A Marriage of Friends (The Inner Seas Kingdoms Book 8)

by Jeffrey Quyle

  “Wren’s his cousin, after all,” Lark said as she stepped in. She hesitantly offered her hand to Kestrel, then smiled with relief as he took it warmly.

  “You look well, Lark, very elegant,” he complimented her.

  “Kestrel, you look better that I ever imagined you would,” she replied. “There’s not a sign of scars left. You’re the same handsome Kestrel you were before you fought the Triplets.”

  “The same Triplets you fought here?” Ruelin asked.

  “The Triplets came here?” Lucius asked in astonishment.

  “They did, but Kestrel fought them, then the goddess Kai came and banished them from the Inner Seas. Lord, what a battle – right here on the docks! Kestrel did things I couldn’t comprehend,” the prince replied.

  “I’ll be glad if I never have to fight them again; I pray that I never will,” Kestrel spoke up.

  “Gail,” he turned his attention to the fourth member of the Uniontown contingent. “You still are a sight for sore eyes,” he leaned into her and hugged her lightly, as he saw the sincere smile of pleasure on her face, while Merea was momentarily pressed between the two of them.

  “What lovely child is this? Is this yours?” Gail asked.

  “This is my daughter, Merea,” Kestrel confirmed. “She lives here in Seafare,” he abruptly stopped from saying more, not wanting to mention anything awkward in front of Ruelin. “And this is my ward, Putienne, who lives in the Eastern Forest with me,” he reached back and pulled his companion forward.

  “What a beautiful creature!” Lucius spoke up. “You are an extraordinary beauty,” he told Putty directly.

  “Thank you,” she said modestly. “Kestrel gave me great beauty when he changed me.”

  Lucius cocked his head in confusion at the comment, and Kestrel gave a lopsided grin.

  “What does she mean, Kestrel?” Gail asked. “How did you change her?”

  “Would you like to show them your other appearance?” Kestrel asked. The greeting at the dock was turning into something unexpected, but he saw no harm in the demonstration, if Putienne was willing to reveal her other nature.

  “Do you mind?” he asked Ruelin.

  “No,” the prince answered simply, amused by what he knew was about to happen. “I look forward to the revelation.”

  Kestrel arched his eyebrows at Putty, who smiled, then morphed into a yeti, virtually adult and mature, larger than when Kestrel had first met her many months earlier.

  Lark and Gail shrieked, while Gates pulled his sword and protectively leapt in front of them. Merea clapped her hands in glee at the sudden change beside her, and reached out to grab a handful of Putienne’s fur.

  The monster shrank back into her womanly form, smiling demurely.

  “Blazes!” Gate swore. “How can a man be lured into a quiet moment with such a woman, then try to fight with that? It’s not fair!”

  “What did you have in mind to do with the woman?” Gail asked innocently, as she winked at Kestrel.

  “Well, you know, dinner and such,” the guard snapped, as he shoved his blade back into its sheath.

  “Shall we all go up to the palace?” Ruelin suggested. The group started walking, the guests borrowing horses that Ruelin’s staff had brought down, and Lark ended up riding next to Kestrel and Putienne.

  “How is your father?” Kestrel asked politely as they started in motion.

  “He’s doing very well, staying very busy, trying to please as many people as possible,” she answered. “He hasn’t moved into the palace yet, but he plans to do so before the end of the summer. He and Stuart are evaluating how to defend it and protect it – it was picked over a bit while there has been no king, although there is a palace guard that Stuart is training to his standards.”

  “I’m sorry you left so abruptly,” she told him, glancing at Putienne as if she wished the girl wasn’t there, so that they might speak more privately. “The whole city was upset when the rumor went out that the Destroyer had left.”

  “They called you the Destroyer?” Putienne asked.

  “For some reason,” Kestrel confirmed. “I don’t know why.”

  Lark laughed heartily. “The entire city was scared whenever they heard there was someone with purple eyes in the area. Everyone except Duchess Tyle – she was very fond of you. She told my father’s emissaries so repeatedly. You got me into hot water by leaving,“ she said in a lower voice.

  They reached the gates of the palace, and entered the front square, where Kestrel hopped down, and helped Lark descend from her horse, then he watched as she and the other Uniontown guests followed Ruelin into his palace.

  “They seem like nice people,” Putienne said, as the two of them started walking their horse back to the stables.

  “They are,” Kestrel agreed. “Lark and Gates were with Wren and I on our journey through the land of the Skyes, and I saw them all again in Uniontown not too long ago, of course,” he added. “And I met Gail too, and stayed with her and her aunt when I was there.”

  They left their horse in the hands of a stable boy, then returned to their rooms in the palace. As they did, they noticed a knot of servants gathered in the hallway, speaking in hushed tones, with worried expressions on their faces.

  “Is there a problem?” Kestrel asked politely.

  “Nothing for you to worry about, my lord,” one maid answered after a second of glances and silence.

  “There aren’t enough rooms for the new guests. We hadn’t expected them, and we’re a room short,” a butler replied. “But we’ll find an answer, don’t you worry.”

  “You can use my room,” Putienne spoke up. “I can move in with Kestrel; we wouldn’t mind.”

  She looked at Kestrel to appeal to him. He was startled, but saw no harm. “Yes, it would be fine,” he agreed.

  The servants looked at one another. One coughed, and then spoke. “If your graces are sure you don’t mind, that would make this all ever so easy. Your rooms are right next to the others we have for these new guests,” she said.

  “I’ll go gather my things together,” Putienne immediately said, and she and Kestrel walked down the hall.

  “That was nice of you,” Kestrel commented.

  “I wanted to help the servants; they’re nice people. And this helps your friends from Uniontown too,” she replied.

  Later, after they had moved and rearranged their belongings, they prepared to go to dinner. They walked to Wren’s room, and accompanied her on the walk to the dining room, set for an elegant meal.

  “So the wedding is the day after tomorrow?” Lark asked Kestrel at the table, as they sat side-by-side.

  “It is, in the afternoon, at the temple of Kai,” he agreed.

  “Would you take us there tomorrow, to show it to us?” she asked.

  Kestrel agreed, and they continued to talk throughout the rest of the meal, after making their plans to meet in the morning.

  That night as they went to bed in their shared room, Kestrel and Putienne talked before falling asleep, him on a pallet on the floor and her on the mattress.

  “You know Lark well?” she asked. “You two talked and laughed a great deal.”

  “We spent a lot of time together when we were in the land of the Skyes, and we talked about the journey we made with the gods. She still thinks Krusima is a powerful god, while I think he spends too much time thinking about himself. A god should care more for his worshippers, I think,” Kestrel explained.

  The next morning, Kestrel met Lark and Gail after breakfast, and the three of them walked to the Seafare temple to Kai, and talked further along the way, the ice completely broken among them, all subjects open to discussion.

  “My father and brother both expect me to be married to Lucius’s friend Carmon, the son of a count,” Lark relayed. “Carmon is a pleasant man, but he doesn’t have much knowledge of the world. His parents kept him secluded away in the countryside while the Viathins ruled the land. He’s not like you, with all that you’ve seen and done an
d learned.

  “And he’s certainly not the son of a god!” she added. “I don’t think I’ll see him again after we return from this trip.”

  Kestrel walked along in silence, listening.

  “They were telling me to visit Carmon, right at the time that I told you we shouldn’t be a public couple,” she explained. “I wish I wouldn’t have listened to them. You were so popular in the city; you still are very popular. There are even some paintings of you now!”

  “Some of the street children write ‘Destroyer’ graffiti,” Gail added with a smile.

  “I hope we can be good friends,” Lark told him, putting her hand on his arm.

  “Of course we can,” Kestrel agreed, touched by the confession.

  “You should come back to Uniontown to see us all again soon,” Lark told him.

  “You could stay at my aunt’s cottage again,” Gail offered.

  “After the last of the spring markets are done in a few weeks, I think I could come see you,” Kestrel felt his heart rate increase slightly at the thought of returning to Uniontown, healed and healthy, the imps available to transport him, no Triplets or threats present, and Lark not committed to her brother’s friend Carmon.

  “I’ll plan to come for a visit. Please ask your aunt if she’ll let me stay with her again,” Kestrel asked Gail.

  They walked along happily, toured the temple, and ate lunch at a restaurant in the city, then strolled back to the palace.

  Kestrel met Lucius and Gates in the armory later, and the three sparred at sword practice until a servant notified them that dinner would be served soon.

  “I spoke to Lark about coming back to Uniontown to visit later this spring,” Kestrel told the other two as they walked through the palace grounds.

  “We’d be delighted to have you visit!” Gates exclaimed in delight.

  “Father would welcome the chance to honor you at court,” Lucius agreed.

  “I’d enjoy the chance to see you all, and to visit with Lark again in Uniontown,” Kestrel admitted. “She says there are lots of balls to go to and dance at.”

  They chatted on, before separating to clean up before dinner.

  That night was Wren and Creata’s last night before their wedding. Kestrel and Putienne joined the couple, along with Philip and Yulia, and Picco and Ruelin for a quiet dinner, as they reminisced about their various meetings and adventures together.

  “The Uniontown folks say the most amazing things about you Kestrel!” Yulia said. “They talk about your battles in Uniontown, and they say that your father is a god!”

  “It’s true,” Wren affirmed, as she recounted part of the tale of their adventures among the Skyes, astonishing those who had not heard the stories before.

  The next day the population of the palace moved en masse to the temple for the wedding, and watched with delight as Creata and Wren were wed. The city was astonished by the presence of the imps who attended, a large wing of them hovering in the air over the proceedings, extraordinarily out of the ordinary for a human event. The line to greet the newlyweds was a long one, and Kestrel stood with Putienne, patiently waiting for their chance to greet the happy couple.

  “We’ll head to Estone in the fall to meet my parents, Kestrel. You’ll come on the journey with us, won’t you?” Wren asked.

  “It’ll be a pleasure,” Kestrel agreed. He looked forward to the opportunity to meet Wren’s parents, relatives he had never known.

  The next morning, a knock before sunrise awakened Kestrel and Putienne.

  “Kestrel, can we take a walk?” Gail whispered loudly through the door. Kestrel pulled on clothes, and joined the young noble woman as she led him out to the garden of the palace.

  “I have a note to deliver to you, from Lark,” she told him when they left the palace and strolled through the shrubbery. She handed him the folded piece of paper, then looked up at him.

  “It’s been so good to see you again, Kestrel,” she said quietly. “I still owe you more than you can realize for what you did for me, for your support and friendship.” She looked at him with shining eyes, then suddenly put her hands behind his head, and pulled his face down to hers as she kissed him thoroughly.

  “I’m sorry, excuse me,” she said after a moment of breathless silence following the end of the kiss. “I have to go now,” she blurted the words free, then turned and fled, leaving a bewildered Kestrel standing alone.

  He walked through the garden to a bench, then sat down as the sunlight grew brighter, and tried to make sense of the inexplicable turn of events. When the sun’s rays grew bright enough, he tore open the envelope, and found two folded sheets of paper inside. The first one he opened was the letter from Lark, its contents a surprise.

  Dear Kestrel,

  I have found that seeing you has rekindled so many fond memories of the times we have spent together. In the past few days I have laughed at the recollections of my anger towards you when we first met, in the southern mountains, as we tried to escape from the Viathin’s guards, and I am glad that you overlooked my temper tantrum to help rescue us.

  The things you did for my father in Uniontown helped him to gain the throne, and they kept him alive in the first place. Again, I owe you the utmost gratitude.

  Lucius has learned of our conversations, and he overheard me speaking about you to Gail. He is not pleased that I hold you in such high esteem; his loyalty to Carmon is a higher priority for him than my happiness. As a result, we are leaving at the crack of dawn, to sail back to Uniontown immediately.

  I will not see you again here in Seafare, but I want you to know how wonderful these days with you have been, how fun and handsome and noble you are. I hope to see you again, someday soon,

  Lovingly yours,

  Lark

  He sat and read the note through a second time. Lark was as much as telling him he could woo her to be his own wife, he realized. The message was wonderful, up to the point that it mentioned she was being forced to leave Seafare immediately. He stood up, and wondered if he could intercept the Uniontown contingent before they departed. There was hope, he told himself, and he started running towards the docks, dodging servants in the palace, then sprinted through the streets of the city, and finally maneuvering among the freight and stevedores on the docks to find the spot where the Uniontown ship had berthed.

  The ship was gone. It had already cleared its slip and left the harbor, meaning that Lark was no longer in Seafare. Kestrel patted his pocket, feeling the flat sheet of paper that was Lark’s note. She was gone, and it would be his responsibility to go to Uniontown to see her, as he had promised. Lucius was mistaken if he thought that he could prevent Kestrel from pursing the relationship and wooing Lark; and from all that Kestrel had heard the Uniontown folks say, Kestrel as the Destroyer would bring more credibility and popularity to Listay’s regime than the family friend that Lucius preferred.

  Kestrel grinned to himself, turned as he arrived at his conclusion, and began to walk back to the palace. He reached into his pocket and pulled Lark’s note out, and found the unread, still-folded second note with it. He opened it, and saw that the handwriting was different, a neater, smaller script that he began to read as he walked.

  Dear Kestrel,

  I was heartbroken when you left Uniontown, and seeing you again has been the best thing to happen since that day. Seeing you with so many friends who love and respect you tells me that you are as good with all people as you were with me. My aunt will be thrilled to know that your scars are healed and that you are in good health. Please come visit again, to let her and I see you and enjoy your companionship once again. We miss you a great deal – you brought such energy to our lives. When I am engaged to Lucius, I know that Aunt Tyle will mention that you should be invited to our wedding!

  Take good care of yourself until we meet again,

  Gail

  Gail’s note was as sweet-natured as the girl herself, and he smiled tenderly over the words from the girl all the way back to the pa
lace.

  “Who was at the door?” Putienne asked when he returned to the room. She was awake and dressed, ready to go to breakfast.

  They talked over breakfast, joining Yulia in the special dining room set aside for the wedding guests, and relived the beauty of the wedding ceremony the day before, then the conversation turned to other topics, and Kestrel explained in sketchy details some of the dynamics behind the sudden departure of the Uniontown guests.

  “We’ll leave tomorrow Kestrel. Will you and Putienne be riding back with us?” Yulia asked.

  Kestrel looked at Putienne. He had kept her away from the Eastern Forest for several days, since calling her unexpectedly to the healing spring. Remy would be missing her, he was sure.

  “May we ride with them, Kestrel? It would be so much fun to spend time with your human friends,” Putienne spoke up immediately.

  Kestrel looked at Yulia. “If you have room for us onboard the ship to Graylee, we’ll journey with you,” he concurred.

  Putienne’s unexpected request led to the long, leisurely trip back to Graylee, and then the overland ride back to Hydrotaz, where Kestrel and Putienne said farewell to Yulia in her palace, before leaving for the embassy, to spend the night with Lucretia and Giardell.

  “And so we’ll see you again in a few weeks?” Yulia asked with sparkling eyes. “For my wedding to Philip?”

  “Of course!” Kestrel laughed.

  “Oh Kestrel, will I be allowed to attend?” Putienne asked eagerly.

  “Of course; you’re invited too. We need to give all the young knights of Philip’s court another exotic beauty to swoon over,” Yulia assured her.

  With Putienne’s social calendar attended to, she and Kestrel bid farewell to Yulia, then went to the embassy, and spent the night there, providing a travelogue to Lucretia and Giardell. The following morning, they ran back to the Eastern Forest, and resumed their normal lives.

  Chapter 31