Jacinda's Challenge (Imperial 3)

  Jotham stepped away from the podium and applause slowly began to build. By the time he reached the doors to exit, the entire Assembly was on its feet showing their support for their King.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  “Well, that was an… interesting speech.” Stephanie took a sip of her wine as she switched off the comm she’d turned on so she and her mother could watch the King’s speech. “I can’t believe he mentioned Dad after all these cycles.”

  “Your father and Jotham always had a great respect for each other,” Jacinda said absently thinking about what had been said. Especially the last part and wondered what was going on. She'd heard too many of these speeches to not realize he was sending a message, but to who?

  “I guess I just never realized it before.”

  “Why, does it worry you?” Jacinda gave her daughter a sharp look, knowing her tones.

  “It’s just… I told you what I want to do.”

  “To become the first woman accepted into the King’s Guard.”

  “Yes. Getting accepted into Captain Chamberlain’s elite training program is the first step. When I graduate from it, there will then be no excuse for them to refuse my application. No one else will have the specialized training I will.”

  “And that’s what you truly want?” Jacinda closely watched her daughter’s reaction and found herself surprised at the emotion she heard in her voice.

  “More than anything. I can’t explain it, Mom, but I need to be there. My heart and soul tell me I do. I don’t know why, but if I’m not…”

  “If you're not?”

  “Then I can’t follow that harder path that will take me to where I’m meant to be.” Stephanie turned tear-filled eyes to her mother, pleading for her understanding.

  Jacinda felt her own throat tighten at the absolute belief she heard in her daughter’s voice. How long had it been since she’d been that sure of the path she needed to be on? How long had it been since she had to truly work and sacrifice for something? Cycles for sure. Since she’d lost Stephan, nothing had truly challenged her enough to make her move outside her comfort zone. Not until… Jotham. Her gaze flew to the now dark comm. That couldn’t be right… could it?

  “Mom?”

  “I’m sorry, honey. What?” Jacinda forced her gaze away from the dark screen.

  “Are you alright?”

  “Of course I am.” Jacinda waved a dismissive hand. “If you believe that you are meant to be a member of the King's Guard then you will be. I’ve never known you to fail at something once you’ve set your mind to it. And I will be there, in the front row, proudly watching as you make history when they pin that insignia on your chest.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Stephanie rose to hug her mother. “You don’t know what your support means to me.”

  “I will always support you." Jacinda hugged her back. "You’re my daughter.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Jotham sat back in the limisin, watching the lights of Pechora pass as they drove back to the Palace. Across from him, Deffand sat silently watching him.

  "What's on your mind, Nicholas?" Jotham looked to his Captain, using his first name to let him know he could speak freely.

  "I found your speech... interesting."

  "Did you?"

  "Yes. Is there a threat that I am unaware of?"

  Jotham ran an assessing eye over his Captain. He shouldn't have been surprised that Nicholas had caught what he wasn't saying. He had been Jotham's Captain for fifteen cycles and before that served as a member of his Guard. He, more than most, knew how Jotham spoke when he was silently trying to make a point.

  "No 'threat' but the High Admiral discovered that Rogue Stannic has been regularly communicating with someone from the House of Protection, concerning Barek."

  "I'll increase his security immediately."

  "No. Barek is aware of the situation and will handle it." Jotham saw Nicholas frown. "The communications seem to be of a more personal nature as in trying to influence who he might choose as his Queen."

  "I wasn't aware Prince Barek was currently involved with anyone."

  "He's not. As I said, he is aware of the communications and will take precautions."

  "Still I would feel better assigning more guards."

  "I will discuss it with him, but you know that his answer will be no."

  "Yes, Majesty."

  "He won't be on planet much longer, Nicholas, and you know Barek refuses to get involved with anyone while he's on tour."

  "I believe the High Admiral was the same way... until he met Queen Cassandra."

  Jotham found himself laughing, "Yes, well that is true but I highly doubt Barek will find himself in the same situation."

  "If you say so, Majesty."

  "What did you think about the rest of the speech?"

  "It wasn't what you had planned on saying."

  "Was it that obvious?"

  "No, but I was there when you and Chesney discussed the points you wanted to cover."

  "Of course, I'd forgotten."

  "It was a rousing speech, Sire. Maybe not as much to a few of the Assemblymen, but to those that aren't, it validated that what they did mattered."

  "Which Assemblymen?" Jotham demanded.

  "Pajari for one, although if not for Madame Pajari jabbing him awake I don't think he would have heard a word."

  "I can't understand how that man can continue to be re-elected."

  "It has more to do with his wife than him. There are those that feel that having someone of 'Royal' blood as their Assemblyman will get their voices 'heard' more easily."

  "They are wrong."

  "I know this, just as I know you voiced your support of Danton Michelakakis."

  "I did no such thing."

  "You mentioned his father as one of the most important Assemblymen of your reign. It elevated his position within the Assembly even though he is newly elected."

  "That was not my intention."

  "But it is what was surmised by many Assemblymen, especially after what occurred at the Ball."

  "What 'occurred' at the Ball?" Jotham asked frowning.

  "Prince Barek opened the Ball by dancing with Jacinda."

  "He did that to prevent the rumors that always occur when I dance with one of the wives."

  "Of course, and it might have, had you not chosen her for the final dance. A dance you haven't danced since the death of Queen Lata. That didn't go unnoticed."

  "She is the widow of an important Assemblyman. It would have been rude of me to not dance with her."

  "Agreed, but it was the final dance. You, Majesty, are single. She is single. It started people wondering."

  "Let them wonder."

  "Yes, Majesty."

  Jotham frowned at Deffand. Over the cycles, he'd learned when Deffand wasn't saying something. "What's really bothering you, Nicholas?"

  "Not 'bothering,' Majesty, rather wondering."

  "Wondering what?"

  "If maybe there isn't more to your relationship with Jacinda than you are letting on."

  "With Jacinda? You feel you are well acquainted enough with her to use her first name?" Jotham found he didn't like that.

  "She insisted the last time we spoke."

  "I see." But he didn't. "She and I don't have a 'relationship.’"

  "May I ask why not? She is an amazing woman."

  "Excuse me?" Jotham wasn't used to anyone questioning him, especially not about his personal life. "You overstep, Captain!"

  "Pardons, Majesty." Deffand snapped his jaw shut and saw they were entering the Palace grounds. "Will you be wanting to return directly to your Wing, Majesty, or should I notify the guards that you will be in your gardens?"

  Jotham looked at his Captain, took in his stiff posture, and knew he had overreacted, again. Deffand would willingly sacrifice his life for his. He wasn't trying to further his own agenda with his question.

  It seemed his Assemblymen weren't the only ones that needed reminding that they
were no more important than anyone else.

  "I believe I would like to walk in the garden. Would you join me, Nicholas?"

  "If you wish, Majesty."

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Jotham let the fragrance of the night blooming flowers fill his senses as he wandered along the discreetly lit path of the garden. "Jacinda Michelakakis is an amazing woman." When Deffand didn't reply he looked to him and found him several steps behind him, his eyes scanning the area. "Let the guards on the walls do their job, Nicholas. You are off-duty."

  "I am never off-duty, Sire."

  "You are as of right now. I asked you to join me so we could talk. Not so you could guard me."

  "If that is what you wish, Majesty."

  "It is. Now Jacinda Michelakakis."

  "I agree, she is a truly amazing woman. One I don't think I've ever met the likes of."

  "She intrigues you." Jotham found he couldn't contain his surprise.

  "Yes, she's led an amazing life and yet she doesn't seem to see it that way. I'm not sure I would be the Captain of your Guard if it wasn't for her."

  "Why would you say that?"

  "It was one of my first days as a member of your Guard. There was a dinner, in your Wing, for a select number of Assemblymen and their wives to meet some dignitary, I don’t remember who."

  "Yet you remember Jacinda."

  "Yes. I was dreadfully ill that night, but I refused to tell Captain Rutherford. It was my first 'real' assignment and I wasn't about to call in sick. I stood at that wall, guarding the door as course after course was brought in and tried not to vomit. I was just about to excuse myself when Jacinda rose from her seat and asked if I would escort her to the restroom."

  "I don't remember that." Jotham thought back, but there had been so many dinners.

  "Yes, well as soon as the door closed she grabbed my arm, dragged me into the room with her, shoved a glass of water into my hand and ordered me to drink. She then went on to berate me about men who were too stubborn to admit when they were sick and just how was I supposed to protect the King when I could barely stand." Nicholas smiled at the memory. "No woman had ever dressed me down so well, except for maybe my mother."

  "She does have a talent for letting a man know when they've done something she perceives as incredibly stupid."

  "She does. Anyway, she refused to return to the table until she was sure I would make it through the rest of the night. We both know Rutherford would have dismissed me if I had left my post for any other reason than to watch over a guest."

  "Jacinda would have known that too."

  "Yes."

  "And she never approached you about it?" Jotham already knew the answer. "Never asked for any special favors in return?"

  "Never."

  "I've had my life mate, Nicholas."

  "As has Jacinda, that doesn't mean you can't have another."

  "Spoken like one who’s never had a life mate." Jotham's laugh held no humor.

  "No, I haven't, and it’s doubtful I'll ever find one. I never had the honor of meeting Queen Lata, Majesty, but I can't believe your life mate would want you to spend your life alone... Not when there is someone you obviously care about."

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  It was later that night as Jotham lay in his bed, alone, that he truly thought about what Deffand had said. It just wasn't possible.

  "Why?" The sweetest voice he ever heard asked.

  Jackknifing up, Jotham found he wasn't in his bed. He wasn't even in the Palace. He was back at the Academy, in Lata's room, leaning against the wall along her bed, holding her in his arms as he'd done so often when they'd stolen time together.

  "Why what?" he asked and closed his eyes as his arms tightened around her, enjoying the feeling of her sinking into them.

  "Why isn't a relationship possible between you and Jacinda?"

  "What?" Jotham's eyes flew open and he looked down at her, but it wasn't Lata's sixteen-cycle eyes he was looking into, it was the eyes of his wife, his Queen, the ones that knew him so well.

  "Why is a relationship with Jacinda impossible?" Lata's warm hand pressed against his pounding heart as she pushed slightly away. "I'm with the ancestors, Jotham, but you’re not."

  "That doesn't matter!" His tone was angry but still he held her.

  "It does." Lata's soft voice cut through his angry one. "It's been so long, Jotham. You've suffered so much. Did you think I couldn't feel it? That just because I was gone that a part of me wasn't still connected to you?"

  "Then how can you possibly want..."

  "You to be happy again? To find love again?"

  "Stop!"

  "I won't stop, my love, because I love you!" Lata framed his face with her hands. "You were my first and only love, Jotham. We had such plans. So many dreams."

  "I'm sorry I couldn't give them to you." He felt the crushing weight of it descend again.

  "Jotham, you did! Don't you see? Was it the way we planned? No, but that doesn't mean you still didn't give them to me." She tipped her head to the side. "Do you remember our first anniversary?"

  "I remember you wanted to go away to Messene. We didn't go."

  "You had a meeting, so instead you brought Messene to me. You had the Chef get all his ingredients from Messene. You ordered him to make only 'authentic' Messene dishes."

  "They were awful," Jotham half-smiled as he remembered the disaster that meal had been.

  "Because you never asked him if he could make authentic Messene dishes. He had no clue," Lata laughed.

  "I wanted it to be so special for you."

  "It was. I was with you."

  "I was always with you."

  "Not like that you weren't. You cleared the whole day. It wasn't enough time to travel to Messene, but it was better. You gave me your time. No one interrupted us for the entire day! We laughed, we talked, we loved. We created Barek that day. It was a happy time."

  "It was."

  "You can be happy again, my love. Can love again. You can if you let yourself."

  "It would never be the same."

  "Of course not, but that doesn't make it wrong. It doesn't mean you can't. Love is a precious gift. Don't let it pass you by."

  Chapter Eleven

  "I'll get it, Mom!" Stephanie called out as she walked up to answer the knocking on the door. Opening it, she was momentarily stunned to find Captain Deffand standing there.

  "Lieutenant Michelakakis."

  "Captain Deffand."

  "May I come in?" he asked raising an eyebrow slightly.

  "Oh. Yes. Of course."

  "Stephie, who’s here?"

  Deffand pulled his eyes from Stephanie to see Jacinda walking toward him. "Madame Michelakakis." He noted her look and corrected himself. "Jacinda."

  "Much better, Nicholas. So to what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?"

  Deffand reached inside his jacket to the concealed inner pocket and withdrew the sealed envelope the King had asked him to deliver, and handed it to Jacinda.

  Stephanie looked on confused. Why was the Captain of the King's Guard delivering a message to her mother and why did her mother seem so hesitant to take it?

  Jacinda slowly reached out and took the envelope from Nicholas. Without even opening it, she knew it was from Jotham. He was the only one the Captain of his Guard would deliver a message for. What could he possible want to say to her?

  Breaking the seal on the envelope, she walked across the room toward the open doors that led to the garden to give herself some privacy. She pulled out the folded piece of paper and read the words written in Jotham's own hand.

  Madame Michelakakis,

  I feel the need to apologize for the way I spoke to you the other day.

  I know your words were heartfelt and I didn't mean for my response to alarm you.

  I would like the chance to repair any damage my actions may have caused and invite you to dine with me tomorrow night.

  I await your response.

  King Jotham br />
  Jacinda reread the note, feeling the weight of the paper between her fingers and taking in the House of Protection arrow imbedded in it. Jotham's initials were along the shaft, telling her it was from his personal stock. She'd seen enough ‘correspondence’ to know it was always on a lightweight paper with just the arrow.

  How was she supposed to respond to this? She understood why Jotham felt the need to apologize. It had been so out of character for him to react that way, to allow his emotions to be revealed like that. She'd witnessed Jotham’s anger before and seen him put someone in their place, both during dinners she and Stephan had attended. But he'd always done it politely, so coolly that some missed the rebuke altogether. And he never raised his voice and he never revealed his emotions.

  It was something she'd always admired... and wondered about. Had he really become that controlled? That cold? Where had the young man Lata had said was so warm and romantic gone?

  She had gotten a glimpse of him during their lunch, but the words in this note came from the cool, controlled man she'd known for cycles. It was the other man that intrigued her, he was the one she wanted to get to know better.

  He had asked her to call him Jotham, but he'd signed this note 'King' Jotham. Again sending mixed signals. Did he want to have dinner with Madame Michelakakis, the widow of an Assemblyman and the mother of a new one, to make sure he hadn't offended her? Or did he want to have it with Jacinda, a woman because he was interested?

  Jacinda couldn't decide which one she wanted it to be. Was she really interested in trying to start a personal relationship with Jotham? He was an attractive man. They had a long history together even if Jotham was only starting to realize it. They had a lot in common: both had lost their life mates, both had grown up in politics, and they both knew it could never go anywhere.

  Jacinda looked through the doors to her mother's rose bush. The one she'd transplanted here after her mother's death. She'd been so worried the 'mother' wouldn't thrive here. After all, it had always grown in House of Healing soil. She could still remember her amazement when it bloomed that first time. The root her mother had given her had bloomed violet, just as Lata's had. She remembered calling her mother distraught about it.