Fourth Vector Ch. 12

It was the reason now why he decided to keep it. With Niamh long since departed from this world, it was one small piece of their life together that he could keep. One memory of the thousands that made him forget that he could no longer hear her voice, taste her lips, or experience her touch. It could be extremely lonely at times, and it was a part of him that he kept locked deep inside. It was a face that he was even reluctant to show to Elektra, even though she would understand just as much as anyone.

"You would love the woman she's become, you know," he whispered quietly. "She looks every bit like you did at that age and just as tough. She's the splitting image of her mother."

Like usual, his words went unanswered. Heron let out another sigh about his quiet burden before looking back over to his bed. It seemed so large in comparison now, especially without Niamh to warm it. It was big enough when it was just the two of them, and now it seemed impossibly gigantic for just him. It was these quiet moments that made him miss her the most. Even time couldn't dim the pain, no matter how much he might wish for it. He never wanted her memory gone, just the sting of her loss to diminish with each passing year. Even that seemed to be too much to ask.

There was a soft knock at the door to his chambers. Before Heron could answer, Nikias stuck his head inside the door. "Your Majesty, may I have a moment?"

Heron nodded and waved him inside. "Of course, Nikias. I need someone in here to distract me right now."

Nikias gave him a confused look before he looked out to the balcony and the setting sun. Recognition dawned on his face. "It's that time, I'm sorry, I can come back—"

"Nonsense," said Heron firmly. "Just an old man and his memories. Come in. What's the latest news?"

Nikias looked like he was about to step out but thought better of it. Instead, he walked in gingerly while carrying a stack of notes along his side. "I just thought to catch you up on a few matters you had me working on."

"Let's hear it. What's the first?"

Nikias cleared his throat before pulling the first message up. "The repairs to our defensive wall are nearly complete. Just this afternoon, I inspected a patch near the northern terminus that had almost been completely demolished during the fight, and you wouldn't even recognize it right now, sire. The masonry was done extremely well, and it looks sturdier than before. I daresay that should anyone get the foolish notion to attack us again, they'll pay dearly in the attempt."

"That is great news, Nikias. I'm sure many will sleep more soundly knowing that wall is strong again. Myself included," added Heron.

"I thought you would like that bit of news the most, which is why I made it first," said Nikias as he filed to the next piece. "In terms of the army, just about eighty percent has been demobilized and returned to their former professions. Most have returned to their farms, and I'll update you more on that in a bit. There are several regiments of guards that are posted here in the capitol and in several smaller cities all around the island. Most of the activity in the interior with your brother's former soldiers has been cleared up as well. Robberies and deaths are down substantially."

"Good to know," said Heron. "You were able to get a quick jump on that. I didn't think you'd be able to get that situation under control so quickly."

Nikias grinned. "It wasn't too bad once we could redirect what men were left to fight brigands instead of other soldiers. Plus many of the discharged soldiers returning to their farms to find them crawling with bandits took justice into their own hands. Otherwise, I have the army situated in the coastal towns and prepared to act should we see any activity coming in from the sea."

"What about our navy? How goes plans with Andros and his attempted conversions?" asked Heron.

"So far so good," started Nikias. "For one, we actually have a navy again, which we couldn't say for some time. The four ships we've recovered from your brother are operational once more, with the flagship,Hera, in the lead."

"Great name for a warship," muttered Heron quietly with a grin on his face.

Nikias smiled too. "I'm very inclined to agree with that! Anyway, we've sent the ships out for basic trials to make sure they were seaworthy, and the results have been fantastic. None of them need major work and they should serve us quite well in the coming days."

"Good to hear but they won't be worth much to us if the Swabians decide to get aggressive," said Heron. "What about the new designs?"

"I spoke with Andros this morning as he worked on the all-metal ship with the blueprints we got from Jack. With the design nearly complete, he's started to actually build one to the old Javan specifications, although he did say it could take some time before it's even ready to float into the harbor. More to come on that, I'm sure, but he's making a good amount of progress on it."

"Speaking of Jack, what have you heard about him lately? Anything good?" asked Heron. "Are they still near Andalucia?"

Nikias pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. "We're not sure at this time, sire. The last transmission that we received from him was that they were going to mount a rescue mission for the crew of theSwordfish that was taken by the Andalucians, including Kat and Vera. They were personally off the coast of the island but that was nearly a week ago."

"Hmm, I hope they're doing all right," said Heron. "This part of the world has been very tumultuous in recent years. With our war, the Swabians' naked aggression, and now the Andalucians attacking innocent trade ships just for slaves, I haven't heard of this much action in a very long time."

"It is a bit peculiar, sire," agreed Nikias. "But since you brought up the Swabians, let me tell you about what happened there this afternoon. I had a conversation with the Swabian envoy that just landed two days ago."

Heron gave him a disgusted look. The special envoy from the Swabian Empire was a slimy individual without much in the way of civility. Having already amassed a reputation in the matter of hours, he had proclaimed to know nothing about the treasury debacle as well as denying any culpability with Daimanos for seizing the throne of Sorella. Heron knew the man's real purpose was to feel out if they were planning any reprisals against the Swabians, and in that regard, he was determined to give the man nothing to work with.

"And what did he have to say?" Heron asked finally.

"The envoy once again denied any role with the treasury, however he did say something that I've found very interesting concerning this Lord Avila character."

"Interesting? I take it that it had something to do with his reputation?"

Nikias nodded. "Precisely. I don't think he meant to say anything, but rather it just sort of slipped out. You saw him—he's not a very good diplomat. But he did mention that Lord Avila has been acting awfully independent as of late. It seems the Swabian emperor hasn't had much luck in trying to control him."

"This is very interesting. I'm surprised he let something like that slip."

"As was I," said Nikias. "It's almost impossible to get a Swabian to talk about their own power politics but it gives us a good picture of the situation over there. It also confirms much of what we already suspected. These actions may not have been sanctioned by the emperor and may be this Avila figure working alone. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing for us."

Heron pursed his lips. "It could go either way to be honest. If he's acting independently, he won't have the full force of the empire behind him. But it may allow him to do things that the empire can't be caught doing. It's a gray area for sure."

"It's good for us to know either way, and I'll be sure to keep an eye on this envoy," said Nikias. "I think we have a right to be suspicious of all of them. Even without this Lord Avila, we know the Swabians have the ability to act treacherously."

"Agreed, no reason to give them a foothold, whether the emperor or a lord," said Heron. "What's next?"

Nikias flipped to the next report. "The economy report. I saved the best news for last."

"That sounds promising," said Heron with a chuckle.

"It is, sire. Already we are starting to see our farmland start to flourish once more. As you know, a good portion of our most fertile land was left unused during the war, but thankfully Daimanos had enough sense not to destroy it. I've had reports that many of the first waves of soldiers who were released back to their homes already have crops growing once again. While it will be some time until it can be harvested, our food woes should disappear here shortly."

"That would be much welcomed indeed," said Heron with some excitement. "Even with the war being over, the people are still looking much too thin. This is terrific news."

"Not to mention, we've had another arrival of a trade ship, which was able to unload a variety of goods not seen in Sorella in ages. With the traders coming back, our economy can start getting back on its feet."

"That's the prime thing that I worry about, Nikias. Getting us strong again to resist what's ahead of us. The world is too volatile right now. We need to be ready for whatever is coming, whether it'll involve us or not. Better to be too prepared than to not be prepared at all. The last war taught us that."

"I think we'll be just fine, sire. And I hope once this business with the Andalucians is over with Jack, we can figure out what's going on in Picardy and forge a strong enough alliance to resist whatever trouble the Swabians can get into."

"That's my hope too, Nikias," said Heron as the door to the royal chambers opened once more. This new inhabitant didn't knock meaning it could only be one person who dared to barge into the king's private quarters. Heron's daughter Elektra entered the room, carefully eyeing both her father and her fiance with a look of questioning amusement.

"Why do you two look like you're up to something?" she asked as she strode into the chambers.

Heron started to chuckle. "We could ask you the same thing seeing as you just stomped your way into my room!"

Elektra raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. "I was looking for my fiance, and one of the chambermaids said that he was in here with you." She walked the short distance over to Nikias and carefully brushed his hair out of his eyes. "We need to talk more about the engagement parade when you have time, love."

"Engagement parade?" asked Heron. "Does that mean you've decided to go through with my suggestion?" He beamed with pride at the thought of having a large celebration for the announcement of their impending nuptials. An event that all of Sorella would have reason to celebrate.

Elektra nodded her head with excitement. "After I gave it some thought, I think it will be a wonderful idea. And what better way for us to open a new era in Sorella by starting off with a royal wedding!"

Heron chuckled. "My thoughts exactly. So tell me everything. What do you have planned? What do you want to do? When do you want to have it?"

Elektra started to giggle. "Slow down, Papa. I figured we could start planning this in the coming days, especially now that my obligations to the army are winding down, thanks in part to you." She raised an eyebrow, giving him a suspicious look.

"What?" asked Heron innocently. "With the army demobilizing, you're just not needed as much anymore."

"Right," she said with a knowing look. "Anyway, I figured we could have this parade in a couple weeks' time, to coincide with the Festival of Juna."

"The goddess of fertility, a most appropriate time for the announcement of a wedding," said Heron. "I daresay you two aren't trying to tell me something, hmm?"

The two of them went red in the face, confirming a suspicion he'd had only recently.

Elektra recovered first. "In due time, Papa, you'll get your wish. You'll get your grandchildren but only after we're married first."

"That would be simply delightful," said Heron as he clapped his hands together. "This palace is too big for too few people. We need the sounds and laughter of little feet echoing throughout the halls.""I don't think we'll have any problem in that regard," said Nikias, as he shot a look of amusement over to his bride-to-be. Elektra's face turned redder.

"What else do you have for plans? Anything yet?" asked Heron.

Elektra shook her head. "Not much else than that right now. That's why I want to steal Nikias from you, if you don't mind? There's much that we need to talk about still, and he's always been a good option as my primary sounding board."

"Oh, all right, I suppose," said Heron with a flicker of his wrist. "Nikias, did you have any other reports that we needed to discuss?"

Before Nikias could answer, Elektra began to drag him by the wrist, preventing any further serious discussion. He started to laugh before he responded, "We hit all the major topics. The rest of these reports I'll leave on your desk."

"Fine by me. Enjoy, you two lovebirds," said Heron with a laugh.

"Come, future husband of mine," said Elektra as she dragged a laughing Nikias out of the room. "We have much to discuss!"

The king was still grinning as they left the room, the door closing behind them and once more leaving him with his thoughts. It brought him boundless joy to see the way they acted around each other. At first, he'd been surprised to find out they wanted to marry, and he even wondered what kind of marriage they would have, never having seen much in the way of passion or even simple affection towards one another.

However, the last few weeks seemed to have really changed that. It was most noticeable with Elektra and the way she seemed to attach herself to Nikias' hip. Where you could find one, you could also usually find the other, and she'd been very vocal recently about her affections for the man, words that warmed the old king's heart to no end.

All he really wanted was for his daughter to find happiness and to start a family of her own. Not only to continue the family, but because he knew she would find the most joy in her life through doing so. Elektra had been like a different person since she told him about the engagement, a softer and brighter version that brought excitement to his heart at seeing their impending union.

It also reminded him of Niamh and how she'd acted when they first got married. Heron chuckled as he remembered the look on his own face that quite matched that of Nikias as he was pulled from the royal chambers. The women of his line could be feisty—well-tempered but feisty indeed.

The king walked a short distance from his window to a small table near the door of his chambers, where he'd left a plate of food from earlier. It had been a meager dinner mostly comprised of fruit, and he'd eagerly finished off every fresh piece he could get his hands on. However, finding the plate void of any of the grapes that he so liked, Heron frowned and found himself determined to get more.

He left his own chambers and headed to the very bottom of the palace where he could find the kitchens. At this time of night, most of the cooks would have cleaned up and left, ensuring that he should have a degree of privacy as he raided his own stores.

Smiling to himself in a sneaky way at seeing the lights off in the kitchens, Heron snuck in and prepared to find where they kept the produce. However, he was suddenly distracted by the sounds of sobs. Somewhere in the darkened room, someone was crying.

The sounds were enough to shock him, even if only briefly, and he soon stumbled backward and stubbed his foot against a hard surface. The effect rattled a nearby cupboard, and his wince of pain alerted the other person in the kitchen.

"Who's there?" asked a woman's voice.

"Just my clumsy, old self," said Heron with a chuckle as he lit one of the lamps closest to the cupboard. The soft light filled the room, revealing the identity of the weeper immediately.

It was Melora.

One of the women that he'd brought back to his palace from his brother's harem, the woman had spent the better part of a month with him already, trying to adjust herself to reentering society. Not that Heron looked forward to that day. Melora was a lovely woman, as kind and friendly as she was beautiful. Tonight she looked especially so, although Heron couldn't tell if it was just the soft light that seemed to highlight her features a little more than usual or whether she was always that breathtaking.

Melora wiped a tear from her cheek and started to stand. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I wasn't stealing or anything in here, I just thought I could have a moment to myself."

Heron reached out his hands and lowered them repeatedly. "No, no, please sit. What's troubling you, Melora? Is something wrong? Is anyone bothering you?"

She shook her head and sat back down. "Nothing at all, Your Majesty. Everyone here has been wonderful. Your servants are most kind, as are you, and of course the rest of the girls are lovely as well."

Heron sat down beside her. "I feel like there's a but coming," he said with a gentle smile.

Melora smiled briefly. "Sometimes, I just get lonely is all," she whispered quietly.

"I can understand that better than most," said Heron. "What seems to cause that for you?"

"I just miss my old life sometimes. The one I had before Daimanos," said Melora quietly.

"You know, the more I think about it, the more I realize I don't know much about you from before we met, Melora. Just about nothing at all. What do you miss?"

Melora took a deep breath. "I miss my husband the most sometimes. Even though he's been dead for over a year, I can never forget him. The way he used to be. We didn't have much time together. Three years when I think back upon it. But he was a good man, a decent man who was taken too young."

"I'm sorry, Melora," said Heron. "I didn't realize you'd been married."

"It's not something I talk about much. I don't think even some of the other girls know to be quite honest. This whole time I spent with Daimanos I tried to separate as much as possible from my old life. The old me was disgusted at whoring. To find myself reduced to it is a grand fate of irony."

"It was only a temporary condition, Melora. It's over and you don't ever have to go back to that life."

Melora sniffed and wiped her cheek. "I know, Your Majesty, it's just that sometimes I wonder if I can ever truly go back. Sometimes I wonder what my husband would've thought if he'd seen what became of me after his passing. Whether he would be upset with me."

"I truly doubt that," said Heron consolingly. "It wasn't your choice to go into the harem."

Melora shook her head. "But the result is still the same."

Heron remained quiet for some time while she processed her emotions. Her feelings at that moment weren't all too far from the ones he'd experienced just a short time earlier.

"You know, my wife has passed on as well too, right?" said Heron which caused her to look over to watch him. "I miss her terribly. I was just thinking about her earlier this evening. How much I wished she was still around to see our daughter get married."

"I bet she would have loved that."

"Oh, she would. Especially with the kind of child that Elektra was. Always more of a tomboy than her sister, we thought she might be the last to get married, if at all! But she's blossomed into a lovely, young woman. Just like her mother at that age. How much I wish she could see her now."

"How long has your wife been gone?"

"A number of years now. I stopped counting after enough time."

Melora nodded her head slowly. "Does it ever get easier?"

"I wish I could say it did, but I'm afraid I'd be lying to you, Melora," said Heron with an honest but sad smile.