Princess Rescue Inc

by Chris Hechtl

  “It varies though,” Charlie said from her side as she took a scoop of ice cream. “Some can marry when they are teenagers, or due to unintended pregnancies. Many lose out though and resent that over time. When you’re young you're quicker to grasp new things, to learn and let your mind stretch to new concepts. If you put off an education until after you've raised a family... well it's much harder to learn.”

  “Indeed,” the Queen nodded. “I found it much easier to learn a language when I was younger. Now it's... difficult. Your English is...”

  “A lot harder than it looks and sounds?” Wanda asked amused.

  “Yes,” the Queen nodded.

  “That's because we're speaking a general dialect of American English. But we've got regional differences, and we also have a tendency to introduce metaphors and colloquialisms... it gets horridly complicated sometimes even for us,” she said and rolled her eyes.

  “Indeed,” the Queen snorted.

  “And Sue here is part Canadian; they have their own version of English.”

  Sue waved. “Anyway, back to what we were talking about... It may be that he's not sure what he wants... or is sure you will change your mind when you get older and wiser. Have you told him what you want?” She eyed the princess. “You, you the woman, not princess Deidra. Take the title away and think about it.”

  The others turned to look at her. Diedra frowned and looked down, trying hard to control her emotions and think rationally.

  “Not what is expected of you. Not what others want. You, Deidra, the young woman. His lover, his friend,” Sue said softly. Deidra’s eyes looked up. They were troubled. She sighed and then shook her head. “You don't really know do you? Is that because you don't know yourself? Or that you don't want to face it?”

  Deidra gave her a wan smile.

  “Thought so. Guess you've got some thinking to do,” Sue said with a firm nod.

  <==={}------------>

  “Can't sleep?” Ryans murmured to her later that evening. Her eyelids flickered and she purred slightly, snuggling against his side.

  “No. I want to talk,” she said quietly. “And no, it can't wait,” she mock growled. He chuckled softly at that rejoinder then his eyes widened. He had taken the blue tooth out to charge it before going to bed, that entire answer had been in English.

  She rolled over and smiled at him. Her eyes and teeth glittered in the moonlight. “Been studying?” he asked smiling back.

  She gave a chuckling purr, free hand caressing his arm and side. “Yes. I pick up languages quickly.”

  He chuckled softly, eyebrow raised. “This is new,” he smiled, wondering just how long she'd known English and what he'd let slip around her. Also why she was revealing something she'd obviously kept hidden until now. “Why didn't you tell me earlier?”

  She shrugged. “We never had the time,” she said. His freehand began to mirror hers, caressing her gently.

  “Think things in Duluth will work out?” he asked. “Is that what you’re worried about?” She pursed her lips then as he opened his mouth again put her finger against his lips.

  “Hush, my turn talk,” she said in broken English, smiling again. “You avoiding what going to do when the time to choose. I want... I want you to know, either way I will marry you.”

  He blinked at that statement, parsing it out. “But...” She rolled her eyes and placed her hand firmly over his mouth then rolled on top of him. He rolled with her so he was on his back. Her thighs clamped down on his arms, pinning them to his sides.

  “Will you hush?” she said. His eyes sparkled as he chuckled under her hand. “I am the princess, my turn to talk.” She shook her head, her mane of hair danced in the summer night. “Royalty demands precedence.” she said primly, making him smile again.

  Her left hand began to toy with his chest. “Now, where was I?” she asked, with just a slight hint of mischief in her voice. She felt his grin under her hand and smacked his chest. “Not that!” she said in exasperation. His chuckle was muffled but she felt the vibration through her hand. Men, honestly, she thought in exasperated affection. They had only one thing on their minds all the time. Even when something important needed to be discussed.

  “Now, stay or go we marry. Here or there,” she said. She ran her free hand over his chest and then tweaked a nipple. He squirmed, eyes dancing and pointedly saying he'd get her back for that. “Even if I have to go to… Earth, I marry you. Got it?” she asked suddenly dead serious.

  “Why?” he asked muffled.

  “Many reasons. The main one?” She smiled tenderly down at him as her hand played naughty games with the inside of his thighs behind her. She could feel his member swelling, preparing to rise. “I love you,” she said huskily.

  “You're good man. Kind with me. Gentle but firm,” she said, not sure about the words. Her eyes danced as her free hand played wicked games. In retaliation he tried to get free but she had his arms pinned by her strong thighs. He tried to reach up to touch her nether regions but she moved them higher, just out of reach.

  “You’re good for me. Good for my people. Honest. Hard working.” She stroked him once more. “Better be hard working in a moment,” she mock growled. He chuckled at that.

  He blinked at her and then smiled again. Her hand cupped him. He gasped as she lifted herself up and onto him. She leaned forward, completing the docking. She then bent all the way forward, giving him a nice view of her bust as powerful muscles clamped onto him. He knew he'd lost this battle before it had begun.

  “Now, hang on, you’re in for ride,” She murmured in his ear wickedly. She licked and then nipped the lobe then sat back. He laughed at that until her muscles clamped down harder and then all meaningful thought became irrelevant.

  <==={}------------>

  He caught up with the Duke the next morning. “Are you certain about sending these people back?” Duke Emroy asked. He'd gotten to know some, he knew on the surface some may be honest, but they would say and do anything to get out of this situation he knew.

  “Good morning to you too Duke Emroy,” Ryans smiled. Deidra kissed his cheek and then went off to the hall for breakfast. He watched her go and then turned to the Duke. “Honestly, I'm not sure, but we need to get things back on track. By sending these people back with some of the means to improve their people's harvest, there's a chance to end their misery and stop this from happening again.” He shrugged.

  “I see. So that's why you had their surviving smiths rounded up. That's what you were doing in the forges the past three days?” the Duke asked turning to him.

  Ryans smiled, looking down to the convoy loading up. “Yes. We also taught your own smiths as well. Simple things really, better plows and tools, planting techniques, harvesting tools. These things should improve their yields.”

  “That won’t help me and mine,” the Duke waved to the castle. “We had no time to plant and we've used our reserves weathering the siege.” He looked bleak. “When winter comes what will happen to my people?”

  “They will weather it just like every year your grace. With a little help,” Ryans smiled. “It's true, you've missed the late spring and mid summer harvest, but we're working on getting some plants in to get a late summer and autumn harvest now. The Queen has pledged food from her warehouses to make up the difference as well. Some of the other lords have done the same.”

  “How...” the Duke turned to him. Ryans smiled. “How can they spare so much? Their people will go hungry!”

  Ryans chuckled. “Nope, I told you we've made some changes.” He pointed to a plow being loaded. “See that? It's a simple plow, but very effective. It's was made by an inventor named John Deere over a century ago. It tills the earth and the two handles allow the man controlling the animals to steer the plow and keep it in the ground. It's made it much easier to plow; one man and a draft team can cover nearly five times the area that three teams did in a single day by hand with hoes.”

  The Duke gaped at that. “That hardly seems possible.
Such a simple thing?”

  “Oh yes. By making the plow easier and more efficient we've made the workload lighter and improved the farm's yield. More acres plowed and seeded means more plants,” Ryans explained. He pointed to another contraption being loaded in another wagon. “That's a seed spreader, it's a simple thing, you tow it behind a draft team and it opens a channel, plucks down a seed then covers it up with the paddles on the back. Neat huh?”

  “No more spreading the seeds by hand?” the Duke asked rubbing his chin. “That's always been a problem, much of the seed lays on the top soil and spoils... or is caught by the wind and blown away.”

  “Right,” Ryans nodded. He pointed to another device. “That's a sample thresher. It's pulled by a draft team and cuts the harvest and lays it out to be gathered later. Max is working on a combine harvester, but I highly doubt he'll get one out before winter. Maybe next year,” he said. He shrugged.

  “Combine?” the steward nearby asked looking at Ryans with a confused look.

  “A machine that can cut, thresh, and separate the wheat from the chaff, or other plants from their chaff depending on how it is set up,” Ryans explained. “Pulled by a draft team or a mechanical engine.”

  The long faced man blinked in startled confusion at the outlandish concept. Ryans smiled.

  “I know, it's a lot to take in. I think that the first machines will be bought and run by the lords. You can rent them out to the tenants, and take a tithe of the harvest for their use. Tenants will be much more productive,” he said and then smiled. The Duke grunted thoughtfully. “If we're lucky famine will be a thing of the past by next year.”

  “To see that day,” the Duke said softly nodding.

  “I'm planning on it,” Ryans said. “We're also introducing better preservation methods, canning for one. And yes your grace, we've sent some of these to your people. They should be out tilling your fields even now,” he said and smiled walking away. “Good morning gentlemen, speaking of food... breakfast time for me!” He chuckled rubbing his rumbling belly as he walked off. He heard the Duke's hoarse chuckle as he made his retreat.

  <==={}------------>

  Ryans came up behind Deidra and smiled as she didn't look his way. His hands wrapped around her bare waist as she talked with her sister. Her sister blushed and looked away as Deidra smiled in delight and turned to kiss him. His hands continued to wander.

  “Nice dress you've got here,” he murmured in her ear. It was white, with classic medieval deep scooped cuffs but with a short black skirt and a deep V neck cut. Her midriff was bare.

  “Stop that! Will you keep doing that when I'm fat?” she demanded. He chuckled softly in her ear.

  “Like that's going to happen with your exercise regime,” he murmured. “Even when you’re all wrinkled and old I bet this will be dish board flat. You’re too much of a martial artist to let yourself go dear.”

  “Oh it will. Like when I'm pregnant,” she answered, and then clicked her teeth together in a mock nip. He chuckled backing away a little with a mock fear look.

  “You'll be as beautiful a woman then as you are now. More so because you'll glow with motherhood,” he said. He shrugged. “Cross that bridge when it comes I guess.”

  She smiled suddenly delighted at that admission. The smile glowed with love and approval. Zara was staring at them wide eyed. Reluctantly he let his hands slip as a page waved to him. “Drat, gotta go duty calls.”

  “Are you pregnant?” Zara asked as he left.

  Deidra watched him leave smiling softly and then turned back to her sister. “Huh?” She shook her head. “Oh no, no,” she answered then smiled mischievously. “At least... not yet that is. Doctor Carter said the implants wear off in a couple of years. I can't wait... and we're having fun playing and practicing,” she grinned mischievously as her sister goggled at her and then giggled helplessly.

  <==={}------------>

  They sent several surviving Duluth officers and some of the able bodied back to Duluth with seeds and sample plows. The intel officer was sure to send groups back that would hit all four corners of the country making sure they took back word of the changes coming to the country.

  The first summer harvest came in; the lords were amazed by the yields. Mary the botanist snorted. “This is just the beginning. Get some greenhouses in and you can have fresh food year round,” she explained. Some of the lords immediately queried her on that subject. She explained over lunch about greenhouses. She took a piece of slate and used a piece of chalk to draw out the concepts for them. Later some approached a bemused Sydney who printed out the plans and design documents for them.

  The morning postal carriers found more packages than usual leaving. The interested lords had sent off the rudimentary plans to their homes. Others demanded that the monarch subsidize it.

  The Queen became concerned about displacing their economy so quickly with changes. “It’s all happening so fast!” she exclaimed after seeing the first home grown lights, fans, and indoor plumbing installed in the castle.

  Max snorted as he cleaned his hands. “Not fast enough ma'am. I'd love to go twice as fast. Once y'all get your feet under you it'll go even faster,” he said. He smiled. She was wide eyed and concerned.

  <==={}------------>

  There was an accident, an animal had gotten loose and injured a groom. Sue was nearby, on her way to the barracks hospice. She used her training to triage. The man had been bitten in the throat; one of the canines had severed his artery and punctured his throat. She pressed a finger into the wound, and then had a kid come over to do it while she got a hemostat from her bag. The kid paled but held on desperately. Only later did she learn that the lad had been the groom's son.

  Fortunately the man didn't bleed out and they managed to transport him to the hospital. She performed emergency surgery on him. Several of the patients volunteered blood. She rushed a sample off to Charlie to be emergency typed as she gave the man a liter of plasma kept on hand.

  She related the story to the Queen who nodded. Zara was wide eyed about the story and then teared up when Sue told her who the groom was. The Queen hugged her gently.

  “Someone you know princess?” Sue asked, uncertain. Zara nodded; hand over her mouth as she sobbed softly. She buried herself in her mother's arms.

  “He taught me to ride,” Zara said, voice muffled against her mother.

  “Then may I suggest you visit him in the morning?” Sue suggested. The princess looked up and then nodded slowly. “Good, just keep the visit short. He'll be touched that you checked in on him,” Sue said. Zara nodded again. “The other patients will appreciate the good will effort if you extend it to them as well. They'll be touched by the gesture and relate the story to their families and others. I know I will,” Sue said, smiling politely. Zara nodded again. The Queen rubbed her shoulder, looking thoughtfully at the doctor.

  <==={}------------>

  Duke Rojer stood patiently as his steward adjusted the hem of his robe. He liked to look his best at all times, especially in court. Tonight he needed to do so to lend credence to what he had in mind. He needed to appear stately, stern and strong.

  “Something amiss my love?” Serena asked as his steward retreated. He smiled at her.

  “You know me so well my love,” he said. She smiled coyly back to him.

  “La my good sir, now what pray tell do you have in mind for this night's entertainment?” she asked.

  He smiled again. “You'll see. I thought of something... interesting,” he said wickedly.

  She eyed him warily. “And you don't trust me with such foreknowledge?” she asked. He chuckled.

  “I just thought you would appreciate the surprise,” he murmured, taking her into his arms. “I dare say others may, and the gaijin won't.”

  “Oh dear,” Serena murmured. “Will they be... displeased?” she asked, looking up to him. Her eyes sparkled as they questioned him.

  His smile widened slightly in anticipation. “I hope so. The great thin
g is I just have to prime the pump. The general and the young lords will do the rest. If all works out as half as well as I expect, things will finally fall in our favor,” he said.

  She nodded, turning away. “We shall see,” she said. “We shall see,” she tucked her arm into his as they left, head high to the banquet.

  <==={}------------>

  “Do we have to do this?” Waters asked looking more than a little put out over being back in dress uniform. The Marine dress uniform had just arrived from the tailor that morning. He and the Lieutenant had taken hours to get each of their fittings right. Hours that could have been put to more productive use, he thought acidly. Not that they had to scramble like they had to before the war. It was just that he hated playing dress up as much as Ryans did and he wanted to get on to training.

  Now that the gaijin methods had proven themselves on the battlefield the main army was breaking up and reforming. Some were dismissed, going back to attend to their duties and lands. Others though lingered, wanting to remain in the legions and be trained to the new standards. For some of the older people it was a hard training period. Harder for Waters and Paris who had to prove themselves willing and able to do the same things they were putting the grunts through.

  Right now the army had dropped to half its former size. The Queen was considering keeping it at that size permanently. Discussions were ongoing on what to do with that much manpower. Ryans had suggested having them do civil projects like the Roman legions had. That had been a hit with the Queen and a few of the lords.

  “Unfortunately,” Ryans sighed, grimacing. He tugged at his own starched collar in irritation. At least he'd had a proper fitting and the native made business suit was better than the poor tux Wanda and the Queen had cooked up. “At least you cut a dashing figure. You'll have all the girls of the court swooning over you,” he smiled.