Birlerion flushed. “My apologies, Your Grace. It just seemed the right thing to do,” he murmured.
Jerrol inspected Birlerion’s face, and his lips pinched at the blue eyes. “It’s where you’re supposed to be, Birlerion. I know it doesn’t make sense at the moment, but I’ll explain everything, later. I promise. Just stay with me.”
“Commander Haven, I think it is time you reclaimed your wife and returned to your interrupted life as a Vespirian Ambassador.”
“With pleasure, Your Grace,” Jerrol murmured as he tightened his grip on Taelia.
“In that case, my dear Lady Guin’yyfer, may I introduce Commander Jerrol Haven, Ambassador to King Benedict of Vespiri and his wife, Scholar Taelia Haven. Scholar, Ambassador, Lady Guin’yyfer of Tierne.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Guin’yyfer,” Taelia smiled, dropping a curtsy and holding out her hand. Jerrol guided it towards Guin’yyfer’s.
“The pleasure is mine, Scholar Haven.” Guin’yyfer glared at Jerrol. “I knew you weren’t a captain! Why didn’t you just tell me? And here are more Sentinals. Who are they?”
Taelia smiled happily “Oh, he is a Captain; the Lady’s Captain. He just happens to be an Ambassador as well. And this is our very good friend Sentinal Birlerion, and his sister, Sentinal Marianille, and this is Sentinal Niallerion.”
“Sentinal Birlerion saved my life. We are indebted to him.” The grand duke looked at Jerrol. “As we are to you, Commander Haven, for saving Lady Guin’yyfer.”
Jerrol bowed. “Behind you is Sentinal Taurillion and Sentinal Yaserille of Retarfu. They are of the Lady’s Guard but loyal to the throne of Elothia. If you will have them, they will guard you with their lives,” Jerrol said. “Marianille, Birlerion and Niallerion are of Vespers and loyal to King Benedict and the Lady’s Captain. Birlerion has been much missed,” he said as he gripped Birlerion’s arm, trying to reassure his friend who was looking drawn and strained amidst the introductions of people he knew by different names.
“The Lady’s Captain?” Guin’yyfer spoke sharply.
Jerrol grinned. “Yes, my lady.”
“I think we have a lot to discuss. But first, I need to speak to the Ambassador and get a status report. Why don’t you ladies go on ahead? We’ll meet you upstairs shortly,” the grand duke suggested.
“Of course,” Lady Guin’yyfer smiled, her gaze holding Randolf’s for a moment. “Taelia—may I call you Taelia? Let me show you to your room, and you can freshen up after your journey.” She arched an eyebrow at Jerrol. “I’ll request your things to be moved to the green suite. I believe you know where that is.” She smiled wickedly and drew Taelia away, closely followed by Yaserille and Marianille.
The grand duke let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes. He gestured to the chairs. “Sit. Now tell me how you happen to be here and how you rescued Guin’yyfer. Where are the people who held her?”
Jerrol released Birlerion’s arm, his chest still thrumming with a combination of concern and relief to have his friend back. He sat as directed, and Birlerion stood behind him. Niallerion stood by the door and watched the room. “Your Grace, when I realised that the Summer Guardian and the Lady Guin’yyfer were the same person, I knew she had to be here. There was no other reason why you had not removed south.”
“But even before that, how did you end up in the Third Chevron of all places?”
Jerrol grinned. “I got conscripted. I was asleep in an inn someplace, and the next thing I knew, I was being marched into your army. At the time, I had no memory of who I was or where I was.” Jerrol shrugged. “Apparently, I was in a bit of a mess when they found me.”
The grand duke winced. “And then?”
“I went through your training regime and met Birlerion, who was in a similar state. We were assigned to the Third Chevron, and I ended up at your palace as Captain Finn.”
“All that in three months?”
“I’m afraid your recruits have much to be desired. I think your commanders were rather desperate.”
“I think they were very fortunate,” the grand duke said. He looked at Birlerion. “And how did you end up in Adeeron?”
Birlerion eased his shoulders. “I don’t know.”
“You were defending me at the Watch Towers. Ain’uncer and Tor’asion dragged you with them when you wouldn’t let them pass. We now know they took you to Adeeron. You’ve been missing for months, only we didn’t know where they had taken you,” Jerrol said.
“How did you become … well,” Randolf faltered, “as you are now.”
“Let’s just say that Tor’asion is an angry man and leave it at that,” Birlerion said, his face darkening in memory.
After a slight pause, Randolf turned to Jerrol. “And when did you realise you weren’t Captain Finn?”
“Just before the Ascendants chased me out of your palace, Your Grace.”
“Yet you still came and rescued Lady Guin’yyfer?”
“I came to Elothia to stop the Ascendants’ plans, whatever they were trying to do. Part of that was removing the hold they had over you. Truly, Your Grace, Vespiri has no desire to go to war with you. Your generals threaten the peace between our countries. It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“So I understand, and I apologise, Ambassador Haven, for your treatment whilst you have been in Elothia. I thank you for your continued assistance.” The grand duke paused. “Who is actually guarding my palace right now?”
Jerrol laughed. “I am afraid you are being guarded by half a unit from Deepwater, Your Grace.”
“Deepwater?”
“Yes, your Grace. I stumbled over them in the middle of a snowstorm. At the time, I had few resources. It seemed opportune that I found them, and they came with me here to rescue Lady Guin’yyfer.”
The grand duke sighed. “It seems I have much to thank King Benedict for when we finally meet. I think maybe you should hand over the guard to Captain Owen and regroup your men as the Ambassador’s honour guard.”
“Certainly, Your Grace. But I would suggest their time would be better spent supporting your guards to protect you and this palace.”
“Very well. And what of the Ascendants who you said were holding Lady Guin’yyfer against her wishes?”
“One is in your dungeon awaiting your judgement. A man named Iss’aren; he used to be King Benedict’s chancellor. If you don’t want to pass judgement on him yourself, I can assure you, King Benedict will be very grateful if you hand him over. He would be a very good peace offering, I think. The other, a man called Pev’eril, is dead.”
The grand duke stared at Jerrol. “A peace offering,” he repeated in a voice of disbelief.
“I would recommend that you don’t tell Tor’asion or Var’geris of his whereabouts if they are still attending you; they would probably kill him outright for his failings. They weren’t too pleased with him.”
“Ain’uncer is dead,” Birlerion said, his voice cold. “That’s one less to worry about.”
Jerrol cast him a glance. “You must tell me how that happened, later,” he murmured.
The grand duke bared his teeth. “They didn’t seem to be enamoured with the idea of me coming here.”
“Why are you here, Your Grace?”
“As you once so eloquently said: If I stop the strife on the borders and redirect the resources inland, that would solve both my problems. I need to get control of my army, and my generals are not responding to my orders.”
Jerrol frowned in thought, he knew the Ascendants would be desperate to keep the generals focused on their warmongering. “I imagine that is where the Ascendants have gone, then; to try to and whip up the war.”
Randolf sighed. “We’ll talk more later. Sentinal Birlerion, I thank you for your care, but I think your Captain needs you more right now.”
Birlerion nodded. “Yes, Your Grace.”
The grand duke looked at Taurillion. “Welcome back, Sentinal Taurillion. I hope the Grand Duchy meets your expectations after all these ye
ars.”
“You have a low bar to cross, Your Grace. Your ancestors left much to be desired,” Taurillion said with a grin.
Randolf laughed. “That does not fill me with as much pleasure as I once would have said. Very well, let’s join the ladies upstairs.”
44
Summer Palace
It was much later by the time Taelia and Jerrol managed to slip away to their rooms. They were exhausted with all the questions and happily shut the door on all their troubles. Jerrol finally turned to take Taelia in his arms. She shivered as he dipped his head into her neck.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he kissed her neck, her face, her lips. He shuddered as he took a deep breath, suddenly relaxing as if a convoluted knot of tension within him had unravelled.
“Not as much as I’ve missed you,” Taelia whispered back, attacking his jacket buttons, wanting to get as close to him as she possibly could.
She raised her face in concern as she felt warm tears on her neck. “My love, we are together now,” she said, smothering his face in kisses. But it was if a dam had broken within him, and he couldn’t stop; his shoulders began to shake. Taelia led him to the bed, where she laid him down and drew him in close as she let him cry away his pain and despair.
It was much later when he spoke. “I’m sorry.”
“Hush, there is nothing to be sorry for.” She kissed him as her fingers smoothed his unfamiliar beard. “You can only take so much. Sometimes, you need to cry it out.”
“When I saw you descend from the carriage, I thought I was going to lose it. You looked so beautiful, so serene.” His voice shook.
“I wasn’t serene at all. Birlerion threatened to tell you that I had been flirting with the grand duke, if I didn’t calm my excitement,” Taelia admitted. She was relieved when he gave a watery chuckle in return. She levered herself above him and began studiously undoing his buttons. “What you need, my dearest husband, is for your wife to show you how much she loves you.” She gently kissed his chest as she pushed his shirt apart. Smoothing her hands over his skin, she felt a tremor deep within him, and she slid her hands up his chest and over his shoulders, working his arms out of his sleeves. She dropped his shirt on the floor with his jacket. She pushed him back down as he reached for her.
“I said I was going to show you how much you are loved,” she murmured.
“And you can, if you take your clothes off too,” Jerrol whispered into her hair, and she smiled.
She shivered in delight as he kissed her ear and his warm breath caressed her skin. She allowed him to unbutton her dress, and she released him long enough to step out of it. She heard his sigh of pleasure, and she leaned into his hand as he trailed it across her chest and cupped her breast. The heat from his hand sent her southwards, kissing her way down his body as she smoothed his skin in a loving caress.
She kissed a newly found scar as she removed his trousers, continuously caressing as her lips explored him. Jerrol groaned as her touch became firmer, his body responding to every caress. His back arched as her lips and hands showed him how much she loved him until he could hold it no more. He shuddered his release as she soothed him, relieving him of his horrors and replacing them with her love.
He pulled her back up his body and cradled her in his arms. He kissed her eyes, her nose. His lips caressed her cheeks and chin, and then he found her lips and his tongue quested deeper, tasting her mouth, and as his kiss became more demanding, she gave herself up to the man who was determined to show her that he loved her as much as she loved him.
They lay in the shadows cast by the moon. Jerrol smoothed her skin, swirling his fingers around her belly button, watching his hand flicker from light to dark; soothed as her hand massaged his neck. He suddenly sat up and looked at her stomach. “Have you been eating too much fruit?” he asked, frowning at the gentle swell of her tummy.
“Only the fruit that you gave me, my love.” Taelia smiled, secretively.
He rested his hand on her stomach and looked at her face. “You mean ...?” He paused in wonder, and before she could speak, his head dipped and gently kissed the soft mound.
He lay back down beside her and tucked her into his chest, twining his legs with hers. The fall of soft tears against her skin made her nestle closer, but this time, they were tears of happiness and wonder. She reached up to wipe his cheek and lovingly kissed the father of her child.
The grand duke observed Jerrol closely the next morning as they gathered for the morning meal. He looked like a different man, and not just because he was no longer wearing an Elothian uniform. He looked relaxed and very happy. Birlerion was different too, his face softer, not so severe. As if he was relieved to be back at his Captain’s shoulder, even if he still didn’t understand what had happened to him. Randolf hadn’t realised how much strain these men had been under until it was removed.
He subtly observed the Sentinal, seeing how Birlerion shadowed Jerrol’s every move. Jerrol had adapted to the change without comment. It looked like they had slipped back into a familiar routine as Birlerion responded to his slightest gesture and often pre-empted him. They were both very attentive to Scholar Taelia, and she was blooming under their care, Birlerion seamlessly including her in his sphere of protection.
Randolf eyed Taurillion discreetly and was surprised as Taurillion leaned forward. “Yes, Your Grace?”
“I was just wondering if you could be as attentive as Birlerion over there.”
Taurillion smiled. “Birlerion has been protecting the Captain for some time. They are used to each other. Give us time, Your Grace, and we will be just as strong.”
“Just as strong,” Randolf murmured, suddenly hopeful as he turned to the beautiful woman sitting next to him. His table was full, and he smiled in pleasure to be surrounded by people who meant him no harm. He suddenly realised what it could be like to have a family.
After the meal, Guin’yyfer and Taelia retired to the library, discussing Lady Marguerite and the guardian’s duties. Jerrol pulled Marianille aside and asked her to watch Taelia. He explained why.
She cast a bright eye at him. “Congratulations, Captain. Maybe it’s time to look to your own family now.”
Jerrol’s heart clenched. “I wish I could,” he said. “I wish we could go home and set up house like any other couple, but we’re not finished yet.” He sighed. “It’s hardly begun.” He turned away but paused as Marianille caught his arm.
“Captain, it will be well, you’ll see.”
Jerrol tried to smile and patted her hand. “Of course it will,” he agreed. Marianille joined the ladies in the library, casting an informed eye over Taelia. She sat at the table and listened to them interrogating Yaserille on the history of the Summer Palace.
“You have the history in the books around you,” Yaserille complained. “You don’t need to ask me.”
“But you lived it. You can tell us which bits are original and what has been added,” Taelia retorted. “And anyway, I can’t help with that, so tell us. Which is the oldest part of the Palace?”
Yaserille smiled. “I would have thought that was obvious; the temple, of course.”
“There’s a temple?” Taelia sat back in surprise.
“Yes, I’m surprised the Captain didn’t tell you; it’s off the courtyard.”
Taelia considered. Jerrol had struggled to forsake the Lady. He would have avoided her temple at all costs; he would never have been able to resist her there. She knew he would openly speak of her if he had embraced her again, but he hadn’t. Her heart ached for him. “Are his eyes silver?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yes, they changed when his memories returned.”
“What is so important about his eyes?” Guin’yyfer asked, listening with interest.
Yaserille spoke quietly. “It’s a side effect of swearing your Oath to the Lady. When she accepts you into her guard, your eyes turn silver. No one knows why, and the Lady never explained. We weren’t concerned.
It was like a badge of honour. We are proud to be of the Lady. When we were first awoken by the Captain, his eyes were silver. When we rescued him from the ‘Drop’, his eyes were grey and didn’t change back to silver until his memories returned. He tried to tell us the Lady no longer rode his shoulder, that he wasn’t the Captain anymore, he was the Oath Keeper. But he is the Captain,” she finished, a touch of defiance in her voice.
Guin’yyfer gasped in surprise. “The Oath Keeper? He holds the Land’s Oath as well as being the Lady’s Captain?”
“He holds the King’s Oath,” Taelia corrected. “He is responsible for ensuring that the king protects the people of Remargaren, the Lady’s Guardians protect the Land, and the Land sustains all. Thrice entwined, the Oath stands before us, and we need to help him keep it.”
The library was silent, then Yaserille spoke. “We should start in the temple. Its foundations date back to the time of the Lady. If there is anything to be found, we’ll find it there.”
“Then that’s where we need to go,” Taelia said as she rose. The need to visit the temple grew stronger and Taelia let the feeling draw her out of the library. Taelia paused in surprise as they were about to descend the stairs, hearing a voice she recognised explaining the guard positions in the Summer Palace. She halted and swung towards his voice, pulling Guin’yyfer with her.
“Captain Landis?” she called. “Is that you?”
There was a short silence, and then Landis approached her. “Ah, Scholar Taelia, how nice to see you again. It’s, ah, actually, I’m Lieutenant Landis, seconded to the Elothian Third Chevron.”
“Seconded?” Taelia asked with a laugh. “I’m assuming this is something to do with Jerrol?”
“Yes, Scholar. He needed troops, and we were all he had.”
“I see. I expect to hear the whole story later. You do realise that Captain Finn has retired and that Ambassador Haven has taken his place?”
“Yes, Scholar. But the grand duke’s guard is a bit depleted, and the ambassador said we should bolster them, so to speak, seeing as we were already in situ.”
Sentinals Justice: Book Three of the Sentinal Series Page 35