Imperial Affair (Revised, Closed)

[Ghant]

The following thread may contain scenes of implied adult situations. Reader discretion is advised.

[Ghant]

Diana Augusta International Airport
Castellum ab Alba, Latium
November 1990
(Co-written with Lacus Magni)

“Why on earth does Jason need to come? I don’t even think Emperor Albert invited him,” Princess Eirene moaned to her older sisters, Isabella and Isadora. The three princesses all shared similar features; a dark brown color to their hair with eyes to match, a tanned, nearly light olive skin tone, though Isabella was much more than any of her siblings.

“Father requested he come,” Isabella plainly stated, finding a comfortable spot to relax on the plane.

“That’s because father is about to name him heir,” Isadora shouted oblivious to her brother, Prince Jason of Youth and his wife, Stephanie, finally making their way onto the plane.

“Is he now?” Jason sniggered, taking his suit jacket off and wrapping it over the back of his seat. “That’s news to us.”

“He gave you his precious Duchy and the Khrysókeras. It’s fairly obvious even to a simpleton like you,” Isadora poked back at him.

“He’s fucking with you,” Isabella rolled her eyes while Eirene sat down next to Stephanie.

“Have you ever been to Ghant, Stephanie?” Eirene probbed. “It’s very lovely, especially the palace.”

“I haven’t,” Stephanie smiled to her sister-in-law. “I only know about it what I’ve seen in pictures or read in books. But I’m very excited that your father was able to arrange our coming along with you.”

“It’s a country lost to time...if you ask me,” Jason interjected just as the plane began to shake into lift-off. “Backwards even.”

As the plane continued towards the skies, Stephanie clutched her husband’s hand out of fear. “Still fearful of flying,” she giggled, grasping his hand ever so tighter until a point she felt comfortable to finally let go. “Somethings never change I suppose.”

---

Inperiala Palace
Ghish, Ghant

“...I just took all your money, you cheap bastard,” the Emperor roared with laughter as he brought an arm over the table and used it to rake in all the currency stacked casually on the table. The emperor was fond of fur coats and jackets, as they concealed his large, round belly and other fatty parts of his body. He scratched at his greying black scraggly beard while his stoney blue eyes peered out over the table.

“Cheap? Few men are as wealthy as thee, your Grace,” Lord Terence Devlyn replied with a frown. “Just to remain competitive, I have to make substantial bets.”

Emperor Albert shook his head unevenly as he raised his flagon of whiskey. “Nobody’s forcing you to play, Devlyn. If you want to engage in something that doesn’t consist of friendly wagers, you should go out into the gardens and dig holes for tomato plants,” he laughed, this time joined by other southern lords of dubious morality who liked to gather around games of poker in the Emperor’s sitting room.

“Speaking of the Empress,” Odo Bogardan added in as he rubbed his chin, “surely she couldn’t be outside. Tis November, your Grace, and the weather is most inclement.”

“Not as inclement as she is...the woman burns so hot that it turns spring wherever she steps. Ever see her grab a flower by the stem? It withers and dies!” He mocked his wife to his companions. “That’s why I don’t let her touch my cock.” That elicited more laughter from the others nearby at the table. Indeed, the weather outside was cold and cloudy, with a thin blanket of snow covering the ground. “Speaking of cocks, Bertie is still dithering like some sort of imbecile. God saw fit to give me five sons, but of course one of them had to be a rotten egg. No matter, we’ll get him straightened out soon enough, one way or the other.”

Cletus Voor cocked his head at that, and pursed his lips. “That’s why you invited those Latin Princesses, isn’t it?”

Albert waved his hand, still clutching his flagon of ale. “No, bugger all that. My daughter Caroline is friends with Princess Eirene, and invited her on a skiing trip. I told Caroline to make sure she extended an offer to the rest of em too, and sure enough the rest of em came. Bertie might be an ass but he is far from stupid...few brides would be more worthy than a Latin. He just needs to not give them the impression that he’s got a stick shoved so far up his ass that it pokes through his mouth. God, what I wouldn’t give to see that.”

“...And you’ve secured arrangements to bring them to the palace, I take it?” Lord Devlyn asked, concerned Bertie.

“Don’t ben an idiot, of course I have.” Emperor Albert leaned back in his chair and set the whisky on the tab. “They’ve got a limo perched on the tarmac for them to arrive, and it’s got enough room for all of them to be comfortable. When they get here, they’ll just be walked right in, and we can make sure they’re nice and comfortable. And no monkey business...these are VIPs of the highest order. Emperor Leo X was no slouch, and he’s still not a man I’d want to cross.”

“Amen to that,” the others said in their court dresses, now eagerly anticipating when the Latins might arrive...

---

Just as she had when the plane took off, Stephanie gripped her husband’s hand tight as they began their descent. “Dear Lord, I do believe that Maria would handle a plane better than you,” Jason teased his wife.

“Sorry love, one would think that by now I would have gotten used to it,” she smiled back to him. “Or that you’d be able to withstand a little squeeze.”

Eirene gazed out the window, searching the whole area of the airport for any sign of Caroline and their hosts. Once the plane began to touch down she spotted a limo. “That’s for us!” she shouted, waking her older sister, Isabella who simply yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Sorry, I’m excited is all. I haven’t seen Caroline in some time.”

“They better have sent someone important to pick us up,” Isadora nodded along. “I swear if it’s some petty noble or worse a politician...well I just won’t be pleased.”

“Ahem,” Jason coughed loudly, giving his sister a look of displeasure.

“What? Stephanie isn’t a petty noble, she’s a princess. Don’t be so sensitive, brother.”

“Just mind your words once we get off this plane, sister. Who sees us to the palace is inconsequential,” he added.

“Hmm. What would The Marquis Rhenus think, Isadora?” Isabella added a snide remark, pointing out the man her sister had been seeing for the past few months.

Though while her siblings spoke among themselves, Eirene continued to peer out the window as the plane finally came to a halt hoping that Caroline was waiting in the limo for her and the entire group. In fact, once it was safe for them to stand and gather their things, Eirene moved swiftly from her seat towards the nearest exit. But the stair car wasn’t ready yet. “Hurry up,” she muttered to herself. Isadora would have shouted at the poor worker no doubt. I wonder how long it will take for her and Isabella to be at each other's throat.

Jason stood and held his hand out to aid Stephanie from her seat, which she eagerly took with a glowing smile. Isadora, meanwhile, whipped her coat around her back, hitting Isabella with it, waking her. “So sorry, dear sister,” Isadora grinned in a snotty tone. By then, the stair car had reached the plane, Eirene quickly rushing down the stairs with Jason and Stephanie, followed by Isadora and finally a sluggish Isabella bringing up the rear.

Indeed, as it happened Princess Caroline was waiting for them beside a limo on the tarmac, still running and sending exhaust into the air. The Ghantish Princess was twenty, with long dark brown hair nearly black, and soft brown eyes that matched the color of her coat and jacket. With her was the youngest of her older brothers, Prince Mathias. He looked like his sister, though his hair was cut short and sat neatly atop his head...he too wore a thick coat and jacket to keep warm. The sky above them was cloudy and dull, and while it had stopped snowing, there was plenty of it on the ground already.

“Eirene!” Caroline cried out, careful to trudge through the snow in her winter boots, hands on the skirt of her gown to keep it from dragging through the snow. Mathias stood back with his guards, and attempted to appear dignified.

Princess Eirene rushed down the stairs with a gleeful smile that she couldn’t contain any longer. “Caroline,” she screamed reaching the base of the stairs, beginning to make her way through the snow, nearly losing her footing at one point. Though she reached her friend without a fall.

“Ah, the snow looks beautiful,” Stephanie stated, slowly making her way down to the tarmac with her husband behind her.

“So much though? It’s dreadful if you ask me,” Isadora moaned to no one in particular.

Once Eirene reached Caroline, the latter embraced her warmly for a few moments, before pulling away. “Welcome to Ghant, Eirene. My brother came with me to welcome you and your family here. It’s going to be so much fun!”

“Thank you!” Eirene smiled during their hug. “I know, I’ve been looking forward to this for so long. Hello Mathias,” she politely added. The rest of the group quickly caught up to the two princesses. “I’m sorry, where are my manners. I believe you know Isadora already, but this is my sister Isabella, and over here,” she motioned to her brother, the only man of the group who stood at a healthy 6’2’’ with skin that looked fair standing next to his tanned brunette wife, “we have my older brother Jason and his lovely wife Stephanie.”

“Good to see you again, your Highnesses, and well met, Stephanie,” Caroline curtsied politely. Mathias walked up to the group, and bowed courteously.

“A pleasure, your highnesses,” he told them astutely. “Ghish is made finer by your presence, no doubt. Come, let us return to the palace...my father is holding a feast in your honor.”

The girls curtsied while Jason simply smiled to both Caroline and Mathias. “Shall we then, I’m starved,” Jason said with a laugh, hoping to quickly reach the palace.

“Me too, if you must know,” Mathias laughed along as he held open the door of the limo for everyone to get inside where it was nice and warm. After everyone was in, he entered last, and closed the door behind him. “Can I interest anyone in something to drink?” Mathias was one of the more disciplined of the sons of the Emperor, astute and proper and paying much attention to how he presented himself. All the same, he sometimes felt as though he married too young, and too low at that. For while Mia Tronpa was a lovely wife, she was no Latin Princess, of which Isadora appealed to him greatly, and Eirene to a lesser extent. Though Isadora especially...

“I’d love one, something strong I pray,” Isabella nodded, finally starting to feel awake. She fiddled with her hair, then covered her yawn, though left her hair looking as if it was unkempt.

Not wanting to be left out, Isadora perked up too. “Hmm, I as well,” she smiled to the Prince. “Don’t they say that it’s a good way to warm yourself up in this frigid weather or something like that?”

“You’d be better off drinking some coco if that was what you trying to achieve, sister,” Isabella muttered to Isadora, then catching a look of disapproval from her brother who sat there holding the hand of his wife.

Laughing, Mathias casually replied, “it is, yes, but hot chocolate is more effective towards that end. Unfortunately there is none here, but there is wine.” Mathias poured everyone that wanted a glass one, while Caroline sat next to her brother and fidgeted her fingers in her lap.

“How is baby Maria?” She asked Jason and Stephanie benignly.

“Oh, she is doing great,” Stephanie smiled to Caroline, then to Jason.

“Thankfully she looks more like her mother than she does me. It should serve her well later on,” Jason joked, watching his sisters each take a cup of wine.

“Hmm. And the Emperor and Empress were kind enough to take her off our hands for this little vacation of ours. Perhaps we will actually get some sleep now that we are in Ghish,” Stephanie added.

“Good wine,” Isabella sipped at it. “Where is it from?”

“Gaemar,” Mathias smiled. “Gaemarian red, our mother’s favorite. That’s actually where we’re heading for skiing, at the slopes of the Grisa mountains near the border of Gaemar, Arrautsa and Lurberdea. Mother owns a ski lodge up there, and a very nice one at that. Should be a great time.”

“Oh, Gaemar,” Eirene smiled back. “That will be very exciting. Who all will be making the travel with?”

Mathias had to think about that for a minute. “...Hmm, let’s see, there’s the five of you, Caroline and myself, my brothers Stephen and Richard and their wives, my brother Albert and my brother John. Not sure about his wife Caroline though...she doesn’t really like skiing.” That’s putting it mildly. “My wife Mia may or may not join us as well...she’s not feeling well.”

“That’s a shame, I hope she feels better,” Eirene smiled after taking a sip of wine.

“I’m just interested in seeing Isadora on the mountain,” Jason poked fun at his sister. “I’m sure you won’t fall much, sister.”

Her face went slightly red, but she didn’t stay quiet. “I just need a good teacher is all, brother. Perhaps you, Mathias, could point out a good teacher once we arrive.”

“...In that case, I might have to suggest myself,” he grinned. “I’m an avid skier.”

“I’m ok, but I could be better at it,” Caroline pointed out to her friend. “I’m far better at dancing and football, if you can believe that.”

“The search no longer has to continue then,” Isadora smiled back to Mathias. “I’d be very grateful to have you teach me a thing or two about the ‘slopes’ then.”

“I can believe that,” Eirene stated. “You are always able to get around me with ease whenever we played football.”

By the time they arrived at the Imperial Palace, it was beginning to grow dark out, and the palace was lit up by the bright lights in the windows and those outside along the barriers. “Ah, here we are,” Mathias said, almost excitedly. “Won’t be long now, then we can get inside where it’s nice and warm.” The limo pulled up around the side under a canopy to shield the cars from the elements, and guards stood near the side entrance. One of them opened the limo door to allow the royals out, and ushered them into the palace while others secured their luggage for them.

The palace interior was well lit and lavishly decorated, with hangings, ornaments and fine china decorating the hallways. Everything seemed to shine, reflecting the light cast upon them by the crystal chandeliers having above, producing a golden hue that illuminated the path, contrasting with the black and white patterned marble tile floor. “Mother keeps the palace in tip top shape,” Caroline pointed out to their guests.

“It’s very beautiful,” Stephanie nodded as the group of Latins were led through the palace by their hosts. “When was it constructed?”

“During the reign of Nathan I, back in the early 1800s,” Mathias answered softly, since the halls could amplify and carry a voice. “He believed that not only should the throne inspire loyalty, but the seat that bears it should too. It took him roughly thirty years to build, and half of the Old Castle was taken down to make room for it. The remaining half actually connects to the palace over by the throne room, but it’s mostly reserved for historic preservation and such. They also share the catacombs beneath...which are quite expansive and go deep.”

“...It’s very creepy down there, I try to avoid it,” Caroline cautioned her friend. “You can get lost down there...and I don’t think it’s ever been fully mapped out either.”

“We should go explore them,” Eirene told Caroline softly. “That’d be such a rush, and so much fun.”

“...I suppose if you’d like to,” Caroline replied nervously. “But only if John goes with us! He’s been down there a few times, and knows them better than most.”

“Have you ever been in the catacombs, Prince Mathias?” Isadora asked after eavesdropping on Eirene and Caroline.

“I have, your Highness...it is spooky, but rich in history. It’s a good place to go if you...don’t want to be found,” he informed her with a smile. “You can get dirty down there, so if you don’t mind getting messy, it’s not too bad.”

“Isadora, messy? Doesn’t sound like the kind of place she’d ever like to go,” Isabella chuckled to herself, also causing Jason to break out a laugh.

“It’s a vacation, Isabella. You do know the point is to enjoy one’s self don’t you?” Isadora shot back at her sister. “If there is fun to be had, I’d like to seek it out.”

Eventually they arrived at the feast hall, where the doors were slightly opened already. Seated at the head of the table was Emperor Albert of Ghant, and beside him on one side sat Empress Grace. Grace was a small woman, with red hair in a bun and soft brown eyes, not unlike Caroline’s. She wore a long, flowing green silk gown, and looked at the incoming party warmly. “Welcome,” the Emperor of Ghant bellowed. “Please, join us…”

The herald bellowed with a slam of his staff into the marble floor of the feast hall. “You are now in the presence of His Majesty Albert, First of HIs Name, Emperor of Ghant, High King of the Ghantar, King of Gholghant, King of Low Ghant, Lord of Ghish, Lord of Gaztelua, Lord of Gholgoth, and Protector of the Realm. Joining him is his wife, Empress Grace, of the House Galan of Galan of Langael, their son John, Crown Prince of Ghant, their son Albert, Prince of Ghant, their son Stephen, Prince of Ghant and his wife, Princess Lysa of Rietumimark, their son Richard, Prince of Ghant and his wife, Tsarevna Minka of Nekulturnya.”

“A pleasure,” John said to the Latin party, in a most polite and dignified manner. “Please, join us, as my father has so generously offered. And please, avail yourself to the bread and salt, to know that you shall be treated graciously under this roof.” John, Albert, Stephen, Richard and Mathias all had varying shades of dark brown hair, and all had brown eyes to boot, except for John, who had the Emperor’s blue eyes, haunting and profound.

The Latins all entered as the Emperor invited them and after the herald introduced all the Ghantish royals present. “Bread and salt?” Stephanie whispered to Jason while they all went to take some.

“It’s just some custom,” Jason whispered back to his wife before addressing Emperor Albert. “On behalf of my sisters and my wife, I thank you for your generosity as well as the bread and salt, Your Majesty.”

“All of the princes are very handsome aren’t they,” Isadora whispered to Isabella and then to Eirene while they took their bread and salt.

“Yes...very,” Isabella whispered back, her eyes focused on the Crown Prince momentarily before they all found their seats.

The whispering between the Latin Princesses didn’t go unnoticed by the Empress, who observed proper table manners by keeping her hands beneath the table and an array of silverware in front of her on either side of her plate. There was steak, foul, an assortment of vegetables both raw and steamed, as well as fruits, pastries, stews in bread bowls and trenchers for the steak juices. To drink there was wine, tea, water and some cider. Albert fancied himself some strongwine.

The Princes of Ghant had their own subtle variations between them. While John was tall and thin, dignified and clean-shaven with contemplative blue eyes, his younger brother Albert was tall and larger framed, with short, combed over dark hair and beady brown eyes with a petulant face that contrasted with John’s naturally charming expression. Stephen was shorter and stockier than both, with a round face and beady eyes, but a pleasant smile and a small moustache to stand out. Richard had wild, curly brown hair and large, piercing brown eyes with a round nose. Apparently, Richard was the cutest baby, but turned out to be the least good looking of the brothers. Lysa and Minka regarded each other with disdain...Lysa was a husky woman, though with a pretty face, with shoulder-length blonde hair and light blue eyes. Minka, on the other hand, was a natural Slavic beauty, with long brown hair that ended in curls behind her back, and with alluring hazel eyes and a voluptuous figure. They spent more time glancing at each other then they did at the Latins.

“...I take it your trip wasn’t unpleasant?” The Empress asked as she started eating some salad and drinking her red wine.

“Not at all, Your Majesty. In fact I believe it was the first time in months my wife, Stephanie, and I were able to get some actual sleep,” Jason smiled to the Empress, hoping to add a bit of levity to the situation.

“It was very kind of you to extend the invitation to us, Your Majesty,” Eirene added, though directed to Emperor Albert, while she placed a napkin on her lap.

Isabella sat to Eirene’s side and requested a glass of wine be poured for herself from a nearby servant, though for now only chose to eat from the fruits available.

“Oh of course,” the Empress smiled. “Caroline has been asking about it for some time, and was very excited at the prospect. I am loathe to deny my children anything, especially my baby,” she spoke fondly of Caroline, causing the princess to smile. “And of course, I think it’s important to make new friends and build stronger ties with other families. Your father is a good man, and your mother a marvelous woman, so I have no doubts that you are all splendid people.”

“You’re far too kind, Your Majesty. We’ll be sure to pass your praises onto our mother and father,” Eirene added with a youthful smile.

While Eirene spoke with the Empress, Isadora attempted to cozy up to Mathias or any other Ghantish prince for that matter. “Mhm, this wine is very good as well. It goes great the rest of the meal. Try it Bella, it’s very good. Wouldn’t you agree, Prince Mathias?”

“Why yes, I certainly would,” Mathias answered as he cast his eyes towards his brother Albert...otherwise known as Bertie. The younger Albert was the only unmarried son remaining to the Emperor, and while Mathias was fond of his older brother, he was ready to concede that there was a reason for that. Bertie was a prickly sort of man, dark and brooding. Many knew why, but few spoke of it openly.

The woman Bertie always wanted was Elizabeth Mutu. Yet, she fell in love with John, and the two were betrothed. Then came Caroline Zuria, who tempted John to such a degree that John broke his betrothal to Elizabeth and married Caroline instead. This development devastated Elizabeth, whom Albert attempted to comfort, and in the process declared his undying love for her. Yet she spurned him, and then ran off with Malibar Dakmaran, a man that Bertie was always rivals with. Bertie was never the same after all that, and it turned the once sad, moody princeling, into a bitter man haunted by his failures, twisted by hatred.

While any of the Latin Princesses could end up marrying Bertie, he doubted either of them would be happy in the end, for Bertie would always feel like he settled, and the poor Latin Princess he might have been saddled with would feel shunned and neglected by a cruel, disinterested husband married to her only for the sake of politics and family pride. This was why during the course of the feast, Bertie sat quietly, eating and drinking without so much as an acknowledgement of the Latin guests.

“Yes it’s all very fine, Isadora,” Isabella nodded with another sip of wine, and an occasional glance at the Ghantish princes.

Isadora, however, paid no attention to her sister’s response and curiously glanced at Prince Albert when she noticed Mathias glance to him. She didn’t look long, but enough to see what she needed to before turning her head towards Eirene. “Is that one a mute?” she whispered to her younger sister in Greek.

“God, no Isa. Even if he were you can’t ask that,” Eirene whispered back, also in Greek.

“Hmm, well he’d be cute if he didn’t look grumpy the whole time,” Isadora finished whispering in Greek before taking a bit from her salad.

Grace was ever the perceptive woman, and noticed this. It prompted her to turn her gaze towards her second son. “Bertie dear, aren’t the Latin Princesses such lovely young women?”

Bertie looked up from his plate at his mother, and feigned a subtle grin. “Yes mother, the Latin Princesses are quite lovely...truly their mother’s daughters.”

I guess he’s not a mute, though it would have been more interesting if he were, Isadora giggled to herself. “Why thank you, Prince Albert. That’s so kind of you,” she giggled again.

To that, Bertine inclined his head, and returned to his dinner. The Empress then added, “We’ve made arrangements for the Princesses to say in chambers of honor near Caroline, while Jason and Stephanie have accommodations not far from there, in chambers more suitable for a married couple.”

“If you’d like, you can stay with me in mine,” Caroline told Eirene. “Either way our rooms are connected. They have full cable packages, complete bathrooms and all the finer things in life.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Jason smiled as did Stephanie and Isadora, though Isabella remained a bit uninterested in the current situation.

“Yes! It will be a slumber party just like when we were younger,” Eirene smiled with glee at Caroline’s suggestion.

“Exactly,” the Ghantish Princess agreed. “What about Izzy and Isa, what will they do?”

“So long as they aren’t in the same room, they won’t cause any problems. I don’t know what’s gotten into the two of them,” Eirene spoke softly to Caroline. “Though I suppose they could join us if you wanted...Isadora at least.”

“...If they’d like to, they are certainly invited,” Caroline whispered back.

Isabella was able to overhear Eirene’s conversation and rolled her eyes in annoyance. She enjoyed the final gulp of wine from her glass, as she was beginning to feel slightly inebriated, then softly placed her glass on the table. Isabella took a quick once over of the table, noticing Isadora checking out the princes - mostly Mathias, but occasionally looking at Albert, Jason and Stephanie conversing with one another, and finally landing on the Crown Prince.

John noticed this, and addressed the princess politely. “Do you like strawberry shortcake, your Highness?”

Isabella was caught off guard by the Crown Prince addressing her. Perhaps I stared a bit too long. “Hmm, very much so, Your Highness,” she smiled while blushing.

“Oh god, look at her face,” Isadora poked Eirene with her elbow and whispered. “Her face is so red.”

“Good, I was hoping that might be the case.” Crown Prince John lifted a lid on a dish to reveal strawberry shortcake, which was already cut into slices so it could be easily served. “By all means, help yourself, though I’d recommend milk with that.”

“Bertie is a big fan of strawberry shortcake too,” Caroline sniggered as she glanced at her second oldest brother.

Bertie for his part feigned a grin again. “Yes, it’s very good.”

Isabella took a slice of shortcake and a glass of milk. “I surely will,” she smiled before taking a bit of appropriate size. “Mhm, it’s very good.”

Not wanting to be left out of the conversation, Isadora quickly joined in. “I’d love a slice as well. Do you find the flavor enhanced by milk as well, Prince Albert?”

“I do, your Highness,” Albert told her, while Mathias was on point, pouring her a glass himself.

“It’s fattening,” the Emperor himself then commented between drinks of his tankard. “I hope you young ladies have good metabolism...I know I don’t,” he laughed.

The girls all smiled to the Emperor, but only Eirene spoke up. “Mother didn’t let us have sweets much growing up, so it was always such a treat whenever we had the chance.”

“That’s because he didn’t want the three of you getting fat,” the Emperor laughed once more. “Aren’t you glad she didn’t? You all turned out quite well thanks to her precaution.”

“I suppose you’re correct,” Eirene smiled once again. “It just makes the treat even more sweet whenever we had the chance to enjoy it.”

“Though she never denied Jason sweets whenever he desired them,” Isadora laughed, enjoying the moment. “What a pudgy little boy you used to be. I bet Stephanie remembers too.”

Stephanie laughed slightly at her husband’s expense. “Oh, I do. But he was still quite adorable from what I remember.”

“Yes, everyone loves fat little boys,” the Empress giggled. “Though mine were always like twigs. Especially John.” John didn’t have anything to say to that, he only smiled as he helped himself to the strawberry shortcake.

“Couldn’t have been for lack of effort. I mean the way he has gotten us all on the topic of cake,” Isabella smiled with an attempt at humor, though she speculated her attempt fell flat.

“To be fair, that was me that did that,” John laughed. “I opened Pandora’s Box, and now I marvel at the wonders it’s unleashed.”

“Hmm, amazing the rabbit’s hole we’ve delved into now, isn’t it?” Isabella laughed along, poking at her slice of cake with her fork.

“Depends,” the Crown Prince countered. “How deep do you think it goes?” He asked the princess playfully.

“Haven’t a clue, perhaps we should just keep pushing forward,” she smiled as her cheeks gained a slight blush.

That caused the Emperor to nearly choke on his food, while the Empress feigned ignorance and the princes sniggered. John for his part merely smiled faintly, and nodded without saying anything in response. There was an awkwardness in the room that wasn’t there before though...

“Can you show me your room?” Eirene asked Caroline. “I haven’t seen it in forever and I need to get my things situated.”

“Yes of course,” Caroline replied swiftly, eager to depart. “Are you ready to go now?”

“Please,” Eirene begged then whispered to her friend. “The quicker we can get away from Bella’s blubbering attempts to flirt with your brother the better.”

“...He’s married though,” Caroline seemed shocked by Eirene’s admission. “Well, not happily, but still married all the same.” She was sure to keep her voice down, lest someone hear. “Mother, may Eirene and I be excused?”

“Of course dear, go ahead,” Grace waved her hand, thereupon which Caroline sprung up from her chair, curtsied, and began walking away from the table.

Eirene quickly accompanied Caroline with a curtsy, and then out of the hall once excused.

“Well, dinner was absolutely immaculate,” Stephanie announced with a genuine smile in order to break the awkward silence. “Thank you once again.”

“You’re welcome,” the Empress replied warmly. “I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it, and honored that you are here.”

“I must say, I’m even more excited to get to the mountain and explore the country a bit more,” Stephanie added.

“It’s all she’s been talking about for the better part of a month now,” Jason joined in with a laugh.

The Crown Prince nodded, folding his cloth napkin onto his finished plate. “Well, rest assured, there’s so many mountains and so much country that I’m sure you’ll find it all to your satisfaction.” Watching his sister scamper off, the Crown Prince then said, “my sister will show you all to your chambers should you wish to retire for the evening. Otherwise, you are free to remain here, or see more of the palace if that’s your inclination,” he addressed the Latins.

Stephanie smiled, while Jason prepared to stand. “It’s been a long day with the flight and all, I think we’ll follow the Princess to our chambers,” he said, holding his hand for his wife to stand from her chair. “Again, many thanks Your Majesty, Your Majesty, and Your Highnesses. Until tomorrow. Sisters, shall we?”

Isadora stood at her brother’s instruction, as did Isabella, though she appeared a bit embarrassed for the moment. “Very well, brother. I could always use more beauty sleep. It was wonderful to meet you,” Isadora added to the Princes.

“Likewise,” John replied with a smile, prompting the others to follow suit.

“Indeed,” said Albert.

“It’s been my pleasure,” Mathias added.

“Of course,” said Stephen.

“See you in the morning,” Richard spoke last, with a glib tongue.

Emperor Albert laughed and said to Isadora, “beauty sleep? As if you need any of that!”

Both Isadora and Isabella blushed at the Emperor’s comment. “No, certainly not,” Isadora replied confidently, glancing briefly towards the Princes. “But it never hurts to have more.”

The princes began filtering out, one after the other, while Minka and Lysa followed after them, turning their heads to glance at the Latin princesses with looks of admonition. “Please, make yourselves comfortable, and like my son said, should you decide to leave your chambers at anytime to see more of the palace, fee free to do so to your heart’s content,” the Empress told the Latins.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” the Latin Princesses smiled one last time.

When they had finally left the hall, all three Latin Princesses, Jason and Stephanie followed Caroline to their rooms, though Eirene walked closely to Caroline. And while the Princesses weren’t particularly interested in the look of their surroundings, Stephanie gazed up and down the halls to soak in all that she could, as up until now most of the only palaces or great houses she had seen were Latin or Roman in nature.

“Here are your chambers,” Caroline informed Jason and Stephanie as she stopped in front of one set of double doors there in one of the many side halls. “Just let the guards know if you need anything, and they will see to it that you are well taken care of.”

Both Jason and Stephanie smiled to her. “Of course. Behave yourselves, sisters,” Jason told his sisters with a stern tone before opening the door to the room.

“Goodnight, ladies,” Stephanie smiled to the girls before following her husband inside.

Caroline saw them into their room, and once they were in and the door was shut, Caroline went on her way, with Eirene and her sisters in tow. “Did you guys have anything in mind that you wanted to do? Perhaps watch a movie or something of that sort?” She asked as she led the way from Jason and Stephanie’s suite further into the palace towards her own chambers. Since she was the only daughter of the Emperor, she had the Princess wing all to herself, and the rooms that would have gone to other princesses, instead went to guests such as the ones she was presently entertaining.

“Behave yourselves? Please, are we children still?” Isadora muttered about her brother’s final remarks.

“I think I may just retire for the night,” Isabella stated in response to Caroline’s question.

“Well, I know I’d love to watch a movie. Do you have anything recent?” Eirene asked.

“I’ve got Ghost, have you seen that?” The Ghantish princess asked. “I’ve only seen it once but I thought it was really good. It’s really sad too...I cried.”

“I haven’t. We could watch that,” Eirene stated. “Would you like to join, Isa?”

“Hmm, I suppose,” Isadora replied, but really didn’t have much interest in doing so.

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived in the appropriate wing of the palace. “Here’s your room, Isabella,” Caroline pointed at one set of doors. “And yours, Isadora,” she gestured towards another. “And here’s ours,” she said lastly of two sets next to those. “Everything seems in order. There are servants on standby if you need anything, and guards too to make you feel safe. Nobody gets past them, not even my brothers,” she teased.

“Well that’s a damn pity,” Isadora grinned.

“Oh, were you hoping Prince Albert made an appearance, Isa?” Eirene poked fun at her sister. Or perhaps someone else even?”

“God Eirene, can’t you take a joke?” Isadora stared at her sister, pushing her room door slightly ajar. “I’ll change and be out for the movie in a bit.”

Caroline saw Isabella and Isadora to their rooms, before heading towards her’s and Eirene’s. “...Your sisters seem a bit off tonight, if you don’t mind me saying,” Caroline pointed out. “Are they alright?”

“No, you’re right. They’ve been acting so strange since even before we boarded the plane,” Eirene rubbed her forehead. “Bella has been mopey for quite some time now. Awkward as she was with your brother, I admit, I was at least glad to see her smile. And Isa, well I don’t know if she’s just trying to push Bella’s buttons or is just nervous that her boyfriend may propose to her soon.”

The Ghantish Princess sighed as she entered her room and shut the door behind her and Eirene as they went inside. She turned the lights on and made herself comfortable on her couch. “My parents didn’t want to be direct about it, but you know what this is all about. Mother and father are interested in a match between one of the three of your and Bertie, to better strengthen the ties between Latium and Ghant. They haven’t been what they ought to be in quite some time, you know,” she explained to her friend. “By the way, if you don’t want to watch something heavy like Ghost, we can always watch Dirty Dancing.”

“I wouldn’t want to marry Bertie or any of your brothers for that matter,” Eirene told her. “...Not that I mean any offense, I don’t. It would just be too weird, you know? Why haven’t they just spoken with my parents? They must know that my father doesn’t appreciate indirectness.”

“My mother has,” Caroline clarified as she made herself comfortable. “But she didn’t want to drop it on your or your sisters when you came here. This is supposed to be about having a good time and relaxing, not about getting chased by Bertie, though I doubt he’d do much chasing. And that’s fine, don’t worry about it...Grace was more interested in the older two anyway. Though it seems like Isa is more interested in Mathias, and Izzy in John, from what I observed. Problem is both of them are married, while Bertie isn’t.”

“Well Isa would probably be more open to such an idea than Bella would be. But just from the bit I saw at dinner, Bertie doesn’t seem all that interested in anyone,” Eirene replied, digging through her things to find something more comfortable to wear. “And I wouldn’t worry about Isa doing anything in pursuit of such an interest...well unless he were to make a move that is.”

“Any match with Bertie would be a political one at best,” Caroline informed her friend. “If either of your sisters are looking for a love match, that’s not what he offers. I don’t know either of them well enough to say if that’s something they’d consider.”

“I can’t see either of them enjoying such an arrangement, unfortunately,” Eirene finally grabbed a yellow sweater from her bags. “But maybe we could try and push one of them closer to him during our visit. You know, to see if there is some sort of chemistry”

Caroline sighed as she dug out her VHS tapes from a cabinet. “Based on what I’ve seen, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Anyway…Ghost or Dirty Dancing??

“Mhmm, definitely Dirty Dancing,” Eirene smiled, planting herself on a couch.

“As you wish,” Caroline replied as she put in the tape and sat beside Eirene, making herself comfortable. Meanwhile…

There was a knock on Isadora’s door...a soft, polite one.

Isadora had been sitting on her bed, brushing her hair when she heard the door. She got up and slowly approached the door, “who is it?”

“It’s Mathias,” the Ghantish Prince said quietly. “I came to check up on you all and make sure you settled in comfortably.”

Mathias...interesting. “Just a minute,” she told him, rushing back to her bed to find a robe or something to cover herself with. But it was nearly another two or three minutes before she finally got around to opening the door. “Prince Mathias, what a pleasant surprise seeing you here. Please come in.”

“My pleasure.” Mathias stepped into the room and studied her setup. “Looks like you are settling in rather nicely, this is good. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Not at all, I was simply brushing my hair,” Isadora let out a large smile as she closed the door and walked further into the room so she could find a seat. “I am, it was very kind of your family to offer us such amazing accommodations.”

“It was absolutely necessary,” he grinned as he walked further into the room, making sure everything was in order. “Princesses of such rank as yourself and your sisters deserve only the best that Ghant has to offer. Why settle for less than you deserve?”

Though she hadn’t been in occupation of the room for long, Isadora had already made it her own; hanging various dresses in a closet, with the one she wore to dinner hanging over the foot of her bed. “I agree, though...I only wish there was some way that I could properly thank your family,” she continued to smile. “Please, feel free to sit.”

“Thank you,” he said as he sat down on a couch beneath some dim lights. “That’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about, my princess. About what my mother thinks would be a proper way to thank our family. Do you have any idea of what it is I might be referring to?”

“I haven’t a clue, Mathias,” Isadora grinned, scooching closer to the prince on the couch.

“...Mother wants to match one of you up with Bertie,” he confessed. “At first I was hoping this would come to fruition as well since it would be good for our Houses. After having met you, and getting to know you however briefly though, I don’t want it to be you,” he admitted anxiously. “He wouldn’t care for or about you, and would only honor you insofar as a husband honors a wife in the proper fashion. But that’s not it,” he gulped. “I feel regret, because all of my older brothers besides Bertie married around the same time a few years ago, and I did the same because I wanted to be like them. I married Mia Tronpa, but I shouldn’t have...and she’s barren. I should have waited...I should have waited for someone like you. A proper princess, pleasant and beautiful...forgive me for admitting all this, but the thought of you and my brother Bertie tore me apart inside, and I fear that I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. I couldn’t keep it to myself, so here I am. I hope you don’t take it the wrong way...I just think you deserve better.”

“I...I don’t know what to say,” Isadora stood up, shocked at what she had just been told. She turned her back to the prince and paced towards her bed. “This is quite a bit to absorb.”

Mathias nodded, easing himself into his seat and trying to relax. “I thought it would be better to tell you now then let you get sucked into something and caught off guard. I guess you can say I’ve taken it upon myself to look out for you during your stay. I did offer to help you with your ski gear, after all,” he smiled. “Just enjoy yourself and don’t worry about all that. I won’t let Bertie coerce you into anything, you have my word.”

Isadora paced between her bed and the couch where Mathias was sitting for a brief time. “Coerce me? What does that mean, that he’d force himself on me or one of my sisters?” she asked, looking at the back of the Prince’s head.

“No, not like that...more like he’d try to goad you into it, or make you feel as though you should. But I won’t let him...he can’t have you,” Mathias smiled faintly.

“My brother would kill him if he tried anything like that,” Isadora said, coming back around to the front of the couch. “I know he’s your brother...but it makes him seem like a monster. Is he?”

“No, Isadora, I don’t think he’s a monster,” Mathias shook his head, though his eyes never left her. “He’s just a damaged person, which is why mother takes extra care with him and shows him more attention. I know what kind of woman he needs...and I know what kind of woman I need,” he grinned. “Needless to say they aren’t the same kind.”

“And that would be?”

Mathias shifted in his seat...he wanted her bad, but didn’t want to come on too strong. “He needs a woman that’s in it solely for the politics and the prestige of the match, and doesn’t really care about emotional intimacy. Someone who will be in it for duty’s sake. I haven’t known you very long, but that’s not you. I think you want passion and excitement. You want something that explodes. Am I right?”

“You are,” Isadora swallowed and took a deep breath. She nodded her head slowly and took a seat on the couch. “...that’s correct.”

“I thought so,” he told her as he took her hand and gave it a kiss on the back. “Plenty of that to be found here, if you know where to look,” he teased her.

“I think I know where to look,” she said softly, then leaned in to kiss Mathias.

Oh yes, the Ghantish Prince thought when she leaned in to kiss him. Not only did he reciprocate the kiss, first demurely and then a bit more provocatively, but then he let his hands explore her body over her robe, before poking his fingers through it. He didn’t speak...there was nothing to say that he couldn’t convey with his body. He let it be known that he wanted her, and that he wanted her as soon as he could get her.

Isadora allowed his hands to wander, even untying her robe to expedite things. She continued kissing him, and continued to go with the flow of things to see where it led her.

True to what she said she liked, Mathias made things happen quickly. He shot up from the couch and grabbed her gently, though firmly by the arms, and practically tossed her onto the bed before jumping in after her. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, he revealed his ravenous desire for her, working off her robe and kissing her neck and body while trying to get his off too. Bertie can make due with one of the other ones, Mathias though as he unleashed his passion upon the Latin Princess. This one’s mine. No doubt, he was going to enjoy himself and not worry about tomorrow. He imagined she felt similarly in that regard.

When she hit the bed, Isadora forgot about all that had clouded her mind throughout the day, whether that be the various arguments she had with Isabella, Eirene or even matters of her personal life back home. While initially she had felt hesitant, Mathias’s blunt admission to her had won her over, and for the night she was his…

[Lacus Magni]

Osaturika Lodge
Ostaturika, Gaemar
November 1990
(Co-written with Ghant)

“...You need to keep your knees shoulder length apart, and your toes pointing inward,” Mathias explained to Isadora as he maneuvered her legs with his hands. Heels apart, and your ankles, waist and knees bend slightly. If you can master that, the rest is easy.” They were in the privacy of a room at Osaturika ski lodge, in the Grisa mountains near the border of Gaemar, Arrautsa and Lurberdea...away from prying eyes, at least for now.

“And you’re absolutely sure I won’t fall flat on my face if I do this?” Isadora smiled, following along with Mathias’s words and physical guiding instructions. “I imagine you may enjoy that, in fact.”

“I would, but only because I’d get to bring you back here and see to it that you got changed into some fresh clothes,” he grinned mischievously. “You might fall a few times, but everyone does at first. It’s normal...think of it like ice skating. The more you do it, the better you get at it. You just have to have the patience and the perseverance necessary to get good at it. I think you do.”

“I think I do too,” Isadora turned around to face him, planting a light kiss on his cheek. “We may as well get those early falls out of the way then. Besides we don’t need anyone getting suspicious do we?”

“Well if you fall too much, you could get bruised, and then you’d have to take a hot bath to relax and soothe the bruises. God forbid it come to that,” he teased her with a kiss on the lips. “No, that wouldn’t serve at all...are you ready?”

“Of course, that’d be an absolute shame wouldn’t it?” she asked rhetorically with a grin. “I am, let’s go see how much better I am at this than my sisters, thanks to my marvelous teacher.”

“The best, without a doubt...and thank you, I will be here all week,” Mathias smiled as he led her out, wondering how his brother John was fairing with Isabella…

John stood tall and proud with his hand under his chin as he explained to Isabella the nuances of skiing while in Isabella’s room. “It’s important to keep your toes pointed inward, making a v shape with your feet, and your legs spread apart...hopefully you can excuse the immodesty, this is why some ladies choose not to ski. Might I digress, keep your knees and ankles slightly bent as well, but be mindful of how much you lean forward, as that can increase your speed. I’d advise against that, seeing as how you are a beginner.”

Isabella listened closely to John’s instructions, moving along with them as he spoke to familiarize herself. “It seems straightforward enough, I suppose. How inward do I want my toes to be, just enough to keep a steady enough pace?”

“Exactly. Not so close that you lose your balance, but not so far apart that your skis are straight, because then they could go apart in the opposite direction, and you fall over on your back.” John examined her feet and legs, before adding “once you’re out in the snow, you’ll see what I mean.”

“Hmm, that makes sense. Thank you,” she told him rather plainly. “Do you mind if we go give this a try right now then?”

Looking behind him towards the door, John turned back and nodded. “Not at all...by all means, be my guest.”

Isabella grabbed her jacket followed by her skis before exiting her room. “Have you been to this mountain many times?” she asked, struggling to keep hold of her skis.

“...A few times,” he replied. “I’ve been pretty busy that past few years...haven’t found the time to come out as much.” John had his jacket and skis in the sitting room, which had a good view of the ski slope, as well as the neighboring lodge that featured a restaurant, other amenities and a gondola that went all the way down the mountain.

“Busy with what?” she innocently asked. “...God, that’s a bit rude of me to ask. I’m really sorry.”

Chuckling, John shook his head and said. “It’s fine...busy with ruling. My father doesn’t have a talent for it and relies on me, and mother is getting older and can’t do everything herself. She never really enjoyed it either...while I can’t say I enjoy it personally, I consider it important. My father doesn’t take very good care of himself, and I could become Emperor at very short notice. I don’t want to be ill prepared for it, so I do what I can now. A lot needs to change if this country is going to advance, and it won’t be easy. But if I don’t do it, who will?”

“Oh, I had no idea. That’s extremely admirable of you,” she smiled to him. “It reminds me of every war story my father has ever told us kids back home actually. Do you think you have a talent for it, ruling?”

“...That isn’t for me to say,” he responded candidly. “My mother says I do, but I don’t let it go to my head. I’d rather be humble and see myself as a servant of the public good.”

“I wish my brother would see it that way at times,” Isabella stated. “Not that he doesn’t have a knack for it, just that my parents made the mistake of telling him so many times that he can get rather big headed occasionally.”

Nodding a bit, John pointed out that “your father is a man of accomplishment, and your mother a Latin Princess by birth. My father is a man who was always ill-suited for the throne and only rules because it is his by rights, while my mother is a noble lady who merely married him, by no choice of her own. For your brother, the bar is high, and for me, the bar is low. Hence the difference between your brother and I, with all due respect,” he explained.

“Of course,” Isabella simply smiled to John. “Well I’m excited to finally take my first try at this mountain.”

“Just remember to respect it,” John reminded her. “There’s a lot of snow and ice, and it is cold. If you are not careful, you can get hurt. I want you to return to your parents in the same condition that you came in,” he grinned. “Sound good?”

“I’ll do my best, as it appears our interests are aligned,” Isabella grinned right back. “The last thing I want is to get hurt on vacation.”

Laughing, John said “believe me I know...it wouldn’t be the first time. Let’s head outside.” A large sliding door separated the back deck from the living room, which John opened to expose them to the outside air. It was cold, but sunny with a clear sky. A small gate separated the slope from the back deck, such as it were. The way down the mountain was clear, with a few trees and rocks on the far edges of the slope.

Isabella zipped her coat up as much as she could to keep the cold away when she stepped outside. “Such a deceiving day,” she stated with a smile. “I always think it will be warm and mild when the sky is this clear, but step outside and the cold just hits you like that.”

“It certainly takes a bit of getting used to…” John’s train of thought was derailed when Mathias emerged from the lodge.

“Lovely skiing weather, wouldn’t you say?” He asked his brother.

John nodded curtly, and responded by saying. “Could be worse...this will have to do.”

“Nice to see you, Prince Mathias,” Isabella said politely, before noticing her sister, Isadora, emerge soon after Mathias. “...and you too, Isadora.”

“Sister...Prince John” Isadora stated crassly, paying little attention to her older sister as she put on her sunglasses. “Come on, Mat. I’m feeling a strong first-timer run is coming.”

“After you then,” Mathias gestured towards the gate. “Are you as ready as your sister, Isabella?”

“I certainly think so. John gave me a few pointers that I think will help a great deal,” Isabella replied.

“Well, Mat gave me some great tips, probably even better ones,” Isadora replied in a snarky tone. “Isn’t that right?”

Mathias grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I snuck a few tips in here and there.”

John looked at his younger brother with narrowed eyes. “Yes, I’m certain the Latin Emperor will be pleased to hear that you have been taking looking after Princess Isadora seriously.” He glanced at Isabella too, before opening the gate on the back deck so that Isadora could hit the slope.

“Only a few?” Isabella asked curiously.

“Father will almost certainly thank Mat for his attentiveness and kindness during our trip. He’ll be glad I’ve learned a new skill this trip,” Isadora stated.

“...I’m sure he’ll be pleased…” Another brother emerged this time. Albert came out in full gear, and approached the gate. “Brothers, your highnesses,” he said to the four of them as he made his way forward upon his skis. “Time to hit the slope if you don’t mind.” Standing there on the edge, he carefully positioned himself and crept forward, until he was skiing down the side of the mountain, with an exceptional skill at that.

Watching him go, Mathias pointed out that “Bertie is a good skier, there’s no doubt about that.”

“It seems that the case,” Isabella watched Albert go down the mountain.

“Oh, but I’m a good skier too,” Isadora blurted out. “I bet I can make it the whole way down without even falling once.”

“That I’d pay to see. Even Jason has fallen today according to Stephanie, and this isn’t even his first time skiing,” Isabella reminded her younger sister.

Isadora paid no attention to Isabella, whipping her head around to face down the mountain. “You’re going to follow closely, right?” she asked Mathias quietly before making the plunge down the slope.

“Of course...I will be right behind you,” Mathias reassured her with a pat on the shoulder, before she went off. Then he went after her.

Watching the two of them go down the slope, John sighed and turned to Isabella. “Something seems a bit...off about them.”

“What do you mean?” Isabella asked, making sure he skies were fastened properly. “Isa is always a bit eccentric or loud.”

I’m probably grasping at straws. “You’re right...I suppose I’m just not used to seeing my brother behave that way. Will you go down the slope first, or shall I?”

“Well, she usually either rubs people the wrong way or they find her to be entertaining. Maybe that’s it,” Isabella added, her curiosity for John’s remarks growing. “Hmm, I’ll try it first. That way when I fall I’m not left alone to rot,” she finished before slowly taking off down the mountain, making sure to follow John’s instructions.

John took a deep breath and sighed, shaking his head before pushing himself off onto the mountain slope, following up behind Isabella and making sure she didn’t hurt herself. He wasn’t as good a skier as Bertie was, but he could hold his own on the slopes.

Isabella steadily went down the mountain for the first time, so far managing not to fall, unlike Isadora who she noticed had fallen nearly fifty feet in front of her. Serves her right for being a loudmouth, she thought as she passed by with a smile. After a few more minutes, she made it to the bottom with a sigh of relief. “Did you see that?” She yelled in excitement.

“I saw the whole thing,” John said with a smile as he turned his head to see that Mathias stopped to help Isadora after she fell. Bertie was still going, crossing over into the more dangerous ski paths, which included a few jumps. “You did well. See? Not as hard as you thought,” he chuckled. “I don’t think Mathias told Isadora to respect the mountain…”

“That was so exciting! Definitely didn’t think I’d make it in one piece,” Isabella smiled and ran towards John. “Honestly wouldn’t surprise me if she didn’t just for the attention, respect or no.”

“Ouch,” Isadora moaned while laying on the ground after falling. “Jesus, that hurt…”

“You should be more careful next time,” Mathias told her as he looked her over for injuries, before helping her up. “You did good though...it’s ok you’re still learning. Might have to rest you up a bit with a hot bath and a massage…”

“Did Isabella fall at least?” Isadora asked while she tried to stand back up.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Mathias observed as he looked over to Isabella and John. “John’s a good teacher though, he’s very intelligent. Consider it a blessing in disguise...now you have an excuse to head back up to the lodge,” he flashed a grin.

“You mean now we have an excuse,” Isadora finally stood and went to kiss Mathias.

“Yes, by you I mean we,” he chuckled as he kissed her back. “Come on, let’s head over to the gondola and take it back up to the top. I can inspect you for bruises on the way up.”

“Hmm, I like the sound of that,” she grinned, looking down the mountain to her sister, throwing a wave in her direction.

“I wonder where they’re going,” Isabella said quietly, seeing Isadora wave to her.

“Back up the mountain, if I had to venture a guess,” John said contemplatively. “We should probably head back up too, unless you want to keep going down the other courses. The gondola goes all the way down to the bottom. That’s where the town is.”

“Right, of course. Let’s get going back up then,” Isabella nodded to John. “Is there anything interesting in town?”

John looked towards the town as he made his way towards the closest gondola access platform. “Yeah, there’s a great many things in town. Restaurants, ice skating rinks, shops, you name it. It’s a cool little tourist trap.”

“Sounds cute. Maybe you could show me the best parts of it,” she suggested. “If you want to of course, you don’t have to if you have other things that require your attention.”

Looking between the town and the lodge at the top of the mountain, the Crown Prince replied, “there’s nothing that requires my attention...this is vacation you know,” he laughed. “If you want to see the town, I will show it to you.”

“I’d like that very much,” she smiled back with a blushed face.

“Did you want to see it now, or see it later?” He asked her. “The gondola goes up to the lodge, and down to the town. So either way, the other is readily accessible.”

“Why not now, the mountain isn’t going anywhere,” she told John. “Besides, maybe we’ll beat the rush of all those tourists,” she joked.

John nodded and headed towards the gondola platform that would take them down. “Good point. There’s another lodge at the base of the mountain in town where we can put our gear. The town is fairly large, so try to stay close...though in the event that we get separated, head back to the gondolas, and I will look for you there.”

“I’ll do my best,” Isabella smiled, following him to the gondola. “So what do you think would be the best thing to see there first?”

“The Gift Tree,” he answered without thinking about it much. “Think of it as a more culturally appropriate version of a Christmas tree,” he laughed. “It’s huge, wrapped up in thousands of lights and with musicians playing the flute, harp and violin underneath, among other things.”

“I see, that reminds me of the tree lighting ceremonies in Adrianople. They’re a little over the top if you ask me, but the people love them and they are quite the sight if you’ve never experienced it before,” she nodded. “You should come see it sometime.”

“If time and circumstance permit, I most certainly would.” John opened the door of the gondola car for Isabella, and entered after she did, sitting across from her. “There’s also a nice outdoor ice-skating rink that’s got several lights at night. I was never very good at ice skating though,” he confessed.

“Thank you,” she stated as John opened the door for her. “Oh, you don’t want to see me on ice. I can’t even stand on it without falling over. I never could figure it out.”

Shutting the door behind him as he entered, John shrugged and said, “something about always moving. I’m afraid I’d twist an ankle.” Within a minute the gondola began to move, and their car made it’s way down the slope. “Bertie’s probably already at the bottom somewhere...might be on his way back up to the top,” he observed as the car swung as it made its descent. “I’m glad to see that my sister and your sister Eirene are having a good time. I know Caroline can get lonely sometimes, being the only princess at court.”

“I agree. They do seem to get along extremely well,” Isabella stated, fidgeting with her hands once they began to move down the mountain. “Which is surprising a bit, I had no idea they were such close of friends initially. But Eirene doesn’t speak much of her friends since she started university.”

“What about you and Isadora?” John wondered aloud as they went down the mountain in the gondola. “The two of you went to university, if I recall correctly. I’m assuming you both have a great many friends...and admirers,” he smiled faintly.

“We have, and it was a great experience. Though Isadora hasn’t graduated yet much to the dismay of our parents,” Isabella glanced out the window, drawn back in by John’s remarks. “Of course many, many friends. I still keep in touch with most. Though Isa is the one with the many admirers; she feeds off the attention, which I’m sure you’ve noticed by now.”

Nodding, John shifted in his seat to get a better view of the slope beneath them. “What about you? You’re the eldest daughter...surely you have your fair share of admirers as well.”

“Here and there,” she told him. “Though nothing that ever managed to steal my own admiration for more than fleeting moment.”

“Really?” John was surprised, raising an eyebrow. “There’s no one that you have your eyes on back in Latium? No dashing young lord of great repute?”

“Really...not in Latium at least,” her voice trailed off with a slight smile, looking down at her lap. “There are some ‘dashing young lords’ that my father has eyes on for me, but that’s hardly the same thing at all. But I find those are equal to if not lesser than commoners when it comes down to it. Most of them just see it as an opportunity to grow their family standing by catching a princess. You can’t imagine how off putting that is.”

“...What does your father think about our family?” He probed, but not too hard, or at least he didn’t think.

“He says that you’re a proud family, respectable,” she replied, skirting around the question as best she could.

“...And what do you think?” John asked as he noticed the gondola approach the bottom. “Last question, I promise,” he grinned.

“I’d say I’m inclined to agree with him, as until now my interaction with your family has been limited to Caroline. And only in brief contact at that,” she smiled. “But I have to say I’m impressed thus far.”

The gondola came to a stop at the bottom of the mountain, and John smiled. “You’re very kind to say. Please, after you,” John said as he opened the door. The long wooden platform was lightly covered in snow, and many people walked to and fro upon it. Nearby, wooden buildings large and small sat idyllically on either side of sleepy cobblestone streets, smoke rising from the chimneys and lights dangling from the rooftops. John could smell cooked ham coming from a nearby restaurant…

Isabella followed John down and out of the gondola, taking in all the sights that surrounded her. “What a pretty town. And I think I know where I want my next meal to be from,” she smiled to him. “But may I ask you a question now?”

“By all means, feel free,” John commented as he adjusted his scarf and cap, taking in the cool air as he looked around to see what they could do. Children were building snowmen, couples embraced one another closely as they walked along the sidewalks and people gathered around small bands playing on the street corners.

“Why hasn’t your wife or Prince Mathias’s wife traveled to the mountain with our party?” she asked, knowing full well it was too personal. “Forgive me if that is too personal, curious is all.”

John paused as he contemplated her inquiry, and debated how much he should say. “...Mathia’s wife Mia is a sickly woman, and has been ill with bronchitis. As for my wife...well...we haven’t been getting along,” he replied with some hesitation. “So now you know,” he flashed a sad smile as he walked into town.

“Oh my, I’m sorry,” she told him, feeling bad for potentially dredging up any ill feelings. She walked closer to him now due to her guilt. “Maybe we’ll find something in town to serve as a pleasant distraction...if you’d like of course.”

Smiling, John exhaled deeply, watching his breath turn to steam in the air. “It’s alright...these things happen, you know. I wouldn’t mind looking around town for something fun to do...just try to keep your eyes open and see if anything jumps out at you.”

“Right, well what if we try skating? I’m almost certain to make a fool of myself,” she lightly touched his arm as she laughed. “But I think it would be a great deal of fun, even still.”

“We can do that, though I’d suggest waiting until it gets dark out before skating, because of all the lights,” he suggested politely. “Some fun things to do during the day include the hot pools, but I’m not sure we’re dressed for that,” he laughed. “Unless you want to do that the old fashioned way. I wouldn’t fault you if you didn’t…”

“The old fashioned way?” Isabella repeated, the saying not registering with her initially though eventually it clicked. “Oh right, that old fashioned way. Well, as long as the pools are hot you won’t find me complaining. I mean, anything that can help me forget the cold is a bonus at this point.”

“Hot and steamy...trust me it’s not easy to see under the surface of the water,” he reassured her as he looked in the direction of the outdoor spa. “Come to think of it, they have private pools we can get, in case you don’t want to be around people you don’t know.”

“Of course, we...I wouldn’t want any unwanted eyes seeing what they shouldn’t,” she smiled, looking in the same direction before starting to walk that way.

It didn’t take them long to get there. Once inside, John was able to secure a private hot pool, indoors but with an open roof. “That was easier than I thought it would be,” John commented to Isabella as he went towards their room. “There’s changing rooms inside our spa...you can leave your clothes in there. I will get in the water first so you won’t have to worry about me peeping. Does that sound alright?”

“You’re the Crown Prince, it couldn’t have been that difficult,” Isabella let out a light laugh while the two walked towards their room. Once she followed him in, she made her way to the changing room. “Oh, well that’s good. I won’t be long, let me know how the water is,” she smiled, taking her time entering the changing room. She unzipped her jacket - hanging it on a wall hook - then began removing the rest of her clothes and finally wrapping herself in a towel. It wasn’t long until she appeared from the changing room; her long brown hair let down, falling over one of her shoulders, and her previously hidden figure now noticeable and highlighted by the towel.

John entered his changing room and quickly undressed, covering his lower extremities with a towel before discarding it and jumping into the water. “It’s hot...very refreshing,” he informed her as she requested. “Let me know when I should close my eyes...I can’t let it be said that the Crown Prince is a peeper.”

She looked to John when he went to enter the water, turning her head ever so slightly when he finally snuck in. When she finally reached the edge of the pool she dipped her foot in to test the temperature. “Now, that is warm,” she smiled with a giggle. “Here is your warning to close your eyes,” the Princess waited a moment then removed her towel and slowly entered the water, sighing when her body below her neck was finally submerged.

Turning around and closing his eyes, he waited until he heard the splash. “Can I look?”

“Feel free,” she worked at tying her hair up so it stayed out of the water. “That was very gentlemanly of you, you know.”

With a laugh, John turned around to face her and shrugged playfully. “I wouldn’t be a very good Crown Prince if I wasn’t gentlemanly. Just common courtesy...if you told your father that I was anything but, I’d imagine the consequences wouldn’t be good.”

“Well nevertheless, it’s still appreciated,” she smiled with a bite of her lip, and a laugh. “Mhmm, this is so relaxing,” she moaned, taking in her surroundings. “Do you fear my father in Ghant or something?”

“...I wouldn’t say your father is feared,” he answered honestly as he took a seat along the siding. “His opinion is greatly respected though, and for good reason, wouldn’t you say?”

Isabella closed her eyes and nodded in the affirmative. “He’s never lost a battle or contest, he always reminds us...or an argument from what I know from first hand experience,” she sunk deeper in the water, then came up leaving everything below her collarbone under water. “Do you know what my mother told me about this trip before I left?”

“...If I had to guess, it was to caution you to avoid Great Aunt Teresa if she were here, because she’d tell you embarrassing stories about her,” John laughed again. “I jest of course, though I suspect your mother is wary of Ghantish intrigues.”

“More or less. She’s always been more protective of us children than our father has been. Though she mentioned that your mother hoped to arrange something between your brother and one of my sisters or myself. I have little doubt my father would enjoy seeing something like that come to fruition if true,” Isabella told him. “Do you know if there is any validity to this?”

John ordered some wine and wine glasses to be brought to the pool, and when they were, John poured Isabella and himself each a glass. “When my brothers and I were younger, we used to play with sticky balls,” he said as he moved closer towards her in order to give her one of the glasses of wine. “The kind that you throw against various surfaces to see if they stick. You and your sisters are the sticky balls, and my brother Bertie is the wall. My mother’s been throwing sticky balls against that wall for years...nothing seems to stick,” he laughed as he handed her a glass. “People of such ranks and stations as we must do our duties you see...those being considering matches with others of appropriate rank and station. Nothing personal, and if the balls don’t stick, then there’s no harm done. Everyone goes home and then mother moves on in search of that one ball that just might stick to the prickly wall that is my dear younger brother Bertie,” he grinned.

“Thank you,” Isabella smiled back after he handed her the glass. “Fair enough,” she said after listening to the remainder of his explanation, her smile growing while she watched him move closer. “I think I can save him the trouble and say that I’m not interested, impressed as I may be with...your family.”

“I suspected that to be the case...your sisters don’t seem particularly interested either,” John sighed as he moved away, but not as far as he was before. “Though I wonder how much of that is because of incompatibility...or because of other reasons that I have been suspecting.”

“I just simply won’t allow anyone other than myself to choose my spouse, it’s nothing against your brother,” she sipped at her wine, sitting up in the water though not yet exposing herself. “But now I’m curious about these other reasons.”

“And that’s understandable...that’s what I want for my own sister,” he explained, before taking a deep breath. “Eirene is too young, and too close to my sister for such a match to be considered...kosher. As for Isadora...well to put it bluntly, I suspect her and my brother Mathias are...together…”

Isabella put down her wine on the side of the pool, her face squinting up with a confused look. “No...what makes you think that? Just because he’s helping her ski and what not? I mean, we’re naked in a pool together and I…” she stopped abruptly.

“I’m also not spending an exorbitant amount of time with you and then making flirtatious innuendo with you in front of others,” John laughed. “I’m mindful of...respectable boundaries that my brother doesn’t seem to care as much about. Maybe you’re right...maybe I’m reading into it too deeply, but maybe I’m right. What if I am?”

“They’re both younger than us, I wouldn’t expect them to use greater judgement when the people they fear aren’t around,” she told him. “...and what if you’re right? What is the worst thing that could happen? In the end, she’s far too afraid of our father to see it go any further than this vacation or that he even hear of it. And your brother is married. Surely there are enough roadblocks to kill whatever sort of romance between them you imagine to exist.”

John leaned back and sighed. “My point is that if it’s true, then Mathias undermined what mother was hoping to achieve. That would be stronger Ghanto-Latin relations the likes of which we haven’t seen since the days of Alexandra. Everything after that sort of...turned sour. While my mother hasn’t said anything about it, I’ve considered another potential match for down the road...your niece Maria and my son Nathan.”

“Then we had better make sure that your mother doesn’t find out if this is true,” she leaned over to grab the glass of wine from across her body, exposing her chest for a brief moment. “As for my niece, that’s a conversation you and my brother had better have. Or better yet, Stephanie would likely be more open.”

“I’d rather wait sixteen years to have that conversation, honestly,” he laughed. “I know my mother wasn’t happy about my marriage...she said I settled, sold myself short with someone that would be more of a liability than an asset...turned out she was right, as usual.” John exhaled deeply and drank some more wine.

“That’d probably be wise,” Isabella smiled with a coy look, speaking of Maria and Nathan. “Is that why she’s not here, your wife?” she inched closer to the Crown Prince.

Nodding, he answered, saying that “we haven’t been getting along, no. She has a townhouse in the city where she’s been residing with Nathan. My mother doesn’t like her and makes her feel uncomfortable at the palace. So that’s where she’s at...instead of here, because she doesn’t get along with my family. The one time I didn’t think carefully about a situation, was the time I was conducting courtship. Now that mistake is still biting me in the ass.”

Isabella continued to move near John, now seating herself relatively close to him - practically brushing against him at one point. “I’m sure there is something or someway to clean that situation up, at least for the sake of your son,” she said softly.

“Yeah, it consists of letting my wife and son live at the townhouse until my father dies, and then when I become Emperor, my wife will be Empress and can reside in the palace and not feel pushed around by my family,” he sniggered, a bit more cautiously as Isabella seemed to get close to him. “Assuming she doesn’t get so unhappy that she asks for a divorce...”

“Would you like that?” Isabella leaned over to place her glass on the side of the pool.

“...Depends on what my alternatives are if I were to get a divorce,” he gulped as he observed her movements. “I’d have to take into consideration how whoever I remarried would become Empress of Ghant. That’s not something to be considered lightly.”

“I hope I’m not making you uncomfortable,” she giggled with a playful smile, hearing him gulp just then. “Right, I imagine any decision towards that end will need careful consideration. Either way, I’m a firm believer of doing what makes you happy. Then again I’m not in line to become a monarch one day, so perhaps I’m a wee bit more free when it comes to that.”

“...Perhaps a bit,” he grinned, shifting a bit to hide his arousal. “Do you still want to go ice skating after this?”

“I can move down some if you like,” she smiled to him, readjusting herself. “Hmm very much,” she reached around to grab her glass again, “I think that will be a lot of fun. Even though I’m not sure I like the idea of heading back out into the cold.”

“...I’m assuming you’d rather linger in here for awhile?” He asked carefully. “We can do that too, if you’d prefer.”

“Well you did say that skating was a much better night time activity. It’s not night yet,” she teased.

Looking up and then checking the time via a clock on the wall, John grinned and shook his head slightly. “I suppose you’re right…” then he looked at Isabella and squirmed a bit. “I should get out of the water at least...it’s making me feel a bit light-headed, if you don’t mind. There’s some furniture to sit on nearby, I might make myself comfortable there and cool off a bit.” Before he tried getting out, he grinned and said, “no peeping.”

“By all means. And fair is fair, there will be no peeping from me,” she grinned, turning her head away when John would take his steps out of the pool. “But you know if you’re not feeling alright we can go ahead and leave...if it’s the water causing the problem.”

“I’m ok...just need to take a break,” he told her as he climbed out of the water and walked over to a rack with bathrobes hanging from it. He put one on and took a seat in a nearby chair. “I appreciate the concern though. I’m in no hurry to leave...it’s nice and quiet here, away from prying eyes.”

Once he was covered, Isabella turned around and placed her arms on the edge of the pool, resting her head on them facing John. “I completely agree. One of the many benefits this room presents at the moment,” she smiled at him. “Does the press tend to follow you or your siblings around when you’re out and about? I imagine they do if they’re anything like they are in Latium.”

“To some extent, but not as bad as it could be. Generally speaking, they respect our privacy,” he answered candidly, pouring some more wine. “I keep tabs on the press...I know how the paparazzi are always probing you and your sisters. That has to get irritating after while.”

“That’s good, imagine if they poked around and knew the details of your marriage. But yes quite irritating, actually,” she sighed. “I don’t know what it is that turns them into such hounds. Thankfully our father’s Praetorian manages to keep them at a distance most of the time. There isn’t much else we can do about it.”

“Well, you can’t fault people for taking a great interest in beautiful princesses,” John teased her before raising his wine glass to her in salutations. “As for my marriage...they already know, trust me. That makes news, much to my chagrin.”

“Suppose we can’t blame them all that much if all they want is a glimpse,” she raised her glass along with him. “Tsk tsk tsk, that’s really too bad,” she shook her head then began scanning the room for the bottle of wine and a refill. When she spotted it, she swam over and filled her glass. “Care for any?”

“Yes please, I’ll take one of what you’re having.” Looking up, at the sky before looking back at her, he said, “wine certainly helps me deal with the stress…”

Isabella placed the bottle down on the side of the pool, then casually stepped out with her back facing the Crown Prince, and moved to find a towel to wrap herself in. When she found one, she let her hair down and whipped it around her body to cover up, just as she picked up the bottle and walked over to John. “Perhaps we should order more?” She sat in a nearby chair, pouring a generous amount into his glass. “This is vacation after all, my brother always says vacation is no place for stress.”

John looked away when Isabella stepped out of the pool, and kept his eyes closed until he heard her sit down close to him. “I’m afraid for people like me, there aren’t any real vacations. I’m always on the job, even now,” he laughed. “Yes, more wine sounds splendid...by the way, enjoy your freedom while you still have it. Once you’re married, many of them will be gone.”

“That sounds like something my father would say. ‘I’ll rest when I’m dead,’ I’ve heard him say before,” she ran one of her fingers around the rim of her glass with a smile. “But those stressful things aren’t in here now. We aren’t back at the palace, you certainly can’t fit your government in here, and...your wife isn’t here. Leave the stress where it belongs is all I’m saying,” she smiled to him.

“...Your father makes a good point,” John grinned before taking a deep gulp of wine. “I probably couldn’t fit my wife’s ego in here either,” he teased.

“If she’s the cause of your stress, I’d say that’s a good thing. Wouldn’t you?” she looked at him coyly. “We don’t need such things in these peaceful mountains.”

Mulling over his glass of wine, he chuckled, telling her that “yes, I would...spending time with you is far less stressful. It’s the opposite, in fact.”

“I feel the same,” her face perked up. “I’m sure it was obvious how grumpy I appeared when my family arrived, but for the life of me...I can barely remember why I had felt that way at this very moment.”

“...Being in unfamiliar environments with strange people can have that effect,” he smiled sadly as the wine he ordered arrived. “I’m glad you’re having a good time though. Hopefully you will sing praises back in Latium.”

“I will have nothing but great things to say,” she smiled to him, then keeping silent as the server brought more wine and remained so until they had left. “It doesn’t seem so unfamiliar any longer because of you.”

Blushing slightly, John poured them each another glass and said, “you honor me...I’m certainly glad I’ve had that effect…”

The door burst open, and Bertie entered the room, still bundled up in his ski gear, minus the actual skis. “There you are...I’ve been looking for you, John,” he said as he looked between John and Isabella. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything…”

“Not at all,” John waved a hand. “Care for some wine?”

“No thanks...I was just looking for the two of you...Princess Isabella in particular,” Bertie explained as he wiped the snow from his rosy face.

“Oh umm, is there something I can help you with, Your Highness?” Isabella held her towel tight and reached for a nearby robe to drape herself in.

“If you are hungry, I would like to extend to you an invitation to dine with me down by way of the Gift Tree,” he offered dryly. “It offers an excellent view of the tree, and of the rest of the town.”

“I uhh...that’s very kind of you, Prince Albert,” she forced a polite smile. “Prince John and I had planned on sitting down to eat after we had enough of the pools. I’m afraid I don’t recall the name of the restaurant, seeing the town was quite a bit to take in at first look as I’m sure you can imagine. Perhaps you would be interested in joining us?”

Albert turned his gaze towards his older brother, his face blank before he forced a grin. “Thank you for the offer...tomorrow, perhaps. I wouldn’t want to infringe.” Taking a bow, he added, “I will see the two of you tonight back at the lodge. Enjoy your day.”

“You too Bertie,” John replied as Bertie showed himself out.

“Perhaps tomorrow,” Isabella nodded with a polite smile. Once Prince Albert had left, she loosened the nervous grip of her robe and turned to John, “A tad rude just barging in like that, no?”

“That’s just his way,” John chuckled. “He goes where he wants to go. He lacks certain...filters too. But he’s harmless. At least he’s making an effort.”

“Even still,” she shook her head while sitting back down, sipping at her wine. The Princess slid her robe off, though still wrapped in her towel. “What shall we do now?”

“Relax...like you said we are on vacation after all, and should try to enjoy it. We can linger here for a while longer, eat and then go ice skating, if that is your inclination,” he offered politely.

Isabella grabbed the bottle of wine and leaned back in her chair. “Let’s finish the bottle, then go grab something to eat,” she placed the bottle down to her side. “I suppose your brother is off to find Isa now? Should be interesting if she and Mathias are together, as you suspect anyway.”

“I’d imagine he’d be especially frustrated were that to be the case,” he frowned slightly, before raising his wine glass. “To vacation.”

Isabella smiled at him. “To no stress,” she raised her glass before finishing what remained.

[Ghant]

The Town
Ostaturika, Gaemar
November 1990
(Co-written with Lacus Magni)

The Crown Prince had thus far enjoyed his time with Princess Isabella of Latium, finding her to be most pleasant and agreeable. He showed her around the town of Osaturika, took her to the spas and out to dinner for steak and wine. It was his duty to entertain her, his mother told him, and to see to her comforts...for if she was to marry Bertie, she’d need to feel good about the family. That task fell squarely upon John’s shoulders, not only as the oldest son but also as Crown Prince of Ghant.

By now the day had turned to night, and the stars were out and shining in the black sky. The moon loomed large and full, casting its eerie glow down upon the sparkling lights of the town. All of the buildings were awash with lights strewn about the walls and roofs, and people were still out and about the town. Children battled each other from their fortresses of packed snow, with snowmen standing sentinel over them.

“...Have you ever skated on winter ice before?” John asked Isabella as he walked down the sidewalk, wearing a long thick coat with a cap and scarf.

“I’ve only ever skated one other time, and it was years ago in an arena,” Isabella smiled to him, her black coat reaching down to her knees. “I think I used one of my sisters as a brace so I wouldn’t fall down, even though I did...many times.”

“So never outdoors?” he asked as they went along. “It’s not all that different...just colder. I’ve done both, and this is better, I think.”

“Never outdoors. There are only a handful of places back home where it would only be possible and I’ve never been to them in the winter,” she repeated. “Hmm, I would have guessed the ice is harder? Either way I suppose I’ll tell you after I take my first spill,” she joked to him, looking up to him as they walked.

“Harder, yes,” he answered. “Just remember to maintain proper balance and to fall forward to avoid hitting your head or your behind. That can hurt really badly.”

“Hopefully it never comes to that,” Isabella looked forward to the skating rink. “Are any of these people going to recognize you out there?”

“...They might, though I doubt most would because of my scarf and cap” John shrugged. “And I doubt they would say anything even if they did. They all know I’m on vacation, and they respect my family’s privacy, thankfully.”

“Hmm, that’s good,” she nodded. “So my brother has told me that you have great hockey in Ghant. Some of the best in world he’s said.”

To that, John laughed. “I don’t mean to boast, but we practically invented the game. It’s something everyone in Ghant knows how to do, or at least has access to, regardless of walk of life. The Ghantish Hockey League has been going on for nearly a hundred years, with the Vikandi Cup being awarded each of those years. It’s the national sport, as well as the national pastime. So yeah, hockey is a big deal here...maybe even bigger than football is in Vannois or gridiron is in the Allamunnic States.”

“Interesting, I had no idea it was invented here. I’d imagine you are quite the skater then,” she added a laugh. “One may not think it at first glance, but it is very popular in Latium as well. Though not nearly as popular as football or the races.”

“Races as in cars or horses?” he wondered. “And I’m not a bad skater...probably better than my brothers at least. But that’s not due to hockey...probably more to do with a passing interest. Helped a lot when I was still courting,” he teased.

“...Horses or even chariots on occasion. Very exciting events, even more so the chariot races because they are such a rare treat now-a-days,” Isabella looked at him oddly when he asked if they were car races. “Mhmm, so you learned how to skate for a girl then?”

“Not for any girl specifically,” John chuckled as he approached the outdoor skating rink and accompanying lodge. “Just one of those skills that doesn’t hurt when you’re trying to make a good impression is all. I wasn’t good when I first started either...I always fell on my hands and knees. Thankfully mother helped me improve and get good, but it took me awhile to get the hang of it...though it took Bertie even longer than it took me,” he laughed.

“Let’s hope you are as good a teacher as your mother was then,” Isabella playfully grinned to him. “Which of you is a better skater now?”

“She is without a doubt, despite being in her late forties now,” John answered as he pushed open the door of the lodge. He walked up to the counter to begin the process of getting himself and Isabella some skates for the ice rink.

“Now that is something I’d like to see. Can your father skate well too?” she asked him as she followed him through the lodge.

John laughed at her question. “No, he never learned. He’s so terrible that he gets himself hurt on the ice even when he’s not wearing skates.” After receiving his pair of skates from the counter, he walked over to a bench outside near the ice rink and removed his boots, while at the same time putting the skates on. It was a large, frozen lake, round in shape with around half a hundred people skating in circles upon it. Fortunately, it was big enough to where there was plenty of space.

Isabella took her skates and followed to a nearby bench where she began to remove her boots, revealing the thick socks she wore on her feet to keep her warm. She slipped her skates on and slowly tied them, but didn’t manage to do so tightly. “A bit wobbly already,” she smiled as she stood up.

“...Hold on a minute.” After John had his skates on, he went over to Isabella and sat down on the bench near to her. He leaned over and tied her laces tighter than she had done on her own. “There...should be a little less wobbly. If you twisted an ankle, I’d have to carry you back to the lodge, and then I’d have to explain that to your brother,” he teased with a grin.

Isabella waited while he retied her skates, feeling much more stable once he was finished. “That feels much better now. Yes, I know. I’d be a shame if I fell before I ever even stepped on the ice,” she added with a smile, walking towards the rink.

“Yes, that just wouldn’t do.” Walking towards the ice, John extended to her one of his gloved hands. “Just hold onto my hand and I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”

She cautiously stepped onto the ice and took John’s hand when he offered it. “Thanks,” she flashed another smile to him, then moved slowly along the ice, trying to stay near the edge. So far, so good, she thought.

“Just watch your feet and try to keep them steady,” he told her as he skated forward on the ice. “Try not to do too much.”

“...Alright,” she slowly shuffled her feet, briefly leaning forward to shift her weight after feeling she was losing her balance. “Woah,” she said slightly worriedly, looking around the entire rink and then to John.

John shifted his weight to try to help her compensate for losing balance. “You see? It’s not so hard. A few laps and you’ll get the hang of it. By then you might not even need to hold my hand anymore.”

“Yeah...not so hard,” Isabella straightened out when John stepped in to aid her. She kept on skating close to him just in case for the next few strides, until her confidence grew and she didn’t drag her feet on the ice so much. “Maybe I’ll even beat you in a race before the night is over,” she joked with him.

“...I wouldn’t press my luck if I were you,” he teased her. “Just try to enjoy it...check out the lights. The atmosphere is special, once you let it soak in.”

“Hmm, you’re right. That probably would be the best thing to do,” she smiled, teasing him back. “I wouldn’t want to embarrass the Crown Prince in a race on his own ice.”

John looked at the twinkling lights hanging from the trees and the fences around the circular rink. “I’d hardly consider this my ice...I’ve only been here maybe half a dozen times,” he laughed. “My ice is back in Ghish in the City Park. Not as nice as this, but is always served me well enough.”

Isabella glanced at John as he looked at the surroundings before he had the chance of catching her. “But it does look like a special sort of night,” she smiled, shuffling along the ice surface comfortably until she felt a rut in the ice and began to slip, causing her to grab his hand.

“...It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?” When Isabella slipped, John tried pulling her up, but there was only so much he could do. If she fell down, he was going with her.

She hit the ice, falling down hard on her behind. “Oh my God, that was so embarrassing,” she said as her face grew red.

John lost his balance as he was holding onto Isabella’s hand, and he ended up falling down as well. He was less fortunate than she was, and he fell backwards and hit the back of his head on the ice. “Uhoh…” he groaned as he winced in pain, laying on his back.

Isabella looked over to John as he fell with her. “Jesus, I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” she asked worriedly, examining him.

“...I told you this wasn’t my ice,” John laughed as he leaned up and rubbed the back of his head, smiling at her.

“That was all my fault. Do you need anything, is there anything I should get?” she asked him, kneeling next to him on the ice.

“...Let’s just get back out on the ice, if you’re still up for it,” he suggested. “Otherwise, some hot chocolate and a stroll down to the tree might be in order.”

“Alright, let’s finish this go around and then get that hot chocolate before I end up killing one of us,” she stood up, looking down towards the ice then offering him help up.

John rose back up to his feet, and shook off the hit he had just sustained. “That sounds like a plan to me. Lead on,” he told her as he took her hand again. “Watch out for ruts in the ice...I forgot to mention that.”

“Surely...but definitely more careful this time,” she took his hand and began down the ice for their final stretch.

“That’s better,” he encouraged her. “You learn fast!”

“I guess when you’re worried about falling and accidentally harming the Crown Prince again that one really starts to understand how to skate,” she teased him while her skates slowly dragged on the ice.

“I don’t get hurt so easily,” John teased. “But it’s good you could learn from that experience. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, after all.”

“Hmm, well that’s good to know...that you don’t hurt so easily, that is,” she smiled playfully.

“...Do you?” he asked her teasingly. “I assume the daughter of Leo Augustus is made of stronger stuff...but I’ve been wrong before.”

“I didn’t lie there on the ice after I fell did I?” she grinned at him. “What strong do you think a daughter of Leo Augustus should be?”

“...That’s a good question, and I wish I had an answer for you,” John laughed as he skated carefully along, mindful of the people around him. “Unfortunately you’re the only one I know much at all, and I have nothing to compare you to since I don’t really know your sisters.” When he got the opportunity he rubbed the back of his head again.

“Perhaps you’ll be able to have an answer before the night is over,” she said, noticing him tend to his head. “Are you sure you’re alright? Here, let’s just step off the ice here.”

John didn’t respond directly to the innuendo, instead nodding at her suggestion. “Yes, that would be nice. We’ve been going at it for a bit already. Could use a break.”

“Hmm,” Isabella nodded, stepping off the ice. “Yes, you’ve been quite the host today. Very attentive and informative. Should I grab you some ice for your head? I promise no pun intended.”

Laughing at the pun, John shook his head. “I’ll be alright. If you’re done, we can go see the tree. We also need to think about when to head back...we don’t want to stay out too late. Your siblings might start to get worried.”

“Of course. Let’s see what is so special about this tree, and then back to the lodge,” she smiled before she began to untie her skates.

John did the same, and took them back to the counter and retrieved his shoes. Then he waited for Isabella to do the same, and proceeded to walk back out into the starry winter night in the direction of town center.

Once her skates were off and her boots were back on her feet, Isabella followed John back into town. She walked close to him while they approached the center of town. “It’s very peaceful out,” she smiled looking to the sky and her surroundings, soaking it all in.

Not really thinking about it, John reached out to take her hand. It was only after doing so that he pulled it back. “Sorry,” he said awkwardly. “Out of habit, I suppose.” After turning a corner in the sleepy, well-lit town, there in the center stood the gift tree, tall and proud as it towered high into the sky. It was lined with flickering lights of all colors, shapes and sizes, and on top of it rested a shining golden star. Beneath it were various gifts that the townsfolk left for the children. “There it is,” he said of the tree. “Even now as an adult it still makes me feel like a child.”

Isabella blushed when John took her hand, but allowed him pull back when he did so. Then the tree entered her sight; to her it looked like an oversized tree with christmas-like decorations. “Do you have one like this back home in Ghish?”

“...Yes, but nearly as big as this one,” he replied after thinking for a few moments. “This is the biggest one in Ghant, if I recall correctly. Sort of this town’s claim to fame. Every town has one...and that is this one’s.”

“I’m glad I’ll be able to say I stood in front of it then,” she turned to him with a smile, rubbing her hands together near her waist. “Are there any unique traditions surrounding the tree that would be interesting to know?”

“The townsfolk leave presents beneath the tree for the children,” John explained as he pointed at the gifts strewn about underneath the tree. “On Christmas Day, the children come and take a gift, not knowing what’s inside. After they open the gift, they can choose to keep it or trade it with another child that is also interested in trading. So if you’re the sort of boy that doesn’t like wool sweaters and that’s what you got, you can always find the boy that does, and trade with him.”

“Were you the boy that kept or traded the wool sweaters?” she asked with a grin.

John chuckled and told her that “I actually always liked wool sweaters. It was Bertie that didn’t, he’d always grumble when he got clothes.”

“I can’t say that’s not totally surprising,” she teased him.

“What, you thought I was the sort of boy that favored sweaters and books over toys?” he asked her laughingly.

“Most certainly,” Isabella smiled to him. “I feel like you placed more value on how practical a sweater would be. Not to mention you need all the help you can get in these freezing conditions,” she added with a laugh.

“Well, you’re not wrong there,” he laughed along with her as he looked back up and down the tree. ‘It’s getting late and we’ve been gone for awhile...I’m thinking we should head back soon. I could use a hot bath, and I’m sure you’d like one too.”

Isabella looked at the tree one more time, before flashing a smile to John. “Sure, that sounds like a good idea. I’m sure people will start wondering what we’ve been up to all day.”

With her having said that, John led the way back to the gondolas, which was a brisk walk, and eventually arrived back at the lodge at the base of the gondolas, where their ski gear was kept in check at the station. John took at least minute to get his things in order and wait for a gondola car to arrive to pick them up and take them back to the top of the mountain. Once it finally arrived, John opened the door for her and asked, “you sure you’re ready to head back up?”

“Sure, unless of course there are...other things to see around the mountain or even the lodge,” Isabella told him after he opened to door. “Maybe you would like to get a drink?”

“There are more things to see around here than there is reasonably time for,” John laughed as he contemplated her offer. “There’s plenty of drinks back up the mountain...I suspect my brother Richard has been putting them to good use already. He drinks like father...which isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

“In that case, I guess I’m ready to head back up,” Isabella smiled to him before entering the gondola and finding a seat. “That is if your brother left some for us.”

“He knows better than to drink it all,” he laughed again as he sat down in the gondola and closed the door behind him. Before long they were once again headed back up the mountain. “One thing you probably know from having younger brothers is that as children, they’ll generally do what you say because you’re bigger than they are. Even though Richard is now as big as me, the psychological habits are...deeply ingrained,” he grinned.

“Maybe that’s how it works when you’re the older brother instead of the older sister,” she joked. “Jason and I are so close in age that I’m not sure how deeply ingrained something like that would be on him. Not that it matters, we don’t clash often...if ever.”

“...You two are Ghantish twins, aren’t you, now that I think about it.” Leaning back in his seat, John put his feet up so that they rested on the seat beside Isabella. “Ghantish twins being siblings born less than a year apart. You can read between the lines why Ghantish people might be prone to such things.”

“Ah, that we are; he’s December ‘63 and I’m January,” Isabella nodded, noticing John getting relaxed. “Just one of the few ways to keep warm in Ghantish winters, such as this I imagine,” she grinned lightly.

John coughed conspicuously. “Yes, the northerlings are certainly fond of their winter warming traditions. My father is a good friend of many of them, and over the years I’ve heard many interesting stories about that. Things that are not fit for a lady’s ears.”

“Well we wouldn’t want to spoil the virgin ears of a lady with such stories would we?” Isabella leaned back in a similar fashion as John and laid her feet beside him.

“...I suppose that would depend just on how...virgin your ears are,” John teased in spite of himself. If mother heard me say that, she’d knock me on the side of the head. “Forgive me...I shouldn’t be so invasive. How virgin your ears are is none of my concern. A gentleman must always presume a lady is...untouched, unless it is known otherwise.”

“Think nothing of it,” Isabella laughed, moving to sit next to John while they went up the mountain. “They’re only ears after all, no harm done.”

After a few minutes of going up, they arrived at the ski lodge at the top of the mountain. It was larger than the one at the base of the mountain, a huge wooden structure with a restaurant and expansive dining area with a loft that overlooked it, as well as locker rooms where people could change and use the restroom. The gondola rose up into the lodge, and John was hit by a burst of warm air, with the dark wooden floors, walls and ceiling devoid of cold. Once it was up inside the lodge and came to a stop, John opened the door and got out, offering a hand to Isabella.

“Such the gentleman,” Isabella teased with a smile, taking John’s hand and stepped out after him, and continuing to hold it a bit longer than one typically would. “Time for that drink then?”

“Depends on if you want to get it here, or at our lodge,” he offered as he helped her get out, and then grabbed their ski gear. “Our lodge is out the front doors and down the street to the right.”

“May as well head for the lodge,” Isabella smiled to him. “Your mother owns it doesn’t she? We’ll drink for free.”

“Exactly.” John slung his bag over his shoulders and headed out the doors into the cold mountain air. The snow crunched underneath his feet as more fell from the thick clouds in the dark sky above. The lodge his family owned was also large, though not nearly as large as the ski lodge nearby. Guards were on patrol all around it, and they noticed John and Isabella as they made their approach. In order to be identified with ease, John removed his cap and scarf, and they waved them through the quaint gate and fence. Another set of guards opened the double doors for them, and John was the first to step through into the brightly lit residential cabin lodge. “Ah, it’s so good to be back...I can already feel the bathtub beckoning to me.”

“And I’m just glad to be back in the warmth,” Isabella took in her surroundings, wondering if any of her family would be wandering around. “Certainly quite a few guards. You’d think someone of importance was walking about,” she teased John.

“...Welcome back,” Stephen said to them after emerging from around the corner. “I was wondering when you two might show up. You have fun?”

“Thank you, Prince Stephen,” Isabella smiled to him. “I know I certainly had a great time. Your brother was kind enough to give me a tour around town and we even saw the gift tree. A bit surprising to see how large it was,” she added.

“Well, most things are larger in Ghant then they are in other places,” he teased them both. “Come now, make yourselves comfortable and have some drinks with us in the other room.”

Isabella looked to John, and then followed Stephen into the other room while removing the gloves from her hands. As she neared the room, the first figure she saw was her sister-in-law Stephanie, next to her was her youngest sister Eirene.

Also present in the room were Stephen’s wife Lysa, Prince Richard and his wife Minka. The three of them were sitting on a large sectional couch that consisted of three quarters of a square, with a small coffee table between them. Some movie that John didn’t recognize was playing on the television in front of them. “Was wondering when you might get back,” Richard said to his brother. “Been entertaining the lady, have you?”

“I’ve been showing her around the town, as per her request,” John answered as he approached the counter at the bar behind the couch and poured himself a glass of wine.

“If that’s the case, I’d like to show her around tomorrow,” Richard said with a crooked grin and a raised glass. “I’ll show her things that she wouldn’t believe.”

Minka jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. “Forgive my husband,” she said in her Slavic accent. “He’s boorish when he’s drunk.”

“It’s fine,” Isabella told Minka after a slight laugh. Then she walked to the bar and poured herself some wine, proceeding to sit next to Stephanie, who sat on one of the couches bundled up in a sweater. “Where’s Jason at?” she asked softly.

Stephanie finished a sip of her wine and let out a sigh. “Up in the room, speaking with your cousin about her election. I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

Lysa got up and joined them at the bar. She spoke better Latin than Minka, and was less afraid to engage in conversations using that language. “What of this election?” she asked them. “What are the implications?”

“Oh, our cousin Maria is running for a Senate seat,” Isabella informed Lysa. “The general election is either today or tomorrow I think...I don’t pay much attention to politics.”

“My husband has been helping with her campaign, even though I told him she doesn’t need the help,” Stephanie added with an unpleasant look on her face.

“...Why would he help her then?” Minka chimed in. “Are they close?”

“Mhmm,” Stephanie sipped at her wine with a nod of her head. “It’s really nothing that should detract away from vacation though.”

Lysa put a large hand on Stephanie’s wrist. “If you ever want to talk about it, you can talk to me.”

“And me,” Minka smiled.

“I appreciate it, but it’s nothing. Truly,” Stephanie smiled at the both of them, while Isabella walked over to John. “Speak of the devil…”

Jason entered the room, back from having just spoken to his cousin about the election. “How are we all doing here?” he immediately walked up to Stephanie, placing his hands on her shoulders as she sat, then leaning to exchange a brief kiss.

“Just fine, love,” Stephanie told him. “How’d she do?”

“Ah, they’re still counting votes. But enough of that,” he smiled to his wife and the two around her.

“I’ve returned your sister safe and unharmed,” John said to Jason as he offered him a glass of wine. “She was very eager to explore the town, and had a good time doing it.”

“Very good. I pray she wasn’t difficult to keep tabs on. Thank you,” Jason took the glass from John. “Now, I see Bella, and I see Eirene. Where’s Isa, she’s missing out on the party?”

“I only saw her briefly on the mountain,” Isabella told her brother.

“Mathias has been...showing her around,” Richard clarified.

“Hmm,” Jason took a drink of his wine. “Of course.”

Caroline emerged from the restroom and straightened out her dress. “I’ve been showing Eirene around...we’ve had a lot of fun. Tomorrow I was going to take her to the salon and spa, get a manicure and such.”

“I imagine that’d be more fun than falling down a mountain,” Jason poked some fun at Eirene.

“You’ll have to tell me if they do a good job,” Stephanie told Caroline. “If they do I may have to go myself before we head home.”

John twirled his wine glass in his hand, and glanced over at Stephanie. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about your family,” he said to her. “Perhaps you might be interested in sharing. I do know that they are a family of historical repute.”

“My grandfather was the Lord of Cularo, my father his third son. My mother comes from the Lords of Campona. Both just minor nobility by now,” Stephanie began to explain. “My father’s family descends from the old Visellii and later Ambusti Kings of Latium originally. The first Lord Cularo was a great uncle to George II, the first Ambusti king. That would be our claim to fame,” she smiled.

“Ah, I see,” John replied eagerly. “If I recall correctly, one of the reasons why Alexandra of Ghant was an attractive bride to the Anicians was due to her descent from Constantine XVII by way of his daughter Helena. I suppose that makes us related in a fashion, though I won’t boast of knowledge of either Latin dynasty of old or their ties to our own.”

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. There probably is some loose relation between our families. But I’ll have to take your word for it. I’m afraid I’m not totally well versed on the subject,” Stephanie smiled politely. “Jason probably knows though,” she pulled her husband over. “Sweetheart, what do you know of Alexandra of Ghant?”

“Mother has talked about her before, I think she was very fond of her,” Jason told John and Stephanie. “I remember when I was little, she told me that her ‘Nana’ hosted them after grandfather was killed and they tried to figure out where to go.”

John set down his glass of wine and yawned, covering his mouth as he did so. “Alexandra was set to always be fond of country homes,” he observed. “That proclivity ended up saving not only her life, but that of your mother and aunt. I’ve heard that it was because she was a little girl during the Battle of Ghish in the Civil War, and was so terrified by it that she favored time spent in the country.”

“If something good was to ever come from a civil war, at least in this event it helped people later on,” Stephanie stated to the group, Jason resting on the arm rest nearest to her.

Isabella looked over towards John, noticing him yawn. She finished the wine that remained in her own glass, then yawned herself. “It’s getting late, I think I may head back to my room.”

“...I can carry your ski gear for you if you’d like,” John offered to Isabella casually. He had been drinking, but still wanted to be polite.

“Of course,” Isabella nodded with a smile, placing her empty glass on the nearest table. “Goodnight everyone,” she told the room after gathering her coat.

“Goodnight, Isabella,” Stephanie told her, Jason simply nodding to her in acknowledgement.

“I’m going to bed after I drop all these off,” John told everyone as he grabbed the gear. “See you all in the morning.” Having said that and with the gear slung over his shoulder, he hauled it to Isabella’s room, and once inside he set it in the corner. “Whew...I’m beat.”

“Thank you so much. You really didn’t have to go through all of that,” Isabella placed her coat on one of the many chairs in her room, then began walked towards him while removing her scarf. “I’m sure I could have gotten Jason or even a bellhop to bring them up. But I suppose you saved me from having to tip,” she teased.

“You can tip me with some more wine,” he laughed as he pulled up a chair to catch his breath. ‘Should be some in the wine cooler over there by the fridge,” he pointed. “I’ll get out of your hair here in a bit, don’t worry.”

“Glady, it’s the least I could do for all you’ve done for me today,” she smiled, finding the fridge and then pouring wine for John and herself. “Here you are,” she presented it to him, then tried to quickly slip out of her thick sweater and seating herself next to John.

John watched her as she removed her sweater, and then accepted the glass of wine with a smile, raising it before throwing some of it back. “What can I say, other than I like doing nice things for people without expecting anything in return. That’s the sort of Emperor I’d like to be...the kind that gives back for the good of it.”

“That’s a rare trait to have. Though a very good one for anyone that is going to be a ruler,” Isabella sipped at her wine. “I’m glad you have it...and that you shared it with me.”

Nodding, John replied, “and thank you for allowing me to share that with you, and for appreciating it. That’s a rare trait too,” he smiled, finding his face close to hers for a minute, before looking down.

“Certainly,” Isabella smiled, moving one her hands softly onto his leg. “I...guess those two traits are fairly comparable, aren’t they?”

John noticed her hand on his leg, but didn’t react negatively to that. “...They certainly go, um, hand in hand,” he chuckled, not really sure what he wanted to do just then, other than cover her hand with his, if only to make what he said a pun.

“Perhaps even rarer that the two who hold those traits cross paths ever...if at all,” she spoke softly with a continuing smile, glancing at him.

“What do you suppose people like that do when their paths do cross?” he asked her ponderously while returning the look.

“Cherish it. They’d never know how long it would last,” she leaned in towards him for a kiss.

Despite his better judgment and whatever reserve he may have had, John found himself closing the gap with Isabella and reciprocating the kiss, without saying anything in response.

At first thinking it likely that she would be rebuffed, she first exchanged a brief kiss with him. Then she momentarily pulled herself back before going in with more passion.

Once again, he reciprocated the kiss as well as the passion she showed him. Perhaps it was the connection he had built with her, or perhaps it was the alcohol in his system or both, though in any event he kissed her and fumbled at her top after setting his glass down.

She maneuvered herself as close to him as she could go, only pulling back to help him in removing her top before beginning to work at his clothes. Still holding her glass, she lost control of it when kissing him that it spilled onto the couch and the floor.

John ignored the spilled the glass, seeing only an opportunity to situate her back on the bed while he worked to remove her top, finding it easier to do in that particular arrangement. Everything that happened after that, certainly happened fast. That and he didn’t really think much about it at the time. Which is usually how it goes…

[Ghant]

Ostaturika Lodge
Ostaturika, Gaemar
November 1990
(Co-written with Lacus Magni)

The Crown Prince of Ghant woke up with a pounding headache. His eyes throbbed and there was a pulsating sensation behind them. He groaned, but didn’t open his eyes. I must have had too much to drink last night. Indeed, he was dehydrated, his mouth parched and his lips cracked. After noticing that, he observed that he was naked under the comforters. Since when do I sleep naked? he thought, before a feeling of horror took him over. Oh no…

Isabella of Latium rolled over with opening eyes. “Good morning,” she said scratchy, early morning voice. She pulled some of the covers over her and leaned on her arm facing John. “How did you sleep?”

“...Um...pretty well,” John answered cautiously, beginning to fear the worst. “...I may have had too much wine to drink last night...I’m sorry,” he winced, rubbing his forehead. “Whatever happened last night, shouldn’t have…”

“...have happened. Of course, you’re right,” Isabella finished his sentence, now feeling a bit more uncomfortable. She quickly thought of her sister Isadora and how she had found herself upset at how her sister was acting with a married man; however, Isabella now found herself in the same situation. “I umm suppose we should get ready so no one has any ill thoughts.”

John put a hand on her shoulder and sighed as he opened his eyes. With the other hand he rubbed the dust from them. “I just hope you don’t feel like you’ve been taken advantage of...it wasn’t my intention to do that, or to cause you embarrassment. It just...sort of happened.”

“It was as much my doing as it was yours,” she replied to him, placing one of her hands on top of his.

“...I take it you weren’t as inebriated as I was,” his mouth curled into a grin. “If that was the case, then you were the one that took advantage of me,” he teased.

“Or maybe I simply have a higher tolerance and you are a bit of a lightweight,” she said jokingly to him. Does he really not remember anything from last night or is he just saying that, she thought. She rose from the bed, “Do you want anything to help your head?”

Her joke prompted him to laugh. “I’m just a lightweight.” After reflecting on the events of the previous night, he began to recall what happened and how it happened. “Though that had no bearing on my...lack of inhibition. It’s...been awhile since I’ve been with anyone. Making up for lost time, I suppose...oh and water, please.”

“Has it been? I could hardly tell,” she smirked, wrapping herself in a thin robe before fetching him a glass of water. “Here you are. Don’t worry, it’s not spiked.”

Taking the glass, he sniffed it with a mirthful expression. “That’s good, because I wouldn’t want to end up as prey again. I’m easy prey at that, seeing as how I’m already naked and in your bed.” John took a drink of the water before gulping it down.

“In that case you better be thankful you wound up where you are with me instead of someone else much more unsavory and shameless,” she smiled, sitting on the edge of his side of the bed. “Very lucky,” she added with a flirty grin.

“I’m quite good at avoiding such situations,” he responded candidly, dangling his empty glass as he propped himself up with an elbow. “You’ve disarmed me, something most women can’t do. Bravo, my princess. Bravo.”

“And I would have never been able to do it without the wine, so let’s be sure to give thanks to all places it is due,” she teased yet again, facing him in a way that was revealing in her robe. “More water?”

“Yes, please.” Grimacing again, John asked her, “do you think anyone has noticed?”

“I’m sure someone has noticed. Plenty of people do walk the halls,” she told him when refilling his glass. “But no, I don’t think anyone of importance or worry will have noticed. If they should ask, we’ll tell them you were helping with my skis.”

Anyone of importance. “Yes, because it takes a night and a morning to help with skis,” John teased her. Wow, this is actually pretty fun…

“Does it not where you’re from?” she questioned him with a playful smile. “Perhaps you have a more convincing story then. Clearly lying isn’t my strong suit.”

“Yeah, everyone knows I’m a lightweight when it comes to wine,” he sniggered, in spite of himself. “I escorted you to your chambers and then I passed out. Seems plausible, don’t you think?”

“Seems like a fine enough story should it come to that,” she smiled, handing him the refilled glass of water. “But I don’t think it will. Though if we continue to linger someone may notice...but maybe that’s what you want,” she teased once more.

John feigned surprise. “Oh, you think I want that?” he asked rhetorically as he took the water and began to drink it. “What gives you that impression?”

“Well, you’re still in bed for one,” she laughed, walking over to her things to find an outfit before motioning towards the bathroom. “Maybe you’ll be up and about by the time I get out of the shower.”

“...Well,” he tilted his head and gave a smarmy look. “I’ve already proven to be utterly powerless to resist you. I fear that if you exercised upon your designs for me, I’d be unable to resist! Woe is me, for what am I to do?”

Isabella stopped, and turned back towards John and the bed with a playful grin. “Unable or unwilling?” she approached him seductively, leaning down to kiss him but enough so where he would be forced to almost sit up.

“Is there much of a difference between the two?” He kissed her back cautiously, acutely aware of his “morning mouth,” which he didn’t want to inflict upon her.

She did not kiss him long, but it was enough for her to enjoy it. “Depends on the person,” she replied before backing towards the bathroom yet again. “Breakfast after I shower?”

“...That’s a good idea,” he replied as he slowly rose from bed and gathered up his clothes. He began to slip them back on carefully, and added, “I should head back to my room and cleanup.”

“Of course,” Isabella beamed a smile. “I’ll meet you down in the lodge. Last one down buys the other a drink?”

“Eventually.” John finished getting dressed and departed Isabella’s room to head down the hall back down to his own room. Fortunately for him, nobody seemed to notice, though he himself noticed that his brothers, their wives and his sister were up and about going about their morning routine.

Isabella waited until John had left before she entered the bathroom and turned on the shower. She took her time, perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes before she turned the water off leaving the room filled with steam. She thought of John, last night and this morning. He confused her to a degree, he seemed to really enjoy himself, she thought of the previous night and even just before he left. But then she thought back to when he woke up and how he told her that it shouldn’t have happened. When she was dry, the Princess picked through her clothes to find something to wear. Eventually she settled on black leggings, and a light blue sweater, then fixed her makeup though it remained light.

John took a quick shower in his chambers and put on some fresh clothes, before he went into the living room to find the usual suspects. Stephen and Lysa, Richard and Minka, Mathias and Caroline. They were eating something that John didn’t recognize. “What’s for breakfast?”

“Deer steak,” Mathias answered. “Bertie was out hunting yesterday and brought down some game. It turned out good.”

“He’s been butchering it downstairs,” Caroline added cheerfully. “He’s a natural with hookers and butcher knives.”

Isabella exited her room, but did so slowly, hoping to see if anyone was lurking around or if someone had caught John leaving just before. She quickly looked for her siblings or even Stephanie, but saw none. It wasn’t until she reached the lodge at the bottom of the mountain that she saw a familiar face, noticing Eirene, Isadora seated at a table with their brother and his wife, eventually sitting with them.

John talked to his family and had some deer steak before heading down the mountain himself, whereupon he discovered Isabella and her family. “Goodmorning,” he told them with a happy expression. “And how are we this morning?”

“John, good morning,” Jason said between sips of his orange juice with a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. “I could have used maybe another hour of sleep; this one keeping me up late last night. But otherwise couldn’t be better,” he smiled, looking to his wife.

Stephanie playfully elbowed Jason, then turned to John. “Always the jokester. What brings you our way this morning?” she inquired while Eirene and Isadora smiled to the Crown Prince. Isabella, however, did her best to hide the large smile that felt like bursting out.

“I was looking for you all,” the Crown Prince replied, avoiding any indicative looks towards Isabella. “Bertie was out hunting last night and brought down some game for breakfast. I took a few bites and then came down the mountain to find you and make sure you were all doing alright.”

“Did he catch it with his bare hands?” Jason asked with a hint of laughter, causing a giggle from Eirene. “He looks like the type of lad who would try that sort of thing.”

“Would you care to join us?” Eirene eventually spoke up.

John kept a stoic face, and responded in a likewise fashion. “My brother may be a bit...brooding, but he’s no fool. He’s practical, especially when it comes to hunting. There will be some meat when we get back I’m sure,” he said with a nod as he looked towards Eirene. “Of course, I’d be honored.”

“Forgive my brother, he’s not a very good comedian,” Isabella smiled to John as Eirene and Isadora scooted over to make room for another chair to be added to the table.

“What did he catch? I wasn’t aware there would be lands so close to hunt,” Stephanie inquired.

John took a seat where one became available, and said “Deer...they are all over these parts, in the forests. He’s a skilled huntsman, the best in our family, though he wouldn’t admit it. He’s not the sort of man to toot his own horn.”

“Always a good skill to have according to our father,” Jason stated after finishing his plate of eggs.

“What do you have planned for today, John?” Eirene asked the Crown Prince.

“Showing our sister around town again?” Jason added.

“If she’d like, and if you’d like to as well,” the Crown Prince replied. “I know Bertie wanted to take her out on the town as well.”

“Mhmm, that’s right,” Isabella remembered, putting her fork down on her plate. “I told Albert that I’d have dinner with him tonight. But I wouldn’t mind continuing my tour with John, I don’t believe I’ve seen all the important sights yet.”

“Brother,” Eirene looked to Isadora and then to Jason. “Isa and I would like to excuse ourselves.”

“Get a start to the day,” Isadora added, catching a nod from their older brother.

“Dinner, huh?” Jason looked to his sister confused as to why she’d want to waste her time with Prince Albert.

“Well he asked last night, but John and I already had made plans. So I told him tonight if he’d like. I was just trying to be polite,” Isabella nodded to her younger brother.

John shifted his eyes between Jason and Isabella, with a pensive look reminiscent of a late night poker face. “Despite my brother’s...proclivities, he is the most eligible bachelor in Ghant,” he pointed out. “Sure, he’s bad at making good first impressions, or good at making bad first impressions, but he doesn’t bite,” he flashed a subtle grin.

“I suppose that might be why your mother invited my family for this getaway,” Jason stated his thoughts, though he wished it would have remained unsaid.

“...That’s entirely possible,” John feigned some degree of ignorance, despite knowing that was indeed the case. “However, there’s no harm in declining.”

“Certainly,” Jason forced a smile, while Stephanie and Isabella shared an awkward glance with one another.

“Sweetheart, what do you say we do a quick run down the mountain before we go see town?” Stephanie said to Jason before he said anything he may regret later.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Jason nodded to his wife. “John, Bella, have a great day,” he finished with a smile before his wife led him away from the table and out of the lodge.

Turning to Isabella with a faint smile, John said to her, “and so it’s just us once again. Hope I didn’t scare them away, but I saw no point in being deceptive regarding my mother’s intentions. That’s not the sort of reputation I wish to build with your brother, if we are both to be Emperors in due time.”

“I highly doubt you scared him off,” Isabella uncovered the joyful smile she had been holding in since she first sat with her family. “That was a good guess though. However, I think you’ll be buying the first drinks later...I did beat you down here.”

“Yes, so you have,” he nodded once. “I was distracted by deer steak. It was really good...dare I say you missed out.”

“Oh is that so?” Isabella continued smiling. “Please don’t eat it all, I’d like to try some later.”

“As you wish.” Looking around again, John then asked her “so, what did you want to do today before I turn you over to Bertie?”

“Not skating. I wouldn’t want you thumping your head on the ice again,” she looked to him with a grin. We could always go back up to my room, she thought. “Are there any secret spots around town? Something only a true local would know about.”

To that, John had to think, rubbing his chin and squinting, before it dawned on him. “Well...there is the, umm...cave nearby…”

“A cave?” she curiously asked. “I’d love to see it, have you ever been?”

“No, I’ve just heard about it,” he said, holding back on what he knew. For now. “It’s a local secret though, just as you asked about.”

“We should go find it then...explore it, see if it’s a secret worth keeping,” she looked to him just before standing up. “Come on...unless you’re frightened of it,” she teased the Crown Prince.


“Me? Frightened of a cave?” John asked incredulously. “Hardly. Though if you’re afraid of the dark, I wouldn’t recommend it…”

“Mhmm,” Isabella nodded with a laugh. “I haven’t been afraid of the dark since I was a little girl. Some cave so near to town certainly won’t scare me off.” Though your brother may.

“Good, sounds like we have a plan for the day then,” he nodded, looking around once more as he spoke. “Should be a good time. Just be careful not to get lost down there.”

“Oh, I’ll be sure to be very careful,” she said with a grin. “Are you looking for someone? You keep scanning the room,” she tried to hide her curiosity with a laugh.

“...I just can’t help but think that Bertie will come barging in again,” John laughed in return as she shited in his seat. “He does that, you know...show up when you least expect it.”

“Like he did yesterday...does that worry you?” she sat back down in her seat at the table. “...it looks a bit like it does.”

John sighed as he shook his head. “I frighten easily, especially when people sneak up on me. I swear, ever since we were children he’s done that, despite knowing how it scares me. Some boys idolize their older brothers, while others brood in their shadow.”

“I’d say that frightens many people,” Isabella smiled at him, placing a hand on his leg in hope of comforting him slightly. “He’s jealous it seems, but all that means is you have a life worth being jealous of...and trust me, no boys are jealous of or idolize their older sisters,” she added while chuckling.

“He’s jealous, at least of some things, that’s true.” John winced slightly at the thought. “Though, there’s some things about him that I’m jealous of too. He’d never believe that though.”

“That he’s a better hunter than you? I’d be jealous too,” she teased him, her hand still resting on his leg.

“As he should be.” Sure as John suspected, Bertie seemed to just magically appear, emerging to the side of both John and Isabella. “I hope I’m not interrupting. I heard said you’d be here.”

“Good to see you too, brother,” John said to him with a smile. “I heard you did some fine work on some deer you hunted last night.”

“The game this time of year is enticing, to say the least,” Bertie returned the expression, though unlike John, Bertie’s teeth were crooked. “The meat was tender, just the way you like it.” Oh, you cheeky bastard.

Isabella quickly removed her hand from John’s leg when she heard Bertie’s voice, hoping no one had noticed. “Prince Albert, what a surprise,” she put on a smile for him. “How are you this morning?”

“Well,” Bertie nodded with a faint smile. “Hunted some game last night and butchered them during the early hours. Had the meat ready by dawn. Everyone seemed happy with the way it turned out.”

“Please, join us brother,” John said as he extended his hand towards a chair. Bertie nodded, and took a seat. “I tried some myself, it comes with my recommendation.”

“I hope your family finds it to their satisfaction,” Bertie said dryly to Isabella. “And I hope you’ve had some time to consider my offer from the previous evening.”

“I uh...of course,” Isabella swallowed somewhat nervously. His demeanor made her uneasy, not to mention his knack for appearing out of thin air. “I’d be honored to accept your offer of dinner. Same place you suggested last time, by the gift tree was it?”

Bertie nodded casually. “Yes, it’s called the Yuletide Steakhouse. Fine dining for fine people, they say,” he grinned slightly. “With a good selection of wine.”

“It sounds lovely, especially the wine,” she let out a smile, but then looked towards John. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

John nodded his approval, though it wasn’t needed. “When would you like to go and do that then?”

“The sooner the better,” Bertie nodded in return, before turning to Izzy to await her response.

“It’s uh a tad early for dinner now, no?” Isabella wished she had chosen some better words moments ago, but she didn’t wish to be rude either. “I imagine they serve lunch, perhaps that instead?”

Bertie’s big lips twisted into a sly grin. “Of course, lunch. Steak sandwiches, can’t beat the ones they serve at Yuletide. Shall we depart then?”

“Certainly,” Isabella feigned a smile, wishing instead that she could visit the cave John had told her about. “I look forward to seeing you again very soon, John,” she smiled to the Crown Prince upon standing from her seat, hoping that she could see him again tonight.

“And so you shall,” John told her. “Remember our plans.” Having said that, he got up and bowed before walking away.

Bertie rose from his seat too, and offered Isabella his arm. “It’s not far,” he reassured her as he watched his brother leave. “You’ll see him again soon enough if that’s your wish.” There was a tinge of sorrow in his voice, mixed with gruffness.

“...I’m in no rush,” the Latin Princess told Bertie as she took his arm for their walk. She felt awkward, unsure what to say next, but he had given her no reason to feel as uneasy as she did yet.

“That’s good to know.” With a determined gait, he walked with her out of the lodge and out into the air of the early day. Snow covered the streets and sidewalks, and people were out and about as they had been the previous day. “You’ll have to forgive me, I’m not good with first impressions,” he conceded to her. “I usually have to make up ground, you see.”

“That’s alright. Not everyone has a silver tongue,” she told him, hoping soon to be seated in the warm restaurant. “But it certainly doesn’t mean those without have any less to share.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Bertie didn’t say much else after that, keeping quiet until they arrived at the restaurant. It was built of fine wood, with generous fireplaces burning hot and bright within and with thick carpets on the floors. “And we have arrived,” he told her, before telling the receptionist “table for two, please...make that a booth.” The tables and booth seats complimented the organic, log cabin vibe of the establishment, and Bertie promptly sat down and began combing through the menu. “Feel free to order what you like.”

“It’s very pretty,” Isabella stated when they finally arrived. She followed Bertie to their table, who followed the hostess, observing the scenery as they finally arrived at a booth. She poked through the menu when one was handed to her. “I think I’ll just have a salad for now,” she told the hostess. “It seems I had too large of a breakfast,” she stated to Bertie.

Bertie nodded in understanding. “Of course, that does happen from time to time.” When it came time to order, he acted quickly, ordering the steak sandwich and bread bowl of beef stew. “Good for dipping.”

“Happens a bit too much for me I think,” Isabella tried to make small talk with the Prince. He’s not hideous, she thought, pulling one of the arms of her sweater over her hand, though not much to talk to.

“Have you and your family been having a good time?” he asked her with a raised eyebrow while looking over his menu again.

“My siblings seem to be having a great time so far,” she told him, pulling the other arm of her sweater over free hand in her lap. “And I must say that I’m having a much better time than I anticipated...not that I didn’t expect the mountain to be nice or anything. My mind was just elsewhere before we departed I suppose.”

Glancing up at her, he grimaced for a brief moment. “Well, you all seem to be enjoying yourselves, and that’s what’s important.” Taking a deep gulp of his glass of water, he tilted his head and asked her, “Preoccupied with what, may I ask?”

“...Oh, it’s nothing important. Really,” she winced a smile, still holding her hands covered in her lap. If it was John that asked I may have told, she thought, still not entirely comfortable with Bertie.

“I understand,” he nodded again. “I can respect that. I’m a pretty private person...I’ve been preoccupied too.”

Isabella sat in silence for a moment before speaking up. “With what?” she smiled in hopes to lighten the mood. “Kidding, of course.”

“...Who are you?” Bertie asked her softly.

“I...I’m Isabella,” she said confused.

“Yes, and who is Isabella?” he wondered as he took another drink from his glass of water. “There’s a method to my madness, if you’ll humor me before our food comes.”

“Eldest daughter of Leo and Diana,” she began, holding her covered hands even tighter now. “I’m sorry, I don’t really know what you want to hear.”

“I don’t want to hear anything,” he informed her gently. “Sure, that’s who you are, but is that really who you are? That’s what I’ve been thinking about, your Highness...there is two of everyone. Including you. There’s the Isabella that the world knows, and then there’s the one that only the people closest to you know.” Bertie wiggled his lips a bit as he looked around. “I’m not clueless. I see the way your family acts, the way they snigger and sneer. They think they know me, but they don’t. And that’s what it all comes down to really...who decides who we are? Ourselves, or everyone else? There’s a question for the philosophers.”

Bertie finished what he was wanting to say just as their food was brought to the table. The serve put the salad down in front of Isabella, and Bertie was handed a plate containing the steak sandwich along with the bread bowl of stew. He picked it up and took a deep bite of the sandwich, chewing it slowly.

Isabella grew a smile for the server who placed her food in front of her, though it didn’t take long to recede. Isabella has been taught to smile, that is who the world knows, she thought. “If you’re talking about my sisters talking and giggling, that is just what they do...to nearly everyone they meet,” she slide a hand out from her sleeve and brought it up to the table for a napkin to place in her lap before she would begin picking at her salad. “I do my best to keep as much of my personal life as private as possible. Though for all that effort, the papers love to publish their fantastical stories, but I don’t know how available those are here. For the moment, I’d say, the Isabella that the world knows may have to do.”

“Is that the Isabella that we know?” he asked her curiously. “Is that the one that John knows? I love my brother John, don’t get me wrong, there’s not a person in all the world that I care more about, besides my mother. But if there’s one thing he’s better at than I, it’s managing appearances. He is highly skilled at making people see what he wants them to see. Me on the other hand...not so much,” he chuckled in a most unusual showing. “Though we all do the things we do to maintain appearances, do we not? Like here, in this very moment, you and I. Maintaining appearances.”

Isabella thought back to yesterday and her time with John, he knows more of Isabella than most ever will. Though she remained silent until after she heard Bertie chuckle. “We all do what we feel is right. But tell me, Your Highness, what appearence are you maintaining? If that is what we’re doing...”

“Let’s level with each other,” Bertie began to explain to her politely after eating some more of his sandwich. “I have no expectations here, and quite frankly, neither do you. I know you’re not interested in...where this could go, and that’s ok, I accept that. Honestly, there’s only one woman I ever wanted and she didn’t want to be with me, and I’ve been jaded ever since. However, as not only the second son but the only one that’s still eligible, I must make an effort, you see. I’m the most eligible man in the Empire, and as such, certain things are expected of me, even if I don’t share those expectations for myself. Can the same not be said about you? Let’s be honest, your mother and father didn’t send you out here just to ski, drink wine and eat garden fresh salad. They have expectations too...all the better to at least appear to be working towards them,” he raised his glass of water after setting his sandwich down. “Appearances,” he grinned before throwing his glass of water back.

“No my parents didn’t send me here for the vacation, which I wasn’t pleased about when I discovered it,” she told him as she stopped poking and moving around the food on her plate. Isabella wasn’t sure if she should tell him she didn’t want to even be at this meal with him, how would he react? Would he be upset or would he just leave me alone for the remainder of the trip? “...The only expectations that truly matter are those I set for myself. I’m twenty-seven, both of my parents and likely their parents were already married at my age. If I had to guess, I’ve already failed my father’s expectations for a suitable marriage, and I’m fine with that. It was my choice. So...appearances indeed,” she stated, softly picking up her fork again.

“You and me are in the same position then,” he reassured her with an understanding look. “Except I will never be free of my mother’s expectations, especially after what John...did,” he coughed conspicuously. “So now I can go back to Ghish and tell mother that I wined and dined the Latin Princess, and you can presumably do the same with yours. And none were the wiser, that we were mere actors, putting on a display for the great game of parental expectations.”

Isabella let out a genuine smile to Bertie, seeing that he was more or less in a similar position as her, though a bit more upset towards his brother. “Fair enough. What shall we tell them? I imagine we’ll need some story to tell of why it didn’t work,” she smiled again. I can’t tell them I’d rather spend time with the married older brother.

“You tell them a half-truth,” he suggested. “That you kept an open mind about it, but ultimately you didn’t feel as though it was a good match for you...because that’s the truth, is it not? Just not all of it.”

“Well said, Albert,” she smiled to him before taking a bite of her salad. “Now, how about some of great wine you told me about?”

Bertie smirked coyly and signalled the waitress to bring them some dark red wine. “We’re in Gaemar, might as well order Gaemarian Red.” While the waitress went off to do get them some, he added to Isabella that, “in the course of satisfying expectations, one should never take anything personally.”

“Of course,” Isabella nodded, looking up from her salad. “Nothing you’ve said or done has offended me and vice versa as well...I hope.”

“Well good,” he smiled. “I might be an asshole, but at least I’m not a fucking asshole,” he teased before going back into his food.

“Aha,” Isabella let out a light laugh as she picked through her salad some more, instead her thoughts shifted to John.

When the wine came, Bertie was mostly done eating, leaving only the wine to sate his pallet. “I’m sure you’re eager to...see my brother again, so by all means, enjoy the rest of this and I will see you back to the lodge. I’m sure you’re both eager to get on to the caves.”

“...Were you eavesdropping on us?” she said somewhat worriedly. How much did he hear? Did he see anything? she nervously thought.

“No,” he shook his head in response. “I didn’t have to. Like I’ve said, I know my brother very well, better than most. The caves was where he would take all the girls he liked. I know he likes you, so I know he told you about them already.”

“Did...did he ever take his wife there?” she hesitated to ask, immediately regretting it. “I’m sorry, that's none of my business.”

“Once, after they had first...gotten together,” he answered casually. “She didn’t like it, but then again, that whore doesn’t like anything worth liking. Enough talk of that though, are you ready to return?”

“I am,” Isabella smiled to him, taking a brief glance at her half eaten salad. “Thank you...for lunch by the way,” she added once she got out of the booth.

“You’re welcome,” he smiled faintly. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Bertie threw down a wad of Ghantmarks on the table and waited for Isabella before leaving.

Isabella stood next to Bertie, ready to make their way back to the lodge - and for her hopefully back to John. She let go the uneasy pull on her sweater that her hands had caused from being just inside the sleeve, releasing them as she began to walk, almost comfortable finally.

[Ghant]

Inperiala Palace
Ghish, Ghant
December 1990
(Co-written with Lacus Magni)

The Princess Isabella sat alone in her room, waiting for her sister-in-law Stephanie to arrive in her room. The last few days she had been at the mountain she felt rather ill, at first attributing to perhaps the lunch she shared with Prince Albert; however, she quickly dismissed that when the feeling refused to go away. At first she had thought of phoning Isadora, but Isa was too busy with her own things or more likely Mathias; she was unable to reach Eirene, there wasn’t any way she could possibly tell her brother, and there wasn’t a soul she knew of the Palace staff. So she fell to Stephanie.

For Isabella it seemed as if the minutes were passing like hours until she heard a knock at the door. She rushed to the door, and quickly poked her head through the opening to find Stephanie there with a confused look on her face. “Is Jason with you?” Isabella asked her.

“No, he’s on the phone right now. What did you need these for?” Stephanie mentioned, highlighting the purse she held in one of her hands.

“You didn’t tell him did you?” Isabella continued to ask her sister-in-law questions.

“No,” she told Isabella again, a sense of annoyance in her voice. “...can I come in then?”

Isabella opened the door, allowing Stephanie entrance to the room. She placed the bag down on one of the coffee tables that was littered with a multitude of things. “That worried, hmm?” Stephanie looked over the table and then to the purse she brought with her. “I asked for a few different ones but it looks like you already used those brands.”

Isabella only looked at Stephanie and then stood up with a sigh. “Who was it? Prince Albert is the only single Gentry man left, was it him?” Stephanie inquired, but she looked like she was just having fun with Isabella. “I don’t think it was.”

“...John,” Isabella said, speaking no more after that.

“Isn’t he married?” she responded, not appearing to be shocked by Isabella’s statement.

The Princess nodded affirmatively. “I don’t know what to do, Steph. I can’t go home like this and we’ll be leaving soon enough. Father won’t have it...he won’t.”

“Why not talk to Jason, your father thinks the world of him. If you get Jason to understand, I’m sure he could get your father to do the same,” Stephanie replied, grabbing Isabella’s hand and sitting down together on a couch.

“I can’t...besides, he’s always far too cautious around father to do anything of the sort.”

Stephanie looked at everything on the table and turned her head up. “You could always talk to John. The two of you were inseparable at the mountain, we all saw it. He’ll know what to do. Or have you already done that?”

“I haven’t,” Isabella looked worried.

Elsewhere, the Empress of Ghant was enjoying elevenses in her solar with her elder sons John and Bertie and grandson Nathan. John’s only child was two going on three, a little boy with sleepy grey-blue eyes and reddish brown hair. The boy sat between his father and his grandmother, eating strawberry shortcake that the Empress had given him from the platter in front of her. The Empress periodically stroked her grandson’s hair and ran her fingers through it.

“...And how did things go with Isabella?” she asked Bertie cooly as she cut into her cake with one hand and sipped on a glass of tea with the other.

“Well enough, mother,” Bertie answered in a similar fashion. He nibbled at a slice of cake with severe disinterest, though Grace cared naught, only that he was there to join her for elevenses.

“So she’ll marry you then?” Grace asked pointedly as she raised her eyes to meet her second son, a flicking glee in her hazel eyes.

Bertie gulped, and shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not.”

The Empress narrowed her eyes, and the glee turned to a sort of fatigue. “So it didn’t go well enough then, did it?”

At the sight of his mother’s disappointment, Bertie lowered his eyes. “I suppose not.”

With an audible sigh, Grace practically dropped her knife and threw back her tea. “You know what they say, Bertie? That I’m not half the Empress that my mother-in-law was. Her children married great princes and princesses, and she ruled long and well. What do I have? My sons all married whores, harlots and women of no consequence. Except for you, of course...you’re my last hope for a truly worthy match. Yet, nothing seems to be able to come to fruition. Who’s fault is that, I wonder? Certainly not mine, because I’ve given you every opportunity to succeed.”

“...I try,” Bertie explained after poking at his cake with his fork. “Her interests lay elsewhere.”

“They always are with you, Bertie. Worry not of it though, because more than likely she’s a stupid and vapid girl interested only in callow boys.” At that, John coughed slightly, prompting Grace to arch an eyebrow and ask, “is there something you wished to add to that?”

John shook his head. “No mother, though I can say that Bertie made every effort to court her, and she was at the very least polite to him. Though as he said, she was just lacking in interest.”

“To hell with her then. And her sisters?” she asked John.

“Same with them, I’m afraid. Interests lay elsewhere, though they at least treated him courteously,” he answered.

Grace sighed heavily again as she poured herself another glass of tea. “Well, there goes that. We may have to consider a local match...at least there’s some interest there, though my boy deserves something better than some groveling noblewoman.” Looking at John sharply, she added that “I grow tired of their subtle barbs. I am the Empress of Ghant, and when I invite them to elevenses, I expect them to show up.”

John winced, knowing that she was speaking of his wife. “I’ll see what I can do, mother.”

“Good, you do that then,” she shot back dryly as she looked at her grandson and smiled as she scratched the back of his neck. “Let’s see if they come join us for elevenses upon invitation, shall we?” Not long after saying that, Grace sent one of her servants to convey an invitation to the Latins to join her.

Isabella continued to pace through her room thinking of how to tell John what was going on, while Stephanie watched, occasionally offering a thought; though Isabella continued to worry and brush off the suggestions. Suddenly the attention of both women turned to the door at the sound of an unexpected knock. “Who is it?” Stephanie asked after Izzy kept silent.

“Jason,” he said from the other side of the door.

Stephanie went to cover up and move most of the items from the coffee table and Izzy rushed into the bathroom. “Off the phone?” she told her husband when she opened the door.

“Hmm. The Empress has invited us to ‘elevenses.’” he told Stephanie with a nod. “Where’s Bella, she should come too.”

“Uhh, she is in the restroom. I don’t think she’s feeling too well.”

“No matter,” Jason stepped into the room. “Bella, we’ll be with the Empress and her sons for elevenses. I think you need to come as well.”

Behind the bathroom door, Isabella coughed loudly and then flushed the toilet to cover up any other sound she made. “I’ll try and meet you all there.”

Jason did a double look at the bathroom, with a heightened curiosity. “Just don’t keep the Empress waiting,” he said before Stephanie grabbed his hand and the two left to meet the Ghantish Imperials.

When the Latins arrived, the Empress smiled and gestured towards the table. “Welcome. Please, join us,” she said before looking towards her grandson. “This is my grandson by the way. Nathan, Prince Imperial, John’s son.” Shifting a hand to his shoulder, Grace said to him, “what do you say to the Prince and Princess?”

Nathan looked up from his plate and said, “Well met, your Highnesses.”

“Your Majesty,” Jason and Stephanie courteously said to the Empress with a bow of the head before greeting her sons and grandson.

“Good to see you again, John, Albert. And very nice to meet you, Prince Nathan,” Jason said helping his wife to her seat.

“It was so kind of you to invite us, Your Majesty,” Stephanie smiled, her foot shifting a bit resulting in her purse opening slightly.

“I’m sorry my sisters haven’t joined us just yet. I believe they’re all a bit indisposed at the moment,” Jason added.

Grace seemed to chew on the words like cud, before responding “yes, my daughter-in-law Caroline is usually indisposed for elevenses. No offense taken, I’m used to it. Do you like strawberry shortcake?”

“Please, I’d love one,” Jason acted with a certain enthusiasm to make up for the absence of his sisters. “I think each of us could go for some tea as well,” he added, which Stephanie nodded.

“Yes of course.” Grace snapped her fingers and before long, strawberry shortcake and tea appeared before them, the servants that delivered them fading away nearly as quickly as they appeared. “I trust you enjoyed your vacation? Your sisters must have, indisposed as they are that they couldn’t attend,” she grinned faintly. “Nathan here is my most steadfast elevenses companion. He never misses one, even when he’s sick, isn’t that right?” she asked her grandson.

“Tea with grandma makes me feel better,” he said in a dreary, though somewhat squeaky voice.

“Of course it does. Isn’t he such a sweet boy?” she asked rhetorically. “Gets it from his father, no doubt,” a tinge of acid in her voice as she finished.

“I had a great time,” Jason replied to the Empress. “I don’t go to the mountains in Latium much, and even the ones I have been to, they simply don’t compare.” While Jason was speaking, Stephanie again shifted in her seat, causing her seat to hit her purse with it completely unlatching.

“Different climate, for while the mountains are no less charming, they are less suitable for winter sport,” the Empress observed. “The game especially. I heard it said that Bertie brought down some substantial game.”

“That’s true mother, I killed an elk, and we ate its meat at the lodge,” Bertie answered proudly.

“Well that’s good dear. At least you are good at gaming animals,” she replied dryly, causing him to look down and away.

“Very good from what I hear,” Stephanie smiled to everyone after sipping at her tea, though she found it too hot for the moment. “How large was the elk?”

“Large enough to make it an impressive kill,” John seconded, not noticing that his son had slipped under the table.

Grace didn’t notice either. “Oh, I’m sure it required an exorbitant amount of attention and dedication, at the expense of other things no doubt...”

“Grandma, look what I found!” Nathan emerged from under the table with something in his hand.

“What is that?” Grace said to him as he ran up to her and climbed up into her lap. “Let grandma see…”

Stephanie nearly spilled tea on herself when she noticed what the little boy brought the Empress a pregnancy test. She looked down to her purse and saw it was open and her things were spilled out. “...I think that belongs to me.”

Grace took the pregnancy test from her grandson and examined it. “I had no idea you were expecting again so soon,” the Empress beamed. “I’m all for Ghantish twins, I’ve had a few of those myself,” she practically giggled.

“Neither did I,” Jason looked more confused than surprised.

“Well it’s not actually...yes, I think so at least,” Stephanie almost let slip that the test wasn’t for her. “I didn’t get a chance to use it yet, however. So we’ll see. Fingers crossed I suppose. I guess it must have slipped out of my purse.”

Despite what Stephanie said, Grace tilted her head and asked, “not actually what?”

Stephanie searched for the words as quickly as she could but she felt that more people than just the Empress could see through them. “I only meant that its not actually for certain yet...because I haven’t tested yet,” she said then immediately drank her tea.

“Oh, well...isn’t that interesting?” Grace placed the test on the table and slid it all the way down to her. “Maybe it wasn’t you that tested positive then,” she said blankly.

“Uhh,” Stephanie struggled to come up with a semi-believable cover story, as she rarely found herself in situations where she had to lie and even continue to lie. “Would you mind if we shared a word in private, Your Majesty?”

“What is going on here, Stephanie?” Jason asked, clearly aware his wife was hiding something important from him.

Calmly sipping on her tea, the Empress exhaled. “A word in private then.” Grace snapped her fingers, and John and Bertie promptly stood up to leave.

Nathan frowned, still sitting in his grandmother’s lap. “But I don’t want to go.”

“I know you don’t, but we must be polite. I will send for you as soon as the Princess and I are done speaking in private. Ok?” she asked him as John came around the table to pick up his son.

“...Ok.” Nathan embraced her and kissed her one time on each cheek before his father snatched him up and carried him out of the room, Bertie not long after him with a brooding look on his face.

Jason was hesitant to leave the room, but did not wish to anger the Empress and so also took a short leave to leave the two women alone. “I don’t wish to lie to you, Your Majesty. It is very unlady like and a terrible habit to fall into” Stephanie began. “But no, the pregnancy test does not belong to me.”

Grace rubbed her hands together and scowled as she stared at the painting of water lillies on the wall to her left. “I don’t appreciate being lied to and deceived to my face, in my very home. I trust that you have a very good reason for doing that. Either you’re hiding the...carelessness of your sisters-in-law, or that of my children.” Grace turned her face slowly until it locked on Stephanie. “Either way, I can’t exactly help if I don’t know, wouldn’t you agree?”

“And I’m sorry for that, I truly am. It was never my intention. I only wished to keep it confidential,” Stephanie felt the Empress bearing down on her, making her feel uncomfortable. “But I just don’t feel that it is my information to share, Your Majesty. I swore I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“That’s fine, I can respect that,” the Empress agreed. “Though of course, now I have to summon my children and interrogate them one at a time to see if any of them have been fooling around. Though that will be rather inconvenient. Or, you could go and inform your confidant that they can come to me and I shall help them deal with this...development.” Grace lightly sipped on her glass of tea as she looked at Stephanie and awaited her response.

“No, no that shouldn’t be necessary. I already told her to speak with...the man, but she’s terrified of everything that could come from something like this,” Stephanie replied, feeling almost like she was being interrogated herself. “Perhaps we finish tea and I try and speak with her again?”

Pursing her lips, Grace nonchalantly sipped her tea again and told her “by all means, be my guest. She should be scared, but if the situation is handled right, everything will be just fine. I’m the Empress of Ghant, handling delicate situations is what I do best.”

“Of course, hopefully I can convince her you can help,” Stephanie said in relief with a smile. “Please forgive me for any drama this caused and that your grandson found what he did, I’m so so sorry.”

“It’s alright dear,” the Empress smiled softly. “We’ll get this matter sorted out.”

After she finished her tea, Stephanie went to fetch Isabella, or more like convince her to come clean to the Empress, or at the very least John. After a bit of arguing and then some calm discussion, Stephanie had eventually convinced Isabella to speak with John and inform Empress Grace of what has occurred.

While Isabella walked through the palace to reach John, she constantly fidgeted with her fingers and hands. She wasn’t even sure how he would react, let alone the Empress. It’s too great a risk, she thought on her nervous walk towards John and then to Grace.

John was sitting in an alcove in the hall outside of his mother’s solar, with his son beside him. When Isabella walked by, John smiled. “Late for elevenses, I see,” he teased, before turning to his son. “This is my son Nathan.” Once again, he asked him if he could introduce himself to the Princess, for the boy was naturally shy and timid.

“Nice to meet you, Princess,” Nathan said before burying his face in his father’s side.

“I was a little preoccupied,” Isabella said with a flash of a smile to John before it quickly dwindled away. “And you as well, Prince Nathan,” she replied to the young child with a certain sense of guilt weighing on her because of the boy. “Umm, John. I was wondering if we could speak for a moment?”

“In private?” John asked apprehensively, as though he began anticipating what it was about.

“I think that would be best, if you don’t mind,” she responded rather meekly.

“Of course.” John got up and assured Nathan that he would return shortly. Then he offered his arm to Isabella so that she might walk with him. “Come, let us talk then.”

Isabella took the offer of his arm and began to walk with him. “I’m not quite sure how to say this,” she told him once she felt they were out of earshot of anyone she felt shouldn’t hear what she was about to say.

“I’ve often found that the best way to say something that you’re not sure how to say is to just say it,” John teased her again encouragingly.

She looked around, and took a deep breath as a tear began to run down her cheek. “I’m pregnant,” she said softly.

John’s mouth parted, his jaws agape as he felt the impact of her words. “It’s mine, isn’t it?”

“You’re the only person I’ve been with in month, John,” she told him, more tears running down her face now. “I don’t know what to do. Stephanie told me we should talk to your mother, but I’m so afraid.”

Nodding slowly, John held her close and dabbed at her tears with a cloth handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. “Let’s talk to my mother. You won’t have to do any of this alone. I’ll be by your side every step of the way.”

“I can’t,” she began to shake nervously. “I mean, you’re married and I’m...I’m...it’s too dangerous.”

“You can’t what?” John asked calmly. “Talk to my mother? What are you going to do then?”

“Won’t she be angry?”

“Less angry than she would be if she finds out before we approach her about it,” he said as he stroked her hair.

She took a deep breath and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Fine,” she told him.

“Good. Try not to worry,” he attempted to reassure her as he took her gently by the hand and walked in the direction of his mother’s solar, himself tensing up at the feeling of apprehension.

His hand comforted her as she walked with the Crown Prince to see his mother. Though outwardly she appeared more calm than minutes before, inside she felt like a wreck. Before they entered to face the Empress, Isabella tried to clear her face of the remaining tears and held John’s hand tight.

The Empress’ guards parted from the door for John, who stepped in first, before Isabella. At the sight of John enter the room, his mother’s face first went aghast and drained of color, before slowly turning flush, and the area around her eyes twisting into something menacing. “I wasn’t expecting you,” was all she said with a dagger casting stare.

Isabella’s heart dropped when she heard the Empress’ words, and she began to fear the worst. She wasn’t sure if she should talk first or even at all. It’s all my fault, she thought as she started to cry again, and now I’ve made this woman hate her own son.

John didn’t respond, and upon seeing Isabella start crying, Grace slouched back in her seat. “Well, does someone want to explain to me what’s going on here?”

Taking the cue, John answered. “...I entertained Princess Isabella, and one thing led to another…”

“I said entertain her, not fuck her,” Grace slapped her hand against the table in a huff as she jerked her body to the side, resting her head on her other hand as she shot a piercing gaze towards the window. “I told you to show her a good time and make her feel more comfortable with the family so that she might become more inclined to consider Bertie as a match. No wonder she didn’t give your brother the time of day! You not only created this mess with your carelessness, but you ruined your brother’s marital prospects that I worked very hard to create a valuable opportunity for!” she snorted, before turning her face around and looking at them before burying her face in her hands.

“It wasn’t his fault,” Isabella spoke meekly. “It was mine, I initiated. I’m sorry Your Majesty, truly.” The Princess wasn’t sure what else to say to calm the Empress’ anger. “...will you tell my father?”

“Eventually he’s going to find out,” Grace told her bluntly. “If I hide it from him, that will make things worse. I’m involved now.”

Isabella looked to John, and then back to the Empress with a nervous deep breath. “What do I do then? Stephanie told me you could help me.”

“That’s right, I can,” Grace responded as she leaned forward and poured a few glasses of tea. “Come, sit down over here, and have some tea. Both of you.”

Isabella slowly walked over and took a seat as instructed. Father can’t find out...I can’t even imagine what he’d say, what he’d do, she thought while clearing the tears from her face.

Grace slid Isabella a glass of tea after the later sat down. “What do you want to do with this unborn child?”

“...What do you mean?” the Princess questioned, though deep down she already knew the choices.

The Empress narrowed her eyes. “Do you want to have it?”

“Yes, I do,” Isabella stuttered. “I wouldn’t be able to do...that,” she added of the other option.

“Yes of course. So we’ve established that you want it. Do you want it to be a bastard?” she asked curiously, rubbing her chin as she asked the question.

“John is married, and not to me. It’d be impossible for the child to be anything else,” Isabella pointed out.

Grace wiggled in her seat a bit and recoiled at Isabella’s response. “Very observant of you. Tell me this, what do you aspire to be?”

“I just want to be happy,” the Princess told her, looking over to John as she spoke.

“That’s all huh?” Grace threw up her hands. “Just to be happy? And what would make you happy?”

Isabella wasn’t sure why these questions mattered. Of course I don’t want my child to be a bastard, but it wouldn’t be anything but that, and all I want is me, John and the baby. “I don’t know, the right person I suppose. To not be afraid of how my father would react, things like that.”

John had been quiet this whole time, and remained so even when his mother turned her icy gaze upon him. “I’ve only been speaking to this one for five minutes and I can already tell that she’s kinder and more intelligent than Caroline Zuria,” she said, wiggling her lips. “This is what’s going to happen. John, you’ve said to me before that you fear that you made a mistake when you married your wife. You did. You also said that if the right opportunity presented itself, you’d consider divorcing her. That opportunity just presented itself…”

“Mother, you can’t be serious!” John exclaimed. “No Crown Prince or Emperor of Ghant has ever gotten a divorce. Think of the scandal!”

“What’s worse, my son? Having a bastard with a Latin Princess or being divorced? Forget about Caroline Zuria, the woman’s a scheming whore. She should count herself fortunate that her son will be Emperor of Ghant someday. Set her aside and marry Isabella, if she will have you. She’s clearly better Empress material than that Zuria bitch.” Grace turned to Isabella and asked, “Would you rather have a bastard or be married to a divorcee? One that would make you the next Empress of Ghant?”

I don’t care about being Empress, she wanted to say. “I’d rather be married or at least not my child born a bastard.”

“And would you marry my son then?” she pushed a little harder.

“Yes, pregnant or not I would,” Isabella spoke with a confidence she hadn’t held she found out.

“Good. Now tell me, in Latium, if a bastard is born and then its parents get married, what happens to the bastard’s status as a bastard?” Grace probed, seeming more calm now than she did a few minutes previous.

Isabella thought for a minute, not entirely sure how the process of legitimizing a bastard worked back home. “I’d assume that it would go away, maybe the courts are involved. I’m not sure. I know a decree from one of my parents would settle it though.”

“You see? What’s there to be upset about?” Grace raised her hands to shrug playfully. “You get to become Crown Princess of Ghant, your baby will be right and proper and I’m finally rid of Caroline Zuria. Your father should be pleased.”

“I suppose he would be,” Isabella responded with her head hanging down, taking note of John’s silence. “I don’t want to force John into anything, Your Majesty.”

Grace glanced at her son and said, “On the contrary, my son has been waiting for an opportunity such as this, isn’t that right John?”

“...Things haven’t been well with Caroline,” was all he said.

“You see? Now you can deal with that for good,” Grace smiled. “I plan on inviting your mother and father here to share this announcement with them personally. All we have to do is say that you’re getting married once the divorce is complete, and if they notice or otherwise find out that you’re pregnant, all we have to do is tell them that you’re just getting a head start on building your imperial family. Not so bad when it’s spun like that now is it?” she asked graciously as she sipped on her tea.

“No...not so bad I suppose,” Isabella replied feeling a hesitation from John. “So when my siblings return home I stay then?”

“That’s up to you, though I’d advise that because you wouldn’t want him finding out that you’re pregnant outside of a situation that is carefully controlled, like the one here,” the Empress explained. “And, seeing as how you’re already pregnant, if you and John want to...spend some more time together, you can do that too, isn’t that right John?”

“Yes, mother,” he answered politely. “That would be nice.”

The Empress discreetly looked over Isabella one more time before replying, “I’m sure it would.”

“Very,” Isabella nodded in agreement. “I guess I should tell my brother I won’t be returning home with him.”

“Yes, you should do that. The fewer people that know the more likely everything will go according to plan.” Having said that, Grace extended her arm to John, who shot up from his chair and helped his mother up, though she hardly needed it. “Thank you dear. Now, you two should run off and go about your...business. Nathan and I are going gardening.”

The Princess finally smiled watching John help his mother up. “That went a little better than anticipated,” Isabella said to John once the two of them were alone. “What are you thinking of it all?”

“...Like it’s a lot to take in all at once,” he said calmly, only realizing how that could have been interpreted after he said it. “You’re pretty good at that though.”

“It is,” she nodded with a slight smile. She wanted to latch onto his arm but wasn’t quite sure how he’d react. “I’m still scared shitless if it’s any consulation.”

“Well, there’s nothing you can do now but wait until your father finds out. Might as well relax and enjoy your time here until that day comes,” he tried to reassure her with an arm around her back.

“Maybe I can relax after I tell my brother I’m not going home with the rest of them,” she said worriedly, though not as much with his arm wrapped around her.

“Yes, you should do that.” John planted a tender kiss upon her lips, and then pulled away to say, “I should leave you to it then.”

Isabella wished he would have offered to join her when she was to tell her brother. Though she smiled and felt relieved after he kissed her and began debating how to handle Jason. Do I even tell him they why or simply that I don’t wish to return? she thought about her brother.

[Lacus Magni]

Inperiala Palace
Ghish, Ghant
January 1991
(Co-written with Ghant)

“What am I supposed to tell father?” Princess Isabella thought back on when she told her brother Jason that she wouldn’t be traveling home with the rest of them. “If this is some sort of joke, it certainly isn’t funny.” She recalled how upset he was, how worried. But was he upset with me or that he was the one who had to explain to their father why she wasn’t with him, she thought.

“He’ll blame me for this. I hope you know that,” he tried to guilt her into coming after she told him she didn’t care what he told their father. “...Is this about the pregnancy test? That was yours wasn’t it?”

All she did was nod at him. “Jesus Christ, Bella,” he said before she begged him not to tell their mother and father. “If I don’t tell him, and he finds out I hid it from him…” that was the point Isabella knew how frightened he was.

Soon enough it was over and Jason had left without her, though not before threatening to physically carry her onto the plane. That was a little over a two weeks ago, and all she heard is that her father and mother were on their way to Ghish. No one from her family had called, not even her brother Jason, and the two of them had been so close up until that point. I really pissed him off, she thought now sitting on the bed in the room she had been given for her extended stay in Ghish.

But even after the thoughts of her brother passed, she became even more worried at the prospect of being in the same room as her father. He won’t want to hear it from Grace...he’ll demand to hear the truth from me.

It was during that time that a knock came on the door, a gentle rap.

“Just a moment,” Isabella said as she walked to the door before opening it with a smile.

John stood at the door, freshly bathed and shaven with a dignified look on his face. “How are things? Thought I’d come and check in. It can get lonely in these rooms.”

“I’m alright,” she smiled at him, not wanting to tell him how nervous she felt. “You look very handsome today. Would you like to come in?”

“Thank you Izzy,” he smiled as he took a step further into the room. “I would, if you’d have me. I know you’re stressed and particularly nervous, and I don’t think you should have to go through that alone. I know what that’s like, and it’s...unpleasant,” he said with a sigh.

“That’s very sweet,” Isabella stepped out of the doorway to allow him in. “Company would be greatly appreciated, I think my nerves are starting to get to me.”

John nodded as he walked into the room and took a seat on the edge of the bed. “Normally I’d suggest drinking, but alas…” his voice trailed off into a grin.

That made Isabella laugh. “That’d be a the best go-to wouldn’t it?” she looked for somewhere to sit down. “I’m sure there are a few other things I can use as a distraction in its place.”

“I might suggest crocheting,” John said as he patted the spot on the bed next to him. “It’s time-consuming at least.”

“Crocheting? I always saw that as something old women do,” she laughed again, sitting next to him on the bed. “Do I look so old already?”

“There’s a reason why old women do it,” John began to explain carefully with a hand on her shoulder. “They do it to distract them from the prospect of death,” he laughed.

“Based on how my father is known to act, maybe I’m not all that far off after all,” she looked down into her lap.

To that, John shook his head. “My mother’s right, you know. You are in a good position, and I’m not just going along with it because of what she wants. I’m doing it because I love you, and I want you to wear my mother’s crown. Your father would be a fool to spurn such a prospect, for what more could he aspire for you than the mantle of Empress of Ghant?”

“Maybe he’ll just be happy that I’m happy,” she took John’s hand in hers, even though she didn’t believe what she was saying. “Mother will be at least, crown or no.”

With a gentle sigh, John replied, “your father cares a great deal about honor and reputation. These are things that my mother is focusing on. That will be what wins the day, happiness aside.”

“You...do you think it will go well then?” she asked nervously. “I mean I know your mother is doing her best and all.”

“Honestly, Izzy, I’m just going to let her handle it and have faith in her process,” John said reassuringly with a hand on her back. “She’s very good at this sort of thing. Just relax and let her do her thing, hmm?”

“Alright, I’ll try,” she rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sure it’ll go well.”

“...You know, I’ve been thinking,” John looked down as he started stroking Izzy’s hair. “Since you’re already pregnant...we could...you know…” he blushed slightly at what he was trying to say, though he soon found himself tongue-tied.

“We could...what?” she began to blush and put a hand on his leg. “Name the baby, is that what you’re trying to say?”

“No, no,” he laughed playfully. “You know...be together…”

“But we’re together already,” she teased while her hand rubbed along his leg. “I’m not sure I understand. Maybe you can show me.”

With a laugh, John said, “I suppose I’ll have to then, won’t I?” With deft hands, John pulled her close to him for a tender kiss.

Isabella kissed him in return with an added intensity the closer she was to him. Soon she shook her shoulders to dance out of her sweater hoping it would fall off, then placed her hands on him…

Elsewhere, the Empress directed her daughter Caroline and son Mathias to receive the Latin Emperor Leo and Empress Diana at the airport, and to deliver them as escort to the palace. Indeed, the palace staff worked harder than usual to get the palace up to snuff in anticipation of the event, in order to receive the Latins properly. The Empress herself spared no expense, wearing a garish light green and white silk gown that took up so much of the floorspace around her that her entourage had to walk several feet behind her. The gown was backless and strapless, held in place by a thick though not uncomfortable corset that took advantage of her still shapely figure, and letting her fair and freckled back, bosom, shoulders and collarbone take in the light cast through the tall windows. The diamond crown she wore on her head fit comfortably atop her carefully stylized bun of bright red hair, though streaks of grey appeared in various places.

Grace thought she had everything figured out, and was thoroughly convinced she could have the Latin Emperor eating out of the palm of her hand come dusk. “To the entrance hall, the lot of you,” she barked at a pack of idling palace guards chirping beneath a window, and fluttering away like little birds they did at the Empress’s command. “And send for my grandson…”

“Why, hello there, niece-in-law. Such a splendid time of year for a Ghantish sojourn, wouldn’t you say?” From around the corner came another figure of feminine poise. Tall and rangey, the other woman was older by some twenty-two years, and more simply dressed though by no means was she dressed poorly. A gown of blue and white chiffon, and long and loose brown hair mostly turned grey, but not completely. Whereas Grace had a severe expression on her face, her older counterpart had a somber grin, the kind that one might make after winning a hand of poker.

“...I wasn’t expecting you, Teresa,” Grace said to the Empress of Vannois, who was the aunt of her husband the Emperor Albert of Ghant. “Nor do I recall any word that you were coming.”

“Of course,” Teresa laughed. “I enjoy the element of surprise, for I have found that when one isn’t expected, the experience is...more authentic, wouldn’t you say?”

Grace narrowed her eyes, and stopped where she stood. “Why are you here? You never come north during winter.”

“I heard that Diana Augusta was coming,” Teresa mused like a schoolyard poet. “I’ve often found that spending time with her in Latium is too stifling for my tastes. That Emperor Leo can be such a crabass, let me tell you. But here in Ghish, well...he may be taken off-guard, and I can enjoy afternoon tea with Diana just like we did all those years ago, back before...well, that anti-social war of theirs.”

Noticing that Teresa was with guards and a retinue, Grace had little choice but to receive her aunt-in-law gracefully. “I see...well, you may have your opportunity, though Leo and Diana are not here on a social call. They’re here on business…”

“Bleh, business,” Teresa snorted playfully, as it was her way to not take anything seriously. “That doesn’t surprise me in the slightest, given Leo’s temperament. But alas, I shall be around. I look forward to dinner.”

“I’m sure you do.” the two curtsied to each other, before going their separate ways- Grace to the entrance hall and Teresa to wherever it was that Teresa went when she came home to the Imperial Palace, which none but Teresa know anymore. Elsewhere...

“Please do try and smile some, Leo,” Diana Augusta said to her husband just as they arrived at the palace. She always told him so out of fear that one day his scowl would grind all the way through his jaw. But at sixty-two years old and thirty-four years of marriage to him, it seemed more a playful jab than advice.

When Diana stepped out of the car she gazed on the palace her great-grandmother Alexandra had told her so much about. And for the occasion, Diana made sure to look her best; her once light brunette hair had been all but taken over by grey laid down just at her shoulders, which themselves were left bare, her dress reaching up to her neck.

The Emperor Leo on the other hand, dressed in a simple navy suit, stepped out after his wife. He had lost most of his hair over the years, and kept it short with a grey trimmed and groomed beard to go along with it. Though missing on his face was the smile his wife hoped he would wear even if for a moment. “This is folly,” he said repeatedly on the flight to Ghish. Nonetheless, Leo was here, and had every intention of leaving with his daughter.

Leo let his arm out for his wife to take before they enter the palace, which she took. “Let’s be open to things,” Diana told her husband in a soft voice. “We shouldn’t act rash before we know why she didn’t want to come home.”

“Rash...rash,” Leo murmured so quietly even Diana struggled to hear what he said. Though by now a man of seventy-six, he may not have been physical specimen he once was when he won his wars, but the Latin Emperor stood tall, proud, and looked to the palace doors with his powerful stare.

Princess Caroline and Prince Mathias were with the Latin Emperor and Empress, the former timid and the latter nervous around the Latin Emperor. “Right this way, your Majesties,” Mathias said meekly to the Latins, as he led them towards the main entrance of the palace. “I’m sure you’re eager to make yourselves comfortable.”

“Oh very,” Diana smiled to Mathias then attempted to lighten the mood. “Especially to get out of this cold. I don’t know how you survive the winters around here.”

“Well your Majesty, it is important to dress warmly and not be out in it for too long,” Mathias pointed out. “You will find that the palace interior is especially well heated, which is a feat in itself given its size and scope…”

Mathias was cut off by the herald as they entered the palace, who slammed the butt of his staff against the hard enameled floor. “May I present his Imperial Majesty, Albert, First of His Name, Emperor of Ghant, High King of the Ghantar, King of Low Ghant, King of Gholghant, Lord of Zahaghant, Lord of Gholgoth, Lord of Ghish, Lord of Gaztelua and Protector of the Realm, joined by his wife, Her Imperial Majesty Grace of the House Galan, Empress of Ghant, Queen of Low Ghant, Queen of Gholghant, Lady of Zahaghant, Lady of Ghish and Lady of Gaztelua.”

The Emperor of Ghant stood idylly amongst a small cadre of guards. He was wearing a casual grey uniform with black buttons, and looked on with droopy blue eyes, occasionally scratching at his thick black beard and receding hairline. “Greetings, Your Majesties, welcome to Ghant, and more specifically my home.” With a snap of his fingers, a little girl stepped forward holding a dish of bread in a circle, with a bowl of salt in the middle.

The girl said, “Hello, Emperor and Empress of Latium,” in a squeaky, nervous voice. “Please accept this offering of bread and salt so that...you know we...accept you graciously in our halls, and beneath our roof in the sight of Gods and men.” the girl had long brown hair and beady brown eyes, and trembled through her white dress, her legs shivering beneath her tall white stockings.

“...That’s good enough, Alysanne,” Emperor Albert said before a relaxed yawn, covering his mouth as he did so. “My granddaughter is still learning the guess rites, please forgive her...shakiness.”

Both Leo and Diana took the salt and bread offering, but while Diana did so with a smile on her face, Leo took as little as he possibly could. “Thank you dear,” Diana told the little girl before turning to Emperor Albert. “And thank you Your Majesty for your hospitality.”

“Albert,” Leo addressed the Ghantish emperor informally, “Grace. Thank you. I was expecting my daughter to be present.”

“Your daughter awaits you in the feast hall,” the Empress remarked casually. “She’s been entertaining the members of court. A good representative of your country and a testament to your family. She values a great deal her role in this regard, you should be proud.”

Emperor Albert extended his arm to Empress Diana. “With me your Majesty, if you’d be so kind.” Grace postured herself similarly towards Emperor Leo, while Princess Alysanne scampered back to her mother who awaited her off to the side.

“That’s generous of you to say, Your Majesty,” Diana told Albert as she took his arm. “My husband and I are very proud of her, we are. But I’d be lying if I told you we’re not confused as to why our daughter neglected to return home as we instructed. Perhaps you could shed some light.”

Meanwhile, Leo offered his arm to Grace and walked along with her. He said nothing to her as he felt nothing worthwhile to say.

The combined entourage made their way to the feast hall, which fortunately wasn’t a long walk at all from the main entrance plaza. The doors were already open, and seated inside already were Crown Prince John, Prince Albert, Prince Stephen and his wife Lysa, Prince Richard, Isabella and Teresa, the last of which was regaling them all with a story from her youth.

“...This was, I want to say 1933 or so,” Teresa began to say, totally oblivious to what was going on around her. “I was thirteen at the time, and your mother was...four going on five as I recall. We were in Latium at the estate of Empress Alexandra. Your mother had difficulty potty training, so instead of using the ladies room, she would strip naked and jump in the lake and pee in there instead…”

“Just one of many memories at my great-grandmother’s,” Diana laughed when she heard the story Teresa was telling as they entered. Leo found it less amusing and his eyes wandered the room until they narrowed on his daughter who now looked nervous. “It’s nice to see you, Teresa. We hadn’t expected to see you to be here.”

Teresa turned swiftly to see Leo and Diana enter the room, and with a toothy grin she said, “and I hadn’t expected to be here, cousin. But I heard you were coming and thought it would be nice to see you. Your daughter was just entertaining me for afternoon tea you see, such a sweet young lady she is. Clearly, she takes important matters very seriously, and honestly, what’s more important than afternoon tea?” she sniggered.

“It’s wonderful to see you. I pray the whole family is well,” Diana told Teresa.

“Was she now?” Leo added in reference to his daughter, though his wife glared at him.

“You’re too kind, Teresa,” Isabella smiled to the Vannoisian empress. “Mother, father, I’m so happy you made it. I hope the flight went well.”

“Well enough,” Leo stated plainly as he found a seat. “What teas do we have here?” he added while Diana went around to Isabella to give her a hug.

Teresa looked at Leo carefully before replying, “Chamomile with lemongrass. Have some, you might like it Leo...put a smile on that sour face right quick,” she teased.

Emperor Albert and Empress Grace took their seats at the head of the table beside each other, though no displays of affection were shared between them. They waited until everyone was seated before the food was brought out.

“I don’t care for chamomile,” Leo replied to Teresa plainly just as Diana found herself seated next to her husband after greeting their daughter.

“Aww, that’s too bad,” Teresa frowned, feigning disappointment. “All the more for us then, I suppose.”

Lunch was carted out and served hot and fresh upon various platters. Steak, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, an assortment of fish, cheeses, bread, fruit and vegetables. Minka had returned from taking care of her daughter and took a seat by her husband Richard, while the wavy haired Mia Tronpa made her entrance and sat by her husband Mathias. “I’m not sure how you like your steak,” Grace commented to Leo and Diana. “But fortunately we have some of each rarity at your disposal.”

“We’ll have to forgo the steak, but fish is more than fine,” Diana began to explain. “Leo has been avoiding red meat lately, so I’ve been doing the same.”

“Not by choice. Doctors…” Leo grunted with a shake of his head.

“Same here, actually,” Emperor Albert raised his glass. “But I’ve never been a good listener,” he added as he received some fish and bread. The Empress did the same, as did John, while his brothers and sister opted for steak and other heavier foods.

Empress Grace sighed gently and said “Yes, I can attest to that,” which prompted some muffled sniggers from around the room. “I’m sure you’re eager to make yourselves comfortable.”

“Very,” was also Leo said in reply, as he continued to bite his tongue on the subject of his daughter. He looked across the table at her, but she turned her head away towards her plate and picked at the steak.

“Hmm, we are. Isadora and Eirene spoke very highly of their stay, so expectations are high,” Diana added with light laugher.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Grace smiled. “Your children were delightful. I don’t know how you did it but however you did, you did it well.”

“I’m not sure either. But I didn’t do it alone,” Diana smiled and placed her hand on Leo’s. “They had great things to say of your children as well.”

“Oh, is that so?” Empress Grace asked merrily as she poked at her dish of fruits and vegetables. “I’m glad to hear it. After all, I believe that good hospitality is the best policy.”

“How have you found your extended stay to be, Isabella?” Diana asked her daughter.

Isabella took a long sip of her water before answering, feeling the eyes of her parents fixed on her. “I’ve had a wonderful time. Everyone has been so kind, made me feel right at home...almost like I’m part of the family,” she added with a laugh.

“Good,” Leo said after taking a bite of his fish. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. You can tell your brothers and sisters all about your adventures when we return home.”

Empress Grace coughed slightly, and it was then that she knew her time had come to take the stage, and begin her performance. “Yes, about that your Majesty,” she began to tell the Latin Emperor in a splendid voice. “There have been some rather...exciting developments that we wish to share with you.” Having said that, she turned her gaze to her son John.

John took a deep breath, and straightened up in his seat as he addressed Emperor Leo. “Your Majesty, I wish to ask something of you, if I may.”

Leo stared intensely at John, but said nothing, only leaning back in his seat to give John a chance to speak. His face looked stern as ever, though not outwardly frightening.

“...I wish to take your daughter’s hand in marriage,” John rattled out, causing collective gasps from around the room, for not even John’s siblings or their spouses knew, nor did the Emperor of Ghant, who nearly choked on his ale and spat some of it out. Teresa looked flabbergasted, and the spoon in her hand containing vanilla pudding fell and splattered on the floor. Afterward there was a silence like that of a graveyard.

The Latin emperor smiled, even a hint of laughter came from him, which terrified Isabella and even Diana more than if he would have began screaming at John.

“No,” Emperor Leo said plainly. “To my knowledge you’re still wed to another girl. What’s her name...Zuria is it?”

This response was not unanticipated. John fumbled for more words, before replying, “Caroline Zuria, yes...we are getting divorced. She would not be a suitable Empress of Ghant. Your daughter would be though, I am convinced of it. This is not only a testament to the prestige of your family, but also to the greatness of the Latin Empire and you specifically as a good father. As Crown Prince of Ghant I could do no better.”

The collective gasps from around the room resumed once more, while Grace sat stoically and looked on steely-eyed at the Latin Emperor. Your move, Leo…

“Do not attempt to flatter me, boy. I’m far too old to fall for that,” Leo said before clenching his jaw. “So you have not yet divorced your wife? And you have no qualm in putting her aside, dishonoring her to marry my daughter? Tell me why I should allow my daughter to marry a man who casts aside his duty to his wife at the first prospect of a better woman.”

“Father, please,” Isabella meekly added to the discussion fearing the worst. “I love him.”

“How long have you known Prince John, a month? Even if that long,” Leo quipped. “You hardly know him.”

“How far into the divorce process are you, Prince John?” Diana attempted to steer things back towards civility.

Grace stayed her tongue for at least a time, though as the conversation continued to turn south she turned all the more crimson about the face, needing to resist the urge to slam the table. The nerve of this man. “With all due respect, your Majesty,” Grace said cooly. “You are speaking to my son, the Crown Prince of Ghant, and in my home no less. I have treated your children, as well as you and your wife, with the utmost respect and courtesy due to you according to your rank and station. I expect the same in return…[/i]

“...Mother,” Bertie added meekly. “Emperor Leo does have a point…”

That did prompt Grace to smack the table. “Silence.” Looking around the room at all of her kinfolk, she gruffly commanded, “out, the lot of you, out! Except for the Latin Emperor and Empress, my husband, John and Isabella, out with you!”

Teresa had already slipped away while Leo was barking, apparently “needing to use the ladies room,” though she hadn’t returned. The rest went off like squirrels before a moving car. Grace waited until they were gone before she responded to Diana for her son John. “The papers were filed roughly two weeks ago,” Grace stated bluntly. “I never approved of Caroline Zuria, and it is only due to her snake-charms that she ever enraptured my son in the first place. We would all do well to be rid of her. Now, Leo,” she turned to the Emperor, “correct me if I’m mistaken, but you were interested in exploring a match between one of your children and my own. Let’s be honest, a match between John and Isabella was in the cards years ago...I seem to recall my father-in-law Emperor Michael mulling it over. Or has your memory dulled with age? Regardless, I’m trying to see to it that things are restored to their proper order, and a...course correction is necessary in order to achieve that. Is it the most ideal arrangement? No, but the end result is your daughter on the Obsidian Throne and her progeny close to it. What more do you want for her then that?”

Leo observed the Ghantish empress throughout her tirade, as he saw it. He found it amusing, however. “I spoke to your son the same way I would any married man who sought the arm of one of my daughters. He won’t get any special treatment from me when the first thing I hear from him is ‘if he may marry my daughter.’ If you cannot accept that, it is no concern of mine.” The more Grace continued to speak the more it began to infuriate Leo. “Aye, I recall full well many discussions with Michael. He was a good friend and an honorable man I had a great deal of respect for. But he would have never tried to pull a stunt like this. So yes, you have treated me with the utmost hospitality, though not with the truth,” his voice began to raise, though he tried to temper it down.

“Weeks ago, my own son and heir came to me and told me his elder sister didn’t come home. It sounded rather queer at first. Even through our discussions, we were hoping one of my girls and your boy Albert would get along. Fine, people don’t always match up. I can understand that,” Leo explained. “I pressed him for answers, and he wouldn’t budge. But he knew something.”

“The papers are filed through? So it will be finalized soon?” Diana asked, though Leo kept on talking.

“But that’s neither here nor there,” Leo spoke in reference to his oldest son. “Now as to my questions, I’d still enjoy an answer.”

John hesitated for a time, before finally taking it upon himself to answer. “Of course I have qualms,” he spoke firmly. “I wouldn’t be doing it unless I was convinced that it was the right thing to do. As my mother said it is less than ideal, but Caroline would be no fit Empress of Ghant. I have reason to believe she is, and has been...unfaithful. Isabella doesn’t strike me as that sort.”

“What does she strike you as?” Leo asked John with a narrowed stare.

“An Empress,” John replied. “Like her mother.”

Diana smiled, but Leo was less than impressed. “These words of flattery won’t do it for you here. This is my daughter, Prince John, and words are wind,” he drank from his glass as his voice grew raspy.

“...Father,” Isabella looked sad and grabbed John’s hand.

“When can we expect this divorce to be complete?” Diana asked once again, hoping if her husband could be persuaded.

“By the end of the month, ideally,” Grace answered, before turning her gaze towards Leo. “You seemed content at the prospect of Isabella marrying Bertie, yet you scoff at the prospect of her becoming the next Empress of Ghant. Is my son, or Ghant, not good enough now?” she pressed. “I wonder what Alexandra would think about that if she were still living.”

“Now just a minute,” Diana was beginning to find Grace out of place. “Please do not pretend to understand my own great-grandmother as if you knew her so well. And do not…”

“No it’s quite alright, Diana,” Leo clenched his jaw again. “We were content with marrying one of our daughters to Prince Albert because there was a lengthy discussion, but seemingly it didn’t take. How that turned into your married son trying to marry my daughter, I may never know,” he slowed his speech and took a quick sip of water before continuing. “I have no qualm with the Ghantish people and have considered the Gentries friends for as long as I can recall. I may not be as sharp as I once was, but I know damn well when someone is lying to me. And my wife and I have been lied to since the moment we landed.”

“So that’s your problem?” Emperor Albert snorted, finally speaking after being quiet throughout most of the conversation turned argument. “You’re angry because you think you’re being lied to? Lied to about what? My wife might be a tad overzealous, but she has a point. The bigger picture here is that your daughter could become Empress of Ghant. Do you have greater plans for her than that?” he laughed in spite of himself.

“What I do not appreciate is being ambushed as I was when your son announced what he did. Such a thing should have been discussed with me and my wife in private, as we did for your younger son. I know I’m not hearing the whole truth, and dangling a throne in front of my eyes will not make me foam at the mouth like it does most; nor will it for my daughter, if we raised her the way I thought we had,” Leo began to grow angry. “Your wife’s ‘overzealousness’ further compounds my belief there’s more to this whole situation than we are being told.”

“We’re discussing it [/i]now,[/i]” Grace pointed out. “And that’s because I wanted to discuss the matter in person with you rather than over the phone, because that didn’t seem proper in the slightest.” Draining not one, but two glasses of wine in rapid succession, she groaned with the palm of her hand against her forehead and asked, “what do you want, Leo?”

“My wants and desires have never played a part in this. Your son is still married, I won’t even consider this offer while he still has a wife,” the Latin emperor stated abruptly. “The thought of seeking out a new wife while still having one is, frankly, concerning to me.”

“What I think my husband is trying to say is that we would be more comfortable accepting the match after Prince John’s divorce is finalized,” Diana added, looking stately.

Grace bit her bottom lip, and eyed Leo and Diana cautiously. “...That can be arranged, though of course I’d like for Isabella to remain at court until the paperwork is finalized. There is much to do in the way of acclimation…”

“...Father,” Isabella said meekly with tears on her cheeks.

Grace was going to continue, but Isabelle interrupted, and then Leo responded to her. What are you doing, child? she couldn’t help but feel as though she was going to reveal her condition. Don’t ruin this for me now, I’ve got him on the hook!

“Are you going to say please again, or do you have something beneficial to add to this discussion?” Leo came off rudely, though that was not his intention. “If not gather your things and we will head home.”

“I’m sorry,” she told John softly. “Father, I’m pregnant.”

“Oh, Isabella…” Diana sighed.

“Maybe you’re more honorable than I thought, John,” Leo stated.

While Grace facepalmed, John grimaced, knowing now that the cat was out of the bag. “My child shouldn’t be a bastard, and Isabella shouldn't be the mother of one,” he said boldly. “Isabella should be Crown Princess and her child a legitimate, entitled royal. I wish it didn’t come to this, but it has and it must be addressed. Pregnant or not however, my decision would be no different.”

“It shouldn’t, but it will and not even marrying my daughter can change that. It’s a hard truth to accept, Prince John. You may find it hard to believe, but I do appreciate the attempt to salvage my daughter’s honor,” Leo spoke calmly, while Diana was still shocked by what she just heard. “But she should have thought about that before sleeping with a married man and you before breaking your vows.”

“I agree, and I am sorry,” John admitted somberly. “I never thought trying to do the right thing would be so hard.”

“Well Leo, there you have it.” the Ghantish Empress drank another glass of red wine and tilted her head. “Makes things a lot easier now doesn’t it? Leave your daughter here to become Crown Princess of Ghant or take her home where she will be the unwed mother of a bastard. The choice seems pretty obvious to me.”

“My daughter will be returning to Castellum with my wife and I,” Leo told Grace as he slowly rose from his seat. “Perhaps you should phone us when the divorce is final.”

“I’m not leaving,” Isabella stated loudly, though Leo ignored her outburst.

“Or you can feel free to phone me once the Latin press finds out,” Grace casually sipped on her wine. “I’ve done everything I can to try to rectify the situation and give you a good way out of this dilemma that leaves you and your family in a better position, only for you to turn around and spit it right back in my fucking face. So go ahead and be my guest, and let history decide how wise your decision this day was. T’would be a shame for it to be called into question this late in your reign.”

“Should they speak ill of my reign because my daughter got on a bastard with a far off prince my reign would not have been all that important to begin with,” Leo let out a rare weak smile. “I wouldn’t be on that damned throne were it not for those people and Diana wish. But they called me Savior of the Latins after the war, I never desired that honor; I did my duty to the Latin people. The same people you say would question this decision of mine? I think not, Grace.”

By this time, Grace was at her wits end, and when John opened his mouth to speak, Grace sushed him. “Fine then, have it your way,” she said coldly to the Latin Emperor. “I’ve said what I wanted to say, and I’ve made my offer, which you’re free to refuse. It was a pleasure hosting you, your wife and daughter, but it would appear as though our...discussions are at their end.”

“But mother,” John tried to interject, though his mother cut him off with a raised hand.

“Don’t but me, John,” the Ghantish Empress snapped. “We must respect the Latin Emperor’s decision. I’m sure they are in a hurry to be done with this business and expedite their return to Latium.” With that said, she clapped her hands, and numerous unarmed guards and retainers entered the room, led by Lord Commander Damon Devlyn of the Zinpalak. “Ser Damon,” Grace said calmly. “Will you please show the Latins to their chambers?”

“Of course, your Grace,” Ser Damon agreed eagerly, before approaching Leo. “With me your Majesties, Princess,” he told them with a bow of the head. John rose somberly from his seat and walked away, while Emperor Albert sukled off in a different direction. Grace remained seated however, waiting to see the Latins gone.

“Thank you for everything, Your Majesties,” Diana said to both Emperor Albert and Empress Grace.

“Thank you for the invitation to your home,” Leo said to Albert and Grace, going to shake each of their hands.

“Anytime,” the Empress smiled, though it seemed forced. “Please, come back soon.”

Leo, Diana and Isabella rose from their seats and departed the feast hall, Ghantish escorts in tow. A short distance into the hallway and out of sight of Empress Grace, Diana said, “Come Isabella, it’s time to leave.”

“No, I’m not leaving. I love John and I’m staying with him,” Isabella stood her ground against her parents.

“Sweetheart, come home and we’ll take care of everything,” Diana tried to convince her daughter. “You and your...child will be safe, and well taken care of.”

“Isabella,” Leo turned to his daughter and drew her over to him with a pull of his finger.

She nervously walked over to him, and he spoke softly to her, whispering in Greek. “Let us speak in Greek.”

Isabella knew her father never to be one for tricks or deception, so she did as he asked and all three of the Latins followed Ser Damon a little further into the palace halls. Though instead of continuing to walk to their destination, Leo stopped to speak with his daughter, again in Greek.

“You are my first born child, you know I love you dearly and want the best for you. I can see you have your heart set on this, however wrong your mother and I believe it to be. If you stay I cannot protect you, and the thought of that frightens me. I may be forced to treat you harshly, no matter how much I may hate it,” he said before taking a brief pause and placed his hands on her shoulders and took a deep breath. “The Empress is right, people will talk, they will snigger, and it won’t stop with the commoners or even Latins. When word gets out events may occur where you become unwelcome at home for a time, and I cannot guarantee when that may end. It could be months, it may be years...it may be never. You may lose titles, and then some. Marry him or don’t, the choice is yours. I wish you and your child all the good fortune in the world. Truly.”

His sincerity was clear to Isabella, though it made little difference to the tears running down her face. Go home and never see John again...raise my child without a father or stay and my child may never knows half their family. “Thank you, father,” she whispered back in Greek before he pulled her chin up and kissed her on the forehead.

The Latin Emperor turned to his wife and spoke to her quickly in Greek. Diana hugged her daughter - nearly refusing to let go - telling her everything on her mind, wishing her well. Before they prepared to continue to walk down the hall with Ser Damon, Leo turned back to his daughter with a small smile.

Ser Damon looked over at the Latins through his scarred face. He had known of Leo and Diana for many years, having been in the service of Emperor Michael since the latter’s ascension in 1939. “Is everything alright, your Majesties?” he asked benignly, unaware of what they had been discussing but aware that they had stopped to talk.

“Of course. My apologies,” Leo spoke to Ser Damon with a hoarse voice as Diana took Leo by the hand. “Everything is quite alright. Now where were we.”

Isabella watched her parents follow Ser Damon until they were no longer visible, and then she went back into the feast hall in search of John and even Empress Grace.

When she returned to the feast hall, she found only Empress Grace still there, putting down her bottle of red wine. Without looking up, she arched an eyebrow and asked, “did you forget something, Princess?”

The Latin Princess wore large smile that even the perceived attitude she felt from Empress Grace couldn’t remove from her face. “Where is John?” she fumbled over her words in excitement.

“I don’t know,” the Empress replied in an exhausted tone. “His chambers most likely...going to say goodbye?”

“No,” she smiled. “I...I still would very much like to marry him, if he’d have me, Your Majesty.”

The Empress choked back a laugh. “I’m sure you would, but your father has other plans for you and your child, it would seem.”

“He does, and he said it’s my choice,” she tried to hold back any tears that tried to appear. “I want to stay here, and marry your son.”

The Empress sat down her wine glass and tilted her head to the side with a wry smirk. “Is that so? Well then...that’s quite the interesting development. Shame he couldn’t say that in here. His pride must be even greater than I thought. To stay here...that’s your choice then?”

“It is, ma’am,” she told the Empress, choosing not to acknowledge the comment on her father. “My choice.”

“Your Grace will do just fine,” the Empress replied with a tinge of mild amusement in her voice. “Should be easy to remember given that’s also my name. And your choice? Please,” she laughed a bit then, before shaking her head. “The choice is mine. Never forget that, dear. One day, you will be where I am, and you will have to act and behave shrewdly on behalf of your family. Until that day comes, remember the difference between a choice and the illusion of choice. Illusions are all you need.”

“Of...of course, Your Grace. I’ll remember that,” Isabella’s smile dropped slightly. “Would you mind if I go find John?”

“Not at all dear, go right on ahead,” Grace waved her hand. “We can always talk more later, if you’d like.”

“Thank you,” Isabella quickly said before she ran off towards John’s chambers where she suspected he was at the moment.

Sure enough, that’s where he was, sitting at his desk underneath the window in the relatively spartan chambers reading some old book. “Come to say goodbye?” he asked her after turning to see who was entering. John made sure his guards knew to let her come in whenever she made her way to his chambers.

“No,” she said with a large grin on her face while she rushed over to him. “I’m here to stay...I’m not going anywhere,” she began to cry tears of joy.

John smiled, in a manner similar to his mother as he got up to embrace her. “Well, it didn’t go as smoothly as I thought it would, but hey, it all worked out just like I told you it would.”

“You know what...I think my father kind of liked you,” she hugged him and began to kiss him.

“...What a relief,” John replied as he kissed her back. Things were far from over, John knew, but at least she wasn’t leaving. And for now, that was good enough.

[Lacus Magni]

“Heraclea”
Stephanie
Palatium Supranio
Adrianople, Latium
17 July 1991

Princess Stephanie had been running all around Palatium Supranio as she and her husband, though mostly she, prepared for their brief trip to the city of Heraclea tomorrow. She made sure that the staff packed the right clothing or outfits, that her and her husband’s guard was properly aware of their itinerary, and most importantly ensured that the nurses were prepared to take care their one year-old daughter, Maria. “Yes, that’s you, little one,” Stephanie tapped her daughter on the nose and spoke to her in a babying voice.

Stephanie walked the halls of the palace with her daughter, followed by one of her ladies-in-waiting and cousin, Lady Aelia Tullia-Junia. Despite being cousins, the two were not all that familiar with one another before Aelia became one of Stephanie’s ladies-in-waiting, though they had each taken to each other quickly and became close friends. “Do you and Donus have anything special planned for the week?” Stephanie’s spoke of Aelia’s intended.

“We planned on visiting his lake house,” Aelia brushed her deep brown hair away from her equally brown eyes. “But some family issue came up and we have to reschedule.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Stephanie smiled, though appeared to be struggling with Maria who began to wiggle away. She stopped to gain a better hold of her daughter and heard some loud chatter coming from a nearby room. “Do you hear that?”

“I do,” Aelia nodded, then put on a thinking face for a moment. “I believe it’s the Prince’s cousin Maria – the Duchess. I noticed she was on the lists about an hour ago.”

Bitch, Stephanie bit her tongue but said, “I thought I told them to keep her out of our personal quarters.”

“I thought so too,” Aelia added in support.

“Could you go find me…Santella. No wait, actually bring me Trebatius,” Stephanie asked for the head of her personal Praetorian detail in lieu of the head of her husband’s. Stephanie stared at the closed door where she could hear faint sound coming from. She couldn’t take her eyes off of it.

“And should I deliver a message or…” Aelia added in an uncharacteristically meek tone.

“Just tell him it’s urgent,” Stephanie finally pulled her gaze from her husband’s office door to smile at Aelia. “Thank you so much, Aelia.”

“Of course, Domina,” Aelia respectfully curtsied and walked away to find Evocatus Apollos Trebatius.

Stephanie though, she cautiously approached the office door with her daughter in her arms. Thankfully Maria was quiet and quite controlled for now, enabling Stephanie to press an ear against the door to hear the voices inside.

“The nerve of her…disobeying your father and dishonoring the family. And pregnant with a bastard at that…what a whore,” a voice said followed by a snigger. Stephanie couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like her husband’s cousin, Maria Tarpeia, the Duchess of Vindóbona by right of her husband. She continued, “What an insult to all of you that she’s been excommunicated.”

“Who?” There’s Jason; his voice was unmistakable.

“Your sister of course,” the Duchess replied, no doubt with her trademark snigger and smirk. But the voice, once clearer began to fade some, possibly indicating that she moved further from the door.

“She made a choice and she’s living with it. For better or worse,” Jason replied.

“But still, the nerve to say she’s going to name the child after your father if it’s a boy,” the Duchess snorted arrogantly. “I don’t know what my dear aunt Diana ever did to deserve such treatment from a child.”

“Shouldn’t you be at the Senate?” Jason sounded annoyed to Stephanie, at least through what she could hear from the other side of the door. Then she heard some papers crinkle and crumble.

“Why should I? Recess was set to begin a week from now, and nothing but a few pet projects of damn Liberals are being discussed,” the Duchess’s voice faded some more, though seemed nearly seductive causing Stephanie to clench her free hand into a fist in anger. “You can’t be getting sick of me already, can you?” she added with a tease.

Enough of this, Stephanie shook her head and with a quick re-grip of her daughter, barged into the room though did so with an elegant smile upon her face. And she had walked in just in time to see the Duchess seated atop Jason’s desk, and though her back was turned to Jason, she positioned herself in such a way that he could have seen down her blouse if he was so inclined. Or at least it appeared that way to Stephanie.

“Of course not,” Jason said with a smile before his head peaked around from around his cousin Maria to see Stephanie enter.

“Hello, dear,” Jason smiled to Stephanie, though she quickly lost her own smile and couldn’t control her descent into an angry, yet sad look. Even her daughter tugging at her long, wavy brown hair was not enough for Stephanie to snap out of it.

“Could you give us a minute?” Stephanie said to the Duchess, still seat atop Jason’s desk like a whore. “I would like to speak with my husband.”

The Duchess gracefully lifted herself off the desk and back onto the floor. No doubt she gave Jason some playful smile before turning to face Stephanie. “Of course,” she said to Stephanie. “I will see myself out.”

“That was rather rude, no?” Jason said with a hint of laughter once he and Stephanie were alone.

Stephanie snorted in disbelief. “Me, rude to her? God, you are really unbelievable sometimes you know that.”

“Absolutely. No hello, no smile, just a ‘get the hell out,’” he said as if he thought he was teasing her.

“Seriously?” Stephanie shook her head as Jason approached her, but she walked right for their daughter’s makeshift playpen on the opposite side of the office. Instead of going to embrace Jason, she sat down on the couch after placing Maria down.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Jason sat down next to her. He placed an arm around her shoulder and gave her a loving squeeze.

“Why do you let her talk about your family that way?” Stephanie all but ignored her husband and looked down into her lap as she braced her arm with her opposite hand.

“What are you talking about?” now it was Jason that pulled back some.

“I heard what she said about your sister. This isn’t the first time either. Isabella is a good person, she’s just been put in an unfortunate situation because she loves someone. That doesn’t make Isabella a whore or a nasty person like your bitch of a cousin claims. It only makes your cousin one. And it certainly isn’t the child’s fault. Bastard or no, that is still your niece or nephew,” Stephanie said, but Jason only rolled his eyes, prompting her shake off his arm.

“What would your mother or father say if someone said to one of them? Or your brother even?”

“She is just trying to get a rise out of people and it’s clearly working on you,” Jason attempted to laugh the comments off, but Stephanie knew all too well that he was thinking about what she said. “They’re just words and she likes poking people for a reaction.”

“So the future Latin Emperor, the man I married, the man I love…doesn’t have the courage to stand up for his family. Is that what you’re telling me?” Stephanie said loudly, nearly shouting as she stood from the couch. “What if she was talking about me or our daughter? I hope you would have the courage to say something then.”

“What on earth is happening?” Jason shook his head with a faint smile. He walked towards her, placing his hands on her arms. But she only shook her head and started to cry. “Where is this coming from?”

Stephanie closed her eyes, and winced with pursed lips. “I don’t trust her, Jason,” she finally said after taking a deep breath. She looked him in the eyes, but only saw confusion in them. “I have tried to get along with her, truly, I have. But Jason, when she is around, all I can feel is that she does not want me near you. Like she thinks you belong to her or something.” He snorted and turned his head. “Jason, please listen to me. I know you are friends with her, but she has said things…”

“Jesus Christ…Stephanie,” Jason snorted and looked towards the ceiling momentarily. “Is this,” he flicked his tongue against his teeth while hesitating on the words, “Is this some postnatal thing still?”

Jason’s voice cut out after Stephanie slapped him across the cheek. “How dare you,” her face was growing red as tears started to well in her eyes. She slapped him once more, and he simply stood there.

“I have done everything in my power to try and be that woman’s friend. And she has been nothing but dismissive or cruel in return,” word after word Stephanie struggled as the tears were more difficult to hold back until they finally poured out, “She has treated me like I am no better than some lowly rabble that just walked out of Rubra. Even when we were at the lodge in Ghant, on our first moment of down time since our daughter was born – when we were supposed to have the whole time to ourselves for once – you left me all alone with people I did not know, so you could speak with her on the phone about who knows what…”

Her voice drew weaker with every word, and at the sound of Stephanie’s crying, Maria began to cry from the other side of the office. Though as her voice grew weaker, as did she, until she leaned into Jason, falling into his arms as she started to weep into his chest. With her head against his chest, she could feel him let out a labored sigh, though he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her atop the head.

While anxious, frightened, and upset, at least now Stephanie felt a degree of comfort with his arms around her and hers around him. Both stood in silence for some time until Stephanie calmed down, though Jason was the first among them to speak. “You, and our daughter, mean the world to me. Nothing else comes before you two, nothing else ever will, you know that.”

Stephanie lifted her head from his chest, and looked up to Jason. He brushed a tear off her cheek, and she finally began to smile. “I will make certain that she stops coming to the palace. I will make certain that you never have to see her again, if you like. I am so sorry.”

“Thank you,” Stephanie stood on her tip-toes with her arms wrapped around Jason’s neck and kissed him on the cheek. “I know you two are close, but…”

“Enough of that,” Jason put his index finger up in front of his lips with a smile. “You and our daughter come first, you will always come first.”

Stephanie smiled back to him, though with tight lips before she turned away from him. Now to put Maria down for a nap and to…, she thought as she felt a light tug at her arm. When she turned, Jason looked at her with a playful grin, “You don’t have to go do you?” and pulled her close once again, followed by a kiss.

“I have to get ready for tomorrow…” she returned the kiss, though when Jason sought more, than that, Stephanie obliged him. After a few moments of this, she and Jason disappeared into the next room with Jason, only to reappear some time later to find her daughter right where she left her, but now sleeping around all of the toys she had recently been playing with.

“Come, sweet one,” Stephanie reached for Maria, lifting her daughter into arms. “Let’s get you back to your room.”

When Stephanie exited the office, she passed by numerous courtiers along the walk to her chambers, smiling to each along the way, even the occasional short, but polite, conversation. As she neared her and Jason’s apartment, she noticed the Duchess of Vindóbona speaking with a Praetorian whose face Stephanie couldn’t quite make out, and no fewer than three other courtiers. Stephanie sighed indignantly, Jason said he would deal with her, she entered her room as a Praetorian opened the door. “Thank you,” she said.

Once inside, Stephanie laid Maria down in her crib, and instead of heading right for her ladies-in-waiting to see what progress was made towards her trip for tomorrow, she took leave herself and laid in her own bed. When she rose some twenty minutes later, her daughter was fast asleep nearby, allowing Stephanie to find one of her ladies-in-waiting to watch Maria while she took care of some last minute arrangements, finally.

Stephanie stepped out of her apartment only after ensuring that her appearance was in order, and her hair not a complete mess after her most recent impromptu activities. Outside of her door, a Praetorian stood at attention, as was always common, she said to him, “Would you be so kind as to call for Aelia or Eusebia. Thank you so much.”

The guard disappeared down the hall rather quickly, though Stephanie thought nothing of it and began to walk down the other hall, through the galleries. At least she’s finally gone, she thought once she passed the end of the hall where the Duchess was gossiping earlier. When Stephanie finally reached the galleries, however, she was met by none other than the Duchess. “In a hurry?” the Duchess smiled, reaching out to Stephanie so that she would stop to chat.

“As a matter of fact, I was, Your Grace,” Stephanie said plain faced.

“Your Grace? Are we really so formal, even still? Please just call me Maria, Stephanie. We have known each other for some time, and well, you are married to my dearest cousin,” the Duchess seemed to smug and proud of herself. It made Stephanie feel uncomfortable.

The nerve of this woman, Stephanie thought. “I do apologize, but I am in quite a hurry so I cannot stay and chat.”

“Oh no, Stephanie, I promise I won’t take up much of your time at all.”

“Your Highness,” Stephanie said slowly, Maybe that way she will understand. “Your Highness is my proper style of address, I would appreciate it if you could remember that, your Grace.”

The Duchess only smiled, stepping towards Stephanie, now close enough to reach out and touch her. Which of course the Duchess did, starting to run her hand through Stephanie’s hair. “I love what the summer sun does for your hair, Your Highness. It is so vibrant and truly beautiful. You really are the Alban beauty, as they say.”

Stephanie froze for a moment, most of all when the Duchess ran her fingers through the ends of Stephanie’s hair. Though halfway through the Duchess’s speech, Stephanie gracefully moved the hand away. “I thank you, Your Grace. But as I said, I have duties I must see to.” Where on earth is Trebatius. But when Stephanie stepped to the side, so to did the Duchess, blocking the path.

“I just spoke with Jason, though I’m sure you knew that already,” the Duchess imposed herself on Stephanie, looking her right in the eyes, looking for any indication or weakness. Stephanie was about to speak, but the Duchess continued before the Princess had the chance. “And I know why you did that. You are jealous of the friendship he and I share. I understand that, and I do not blame you for it. Actually, I rather expected it,” she laughed, “You are his wife. That is just the way of these things.”

“Please move aside, you are making me…”

“Uncomfortable?” the Duchess quickly licked her lower lip. “Just know how quickly things can change. Family…well family lasts forever, and you are not family, are you?”

“Your Imperial Highness,” it sounds like Trebatius finally caught up, and the Praetorian arrived to see the Duchess speaking to Stephanie. He bowed when he saw their presence and then said, “Is everything alright?”

“It is,” the Duchess replied for the two women, while Stephanie’s back was facing Trebatius. “I was simply wishing Her Highness safe travels on the eve of her big trip. Your Highness,” she added, kissing Stephanie lightly on each cheek before curtsying and seeing herself out of the galleries.

Stephanie stood still even in the moments following the Duchess’s departure from the galleries. Trebatius stood to Stephanie’s back still, and only when the silence seemed to confuse him he said, “I found Aelia as you requested, Domina. She is watching over Her Highness The Princess Maria.”

He stepped closer when Stephanie failed to respond; she wasn’t sure how to react to the confrontation, and even now that it had past, it deeply frightened her. She won’t be back here ever again, Stephanie kept telling herself until Trebatius said, “Your Highness? Is everything alright?”

“Can you escort me back to my apartments?” she asked, not wanting the Praetorian to see her so distraught. “And find my husband, please.”

“As you wish,” he said before leading her back to where she had only just come from.

Stephanie followed and when she returned to her apartment found the main room empty, though the television was left on, with a RAL news broadcast playing. “Hello,” Stephanie said, “Jason?”

“In here, dear,” Jason shouted from their bedchambers, to which she promptly attended.

“Jason I need to…what are you doing?” she said when she saw him and an attendant gathering some belongings.

“Packing,” he shrugged. “Well, he is at least. But it is for me. I know what you are thinking, you have this handled. But mother said I must return to the capital…that it is very urgent. I am sorry, because I will be unable to join you in Heraclea now. And I know you have been looking forward to it for some time. When I return we may go anywhere in the world you like. You name it, and we will go. But I hope it won’t turn into a state visit,” he added with a laugh, though Stephanie didn’t understand what he meant.

“Jason,” Stephanie whimpered, here eyes shifting to the attendant helping Jason pack.

“A moment please,” Jason told the man, who bowed to him and exited without a sound. “What’s wrong?”

“Jason, I was going to the…it doesn’t matter where I was going, but when I passed through the galleries, I ran into your cousin,” Stephanie said nervously, stuttering or stumbling on her words. “She, she, well she said some things, horrible things to me, about me…that I’m not family, that…”

“Ah, unfortunate that she found you too,” Jason nodded and approached Stephanie, noticing that she was visibly upset. “She said some nasty things to me, when I told her she wasn’t welcome in our home any longer. I am sorry for anything she said to you. But she will not be a problem for you any longer. It is all taken care of, dear. You have my word.”

Stephanie nodded in agreement, but Jason spoke once more before she had the opportunity. “And I mean it, anywhere in the world you want to go when I get back from Castellum, and we will make it so. Mother seemed to indicate I won’t be needed for more than a day or so, at least. Plenty of time to think then,” he winked at her after sharing a quick kiss.

“Yes,” Stephanie gripped her left forearm with her opposite hand, and nibbled at her lip some. “Plenty of time.

---

Heraclea, Latium
18 July 1991

“I must thank you again for inviting me, Your Highness,” Aelia told Stephanie while they walked through the forum in Heraclea.

“I am pleased you could come, and on such short notice,” Stephanie smiled while she looked at newspapers for sale at the street-side vendor. “Since it seems our significant others have such busy lives. Though I am truly glad you could attend, Aelia. I know we were not overly close growing up, but I am so pleased to have someone else I can confide in if need be.”

While Stephanie and Jason were to visit Heraclea together this day, Jason was met with unexpected business in Castellum, and recalled at his parents request. I hope its not another healthcare for his father, Stephanie mused to herself with her finger tips picking through the pages of the newspaper before her. In front of her was a copy of the daily edition of Torcular, a popular newspaper in the area, that spoke true to the moment with a picture of Jason on the front page and a main article about his unexpected return to the capital.

“I am sorry, the Prince was pulled away, Your Highness. I, I hope it was not in relation to The Duchess of Vindóbona’s presence yesterday. Had I known she was…” Aelia began to speak rapidly, as Stephanie noticed she was like to do when nervous. Seems better than freezing like I did yesterday.

“No, that was all sorted out. And you certainly did not do any wrong,” Stephanie turned from vendor and gave Aelia a smile before they continued walking through the forum. Off in the distance and through the throngs of people, she could see the busy traffic along Via Imperialii, the city’s major thoroughfare. But closer to where she and Aelia were walking – not to mention the Praetorians in street clothes walking around the pair in a near circular formation – the forum was not full of tall, modern buildings like Castellum or Adrianople, though it was difficult to deny that Heraclea did not offer any less of an experience. Nearby was Pons Marmoreus, an old concrete bridge designed in the ancient Latin style, a popular destination for those in the city.

“The Pons looks so busy, don’t you think?” Aelia asked Stephanie, who nodded as she inspected the forum, smiling at those who recognized her along the way. But she felt a light tap at her shoulder. “Do you think we could see it?”

“Your Highness,” Tribunus Andronikos Mavrozomes of the Scholarian Guard, a new face among Stephanie’s usual Praetorian detail, spoke to her. Tribunus Mavrozomes was the deputy chief of the Scholarian Guard for the western regions of the country, and as such was on hand to assist in the Imperial visit.

“Your lunch with the Alban Bishop of Heraclea is scheduled for thirty minutes from now. If you are keep to your schedule, I recommend that we begin heading that way.”

“Thank you, Tribunus,” Stephanie nodded before turning to Aelia. “How about after lunch? I don’t believe we have anything planned for then, do we?”

Stephanie looked to her private secretary, Flavius Coelius, who said, “No, ma’am. I can find time in the schedule for Pons Marmoreus.” Then both he and Stephanie turned to Mavrozomes and he said, “Have your people make the necessary preparations.”

Mavrozomes nodded, and afterwards, Stephanie and her entourage were off to their motorcade that was parked nearby. Once they reached the motorcade, the three black Celer Automotive luxury sedans began to drive, though with no police escort, nor any indication of who the passengers might be. Stephanie rode in the rear of the second of the three cars, seated next to Aelia with Praetorian Evocatus Trebatius driving, and Flavius Coelius seated next to him in the front passenger seat just ahead of Stephanie.

Coelius sat awkwardly in his chair, leaning back to speak with Stephanie about her upcoming lunch with the Bishop of Heraclea. “Your Highness, we are still going forward with the planned photo-op for the local and national publication, though only upon your arrival.”

“I thought the press was going to be included just as we sat down for lunch, no?” Stephanie kept her focus forward in speaking with her private secretary.

“Erm, with His Imperial Highness The Prince of Youth having been called back to Castellum, we had to change some plans, Your Highness,” Coelius said, a bit awkwardly. “It was originally proposed as an inter-faith dialogue opportunity of sorts as the Bishop is among those considered successor to the Alban Alexandrian Patriarchate. But yourself…”

“Yes, myself as an Alban Christian,” Stephanie nodded along, though not overly upset at the change in plans. “Little point in such a show then.”

“Quite right, ma’am,” Coelius nodded. He handed Stephanie a sheet of paper and said, “These are your talking points. The Bishop is great fan of the local football team, Heraclea Olympias. They just acquired an athlete who goes simply by the moniker Aeneas, from a lower level club for £1.5 million. If the topic comes up, his statistics from the previous season are on the other side of that sheet.”

“Ah yes, thank you,” Stephanie flipped the sheet over. “I see here…”

She paused, interrupted by Trebatius honking the horn of their car. “Fucking hell,” he mumbled.

“Is something wrong, sir?” Stephanie inquired, looking to her right to see an empty alleyway with a number of pedestrians walking along the sidewalk nearby.

“Nothing major, Your Highness. Mavrozomes ahead of us just stopped at the light,” he mentioned as he stuck the car’s horn yet again. He rose his voice and nearly shouted, “Even though we were supposed to go through them all with these lights atop the cars!”

He went to his radio, and said “Tribunus Mavrozomes,” and honked the horn simultaneously.

“Enough with the honking, please, Apollos,” Stephanie asked of Trebatius. “If we are a few moments late, it is no matter, I’m sure the Bishop will forgive us if traffic is heavy.”

“Now, Lady Aelia will also be at lunch correct?” Stephanie asked Coelius.

“Aye, ma’am,” she will.

The sound of her name prompted Aelia to turn her attention towards Stephanie, of whom she looked at with a smile. As Stephanie and Coelius began to speak once more, Stephanie noticed Aelia slowly lean to the side, almost as if to see around Stephanie and out the passenger window.

“What is it, Aelia?” Stephanie flipped over the paper in her hands, and turned to face her window. At the end of the once empty alley was a large, white van with what appeared to be a steel frame attached to the front end seemed to be speeding down towards them.

“Drive Apollos, drive!” Stephanie said frantically while the speeding van came barreling out of the alleyway, striking a pedestrian. But her car didn’t move. “Drive!”

Stop, stop, stop, stop…please, she said to herself about the van coming towards her, but it wouldn’t and with one final thought of her husband and her daughter, Stephanie closed her eyes before she felt the thrust of all rushing van’s momentum as it struck her side of the car, followed by a piercing rip and the sound of crunching metal until all around her went black and silent.

[Ghant]

"Assiduity"
Inperiala Palace
Ghish, Ghant
July 1991
(Co-written with Lacus Magni)

The Empress of Ghant was where she enjoyed being the most. Perched upon her imbecile husband’s throne, her long flowing silk green robes cascading over the rough surfaces of that gaudy seat. Long ago, the Gentries of old cast down her ancestors and proclaimed them vanquished. The lords of Ghant saw fit to bestow a newly minted kingdom upon the Gentries, while the house that they had defeated was allowed to keep their core lands provided they swore fealty. They did, and all those centuries later, an ironic twist of fate had a Galan sitting upon the Gentry’s throne.

Though her work was not yet finished. Her enemies were numerous, though largely cowed. All but one. The lady of House Zuria was kin to her through her mother’s side, though there was no love lost between cousins. Lord Zuria himself once vied for Grace’s hand, and having been denied it, Raymond Zuria made it his life’s work to exact revenge. Which he did, eventually, by setting his whore daughter upon Grace’s beloved eldest son. And so they sought to impose Caroline Zuria upon this house and to succeed me as Empress.

Grace could only imagine what terrible wounds an Empress Caroline would inflict upon her. What indignities she would make me suffer! Raymond thought he’d have the last laugh, but Grace was smarter than that. There was always another way. Once she found it, Grace wasted no time in capturing it. Raymond isn’t even half as clever as he thinks...neither is Leo Augustus. The Latin Emperor played right into her hands, as Grace intended.

The only way to get rid of Caroline Zuria short of killing her was to set her aside. Yet, John was an honorable sort, and so he would never set her aside after she gave birth to his son and heir. He had to be trapped, compelled by honor and dignity. Only a higher ranking lady than Caroline would suffice. And who better than one of the Latin Emperor’s idiot daughters? Though of course, it had to be the right one.

Eirene was too young, to close to John’s younger sister, also named Caroline. She would not do. Isadora was too fleeting and invested in Vannoisian courtly ambitions. Not sentimental enough. Isabella, on the other hand, was the oldest and most free-spirited of the three. She was older, and lacking in serious suitors. She’s romantic, gullible and naive. That’s why it had to be her...there was no other choice.

The Empress tasked her son to entertain Isabella while they were vacationing in Ghant, to be a right and proper host. The plan worked well enough, and the fruit of those plans was now ripening. Now it’s only a matter of time, Grace thought as she let her long curly red hair fall back as she took a drink of red wine from the glass she held in her hand. It was a satisfied sort of drink, the kind that one takes when they think that they’ve got everything under control. Because I do.

And Isabella had not returned to Latium since that vacation, due in large part to the child she carried in her womb, now just a month away from birth. She came to court often, sometimes less so due to the pregnancy, and still being an unwed mother, despite the plans that she and John would be married by now. Today, Isabella wore a off-white, transitioning to gray, colored gown as it reached to floor, helping to make her bump far more flattering. As she often would at court functions, Isabella would rarely mingle unless accompanied by John or one of his siblings or spouses were around, and instead looked on as Empress Grace presided over those in attendance.

Not far away was a tall man with thin black hair and deep blue eyes sunken into the back of his pale, listless face. He was clad in blue robes, and surrounded by men armed with tridents. The man, dignified and proud, walked before the Empress and inclined his head. Grace was nonplussed by this. “It is customary to kneel before the throne, Lord Mutu,” she called out.

“...It is also customary to honor betrothal arrangements,” Lord Mutu countered defiantly.

“And I had every intention of honoring that arrangement.” The Empress leaned back into the throne, and down to its side stood her second son Albert, who pursed his lips and stared down Lord Mutu’s trident-wielding men. “Balthazar, forgive…”

“I do not forgive easily, your majesty,” answered Balthazar Mutu dryly. “I demand recompense.”

Grace smiled brightly and explained that “and recompense I have delivered. We both know that Caroline Zuria is no fit consort, hence I found another.” the Empress extended a hand towards Isabella. “She’s here, see her with your own eyes.” With narrowed eyes, Lord Balthazar and his entourage all turned to gaze upon Isabella, Princess of Latium.

Isabella took a small step or two forward, showing a warm closed-lip smile. With a curtsey, she said, “Your Majesty,” to Grace, and then, “My Lord,” to Lord Mutu. She remained in her step forward position, keeping a smile upon her face, while brushing loose strands of hair behind her ear.

Lord Mutu stared the princess down, sizing her up with nary an outward expression. “Who are you?” he asked her, bluntly.

“I already told you who she is,” the Empress intercepted the inquiry.

“I will hear it from her own mouth,” answered the lord, without looking at the Empress. His eyes remained fixated upon Isabella, like someone contemplating a painting.

“Princess Isabella of Latium, my Lord,” Isabella stared back at Mutu. “Eldest child of Latin Empress Diana Augusta and Leo of Adrianople.”

Balthazar had a stoic expression on his face, and leaning in a little closer, asked her “and what do they think about this...arrangement that Her Majesty the Empress has deemed fit to embroil you in?”

“My…my parents,” Isabella repeated, as if thinking about her response. “My parents and the Empress haven’t always seen eye-to-eye. But they are…supportive of my decision to be here.”

“You see, my lord?” Grace asked Balthazar purposefully. “Do you not see now, that this is all kosher?”

Another pointed look at Isabella, and Lord Mutu asked, “what is it that you want, exactly?”

“I want to marry the Crown Prince. I want our child to have a father, and have two loving parents,” Isabella said after taking a deep breath. “I don’t mean to cause difficulties.”

With a suddenly sad expression on his face, Balthazar told Isabella, “that’s what I wanted for my daughter too. We don’t always get what we want.” With a flicker of his eyes towards his men, they butted the floor with the bottoms of their tridents. “I’ve seen enough,” he said to the Empress. “Clearly you’ve involved a dove in an eagle’s game. I pity the girl, and whatever misbegotten children she might have by your son.”

Grace scowled as she waved a hand a Lord Mutu. “Go then, back to the Tower and whatever watery abyss it sits upon, my lord. Take heed of the future, for it carries with it justice.”

With a smirk, Lord Mutu bowed. “Yes, your Majesty...yes it does.” It was only as Balthazar began his departure that the Crown Prince of Ghant arrived, carrying in his arms a small, puny pale-skinned toddler with sunken grey-blue eyes and a mop of red hair trimmed in a bowl cut. Balthazar scowled at them both as he led his entourage out of the room.

Isabella gripped one of her arms, letting out a light sigh of relief as Lord Mutu left, though when John entered she appeared elated. “Thank god, you’re here,” she said to John, smiling to Nathan, whom John held in his arms. “I thought he was going to keep on questioning me, and questioning me.”

John nodded his head and pursed his lips in thought. “He may have, if he wasn’t being put on the spot. Lord Mutu isn’t the type of man that enjoys being outside of his comfort zone. That’s why my mother tells him that if he wants to treat, he can do it here,” he laughed, just as he started holding up the toddler. “Getting this one out of the nursery is hard. His mother won’t let him go for long, and he’s usually not feeling good. I never knew how hard it would be to have a son so...great of need.”

With a little kiss on the cheek, John said to the child “now Nathan, will you say hello to the Princess?” Nathan made a mewling noise and squirmed in his father’s arms, twisting around until he could bury his face in John’s shirt. “Forgive him, he’s very shy around women.”

“Oh, there’s nothing wrong with being shy. Hello, Nathan,” Isabella smiled to the boy, despite not being able to see his face. “Maybe he’ll be more inclined to spend more time away from the nursery when he has a…younger brother to help look after.” After a moment of silence, Isabella quietly added, “I don’t think he likes me much.”

Considering that, John shook his head. “No, it’s not that...here, take him.” Having said that, the Crown Prince offered Isabella the toddler, who dangled limply in his father’s arms.

“Oh, umm, of course” Isabella said with some apprehension in her voice. She reached for Nathan as John offered the child and carefully took him into her arms, mindful of her physical condition. “Hi there, Nathan,” she smiled to him once she had a hold on him.

The Prince Imperial, while weak, held on to her firmly, but not so tight that it may have been uncomfortable. He rested his head against her shoulder and stared off into the distance. “Hi,” he said back shyly.

“You see, I told you...he’s just shy,” the Crown Prince said with a smile before he patted his son’s soft red hair.

“I suppose you’re right…as usual,” Isabella smiled proudly, then teased John. “Why isn’t your father here? I think I’ve seen your mother on the throne more than him as of late.”

With a laugh, John answered with “it’s been that way since grandfather died. Father says it’s far too uncomfortable…”

“Robert of Ghish forged it for that very reason,” Grace interjected, bellowing from the throne. By that time the throne room had cleared out, and it had been quiet enough to where the Empress, with keen ears, could overhear her son’s conversation. “That any man who would presume to rule shouldn’t feel comfortable on his ass. Some would say that it doesn’t need to be that way anymore, but I disagree. Men still plot, men still scheme, and men still connive. The only thing that keeps them in line is the reminder that imperial power still exists. That is conveyed by someone with a crown up on this godforsaken chair, if one could even call it that.”

“Surely there are other ways to remind them though,” Isabella said somewhat curiously. “The monarchy as an institution, or armies, or parliament, or even just majesty in its purest form.”

Grace laughed and stretched out her arms. “And what’s more pure majesty than what you see before you, dear? Institutions are abstract, armies are made of men which are made of flesh, and parliament is full of spineless politicians that are full of worms. This though,” she explained as she patted the rough surface of the throne, “is very real, which is why Robert had it forged.”

“...It scares me,” Nathan whimpered to Isabella. “I don’t want it.”

At first, Isabella seemingly bit her tongue at Grace’s mention of the throne being majestic. “It is certainly something, Your Majesty,” the Latin Princess smiled.

But as Nathan spoke, Isabella brushed the boy’s head softly and said, “Oh, it’s not so scary, Nathan. It isn’t meant to frighten young princes like you, nor are princes afraid of such things. They’re brave, aren’t they, John?”

“...Only when a man is afraid can he truly be brave,” John answered as he turned to his mother and grinned reservedly. “All this is mere posturing, mother...all talk, no substance.”

“You sound like your grandfather,” the Empress countered, clearly amused. “Emperor Michael of Ghant, he didn’t believe in power either. Only principles.”

John shook his head. “That’s because he knew the price of power...its terrible cost. Power is fleeting, but principles carry on long after you die.”

“...Always so eloquent of speech.” The masculine voice bellowed out from the shadows, and out stepped a man, tall and thin like John. They both had the same thin dark hair, though while John had a pleasant face and blue eyes, the other man’s eyes were a beady brown set in a pinched face with fat lips and a petulant expression. “Did you listen to Lord Mutu? I did. That’s not the sort of man you can cowe with words, brother. That’s the sort of man that needs to be kept in line.”

The Crown Prince stiffened his back and bit his bottom lip. “And where does it stop, Albert? Where do you draw the line? You start trying to keep everyone in line...and then nobody’s in line.”

“There’s always going to be one, maybe two lords that you have to worry about.” Albert came in a little closer, and looked Isabella up and down, while the young Nathan averted his eyes from his uncle. “I see the game that’s being played here. I know now that I was used, just another pawn in mother’s game. It’s a part I play ably, wouldn’t you say, brother?” Albert kept his voice down, as though he knew their mother was listening.

“You always were mother’s little helper,” the Crown Prince answered with pursed lips. “Better at the role than I.”

Albert paced around a little more, his arms folded behind his back. “Raymond Zuria may be brazen but he’s no true threat. I’m afraid that in trying to humiliate Lord Zuria, we’ve only made ourselves another enemy.”

“...Lord Mutu was already our enemy…”

“Because of you.” Albert’s voice was hushed but stern, and he cast a wicked gaze upon Nathan afterward. “Men respected grandfather because of what came before him. Memories of the Mad Emperor were still fresh. His presence has faded from the minds of men, and once again they set their wheels in motion. You can speak of sentiments and principles all you like, but ultimately mother’s right. The power of the throne is all that keeps us from suffering a terrible fate.”

“...And when that day comes, what shall you do, Bertie?”

Albert scowled, and told his elder brother that “I shall do what I’ve always done. The dirty work...the things that nobody else will do, but must be done to ensure our survival.” Looking again at Nathan, Albert patted his nephew’s head. “This one,” he said before pointing at Isabella’s belly. “That one, and all the rest that shall surely come.”

“I know I’ve only been here for a few months, and don’t quite understand as fully as I would of things back home, but surely this Lord Mutu can’t be all that menacing, or treacherous. It would be foolhardy in this day and age,” Isabella finally chimed in despite appearing uncomfortable with the conversation. “And this most certainly isn’t something a child needs to hear right now…John and Albert.”

Prince Albert bowed his head. “Excuse me, then,” was all he said before turning to walk away, towards his mother, who suddenly gazed down upon him.

“Bertie, what are you and your brother plotting this time?” the Empress asked her son patronizingly.

“Assiduity,” was Albert’s response as he walked across the throne room and back into the shadows from whence he came.

John leaned in closer to Isabella in order to inform her that “now’s a good time to get out of here, before we get stuck again.”

Isabella smiled in relief, quickly responding, “Yes, please. I’ll lead the way,” almost as soon as she started moving towards an exit. “Does your mother think you and Bertie plot often? The way she sounded made it seem like you two were going against her,” she teased with a slight laugh once she neared the throne room doors.

“No...it’s not like that,” the Crown Prince suppressed a laugh as he led the way, Isabella and his son in tow. “She teases...we were always up to no good, Bertie and I. Sneaking around at night, hunting for cookies. Trying to go out into the city...that sort of thing. Even now that we’re grown, I suppose she still has that habit ingrained in her mind of looking after us to make sure we’re not up to no good. It doesn’t help that we don’t agree on things...politically with mother either.”

Waiting until they were a bit further out of earshot, the Crown Prince continued to explain. “Bertie is...a fairly hard-right reactionary. He simply does not trust a lot of people, especially not politicians or more progressive elements of society. I on the other hand...can see the wisdom of working with them for the betterment of all. Ultimately it comes down to philosophy. Should the crown serve the people, or should the people serve the crown? I believe in the former...Bertie believes in the latter. Mother at least recognizes a need to appear to serve the interest of the people. Bertie does not...he provides no illusions as to his intentions. It’s only his loyalty to the family, me and mother specifically, that keep him...restrained.”

“You? Up to no good? I have a hard time believing that,” Isabella teased. “But I’d say each of you and Bertie’s views have merits, especially when it comes to loyalty to family,” she adjusted her hold of Nathan, then reached for John’s hand with a smile. “If you can’t count on a brother or sister, who can you really count on?”

“Nobody,” laughed the Crown Prince as he got the door for Isabella leading into a side hallway. “I had the reputation of being a goodie two-shoes, and yeah for the most part I was. Yet, I liked to go out on the town. Sneak out to hockey games, go to the arcade, see a movie, that sort of thing. Around here that’s considered up to no good. Bertie always went with me in lieu of guards, because frankly, he’s a far better fighter than I could ever hope to be. That was never really my sort of thing.”

“Sneaking out to hockey games? You’re quite the bad boy,” Isabella joked as she turned through to the next hallway. “And a guard may be more inclined to tattle on you than little brother? Trust me, Jason and I were the same for a time if you can believe it,” the Princess’s smile faded before she asked, “Are the streets of Ghish so rough-and-tumble that commoners would try to pick fights with a Crown Prince?”

“...If it’s hockey season and there’s a Mets game, then it’s possible,” John sniggered as he peered ahead down the hall. “I’ve seen Albert break one’s nose as we were leaving an Imps-Mets game at the hockey palace. We were leaving through the VIP exit and we got ambushed by about six of them. They scrummed with the guards but one of them got through. He reached for me but Albert punched him dead center of his face. Sent the man staggering back with blood streaming down his chin, his nose mangled like he someone busted it with a steel pipe. This was in the early eighties, I was maybe twenty, he was nineteen.”

“Oh my,” she gasped. “I don’t know much at all about hockey, but I think you should probably hire some better guards, or at the very least find another clone of Albert, if you ever want me to attend one with you,” Isabella laughed along, placing a hand on John’s arm. “I’m glad you two get along so well, or at least stick up for each other when it counts.”

John looked around the hall before speaking, and when he did, he said that “I feel sorry for my brother. He’s never gotten the things in life that would make him happy, and it’s left him a bitter man far younger than a man should get that way. I keep a special place in my heart for him, and I know that he appreciates that. He would do anything for me, even at his own personal expense. I couldn’t ask for a better brother…”

The Crown Prince saw the shadow before he saw the figure. She appeared like a demon almost, manifesting in a most unusual manner, seemingly out of nowhere. She wore a short cut burgundy dress, loose fitting but clearly showing her exceptional figure. Her hair fell just past her shoulders, red and straight, and though her eyes were brown, they seethed as though red, hate filling them as they gazed upon her quarry.

Though perhaps Isabella didn’t know it yet, John already knew. Caroline Zuria is upon us, and in her fury she is unmatched. There is no escape. Through heavy breath and fair freckled skin flushed red, her words bellowed in rage. “Get your filthy hands off of my son, you Latin whore.” Like an eagle she fell upon the Latin Princess, and with hands like talons she grabbed at her young son, causing him to scream.

“Caroline!” John said in anger as his son began wailing, “this is unnecessary.”

Her eyes like daggers, Caroline scowled at her husband. “Don’t patronize me, you lying, cheating son of a bitch. How dare this bitch presume that she can touch my child. It’s bad enough that she has stolen you from me, she won’t have him too.” Nathan for his part was clearly unwilling to go with his mother, screaming and crying and flailing with such intensity that it began to draw the attention of the Imperial Black Guard, who began to appear in the distance of the hallways.

Perhaps more than anything, it wounded Caroline that her son resisted her so violently. “No, no, no!” he said over and over, while his father tried to diffuse the situation before it got more out of control.

Astonished, Isabella struggled to find her voice when Caroline first fell upon them and took hold of Nathan, causing the pregnant Latin princess to stumble back. She managed to brace herself against the nearby wall, nervously pressing a hand over her heart as she took rapid breaths. “Excuse me?” Isabella finally spoke up, her eyes focused only on Caroline now. “Are you out of your mind?” Isabella finally spoke up, in a frustrated and boisterous tone, “You almost knocked me over. I’m eight months pregnant for God sake. What if I fell over?”

The Latin princess glanced to John now, then added, “Certainly you’re not as blind to that as you are to your own son’s safety…ripping him away like that. All you had to do was ask, I would have handed him to you, because I’m not trying to steal him from you.” Then she laughed almost instinctively before catching what she had done, “And I certainly didn’t steal John from you.”

“Shut your mouth, you lying whore,” Caroline spat as she grappled with her young son. “This isn’t your first heist, is it? Yeah I know about the one that came before too. Florentine. So yeah, I don’t give a shit about you or your bastard, bitch.” Eventually she managed to pry Nathan away, though he quickly found his feet and tried to get away, though his mother gripped at his arm and tried to pull him towards her.

“How dare you,” John interceded with a frown as he reached for his son, as the guards drew closer and closer to the scene.

“No, you shut your mouth! Shut up,” Isabella quickly shouted back, only to turn to John with a stunned look. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, John she…Don’t let her speak to me that way,” she turned back towards Caroline, continuing, “You’re just bitter. You’ve been cheating and taking advantage of John for so long you’ve forgotten which lie goes where. You can’t take advantage of him any longer,” Isabella’s turned from her frantic shouting to a more calm, yet serious tone. “Just wait until the divorce goes through…”

Caroline lashed out like a viper, and with her one free hand reached out to strike Isabella across the face as hard as she could. Nathan seized his opportunity to flee, running down the hallway screaming and crying. After Caroline’s first strike, John went to put himself between Caroline and Isabella, only to find himself struck furiously in the face by the furious redhead. Like a stampede the guards closed in around them, and then the roar came. “Enough!”

“Ah!” Isabella screeched as she was hit, immediately adding, “You bitch. I won’t forget that.”

In a rare event, Emperor Albert appeared at the end of the hall where Nathan was running, clad in a black court outfit that looked old and worn. Nathan embraced his grandfather as though his life depended on it, and after a pat on the toddler’s head, the Emperor made his way down the hall towards the scene. “Take Lady Zuria to her chambers…”

“Give me my son!” Caroline wailed as it took six men of the Imperial Black Guard to restrain her and separate her from John and Isabella. “He’s all I have…”

The Emperor wasn’t having any of it. “Your son will be Emperor of Ghant!” Albert roared. “And be grateful for it.” with a wave of his hand, the men carried her off, though she resisted and hollered the whole way down, while Nathan watched from behind his grandfather’s leg, sobbing.

Isabella sidled up to John while Caroline was being dragged away. “I’m so, so sorry, I…I don’t know what came over me, I just…” she couldn’t find the words and embraced him. She kissed him on the cheek, and added, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” sighed the Crown Prince heavily while shaking his head. “Are you?” John’s father was upon him shortly thereafter, the frown apparent within his beard.

“Guards, see to it that my son finds his chambers. Same with the Princess of Latium.” As the Emperor snapped his fingers, a pair of guards went to escort John and another pair went to escort Isabella. “This is what happens when you let women run the show,” the Emperor remarked to Isabella. “Everything becomes catfights and he said she said. People can get hurt, children especially, and I won’t stand for that. Not the one that’s walking around here or the one that’s in your belly. So go lie down, take a bath or something, and relax. Emperor’s orders.”

Isabella closed her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself, nodding after Emperor Albert spoke. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’d never want for anytone to be harmed.”

“Of course,” the Emperor replied gruffly, before glancing at his son and proceeding to depart down the hallway with his grandson by his side.

“We shall speak later,” John told Isabella, as he was walking away escorted by a few of the Imperial black guards. The ones with Isabella urged her to walk forward down a different hall.

Isabella nodded to John while taking a deep breath, meekly saying, “Okay,” as the guards gave her little time to linger. She began walking down the hallway a relatively brisk pace, and though the area containing her chambers was in sight, she still had some distance before she reached them.

Like a ghost, a hooded figure emerged from around a corner, and came to stand before the guards escorting Isabella. “I will take it from here,” the figure said in a feminine voice while waving her hand, and in response, the guards inclined their heads and walked away.

The woman wore a black court dress that featured a cowl like a monk, though she did not lower it once the guards had departed their company. “Looks like you could use a friend,” the woman said thoughtfully, and in fluent Latin.

After a moment of surprise at the figure, Isabella looked at the woman curiously. “Just one would be nice,” the princess covered her anxiety with a weak laugh. “I’m sorry, you’re Lady…?”

After a moment’s pause, the figure lowered her hood, revealing a young woman with light olive skin and piercing brown eyes. Her hair was long and as black as a raven’s wings, and her expression, while friendly, made it seem like she was playing poker. “Lady Marsella Atmos, daughter of Lord Benfri Atmos and Lady Anastasia Euforbenos. At your service,” she introduced herself with a curtsey.

“The Euforbenos of Kepetta?” Isabella rose an eyebrow at Marsella’s introduction, though she already knew the answer. “What is your relation to Leon Euforbenos? He was a part of my Praetorian detail before I…moved to Ghish. Not that I knew him, at all really. Some sort of distant cousin I presume.” After taking a breath, Isabella said, “I thought you were one of Zuria’s ladies-in-waiting?”

“Aye, your Highness, the Euforbenos of Kepetta.” Looking ahead down the hall, Marsella inclined her head in that direction, as though to gesture to Isabella that they should walk that way. “Leon is my first cousin, the son of my mother’s brother. He is a good man and true.” Marsella considered Isabella’s second question, and then answered, “I’ve moved around some, your Highness. I was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Jane in the beginning, and then to Lady Elizabeth Mutu, both in Ghish and in Dakar. I returned to serve Lady Caroline Zuria, but she did not take to me too well. I only recently within the past few weeks joined the Empress’s faction as a courtier while pursuing my further education. My father told me that I have the mind of a diplomat, and working in the Empress’s circle gives me invaluable experience dealing with the Privy Council.”

“So you’ll be looking at a career in foreign service then, I expect,” Isabella stated as she followed Marsella’s direction down the hall. “Those are far better prospects than whatever court gossip is being thrown around any given day. Most of the other women around here seem to have half a brain as far as I can tell,” she took pause with a deep breath. “Not that I’m any better now after that…delightful display. As if my reputation as a…” Isabella stopped herself.

“…I apologize, I hardly know you and I’m already droning on about things. Usually my brother catches me before I get too far, but he’s not here now,” Isabella smiled weakly.

Marsella looked thoughtful as the Latin Princess spoke, and then said “if I were you, I’d only worry about the Empress, and you’re on her good side already. Caroline Zuria is a thorn, but one that can be easily brushed aside with thick skin.” the Ghantish noblewoman knew the way, and moved quickly, yet quietly with fluid steps. “Besides, she’s in no position to cast stones. Her house is one of cracked glass. First there was Atticus Voor, and then Malibar, and then John, and nobody besides Caroline knows when one ended and the other began.”

“And whichever man came after John,” Isabella remarked, quickly following Marsella through the halls. “I’m not worried about the things she says to or about me. I can handle myself,” she said with a sigh, “I worry about her actions once this little one is born.”

“She’s sad, angry and alone,” Marsella inclined her head as they closed the gap between them and Isabella’s room. “But she’s not evil, which is what anyone would be for trying to harm an infant. There are evil people in Ghant, where the land ends in ice and where it ends in sea. But here in Ghish? In this Palace? Not while Grace has the Empress's Crown upon her redhead. Now after she’s gone,” she paused with a quick grimace, “John will have his work cut out for him.”

“I have the utmost confidence in John’s ability to rule as a model Emperor, no matter what enemies he’ll face,” Isabella said proudly. “All the more better once his divorce with Caroline is settled, and she’s walking these halls less and less,” she stopped briefly, gripping her belly with a deep breath, eventually following Marsella again once the discomfort passed. “Just another month of this…”

Arriving at Isabella’s door, Marsella opened it for her, and smiled brightly. “It will be worth it...or at least that’s what I’ve always been told. Not that I’m in any hurry to receive suitors. They’ve all be too modest for me,” she teased, before offering, “if you’d like some company I’d be happy to join you, and if not, feel free to call upon me anytime you wish.”

“Company would be fantastic,” Isabella sighed gratefully, extending a hand for Marsella to follow through the door. “Sometimes it feels like the only friend I have here is John, not that I’m complaining mind you, I love him dearly,” Isabella spoke more rapidly, soon catching herself with a laugh. “And there I go again. Why don’t you tell me more about these modest men.”

“I’d be happy to, but not where any modest men might hear.” Marsella followed Isabella into her room with a laugh, and carefully shut the door behind her.