John Arthur listened patiently as Gwydion rambled on, and, once the Prince had finished, he placed a reassuring hand on the Prince's shoulder. "Steady, son. The first step to ruling a kingdom is to keep perspective. What's all the rest compared to such wonderful news?"

He hugged Gwydion and Iliza tightly. "I'll be a Great Uncle," John Arthur announced proudly, "That's much better than the Monkies' Uncle I am now." He playfully cut his eyes toward Gwydion and Meara, indicating the monkies to which he was referring. Iliza nodded her agreement with the assessment of Gwydion.

John's voice took on a more kingly manner as the Queen stepped up to join him "Now, then, perhaps we should discuss these wedding arrangements, seeing as how the Solar System is in attendance and they're all expecting a wedding..."

Meara's resigned grin when her uncle looked at her gave her reply that she wouldn't argue with his assessment.  When the subject went back to the wedding - which she knew he'd care about more than the rest - she gave a hopeful smile.

"I do not suppose it is against tradition to have multiple spouses?" she asked, not expecting affirmation that it was okay, but definitely seeking that sort of answer, "Also, is it okay that I still feel a bit weird about this?  I've known Gwydion since we were little children.  Trying to think of him as a lover and not a Best Friend Forever and sort-of-brother is taking some effort."

Gwydion finished wiping off his face and beamed at his uncle. Then he looked over at Meara with some surprise.

"Huh? They were readying me to marry you from about the time we first met. You didn't have that? Well, I think you're amazing and I won't stop being your best friend, no matter what."

---

After recovering from the joyful shock of seeing his uncle alive and more-or-less well, the prince took a sharp breath and stood.

"Well. This has been the best surprise of my life. There's just one thing missing to make things perfect." He activated his comlink. "Rose, prepare Durnwyn Mark II aboard my ship. Run a full set of diagnostics." And then another call. "Captain, ready my ship for immediate departure. We're picking up the last wedding guest right now."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:51, Wed 15 May.

"Wait, what?!  Hold up, we spent all that time on the guest list and you want to spring a surprise guest?!  Do you have any idea how that is going to mess with the seating?!" Meara exclaimed in surprise, thinking of the poor, overworked retainers and commoners who would have to scramble to make concessions and arrangements, "It is a logistical nightmare!  The only fighting I want at the wedding is people challenging me for Iri's hand in marriage!  O-or yours.  You will have to fend off the suitors for Liza, though."

Lowering her head a bit, she added quietly, "I will be terribly upset if there are none.  They deserve it."

"Perfectly normal, Meara," John Arthur said with a chuckle. "While it's true your Aunt and I had discussed wedding the pair of you, we'd hoped that we'd have own heir to solve the issue. We'd moved on from the idea until, well..." He motioned vaguely around him, "Until whatever it is that happened, happened."

"We'll need to get to that in a moment. But, whatever miracle, plan, or time-defying grand nieces occurred, it has changed the necessity of our course. Somewhat. So the question now, is what do you all want to do about it?"


"While such arrangements are not common among the Morningstars of Venus, from which your family hails, there is some precedent amongst the Vespers. As for Avaluna...well there's not much to go on there, seeing as how John Arthur is the first and only King of Avaluna and his marriage to Queen Valerie La Guin has been the only royal marriage in the line...Strictly speaking that is the only precedent," MerLN answered authoritatively.

In reply to Meara (msg # 233):

Gwydion turned to Meara with his old grin back. "No surprises, he just didn't RSVP. I guess he thinks he's not coming just because he was an ass in front of the entire solar system. He's going to be here if I have to drag him back myself. And I don't think we'll have to worry about suitors. They may be perfect, but nobody's mad enough to try and steal away our loves. Well, except maybe Euryleia, but she'd only be doing it in good fun. Right, Lady? Maybe Sir Dalibrad, come to think of it. Those duels would make for a fun show, actually. Especially in full wedding regalia rather than in flight suits..."



Gwydion was lost in thought for a moment before John's question brought him back.

"Hm? Oh, you know that tradition has never come before my feelings, uncle."



A wider smile from the prince.

"Like I've been saying all along, the rules are ours to make and mold as best suits the needs of the kingdom and her people, and just because we're royalty doesn't make us no longer the people of our land. I see no reason politics should have to take precedence over love. I'm not wedding if I'm not marrying Iliza, and I adore Meara and would be happy to be her husband as well. Likewise, I'll raise a sword to anyone who tries to get between her and sweet Irina. Meara can't go hogging all the duels, after all."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:48, Mon 20 May.

Euryleia didn't miss a beat as Gwydion mentioned the potential for "theft".  Silver eyes flicked to the prince and she answered, with deadpan seriousness, "Fun for some.  Yes." Those eyes then slid to said fiancee's, brow lifted in silent question.  As though all they had to do was ask.  The only hint that she was /probably/ kidding was a subtle grin tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Brun had been concentrating on following the proceeding.  Still bewildering, yes, but it all seemed to be turning out quite well for his friends.  Which felt all to the good.  Whew.

Then his Lady offered, however subtle, to steal fiancees and, possibly, duel Gwydion and Meara, as well?  He leaned forward at her side to try and catch a look at her face, again mouthing a silent, "WHAT!?"

Euryleia did not break her "serious" expression for his benefit.  She did slip an arm around her Knight, in case anyone got any ideas of "stealing" from /her/.

Before Meara could reach any internal conclusions of her thoughts on the matters at hand, Gwydion went ahead and spoke from his heart (as he always did), and before she could figure out whether to agree or protest, Euryleia chimed in, hinting that she'd be up for dueling over the honor to marry Irina!  Sure, Euryleia was most likely making a jest, but she was also likely up for it because it meant fighting - and that meant Meara would have an actual challenge and might lose!

That couldn't be allowed.

Meara protectively hugged Irina and gave Euryleia a glare as if to say 'mine.'  Which is exactly what the glare was saying.  She then regained some semblance of wits and looked between Iliza and, more importantly to her, Irina.

"With everything going on, nobody has really asked, which I think is horribly unfair.  How do the two of you feel about all this?"

Iliza held close to Gwydion and placed her hand atop the one he had pressed across her abdomen, "As nobles, we are well acquainted with the need for political marriage. So long as we are able to be with Gwydion, and he with us, any arrangement which serves the interest of the Realm has my blessing."

Irina held tightly to Meara, and though she flushed at the implication of Euryleia and Meara fighting a duel over her, her face was clearly conflicted. "I don't want to share Meara..." she said in a quiet voice.

Meara returned Irina's affection, giving her a comforting, protective hug.  "The way I love you is different from how I love anyone else, Iri.  Marriage between myself and Gwydion would be almost purely political - I love him, of course, but until recently I never thought of him in that way - but my marriage to you would be out of love," she said as she affectionately, gently brushed the back of her right hand to Irina's left cheek with a smile, "Besides, knowing Uncle, he could find a way for us to be double married or something.  But if you say no, that is that.  He and I may look cute together, but not as cute as we do."

Her grin widened as she recalled hearing Irina rage drunkenly at a bin while being carried by Dalibrad.  Since that issue had been resolved, it was funny now.

"Irina, I promise that no matter what arrangements we come to, no matter what shenanigans we get up to, no matter what does or doesn't happen, I will never ever steal Meara away from you, and I don't let anyone else, either. Your happiness is as important to me as Iliza's, and I'll fight for it just as hard. You were part of my motivation for starting the time travel research to rescue Uncle John, you know. You've got all of us supporting the two of you because we love you. You can ask for anything that makes you comfortable."

Euryleia considered the potential entanglements and opportunities for breaches of trust between the quartet.  It must be a very hard thing to work out when you have not been able to truly and completely know the mind and heart of your Other Half.  That connection through the helm was something she missed dearly at times, but it had laid a firm foundation to truly know him.

How would humans achieve that?

Open, clear communication and honesty.  And trust.  And hope.  And acceptance of the risk that it might not work.  Her Knight had certainly managed it on his end without all the advantages she had had.  They all seemed to have all the basic building blocks in place....

Euryleia spoke up again, "Perhaps begin with creating the vows and promises you wish to make to each other.  Then, you could each more clearly know each other's mind and expectation.  The ceremony could be built around that.  Yet another new idea for people to learn to accept, but they are getting used to impossible things existing."

To Gwydion more specifically, she added, "Perhaps my Knight and I could assist with errands and communications while you focus on /this/project?"

Brun listened with increasing pride to his Lady's suggestion.  He leaned into her arm, extending support and enjoying feeling supported.  As Euryleia made the last offer, he straightened a bit, "Yes.  Of course.  We can help give you time..."

The irony of them giving Gwydion /time/ was lost on this Brun, but Euryleia's lips curved into a secretive smile.

"An excellent idea Lady Stjernevold," John Arthur said warmly. "My nephew and the Realm are more the better for having your House at their service."

"I wonder if I  might beg a boon of you," he asked. "Allow me to accompany you to Mars. L4-NC3-L07 can be hot-tempered, and assuring him of my survival is likely to go a long way in cooling his blood."

With an excited grin, Meara looked at Irina and imagined all the things she could put in a vow, then realized it would be made in public and her excited face immediately changed to a thoughtful one with a hint of a blush.  She would need to ask her father for advice on how to make the vows accurate, but hidden behind enough flowery noble euphemisms that it would be socially acceptable.

She then heard her uncle make a request of Gwydion and turned her head to face the two of them.

"I would highly recommend accepting Uncle's offer.  As much as we want to butt heads with Sir L4-NC3-L07, now is definitely not the time.  Also we can potentially tease him about it later once we figure out what of this whole endeavor we will share with people outside of this room."

The warrior princess then turned her gaze back to Irina and looked at her lover with a fond, lovestruck expression as she once again turned her mind towards the custom vows.

"Precious little, I imagine," the Queen said smoothly, and, yet the words easily bore the weight of her authority. "Until such time as you are given leave otherwise, you must keep secret the return of the King."
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 19:15, Fri 24 May.

Gwydion gave Euryleia and Brun a warm smile, took a breath, and then lost his smile.

"No. This is not a negotiation or a brainstorming session, but my royal responsibility as Prince and my responsibility as a Knight of the realm. This is not merely an errand, and I would very much like to not discuss this in front of His Majesty until he's had a chance to catch up and find out what this is about. We can talk about it on the way, but it's my vessel that has to be there, not the Thames. This isn't a fun trip. This isn't a social call. This is my job. And he can't know Uncle John is alive until after he makes his choice, or his decision will be an empty one. I love you both, you're the kind of friends I aspire to be and the kind of heroes mankind doesn't deserve, but right now you must understand that I've been preparing for this since we defeated Ember Rend and can't put it off any longer."

"Gwydion..." John Arthur said patiently. "I've been told what was said, and, you are certainly within your right to demand satisfaction."

"But...you must think of the Realm. Of your family. Geraint's blood is strong within you. But this isn't a question of martial skill alone. Avaluna is reeling, as is Mars. Your actions may very well provoke war. Do you think L4-NC3-L07's knights would be forgiving if you slay their Lord? Or perhaps, he slays you? What then? Would you leave your children fatherless? You, of all people, should understand what that's like."

"Gwydion, there are lives, both within this room and without, that depend upon you now. Upon your judgment. Upon your choices. You must think of them. You will soon be a husband, a father, a King. You must be a man worthy of those burdens. Boyhood is gone, my son. As should be its pursuits."

Meara blinked and stared at Gwydion with a blank expression as he spoke, and her expression didn't change as John made his reply.

When she had her chance, she spoke up.

"Remember when Iri and I went aboard the Thames to reach the coordinates where Sir Brun and Lady Euryleia came back to us?  If he had discovered I was there, my excuse of 'I am just here as a crew member and not Princess of Chonaill' would have been worth less than the air used to speak it and would be seen as infiltrating a sovereign nation as a spy at the very least.  Showing up with your carrier and Armour and making demands is something even I know not to do.  Please do not make me out to be the sane, rational one between the two of us," she said, pausing before adding, "I also want to smack him across the face for his rash actions.  It would feel so satisfying in the moment.  But part of our burden as heirs is that we do not get to do that.  Just ask Auntie Val and Uncle John how many times they have had to hold back for the sake of humanity!"

Gwydion stared at the King with bewilderment before he found his words again.

"Uncle. John. Please. That man raised me just as much as you did, I'm not going to kill him. Like I said, he's coming to the wedding. He needs to talk to Auntie Val and he needs to realize that Avaluna and Mars are far weaker alone, and that this absurd anger he has over your loss isn't her fault. It isn't anyone's fault. There was a monster hurting people, and something had to be done. It cost everyone something dear to them. Everyone. Now he thinks he can go through that alone, cut himself off from his dearest friends and the closest thing to family he has? I nearly killed myself trying to bring you back, Uncle John, and that was with the people I love all there for me, telling me it was going to be alright, and letting me cry with them. Iliza had to force me to hold still long enough to eat food and sometimes even sleep. Can you imagine what that idiot has been doing trying to run Mars feeling like that? No, Uncle. I'm not going to kill him. I'm going to save him, because he's family and I love him. And I'm also going to kick his ass a little if he gives me lip about it because I'm a Knight of Avaluna and the Queen's nephew and he called her a coward for surrendering you to the monster and then leaving. He was angry. He was in the same despair the rest of us were in when your Armour was incinerated in front of our eyes. Now he gets to fix it. I'm not letting him go through any of this alone anymore. He belongs in the audience for the wedding, not sitting alone drawing up battle plans or whatever. I'm not leaving family behind again, Uncle. And he isn't going to kill me either. Partially because he loves me too, even if he can't say it right now. Partially because I'm a badass with a goddammn time-shifting ghost Armour designed specifically to deal with him for this exact moment. But mostly the first thing I hope."

Euryleia narrows her silver eyes a little as the sensible offer is, however politely, brushed away.  Those same eyes slip over to Meara, as she responds, then to Iliza, who holds her peace for now.  To gauge their feelings on this decision by mutual fiance and future King.  For herself, they Lady Stjernevold holds her peace as well, but doesn't bother to hide the expression of disappointment.

Brun, who had felt like he was starting to understand, is confused again.  Very much so.  And looks around to the others hoping they have anything....  Because he's lost on how to help now.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:48, Sat 25 May.

"Really, Gwydion?! Iliza huffed, then composed herself, though he could see fire in her eyes,"Listen. Listen." she gestured to the others.

"Despite the afternoon that we just enjoyed, I am seriously reconsidering marrying you at all. How could you be a good husband, a good father, a good sovereign if you cannot listen to the counsel of those around you? I doubt you have heard a single word anyone has said to you. You're so hyper fixated on your vision that you're ignoring everyone around you. That way will lead you to a very lonely kingdom, no matter how idealistic it is. Gwydion, I want you to think back to lunch. Remember the words of future Brun? He said that things had to turn out this way, that your Uncle had to "die" so that you didn't. Do you know what that means? That your fixation on revenge against Ember-Rend caused all this pain. And your obsession with bringing your Uncle back was leading you to ruin. And if I had let it, where would our beautiful daughters be? Would your Uncle be back with us now? Ask yourself that. What damage will your obsession with dealing with Lord L4-NC3-L07 your way cause?"

"Your idealism is wonderful. You see a vision of the way things could be, but you cannot make that world by yourself. Your Uncle counsels perspective and your dear cousin, of all people, patience and restraint. You have a chance here to figure all of this out, to ensure everyone's happiness and well-being. To focus on our relationship,  our family,
our marriage. But rather than deal with the reality of everyone's feelings,  you'd rather fixate on the your feelings, your fantasies to the exclusion of all else. You don't want to do your duty. You just want to be 'a badass with a goddamn time-shifting armour'."

"Our daughters seemed to think something was off about you. They suggested it might be your lack of a beard. I think it's the fact that, as Irina previously suggested,  you need to get your head out of your ass. But, just in case, you might want to stop shaving." Her peace made plain, Iliza curtsied to the King and Queen, and left.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 21:56, Sat 25 May.

Gwydion, stunned, fell back into his seat after Iliza left. It took him a moment to find the strength to look at anyone, but he let his eyes slowly fall over the people gathered before landing on Meara.

"R...really?" His voice didn't have much left to it.

Not wanting to rub it in, Meara gave Gwydion an awkward grimace as she affirmed, "... Yeah... she is pretty on the nose.  And a lot more blunt than I was.  On the upside, we both need someone like that, so... please at least listen to her."

Euryleia listened with growing admiration as the normally politic and deferential Iliza let her "peace" go.  Whatever points Gwydion had lost with her, Iliza gained threefold. The Dragon Slayer approved.

After Iliza had exited, Euryleia turned back to observe what effect all that might have on the future of the King....and Queen really.  Otherwise she waited patiently.

---

Brun winced reflexively at the nova of frustration from Iliza.  Again, alot of the details were lost, but details weren't needed to put together the path that lead to this.  Though it felt strange...  Only yesterday, for him anyway, Gwydion and Iliza seemed unshakeable.  Meant to be....  And now.  Woof.  Opinion unasked, Brun joined in with Meara nonetheless, "Gwydion, Prince...  You really should listen...  You have fought for Iliza since I met you.  Perhaps /this/, here and now, is the charge you should lead.  This where you are needed."