Princess Rescue Inc (23 page)

“Well,
the leader's blood in your case sister,” Zara said with a knowing smile.

Deidra
rounded on her with a glare but it bounced off that smile. Her eyes narrowed
dangerously. “Have a care sister,” she growled.

“You
know the law. He has saved our lives many times,” Zara replied, lifting her
chin in defiance. “You know I am right,” she said.

“This
is news,” the Queen said. “How did this come about?” she asked.

When
Deidra refused to say anything Zara explained their travels in greater detail.
Finally Deidra interjected. “It doesn't matter! We need their tools! Their aide
in fighting the Duluth! With their weapons we could cut right to the heart of
the raiders and drive them from our lands!”

“I
think it does matter,” the Queen mused, shaken that her daughters had been so
exposed to danger. She now understood why they were changed; it wasn't just
exposure to the gaijin that had done it. “I think the law will be the tool we
need to cement their aide if used properly. But that will require a sacrifice
on your part daughter,” she said turning to Deidra.

Deidra
sucked in her breath at that look. She turned immediately in a swirl of fabric
and moved to the door. “No. There must be another way,” she growled.

“We
shall see,” Zara said, now troubled. She had only been teasing her sister but
the implications... “Do we even know if he's unmarried?” she asked.

“I
would have thought your travels would have told you that,” the Queen rebuked
her.

“I...
I don't think so,” Zara said as her sister paused at the door. “He hasn't been
with the gaijin women and he didn't make a move on any of the peasants or
either of us.”

“Then
it behooves us to find out the truth of the matter. And soon,” the Queen said.
She nodded to her daughters. “Now, I know you are as wearied by today’s events
as I am. I am going to go sit with your father. You two rest.”

“Mother...”

“I
will be fine. I'm afraid if I am not there your fool of a father will get
himself into trouble. None dare stand up to him even when he needs it.”

“Someone
standing up to him would stress him further mother,” Deidra replied, hand on
the door jam.

“True,”
the Queen nodded. “Which is why I must be there to thwart his stupidity before
it becomes reality.”

“I
think the gaijin healer will stand up to him. I know it,” Zara murmured.

“Then
she will have to be watched,” the Queen nodded getting up. “You two sleep. I
want a full report on these gaijin and how they are organized, how they think
in the morning. I fear it will be vital.”

“Yes,
mother,” the girls replied in unison. They curtsied and then left together.

<==={}------------>

The
dawn light woke the King and once more he tried to assert he was fine but the
Queen squelched the argument with a single look. She made him stay in bed
despite his grumbling. He chafed at her attitude, and really got annoyed at the
cooks for the lack of fat and salt. When the doctor explained that it was bad
for him he started to get angry. The Queen quickly put him down with a look.
The Doc chuckled, making the Queen's eyes glitter with mischief.

“I
guess some things never change,” she laughed. The Queen nodded, the King
groaned in agreement and then chuckled, humor restored.

<==={}------------>

The
next morning Ryans skipped breakfast and went to find Sue and check on her.
He'd had a terrible night on that window seat and didn't want a repeat
performance tonight. Something had to give here and soon.

Sue
pointed out the Kings'  puffy hands and legs. “See that? It's not all
flab, that's fluid retention. I've given him water pills. It should make him
pee more which will eventually lessen his swelling and his blood pressure,
putting less strain on his heart. He also has kidney stones which have blocked
things up a bit.”

“Typical
in men over forty Doc,” Ryans replied with a nod.

“I've
given him aspirin to help thin his blood but there are...” she ran a hand
through her hair. “I shouldn't be telling you all this. Doctor patient
privilege,” she said.

“I'm
discrete Doc. Besides you're telling me vital information so don't sweat it.”

“Don't
stay long. I'm serious. He needs quiet, no stress,” Sue said emphatically. “Ten
minutes, fifteen tops and no more. I'm going to knock him out after to get him
to rest and keep the visitors at bay,” she scowled.

“Good
Doc, I getcha,” he said.

“What
do you intend?” the Queen asked.

“Well,”
Ryans shrugged glancing at Sue. Sue was busy and not quite out of ear shot. “My
people and I came to explore. We will be returning to Earth as soon as our
mission is complete.”

“None
return,” the King replied with a growl. “Tis impossible, a faerie dream. Best
forget that lad and move on. Thee and thine shall settle here with us,” the
King said magnanimously.

“Not
quite,” Ryans replied. “You see there have been a few, well changes. A few
scientists discovered the portal between worlds and we managed to contain it on
Earth.”

“Contain?”
the Queen asked in shock. Her embroidery project fell into her lap as one hand
went to her heart. “Is that even possible?” she asked, exchanging dubious looks
with her husband.

“I
assure you it is. We brought along equipment to do the same here. It will take
time to set up but when it is done we will be able to travel back and forth
between worlds every year or so.”

There
was a brief silence as they digested that. “So you intend to be here a year?”
the Queen finally asked. He nodded.

“That's
the plan, the problem is the Duluth are squatting on some of our equipment and
the portal,” he sighed.

“Indeed?”
the King asked.

“Yes,
we could get around them or even destroy their army but we're not happy about
that.”

“So
few,” the King rumbled.

“Our
numbers may be few but our weapons are powerful,” Ryans replied with a small
feral smile. “You'll have to take my word for it now. A demonstration is out
now until you are better,” he said. “You can ask Princess Deidra and Zara to
relate some of the details, however. If you haven't already,” he said nodding
as Deidra came into the room. She froze and then glared a little at him.

When
they began to talk agreement Ryans pulled out a camera and recorded it all.
Deidra attempted to warn her parents that he was recording and what it meant.
They did not understand and waved her concerns off.

Ryans
came to an agreement with the King. Caught off guard by the invasion, the
monarch was desperate for any aide. The King agreed to full diplomatic immunity
for the gaijin off worlders, and leadership roles for each. The weapons and
technologies would only be used in defense of the realm, and under the approval
of the gaijin. The gaijin would also show them how to improve their civilization
and technology but they would have to accept changes in the law and treatment
of the serfs. The Queen wasn't happy at first, but agreed reluctantly when she
realized they had little choice.

Ryans
insisted it be put in writing. The monarchs were immediately wary, knowing the
implications of that. They knew that an oral agreement and a written one were
two very different things, one could be flexible and even broken or its
existence denied. A written agreement had all sorts of implications they
weren't comfortable with. They didn't have a choice however so the royal scribe
was called in.

Ryans
made his own call through the radio and just before the scribe arrived Perry,
Sydney, and Wanda arrived.

Ryans
made introductions and then explained the situation to his fellow Terrans
quickly. Sydney nodded. Perry pursed his lips. He was not happy, but the
agreement was better in some ways than he had hoped for. Sydney pulled out a
laptop and listened to the recording with headphones, typing up the agreement
quickly.

While
he was talking Ryans pulled Perry aside for a quick consult. “I'm sorry I went
off half cocked,” he said apologetically, bracing for a blow out from the
lieutenant.

Perry
eyed him for a moment and then turned back to the royal couple and then room at
large. Finally he returned to Ryans. “You didn't. You are the leader of the
expedition and it's your show. But yeah, I'd would've liked to have been
consulted,” Perry replied.

“Again...”

“Yeah,
yeah I know. Sometimes things move fast and you've got to act. I get it. I
don't have any qualms, it beats running around the bush without a goal in mind.
We can draw resources from them?”

Ryans
turned and had Sydney add that. The historian nodded as he typed. “Already on
it,” Sydney said, clearly on his best behavior. Ryans patted him on the
shoulder.

“You
know, something's just occurred to me, I never heard the name of your Kingdom,”
Ryans said turning first to Deidra by the window and then to her royal parents.
The Queen looked at her daughter who was stiffly staring out the window. “I
mean I heard your northern invaders are called Duluthians or populous de Duluth
but no one's told me your Kingdom's name.”

The
Queen patted her husband's hand and then looked at Ryans. “I shall remedy the
oversight,” she said, straightening and glancing once more to Deidra. Deidra's
shoulders were hunched once more. “You are most welcome to the Ianua Imperiun.”

Ryans
waited until the computer parsed that out. Part of the sentence had been in
Greek but the last bit was Latin. “Ianua Imperium,” he pulled out his tablet
phone and typed with the stylus. After a moment he looked up and nodded. “The
gateway realm, interesting and appropriate I believe,” he said with a smile.

“We
tend to think so,” the Queen replied with a regal nod.

When
the royal scribe arrived he was followed by two assistants carrying bags of
material, a folding stool and an easel. They grumpily set up in a corner and
then the scribe cracked his knuckles in a show and picked up a quill pen. 
The royal scribe was muttering about interruptions, always interruptions. Ryans
glanced at the old codger. He looked to be in his sixties, but that really
didn't mean anything, here with the level of civilization and medical standards
the way they were he could be in his low forties or mid thirties.

He
was grayed, had a pony tail and a red French style cap with a long striped
white and black feather sticking out of a golden crest on the band. He had a
red bandoleer sash of some sort of silk, with a purple and gold trimmed jacket
and bloused half pants complete with white stockings and purple shoes. His
assistants were dressed much the same just not quite as richly.

While
the old man and his two assistants continued to set up Sydney finished the
first draft and used a small portable battery operated printer to print off two
versions, one in English one in the native language. He handed it to the scribe
for approval but the man took one look and fainted. “Well! I didn't think it
was that bad!” Sydney said shaking his head as he looked at the crumpled old
man in his assistant's arms.

The
Queen took the draft from Sydney as a servant aired the scribe and Wanda
checked him over. It had apparently been quite a shock to the old man, to see
something like that. The Queen pursed her lips as she read the document, eyes
narrowed at all the flowing phrases and clauses. She then shared it with her
husband.

They
went over the boilerplate, pissing Sue off who came in and meaningfully tapped
at her watch. The King waved her concern off so she stormed out in a huff,
grinding her teeth together. They wrangled a bit over a few things before
eventually coming to a final agreement.

The
scribe had been removed so his assistant copied the printed document. The
assistant muttered over the stark document, bereft of any embellishment on the
borders and without the usual flowing script. Ryans smiled and told the man
that he could always add it later.

The
royal monarchs each signed the document, then used wax to stamp their rings
onto the parchment to seal it. Ryans insisted on having the available lords
sign as well. They were a little put out over this, but formed a procession.
Each believed they were there to see that their liege was still alive but were
nonplussed and angry over the signing. When they were gathered in an ante room
Ryans demonstrated some of the technology they were bringing along. That had
more than one lord interested. He described various techniques that they could
pass on to the lords, to let them better themselves and their serfs.

Ryans
had each given a copy of the document before the signing and turned the
spontaneous event into something positive and uplifting. He had Sergio run
copies off, and the royal archivist did as well, handing off a master to each
of his assistants to make copies. The document and the notes were handed out to
the lords and posted in the city and castle later that evening. They started
getting down to the task of teaching as much as they could as fast as they
could.

“This
way no one can complain they didn't know and weren't told or weren't there to
ratify it. Or didn't understand. All in black in white, all above board. We'll
preserve the video for posterity as well,” Sydney said smugly.