Jacinda's Challenge (Imperial 3) (55 page)

Knowing there was nothing to be done about it, she reached for her brush and began to prepare for what was sure to be an eventful evening.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Danton walked into the Public Wing of the House of Knowledge knowing he was extremely early. He had planned to call his mother last night but then realized that this needed to be face-to-face. He had hurt his mother, something he never thought in a million cycles he would do. He reacted without thinking and had reacted selfishly. That couldn't be corrected over the comm.

Looking toward the guarded doors that he knew lead to the Royal Wing, where his mother was staying with Jotham, he took a deep breath and advanced on them.

"I am Assemblyman Danton Michelakakis, from the House of Protection, and I would like to be taken to my mother."

Both guards silently looked at him for several moments before one looked down at the tablet he was holding. " You are not on our list," he informed Danton.

"Yes, I know that. I would still like to see my mother, Jacinda Michelakakis. She's staying in the Royal Wing."

"I'm sorry, Assemblyman Michelakakis. Without proper clearance, we cannot let you pass."

"Is there a problem here?"

The words came from behind Danton. He turned to find a man, at least five inches shorter than himself, standing behind him. He was wearing a House of Knowledge uniform.

"No, Captain," the guard quickly informed the other man.

"Yes, there is," Danton countered. "I am Assemblyman Danton Michelakakis, and I would like to see my mother, Jacinda Michelakakis."

"She knows you are coming?" the shorter man questioned.

"She knows I am here, she doesn't know I wish speak to her."

"Madame Michelakakis is currently preparing for the Royal Ball. As an Assemblyman, you will also be at the Ball. You can speak to her then."

As the Captain turned to leave, Danton put a restraining hand on his arm. "Now see here, Captain. Just who do you think you are?"

"I am Captain Peter Chamberlain and you will remove your hand or I will remove it for you."

Danton immediately realized that even though the other man was smaller than he was, he was much more lethal. He had heard about Peter Chamberlain and about his amazing skills. It's why Stephanie was so excited to come here. Danton quickly removed his hand.

"Captain Chamberlain, I apologize, but it is of the utmost importance that I speak with my mother before the Ball. Please."

Peter silently stared at him for several moments and whatever he saw on Danton's face must have convinced him. "I will take you to Prince Barek. He can decide if you should be allowed to see Jacinda." Peter turned to the guard, "Notify Prince Barek we are on our way."

"Right away, Captain."

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

"Danton, what are you doing here?" Barek demanded pulling open the outer door of the Royal Wing.

"I need to speak to my mother, Barek,
before
the Ball."

"You haven't done that yet?" Barek couldn't believe it.

"No," Danton admitted, "and I need to. She needs to know that I love her and support her in all her decisions. Just as she always has mine."

Barek was silent for several moments, trying to decide if he believed Danton. Nevertheless, in the end he knew it wasn't up to him. It was up to Jacinda.

"Follow me. They're in their private living quarters. Dad asked that they not be interrupted until it was time to leave, but I think Jacinda is going to want to see you."

"Thank you, Barek," Danton's reply was heartfelt.

"Don't thank me yet," Barek gave him a hard look. "If you upset her, you're going to have
two
angry Tibullus men to deal with."

"I'll wait here to escort him back," Peter told Barek.

"I'll have Deffand do it. I know you have a lot going on already. Thank you, Peter, for bringing him here," Barek told him.

"Don't thank me yet. If he upsets Jacinda, he'll also have to deal with two very unhappy Chamberlain men." After giving Danton one last hard look, Peter spun on his heel and returned to his duties.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Jotham looked down at the box in his hands, surprised to discover how nervous he was. It wasn't like he hadn't done this before but for some reason this was different. This was Jacinda, and he wanted to do it right. He needed to make up for his thoughtlessness at not realizing what everyone would think of her, say to her, and how they would act toward her. No one would ever harm her, not while he was alive. Now all he had to do was get her to say yes.

To being his Queen.

Would she really be willing to do that and assume the responsibilities that came with it? He knew he was asking a lot of her. Asking her to change not only her life but also the lives of her children. Because this would affect them too.

A knock on the door to their private living area had Jotham frowning. He had told Deffand that he didn't want to be disturbed. Striding impatiently toward the door he yanked it open and found Danton and Barek on the other side. Neither of them looked happy.

"What?!!" Jotham demanded.

"I would like to speak to my mother," Danton informed him.

Jotham gave Danton a hard look. He didn't want Jacinda upset before the Ball. He knew it still weighed heavily on her mind, Danton's reaction to their relationship and his refusal to take her comms. She was his to protect now and protect her he would. Even if it was from her own family.

"You had your chance to talk to her before now."

"I know but what I need to say needs to be said in person."

"Danton, what are you doing here?"

Jacinda's words had all three men turning toward her, stunned by the vision entering the room.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Jacinda was just doing the final check of her gown in the full-length mirror when she heard voices in the outer room and one of those voices sounded like Danton. Spinning away from her image, she went to find out what was going on. Opening the door to the living room, she found not only Danton there but also Barek.

"Danton, what are you doing here?" she demanded walking into the room unaware of the effect of her entrance. She looked from Danton to Barek to Jotham in confusion when no one answered her. Jotham was the first to recover.

"You look absolutely stunning," he told her, slowly approaching and taking in every inch of the magnificent gown she was wearing. It was the perfect combination of House of Protection violet and House of Healing gold, worn as only Jacinda could.

"You're sure it's alright?" Jacinda let him see her doubt.

"It's perfect, just as you are. It makes me want to show you off and not let you out of this room all at the same time." Leaning down, Jotham gave her a deep kiss.

"Ahem," Barek coughed discreetly into his hand to remind them that they were not alone.

Reluctantly, Jotham broke off the kiss. He turned to face Danton but remained at Jacinda's side, showing Danton that they were one.

"Danton, what are you doing here?" Jacinda asked her face still flushed from Jotham's kiss.

"I needed to speak with you, before the Ball." Danton let his own eyes run over his mother. "Ancestors, Mother, I've never seen you look more beautiful. Being in love agrees with you."

"It does," she told him softly.

"Perhaps we should give you two a private moment..." Barek began only to be cut off by Danton.

"No. I need to say this to my mother and for you both to hear it too." Danton took a deep breath then focused his gaze on his mother. "I am
so
sorry I reacted the way I did, Mom. I have no excuse for it and you have every right to be angry with me... to be disappointed in me. I think that hurts the worst, knowing that I disappointed you. You have always supported me, no matter what and the one time you need me... You of all people have the right to be happy, and even an idiot like me can see that King Jotham makes you happy."

Danton's gazed turned to Jotham. "Thank you for making my mother happy again. For loving her. I know my father would approve." His gaze returned back to his mother. "The rest will work out because we're a family, a family with two more members now. Moreover, before long, Stephanie will come around. She's just the most stubborn of the three of us."

"Oh really?" Jacinda quizzed arching her eyebrow, even as her eyes filled at her son's acceptance. "I believe Stephie would say
you
are the stubborn one." Moving forward she hugged her son.

"She'd be wrong," Danton wrapped his arms around his mother and let her loving embrace heal all hurts, just as it had done all his life. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Danton. Thank you for coming here. I know it was hard for you."

"No, it...Don't cry, Mom!" Danton exclaimed. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

"What?" Jacinda pulled back to frown at him. "Danton, no one's going to kill you!"

"Okay maybe not kill," Danton corrected. "But I'll be hurting in the morning if I upset you."

"What are you talking about?" Jacinda turned questioning eyes to Barek only to find him innocently looking up at the ceiling. So she turned her eyes to Jotham. "Jotham?"

"Let's just say, that the men of the House of Protection protect their women," he told her.

"But he's my son!" Jacinda gave him a sharp look.

"It doesn't matter. You’re mine, Jacinda," Jotham's eyes hardened. "And
no one
is allowed to hurt or upset you."

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes at him. "You might be the King, but not even
you
can stop that."

"I can do everything in my power to try, which is why…." Turning away from her, he went to the table where he'd placed the box. Opening it, he took out the circlet then slowly walked back to her. "I had planned on doing this when we were alone, but I think now is perfect."

"Jotham? What are you..." Jacinda's words froze when Jotham suddenly went down on one knee before her.

Jotham looked up at her then slowly raised his hands revealing the betrothal circlet.

"Jacinda Crocetti-Michelakakis, I love you. You will be the last woman I will ever love. Would you do me the greatest honor of my life by becoming my wife? My Queen? I know we still have a great deal to overcome and that it won't be easy for us or our families, but I don't want to spend one more day the ancestors have blessed me with, without you by my side. To do so would be pointless.

"I..." Jacinda couldn't get her throat to work. She hadn't expected this, had never expected this. Lata was always to be Jotham's only Queen. She'd made her peace with that. "I... I don't know what to say..."

"
Say yes
!" Danton and Barek exclaimed in unison and when Jacinda looked at them, she found them both grinning like fools as they had in that visual taken so long ago. Looking back at Jotham, still on one knee waiting, she nodded.

"Yes. Yes! I'd love to be your wife, Jotham."

Slowly Jotham rose, his eyes still locked with hers. "And my Queen?"

"If that's what you truly want, then yes," she agreed nodding.

Without another word, Jotham placed the circlet on her head that would announce to all of Carina that
she
was the future Queen. The moment his hands were free, he swept her up in his arms, crushing her against his chest as he captured her lips for a deep, heartfelt kiss.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

"You know, one of us should break them up or they'll never make it to the Ball," Barek leaned over slightly to tell Danton, trying to keep a straight face.

"I defer to you, oh mighty Prince," Danton replied grinning widely. "You, after all, are the heir. It’s not like
you
can be sentenced to death for 'upsetting' the King and future Queen." Danton's eyes were full of humor as he looked at Barek. "I, on the other hand, am just a lowly Assemblyman, here only to serve. Oh, and then there's the fact that technically, I'm now your older brother, so suck it up and get in there."

Barek's eyes widened in shock then narrowed, not because of Danton's words but because of the true affection behind them. This is what having a brother was supposed to be like. But he wasn't going down without a fight. "Really, so you think age trumps rank?"

"In family it does." Danton gave him a hard nudge forward with his shoulder. "So get to it."

"Hmph, I can see we're going to have to set some ground rules here," Barek muttered.

"Good luck with that. Ethan and Stephanie have been trying for cycles."

"You know your sister can kick your ass, right?" Barek asked even as he moved forward.

"She can try." Danton just crossed his arms and grinned.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Barek and Danton were quietly talking as they walked through the Royal Wing.

"Are you sure you don't want to enter the Ball with us?" Barek asked. "You are family now."

"Thank you, but I think it would be better if I stay with the other Assemblymen. It will give me the chance to find and tell Stephanie and also to watch Pajari's reaction. He's been up to something ever since you talked to him."

"Really? What have you found?" Barek demanded.

"Lots of credit movement. He thinks he's being secretive, but I have a friend from my Coalition days that's a whiz at finding things like that."

"Excuse me, Prince Barek." Both men turned not realizing Deffand had walked up behind them.

"Yes, Deffand?" Barek asked.

"Why would Assemblyman Michelakakis enter the Ball with you?"

Barek grinned at Deffand knowing he could tell him. "Because my father just proposed to Jacinda and she accepted. The House of Protection is getting a new Queen." Deffand didn't grin back.

"What?!! Why wasn't I informed? Fuck!" Deffand was immediately on his comm. "Green! I need you and your entire guard armed and outside the Royal Wing in
five
!" His eyes shot back to Barek. "Has anyone informed Chamberlain yet?"

"I don't think so since it only just occurred," Danton informed him when Barek only frowned at Deffand.