Turning around, she went to cleanse.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Later that night when Ynyr returned to his Abby. Brice had shown him the three entrances to the Wing that he knew of, one on each level and Ynyr had Navon, Ull and Paganus help him in blocking them. These were the males he most trusted with keeping the secret. Ull because he was his brother. Navon because he was going to become the Captain of his Lady’s Guard, and Paganus because he was the Master of the Lord’s Wing and would need to know about them to protect his Lady.
He was considering including Korin, but Korin had been doing something much more important right then. Interrogating Quant.
It hadn’t taken Korin long to break Quant. No time at all really. Quant had confessed that even though he and Wasaki had been removed from the House he had been able to get one of the kitchen helpers to let him back in, telling him he had left behind some belonging. He had then let Oscosh and Wasaki into the House and they had hidden in the unused Wing not expecting Brice and Abby to suddenly appear. He had begged for mercy swearing he thought they were just going to rob the House taking enough so they could get away and begin new lives.
Ynyr didn’t believe that. His Abby had said it was Quant’s fingers that had bruised her arms. It was Quant who had the still untreated broken nose his Abby had given him. No Quant was guilty of much more. He received no mercy from Ynyr.
Now he looked down at his Abby, resting in their bed and knew he couldn’t rest there with her yet. Not until she forgave him for all he had said and done.
“Ynyr?” Sleepily she called out to him, her eyes slowly opening.
“I’m here Abby. You are safe.” He quickly told her.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, propping herself up on her elbows.
Ynyr closed his eyes, fighting back the moisture that filled them. Opening them, he let her see them. “Goddess Abby! I am so sorry! For everything!
“Shhh, this wasn’t your fault.”
“It was. It was caused by my actions, by my prejudices. If it hadn’t been for Brice I would have lost you!”
“No Ynyr. I’m the one that left this Wing. I knew you hadn’t had time to fully secure the House yet. I was being stubborn.”
“It should have been! You should be able to walk into any room in this House and not be afraid.”
“And that will happen, but it will take time Ynyr. I need to give you that time. I love you Ynyr.” She told him, reaching out to touch his cheek. “Do we still have things to work out? Yes. But we will work them out… together. Nothing is going to stop Ynyr Rigel and Abby Jamison from making this House Rigel the one that sets the standard for all the other Houses.”
Ynyr was leaning forward to kiss her, thanking the Goddess for bringing her into his life, when her words sank in. “This House Rigel?”
Abby frowned at him. “Yes, this House Rigel, there are two of them now. Remember?”
“Yes.” Slowly Ynyr rose, feeling drawn to the portrait of Varick’s family that hadn’t been moved since that terrible day a week ago. Turning back, he looked to Abby, who sat frowning at him from their bed. A bed, bathed in moonlight, the ‘J’ carved into the footboard shining bright.
A ‘J’ for Jacoby.
“I told you about how Queen Rawnie was once a Goddess, didn’t I?” Ynyr asked.
“Yes.” Abby said, frowning at him.
“But what I didn’t tell you that she was also the sister of ‘the Goddess’.”
“She was her sister?” Abby whispered.
“Yes and her mortal name was Rawnie Jacoby because we would be unable to pronounce her ‘Goddess’ name. It is why we call the Goddess, ‘the Goddess’.
“Um, okay. Wait! Jacoby?” Abby crawled down the bed to look over the edge at the carving on the footboard. “’J’… it’s for Jacoby.”
“Yes. But there is something else you do not know.” Ynyr started to move towards her.
“What?” Abby asked, lifting her head to look at him at him curiously.
“King Varick renamed his House after they Joined.”
“He changed it to Berto?”
“No Abby, he changed it to Jacoby. This,” he gestured around them, “was all once House Jacoby. It was only generations later that some idiot male decided to change it back to Berto.”
“Oh. Wow.” Abby sat back on her heels trying to take it all in.
“It is what I want to do Abby.” Ynyr told her.
“You want to change the House name back to House Jacoby?”
“No.” Ynyr shook his head as he sat down next to her. “King Varick chose the name Jacoby to honor his Queen, so that all would know what she meant to him. That she was the most important part of his House, no matter from where or who she came from.”
“Oh.”
“I want to rename the House, House Jamison.” Ynyr carefully framed her face with his hands. “I want to make this our House.”
Abby paled and felt her mouth drop open. She didn’t know what to say.
“Would that be alright with you Abby? If we became Ynyr and Abby Jamison of Etruria, Lord and Lady of House Jamison?”
“I…” tears filled Abby’s eyes at what Ynyr was willing to do to express his commitment to her, to their future, to show the entire Empire that she was a fit and worthy female. “It would be more than alright with me Ynyr.”
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
“He finally figured it out. I wasn’t sure he would.” Raiden said, staring down through the floor at the couple who had begun to embrace passionately, flicking his wrist he closed the opening.
“He is male. It sometimes takes them a while to see what is right in front of them.”
“Really?” Raiden turned to find his Goddess stretched out seductively across their bed.
“Yes.” She told him.
With another flick of his wrist the Goddess’ gown disappeared and her laughter was heard floating through the heavens.
Epilogue
Deep in the darkness Daco raged hearing the Goddess’ laughter. He had been so close! So close in separating those two stupid mortals! How had they been able to forgive one another? How could their bond have grown stronger instead of breaking doing a time of trouble? Now, because the doors Rawnie had empowered with protection were back where they belonged, he could no longer influence them during the dark hours.
It was something Daco had learned, thanks to his punishment. Mortals were most vulnerable in the dark, no matter where it was and Daco had used that knowledge to his advantage. He had whispered things to Emperor Lucan in the darkest of the nights, making him desire things he never had before. It was something Daco greatly enjoyed doing, making these mortals the Goddess thought so worthy, do things that weren’t. Bertos and Risa hadn’t even been a challenge, both were greedy, and mortal greed was always easy to manipulate.
No, it was in the turning of the fit and worthy, where the real challenge was because it always left a much deeper mark behind along with so much disbelief and devastation. Ynyr’s demise would have sent a devastating wave of destruction throughout the Empire, for he had been hand chosen by the Emperor himself, and all would begin to doubt House Vasteri because of it, along with House Rigel.
Who could he use now? Who was at a turning point? Searching the darkness Daco began to smile. Oh yes, there he was, sitting alone in the Lord’s command room, but it was not his command room.
Ull Rigel. A first male. Oh, he had lightly brushed Ull’s mind lately, trying to get him to challenge his brother, but Ull’s honor had been strong. If Daco could turn him…
Daco began to whisper.
About the Author
Michelle has always loved to read and writing is just a natural extension of this for her. Growing up, she always loved to extend the stories of books she'd read just to see where the characters went. Happily married for over twenty five years she is the proud mother of two grown children and with the house empty has found time to write again. You can reach her at
[email protected] m or her website at http://www.mkeidem.com she'd love to hear your comments.
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