The Hadiqan fleet that would be sent to Ardmorr had been gathered in secret at the air naval base in the city of Khur, and plans had been made for it to ship out within two months of the wedding. Esther had almost fainted from excitement when she found out that as part of Asserius’ plan to increase Esther’s influence over the fleet admiral that the reactionary nobles had chosen to lead the Hadiqan protection fleet, and to help bolster her position as Hadiq’s official envoy, she was being given the most recent addition to Hadiq’s fleet as her own private airship—an Ardmorran built frigate. Though not nearly as large as a ship of the line, it was almost as heavily armed an armored due to its modern design, superior northern timbers, and the newest and most powerful heavy guns manufactured by the best weapons manufacturers in the world right her in Al Farnaka.
Now, Esther sat exhausted on a crate on the deck of her new ship as the last of the provisions were loaded aboard. She was amazed at how fast the time had gone since that fateful breakfast and her acceptance of Asserius’ proposal almost two and a half months ago.
Trying to pull off a wedding as grand as theirs had been in just three weeks had seemed impossible. She had had no idea how to plan for a Royal wedding and she had driven herself to exhaustion each and every day up to the very minute of the wedding. Marigold and the palace staff had been a godsend in helping her get everything ready and she had relied heavily on all of them. Messages and invitations had been drawn up and sent out almost immediately, given the tight time frame. Fortunately, she hadn’t had to go about the often difficult task of picking a venue—the Palace was the obvious place for the celebration after the sanctification ritual in the temple.
Esther had been very much relieved to see her family safe and physically whole when they arrived a few days before the wedding—especially her father who she feared had suffered terribly under the Madrausans. It had been a joyful and tear filled reunion. It had felt very strange to introduce them to her then fiancé, the King of Hadiq. Even now, it all seemed so unreal. She had been saddened by the news that had had arrived from Ardmorr with her family confirming that Captain Karlsson had indeed been killed when the Nautilus was destroyed.
The wedding itself had been absolutely beautiful, on a scale so grand she could never have imagined anything like it. Her dress had been tailored by the best seamstresses in Al Farnaka, with Marigold supervising its design and construction, and it had turned out magnificently. She had worn the seashell that Geoffrey had found and given her in Deyr, hanging from the silver necklace around her neck given to her by the Satrap. The finery and elegance of the temple had been breathtaking, with the relics from ancient Pax still adorning its halls. Only two temples from that ancient trade civilization still stood, and the temple in Al Farnaka was one of them. She felt fortunate to have been able to be married there. Given that travel to the temples—even the more modern ones—was often a major journey. Most people didn’t perform the sanctification ritual until many years after they were married, if at all.
Although their union was bound more out of political convenience than love, it had felt magical and precious as the temple ceremony was performed. His Majesties Own Calvary had looked awesome and powerful as they escorted her and Asserius from the temple back to the Palace with their glittering breastplates, plumed helmets, and black boots shined to a mirror polish. Each one of those men was a decorated soldier and not mere ornamentation. Their flintlock pistols were loaded and their sabers sharp.
Esther had insisted that the wedding celebration be open to the public in general and not just the nobility and visiting dignitaries. If she wanted to be a ruler for the people, then this wedding was as much for them as it was for her. She had stayed in the palace with her guests until all who had wanted to come see her that day had a chance.
Esther had been delighted when the Satrap of Deyr had showed up to congratulate her. She took great satisfaction that she was now able to repay the Satrap for his kindness. She had wanted to introduce him to her parents, but he had come in late and they had already retired. The guards had finally had to shut the gates at dawn the next morning when people started to return to see her a second time. She and Asserius had collapsed from sheer exhaustion.
Esther hadn’t received much rest after the wedding as the political influence of their marriage began to take effect and Hadiq began to pull itself out of its isolationism and begin a slow transition to a state of war. As the official fleet envoy of Hadiq, she was extensively involved in the fleet’s gathering and preparations. Again, she had leaned heavily on not only the staff and military advisors, but her parents and companions as well.
In addition, she also had her own ship to see to. Traditionally, the King—or in her case, the Queen—chose the ship to carry him or her based on Captain’s that he or she favored. However, Esther’s ship was a newly commissioned vessel and didn’t have a Captain, therefore, it was the nobilities right to appoint one. When the reactionaries among the noblemen on the Appointment Committee found out about King Asserius’ attempts to counter the influence of their Admiral by giving Esther her own ship, they had tried to thwart Asserius by appointing an ultra-conservative Captain to her ship.
Surprisingly, the nobility’s left-leaning radical’s had confirmed the appointment, which seemed to be an indication that there was more opposition among the nobility in general to the King’s selection of their new queen than they had originally thought. However, given that it was her ship, she could either accept their appointment or leave her ship without a Captain, with the expectation that she would have to choose a different, less capable ship. Esther had called their bluff and chose to keep her ship, but without a Captain. It had caused immeasurably more work for herself and the man she’d chosen as first officer, since they’d had to take on all of the duties that the Captain would normally be doing, but she had refused to allow herself to be hamstrung by the appointment of a Captain who would sabotage her at every move. Her only regret was that she wished she could have been present to see the look on the faces of the committee members when they found out that she planned to keep her ship Captain-less rather than accept their man.
Also, unbeknownst to her, Asserius had ordered extensive modifications to her ship before she took official possession of the vessel and the Great Cabin and other areas of the ship had received modifications to make them as luxurious as possible, yet still retain their practical function. She had been afraid that he would ruin the ship’s combat capabilities, but after seeing the plans, she had felt better. He had obviously taken great care in his planning.
In addition to everything else, there were numerous other things that took time as well. There had been parades so that people could see their new Queen and all that she represented, multitudes of visitors and dignitaries to greet who had come after the wedding, and of course time with her family, catching up on all that had happened since they had been separated. Finally, they had to go and returned to Ardmorr a few weeks ago. Esther had invited them to stay in Al Farnaka, but Ardmorr was home, and they were determined to help rebuild Tewksbury.
Asserius had continued to have her accompany him to both civil and military briefings and meetings—and of course, there had been the time spent being a wife to him. It had been very difficult at first, as the memories of what had happened onboard the Ngozi returned, but Esther had accepted Asserius’ proposal knowing very well what being a wife entailed—especially a Queen expected to produce an heir—and she did not hesitate to fulfill those duties. Asserius had been very kind and understanding, and it had gotten better as time passed and the ugly memories were replaced by ones of tenderness, but it was still hard. She still had nightmares, and hated it when people stood behind her—and of course, she always wore her dagger.
A crate banged against the deck, dragging Esther’s thoughts back to the present. She stood, and a wave of nausea threatened to bring up what little breakfast she had been able to eat. She closed her eyes tightly and grabbed a nearby rope to help steady her. T
hese bouts of nausea had been occurring more frequently lately, and with her monthly cycle over a week overdue, she was pretty sure of the cause. Esther didn’t know how she felt about it. On the one hand, the future looked bleak as war loomed on the horizon, and feelings of fear and dread at raising a child in times such as these felt like a bubble threatening to burst inside of her. However, a sense of wonder and excitement at the prospect of giving birth to a tiny soul so innocent and pure filled her as well. She tried every day to concentrate on those positive feelings.
She hadn’t told anyone she was pregnant. After the fleet left, she planned to write a letter to Asserius and send it with the first set of dispatches, letting him know. If she told him before she left, she was afraid he would make her stay, and she needed to be with the fleet—she couldn’t leave the fate of her home in the hands of the nobility’s admiral.
Esther straightened as the nausea passed. She walked over to the handrail at the bow of the ship, looking down at the navy yard two hundred feet below. She had said goodbye to Asserius four days ago and flown with her ship to Khur where the fleet was gathering. Tomorrow, the fleet would depart, heading for Ardmorr. Her eyes were drawn to the lettering stenciled along the bow sprit of her ship. HMS Retribution it said. The only ship in the fleet with the HMS designation. Her Majesty’s Ship Retribution. Her ship.
Esther had been awed when she’d first caught sight of the Retribution as it had floated in to dock with the massive tower on one side of the Palace courtyard. The tower was built to be able to get Royalty aboard airships quickly and securely. Most everyone at the palace simply called it The Tower. It was a fitting name, Esther supposed. Regardless, the sight of the Retribution coming into view while she had stood on The Tower’s rampart was simply marvelous and she could still remember the thrill of excitement. She might be a bit prejudiced, but she still thought Ardmorran built ships were the finest looking ships she had ever seen, and the Retribution was simply gorgeous with its polished metal, lovely lines, and slight sheer, fore and aft. Stepping onboard for the first time had been like a dream come true.
Someone walked up next to her, placing their hand next to hers on the handrail. She turned and looked up at Geoffrey, who stood there smiling at her. A bit of sadness tinged that smile, but also friendship and a sense of peace. She smiled back. He had requested to stay with her and serve aboard the Retribution as ship’s surgeon. At first, she had argued against it, given the circumstances, but had eventually given in at his insistence. She didn’t understand why he stayed, but she appreciated his company and friendship, even if there could be nothing more than that. He would be a valuable addition to the crew given that his expertise as a ship’s surgeon was undisputed. She had bargained with the Ardmorran Ambassador to purchase his commission and the Ambassador had eventually conceded—mostly because the ship upon which he was assigned, was also part of a fleet that would soon be headed to help defend Ardmorr.
Most of her other companions had joined her crew as well—Joel as Bosun and Baird serving under him as an airman, Mac and Nkiru as Esther’s steward and stewardess, Oluchi as one of her personal bodyguards, and even Marigold, who had latched on to Esther with a fierceness that worried her. Esther was afraid that the loss of Marigold’s father had been too much for her friend, and now with both of her parents gone, she held to Esther as an anchor of stability. It would take her some time to heal. In the meantime, if Esther needed to be Marigold’s anchor, then she would willingly fulfill that role. Besides, Marigold really was a very talented person and had been essential during the wedding planning. She actually made quite a good chief of staff.
Even the young woman who Joel had rescued from the clutches of that evil merchant had requested to serve aboard the Retribution. It seemed she had become even more attached to Joel than Marigold was to Esther, and hadn’t left his side since they were released from the dungeons after the attempted assassination. Esther was a little concerned about her staying with him and had brought it up with Joel, but he had just thrown up his hands and said, “I know! Tell her that!” In the end, she had just accepted the young woman’s request and left it to deal with another day.
Malachi and his family stayed in Al Farnaka of course, and he was promoted to assist Jeshua in investigating the corruption that Harun had induced among the Imperial Guard. Esther didn’t envy him that.
War was coming, whether they liked it or not, and Esther would do her part. Somehow, she would find a way to defend both her ancestral nation that had made her a Queen, and the adopted one that she’d always called home. Retribution was hers and she meant to bring it down upon those who had taken so much from her and those she cared about. She placed her hand on her stomach and the child growing within as she looked out across the sky and pondered what the future might bring.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Benjamin J. Boswell is a science fiction, fantasy, and mystery author originally from Ogden, Utah. At the time of this writing, he and his wife Amy live in Colorado, where they live with their six children and a their dog Mya (who his wife rescued and Ben has grudgingly come to love).
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/benjaminjboswell
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