Chapter Two

“What do you mean youre getting married? Is there something wrong with my hearing? Did you say marriage? Surely thats impossible. You promised on anything that was holy or not, and everything in between that youd never consider doing that ever. Youre the only confirmed bachelor guaranteed in the known world now King Mintyn’s married.”

Avalon expected the outburst. He looked at his two friends sitting across from him at the stateroom table of his ship. They were a day into their trip to Lowenthorp. The distance could be covered in two days if hed employed the engines of his ship, but Avalon was relying on wind power meaning the trip would take three days.

The paperwork was already finalized. He was as good as married already. Avalon was effectively traveling to make his vows in front of whoever Queen Fiona thought was important enough to hear them, and then he was taking Jasper with him on a short ship voyage until he could work out if his husband and he could fit their lives together, or if Avalon needed to drop Jasper off in Cijan with his father before continuing on with his life. Part of that thinking process meant sharing his plans with his friends.

Duncan, Duke of Coventry, the one who’d spoken, and Merlin, Lord of Hawkesbury might be considered strange bedfellows among society members always seeking to improve their social ranking through their spouses or arranging profitable marriages for their children. But Avalons two friends had a relationship that was deep and solid, and forged, in part, through keeping Avalon from making an idiot of himself, especially when he had gone through a rather rough patch in his earlier years.

Suffice to say, there was a time when Avalon thought that his shit genuinely did not stink, and that the world would bend to his command. After getting thrown off of his first ship and having to be saved by Duncan, when he realized that the water was not going to support his body and it wasnt like Avalon had bothered to learn to swim, he and Duncan had become good friends. When Duncan met Merlin at a function at the World Court a few years later, and became instantly smitten, it was Avalon who gave Merlin a job so his two friends could marry and be together.

“Where are we heading?” Merlin glanced at him sideways. He looked, to Avalon, like someone who belonged in a library with his mop of auburn hair, deep brown eyes, and fine features. But he had a kind heart, a strong love for Duncan, and a very intelligent mind. “If marriage is on the agenda, I doubt were going to Rosenhip. No one there is looking for a husband. Likewise, I cant see your father agreeing to you marrying one of the nobles from Huditit or Hooit, so that only leaves Lowenthorp unless youre heading north of Marinkaw.”

“Were heading to Lowenthorp,” Avalon agreed, taking a sip of wine. “We have urgent business there, I suppose you could say.”

“Yes, like getting married,” Duncan said. His swished back blond hair, and bristly beard, combined with the broad shoulders of a man who preferred a soldier’s life to sipping tea and nibbling biscuits at social events, always reminded Avalon of an ancient warrior. He had the blunt speech to match. “Sire, Avalon, come on. What are you doing? What on earth could your father have said that would convince you to marry Princess Felicity? Its not that Ive got anything against the woman, surely you understand that. But shes all about home and hearth and wanting a castle she can control. I thought you were happy in your life the way you are.”

“I am, and that won’t change.” Avalon nodded as he took another drink. He genuinely did enjoy his traveling - both what he did for Cijan and his father, and the places he explored simply because he wanted to. He didnt long for a home like so many of his royal or society friends felt was necessary to a good life. He liked the idea of being out and meeting new people, going to new places, doing the things that he enjoyed, and meeting the rush of new circumstances and new situations head on. Every day in his life was different and that was something that Avalon really appreciated.

“Okay, so you won’t be marrying Princess Felicity.” Merlin huffed. “And you cant be marrying Prince Luigi because hes already married. By all accounts he’s working hard to secure his own heir and spares.”

“No, it’s not Luigi.” Avalon barely held his grimace. He and the Lowenthorp crown prince were not friends. “Theres a third child, a younger son. Hes not someone I recall meeting before and I doubt you have either?”

Duncan and Merlin looked at each other and then Duncan shook his head.

“I say younger, he is apparently twenty-four, twenty-five, something like that, Im not sure.”

“No disrespect, but I find it strange youre marrying a man,” Merlin said. “I dont understand why youre doing this when there were so many other matches you couldve made, with people you did know, and yet you refused every single one of them.”

Avalon looked at his friends. They knew him better than anybody else including his reasons for staying single. He shrugged. “To be honest, Im not sure either. Father was very persuasive but that wasnt it. There was nothing that he said that would have changed my mind as a rule. But there was something about Jaspers situation...” Avalon quickly filled his friends in on what his father had told him about Jasper - his abduction, his reappearance, and the apparent lack that Jasper seemed to have for self-preservation since hed been returned.

“I can see why youd want to protect him,” Duncan said, reaching over and taking Merlins hand, something he only ever did when he was reminded that life wasnt always pleasant. “I mean, nobody deserves to go through something like that, and for Jasper to speak in that way about his own person is deeply troubling. But doesnt it concern you that he carries physical evidence of what hes been through and that he still wont speak of what happened even to assist in the World Council putting the people who did it behind bars?”

Leaning back in his chair Avalon said, “We dont go to Lowenthorp that often, but when we have gone in the past, and Im not disputing or disregarding the close friendship that our King has with Queen Fiona, but didnt something always strike you as strange about that place?”

“Define strange.” Duncan chuckled, and Merlin joined in. Avalon didnt have a clue what they thought was so funny, which Merlin mustve realized.

“You were always spending time with Luigi, Felicity, or the Queen. I think the only time weve ever actually socialized there was for Prince Luigis wedding, wasnt it?”

Avalon nodded. “I think so. Most of the time, were just dropping things off or picking things up for Father.”

“The Lowenthorp society families are a weird bunch,” Duncan said bluntly. “Honestly, I wouldnt trust any of them under my roof. I swear some of them look like theyll stab you in the back while handing you a drink.”

“Theres always been a bit of a weird vibe about the place. but I mean, you could say that about half a dozen of the places that we go to.” Avalon could tell Merlin was trying to be diplomatic. “Every country has variations on the customs and social niceties they abide by. In the castle the staff are always hospitable enough, nobody appears to be mistreated or anything else like that. As a country, its run as well as any other place might be, although they rely more on magic, or appear to, than many other countries. Their trade bill from King Mintyn of Marinkaw must be huge every year.”

“I was always surprised that Queen Fiona didnt offer Prince Felicity to King Mintyn when she was looking to secure a decent match for her,” Duncan chuckled, brushing a quick kiss over Merlin’s fingers. Avalon smiled to see their easy affection.

“I believe she did.” He chuckled. “But at the time King Mintyn wasnt in a marrying mood. The fact that he got married to Prince Syrius was a shock to everybody, including King Mintyn, by all accounts. But theyre extremely happy.”

“It must be the season for it,” Merlin said drily, “because no one anticipated you agreeing to get married either. Not that its a bad thing,” he added quickly. “But I still dont understand why you felt the need to tuck Prince Jasper under your wing. Have you thought about what youre planning to do with him after the wedding? Are we just returning him to Cijan for your father to look after? Or will he be traveling with us? How do you see this playing out? Especially considering you never planned on marrying before the past few days.”

“He will be traveling with us initially, unless he is totally against the idea.” Avalon was determined, now hed committed to being married, to try and show Jasper he had options when it came to where he lived and what he could do. “He needs to learn to feel secure with people again and I anticipate that will take time.”

“Well, from what youve said, he didnt want to get married any more than you did, and one can only assume hes doing it to either protect his mother, make things easier for his sister to find a royal match, or maybe his abductors are keeping a close eye on him, in which case his marriage will be a means of escape,” Merlin pointed out.

“If hes looking for a protector, then hes marrying the right person,” Duncan said, raising his glass in Avalons direction. “That explains why were carrying extra troops this trip. Chasing down people with no respect for a royal youth will make a welcome change from delivering your fathers wishes up and down the coastlines.”

“It could be something different.” Avalon raised his glass in return. “With any luck, Prince Jasper will provide us with something to do for the next month that will result in my making our apologies for not attending the World Court Ball being held in two weeks. What do you say? Are you going to mind if we miss the event of the season?”

“Im sure well live with the disappointment, Your Highness,” Merlin said as Duncan and Avalon both chuckled into their glasses.