A Twist of Fate

by ElfinKnight

Joren of Stone Mountain is blind and narrow-minded. This is true, right up until the winter of his first year as a Squire when the Trickster decides to intervene, but to what end? Rated M for eventual smut. Joren x Kel

28. Chapter 28

This is a fan made story. I don't own the rights to the Protector of the Small series, any of its characters belong to Tamora Pierce… Much to my disappointment. This goes AU about midway from the book Page. Fair warning. Constructive criticism is welcome but if you don't like it simply because you don't like the line of thinking, please don't attack me for it. This is mostly centered on Joren. This is also a slow build Kel/Joren.

AN: This is the final chapter and as a result, will be much longer. Thank you for baring with me as it took me forever to complete this story and thank you for all the wonderful encouragement I received along the way. I may end up writing another Protector story, but that's a long way off as I have several other projects I'm working on, including three original stories (yes, I'm writing my own stories, not just fanfic) that I hope to finish and get published one day. Also, this chapter is ridiculously long, so much so that I was tempted to break it in two, but I decided against it.

Chapter 28: Repercussions and Conclusions

The ride from the Vassa to Mastiff wasn't bad. At least, not in terms of comparing it to riding horse back the previous five days. Still, he was grateful when they finally reached the fort. It was clear that there had been recent fighting there, but there weren't any longer. Joren waited until everyone else was out of the wagon before attempting to stand and putting pressure on his weak leg. He managed to do so, with Kel's assistance, but getting out from the wagon was a tricking bit of work. Once down, he was immediately handed a crutch by one of the nearby soldiers.

Joren nodded in thanks and supported his weight on that before limping behind the others as they headed for the room where Lord Wyldon had taken his meals with them previously. As soon as they reached the table, Joren immediately took a seat and Wyldon gave him a raised eyebrow before offering seats to everyone else. Once they were all seated, Duke Baird went to a mirror and activated a spell which brought King Jonathan into view.

Joren winced and hoped that matters would be kept to business for now. He knew that he would be receiving what would amount to a tongue lashing when he got back to Corus, but he would rather it didn't occur with an audience. Thankfully, instead, the king just demanded an overall report of the 'results' of their mission. Joren let his wife give most of the details of the events as they unfolded, though King Jonathan occasionally would interrupt to ask Joren or another person a question about this or that matter. By the end of the report, it was rather clear that Jonathan wasn't as angry as he could have been.

He merely ordered Joren to give the refugees a few days to rest before transporting them back to Corus, sans the ones who would be escorted by his men-at-arms to Stone Mountain. It was late when they finished, but Lord Wyldon sent for some food which everyone only half-heartedly ate, too tired to have much of an appetite. When they finished with eating what they could force down, everyone headed immediately to bed. Joren and Kel returning to the room they had been assigned prior to their rescue mission. Two baths were thankfully waiting for them, which the pair immediately stripped down and climbed into to clean the dirt of the road and fight off.

When they were finally clean, Joren skirted around the destroyed clothing on the floor. He just dried himself off, dug a clean loincloth from his travel bags that had been left in the room in their prior haste and then crawled into bed, his leg aching less for the soak in hot water. Kel joined him shortly after and they were both asleep before they knew it.

Over the next few days, there was a fair amount of chaos. There was the process of sorting out which refugees to take south, mainly families and orphans still. Then, they needed to sort out how much of the supplies Joren had brought north would be needed for their journey back. Wyldon was indifferent to the fact that Joren had brought supplies for his wife, but annoyed that he had found two skilled mages that refused to answer to anyone but the lady knight. Joren finally managed to point out that the two mages weren't being employed by the Crown and thus Wyldon's people couldn't be ordering them about. They were strictly employed by Stone Mountain. Wyldon wasn't happy about it but recognized that Kel did need all the help she could get reestablishing the necessary refugee camp.

Joren and Kel got precious few moments together other than in their bed at night, but they made the most of the time they had. On the day of Joren's departure with a good number of the refugees, Kel took the time bid everyone farewell and Joren was approached by Fanche who was one of those who were staying, given that she was a single woman.

"You know, when I first arrived at Haven, I made a rather crude comment that had me being laughed at by Sargent Dom's squad. When Lady Kel informed me that she was already married, I figured that you couldn't be much of a looker to have settled for a female knight who was as burly as Lady Kel. I thought Sargent Dom and his men were having me on when they tried describing your appearances later," Fanche was smiling now.

"Yes, well, I'm assuming they used the term 'prettier than most court ladies'," Joren sighed, well aware of how he was described behind his back, even if most wouldn't say it to his face.

Fanche chuckled, "Something like that. Once I got to know Lady Kel, I was less certain of your appearance and more wondered if she had been taken in by a pretty face. I have to admit, you aren't what I was expecting."

Joren smiled crookedly, "No, I imagine not. I'm not nearly good enough for Kel. I have no idea why she puts up with me." Joren joked.

Fanche shook her head, "Actually, I was thinking the gods had to have worked hard to make such an odd pair. A hardworking, noble-hearted knight and a dandy lord who was only fairly decent at sword work."

Joren rolled his eye before shrugging, "I doubt many will be calling me a dandy going forward, thankfully. The one good thing about this injury is that I'm unlikely to be called 'pretty' again." He gestured to the fresh scar on his face along with his missing eye.

Fanche shrugged, "Yes, well, you take care of our people. I expect that come peacetime, Saefas and I will be following Lady Kel back to Stone Mountain to ensure we can keep you in line for her."

Joren chuckled, "More like you just don't want to get saddled with some weak lordling that is as arrogant as Maggur is and only a tenth his brains."

Fanche shrugged as Kel joined them. Kel gave him a raised eyebrow but Joren just smirked and pulled her in for a hard kiss that earned them a few wolf whistles. Then, Kel helped Joren up into the front of the lead wagon and Joren gave a signal to the Captain from First Company to move out. Between the horses that had been gained on the rescue mission and the wagons Joren had brought north, everyone was easily accommodated, and they made relatively good time going south, given that he had around 250 refugees, many of whom were children.

While the journey north took just two weeks, going south took three, given the necessity of stops to rest the refugees who couldn't handle riding for long periods and the general slower pace caused by the wagons. Joren's men-at-arms and twenty-six refugees, six orphans among them, split off four days into their journey to head for Stone Mountain. Joren gave Captain Wood strict orders to not linger any more than necessary, which the man took seriously, given that he was already forming a fatherly bond with two of the orphans that were present.

When they reached Corus, they were met by a courier from the king informing Joren that he was to bring the refugees around to where the Riders recruit ponies were kept as it was presently empty, given the Riders' recruits were currently on their summer training camp. Joren followed the orders and they then settled the refugees themselves in the barracks for the Riders recruits. It was a tight fit, but one they managed.

Joren sighed as he watched palace servants direct the refugees on into the barracks before he collected Bloodborne and rode him over to the stables for the nobles in residence. A groomsman helped Joren dismount as he had decided it would be too much of a spectacle if he was seen in a wagon going into the palace grounds three weeks after his injury. Joren winced but managed to settle his weight on his leg long enough to work the makeshift cane, one he had made from a large branch on their way south having little else to do in the wagon during his ride south, from his saddle.

It was rough looking but was far less dramatic than the crutch he'd been given at Mastiff. Joren then paid the stable hand a few coins to give Bloodborne a good brushing down and some extra oats. The man was happy for the extra money and given that he didn't have much work, he agreed readily enough. Joren slung his saddle bags over his shoulder and limped his way into the palace and to his rooms there. He immediately washed the worst of the dirt from the road and swiftly changed into something more presentable before he sought out the king.

There was little Joren could do about the bandage around his head though. He would need to acquire an eyepatch or three for the future. Ones that were appropriate for various occasions, though none would be gaudy. Once he was somewhat presentable, Joren limped his way to locate the king. As it was mid-afternoon, he guessed the monarch would be in his private study, working on this or that of paperwork. He was surprised, when on his way to find the king, one of the king's personal servants located Joren. Joren realized that the king was likely impatient. It was fortunate that the servant found him as he was redirected to one of the smaller meeting rooms that the king had.

Inside, King Jonathan, Queen Thayet, Sir Gareth the Younger, Princess Shinkokami, and his mother awaited. Joren barely held back his wince at the line-up. He recognized the concerned expression of his mother as she saw his face and the cane, though she didn't say anything. Joren leaned heavily on his cane as he received assessing looks from the rest.

"Forgive me, your majesty, I would have cleaned up a bit more if I realized this was going to be a formal audience," Joren stated with as good a bow he could manage given his reliance on a cane.

"It's not," Jonathan stated with a sigh. "We needed to discuss a few things with you before any formal audience. Also, I would have given you time to at least get an eyepatch. Take a seat."

Joren winced at the reminder as his mother gasped, "No!" He sat as his mother covered her mouth in horror at the idea of a lost eye.

"Lord Joren of Stone Mountain, I believe I gave you rather specific orders when you went north to collect refugees, did I not?" King Jonathan began.

Joren nodded sharply, "You did your majesty."

"I remember specifically discussing the fact that I would rather you didn't come back seriously injured, most specifically with head trauma, from being involved in an unnecessary fight. Did I recall that conversation incorrectly?" The king asked sharply while gesturing to Joren's bandaged head.

Joren held back this wince, and refused to look away, "No, you recall it correctly, your majesty."

Jonathan nodded, "Fortunately for you, I doubt anyone can call your excursion north of our border with Scanra unnecessary, especially given the results of said excursion."

Joren's eye widened at this. He was expecting a bit of a tongue lashing, not the king acknowledging that he had done what was necessary. Sir Gareth rolled his eyes, "Oh, don't be so shocked. We both know that Jon and I crossed into Tusaine against his father's explicate orders just to rescue Alanna. We didn't have a tenth the excuse you and your wife had for going after Stenmun and the refugees."

"Never mind the fact that in doing so, you rid the world of what could almost be considered a monster worse than even Ozorne. The question now is how we present it to the public," Queen Thayet stated. "We can't very well allow all the credit for your wife's actions to be attributed to you, however, you are here, looking all injured and heroic while she's still on the border guarding the remaining refugees."

Joren nodded in understanding while King Jonathan, "Likewise, we can hardly expect the refugees to lie to their new overlords about your presence during the rescue. Thus, we are in a bit of a conundrum."

Joren eyed them both for a moment, "Why not just release the truth. My wife killed Stenmun and Blayce. I was injured in the fighting. However, it was my wife's command as she was the one with a command position. I merely went along because I have been strictly charged by the king to bring the refugees safely south."

Sir Gareth shook his head, "The conservatives will either label you a coward hiding behind your wife's skirts or claim you are only saying such because the King ordered you to. They won't believe it."

"They don't have to. The people, the commoners will. Let's be honest, that's what you truly need. You need the commoners to believe it and they will. There's something I held back from you, your majesty. Keladry… she didn't just go haring off after the refugees because it was her responsibility. She was charged with the task… by the Chamber of Ordeal," Joren held up his hand when the Sir Gareth looked angry and about the interrupt. "She didn't break the rules about speaking of her Ordeal as what she was charged with wasn't a part of the Ordeal itself. She went into the Chamber a second time, and it gave her permission to speak of this. And before you question of whether my wife made this up as a potential defense if she did get in trouble… the Chamber made its presence known twice. Once in the mutual presence of myself, Sir Nealan, and Squire Owen of Jesslaw, as well as the squad under the command of Sargent Domitan of Masbolle, my squads of men-at-arms, and the two squads of soldiers that accompanied us, through a young seer girl that was in the village outside of the castle where Blayce was hidden away.

"The second time, it manifested itself physically in a door in the keep of that same castle after Kel killed Blayce. It also tormented my wife for months with nightmares of Blayce," Joren's expression was grim. "This means that the elemental that is the Chamber of Ordeal isn't restricted to the Chapel of Ordeal or even just to the palace as I know a great many people believe."

Sir Gareth paled slightly at this, any potential anger dissipating with that information, "Well, that's an unsettling thought. Though, I suppose we saw an example of that to a lesser extent when Vinson of Genlith failed his Ordeal. It does make you wonder if those others who failed died at the hands of the Chamber as well, at a much later point, or were perhaps driven insane by it."

"And it makes you wonder if the Chamber has set tasks before others at the end of their Ordeals as well. I know Alanna acted in a particularly reckless manner just after her Ordeal. She almost immediately broke into Duke Roger's rooms and then publicly confronted him about his own evil magic," King Jonathan grimaced at the thought.

Thayet cringed as well, "Perhaps we could speak to it? If it has presented itself to Lord Joren, maybe he can persuade it to talk to us?"

Sir Gareth shook his head, "I dislike the idea of sending someone into the Chamber unnecessarily. While I understand that intrinsically, it is there to help our country by ensuring that it has kings and knights capable of doing their duties, the thing is still extremely dangerous."

Joren sighed, "I will do it, your majesty. Sir Gareth, while I understand your concerns, I'm fairly certain that I won't have to enter the chamber itself. If I did, however, it wouldn't be like my ordeal. Kel has entered it a second time, to converse with it and to ensure she knew the full extent of the mission. While I wouldn't recommend pestering the elemental over every little topic of discussion or concern, I genuinely believe that the Chamber's purpose is to ensure the long-term safety and survival of our country."

King Jonathan seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding, "If you're willing, I would like to get it over with sooner rather than later. Now that you're back, there will be a massive clamoring for your attention. This whole business with doing away with Blayce Younger had admittedly leaked a bit and the conservatives seem to be having a bit of a mental crisis over their women-shouldn't-be-warriors stance due to your wife's successes."

Joren snorted, "That's hardly surprising. We can likely go now before we are buried under a pile of conservatives trying to make heads or tails of the whole thing. The rest of you should probably come as witnesses as well." He reached for his cane and used it to stand again with a grimace.

"Really, I understand the healers not being able to do anything for your eye, Joren, but could they really do nothing more to ease your pain with your leg injury?" Joren's mother asked as she came to his other side and slid her arm into his, in part to assist him in stabilizing himself. He still hadn't become accustomed to sitting and standing with one eye and in addition to his leg's pain he was experiencing slight dizziness whenever he changed positions.

"The tendon was severed in the lower leg and then I moved about on it quite a bit before the healers could look at it, Mother. The healers truly did the best they could have given the time avalible. Duke Baird himself examined my leg and added to it," Joren stated as he regained his center of balance and they followed the others from the room.

Lady Verene shook her head, "Well did Duke Baird say how long it would take for you to recover?"

Joren finally did wince at this as they moved along the halls of the palace toward the Chapel of Ordeal, "Mother… I… I'll never truly recover from this injury, any more than I will from losing my eye. The damage… I'll need a cane for virtually the rest of my life."

His mother gasped once again before shaking her head, "Well… surely there's something that can be done? Surely you won't have to be… in so much constant pain?"

Joren sighed and shook his head, "It wouldn't be so much the pain, that should mostly fade with time. It's the damage to my tendon that has severely and rather permanently reduced the strength of my leg, Mother."

"Oh… I… I see. Well, you received the injury in a noble and just battle in which you were defending the innocents you were charged to protect by the crown. I suppose that such a manner of sustained injury is far more dignified for a man than say being injured in a similar manner due to a reckless horse riding accident or a duel of honor because of some heinous breach of propriety," Lady Verene's words were a bit ridiculous, however, Joren was just relieved that his mother wasn't making a bigger fuss over his physical stated.

"Mother, duels are hardly things that still occur in Tortall. Besides, if I had been fighting one on one and not five on one, I guarantee you that I would not have sustained these injuries," Joren stated as they reached the Chapel and entered it. Lady Verene kept her distance from the Chamber, relinquishing her grip on his arm as Joren limped to the front of the chapel where the Chamber was with the others. The King and Queen flanked him with Sir Gareth just to the King's left.

Joren opened his mouth to speak when the Chamber's Door swung open wide and that same odd face appeared on the inside of it that Joren had seen when he was in Blayce's castle, "Are you going to be as persistent in your visits with me now as your wife was during her Squire years, Lord Joren?"

The others flinched, having never heard the voice of the Chamber that seemed to almost resonate in their heads rather than be spoken aloud. Joren sighed, "I certainly hope not. We have only come here to speak with you because I informed King Jonathan of the… mission you assigned my wife and he wished to know if this was a frequent occurrence or perhaps a once in a generation type of situation."

The Chamber sighed in response, "I would hardly describe it as frequent as even once in a generation. One of my tasks as an Elemental is to ensure that the more perverse natures of magic are not allowed to persist and endanger this country that the gods gifted me to. Prior to Keladry of Stone Mountain, who I assigned a more direct task to only because such an event of her having the opportunity to deal with Blayce Younger was some duration away, I have only provided guidance to six others in the time I have held this position. The most recent being Lady Alanna who was the only one capable of freeing herself from the shroud of darkness that Duke Roger had lain over the Tortall royal family and those closest to them. Before that there were tasks I assigned before the long duration in which females were not permitted to enter me for the Ordeal to become knights. I have only ever assigned tasks to females as they are more skilled at dealing with these problems."

"So, it is unlikely there will be any more… missions from you to my knights in the near future?" Jonathan spoke this time, clearly relaxing a bit.

"My perception of time and even borders are not as mortals are. There is also the factor that the future is fluid and heavily dependent on the actions of mortals and immortals alike. I can say that I currently perceive no instance of possibility of it being necessary for me to instruct another mortal in a task for the current duration of your lifetime, however, such things can change rather rapidly," The Chamber's response was unhelpful at best, causing Jonathan to groan.

"If, in the future, there were such a need, would you be willing to inform me or my descendants that a task has been assigned to a certain new knight?" Jonathan asked hopefully.

"I will not. Twice the greatest threat to the fabric of all that is as it should be were presented by members of the royal family. One of them was your very cousin. If a task must be assigned, I will assign it in a manner I find befitting and I will not enable potential interference from others by informing them of the task. The only reason I permitted the Protector of the Small to speak of her task to others was because some, such as Joren of Stone Mountain, were at least partially aware already due to her nightmares and others would become aware during her journey. I knew these would not impede and only help her and thus, it did not matter if she informed them. However, that was the one instance where I have permitted such and it is unlikely I would do so again. Unlike the others I was required to assign tasks to, the Protector of the Small has produced a rather peculiar tendency to incite extreme loyalty to her that I doubt will manifest again in the near future. Now, if that is all…" The Chamber didn't wait for a response. It merely snapped its door shut in a much more abrupt manner than it normally moved.

"Well, that went better than I anticipated," Sir Gareth stated in an almost chipper voice.

Joren turned to the King's Prime Minister, "The Chamber just, quite literally, slammed it's door in our faces, and you call that going well?" He raised his one visible eyebrow at the man.

"As no one was sent horrible visions nor were we forced to actually enter the thing and no one died, yes, I would say it went rather well. Honestly, we knew it was a long shot at best and this could have gone far worse than it did," Sir Gareth eyed the Chamber with ill ease.

"Right, well, with that out of the way, perhaps we can allow Lord Joren to rest and recover for a bit before the evening meal. Joren, I've already arranged for craftsmen to arrange for a suitable eyepatch for you as well as a cane so that you won't be looking quite so… dramatic. They will be arriving mid-afternoon at your rooms in the palace to ensure they are an appropriate fit for you," Jonathan stated. "I suggest you clean up more thoroughly and get some rest in a decent bed before then."

Joren gave the King a tight smile and a nod, "Of course, your majesty. Thank you."

Before he could turn and leave though, the King spoke again, "Oh, and one more thing. We will be holding a feast to honor you and your wife's deeds in a week's time. I suggest you prepare for that as well."

Joren winced at this. He knew that over the next week he would be the focus of a lot of attention due to the recent events and his injuries, but apparently the King's ultimate punishment was going to put him on display as an unintended war hero. Worse, without Kel there to act as a buffer there was a risk at least a few women wanting to thank him in a less than appropriate manner given he both wasn't interested and was married. He could only hope that he could use his mother as a form of shield. It was unlikely that even the most wonton women would proposition him in front of his mother. Or perhaps the scarring would be enough to deter them.

Over the next month Joren found his injuries wore on him more than he had anticipated. At the feast a week after his arrival back in Corus, Joren felt a good deal of relief that he had a very valid excuse not to dance with anyone that no one could refute, his leg was simply too weak to support him without a cane and it was still rather painful for him to so much as stand, never mind walking or riding. Dancing was completely out of the question for him. Joren's mother was unhappy about his insistence of residing in the palace rather than their town house, but Joren had explained that it would put too much strain on his leg traversing back and forth between the townhouse and the palace which would delay his leg's healing as best it could.

He did have another relief for the feast in addition to not being able to dance, both his sisters were in attendance with their husbands and the two of them combined with his mother provided him with an impenetrable barrier from those who'd had a tendency to imply they would like to share his bed before he had left for the north.

This was countered, however, with the painful realization that he lacked any means of escape from the conservatives who grilled Joren for every detail of his 'journey' north of the border. After a short while, however, Princess Shinkokami and Lady Yukimi took pity on Joren and insisted he attend to them, thus acting as a peculiar repellant for the stuffiest conservatives that didn't like the foreign princess. Cleon had attended as well, but it was clear he was distracted with his pregnant wife. He was being sent north now that his lands were secure. Joren had cringed at this, but they needed ever good fighter on the border, even with the killing devices gone, it would still be a hard fought war.

After the feast, however, Joren found himself buried in work that King Jonathan had held in wait for his return. Joren swiftly realized there would be no lecture or verbal whipping from the king. His punishment would be the perpetual reminder that the King fully intended him to be his political tool and with his injuries, it was hardly as if Joren had much choice in the matter anymore.

However, he found that apparently reading for prolonged periods with a single eye was inducing headaches and the healers informed him there was little that could be done accept taking breaks and prescribed a nasty tasting tea for him to drink if the headaches got bad. He was assured that the headaches would pass once his body had adjusted to the change. Likewise, there was little that could be done to help strengthen Joren's leg and the random painful spasms that occurred besides a rather sharp smelling balm that Joren was ordered to rub into his calf whenever the spasms occurred and when he woke each morning.

Another thing that swiftly became apparent was that Joren was now, oddly, seen as some sort of challenge for the ladies of court who wanted a little amusement. As a result, Joren made a point of ensuring his manservant knew that he was absolutely not to allow any women besides his mother or sisters into his private rooms. In addition to this, Joren hired an assistant to help him with the more tedious research work. He intentionally instructed the assistant not to allow anyone into his personal office that wasn't a member of his family, the royal family, or was Sir Gareth without having an appointment or at least speaking with him first.

King Jonathan had raised an eyebrow at this the first time he had seen Joren's assistant and Joren had sighed, "Lady Clarise of Pearlmouth was waiting in my office for me last Wednesday when I arrived. I only narrowly avoided there being an issue because Sir Gareth was with me when we arrived. She was… well she pretended to be lost, but it's difficult to believe given that my office door was locked the night before by myself and was locked when we arrived. I do not want to risk even one of those harpies even pretending to have an illicit relationship with me. Kel trusts me and knows I would never have an affair, but I refuse to have her come home to be badgered with rumors of my having a non-existent affair whilst she was away at war. Besides, it's better to nip these things in the bud before the ladies get truly bold. I'm married and happily so. I will not allow bored ladies looking for a bit of excitement to cause tension in my marriage."

Jon nodded approvingly, "That is a very wise decision, Joren. I know of more than a few noblemen who failed to establish their fidelity to their wives, and it caused a whole mess of tensions in their marriages. I'll speak to Thayet about arranging that Lady Clarise gets a discreet warning about interfering with a married man who is wholly uninterested in anyone who isn't his wife."

Joren gave him a smile, "I appreciate that, but I'm keeping the assistant. He should help keep my headaches to a minimum for now as well. Though the tea, as gods awful as it tastes, has helped as well."

Jonathan smirked at that but let it rest. There were no more incidents in rooms he occupied by himself. However, that didn't stop those ladies from attempting to flirt with him for several weeks more. It was getting rather deep into the fall before the ladies realized that Shinkokami's rather pointed remarks about her distaste for the disgraceful behavior she had witnessed occurring in her uncle's court was directed at them. Joren was baffled at how it took that long as Shinko, Yuki, and Lady Haname noh Ajikuro all politely stated how they thought the practice of attempting to steal another woman's husband was the height of folly was hardly subtle.

Eventually, however, the ladies seemed to realize that Joren wasn't interested in receiving the company of women who weren't his wife. That didn't stop a few of them from attempting from starting rumors that the only reason Joren had married the 'boarish' Keladry of Mindelan was because he clearly preferred the company of men. Thankfully, these pathetic attempts at rumors failed miserably as one of the ladies attempted to moronically share one with of these false rumors with one of Keladry's cousins from Seabeth and Seajen. The cousin had rather publicly humiliated the lady who attempted to spread the rumor by loudly stating that the lady was only saying such a thing because she was jealous that Kel was able to secure a handsome and kind husband who was staunchly faithful to her while the lady couldn't even secure herself a husband at all, despite having a substantial dowry.

Joren had made a point of being especially kind to Lady Tallia of Seabeth and Seajen when he realized that he was soon avoided like the plague by the ladies who were previously hunting him. She was, in actuality Kel's cousin by marriage, but she assured him that she considered family the highest priority and she also had been rather in awe of her cousin who had had the strength to face all those boy pages without any other girls to support her. Lady Tallia even admitted that she herself had wanted to do so, but her fear of being on her own as a girl had stopped her from doing so.

Joren's one point of happiness in all the chaos that occurred as the months passed by, in what felt to him as an agonizing slow pace, was the letters he received from Kel and his Uncle Lionel. His uncle had written that the refugees had arrived safely and were settling in well. There was apparently a great deal of celebration held in honor of their Lord and Lady's brave heroics in saving the refugees and particularly the newly adopted children. His uncle also sent him a rather skillfully carved wooden sculpture of Kel that one of their new residents had carved for him.

As for Kel, she wrote that they had successfully built a new refugee camp near where Haven was. It had been named New Hope and was more of a hastily constructed, fortified town than a refugee camp, but it had the space to expand as it needed, to her relief. Joren made a point of informing her of his 'pest problem' as he referred to it and explained his means of holding the ladies at bay, much to his wife's apparent amusement, based on her letters.

As Fall closed in, Joren was forced to watch as Commander Buri resigned her position as Commander of the Queen's Riders before she and Lady Yuki, determined to marry their loved ones, traveled north before the roads were closed in with snow. Joren sent another supply train with them as they went north. One wagon carried things that were supposed to be gifts to be given to the refugees for Midwinter, which Joren explained in the letter he sent with it.

In the reverse, Prince Roald returned to the capital, to the great joy of Princess Shinkokami. As Joren was the only one of Prince Roald's friends who was in the capital, he was elected through lack of option to stand as Roald's witness at the wedding. Joren was genuinely happy for his friend, but the wedding celebrations caused him to miss Kel more than ever.

With winter, Joren found that while the cold didn't bother his missing eye one bit, and thankfully the headaches had finally subsided, the cold made his leg ache fiercely. Zahir, who had managed to get leave for the winter, recommended a Bazhir balm that was even sharper scented than the one the healers had given him, but it worked wonders on easing the ache in his leg. The entirety of Joren's winter was spent taking on increasing amounts of political work, making him virtually Sir Gareth's back up Minister. Many of the conservatives felt more comfortable with talking with Joren, despite his being a progressive, because of his conservative upbringing and more 'reasonable' arguments.

Joren might have resented being placed in the middle of man position, acting as the center of the balance which was Sir Gareth for the far left progressives and Sir Padraig haMinch on the far right conservatives, except that if distracted him from his missing his wife's warmth at night and her company in general. It was ironic to Joren that he had very publicly courted and married the first woman to go through the proper process of seeking knighthood under legal circumstances in centuries, but the conservatives still felt he was the right one to 'talk reason' with King Jonathan about this or that law.

Then again, it could be the very fact that Joren appeared to stand the middle ground politically that made them feel more comfortable with him than so many other staunch progressives. It wasn't so much that Joren agreed with their positions on most matters, because he didn't, but rather that he could present the progressive position in a manner that appealed to the conservatives that managed to make them feel that he was more reasonable than the others. Jonathan didn't care how Joren managed to get the conservatives on board for legal changes, like the laws on inheritance and the law regarding the safety of servants, just that he did get them on board fully before the coming summer's congress was in session.

What little time Joren did find he had free, he found quickly snapped up by Sir Padraig. While Joren might not be able to fight anymore, he was still well able to see the flaws in the positioning of pages' movements for both sword work and staff work. Also, Joren was still perfectly capable of shooting a bow, as he hadn't lost his dominate eye. Sir Padraig used the days when they were snowed in and Joren had little work to do as days to demonstrate the uses and differences of the various types of arrows. Additionally, Princess Shinko, Lady Haname, Queen Thayet, and Lady Ilane gave lessons in using glaives to the pages who chose to take them. Joren got drawn into those as well, because, while he had never used a glaive before and certainly wouldn't be learning to use one after all his injuries, he still knew the movements, having watched his wife practice with hers aplenty.

The winter felt like it would never end, especially as the snows had cut off couriers from carrying letters north. The only news they go was through the birds who carried messages for Daine. Joren was thankfully privy to these, and well aware that Kel was mainly snowed in, but they had enough food to get by until spring. As soon as there were signs of spring thaw, King Jonathan sent more, newly trained soldiers north to buffer their troops. Joren sent a caravan of supplies, more food, fabric for more clothing, tools and seed for planting, anything he could think of to help the refugees. He also sent along a rather long winded letter that had been written over the long winter, almost journal-like to his wife.

When those who brought the wagons north returned, Joren received the first letter he had gotten from Kel in months and a pregnant and disgruntled Lady Yuki arrived with them as well. Much like Joren's, Kel's letter covered the length of the time they were unable to send letters and was clearly written as things occurred. Joren took an entire day to himself and read through all the pages of her letters. He got a good verity of news. General Vanget assigned Cleon to assist Kel in training the refugees during the winter. He had informed her of his impending fatherhood. Yuki had announced she was expecting, and Neal had put his foot down and demanded his wife go south with the thaw before the fighting could heat up again. It had apparently resulted in a rather remarkable row, though Joren could see the logic in Neal's position.

A woman certainly could hold her own in a fight if properly trained as Kel and Yuki were. That said, a woman carrying a child could not fight. The babe was an impediment that would inhibit Yuki's capabilities. It turned her into a liability that didn't need to exist because she wasn't trapped in the north like the refugees. This didn't stop Lady Yuki from sulking, but there were limitations to what could be expected. Kel also wrote that Fanche and Saefas married at mid-winter. Though Fanche wasn't expecting yet, Kel wrote that she wouldn't be surprised if she did eventually have a child as she was still young enough to do so without great risk.

Throughout the entire thing, Kel wrote periodically that she missed him dearly. Joren had to assume that she likely missed him as much as he did her. However, one thing that was clear was that King Jonathan had no intention of allowing Joren to leave the capital until the war was over. Not long into the spring, Prince Roald was sent north once more, now that he was wed and his wife with child herself. A month later, the Lioness was sent home for a month for her horse's injury. Joren was half suspicious that that was just an excuse to see her family, but perhaps that was just his way of thinking as the lady was notorious for her hatred of boats and she was sailing directly to her home and back when her 'horse' recovered.

He was also privy a short while later to the information from George Cooper that his daughter was missing. She had supposedly decided to take her personal sailing ship to Fief Legann to get some space from her mother as they didn't see eye to eye with regards for her path for her future. She had never arrived at fief Legann however, and her ship was missing as well. Joren cringed at the information. He had met the vibrate Lady Alianne of Pirate's Swoop a few times over the previous years. She was a few years younger than Kel and Joren suspected the girl was more like her father than her mother, if she sneaky behavior was any indication. Still, he felt sympathy for the family and wondered how the Lioness was handling her daughter going missing while she was at war and unable to do anything about it.

As spring transitioned into summer, the second summer his wife was away at war, the difference in the fighting from the previous year was evident. King Maggur's grip over Scanra was clearly sliding. In addition to losing the killing devices, he had likely lost a good chunk of his best men the previous summer. Without the skill of good fighters and the terror the killing devices incited, one siege after another broke eventually. The first to break was the City of the Gods, on the first week of summer. Joren was almost certain that the very fact that the killing devices weren't there to cause issues was enough to enable the city filled with mages to force the Scanrans off and take down what they could manage of their forces in the process.

As summer progressed, the next siege to break and the Scanran troops to fall back were Frasrlund, and with them, the majority of the enemy still in Tortall. Not long after George's spies finally found out where Maggur had squirreled away the family members of the lords of the council of ten of Scanra. Joren felt a wave of glee three weeks later when those family members were escorted by Lord Raoul and the King's Own Third Company into Corus. They had met the spies that had broken the family members out of the keep that was painfully close to the border at the Vassa and escorted them, and their most vulnerable spies who'd done the work, south.

A week after King Jonathan sent a missive to the Council of Ten containing letters from their families, Scanra was suing for peace, via fire scrying communication. Joren felt a level of smug satisfaction as he stood proudly next to King Jonathan as they greeted the envoys sent by the Council that had since deposed Maggur and placed another member in his place. Joren hadn't heard much about the new King Loran Lainson but supposed that wasn't surprising as the kings were whoever suited Scanra's needs that day. With the Council's families, they effectively had the country in their palms and the envoys were clearly aware of this.

Adding to this that apparently Kel's reputation was already well established and Joren had a fun time of intimidating the envoys. The long scar on his face along with the eyepatch indicated that he had seen battle and in a strange twist, when facing the envoys of a country they had been at war with, the congress that had been split in two and bickering for the majority of the summer over various laws to be passed suddenly banded together at the sight of a common enemy. Joren was the easiest access point for progressives and conservatives alike on what they thought were suitable concessions from Scanra to be conveyed to the king.

Sir Gareth and King Jonathan knew that was how things would play out, something that Joren suspected they had orchestrated over the past few years, having made him into the man standing the middle ground. It was like he had become the funnel of information for the king and Joren realized he had stopped minding, despite his prior dislike for politics. In part, this was because it gave him something useful to do that truly mattered. So, he compiled lists of suggestions. Ideas that he thought were perfectly reasonable and should be absolutely demanded for peace to be agreed to, ideas that while good ideas were less likely to be seen as reasonable by Scanrans and thus would need to be negotiated for, and ideas that were completely ridiculous, but could be used as bargaining points, things that Tortall could 'consider letting go of' if Scanrans were willing to concede on some other, much more reasonable point.

When he brought the lists to Jonathan and Sir Gareth, they had almost evil, manic grins. Joren realized he had probably played right into their hands by sorting through it for them but then he was at the point where he wanted to have something valid to do since he certainly couldn't really fight any more. The next month was spent with Joren neck deep in the negotiations and he suddenly found something of politics that he enjoyed. He had picked up the skill of keeping his face Yamani blank from Kel and he could tell that it unnerved the Scanran envoys. As did his ability to read the most stoic of them with ease. These man weren't nearly as expressionless as they thought.

His previous love of trying to decipher Kel and get a rise out of her had become an uncanny tool in the negotiations and he enjoyed every moment of it. King Jonathan himself admitted after one session that it was a little unnerving to see Joren's expression being blank and then him blurting out some calculating observation or factor that seemed to put the Scanrans on uneven footing before getting them to fall into agreeing to something they weren't certain of before.

"How exactly do you figure out what makes them uneasy? They're all arrogant, stoic men who could rival the Yamani for blank faces. Then again so could you," Sir Gareth stated in annoyance after their latest session that had finally gotten the Scanrans to concede on one of their more reasonable demands.

Joren snorted in amusement, "Have you met my wife, Gary? Those men are child's play compared trying to read my wife's expressions when she doesn't want you to know what she's feeling. They all have little ticks, their eyes flicker in a direction or they give a slight wince. Gods, if you brought Yuki or Shinko in there with us, they could probably do the same thing I'm doing. They could probably do it better than me, it's just that they don't look very intimidating at present being pregnant." Joren had relaxed in the formality with Gary due to the constant work together.

"I don't know about that, those two can be rather menacing these days, but then most pregnant women are," Gary replied with a chuckle. "My wife was utterly terrifying."

Joren smirked, "Your wife also has a temper to rival the Lioness's. See, that's the nice thing about my wife. She may be able to destroy me in a fight, but she rarely loses her temper and she's very easy to reason with if you aren't being a complete moron about something."

King Jon chuckled at that, "You are a strong man to admit your wife can beat you in a fight, Joren."

Joren scoffed at that, "I'm lame and missing an eye, half the kingdom's squires should be able to take me in a fight. My wife is easily the third best fighter Tortall has to offer. The other two being Sir Alanna and Lord Raoul, and Lord Raoul trained her. Kel's beat a man who was nearly a foot taller than her in a one on one fight in close quarters, who was probably Scanra's best fighter. Gods, Lord Wyldon is definitely the best jouster Tortall has and she managed to keep her seat through three rounds against him as a squire. I've my pride, but I'm not delusional, Your Majesty."

"Really? The third best? Whose fourth?" Gary asked curiously.

"Wyldon, of course, I did say he's the best jouster of Tortall. He just isn't in as much practice in taking on killing devices, giants of men, literal giants, and ogres," Joren stated pointedly.

Gary nodded sagely, "Fair enough."

The negotiations continued for another month while the northern border was under a cease-fire during the process. At the end of that month, nearly every reasonable noble in Tortall was satisfied with the results and Jonathan was gleeful with the concessions being made by Scanra. The country had to swear to not attack Tortall at all within the next twenty years or risk immediate and harsh retaliation and war reigniting, something that Scanra couldn't afford at present as even this last one was a strain on them, having taken heavy losses in their most skill fighting forces.

They also had to pay a hefty ransom for the return of their families, who were to be held until it was paid. Jonathan intended to use these funds to improve the northern roads and increase fortifications built along the border, as no one really expected the Scanra to maintain the peace for longer than ten years. They never did. Furthermore, they had to pay reparations for damages to the refugees, who had lost their homes and families due to the fighting. Joren had been ruthless in this as he knew that it would make a massive difference for the future. Finally, Scanra had to concede a small portion of land between the Vassa and Brown rivers. It wasn't much, but it was more designed as a slap to the face of the Scanrans that they had gone to war to steal Tortall's land and instead lost their own. There were various, other, small points that had been negotiated over, but those were the key points.

The Scanran Envoys left with the signed treaty and a short six weeks later, a wagon baring the ransom for the Council of Ten's families and the reparations was escorted by the Lord Raoul and Third Company. They departed a short while later to return the families north. They would be met at the border by Scanran troops and that would be the end of that. Jonathan didn't release the majority of the knights on the border under crown service, Kel included, until fall began to set in, and it was clear that Scanra was actually planning on honoring the treaty rather than just playing homage to get their families back.

Joren was well aware of the order being sent out for a majority of the knights to be called home. He also knew roughly how long it would take for their arrivals if they were heading for Corus. Thus, Joren knew that Kel was due back any day, but as he was also planning on wintering in Stone Mountain this year, partly to ensure the fief was doing well under his uncle's care, and partly because he wanted Kel to see their home, finally, almost two years after they married, he was buried under work that needed completion before they headed back north.

Thus, he was startled when he heard his assistant speaking in the other room, "I'm sorry, milady. Lord Joren has orders not to be disturbed by anyone other than the King or Prime Minister at present."

"What about by his wife?" Kel's voice sounded amused, thankfully, rather than annoyed.

As soon as Joren had heard Kel's voice, he grabbed his cane and limbed over to the door, "Kel! You're back!" He stated as he took in his wife's appearance. As she was dressed not in mail or any form of armor, but rather in a dress and had clearly cleaned up, Joren realized she either had to have stopped at their rooms or at the townhouse where the majority of Kel's more ladylike apparel was kept.

Kel immediately broke into a smile and swiftly crossed the few steps into his office, "I suppose that answers that question." She stated smugly to his assistant.

Joren chuckled as he looked at the man, "My wife is always to be given admittance to my workspace unless I'm with the King or Prime Minister, understood?"

"Of course, sir. My apologies. I didn't recognize Lady Stone Mountain as I have never met her in person," The assistant stated swiftly.

"It's alright, I understand, just don't allow it to happen again," Joren stated before adding as an afterthought. "Also be aware that it isn't likely to be uncommon for my Lady wife to be joining in on meetings over various matters."

"Of course, sir. I am aware that Lady Stone Mountain is close friends with the Crown Princess and Lady Yukimi of Queenscove. It is perfectly reasonable for her to have a valuable input in government matters," The assistant stated before turning back to his work.

Joren shook his head muttering, "That's not what I meant."

Kel leaned against Joren's desk as he shut and locked the door, "Why, Lord Stone Mountain, what ever could you mean by inviting a lady into your office and then locking the door?" She teased.

Joren growled lowly, "The only thing that a husband could mean when said lady is his wife and she has been away at war for over a year." He leaned his cane against the desk and wrapped one arm around Kel's waist and the other hand gently on the back of her neck to pull her in for a searing kiss.

The kiss was long and passionate for both their parts, Kel wrapping her arms tightly around him as well. When they pulled apart for air, both panted heavily and Joren leant his forehead against Kel's, "Gods, I've missed you. Let's run away and ignore the rest of the world for the remainder of our lives." He joked as he resisted the urge to play with her hair that had been done up in a low bun.

Kel giggled lightly at that, "I don't think King Jonathan would be pleased with that, what with you being his favorite political tool and I being a valued knight of the realm." She kissed him again as they had recovered their breath enough to continue. Joren used what strength his good leg had as well as the strength in his arms to lift Kel fully onto his desk and then leaned against the desk himself as he continued to kiss her and began working on the laces holding her gown closed.

Kel stopped him at that, causing Joren to pull away with a frown. She was quick to explain, "I went to the townhouse first, as I wasn't certain where I would find you. Your mother explained that you had been living at the palace due to it being easier. However, she also got it into her head that if I was going to the palace, I needed to be presentable, hence how I'm dressed. Once I arrived here, there was a notice at the gates that any returning knights have to report to the king for official release from duties to the crown. Thus, I have to be presentable for the king. I may have diverted my path to your office because I wasn't going to go longer than necessary before seeing you, but I really do need to report to the king."

Joren sighed and rested is head on her shoulders, "Damn. I knew about the orders, I just forgot for a moment. Heat of the moment, getting to see my stunning wife after such a prolonged absence." He lifted his head and attempted a wink, though it was nearly impossible to determine it was, given that he only had one eye now.

Kel kissed him lightly again, "Well, it's a good thing that I declined your mother's suggesting of face paint. We'd have made a real mess of it if I had worn any of that. I really should go report to the King though. Merric and Neal traveled south with me and headed directly to the palace, so undoubtedly, I'm expected."

"Right, before you do though, don't be surprised if King Jonathan mentions us going on a trip. I requested permission for us to got to Stone Mountain for the winter. In part because I just want to be alone with you for a while, but also because I need to check on it as I haven't been there since before I left to retrieved the refugees from the North," Joren quickly explained.

"Oh, wonderful, another northern winter. Well, at least we'll have each other to keep each other company and warm. Care to escort me to the King's audience chamber? We can claim it's been so long since I was at the palace that I got lost," She smirked.

"Unfortunately, I need to finish some work here before I really can allow myself further distractions. I've been staying at the palace as it really is easier, and it gives Mother and Oliver a bit more independence, however, if you want to stay in the townhouse that's fine, I can move my things there. It does have more space…" Joren stopped as Kel put a finger over his lips.

"We can stay here at the palace until we head for Stone Mountain. I can't imagine us being here that much longer if we want to beat the winter snows anyways," Kel stated with a smile.

Joren nodded, "I'll send word to my valet to arrange for both our dinners tonight in our rooms."

"Or I can inform him after my meeting with the king," Kel gave him a final peck on the lips before she scooted off the desk and fixed her rumpled skirts. "I'll see you for dinner, love."

Joren smiled widely at her as she unlocked the door and left. Joren grumbled annoyedly as he forced himself to refocus on his work. Fortunately, with the motivation of Kel's company, Joren managed to plow through the remainder of his work for the day and the next as well as some for the day after that. When he finished off just before the evening bell rang, Joren collected his cane and left his room and eyed his assistant who had been a little overwhelmed by the work the Joren had already completed in the afternoon.

"Aren't men supposed to be too distracted to work properly when their wives are around," The assistant groused.

Joren chuckled, "Ah, but I intend on taking tomorrow off, and didn't feel like getting scolded for being an errant schoolboy. That's a mighty big motivator. On that note, if the King or Sir Gareth ask where I am, point out that my wife has just returned, and they will likely understand." With that he gave his assistant a nod and departed for his rooms. When he returned, he found Kel unpacking her things with Tobe helping his valet set out a meal for them.

Joren nodded at the boy who had clearly had a growth spurt, "You know, Daine is back at the palace, Tobe. I'm sure she would be happy to assist you in some training with your horse magic, if you'd like. There's also the old palace Head Hostler, Stefan Groomsman who also has horse magic, if you don't want to bother Daine." Joren added the second part when the boy looked like he was horrified at the idea of going to Daine for training.

Tobe shuffled his feet a bit before responding, "I might seek an introduction with Stefan Groomsman if I have time between all my work with Milady, Lord Joren. Peachblossom told me that he's a good'un to know."

Joren nodded, "That he is. I'm glad to see your speech has improved quite a bit as well. You'll find that a lot of the palace servants are a bit stuck up. I'm certain that William will be happy to show you around the palace so you can perform your duties properly." He gave the boy a smile and glanced at his valet.

"Of course, I will show the lad around, milord. I've no doubt we will both have a bit of work to do before we head back to Stone Mountain for the winter. It's better he learns the basics of palace life now rather than later," William smiled. "Now, I believe you and the mistress will be wanting some alone time. Come along, Tobeis, I can show you were the servants dine and I'll give you a few pointers on who you'd do well to avoid as they will pester you constantly for our masters' attention," William gave Joren a wink as he guided the reluctant boy from the room.

Kel chuckled as Joren immediately locked the door and then held out her chair for her, "That was kind of you."

"Yes, well, Tobe needs to adjust to palace life quickly. It will make things easier for him at our castle if he understands where he sits in the pecking order for servants. I don't think he quite realizes how much standing personal servants have compared to cleaning staff or how he will have higher standing as the personal servant to you as opposed to that of a Baron or a knight or the like," Joren pointed out.

"Oh, he probably knows a bit of it. Remember, we did pick him up in an inn. It's more likely that he will have some difficulty remembering that he's much higher positioned in that hierarchy than some of the pushier servants are," Kel sighed. "And here we are discussing our servants like stuffy old nobles would."

Joren snorted, "No, on the contrary, we are discussing our servants' comfort. That's something some stuff old noble would never care about. I'm certain the only time my father minded the servants was when there was a pretty looking one among them for him to trifle with. Not that you need to worry about that with me."

"No, I certainly don't. I had a lovely run in with my cousin Tallia while you were working. She informed me that you had a rough time of fending off some unwanted advances," Kel gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Well, there was certainly a reason my assistant was reluctant to allow an unknown woman into my office, love," Joren stated, giving her a responding raised eyebrow.

Kel, who had just taken a sip of juice nearly choked on her drink. After coughing for a moment, she looked incredulous, "One of them broke into your office?"

Joren nodded wryly, "I had the locks replaced with magical ones and got an assistant after that. Fortunately, when I entered to office, I was with Sir Gary, so I avoided any scandalous rumors. The lady in question tried to claim she had gotten turned about and lost."

"And magically appeared in a locked office?" Kel asked with amusement. "I thought only the gifted of Black Robe level were capable of teleportation."

Joren snorted in amusement, "Yes, Sir Gary and I didn't buy it either."

Kel sighed again and set her cup aside, "Well, as amusing as that is, we need to have an important discussion." With that she reached into her pouch and pulled out her pregnancy charm.

Joren raised an eyebrow at this as she set it on the table, "About children?" He guessed.

Kel nodded, "If you think about it, this is likely to be the most optimal time for me to get pregnant. Tortall is at peace, but we have no idea how long that will last. Also, King Jonathan and Lord Raoul have both hinted at the possibility of my being Lord Raoul's replacement as Knight Commander of the King's Own when he eventually retires. Furthermore, it's looking more and more likely that you will be playing a major role going forward in the government, specifically, in Roald's reign, when that time eventually comes. As such, I hope you would agree that having one child now, hopefully the socially expected boy, but I hope it doesn't matter to you what gender the child is, and then, if it's still peaceful in a few years' time, another." Kel looked expectantly at Joren.

He eyed her with suspicion, "You aren't just suggesting this because you think it's what is expected of you, right, Kel? I want you to know I would never pressure you for children immediately even if it is what society expects of us. We're both still very young and there really isn't any rush."

"No, Joren, I want children, I want your children. I'm also aware that people will talk if a child isn't born within the year now that I'm back from war, but that isn't my motivation. The simple fact of the matter for us is that the life of a knight is hard, we both know that. There are also events that can cause a woman to be unable to bare anymore children… This isn't something that Lady Alanna wants publicly known, but she shared it with me in confidence and said it was alright if I told you. Not long after she had her twins, about a year after, Lady Alanna received a gut wound. Fortunately, there was a healer at hand, and she survived but… she was informed that she wouldn't be able to have any more children. While I understand that it's unlikely to happen to me, it was more of a point that there's no absolute certainties in life. We both want and, as nobles with a fief, need to have children. Now is the most reasonable time for us to do so with minimal issues. If I get pregnant now, I can have the baby next summer and still reasonably take on one of the girls who will be finishing their final page years next summer," Kel explained.

Joren hesitated, "You truly want to have a child now, not just because of expectations, but because it's what you want?" He finally asked. He certainly wanted children. It was more a matter of ensuring that Kel wanted it as well, given that the pregnancy wasn't something that he could do much in, other than ensuring she was comfortable.

"Yes," Kel answered firmly.

Joren nodded, "Alright." He took the pregnancy charm and tucked it into his pocket to be stored until the child was born.

They were only in Corus for another two weeks, mostly because Joren needed to finalize things. Once the formalities were done, the trip north was made in a well-equipped carriage, though Kel did spend part of her day riding Peachblossom or Hoshi. Peachblossom was an old grouch by this point, but Joren didn't comment on it. The two mages that Joren had hired to assist Kel at the refugee camp had chosen to stay in their employ and traveled north with them as well as Tobe, William, and a Lady's maid that Joren's mother had insisted would be absolutely necessary for Kel. The shy girl, Trina Mills, had come to them on Lalasa's recommendation as she had originally been hired to work in her shop but had a greater interest in having the security and protection afforded a noble's servant over that avalible to a shop girl.

Kel had quietly grumbled about starting over from scratch with the timid thing that she stated she suspected had a similar background to Lalasa. Still, Trina was skilled and efficient in her duties. With Tobe managing the horses, and Trina and William handling their comfort on the trip, it went more easily than Joren had anticipated given his leg's perpetual weakness. They reached Stone Mountain just before the early snow, a fact made abundantly clear by the detail that the very evening of their arrival, a snowstorm blew in, effectively snowing them into the keep for a few days.

Three weeks after their arrival, Joren was reminded by Kel of his promise to show her the hidden room in one of the towers that he had found as a child. Kel and his Uncle Lionel both got an amused laugh at the sight of the gilded armor clearly designed for a petite woman much smaller than Kel or even Alanna. Along with the armor, there was a few family record books that covered the long history, prior to the two hundred year period ban on female knights, of the Stone Mountain lords taking Lady Knights as wives to ensure 'strong, healthy children that were both intelligent and clever' and having daughters and sons alike seek their knighthood. There were some other artifacts, such as chain mail, and elaborate jewelry that doubled as weapons. Among all this, Joren's uncle found a letter, covered in dust, on one of the stacks of records books.

He handed it to Joren, who leaned against the wall and carefully opened the ancient letter.

Dear Descendent,

I don't know how long into the future this will be read, only that a seer had informed me that this room won't be found again until women will be permitted once more to be knights and thus, hopefully our family's heritage will be preserved. A law has just been passed that I fought viciously against. It is an imbecilic law banning woman from obtaining their knighthoods or even holding any profession that 'places them at undue risk'. It not only has the potential of ruining the way of life for both my family and for Tortall as a whole. I can only hope that the duration of this useless law will be short, along with the duration of the ridiculous 'Church of the Gentle Mother'. I can only assume that the Mother Goddess has some very important and distracting issues in another part of the world that consumes her attention completely for this non-sense to have persisted and spread this far.

I will pray nightly for her to notice this folly and put it to rights shortly. In the meantime, my late Adaline's armor and more subtle weaponry, as well as our family's extensive histories will be stored here in this hidden vault. The king has not only gone so far as to pass the law banning female knights, he has also ordered that any and all armament for women be destroyed and I can only imagine that any records of women knights will follow in a few generations as well.

Furthermore, my idiot son, and do not ask me how my brilliant wife and I produced such a closed-minded child for I am as baffled as any man might be, has bought into this Church of the Gentle Mother nonsense and gone and betrothed himself to a daughter of a noble family that is neck deep in that bull dung heap. Thus, I am forced to protect our linage and heritage in the only manner I can manage. Fortunately, my son is seldom at Stone Mountain, preferring the gaudy baubles of court to his family and noble duties. Thus, he has no idea of the construction of this room. As the villagers and my servants are of the opinion to despise my son and had always adored my wife, I am certain they will not inform him of it either.

I can only hope that whichever descendant that reads this is a much wiser person than my son and my king. If you are, I hope you will honor our family's traditions, if you have not married, and there are once more female knights, try to find your bride among them. Encourage your daughters to seek their knighthoods and your sons to marry for the strength and wisdom of the woman, and not merely her appearances. My son had failed in this, I can only hope that you, my descendant, can correct his errors.

Sincerely, Lord Brode of Stone Mountain

Joren eyed his wife and then the letter and then chuckled, "I swear I didn't read this at any point in the past."

His uncle laughed outright, "No, but that does explain a curious feature I've noticed in the Stone Mountain men. All the lords are drawn towards marrying strong, independent-minded women. It was always a peculiar phenomenon, I thought. Burchard hated our mother who was a fiercely determined woman. Burchard hated it, yet he chose to marry a woman just like her. The attraction to strong, intelligent women must be genetic, it's the only explanation."

Joren handed the letter to Kel who read through it and chuckled as well, "I feel that we should honor your many times great grandfather and put this armor and weaponry on display, the letter too. Even if it will cause people to question your motives for marrying me."

"I can always pen a letter for future generations stating that I had already chosen to marry you prior to reading this letter. Personally, I think we should see if King Jonathan will display the armor at the Palace in Corus. My ancestor's silent defiance over a law that King Jonathan himself overturned. It would likely tickle his fancy," Joren chuckled. "But I want the letter to go into the royal archives. I want it to be known that the Stone Mountain family may have been conservative during the reign of the Gentle Mother, but it went directly against our blood to do so. This is the right path for us, though I won't force my sons to marry a knight, that will be their choice to make, I believe they may just do so anyways."

His uncle nodded in agreement at that and eyed Kel sagely, "I'll go speak with the steward about having all this moved to their proper places. The armor can go to the room where we display the armor of our honored ancestors, the books can go back to the library with the rest of the family records, where they belong, and I'll leave it to Lady Stone Mountain to decide what she wants done with her predecessor's jewelry."

Kel gave him a raised eyebrow before nodding and beginning to examine all the pieces. Most, she declared too fragile to be used, due to their age. She decided to have them displayed with the armor, as most of it contained some level of weaponry as well. There were a few sets of hair sticks like the ones Joren had once gifted Kel, a hair ornament that looked to be designed to go in a complex hair braid that had obvious gems and concealed spikes in the event that someone grabbed the lady's hair, a bladed fan similar, but less heavy than the ones used by the Yamani, though clearly styled after them. There were a variety of other jewelry/weapons that had both Kel and Joren admire the cunning and ingenuity of Joren's ancestresses.

Joren even commented that he wanted a few recreated for Kel to use, as they were rather clever, like a locket that concealed a long, thin garrote wire. It was an inventive one. The next few weeks were an amusing combination of working out how to display the armor and Kel exploring the local villages. Within the month of their arrival at Stone Mountain, Kel began experiencing morning sickness. If not for a politely worded warning from Joren's mother, when she learnt that they were attempting to have a child, Joren might have panicked at waking to find his wife heaving her stomach's contents into the chamber pot.

Instead, he offered her a weak smile and sent Trina for Ragar to see if the healer had anything to help settle her stomach. Ragar came, confirmed that Kel was indeed expecting and likely had been since almost directly after her return to Corus, and gave her a tea that she was to take every morning and any other time she felt ill. Kel declared it the first healer prescribed tea that was palatable. Joren and Trina shared a confused look as the tea smelt rather unpleasant to them. Neither opted to comment, however.

Ragar noted their expressions and chuckled before informing them that pregnant women often found their tastes altered. Joren nodded at this, as it made far more sense than his wife truly enjoying a medicinal tea. He did reason that at least his wife would be able to tolerate the tea that helped her though.

Joren found that he didn't mind the length of this winter as much as he had the previous. In addition to the sheer bliss of his wife's presence, Joren got a rather amusing bit of information that Kel was easily bored and when she was bored, she ended up trying to occupy herself without bothering Joren. The result of this was Kel collecting all the other pregnant women in the village, of which there were quite a few given that Stone Mountain was once more paying proper homage to the Goddess, and persuading them to teach her how to properly embroider things for the baby, with the assistance of Trina.

When she had presented her first attempts, Joren made the mistake of laughing, as while Kel was a skilled warrior, she lacked the artistic skills necessary for embroidery. This resulted in Kel in uncharacteristic tears and a hoard of angry, pregnant, village woman descending upon him the next day. This was probably more terrifying to Joren than even the killing devices. Joren make token attempts to distract her from future embroidery pursuits but failed miserably. Thus, he was reduced to spending the entire winter watching his wife gleefully practice a pursuit he was certain she was going to never use after she had the baby and enduring her roller coaster of emotions.

As spring neared, Ragar confirmed that Kel was bearing twins and recommended that the birth occur in Corus, where there were more healers avalible. In addition to this, Joren did have to return to court to continue his work for King Jonathan. Thus, as soon as the snow had melted, the couple packed up for their return to Corus, taking with them the armor of Joren's ancestress and her elaborate weaponry disguised as jewelry. They had to take the trip slowly, stopping frequently to allow Kel to stretch and ease her discomfort from the long trip.

It took over three weeks and the first person they encountered upon returning to Corus was Lord Wyldon, who took one look at Kel and chuckled, "Lady Keladry, you look to be positively glowing. When is the child due to be born?"

Joren smiled, "Ragar believes it will be the end of June or early July. Though, she is carrying twins, so it's possible they could be born sooner."

Wyldon's eyes widened at the revelation, "Well, you certainly made the correct choice in coming to Corus then. Congratulations, Lord Joren. I expect you are pleased?"

"Absolutely thrilled. I imagine my mother will be too, once we are able to inform her. She's apparently visiting Lady Nond at present," Joren stated. He had been annoyed to find his mother and brother had decided to make an unexpected trip, but based on the letter she'd left him, the ancient Lord Nond's health was fading fast, which meant that Sir Paxton would soon be inheriting the Nond Fief and his sister would require his mother's support.

Joren and Kel opted to once more reside in the palace rather than their townhouse, as it meant they were closer to a ready supply of healers for Kel and Joren wouldn't have as many difficulties in traveling for his work for the King. King Jonathan had been all too thrilled to learn that Kel was pregnant with twins, making a comment about silencing rumors once and for all. What rumors, Joren didn't want to know. Yuki and Shinko, having already had their children, both boys, were also far more successful at distracting Kel from her ill thought attempts of embroidery. Instead, Queen Thayet had ensconced herself with Kel, Shinko, and Yuki in creating an elaborate tribute and display to women knights of old. The Stone Mountain family's armor and the jewelry of the late Lady Adaline were to be the center piece, along with the letter of Joren's long dead ancestor.

When Sir Paxton returned to Corus in late May with news of his father's death, he also brought with him a similar collection of artifacts from before the ban on female warriors, found by him in a similar cache. Paxton had thought to look for one only after hearing of the Stone Mountain one and had shocking success, though the collection his family had was much smaller. It was worked into the display quickly. Sir Alanna wrote to the Baron of Trebond to search her old family home and to everyone's amusement, a cache even larger than Joren's family's had been was discovered. With some effort, it was also transported to the palace to be added to what was looking to be a forming exhibit to lady knights.

It started a flurry of a trend to see exactly how many families had had ancestors who acted in a similar manner to Joren's, choosing to conceal and protect their histories rather than allow the cult of the Gentle Mother destroy the truth. All told, nearly a third of the families that predated the Gentle Mother cult had hidden away artifacts rather than destroy them. To Joren's relief, as he was frequently buried under piles of work for King Jonathan, Kel was kept well preoccupied with aiding in organizing all the artifacts from a time when women were as respected in combat as men.

However, as June began Kel was ordered to bed rest by the healers, given that carrying multiple children was a strain even on her body, which was larger and sturdier than the average woman. Sir Alanna admitted that giving birth to her own twins had been extremely difficult given her size and that she envied Kel's height because it had allowed her to stay active much longer than Alanna had managed it. Joren's mother and Kel's both endeavored to keep Kel entertained, to little success, once she was placed on bedrest.

The bedrest did little good as less than a week after being placed on it, Kel was experiencing labor pains. Joren found himself being ejected from his own rooms by a pack of healers, his mother, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, of whom nearly everyone had come, his sisters, Queen Thayet, Lady Yuki, Princess Shinkokami, and Lalasa. Honestly, if Joren had to admit it, he probably wouldn't have fit in the room even if he were permitted to attend the birth of his children. Neal, who had been banned in advance from the birthing process, Roald, and Cleon provided Joren with company.

"What I don't understand, is why the queen gets to attend the birth of my children, but I don't. It's obnoxious. I can understand Shinko and Yuki, they're at least Kel's friends, close friends, and even all Kel's sisters, though I have no idea why Lady Patricine felt it was necessary to come all the way from the Yamani Islands for this. Still, they at least make an ounce of sense. But the queen doesn't," Joren muttered and grumbled.

Roald and Neal shared a look. Roald was the first to speak, "It's because they're hoping for two girls or at least one. You need to understand that up until my self and my younger siblings, the royal family's bloodline had been dwindling. Yes, we injected healthy new blood into the system with my mother's marriage to my father, which is why we didn't have the issues of my father's generation, where he was the only child, and my marriage to Shinko, but a lot of nobles have been making a fuss about the foreign marriages, especially with my next oldest sister as Empress of Carthak. However, given our friendship, and your family being Book of Gold nobility, and Kel's family's… fertility… It's an appealing prospect to them long-term."

Joren glared at Roald, "So, what you're saying is that the queen has been eyeing my unborn children for the hope of securing further royal stability?"

Roald shrugged, "I have my have five younger siblings, but one is an Empress in her own right, and thus can't be a direct option for the throne. In addition to this, our next nearest relation is Lady Dunlath, who's family's reputation is still struggling to be repaired when her elder sister attempted to overthrow my father, never mind that she's three generations removed. Our next nearest relations after her is Queenscove over there who is the last remaining son himself and has only one son so far and his wife is also foreign. So, yes, I think it's safe to say my mother is very determined to see that a trusted young lady of Tortallan lineage of a near age to my eldest son is considered a top future contender as a future bride."

Joren cringed, "Do me a favor and never mention that to Kel. She wants our children to be knights and live much freer lives."

"I have no objection to my son marrying a knight, Joren. I'd have to be a massive hypocrite if I did, given that my wife is lethal with a glaive, my mother is a terror to behold with a bow and arrow, my godmother was the first female knight in two hundred years, the godmother to my son is the second, oh, and a dear friend to boot," Roald stated with a snort. "However, I have a strong suspicion that even if there aren't any formal betrothals in the near future, if one of those babies your wife produces is female, we'll be looking at the future queen."

"This isn't helping my anxiety about my not being with Kel as she gives birth to my children," Joren glared at his friend.

Before anyone could comment, the door to the room they had commandeered opened and Jonathan entered, followed by Joren's brother-in-law Toshuro noh Akaneru, who had come with Patricine for Kel's labor. The two men were followed by servants with refreshments and Raoul who slumped down into an empty chair. Joren gave the giant of a man a raised eyebrow, "Buri just joined the rest of the ladies. You'd think those babies were some prophesied miracles destined to bring peace to the world with the fuss being made over this."

Jonathan snorted, "If Thayet has her way and one's a girl, then they think the child will be the security of the realm for the next century. Sorry, Joren. I did try to dissuade her of the notion of how perfect it would be if your daughter married Roald's son, but she's still bitter about the whole Dunlath and Carthak thing and a lot of nobles are irritated that my only grandchild is only technically a quarter Tortallan, even if he is of the Conte line. I think she looks at Kel and sees a young woman who will produce strong, healthy daughters who in turn will produce more healthy, strong children."

Joren groaned and flopped down into a chair. Toshuro didn't seem the slightest bit phased by this, "It would be a good marriage prospect for your daughters. The Emperor and Empress have already betrothed my eldest daughter to be his eldest grandson's future Empress. It is a great honor for our family that I know is because of Patricine's being able to have so many healthy children. I am truly blessed."

Joren resisted giving the man the stink eye, "Oh? How old was your daughter when this betrothal was arranged?"

"Two days old. She is now ten and her beauty grows daily. The Emperor is greatly pleased by her talents as well. She will be a wonderful Empress," Toshuro stated with conviction.

Joren refrained from commenting on it, though it struck him that, if Thayet had her way, he would be father to a queen and uncle by marriage to an Empress. That was, ironically, something his father would have coveted, but didn't make Joren comfortable at all. Jonathan hadn't commented on the discourse, but Joren suspected that the king might be of a like mind with Thayet despite his claim otherwise, thinking of the future of the realm as a whole in ensuring a healthy, strong lineage for the crown.

Instead, Jonathan attempted to coax Joren into eating and then they began discussing the upcoming congress that summer and the laws they wanted to alter, funds needed for projects, and anything else that drew Joren's attention from the fact that his wife was in labor. They were mid-discussion on how improving the road north could help revitalize the dwindling economy in the north with more than just mining and provide better long term protection from Scanra when Lalasa entered. She immediately curtsied to them, even with the squalling infant wrapped in a blanket in her arms.

"Lady Keladry wished that you be shown first, milord. Your son," Lalasa immediately brought the baby to Joren.

He couldn't help the wave of awe and love flowing through him as he took his first born in his arms. The baby's face was red from crying, but he settled a bit as Joren rocked him. There was a soft down of blond hair on his wrinkly head as Joren began pacing, more sedately around the room while Lalasa exited. Raoul was the first to pip up, "What name did you settle on for a boy?"

Joren smirked and shook his head, "I promised I would let Kel tell the names we chose." He chuckled as he said that.

He allowed himself be entranced with his son for a while longer until he boy started fussing again just as Lalasa came in again with another baby and looking a bit dazed, "A girl, milord… Um… the healers say there's another child yet. Master Ragar admitted it can sometimes be difficult to detect when there are more than two." Joren handed the boy, whose name would, in truth, be Raoul, hence his unwillingness to admit it to the man the boy was named for, to Roald and took his daughter.

Roald worked to help sooth the boy as Joren did the same with his daughter, whom they were naming Adaline. They had settled on the name to honor Joren's long dead ancestress who had been the last lady knight in his family before the ban.

It didn't take long before Lalasa returned, followed by Ilane with the final baby, "Another boy. The healers say she is tired, by Joren may see her and the babes need to feed." His mother-in-law announced firmly.

Joren nodded and Roald quickly surrendered baby Raoul to his grandmother. Joren didn't relinquish his daughter, instead just giving his second son a brush of a finger on his cheek. Kel looked thoroughly exhausted when Joren entered but she gave him a smile as Raoul was handed over to her and one of the healers helped her adjust the baby to feed before arranging Adaline to feed next to him. Joren was glad he had persuaded Kel that with two babies, they would need a wet nurse as he watched Ilane hand their younger son, Brode, so named for his long dead ancestor who had preserved their family histories, off to be fed. Two babies would have been hard for Kel to feed on her own, three would have been near impossible.

Once the babies were fed, they fell asleep and the wet nurse and Lalasa settled them into the cot meant for them to sleep in. Kel was asleep before the last of the women departed and Joren sat at examined his little miracles. The healers had pronounced them all healthy and strong as possible, if a bit small due to their early birth. Joren felt a sense of contentment settle over him that he once wouldn't have imagined possible.

"So, I'm willing to bet you're all kinds of grateful to me right about now," Joren jerked upright in surprise at the sudden appearance of Kyprioth.

He stared at the god who he'd figured he'd seen the last of. Still, he knew he should admit the truth, "As a matter of fact, yes, I am. To my annoyance."

The god chuckled, and Joren checked to ensure he wasn't disturbing the babies or his wife. Kyprioth waved his hand, "Oh, no need to fuss. I'll not wake them. I just wanted to congratulate you on getting one last laugh in. Your little wife there will truly have turned the court on its ear with this one. Of course, the Lioness's daughter is carrying triplets as well, but your lady did it first and much more impressively. She has always struck me as an overachiever, you wife. I suppose it shouldn't be surprising she managed this as well."

Joren's eyebrow raised at the tidbit on Alanna's daughter who had ended up marrying a crow of all things in the Copper Isles. Kyprioth continued on though, "Lovely job with finding that hidden compartment, by the way. You provided the laws of nature with a great boon. So, I'll provide one of my own." He stretched his hand out over the babies and Joren frowned as a slight silvery bit of power flowed from the god into the babies.

"What did you do?" Joren asked with suspicion.

Kyprioth smiled politely, "Healing isn't exactly my forte, but your children being born so early, even if they are healthy, does provide greater risks to their health. I just gave them a… temporary fortification. It will prevent them from growing ill in the first few years, so they don't have any developmental problems this early on, and strengthened their heart, lungs, all the important things."

Joren's eyes widened. He was heartfelt when he spoke this time, "Thank you." It was simple but sincere.

Kyprioth nodded, "You prevented the opportunity for that foul beast's work to rise again, it was worth more than the boon you owed me for guiding you from the path of death, since you did most of the work yourself and still ended up in pretty rough shape considering your leg and eye. Besides, we can't have a future queen falling ill before her time." With that the god winked, shrugged and vanished.

Joren turned back to his children and muttered softly, "I hope this doesn't turn any of you into little miscreants." He then stripped, and curled up beside his sleeping wife, allowing the promised security of his children's health to sooth him into sleep, failing to realize that his leg was lacking it's usual ache, though he would notice it in the days to come.

AN: In case any of you were wondering, Kel having fraternal triplets isn't without precedent since her mother's brothers, according the Wiki page on it, were twins and given the high number of children her mother had, it's actually probable that at least a few of them were twins, my guess being Patricine and Anders, or maybe Conal and Demandina. Though, to be fair, I did ignore the fact that Kel's mother's brothers didn't have any children and thus, there would be no cousin by marriage to help Joren stay safe from the crazies. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the ending.