Hello at last! Well, I survived the Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday sales and have been ridiculously busy not only at work, but in preparing for Christmas. We do a lot of baking/cooking this time of year and when you throw shopping for gifts into the mix it makes for zero free time to write! I finally have a full day off and managed to get a chapter finished. I can't promise regular updates for the foreseeable future, but I promise to do my best. Thank you all for your encouraging words! It is keeping me motivated. For the sake of this story, no form of birth control currently exists on Eternia. Work with me, people! ;-) LOL! Enjoy...
Adam held his arm out for Teela as they stepped off the transport in the capital city of Vlystagna in the kingdom of Aragnor and they were greeted by Prince Vlacan and his parents, King Vlancar and Queen Elevren, as well as several members of their court.
"Welcome Prince Adam and Princess Teela of Eternia," Prince Vlacan said with a short bow.
Adam inclined his head as Teela gave a small curtsey.
"We thank you for inviting us," Adam replied.
"Father, Mother, this is Prince Adam of Eternia and his beautiful wife, Princess Teela," Vlacan said, introducing them. "Prince Adam, Princess Teela, this is King Vlancar and Queen Elevren."
Adam bowed formally and Teela curtsied to the king and queen. "Your majesties," Adam said, "we thank you for allowing us to visit your kingdom and welcoming us into your home."
"The pleasure is ours Prince Adam," King Vlancar replied with a smile. "Welcome to Vlystagna."
Vlacan noticed the beautiful young woman standing behind Teela who had remained silent, but had curtsied appropriately each time Teela had. "Who, may I ask, is this?" he asked Adam as he smiled broadly at the young lady.
"May I introduce Lady Laraina?" Adam replied. "She is Princess Teela's cousin and is accompanying us at my mother's request to act as lady in waiting. I do hope it's not an inconvenience that we brought her along?"
Prince Vlacan bowed to Laraina and then held his arm out for her. "Not at all," he murmured softly as he gazed at her intensely.
King Vlancar and Queen Elevren looked at one another in surprise and the king smiled. "We welcome you, Lady Laraina," he said to her.
Laraina curtsied to the king and queen once more and bowed her head. "Thank you, your majesties," she said.
"Come; I will show you to your rooms and then you may all take time to rest and freshen up before the banquet we are holding in your honor tonight," Prince Vlacan said. He motioned to a group of people waiting nearby and they immediately moved towards the transport, and the royal guardsmen that had accompanied Prince Adam and Princess Teela, to gather their luggage as Prince Vlacan, still holding Laraina's hand in the crook of his elbow, led them towards the palace.
"How do you like the southern continent so far?" Vlacan asked as they entered the palace proper.
"It's much warmer than Eternia," Adam commented, "but what we have seen is beautiful."
"Our days are longer and our are nights shorter, as well," Vlacan replied. "If you find that your Eternian clothing is too uncomfortable, we can have the palace seamstress and tailor bring you clothing more appropriate for our climate. Anything that you require at all, please let me know and it shall be yours."
"That's very generous of you your highness," Adam said with a smile. "Thank you."
"Please, call me Vlacan," he said. "We are equals and I hate stuffy titles."
Adam chuckled at this. "Then I insist that you call me Adam," he said. "I hate stuffy titles, too."
Teela smiled at her husband and rolled her eyes. "Your palace is beautiful," Teela commented. "The architecture alone is exquisite, but the artwork and tapestries make it even more elegant."
Vlacan nodded slightly and smiled. "The palace was built over a century ago and every queen carefully chooses those that she wants to decorate it. Every tapestry, every piece of artwork, every rug on the floor must be approved by the reigning queen. Fortunately for us, my mother has good taste."
Adam grinned at him as Teela and Laraina laughed softly.
Vlacan looked at Laraina and winked at her before he stopped in front of an ornately carved door. "This will be your suite for the duration of your stay with us," he said as he opened the door and they all entered. "It has three bedrooms, each with their own lavatory and bathing chamber, a small kitchen and dining area and the main sitting room. It also has a meditation room and a study."
Adam and Teela glanced around before smiling at the prince.
"This is wonderful," Teela said. "Thank you."
Vlacan bowed slightly and turned to kiss Laraina's hand. "I do hope to see you at the banquet tonight?"
Laraina curtsied and bowed her head respectfully. "Of course your highness," she replied as she blushed slightly.
"Good," Vlacan smiled. "I shall send a valet to escort you to the banquet hall at the eighteenth hour," he told them all.
"We'll be ready," Adam replied. "Thank you again for everything."
"You are quite welcome," Vlacan said before leaving the suite.
Teela smiled at her cousin broadly. "I think he likes you."
Laraina blushed and ran a hand nervously through her auburn curls. "Which room shall I take?" she asked, changing the subject.
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The valet arrived right on time to escort them to the banquet hall and Adam held his arm out for Teela to take and then surprised Laraina by holding out his other arm for her.
Blushing slightly, Laraina accepted his arm and they followed the valet through the palace corridors, admiring the beautiful home of the Aragnorian royal family.
When they arrived at the banquet hall they were presented before the king and queen and Adam bowed while Teela and Laraina curtsied gracefully.
Prince Vlacan stood and moved to where they were, holding his arm out for Laraina as the valet showed Adam and Teela which seats they were to sit in. He led her to the seat beside his own and held her chair for her before sitting in his own seat and smiling at her as a servant began to pour the wine for everyone around the table.
"Prince Adam," King Vlancar said as the servants began to serve their meals, "I was extremely pleased to hear that your father was able to come up with a trade agreement between our two kingdoms that we both could be satisfied with. I look forward to doing business with your kingdom."
"My father was glad that he was able to come up with a trade agreement that you and your kingdom could be content with," Adam smiled. "Prince Vlacan was instrumental in helping to determine the final terms of the accord and my father said it was a pleasure for him to work with such a dedicated and agreeable young man."
King Vlancar looked at his son proudly as he spoke. "I am delighted to hear that."
Adam squelched the pang of jealousy he felt as he saw the way King Vlancar looked at his son with pride and love clearly written on his face. He knew that his own father only reacted the way he did toward him because of the image he allowed him to perceive of him.
Teela took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze when she saw he suddenly seemed to be a bit melancholy, though she wasn't sure why.
Adam smiled softly at his wife and leaned over to kiss her cheek gently before he returned to his meal.
They talked about the differences in their cultures, weather and clothing styles while they ate and when the meal was finished they listened to a young woman sing a beautiful song about lost love before the musicians began to play and couples took to the dance floor.
Laraina blushed prettily, her golden eyes sparkling, when Prince Vlacan asked her to dance. She accepted gracefully and allowed him to lead her to the center of the ballroom.
Adam looked at Teela with a grin before he stood and bowed, asking her if she would like to dance with him and smiling when she accepted. When they were not far away from Vlacan and Laraina, he took her into his arms and they began to dance.
"I think Prince Vlacan is smitten with your cousin," Adam said quietly to Teela.
Teela smiled as she looked at Laraina and then she leaned closer to Adam. "I think Laraina is just as taken with him."
"Since her father and brothers are not here, I guess it falls to me to be her guardian," Adam said. "Do you think they would mind?"
"Not at all," Teela replied. "You are the crown prince, after all, and I know you will look out for her best interests."
"I will," Adam nodded. "I don't want to see her get hurt, but I have a feeling that Prince Vlacan is an honorable man and will not do anything improper."
"I think you're right," Teela answered. "He seems to be a good man."
When the festivities were over, Prince Vlacan escorted them back to their suite and then asked Adam whether they would like to join him for breakfast or eat in their suite.
Adam looked questioningly at his wife and when she gave him a small smile and nodded, quickly glancing in Laraina's direction, Adam smiled and winked at her before turning to face Vlacan again to answer. "We'd be honored to join you for breakfast."
"Wonderful," Vlacan said, his ice-blue eyes sparkling merrily. "I shall send Vleramar to escort you again in the morning. I hope that you all sleep well; good night."
"Good night," Adam, Teela and Laraina replied as he left.
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"Laraina," Teela said as she looked at Adam briefly, "I'm going to have some tea; would you like to join me?"
Adam, taking the hint, faked a yawn and leaned down to kiss his wife briefly. "I'm going to go prepare for bed; I'll see you in a little while."
Teela gave him a grateful smile as Laraina agreed to join her for tea and the two women headed toward the small kitchen. Teela moved toward the stove when Laraina insisted that she make the tea and that Teela should sit down at the small table. "Rain, how long have you known me?" Teela asked, even as she sat down.
"Our whole lives," Laraina grinned. "But you're the princess now and I am here as your lady in waiting; the least I can do is make tea."
Teela gave and exaggerated long-suffering sigh and then smiled at her cousin. "So... I think Prince Vlacan really likes you."
Laraina blushed as she filled the tea kettle with water and set it on the stove to heat. "I really like him, too," she said softly. "He has the most amazing eyes and his smile is..." she trailed off and sighed dreamily.
Teela smiled at her cousin. "Since your father and brothers aren't here with us, it falls to Adam to act as your guardian while we are here. Do you have any objections to that?"
Laraina pursed her lips thoughtfully as she poured the hot water into the tea cups and then set the kettle back on the stove before picking up the cups and saucers and setting them on the table. She took a seat and looked at Teela. "I don't, as long as he isn't going to be over-protective. I am a big girl and I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions."
"I'll make sure he understands that," Teela promised.
Laraina nodded and then looked at her cousin. "Things between the two of you seem to be much better. What happened there?"
Teela smiled and sipped her tea. "We both admitted we were in love with one another and began to actually talk to each other."
"So you realized you really were in love with him?" Laraina asked.
Teela nodded. "I know just before the wedding I wasn't sure how I felt about him, but when he nearly died I had to come to terms with my feelings for him and I realized that I really did love him the way a wife should love her husband. When he woke up, we started to actually talk to one another honestly and it has greatly improved our relationship."
"I'm glad to hear that," Laraina replied. "I was pretty worried that you were going to be miserable."
"I'm not," Teela assured her. "We still have our moments of disagreement, but I think that is normal for any couple. And I can tell that Adam really is trying to make me happy and that he loves me. If only he could tell me what his secret is..."
"Secret?" Laraina asked in surprise. "What secret?"
Teela hesitated a moment and then looked at her cousin seriously. "You can't share this with anyone."
"I promise," Laraina nodded slowly.
"Adam... well, everyone knows that he disappears from battles already, but they don't know that he also randomly disappears for hours at a time. He says that he's keeping a promise during those times and that he can't tell anyone what he's doing because he's been sworn to secrecy."
"Sworn by whom?" Laraina asked with wide eyes. "Surely not his father, else he wouldn't treat Prince Adam the way that he does."
"By the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull," Teela said with a slight grimace. "I think he does something important for her, but I..." she trailed off and her eyes grew huge and she suddenly turned very pale.
"Tee?" Laraina asked in alarm as she moved to her side and placed a hand on her arm. "What's wrong?"
Teela took a deep breath. Looking at Laraina, she gave her a small smile. "I'm okay... I just thought of a possible explanation, but I know that it couldn't possibly be that."
"Can't be what?" she asked.
Teela shook her head. "Nothing," she replied as she waved her hand dismissively. "It's better to not even speak it aloud when I know it isn't possible."
Rain frowned slightly in confusion before she nodded her acceptance and then carried their empty tea cups and saucers to the sink and rinsed them before setting them on the drainboard to dry. "I think I'll go and get ready for bed and then turn in for the night."
Teela stood and hugged her cousin. "Thank you for coming along, Rain," she said. "I'm so glad to have another woman here with me that I actually know."
"I was glad to do it," Rain smiled at her. "Now that I've gotten to meet Prince Vlacan, I'm even happier to have come along."
Teela grinned and they left the kitchen. "Good night," she said.
"Night," Rain replied and they went to their rooms.
Teela entered her room and stood studying Adam intently for a few moments as he sat in the chair near the window reading. Glancing momentarily out the window, she thought it odd that it was bed time and the sun had not even set yet, though it was nearly dusk.
Looking at her husband once more, she thought about the conversation she'd had with Rain and the explanation she'd come up with for his disappearances. Could it possibly be? It would explain so much...
Adam looked up from the book he was reading and smiled at his wife. "How did your talk with Laraina go?" he asked.
Teela blinked and smiled at him as she moved closer to him. "Fine," she replied. "She doesn't have any problem with you acting as her guardian, so long as you don't become over-protective. She says that she is an adult and perfectly capable of making her own decisions."
Adam chuckled as he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her gently. "Sounds familiar..."
Teela grinned unrepentantly at him and shrugged. "I need to go prepare for bed; breakfast is at the seventh hour, correct?"
Adam nodded and kissed her again before releasing her.
After Teela had finished preparing for bed, she and Adam settled into the large, comfortable bed and Teela snuggled close to him, resting her head on his chest as he put his arms around her.
"Good night," Adam said softly.
"Good night," Teela replied as she closed her eyes.