finished.

A few more of them, and everyone would have an insulated home for the winter and years beyond.

There were silos full of grain, pastures with dozens of sheep, cattle and horses, and a real government in place.

The giggling of children came from a side street.

“It will survive without you,” Aprilia said softly, leaning into me. “You’ve made sure of it.”

I nodded, then nudged the horse forward.

At the Bay, Wolmar and a few other immigrants were waiting for me, all smiles. Behind them, the second stories of four insulae were rising up. They would be finished within a month. I could see some Cha working along with the former Nahnoans.

“Keep working on the projects we discussed, Wolmar,” I told the shipwright after receiving his and his people’s congratulations.

They accompanied us to the docks.

Four identical ships lay ready, moored at the docks, each one of them sporting triangular sails at bow and stern.

One of the ships was moored a dock away from the others. The poor thing still smelled of barn soil.

Another shone brightly under the sunlight; thoroughly cleaned, coated with fresh pitch, decorated with engraved brass, its canvas bright white.

My new official ship.

I had managed to suppress my inner child and named it the Intrepid instead of Giga Chad.

Soldiers from the wagons that had followed us waddled forward, carrying crates of crossbows between them.

All twenty-five of them.

That was the maximum number I could spare for Laira without compromising Chadom’s security. I had fallen short of the promised five-hundred by seventy-five. I hoped she wouldn’t be too mad.

As everything was loaded onto the ship, I turned to Lothar.

“Take care of Chadom, General.”

“I will, Sire. Good luck.”

Nodding, I turned towards Aprilia.

“Take care of yourself and don’t get in trouble,” she said softly.

“Yes, mother.”

Her lips split in a broad smile.

“What?”

“I missed my flow!” she squealed the words out.

“That doesn’t guarantee—”

“Let me be happy!”

She lunged at me, arms outstretched.

I caught her in my arms. She eagerly captured my lips with hers.

We reluctantly separated after some time.

I found my breath hitched, and eyes glued to her belly.

“Having second thoughts?” she joked.

“No. Now, you take care of yourself.”

“I will. Come back to me safe,” she whispered. “And don’t take too long.”

“I won’t. I came back after the first time, didn’t I?”

She nodded, wiping away the tears gathering in her eyes.

“I’ll miss you,” she whispered.

“As will I,” I said softly, resisting the urge to kiss her again.

I reluctantly turned and boarded the ship.

It lurched forward as the white sails unfurled. They ballooned out, pulling the vessel into the harbor.

I walked up to the stern.

Below, Aprilia waved to me, eyes shining.

I waved back.

As the ship glided away from the shore, she grew smaller, until she was little more than a speck of yellow against the dark dock

I finally turned towards the open sea.

Towards Nahnon and Laira.

A realm full of dangers and just as many possibilities.

A new phase of my life awaited.