The Fire and the Storm - Metric Pro Edition: Fiction, Dragons, Elves, Unicorns, Magic (79 page)

“We ask only that you three make it official, both your marriage to Mark and Talia, and the resulting social and political alliance between Hilia and The People of Life.

“Rather than abdicate in favor of Dalia and Bezedil, you should make them co-Regent, or even ruling Prince and Princess Regent if you wish to avoid sessions like this one and to give them a taste of true ruling responsibility.  As you know, I would gladly give up the responsibilities of being Regent.  But you should not abdicate your rule, Your Majesty, rather you must retain it, it order to strengthen as much as possible our alliance with Hilia.  And because you are still our most preferred and cherished choice as monarch.

“That alliance with Hilia may be politically redundant now that we are all allied within The Just Alliance, but you can be certain that our people will still have strong feelings of pride from such a joining.”

“I see.” Alilia nodded.  “And you think no one will mind that I would marry a human who already has another wife?”

“Please.” Smogin grinned.  “Talia is already beloved by our people for being very capable, adorable, and a genuine war hero.  And as far as we’re concerned, Mark isn’t a human, he’s a warlock.  So that’s okay.  The attitude doesn’t make much sense, but there it is.”

“Thank you Smogin.” Alilia smiled as she considered his response, then looked around at the faces of her petitioners.

“Do your thoughts on this reflect his?”

She had to grin in surprise at the mighty cheer her people gave in enthusiastic agreement.

“Thank you.  I’ll most certainly take that into consideration.”

With that subtle but well-understood dismissal, her people bid her and her guests farewell, and took their leave.

As soon as they were gone, Six rose from his chair and walked around the table.  He stood beside Alilia, bowed to her most deeply and humbly, then hugged her with warm love and affection.  “Princess Alilia, co-mother of my heart, I salute you.” he told her, then he did salute her, with the salute of a Finitran ranger to his superior officer.  “It’s so easy to take you for granted, as simply one of our family, a beautiful woman whom I love and respect.  But since we’ve been here in the lands of The People of Life your demeanor has changed, and not subtly.  Here, your bearing is that of powerful royalty.  For the first time, you’ve shown us what you truly are; a mighty monarch who has successfully ruled a great people for almost five thousand years.  The love and respect that your subjects have for you is a beautiful thing to see, and the intelligence, speed, and wisdom of your administrative decisions was wondrous to observe.

“I am humbled.  I suddenly feel very young and very inexperienced indeed.  To know you and to share your presence and your love is an honor and a privilege.”

For a moment Alilia was at a loss for words, and she felt tears of profound love and joy gathering in her eyes.  She reached out and wrapped him in her arms and gave him a firm hug, and before she could speak, Mark did so.

“My son, you’ve again spoken well, with words that say what’s in all of our hearts.” Mark told him with a grin and a firm rub on his back.

He exchanged a quick smile full of communication with Talia, then the two of them rose hand in hand from their chairs and knelt beside Alilia as Six astutely made way for them.  Mark held out his hand and a diamond ring appeared held in his fingertips, almost a duplicate of Talia’s engagement ring.  “Alilia, we’re reminded again how lucky and blessed we are to have your love, and to share your life as your lovers and partners.  Smogin and your other subjects are right.  The time has come to make our union official; to formally join your life with ours, and to formalize a permanent and close alliance between Hilia and The People of Life.”

Talia continued as Mark left off.  “Princess Alilia, we would be forever honored if you would marry us.”

At this point Alilia’s eyes were so full of happy tears that she could barely see, and she was so choked up with emotion that she could barely talk, but she held out her hand and gasped; “Oh yes!  A million times yes!” as Mark slipped the ring onto her finger.

Then the three of them were hugging and laughing and crying with desperate affection, while the rest of them rose and cheered with uncontainable joy and enthusiasm.  Soon all three of their children joined their hug and shared their tears of joy.

“We shall have to be married in Laylas chapel, of course.” Alilia happily declared when she could comfortably speak again.  “But when?”

“Very soon.” Mark decided.  “Before they resume the time-bubble, for sure, or almost no one I know will be able to come.  I suggest tomorrow night, after the meeting of The Assembly.

“As for guests, I suggest we invite those that we’re truly emotionally close to, for our own fulfillment, and the ruling members of The Assembly to satisfy the political requirements.  No others.  As much as I enjoyed Talia and my wedding, I’d prefer that this wedding not be such a circus as that one was.”

“And a few skilled and discreet newsmongers, to share the event with all those who can’t attend.” Talia added.  “And Kenesir of Sming, to make the official recording of the event.”

“Agreed.” Alilia nodded with a huge and happy grin.  “Shall we announce it then?”

“Go ahead, Love.” Mark chuckled.  “I’m sure most of the guests will be those you’re close to anyway, since I’m sure you have more close friends and family than Talia and me put together.”

“That’s likely true.” Alilia chuckled.  “Certainly one of the results of a long life is the accumulation of a great many kith and kin.

“But before we announce it,” Talia insisted with a smile, “We need to decide on bridesmaids and groomsmen.  I shall have Fire as my maid of honor, and I suggest you have Val as yours, and Mark have Six as his best man.”

“Sure!” Mark agreed with a chuckled.  “I’ll have Kragorram, Karzog, and Silaran as my other groomsmen.”

“I’ll have Povon, Dalia, Hilsith, and Equemev as my bridesmaids.” Talia decided.

“I’ll have my friends and cousins from here in Heartwood as my bridesmaids.” Alilia said with a happy grin.  “You haven’t met them, but I’ve been unjustly ignoring them recently, and it’ll be good to see them again.”

“I think we should state that no wedding gifts will be accepted.” Mark said as he rubbed his chin.  “I don’t want the nations of The Just Alliance competing to see who can give the most impressive gift, we don’t need anything anyway, and in these times of universal sacrifice, I don’t think it would be right to suddenly be given another huge fortune that we’ve done nothing to deserve.”

“All right.” Alilia smiled.  “Anything else?  No?  Then I’ll compose the invitations.”

Within a few minutes the list of invitees was finalized and the invitations were dispatched by Alilia as a mass Sending of an ornate parchment that had been quickly duplicated into over a thousand copies and individualized for each guest.

“And now,” Alilia mused, “Since the decorations and catering at an elven wedding are traditionally planned by the mother of the bride, I should call my mother.  That is, if you approve, my loves?  Nemia did get to plan your wedding quite recently after all, and my mother may never forgive me if we deny her the responsibility.  She planned my wedding to Gorsh almost five millennia ago, but that’s a long time in the past now, and she hasn’t had the chance to do any mothering for a very long time.”

“Sure!” Mark laughed.  “It’s fine with me.  To be honest, I’m surprised your mother’s still with us.  Is your father?”

“No, he fell in a war with the Sylvan, long ago now.” Alilia related.  “Bless his soul.  But my mother is only a bit less than three centuries older than me, and she’s still very healthy.  Her name is Caria.”

And with that, an elven woman who was the spitting image of Alilia with the exception of having forest brown hair and eyes appeared not a meter away and jumped into a hug with Alilia with a whoop of joy, her invitation still clutched in her hand.

“Shh, listen.” Povon suddenly said.

All around them could be heard the distant sounds of joy and celebration as word of the upcoming nuptials spread throughout the city like a wildfire.

“You are truly reaching wondrous greatness now, my girl!” Caria laughed as she hugged her daughter and rocked from side to side a bit.  “May your union bring you an eternity of joy!  I’m certain it will solidify your place at the center of world affairs!”

“Thank you Mother.” Alilia smiled as the two separated and stepped back, still holding both of each other’s hands.  “We hope that you can arrange our decorations and catering on such short notice.  That is, if you wish it?”

“Do I ever, though I’ll certainly have to hurry!” Caria declared with a laugh, then turned to glance around at the others present.  “But first, you must introduce me to the rest of my new family!”

She greeted each of them with a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek as Alilia introduced her, lingering in the hug a moment longer with Val, her new granddaughter.  Then she greeted the dragons as they were introduced with a friendly smile and a respectful bow.

“Oh, you’re not getting away that easy!” Karz laughed as he assumed his cute and fuzzy Simulacrum and soundly hugged the elven woman, an example which his parents chose to follow, and she laughed at the novelty of it as she returned their embraces whole-heartedly.

Alilia cleared the dinner dishes with a glance and Summoned a cart laden with a tea service and other hot beverages, and they sat to chat for a while.

Caria explained that she was a Horticulturist specializing in fruit and nut bearing trees.  In her lifetime she had grown and tended the largest and most productive such trees that the world had ever seen.  She had never remarried, and Alilia was her only child.

Mark, Talia, and Alilia shared stories and Readings with her, mostly dealing with significant or amusing events in their relationship and the raising of their children.

Then Val came and sat in her grandmother’s lap, and spoke to Alilia.  “You know Mother, Father was right.  What Six said about realizing what an incredibly capable, experienced, powerful and beloved monarch you are, we all felt that.  I was in the Link and following your thought processes as you made administrative decisions and heard petitions, and I still can’t understand how you can act with such obvious wisdom so quickly.”

“Mostly it’s the result of experience.” Alilia explained with a smile.  “I know everyone who was here tonight, and I know them well. I’ve known most of them for centuries.  I’ve been doing this since I was still young enough to learn quickly and deeply, and there are very few unique issues or problems.  Every decision I made tonight was very similar to decisions I’ve made thousands of times before, and I’ve learned the correct response after many centuries of trial and error.  Believe me, when you’ve done anything as long as I’ve ruled this land, you’ll be very quick at it, and you’ll find it to be easy almost all the time.”

“Ha!  It goes far deeper than that!” Caria proudly declared.  “Alilia was made Princess of this land at a very young age by the unanimous acclamation and implacable demand of our people, and she had no experience then!  Nor was it entirely to do with her amazing power and ability as a wizard.

“Alilia was an all-around prodigy from the moment of her birth.  The many qualities that made her our people’s choice for monarch included her tendency to ignore the status of those she dealt with and to treat everyone, from peasants to emperors, with the respect they deserved based entirely on their own merits.  Her ability to see to the heart of the matter, and quickly.  Her intellectual and scholastic ability, which was unprecedented, and her intuitive grasp of complexity.  The fact that she never suffered fools under any circumstances, and she was never intimidated by anyone or anything.”

“Except the gods!” Alilia laughed.  “The first time I met them I was struck speechless, while Mark here challenged them and faced them down!”

“At any rate,” Caria said to Val with a playful tickle, “It’s her ability, as much as her experience, that makes her great.  Though to be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen her to be so humble that she’s reluctant to explain that herself.  She’s always been brutally honest with her opinions of everyone, including herself.”

“When Yazadril was first telling me about Alilia,” Mark revealed with a chuckle, “He said; ‘Alilia expects a certain deference from everyone, generally, except me, and we all generally agree that she’s entitled to it.’  And when I met first met her, he was sure right about that.”

He picked Alilia up like an infant and set her on his lap beside Talia.  “I thought you’d lost that part of your personality over the last few years my love, but I’ve seen tonight that you only set it aside.”

Alilia actually blushed.  “I had many fine qualities before I met you, that’s true.  But I had no humility, no real emotional maturity, and no patience.  I was a spoiled brat primadonna with an insufferable ego, and you cured me of all of that, Mark Longstrider.  But better late than never, I guess.

“On the other hand, when I’m actually acting as monarch, I do still expect a certain deference from my subjects.  And I think it’s only right that I do so, in order to maintain respect for the office and for those who will hold it after me.  My crown represents the power of The People of Life, and that will always be worthy of respect.”

“Well said, my love.” Talia giggled, and gave her a quick kiss on her lips.

“If you don’t mind my asking,” Val hesitantly ventured, glancing between Alilia and Caria, “How do you deal with being so old?  Do you ever worry that you’ll run out of capacity for more memories?  Do you ever just get bored and jaded from doing the same things so many times, over and over?”

“Well my girl, being elder does present a few unique problems.” Caria explained.  “It’s true we may only have the capacity for a certain amount of memory, but most unimportant events aren’t retained.  Like most people, I can’t recall with clarity any of the meals I’ve eaten before two days ago, unless there was something to make a meal more memorable.  We don’t tend to remember anything that’s routine.  The farther back in your memory you go, the more important a memory has to be for it to be retained.  I’m sure there are entire decades that I can’t recall at all, because nothing really interesting or important happened then.  If we want, we can reinforce memories by revisiting them and using memorization techniques, or we can store them with spells in objects, so you never really need to lose a memory that you want to save anyway.