When I wake up the next morning I feel around in the bed, but find myself alone. After getting up and getting dressed I set out into the castle. The first person I run into however is Bell.
Bell: “Good morning… I will let Belinda know you have finally awoken.”
Without another word she travels back down the hallway. Next I run into Logan and Doug. Doug looks a little worse for wear but Logan is trying to get him to drink that odd green liquid he uses to cure his hangovers…
Doug: “I don’t know it smells disgusting…”
Logan: “It really helps though I promise.”
“He is right, he has given me some in the past and it really does work like he says.”
Logan: “Oh Two-Twelve you are up I see. Do you need some as well?”
“No I am fine…”
Doug finally pinches his nose and quickly throws back the drink, he then coughs and has a sour look on his face with the appearance that he is about to throw up.
Logan: “There you will be as good as new in no time. Two-Twelve, do you think you can keep Doug company for a bit, I need to start meeting with some of the guests.”
“I guess but what is it I am supposed to do?”
Logan: “Normally you would meet with your guests, but I think Belinda said she is taken care of all that so I guess it’s just a waiting game now.”
Logan then slaps Doug on the back and heads off. Doug still doesn’t look like he is in too good of shape to I help him over to a chair to sit down.
“It is kind of heavy on the stomach, but once the nausea passes so does the rest of the hangover.”
After sitting with him for a while he starts to regain his color and he says. “Thanks… I am sure you got a lot better things to do then sit here with me.”
“Well you heard Logan. I just got to wait till they are ready for me I guess.”
Doug: “So what happened after a passed out last night?”
“After you passed out we called it shortly after and just come back to the castle.”
Doug: “I am sorry, I guess I kind of ruined it for you.”
“Truth be told, I wasn’t very comfortable there, so I wasn’t disappointed in the least to leave.”
Doug: “I guess that is one thing Ben got right about you. You are pretty straight-laced…”
“I have only met Ben twice and you were there both times, so anything he says he knows about me has to be rumors or just his opinion so I wouldn’t look too much into it.”
Doug: “Well just getting along with Logan is enough to turn you on Ben’s bad side.”
“Well at least now I know I didn’t do something to him directly, I was starting to wonder if I had more enemies among Belinda’s family then allies…”
Doug: “Well Father seems to think very highly of you. He spoke more to your defense then I have heard him do to any of his actual children including Logan, so as long as you are in his good graces I doubt even Mother will try to rock the boat.”
“I still don’t really understand how I managed that…”
Doug: “My one warning to you though is if something ever happens to father, until Logan manages to get things under control I would seriously watch your back, and if something were to happen to Logan after that I would just run.”
“That’s not very comforting to hear…”
Doug: “Well Father is still fit as can be, so I am sure you have nothing to worry about for the foreseeable future.”
“When I first met your father I have to say he was quite younger than I expected.”
Doug: “Yea Father was barely 15 when Logan was born. Many of the politicians hope with Logan being so close in age to Father that he will have a son to take the throne instead of taking it himself when the time comes.”
“I was under the impression the people liked Logan…”
Doug: “Oh they do… They all feel he would be a fair king, but they think he is too soft, and would never be a great king. That is the main reason for the discord between Logan and Ben.”
“From the conversations I have had with your father though I would think Logan and the king are quite similar. Sure Logan is more outspoken, but I still think its close…”
Doug: “Well if you have seen enough of Father to come to that conclusion I really am impressed. I wouldn’t say that out loud however or someone might toss you out of the castle by your ears.”
“So what are your plans after the wedding? You were with Ben and your Mother in Duscae before right?”
Doug: “Yes, but after Father’s meeting the other day, I am actually looking forward to sticking around here for a while.”
“Well we with the exception of the wedding we usually don’t make it out to the capital very often, so if you make it out to Tobes. You would be more then welcome I am sure.”
Doug: “Well that’s good to hear. I am feeling much better now, and I am sure you got quite a bit to prepare before you have the sit down with Mother, so I won’t hold you up any longer.”
Doug too leaves, and I am again standing by myself in the hallways of the castle… After a bit more wandering around the next person I bump into however seems to be the end of my good luck.
Mindy: “Uh…Well then. It is time you meet with Mother, and as much as it pains me I will show you the way…”
“… Thanks.”
Mindy looks dissatisfied the entire time she leads me down the hallways, never saying a word as we go. I can’t be for certain but the door she leads me to appears to be the same one the meeting with the king and the others took place the other day.
Mindy rudely tells me to wait in the hallway, and then heads inside. After what seems like an hour Tanya is the one to open the door telling me to enter. Tanya quickly takes a seat back towards the head of the table next to her mother before I even get the chance to make my way up to the table.
Belinda’s Mother and both of her sisters are sitting at the head of the table looking on with sour expressions. It is easy to tell they are all related, but if I didn’t know better I would be hard pressed to tell which Belinda’s Mother was and which Mindy was…
Tanya however still hasn’t even begun to lose her youthful appearance, and only looks a few years older than Belinda. I am not exactly sure what to do so I walk up to the table but remain standing. It isn’t long however till Mindy rudely gestures me to sit.
Belinda’s Mother: “No matter how many times I look at you, I still don’t see what my daughter was thinking…”
“I’m sorry?”
Belinda’s Mother: “You should be. We could have used Belinda for far greater political gain until you came along.”
I always talk about Tobes and the communication parchment as not my achievements, but I lean on both as I try to defend myself with them…
Belinda’s Mother: “As a citizen of Gowen that is your responsibility. Maybe being granted a small title, but the hand of one of the Gowen princesses? I can’t see what Rondsom was thinking…”
…I am starting to think the same thing, but for another reason of course…
“I gladly did it to help Belinda, but I am not originally from Gowen, so saying it’s my responsibility as one of its citizens is pushing it a bit isn’t it?”
Mindy: “After taking up residence in Tobes you became a citizen of Gowen, so yes it was your responsibility.”
“Well I am sorry, but I am not exactly sure what you expect me to say…”
Belinda’s Mother: “He seems rather simple minded as well…”
Tanya: “Well what can you expect from a slave? I am sure Belinda chose him just as a slap in the face to the family name.”
“I mean no disrespect, but I believe that is uncalled for. Belinda’s father approved the marriage, and even allowed me to sit at this table along with your sons, so I don’t feel the way you are speaking to me is warranted.”
Belinda’s mother looks appalled and appears like she is about to say something, but after Mindy nods she just shuts her mouth with an even more appalled expression… After a few minutes of silence Belinda’s mother finally speaks again but only to say.
Belinda’s Mother: “Well it looks like it is a lost cause. You won’t get my approval, but I can’t deny Rondsom’s approval either. After the wedding just take my worthless daughter to that forest hamlet of yours and leave the kingdom to your betters…”
I can’t take anymore, she hasn’t dismissed me yet, but I stand anyway and before storming out of the room I say. “I take quite a bit for Belinda and am willing to take a lot more. I however am not going to sit here and let you talk down on her like that after she appears to be the only one truly making a difference in this kingdom.”
After slamming the door after entering the hallway I start to regret my decision but I then hear a slow clap a few feet to my left. I quickly look over to find Logan leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face.
Logan: “You sure seem to like making friends. I am not quite sure father would approve of such a thing, but for him to learn of it he would have to hear Mothers account as well, so I am sure between you, me, and the doorknob. That is as far as that conversation will see the light of day. Especially with the fact of them having to admit they got told off.”
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“You can call me about anything you want, but the one thing I won’t stand for is anyone to talk down about my girls, and that goes double for Belinda.”
Logan: “Oh I agree, you hold no blame in that matter, but I don’t think even I would have had the courage to stand in front of all three and talk to them like that.”
“…”
Logan: “Well you better start getting ready for your wedding, and I will go inform sis that you already met with Mother.”
“I got everything I need already, if you are heading to the cathedral I will just tag along.”
Logan: “What about your clothes?”
After drawing a line in the air I reach into an empty space beyond pulling my clothing partly out to show him. “I didn’t want to lose it…”
Logan: “Teleportation and Storage? Maybe I should go back to training…”
“It’s not really that big of a deal.”
Logan: “Well I have always been useless at magic. I always thought that was something Belinda and I shared, but I guess that isn’t true anymore either… is it?”
“She started to pick it up pretty good before becoming a hero, but the benefits of being a hero are pretty good.”
Logan: “Maybe I could talk Queen into letting me take out the dungeon there at Leona ruins, it already came back once. Maybe it will do it again, and besides with the growth of the dungeon in Tobes it looks to be a far more promising prospect for training the troops anyway.”
“… Well I wouldn’t even suggest it if I was you…”
Logan: “I guess you are right, she seems pretty hung up on the dungeon there for some reason.”
“… Speaking of Queen, how are things going between the two of you?”
Logan: “Honestly it’s pretty stale… It’s great when we are together, but we are both so busy we can go entire months without being able to see one another. If things keep going like this I don’t know what to do.”
“You used to spend months at a time out from the capital while adventuring, maybe you should tell your father, if he wants to have grandchildren in the future you are going to have to take some time to try to build a relationship.”
Logan: “There is just so much going on with the communication parchment…”
“I am sure you have enough staff now that they wouldn’t even notice you gone if you ducked out for a while.”
Logan: “You are probably right, but I don’t want Mindy or Tanya sinking their talons into it while I am not looking either.”
“You are making the communication parchment for god’s sake. If something comes up your employees could warn you.”
Logan: “You know… You might actually be on to something there…”
“Besides it’s not like you are traveling across the countryside, you will just be a few days out at the Leona Ruins.”
Logan: “New Leona.”
“New Leona?”
Logan: “Queen named the town sprouting up there New Leona. I suggested something different, but she was pretty adamant on New Leona.”
“I see…”
When we arrive at the cathedral there is quite a commotion going on, and working our way through the crowd I easily see why. There are two suspicious people just standing there taking in the sights. When one of them spots me however I quickly hear.
Twilight: “Papa! Papa! We came to watch you get married!”
The entire crowd almost turns to me in unison…
“… Hey girls… What are you doing out here? What about Madam Erin and Dyson…’s descendent?”
Dawn: “It is rather stuffy in there and we have been training for so long we wanted to take in the sights and get some fresh air.”
Logan: “That conversation had about 5 questioning points that I don’t even know where to start…”
“Sorry, this is Dawn and Twilight. Madam Erin apparently knows the Dyson family as well. Dyson’s descendant and Madam Erin where helping these two much like Madam Erin helped me, and they have been training in my dungeon the last few weeks.”
Logan: “Your dungeon?”
“That is the dungeon in Tobes I mean…”
With so much going on between dungeons and humans it’s starting to all run together I am going to have to be more careful in the future…
Logan: “Does that mean I get to meet Queen’s brother finally as well?”
“Brother…? It sounds like it’s a good possibility.”
Logan: “Queen must be tickled pink… She hasn’t seen him in so long, when she heard he made a few visits to Tobes she was beside herself at the fact she missed him.”
“So Queen is here as well?”
Logan: “Of course, she can’t stay long, but she arrived first thing this morning.”
“Well we better get inside… You girls don’t cause any trouble ok…?”
Twilight: “Yes Papa!”
…After entering the cathedral it seems one spectacle after the next with Queen in her mythril armor… Dyson in his adamantine armor minus the helm… and then just Madam Erin’s presence alone… Logan quickly excuses himself to join Queen who is excitedly speaking with Dyson, while Zoey comes up to me.
Zoey: “Hey boss, I see you finally made it. Come on I will show you where to get ready.”
“What about everyone else?”
Zoey: “It’s been pure chaos since everyone started arriving so a bit more time won’t hurt anything. Belinda however will kill us both if you’re not ready on time.”
Zoey leads me to a room where she leaves me to get ready, I however can tell she is waiting just outside the door like she is worried I might try to run away or something… Putting the outfit on by myself proves to be quite a chore.
I eventually cheat by casting [Gate] stepping though the portal, quickly equipping the clothes with [Menu], then stepping back though the portal before it shuts. After walking out the door Zoey quickly looks me over suspiciously then says “Cheater…”
“You’re one to talk… You used [Menu] to put yours on for your wedding as well.”
Zoey has a sheepish grin on her face as she says. “Yea, but we had my wedding at the house, so that’s different.”
Zoey and I then return to the main hall where everyone is gathered. Zoey quickly goes to join Roxy who is talking to Sofia, Bell, and Katie. I however head to the large group that is gathered around Logan, Queen, Dyson, and Madam Erin.
“Quite a group we got here…”
Madam Erin: “Yea… Sorry about that everyone just started coming up asking questions.”
“It’s no big deal, but I was quite surprised to see you here.”
Madam Erin: “Well we were invited weren’t we?”
“Well of course…But I figured you would have more pressing matters?”
Dyson: “Interacting with large groups of people will be good for their training.”
“…”
I visit with them for a while and then go check on the girls.
“I haven’t seen Lilah or Lylah.”
Roxy: “I am going to go get them just before it starts. To try to get away with the restriction placed for adventurers to avoid the dungeon today, a group tried to sneak in yesterday evening and camped out on the third floor last night.”
Sofia: “I have never seen Belinda so mad… She even told Lilah and Lylah to Deal with them…”
“…”
More and more people begin to arrive. Many of them are people I don’t even know. When Belinda’s sisters and mother arrives things turn awkward for a few minutes. After speaking with Dyson and Madam Erin however Madam Erin lets out a loud laugh that echoes though the room and then turns her back on them walking off…
Belinda’s Mother appears like she is about to pop a vein in her face, but she says nothing else retreating though a door. Mindy and Tanya quickly follow her like lost puppies… Logan is standing nearby with a look of disbelief on his face.
When Ben and Quinn arrive they seem vastly interested in Queen, Dyson, and Madam Erin, but they keep eyeing Logan avoiding the group. Doug however quickly goes to join Logan. After Logan introduces Doug to everyone it seems to make Ben and Quinn even more envious.
Not long after Roxy ducks out to go get Lilah and Lylah I begin to hear whispers that the King has arrived, but I have yet to see him anywhere. Not long after that everyone starts to take their seats as things begin to start.
Once everyone takes their positions the wedding finally beings to get underway.
The noisy grand cathedral grows quickly grows quiet making the only sound to be heard coming from a large group of musicians as they begin to play signifying the start. To say the event was drawn out would be an understatement…
After the initial ceremony it was followed by lots of grandiose speeches, and congratulatory toasts… Out of the entire event the only things that made the entire thing worth it was the truly stunning beauty Belinda was in her wedding dress, and to see the enjoyment she got from the wedding.
The king requested a visit with Dyson and Madam Erin, but they somehow managed to slip out and disappear before he got the chance. After saying his speech and congratulating us he too then disappeared.
The rest of Belinda’s family remained till the conclusion most of whom stuck around it seems just out of spite…
After everything is eventually over we check to make sure everything is set for our departure on our honeymoon before retreating to an inn for the night.
The next morning comes way too quickly and I am rather tired for obvious reasons, but after we double check everything one last time we then depart on a carriage heading south to the Longolia kingdom for our honeymoon.
Queen’s new village is the last stop in the Gowen kingdom before crossing the border, so we decide to stop there for a day before proceeding out of Gowen.
The work Queen has accomplished in her village seems quite impressive. Belinda did most of the work in Tobes, but Queen has taken care of her dungeon, her village, and even traveled far more then I have and has still progressed this much.
Queen shows us around the village a bit, and introduces us to some people, and I can’t help but feel Queen has already surpassed me on many aspects… I always knew Queen was probably the stronger dungeon core, but now it seems like she will pass me in every aspect.
After we leave passing over the Gowen/Longolia border I decide to double down on the dungeon and Tobes when we return. The next few weeks of travel are pretty hectic. Every hamlet and village we come across on the way to the capital seems to already know who we are and they all treat us pretty badly.
I knew there was a bit of hostility between Gowen and Longolia, as our trip here itself was to help with the relations a bit, but it seems everyone down to the last pig handler knows who we are and are looking down on us.
We even seem to have to pass excessive amounts of military checkpoints on the way, and most of which seem like they were set up specifically for us to flex their military strength in our faces. Even though they all seem to know exactly who we are and what we are doing they still each hold us up for hours questioning us like they don’t.
I want to just use the teleport magic to hurry up and get to the capital, but Belinda said we have to do this the right way. At least once we finally arrive we can return home with the magic so it at least won’t be this way on our way back home.
Speaking of home Tobes seems to be running pretty smoothly without us. The girls seem to have everything taking care of pretty well. We have yet to see a single trace of snow, but apparently it has begun to fall in Tobes.
After almost 3 straight weeks of travel we finally arrive at the coastal capital of Longolia…
As we step out of the carriage at the inn we will be staying at during our visit I am stuck with a sight of the ocean in a panoramic view extending as far as the eye can see. With the sounds of the waves crashing barely audible, the sounds of the sea birds, and the bustle of the city goers I feel like I have stepped into another world.
When Belinda exits behind me she has quite the marvelous expression on her face and she seems really excited.
Belinda: “I haven’t been to the beach since I was a little kid, and there are actual beaches here! Off the coast of Gowen it was mainly rock. It might have been a long trip but it was so worth it.”
“Well it’s not all fun we still have to do some work for you father while we are here.”
Belinda: “I know but it is our honeymoon we should at least enjoy as much of it as we can. Once we get everything set up in the inn why don’t we head down to the beach?”
After I agree we then make our way into the inn. The inn itself is quite lavish, and its better than anything we have stayed in at Gowen. I would even say it’s on par with the Gowen castle itself. After securing our room Belinda quickly changes and urges me to do the same to head down to the beach.
Belinda: “So what do you think?” –She says as she steps out in her swimsuit.-
Belinda’s swimsuit is quite plain one-piece of a blue color, but the way it hugs her curves along with a light shirt she has over the top and a sarong around her waist is very eye catching. Even the goofy looking hat on her head adds a unique charm to it.
“You look great, but somehow I feel your outfit is rather different than mine…”
I now feel a little foolish standing here wearing nothing but a tight pair of shorts that makes the outfits Denova’s girls wear seem like ballroom dresses…
“I thought Zoey had to be joking when she said this was men’s swimwear…”
“Well she isn’t exactly wrong. I mean that is men’s swimwear, but I am not sure I would call it normal attire.”
“I have to say I am quite relieved…”
Belinda goes though some of my things handing me an overly large colorful shirt. “Here, does this help?”
After putting the shirt on I can’t help but ask. “But what about the bottom half…?”
Belinda: “I don’t know, I kind of like it.”
“Now you are joking…?”
Belinda: “I am serious. Why the sudden shyness? You are the last person I would think got embarrassed over swimwear.”
“Well then if you are serious then let’s go…”
Belinda then hands me a pair of shoes that she called sandals… Even the footwear is quite lacking… I am still waiting for Belinda to say she is joking but she doesn’t stop me as I walk off of the room. There are quite a few eyes on us on our way to the beach, and even I am starting to get a bit embarrassed.
Once we reach the beach I can’t believe what I see. I thought Belinda’s outfit was quite lacking, but compared to a lot of the women are wearing is crazy, and even though shorts like mine are not common there are indeed other guys wearing similar outfits…
“So what exactly do we do now?
Belinda: “Well what do you want to do? Do you want to just start off with a walk and enjoy the scenery?”
Without any other ideas I agree and for the rest of the afternoon we just walk along the beach in the sand just enjoying our time together. Tomorrow we have to have a meeting at the castle so after the sun begins to set we retire back to our inn.