“Also, in case there is any confusion, Jeanette is my Companion, we haven’t become Lovers as of yet, at least in the Physical sense, but she has expressed a desire to be my Concubine, and I have already accepted this; I hope that doesn’t upset you, Alian.”
She shook her head, with a smile on her face. “As long as I’m your first wife, and can bear children for you. I’ll be ecstatic, Besides, I like how Jeanette looks too; I hope she can accept me too.”
“Yes, Milady, it would be an Honor, I’d gladly bear a child for you, as well as Jane!”
“Huh, I wonder if that’s possible? A blending of two Tigers in a third woman, blending three bloodlines at the same time. We’re all cat types, so nothing bad should happen; either it would work, or it wouldn’t, I think.” Absolute shock. “What?”
Smiling impishly, Alian responded, “What do you say to that idea, Jeanette? Would you agree to attempt to bear a blended child of the two of us? The idea has never even been suggested to my knowledge, it might indeed be worth attempting, practically allowing for another new bloodline that way.”
Jeanette had a stupid grin on her face. “That sounds wonderful, I can’t wait to be married to both of you, so we can try that, no need to rush on your part, your Highness, if you want some more time just loving us before a child is conceived.”
Alian shook her head, “No way, I’m not waiting, as soon as the announcement is official, and we’re on our Honeymoon, we two start trying. Besides, raising our children together just makes sense; we’ll be able to share feeding duties that way.”
“That brings up another question; if Magic allows Pregnancy, could it also allow the non-mother to produce milk?”
More shocked expressions. “My dear soon to be daughter in law, you are full of original ideas. I’ll contact my best Mages and have them begin thinking on the matter. Oftentimes, the woman who can’t conceive truly feels left out for that very issue; having a spell to do that would save so much suffering for those women.”
I then remembered the Crossbow. “We’ve gotten a little distracted; you asked about the weapon, it’s called a Crossbow, and this one is a covert variant for self-defense mostly. The full-sized version is great for Guards, because it takes almost no training to use, and provides a ranged offense if needed. It’s rather short ranged in comparison to a Bow, but it’s more powerful, and can punch through most armor. There is a larger version than that, which is called a Ballista, and is an anti-siege weapon, which gets mounted on the walls. Those can usually damage or destroy any siege towers an enemy might bring, and they have a decent range. Takes a team to crank back the rope, load the massive bolts, aim, and fire, but it is a real game changer at times.”
I demonstrated how the cocking lever worked to pull the string back, and the safety that prevents accidental firing, then the speed of the string snapping taught when the trigger is tapped. “So far, only one Smith knows anything about this Weapon, and he knows it’s useless to anyone but the Guards, because a true hunter, or adventurer will use a Bow instead.”
The King nodded in pleasure at the display. “I think these Covert versions are a good notion for those Nobles who would rather not train in warfare, so they at least have some self-defense, and yet can be hidden away from sight when it’s not needed,”
Adel spoke then. “It was rather effective in the hands of the Carriage lookout, too. It accounted for two of the Toads, and stunned a third, before Jane killed the rest.”
That startled the King. “Truly a warrior’s spirit to kill three Toads single-handed. Did anything else happen on your trip?”
I nodded my head. “Yes, and it’s rather disturbing. While I was in the Inn, in the same Village the Princess’s Carriage was at, waiting for replacements for the two Guards they had lost, someone in a peculiar, yet distinctive dark hooded cloak attempted to kill me, and probably Jeanette due to proximity. That could have been a one-off, but about six hours from the Capitol, a whole group of Bandits dressed identically tried, and failed miserably to attack us. I blinded them with light magic, and the Men had them trussed up. They would have just killed them if I hadn’t stopped them quickly enough. They are now in the care of the Gate Guards, being interrogated. I asked that they not be killed, so they can be made to testify in Court if it’s needed. With the potential of having their sentence commuted to slavery for cooperation, pending Your Majesty’s decision at the time. I feel there’s a bigger conspiracy here, and the first person thought I was Adel, and didn’t even know I wasn’t connected to the Nobility at all. That’s a chance I won’t take, so I hope I didn’t overstep here.”
The King looked grim. “You promised nothing, only suggested that Cooperation might change their punishment, and you were right to keep them alive for interrogation, and the Court testimony is wise as well, should it be required. All is well on that front. Truly, the thought of a Conspiracy is disturbing, but we can’t ignore this just because we don’t like the notion. I completely agree, it’s too coincidental to be ignored. Did the Guards say what they intended?”
I nodded again. “Yes, they said they were getting some top-tier mage breakers, to ensure they can’t resist the questions, and won’t die either. I just hope they don’t have hidden poison pills or something. Don’t want them committing suicide before they are forced to talk, I hadn’t even considered that till just now.”
The King called for the Guards. “Send a runner to the Gate, tell them to check the Prisoners to be interrogated for any hidden poisons, or other means of committing suicide. We don’t want to lose out on any information they may have.”
The Guard saluted and left at a double-time march. We all agreed to retire for the remainder of the night, at which point Alian stated that under the circumstances, we should all sleep in her rooms. I looked in some Panic at the King and Queen who correctly interpreting my expression, stated that it’s perfectly fine, since we’ve all agreed to the wedding, and to who will make the heirs, as long as the conception is left till after the Marriage itself, there would be no issues with anything else.
In a Daze with a goofy grin on my face, I left with my now two women. There wasn’t too much fuss, we all undressed, down to nothing, and climbed into bed together, exchanging nervous kisses all around, and cuddling to begin building some skinship. We all dozed off fairly quickly, having had quite the long day.
When we woke in the Morning, after I had relieved myself, being the last to do so, I found myself attacked by a Passionate Princess. “I couldn’t wait anymore! You drove me practically crazy last night, being so respectful, even though we were both Naked. Please take me, if you need more time before you can accept my attentions in return, I can wait, just please don’t hold back from me, either of you!”
Jeanette was beaming and grinning like a fool. “Me too, please. I can receive both of you, and I’ll gladly tend to the Princess anytime. Like Alian, I can wait for you to be ready. I truly love you, already.” Grinning like a fool, I did exactly as requested, we were all panting and sweaty when we heard giggling from the bathing room.
The maids were happily readying the bath and clothing. We entered the room, and the Maids bowed while overjoyed. “We are delighted at the news of your upcoming marriage, Princess Alian.”
I found it awkward when the Maids helped to wash us all. “I’m accustomed to bathing myself. This is kind of weird for me. If it’s possible, unless there’s some special occasion, like today’s first Breakfast ever, I’d like to tend to myself.”
Though Alian was shocked that I had bathed in the past, the Maids were understanding. “Have you truly bathed before? Not just wiped off with a Cloth or something?”
Jeanette asked the question Alian wanted the answer to. “Yes, back home everyone has a Bath in their homes, or at least a Shower. We have running water provided by the City Government, and we pay a Bill every other Month, it’s combined with the Sewer and Garbage Bills. With the electric water heater in the plumbing lines, the water came in already at the perfect temperature for bathing. We also have ready access to Soaps and Shampoos to get ourselves fully clean; I know a few recipes for some scented soaps, my Grandmother insisted I learn.”
The Maids and Alian stiffened in surprise. “Recipes for Soaps? Please teach us! We will make it immediately!”
I looked at the Maids who were beyond excited at the thought of scented soaps. “Sure, I’ll even teach you how to make liquid hand soaps for Kitchen Staff, and to have in any of the what do you call them in here, where you relieve yourself?”
“Privy chambers, that’s what they’re called, what do you call them?”
“Depends, at home, it’s typically called a Bathroom, even if there isn’t a Bath in it; in another country, they call it a Water Closet, but in public, we call it simply a Restroom. Public ones are Segregated, one for Men, one for Women. They’re not like yours; they aren’t just a hole leading to a collection area below, they have plumbing attached, and you flush the waste away with water. The toilet is a Porcelain piece with a tank to hole water attached to a bowl that’s half full of water, when you flush, the water from the tank forces everything out, and the new clean water keeps smells from coming back up, and the tank refills itself till the float switch reaches the top. I know how to make everything, except the rubber for the flapper that holds the water in the tank, but for a simple version, I could just make the bowl itself, and we simply dump water in instead.”
Wonder and amazement were plastered like growths on everyone’s faces. “I think, my Love, that you have MUCH to teach us! Do discuss everything with father, how does the running water work, is it magic?”
I shook my head. “No, you have to build a water tower. It’s a massive tank on top of a tower higher than any building that will be served. It has a small pipe connected to a pump powered either by electricity, or in old times a windmill, then there’s a gigantic pipe coming down from the center of the tower, that connects to the Plumbing network under ground, with each split leading to smaller pipes, until the ones in houses are about an inch around, this allows for water to flow through all the pipes at a decent pressure, and speed.”
We got out of the bath, and I was presented with a Dress. “Um, no, I can’t do Dresses. If you intend to pick clothes for me, imagine you’re dressing a Man, then alter it in the cut to fit me. I’m sorry for the trouble, but I just can’t do Dresses.”
A Maid bowed to me and took the offending garment away. Soon she returned with something a lot more acceptable for me. “I’ll adjust some more options, but this will have to do for now.”
I smiled, “Thank you very much, this is just about perfect! The Style is on point, once it gets fitted to me, it will be perfect. No frills, mind, less is more, trust me. The only embellishments I’ll accept are badges, or pins if I ever earn any, that is.”
Alian quirked her head. “Is that something your Rulers did?”
I nodded “Yes, there was the Purple Heart, for getting injured in the line of duty, and continuing to serve, rather than breaking, the first order of merit, for service above and beyond the call of duty, the Marksmanship award for exceeding the standards for aim, which since almost all our weapons were ranged, that was important, there’s tons of different awards that can be earned in any of the the armed forces.”
“Armed Forces, not just the Army?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Police is the civil authority, Army deals with ground forces, Navy for shipboard service, Marines serve aboard the ship, but are the ones who make a foothold on an enemy land, the coast guard is similar to the Navy, but they mainly deal with water rescues, but also piracy, and smuggling. Then there’s the Air Force, they dealt with flying machines exclusively, while the Navy had fighter jets, and aircraft carriers, a few helicopters, but mainly they were about boats and submarines.”
“You had Flying Crafts?! Also, what’s a Submarine?”
“Submarines are a special type of Boat that has canisters of Compressed air, and is capable of going under the water, and traveling that way for months without surfacing. With weapons that could be launched under the water to damage enemy ships.”
“Your world sounds so wondrous!”
“Everyone there thinks this world, or the ones they imagine, are Wondrous. Between having nobody back home, all my Family has passed away, including aunts and uncles, and they never had children, so I have no cousins either, and I never found anyone I could call a Lover, well, I simply couldn’t be happier to be here.”
My two Lovers squealed in happiness and squeezed me tight in a hug from each side. “I think it might be a good idea to set me up with writing materials, so I can describe all the public works projects I can explain, and basic descriptions of the various weapons, and quality of life items I know how to make. Probably take me quite a while, and your Father should decide which aspect I should focus on.”
Alian nodded, “That’s an excellent notion.” Now fully dressed, we left for the Breakfast table and my first meeting with the Second Princess of the realm.
We entered a dining hall that was much too vast, and about a quarter full with various members of the King’s Court. All eyes focused on me, with shock and amazement. Alian pulled us along behind her as we approached her normal seat, which now had two additional seats beside it. Less adorned than her own, but still far more opulent than I feel comfortable with. As we reached our seats, before we sat down, the King stood, and addressed the court.
“My people, wondrous news. Through methods beyond understanding, a new Tiger has come to our Nation, having only been in our Nation for three days, she has already reached Gold Tier with the Adventurer’s Guild, as confirmed by our own Guild Tablet. In addition, she has knowledge of Materials and Weaponry beyond our current capabilities, and has already created two unknown weapons, as well as the method of making a version of Steel that does not rust. Though she was raised as a Commoner in her Land, she is educated far more than any in our Realm, and has three names to our two. This is a cultural difference only, and her second name is intended to protect against confusion with extended family only and is not needed in casual conversation. It is, however, required for signing any Legal Documents, and as such, I believe it may be a tradition we adapt ourselves to reduce forgeries in the future, though that is a matter for future discussion. She will be joining my own family, as the First Princess Alian has agreed to marry this Woman; at long last, she’s chosen a Wife, who comes with a Concubine of her own, who is Iron Ranked in her own right. This will greatly improve my Daughter’s Safety, and an Heir will be conceived as soon as possible after the Wedding, which we will not delay. I intend to hold the Ceremony within the Month, giving sufficient time for the Princes to be informed, but we will not recall them. They may meet their new Sister in Law when they come home normally. She will now introduce herself and her Concubine.”
I took a deep breath. “My lords, and Ladies, members of the court at large, I bid you greetings from the United States of America, which is not a Monarchy or Matriarchy but a Democratic Republic. My name in full is Jane Rae Richards. In my time here, I have maintained the position that I am NOT of the Noble line of this Nation, and that position will not change at all until this Marriage is officially concluded. I am not joining for my own sake, but for the Nation; I want nobody to think they could use me as a tool to rebel, and offer me as legitimacy, being that I happen to be a Tiger myself, were it not for this worry, I would rather serve instead of joining. Please treat me as a respected commoner or merchant, rather than a Noble. I intend to support my Princess Wife, not take her place. It’s her place to rule in the unfortunate death of her Father, and anyone ahead of her, which, I, personally, hope will never happen. As to my Concubine, her name is Jeanette, and she is also equally devoted to supporting the First Princess. For those of you who believe me to be too young to be believed, my actual age is forty-two years; I assure you all, I can take direct criticism without taking offense. I look forward to aiding this great Nation, and I hope to get to know all of you to some degree, if time permits. Thank you all for taking the time to listen to my pathetic fumbling attempts at public speaking, which I hope for all our sakes is kept to an absolute minimum.”
To my utter surprise, I saw a sea of genuinely happy and welcoming faces, not one person was upset, or irritated that I existed. A round of applause from all those present reached my ears. “Please be seated, and let us eat. There will be time for individual introductions, as Jane will not be leaving the Capitol until after the Ceremony.”
We took our seats and began our Meal. I was slightly less disappointed in the food, and intended to see about improving the food quality. The Second Princess couldn’t wait to pipe up, looking slightly older than Adel, she was nevertheless beautiful in her own right. “My Dear Future Sister, please permit me to introduce myself; I am the Second Princess, Cassandra Marion. I look forward to hearing all about how your Democratic Republic works, and any differences in lifestyles of the people, not the Nobles.”
I chuckled a little and smiled. “There are no Nobles, only elected officials. Typically from wealthy families, the people vote them into office, usually by telling the best lies. Promising improvements on Taxes, or Education, lowering the unemployment rate, increasing the minimum wage, and better healthcare, whatever they think will set the hook. Yet even knowing they’re telling lies, we still vote them in. It’s by no means a better system. Sounds great on paper, but when push comes to shove, all systems fail in the end. The first King earned their title, was given it by the People, but with every generation, the children get more spoiled, and the greed takes a firmer hold, losing the old Nobility, and becoming Nobles in name only.”
Cassandra blinked. “Truly, you believe that will happen?”
I nodded. “It will take centuries, but Parents tend to spoil their children, especially if they feel guilty about spending so much time working, as a Nation’s Ruler has to do almost all the time. I’m sure that as much as you love your Father and Mother, neither can spend nearly enough time with you for your personal preference. Especially when you were little. So they’d get you a Pony, or a new Dress, a Fancy Toy, that super rare Book, whatever they think will make you smile, because they don’t know how to interact with you, they never had the chance to learn.”
The King and Queen looked amazed at me. “That is exactly what we did! Was that truly the wrong thing?”
I smiled. “So far, I don’t think it did much harm. It’s when Generations repeat the cycle. It’s like a mild poison; it doesn’t kill right away, but your child is weaker than you were, and their children become weaker still. Presents should only be for Birthdays, special Holidays, or if you come home from a long trip, a small souvenir to show you wished you could have taken them with you. Anything else must be earned as a reward for excellent work in studies, being better at archery or swordsmanship than a person their age is expected to be. Every child needs responsibilities too, chores, splitting wood, making their bed, and cleaning their clothes. Sewing clothes, not needle-point. Cooking meals on Occasion, everybody should know how to cook, and where food comes from. Wealthy people tend to believe that farming is easy, because it takes no education. Farmers have years of education in their trade, there’s so much more information to teach a Farmer than even the King himself. It’s also a labor-intensive job, more difficult than even being a Knight if less dangerous. It’s truly back-breaking labor, and that’s before transporting the harvest to market. If you don’t understand the value of the common people, you have no right to rule them. The most important thing for any child is to be told NO often. That one little word is Vital to a healthy child’s growth.”
Though most Nobles were shocked at my words, the King and Queen both nodded in understanding and complete agreement. “Your words are very wise. I apologize to you, my beloved daughters, I truly wish I could have given you all the time you deserved.”
The shock faded as the Nobles realized I was talking about a future disaster that needed to be avoided, and how to do so. “I presume you will be a doting parent when your children are born. Will you help with your new Siblings' children as well?”
The Queen’s question seemed almost laughable. “Naturally, Queen Mother, I will cherish all my nieces and nephews, and my new Siblings as well. Family is precious to me, and I lost all mine from before. Outliving your blood is not a pleasant experience. You will find nobody as Loyal as me as a direct result of simply being Family.”
Once Breakfast was finished, I asked to be excused to the Kitchens for a moment. Confused, the Queen, Alian, as well as Jeanette decided to follow me to see what I was about. I entered the Kitchen to the surprise of the entire Kitchen Staff.
I pointed at several ingredients and asked for a portion, then I went just outside into the Kale Yard, where I found several Herbs growing wild, and to my absolute joy, a Potato Plant. I harvested everything I wanted, returned inside, and quickly prepared a dish. The Staff was watching in wrapped attention, and the surprise of the herbs was only paled by that of the Potato. I cooked those separately with some of the herbs. I took a test bite once the Potato was done, and focused on the taste. Once I was satisfied that it was the same as I remembered from home, I added Onions, and some of the Mushrooms they had to that. Once everything was done, I turned to my Audience.
“Ok, everyone, come and give it a taste.” All the staff rushed, only to freeze, as they remembered that the Queen and Princess were present.
“Please, your Ladyships, you should taste first if you intend to do so.” The head of the Kitchen stated with a determined grace. The Queen stepped up and took a mouthful of each, eyes widening in pleasure with each dish; Alian also sampled each dish, as did Jeanette.
“That is Marvelous, if I wasn’t already full from Breakfast, I doubt I could have refrained from eating the full amount. You must all try this, and perhaps we can learn some of Jane’s cooking secrets for the Court, I certainly hope it’s possible.”
With permission given, the Staff swarmed on the dishes and finished both off. “Well, opinions, and do you think you can copy those dishes on your own?”
“It’s Marvelous, Mistress Jane, I heard your introduction speech, so I know not to call you by Noble titles until after the Wedding. In the interim, perhaps you wouldn’t mind teaching me a menu for the Wedding?! PLEASE teach me!”
I smiled. “I’ll be glad to give you as many secrets as I can remember. I’m no Chef, so I’m sure you can take whatever I give you and improve upon it. I wish I could get a Dehydrator setup, so we could preserve some of those herbs for the winter.”
She looked confused. “What’s a Dehydrator?” I explained the concept and how removing the moisture keeps it from rotting, and intensifies the flavor for up to half a year. She seemed excited, especially when I told her it could make Jerky, which is a food that didn’t exist. The Head of the Kitchen said that what she tried had given her ideas of improvements for all her dishes, and she was certain that lunch and dinner both would be greatly improved. As I was walking to leave the Kitchen, something caught my eye, and I whirled back to the Kale Yard. I ran outside to a bush growing like a weed at the very limit of the patch, right next to a wall.
“Jalapenos!” I grabbed one decent-sized pepper, and another Potato, and enough herbs, popped back into the Kitchen, and quickly made a new Potato dish, using the Jalapeno as well. “Try this one!”
Everyone, Royals first, followed by Jeanette, sampled the new dish, and marveled at the Spicy Flavor that now filled their mouths. “Marvelous! To think something so tasty was growing like a Weed in our Kale Yard.” The Queen and Head of the Kitchen seemed to agree. “If we make some cooking oil from plants, we can pulp the Jalapenos and mix them with the Oil, and some Vinegar, then it can be used as a sauce. Adding it to dishes that need a little kick. Just make sure to let one or two peppers ripen fully, so you can use their seeds for next year.”
Now we did leave the Kitchen, and the excited Kitchen Staff started brainstorming improvements for their future dishes. “That’s going to improve things so much, I truly thank you for teaching our Kitchen Staff. Your Nation must have had many different foods, I look forward to sampling more. The Wedding Feast will be Amazing, and I have no clue what it’s even going to be.”
Queen Vanessa stated enthusiastically. I grinned impishly. “That’s the first thing I’ve eaten that wasn’t bland. Even if it was only a bite of each thing I made. This is purely for self-interest, despite how good it’s going to be for everyone else. Also, my Bride deserves good food at her Wedding, not to mention all the time.” I looked fondly at both my Lovers. "I’d like to go to the Guild Branch for the Escort Reward, I still owe Jeanette, and I might want to buy something in town too.”
Vanessa nodded. “I’ll arrange an escort, I know you’re not a Noble, and you can take care of yourselves, but you’re going to have to get used to being escorted around, and besides, you don’t know the city. I also want some assurance that you will return home tonight.”
She chuckled with a genuine affection, and understanding how uncomfortable I was with all the Pomp and Circumstance. “Can you at least choose an escort that isn’t used to being formal yet?”
She nodded. “That I can manage, most nobles dislike them, and usually there’s only one in any detail, as long as the Captain of your detail is more proper, to maintain discipline when needed, that solves more problems than it causes.”
With a snap of her fingers, she summoned a runner and gave her instructions for my detail. “Mother, may I attend Jane on her tasks?”
I subtly shook my head and winked at the Queen. “I think not, Alian, with the attempt on Jane’s life, and the seemingly connected bandit attack, having both of you out of the Palace at the same time, is just asking for trouble. We must wait for the results of the Interrogation.”
Alian looked sad, but understanding. “Please don’t take all day, being separated feels like it will be horrid. Is it strange I’m already that attached to you?”
“Not too odd, though the intensity is higher than I would have expected back home. However, I think maybe it’s because my Scent might be stronger, and affecting you. Making both of you more, I don’t know, Aware of your feelings, and less willing to delay anything.”
