Chapter 1: Catching Up

---D-Day+23, Nizhen 26th---

"Good morning sleepyhead."

I give Red's forehead a kiss as I get out of bed. Frankie? Still unconscious.

"Unn..." Red's not really awake yet.

Can't blame her. Yesterday was a very long day for my knight-wife. Coming home for the fist time in years. About ending her marriage less than a week after starting it. By nearly cheating on her husband with two strangers. Her husband killing those two strangers.

Afraid her father would find out. Thinking her father found out. Discovering its actually her brother. Who has found out. Having her marriage rejected. Her husband insulted. Being declared a prostitute by her brother. Betrayed by her mentor. Finding out her BFF has an incurable disease.

Oh, and last but so not least. That mentor? Someone she's known her whole life? Orchestrated it.

I fucking kid you not. The elf bitch set Red up.

Yesterday, after Red passed out, I carried her inside the keep and left Frankie with some shadows to protect her. Then went and interrogated the 'we fucked up' crew and elf bitch.

Aezeti Grestina Lyndis Novadha, elf bitch, is an agent of Granya. The largest elf nation on the continent of Iagreth.

She is a 'Royal Sentinel.' Think part texas ranger and part diplomat. One of a few assigned to monitor the Granya-Tourin border. A post she's had for a century at least. She's one of those 'knows a guy' types. Because she, well, knows everybody.

Her job is to keep the peace and make the politics and economics of the border run smoothly for Granya. When she isn't hunting smugglers and bandits? She's schmoozing nobles and merchants. Half the nobility around here considers her family since she's known them their entire lives.

When monocle sent instructions ahead by messenger bird? An impressive network that can get messages from one end of the kingdom to the other in just days. For the Lianlaf lord of Lions Keep? Two weeks ago? It 'accidentally' ended up in Aezeti's hands instead.

Yeah, right.

Of course monocle's message was in code. So no problem, right? Wrong. Aezeti just so happened to know that code. Maybe we should add 'spy' to her job description.

Monocle's message included grizzly's goal of hooking me up with Edel and wanted the lord to help. Again, no problem, right? Again, wrong.

You see? Monocle stuck with my cover story. Incredibly strong northern marauder with strange healing magic. Going to Stormgarde to research his magic and learn civilized ways. Oh, and I'm bringing six 'slave wives' with me.

Turns out? Aezeti is kind of 'protective' of Red. Maybe its a mother thing. Maybe its a lesbo thing. Maybe its both. I don't care. But she did and went straight to Red's dad.

Imagine how well that went over with pappy. Barbarian savage coming to town with a slave harem and grizzly wants to add daddy's little girl to it.

So. Over the last two weeks, a Count of Tourin and an Agent of Granya have been plotting and scheming to 'save' Red. They even tricked the local Lianlaf baron into taking a vacation to the royal capital. Then co-opted his unwitting seneschal, Lord Ortwin Mauger, into helping the scheme.

Things were going swimmingly until two monkey wrenches got thrown in. Tanault decided my 'strange healing magic' might save Lady Chastel. And I showed up two weeks early.

They had just gotten the local lord out of here and were plotting to move another hundred plus Gilend troops in. Both to free Red, against her will if need be, and subjugate yours truly. Intimidating and or torturing me until? I agreed to a cover story that would keep House Lianlaf from retaliating. And cured Lady Alote's leprosy.

Since bringing Lady Chastel here, 'temper tantrum' Tanault insisted on staying and convinced the more 'diplomatic' Aezeti to let him take charge.

Then a bird from Raelera shows up saying Red and I are already there and headed towards the keep.

Yeah, they panicked.

Had the whole castle scrambling to decorate enough for a royal visit. Then ordered everyone except the gate guards to stay inside. And, finally, told pencil pusher and captain obvious to keep Red at the gate for as long as possible using whatever means possible. Whatever happened was okay as long as no one got hurt.

Yeah. That was the completely wrong message to give two serial rapists.

They would probably not have had the guts to go after a Lady of Gilend, unless they thought they were protected. Who knows what their twisted little minds were thinking. What excuses they made up to explain the orders. They thought they had the green light to defile a lady with higher status then themselves.

So of course they pulled out all the stops.

Everything was going swimmingly until Red's naive, alcohol addled, drug crazed, brain finally realized what she was about to do.

Then her rapists to be find out the normal, almost servant, looking guy behind her? Is her husband. Wouldn't be the first time they've NTR'd in front of a hubby. So that's recoverable.

Then that husband reveals he is part of House Lianlaf. Yeah... Unless he likes to share, or watch? Which he doesn't, by the by. That's? Not so recoverable.

Queue the execution of two adulterers.

Naturally, when word reaches the plotters about what's happened? Tannault doesn't believe it. Can't accept that the skilled centuries old negotiator Aezeti would say, 'go ahead and rape her.' Therefore? I must be prostituting his sister.

Idiot.

Pissing him off so much that he decides to not even try the diplomatic approach Aezeti had pinned her strategy on.

Once I wake up the dazed and confused Lord Ortwin Mauger to what's happening in his castle? Elf bitch's scheme collapses.

So concludes the odyssey of dumb, Aezeti, and dumber, Tannault.

You see? They fucked up 'socially' and 'legally.' I've heard this said before but didn't get it until Ushi explained it to me. Several times. Society in Tourin, apparently its even stricter in Aquecia, is based on written and unwritten 'rules.' The written ones are the laws. The 'legal' rules.

The unwritten ones are translated to me as 'social' or 'moral' but its more than that. You could say its the tourinese version of 'common sense.' Though you could also think of it as the 'virtues' that everyone should be trying to live up too. Morality, ethics, etc...

How well you follow these social and legal rules affects how 'honorable' you are considered. Of course a peasant is still a peasant and a duke is still a duke. But, behave too 'dishonorably' and either may lose their head. Literally.

And there are a lot of unwritten rules like authority, dignity, honesty, modesty, piety, respectability, responsibility, etc, etc...

By intercepting monocle's message, deceiving a Lianlaf baron, deceiving his seneschal, and giving a Lady of Gilend to adulterers? The two of them broke a whole bunch of rules. Daddy count did too. The result is that they have greatly disgraced themselves and insulted House Lianlaf.

Of course they are really only in trouble because they got caught.

So, after learning all the nitty gritty details? Was about to bow the fuck out. Then Frankie up and went the 'extra mile' too keep me from walking away from this dumpster fire. As god as my witness. I had no idea she could bend like that, or that far.

Honestly impressed that she's not in a coma, again. Shit, impressed that I'm not in a coma, also again.

Me? Haven't slept a wink. Besides all the panting and humping? I'm in a fucking castle! A real live fantasy towers and knights castle! Completely nerding out here. At least I think that's the right word. Oh and to top even that?

I'm in the room with the view. Yep, the one with the huge windows.

Doing Ushi against a huge window during an unbelievably gorgeous sunset while drinking whiskey? Easily one of my top ten Ipra memories. If only I had a cigar. And a camera.

Yep. There's whiskey here. Honest to god grain mash, aged in wood barrels, whiskey. The taste is a little, different. But its pretty damn good.

Spent a good hour just watching soldiers with torches patrolling the walls. And don't get me started on this room. Huge bed. Fireplace. Balcony thing. Animal rugs. Big comfy chairs. Personal library. Private bath and garden. Welcome to fantasy luxury.

Oh and its one big two story room with some balcony thing adding like a half second floor. With a shitload of natural lighting coming in from those giant windows. On the west side is a balcony with tables and chairs. On the east side are more tables and chairs, an open air bath and that garden. There is even a bound earth elemental maintaining the garden and bath.

Its, just, holy shit.

Even the baron doesn't get this suite. Its reserved for the marquis and his kids. Which am us. I'm told that Tannault even tried to claim it but got rejected. Hehe.

Oh, no maids though. There are slave maids brought in whenever the room is being occupied to 'take care' of the guest. But since the chamberlain who handles staffing the 'grand suite' wasn't in on the plot? He didn't know anyone was coming.

Genius that she is. Ushi has already overwritten the barriers and wards in this room. They had issues with my shadows so she, 'edited' them. She also won over the earth elemental. My 'aura' is apparently scary to anyone who can see it.

Really need to master this magic stuff as soon as possible. I've been using [Shroud] a lot but for the really astrally sensitive, like elementals, its not very effective.

The meet and greet has been postponed. Went straight from interrogating Ortwin, Tannault, and Aezeti. To locking up Ortwin too. Carrying Red to the grand suite. So. Many. Stairs. Putting her to bed. Then Frankie launching operation, 'drain master dry.'

She failed, it is a magic sword after all, but her tenacity wore me down enough that I agreed to stay. For now.

I'm dancing to her tune again, aren't I. Relying on her too much. She's a lot smarter than me. Will she betray me again? Maybe it will even be for tin can again. Need to get stronger and smarter so, next time, I can just kill her.

Messages have been sent. So monocle and grizzly should know what's happened in the next few days. Maybe I should care, but I don't. I agreed to this deal because Stormgarde was supposed to meet my needs. So far? Everything but the view has been a fucking disaster.

Maybe I should have taken that slutty demonette's offer.

"Fuck!"

"Wha? Umm..." Crap, I'm waking up Red again. Be cool man. Be cool.

Ushi's sound asleep next to her. Didn't even budge. While Red had a long day? Frankie had a long night.

A few of my shadows give me dirty looks. Mama Mitsu's is the most disapproving. Yeah, the girls may still be snoozing but I'm hardly alone. Dozens of them are out patrolling and scouting. While a couple dozen more are hanging out in the room and garden.

The ones who retain enough sense of self are loving the room as much as me. Alex and Juri are even reading in the library nook. Juri never had many books but likes reading so she's in heaven. Well, unheaven.

Some are out because they want to be. Others are helping me improve my necromancy by being summoned, re-summoned, enhanced, manipulated, coordinated, and communicated with. Some have taken form. Others are just formlessly relaxing in the shadows.

One of the oracles, Margo, is even chatting with the earth elemental under the garden's tree. Who is thrilled to have company it can talk to again. Claims its been decades since the last one but an elemental's sense of time is, well, unreliable.

Oh, and its name is Gremi.

Already had the shadows retrieve our gear and some have been sorting it ever since. Doing a pretty good job with the clothes and such. They also grabbed chocolate and milk from the kitchen for me so I was able to make hot cocoa. Which I'm now drinking as I sit at a second story table looking out at the bath, garden, and world, beyond the window.

Papa Yodo and Emelina are at the table with me. Since the fiasco yesterday my shadows have gotten a lot more protective of me. A couple always staying in form near me so they can react instantly. These two are discussing how Yodo trained with his tail blades. Emelina is wondering if she can manifest them.

Such a wonderfully peaceful moment. Enjoying each other's company as the world goes by.

~Master~

Which naturally means it can't last.

"Rowl?"

~The Chamberlain is approaching.~

Sigh.

Barton, Edelys (female, human, tourinese)

Barton, Ushinua (female, elf-human, tourinese)

Chastel, Alote (female, human, tourinese)

Gilend, Tanault (male, human, tourinese)

Gremi (elemental, earth)

Lianlaf, Charl (male, human, tourinese)

Mauger, Ortwin (male, human, tourinese)

Novadha, Aezeti Grestina Lyndis (female, elf, granyan)