Chapter 10.
Zico and Mara were the first to arrive for brunch. Zico had insisted on coming early to help Obran prepare brunch so Obran waited for them by the main road in order to escort them to his gremlin burrow.
“I’ve never been to this forest, Obran,” Mara said.
Obran and Zico walked on the main trail while Mara flew beside her husband.
“Is it okay if I take a look around?” Mara said.
“Sure, it’s safe here; I haven’t even seen anyone out today,” Obran.
Mara quickly flew up into the sky and past the tree line.
“Sweetie, don’t go too far. Make sure you can still see us,” Zico called out. “You sure it is safe here, Obran?”
“Yeah. I’ve been here over a year and have not heard of any incidents,” Obran said.
“Okay,” Zico said.
Soon they passed the main brook that ended near Obran’s home—this was the main source of water for the gremlins in the forest. They passed some other gremlin holes but it was early so no one was outside; when they were near Obran’s home, Mara flew back down.
“Get a good look, dear?” Zico said.
“Yes, it’s a lovely forest but I didn’t sense any fae here or any connection to the fae lands here,” Mara said.
“Connection? Aren’t the fae lands just hidden inside forests?” Obran asked.
“Not exactly, we can enter fae lands if that forest has connection to our lands but our lands are not physically inside of those forests; It's a magic thing,” Mara said.
“I wish the gremlin lands were as well hidden and protected,” Obran said.
“Yeah but the fae lands are also not fully a part of this world,” Mara said.
When they reached the gremlin hole Obran climbed down first; Mara glided down, but Zico, being a bit plump, and carrying his ingredients, had some problems climbing down.
“Dear, be careful,” Mara said.
Tomas and Erkin were already downstairs in the living room; they had slept in the workshop after their night out and arrived early to work on their engineering projects.
“Has the princess arrived yet?” Mara said as she looked around the gremlin burrow. Obran had cleaned and straightened up the place and it looked very homey.
“No, not yet,” Obran said. “But come meet my brother and Tomas.”
Mara flew over to Tomas and Erkin and Obran made all the introductions.
“You all get to know each other. I’m gonna go outside and wait for Tori,” Obran said
Obran walked to his garden and Tori was already there, at the place they’d first met. How does she always sneak up on me? Tori sat on the grass looking up at the sky, with her horse hitched nearby. Obran thought she looked beautiful sitting next to their tree. Their tree? Could she ever feel anything for me? He didn’t want the moment to end but noticed she looked a bit sad.
“Are you okay, Tori? Everyone is already inside,” Obran said as he walked up to her.
“Good morning Obran. Sorry if I’m early. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t followed. My minders know I come into these woods but they don’t know that I’ve met you.”
“What’s wrong Tori?”
Tori stood up and straightened her light colored dress—he'd never seen her in a toga. Obran noticed she had brought a satchel and some flowers too.
“I brought some wine, a great vintage if the King is to be believed and some flowers for you to plant,” she said. “But let’s talk after brunch. Let’s not keep them waiting or they may think something is going on between us.”
“Oh, you should be so lucky,” Obran said.
Tori smiled. “But let’s talk alone later, okay?”
They descended down the burrow and everyone's attention instantly turned to Tori. Obran introduced her to Tomas and Erkin first and the two bowed, saying, “hello, your highness”. Before he could introduce Mara and Zico, Mara flew forward and did a formal curtsy.
“Your highness my name is Samara Morgana Kender Fae and this is my husband Zico Kender,” Mara said.
“Wow. What a beautiful name. Allow me all to introduce myself as well then,” Tori said. “My name is Victoria Elissa Barca but please all of you just call me Tori, cause I’m not really a princess anymore.”
Zico handed Tori a mug of gnome punch.
“I got us some wine too,” Tori said. “I hope you all enjoy wine. It should go well with Zico and Obran’s food.”
Zico and Obran poured everyone some wine and soon they all sat comfortably in the living room.
“May I ask why you no longer consider yourself a princess, Tori,” Mara said.
Obran was surprised to hear that as well. Even though she was a foreign born princess he assumed she was still royalty.
“Because I gave up my claim to the Cathagio throne before becoming a hostage here in Roma. And since I no longer have any brothers my younger sister will be the next queen of Carthagio but it is okay, I think she will be a wonderful queen.”
“You will always be a princess here, Tori,” Mara said.
“Thank you, Samara,” Tori said.
“And you can marry young prince Gaius and become a Roman princess then,” Mara said.
“Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that,” Tori said.
The words hit Obran like a bolt of lightning. Tori looked at him with a strange expression he could not make out.
“Zico, we should get started in the kitchen,” Obran said.
“Okay,” Zico said.
Obran and Zico got busy in the kitchen preparing brunch but Obran found it difficult to focus.
“Ok, we will try a fusion,” Zico said. “I brought fish and potatoes that we can use as a side dish. If you don’t want meat the chips will be great with your stew. Just add some fairy dust to top it off, ok? But let’s make choco and veggie crunchies first ok.”
“Okay. I’ve tried a new flavor for my stew, a sour and spicy stew with the garum I bought the other day and I’ll make some weed fritters too,” Obran said.
“Great, let’s try it,” Zico said.
“Oh one thing, can your wife eat fairy dust or is that just weird?”
“She can, it doesn’t have any effect on her,” Zico said.
Zico prepared the dough while Obran chopped with his claws. They whipped up the appetizers in no time.
Obran could hear them chatting in the living room with Tori asking questions and the rest telling stories, some of which he already knew. Tomas spoke about his time as a street orphan in Roma, Erkin about his first days after gaining his freedom, but it was mostly Mara who spoke, retelling her love story with Zico.
“More wine, Obran,” Tori called out. “And it smells really good. Can you bring us something to tide us over?”
“Okay, coming up,” Obran said from the kitchen placing the fritters and crunchies on a serving tray.
“She seems happy to be here,” Zico said.
“Yeah, I was a bit nervous having her in a gremlin burrow,” Obran said.
Thankfully he’d made the ceilings high enough so only Tomas had to duck down but Obran was just thinking about the prince Mara mentioned—Gaius. Obran knew the King had two sons, Gaius and his older brother Drusus but he didn’t think Tori might be involved with one of them.
“Your place is great,” Zico said. “You should see the crappy room I rent. It’s in a tenement near the market, nothing special, top floor, but it’s all we can afford right now. But Mara never complains, well not since I got her that doll house.”
“I think Erkin wants to rent out a room with Tomas; I hope they can afford a nice place,” Obran said.
“Where does Tomas live now?”
“In the dorms, like twenty in a room he said, bunk beds for the poor students,” Obran said.
“You’ll be okay living alone?” Zico said.
“I guess, I’m used to living with Erkin now but I stayed here alone at first.”
“I sure hope Tori can keep visiting, Mara doesn't like gnomes much and the Romans just stare at her; she could use a new girlfriend,” Zico said.
“I hope so too, but what’s all that about prince Gaius?” Obran said.
He knew Zico would know more about Roman gossip since he was always in the market.
“It’s a rumor, that Victoria will marry the King’s youngest son, Gaius,” Zico said. “Sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Obran said.
They served the crunchies and fritters and poured more wine for everyone. Everyone ate greedily and enjoyed the food.
“So is Zico the only one here with a wife?” Tori asked. “You’re very lucky by the way Zico, your wife is lovely.”
“Very lucky,” Zico said.
“Thank you, Tori,” Mara said.
Erkin, Obran, and Tomas all kind of stared at each other as if they were not sure how to respond.
“We’ll, these two spend all of their time at the university,” Obran finally said. “Not too many options there.”
“We go out sometimes,” Erkin said.
“Playing cards and dice with drunken humans and dwarves doesn’t count,” Obran said.
“Look who’s talking,” Erkin countered. “At least I go out.”
“Easy boys, just a question,” Tori said.
“I enjoy studying so I focus on that,” Tomas said. “I’m only sixteen but in the future I’d like to work for the crown as an engineer so I have to study a lot.”
“The King tells me he’s proud of what’s coming out of the university, advances in all kinds of fields,” Tori said.
“Don’t believe him, Tori,” Erkin said. “I always see him staring at the girls in the forum.”
“Like you don’t,” Tomas shot back.
“They don’t talk to me,” Erkin said. “A pretty girl on the cleaning staff once asked Tomas to teach her to read but Tomas stuttered that he was too busy. Too busy!? Really? I wanted to throw him out a window.”
“I am busy...” Tomas said, looking shy.
“Okay, don’t pick on him...he’s taking his time, nothing wrong with that. But what about you, Erkin,” Tori said.
“Well...I’m only sixteen too and there aren’t many gremlin girls in the city,” Erkin said. “Maybe after I graduate I’ll find a wife back in the north.”
“Does it matter if she’s a gremlin?” Tori said.
“Well...I guess it shouldn’t...not to me,” Erkin said.
Obran felt himself blush.
“And you Obran, you don’t get off so easily. You own your own amazing home and you’re a veteran. Why aren’t you married? Or did you stash a wife away somewhere?” Tori said.
“Uhm...I don’t know…” Obran said.
“He’s the worst of us,” Erkin said. “Obran came back to our lands a war hero, a landowner, and a citizen—before we all became citizens. He had so many offers of marriage you wouldn’t believe it.”
Everyone turned to Obran as if saying, “Well?”.
“I needed some time to get my mind right—after the war, I mean,” Obran said in all honesty. “Or maybe I’m just waiting for my own princess.”
There was a moment of awkward silence.
“Well, when you three are ready. I know plenty of noble patrician girls who are always scouting the castle for potential husbands, plebeian girls too. We don’t have that strict a distinction back in Carthagio.”
“We are all commoners or freedmen, northerners,” Tomas said. “I’m from Eretria and my family is Etruscan.”
“Do you still speak Etruscan?” Tori asked.
“Yeah, but not as good as Latin or Greek,” Tomas said. “Your Latin is great by the way.”
“None of us are real Romans,” Obran interrupted, thinking Tomas didn’t seem so shy after all.
“Zico’s family is one the wealthiest gnome families in Placentia,” Mara said.
“Honey,” Zico said.
“It’s true. It’s a nice city too, you should visit, you can see the Northern Alps there,” Mara said.
Mara picked up her cup and took a sip; it was a human sized cup but fae were surprisingly strong for their size.
“Where did you two get married?” Tori said.
“We got married in a small abbey up north in Placentia since no Roman temple would marry us,” Mara said.
“We can have a bigger wedding one day, dear,” Zico said.
“You both follow the martyr? I hear he has a community of followers here in Roma,” Tori said.
It was a subject Obran knew nothing about, just that the followers of the martyr were allowed to worship openly and were no longer persecuted. But Obran always thought it better to stay away from human cults.
“Me and Mara are followers,” Zico said. “Yes, the community is small here but it has a larger following up north and in the far east.”
“I’ve read some chronicles but there’s not much information about it at court,” Tori said.
“I can tell you more if you like,” Zico said.
“Later Zi, but what about your wedding? Will it be public? Can we come?” Mara said.
“Rumors spread so fast in this kingdom, nothing has been made official yet,” Tori said.
“But you must be so excited,” Mara said. “I saw the young prince once, from afar. He’s so handsome. Tell us about him, about life at court.”
“Okay, you all should know the whole story then,” Tori said.
Obran wasn't sure why but he felt she was talking only to him.
“You know I came here as a hostage, nothing unusual there, but it was my younger sister, Anna, who was going to come to Roma. But I wouldn’t allow it and told my father I would take her place. At first he refused but I threatened to burn myself in pyre like queen Dido if he didn’t let me go, and he knows once my mind is set it won’t change. But I think my father and the King wanted my sister and Gaius to marry since it would cement the peace. Neither my sister or Gaius were in line for the throne so it would not upset the conservatives here or back home. By the gods, if I hear another senator telling the King Cathigio is still a threat, I’ll go insane. Anyway, I told my father I would serve as a hostage but would never marry a Roman. But now the younger prince wants to marry me. We have become friends but I fear he feels more than I do. The prince is kind and we sometimes dine together or take walks and he tells me about life at the court here and all about Roman history and culture. He likes to read a lot just like me. He didn’t fight in the wars since he wasn’t of age and the King wanted one son safe at home too and he’s actually a bit younger than me,” Tori said.
“May I ask how old you are, Tori?” Mara said.
“We’re both seventeen but my birthday is in a few months. Honestly, I never wanted to marry someone I didn’t love. I know that sounds strange in Roma, but in Carthagio women can reject the suitors their parents present them. And even after a couple is engaged, three months are given for them to get to know each other and for either one to back out of the wedding.”
“He’d be crazy to back out,” Mara said.
“Thank you, Samara. But we are not even engaged yet,” Tori said.
“Once you have your own estate I hope me and Zico can come visit you,” Mara said.
“Or we could cater any dinner party you throw but no bachanalions please,” Zico said.
“By the god’s no. I’m no debauch Roman,” Tori said. “Oh, I’m sorry if I am insulting your countrymen.”
But Obran wasn’t offended and no one else looked bothered.
“But if it were up to me I’d have both of you cook for me every day,” Tori said. “You and Obran make a great team. You guys should think about pairing up.”
“I’ve mentioned it to him,” Zico said.
“Well, only the gods know what the future holds,” Tori said. “Oh, I wanted to tell all of you: the King wants you all to come to his birthday party at the end of the month.”
“What? Are you serious?” Erkin said.
“Really?” Tomas said.
“Great, I always wanted to go to a ball in the castle,” Mara said.
Obran was shocked, he never really imagined he'd get to visit the castle.
“The King is curious about all of you. I spoke to him last night. I hope it is okay that I mentioned all of you; I just think he’s happy I’ve made new friends. People and races from all over the kingdom, and even from overseas will be there, so I hope you will all come.”
“Of course Zico and I will be there,” Mara said.
“Yes. It would be an honor,” Zico said. “I hope I can meet the crown chef.”
“Can you think of something else besides food?” Mara said.
“I’m a bit surprised he wants gremlins there,” Obran said.
“The King is really interested in all the races of the kingdom now that you are all citizens. He’s also having several scholars write an extensive chronicle of the war and he wants to hear all sides. He is quite the scholar and intellectual. I’ve read some of it and it still seems crazy—elves, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and gremlins, all fighting together on the same side.”
“I’ll go check the food,” Obran said.
Obran went to the kitchen.
“He doesn't like talking about the war does he?” Tori whispered to Erkin.
“It’s a sensitive subject,” Erkin whispered.
“I understand, I won't bring it up,” Tori said. “Mara, it’s going to be a masquerade ball if you can believe it. I’ve never been to one; we don’t have those back in Carthagio but I’m glad the king still enjoys a good party at his age. I can have the court seamstress make you a dress if you want.”
“Of course, and I can find us matching flowers and I'll enchant them with fae dust so they’ll shine like the sun. You’ll be the prettiest girl there,” Mara said.
“Not prettier than you. Oh, and I thought I might wear a gremlin mask if you want to dress alike,” Tori said to Mara.
“Seriously? Why? You’d look so much better wearing a simple colombina mask, just to cover your eyes,” Mara said.
“You want to wear gremlin masks?” Erkin said.
“It’s okay, Erkin. We’ll dress in human masks, scary ones, that shouldn’t be too hard,” Obran yelled from the kitchen.
“I was joking,” Tori yelled back. “Okay let's all agree that no one will use a scary mask".
“Back in the north, during a costume party, I dressed up as a praying mantis. I made the outfit myself,” Mara said.
“That sounds scary, a praying mantis that can fly,” Tori said.
“It was scary,” Zico said.
“It was before we were married. I wanted to remind my hubby he might lose his head if he flirted with any gnome girl,” Mara said.
“It worked right, I didn’t flirt with anyone,” Zico said.
“Good gnome,” Mara said, gliding up and kissing her husband on the cheek.
“I wouldn’t know what to wear,” Tomas said.
“We’ll help find something for everyone,” Tori said. “Mara you’ll help me right.”
“Sure, Tomas you’re so tall. We should dress you like a giant,” Mara said. “And dress Erkin and Obran as halflings.”
“I’ve passed for a halfling before,” Obran yelled out again.
They all looked confused.
“Okay everyone come to the kitchen, let’s eat,” Obran said.
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