#Excerpt 4 - From Across the Sea

The Glorious Revolution (as it was being called) was being planned for early 281, 282 at the latest. While it was a long time away, Julia said that it was too short of a time to organize. Already, King Robert was scheming with the Cherls King, Matthew, Prince Abath (brother through marriage to the Cherls King), King Louis of Oweque (despite his strong ties to Mother Church) and the Parchan emperor, Wui. I could not read some of Julia’s handwriting and asked her to clarify a few things.

“Oh, those are some numbers.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Prince Edward has less allies than he thinks he does.” She grinned.

I read on. She was right. Most of the nobility, demoted and fleeced for the world war, were clamoring for change, even the Duke of Dorwn, one of his closest allies. They told the Wrong King that his absolute power was too much. He had to concede to some of it handed back to the Dukes, who were still claimed as cousins to the royal family.

Of course, Prince Edward threw a temper tantrum and called it treasonous and sent his Crows to pick up the men who challenged his authority. The Crows were empty-handed, of course. All the Dukes cited the laws of Klenard still set in stone, and the Wrong King had to back off.

After that, Prince Edward would only trust the Duke of Neast, Gerald Quincy, and his son, the Crown Prince Gregory. They and their families were stuck in Ploum, waiting on Prince Edward’s whim. It was infuriating since all of them were United Front workers and had assignments to complete. It also gave Prince Gregory little room to work.

The trust in them is eroding, King Robert wrote. Edward is beginning to question the pair’s allegiance. Quincy is playing his card right, but Gregory is fumbling. He might need an escape route out of Klenard, but that might be difficult because of how much he is watched. Gregory needs to work from the inside out.

“We’ve left our allies surrounded by the enemy?” I was aghast.

“We had no choice,” Julia pointed out. “We have not broken the blockade and the Deef Desert has not been conquered.”

I sighed, reading on. There were going to utilize several forces and all of them are coming from different directions. Each was going to meet the outer lines of Mother Church’s blockade to Klenard. This included sea routes and the fighting in the Deef Desert. Little other details had been included.

I handed the pages back to Julia. “What do we need to do?”

“Refugees were being held in Jast,” she explained. “This is our only chance to get them away from danger. Mother Church is going to be distracted with something else so that we can ship them here.”

Julia clarified that we were a stop. Anybody entering our home would stay with us no more than one night. We would feed and protect them, wrap their wounds and listen to them. I was also resolved to play with any children. Another guide would take them to a ship.

“When are they coming?” I was eager to start.

Julia confirmed it was going to be next week. “Supplies are going to be sent here. I am surprised by Annette’s generosity.” With an eye roll, she mumbled some curses under her breath.

I was anxious for our company to show, once more given a chance to serve. I cleaned the house, inside and out, several times a day. It irritated Julia. I also got easily bored when I was not helping her. After a few days of moping around the house (according to Julia), I was kicked out for the day. Julia told me not to come back until the light flies returned at dusk, with a demand for a report at the end of the day.

I stuck my tongue at her in response before she closed the door in my face.

I sighed. This isn’t fair! The house needs to be cleaned.

The well was empty. Sighing, I headed to the beach. I loved going there, but I felt awkward not having a purpose, like sitting to watch the sunrise. I found my usual spot by the water and sat there, feeling foolish being so alone. I buried my head between my legs, arms covering my exposed hair.

After a while, the crowds arrived, and the air hummed with excitement. Caught in a wave of their emotion, I waved at a few people that passed. After they passed, I shooed away some seagulls. At one point, I found a piece of wood and used it to dig piles of sand. I decided to make castles.

After a while, I looked up to find dozens of children building walls and houses with the sand. Many of them carried bowls and buckets of water and wet sand to reinforce the dry areas. One little girl connected her structure to mine. Beyond it, there was a huge city, protected by high walls and plenty of guards.

My mouth opened, awestruck by the efforts.

I could not believe my dig turned into this!

One of the little girls tugged at my hand. She asked me in Cherls if I would help her finish a tower. I smiled and followed her to the other side, where her lumpy mound was. After I showed her how to shape it, we sculpted a creation together that rivaled the rest.

Time passed, and the sun began to set. I should have left hours ago, I told myself, but I could not make myself move. To be honest, I could not tell what made me stay – the innocent children, the beautiful weather or the mothers and fathers holding each other, laughing. Whatever it was, I was under a spell, and I did not want it to fade away. When night fell, everyone was relucent to leave too.

It was long past the time that Julia and I had our last meal when I tumbled in. I was slightly pink from the sun and wind. My feet were bare, rough and dirty. My dress was dirty and course from the sea salt. My hair no longer had a cover, and it was tangled and messy.

Julia was seated at the table before a candle, reading another letter and smiling.

“How was today?” She sounded delighted, like she already knew.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other so I could lean in the doorway. “I went to the shore.”

“I heard!” Julia exclaimed. “Many people coming back told me you started building sandcastles.”

“I was bored,” I admitted with crossed arms. “I did not know what to do. Before I knew it, there were a lot of children.”

Julia patted the seat next to her. I sat on the other side, staring at her. She tried to hold my hands, but they were slick from the seaweed we found to decorate the houses, and they slid right off. She laughed, wiping her hands on an apron she wore.

“You never know what to expect unless you try,” she told me. “Did you expect to have company?”

I shook my head.

“You can do things for yourself,” Julia continued. “Sometimes, it does not come out how you expect it. Sometimes, God sends you something you never imagined. No plans, no expectations, just being.”

I thought over her words cautiously. They were so strange…except for the part about being. I knew about that! I just did not know how to answer Julia, though. It was not like I could speak with the same intelligence. It made me feel stupid, and my face reddened.

If Julia noticed I was embarrassed, she did not mention it. Instead, she said, “Your pathway in life crosses many people. Sometimes, you will see them in a good light. Other times, you will see the darkness.”

That I understood!

I was vindicated.

“So, will it happen tomorrow?” I asked her. “The gathering, the love?”

“Maybe,” Julia told me. “Maybe not. It’s up to you. Are you going to cultivate the relationships or leave them?”

That also struck me hard.

Right then and there, I understood the power of my choices.