Chapter Seventeen
This was ridiculous.
As he was forced to step back and allow two man servants to haul *another* very large wooden chest into his bedchamber, Megabyte groaned and banged his head softly against the bedchamber wall. There was no place for him to go now, no where for him to escape. The sanctity of his bedchamber had been violated in one fell swoop by a simple suggestion from his father and a nod and clap of the hands from his mother. No longer his personal private refuge, but a tainted place now covered with Zentil family heirlooms, lacy trappings and soft, prettily woven tapestries and a wardrobe stuffed full of frocks and frills and dresses, all courtesy of the Lady Jadina.
Not that it was Jade's fault, or even Jade's idea that she move into the same bedchamber with her *husband.* Whatever else she might be, and even if she was fast assuming her role as the lady of Elspera Keep, even Jade was not that pretentious. However, with the impending arrival of the entourage from Albarasque, the entire keep was in a state of flux.
The Damia Reina, according to Lady Margot, "absolutely positively needs her privacy. She is the ruler of that land, we can't just have her lying about in any room. I'm certain that you both understand the necessity of this, and while I would never be so forward as to presume to tell you how to live or what to do . . ."
The words had gone on and on until Megabyte had thought that his brain would explode from boredom or that his eyes would cross. The words that in the end, ultimately meant that Jade was moving into his bedchamber for the duration of the visit from the ruling family of Albarasque.
Megabyte was really beginning to think that fate was having a jolly good laugh at his expense.
As two more servants appeared, another tapestry carried between them, Megabyte stopped them with an extended arm. "What is that?"
"It is Lady Jadina's, my lord."
"I know that. But what is it? Another tapestry? Look around men, there is no place to put another tapestry."
"But Lady Jadina -"
"Take it back."
The two men exchanged worried glances, hesitating on the threshold. "My lord, Lady Margot's orders were -"
"I know what my mother's orders were, but I don't think that she meant for everyone to take her words quite so literally. If anymore of Jad-ina's trappings are brought in here, this will not be so much a bedchamber as a storage room! Now take that back where you got it from." Megabyte pointed at the next group as well, "All of you, take it and put it back where it came from. Enough is enough already."
"My lord, as much as this inconveniences you, this," one of the maidservants stepped forward, shaking an armful of lace and silk under his nose, "is needed by your wife, unless you wish her to run amok in the keep wearing only her chemise."
Feeling his face flush red clear to the roots of his hair, as the woman no doubt intended, Megabyte stepped aside to allow entry by the women carrying more of Jade's wardrobe. Of course, he had to wonder how and why precisely Jade had or needed so many clothes. He was certain that he already seen dresses stuffed in wardrobes that Jade had yet to wear, and more than likely, probably would never wear.
This was absolute madness.
"Where are you going with that?" Jade's voice rang out behind him as the two men bearing the tapestry began to head in the other direction.
The men floundered, exchanging glances, mouths working soundlessly.
"They're putting it back in your bedchamber, Jade," Megabyte informed her, "There's no room for it here."
"No, they can't!" She waved her hands at the men, "You can't. Bring that in here and put it -- over in that corner."
[Hello? Jade? Starting to feel a little cluttered here,] Megabyte 'pathed at her, placing his body in the path of the men and the tapestry. "Take it back to Lady Jadina's quarters."
"No!" Jade practically yelled at the men, then lowering her voice, she turned her attention to Megabyte. "Now, *Marmion,*" her eyes flashed as she placed emphasis on his name, "your mother clearly stated that we had to make my bedchamber comfortable for the Damia Reina. It's to be properly decorated and that can't be done with my tapestries all over the walls and floors. Besides, that one was a wedding present, don't you remember?"
[You can't possibly know that.]
[I can and I do. Now where should they put it?]
It took every ounce of willpower that Megabyte had to not tell Jade the precise location of a very dark place lacking in sunshine that he thought would be an appropriate place for the tapestry in question. Tugging on his doublet, Megabyte gave Jade the most placating smile he could muster before turning to the servants. "Take it down into the storage cellar. I'm sure you'll find plenty of room for it there."
"Stop," Jade snapped. Everyone in the room, Megabyte included froze, startled by the commanding note in her normally gentle voice. Eyes as cold as a winter's sea bored into him, daring him to challenge her as she said, "Lay it on the bed if you please and then leave. Lord Marmion and I have some things to discuss."
There was no hesitation in the scurrying sounds he heard around him. He couldn't find it in his heart to blame them. Had he been at the receiving end of it, he might well have jumped too.
When the room had cleared and the door shut behind them with an audible click, Megabyte crossed his arms, glaring at her, "Would you like to tell me what that was about?"
Jade smiled. It was not a sweet or even warm smile. "You were being an ass, Marmion. And I didn't want to embarrass you in public."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You're making this harder than it has to be. You're being … you're being a baby about this."
Megabyte stared at with incredulity. "I'm being a baby?"
"Yes. Did you hear yourself? Take that back, put that away -"
"Jade! Look around," Megabyte waved with his arms, "I can't walk in here without stumbling over a chest or a table or a tapestry! This place is so cluttered that … if you were a little old lady, there would probably be about fifteen or twenty cats prancing around. This is not a bedchamber, this is turning into a depository!"
"This is what your mother wanted!"
"Temporarily, Jade. Until after the Damia Reina leaves. You do understand what temporary means, right? It doesn't mean move right in and grow roots."
"Geesh, I don't know why you're so upset by all of this. After all, we're *married.* Most married couples do actually share sleeping quarters, in case you haven't been paying attention."
Megabyte snapped his mouth closed in mid-rant, his words flying out of his head as he truly heard Jade's words. They hit him like a bucket of ice water, sending a chill rippling along his spine. It was true, technically they were married, but the arrangement between Marmion and Jadina made it easy for him to ignore that minor technicality. Married in name only, and it was a far less complicated way to look at the things.
But clearly Jade didn't see things in the same manner that he did.
"No, Jade, *we*, Megabyte and Jade, are not married. Marmion and Jadina are married."
"Same difference," Jade shrugged. "We're Marmion and Jadina, and does this have some kind of point?"
Megabyte resisted the urge to take her by the shoulders and shake her until her teeth rattled. How on earth she managed to get him so riled up so easily, he did not begin to fathom. Once upon a time, which seemed quite a long time ago, it had been easy to ignore her. Once upon a time when they lived on earth and his biggest responsibility had been to take the dog out, Jade, while being annoying at times, had not reached the point where his palms actually itched with wanting to shake some sense into her. Once upon a time, he had not dreaded that he might get a headache from just trying to hold an extended conversation with her.
Maybe she was right and he was wrong; maybe they really were married. He didn't think it could be humanly possible for any woman other than a man's wife to cause him this much aggravation.
"Jadina, my dear wife," Megabyte grasped her gently by the shoulders, ignoring the itching in his hands, taking momentary enjoyment from the way her eyes widened at his choice of words, "there is not enough room in here for all of your stuff. Half of it stays and the rest will have to go into storage until the Damia Reina is gone. Pick what you absolutely can not live without and pack the rest away, okay?
"And, by the way, you can have the bed. I'll take the couch. End of story."
"Why can't you pack some of your stuff away? And who says I want to sleep in your bed?"
At that moment, Megabyte decided that when he got back to earth, he was never ever getting married. From his very brief experience, it was a punishment far worse than death.
The frighteningly sad part was that he was beginning to accept it.
***
"At least she isn't sleeping in your bed," Adam reined his horse to a halt, smirking over his shoulder at Megabyte as the redhead rode up beside him. His friend had arrived unexpectedly that morning, nearly causing Adam to cut his own throat when the other teleported in while Adam was shaving.
Adam had immediately chewed Megabyte out for actually *teleporting* into the Palace like that, then made arrangements to meet him out by the stables. And finished his morning toilet while listening to Megabyte do the precise same thing he had been doing since they began their ride as well - rant about having to share his bedchamber with Jade.
"Not even funny, Adam," Megabyte rode up beside him. "That would make this about ten times worse. I've slept with Jade and she's a cover hog."
"Is there something I should know?" Adam's eyebrows rose.
Megabyte rolled his eyes. "No! On the boat. We shared a room and a bed on the boat. That was more than long enough to share anything with Jade."
"Well, she is your wife, Megabyte. It does only make sense."
"You're enjoying this way too much, you know that?" Megabyte glared sourly at him. "I mean, you don' t hear me teasing you about your future bride do you? I'm at least trying to support you in your hour of pain. You could repay the favor."
Those words gave Adam pause. Megabyte was right, he really didn't have the right to criticize and tease the other for his situation when Adam had his own *situation.* The difference being that Megabyte was only *suffering* through marriage with Jade, while Adam had no idea what sort of situation he would find himself in.
"You worked it out, at least," Adam reminded him, "If one good thing is coming out of this, you and Jade are at the very least learning to get along. And you are learning the fine art of compromise."
"Compromise?" Megabyte shook his head. "The room still looks like some little old lady's living room. And I'm going to have listen to Jade whine and complain for the next few weeks about all the things she didn't get to keep out. I really think that someone is playing a big joke on me."
The path narrowed and the horses were forced to march in single file. Megabyte and Brazar fell into step behind Adam and Farras, and Adam switched to telepathy so that his fellow Tomorrow Person could hear him. [I've been thinking that since we arrived here.]
[Yeah, well, I haven't found it funny yet.]
[Me neither,] Adam threw Megabyte a smile over his shoulder.
[You know what the scary thing is, though, pal?]
Adam brought Farras to a halt as the path widened out before them again. This was near the place where he had first found himself on the ground, awakened in this different world. A short trot off the main path and down the small incline and he would be there, in the midst of the small copse of trees that shaded a small clearing. His hands twitched on the reins, and he fought the urge to lead Farras there again as he had done so often within the first few days of arriving here. There was nothing to see, nothing to mark his passage into this place or the passage of the true prince out of it. There were no clues, nothing except the virtually undisturbed wood.
Turning his attention from the wood, Adam focused it on Megabyte's question. [The scary part is that you're starting to get used to it?]
Shock and surprise registered clearly on Megabyte's face, the emotions buffeting Adam. [Yeah, how did you know?]
[Because I know the feeling,] Adam supplied, giving one glance back at the wooded area.
More than you could ever imagine, Megabyte.
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