Vows

[Jasmine]

((OOC: All bunnying between Jasmine and Zerith is approved by their respective owners and is likely a collaborative effort via IM. ^_^))


Morning sun shone brightly through the open balcony doors of the Jasmine’s suite in the Royal Palace. The room was very large. A four post mahogany bed dominated the sleeping area of the rooms set aside for Jasmine’s use. At the top of the posts a curtained canopy of light blue silk stretched over the length and width of the bed. The curtains were pulled back at each post to allow the people in the bed the freedom to get out without having to move the curtains. At each side of the bed stood mahogany night stands. The floor was covered with a thick, blue carpet from wall to wall with silver designs at the walls.

In the large bed, two figures slept soundly, arms wrapped around each other. A small bird perched on the balcony balustrade and began singing its morning song, waking Jasmine. She stirred slightly then opened her eyes. It felt good to be home after having been traveling for so long. She glanced lovingly at the handsome man that shared her bed then kissed him lightly. They had a very specific reason for being in her homeland of Moriah. Next week, they were going to be married.

Sighing happily, she gazed at the ring adorning the third finger of her right hand. At one time, the ring had belonged to her mother, Maria. When Zerith decided propose to Jasmine, he had first made a trip to Moriah to get both the ring and Eric’s blessing, without Jasmine of course. His proposal had been highly extravagant, but she didn’t mind. Just as she was settling down to snuggle up to Zerith and go back to sleep, she heard a loud knocking on the main door and familiar voice call through it.

“Jasmine? Jasmine, are you awake? I thought you might like to go with me for a morning ride. Jasmine?”

Oh crap! It’s Eric!

The perfect morning was suddenly not so perfect. Eric was a very protective brother and he would not approve at all of finding Zerith in her bed, especially since his own room was in another part of the palace entirely.

“Zerith! Zerith, wake up!” she hissed through clenched teeth. “Eric is here! You need to hide! Now! Go hide in the bathroom or something, just get out of sight!”

Hurriedly, she climbed out of bed and searched frantically around for her bathrobe. Slipping it on, she walked quickly through the beaded curtain that separated the sitting room from the bedroom. Glancing back over her shoulder once to be sure Zerith couldn’t be seen, Jasmine opened the door a crack.

“Eric? You’re up early.”

The young king, Jasmine’s older brother, shrugged. “Not really, mind if I come in?”

Jasmine hesitated only for a moment, then opened the door wider. “I’m afraid I’m not dressed for company. You woke me up.”

Eric grinned and took a seat on the couch in front of a large, unlit fireplace. He wore a simple outfit of deep green and brown. His brown hair was neatly combed. “That was the idea, sister. So, how is everything coming? Melody isn’t being very forthcoming on the details of this wedding of yours.”

“And you think I’m going to be any different? We should be able to finish the dress today. There’s only a few minor adjustments to make. In fact, they’re supposed to be here in about an hour. I don’t suppose we could postpone the ride until then? I still need to take a bath and brush my hair properly.”

Eric gave her a mock, disappointed scowl, then nodded, “I suppose so, but I’ll be here as soon as they’re done.” He rose to his feet and gave his sister a quick hug before leaving. He didn’t have much else to do as of yet, so he thought he might find himself an early breakfast.

Once Eric was out the door, Jasmine let out a long, deeply relieved sigh, then went back to her bedroom. She looked around for Zerith, but when she didn’t see him immediately, she called out in a low voice.

“Zerith, you can come out now. He’s gone.”


((Also..this is closed ^_^))

[Zerith]

The more Zerith spent time in Moriah, the more the island nation was beginning to feel like a home to him. He must have forgotten what it felt like to have one, because being in Moriah felt incredible to him. As the bright morning sun greeted everyone with beautiful weather, the halberdier still remained fast asleep. Instead, his body stirred slightly on the comfortable bed. Indeed, the warder could get used to living such a comfortable lifestyle and having a home like this. Of course, Zerith wouldn’t have been able to consider the settling down in the kingdom if it weren’t for the woman he was sleeping next to.

Jasmine, the former princess that had become the most important woman in his life and though their relationship initially started out as mage and warder, it had blossomed into something much greater than either one probably imagined. In Zerith’s eyes Jasmine was a blessing, and a beautiful person, inside and out. Feeling the warmth of her body against his, the halberdier was just about to open his eyes to gaze at his future wife when he snapped wide awake with the news of an unexpected arrival.

“Eric!? What the hell is Eric doing at your bedroom door at this hour?” Zerith asked as he climbed out of the bed as fast as he could, nearly tripping in the process. Jasmine’s brother was one of those people that still believed in some old fashioned values, one of which being that a man and woman shouldn’t sleep together until they were married. While Zerith and Jasmine had been intimate with each other for quite awhile, Eric knew nothing of it. Luckily for the couple, they had managed to keep their secret from Eric quite well during their stay in Moriah. Of course that involved having the halberdier sneak out of his suite in the middle of the night to go to Jasmine’s. Neither complained though, as only a week remained until they were married and didn’t have to sneak around like some criminals.

While Jasmine dealt with her brother, Zerith hid in bathroom. He felt incredibly awkward though, especially due to the fact that since he didn’t have the time to dress himself, he stood nude. “I honestly have no clue how Zevernus can do this,” he told himself as he thought of his best friend who had run into similar circumstances many times. “Well at least I didn’t make a break for the balcony, that would be extremely embarrassing.”

When Jasmine finally returned and said the coast was clear, the halberdier breathed a sigh of relief and came out of hiding. “That was close,” he said with a slight smile. “Though I don’t understand why he would come here so early.”

“He just wanted me to go for a ride on our horses and hear about the details about the wedding,” she answered. “I told him I couldn’t because Melody and your mother are helping me finish my dress today, and I’m expecting to see them in roughly an hour.”

Zerith nodded his head, “I see.” It didn’t surprise him to hear that Jasmine was going to spend time with his mother. Both of his parents and even Zevernus had left for Moriah with them the day after the halberdier proposed. Jasmine had invited them to come, saying that since she wanted the wedding to happen as soon as possible, they had might as well just stay on the island until the day finally came. It was probably for the best though, as all three guests were involved with the wedding anyways. “So you say we have about an hour to spend?” he asked. His lips forming a smile as he moved forward and slowly untied Jasmine’s bathrobe.

She laughed softly and whispered, “I think so. What are you suggesting?”

He answered her with a fiery, passionate kiss and guided her back to the bed. “I’m thinking it's about time for you to go for your morning ride.”

Indeed, Zerith could really get used to this lifestyle.

[Jasmine]

The black-haired beauty giggled and returned her lover’s kiss, shrugging out of the bathrobe as they moved back to the bed. Eagerly, she looped her arms around his neck as his hands slid over her bare skin, sending tiny shudders of pleasure through her body. Softly, she touched her lips to his neck, planting several light kisses all along it and up to his ear.

“Oh, Zerith,” she whispered in his ear, pressing her body close to his as her knees hit the edge of the bed. Anticipation welled up within her, unfortunately for the lovers it was not the only thing that was rising within Jasmine.

No, no, no! Not now!

The thoughts, however fervent, could not stop the bile rising from her stomach. She had been getting sick to her stomach every morning now for almost a solid month. Usually, Zerith had already gone on to meet her and the rest of their families for breakfast. To date, she’d managed to sick up only two or three times while Zerith was still there.

“Dang it all, not again,” she grumbled, grimacing. Jasmine pushed out of Zerith’s confused embrace, clutching her stomach as she hurried to the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. The process didn’t take long and after rinsing her mouth out, she came back out to Zerith.

“I’m sorry, love. I don’t know what it is that’s making me so sick. It’s only in the morning, too.” Sighing, she flopped down on the bed leaving her feet on the floor. “And it’s not like I feel really sick or anything, just all of sudden, I have to sick up.”

Smiling slightly, Zerith took a seat next to her, “Don’t worry about it. It’s probably just some bug that you managed to catch. Give it some time and it’ll pass.”

“But it’s been happening every morning for a month now,” she noted worriedly as she propped herself up on her elbows. “Maybe I should go see a doctor.”

“That wouldn’t be a bad idea, maybe he could give you something to help with the vomiting,” he suggested. “Why don’t you go see a doctor sometime this afternoon when you have some free time?”

“Maybe I will. I suppose we better go ahead and get dressed,” she said as she got off the bed and walked over to her closet. Opening it up, she gazed at the wide variety of dresses hanging there. “Are you up for an afternoon ride later?”

“Providing everything goes well today on my end, I think I’ll be able to do that. It would be nice to get away from Zevernus and Eric for a bit,” he answered as he reached underneath the bed for the clothes he had hidden there. “I guess you can tell me then what the doctor says, though I still think you just caught some kind of bug.”

Jasmine smiled and pulled out a lavender dress, “Wonderful!” Hurriedly, she finished putting on the dress and sat down at her vanity table to brush her hair. Watching him get dressed in the mirror she smiled again, “So, I shall see you at lunchtime?”

“It’s a date,” Zerith replied as he finished putting his shirt on. Although he was clothed, he still felt partially naked due to the fact that he didn’t have his weapons on him. He knew he couldn’t bring them with him to Jasmine’s suite during his late night visits, so instead they stayed in his room. “I guess I better go to let you deal with your dress while I meet up with the guys. I’ll see you at lunchtime. I love you,” he told her before kissing her gently.

“Love you, too. See you later.”

Jasmine watched as she slipped out her front door. It didn’t take her long to finish prepping for the day. After a few more strokes with her brush and a barrette to hold half of it back from her face she was set.

Fifteen minutes later found Jasmine looking at a gorgeous wedding gown. Beside her stood her sister-in-law, Melody, queen of Moriah. On her other side stood her soon-to-be mother-in-law, Sonja. Behind them, awaiting their comments a middle-aged Morian woman stood patiently. She had been working tirelessly on the princess’ dress. She was quite proud of herself. Normally, a dress of this much detail would have taken much longer to complete, but she was being paid quite a bit extra to make this dress her only priority. The other girls in her shop were well able to handle the rest of the business, so she was not worried.

“I think it’s perfect,” Jasmine said at last, running a finger down a panel of the dress. “What do you two think?”

“I think you need to try it on one more time, just to be certain,” Sonja answered.

Melody nodded her agreement, “I know you’re probably tired of putting it on and taking it off, but you really do want to be absolutely certain that it’s going to fit perfectly.”

Jasmine sighed, “All right, all right, you don’t have to convince me.”

A few minutes later, Jasmine stood on a stool, clothed in her wedding gown. She held her arms out to the sides so the other ladies could scrutinize every last seam to be sure that none were going to come apart or that nothing was tucking in the wrong way. Sighing, she shifted her weight a bit.

“Are we almost done?”

“You sure are in a rotten mood this morning, Jasmine. Have a rough morning or something?” Melody asked.

“You might say that. I’ve been throwing up a lot lately. I feel fine, no fever, no cough or sniffly nose. In fact, I feel fine right up until everything comes up, and then I’m fine again right afterward. It’s really kind of weird. I’m going to go talk to the doctor this afternoon about it. I don’t want to be sick on my honeymoon.”

“If you don’t me asking, Highness, how long as this been going on?”

“Oh about a month now, but it’s every morning.”

At that, Melody, Sonja and the dressmaker looked at each other then exchanged knowing glances.

“You won’t need to go to the doctor, Jasmine,” Melody beamed, “I can tell you what’s going on. You’re pregnant.”

“I’m what?” Jasmine asked, stunned.

“You’re pregnant. You have morning sickness.”

“But... I can’t be pregnant!” Jasmine almost screamed. “I don’t want to settle down yet! You’re just assuming things because you want a niece or a nephew. I’m not pregnant.”

The other three women smirked, but didn’t press the issue. The dress was in fact done. It fit the princess perfectly and looked stunning. After helping her to get out of it, the dressmaker wrapped it up carefully to await the wedding date. Once the dress was safely tucked away, the seamstress bid them good bye and went back to her shop.

Later, just before lunch, Jasmine sat on a chair in the doctor’s office. They were nearing the end of the appointment, but the doctor had not said what he thought the difficulty was. Standing at six and half feet tall, he was taller than most Morians. His hair was almost white with age, but he was still very adept at his profession and was considered to be one of Moriah’s best doctors.

“So let me get this straight, for the last month you’ve been vomiting every morning just a few minutes after you get up and get going. You don’t feel sick, it comes without warning, you feel fine afterward. There’s no fever, cough, or any other cold symptoms. This is all correct?”

Jasmine nodded. The doctor was silent for a moment, tapping his chin. “Two more questions then, first, are you sexually active?” At her embarrassed silence, he nodded. After years of experience, her silence and downcast eyes was all the answer he needed. “Second, when was your last monthly cycle?”

Jasmine turned bright pink at that question. This was why she had not wanted to have to see a doctor. Gulping she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, “Actually, I’m about two months late.”

“In that case, given that information, I can tell you exactly what your problem is Princess Jasmine. You’re going to be a mother. You have about seven months left and you are not to leave the country, do you hear me? I will not have you jeopardizing your baby’s health because you like adventure.”

Jasmine nodded glumly. This was not the news she’d been wanting at all. “What can I do about getting sick every morning?”

“That I can fix, my dear,” he answered as he looked through a cabinet full of small bottles. Finding the one he wanted, he handed it to her. “Take two of these pills right before bed and that should help. If it doesn’t, come back and see me. When it runs out, if you’re still getting sick, you can come back for more.”

Jasmine took the medicine and departed for the palace. It was nearly lunchtime, but she wasn’t feeling very hungry. Once at the palace she made her way to the casual dining room where everyone else was already gathering for lunch. She took a seat near the far end of the table and waited for Zerith to arrive.

[Zerith]

During the walk back to his room, Zerith couldn’t help but be a little paranoid. He was always convinced Eric was waiting right around every corner. So he would slowly creep along the wall and peer his head around the corner regardless if anyone else was watching him. Then when he didn’t see any sign of the King of Moriah, he would hurry down the corridor as fast as he could. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the door to his bedroom in the distance, then walked as fast as he could until he reached it. After he entered the room he was pleased to see Eric wasn’t there waiting for him, but surprised at what he saw instead.

Though it was nowhere near as spacious as Jasmine’s suite, Zerith’s room itself was still quite large. With a deep red carpet and solid oak furniture, it sure looked like a place one could go to just to take a break from the rest of the world. Although it didn’t have a balcony, it did have a lovely fireplace instead. The room wasn’t empty though, as in the middle of Zerith’s sanctuary, rolling around in his bed, was Zevernus. The swordsman didn’t even notice someone entered until the halberdier closed the door behind him. Only then did the best friend of the groom stop to look up at who entered, and smiled when he saw the Zerith’s puzzled face. “Good morning, man. I was hoping you would come back here soon.”

“I always do, you know that,” the warder replied. He stared at his bed, noticing how the sheets where thrown about and the pillows out of place. “Just what were you doing here?”

Laughing, Zevernus climbed to his feet. “I was doing you a favour, Zerith.” He gestured to the messy bed, “I made it look like you slept here last night, you idiot. Y’know, just in case Eric decided to stop by in the morning and sees you’re not here. At least this way, he’ll see the bed and assume you just didn’t make the bed before leaving.”

“Yeah, I appreciate the effort,” Zerith said as he retrieve his weapons from underneath his own bed. “Just don’t roll around in my bed anymore, it’s kind of creepy.”

“Whatever,” the swordsman shrugged. “Just tell me what’s on the agenda today?”


***


Later that day, both Zerith and Zevernus stood in the store of a tailor that lived in Nadai. While the two of them and each stood wearing the suits they were planning on wearing for the wedding. Zerith’s father, Sevelakath, had already gotten his in order and was now sitting in a chair as watched the other two be attended to. The tailor himself was an old man, with long, curly, grey hair and a matching beard. His deep, brown eyes had seen almost everything in his profession, and he wore a single length of measure tape across his shoulders as if it were the cloth of a priest. Although none really knew he was retiring at the end of the month, Zerith understood why shortly after he started to get to work. His memory was going bad. He would place Zevernus’ suit jacket over a chair, or write down Sevelakath’s measurements on a piece of paper one minute, and forget what something was or who it was for the next.

“Alright, so who’s blue vest is this again?” the Morian asked as he held it up.

“That’s mine,” Zevernus responded. “Dad and I are in blue, the groom is in silver.”

“Oh, right.” Adjusting his thick glasses, the tailor turned to Zerith. “Alright, and what do we still need to do with you?”

Smiling warmly, the halberdier held his arms out to either side. “Just the final check to make sure everything fits. You’ve already marked where you need to bring up the pant legs and how much to adjust the waist.”

“Ah, I see,” the old man replied as he stepped up behind the warder to take a closer look at everything. “So I hear you’re the man that’s marrying Jasmine? I still remember seeing her when she was just a small child...” he said warmly. While the tailor went on with his nostalgia, Zerith kept himself occupied by looking at the various suits on display and pictures on the walls. Only a few displays interested him, one was a full white tux while another had a purple vest with a black morning coat.

He still couldn’t quite believe this was actually happening. There he was, doing a final check to make sure no other changes to the outfit he would wear to his wedding. He had seen Jasmine’s engagement ring numerous times before, but as he stood in front of the mirror he actually felt like the wedding day was coming quickly. Excitement soon filled Zerith, who closed his eyes and tried to imagine how his bride would look in her white gown and walking down the aisle...

It was perfect.

Once the tailor felt confident that he had everything together, he let the three men go so he could finish working on the order and send them off to the Matrino Manor. So with the last thing in their morning completed, Zerith, Zevernus and Sevelakath all headed back to the palace to meet up with the others for lunch. “Y’know, I have to thank you for inviting me to be a part of your wedding, Zerith,” Zevernus joked as they walked together. “It’s not every day I get invited out to be touched by an old man.”

Once at the palace, the three weren’t surprised to see how busy the dining room was. Seats were being filled at an alarming rate and the amount of commotion made it nearly impossible for them to hear Eric, Melody, Sonja or Jasmine. After a few moments spent searching through the crowd, Sevelakath finally spotted his wife and the others. Smiling, he pointed at where they were and the empty chairs they saved next to them. “There they are. Now come on, let’s go take a seat and get some lunch.” It was right after those words left his father’s mouth that that Zerith saw Jasmine from the corner of his eyes, sitting away from the others

“Strange, she’s not sitting with the others. Maybe she’s still not feeling well?”

“You guys go on ahead,” he said to his friend and father. “I’m going to sit next to Jasmine and see if something is wrong.” and he did just that. As Jasmine was sitting quietly at the table, Zerith came up from behind her, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and took a seat next to her. “I take it everything went well this morning? I know everything turned out smoothly on my end.” He said smiling. He tilted his head to the side as he looked at her, “Why don’t we go sit with the others? I bet Zevernus is dying to tell you how our morning went. Then after we eat, we can take Snowdrop and Exarion out for that ride like you suggested. Is that okay?”

[Jasmine]

Jasmine jumped slightly at Zerith’s appearance and kiss. She’d been lost in her thoughts and had not heard him come up behind her.

“What? Oh, yes, of course. I’ll tell you about my day later on our ride, but it’s not a bug.”

Rising, she moved down to where their families were seated. Eric sat at the head of the long, oak table, to his right the lovely, blonde queen sat. Beside her, looking very grumpy at having to stop playing sat their son, Prince Dylan. The boy was only two years old and had his father’s brown hair. Sevelakath and his wife, Sonja, Zerith’s parents, sat opposite of Melody and Dylan. Zevernus sat beside Sonja. All were waiting for the young couple to join them.

“Sorry, everyone, I was just thinking about some things,” Jasmine apologized as she took a seat beside her nephew.

“What you think 'bout, Auntie?”

Jasmine ran her fingers through his hair and smiled, “Nothing for you to worry about, dear.”

The rest of lunch went smoothly with all the participants chatting amongst themselves. Lunch was a simple affair for today: salad and sandwiches, though one was to make their sandwich themselves. On the table, in easy reach, sat a plate of meat holding sliced ham, beef, and turkey. On another plate, things like pickles and tomatoes sat waiting to be used. At each corner of the table, a server waited to refill cups with whatever the guests had asked for.

After they were done eating, Jasmine excused herself and went up to her room to change into a riding dress. Before leaving the dining hall, she told Zerith she would meet him in the stables. As she walked through the hallway her mind puzzled over what she was to do with the news that Melody had been right. She didn’t want to keep Zerith in the dark, but she wasn’t entirely sure how he would react to the news. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about the prospect of being a mother herself just yet.

Once in her room, Jasmine quickly found a riding dress and changed clothes. She didn’t really feel much like a ride anywhere, but she had agreed to it. Besides, it was the only thing she could think of that would guarantee that Eric would not hear about her pregnancy before she was ready for him to hear about it. Sighing softly to herself, Jasmine made her way quickly to the stables and fetched Snowdrop. As she led the mare out of the stable, she saw Dylan scurrying across the yard. Not far behind him was the sound of Melody's voice calling out his name.

“Dylan!" Jasmine called to her nephew, "Come here, what do you think you’re doing?”

The two year old scowled, but obediently came to stand in front of his aunt. “Hiding, Mommy say inside. Don't wanna.”

“Well, you better do as she says. The stables are not a good place to play. Why don’t you go play in my garden? Tell Mommy that I said it was okay.”

The toddler brightened up at the thought of playing in a garden. Most of the time, he wasn’t allowed to play in the palace gardens because the gardeners worked very hard to make them so beautiful. Hugging his aunt’s legs, the boy ran off, calling his thanks over his shoulder as he hurried to find his mother.

Jasmine watched him go, smiling fondly as she led her horse around the corner to where she’d promised to meet Zerith.

[Zerith]

“Not a bug? What the hell could it be then?”

The question puzzled the halberdier. He was certain it was nothing more than a bug, so to hear that the doctor said it wasn’t surprised him a little. Still, there was nothing for him to worry about at least. He was sure that whatever it was, the doctor knew what was wrong and gave the former princess the proper advice. During their meal, Zerith called a servant over to him and asked for his horse to be saddled and ready to go once he was finished eating. As the servant scurried off to give the message to the people at the stables, Eric turned to look at the warder. “So, how did the fittings go this morning?”

“They went well,” he replied.

Laughing, Zevernus added, “If you can call it that. The tailor kept forgetting where he put things and what item belonged to whom. We could’ve been done with that in no time if it wasn’t for his bad memory.”

“Oh, come on. He doesn’t have any control of that.” Zerith countered. “Besides, he been doing that for years, he knows what he’s doing.”

“True, I guess you’re right.”

“Anyways, what are your plans for this afternoon Zerith?” Eric asked, changing the subject. “I mean I know your family and friend here are just planning on taking a break this afternoon, but what are you doing?”

Zerith smiled, “Actually, Jasmine and I are going out for ride. We figured it would be nice to us to take some time together and just get away from all the commotion for a bit. You know, to just relax and not have to worry about anything. Actually, now that I mentioned it I had better get going. I told Jasmine I’d meet her at the stables.”

“I understand the feeling of needing to go out and relax,” the young king said as he nodded. “You better get going though, wouldn’t want to keep her waiting. Please tell her I would still like to go on a ride with her as well, maybe this evening or later this afternoon.”

Zerith rose from the table and immediately began to head for the stables. He was hoping the servants there got his message otherwise he wasn’t so sure he would be ready for Jasmine in time. If they did get the message though, then he would be fine. Either way, he still hurried as fast as he could. The thought of being like and disappointed Jasmine wasn’t really appealing to the halberdier anyways.

Thankfully, the warder was quite relieved to see his black stallion saddled and ready to go once he arrived. When the horse itself saw its owner, it expressed its excitement by trying to reach Zerith. Laughing, the halberdier walked up to his horse and rubbed the side of its neck, “You know exactly what we’re going to do, don’t you?” After expressing this thanks to those that prepared his stallion for him, the halberdier quickly climbed onto the beast’s back and rode out of the stables to the designated spot Jasmine said to meet her at.

He didn’t have to wait long for her to appear wearing one of her dress she wore for riding and a pair of boots she wore for the same purpose. In her hands she held the reins to her white mare, Snowdrop. Compared to Exarion, Jasmine’s horse was a pampered one that probably lived a life of luxury. Then again, being the horse of a former princess, it wasn’t really surprising. As Jasmine climbed up onto her horse Zerith spoke, “Eric told me to tell you that he’s still hoping to go for a ride with you later today. But for now it would be nice for us to get out Nadai and spend some time together to get away from our busy lives, relax and not worry about anything.”

If only Zerith knew the surprise Jasmine had in store for him.

[Jasmine]

Jasmine smiled and nodded, glad to see that Zerith was as interested in getting away from everyone as she was.

“Let’s be going then,” she said with a smile as she swung up into the saddle. “I know the perfect place to go to.”

Smiling mysteriously, she tapped her heels into Snowdrop’s flanks. The pure white mare started forward obediently. Soon, Jasmine had led the way from the palace, through the busy streets, and out onto the main road. Once they were a good distance away from the city gates, she angled off the road onto the gently rolling plains. Glancing at Zerith she smiled brightly.

“Follow me!”

Thumping her heels against Snowdrop, Jasmine crouched low over the horse’s neck as the creature sprang into a gallop. Jasmine let the horse go whichever direction it wished for a little while, then began to steer toward a distant copse of trees. This was the place Jasmine was wanting to go. She knew it to have a small pool of water and to be completely surrounded by tall trees. No one would be able to see them once they were inside. They would have complete privacy.

Laughing, Jasmine glanced over her shoulder to see Exharion and Zerith keeping astride of her and Snowdrop. As they neared the copse, Jasmine pulled back on the reigns. Snowdrop slowed immediately and walked the rest of the way into the trees. Jasmine patted the mare’s neck, murmuring words of praise. The mare’s sides were heaving with the exertion of having run so hard.

Dismounting, Jasmine led her horse to the water and allowed her to have a good long drink of water. Then, she tied the reins to a tree branch overhanging the pool of water. The grass was soft and green. It was very quiet and peaceful amongst the trees. Once she was sure that Snowdrop could reach water and grass easily, she stepped away from the horse and walked a little ways around the edge of the pool. There she waited for Zerith to catch up to her.

She did not have long to wait. He quickly took care of Exharion then joined her, slipping his strong arms around her waist from behind.

“What’s wrong, love?”

“Wrong?” Jasmine echoed, “I don’t know that anything is really wrong. It’s just that...”

“What? What did the doctor say earlier today? You can tell me, there’s no one around to hear you,” he encouraged, as he hugged her.

Jasmine sighed, “I really don’t know how to say it.” She was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then took a deep breath. “Do you remember the conversations we’ve had about having kids and when we might settle down and all?” She waited for his nod then took his hands in her own and turned to face him. Holding his hands, she placed one of his hands over her belly with her hand overtop his, then looked up at his face, anxious to see his reaction.

“We have about seven more months left.”

[Zerith]

Normally there had always been a few things that would leave the halberdier shocked and speechless such as the death of a loved one or new of some major disaster claiming thousands of lives. Luckily for Zerith, he had yet to experience such a thing. In fact he couldn’t recall a single moment were he was so stunned that he couldn’t find a suitable response or at least something to say. However the words that would escape Jasmine’s lips were words that he threw him completely off guard. Words that he would have never thought he would hear so soon.

He remembered the conversations he shared with his lover regarding children very well. He had always seriously believed that those images were a major factor in Jasmine’s decision to leave Raelyse to pursue a life with her warder. Even when he himself dreamed of that lifestyle it felt like it was so far away. Yet it wasn’t a dream. Not anymore.

As Jasmine placed his hand on her abdomen and told him the truth, Not a single word escaped the halberdier’s mouth. Instead he stood then motionless as his mind slowly came to realization of what was happening.

Oh...my God. Jasmine doesn’t have a bug.

His eyes widened his surprise, still staring at her small hand over top of his.

She’s going to have a baby, our baby. Which means...

“I’m going to be a Daddy,” the warder said in disbelief. Slowly, his gaze moved upward to see Jasmine’s anxious face. A smile began to form on the halberdier’s face as his eyes appeared to sparkle for just a second. Suddenly a laugh escaped Zerith as he grabbed a hold of his princess, lifted her into the air and spun her around. “I’m going to be a Daddy!”

He spun her around until he began to feel dizzy and then finally set Jasmine back down on her feet. Pulling her to him, he kissed her and laughed again. “Oh my God! This is actually happening. We’re going to have a baby!” His excitement was easily noticeable as he spoke incredibly fast and probably made it difficult for his lover to understand him.

“Who else knows? Does Eric? What does Melody think of it? Do my parents know?”

Indeed, it was a very exciting time for Zerith. Not only was he marrying the woman he loved dearly, but now they were starting a family of their own. Who would've thought that would happen?

[Jasmine]

Jasmine laughed as Zerith swung her around and around. She was extremely pleased to find that he was so happy to find that he was going to be a father. She had been scared that he wouldn’t want to have any children yet. When he finally set her down, she leaned against him for support.

“The doctor knows, of course, but I asked him not to tell anyone. Melody, your mother, and my seamstress are all fairly positive about this, but I haven’t confirmed it for them yet. They said I was pregnant even before I went to the doctor. They made the guess based on the fact that I’ve been getting sick every morning for the last couple weeks. I have some medicine for that, too.” Jasmine sighed and hugged her fiancé. “At any rate, we should probably start heading back to the palace.”

Reluctantly, she pulled from Zerith’s arms and went back to Snowdrop. She led the mare out of the trees, then mounted. Zerith followed close behind her. Before long they were handing the reigns off to a stableboy and heading inside. They hadn’t gotten ten steps into the main building when Melody ran up to them, obviously distraught.

“Have either of you seen Dylan? We can’t find him anywhere!”

Jasmine was confused. It had only been an hour, perhaps an hour and a half since she’d last seen her nephew. “The last time I saw him was right before my ride. I’d told him he could play in my garden and he was supposed to be heading there after telling you that I said it was okay.”

Melody was on the verge of tears. She’d been holding them back for sometime now in the hopes that the mischievous child was simply hiding somewhere on the palace grounds. Her lower lip quivered as she looked anxiously over Jasmine and Zerith’s shoulders, hoping that her son was hiding behind them.

“He didn’t tell me any such thing! He’s not in your garden though. That was one of the first places we looked since he loves it there so m-m-much!”

Jasmine glanced up at Zerith worriedly then stepped over to Melody and put her arms around the queen. “Shhhh, Melody, calm down. We’ll find Dylan. I’m sure he’s in the palace somewhere. Perhaps he just fell asleep in some out of the way corner. Come on, I’ll help you look.”

As she led Melody away, Jasmine looked over at Zerith and mouthed the words, “Find Eric.” She was extremely worried herself about her missing nephew, but more important at the moment was to get the king and queen calmed so that they could think more clearly.

[Zerith]

“I’m going to be a Daddy.”

No matter how many times the halberdier repeated the sentence in his mind. It seems like he just couldn’t believe it was really happening. Zerith, the warder that stole the lover from his guild superior and the absolute stranger that helped defend a kingdom he had barely known, was going to be a father. So many thoughts raced through his head, so many emotions as well. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the situation, but he knew he needed to make sure Jasmine was happy. Yet once he had assured Jasmine that he was excited and overjoyed at the news, his thoughts changed direction as they rode back to Nadai.

“I don’t know anything about parenthood. And where they hell are we going to live? Does Jasmine expect us to just pick up the baby and keep travelling like this? I mean, there is no way I’m taking my child to Salvar or Fallien. What the hell are we going to do about Eric anyways? There is no way he won’t notice his sister getting bigger. And if he does his math right, he’s going to try and kill me.”

Even as Jasmine spoke to the distraught Melody, Zerith’s thoughts were still somewhere in the clouds. “Jasmine’s as stubborn as her brother too, I’m going to have to wrestle with her in order to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid and harm the baby. We’re definitely rushing into this too early, but I doubt we have any other options. It’s not like we can take it back, right?”

“Zerith?” Jasmine’s voice called out, snapping the warder out of his concerns for the future and back into the present. “Help me out here, find Eric. Tell him Melody needs him.”

“Eric? Yeah, sure thing,” He answered as he hopped off his horse. Finding the king was actually one of the last things he wanted to do. The mental image of him approaching Eric and greeting him with “Hey there, I knocked up your sister” didn’t end too well. Then again, none of the other possibilities of how to tell Eric the news were any better.


~~~


“I don’t understand how this is happening!” A distraught father shouted as he paced back and forth across a carpeted corridor. “How is it possible for all the guards to be unable to find a single toddler? You would think that we would have heard something by now. Then again I should probably know better, it was only a matter of time until another circus like this would happen. Now because of my inability to be a good father, I’ll never see Dylan again!”

To say that the King of Moriah could control himself was like saying that Fallien was chilly in the morning, it couldn’t be any further from the truth. Here he stood the ruler of a nation, and yet how he was managing to hold back tears was a mystery. Yet as he paced back and forth with the nervousness of a new father, Zevernus was merely sitting down in a nearby chair, munching on some nuts. “This is only going to end is disaster!” Eric continued. “Just watch, tomorrow the guard will be finding my son’s body out in the garden all cut to-“

“Will you just sit down and try to relax!?” the swordsman interrupted. “Man, keep acting like that and I’d be worrying how long your wife would manage to stay around you. C’mon Eric, you’re kinda scaring me with all this tension you have.”

The king immediately spun to face Zevernus, his eyes so cold that made Salvar seem like springtime weather. “Well I do believe I have every right to be tense! What the hell would you do if your child just vanished without a trace? I’ll tell you what you’d do, you wouldn’t be snacking for sure.”

“True, I guess you have a point there,” Zerith’s friend replied. “But what did I tell you back when you initially found out about this predicament? All we have to do is wait for Zerith to come back with Jasmine. I’m sure he’ll be able to come up with something.”

The king shook his head, “No, I don’t think so this time. You and Jasmine may think highly of him, but he’s no magician. Unless he can clap his hands together and make Dylan appear I want nothing to do with him.” The moment the last words left his mouth, Eric would regret them. For at that same moment, the halberdier and turned the corner at the end of the hallway and was standing before them. “Zerith...I...I didn’t mean to-“


“Didn’t mean to do what Eric?” the halberdier replied angrily. “Didn’t mean to practically disown me? Well right now that doesn’t really matter. My issue with you right now is the position you’re currently standing.”

“What do you mean, I’m right here worrying about Dyl-“

“Dylan is missing, I know that.” Zerith replied, cutting the king off. “But rather than yelling and whining about it here, you should be with Melody. It’s what a good husband does, they make sure to be there with their wives when they need them. Now come on, let’s get back to the girls. After we meet up with them we can figure out what’s the next best thing to do.”

“I...I guess you have a point there Zerith,” Eric replied quietly. “We should get back there as soon as we can. Melody is probably in tears over this.” And with that said the king took off in the direction Zerith arrived, walking so fast it seemed it was going to break out running at any moment. Yet while he was racing, Zevernus took his time to climb to his feet, he even stretched his arms widely as he smiled at his friend.

“Nice job there, Zerith,” he said as the two started following Eric. “I liked the whole thing about husbands needing to be there for their wives. You should use that.”

“Use that? What the hell do you mean by that?” Zerith asked.

“Your wedding vows, idiot.” The swordsman replied as he slapped the back of the halberdier. “Jasmine has been going on about how you two are writing your own vows. You should use what you told Eric as part of them, I bet Jasmine will probably like them.”

“Oh my god!” Zerith said in disbelief. “I completely forgot about my vows. I’ll need to come up soon, otherwise Jasmine will kill me. Bloody hell, I haven’t even started working on them.”

Zevernus burst out laughing, “Seriously Zerith. There are times I think that you should consider yourself lucky I’m around to save your ass. And this, my friend, is definitely one of those times. “

[Jasmine]

Jasmine had finally managed to calm Melody down and get some sense out of her. As she led Melody through the palace halls, she saw Eric coming toward them. Seeing her husband, Melody broke away from Jasmine and ran to Eric, burying her face against his chest, unable to hold her tears back anymore.

“Where is he!?”

Eric wrapped his strong arms around his weeping wife, holding her close to him.

“Shhh, we’ll find him. Jasmine and Zerith are here to help us. With a few more eyes to search with, I’m sure we’ll find him.”

The words sounded hollow to Eric’s own ears, but they seemed to work on the queen. She sniffled a bit, then nodded her agreement.

“Let’s think. The last time I saw him, he was playing hide and seek with me. I saw him running down the hall and out toward the stables. But I couldn’t catch up with him.”

“It’s alright, Melody,” Jasmine said soothingly. “I saw him next after that. He’d come into the stables and I sent him back inside with permission to play in my garden. I saw him go back inside. Did anyone see him after that?”

Eric and Melody both shook their heads sadly. Right then, a messenger came up to them, a bit nervously. In his hands he carried a sealed envelope which he held out toward the king.

“Your Majesties, I have a message for you. I was told that it was most urgent.”

Eric took the message and ripped it open, hoping and anxious at the same time that it might have something to do with his missing son. He read it over quickly, then his face flushed bright red as he pursed his lips, doing his best to refrain from the long list of expletives going through his mind. His hands quivering in barely controlled anger, he handed the note to Melody. Jasmine read it over her shoulder.


My dear Eric and Melody, greetings. I trust this note has found you safe and sound. Oh wait, perhaps not. You’re probably pulling your hair out over the missing Prince. Rest easy, he’s quite safe and is happily playing with my nephew’s toys. No harm has come to him, and none will so long as I get what I want. My demands are very simple.

Firstly, I want the remains of Lord Montego. You may not have realized it, but he is distant kin to me, and as such should be permitted to take his final rest on family land.

Secondly, I want 500,000 gold pieces, for the trouble of keeping the prince safe and happy while he’s away from home.

I await your answer, but do not try my patience, Majesties. There are a number of people that wouldn’t think twice about eliminating the Royal Heir.

Sincerely,
Lord Josephus

After reading the note, Melody almost collapsed. Tears brimming anew in her eyes. She looked up at Eric.

“What would he want with Montego’s remains? He’s been dead for five years. There isn’t much left at this point.”

Eric sighed, “I don’t know, sweetheart. I don’t know. Jasmine, Zerith, what should we do?”

Jasmine looked up at Zerith then back to her brother and sister-in-law. “The simple thing to do would be to fulfil the ransom requirements. But I don’t know about that with Josephus wanting the remains of a traitor. I’m not entirely sure that it would be a good idea to try to take Dylan back by force either. Zerith, what do you think?”

[Zerith]

If there was one thing that Zerith really didn’t like about the King of Moriah, it would have had to be the lack of appreciation the king showed to the halberdier from time to time. You would think that given all the things the foreigner did to help the young ruler, the king would have at least believed that the warrior would do all he could for him if needed. Yet as the statement of disbelief still echoed in Zerith’s head, it was no surprise that when things began to get more complicated Eric immediately came to the halberdier for a solution.

“Oh, that’s cute Eric,” Zerith said with arms crossed and a cold stare. “Well, I think I would suggest I try what you said to Zevernus. What was it again? Clapping my hands and just making Dylan appear in a puff of smoke? I think that sounds about right, doesn’t it?”

“Zerith!” Melody shouted, still crying. “How can you be so cruel? Eric is just worried to death about Dylan. I bet you would be too if-“

“Don’t mistake my anger towards Eric as a lack of concern for your son, your highness!” Zerith cut her off. “You, Jasmine and even Eric know I’d do everything I could to get the little guy back. I just expected Eric to have a little more faith in me than the small amount he expressed to my friend here. I suppose that’s just too much to ask for though, but if you want to know what I think we should do then give me the stupid letter.”

After nearly ripping the letter out of Melody’s delicate hand, Zerith read it quickly. He took a deep breath in order to try and relax a little and thought for a moment before he spoke again. His eyes moved from person to person as he said their names. “Zevernus, go find my dad and meet me at the stables once you’re both ready to leave. Eric, you’re to stay here with Melody. Get the requested amount of gold ready for transport and a map to wherever Montego’s grave is. Melody, I need you to stay here, try to remain calm and make everyone think that nothing is out of the ordinary. Nobody else needs to know what is going on. Jasmine, I’m going to need you to tell me everything you know about this Josephus. I’m afraid you’re not going to come out with us on this one either. Right now, you’re needed here to make sure everyone in your family is alright, and I mean everyone.”

As the halberdier turned to walk away, Eric laughed. “Are you serious, Zerith!?” he exclaimed. “You’re just going to go over there and give him what he wants? That’s your plan?”

Sighing, Zerith looked over his shoulder. “No, I just need those things to hold his attention. I’m not the one going in to retrieve Dylan. My father and Zevernus will be. However it wouldn’t hurt if you could get the Captain-commander to come along with me. I could use the help, and you would probably feel like you could at least believe there was one person able to pull this off.”

“Oh, come on Zerith. You can’t seriously think I meant-“

“I don’t have anything else to say to you, your majesty. Just leave me alone until we come back with Dylan.” Zerith said as he started walking again. Right now he needed to get as far away from Eric as he could before he lost his patience and would do something he would probably regret. Besides, the last thing Eric needed to wear on his sister’s wedding day was a black eye.

[Jasmine]

Jasmine gave Melody a look that plainly said what she thought of the antics between Eric and Zerith, then hurried after her love. She caught up to him quickly, but had to keep moving just as quickly in order to keep up.

“What did you mean I’m not going with you? Of course, I’m going.”

“No, you’re not,” Zerith told her bluntly.

Jasmine pursed her lips, “Oh yes I am and you’re not stopping me.”

Zerith shrugged, “Fine, then consider the wedding off until you learn to respect and obey me on the rare occasion it’s called for.”

Jasmine stopped and stared as Zerith continued to walk down the hallway. Angry tears brimmed in her eyes as her fists clenched and unclenched a few times. She could hardly believe what he’d just said. Angry and hurt, she burst into a run to catch up with him again.

“Fine, then you can ask someone else about Josephus. It’s not like there’s much to tell anyway.”

“Fine, then I won’t get Dylan,” he retorted.

“I’ll get him myself then,” Jasmine told him determinedly and turned off down a hallway to get ready for the trip.

Zerith very nearly chuckled, “I doubt that, you couldn’t even beat me. There are more way to help than by swinging your damn sword, Jasmine. Remember it’s not just your life at stake anymore, or have you forgotten that already?”

“I haven’t forgotten,” she called over her shoulder, “Besides, who said anything about swinging my sword?”

Zerith sighed irritably, “You’re feisty by nature at times and you’re talking about your only nephew. I don’t think you would remain civil.”

But Zerith’s words were lost on Jasmine who had stopped listening and was hurrying to her room to get the few things she wanted to take with her. She briefly considered taking her sword as a precaution, but in the end she left it behind. She would rely on diplomacy to get Dylan, not her sword.

I will not be put on a protective pedestal behind a pane of glass. I am not any more fragile now than I was before.

Brushing her tears away, Jasmine quickly made her way down to the stables. She left Snowdrop in her stall. She would need a horse bred for such a hard, quick ride. Snowdrop was not bred for such rides. She chose instead a tall, brown stallion with a white diamond on its forehead. He was one of the extra horses kept for the soldiers’ use. She led him quickly out of the stables and mounted him. He was much larger than Snowdrop, but that didn’t bother Jasmine. In a few minutes, she was out of palace grounds, and well on her way to Lord Josephus’ country home.


While Jasmine argued with Zerith, Melody attempted to calm Eric down.

“What on earth was all that about, Eric? Why must you two always fight like this? It doesn’t ever accomplish anything. In a few days, we’re going to officially be family. Is this really how you want to start things off?”

Eric sighed, taking his queen’s arm and tucking it under his own as they walked down the hall. “I don’t know, Melody. I can’t explain it. I wish I knew what Josephus was really up to with wanting Montego’s remains. As you said, the man has been dead for nearly five years now. Why has he waited this long to make a claim on the body?”

“I don’t know dear, but if it will get Dylan back, why not? He can’t really do anything but re-bury him. The money isn’t that big an issue either. I’m surprised he wasn’t asking for much more.”

“Why should he?” Eric asked as he turned into the treasury office, “he’s quite wealthy on his own. He doesn’t need a whole lot of money. There must be a reason, I just wish I knew what it was. At any rate, I’ll take care of getting the money transport set up.” He paused and kissed her briefly, “why don’t you go see what you can do about nullifying the many rumors that I’m sure are going around?”

Melody gave him a weak smile, then nodded, “All right, but keep me informed, okay? As soon as you know anything, I want to know as well.” Putting on a brave face, the queen left her husband in the treasury office and went up to find a few of the more gossipy maids she knew. They certainly did not need for word of the missing prince to be leaked all over Nadai.

[Zerith]

“You’re an idiot. Do you know that?”

The familiar voice glued the halberdier to the floor, causing him to stop in his tracks from stomping down the palace corridor. The tone used pushed him back through time to when he was but a small child. It was condescending while at the same time disciplinary. That tone of voice that a father would use when catching his son causing trouble. So it was no surprise that Zerith found himself facing his father when he turned around.

“What did you just call me?” The warder glared at Sevelakath, offended that his father would suddenly insult him.

“I heard the way you spoke do Jasmine,” his father continued as if he didn’t even hear his son speak. “I can understand you want to keep Jasmine safe, but the whole ‘until you learn to respect and obey me’ was quite uncalled for.”

“It’s not like I had any other choice, dad!” Zerith yelled, clenching his fists in anger. “You don’t understand, she doesn’t listen to me! How am I supposed to be her husband when she won’t even slightest ounce of respect?”

“Marriage isn’t easy, Zerith. In fact it may be the most difficult thing you’ll ever face.” The words came out of the wise swordsman’s mouth in a cool, calm down. “If you thought being her warder was hard, then being a good husband for Jasmine will be the toughest challenge you’ll face in your life. You’re making a commitment to love her for life, Zerith. No matter what happens, or how she reacts to things you do or say.”

”I know that!” the halberdier countered. “But how else do you expect me to get her to respect me enough to listen to my words? I don’t have the luxury of marrying someone like mom. She at least values you enough to listen to you!”

The air feel silent for a moment after Zerith spoke. Slowly, a smile formed on his father’s lips and eventually the old man began to laugh. “You’re mother never listened to me a first, son. In fact, she would often do the opposite of what I asked in spite of me. You need to just show Jasmine that you love and respect her. Forget about trying to order or around like a servant or child, as your wife she’s going to be much more than that. If you treat her like a rose, she’ll bloom. If you don’t She’ll wilt. Follow my advice Zerith, patience is one of the pillars love is built on. If you show patience to Jasmine, she’ll understand that you give her permission to be human and understand that everyone fails. In time, she will love and respect you for that. Then she’ll begin to listen to you.”

It took a minute for the warder to listen and absorb the information Sevelakath had given. Sighing, Zerith dropped his shoulders forward. “I guess you have a point dad. I did overreact and I definitely should apologize to her. Then I’ll try things your way and we’ll see what happens. In the meantime though a major problem has come up and I’m going to need your help. Could you please come with me to the stables, everyone is supposed to meet me there.”

Smiling at seeing his son continuing to strive to be the man Sevelakath always dreamed he would be, the proud father nodded, “Sure. Just fill me in on the details and I’ll help in any way I can.”

***

Some time later...

“What do you mean, ‘she’s left already’? Where on althanas did she say she was going?” A once again overreacting Zerith demanded. His sapphire eyes looked down from his horse at the stableman with such intensity that the poor servent felt like the halberdier was contemplating the best way of hurting him.

“I’m afraid it’s exactly as I said. Lady Jasmine came in here not too long ago in a hurry. She quickly grabbed one of the extra stallions and immediate took off. She didn’t bother to make sure he was saddled properly and certainly didn’t tell anyone where she was going.

Eric groaned with frustration, “No doubt she’s gone off after Josephus. I know I would have if I were her.”

The warder bit his lip as he refrained from saying something negative about his future bride. Instead, he turned his eyes to his father and repeated what he had said not too long ago. “Jasmine isn’t perfect, neither am I. Everyone fails at one point or another,” he thought to himself. Afterwards, he took a deep breath before speaking. “We’ll have to go on anyways and just meet up with her. Is everything in order?”

Thankfully, everything was. Zerith, Zevernus, Sevelakath and the Captain-Commander, Matthew Taren were all mounted on their respective horses. The leader of the Morian army had already been given large sack with the gold the noble lord had demanded and the map to the Montego’s unmarked grave was handed to the halberd by his soon to be brother-in-law, Eric. Thankfully, even without Jasmine, Matthew knew the way to Josephus’ estate. So with nothing else keeping them in Nadai, the four men made their way out of the stables and immediately broke out into a gallop towards Lord Josephus’ estate.

“So, you mind telling me what your incredible plan is, Z?” Zevernus shouted as they rode as hard as they could.”

The warder shook his head, “Don’t have one yet, I think we may have to just wait and see what happens and then improvise from there.”

“Sounds like fun, I just hope Jasmine doesn’t get into any trouble before we get there.”

“Tell me about it,” Zerith thought. “I don’t know how I would live with myself if something happened to her...or our baby.”

Just like that, knowing he was going to be a father wasn’t so enjoyable anymore.

[Jasmine]

With her knees tucked in tightly against the stallion’s body, Jasmine crouched low over his neck, urging him to greater speed. Her previous tears of anger had dried long ago. They were replaced with not only a fierce desire to rescue her nephew, but also prove to her over-protective fiancé that she wasn’t made of delicate Fallien Mukakkannati glass. She was fully capable of talking with Josephus in a civil, diplomatic manner whether Zerith believed it or not.

The stallion galloped through long grass and up a small knoll. Jasmine reined him in as they came to the top. The slight breeze teased at her long black hair as she gazed upon the estate spread out below her. She waited for several minutes for the horse to catch his breath then headed down to the large wrought-iron gates at the entrance to Lord Josephus’ home with her head held high and sitting up straight.

“HALT!”

Jasmine turned a cool, blue-eyed gaze on the guard that had addressed her, politely reining the stallion to a halt.

“What business do you have here?” he asked harshly.

“I am Lady Jasmine –“

“I know who you are,” he snapped, cutting her off. “I asked your business here, not your identity.”

Her eyes narrowed at the rude treatment, but she kept her manner calm and collected. “I have come to assure that Prince Dylan is indeed safe and to assure Lord Josephus that their Majesties are working quickly to meet his demands.”

“Joran!” a smooth voice called out chidingly, “let the Lady in. She has traveled far by herself. You needn’t be so rude. Good day to you, Lady Jasmine. I hope you had a good ride?”

Jasmine looked ahead and saw Josephus standing at the main door to his home. The man was taller than she with short, brown hair and cold, grey eyes. He wore a suit of red and cream with black shoes. He smiled as she directed the horse further in and dismounted, but Jasmine could see that it was fake. He had not been expecting her to come at all.

“It was good enough. Where is my nephew?”

“Right to business, I see,” he said trying to sound disappointed, “very well, right this way.”

He led her through the richly decorated halls in silence, until at last they came to a room with two guards. They stood aside for the lord, as one opened the door for them.

“AUNTIE!!!!!!!!!”

Before they had taken three steps into the room, a small bundle nearly bowled Jasmine over as the young prince ran to Jasmine. She knelt and hugged the 2-year-old boy, glad to see that Josephus had not been lying about the prince’s safety. The room was a small one, with a number of children’s toys scattered around it. Large windows looked out over the countryside. Though separated from his family, Dylan was clearly being taken care of properly.

While Dylan eagerly showed Jasmine the toys he had been playing with and the games he had made up, a messenger arrived and spoke quietly with Jospephus.

“My Lord, Lord Zerith and Captain Commander Taren are here.”

Josephus raised a pleased eyebrow. While he doubted that Jasmine had truly been sent ahead, the presence of the Captain Commander was a good sign of the King and Queen’s submission to his demands. He quietly slipped out of the room to meet his latest guests. As he went, he sent two more guards to keep the room in which he now held not one, but two, of the royal family in his clutches.

[Zerith]

During most of the ride to Lord Josephus’ home, Zerith was remained silent. He even requested that the other three leave him a lot for awhile, claiming that he needed some time to think of what they were going to do. It was only half true, as the halberdier’s mind was still full of concern for Jasmine and the baby she carried. Why did she have to be so foolish? Did part of her think Zerith couldn’t bring Dylan home safely on his own?

It didn’t take long until Zevernus decided to start being his typical nosey self. The swordsman slowed his horse down and waited for this friend to catch up. When the two eventually rode side by side, the short haired warrior turned his head toward his friend and for once spoke in a serious tone, “Alright, believe it or not I can tell there’s something you’re keeping to yourself and it’s eating away at you. Now, we’ve known each other for years ever since you came to my village for a job and I decided to leave with you after what happened Rayne.”

“What does this have to do with her?” Zerith replied coldly, obviously trying to give his friend the cold shoulder so he would be left alone.

“EVERYTHING!” Zevernus roared, fuming with anger. Apparently the warder must have hit a hidden nerve somewhere deep within the womanizer. Though when he realized he had yelled, mainly do to the fact that Sevelakath and the Taren turned around in their saddles to see what was going on, Zevernus merely waved back and told them he was fine. After taking a deep breath and mentally counting to ten, the swordsman continued. “You know how I felt about what happened to her, simply because you encouraged me to talk about it. So now I want you to talk to me, Z. Tell me what’s going and I swear it’ll stay just between us, and I’ll even do anything I can do to help.”

Initially the only response he received from Zerith was silence. Yet slowly, he could see the halberdier’s blue eyes shift toward him while the wheels turned the halberdier’s head. Barely audible, his voice quietly mumbled something . However, since he was unable to hear what was said, Zevernus moved his head closer to Zerith, hinting that he couldn’t quite hear what was said. Understanding that he was supposed to speak up, Zerith cleared his throat and spoke three words just loud enough that only Zevernus would hear. “Jasmine is pregnant.”

The warder could have sworn he saw the jaw of his friend tighten and the full meaning of the sentence sunk in. His facial expression was one similar to how he would look if you told him his mother had just died. “Oh my God,” the three words left his lips, saturated with disbelief. “Does Eric know? Because if he does, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be pissed.”

“Of course he doesn’t know!” the halberdier hissed through clenched teeth. “Hell, I just found out myself shortly before this whole issue with Dylan. Except now things are even more complicated due to whatever Jasmine is doing, so I’m not only concerned for her, but now I have a new little person to consider.”

Zevernus scratched his head, genuinely perplexed. “Well, what on Althanas are we supposed to do now?”

Sapphire eyes moved to look at his father, and Zerith finally felt like he may have just had an idea. “Let’s just keep it simple. Now listen, just before we get there I want you to take my dad and…”



***


“Do you honestly think they’ll be able to do anything?”

The question came from the Captain-Commander, Mathew Taren, himself. He was the only one with the halberdier now, as Sevelakath and Zevernus went off on their own shortly before they arrived at the estate in accordance to ridiculous plan they agreed upon. Meanwhile, the warder and the leader of the Morian army were merely waiting for Josephus to make his appearance. So as far as their job was concerned, everything was going just as Zerith predicted it would. The noble thought the two men where on their own, the ones given the task of delivering what Josephus asked for. So there were allowed on the property immediately. Now the two were still standing on the large in the large courtyard just outside the manor, yet there still wasn’t any sign of Jasmine.

Zerith turned to look at Taren, and couldn’t help but noticed just how professional he appeared. Clad in a suit of plate armor a rich shade of blue, short light brown hair and hazel eyes adorned the face of a man who seemed to be proud of his job. A black cape descended from his shoulders and ended just above his heels, and on his left side he carried the sheath to an ornate longsword, no doubt a symbol of his authority. No longer was he just the young captain that helped Jasmine reclaim her throne. Since then he rose through the ranks, and now he had become a man to be respected.

Surprisingly enough, both Zerith and Taren had managed to hold a mutual respect for one another. Where Taren was seemed to be a man of integrity to the warder, the general was all too aware of how Jasmine made it clear that the halberdier’s was apparently unmatched in terms of skill with his weapon of choice. Although he never told the princess herself, Taren was positive he could see the potential that lay dormant in her future husband. Yes, the man could definitely go places if he put his mind to it.

“I wouldn’t doubt the fact that my father already considers Jasmine and Dylan family, so I’m sure he’ll be able to do figure something out. Zevernus is there more of back up should something go wrong, and I know he wants to help us in any way possible.”

“Ah, I see,” Taren answered with a nod of his head before he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “So we’re just to keep Josephus occupied then?”

First the first time since leaving the palace, Zerith actually smiled, “Exactly. You’re the leader of the army, I’m the future brother-in-law to the King. The two of us combined should make him feel the need to assure us that nothing is wrong. Besides, we have what he wants anyways. You have the gold, and I have the map. So all we have to do is prolong the exchange a little bit while the others find Dylan and Jasmine. Then when they sneak out and Josephus goes back to wherever he thinks the prince still is, we just turn around and meet them back home.”

“Well, I hope this plan of yours works,” the soldier admitted and nodded his head to the door of the manor, which had opened to allow several guards and one who appeared to be a member of nobility outside and approached the two visitors. “Since it looks like things are about to get started.”

“Alright then, you guys.” Zerith thought of his dad and best friend. “You guys had better get moving and get them out of there, because I don’t know how much time I’ll be able to give you.”

[Jasmine]

While Zerith and the Captain Commander waited to speak with Lord Josephus, Zevernus and Sevelakath made their way around to the side of the estate’s perimeter. They quickly helped each other over the wall and took a look around. The easy part, getting in, was done. Getting out with Jasmine and a three year old would be much more difficult and that would only be after they found the missing prince and his aunt. Carefully, they made their way across the grounds. Thus far, no one had said anything about their presence. They slipped into the main building through a servant’s side door and began their exploration.

Unaware of how closely behind her Zerith and the others arrived, Jasmine was content to follow her nephew around the playroom as he showed off some of the toys that he wanted. It appeared that Josephus’ nieces and nephews were a little bit older than Dylan. Some of the toys that she saw were definitely for older children, but she decided she’d let Eric and Melody tell the child that he couldn’t have the toy sword or bow and arrows until he was older.

As he went back to playing with a toy soldier set, she picked up a pretty doll in a pink dress. The doll had blonde hair and blue eyes that closed when you laid her down. A soft smile played on Jasmine’s lips as she delicately traced the doll’s features, imagining whether her child would be a boy or a girl. Her frown disappeared for a moment as she thought about that. Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law had been right. They wouldn’t care, in fact, they’d probably be ecstatic that they had been right, but what about her brother. He already wasn’t particularly fond of Zerith. He would definitely not like that she had become pregnant before the wedding.

I just won’t tell him. At least, not until after the wedding.

Outside the door, the four guards chatted quietly. None of them saw any reason for all of them to be there, but they weren’t about to argue with the boss. From down the hall, Zevernus and Sevelakath watched.

“Can you think of any reason for there to be four guards on one room?” the younger man asked with a grin.

“I can think of two,” the elder answered. That must be where Jasmine and the prince are. You distract them, I’ll slip up behind them. We want this done as quickly and quietly as we can manage.”

Zevernus nodded and slipped around the corner, calling out to the guards as he did.

“Hey guys, I’m looking for the bathroom and I kinda got lost.”

The guards looked at each other, then one of them spoke up, “Lost? You new or something?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that. You see, my stomach hasn’t been agreeing with me lately, if you what I mean. So I’d really like to know where to deliver my package before I soil myself.”

The first guard spoke again, clearly confused as to why anyone would need directions, “Uhh, it’s right down that way. Take the second left hallway and there’ll be one on the right.”

“Right, so it’s a right down the hallway and then a left and left. Right”

“No, no, no!” the guard said shaking his head. “Go down this way,” he repeated, pointing this time, “take the second left and the bathroom is the first door on the right.”

“Oohh! Alright, are we talking about your left or my left? Because if it’s your left, then it wouldn’t be my left, it would be my right. Right?”

The guard was getting very frustrated now, “Why would it be my left!? I’m not going there! Of course it’s your left. Geez, do you need someone to hold your hand like a little kid?”

“Hey, you’re not my mother. In fact, you don’t even know my mom. Though I can’t say the same about you. Which reminds me, can you tell her I said thank for last night.?”

Infuriated, the guard started forward, ignoring the warnings of the other guards, “What? Why you little…” The other guards held him back, though he pushed against them. A second guard spoke up then.

“Seriously, the directions aren’t that hard. Do you need them again or do you get it? Cause we’re kind busy here…”

“Yeah, let me tell you. The things she could do would blow your mind. Man, she really knocked all the energy right out of me.”

At that moment, the three guards in the back all seemd to collapse at nearly the same time. While Zevernus had kept them talking, Sevelakath had quickly slipped up behind them and using the hilt of his sword, bonked all three men on the head, knocking them out. Zevernus smirked and drove his fist into the remaining guards face, knocking him out as well.

“Yeah, kinda like that.”

The door opened and Jasmine voice came out ahead of her face, “What’s going on out – Oh! Zev? Dad? What are you two doing here?”

“Getting you and Dylan, of course, Sweetheart. Now let’s get going before these guys wake up and sound the alarm.”

They quickly dragged the unconscious guards in under Dylan’s watchful and curious gaze, tied them up and gagged them. Then, with Dylan seated firmly on Sev’s shoulders, they headed out. Hoping they’d given Zerith and Taren enough time to complete their business.

[Zerith]

Josephus carried his status like it was a thick gold chain hung around his neck. With his fancy suit of red and cream topped off with his shiny black shoes and the fake smile plastered on his face, he was the type of noble that Zerith disliked. It was a type of person that was always holding it above the heads of others even though they only received the power because they were born into it. Arrogance, selfishness and greed, these were some of the things that the halberd immediately saw in Lord Josephus as if the noble had been marinated in them. It was much of a surprise that the first person Zerith compared the kidnapper to happened to be Raelyse Salidan. God, how he hated that prince.

“Wow, I must say that this is an honour,” Josephus said as he held his hands out as if he were going to hug his visitors. Zerith hoped he wouldn’t, otherwise the halberdier felt like he wound need to have a bath to wash off any filth that might rub off on him. “Captain-Commander Mathew Taren and the Lady Jasmine’s soon to be husband. I didn’t think Eric would send you two.”

“You can drop the formalities, Josephus. You know why we’re here, so let’s just get this matter sorted out.” Taren answered, clearly not buying any of the bullshit the noble was trying to create.

“Ah, straightforward and getting right to the point. I should have expected that from man such as you. Very well then, do you have the gold I requested?” Josephus asked, only to be answered with Taren jerking his head towards his horse. Sure enough, several sacks of coins were hung from his saddle and for the first time Zerith began to wonder how difficult it must have been for the stallion to travel all the way here while carrying such weight. “I see,” the noble responded with a grin, “and what of the other thing I asked for?”

“More like demanded,” it was Zerith that snapped back now. With this arms crossed in front of his chest and an obvious frown worn on his face, it wasn’t hard to see that the halberdier was clearly not pleased. “I have a map drawn up by Eric which would lead you to where the remains are buried. Though before you get it, I want Dylan brought out here. If he’s still unharmed, we can do a basic exchange.”

Turning around, Josephus took a few steps away from the two men as if he was considering agreeing to the warder’s suggestion. His left hand dropped down to his hip so that it rested on the ornate longsword he wore on his left side. While Zerith had merely assumed it was for decoration, though he guessed it was entirely possible that the noble had some knowledge of how to wield a weapon and wore it as a safety precaution. Then again, maybe it could have been because he wasn’t planning on giving Dylan back too.

“I only wish it could be that simple, Zerith,” the kidnapper answered after he lowered his headed, feigning disappointment. “I like the idea, but I’m afraid that it just won’t do as the circumstances have changed recently.”

“What?” the halberdier hissed through clenched teeth. Frustrated that thing just couldn’t have run smoothly just his one time. He certainly didn’t like where this was going either, a bad feeling quickly creeping into his being. “What are you talking about?”

“Well you see. While I do appreciate that fact you two have come here so quickly and that Eric seemed to be willing to negotiate. I regret to inform you that due to some developments, I would like another five hundred thousand gold pieces.”

“Now that is uncalled for, Josephus!” Taren snapped back as the noble. “There is no reason for you to suddenly raise the price for the boy.”

“It’s not for the boy,” the Lord of the estate muttered as he turned around to face the two men again, a wide smiley worn proudly underneath his cold, manipulative gaze. “The extra gold is for my most recent visitor that arrived shortly before you to. I figure that if Eric and Melody are willing to pay the request amount for their son, it should be a fair amount for his dear sister as well.”

“Jasmine!” Zerith roared as he tried to approach Josephus with his halberd in his hand, before Taren turned around and immediately tried to restrain the warder. “She’s done nothing to deserve this! Let her go!”

“Oh, no harm has come to either of them. But I can’t be held responsible if the guards were to get, oh how do I word this? Lonely?”

Taren, still trying hold the halberdier a bay while “Come on, Zerith. Get a hold of yourself-“

“I’LL KILL YOU!” Zerith’s voice boomed as he tapped into all of strength and pushed the Captain-Commander aside as if he were nothing. He charged at Josephus with inhuman speed, murderous intent in his eyes while the noble just managed to draw his blade and defend himself before the two clashed. The guards, shocked and surprised with the sudden outburst, took a moment to collect themselves before they brandished their weapon and entered the fray as well.

Drawing his sword as well, Mathew Taren couldn’t help be let out a deep, disappointed sigh. “So much for prolonging the exchange,” he grumbled before he jumped into the battle and proceeded to try and deal with the guards.

Whenever Zevernus and Sevelakath emerged from inside the estate, they wouldn’t be able to not see the Chaos that had broken out. Hopefully they would just manage to focus on the job and escort the princess and her nephew away from the property. Zerith and Taren would just have to catch up later.

[Jasmine]

The three adults and toddler made their way silently through Josephus’ halls. Even the young prince seemed to understand the need for silence as sat quite still atop Sev’s shoulders. More than once they had to duck into an empty room to avoid notice. As they stepped outside Zevernus bit off a curse, suddenly realizing something as the sounds of the battle at the front gate reached them.


“What?” Jasmine asked, her gaze turning to the gate to see what was going on.

“We can’t go out the way we got in. Little man there can’t go over the wall.”

“How are we supposed to get out then?”

The swordsman shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“Zevernus!” she groaned, putting her face in her palm.

“Shhhh!” Sev interrupted before Jasmine could start into Zev, “We’ll think of something. Let’s go this way. Surely there’s more than one way to get out of this place.”

Jasmine only shook her head, “We don’t have time. From the sounds of it, things aren’t going very well with Josephus. As soon as he goes back to check on us and sees that we’re gone getting out will be next to impossible. We have to find a way over that wall.” She looked around and spied a gardeners shed. Darting over to it, she found a length of rope, just long enough to work. “Here, this’ll have to do.” Moving quickly she and her rescuers hurried on over to the wall. Zevernus gave her a boost up to the top and she quickly threw the bulk of the rope over. “Okay, I’ll go over first. Who’s going to follow?”

Zevernus spoke up, “Sev can go next with Dylan, then I’ll go last. The horses are in the trees waiting for us.”

Jasmine nodded and slid down the rope on the other side. It wasn’t a terribly long drop, but she was glad to have the rope to climb with instead of just jumping. As soon as she was down, she went into the trees to fetch the horses. By the time she got back, Sev was on the ground with Dylan at his side. Her soon to be father-in-law was holding the other end of rope, securing it for Zevernus. In a few minutes they were safely off of Josephus’ property and heading back to the palace.

As they passed within sight of the front gate, Jasmine looked and saw Zerith fighting. “Zerith!”

“No! He’ll catch up!” Zevernus told her, riding between her and the gate behind Sevelakath. “He’ll catch up!”

Reluctantly, Jasmine followed them and soon they were able to slow down and let the horses walk. Dylan napped in the saddle with Jasmine who was being very quiet. There was a lot on her mind as they made their way back to the capital city. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ever talkative Zevernus who was now walking between her and Sevelakath.

“Right, so that was an exciting trek if I do say so myself. Is everyone all right?”

Jasmine glanced at him, “Well yeah, no one’s hurt. Dylan is fine; he’s even napping. And I’m just as fine.”

“Well obviously, Jasmine. I can see that. I meant what about the other little one?”

“Other little one?” she asked, eyebrow arched questioningly. At first she wasn’t going to confirm anything, but then she saw the look in her friend’s eye and nodded as she smiled. “Yeah, everyone is fine.”

The swordsman laughed, quite delighted, “So it’s true!” He looked over at Sev, “I told you so!”

“Not so loud though!” Jasmine said, trying to hush Zev through her smile. “Zerith and I are very happy, but I don’t want Eric to find out via the rumor mill, okay?”

“Pft, what could he do anyways?” He puffed out his chest and impersonated the king, “Oh, I’m always grumpy and I don’t want to get along with Zerith. What, you two fooled around!? Off with their heads!”

The mother-to-be laughed at the impersonation but then went on, “He actually has a bit more power over the wedding than you seem to think. Eric is very traditionally minded and he would be very angry. I’m afraid he might cancel the wedding. And that is something he can do both because he’s the king and because he’s my brother. He wouldn’t be really thinking about it very clearly when he did so, but it is a possibility. Zerith and I haven’t discussed when we’re going to announce it other than after the wedding.”

The young man shrugged, “Whatever, I bet he bedded Melody long before they were married. Man, some people are just hypocrites, I guess.”

Jasmine just rolled her eyes, “I was at their wedding. He was super nervous about the whole thing and I’ve known Melody for a long time. So, I’m pretty sure they waited for the wedding night. But that’s not the issue. Promise me you won’t go telling any else? Please? Let me and Zerith decide when we want the world to know.”

“Well, it’s not really my secret to tell. Besides, I know Zerith will kick my butt if I open my big mouth and say anything about this. Given how he’s been acting, it wouldn’t take much to piss him off either.”

“No, it doesn’t,” she said quietly, remembering the recent fight she’d had with her fiancé.

“Hey, I can’t blame him though. He was probably just worried about something happening to you or the baby. You can’t tell him I told you this, but even as far back as just after we met he admitted to me that he had always dreamed of having a family some day.”

“I have, too. I just don’t like being put on a pedestal. I know he’s worried, but I can take care of myself. All parts of me, including those parts that have new life growing in them.”

“Bullshit! You and I both know unexpected things happen. I’m also sure you’ll agree with me when I say that Zerith is probably a better fighter than either of us and he still gets hurt from time to time. I’m just saying that if I were in his shoes and learned I was going to be a daddy, I probably would have done the same.”

Sev, who had been silent throughout the conversation, nodded, “Yeah, as would I.”

She sighed and scowled, “Men… I’m only two months along and I just found out myself this morning. I’m still getting used to the idea…”

“Geez, can you at least try to see things from Z’s perspective? Let’s say you just learned Melody was pregnant again and then she suddenly decides she wants to go confront someone in a way that probably puts her at risk of getting hurt. Would you not suggest that she stay behind while you deal with the issue?”

“Probably, but I wouldn’t threaten to cancel a big celebration over her wanting to go. Do you know what he said to me before I left?”

Sev nodded, “I heard and I told him he was an idiot. If it means anything, he feels absolutely terrible about it and was planning on apologizing before we learned you disappeared.”

Zev also nodded, “Yeah, and I doubt he would actually go through with trying to cancel things. Especially when he’s having such a tough time with his vows. The poor guys want them to be perfect,” he said with a laugh.

She looked quickly at Sev, “He was?” She fell silent for a moment in though then chuckled at Zev. “the next time he complains, remind it was his idea to write our own vows.”

“Hey, I understand why he’s having such a hard time with it. I’m fairly sure you probably do as well.”

She smiled smugly, “I’ll never tell…”

“Right,” he said rolling his eyes, “well while you’re so full of yourself, let me remind you tahyt you’re the only woman Zerith has ever had feelings toward and he’s the type of guy that like to stick to what he says. So while figuring out how to word his feelings, he also wants to present them in a way that the two of you will remember. They’re called ‘vows’ for a reason.”

Jasmine laughed, “I’m still not going to divulge how much trouble I am or am not having with my vows, Zevernus. That is my secret and I’m well aware of why they are called ‘vows,’ thank you.” She stuck her tongue out at him impishly, trying to lighten the mood.

Her friend just shrugged, “I was just explaining that Z is really trying to find the perfect words. I just thought you would have been glad to hear that.”

“I am,” she assured him warmly, “and I wouldn’t expect anything less from him. You’re just fun to mess with.” She paused for a moment and glanced back over her shoulder. “Shouldn’t they have caught up by now? We haven’t been exactly hurrying.” She didn’t bother to hide the worry in her voice as she remembered that Zerith had been fighting in the gate as they left.

Zevernus laughed, “Are you serious? You’re the one worried about Zerith now? Didn’t he ever tell you about that one duel of his in the Theatre of War? Josephus is probably nothing compared to the guy he fought back then.”

“Yeah, but Josephus isn’t fighting because he’s pissed about something, os he can keep a cool head…” she trailed off as she glanced over her shoulder again.

“True, but Josephus isn’t the one with a magical weapon or the stronger one of the two or a master at wielding his weapon of choice.”

“He’s pretty good with that sword,” she said dubiously, “At least that’s what I hear. I just wish he’d hurry up and catch up. Both of them for that matter.

“Can you believe this, old man?” he asked of Sev. “The bride-to-be is doubting the skills of her future husband. I would have thought she had a little more faith than this.”

“Shut it, Zev!” she snapped glaring at him for a moment before relaxing somewhat, “I can’t help it. I just want him to be back here with me. Josephus is an idiot and not worth Z’s time like this.”

Sev moved his horse closer, “Easy there, dear. Josephus just tried to kidnap Dylan and make your family suffer. If I know my son, he’s probably planning to make sure he doesn’t try it again. I know you want to be with him, and he wants to be with you, too. But I think you’re going to have to wait until he approaches you.”

She looked back toward Josephus’ estate once more then sighed as her shoulders slumped in defeat, “I guess you’re right…”

“I know it’s hard,” Sev continued, “but like Zerith, you need to understand that this person you love isn’t perfect. He won’t be able to do everything you want him do, or eve do everything right the first time. He’s only human.”

“I know, I just can’t help it,” she said looking up to her future father-in-law.

“Neither can he at times. Now you have an idea of how he probably felt when he realized how he hurt you earlier. But you two can talk later. Let’s go, I think I see Taren in the distance.”

Jasmine nodded and kicked the horse lightly to get it to speed up. She was silent for the remainder of the trip home. She had a lot to think about.

[Zerith]

The halberdier charged toward the noble like how a bull stormed out of its pen after being riled up. His face contorted into a mask of rage, murderous thoughts were briefly visible through his sapphire eyes. The sight of Zerith would have probably made many believe Hromagh himself touched the man and blessed him with such ferocity. Before he could reach Josephus, one of the guards dared to step between then and defend his lord. Yet Josephus could only watch with mild amusement as his servant was cut down with such ease, as if he were just a blade of grass.

“How interesting. Lady Jasmine could have chosen to be with my uncle, and instead she decides to marry a barbarian animal was curly locks?” Josephus thought, nearly chuckling to himself as he did as he drew his sword in a single fluid motion and brought his blade to clash against Zerith’s polearm.

To see the soon to be prince in such a state made the kidnapper feel proud of himself. He barely had to stir the pot and all of a sudden he had turned a man that was probably one of Eric’s most dangerous weapons into something resembling a savage beast. Yes, the halberdier carried an astonishingly amount of strength behind the first blow, so much that Josephus was surprised that managed to parry it. Yet his new opponent didn’t know what Lord Josephus was capable of.

“Well now I’ve seen Eric’s little guard dog, but where’s its bite?” the noble taunted, smiling with one of those arrogant grins that made Zerith wish he could knock a tooth or two out of the man’s mouth. Before the warder could act on his impulse, Josephus moved. It was in a strange style, one that the halberdier had never seen before. The man possessed the precision of a snake when it lashed out to bite something and his movement s we so smooth it was like the steady flow of a river. Taking the offensive, Josephus lashed out with his blade at astonishing speed. So much in fact, that the foreigner was barely able to move his halberd in time to defend himself.

“Shut up, Josephus! Just give me Dylan and Jasmine. Neither one of them deserve your treatment!”

“But they do, Zerith!” the noble screamed as he struck again. The steel blade gleamed in the sunlight as it cut through the air before crashing into titanium once more. “The boy is no prince, just the filthy son of a peasant boy who doesn’t deserve a crown! Jasmine is anything but a proper lady, now that she’s degraded herself to fornicating with a pathetic foreigner. If she had any brains, she would have just submitted to my uncle and married him. Instead she had to run off and turn her back on her people only to come back and murder MY uncle! Yet you’re right, neither one of them deserve what I’ve put them through. They deserve to die! AS DO YOU!”

As the fight between the two men went on, the Captain Commander was able to deal with the remaining two guards with relative ease. Both men tried to charge the general simultaneously, yet the crumbled onto the ground shortly afterwards. Matthew Taren struck hard and fast, knocking the first adversary unconscious with a blow to the head before the man was able to strike back. The second put up a gallant fight, even managing to make the leader of the Morian army feel the excitement of battle he hadn’t felt in a long time. Yet a kick to the gut followed with another blow to the back of the skull sent the man to a black abyss to join his friend. Turning to his comrade, Taren raised his weapon and proceeded to join the warder in his fight. “Zerith!”

“No Taren, Josephus is mine! The deal is off, take the gold and catch up with the others!” the soon to be prince commanded. Nodding once, the general ran as fast as he could to his horse and leapt up on the saddle. Kicking his stallion as hard as he could, he spun the beast around and broke out into a gallop. As he disappeared over a hill, his yells at his horse gradually faded. Leaving the two men alone to finish what they started.

As angry as Zerith was, the bond he shared with his love was unlike any other. Coupled by a Goddess, the two were bonded to each other so strongly that even when separate, one could sense the presence of the other within a certain distance. When the halberdier charged the noble, the bond told him that Jasmine was in fact in the estate. Yet over the course of the duel Jasmine moved, most likely with the assistance of Sevelakath and Zevernus and with accompanied by the little prince. By the time Zerith answered Taren, the princess was already away from the manor and well on her way back to the palace. Perhaps that in itself was a good thing, as part of the warder was still a little upset with his mage.

“I HATE YOU ALL!” Josephus bellowed, thirsty for bloodshed. Attacking again, he brought his sword down in a deadly two handed blow. Yet acting on his first thought, Zerith rolled to his side and managed to stay alive. However in the process of evading death, he unknowingly dropped the map he carried. This was also the same one that the noble originally demanded when he kidnapped the toddler.

Tired of the fight, and wanting nothing else to do with the man before him. The halberdier gripped both of his hand onto his polearm as tightly as he could and swung with all the force he could muster. Sure enough his blade crashed into the noble’s sword again, but this time it kept going further afterwards. The steel buckled underneath the power of the halberd and the blade snapped off near the hilt of the sword. Shocked by the display of strength, Josephus barely had to see what was going on before Zerith slammed the blunt end of his weapon into his opponent’s chest, knocking the kidnapper onto the flat of his back. By the time he could look up, Josephus stared at the sharp tip of Amenzanil.

“I could kill you,” Zerith began, breathing heavily from exerting himself. “But I’m not Montego. Though if you ever try to harm my family again. Not even Y’edda will match speed I will come at you with. Understand?” Only receiving a small nod and terrified eyes in response, the halberdier felt confident he got his message across. So with nothing else to keep him at the estate, Zerith hurried as quickly as he could onto his horse and began to make his one way back to the palace, alone.

Long after the warder had disappeared, Josephus climbed to his feet and brushed himself off. Not long after as smile took shape on his cold visage as he eyes found something lying in the grass. Bending over, the noble quickly snatched up the piece of parchment and stared at it. Once he realized what it was, he laughed.

“All the effort wasn’t wasted afterall,” he told himself.

[Jasmine]

Jasmine sighed softly to herself as she entered her rooms. Melody had cried tears of joy and relief when Jasmine walked in holding Dylan’s hand. Dylan had run straight to his mother while Jasmine watched silently. She’d also let Zevernus and Sevelakath inform Eric of what was going on as she quietly slipped away. At the moment, she’d had too much on her mind to want to talk with her family or anyone else for that matter.

She took a seat on the couch, set her sword down on it, and pulled her boots off, leaving them sitting beside it as she padded out onto her balcony. Her gaze wandered aimlessly over her private garden below though she made no move toward the stairs that led down to it. She crossed her arms on the banister and leaned against it.

“What now?” she thought to herself, standing up properly before she’d even really settled against the banister and pacing back into her room restlessly with her now wrapped around herself. ”I don’t know whether to laugh or cry or what…”

It was true. She couldn’t have explained how she was feeling if her life depended on it. Part of her wanted to break down and cry; while another wanted to run through the halls proclaiming the news. That would be a bad idea, she knew, but it didn’t change how she was feeling (or thought she was feeling). She sighed once more and flopped onto her bed, staring up at the canopied roof over her bed.

“I’m not ready for this. We weren’t ready to settle down! I’m not ready to settle down! I don’t want to be trapped here just yet. I want to see more of Althanas and I can’t do that with a baby in tow. At least, not the way Zerith and I have been seeing the world.

She turned over on her side, hugging a pillow to her chest as she did, temporarily lost in her thoughts.

”And what does he really think about it anyway? And what about the wedding? And Eric? He’ll figure it out, I’m sure. He won’t like it at all. Melody will be happy and so will Mom. Heh, they’ll probably say ‘I told you so.’

Her thoughts went quiet for a bit again, as they churned over and over in her mind. Fear, happiness, and uncertainty chased each other as she tried to sort things out.

”A mommy.” she thought with a half smile as a single tear of overwhelmed emotions trickled down her cheek, [i]”I’m going to be a mommy. And Zerith is going to be a daddy. We’re going to have a family, all our own. We’ll live at the manor and be happy. And maybe, when the baby is old enough, we’ll go traveling again and see how much of the world has changed.”

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Jasmine started from her reverie at the sound of someone at her door. She hurriedly got up and straightened her clothes. When she opened it she stared in surprise and stepped back to let her guest in. Melody entered with a smile and pulled Jasmine into a tight hug.

“I can never thank you and Zerith enough for getting Dylan back safely.”

Jasmine returned her sister-in-law’s hug warmly, then led the way over to the couch.

“What’s bothering you, Jas?” the Queen asked, having noticed when Jasmine slipped away and the look in her sister-in-law’s eyes.

Jasmine bit her lower lip, unsure now whether to tell Melody that her suspicions had been true. She trusted that Melody would keep it to herself if she was asked, but Jasmine still wasn’t completely sure what she thought about being pregnant herself.

“Is it about the wedding? I heard what Zerith said but I doubt he means it, hun. Men say things they don’t mean in the heat of an argument all the time and so do we women.”

“No, it’s not that. Well, not just that. Sevelakath assures me that Zerith didn’t really mean it either.”

“Well what is it then? You can tell me.”

“You remember this morning, when I told you guys about being sick and you all said it sounded like I was pregnant?” She waited for Melody’s nod, then took a deep breath and continued. “Well, I went to see a doctor about being sick all the time and…well… You were right.”

Melody stared at Jasmine for a few seconds, her eyes wide then she squealed and hugged Jasmine again, obviously extremely pleased with the news.

“Oh my goodness!! Have you told Zerith yet?”

Jasmine gave Melody a small smile, “Yes, I think that’s part of why he didn’t want to let me go with him to Josephus’ estate. He’s trying to put me on a pedestal like I’m made of delicate glass or something.”

“He trying to protect what he loves most in this world,” Melody countered, laying a hand atop Jas’s. “He doesn’t want to risk losing you or the baby and the only way he knows to do that is to make you stay here where it’s safer.”

“I know, but I hate it! I’m fully capable of taking care of myself. I don’t want to be on a pedestal.”

Melody laughed lightly, “You’ll just have to get used to it. Eric did the same to me when I was pregnant with Dylan. He just about wouldn’t let me out of his sight.” She pushed a stray hair back over Jasmine’s ear and looked her directly in the eyes, “You are both going to be able to work this out. It’s not as big of a hurdle as you’re thinking it is. Once you both get used to the idea and things settle down after the wedding, you’ll be fine. You’ll see. Now, onto more enjoyable topics, boy or girl?”

“Huh?”

“Which do you want, boy or girl?”

Jasmine smiled as she let Melody draw her into conversation. It was good to have confided in another woman. A few hours later, Melody took her leave and Jasmine settled in on the couch, waiting to see if Zerith was going to come by when he got back from Josephus’ estate.

[Zerith]

As soon as Zerith returned to the palace, he didn’t say a word to anyone. Instead he stormed through the halls, still too upset with Eric to speak report to the King and still unsure of how to approach Jasmine. Dylan was back home, so suddenly everything that the halberdier had put on hold was quickly beginning to pile up on his shoulders. His wedding, if it was still going to happen after he decided to open his big mouth, was still just a week away and he still had not even managed to write his vows. It was not that he never tried, he actually had tried to get them on parchment for days. The truth was that he just never felt like he captured his feelings, or was coming up with words that he meant from his heart. He just wanted to be certain that when Jasmine would hear him speak them, she would remember them as his own personal promise to her, and one that he would intend to keep for a long, long time.

In order to avoid running into anyone, the warder decided it was best to hide himself in his room. Tossing his halberd on his bed, he slumped down in the chair that sat at a desk, resting his elbow on the flat surface and support his head with his hand. “What am I going to do?” he asked himself as he released a long, deep groan. “Jasmine is pregnant,” once again the statement brought a dark cloud to loom over the foreigner’s head. This sudden change of events wasn’t following the plan they had. So alone and in the solitude of his room, the halberdier eventually found himself doing something he didn’t expect to be doing.

He cried.

It was a strange feeling, as he would come to realize that the tears he shed weren’t just a way of releasing all the built up frustration of knowing that his life was going to drastically change soon, but also tears of joy. Somewhere deep inside the halberdier, part of his spirit leapt with excitement knowing that he would be adding the role of a father to his job description. While he did mourn for the loss of being able to travel with Jasmine, like they always said they would after they were married. The thought, the image of the two of them with a baby in their arms was nice, almost peaceful to him.

Althanas could always wait a few years before they could manage to be mobile enough to travel again, but this baby would need their love and attention. In return, the little one would give Zerith a new purpose in life. It would be one that he would take great pride in.

The warder wouldn’t ever know just how much time he spent sitting at his desk crying out his emotional release, but it was long enough for the tears to dry on his face. Then though reddened, a smile slowly took shape on his visage and then he began to laugh. It wasn’t one that would have made his sides hurt, but it was definitely one full of happiness. “I’m going to be a daddy,” he told himself again. “Who would’ve thought?”

Just then a loud knock sound came for the large door that lead to his room. Before he could answer, it opened, revealing his guest to be none other than his good friend, Zevernus. The brown haired, brown eyed swordsman quietly shut the door behind him and spoke softly. “Hey buddy. I thought you would be here if you were back. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I...uh...was just trying to come up with my wedding vows,” Zerith lied, though he honestly did intend to try to write them again before he found himself crying.

Zevernus smiled when he heard the response. “That’s what I thought,” he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up piece of parchment. “I figured that this might help you out. Y’know, give you a good place to start from,” he added before handed it to the halberdier.
Opening up the sheet of paper, Zerith’s eyes widened with surprise when he realized what he was holding. “These are your-“

“Wedding vows to Rayne?” the young man finished and nodded. “I just figured that since I spent so much time planning on what I would say to her...” he paused, sniffling. The trip down memory lane proved to be more overwhelming that he thought. “...I just don’t want them to go waste, y’know?”

“...Zevernus,” the halberdier whispered. A long time ago when he had just left his home, Zerith had found work at another small town. It was there he met the son of his employer, Zevernus, a energetic and outgoing guy around the warder’s age. The two found themselves getting along well quickly, and it didn’t take long before Zevernus decided to introduce his friend to Rayne. The woman was short with long, dark brown hair and rich hazel eyes. Yet it was her bubbly personality that made her such a pleasant person to be around. Always with kind word, Rayne and Zevernus had known each other for years. Childhood friendship turned into young love and the couple were looking forward to their wedding day that was scheduled to take place in a few weeks. Even Zerith was invited to stay so that he could attend, and it was something he was looking forward to. However, none of them would ever get to see it.

A few days later, Rayne became ill and it quickly worsened. A few days later she was bedridden, Zevernus sitting by her side while doctors reported that they just couldn’t figure out what was happening to her. Her coughs grew worse to the point where she was coughing up blood, and her fever escalated to where she would be drenched in sweat. She spoke nonsense, insiting she saw black spots on the ceiling that that she was hearing voices. Yet her love never left her side. He even put his life on hold for her, stating that his life wasn’t really going to start until they were married. Then finally, late one night with the boy she spent her life with holding her hand she took her last breath and left Zevernus alone so she could start her journey to the Antifirmament. Zerith watched silently from where he stood against the wall of the room as his friend wept. Since that day the warder had yet to hear a man sob a loudly as Zevernus had.

Zerith left the town a few days later, and his friend insisted that he come with as he claimed to have nothing left to keep him there. The halberdier didn’t question it, the amount of loss that lingered in Zevernus’ eyes was more than enough proof to know he was telling the truth.

Back in Moriah, the soon to be prince rose from his chair and approached his crying friend. Once he was close enough, Zerith spread his arms wide and hugged the man that would stand by his side at his wedding as tightly as he could. The response was immediate, as Zevernus clutched onto his companion’s shirt with both hand and began to sob just as loudly as he had done years ago. It was his own emotional release, after years of trying to hide the pain and loss by finding comfort in the arms of other women, and finding humor by making passes at others, including Jasmine.

Being the good friend he was, Zerith had always played along with it, as part of him knew that the swordsman was trying to achieve. He even kept this secret from Jasmine, as be believed that it was Zevernus’ story to tell. Afterall, Who knew? Maybe after he found himself unable to cry anymore, Zevernus would feel like he had the strength to tell the princess his history. Zerith was sure Jasmine would understand and be a supportive friend, and that was something Zevernus really needed, especially now that this upcoming wedding was bound to reopen some old wounds.

“Come on, buddy,” Zerith spoke softly as he patted his friend’s back. “I could use your help with my Vows.”


***


That night, the halberdier was finally brave enough to leave his room and travel down the hallways again. A small smile was spread on his face, the only indication that he was finally successful with writing his vows. Yet as much as he wanted to grab onto someone and celebrate his achievement, he was on a mission. Earlier he had been an idiot and said something he shouldn’t have. Now it was time to fix things and make things right.
It was time to try and salvage a wedding.

After he stopped in front of Jasmine’s door, he took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. Although he had tried to plan what he was going to say, in the end he came empty handed. Still, he knew he loved Jasmine deeply. In fact, he found himself caring about her so much that the thought of not being married to her was terrifying. Yet it wasn’t that fear that drove him to go to Jasmine’s room. Instead it was the mental image of seeing Jasmine in a white gown.

So after he took another deep breath and reached out to the ornate door. He pictured his princess in a wedding dress one more time...and knocked.

[Jasmine]

Melody had left quite a bit ago, leaving her sister-in-law to deal with her thoughts in private. The knock on the door brought the princess out of her thoughts quickly and she went to the door. When she opened it, she stood there for a few seconds, very surprised to see her fiancé standing there.

“Zerith…” she breathed and threw her arms around his waist.

The greeting surprised the halberdier greatly. He chuckled lightly as he returned her hug. “What? Did you think I wouldn’t come back?”

“Maybe… okay, yes. I was more than a little worried. I know how skilled Josephus is and as Zev said, even you get hurt sometimes. Why don’t you come in? I’d rather not talk in the doorway.” She released him and led the way to the couch in front of the fire place. She took a seat and waited patiently for him to join her.

Zerith looked both ways down the hallway, making sure the coast was clear before he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Josephus’ technique was unlike anything I’ve seen, but I ended up leaving him with a broken sword.” He told her as took a seat on the couch near, but not next to her.

Jasmine smiled at that, “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Me too, but I’m also relieved that Zevernus told me you and Dylan are alright.”

“We were quite fine actually. Josephus hadn’t been lying. Dylan was in a playroom and was quite eager to show me the toys he’d been playing with.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” he said as he folded his arms in front of chest, obviously a little uncomfortable as an awkward silence fell between them momentarily. “Listen, Jasmine, I did come here for a specific reason.”

She nodded, half afraid of what he might say.
He took a deep breath, then looked directly at her, “I want to apologize for what I said earlier. We were both upset with what was going on with Dylan and I wasn’t thinking as clearly as I should have been. So I'm really, really sorry.”

She moved to sit directly beside him, “I'm sorry, too. I know you're just trying to protect me and the baby. It's just hard to accept when I've been taking care of myself for so long. I felt like you were trying to put me on a pedestal behind a pane of glass... and I really, really didn't like it.”

He nodded, “I understand, Jasmine. To be honest, I don't doubt your ability to defend yourself. I mean, I'm fairly sure you could beat Zevernus in a fight. I just...I just guess the thought of losing you or this baby scares me, especially when I think back to what it was like when my dad disappeared.”

She nodded and put her hands in his comfortingly, “Not really something I can understand there, love.”

He laughed a little at that, “I didn't think you could, but the thought of not being married to you is also a little scary. So what do you say? Are you still interested in marrying a stubborn, overprotective halberdier?”

She smiled and kissed his cheek, “If I weren't, do you think I'd have let him in my room? Just try not to put me on anymore pedestals, okay?”

He shook his head a little before leaning over to give her a quick hug, “I will try, but you're going to have to take it easy for a few months.”

She sighed. The doctor had said the same thing earlier and already she was tired of hearing that line. “You do realize that I'm not likely to have any problems right? And that I probably won't need to stop travel altogether until like month 8?”

He sighed good naturedly, “I wasn’t referring to travelling, Jas. We’re still going on a trip after the wedding.”

“You’d better convince the doctor of that then. He said I wasn’t to leave Moriah until after the baby was born.”

Zerith smiled and stood, heading for the door, “If my mom could travel to the neighboring villages when she was pregnant with me, you shouldn’t have an issue. I’ll ask her to talk to Eric.”

Jasmine got up from her seat and darted over to him, “Wait! Don’t you think we should wait until after the wedding to tell Eric? I don’t want to risk him losing his temper and doing something stupid… it’s a family trait.”

Zerith paused and thought for a moment then sighed, “I guess you have a point. She’ll talk to him after the wedding then.” He opened the door then looked at bride-to-be, “Either way, we’re going on a trip after we’re married, okay? I promise.”

“That sounds good, love,” she smiled and stretched up to kiss him.

“Good, I’ll see you tomorrow then. I love you.” He bent down and gave her a quick kiss, then stepped out into the hallway, letting the door close behind him.

“I love you too!” she called through the door as it shut. Once it was, she leaned against it, very happy that they had managed to work things out after all. A rush of excitement filled her as she realized that in one week she and Zerith would be married and then he wouldn’t have to leave every night.


~One week later~

The main gardens hummed with chatter as guests took their seats and chatted amicably. At the front a tall arch decorated with blue and white roses stood on a small dais. At the moment, it stood empty, waiting for the wedding to begin. As the guests filed in, servants dressed in the finest livery showed them to their seats. Soft music filled the air as musicians, hidden by the garden played through their repertoire.

A grand staircase rose from the garden up to the large ballroom. It had already been decorated for the reception that would follow the wedding ceremony. At the moment though, a section of it had been curtained off to keep the anxious bride hidden from view until it was time for her to appear. In this sectioned off area, Dylan and Sophie, one of Melody’s nieces, sat on little stools. He and his cousin looked quite adorable in their blue outfits as they waited for things to get started. Visions of promised sweets danced in their heads as they sat quite still. Jasmine stood not too far off from them as Melody made the final few adjustments.

“Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be, I guess. Were you this nervous?”

Melody laughed, “Oh yes, but it will all go away the moment you see his face. It’s just about time, I’m going to get in line. I’ll see you in a few minutes, dear.” The Queen hugged her sister-in-law, then collected the flower girl and ringbearer, and slipped out of the bride “room.”

Eric stepped forward then and smiled, “You look beautiful. You sure you still want this? You can still run away you know?” he told her with a grin as he took her hand and tucked it over his arm.

“I’m very sure, Eric. Besides, he’d probably just follow anyway.”

“Very true. And as long as you’re happy, I’ll try to get along with him better. Deal?”

“Deal.” She said with a laugh as the doorway was pulled aside for them to exit.

Ahead of them, Melody, accompanied by Zevernus walked down the stairs and to the dais where Zerith and the priest waited. Behind them came Dylan and Sophie. The little girl dutifully dropping multicolored rose petals on the ground as she walked. Once the children were in place the priest and smiled.

“Would everyone please stand?”

The guests stood and all eyes turned to the top of the stairs. There at the very top of the stairs with Eric at her side, stood Princess Jasmine. Her long black hair hung loose down her back. Strands of pearls, diamonds, and sapphires were strung artfully through it. On the top of her head she wore a simple tiara of jasmine flowers studded with tiny sapphires. From the tiara hung a two-part veil, the first part hung down in front of her blue eyes that smiled shyly down at her husband-to-be. The second part hung down her back and extended a good three feet beyond the train of her dress. The edge of the veil had a scalloped design of flowers and diamonds.

Her pure white, silk dress was truly a piece of art. The bodice clung snugly to the princess’ body, but not so tight as to be uncomfortable or unseemly. Intricate embroidery covered it from the neckline down to her waist. At the very center of the neckline a single sapphire was placed, surrounded by small diamonds. The sleeves of her dress started just below the round of her shoulders. Made of lace, the sleeves were snug to her elbows then flared dramatically into a bell-like shape, extending all the way to her fingertips. At the waist, a small section was gathered artfully, allowing the embroidery to make trail down the skirt of her gown.

From beneath the gathered folds the train of her gown extended several feet behind the princess. Trimmed with roses and even some barely-there gauze in places, it was the seamstresses most elaborate design. Her veil extended even further beyond this, which made Jasmine very glad that she only had to wear it for a short time. Her feet, which could not be seen, were encased in strappy sandal heels, though the heel was quite short to lessen the chance that she might trip. In her hands she carried a bouquet of blue and white roses with a few violets thrown in for added color. Her cheeks blushed softly at all the faces staring at her then Eric started down the stairs. Jasmine did not notice who all was there as she walked slowly and carefully down the aisle. Her eyes were fixed on her handsome warder, blushing a little more (and grateful for the veil that made it difficult to see) as she watched his face.

She barely heard as Eric gave his blessing and handed her off to Zerith. Almost absently, she handed Melody her bouquet and placed her hands in Zerith’s as she gazed up at him lovingly.

[Zerith]

Three days earlier...


“So no matter what imperfections exist in either one of us, my love for you is greater still....” Zerith spoke aloud to himself as he paced back and forth in his room. His halberd wasn’t held in his hand like it usually was, but was instead leaning against a wall and replaced by a single piece of parchment that he held onto with both hands and read off of. He stared at his writing with such intensity that one probably would have thought the halberdier believe the object insulted is honour or something. The truth was that he was really trying to work hard at something and was putting a lot of focus into what he was doing. At least until the was a loud knock on the door before he opened and a figure entered.

After his eyes left the page to turn toward his visitor, the warder was a little surprised when he saw that it was none other than the King, Eric. Up until that point, the two men hadn’t really said a word to each other since Zerith returned from Josephus’ estate. Perhaps that was a good thing though, as there were probably some people who would have thought that putting the two in the same room was just a recipe for disaster. It was no secret that there was a little bit of tension between the two men, the awkward stance Eric carried seemed to show that he was a little uncomfortable. His eyes stared at the ground for a moment before he looked back up at the halberdier. “You’re working on something?” he asked, a polite means of creating an icebreaker.

“My vows,” Zerith answered bluntly as he waved the sheet of parchment in his hand. “I’m trying to memorize them for the wedding, but I’m having some trouble with it.”

“...Chunk it.”

The warder just stared blankly at the King, having no idea what he was talking about. “What?”

“You should chunk it,” the King repeated as he began to approach Zerith. “Back when I married Melody, I had a lot of trouble memorizing my vows too. Then I learned that grouping thinks into ‘chunks’ of information can help you transfer it into your memory. So I suggest you don’t try to memorize your vows one line at a time. Instead, try to group some of them together. Hopefully it’ll work for you like it did for me.”

A small smile spread across the halberdier’s face, “Thanks, Eric. I didn’t know that.”

“Listen, I came here to apologize,” Jasmine’s brother stated bluntly and got straight to the point. “I was scared and upset, so said things that were harsh without thinking. I just felt so powerless when Dylan was taken, and I couldn’t help but feel that I should have been able to do something. I’m the King of Moriah afterall! In my anger, I guess I felt like it wasn’t right to always have to rely on you to do something.”

Zerith crossed his arms and nodded, as someone he found himself easily able to understand how his future brother-in-law felt. “I get it,” he replied, “You felt weak and it frustrated you because you believe you should have been able to do something to help your son. As King, there’s a lot of stuff sitting on your shoulders, and I respect you because I doubt I could deal with all of the things you do on a regular basis. Now I won’t lie when I say I already consider you and Melody family, so I’m more than willing to help you in any way I can. So don’t feel ashamed to ask me for help with anything, okay?”

The King of Moriah laughed a little, “Alright. I know you care about us and Jasmine. So I want to try getting along with you more. Is that okay?” he asked as he held out his hand toward the warder.

The answer was immediate and required no thought or consideration. Taking hold of the man’s hand, the halberdier shook it firmly. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

---


Present day...

“Honestly, I don’t know how guys can breathe when wearing these!” Zerith complained yet again as he tugged on his ascot while he was pacing back and for yet again. The priest was waiting nearby and even Zevernus was sitting on a nearby chair, though the swordsman didn’t seem to have any issues with wearing a tuxedo. Then again, neither one of them were just about to get married. So perhaps the halberdier’s nervousness was justified.

The day was perfect for a wedding, especially an outdoor one. Bright and sunny, the guests were quickly taking their seats while most of them were talking about the how much they were looking forward to witnessing the ceremony. Zerith’s parents, Sevelakath and Sonja, were already seated. The excited mother was more than willing to answer any questions about who her son was to any that asked. The vast majority of guests were here for Jasmine, not her warder. In fact, other than his parents and Zevernus, the halberdier wondered if anyone else he knew would even bother to show up.

Still, the weight of what was about to happen made Zerith unable to sleep the night before. Even the entire day up until this moment seemed to travel and a painfully slow pace, which didn’t help either. Thoughts of what would happen if Jasmine decided to get cold feet popped into his head from time to time, and Zerith quickly found himself wondering if he understood exactly what he was about to commit himself too. He turned to look at Zevernus’ relaxed posture, and was just about to ask how he could be at such ease until the priest finally approached the groom and firmly grasped his shoulder. “It’s time.”

As he stood next to the priest by the dais, the halberdier felt like he was a lamb before a pride of hungry lions. Standing in a black stroller jacket left undone so it showed off the gray vest and silver ascot, he felt a little pressure from all the eyes that were watching him at the moment. Zevernus, wearing an identical outfit but with a blue vest and matching ascot, had left to meet up with Melody and get ready to walk down the aisle. So for those few minutes Zerith felt alone as he patiently waited to his bride, hoping that when she finally appeared he would be able to focus on her and forget all about people watching every move he made.

Finally salvation arrived in the form of music, signalling to him that the ceremony he had been waiting months for was finally beginning to start.

Zevernus and Melody were the first people to walk down the aisle together. Arms linked, the swordsman managed to remain professional and stood tall as he lead the Queen to where she would stand at Jasmine’s side. The two talked quietly amongst themselves, and Zerith would only find it much later that the discussion was how each thought it was about time for the warder and mage to tie the knot. It wasn’t until he had joined the groom and priest that Zevernus gave his best friend a big grin and slapped his hand into the back of Zerith’s shoulder.

Dylan and Sophie came next, with the young prince waving to the halberdier before he put all of his effort into performing his duty. The little girl was as precious and a small gem, flashing a gentle smile as she walked alongside the little boy who was so focused on carrying the small pillow that held the rings. Once their job was complete, Melody stepped forward and helped the
children find their places. Once that was achieved, the music changed and the priest invited everyone to stand, ushering in the moment the halberdier had been waiting for.

Jasmine, as radiant as ever, finally emerged with her brother at her side. The intricate detail in her dress, coupled with all the precious gems and flowers took the warder’s breath away. The amount of time and work spent into creating such a thing of beauty must have taken hours and quite the number of skilled hands. Yet the final result was a thing of awe. For the moment, all eyes were rightfully on Jasmine, so none saw just how wide the smile was on Zerith’s face. While a small portion of his mind was relieved to see that Jasmine didn’t decide to turn around and run, the rest of it was absolutely stunned with how beautiful she appeared in her wedding dress. V’dralla would have to accept defeat and accept that fact for at least one day there one someone else that dwarfed her beauty.

“Wow,” the halberdier heard Zevernus whispered so quietly that only he could hear. “She’s absolutely gorgeous. If you think that dress looks good on her now, imagine how much better it will look when it’s lying on the floor later.”

“Shut up, Zev!” the warder hissed through clenched teeth as his eyes remained fixed on Jasmine.

Eric played the part of the proud brother and King perfectly, guiding Jasmine down the aisle as a proud father would. He smiled at Zerith, knowing that both would agree just how incredibly stunning the princess looked. Even has the warder stepped forward to retrieve his bride, the two men got along really well as they shook hands and the King gave his blessing to the couple. Gingerly taking Jasmine’s hands in his, Zerith lead her to where they stood before the priest after the mage handed Melody her bouquet.

Sapphire eyes locked on a matching pair as the priest began to speak and go through all the tradition sayings that were involved with a wedding. The one thing that Zerith would remember was how the priest described marriage not as a mere contract, but a covenant. Where a contract can be created with escape clauses, limited liability and establishes time frames for specific criteria to be met. A covenant comes with unlimited responsibility, has no expiration date and is intended to be unbreakable.

“And then there’s marriage...” the priest went on. “It’s the strongest covenant on Althanas between a two people, the promise to establish a love that is not only unconditional, but also lasts a lifetime. In marriage, your wedding ring represents your covenant vows. These aren’t merely commitments you hope to keep but promises you have written yourselves, spoken in public and witness by others. Now it is to my understanding that these two have decided to write their own vows to each other. So I’d like to ask the groom here to say his first.”

This was both the moment Zerith had been waiting for, and the one he had been dreading for days. Biting his bottom lip out of nervousness, the halberdier managed to take a deep breath for he started to speak. “Of all the things love dares to do, I’ve learned that it refuses to give up no matter what the circumstances would be. It doesn’t quit when told to, and it doesn’t stop giving when it’s received the wrong way. So no matter what imperfections exist in either one of us, my love for you is greater still. As a special gift to you from the Thaynes, I promise to love you until death. I will be your greatest fan and your best friend, and I promise that I will always encourage you. I won’t put you some pedestal out of fear, but have faith in you and your abilities. I vow that my love for you won’t change and when you feel like the rest of Althanas is against you, I will always continue to stand by your side.”

Smiling warmly at Jasmine, the warder turned to Dylan as the little boy stepped forward and retrieved one of the rings he carried. Taking the princess’ left hand in his, he slowly slipped her mother’s wedding ring onto her ring finger before he looked back up to her bright, blue eyes and finished his vows.

“Because love never fails.”


Spoils:

Mage-Warder Bond: Although he doesn't realize it yet, Draconus has decided to bestow a little wedding gift to Zerith by strengthening his bond with Jasmine even futher. In addition to the current bond, now the two can read each others thoughts and communicate telepathically. However, this is only limited to each other. So neither one can do something similar to anyone else.

[Jasmine]

Jasmine gazed up at Zerith as the priest spoke his piece about the sanctity of marriage and whatever else he said. She really was only listening for the cue for them to say their vows. She listened attentively as Zerith said his vows, smiling warmly and encouragingly as she looked at him.

“Now you, Jasmine,” the priest prompted kindly.

Jasmine took a deep, quiet breath then began, “Zerith, I love you with all that I am. I promise to love, honor and cherish you all the days of my life. I promise to forsake all others and follow only you, wherever you may go. I will always be at your side, supporting you and loving you every step of the way no matter what happens to us in this life. I will love you and only you until the very end of time.”

With her final sentence, she slipped Zerith’s ring onto his left ring finger, quite proud of herself for not choking up. As the two held hands once more, the priest resumed speaking.

“Then let these vows, proclaimed before the gods and these witnesses be a sacred covenant to you both. Now, it is my privilege and honor to declare you man and wife. Zerith, you may now kiss your bride.”

Jasmine bit her lower lips softly as Zerith released her hands and carefully lifted the veil from in front of her face and flipped it over the back of her head. He slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her forward as she slipped her hands up to his shoulders.

“I love you, Jasmine,” he whispered as he bent down and kissed her. At first she was planning a quick kiss, but the moment his lips touched hers, such plans went completely out of Jasmine’s head. She closed her eyes as she returned his kiss, one hand now moving to cup his cheek, the other holding to his shoulder as he turned and dipped her low to the ground amidst the cheers and applause of the guests. When he finally stood her back up on her feet, both were smiling widely. She took her bouquet back from Melody as the priest beckoned everyone to stand once again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to introduce you to Lord and Lady Zerith Dracosius.”

As the newlyweds started down the aisle, Jasmine ‘heard’ Zerith’s voice in her head, Zevernus had a good point. That dress will probably look much better lying on the floor...All I have to do now is just make it through the reception.

Jasmine raised an eyebrow and whispered to him, “I heard that.”

“Heard what? I didn’t say anything?” he whispered back defensively.

“We’ll talk about it later, love,” she said with a smile. An idea of what had happened was already forming in her mind, but she would not worry about it right now. Right now, they had a reception to attend and the festivities that went along with it. Behind her Zevernus and Melody herded the children up to the receiving line and Eric walked behind them with a very proud smile on his face as he watched his little sister and Zerith climb the stairs to the ballroom.

Spoils: As stated in Zerith’s post, their bond has now been given the added feature of telepathy. They cannot use this with anyone other than themselves and the range is limited to 2-3 miles.

And of course, their wedding rings which are both made of white gold. The main stone in Jasmine’s ring is a princess cut diamond (kinda squarish looking down at it). It set so that 2 of the points are in line with her finger. At the ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ corners of the diamons is a band of several other diamonds that edge around the main diamond and down onto the band. On the side nearest the palm is a second band of diamonds. Zerith’s ring is much simpler. It features a black stripe with a light checkered pattern going lengthwise around the ring. On either side of it are strips of white gold, giving the appearance of having 3 stripes. In the top center of the black stripe are 7 square cut diamonds, set into the ring so that they are not resting atop it.

Added note: if anyone wants concept pictures, they should check out my album on this account.

[Silence Sei]

As requested, most of the light commentary will be directed at Jasmine. Any real issues I have with Zerith’s posts will be discussed with him later.

STORY ~



Continuity (7/10) ~

Setting (4/10) ~ I never got a good feeling for Jo-s manor, or even the Moriah castle. Heck, the only real thing I could picture was the pool of water in the forest where Jas tol Z she was carrying his child. .

Pacing (5/10) ~ If Continuity asks Why? and Setting asks Where and When?, then Pacing asks "How?" Is the action clearly described? In judging Pacing, the first question that must be asked is the author's intent. If the intent is to keep the reader from putting down the story, then a good Pacing score requires that the story delivered: it kept the tension high, releasing it in certain places and building it in others. It kept you guessing. If the intention of the Pacing is to develop a particular character, then did the development of the plot serve to provide the character with specific ways to grow? In other words...Pacing must keep you reading, but must also serve the intent of the author. Did the story develop in a way that served the author’s intent?

Total Story: 16/30


• CHARACTER ~

Dialogue (5/10) ~ Dialogue hurt here because I found Jasmine, as well as her NPCs repeating almost word for word the exact same phrases over again. It happened a lot about the morning sickness in the first few posts, and then you got better, but then started doing it again about being on a pedestal. I just found it odd she wouldn’t at least mince the words up a bit (which I believe you did at one point in the latter example, which is why you have a 5 and not a 4).

Action (6/10) ~

Persona (5/10) ~ There was just basic emotion here. Probably would have been higher, but Zerith’s lack of true worry for Dylan because he was mad at Eric rubbed me the wrong way. If I’m fighting with my brother, and his kid is missing, concern comes into the head first, consoling him despite his verbal lashings. I didn’t see that and it made me sad. 

Total Character: 16/30
• WRITING STYLE ~

Mechanics (3/10) ~ a ton of spelling and grammar errors really hurt you guys here. No s when you needed them, words like ‘to’ changed to ‘do’ and sometimes not even the correct word being used, presumably because the post was rushed and not thoroughly spell checked afterwards.

Technique (5/10) ~

Clarity (5/10) ~

Wild Card (8/10) ~ I really did enjoy the thread, despite the shortcomings.

Total WS: 21/40

Total: 53/100

Jas gets 2400 Exp, 230 GP, rings approved, and ability approved pending RoG

Zerith gets the same spoils, 1770 exp, and 210 GP

[Silence Sei]

Exp-GP added.

Jasmine leveled up....Z almost did....awww.