Chapter 29:
The day was brighter and more cheerful than the last time Finn had climbed aboard the tram at the edge of Bee Kingdom. There had been a definite pall hanging over him last time, as he'd been angsting about his secret love for the Queen Bee. It had helped not at all that he'd been expected to witness the ugly forced-marriage of Breezy's eldest.
Aerwin was an adult now. Breezy was already investing significant authority into her eldest child, sending the young princess off to foreign lands to negotiate with this person or that organization. Freed of her arranged marriage and a lot of the strictures that had come with it, Aerwin had become a vibrant young miss, reminding Finn of Breezy, when they were teens.
"You're in quite the mood," Cherry teased. Flushing to his hair, Finn responded, "conjuring up good memories. Trying... I've been trying to tuck the bad ones in The Vault."
As he'd grown older, securing bad memories had become more and more difficult. The events where he'd learned about 'Shoko' and his past interactions with Bonnie had forever damaged The Vault. Now unpleasant things tended to leak out, causing him to mostly abandon it.
"Bad memories are part of life," murmured Jake, as she brushed past. Before Finn's eyes, his bodyguard stuck her face in the door of the tram and took a good whiff before pronouncing it safe.
Moments later, with their luggage loaded aboard, the quartet were riding along the rough rails, bound for the interior of the Bee Kingdom. Settling into the seat alongside Jake Jr., Simone took her hand and gave it a squeeze. The shapechanger flushed.
An hour later, the tram rattled to a halt in the heart of the Bee Kingdom's capital. Climbing out, the King of Ooo glanced up to find hundreds of bee-folk going about their business. "So far, so good," he muttered.
Simone's hand on his shoulder was a gentle reminder to let go the traumas of the past. They were going to have a wonderful visit with Breezy. She would get officially married into the family. Finn would adopt her five kids, and that would be that.
An official envoy was waiting on them at the tram station. Porters gathered up the bags, while palace servants wearing carry-harnesses were on hand to carry the quartet up to Breezy's home, where they found the Queen Bee waiting in the entry.
Her Highness came dressed in a sexy, off-the-shoulder number that left her pale yellow skin exposed down to the tops of her plump, youthful knockers. She'd grown out her hair, which now hung loose to just past her shoulders—a youthful look that Finn was sure ticked all the boxes on the Bee Kingdom Council's disapproval list.
Striding forward, broad hips wig-wagging with every step, Breezy slipped her arms around Finn and glued her lips to his. Conscious of the eyes on them, Finn was hesitant at first.
Still, this was one of his childhood sweethearts. In short order, he was returning that kiss, measure for measure, his arms sliding around Breezy's slim waist.
"Mmm, sweety," Breezy burbled, as she broke that kiss. "I've been waiting for you." Judging by what she was wearing, she'd been waiting for his pecker too.
He'd initially intended to offer her a far more formal greeting, including giving her a bow and kissing her hand. Now, he was a little at a loss. Cherry and Simone resolved that dilemma by swarming the slim bee-person and hugging the stuffing out of her.
With the formality well out of the way, Breezy took Finn by the arm and led the way back into the private wing of the palace. They were family now, after all.
As they walked, the Queen Bee talked of what was going on in the Bee Kingdom. They were now building tram-lines all over the bee-kingdom to support the honey industry. Efficiency of the work had gone up, to say nothing of giving the poor drones a break from flying long hours hauling the poppy harvest and other ingredients.
Finn's mood improved immeasurably with those words. The most important thing in his world now, besides his family, was to improve the lives of the people he served.
Seeing the look on his face, Breezy gripped his arm all the tighter, saying, "it's all thanks to you, my darling. When I think of the way I behaved..." Squeezing her hand, Finn responded, "I didn't have time to tell you in advance, babe. Forget it. It's the past." With a grin, he kissed her cheek.
Breezy brought them to their quarters and left them there, admonishing them to make themselves comfortable. Much like Aerwin's engagement party, there was an event scheduled to celebrate Breezy's engagement to Finn.
Simone and Cherry were in a state of excitement over the whole thing, a mood that only improved when Marshall Lee and Connie arrived. Simone and Cherry all but threw themselves on Marshall, looking perilously like they would squeeze the stuffing out of him.
Standing beside Finn, Connie looked on in a state of bemusement. When Finn glanced at her, she remarked, "he's often so filled with angst, it sometimes feels like no-one in the world cares about him. Sometimes, it feels like he has nothing but bad memories."
"He'll be fine," Finn said, with a smile. "He's my boy. He'll always land on his feet."
When his wives quit hugging the tall fellow, Finn stepped forward into Marshall's face. When the younger man tried to put on his cool-guy expression, Finn cut him down to size by wiping a dollop of Simone's lipstick off his cheek.
Marshall flushed to his hair, though his father scarcely cared. Grabbing him by the shoulder, the big man hugged him hard, squeezing the air out of him. "My boy," Finn rumbled, as he pat Marshall on the back. "It's so good to see you."
Connie was all smiles, when the King of Ooo let Marshall go. Finn knew very well what he'd just done. This was the same thing that his mother frequently did to him—bringing him back down to earth.
The family spent a while chatting and catching up. Marshall's kids were all growing quickly and showing signs of the vampire curse, just as he had. Finn had pithy advice for his son on changing the course that those kids were on, since no-one wanted to see them go through all the angst their father lived through.
Meanwhile, the ladies chatted about politics of polygamous marriage. The business started with Connie inquiring about Breezy marrying into the family and sort of slid sideways off that path and onto something else.
Listening with one ear, Finn found himself frequently squirming in his seat at some of the things that got said. At the same time, it was an eye-opening conversation that let him know how the girls really felt.
He'd been aware of the pecking order since the very beginning. At the same time, he had stepped on the pecking order a couple of times without even realizing it. Though he wasn't sure he could ever completely avoid making them unhappy, he had to do a better job of making amends.
Knocking on the door thankfully ended that uncomfortable moment. When Jake answered the door, the attendant on the far side of the door invited the five royals down to the reception. As if they hadn't been talking about the times he'd hurt them, the girls dropped that topic in favor of rushing the bathroom.
"Women," Marshall rumbled. "I forget her birthday one time..." "Don't ever forget that, Marshall," Finn replied. "I don't care if you have to conjure a ghost or a skeleton or something to remind you. Don't ever fucking forget their birthdays. It could be your ass."
Having checked their makeup, the trio were all smiles, when they returned. Cherry and Simone flanked Finn, with Simone on his right, reminding him of his earlier thoughts. Pecking order. He forgot that at his peril. Opening the door, Jake slipped into the hall, taking up station there. Then, with his bodyguard/mistress in the lead they followed the attendant to the palace's grand hall.
The space was packed when they arrived, with bee-folk rubbing elbows with peeps out of Engagement Ring Kingdom and Purple Kingdom.
Finn immediately felt his hackles going up. Though he knew Breezy's folks were no longer so isolated as they'd been before, it was a bit of a shock to see so many different faces here. Having grown cynical from his unpleasant experiences as King, the big man couldn't help wondering why so many folk were here.
Those feelings were helped not at all by the sight of little knots of outsiders talking with people he knew were members of the Bee Kingdom Council. Having dealt with both the councilors and the dandies out of Engagement Kingdom, Finn found himself worrying at the topics of those conversations.
Don't be worried, Finn, he thought. Do the job. Get in some faces and let them know you're here.
With Simone and Cherry on either arm, Finn circulated through the room, pushing his way into conversations in a way that he would never have done when he was just a nobody. Pressing the flesh, he introduced himself to the various nobles and wealthy that had come to the reception.
As he circulated through the room, a couple of things became clear. There were a lot of people here who weren't very happy to see him. More to the point, a large number of people who had nothing to do with the honey trade.
"I really don't like this, honey," Cherry remarked. Finn frowned down at the little woman. She was staring at one of the little knots of people, just now gathered close around John Hammond.
Simone remarked, "what're you thinking?" "I've never been able to track the source of the distilled honey, Simone," Cherry responded. "The people involved have been willing to die rather than spill the secret..."
"Someone with power is shielding the business," Simone surmised. Her voice was the same calm it always was, in spite of the ugliness of what she was suggesting.
"Why would they come here," Finn queried, "especially now?" "I'm wondering that myself, honey," Cherry responded. "I don't understand the play..."
Her dark eyes scanned the scene around them. "Maybe they're using the cover of legit business going on around them to do some dirty dealings," she suggested. "Would you do that," Finn responded?
Glancing down at his most wayward of wives, the big man rumbled, "I admit I still don't really understand the gangs. I always think of those guys as hangin' out in a basement somewhere..." "You mean like Dr. J," Cherry replied.
Shaking her head, the little woman said, "if you're having to do all your business in a basement, you're a pretty small time player, honey. Either that, or you're close to the edge and desperate. The people with the power meet in country clubs and fancy restaurants just like any other businessman."
Finn's face snapped down to hers. He found the little woman gazing back steadily. Said she, "my attorney admonishes me, when I'm too close to the action, honey." Frowning, Finn babbled, "w-what, you have a lawyer?"
Cherry chuckled, "there's an old saying in the legal trade, Finn. A woman who represents herself in a court of law has a fool both for a client and an attorney." Shaking her head, she added, "as an attorney, you have to be above the emotion, honey."
Glancing up at him, Cherry said, "I hired you a nice attorney, when it came down to liberating the gold Wildberry stole from you. I sued the Berry Kingdom in court of law. Your attorney got you a nice writ from a judge stating that her actions constituted an illegal taking. Even though I've got my law license back, I chose to hire somebody because..." "You're my wife, and there's feelings there," Finn rumbled. Nodding, Cherry agreed, "just so..."
Moving on, she said, "half the trouble of finding the names of the mafia's leadership is the fact that in order to launder the money, we have to be involved in legitimate businesses. I guarantee you that everyone of those jokers has a factory or a chain of restaurants or some cargo ships somewhere. Those businesses probably lose so much money that even the workers can't understand why the place stays open."
"They take the crooked money from selling dope and ripping people off and pretend that it came out of the business," Finn surmised. Cherry nodded.
Simone interrupted, "who do you suspect?" "The Hammond Clan has the strongest control over the honey-trade," Cherry responded. "I've always suspected them, but I can't get any closer than their patsies in Warrior Kingdom."
Finn muttered, "there's a lot of dudes from Warrior Kingdom here today..." Cherry nodded. They were full circle. Something was going on, but Finn hadn't idea the first what these people were up to.
It's big, Finn, he thought. They're here going head to head with the boss-of-bosses. Those jokers have to know who she is and what she's capable of doing to them. They're risking literally losing their asses, so whatever they're doing has to be really big to be worth the risk.
Unfortunately, with no clue as to what they were up to, he was at a loss as to what he could do. Cherry squeezed his hand. The gesture seemed to say that things were going to be ok.
Just then, Breezy entered the hall with her children in tow. Finn found himself torn between an ernest desire to rush to her side and a profound worry about what the asshats on the Council were trying to do to her behind the scenes.
"We have her back," Simone murmured, "both Breezy and the kids, Finn." The big man relaxed minutely.
Spying Finn there with Simone, the six bee-folk began threading their way through the crowds. He'd seen Aerwin earlier in the year at the formal opening of court. She'd looked happy and almost carefree instead of frightened and bullied.
Today, she was dressed in something a little more formal. Her gown went almost all the way to her feet, and her blonde hair was tied up in a complex hairstyle of braids and knots. Of course, her gown hugged tight to the curves she already sported, suggesting that with Bart gone, she was freer to be herself.
She was nearing eighteen, and he expected to hear the council making noises about marrying her off to somebody. Don't let them, Finn, he decided. You're her father now. You get a say.
Just behind her came Naome, looking dapper in a chick-suit of all things. The way she carried herself suggested she'd come out of her shell. I'm glad that fucker's gone, Finn thought. The kids all seem to be doing better, now.
On Breezy's left stood Penelle, her too-wise eyes burning into Finn's. The troublesome child of the quintet stood out for the fact that she was dressed just as formally as Aerwin had been—as if her father was still around to punish her for not toeing the line.
Behind her came Ariadne, the youngest daughter and second youngest child. She still had dispensation to dress like a kid in a cute short dress that left her legs bare, though she was starting to fill out like her sisters.
Finally, came Breezy's only son, Timothy. Gawky and curious, the young boy stared around him at all there was to see. Things that had slipped from Breezy's lips suggested that Bart more or less ignored him.
Finn found himself thinking of Bart going back to the well again and again, aiming to get a boy, only to get girl after girl after girl. And then you just forget all about him, Finn thought. What a dumbass.
Disengaging his hands from Simone and Cherry, Finn stepped forward and took hold of Timothy's hand, announcing, "hey, buddy. I'm Finn. You remember me, right?"
The boy would've dropped to one knee, but Finn stopped him. "Hey," he said. "We're family, right? I want you to think of me as a big brother, if you can. We... we'll see how that works, ok?"
"Y-yes," Timothy responded. Finn shook his hand, saying, "I want you to come to the Candy Kingdom with your mom, sometime. We'll find some fun stuff to do, ok?" Timothy swore that he would.
Turning to the girls, Finn hugged them in their turn, going from Aerwin to Naome to Penny and finally to Ariadne. Aerwin was the most poised of the four, though Naome was a close second. Penny gave him an inscrutable expression that suggested something was bothering her. And finally, Ariadne all but gushed with excitement, eagerly calling him 'daddy'.
At last, Finn turned to Breezy. Taking her hand, the big man bent and kissed the long fingers. "Your Highness," he greeted her. "Your Majesty," the Queen Bee responded. "I have longed to return to see you," Finn declared.
Breezy's face went red hot, her eyes flicking to Simone, who tittered like a schoolgirl by way of response. "Better, honey," Cherry remarked. "You're getting better at this. You don't sound as corny as you used to."
Stroking the back of his hand, she said, "hey... I'mma talk to Marshall about something. Why don't you catch up?"
Taking hold of Penny's shoulder, Simone declared, "I'mma talk to the kids, Finn. I'll see you in a bit." In short order, she was leading the quintet towards the refreshment table. Strangely, Penny stared over her shoulder at Finn, her expression inscrutable. Finn found himself left with Breezy.
Offering his lady a shallow bow, Finn suggested, "let's dance." "Let's dance and talk about pleasant things," Breezy countered.
Across the room Carey Howard slipped up beside Corrine Mogg to find her industriously watching the King of Ooo and the Queen Bee as they circulated around the dance floor. Softly, she declared, "she plans to do it tomorrow..."
Her neighbor and rival rumbled, "I'd assumed Condeleeza Hammond would make her long-awaited play for the throne, when I saw all these odious wingless here."
Nodding, Carey said, "she's got it all set up. Her husband showed my husband some of the evidence they're going to present tomorrow."
"Is it as scandalous as is being rumored," Corrine queried? With a shrug, Carey responded, "the stuff John Hammond showed my husband doesn't rise to the level of diddling your own children or molesting little girls..."
Corrine grimaced. The Hammond family was somewhat notorious for the number of sexual deviants among their number. It was somewhat laughable that deviance was the thing Condeleeza hoped to attack Finn the Human on.
"She'll spice it up," Corrine rumbled, with a frown. "Pardon," Carey responded, as she glanced over at her rival.
Shaking her head, Corrine declared, "she'll have to spice it up... she'll have to mix in lies and untruths to get dirt nasty enough to challenge the council's resistance. There's enough of us making decent money off the honey plantations that most won't want to bother breaking up the arrangement."
She glanced up at Carey and added, "none of this is going to be any good for us, Carey. Right now, we all have our own contracts with the wingless from Engagement Ring Kingdom. Nobody can overcharge, and nobody can really undercharge to steal more share. If Condeleeza gets her way, all the honey—and all the cash—get funneled through her family. We all lose that game."
Carey grimaced. She had been hinting at her husband that they should buy a place on the Suncoast. The wingless took fashionable holidays there. Life in the Bee Kingdom, even for nobles, was rather drab. The Hammonds and their schemes threatened her dream.
"The husbands, Corrine," she sighed. "They're... they'll think with their stingers. They won't like the idea of a wingless romancing our queen and getting children on her. They've been irritated by this whole thing since the start."
The taller woman stiffened, causing the stinger on one hand to jut out ever so slightly. It was a tick that tended to reveal how angry—and helpless—Corrine was feeling at the moment.
"You think we don't have a play of our own," she murmured. "We have a play," Corrine retorted, "but it's one I don't want to use..."
Carey followed the line of Corrine's gaze and found the terrifying visage of the Vampire King looking back. She very nearly fled until she realized that he was staring into space rather than at her.
Thankfully, the little candy-person who'd come with the King of Ooo came and distracted the tall man, drawing his attention—and his eyes—to her.
"His wife banks the taxes on the other end of the honey trade," Corrine remarked. "What do you think he would say if that money was taken away?" Carey's jaw came unhinged and she stared at Corrine, her expression somewhere between hope and fear.
Wonder what dirt the fat bee thinks she has on Finn? And what will the King of Ooo do when he gets the news?