When Alex, now unavoidably recognised as Lord Varga, had been trying to decide on the location of their first embassy building, in the northern trading port of Fundis, he had pretty much only one prerequisite – it had to be on the beach. This had proved quite difficult, as the influential and wealthy group of local merchants and inn-keepers who owned much of the land on the coast to the north and west of the city were very protective of their growing trade.

Still, no matter how uncomfortable with his title and position Alex might be, he had to admit that being Lord Varga, consort to Prince Jamethon, opened many doors. After much negotiation – and some considerable expense that was borne by the Tanerian crown – a plot of land was made available at the western end of the long expanse of sandy beach, almost where the sands end and the rocky shore that turns north begins. It’s perhaps a few hundred yards too far away from the city centre for most, but Alex has no worries about distance.

Jamie had decided to be in charge of the design and construction; his long time spent as a student and friend with Catheon the Engineer guiding his hand. Alex, now long used to their apartment in Tanis, was more than happy to give them free reign. What they ended up with was a comfortable home that was somehow both a relaxing dwelling and a substantial ambassadorial residence where parties and meetings could take place. Having been born by the ocean, albeit a much cooler one, Alex loves it.

Spending so much time in the north has brought subtle changes. Alex is now much more comfortable when dressed like a local, light open shirt in bright blue and simple short pants in an equally light fabric that can get wet and dry in just minutes. He now wears his hair permanently short, close cropped to his skull, long having given up the constant maintenance of his once long pony-tail. Careful exposure to the northern sun has darkened his complexion with a golden-bronze tan.

Five years after the siege of Tanis was broken by Alex and Jamie’s incredible demonstrations of the power of the Flame of the West, the entire continent appears to be in a state of relative peace. Ambassadorial mediation now involves the occasional settling of a dispute over water or mineral resources and they have not needed to use their magic for much more than travel for well over a year.

Not everything has gone quite according to plan or without incident, but peace and prosperity has certainly brought many advantages, more than enough to outweigh the minor issues that plague them still.

The greatest change was, of course, the ever-growing sense of acceptance that had been missing for much of Alex’s adult life. King Talus had been true to his word, casually given at the wedding of his elder son, Damien. A monarch’s power was indeed broad and unquestionable. He had chosen to have the Tanerian laws concerning marriage changed without further consultation.

Alex and Jamie had been working on a relatively minor trading dispute in the kingdom of Meribor, far to the west, when the new rules had been proclaimed and knew nothing about the whole affair until they returned.

Then, King Talus had chosen to tell only Jamie about the changes he had made when they were absent, rather than confiding in them both. This had led to an elaborate plot on Jamie’s part that culminated in a proposal on the beach here in Fundis as the sun was setting on a warm summer evening.

To say that Alex had been annoyed might be an extreme understatement. Of course, he had accepted the proposal in the spirit it had been made, but he was much more vocal when the pair returned to Tanis a few days later. His sense of honour made him strongly feel that, as the older man by a few years, he should have been the one to propose marriage. That he was on the verge of hoping to do so was galling.

With hindsight, he realized that he just didn’t like being surprised and was blaming the King and his enjoyment of a little secrecy for his loss of control.

Still, the acceptance of same-sex marriage by Taneria wasn’t accepted universally across the continent. Sure, Meribor, Salicia and Eboria were quick to follow suit with changes of their own, but other nations were much more reticent and set in their ways. Other states, like Fundis and Sulis were more or less ambivalent, but Eloria and Fionor were still very much opposed to the idea.

One country’s loss is, however, another country’s gain. There were not waves of migration, but a trickle of movement was noticeable across the whole continent. Perhaps a few hundred couples and a similar number of single individuals looking to start a new, more open and accepted life made a decision to migrate in exchange for that considerable degree of freedom.

Unwittingly, Jamie and Alex found themselves in the position of being icons for same-sex couples across the continent. Being asked to attend events and social occasions was only expected in their ambassadorial roles, but it was sometimes a little draining. Being invited purely for being gay was, as far as Alex was concerned, stepping over a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

What didn’t happen, of course, was any lessening in the constant flow of invitations to receptions, balls, parties and celebrations, across the entire continent. Whatever feelings a state or its rulers might have regarding Alex and Jamie being married, these were always easily set aside when there was a political point to be made or  some perceived gain to be had. Being the ambassadors didn’t need them to do particularly much, but they did osccasionally have to actually work.

Alex often still finds it necessary to pretend that he is less powerful than he actually is, particularly if it helps to keep people around him at ease and relaxed in their lives. So, even though he knows exactly where Jamie is, he has a tendency to ask the staff whenever he is looking for an excuse to be with his husband.

“Jack,” Alex asks as he steps into the hallway of the embassy. “Do you know where the Prince is?”

“I believe he went out onto the beach, My Lord,” Alex and Jamie’s head servant replies with a smile. “He said it was a fine day for a swim.”

“Very well. I’ll be on the beach as well, if anybody needs me,” Alex replies before turning without waiting for a response and heading towards the front gate of the compound.

Alex had never been fond of having a walled residence, but it was seen as a necessity, considering the sovereign status of the land that they had bought. The whole idea of ambassadorial territory was a new one, but several of the states had been concerned about security and sovereignty. An enclosed compound solves many of these problems with relatively little downside.

The compromise that had finally been agreed between most of the concerned parties was that the land for any embassy would be considered the territory of the represented state. So, the plot enclosed by the now necessary wall was the territory of Taneria and a couple of guards were required to be on duty at the gate at all times.

Just inside the gate, close to the entrance and to the left, was the publicly accessible administrative offices for the embassy. A small staff of both Tanerian and Fundis staff worked here, advising and assisting potential travellers and providing a contact point for Tanerian nationals in need of assistance. There’s still not enough travel to make it busy, but there’s a steady flow of people going about their business.

Across the courtyard and to the right of the entrance was the guard-house and barracks. Alex accepted the need for guards, but had insisted that the garrison was as small as possible. In the end, Alex, Jamie and the King had agreed that twenty men would be sufficient to maintain a workable rota for guard duties and any ceremonial requirements. It had quickly become a much-sought appointment, with both Alex and Jamie being very relaxed about day-to-day arrangements.

The residence was low and broad, facing the gates across the courtyard and spanning much of the width of the available land. Jamie and Cato had designed it to be sympathetic to the local architecture, yet subtly also incorporating nods to the more formal styles of Taneria. A broad veranda runs the entire length of the frontage, but the roofs are of tile and more substantial than anything local might be.

Alex walks slowly and purposefully across the courtyard and out the main gate with a nod to the two guards on duty. He walks quickly across the street and straight onto the warm pale sand.

There’s little more than a row of palms to indicate where the road ends and the beach begins. Just to the west, the road stops in a broad turning place, often the location of a few street traders. The way further west blocked by the rocky broken ground. Similarly, the sand ends at the base of a low bluff that quickly becomes proper rocky cliffs a little to the north.

Off to one side, perhaps half-way to the water, there are a couple of guards on watch. They are standing and talking to one-another, but it is clear to Alex that they’re doing their jobs, keeping a watchful eye for anything out of the ordinary. They’ve been told to be casual and informal when on such duty and it’s good to see that they are doing as ordered. Neither Alex or Jamie like to be guarded and neither of them really need to be protected from anyone. They don’t prevent people from using the beach, just maintain a wary eye for anything unusual.

Jamie has dropped a towel and his shirt onto the sand, just far enough from the edge of the water to stay dry. Alex can see him standing in the water, just above waist-deep, beyond the line of gently breaking waves.

It hadn’t taken him long to become much more comfortable with being in the water than Alex remembered. He went from needing a hand to hold to swimming and diving in what seemed like just a few days. Spotting his approaching husband, he beckons with a raised hand for Alex to join him in the water. Alex kicks his light shoes off and pulls his shirt over his head before running into the breaking waves and diving into the surf.

“Oh, that feels so good,” he mutters as he finally surfaces beside his husband, reaching out a hand to draw Jamie towards him for a gentle kiss.

Jamie is only too happy to return the kiss and wrap his arms around Alex in a loving embrace. “The water or me?”

“Both. I’ve been working all morning and had no idea where you were,” Alex suggests.

“Nonsense. You can see exactly where I am at all times and you know that I know this,” Jamie tells him with a grin. “If I’ve got to go to this bloody meeting tomorrow, I’m relaxing for the rest of today.”

“Sorry. I don’t want to go to Fionor tomorrow either, but sometimes you just have to do what you must. We are both expected and we have to turn up now. We won’t stay any longer than necessary though. You know I despise the man.”

“You seem to have that feeling with most kings, my love,” Jamie tells him with a smile. “Barras is an oaf. You have my permission to throw him across the room if he annoys you. I don’t even think that it would bother Father all that much if you did.”

“I just don’t see what all the fuss is about. Can’t we just leave him down there on his peninsula and forget about his sad little kingdom.”

“We could, but then we’d have to try and find another source of minerals that currently only Fionor can supply. Father said that we have to keep him on our side.”

“I know. I’m just not sure that I can do that when I’m constantly tempted to pull his arms off.”

“Well, warn me if you plan to do so tomorrow. I’m going to be wearing a new shirt. Now, stop thinking about the trip and relax.”

“Okay. I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk this afternoon?”

“A walk? Did you have a particular place in mind for this walk?”

“I did. Shara was showing me a valley in the mountains to the west of Novatus. I thought we could go and see him and explore for an hour or two?”

“He’s finished with the visit to his people then?”

“Apparently so. Now he’s moving slowly south and west. We haven’t seen him for several weeks and I thought it might make a nice change of scenery for a few hours.”

“We’d better go back and change then.”