Fourth Vector Ch. 36

"It's hard to believe how many members of my family may have sat in this chair at one time," said Jack. "So many memories this chair must have. If only it could tell the stories of those that came before it."

At that moment, Jack was overcome by an immense amount of sorrow. He'd never known any other members of his bloodline save for Vera and their grandmother. How many kings had sat in this chair and ruled over Galicia, protecting its people from threats external and internal? How many of them raised their families here? How many voices with stories to tell that Jack would never hear?

The magnanimity of the moment brought a tear to his eye. Beside him, he felt both Kat and Abigail take a side, both putting their hands on different portions of his back. In Kat's arms, John cooed as his eyes took in the throne of his ancestors.

Jack let a heavy sigh escape his lips. Behind him, he could hear the rest of the Callands, Greg, and Vera quietly shuffling for the exit, no doubt wanting to give him some space as he came to terms with the enormity of the task in front of him.

"I'm finally here," whispered Jack to no one in particular. "Here, in the throne room and the home of my ancestors. There's no one to guide me and no way that I can take their advice on what to do. I've been content to play the king without a kingdom but that part of my life is over. The kingdom is here all around me. I feel the responsibility on my shoulders and I have no one to turn to for advice."

"We'll always help you the best we can, Jack," said Abigail softly from his side.

"And you have a whole host of people who will do their best to show you how to rule," added Kat. "Not to mention the library is mostly intact. There are ways to learn about the kings that came before you."

"There were times that I never thought I'd see this day," said Jack. "I thought the Swabians would kill me first. I thought we'd never be able to relieve Eric Rosdahl's grip on the country. Even sailing here from Apulia, part of me wondered why I even bothered. Surely we would run into some problem that we couldn't solve. But all of that has only brought me here. Now I'm faced with the one thing that I know nothing about--how to rule."

"Ruling is not so different from commanding, and you've had plenty of experience doing that," said Kat. "The men of your army and your navy love you, Jack. They'd follow you anywhere. Look no further than the Javans. Most of them have willingly betrayed their own country just to follow you. If that doesn't count for something, I don't know what will."

Jack felt a small smile part his lips. "They follow me because I continue to pay them. If I didn't pay them, it might be a different story."

"You're intelligent enough to recognize that you needed to offer them something to continue to fight," said Kat. "There's nothing wrong about that. And that's just the enlisted men. The officers love you even more because of the kind of leader you are that they willingly follow you even now."

"And this officer loves you with everything she has," added Abigail as she squeezed his arm. "And the others? They'll continue to follow you even if you had to take them back to Java to face off with Bancroft."

"I'm going to need a lot of help," said Jack. "I won't be able to do this on my own. I'm going to need both of you to tell me when I'm being foolish or careless. Leading a country is different than commanding a task force."

"You'll always have me," promised Kat.

"And me too," added Abigail.

John made a delightful noise in Kat's arms, something that made Kat start to laugh. "And John has every bit of faith in his father too."

Jack turned to look at his son, his smile growing deeper. He reached out to grab the boy and held him against his chest. The small baby's eyes wandered once more to the throne, and Jack took the opportunity to kiss his cheek and gesture in front of him.

"Someday soon, this will be all yours too," he promised the baby. "I know you'll be better prepared to inherit this than I've been. I can only hope that when that time comes, I've given you a strong Galicia to rule."

Jack kissed his son's cheek again, causing him to make another small squeal. He handed him back to Kat at that point and he began to walk around the throne room.

"It's a small miracle that this room is even in relatively good shape," said Jack. "The door can be replaced, and after a thorough cleaning, it'll be ready for use once more."

"A good thing considering that much of the rest of it will need to be rebuilt," noted Kat. "I'm tempted to say we were lucky in the preservation of this room but I don't believe it was luck that made this happen."

"I know where this is going," said Abigail with a playful expression. "Prophecy, right?"

"Of course," said Kat with an innocent expression. "What else could have done it?"

Abigail shook her head. "You Galicians and your prophecies."

Kat's eyes flashed with playful indignity. "Careful now, you're going to be as good as Galician too someday, especially when you're queen."

The two women were content to chatter amongst themselves as Jack approached the windows that looked out on the city. From this perspective, he could get an idea of just how high they were. It was several stories below them that the Castle met the upper parts of the city, and a good few hundred feet until the lowest levels were reached.

The Castle truly was the defender of the city, the perch upon which protection watched over the populace.

And so much of it was in ruins. Jack would need to have crews working on this day and night before it could be repaired completely, and even then, some things would never be fully replaced.

He let out an audible sigh which drew the attention of the women away from their chatter and back to him.

"What's wrong, my love?" asked Abigail as her presence moved to his side again.

"It's going to take so much to rebuild it all. And even then, it still might not be as it once was," answered Jack.

"Jack, the Castle used to be beautiful but there was much about it that was archaic and didn't make sense," said Kat softly. "It was the result of centuries of add-ons and new additions, many of which only added to the complexity of the Castle. We have a real chance now to not only rebuild it but to make it better than it once was. We should look at that as a positive. Galicia has a king again for the first time in centuries. Let's have a castle that's worthy of his return."

"Do you really think I'm worthy of calling all of this my own?" asked Jack as his eyes focused on her.

There was more to his request than just the words alone. He needed reassurance that this wasn't just some dream. He needed a sign that both of them were all in, and that they believed in this future with him at the helm like there was no other alternative.

In that regard, neither woman disappointed.

Kat leaned in to press a deep kiss against his lips. "With every fiber of my being, I believe it."

Abigail's hand went to the back of his neck and pulled his lips to hers after Kat was done. "You're the king these people deserve."

If they believed in him, then so could he. With their hope and guidance, Jack would find a way to be the ruler that the Galician people needed him to be.

*****

Later that afternoon, Jack found himself back at his initial camp after spending the morning in the city. There was a deep felt desire amongst many of the Galicians to break down the camp and move over to Kalmar but the city was in no shape to take in several thousand more people, especially with so many buildings needing rebuilt. That was why for the time being, Jack's army would stay out here where they had room to maneuver.

There was also a secondary reason for them to stay in camp, blocking Kalmar off from the rest of Galicia. The morning's reconnaissance showed that the Galician Army column that was morning northward was still on a collision course with Kalmar, and Jack didn't know if they would still be loyal to Eric Rosdahl or not.

With the former regent now dead, Jack thought it likely they hadn't received the news just yet and would come over to his side once they did, but until that happened, he wasn't going to take any chances. For that reason, his army was digging in outside of Kalmar, preparing themselves for that engagement.

They needn't have prepared so much. It was late in the afternoon when Art stumbled into Jack's tent carrying a dispatch.

"Fortune continues to smile upon us," said Art as he waved the dispatch in his hands. "I bring good news with me."

"The Swabians have surrendered?" asked Jack with a wry smile. "We can end this war and live out the rest of our days in peace?"

"Not yet, Jack, but that message will come in the future. Of that, I have no doubt." Art handed over the message so that Jack could peruse on his own.

"General Cartier was in charge of the army column that was coming up from the south," summarized Art. "Once Kalmar fell, I did everything I could to get a dispatch to his communication people on the death of Eric Rosdahl. It was my hope that he wouldn't continue the fight against us once he had all the news."

"And it looks like you were successful," said Jack as he quickly read the dispatch. "General Cartier sends his regards and is pleased to inform you that all of his regiments would like to peacefully join you in Kalmar. He's looking forward to meeting this Galician King that everyone is talking about." Jack looked up from the dispatch and into Art's eyes. "I would say this is some damn good news."

"Incredible news," answered Art. "Except for the force that's invested in Leira, we now have control of three quarters of the Galician Army. As soon as they get here, we'll have a total of thirty regiments to add to our command."

"About thirty thousand well-trained Galician soldiers," muttered Jack. "If we were to combine that with the remaining army on Apulia, we'd have quite the host."

"About fifty thousand by my math," said Art with a beaming grin. "Santino has sent word ahead that Apulian volunteers have swarmed into the force. With the forces we have now, we'll have fifty thousand men to throw at the Swabians."

"And possibly another ten thousand if we can swing the Liera men over to our side as well," said Jack. "Have you made attempts to contact them as well?"

Art nodded. "For now, I haven't heard back. However, sending part of the army to Leira was actually a smart move on Rosdahl's part. It's the closest part of Galicia to Swabia and if an invasion were to come, I have no doubt they would start there. Perhaps it's best to leave them there to shield the island from a Swabian incursion?"

Jack nodded, finding the general's words wise. "At this point, we'd hardly need them. With fifty thousand men, we have our choice of just about anywhere to go. Hell, we could even take them straight to Dagobern if we wanted to."

"We still have the Swabian Navy out there somewhere," warned Art. "So we couldn't exactly make that move just yet until they were neutralized. But we do have plenty of options now. I know that King Aedan would be thrilled to hear of Picardy as our next destination and we now have the force to make that happen."

"We couldn't have received better news then," said Jack. "Please continue to make contact with the Leira contingent and let me know as soon as they reply back. Once we are situated here in Kalmar, then we can decide where we're going next."

Art nodded his head as a grin spread on his face. "You got it, Jack."

*****

The rest of the day was much less stressful. With news that the approaching column wasn't going to challenge their hold of Kalmar, Jack found a temporary reprieve from all the conflict and stress that had dominated his life as of late. His forces were in almost total control of this portion of Galicia, and he could afford to focus on rebuilding the city instead of fighting his next battle.

That evening as the sun disappeared on the horizon, Jack had thoughts of retiring to bed early to catch up on his lost sleep. It was already quiet in his personal quarters, as Abigail had gone back to theDestiny to guide the fleet into Kalmar's harbor and Vera was once again playing the role of favored aunt.

That left Jack alone with Kat, and judging by the look on the beautiful blonde's face, she didn't want to spend the night in the camp.

"Let's go into the city, Jack," she said while tugging on his arm. "I spent a good portion of my life in the Castle, and there were many times when I thought I'd never be able to see it again. I want to go back to the Castle tonight."

"Tonight?" asked Jack. "But it's already late and I'm tired, Kat. Why not wait until morning?"

Kat shook her head. "I know where we can sleep. A part that hasn't been touched by the fire. Besides, don't you want to sleep in the place where your ancestors once did? Don't you want to sleep in your city?"

She drove a hard bargain and it was only with minor reluctance that Jack found a vehicle for the two of them to make the drive over to the city. The sun had already set by the time they reached the Castle, and Jack feared they would have a hard time seeing where to go in the darkened passages. That turned out to not be the case. The servants of the Castle were still hard at work cleaning up the debris from the fire, and the portions that were accessible to them were lit along the way for easy visibility.

Kat squeezed Jack's hand as they made their way through the storied halls of the Galician Castle. He let her guide them willingly until she took him down a different wing than this morning, one that had been untouched by the fire. Jack could see that many of the rooms in this portion looked to be residences and wasn't surprised when she opened the door to a grand bedroom that occupied the very end of the wing.

Kat's face lit up with a bright smile as she stepped into the room, making it easy to tell how much this particular one meant to her. Jack didn't have to struggle much on his guess.

"This used to be your room, didn't it?" he asked. "You lived here?"

Kat nodded with excitement. "I called this room my home for most of my life."

What a home it was too. The main door opened into a grand living quarters that was full of couches and bookshelves of various varieties. The far wall opened to several large and spacious windows similar to the sort they saw in the throne room. From there, there were doors on each of the other opposing walls, leading to a private study area on one side and a roomy bedroom on the other.

The bedroom was like stepping back in time. Kat became very quiet as she slowly stepped into the room, finding it much the way she left it over four years ago.

"It hasn't changed at all," she whispered as she ran her fingers along the headboard of the bed. "He hasn't changed it."

"Your cousin?" asked Jack.

She nodded. "I thought he might have demolished this room after he deposed me but it's like he left it stranded in time."

"Don't get me wrong, Kat, it's a lovely living quarters," said Jack. "But isn't it rather small for the Regent of Galicia?"

She nodded. "You're entirely right and when I was Regent, I moved to the more stately quarters on the other side of the Castle. However, I only spent three months in those quarters." Kat opened up her arms. "This one, I spent nearly twenty-two years in."

That made much more sense, and Jack found himself nodding as he took in the sight of the quarters. It was entirely feminine in decoration, with different flavors of purple in just about everything he looked--from a dash of it in the upholstery of the couches to the color of the bedroom, there was no doubt that the Regent's daughter spent most of her time in this place.

Kat seemed to waste no time in pulling down the comforter on her bed while giving it a good shake to be rid of the dust. The sheets underneath were in better condition and after a quick fluff of her pillows, she slid into the bed and pulled the sheets up to her neck.

Jack couldn't help but smile as she returned to her past but it wasn't long until she opened her arms and beckoned him to join her. The mattress was soft as he slipped into bed, and Kat quickly straddled him and laid her head against his chest.

From there, all was quiet. He rubbed her back softly as Kat continued to look around the room with only her eyes. To his surprise, she started to laugh to herself a moment later.

"What's so funny?"

"It's the first time I ever had someone else in my bed," she said with a giggle. "All these years, and now I finally have you here of all places. My father would've had a conniption if he'd found a boy in my bed."

"Not just any boy," said Jack with a chuckle. "I'm also the father of your child."

"Oh, he would've had plenty to say about that too," she said as her tone became more serious. "Eric wasn't too far off about that. If he saw our bloodlines joined, he wouldn't have been pleased."

"A good thing that he doesn't have to witness it then," said Jack.

"A good thing, I suppose," she reluctantly agreed. Kat then let out a long sigh. "Being in here now reminds me of the crippling loneliness of my childhood. People think that being the Regent's daughter must have meant a lifetime of privilege and getting everything I wanted. It was nothing of the sort. My father neglected me more than I wanted to admit at the time. I wasn't the boy he always wanted and for that reason alone, I never had much love or affection from him."

Kat shifted her head so she could point to the nearest window. "See that window? I used to sit on the sill whenever I felt upset or lonely or afraid. In those days, it was a daily occurrence when one of those emotions would strike. I remember one time he yelled at me for neglecting my studies, and I ran to this sill and clutched my knees and just rocked for what felt like hours. I wished for any life but the one I had. I even remember trying to open the window myself. The drop to the bottom is over a hundred feet. I thought if I could just open the window, I could finally stop being the unwanted daughter."

"Kat, you don't have to--"

She shook her head. "No, it's okay. You deserve to know. You're not the only one that ever had doubts about their own path. I've had my fair share and that was long before I was ever in a position of power. You know, it was almost freeing in a way when Eric deposed me. I didn't have to pretend that I fit into this life anymore."

"But here we are again though, Kat," said Jack. "We're in the Castle and this life is once again yours. Not as the Galician Regent, but as the Galician Queen. Can you really go back to it? I don't want to consign you to loneliness and regret again."

Kat pivoted her head to look at him. "Don't you see what changed? You weren't here, Jack. The missing piece was you. Everything changed once you entered my life. Frankly, the moment you first looked at me in Sorella was the moment my life took a turn for the better. I've never looked back since. I love you with all of me and you've given me the most amazing gift in the world. You've given me John. How could I not embrace this life we've created?"

"I just want you to be happy," whispered Jack. "I don't want to bring you back to a place with such bad memories."

Kat smiled and then kissed him. "We'll make new memories to replace the bad ones. I have the utmost faith in our ability to do so. You and me and John and Abigail and any children that we have together. What this place was sorely missing was a family, Jack. My father and I were a poor rendition of one. In here, we have a chance to be one."

As she finished speaking, she kissed him again, this time with more fire and heat. Jack felt his body stir at such a kiss and when she finally pulled away, mischief danced in her eyes.