Jax stood in the garden, examining the woman before him. Unlike before when he'd first encountered her, this time she appeared completely familiar. Short blonde hair styled in an angular bob cut, lighter armor atop a thinner frame, she stood out from the other guards in the sense that she appeared almost to be made of glass.
After their previous night's activities, he'd asked River to produce the file she'd collected on the unknown guard. Reading it over proved to be an enlightening experience, though not an entirely complete one. Lyra, as she was known, betrayed nothing like last time, her face stone cold. Still, River had chosen her for his detail which meant something.
Jax pursed his lips and handed over a series of glass orbs, each containing a familiar pink and magenta substance, this time swirling in the form of a gas. The woman bowed, accepting them and placing them on her belt.
"Thank you, your excellency. I'll use them well," she said, her voice coming out in a noticeable accent, yet one he could not entirely place. Definitely somewhere from outside the kingdom, though certainly not from any nation he recognized. At the very least, it wasn't a Shri accent.
"So, you're the spy who picked my would-be assassin from the bunch," he said, looking her over.
Her thin frame and light armor came with a purpose. The lighter she was, the quicker she could move, the quieter she could be. Enough to be of some use, but not heavy enough to radically slow her down. Unlike the others, Lyra was a glass cannon, built for stealth and speed. No doubt, two attributes that served her well in her profession as top spy.
What Tali was to the Bene Dai, she was to him.
Also, it gave her a body like a lithe cat. Whereas most of his guards held bodies like trained athletes, Lyra's was closest to a conventionally feminine form.
"Your excellency is correct," she answered, her tone as cool and commanding as the rest of her, "When the orders came down to shadow your would-be killer, it was myself who executed them under Captain River's orders."
"Well, I thank you for that. But, I'm afraid I have another job for you now."
She somehow found a way to straighten herself even further, "Of course, your excellency. I live to serve you."
Jax pinched the bridge of his nose, "You know, uh, you don't need to do that."
She cocked her head, "Do what, your excellency?"
"That. All the formalities. When it's just us, so long as my family or the rest of the nobility isn't around, I would prefer we be frank with each other."
"Is that what his excellency wishes?"
Jax nodded, "It is."
She pursed her lips, her brow wrinkling as though manually attempting to stamp out the behavior in real time. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before releasing a strangely warm smile, "Very well, I will do my best. I live to serve you."
"Uh, you don't need to say that either."
"But I'm not in the business of lying. I'm in the business of spying," she said, relaxing her posture.
Jax sighed, "Gods, what is River telling you girls to get you so-"
"Loyal?"
"Uh, not the word I would use."
Lyra smirked, "Well, not much to be honest. If I may be frank, as you asked, yours and River's escapades are probably the worst kept secret among the guard."
Jax cringed, "Yeah, I figured as much."
"Nothing to be ashamed of. To be honest, if River wasn't such a good captain and sister to the rest of us, we'd all be a lot more jealous than we already are."
"Am I going to like where this conversation is going?"
"Don't know," Lyra said, licking her lips, "It's also not a secret that River selects the guards for your detail, including myself. It is also no secret that the Queen would like you to... expand your mating prospects beyond just your favorite white-haired toy."
"Now how would you know about that?"
She took a step forward, "I am a spy, my lord. Give me some credit. Stealth and subterfuge are skills like any other. If one is to be any good at them, it's good to practice. Plus, I like to think that any kinks in the armor I find, someone else definitely can. So, it's best I find them and get them patched up ahead of time."
Jax shrugged, "Fair."
"And... rumor has it that the Prince is finally looking to... explore the fine selection of women his bodyguard has collected for him."
Jax frowned, "Gossip certainly gets around this castle."
Lyra smiled, moving closer and placing a finger on his chest, "And if those rumors happen to be true... I'd be more than happy to volunteer for such a prestigious assignment."
Somewhere, Jax could almost instinctively feel it, River was watching him and enjoying every minute of it. Once everything was properly sorted out, he would have to come up with a more interesting consequence for River's activities.
"Let me ask you something," Jax said, placing a finger on Lyra's forehead and lightly pushing her away.
Lyra frowned in response, her face turning pink, "Alright."
"How
exactly
is River selecting you guys for my detail?"
Lyra straightened, "Well I can't say exactly for the others, but I do know she recruited all of us... uh... personally."
"Personally?"
Lyra's lips curled up, "I could provide you with the exact details if you'd like. Or... a reenactment if it would please his excellency."
"Oh my gods," Jax rubbed his head.
"Mmhmm. She was always honest with us about what she was looking for and that, well, we were perfectly free to decline or transfer out if we wanted."
Jax sighed, "May we cut the inuendo for the rest of this conversation?"
"Very well. She told us the truth. She was in love with you, but also accepted the reality that as the last male in the royal family and the last sorcerer no less, you were going to be expected to take on multiple partners."
"Yeah, it was nice of her to wait until recently to tell me that."
"So, she figured she would do her best to make the inevitable reality something both of you could, at the very least find agreeable. She didn't want your prospects to be the daughters of nobles or princesses or anyone else who would want to use their position as a member of your harem for political gains. And, if I may be so bold, given the Queen's complete lack of interference with this, is something her majesty agreed with."
"Mother has eyes everywhere apparently."
"More places than you would think, but I digress. Captain River figured that the best potential options for future mates would be, well, among your guard detail. She was very straight forward in saying she was assembling a harem for you on top of a guard detail and she was very selective."
Jax raised an eyebrow, "Uh, how selective?"
Lyra placed a finger to her chin, "Well considering the size of Avalon's military, she could afford to be incredibly strict in her criteria. Bisexual, obviously. Unquestioning devotion to the crown, and by extension you. Polygamous for another, though to be honest, these days you'd have a harder time finding a monogamous woman than a polygamous one. Basically, the best of the military who, not only wouldn't have a problem in, uh, well, being another gemstone in your collection, but would also
enjoy it
."
Jax swallowed, "Enjoy it?"
"Your excellency, we're sorcerers. We're going to live a
very
long time. River figured that if we're going to be guarding you, we might as well have fun. Especially since, given what male birthrates look like for the foreseeable future,
