Sharon took it up. “Sylvester and Garrett are going home with a lot of ideas that they’ll try and implement once they get there. By the time I met them, they’d adjusted to women playing prominent roles. Well accepted it, but not entirely comfortable with it. They’re not quite ready to take a northern woman in marriage. I do expect that they will look for intelligent wives who can be educated and be more of a partner to them.
Now, as to Petor’s good friend Mathias, I think we haven’t seen him yet because something is keeping him in Great Falls. I would imagine it’s a woman. It was about time that he gets betrothed. He had the look of somebody who was ready. I’m not sure who it would be, though.”
Catrina thought about it and then allowed. “I wonder if it is my cousin Annette. She’s at the right age, and she is very pretty and intelligent. That would be interesting.”
Mike asked. “Isn’t Annette the heir? And yes, she is pretty, that’s for sure. I saw Mathias eyeing a group of young girls she was in.” He didn’t mention that Petor was doing the same thing along with his buddy.
Catrina thought for a second. “If it is Annette, that means her sister, Solidara, is going to become the heir. If Annette and Mathias do get betrothed, that would be good for both kingdoms. Annette was raised to govern. She, like her parents and siblings, is very interested in advancing science. She’ll be a good partner for Mathias if it’s true.”
When they were getting ready for bed, Catrina and Mike talked. Catrina had the most to say. “I happy Petor is betrothed. I think Sharon is a good match for him. You do realize that he’ll be heading off with Mathias eventually, and you’ll need to get another assistant?”
“I sort of figured that. Did Sharon intimate that?”
“No, she said it outright. Petor and Mathias are close. Mathias wants his own research station established in Sudlund, and Petor and Sharon are just the people to do it. As the heir, I’m sure his mother will allow him to pursue this. I’m sure that my aunts have notified his mothers, no matter who the young woman is. If it is my cousin then, they would have told my grandfather as well. We’ll know when we get to Midport. Duke Edwin will know.”
Great Falls
Alania and Lorina watched their oldest, Annette, grab Mathias's arm and walk away with him. Both women could see that she was somewhat possessive and that Mathias was both pleased with the attention and, at the same time, somewhat oblivious.
Lorina turned to Alania. “Is it time to let his mothers know that something may be developing between those two?”
“Yes, we should let Lonidia know. I’m sure she’ll be pleased if it progresses. I think we’ll wait a while to let Dravid and my father know about this. There’s time. Although Annette is smitten, and Mathias is as well. We have a few weeks yet.”
That day a bird was sent to Queen Lonidia in Esporta. When it arrived, the queen read it and smiled. She went to find her co-wife Anneette. When she found her, she just handed the message to her. She read it and laughed. The two women embraced.
Anneette wanted to know what they should do. Lonidia answered. “Nothing right now. Alania and Lorina have this well in hand. As I suspect their daughter has our son well in hand as well.” The two women laughed and then started to discuss the implications and make tentative plans for the wedding.
“Annette will have to come here to stay for a bit.” Said Lonidia. “I’m sure that they’ll find a suitable escort for her.”
At Great Falls, Wrowina had learned to talk and walk. She wanted to go with her older sister Annette and that nice man Mathias. She made eyes at Mathias, and given the opportunity, she climbed up on his lap. Solidara took it upon herself to give her older sister some respite from the toddler. ‘My sister owes me for this,’ she thought to herself.
A two weeks later, Mathias sent a message by bird to his mother asking to get betrothed to Annette. As soon as his mother got the message, she sent a message to Alania, letting her know what was going on. Then she and Anneette went to see their husband, Storven. He was pleased with the entire thing.
Earlier Alania and Lorina had let Dravid know. He was sitting in their apartment, going over some papers in his favorite chair. Wrowina had gone to bed, and it was just him and his two wives. Alania interrupted him. “What do you think of Mathias as a son-in-law?”
That startled him. “What? Mathias as a son-in-law. Are he and Annette getting serious?”
“Yes, they are, dear. I expect that if he hasn’t already, he’ll soon ask his mother to get betrothed. She, of course, will agree. Lorina and I had let her know that this may happen a couple of weeks ago, and she was delighted. So that you’re prepared.”
Dravid nodded at that. He thought, ‘no need for me to be concerned. The women have this well in hand. My oldest will go to Sudlund with the future king. That means Solidara will be the heir. Have to start including her in things more. She’s bright and has all the right qualities. She just needs to adjust to the new situation. I wonder what my father-in-law will think?’
As everyone expected, Mathias asked Annette, and she enthusiastically accepted. Then it was planning time. Both sets of wives set to it with a vengeance. Dravid advised Mathias to just go along with it. Women are a force of nature when they set their minds to it, and they have. Mathias found that his future father-in-law was correct. He just had to answer some questions and be available.
Home
It took them nine days from the new village to get to Nordport. They spent two days in Midport. This allowed their escort to rest as well as gave Mike and Catrina time to spend with the Duke and his family. Aldon and Mike spent a lot of time together as they were friends. Normon was growing up and was starting to take an interest in engineering. He had been a keen observer of Petor’s preparations for the village. Mike put him down as somebody who may turn into an engineer. They also did find out that Mathias and Annette were betrothed. She would be going to Esporta to spend a few months with her prospective in-laws and get to know the city where she would live.
At dinner, the night before they left, Duke Edwin summed it up. “Well, Catrina, your grandfather, the King, is thrilled. Another granddaughter is to be married, and you are going to provide him with a great-grandchild. I do think this means he’ll put more of the running of the kingdom on your father.”
Catrina and Mike agreed. Then they spent the rest of the meal talking and getting caught up with people who were their friends. They noted that Marta was growing up and was more confident. She was a pretty girl, looking a lot like her older sister. Dark hair, brown eyes, a pleasant smile, and just starting to fill out. It was also apparent that she was intelligent and would grow into being her own woman. She asked Catrina to give her best to James, which Catrina was happy to do. Catrina smiled to herself.
When they reached the gates of Nordport, they were both happy and relieved. A rider had already gone ahead to the palace to let them know that Mike and Catrina had arrived. The whole family was waiting to greet them. When they exited the carriage, there was no formality, just a joyous family welcoming two members back home. It made both Mike and Catrina happy. Catrina didn’t hold back the tears of joy; Mike was barely able to.
Brandt had a growth spurt and was now catching up with his father in height. Mike could see that he would look a lot like Randall. Lauden, the youngest, was still barely a toddler and was in one of his grandmother’s arms. He was a blonde bundle of energy and was squirming to get down.
When Mike and Catrina got back to their apartment, they both felt a sense of being home. They got clean and changed their clothes, and headed downstairs. There would be a lot of questions and catching up that needed to be done. But it was good to be home as he thought that; Mike realized that this was now his home. He missed his friends and parents, but this was where he belonged. He wouldn’t go back even if he could.
They spent hours talking with their family and answering questions and catching up. Lauden managed to get away and climbed up on Catrina’s lap. She held him while
she answered questions.
Everyone was thrilled with Catrina’s pregnancy. The women spent their time talking about it. While that was going on, Randall asked Mike what was next.
He thought about it and answered that he wanted to do things around Nordport to use the water turbine. “I think it would help with things like sawmills. Faster turning saw blades and cleaner cuts. I think it will help with pottery. I know a way to make very fine pottery. Much better than what you make now. It’s not a replacement; this is luxury stuff.”
Randall was impressed. “If we had luxury goods that we can trade, that would be very good. Right now, while we have good trade with Astica, we send more gold and silver their way than they send to us. It’s because of the Astica cloth, which you call silk. A luxury item of our own to sell would balance the trade.
Now, tell us about what is going on in Tantulus; we’ve heard good things.”
Mike filled Randall in on what had transpired so far in Tantulus. When Roddrick and the King realized what he was doing, they joined in. They had a lot of questions.
In the end, Fredricke sat back. “Well, it looks like Tantulus will be lost to Porfia. It’s just a matter of time now. That will mean civil war in Porfia.”
Mike looked a bit shocked. When Randall asked him why he was so shocked, Mike explained that civil wars back home were bloody affairs that killed a lot of people, both soldiers and civilians. It also destroyed a lot in the country.
Randall understood his fear. “Michael, unlike the home world, a civil war here mostly involves the nobility. They’ll assemble their forces, and they’ll march, posture, and maneuver. I doubt that there will be any large battles, maybe some small skirmishes. This civil war will be decided by treachery and assassination, mark my words.”
That assuaged Mike’s worries. Bad shit happening to any of the high nobility in Porfia was well deserved, and he’d lose little sleep over it.
Truce
Colonel Petronas and Lieutenant Sorbor decided their best course of action would be to meet with the rebel commander in the north. So, they set out north with ten men under a flag of truce. As they neared the site of the battle, they all felt that they were being watched. That feeling persisted. Eventually, a lone sentry stepped out on the road twenty or so yards in front of the group.
He held up his hand. “Halt and state your business. This area is under the control of Duke Harlold, rightful ruler of Koronus.”
Colonel Petronas answered. “I am Colonel Petronas, head of the Duke’s Guard. With me is Lieutenant Sorbor. We wish to speak with the leader of your forces.”
“I will let Colonel Dedessus know that you wish to talk. Wait here.” With that, the sentry went back into the woods lining the road.
Back in the woods, the sentry let the head of his squad know what was said. The man had heard most of it and had sent a runner to the camp to let Colonel Dedessus know that the head of Skelous’ Guard was here to see him.
It took a bit less than an hour, but he let everyone know that the Colonel would see just the Colonel and the Lieutenant when the runner returned. Then the sentry stepped out again. “Colonel Dedessus will see you, Colonel Petronas and the Lieutenant. Proceed up the road to where the battle took place, then ride up the hill to the tree line. You’ll be met there. Your escort will have to stay here. The Colonel gives assurances of your safety.”
Colonel Petronas knew that they’d been watched for some time. He didn’t doubt that the rebels could have killed them several times over. He felt safe enough. He turned to his escort. “Stay here; we’ll be fine. If they wanted us dead or captured, they’d have already done something. Dismount and get comfortable; it may be a while. Lieutenant, shall we?” Lieutenant Sorbor nodded his ascent, and they headed off down the road. At the place where the battle took place, they turned off and headed up the slope.
Lieutenant Sorbor looked at it. “They chose excellent ground. If they were using rifles and had a lot of men behind barricades, then they would have bled you white.”
“That’s exactly what they did. These aren’t just rabble. You could see that from the sentry.”
When they reached the tree line, men stepped forward to take their horses. One man came up. “Gentlemen, please follow me, and I’ll take you to the Colonel.”
When they reached Colonel Dedessus, he stood up and greeted the two of them and then indicated that they should sit down. “Can I offer you some tea or water?
Colonel Petronas said. “Tea would be most welcome, thank you.”
With that, Dedessus nodded to his aide, who went off to get some tea. “While we are waiting, Gentlemen, what can I do for you?”
Colonel Petronas answered. “As you may have guessed, I am the head of the Guard in Koronus. I am Porfian. Lieutenant Sorbor isn’t. He was a private when the old Duke was overthrown. He is a good soldier, and I promoted him. I believe that in his heart that he is loyal to Tantulus, not Porfia.
You mauled my command, which was made up of the majority of the Porfians in the Guard. We are clearly outnumbered, and to be honest, Duke Skelous has not endeared himself to the populace. He has done a lot to make them angry. Given the situation, it’s abundantly clear that you have the forces to take over Koronus.
I want to avoid unnecessary loss of life. Done poorly, there could be blood flowing in the streets of the city. I don’t want that, and neither does the Lieutenant. What can we do?”
Colonel Dedessus was pleased that they were so reasonable. He answered. “We are committed to as peaceful a transfer of power as possible. Our troops are well disciplined. With the forces I have here, I have over six hundred men. Duke Harlold has a similar force south of the city. There are other forces we can draw upon in Sudlund. Between us, we should be able to ensure that the city is quiet.
When Duke Harlold takes over, he will be joined by Prince Arken and his wife, Elizabeth. Three of King Menounos’ wives are with him along with their daughters. We are going to have to work something out about the businesses that were appropriated after the takeover. I’ll leave that to the Duke and Prince Arken; they know that will be a delicate situation.
Duke Skelous will have to be arrested and stand trial. I suspect that he will be executed. I don’t think that it will be a hard death; while a hard death may make us feel good, it’s not something that is conducive to long-term peace and harmony.”
Both Colonel Petronas and Lieutenant Sorbor were relieved to hear what Dedessus had said. Colonel Petronas spoke for the two of them. “We seem to be in basic agreement about what needs to happen. Having an experienced ruler like Prince Arken there to provide guidance will be good. As the son of a respected King, he will also add legitimacy to what happens.
The big question is, how do we proceed?”
Colonel Dedessus brought in his company commanders, and the men spent several hours discussing what should happen. During the discussions, a runner was sent to assure Colonel Petronas’ escort that everything was fine and that they should set up camp. The discussions were going to take a while.
Everyone was pleased with the precautions that Lieutenant Sorbor had taken, especially having the treasury guarded. Finally, they came up with a plan. Colonel Dedessus laid it out so that if there were any objections, they could be voiced.
“I’ll have Duke Harlold start moving his men north towards the city. I’ll do the same with my forces. A bird will be sent to have Prince Arken and his group start moving towards the city. We need to coordinate our movements so that there is a minimum amount of violence.
Lieutenant Sorbor will return to the city and get his forces ready. That means extra patrols and also plans to arrest Duke Skelous. Colonel Petronas will move his forces in conjunction with ours. He’ll enter the city once we’ve got our forces in position to support both him and Lieutenant Sorbor.
Once we’re in position, Lieutenant Sorbor will arrest the Duke, and Colonel Petronas will enter the city with Duke Harlold, myself, and Prince Arken. We’ll bring in two compan
ies to help keep the peace. The rest of our forces will camp outside the city.
I expect that it will take Prince Arken two to three weeks to get here.”
“That’s good. It will take me that long to get organized in the city.” Said Lieutenant Sorbor.
With that, Colonel Petronas and Lieutenant Sorbor left to get back to their men and get ready for the change in power. Both of them were pleased with the outcome. Sobor saw freedom for his people. At the same time, Colonel Petronas was pleased that there would be little to no bloodshed in the city. The transfer would be peaceful.
Skelous Falls
When Colonel Dedessus’ bird arrived at Sanford, there was rejoicing. Prince Arken realized that he would have to move fast. He turned to his wife. “Elizabeth, I’ve got to leave quickly; Harlold is going to need some guidance in handling this. It’s not going to be easy.
Would you organize everything here? I expect that Harlold will want Noria there, and you can be her chaperone. King Menounos’ wives and daughters should be there as well, and of course, Alla since she’s joining our marriage. As to what Queen Lonidia will want to do, I’m just not sure.”
“Don’t worry, dear, Morvinia and I will handle all of the details. We’ll leave in two weeks. Now let’s get you packed and ready to go. I know that you’ve been thinking and planning for this.”
“Thank you; I knew that I could count on you. All the planning in the world isn’t going to undo this mess in Koronus. This will at least give us a template on what to do in the other cities.”
The next morning Prince Arken rode out of Sanford, heading towards Koronus with an escort of a whole platoon of Harlold’s rebels. It took two weeks for them to reach Colonel Dedessus’ camp.
Lieutenant Sorbor went back to Koronus to plan for the transfer of power. He also had a letter from Colonel Petronas for Duke Skelous. The Lieutenant went directly to the Duke with the letter. The Duke took the letter and read it.
The Porfian Princess: The Chronicles of Cornu Book 4 Page 8