Homecoming

III: A Nice Family Dinner

With the sun still high in the sky and Alucier and Revius' normal dinner time hours away, Hillaine pulled the rope in the kitchen that rang the bell that signaled it was time to eat. She savored each tug. With most of her children married and starting families of their own, it had been awhile since she had to use it. Normally, it was just her and Lucas and the maids. Sometimes Damise joined them. More and more though, she was working late or traveling on business, leaving another empty seat at the table. The other girls would bring their husbands and children by fairly often, but it was rare to have them all together. It was a far cry from the days when her children were young and she had to scream to make her demand that everyone eat their veggies heard.

Which was why she had wanted this one last dinner before Clea was married. Hillaine had read somewhere the Asturian royals always secluded themselves with their families the day before a wedding and thought it sounded like a good idea. The girls liked the idea, as did their husbands – especially after it was pointed out they would get a night away from their wives and kids out of it. Her son-in-laws had been good today, watching the children while their wives were with the seamstress so they deserved a reward. They were quick to claim it, handing the kids over and absconding with the groom-to-be to Dunhaven's largest tavern before too many questions about their plans for tonight could be asked. They were probably about to have their own meal soon. They surely had had a lot of drinks already.

Hillaine gave an extra tug on the rope for sentiment. The faster grandchildren had made it to the dining room by the fifth ring. Hillaine directed them to a smaller table that was more in the kitchen than in the dining room. Carlotte's boys protested, claiming they were big enough to eat with the adults. Holding their breath wasn't nearly as persuasive as they thought it would be. Lianora's son convinced them they would have more fun if the adults weren't around and her daughters, acquainted with their little brother's idea of fun, pleaded with their mother and grandmother to be allowed to eat elsewhere.

"I've told the cook to keep an eye on things," Hillaine assured them while making a mental note to put a bonus in the cook's wages this week. The girls kept moaning about stupid, icky boys until Rinell brought in her baby girl. The more annoying traits of the three rambunctious boys didn't hold a candle to the cuteness of their young cousin.

With the grandchildren taken care of, Hillaine moved unto her children. The girls were finishing setting the table and bringing the food out the kitchen. They left the roast to their father and brother. Two days ago, it had been the largest cow in the herd. Today, it was a hulking mass of succulent beef, slow cooked on a spit and seasoned to perfection. Tomorrow, the sure to be plentiful leftovers would appear in a stew and sandwiches at the wedding reception. To get to that stage, however, it had to be carved.

Lucas and Alucier were working on it, measuring progress by how many plates of meat they were producing. Lucas led three plates to two, a score Alucier's sisters wouldn't let pass without some commentary.

"One of the best swordsmen in the country and an old man is out carving him," Lianora remarked.

Lucas protested being called an old man. Alucier protested having his skills called into question. "So I'm out of practice carving meat. I don't come across too many enemy cow soldiers."

"Friendly cow soldiers on the other hand…" said Damise.

Alucier poked his carving knife at the air in front of Damise. "If you want me to demonstrate my other skills with a blade, Lia, I believe I have a volunteer here."

"No, thanks," Damise said. "If you want to give a demonstration though, why don't you have a sparring match with Revius? It'll be fun watching our brother get his ass kicked."

"He could beat you?" Loran asked. Alucier appreciated the disbelief in her voice.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Damise said. "Lucier isn't invincible and Revius isn't a total bum."

"He's still a bum," insisted Alucier. "A bum who's really good with a sword."

"Kids, you shouldn't speak poorly of a guest," Lucas said. He also believed one shouldn't speak poorly of a person behind his or her back, but the guest thing really got to him. "Where is he anyway? He should have heard the bell in his room."

"Would city boy even know what that bell means?" Damise asked Alucier.

He shrugged. "Maybe. Even if he doesn't, he'd probably come around to ask if anybody else hears a bell ringing."

Hillaine volunteered to ring the bell again, pulling harder this time to make it louder.

Over the din, Alucier whispered to Damise, "Or mother can drive him out of his room with all the noise."

o-o-o-o-o

Upstairs, Revius rested comfortably in a large tub of cool water. He had been surprised and relieved to find the Maerzens did not extend their disapproval of all things modern and fancy to their bathrooms. Comfort, convenience and cleanliness had trumped tradition soundly in that area. The bathroom wasn't ornate by any means, but the mere fact that it was indoors put it well above most houses in the country. The fully functional plumbing was a godsend.

The size of the tub was a rarity too. It had taken a while to fill, longer than it had taken Revius to peel off his sweat-soaked Caeli uniform and properly curse the tailor that had designed such heavy togs. Sliding into the tub also provoked thoughts of religion. The prickly heat on his skin was gone in an instant. The sweat and grime from the trip here floated away. It was still floating in the same water he was, so Revius dipped some of the dirty water out and threw some bath salts in and called it even. With his back against the front of the tub, his feet couldn't reach the opposite end, so he angled his body to put his them up on the side. He made a pillow out of a towel and tucked it between his neck and the rim of the tub. Thus settled, Revius didn't plan on moving for anything, not even that damned bell, whatever it was for.

o-o-o-o-o

Hillaine Maerzen also believed in being nice to her guests. She had limits though, and they included ringing the dinner bell until her arms got tired and the family was half-deaf.

"He'll come down when he wants to," Alucier said. "This would just be a late lunch for him anyway. Wait until later, and he'll be scavenging in the kitchen for some food."

Lucas volunteered to make up a plate for him, something Damise deemed unnecessary considering the volume of food on the table. "We're turning all this into leftovers for the wedding reception anyway. He can get some of that. Assuming we ever start this meal so that we may leave food over from it."

The family took her hint and got in their seats. There was one more thing to be done before the feast could begin, however. "Alucier, why don't you give the offering to Jichia?" Lucas asked. "You've been away the longest; it'll be good to hear you make it."

Alucier thought it would be fantastic if he could give the offering, considering he no longer remembered what the words were. Some stuff about the ocean giving life, add a thank you here and there – he could probably make up something that would fool a group of atheists, but there was no way people who recited it everyday would buy it. "Actually, I was hoping to hear you give it, Dad. You know, for old time's sake."

His sisters, save Damise, giggled. They knew he didn't know. As children, they took turns giving the offering each night. They used to point out each other's mistakes or try to distract that evening's speaker with funny faces or kicks under the table. Snickering at a sibling's misfortune was almost as traditional in their family as the offering itself.

Lucas gave the offering and Alucier paid strict attention to each word. He was going to be here for a week; odds were he couldn't weasel out of it again. Once Jichia had been praised for the last time, the family attacked the food in front of them, scooping out servings and passing dishes with quick efficiency. That part of the meal, no one had forgotten.

They ate…then ate more. Clea was the first to give in and toss her napkin on her plate. Her mother and sisters didn't last much longer. Alucier stared at the bowl of his mother's special recipe potatoes, wanting another bite, but fearing he might explode if one more morsel of food entered his body. In enjoying the quality of the home cooking, he had gotten carried away with the quantity.

Only one of them wasn't prepared to quit. Lucas wiped up the last bit of gravy from his second helping of meat with his third helping of bread and wondered why everybody had stopped eating. "Serving room for dessert?" he asked.

"If I have dessert," Clea groaned, "I'll have to get re-refitted for my wedding dress."

To Lucas' disappointment, all of the females agreed on this point. He turned to his son for back up, but came away empty. Ever the optimist, Lucas proclaimed that just meant there was more pie for him.

Owing to a keen sense of timing, luck or an ability to hone in on all things rich and sinful, Revius chose this moment to finally put in an appearance at dinner. "Ooo, pie. What kind are we having?"

"Deep dish berry pie with heavy cream," Hillaine answered. "It's an old family recipe."

Revius quickly occupied the one seat with in a clean plate in front of it, took fork and knife in hands and assumed the position of one very eager to be served. Lucas happily complied, tottering off to the kitchen to retrieve the dessert. His daughters slowly followed, not for pie but to gather up their children. Damise stayed in her seat, enjoying the warm, sleepy feeling the big meal gave her and not really caring to have nieces and nephews spoil it. Alucier also stayed seated. Potatoes were one thing. He would not miss pie.

"I guess it's up to me to clear the table," Hillaine sighed meaningfully.

"Looks like," said Damise.

"Sure does," Alucier agreed.

"Come on, guys, even I'm not that bad," Revius said. To prove it, he put his utensils down and asked Hillaine to lead the way. It took both of them carrying multiple dishes on several trips to get the table cleared. Damise and Alucier watched them work, both noting that Revius nibbled on the contents of his dishes all the way into the kitchen.

He came out of the kitchen nibbling too. His slice of pie barely fit on the plate. He picked out berries one by one, making sure to pronounce each one 'nummy' to remind Alucier and Damise what they could be having right now if they hadn't been so lazy.

Good things do come to those that wait, though sometimes in smaller amounts. Lucas brought out the pie remains and between them, Alucier and Damise had a slice half the size of Revius'.

"I think someone is trying to teach us a lesson, brother."

"I think we're a little old for that. Don't you, sister?"

"You're never too old to learn to respect your mother," Revius said reproachfully. A berry to the left cheek told him what Damise thought of his lesson.

"Damise!" Hillaine yelled. "Honestly, if that's how you treat men, it's no wonder…"

Alucier was suddenly grateful that he hadn't hurled at berry at Revius himself. He sensed a downturn in the congeniality of the dinner conversation and wanted his mouth stuffed full of pie so no one could drag him into it. Lucas and Revius also got the hint. The men exchanged grunts of 'good pie', 'oh, yeah, great pie' and the like while Damise prepared her response.

"Yes, Mother. I'm not married because I fling berries at people who are being sarcastic asses. If only I could drop that objectionable habit, I could find myself a man and end my miserable existence as an unfilled, weak little girl."

"That's not what I meant."

"It's what you said."

"I was only joking. You shouldn't take it so seriously."

"You were joking? So all the other times you've brought up marriage to me, you're just perpetuating a running gag?"

The men, truly frightened now and running out of pie, began a very quiet discussion of their favorite desserts.

"Remember those hard candies we used to make with the last fruit of the season?"

"They were good, but I liked the torts Mother made better."

"Oh, yeah, she made layers with that shortbread…"

"I like the chocolates with the liquid center."

Alucier and Lucas had to agree: chocolates with liquid centers were very good indeed.

"Honesty, Damise, I don't know why you're so upset. I'm worried about you; that's all. You've done an excellent job running the farm since you took over, but there's more to life than work. I'm afraid the day will come when you realize what you're missing out on and it'll be too late to do anything about it."

"I'm not missing out on anything, Mother. I love my nieces and nephews but I don't want children of my own." Damise stopped short of saying she wasn't missing out on having a man in her life either. She had had several men in her life (more than several actually) and it was best that the casual nature of these relationships went unexplained. The point here was to win the argument, not to give her mother a heart attack.

"But what if you change your mind?"

"And what if I don't? Nagging me won't make my maternal instincts kick in."

"I don't nag. I may mention it every now and then, but it's only out of concern. You understand, don't you, Alucier?"

Alucier paled. He wanted to tell his father about the spiced cakes that the palace cooks made. They were light and tasty. The glaze on them had a subtle lemony tang that kept them from being too sweet. He wanted to promise to bring Lucas a batch of them the next time he came home, assuming the next few minutes weren't about to sour him on the concept of coming home for the rest of his life.

Damise waited for his response with a raised eyebrow. She expected him to take her side. Which, of course, was the same thing their mother expected.

"I wouldn't say nag, per se. You're…persistent."

That answer didn't satisfy anybody. Revius mumbled that he was a dead man while Lucas shook his head in sympathy.

"Persistent as a plague," Damise said.

"Persistent? Because I may ask if you're seeing anyone special in the occasional letter to you?"

It was in every letter to him and it wasn't just a question. "Well, you do like to tell me about the local single girls an awfully lot."

"I'm just keeping you apprised of the goings on in Dunhaven. I know you like your life in Palas, but I thought you still wanted to know what was happening at home."

"And single girls are the only ones doing anything in Dunhaven?"

Damise chuckled in satisfaction. Alucier was on her side and had scored a hit after dodging a guilt trip.

His verbal sparring skills did come from Hillaine though and she was able to prove it with her next attack. "I admit, sometimes I go on a little, but I'm just trying to make Dunhaven sound more exciting. You don't come here all that often and I thought if I gave you a reason to come home, I might see you more. I miss having my only son around."

Revius saluted Hillaine's deft counterstrike with a low whistle. "She's good. You should bring Eries with you next time and have her argue for you."

"Oh, I don't think a princess would want to come to tiny little Dunhaven." Hillaine said woefully.

"Mother, I get that you're trying to crush me and Damise with guilt so you can stop now. And you know what? Eries would come here if I asked her so don't start on the 'you have big, important friends now, too fancy for the poor folks at home' route."

"We could have an actual princess here in Dunhaven," Lucas interrupted. "A real princess… Everyone here was so impressed when you were named to the Caeli. That would really blow them away."

"One princess is nothing," Revius said, "He could probably get two princesses here."

Alucier wondered what the two princesses comment meant. He wasn't close to Princess Millerna. As far as he knew, she thought of him as that guard that's always around her sister. But then he remembered the name of another princess and panicked more than when this argument started.

Revius winked at him and said, "Just say the right words to Marqesita and she'd follow you out here."

The other three Maerzens exchanged puzzled looks. "Marqe-who?" Lucas finally asked.

"Marqesita Verlana e' Egzard, the eldest princess of Egzardia. Alucier didn't tell you about her? She's been trying to get down his -- Um, I mean she's been a friend of his for what, a year or two?" Revius looked to Alucier to clarify the dates. He did not receive that clarification.

Damise was highly disappointed. "All the stuff I've told you and you don't tell me you're making time with a princess?"

Hillaine glanced at her daughter, wondering briefly what 'all the stuff' could be, but right now, this new lead into her son's love life was too hot to not follow. "You've been courting a princess?"

"I'm not courting Marqesita."

"What does she look like, son?" Lucas asked.

"It doesn't matter because I'm not courting her."

"She's gorgeous," Revius helpfully supplied. "Long reddish-brown hair, these nice, high cheekbones. And her body – " He drew curvy lines in the air to illustrate. "She's not shy about showcasing it, either."

"Shut up, Revius."

"Oh," Damise sighed in understanding. "That explains why you never told our parents."

"I didn't tell them because there's nothing to tell."

"I don't know, Alucier," Hillaine said. "She sounds a little wild. And she's from another country? How are you planning to work that out?" It figured. Alucier finally found someone and it wasn't someone she wanted him to find.

"There's nothing to work out! I. Am. Not. Courting. Marqesita."

"Yeah, she's pretty intense, but she does come to Asturia a good bit as an ambassador for Egzardia. She came here right before the war and did a lot of her country's negotiating. So you can tell she's not stupid either. She knows how to handle people."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up, Revius?"

"So how does she handle you, little brother?"

Hillaine reacted as if Damise had thrown another berry. "Damise! We do not talk like that at the dinner table! Isn't that so, Lucas?"

Lucas heard his name being invoked, but was too busy contemplating the space in the air where Revius had drawn those curves to respond. He was good family man, thoroughly devoted to his wife, but the arcs of those lines…

"Yes, Damise. You should watch your mouth," Alucier said for him.

"You're taking Mother's side…? Now I know there's something going on."

"There is nothing going on! Revius, will you tell them nothing is going on?" That was a dangerous gambit, asking Revius to back him up, but he was getting desperate. They weren't listening to what he said; his only hope was outside confirmation that he was telling the truth about Marqesita.

Revius considered. Technically, Alucier was right. They had never been on an actual date. Either he or Eries or some Egzardian official was always around when the two were together. Most of their flirting consisted of trading barbs to see who could come up with the cleverest insult. Marqesita made no secret of what she would like to do with Alucier should they ever actually be alone together, but Revius supposed the argument could be made that she was only doing that to throw Alucier off. Revius wouldn't buy that argument, but someone could make it.

"I said, tell them there's nothing going on, Revius. You are my roommate, one whose rent I have been known to cover, I might add, so you would know better than anyone."

Loyalty (and a fondness for his living quarters) dictated he should agree with Alucier. That wasn't enough, though. "Come on, man. Nothing? You think she's smart and funny. You admire how she puts her title to use instead of just using it. You write back and forth to each other all the time – "

"He writes to her all the time?" Hillaine cut in. "He doesn't write to me all the time. Now, I write to him all the time…"

"Hmm, his mother," Damise said, holding one hand at table level. "And the hot princess." She raised her other hand as high as it could go.

"It's not all the time, Mother."

"Yeah," Revius said, "'Cause it takes awhile for letters to go back and forth from Egzardia to Asturia."

Alucier glared at him. Somebody's share of the rent was going to go up a lot next month.

"It sounds serious." Hillaine did not sound happy about her conclusion.

Alucier didn't bother to contradict her. She'd just accuse him of being defensive, then Revius would try to help and say something that made everything sound even worse and then Damise would make fun of him. He was grateful his father wasn't saying anything, though Alucier was a little concerned about the dreamy expression on his face.

"This is perfect," Damise said. "I get chewed out for not being with anyone and Alucier gets chewed out for the exact opposite. And I haven't even finished my pie."

No one else had finished their pie either. Though talking wasn't stopping them anymore, only Revius started eating again. He wasn't that hungry anymore, but he figured excusing himself to get another slice from the kitchen would be a good excuse to get the hell out of the room.

Yet another quick post. I hope I'm not spoiling you. :p