Chapter 41

“Where have you two been?” asks Katarina, sternly, while hovering nearby.

“We have been on our honeymoon. We told you that,” answers Dakota.

“Yeah, but you said you would only be gone three weeks.”

“It was a very good honeymoon,” says Sorbo, as Dakota and Sorbo once and again share that knowing smile that will be with them always.

“So how goes the kingdom?” asks Dakota.

“And how goes the training for the Knights of Odin?”

“As for the kingdom everything is well and flourishing. Our old investigation has finally been confirmed that it was a staff boy, an orphan your mom took pity on named Hecto that let the Children of Method, Prophecy and Design into the castle. Apparently the Children pick on the weak minded and those that feel they are owed something by life and society, those that are easily manipulated.” Ledger quickly updates the king and queen on several small things.

“As for the Knights of Odin, more and more come every day. We have been getting some disturbing reports from some of the girls that are coming from Harod and Abara that many more women and girls have tried to come, but they have been captured and are being held prisoners and possibly even tortured.”

“You need to look into that immediately. If it is true we will try and do something for those brave beautiful girls.” Dakota smiles up at her husband and takes his hand. “Okay, now that we know it was not a Royal Guardsmen who let the Children in that means they can be inducted immediately. Let’s see it is almost April so on the first lets hold field trials and the queen and I will decide who is ready.”

“They are the Royal Guard. You were Royal Guard so if anybody knows how prepared they are, it would be you.”

“Yes, wife, that is true and we will induct them all, but it’s always good to keep them on their toes.”

Dakota giggles. “Meany.”

“Humph!” Dakota leans her head on her husband’s shoulder.

“Also,” adds Ledger. “We have a long line of royal court appearances that are backed up by two weeks.”

“Prepare them; we will be in court in an hour.” Dakota has not forgotten how to be royalty.

Dakota and Sorbo walk up to their room, which is Dakota’s childhood room, and they throw their bags on the floor. Sorbo goes and flops down on the bed with his legs hanging over the side. Dakota comes and sits down next to him and then she lies back using his left arm as a pillow. Sorbo bends his head over and down and kisses her hair.

The next thing they know they are being woke up by a knock on the door. “Yeah.”

“Sir, court begins in five minutes.”

“Yeah, we’ll be right there.” Dakota and Sorbo start getting dressed from their riding clothes to their casual royalty clothes that are pretty much gold robs thrown over whatever they feel like wearing at the time.

“Queen Dakota and King Sorbo, we have an honored guest...”

“Maryann!” Sorbo finishes for the Narrator named Elderly Bilton.

“Who’s Maryann?” Whispers Dakota.

“My sister.” says Sorbo, getting up out of his throne and taking Dakota with him by the hand. “Hello, Maryann.” smiles Sorbo, giving her a hug. Maryann is two years older than Sorbo so she is fifty-three.”

“Hello, brother.” She says, bowing.

“No, don’t do that, you are family.” says Dakota, going over and giving her a hug.

“How’s the family?”

“Well enough, I guess. All of us sisters are still alive and mother Mary is still alive, but father died some years back. We had assumed so was our little brother until we heard he showed back up to reclaim the thrown of Pralene.”

“Actually the thrown is Dakota’s as am I. Do you remember the stories of the White Sorceress and her Great Protector mom used to tell us at night?”

“Yes.”

“Dakota is the White Sorceress and I am the Great Protector.”

“So the rumors are true?”

“Maryann, I have been negligent in my family responsibilities, but I promise you at least the last eight or nine years were well worth it.” Again Dakota takes his hand. “We have much to do this day, but we will get you a room and we can talk some more over a late dinner.”

“That would be wonderful, but I mostly came to tell you mother is dying.”

“Please, Bilton, show my sister Maryann a room and get her anything she desires. “We’ll talk later, I promise.”

After they hug, Dakota and Sorbo settle in for a long day and early evening to get caught up on matters of state.

Finally they finish for the day and return to the room to change for dinner. Sorbo notices his lovely wife rubbing her cute sore tush. “Lie down, babygirl.”

“Sorbo, we have to get ready for dinner.”

“Humph! I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give my beautiful wife a quick back and tushy rub.” Dakota gratefully lies down on her stomach and lets her husband’s hands once and again satisfy her.

“So, Maryann, what is the real reason you are here?” Dakota looks over at Sorbo quickly because she hadn’t noticed any duplicity.

“I came to tell you mom is dying and that she would like to see you again and your wife.”

“And?”

“And ... I have recently been told something about our family line that I did not know. Did you know the earliest lines of Pralene royalty were Knights of Odin?”

Sorbo sits forward in his chair. “No!”

“Apparently most of the Darian Mountain folk are. Even those in the kingdom of Darian are secretly still followers of Odin.”

Sorbo sits back into his chair and looks at his precious wife. Then he looks back at his sister and says, “Doesn’t anybody tell the whole truth anymore? There must be tens of thousands of people living in the Darian Mountains.”

“Easily.”

Sorbo looks back over to his wife as she sits in her high-backed dark oak chair. Sorbo does not like the chair for her because it makes her look too small. Sorbo waves her over and she sits in his lap.

They twist so they can look at each other. “What do you think?”

“I still think that I love it when you ask me what I think, but as for this if we are looking for soldiers to be Knights of Odin going amongst a place that already follows him will be one hell of a place to start.”

Sorbo smiles at his wife and kisses her. “Maryann, we have an inductee ceremony into the Knights of Odin on April first, but if you care to wait we will go with you back home or we can catch up to you. Whatever you so desire.”

“I can wait three days I think.”

“Wonderful!”

“Marvelous!” They settle in for a good meal.

Back in their room Dakota and Sorbo are preparing for bed. They laughed and dreamed of nothing other than being together in the bed they are going to share for the rest of their lives, but it has been a long day.

As they are lying there naked under the covers Dakota says to the dark, “Will it be hard for you to return home after so long?”

“Not really. I was never there that much to begin with. From eleven-years-old on I was a squire to a Knight of Andromeda and traveled the lands with him. I knew early on I was destined to be a warrior and that life is often filled with loneliness.”