The bathroom was huge, able to accommodate a wheelchair for the shower and even a lift for the tub. Double sinks and a huge mirror. I was afraid to look at myself but thankfully, they put me to bed first. All I wanted to do was sleep and even did that through the Unit doctor’s physical examination.
After that, I took a powernap that lasted for 18 hours and Gramps woke me declaring he was afraid I had lapsed into a coma. I opened bleary eyes, well, one eye anyway and I was disoriented for a frantic minute until I realized where I was. Even more bizarre, my room was filled with serious dudes in three-piece dark suits, sunglasses, earbuds and suspicious bulges at their armpits. They were armed. And presently, I saw why. My eyes widened as the President entered my room, hand extending to shake Grandpop’s and asked me how I was doing.
“Okay,” I stuttered, trying to hit the button to make me sit up at the same time as I tried to finger comb my hair.
“Don’t worry,” he teased me. “You look presentable, if a trifle jet-lagged. I hear you had an exciting time in Afghanistan. Are you recovering?”
“Yes, Mr. President,” I stammered shaking his hand.
“Good. Just wanted to meet Carl’s grandson and to tell you all that the Unit that rescued you have been rewarded and those that are so inclined may discharge into your Grandfather’s service with no repercussions.”
“Thank you.”
“You hungry?” he asked smiling. “I heard the chef here is almost as good as mine.” I looked at my doctor whom I had yet to meet officially and he nodded.
“As long as it’s bland and he can tolerate it. Today’s the first day your temp has been normal and your WBC below 100,000. I believe the infection has been eradicated. Stop at the first sign of nausea.”
“Okay,” I agreed. Looked around the room and an aide appeared. A little guy with dark hair and eyes, his nametag was ‘Ramon’ and he escorted everyone out.
“Would you like a shower before you get dressed?” he asked me and I relaxed when I saw he was wearing a wedding ring.
“Can I get my belly wet?” I was dubious.
“Sure. Your port’s closed and as long as you don’t scrub your surgical wound, it’s covered with steri-seal, you can have a sit down shower.”
“Great. My hair feels grungy.” I rubbed the stubble---I’d been shocked that my head had been shaved but I’d gotten used to it after the first week. It helped that I wasn’t near any mirrors, too. He slid me out of bed into a shower chair, removed my gown and covered me with a sheet. Didn’t say anything about the fading bruises or the scars. Pushed me into the bathroom and into the porcelain tiled shower done in Aztec geometric designs of taupe, rust and beige. I scrubbed my hair, armpits and crotch while he got my back and legs, even between my toes. Strapped the seatbelt around me, grinned and asked if I needed some hand time.
I looked at him and blushed as I translated his meaning. Mumbled something and he handed me a washcloth, the shower wand and lotion as he closed the door. I thought about it but my body and belly muscles were just too sore to risk so I rinsed myself off, gooped up my skin with the lotion and called him back when I was done.
Toweling off was beyond my capabilities, sitting on the bed while he dressed me took all my remaining energy. Gramps or Dad had brought my clothes from the Frisco house, even my sneakers and dress shoes. He put me in my very best suit (Grandpop had them made in London) a simple but elegant wine so deep it looked almost black. Worsted with narrow trousers and a slim cut jacket with narrow lapels. A soft blue shirt, gold cuff links, silk socks and shiny black slip-ons. No tie and I wasn’t the bow tie type. He brushed my hair back, shaved me and applied cologne that I recognized as Dad’s unique scent. Admired me and then held a small boudoir mirror up to my face. I gaped. I looked exactly like my father except for the color of my eye.
“Oh, here’s a new eye patch your Dad left,” he said and handed it to me. I laughed. It had a dragon in gold thread next to a white Unicorn instead of the plain black cup. Thank the gods it wasn’t some football or baseball team logo.
“Ready?” Surprisingly, I was. Eager and hungry. Ramon whisked me down the hallway which was wide enough for two rows of wheelchairs to pass each other. Doors led into other patient rooms and the nursing station was at the end of the hall, a round counter with computer terminals and medical equipment.
We went down in an elevator that had four floors plus a basement and into a large dining room straight out of a Boston mansion. China, crystal and sterling dinnerware on beautifully appointed tables. Flowers on the table, linen tablecloths and napkins. Everyone inside was either related to me or knew me or with the President’s entourage. They all stood up from their seats and clapped making me blush in embarrassment. Dad proposed a toast to my continued recovery and then, Ramon wheeled me next to my Grandpop and the President. We ate, they conversed around us and I listened to the conversation between my two dads and the President, realized that he knew them both a lot deeper than just friends. He mentioned things that only a person who’d been to Amber should’ve known. I looked at him with more intensity and he caught my stare, winked at me asking if I preferred red wine or green. Since green wine was the Cuke wine that Vialle drank and I’d never seen anywhere else, I knew he must mean Amber’s version.
“And how is your family, Carl?” He asked genially. “Randy and Vi?”
Now I knew he’d been to Amber. “Where did you grow up, Mr. President?” I asked suspiciously.
“Oh you know, here, there, the South Seas.”
“Amber?”
“Where’s that?” He asked blandly.
“The land of unicorns and dreams,” my grandfather said and discussed issues of which I had no knowledge. I contented myself with my tomato basil soup, potato soufflé and Dover sole. They had wine, I was allowed a glass of water with a lime slice and left most of the food on my plate. I took only a spoonful of each before my stomach was full. I had an instant sugar rush and came crashing down to yawn repeatedly at the table. Said excuse me so many times I gave up.
Grandpop suggested I go back to bed but I demurred thinking it was just too rude to fall asleep in the company of the President of the United States. He said if it wasn’t rude to call the Prince of Amber Gramps then I could take a nap with him present. So I did. Dad wheeled me over to one of the plush couches, arranged me on it and sat next to me while he guzzled fragrant cups of coffee and ate French pastries.
“Save me a Napoleon,” I yawned and laid my head on his shoulder. I felt him stroking my stubble before I fell asleep.
I woke up during the night and thought it all a dream until I rolled over and saw the enormous flaky pastry sitting on my bed table covered in plastic wrap. A night-light made my room bright enough to see and it showed me both a nurse sitting quietly reading a Kindle and a guard outside my door. Rinlon and Tegan looked uncomfortable in a suit, both pulling at their collars. I went back to sleep.
In the morning, I woke on my own before the aides or nurses came in. Managed to slide out of bed and hobbled over to the bathroom. I could walk fine as long as I took it slow and didn’t stand up to stretch my belly muscles. Toileted, brushed my teeth and washed my face. Stared into the mirror. Saw my face, thin, wind-burned, a silly patch over my eye and the other was bloodshot. I looked pale and sickly, not the robust teenager I remembered. I lifted the clean gown and stared in shock. The doctors had opened me up from the bottom of my ribs to my pubic bone. I had a huge scar where staples and stitch lines were covered with a plastic sticky sheet and a large Band-Aid where they’d removed the drains. Two large bandages on my sides where they had inserted tubes to drain my lungs. I was an ugly shade of lime green and piss yellow. You could count every rib and my hip bones stuck out like a poor cow. The port sewn into my intestines looked obscene, my belly wasn’t flat but concave like a deep bowl. I had no muscle although you could see I’d once been heavily built in the shoulders. Probably from all the flying as a Dragon. I was suddenly sick of the way I looked and incredib
ly homesick.
I sat down on the toilet, resting until I knew I could make it back to the bed but opted for the chair instead. The day nurse came in, saw I was up and asked me what I’d like for breakfast. Gave me my pills and told me I was scheduled for surgery later to remove the port as I was eating and passing food. I nodded, told her I wanted an omelet and she said it would be brought to my room as soon as it was ready. I was picking at the ham and mushrooms when the Amber contingent entered my room.
Epilogue-Chapter 50
Towards the end of the week, I was able to get up on my own and do all my own hygiene without getting dizzy or sick to my stomach. Grandpop and Dad took me out on excursions into the Virginia countryside and finally, the doctor discharged me to Gramps’ custody. I saw his Virginia mansion, almost as beautiful as Tara but a much smaller scaled down version. Although I wanted to go home right away, he made me stay a week where I did nothing but lay around and get pampered. I put on another 10 pounds, my wounds faded and all my staples came out.
I wandered the house and found statues and artwork from Vialle and old masters. When I asked Gramps, he told me that they might be Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo but not this world’s Michelangelo and da Vinci. Some of them were exact copies except that the Mona Lisa faced right instead of left; the statue of David had boobs and instead of a sling, he carried a bow.
I watched many movies and Dad took me for walks in the woods behind the estate. Part of the Smokey Mountains, I could hike for hours had I the energy. Once around the backyard was enough and all three guards came with me. I’d convinced Rin, Pire and Tegan to try out jeans and they loved them except for Rinlon who’d become a bit of a fashion horse, he preferred Dockers. I couldn’t wear jeans yet, the pressure on my belly hurt so I shuffled around in scrub bottoms with a drawstring waist and T-shirt tops. Dad brought me a whole collection of vintage tees from Metallica, CCR, David Lee Roth and Kansas. Even a Blondie. My favorite was Freddie Mercury of Queen.
The backyard was a rose garden complete with grape arbor, pergola and benches to sit on. I collapsed after my first circuit onto a pretty wicker chair and before I could say ‘howdy doody’, some fancy butler in tux and tails was asking if I would like tea. “Yes, please. Sugar and milk,” I added and stared. Jumped up as quickly as an eighty-year-old half dead wizard and hugged Marcus. Kissed him to his utter disgust and smiled so hard my face hurt. “Hey.”
“Raven. Raven. I’m so sorry,” he started and I snorted. He looked startled as if he expected smoke and flames.
“Horse chestnuts. If it wasn’t for your idea, Marcus, I would still be a Dragon,” I retorted. “I had a great adventure and met a girl, fought a Witch and managed to bring King Luke into the Golden Circle. Not bad for a year’s work. Oh, and I got my body back, not to mention this really cool eyeball.”
“Is it yours, truly? I mean, it looks like yours, warts and all but is it really yours or a copy?”
Everyone was interested in my answer. I paused and thought about how to explain it to Marcus and asked, “Is Roelle here, too?”
“No. She stayed behind for the wedding planning,” he explained and my eyes popped.
“You’re getting married? Congratulations!” I hugged him and then swallowed. He blushed and he looked funnier than I with his red hair and red complexion “It’s okay with you that Roelle and I–?”
“She told me everything,” he shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, virginity is no big thing in Amber.”
“Good, because I don’t think I could whip you, Marcus. Besides this body is a virgin, too.” He laughed until he realized I was serious. “I’m telling the truth. This body is brand-new, created from the components of the Seven Stars. They mixed and became a strand of magical enhanced particles that were like a blueprint of my cellular makeup and no one else’s. Every human on the face of every Shadow is composed of these elements in a different combination which makes me who I am and who you are. It’s called DNA and is arranged like a double helix. Understand? Every living thing is made the same way.”
“Everything?” Marcus was fascinated.
“Yes. We have the most complex arrangement of all the life out there. I think. I haven’t visited many Shadow Realms. Dad, does this apply to your Chaos Demons, too?”
He looked thoughtful. “I don’t know but I can put Ghost on it. So, tea?”
“Please.” I watched Marcus perform the tea ritual with all the aplomb of a staid English butler, sipped the Earl Grey, leaned back, closed my eyes and fell into a gentle doze. I woke up in bed in my PJs, rolled over and went back to sleep.
*****
By the time the week was over, I was so ready to leave. I was worried about the dragons loose in Khafra and even more insane over Lyndseye exposed to the young men always underfoot in the Castle.
Dad helped me dress for the return trip, I chose freshly pressed navy blue Dockers, pale yellow long-sleeved shirt and a snuggly fitted vest. Belt, and short boots completed my outfit. My hair had grown out to an overall inch length. I was nervous and paced from foot to foot until I made myself ache. “How do I look, Dad? Grandpop?” I asked anxiously. Both of them studied me seriously but I saw the twitch at the corner of Gramps’ lips.
“Better than the walking dead.”
“Not by much,” Dad muttered.
“Hey, I’ve put on 20 pounds already,” I came back. “I eat and I feel much better.” Gramps handed me a set of cards and from the icy cold of the deck, I knew they were Trumps. I spread them out and saw a complete set. Merlin, Brand, Fiona, Corwin, Deirdre, Martin, Llewella, Caine, Julian, Gerard, Bleys, Benedict and Eric. Flora, Dalton, Luke, Mandor, Martin, Random, Vialle, Oberon, Dworkin and Ghostwheel. Last, a beautifully drawn image of me in black and gold with the Black Dragon behind me. I had on a cape closed at the throat with a pin shaped like the head of the Dragon, its eyes one of yellow Topaz and the other a brilliant blue. I had no weapon like my grandfather’s sword Grayswandir nor a computer as in my Dad’s portrait.
“Wow,” I said. “Thanks.”
“No watering pot, okay?” Dad said.
“Okay,” I sniffed. He pulled out his own set, selected Random’s and asked if we could come home. Random grinned. Thank God he wasn’t wearing those silly striped trousers. He was in jeans and jacket.
“Welcome home, Prince Raven,” he said, took my hand and pulled me into his embrace. I rolled my eyes at everyone, towering over the much shorter King.
“Majesty,” I mumbled. “I’m sorry to have caused so much trouble.”
“Much more trouble than I’ve ever had to deal with,” he agreed. “Still, you settled the mess with King Luke and Jasra and got your body back. Let’s try to keep this one in better shape. Where’s Murphy?”
My face fell. No one had told him? “He died, Sire. Saving my life.”
“Oh Raven, I’m sorry. Are you tired? I’ve had your old room readied for you.”
I cleared my throat. “The Princess?”
“She’s around here somewhere,” he said carelessly. “Come into the Great Hall.”
I hesitated, I really was tired and wanted to find Linz before I crashed. Shrugging, I followed the King into the Great Hall and as the guard swung open the double doors, I nearly fell over in shock as a horde of people yelled ‘Welcome home, Raven!’ at the top of their lungs.
Random steered me over to a table and I sat down as everyone toasted me. I looked, saw the queen, Roelle and at last Lyndseye but was astonished at the transformation. Her hair had grown out and she was a platinum blond with those incredible green eyes. Still petite but so beautiful in a long green gown of silk and as she approached me she looked like a goddess created out of sea foam afloat on the ocean’s waves. I tried to stand up and bow to her but at the last minute, she flung herself into my arms and kissed me in front of the entire assemblage. I didn’t care. She tasted of peach ice cream, Godiva chocolates, butter cookies and everything I had ever drooled after. The world receded and we were the only two in it. br />
“Raitt, my beautiful Raitt,” she cried. “You are as beautiful a man as you were my Dragon and my mule.”
“Your jackass,” I grinned. “Linz, I love you.”
“And I love you, too, Raven Murphy-Sines, son of Merlin of Chaos. Here, before these witnesses and the King of Amber, Khafra, the Golden Circle Alliance and the Lord of the Courts of Chaos, I declare it so. I make you a Knight of the Order of the Blue Star as you are already a Prince of Amber and Chaos.”
“Is that a proposal?” I asked suspiciously.
“Yes. What’s your answer?” She pinched my cheek.
“I accept.” I turned in surprise to the crowd as they cheered. They spent the entire evening getting drunk, I fell asleep with my head in the lap of my fiancée. They let me. After all, it wasn’t the first time I slept with the Princess even it was just as a mule.
Next morning, we were both awakened by the chamber staff coming in to clean up after the enormous and noisy party. A few drunks lay passed out on the floor. Lyndseye and I tiptoed past them and I led her outside to the top of the Castle where we faced the magic orbs that protected the Castle from sieges.
“Ready?” I asked. “You might want to change, first.” She gestured and her gown became the outfit worn in Minsk, trousers, shirt and vest covered with a cape. Somehow, both of us had managed to avoid our bodyguards. Still, I had learned my lesson, I pulled out my Grandfather’s Trump and called him. He rolled over in bed and looked up at me.
“Raven. You’re up early. Or late.” He saw the Princess. “Princess Caldor.”
“Grandpop, Linz and I are going to Khafra. I thought I’d tell someone in case – well, you know.”
“Wait for Tegan or Pire,” he said, throwing aside his covers and pulling on a robe.
“I’m going as the Dragon. I can’t carry more than one person,” I said.
“Take your bodyguard, then.”
“I can’t. It has to be the Princess,” I explained.