Anelie watched as the Polish ship slowly approached the dock.
The waiting. She hated the waiting. Yesterday had been OK. There had been things to do, supplies to scrounge. Soldiers to prepare. That ten of her men, including Lewy (and his ornery wife), had agreed to come on this possibly suicidal mission had been expected. For all FOUR of the female recruits to do the same...
"You'll take them," Shanna had told her. "Train them as you go. I know you can make them into soldiers."
So, she would make them soldiers. If Shanna said it could be done, she would do it.
Even if it killed them.
That had been yesterday. Today, it had been just waiting. Waiting for the ship to make its way up river. Waiting for the three teens who would accompany them on this trip. She didn't know them well. Not any more, and truth be told the one she wasn't sure she had ever met. The last few years had been spent well away from the Palace. With luck they could handle themselves on the road. Worst case... Anelie would stick them with Bogdi's kids in the wagons.
She looked to her right. The two wagons were loaded, ready to go. They were light, fast. Especially with four horses on each. Worst case they could ditch the wagons and just use the horses.
Anelie shook her head. She had to stop dwelling on the worst case. Focus on the positive. They were moments away from heading on a quest to save her niece and nephew. From actually DOING something! That was what she had wanted, and by God, He had delivered.
A large hand grabbed her shoulder. She looked up beside her. Bogdi looked down, smiling.
"At ease, Little Sis. We'll be off soon enough."
"I know," she said, smiling. "Give them an hour to get their stuff together and on the wagons..."
"GRANDPA!"
Two small forms shot past her legs, hands in the air as they ran onto the dock. Anelie's eyes shot back to the ship. There, leaning against the rail, was Adanya's father. His hands were out, wide mouth in an incredible grin. Adanya pulled to a stop next to her, chase of the children abandoned.
"Father!"
"I had hoped Dad would come," Bogdi said, calmly. "He hasn't seen the kids since Christmas." He looked down at Anelie, smiling. "I don't think we'll be leaving today."
"I should hope not!" Adanya said.
Anelie let out another sigh. She understood, of course. She would have been the first to give the order to leave at first light tomorrow. That was still a half day lost, though. A half day they might not be able to afford. Who knew how long this journey would take. Who knew how little James would handle the trip. Who knew...
"GRANDMA!"
Her eyes whipped to the ship. Her mother. Mother was next to the Kikker Chief.
"Mom..." she whispered. Her left hand fumbled beside her, not finding her brother's because it was still on her shoulder. Chuckling, he lowered it, engulfing her hand in his.
"Of all the things we've put her through," he said, softly, "this may be the hardest. Let her have her say."
"I know." As if she were still a little girl, not a woman verging on her twentieth year, Anelie raised her right hand and waved to Mommy.
****
Felek chuckled as he looked down at the family reunion on the dock. They would not, he suspected, be leaving that day. Or the next. That had been the plan, though, from the look of the wagons, as well as the Hussars standing with their mounts. Get on the road, get moving. He could understand that.
"Are we staying on the ship?" Issa asked. Felek turned to his friend, smiling. Like him, Issa had a large satchel at his feet, filled with all he thought he'd need. Unlike Felek, most of it probably wasn't clothing. Kikker needs in that department were rather minimal. His dress today was a red rope kilt.
"No, we're getting off. Let's give them a few moments, though. No need to interrupt." Felek looked down again. Both half human children were leading the two grandparents off by the hand, their chatter drowning out most other sound. The kids looked OK, at least to him. That was good. Dragging a dying boy half way across the world would not be fun.
Having to bury him somewhere along the way, even less so.
"Where's Ruta?" he asked, looking around. Issa shrugged.
"Below, I assume. Probably doing human female stuff." He pointed at the dismounted soldiers. "I thought all Polish soldiers wore white and red."
"Not Shanna's," Felek laughed. His Grace had explained the origin of the uniforms to him. The King had been amused, and thus so too was Felek. "The dark blue is from an old army back where she and the King came from, a century or two ago. The black breastplate, naturally, is because she's the Black Hussar."
"You Poles and your clothing," Issa said, shaking his head. "I don't blame you for hiding those bodies, but still..." He paused, leaning forward. "Hey, are some of those soldiers female?"
Felek looked again, leaning out beside his friend. Some of the Hussars had their helmets off.
"Huh. You're right. Must be the new batch of recruits."
"Maybe they're coming with us!"
Felek laughed, punching Issa in the shoulder.
"Dream on!"
Turning his back to the dock, Felek looked around the ship. Still no sign of Ruta. Not good. He nudged Issa's arm.
"I'm gonna look for Ruta. She should be up here by now."
"I'll go with y-"
Issa stopped as Ruta rose into view. She was climbing the stairs slowly, emerging from the hatch as if in a daze. Her hands were held cupped before her chest, eyes captivated by whatever was in them. Felek rushed to her side, Issa a moment behind.
"Ruta! You OK?" Felek stopped beside her, hand going to her arm. Ruta stopped as she stepped onto the deck.
"Do you see it?" she asked, softly. "Do you see it, Felek? I see it..."
He looked in her hands. She held the small silver bird, its chain stretched taut around her neck. Felek stared at it for a moment, eyes going back to her face. He squeezed her bare arm.
"What do you see, Ruta?"
"It's... it's glowing. Glowing! And..." She turned, slowly facing the fishing town. "This way." She stopped where she was. "We have to go this way."
Felek followed the invisible line outward. The Eastern road. He nodded.
"Well, I guess it works. That's good."
Ruta blinked, shaking her head. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh! The glow stopped!" She turned to him. "Did you see it?"
"No," he said. "I think this is all you." He leaned in, giving her a quick kiss. Issa's eyes swept between them.
"She can do it, then? She can find this place?"
"Yes," Ruta said, letting the bird go, the charm finding its natural home between her breasts. "Yes I can."
****
Anelie leaned back against a tree as she watched the kids show off for their family.
Mother. Her mother was here. Well, there, standing in the grass beside Bogdi as James and Zuza sang a song they had memorized. How long had it been since she had seen her mother? When had that been? Over a year ago. Had to be. She had accompanied Bogdi's family back to Nowy Warsaw that one time. Her brother hadn't told her they were stopping that day at Mom's new home, nor told Mom they were coming. All had been surprised, unsurprisingly.
Anelie let out a sigh. She loved Mom. Loved her. Why did she not go back and visit? Shanna would let her. That wasn't the problem. Shanna was good about things like that, understanding the needs of families. Understanding HER needs. So, what was it?
The singing stopped, the four adults applauding vigorously. Unable to help herself, Anelie added her own clapping. The kids WERE good, voices mixing together to make something unique.
That the chorus had them "ribbiting" was just too cute.
She glanced over at her men, now milling around off duty. The three teens from the boat were talking to the four recruits. Well, they were about the same age, so that made sense. They might even know each other. It was a small Kingdom, after all.
Anelie heard footsteps in the grass. Mother was coming towards her. Her dress was a light green, matching her eyes. Her red hair was pinned up on her head, just a few strands falling down on either side of her face. Anelie found herself coming almost to attention.
"Mind if I join you?" her Mom asked. Anelie shook her head.
"Do you need to sit?" She glanced around. "There's a bench over there."
"I think sitting on the grass in the shade will be good enough." She lowered herself, gracefully. Anelie did the same, very self-conscious of wearing pants in front of her Mother. They faced each other.
"You look good, Mom." And she did. Even better than before, if that was possible. "Still working at that shop?"
"Yes, although now I'm helping paint the plates before they're baked. You know I've always liked that kind of thing."
Anelie nodded. Her mother had always had a bit of an artistic side. She wasn't a particularly GOOD artist, if Anelie had to be honest about it, but then neither were she nor Bogdi. Didn't mean she wasn't good enough for some kinds of work.
"I didn't expect to see you here."
"And I didn't expect to come." Her Mother chuckled. "There was a knock on the door, and when I opened it, the King was there! Can you believe it? His Grace, surrounded by guards, standing in my doorway! I almost fainted! He asked to come in, and told me about what you and Bogdi were going to do. How... dangerous it was." Anelie dropped her eyes into her lap, unable to meet her Mom's gaze. "He said I could come see you off if I wanted. That Adanya's father was coming as well."
She paused, eyes going back to the others.
"I'm actually starting to like him. Horrible to say, after all this time, but he was incredibly nice to me on the trip over." She shrugged, looking back at Anelie. "Anyway, of course I wanted to come, so here I am."
"I'm glad you're here. And so are the kids."
"They are so..." Her mother shook her head. "Well, they're like you two. Really. There's no doubt Bogdi's the father."
Left unsaid was the desire for that not to have been the case, but that fight was long over. Anelie was just glad Mom was coming around on some things, doing more than putting up a good face for her Grandkids. A scream to look at her caused both women to glance back. Zuza was doing a somersault.
"How are you doing?"
Anelie felt herself blushing at the question.
"OK. Good."
Her mother looked at the grass beside her, picking an unusually long blade.
"You still have your own... soldiers?"
"I command my own squad, yes. I'm taking them with us, well most of them. The ones with children are staying behind, Shanna's orders."
"That's good." The blade was tossed away, another one picked. "Are you... with someone?"
"Mom!"
"I am just asking!" Her Mother's face looked as red as Anelie's felt. "You should be with someone. I know..." Mom paused, gathering her thoughts. "I mean, I know I won't be having any grandchildren, but... I just want you to be happy."
"I am happy, Mom."
The two women stared at each other for a long moment.
"I'm happy, Mom. Really. I love being here. I love being a soldier. I love being with Bogdi, with his family. I don't want any of it to change."
"Your brother asked me... well, asked me if I'd consider moving out here. When you get back."
Anelie blinked.
"He... what?"
"He has mentioned it before, when they've visited. His wife seems to also be in favor."
"Bogdi never... I mean, what would you do?"
"Live with them. They have the room. Help with the kids. Maybe work in a shop in the village. There are a couple, right? It looks big enough."
Her Mother. Living here. That would be good, right? Had to be. Having her Mom there every time she went to be with Bogdi. Just like she was still a little girl...
"I don't know if I'll do it," she went on. "I'll be going home after you leave, so we'll have to see how things are when you get back."
"I... I'd like it, if you were here," Anelie said. "Really." Her Mother reached over, touching her knee.
"I'd give you space, don't worry. I know how much you want to be yourself, how much of a home you've made for yourself here. I can see it all around me. This is where you belong."
"Thank you."
"Grandma!"
James was running over, his brown hair an unruly mess. His sister was dragging their Grandfather by the hand as she trailed behind him.
"Grandma! Grandpa said he'd buy us cookies! Want some?"
"Cookies would be good," she said, pushing herself to her feet. She reached a hand down to Anelie. "Coming?"
Anelie smiled, reaching up to take her hand.
"For cookies? Of course!"
****
Felek watched Issa's attempted flirting with the soldiers with amusement.
He was never really sure if it was serious or not, if the Kikker teen was actually attracted to Polish girls, or if it was just a game to him. He suspected a game. The flirting with Ruta was, he knew, as were her responses. She also seemed to encourage Issa's attempts to make other girls blush and swoon. If nothing else, Issa did seem to understand much of the laughing and giggling was AT his attempts, at how funny he looked imitating Polish romantic rituals. Actually, maybe that's what he was doing: mocking the strange Poles to their faces.
Whatever the case, the four females before them were enjoying it.
"I truly did not know there were more beautiful soldiers in the King's army," Issa said, his usual grin splitting his face. "Not that many male soldiers are not pretty, in their own way, mind you." The girls giggled. Soldiers giggling was not a sight Felek saw often. Certainly, neither Shanna nor Anelie giggled. He spoke up.
"How long have you been serving?"
"A month," the dark haired girl answered. She reached up, moving a few strands of hair off her face. "It's harder than I thought it would be. Lady Anelie works us so hard!"
"She has to!" The blue eyed blond shot her a harsh look. "We have to be as good as the men. Better!"
"Still! Why do we have to chop wood for hours? That's not soldiering!"
"What do you think we're going to have to do on this mission, Cyla? We'll be getting wood for the fire, standing watch every night. It won't be easy."
"Well," Issa said, "You're all better soldiers than me. Look better in armor, too."
"Going to cower behind us if there's a fight?" The blonde asked. He nodded happily.
"I've been trained as a politician, trader, not a fighter. You don't want me fighting."
The girl looked at Felek.
"How about you?"
"I can handle a sword well enough. Shield, too. The King saw to my training there. Ruta isn't bad with a bow." He looked at his love. She returned his gaze with a raised eyebrow.
"Am too bad with a bow! I'm just better than you!"
"That's what I said."
He saw one of the girls giving the two of them a funny look. He frowned.
"What?"
"Um... are you two a... couple?"
"Yes," Ruta said, quickly, taking Felek's arm. "We're to be wed."
"You are?!" Issa turned to them, shock on his face. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"We haven't told anyone yet," Felek apologized. "And things are happening so fast. I'm sorry, my friend."
"Well," Issa sighed, "that means I will have to marry one of these ladies. Would anyone like to volunteer?"
The blonde drew her sword. Issa backed up.
"That's a 'maybe'?"
****
Anelie stood on the parapet, looking over the wall towards the eastern forest.
East, Ruta, the girl with the magical necklace, had said. So, east they would go. She knew the eastern forest well for perhaps two days ride, maybe three. After that...
Footsteps. She felt calm flow over her as Shanna's dark form stopped beside her. Anelie lifted her eyes from the trees, looking into the sky.
"A beautiful night, Lady."
"You'll have good weather tomorrow. That's something." Shanna turned, leaning back against the wall. That was so Shanna, Anelie thought. Unafraid to show her back to an unseen enemy. She did the same, turning to look back into the fort. The gate was closed, the sentries set. All looked well.
"I went over James's super secret orders," Shanna said, arms folded over her chest. Anelie's arms took the same position out of habit. "You're in command. I trust you."
"Thank you, Lady."
"Listen to Felek, though. He knows more than you about quite a bit. Book learning, which outside of a fight is damned useful."
Anelie nodded. She did wish she could spend more time reading. The fort library was small, and her days occupied with so many things. When she was retired. Yes. She could read then...
"Anelie..."
The redhead looked at her friend. Shanna's eyes were distant, elsewhere.
"Anelie... I want you to come back."
She blinked.
"Um... Of course, Lady Shanna. We're going to come back."
"Yes, I know," Shanna said, turning to her. "But, I mean... I want YOU to come back. I need you here. With me. I know I don't always seem like I do, and there's Piotr, but..." Anelie felt tears in her eyes. "I do love you, Anelie. Not the way you want, not the way you deserve, but I love you. Come back to me."
"I... I will, Shanna." Hesitantly, she reached out, touching Shanna's face. Shanna's hand touched her cheek a moment later. They stood there, together, Anelie lost in her eyes.
Shanna suddenly grinned.
"Oh, and just so you know, that blonde Klocia has the hots for you." She turned, walking away.
Anelie stared after her, mind a confused mess. She shook her head.
"Wait, what?”