Chapter 1
Mid-morning found Corona's capital already sweltering under the summer sun, though you'd never be able to tell from the royal family's pavilion.
Arianna sighed contentedly as a breeze drifted past them.
"It's a lovely morning, isn't it, dear?"
Frederic hummed affirmative, fingers drumming left, pushing food around the plate on his right. The bags under his eyes were returning after nearly a year long reprieve, insomnia creeping out of the shadows the second his daughter and crew were out of sight. At the very least the creature seemed more like a perturbed mother-in-law than the monster it had been for nearly twenty years. No real nightmares to speak of.
"Although we could use some rain." His Queen commented.
He nodded. Had that been an owl call?
"I'm thinking of wallpapering the west wing."
No, not an owl. But she could have used a falcon, right? Those were easy enough to come by.
"How do you feel about polka dots? Or elephants?" she continued.
"Uh-huh."
Had he given them enough food? Money?
"It's been so quiet since they left."
"Yes, of course." They could always go to an allied kingdom for help if they got desperate. And between the lot of them, someone had to know how to fish and forage.
"That's why I've invited the gentlemen from the Snuggly Duckling to stay here while they're gone. They will be running a day care center for the staff's children out of the dungeons. They'll be here this afternoon and joining us for dinner."
"Yes, sounds wonderful, dear."
He really should have brought those binoculars Arianna had bought him for his new 'hobby'. He'd taken up bird watching, waiting for a particular owl to bring some news of his daughter. Arianna had meant it was a joke but they did come in handy. Maybe he'd get some proper sleep if he got some news from Rapunzel. The bird watcher's field guide Ariana had given him along with the binoculars was the only thing that had put him to sleep the past few evenings.
Frederic nearly jumped out of his seat at the sight of Nigel approaching with an envelope.
"Any word from Rapunzel?"
"Not since the last time you asked, Your Majesty."
Arianna giggled at her husband's dejected expression.
"There is, however, something you should see." he held the letter out, the silver seal catching the morning sunlight. "It appears to be from the Gaian Queen- pardon me. The Empress of Teemah'Omgaia."
His heart stopped briefly. When had been the last time he'd heard from them? Turning down the invitation to Rapunzel's coronation? No, it had been this spring, announcing the death of the previous Empress. Empress Lynnima had been – how had his father put it? A silent but reliable ally. Cold and absent in peacetime but dependable fire power when her allies were in need.
What could they want now?
He opened it, half expecting a declaration of war the way things had been going lately. But the paper smelled of lavender and was written in what he guessed was the Empress' own hand. He read it again and again, this couldn't be right. But there was the royal seal on the envelope, the Empress's stamp embossed on the pages. He handed the letter to Arianna.
Her eyes widened. "Well, it seems we need to set up some guest quarters, Nigel. We're going to be having quite a bit of company."
The Heroine pulled into port a week later, as promised. Frederic and Arianna waited on the dock with as much of an entourage of guards as could be spared from duty elsewhere. He was pointedly not thinking of all that could that could go wrong, though that was a bit of a reprieve from missing Rapunzel. He could have used her help on this, or at least her optimism. It would have been a good learning experience for her as well, building relations with their most reclusive ally, learning about a culture so different from their own.
"They seem to be taking a while to come ashore." Arianna commented.
Frederic glanced at his pocket watch, dabbing sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. It had been nearly an hour already and the ship had long been secured. They just announce their visit and then keep them waiting? What kind of game was this Empress playing?
I'm sure they have a good reason, Dad.
"I thought you told Rapunzel that Kings don't fidget."
"Princesses, Arianna. I distinctly said Princesses don't fidget. And neither do I, for that matter."
Finally a gang plank was lowered and a young man approached with five others following close behind. Faint freckles dotted his dark face, the sun glinting off the silver studding his blue uniform and pinning back his curly black hair.
He bowed low, followed suit by the men behind him.
"Your Majesties." He took Arianna's outstretched hand, pressing her knuckles to his forehead rather than kissing them. "I am Admiral Perrault. I must apologize for the delay in meeting you."
He had fully expected Admiral Perrault to be a woman from what he'd heard about the country, but from the looks of it only men made up the crew.
Frederic smiled, inclining his head slightly. "It is an honor to receive the Empress' assistance. We are truly grateful."
"You said there was a delay?" Arianna asked.
"Ah, yes." The admiral nodded. "Regretfully it seems some of our supplies became contaminated during the journey. Roughly half of the crew is ill in quarantine below deck. They are not contagious, of course; it is merely a precautionary measure. According to protocol they will remain below deck with the medic and guard detail until they are given clearance to leave. In the meantime, you have one hundred of my men and myself at your disposal."
He relaxed slightly. "Well, the guards will certainly appreciate the help."
"We don't need help!" Captian McGainey shouted as he strained against the binds, kicking futilely at the guards wrestling him into bed.
The doctor sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Please excuse his outbursts, Your Majesty; he is heavily medicated at the present moment." She joined the guards at the bedside, fastening more binds.
All things considered, Frederic was surprised they'd managed to keep this a secret from the Captain this long. Even more surprising was when the Captain burst into the throne room in his nightgown ranting about a foreign invasion, Stan, Pete, and the doctor trailing breathless behind him. To their credit the Gaian guards had taken the apparent madman in stride, gently restraining him and speaking softly to him in their broken English while the others escorted the citizens to the foyer.
"Captain, we've been shorthanded for months, even before the incident with the alchemist. Empress Aesari was very kind to send assistance."
The doctor pulled the straps tighter, leaving the captain gasping for breath like he was being corseted.
Frederic winced. "Previous incidents aside, are the restraints really necessary, doctor?"
"He's re-broken his ribs already, this is the third time I've had to replace the stitches, and he's already escaped the binds once."
"Damn the stitches, and damn the binds! It's unsolicited assistance! Isn't it –OW!"
"I told you to hold still, captain," the doctor all but growled.
"Isn't odd that we've never heard a word from them and suddenly they want to help? How did they even find out about this?"
"It seems she wishes to learn from her mother's mistakes. While I was surprised how fast word traveled, it wasn't exactly a secret. "
"Your Majesty," the doctor cut in, "could we perhaps continue this conversation later? Say after the Captain has recovered? His blood pressure…"
"There is nothing wrong with my blood pressure!"
"He won't rest until he's satisfied, Dr. Zephyr, best get it over with."
The doctor sighed. "What I would like to know is who told him about it in the first place?"
The guards at the door coughed, shuffling their feet. Well that was easy.
"It's a small fleet and we have them guarding prisoners and the castle so our guards can keep the streets under control. One hundred men are more than enough – "
"One hundred? You need at least two for a war galleon."
Damn. Drugged out of his mind and he managed to catch that, but the thought that shouting at the king in nightwear was inappropriate hadn't occurred to him?
"Yes, well, at the moment half of the crew seems to be in quarantine on the ship."
The restraints creaked in protest as the captain lunged as far as he could and nearly knocked the doctor over. "Quarantine? So they're here to start an epidemic?"
"Admiral Perrault assures me that the illness is merely due to contaminated supplies and the quarantine is a precautionary measure. Protocol, if you will."
"That's just great. A French admiral leading a Gaian fleet to take over Corona with the black plague and we all live in a house that Jack built."
Frederic raised an eyebrow to the doctor.
She shrugged. "I feel I must reiterate that he is heavily medicated at the moment, Sire. He has no idea what he's saying."
"I know exactly what I'm saying, you old codger!"
Dr. Zephyr narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Frederic considered pointing out that she was the same age as the captain himself but decided against it.
"Teemah'Omgaia is a trusted ally. They're not here to take over the kingdom and they're certainly not going to be doing it from the dungeons."
"Be that as it…" his face fell. "The dungeons? Just who are they guarding?"
Fredric pinched the bridge of his nose. "The prisoners, McGainey. We've discussed this already."
"Not including the Alchemist?"
He took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I thought it would be better to have guards for him that didn't bear him any grudges, at least until it can be determined how to help him." Though how the child could possibly be helped was beyond him. Still, Quirin had been a dear friend. He wasn't about to let his son down again.
"So," The Captained laughed. "So the Princess dates a wanted criminal and suddenly it's safe to leave a child alone with sailors? Have you lost your mind or are you just hoping they'll kill the kid before he can go to trial? Poison would have been kinder."
"Okay," Dr. Zephyr snapped. "That's quite enough, Captain."
"I'll tell you when it's enough!"
"I think it's time for Michael to get some rest, don't you, Your Majesty?" she said through a forced smiled and gritted teeth.
"I don't need rest!"
Frederic nodded. "Yes, that would be for the best. We can continue this conversation later, captain."
"No offence, Sire, but he won't remember most of this when he wakes up."
She slipped the needle in McGainey's arm and within seconds his shouting turned to grumbled slurs before silencing altogether.
"Has he been like this the whole time, Doctor? I didn't think his injuries were that bad to begin with."
"He should have recovered by now but he keeps reinjuring himself trying to go back to work too soon, and his blood pressure is alarming to say the least. Last week he ripped his stitches out while hurling an omelet at the wall. That daughter of his deserves a medal for what he must put her through."
Frederic chuckled. "I'll make a note of it."