Anthony left the fortress the next day, he went straight to the capital with a letter to my brother.  When my brother read my letter he went a little mad and started laughing and proclaiming how the church had lost its way and he would have to make roads to remove their influence. Before his ever shrinking court that night he did the one thing we really hoped he wouldn’t do he declared himself the true king and attempted to have those in attendance swear to him. however those that did remain were already our people. many were family that had lost sons to the war so were happy to show how far Brit had gone to alienate himself so they just stood around him like he was invisible. When he screeched at his garden to “kill them all” his personal guards made for the crowd and our men came from there hiding spots and took Brit. They fallowed the well established playbook  that had burn used on Lynda. Drugging him quickly so he was not a issue, his men were arrested and they were quickly striped of all his belongings or identification and put on a ship to Jumb were he would be delivered to Kind Seama who would give him the choice of marrying his favorite daughter in a union to end the war and combine our nations or Brit could choose death. 

This was all worked out, Jumb had abundant resources and culture many nations were always trying too nibble off peaces of them. With our new union they would not only be under our protection but also Orin as well. Sense we would all be family at that point. 

I was told that after Brit had his new circumstances explained he had raged and screamed. It all fell on deff ears as only his interpreter understood anything he said and even else in Jumb knew he was the one that started the war. It only took him a month of solitary confinement, before he signed the documents to relinquish the crown fully, marry the princess and the never retune to Keyat. 

Once we received the documents a ceremony was held were our door was finally unlocked. we wear our best dress outfits and even dressed little Adel up too. High cleric Anthony placed the royal signal on my hand and Adel was marked as my heir. It would have been a quiet affair if Lynda and King Fredric hadn’t be crying in each other arms the whole time. They really were cut from the same exuberant cloth.

Form there life was a whirlwind we were whisked to the capital and introduced to half the country along the way, as now it was common knowledge the country had a new king. We did stop for two nights at Grayfield manor were I got to introduce my family to Martha. Martha was unconvinced by everything as she had changed my diapers as a babe so knew the full story, she had only ever seen me as poor excuses for a lady but now here I was fully garbed as a king on holiday, well if not lean muscled and naturally affectionate with my wife. She was so distressed she retired early from our meal. 

I took my leave as soon as I could excuse myself from the table and went to her sitting room. I entered to see her already in tea dress with a brandy in her hand staring out the window. she looked so much older then the last time I had seen her.

“Martha am I so distressing to you that you wont support my rain?” I stayed in the door way not knowing the educate for married person of differing sexes that were like family but not related??? 

she looked at me for a long time then starred out the window. then finally in her hard way said “It wasn’t our choice to raise  you as a girl. It is what we were commanded to do.”

I tried to hid my shock she was apologizing for forcing me to be a lady “Do I pull off this look so well that you think this is more natural to me?”

She looked at me appalled that I could stand before her as a man and speak as a Lady pretended. It affronted the structure of her world “Is this not your nature, is that not the point that you were natural all along or some such, so you are the rightful king. so everything we did only pushed you out of the right order of things, putting your brother in place to start the whole war we have all suffered!” her stone face had slow tears making their way down. 

“Lady Martha, you above all have taught me not to give in to dramatics.” I pulled a handkerchief from my sleeve made my way to her and patted her eyes “Martha, I am King and husband. I am a father and child, I and male and female. We are all many things. I am as I have always been, as in my early life it was the best for our kingdom for me to be hid away and I played the part of lady now it is best for my kingdom to be King, so King I am. To serve the crown is to give all of yourself I was just just blessed to be able to fill many rolls.”

“then you don’t resent us for forcing you to be womanly?” she was collecting her self now 

“No I am thankful to have both parts of myself, I know who I am as a lady, I am still learning who I am as King. However  with Lynda I get to be my whole self, no secrets, no side preferred, just love for all of me. She was the inspiration for this new tunic style and flamboyant pattern. she is helping me live all of me, in my daily activities.”

“yes, she is very foreign… I do think that is in your favor, it will mask some of your newer fashions. Please just don’t put James in such things I don’t think my heart could take it!” 

the thought of Jame in my new fashion caught me into a fit of laughter. “I would never, I am told as King I am expected to have some oddity’s, mine should be fashion and privacy. To give my people things to talk about because I do want them to talk about me. I want them to be curious and get invested in what is to come. I want people to be looking forward as what is behind us is so dark”

“So what is my roll in all of this?” she looked concerned about keeping the secret. Her time in the capital had been explained as Lady Samantha finally being married away so Martha was was relieved of her charge and free to return to society.  She had been certain to make lady Samantha’s departure complete, telling tails of how the unfortunate had grown plain and dull in all things. quit the striking opposite form all the things she had herd about our new handsome king. she spread so many rumors making the new king sound everything from angelic and fair to tall and handsome. so no one knew what to expect.    

“officially your great niece Samantha was married of to a forager and was never heard form again. We don’t officially know each other though our stop here is an excuse to make some claim of your good nature, that will excuse me to invite you to the capital in the future.” having my lady’s identity die on the voice was the easiest way to clear up any doubts.

“that I can aid you in.” she made her way to her writhing desk and took a small painting and brought it to me. You should have this.This painting is how you ended up here. Your grandmother was my best friend growing up, so when she had your Father she was forever telling him of how idilic Grayfield life is so when he knew you would not be safe in the capital he placed you in the best part of your grandmothers life.

 This was the two of us on our coming out season. she was so perfect, the artist offered to paint her for only the chance to paint something so beautiful and she insisted I sit with her. Then when she married the king she gave it to me as she knew she wouldn’t be coming back and would have plenty of royal painting for the rest other life.”

“She was stunning!” she looked like every one of my flaws had been perfected!

“When you think to what standard I always held you to it was her, always her. their was naver a more lovely lady then your grandmother.” Martha looked wistfully at the painting. “ I hope you will take this painting not only as a glimpse at your grandmother but also of the time I too have put in to you, if any of it was good.”

I admired the priceless gift  “I believe, I have my grandmothers spirit and have only precious memory’s of our dear Grayfeild and hope to find a small summer estate to escape too during the off season.” 

“We will see if you make it out of the capital at all, most do not.” she looked sadly at the image of my grandmother. “you do have so much work to do though… you have my support even if I can not understand you, you are my king and I will be loyal.”

I thanked her and kissed her hand before making my way back to Lynda and James. They were discussing town events and people I had told her about over our time in cell. James razed his eye brows at me a question of his wife well being “She’s been out of sorts sense she found out. don’t bother your head about it just a silly notion. once our coach man was called to the front and didn’t come back she has taken the whole war quite personal.”

I found this complete brush off of woman’s emotions irritating “I quit agree with her she is a cunning woman, I am glad to know have in my corner. Least I not said it in my youth you made a very good marriage.” then I went about explaining the little painting to Lynda.

By the time we reached the capital Lynda was not herself again. with all the changes and new people and expectations I didn’t find it quite so odd. We were stepping in to the palace with all of our things and getting introduced to all of our staff and attendance all at one. when things started to go awry over the last week I noticed Lynda didn’t want to let Adel out of her sight as he had started to ween himself and that was just too big of a change. She was about to make a grand stand when the staff tried to take Adel to the nursery. Explaining to her that there was no need for her to do any more with him her job was done. Even though I was in the middle of being introduced to someone important, herd the distress in Lyndas voice at having our son mostly removed from our lives. So more rude then I intended walked away for the conversation I had been in, over to the woman who had just removed my son from my wife’s arms.

 I had gotten better at giving orders but always felt like the little boys in town that pretend to be the constable. For Lynda and my family I would work on that skill till it was perfect. with my good hight I easily plucked my son from the woman. Then as the room of chaos that was trying to unpack our carriages and make us aquatinted with the palace life all stoped to stair at me as I held my son, who was not happy about his mother not being happy. 

“You will make us feel welcome in the manor We chose. This is our home now and we will all sink in to the comfort of the routine of this place together. However I am not kings of past and Will not be doing things as they did, precisely when it come to family. All due traditions of court and holidays should be honored but if you chose to make me or my family uncomfortable then you will quickly learn my wrath. However if you find us appropriate accommodations for our privacy and privet time and give us the respect you would within your own home. Then you will find my fever easily given.” I waked over to the man I had just snubbed and introduced him to the future king and went about the rest of the activities they had scheduled for me. 

Lynda would step in from tany time Adel needed more attention then I could give. as we together went though our schedule of things. However I soon noticed that there was a conspiracy to separate us. By first distracting me so they could remove Adel from Lynda. I found I had little patience for being handed so again left the conversation, took my son and my wife and started walking off in a direction I didn’t know. A parade of people followed us, begging attention, all but reprimanding us for our inappropriate behavior. We ended up at the chapel so they had to quite down I walked the long isle to the side door of some cleric,  Anthony had assured me that the palace cleric Tomas was a stalwart if ever I needed. 

Tomas was a jolly man that looked amused by his suddenly full chapel “Greetings my children how may we accommodate you?”

“Pleaser to meet you father Tomas, I am King Sam this is my lovely wife Queen Lynda and this is our future Adel. Could you do me the favor of teaching a lesson on family unity and how it strengthen the nation, Any passages you may know on how a King is to lead by example to his people and the like.”

Tomas nodded knowing he was being used to dampen the crowd but when he saw the distress in Lyndas face as another person tried to implore her to hand over Adel. He understood our small family needed each other. he bowed to me and set about a truly interesting sermon on just the topics I had asked for. he also wove in things to assert my authority and how the unity of marriage was not a thing for any person to separate. He went on for a Long Long time and Lynda and I sat in the peace of his voice in such a sacred space, truly feeling blustered by the atmosphere. The walls echoed a bit like our cell and it gave us such a reprieve from all the looks loos who in long streams filtered though the church to get a look at our family but no one was royal enough to sit on our pew so for the most part it was just the three of us in a big chamber listing to Tom reinforce our family. As he wrapped up the lengthy sermon with a beautiful prayer. before dismissing everyone he invited us to dine with him. I nodded my agreement before anyone could argue. Argue they did so I made clear. 

“Let me clarify I am not the king you are used to, I am the King you need and you will learn to work with me, not against me. If you would like me to fallow a schedule you may check with me at 5:30 am then you may learn what my other requirements are. Also I have quit a memory for faces so you in the back forcing wave after way of servants to harass my wife, I will learn your names and you will not be happy about it. Take note I do not like round and about ways of doing thing Come to me and speak to me so I may give you a clear answer and if you can not fallow my order rest assured I will find you other work.”

Then we fallowed Tomas to his rooms and had a quiet sensible dinner. Things were much improved when Anthony arrived late that night and he set to rights. Anthony and his many conation soon rooted out that all the people who had positioned themselves to handle us, the very men who had been trying to separate us, turned out that to be a group odyssey conspirators trying to test if they should bring back my brother or if  they had the steal in my spin to be a real king. These men had profited with mightily with Brits hands off way of ruling, they found it easy to manipulate him. Brit was so focused on Jumb he had let our country needs slid and rot. So these men swooped in and pilfered all that they could to the benefit of just a few, they were that few.