Fourth Vector Ch. 37

The young servant nearly turned red at the compliment. "Thank you, Your Majesty." He was soon back to work, carrying more supplies inside for the refurbishment of the living quarters.

"He's entirely modest," said Bill with a twinkle in his eyes after Peter left. "I've overheard him talking about meeting you before. From the sounds of it, it was the highlight of his life."

"I wondered if he might leave me hanging from our first meeting," said Jack with a chuckle. "He didn't exactly give me a lot of details of whether I was going to be rescued."

"Nor could he for his protection or my own," replied Bill. "But his report back was just what I needed to spring my hasty plan into motion." Bill started to chuckle. "I'd say everything worked out quite well, wouldn't you?"

"I'd say this isone area you know what you're talking about," joked Jack, causing the old man to laugh even harder.

"At least I know I can still have influence," said Bill finally as two newcomers soon emerged from deeper inside the house.

Will and Lindsay stopped to offer a brief greeting to Jack before continuing on their way, heading out to the market for a midday stroll. They were being every bit as loving as they could be, with Lindsay's hand firmly wrapped in Will's as well as joining together in the same chorus of infectious laughter as they left the manor.

"Those two seem to be getting along well," said Jack after they were already gone.

"They've been getting along well for years," noted Bill. "She's just what he really needs from what I can tell. She'll push him when he needs to be pushed, and he's stubborn enough to need that treatment frequently."

Jack chuckled. "It was obvious to me even back in Picardy that they belonged together."

"That they do. I'm hopeful that he decides to marry her someday," said Bill. "Lisa is beyond hopeful. I'm fairly certain she mentions that at least once in her daily prayers. Her parents are good people as well. Remind me to introduce them to you at some point."

"Will do," replied Jack humorously.

"But it's well past time they did something," continued Bill. "I'd like to have grandchildren someday and at this rate, they might do that first before they even get married."

Jack couldn't resist the urge to jump on that. "You mean like me? I couldn't help getting Kat knocked up and we're not even married."

Bill quickly tried to walk back that statement. "Well, no, you know what I meant--"

Jack put his hand on the elder man's back. "Relax, Bill, I'm just having some fun with you. I know exactly what you meant."

"It doesn't bother me in the slightest but I think it would bother Lisa if Lindsay just showed up pregnant," said Bill in a quiet voice. "Lisa has some of those old-fashioned sensibilities."

Jack started to chuckle. "I'll have to keep that in mind. Maybe I won't flaunt my child born out of wedlock in front of her then."

By this point, Bill seemed to understand that Jack was messing with him and just shook his head playfully. "Thanks so much," he said with sarcasm.

Before Jack could respond, Bill kept going. "So you haven't told me yet why you're here, Jack. Does it have anything to do with yesterday's battle? Getting one over on the Swabian fleet is always something to be excited about."

"Like usual, you seem to always figure out where my mind is, usually before I can do the same," replied Jack. "But yes, you're right. With the defeat of the Swabians, it opens up a lot of possibilities for us. I've even heard mention of preparing an invasion of Swabia herself."

Bill let out a low whistle. "Now that's something that hasn't even been thought of in five hundred years. How do you feel about that?"

Jack pursed his lips. "Uneasy but that shouldn't come as a surprise. It's not lightly that anyone would come to that decision. And there are a lot of things at stake with it too."

Bill nodded his head. "True. We'd have to remember as well that the Swabian Army hasn't truly been beaten yet. Yes, we destroyed the army of Godric Katla but that was only a small quarter of the total Swabian muster. And you better believe that Avila is going to make good on his losses. I have no doubt that he's busy enlarging his army for when that day inevitably arrives."

"Which is why I think we have other options that might be more palatable for now," said Jack.

"Such as?"

"Well, Picardy for one could be an option."

Bill reached up to rub his chin. "Picardy could be a possibility. And with another contingent of their army there, we could be afforded the chance to destroy another unit piecemeal."

"Could be," considered Jack. "But the war in Picardy has been tenacious from the very start. The Swabians have been hard to dislodge from that island."

Bill started to grin. "But what if you had the entire Galician Army with you the next time you landed? What about then?"

Jack's head tilted back and forth as he considered it. "Neither option is great to be honest but I wanted to see what your opinion would be. I'm going to put it up to the Royal Council but I'm curious to know your thoughts before I do."

"Ah, yes, the Royal Council," said Bill. "That's entirely the right course."

The Royal Council was something that Jack had recently instituted, a meeting that had roots in the history of the country. Every king had a small council at his beck and call--a form of cabinet that helped to decide the big decisions of the day. Of course Bill was part of the council, being the first official appointee, but Jack also had his two leading generals on it, Art and Greg, as well as Russell and Abigail from the navy. The last member of the council was Kat.

"If I'm being honest with you, Jack, I'm not sure either option will be without risks. However, I'd like to see another portion of their army destroyed before we attempt to attack the main islands."

Jack started to smirk. "So you're leaning toward Picardy then."

Bill shrugged. "Perhaps. I can't say for sure. I'm not a military man, Jack. I'll leave that to your generals. I just know that the Swabians aren't going to take the destruction of an entire army without doing something drastic about it."

The two men continued to discuss it for another ten minutes until Lisa interrupted both of them to offer lunch. Jack politely declined, wanting to get moving back to the Castle, and he bid goodbye to both Callands before heading back. The city was still in the midst of jubilation as he rode toward the Castle, and he found himself in a good mood as he approached his living quarters inside and threw open the door.

The first thing he heard was the sound of giggling. Quickly realizing that he recognized the voices, Jack turned the corner to find Kat and Vera looking right at him, smiles prominent on their faces.

Jack couldn't help but smile back. "Well, it looks like I'm definitely interrupting something here."

Vera looked over at Kat before she replied. "Oh, you have no idea, Jack!"

He eyed both of them suspiciously. Curiously enough, Kat was holding one of the military radios in her hand, something that he noticed right away.

"What's with the radio?" he asked.

Kat brought it to her lips and pressed the button. "He's here. Want to say hi?"

Immediately, he heard Abigail's' sweet voice. "Hello, my love. It looks like you've intruded on our girl talk."

Jack took a very tentative step closer. "Girl talk? You couldn't wait until Abigail gets back to the city for that?"

Kat and Vera exploded into giggles again. "Not exactly," said Kat. "Not for what we have in mind."

Still feeling confused, Jack's smile dropped. "Okay, spill it. What's going on with all of you? Why are you laughing so much?"

Vera looked over at Kat again. "You should probably tell him now. Don't torture him any longer."

"Are you sure?" asked Kat. "I kind of like it when he gets like this. It's awfully cute to see that confused look on his face."

Vera playfully rolled her eyes. "Just tell him. Don't keep teasing my brother!"

"Oh, all right," said Kat as she turned to face him. "Jack, do you remember me saying last night about us finding a personal way for us to celebrate yesterday's victory?"

Remembering that she'd already thanked him in a very intimate matter, Jack's eyes darted to Vera as his face turned red. "Kat," he said in a low voice. "I thought we did that last night."

She grinned and shook her head. "Not exactly, babe. I was thinking of something else actually. And Abigail is on board with it just as much as I am."

"If not more so," came Abigail's voice from the radio. "Kat and I are exactly on the same page with this request, Jack!"

"So what is it?" asked Jack.

Kat let out her prettiest smile. "Jack, we want to get married."

Jack opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. His eyes darted back and forth between Kat and Vera, not knowing what to say. "You do?"

"I told you that you'd surprise him with this," said Vera to Kat. "He's positively speechless."

"Surprised is a little more like it," said Jack quickly. "What brought this on? I'm not saying no or anything but I want to figure out how this came up."

Kat moved forward and slipped into his arms. "It's been on my mind a lot lately. Abigail's too. We talked about it frequently when you were still imprisoned. I knew the first thing I wanted to do when I saw you again was marry you. Unfortunately, my plans kind of changed the day I arrived in Apulia."

Jack remembered that day well. No sooner had she arrived in the country than her water broke and Kat went into labor.

"But things seem to be in a good place now," continued Kat. "John is getting bigger and more lively. And I really want him to have parents who are married to each other. Completely devoted too."

"But I am completely devoted to you, Kat," whispered Jack. "Abigail too. You don't need the title to prove that."

"I know that," she replied. "But I've always envisioned what it would be like to marry someday. And once I met you, I knew who I could envision it with. I love you, Jack. I want to get married to you."

The radio in her hand crackled. "She speaks for both of us, Jack," said Abigail. "You know my feelings on the matter. We talked about it when you promoted me to commodore, remember? I want to be Abigail Kincardine more than anything. I love you with all my heart."

"You have two women completely wrapped around your fingers, Jack," said Kat with a wry smile. "And we just want to be your wives. Finally, after all this time, will you do that? Will you make us your wives?"

Any other man might have needed to think about that. Marriage was a decision that wasn't made lightly, and it was also one that Jack had never truly considered before he met either woman. He could clearly see himself telling both Kat and Abigail that he would need time to consider it or that it wasn't the right time to get married.

However, none of those hesitations were ever verbalized by him. He didn't need the hesitation nor did he need to think about the request too hard. When he looked on the faces of both women, he truly saw his future. And so his answer was honest and from the heart.

"Yes, let's do it," he said finally. "Let's get married."

Kat's arms were around him before he even knew what hit him. Her lips pressed against his in a display of passion that could have rivaled any scene from last night. It took several awkward coughs from Vera before Kat disengaged, only offering a coy smile as they parted.

"I love you, Jack," she said simply.

"And I love you," he said before taking the radio. "And you too, Abigail."

"Did you kiss him good for both of us?" asked Abigail.

Kat giggled. "I got him really good, trust me."

"Ugh, you're so lucky you're there right now," replied Abigail. "Or else I'd be the one jumping his bones soon."

Both Jack and Kat turned red as they looked over at Vera, who was still present in the room. She shook her head knowingly. "Didn't need to know that, Abigail!"

"Oh, right, sorry, Vera!"

Jack couldn't contain his laughter. "So when do you want to do this? Because there is still a war going on out there. And we won't have a lot of time before we'll have to leave Galicia again. Have you given any thought to this?"

Kat started to nod. "Abigail and I are both in agreement about it. We don't want something big and extravagant. Just something small with our friends, and something that will be easy to plan. Besides, if we're to do this before we leave again, it won't leave us much time."

"What do you want me to do then?" asked Jack. "Do I need to prepare for anything?"

Kat grinned and shook her head. "You just leave that entirely up to Abigail, Vera, and I. We'll plan the whole thing. You just show up on the day we tell you to."

"Well, that's a relief," joked Jack. "Planning a wedding at the same time as a war sounded too daunting to consider. I'll leave all the details in your very capable hands."

Kat pressed in and kissed him again. "Jack, one more thing, okay? There's someone very special that I'd like to have at our wedding, and we can't have it until she arrives, okay?"

Jack blinked. "Who do you mean? Abigail will be back soon so of course we have to wait for her."

Kat could only smile. "Not Abigail, Jack."

"Then who?"

When she told him, Kat nearly had to help Jack pick his jaw off the floor.

*****

Four days later, Jack stood at the entrance to Kalmar harbor as a small Apulian trading vessel made its way into port. There was a stiff breeze coming off the water, a reminder that it was now officially winter, and Jack and his small family awaited the new arrival while bundled up in heavier clothing.

He was firmly grasping Abigail's hand, who only arrived in the city the previous evening after the stunning victory against the Swabians. Jack could still feel the way her body pressed against his in passion that previous evening and more than anything, he was glad she was home. Next to him, Kat held John while a waving Vera stood on her other side, all waiting for the arriving ship, which was now docking at the closest wharf.

Seeing the visitor step off the boat gingerly brought a smile to Jack's face. It had been more than a year since he'd last seen her, and to finally have her in the city of her ancestors was a heartwarming feeling.

The first thing he saw was the white hair. She was escorted from the ship by a tall officer who made her look quite diminutive in the process. Her smile was radiant though, as if it had lost none of its spark in the past ninety years.

Evelyn Kincardine had finally returned to Galicia.

She called out to them as she stepped off the docks. "What a lovely looking group! That's my family!"

Vera was the first to rush forward to meet her. She threw her arms around the elderly matriarch and hugged her soundly. "It's so good to see you again, Grandmother."

Evelyn pulled back to look at Vera's face. "As it is to see you too, Vera. You look absolutely gorgeous, dear. You remind me of your mother at that age."

Vera beamed with a smile and brought her closer to the rest of them. Kat was the next one to offer a warm embrace.

"We really did it, Evelyn. We did it," she whispered in the older woman's ear.

Evelyn shook her head. "You did it, Kat. You never gave up and look what happened. We're both in Kalmar now!"

Kat smiled warmly and offered John over for inspection. "And this little man happens to be your great-grandson."

Evelyn's hands flew to her mouth as she looked from Kat, to Jack, and back to Kat again. "Great-grandson? You mean you two have--?"

Kat nodded coyly. "We certainly did."

"What did you name him?" asked Evelyn.

Jack stepped forward and offered a hug of his own. "We decided to name him John after his grandfather. It seemed the most appropriate name for him."

A single tear fell down Evelyn's wrinkled cheeks. She took the small baby in her arms, barely able to contain her grin. "Your father would have been so proud, Jack. Of everything you've done, not just John." She looked back at the infant. "But especially you, little one."

"We've had a lot on our plates in the last year," said Jack with knowing looks at both Kat and Abigail. "I'm just glad that we're able to celebrate some of the fruits of victory while we still can."

Evelyn didn't easily part with John but she did so reluctantly in order to hug Abigail, the two women exchanging several quiet words to each other. As Evelyn finally let go, she looked on at her entire family.

"My family seems to be growing larger by the day!" she said with misty eyes.

Vera nodded. "Which reminds me, I have someone I want you to meet, Grandmother. Someone that's important to me."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "A man, Vera?"

Vera turned a shade of red and nodded. "Not just any man," she whispered. "The man."

"Oh," said Evelyn with an excited look. "It's about time if you don't mind me saying. You're too beautiful to not have a man wrapped around your finger."

That earned some laughter from the group. Soon, Jack stepped forward and linked his arm through his grandmother's. "Would you like to go to the Galician Castle? Would you like to see our home?"

Evelyn's face turned toward the center of Kalmar, where the ancient Castle was perched. "I'd be delighted, Jack."

Jack escorted her to their car and arranged for her belongings to be put in the back. It was a tight fit for all of them to be taken back to the Castle, but it worked for the short distance they had to go. The entire ride, Evelyn gawked at the sights of the Galician people going about their day. Many of them stopped to wave at the car, feeling the strength of the bond intensify as they drove by.

"How remarkable," muttered Evelyn at seeing a waving family. "I never thought I would see Galicia again. I thought I'd die in Picardy far away from my homeland."

"If you just say the words, you'll never have to go back to your Picardy house," replied Jack. "There's a place in the Castle with your name on it if you'd like to live with us."

She looked at him fondly. "I think I'm going to take you up on that offer. After all, I'd like to spend as much time with my great-grandson as I can. All the time that I have left."

The car pulled up at the Castle and stopped, allowing all of them to exit. Abigail directed several of the servants to grab Evelyn's belongings, and Kat told them where to put them, knowing the Castle the best.

"It just looks so grand from close up," said Evelyn as she reached out to touch the stone walls of the Castle. "I've only ever seen it once from afar, back when I was a girl and before I married your grandfather. Of course after we married, we couldn't come anywhere close to it. Not with the vendetta that Marcus Rosdahl had against us."

Jack nodded. "The Castle has come a long way in the last two months. Mostly, we're still rebuilding some parts of the interior. The fire certainly damaged a good portion of the building."

"And yet it's still standing. And it still looks just as magnificent as I remembered," said Evelyn with a fond smile. She linked her arm back through Jack's. "Just like you, Jack. You've flourished in the past year even when faced with tremendous hardship. When we met, you looked like someone who just had the weight of the world put on his shoulders and had no idea how to react."

"I look somehow better now?" he asked teasingly.

Evelyn nodded firmly. "You do. I've been keeping up with the news even though it takes some time to get to my little home in Picardy. I know all about the war and about the mysterious reappearance of the Galician King. The world is buzzing with your name on the tip of every tongue. You could have let that pressure overwhelm you, but you've been determined to live up to the heavy task that was given to you. In all, I couldn't be more proud of you, Jack."