Now this has my big ship design of this story, originally based on a bootleg of a ship from a Japanese knockoff which I hadn't identified as such at the time. I have a number of illustrations posted, just not here.
By breakfast time, the guests were already pouring in. The royalty and elites of every Realm of the known World had been invited, and not everyone had sent regrets. One of the first to arrive was Biaku, bearing a gift from the Khan of Biarmaland. Another early arrival was the Dowager, who arrived in the Royal Skyship in time to have breakfast with Ajax and Hector in the Courtyard outside the gates. By the time they had finished, the King of the Indigo Realm had arrived. The rest of the royalty of the Mushroom Realms came by noon. The High Kings of the Azure Isles and the White North arrived in a single skyship. The Chieftain of the Gold Mountains came by caravel. Morrie arrived soon after with his queen, a river siren who had once fought for Xaja. When she descended, her tail split into two long and shapely legs. Ajax met his old friend with an embrace. "I am so glad you made it," he said.
"Things are much as they were," Morrie said. "The Beasts of the Forest are often restless, but conspiracy and revolt are against their nature. The reason the Forests seemed lawless for so long was that those who ventured in thought that they could simply drive the creatures before them. When we give them space, they come out when they have needs and retire when they prefer solitude."
"Have you done any minstrelsy lately?" Hector asked.
"I still sing for my Queen and our court," Morrie said. "Now and then, I try my hand at writing a song. We have enough minstrels now that they do a better job than I ever could have. Now, they all want songs from Earth. There has been more coming through, or at least more that has become known. There is a report that Naam has a video tape player."
"Good luck finding tapes," Ajax mused. "I must thank you, by the way, for the song you wrote all those years ago. It is a good and beautiful thing. I have not discussed it with my Queen, but I hope to have it played at the ceremony."
"I only arranged and revised the song," Morrie said. "I am indebted to you for sharing your tape. It is still my greatest success. Every time I play, it is requested. Often, travelers and guests ask me to play it unbidden. Now and then, I hear it mentioned by those who do not know I wrote it."
"That would be the highest compliment among the Myrmidons," Meliboia said. "We have a saying: `The names of famous men are known to those who know nothing of their deeds. The deeds of great men are known to those who have never heard their names.'"
"Speaking of," Ajax said, "here they come!"
Sure enough, the Myrmidon fleet was once again overhead, though this time, most of them were too high to be more than minute specks even in a telescope Mel produced. Just one descended, a heart-shaped craft with twin tail booms, over 50 Cubits in wingspan. It was painted an incongruous earthy yellow that along with its shape made Ajax think vaguely of a sting ray. "It is a Pisces class heavy troop carrier," Mel said. "Probably Ataraxes. Its standard complement is 12 Hoplites and 4 crew, but that's with an armored surface transport, support weapons and recon mechs. It's been stripped of most of its weaponry. There are laws about such things that weren't in play when it was just Amyclas and Aeacus in their personal craft. On a world as undeveloped as yours, a party can only carry ceremonial weapons and what we count as sidearms. Technically, I've been breaking the rules just by carrying my footlocker to the surface, though I at least qualify as dual citizen."
"Why would Aeacus use such a large craft?" Hector asked.
"Because I'm Daddy's little girl," Mel said with a sigh. She frowned. "Oh, no, Dad…" In the front and rear, what looked like ball turrets detached, revealing stubby escort fighters with insectoid wings that unfurled as they dropped. Each one fired a volley of pyrotechnics over the Palace. In the Garden, Sara shrieked and covered her ears. Little Robert cooed.
On frantic signals from the control crew in the Spire, the ship set down in a courtyard normally used for military parade maneuvers. Mel hurried to meet them. The ship was clearly oriented for the nose to face away from the path they followed. From beneath the angular rear, a ramp extended. Aeacus marched forth with Amyclas at his right hand and a handsome young lieutenant on his left, all clad in fine scarlet and bronze armor polished bright as gold. Ten Hoplites followed, including two women. At the rear, two especially burly men carried a box between them. Mel pressed her fist to her lips. "Well met, Ajax!" the Chieftain called out. "We bring your wedding gift! Would you like to see it now, or would you prefer to wait?"
"You may take it to my Queen's Chamber," Ajax answered. "I will… inspect it there."
"Ah, that's the spirit!" Aeacus said. He embraced the King. Then he waved to his companions. "You know Amyclas, my son. This is Autolycos, his Second and his mate."
The King extended a hand and shook. "Charmed," he said. By then, Aeacus had embraced Meliboia. Both were in tears.
Ajax turned at another pair of new arrivals. They were robots, both two Royal Cubits tall. One was a silver humanoid with the semblance of a helmet and visor in place of a face. The other was a feminoid lifelike enough for an expressive face and a stylized ponytail. She had a headpiece in the form of a tiara with a glowing green light in the center, evidently a counterpart to the one on her companion's brow. He extended a hand to the silver robot. "Well met, what is your name?"
"Pardon me," said the feminoid. "I am Infra, he is Ultra. I speak for us."
"You mean he cannot speak?" Ajax asked.
"It is not his function," Infra said. Meliboia was already nudging her groom in another direction. It turned out to be Kiv, accompanied by an angular robot that was his copilot. Nopalina rushed in to embrace him, with a backward glance at her King.
After a time, Ajax looked up, on idly noticing that the sunlight had dimmed somewhat. He expected to see a passing cloudbank overhead. Instead, he saw an enormous black shape overhead, long and narrow in proportions, though its breadth was clearly great. "Naam," he said. "He brought his flagship. Do you suppose-?"
Hector patted his back. "We will see, brother," he said.
There was no room for the great ship anywhere but in the harbor. Rather than descend, it deployed a launch, itself nearly as large as a caravel. It descended gracefully, giving ample opportunity to inspect its black hull and its intricate crimson and gold trimmings. It came to a rest with a splash in a harbor berth. Ajax summoned a cart to take him there. By the time he pulled up, ramps had been deployed. Naam descended in his seemingly human form, arm in arm with Lemmia. "Well met, Ajax!" the Lord of the Lindorms called out. "Ah, and who can these be but Lady Meliboia and Lord Aeacus of the Myrmidons?" Aeacus bowed, and Mel managed a curtsy.
"Now," Naam said gravely, "I ask for silence." A veiled figure in black descended the ramp. "Behold my Queen, Lady Pruna of the House of Prunus, Empress of the Lindorm Realms… and the mother of my child and heir." The figure threw back a dark shawl, revealing auburn hair beneath. Then the veil was thrown back. It was a face the King knew by heart, even more beautiful than he remembered. She descended to Naam's side, then they advanced in stride. Ajax nearly retreated as he realized they were headed for him.
"Well met, Lord Ajax," Pruna said, echoing her husband. She extended a hand. The King took it, sensing a supportive presence at his side. Only then did he look sidelong and realize who it was.
"Hello, Pruna," Lady Cerasa said as she arrived, taking Pruna's hand in turn. "Say, you pull off the look pretty well."
Xaja came up behind her, puffing. "Ah, my Lady!" he said. "I have threatened the tortures of the Royal Dungeon on the controller who set us down among the tourists- Ah. Perhaps that can wait."
"My Lady," Ajax said. "It… has been some time."
"Yes, it has," Pruna said. She turned her head ever so slightly. Ajax took Mel's hand as she sidled up to him.
"My Lady Pruna," the King repeated, "this is Lady Meliboia of the Myrmidons, my bride and my Queen."
Mel extended a hand. "I'm most pleased to meet you," she said. "I must say, I haven't heard much about you."
"Well," Hector said, "perhaps we could catch up somewhere more private? Or inside?"
"Yes," Naam said. "Yes, we can do that."
There was feasting and celebration long into the night. Still, some went off by themselves or with a companion. Among them were High King Hector and his Queen Daffodil of Narcissa. It came to pass that the Queen sat with her back against the bars of the Royal Dungeon, her position eased by several of the cushions that were kept in discrete locations on both sides. "Oh, you are so understanding," she said, clasping her husband's hand from the other side. "I have lost so much weight, oh, and I definitely needed time before we have another little one. It is better for you, is it not?"
"You are always beautiful to me," High King Hector said. When you Bloom, you are my bud. When you are Fruiting, you are my little Plum…"
She flushed as she giggled. "Oh, do not talk like that, you might tempt me," she said. She leaned back. "You know, your brother did a good job with this door. Was that… 6 years ago now?"
"Yes," Hector said. "It was, ah, 5 Moons before Sara was born."
"Oh, yes," she said. She sighed. "Remember, when Ajax came the next morning? I just held up the door, wasn't that a rusty old thing? No wonder it didn't hold… Ah, but it's a wonderful memory now. I mean, it's not like we made Sara that night…"
"No," Hector agreed. "It didn't really set the right mood."
"Mm, no, but the night after…" The High Queen smiled. "Oh, but would it be so bad if we had Fruit with this Blooming? I am sure I want another little one, and oh, I have been so good. Just one more would not be so bad. Oh, and you are always so attentive when I am with Fruit…"
"But you have almost lost enough weight to get back into your wedding dress," Hector said.
"Oh, you always remind me of that," Daffy said. "All right, we wait, for tonight! Ah, but can you not tell me, what you would do if I were in there with you? That is always fun…"
"Well," Hector said, "as long as my Lady gave me leave…" He began to murmur to her. She squealed in delighted approval, then murmured back. There were other sounds as certain things were moved, or removed…
Then a flash lit up the Dungeon.
Daffy leaned against the bars, her face red and her mouth covered. Straight ahead, the center of a blackened spot on the wall still glowed a dull red. "Maybe, sometime," Hector said, "you should get that test."