"Say goodbye to Auntie Gwennalyn!"
Treyar babbled incoherently.
"Bye-bye," Gwennalyn said, waving at her nephew.
He babbled again, mimicking her wave.
"Have a safe trip!" Avalyn told her, pulling her in for a hug.
"Thank you! Next time I see you I'm sure Treyar will be talking."
He babbled again.
"Oh, I'm going to miss you!" her mother cut in, stepping up for her own hug. "You'd better not forget to write to us."
"Of course not, Mother."
Her mother smiled, and then glanced over at the two royal guardsmen standing nearby.
"Take good care of her, Sirs."
Sir Gavin adopted a playfully confused expression.
"I thought she was coming to take care of us," Sir Lucas deadpanned.
"Oh, so funny!"
Gwennalyn grinned, and then her father came in for another hug, holding her firmly.
"I hope you're prepared for my judgments on your kingdom, Father," she teased him.
He laughed.
"I eagerly anticipate them."
"And give your Aunt Selinda my best," her mother added.
"I will."
"Farewell, then," her father said, gesturing for her to board. "The Free Lands await you!"
She smiled and then followed the guardsmen aboard.
Three consecutive trumpet blasts warbled proudly through the air, the traditional signal of a departing royal family member. The common folk gathered nearby and further down the docks chattered excitedly.
Deiara was waiting by the bow, dark hair fluttering from a breeze, a shawl gathered around her shoulders, the thick fabric emblazoned with the eagle sigil of the Castell family.
The yacht lurched into motion, sidling from the dock. Gwennalyn glanced over to her family, all four waving, and waved back until the quartet slipped from view. The common folk continued to shout and wave, the enthusiastic chorus following the yacht on its course out through the bay.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Well, that didn't take as long as I thought it would," Gwennalyn told Deiara, the duo heading down the gangway, a throng of people waiting at the dock, well-dressed nobles flanked by a dozen guards in gleaming armor.
"I heard the captain mention Crownhold to Firsthold is the shortest leg of the trip," the handmaiden told her.
The two women set foot on the dock, the two royal guardsmen trailing.
"I'll have the luggage directed up the castle," Deiara told her, stepping aside to await the unloading of the ship's trunks.
Gwennalyn nodded in thanks, continuing towards the throng of people.
A tall, slightly stoop-shouldered man stepped forward, his weathered face warmed by a genial smile.
"Uncle Dorian," she greeted him with a curtsy. "Or should I say Governor Morrow?"
He offered a bow, his enthusiasm limited by the stiffness of his back.
"Whichever you prefer, my dear."
"Ah, Gwennalyn!" the woman next to him chirped, scurrying closer for a hug.
"Aunt Selinda!" Gwennalyn replied brightly. "My mother sends her best."
"Well, of course, darling, she sent you!"
Gwennalyn laughed.
"Oh, you say that to all my cousins," another woman spoke, stepping up for her own hug.
"Yes, but she truly means it with me, Ginnifer" the princess teased.
"But of course I do!" her aunt said with an exaggerated defensiveness.
Her uncle gestured to the shorter, younger man next to him.
"Please allow me to introduce Sir Ardeth Hanley, my Lieutenant Governor."
Sir Ardeth bowed, his curly, shoulder-length hair streaked with gray.
"A true delight to meet you, Princess."
"Likewise, Sir," she replied, curtsying again, the motions practically muscle memory.
"My daughters, Ashlyn and Annilyn," he continued, nodding to the two slender young women with him, faces identical, hair done up in different patterns.
Both curtsied.
"Wonderful to meet you, Princess," Ashlyn spoke up.
"We're honored to have you visit," Annilyn added.
"Thank you kindly," Gwennalyn replied, offering her own curtsy in turn.
More introductions followed, the governor joined by his city administrators and their immediate families. The princess did her best to memorize each name and title.
"We have a carriage waiting," Dorian spoke up after the last. "Best we get you settled in before the feast."
Ah yes, the sumptuous feast. Where there definitely won't be more names to memorize.
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it," she replied, following after him, the royal guardsman falling into step on either side of the procession, the other guards bringing up the rear.
Dorian directed her to a carriage at the entrance to the docks. Sir Gavin gestured for the carriage driver's companion to step down, and then clambered up into the empty seat, adjusting his scabbard to sit comfortably. Sir Lucas headed to the next carriage, and did the same with that driver's companion.
"See you at the castle, dear," Selinda said to Ginnifer, who was already walking past the carriages.
"See you there, Mother!"
"She's not coming with us?" Gwennalyn asked.
"She rode one of her horses here," Selinda told her.
"I'd wager she loves those horses more than us," Dorian said drily, opening the carriage door for Gwennalyn, extending a hand to help her up.
Gwennalyn accepted it and slipped inside to sit on the cushioned bench.
"Not just those horses," Selinda added, coming in after her. "Any horse."
Dorian joined the two of them on the opposite bench, and closed the door. After a rap with his knuckles on the wooden partition between them and the driver, the carriage lurched into motion, hooves clopping on the cobblestones.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Oh, I have four! Sable, Mayspring, Moonshadow, and Willow. I can lend you Sable if you want, for your stay. He's a little skittish sometimes, but he's an absolute sweetheart."
"That'd be lovely," Gwennalyn replied. "Thank you so much."
I do miss Zephyr very much. And Cocoa, come to think of it.
"My pleasure, cousin."
The door to the dining room opened.
"Lieutenant Governor Sir Ardeth Hanley!" the majordomo announced loudly. "And his daughters, Ashlyn and Annilyn."
The lieutenant governor strode inside, flanked by his daughters, and headed straight towards the princess. Sir Gavin, standing to the side of the door, tracked their movements languidly, out of boredom more than suspicion.
"Alden will be a bit late," the lieutenant governor told her uncle. "We might as well start the feast if everyone else is here."
Her uncle nodded, gesturing towards the table.
"Alden?" she asked.
"My son," Sir Ardeth replied. "He's a captain of the City Guard."
"Fourth captain," Ashlyn clarified.
"Which means he's fourth in charge. Quite important."
Ashlyn smirked slightly.
"And anyway, he's finishing up some City Guard business. He sends his apologies for his lateness."
"Well, one must take one's duties seriously," Gwennalyn said. "Especially something as important as the City Guard."
She found her seat, across from her uncle, an empty seat next to her reserved for the lieutenant governor's son. Her aunt sat to her uncle's left, Ginnifer to his right. The lieutenant governor settled in on her other side, his daughters further down from him.
"I trust you've settled in nicely?" Sir Ardeth began.
"Oh yes, my room is quite comfortable. Thank you for asking."
"We would be remiss if we did not extend the best accommodations to you," he said, smiling gently.
She nodded, smiling back, ignoring the rumble of hunger in her stomach.
"We have quite the schedule planned," her uncle told her. "Your father bade us show you Firsthold, and so we shall."
"I look forward to it. I have not visited in some time. And never quite to learn about Firsthold."
"I suppose it shall be different from your time spent with the orcs," her aunt chimed in.
"But of course. My time spent with them was very enlightening but also quite the contrast to the Free Lands."
Namely, I had so much more sex.
"I've been around some orcs," the lieutenant governor spoke up. "An interesting people."
"Yes, very," she agreed.
"We get some coming through here occasionally," her uncle told her. "Trade and politics, mostly."
The door opened, and the majordomo stepped inside, followed by a line of servants carrying large plates.
"The first course," he announced. "Pulled roast duck with honeyed carrots and parsnips."
The servants filed into the room, and placed the plates along the table. Her stomach rumbled again.
The majordomo stepped back outside, followed again by the servants.
Her uncle nodded at her.
She gathered some food, carefully and politely transferring morsels from the large plate to her own. The moment her food hit her plate, the others began to select their own morsels.
"And how did you find orcish cuisine?" the lieutenant governor asked her next.
She swallowed a hastily forked mouthful of duck, and patted her lips with her handkerchief.
"Delicious. And not too different from what I'm used to in Crownhold."
The feast continued on, unnecessary conversation all around preventing her from digging in to truly satiate her hunger.
Halfway through the second course, the door opened again.
"Alden Hanley, Fourth Captain of the City Guard!" the majordomo announced.
He strode into the room, medium height, broad shoulders, shaggy brown hair and sparse brown beard. His sword hung on his hip, and he took a moment to unfasten the scabbard and hand it to the majordomo.
"My apologies, all," he said, bowing his head. "Especially to our honored guest."
The princess smiled.
"I thank you for your commitment to your duty."
Once at his seat, he bowed again, this time deeper.
"And I must say, Princess, the rumors of your beauty fell short of the truth."
She smiled again.
"Very kind words, Captain Hanley."
He flashed her a rakish smile and sat.
"What City Guard business was keeping you from us?" Ashlyn asked.
"Training new recruits. As a captain, the responsibility fell to me today."
"Fourth captain," Annilyn clarified.
He gave her a brief look, and nodded.
