At the bookshop, the group walked in on Miranda and Cedric happily chatting about her journeys through Metarmoor since the royal wedding. Cedric hung on her every word as though her lips dripped precious gems and was rather annoyed when they were interrupted, even when that interruption was accompanied by his childhood friend.
"Sorry for interrupting, we won't be here long. We just wanted to show Danny Meridian since she is now an ally of ours." Will smiled weakly as she ushered Danny past the counter.
"Do you really think that introducing half of Heatherfield to Meridian is a wise idea?" asked Cedric in a snide way; Will might be the queen in Meridian, but in Heatherfield she was still just a schoolgirl.
"Welp, too late buddy. I am already here, and I am not leaving until I see that place. So, either let them show it to me or get ready to hear me sing my favorite songs until the end of time every day you work here." Replied Danny before the others had a chance to jump to Will's defense. To keep a fight from starting, Phobos spoke up.
"Cedric, it is alright. Danny will be under supervision and she won't leave the castle. She already knows everything and has been of good service to Will and I; it is only fair to include her."
Though Cedric didn't like Will and how she helped herself to all the services of Meridian, but he was in no position to argue with his King, so he acquiesces to the Queen's demand. With silent thank-you's and an odd glare from Danny, the group walked past the register and to the bookshelf that hid the portal. The bookshelf had recently been equipped with small wheels to help move it since Will frequently used it. The moment the blue shimmer of the portal was revealed, Danny let out a low whistle.
"Wow, looks like something from a Las Vegas show."
"Wait 'till you see what is on the other side." Chimed Irma as she jumped through the portal as though it was a cool pool on a hot summer day. One by one, Danny watched her friends step through the portal until she was the only one left. With one quick glance to Cedric and Miranda, she took a deep breath and thought.
Here goes nothing.
With her eyes shut tight, she stepped through the portal. At first, Danny didn't know what to expect; she remembered encountering the Inbetween for the first time and how she didn't even realize she had gone to another place. Then again, she had managed to fall from the railing an orbit the house for a while; if the same thing happened in Meridian, Danny would make Irma pay for ever convincing her to visit.
"Danny, you can open your eyes now." Said Irma, but Danny shook her head.
"Nope, I am not falling off another railing. I got so dizzy orbiting that crazy house that I nearly vomited. That ain't happening today."
"Danny, this isn't the Inbetween and there is no railing to fall off of. In fact, you are missing out on the nice vaulted ceilings in this place." Irma teased, knowing that Danny was a sucker for old architecture. As expected, Danny slowly cracked her green eye open and tilted her head up. Within seconds, Danny's head was tilted back and her eyes were glued to the ceiling.
"Wow, that actually is a pretty high ceiling. How do you clean it? Irma, you gonna have to be my guide god. I won't be able to take my eyes off this ceiling." Said Danny as she held out her hand for Irma to take.
"Danny, you are being weird again, and now in front of my friends. Could you be normal, just this once?" whined Irma as she gave her friend a gentle shaking.
"Irma, you know me better than this." Replied Danny, winning the minor battle between her and her cousin. With a defeated sigh, Irma took hold of her hand and began to lead her out of the library. With that, the tour began; all the while, Danny either looked at the ceiling or managed to tear her eyes from the vaulted ceiling long enough to glance out the windows, where she caught sight of the village beyond the castle walls. "What is going on in that place?"
"Danny, one adventure after another. Right now, we are introducing you to this place. Doggy paddle Danny; doggy paddle." Answered Irma, slowly regretting taking Danny to Meridian.
After a few more stops at the infirmary, another library, and other rooms of significance, the group got to a large dark-wood door. With a smile that tour guides were famous for, Phobos addressed the group. "And this is the throne room. We usually receive high ranking guests and family friends here. In a way, it is like a fancy office. However, most work is done in private studies."
With that, the King pushed open the large door; it groaned loudly as he did. The moment the door was open, Will saw two figures standing in the middle, talking to each other. She immediately recognized Julian; however, she didn't recognize the young girl by his side. The woman was about Taranee's height, with short hair that got longer near the front and an odd purple color. Her eyes were a shimmering beige color that reminded Will of sunlit sand at the beach. The woman was very pretty in her azure-colored robe and fitting brown shoes, but Will couldn't place her. She looked high ranking and important, but Will didn't know where she was from. She wasn't from Meridian, that much the young queen could tell and she wasn't from Ero either as the fashion of clothes didn't fit. With a surprise in her voice and a raised eyebrow, she looked up at her husband. "Were we expecting any guests?"
"I wasn't informed of any guests." Replied Phobos in a hushed voice as they approached their guests.
"Julian, it is great to see you." Said Will as she offered Caleb's father a friendly hug. Since his son's exile, Julian had been a little more recluse, but he still ventured into the village and went about his day; however, when his son was mentioned, the life visibly drained from his face. Will felt horrible for the cards life dealt Julian, but there was little she could do about it.
"It is great to see you as well Will," he then turned to Phobos and offered his new King a friendly smile. Julian still didn't fully approve of Phobos, but he had to admit that life got significantly better since the royal marriage. If things continued on this path, then he might be proud to call Phobos his King one day. "It is also an honor to meet you, your highness."
"If Wilhelmina allows you to address her by her name, then you are given the same privilege from me. Simply call me Phobos from now on." Replied Phobos and Julian offered a thankful bow as the rest of the guardians rushed over to greet their old friend.
"Julian, how have you been? We haven't seen you in ages!" asked Hay-Lyn as she hugged the man that was like a second father to her.
"Julian, have you taken up a new job? I mean, most of the rebellion members did." Asked Taranee as she hugged one arm.
"Julian, what do you think of Meridian now? Is it all you hoped for? I think things turned out pretty snazzy!" asked Irma as she grabbed hold of his other arm.
Unsure of where to stand, Elyon remained close to Danny and kept her mouth shut. She barely knew Julian and was uncomfortable meeting new people in Meridian. She was still uncertain of the different ranks and how to properly address them. However, her focus was still on her sister-in-law and her brother, so she didn't notice when Danny slinked out of the room.
"Girls, please, I still need to breathe. I have then up the trade of a carpenter and I am happy about how things are developing in Meridian. Now please let me go before I fall over!" Julian laughed as he freed himself of his friends and started to explain to the girls how his life had turned out since the wedding. Seeing they were no longer needed, Will and Phobos turned their attention to their other guest.
"Welcome to Meridian. May we ask your name? I don't think we have met yet." Asked Will as she gave their guest a friendly handshake.
"I am Orube. I have been chosen by the Oracle to replace Cornelia. I assume you know that the guardians require five members to fully function. In addition, I have been designated to protect you, Will." Answered their purple-haired guest with a soft smile before leaning in and whispering, "You two can't keep the pregnancy a secret forever."
The color nearly completely drained from both Will and Phobos; they had been so occupied keeping the pregnancy a secret from friends and family members, that they completely forgot about the Oracle. Of course, he would know and take measures to keep Will safe during this trying time; he probably knew long before Will conceived. Seeing the pale complexion on the royal couple's face, Orube smiled at them and whispered. "Don't worry, I know how to keep a secret."
"Thank you." Whispered Phobos with a sigh just as Irma broke free from Julian and approached their new member.
"Wait, you are Cornelia's replacement?" asked Irma with shock and surprise in her voice. "Does that mean Cornelia isn't going to come back? Does that mean you can control plants? Why was Cornelia replaced? Who are you anyway?"
"Irma, this is Orube and she will be replacing Cornelia because the Heart requires five guardians." Answered Will so Orube wouldn't need to repeat herself.
"To answer your other questions, I was chosen by the Oracle and his council and do more than act as a replacement guardian. I also act as a protector to Queen Wilhelmina on her journey to Ero. With my strength and perception, I'll be of perfect use."
"Wait, why do I need protection when going to Ero? We are just visiting extended family." Asked Will and Orube only shrugged in response.
"He didn't say. I was just given my orders."
"Sounds like the Oracle alright, cryptic and unclear." Replied Irma with annoyance before returning her focus to Orube. "What are your abilities? Cornelia had a lot under her belt."
"I am a good fighter and fast on my feet. I also have a little control over energy, if that answers your question." Replied Orube just as Hay-Lyn noticed that Danny had gone missing.
"Umm, guys, have any of you seen where Danny wandered off to?" asked Hay-Lyn as she pointed to the spot where Danny had stood. Surprised, Elyon looked beside her where she thought Danny stood, only to see thin air.
"Oh no, where could she be?" asked Irma as she rushed to the entry door and looked into the hallway; she had a small hope that she would spot her cousin walking down it, but that hope quickly died. "We have to find her quickly; she is fast on her feet and could be on the other side of the castle in half an hour if we don't find her. I swear she is part squirrel."
"Who is Danny?" asked Orube. She was only told of the original guardians, the royal family, and her mission; the rest, she was told, she would learn when she met them.
"Danny is Irma's cousin. We met her a while ago and she is an ally to us." Replied Will before rushing over to comfort Irma. "Don't worry, we will find her and ask the guards to keep an eye out for her."
"I am not waiting for that. I'm gonna go look for her." Replied Irma as she ran out of the throne room like a storm was on her heels.
"We'll help Irma. I doubt Danny could get into much trouble in just a few minutes." Said Taranee as she and Hay-Lyn followed their friend. "Please get our new team member up-to-date on everything."
Once the other two guardians were out of earshot, Will let out a heavy sigh before turning back to Orube and Julian. "I know we should help find Danny, but Taranee is right I doubt Danny could have gotten far. Orube, it is nice to meet you and I welcome you to the team."
"It is an honor, but may I ask why you and Phobos married? I was only told that he used to be an enemy of the guardians." Asked Orube with a raised brow.
"I am also curious about that," added Julian, causing Will and Phobos to exchange worried glances. Outside of their friends, the council, and Caleb no one knew of the true events that led to their marriage.
"I am also a little fuzzy on the details," added Elyon as she stood beside her brother. "I accept your relationship and am glad for it, but I still don't understand the sudden heel-turn."
"It is a long and convoluted story that involves a lot of attempts on my life. After a nearly successful attempt, Will rescued me and felt sorry enough for my condition to stay by my side as I recovered. Because of this, we were given time to have civil conversations and found a lot in common. From there, we got married and are now standing here." Answered Phobos, hoping that his vague answer would suffice. Sadly, it wasn't.
"And you two didn't wait with marriage because?" asked Julian, wanting more details. He was thankful that his son wasn't mentioned, but he still wanted to learn why Caleb had resolved to the actions he had taken. With a heavy sigh, Will supplied the details.
"Caleb thinks he loves me and asked a potion-brewer to make a poison to kill Phobos. The poison had a side effect that would cause immense amount of pain for Phobos unless he is near me. It is a binding potion used to keep a spouse faithful and it bound Phobos to me. Unless I am near him, Phobos is in pain and I can't live with that on my conscience. When the poison didn't kill Phobos, Caleb attacked him with a knife. I arrived shortly after the attack and, with the help of a friend, took Phobos to a place where he could properly heal. It is accurate that this gave us the chance to become close. After everything, marriage just felt natural." She then turned her full focus on Julian with a sorry expression on her face, "I never asked Caleb to do any of these things. He did those because he thought it would help, but it only made things more complicated. When he had the chance to take responsibility and apologize, he didn't take it. Julian, I am sorry for what happened."
"No need to apologize, Will, I just needed to hear the full story." Replied with a weak smile.
"Why didn't you mention any of this to me?" asked Elyon as she grabbed hold of her brother's arm as though he would fall over dead any moment. "I am your sister; you should know I am here to help!"
"Elyon, there is little you could do to help me. My bond is with Will and there is no cure. We thought we about telling you, but decided against it since we didn't want to cause you any worry." Replied Phobos and gently freed his arm from her iron grip.
"You still should have told me! I know we don't have the closest of sibling relationships, but you still should have told me?" argued Elyon and crossed her arms with a huff.
"I am sorry Elyon, but this isn't much of a concern for you. You are having a minor meltdown over this, which is why I kept my condition a secret from you. Please don't turn this into a bigger thing than it already is." While the two siblings argued over the King's condition, Will turned her attention to Julian and Orube; both were a little shell-shocked over the secret that the couple had kept for so long. Still, there were more things to discuss.
"So, when did you two decide to try for a child?" asked Orube before she could stop herself; part of her had thought that Elyon already knew since she was the Princess of Meridian, but the new guardian quickly learned this wasn't the case. The sudden reveal of their secret caused Will's back to stiffen in shock and all color to, once again, leave the royal couple's faces.
"Quit the ability to keep a secret." Groaned Phobos with a sorry shake of the head. Orube flinched as though struck and looked at her feet in embarrassment.
"MORE SECRETS!" Elyon burst out. Now she felt more than angry, she felt betrayed. Back at the cabin, both Will and Phobos had promised to tell her when they find out. "You both promised me that you'd tell me!"
"Elyon, please keep your voice down." Hissed Phobos and motioned with his hands that she should lower her voice. "We don't need the whole castle to hear the news."
"Why not? Everyone except me seems to know already!" Elyon snapped back and glared daggers at her brother.
"Elyon, barely anyone knows, but the whole kingdom will if you keep shouting. I am begging you to keep your voice down!" replied Phobos, but Elyon wouldn't listen.
"You two promised to tell me the moment you found out! How long have you kept this from me? When did you discover this?" asked Elyon, in respect of her family and their privacy, she did lower her voice a little, but not much.
"We knew since our stay at the cabin, but we were still waiting to tell because of the reactions we were expecting. You blowing up like this is one of the things we worried about. Could you please keep your voice down now?" Phobos snapped back at his sister, his patience wearing thin with her.
"How am I supposed to react to learning that my own brother kept my sister-in-law pregnancy from me?" asked Elyon, her patience wearing thin as well.
"How about congratulations, when is the due date? What are you hoping it will be? Would you two like some help choosing names and furniture for the baby? These are simple things one would expect their family member to ask." Countered Phobos; Elyon had to admit that her blow-up was unnecessary, but her anger still felt justified.
"Who else knows?"
"Other than you, Hay-Lyn threatened to ask the Oracle if Will didn't confess what was going on, so she knows. The Oracle obviously knows; he probably knew this would happen long before any of us even born. Orube knows because she is tasked to keep an eye on Will, and Julian now knows. Altogether five people know; Mrs. Vandom doesn't know and neither does Cedric." Phobos answered his sister's question, glad that she had lowered her voice to a normal level.
"I am still angry that you kept this a secret from me. Not really brotherly of you to keep a secret like this from your only sister." Muttered Elyon and her brother simply patted her shoulder in response.
"Elyon, you have every right to be angry and I am still learning this whole sibling thing." He then leaned in a little closer and whispered, "I am not very good at it and will take a while to learn the details."
Julian, unlike Princess Elyon, simply looked from the King to the Queen in stunned silence before asking Will, "Will, is that true? Are you expecting?"
"Yes, I am." Replied Will in a low mutter, feeling as though confessing a lie to her parents. "We wanted to keep it a secret for a little while because of everything going on and how Irma would react to the news. It hasn't been a full two months yet; we were going to announce the news once we got to the third month. I am sorry Julian." Again, she felt the need to apologize, but Julian would have none of it. Forgetting who they were, Julian first pulled Will into a joyful hug before doing the same to Phobos, adding a proud pat on the King's back; treating the royal like any other soon-to-be father.
"Congratulations, both of you." He said with a light-hearted chuckle. "I can securely keep a secret, but I do wish you two had told me sooner. I could have started on a crib for you two weeks ago."
"We weren't expecting any gifts." Started Phobos, a little rattled at how quickly the man's mood shifted, but appreciative of the man's cheer nonetheless.
"Nonsense," replied Julian, not wanting to hear any excuses. At this point, Will and Phobos might as well be a close neighbor than his rulers. "I am not a man of many means and already felt sorry that I couldn't supply a proper wedding gift. Even if it is never used, at least allow me to gift you two a crib for the baby."
Despite being glad how well Julian, a representative of his citizens, took the news of the baby Phobos still felt awkward accepting any and all gifts from him. Phobos knew Julian used to be the leader of the rebellion before Caleb was handed the torch. Furthermore, Phobos knew it was his mere existence that caused Caleb to be exiled. Lastly, given everything he had done in the past that caused him shame, he was surprised how pleasant this old man was treating him. "Sir, given everything that has happened in the past, it isn't necessary and you should put all your daily work aside for us."
Just as he had with Will, Julian refused to take a rejection from the King. "Will you two just accept a gift from an old man without arguing it? I'll make a small crib for the child and I don't care if you two use it as kindle, just allow me to make this little gift."
Again, Will and Phobos exchanged surprised glanced before returning their attention to Julian. "If you go through the effort of making a crib, we won't use it for kindle." Said Phobos and Will finished the sentence.
"Just don't kill yourself over this."
XXXXX
While the royals discussed the matter of the baby with their friends and the other guardians were running through the castle on the search for their missing friend, Danny had managed to leave the castle, jump the gates without being noticed, and was already halfway down the path that led to the village. Sure, the castle was grand and filled with interesting things, but she wanted to see the village, so to the village, she would go; surely Irma would understand. Before she knew it, she approached the outskirts of the village; the smell of open fires, burning pine wood, baked goods, and warm pubs filled the air. For looking like a medieval village, Danny was surprised she didn't smell manure anywhere. The streets were clear of snow from people going about their travels; seeing the number of people in the streets did worry Danny a little as she didn't exactly fit in with her leather bomber jacket and jeans, but no one seemed to notice her. Since no one gave her odd looks, Danny wandered a little deeper into the town before choosing a random, warm looking, pub that emitted the sound of folk music, laughter, and the smell of alcohol. The moment Danny walked through the door of the pub, the waft of warm air eased the stinging chill of the winter air that was biting her nose and ears. Without hesitation, Danny saddled up to an empty chair at the bar. "Hey mate, how about something for a dry throat?"
"Pay first, stranger. I don't know you; you don't look like you are from around here." Replied the large, stout, bearded man as he eyed Danny's bomber jacket and jeans. Danny, reluctantly, reached into her pocket and pulled out a dollar bill and two quarters.
"What does this get me?"
"I don't recognize this money from any of the kingdoms. Are you trying to pull a fast one on me?" asked the pub keeper with anger at the edge of his voice.
"If I tried that, my sister would beat the life out of me. I am just visiting from Heatherfield and wanted to see the world my friend lives in," replied Danny with a nervous smile; she hadn't considered a change in currency when she jumped the castle gates. Suddenly, any hint of anger and distrust left the pub keeper's face and was replaced with wonder and awe.
"Heatherfield, the place our Queen derives from?" asked the Keeper, worried that he might have misheard the stranger sitting before him.
"You mean Will? Yeah, she invited me to visit this place. Her, her hubby, my cousin Irma, Hay-Lyn, and Taranee brought me here and I decided to explore the town; I got tired of looking at the castle. Why, is it important who I know?" asked Danny, sensing that her connection to the crown even though vague could save her skin. To her joy, the Pub Keeper pulled out a large mug from the shelf behind him and filled it to the brim with deer.
"Not at all. Please enjoy a drink on-the-house, if you are willing to share some stories of how you know our Queen. How has she been since marrying our King? I know life in the kingdom grew for the better, but we have no idea how she did it. We also have no idea why the leader of the Guardians chose to marry our King. Don't get me wrong, I am glad for the changes and that we have a capable Queen, it certainly brought more money into my pocket, but you can't blame an old pub Keeper for being curious."
With a smile on her face, Danny leaned back a little on her stool and took a swig of the beer before replying. "I'll tell you all I know. I can also do you one better by telling you some fun stories about my cousin Irma when we were little. Heck, I'll even sing for you as thanks for this beer. It is tones better than anything I ever had back on Earth."
"Anything you wish to share." Replied the Keeper before shouting at his son, "Boy, bring up another keg of beer for the cellar! We got a special guest with us today."