Life Changes

Sophia gives birth and Muld and Syndi are finally married.

25.

Life Changes

 

King Eleazar led out a small fleet of royal airships southward to intercept Hobnail's brothers and the remainder of the pirates before they escaped to the southlands.    Halfway between Westmark and Southgate, they were surprised to find that the dwarf brothers of Hobnail had decided to turn and try to assist their brother.    Early in the morning, the day following the battle over Westmark, an aerial battle occurred between the airship fleet and the remnant of the pirates.

The King led the boarding party onto the brothers’ flagship and none could stand before the might of the paladin king and his knights.

In a short time it was over; the Dwarven brothers of Hobnail decided it was better to die fighting rather than chance surrender.    A few members of their crew did surrender and were taken as prisoners back to Westmark to be tried at a later date.

 

While the king was leaving with his fleet to find the pirates, Sophia was laboring to deliver twin baby daughters.    Her labor was much longer than Aloea's, but it went smoothly.    The new Lizard-woman mother came and assisted Zeatt and Allea, and a handful of royal midwives and healers were on hand to help.

Khord stayed and coached his nervous wife and after nine hours of agony, the Drow couple heard the joyous sounds of identical twin daughters crying.    Zeatt wept as she held her first two grandchildren and Sophia forgot all of her anguish as she held the two little babies in her arms.

No-one knew if they had arrived early or not, as Sophia had been pregnant with them when Yesh changed the gestation period of elves from two to five years.    Both babies were healthy and Khord and Sophia named them human names: Katherine and Victoria.

 

A wing of the palace was made into a hospital ward for the injured.    Sixty seven people died in Hobnail's attack, including most of his airship crew.

Fourteen pirates and wizards survived the crash of the ship and thirty one surrendered from the other pirate airships.    Eleazar sentenced all of them to a life of hard labor, which included helping restore the damage done to Westmark by the pirates.  

There were over three hundred injuries and half of the management of the Practical Magician's Guild recuperated for a week in the palace hospital.

Tadd and Mutt maintained the Guild, assisted by Vellie and Mandy.   The Goblin announced his engagement to the Halfling girl the week after the attack and they planned to marry early the following year.

Jevon had received serious injuries fighting Lord Deryck and enjoyed the rest in the hospital.    Ant visited him daily and kept him updated on what the Bitter Dregs were doing.   He decided it was possible to serve as a Dreg and still work as a Practical Magician.

Rick and Shel shared a private room in the make-shift hospital.    The Orc lady had been badly hurt, but recovered very quickly, bolstered in no small part by the presence of her husband with her.    Rick found his love for her grew stronger and stronger the more time they spent together.    They decided to keep working at their jobs.    Muld had been so impressed with Rick's work that he named him as the Guild head of the Westmark branch.

This was due to a change that he had decided to make.    Though King Eleazar had deeded Windhaven to him, he had got his fill of airships and floating cities.    But he established a branch of the Practical Magician's Guild on the Floating City and placed Jevon in charge of it.   The thought was that the city could go from place to place across Marksylvania and bring the services of Practical Magic to smaller communities, as well as serving as a base for royal airships and (unknown but to a few) containing a branch of the Bitter Dregs.   

Antheeya was named as this branch's chief, which of course meant that she could be near Jevon, though she acted as if that did not matter to her at all.

Muld kept ownership of the floating city and had the central tower repaired.   Muld and Syndi had quarters there, and could assume control of the city when they decided that they wanted to do so.

 

But they had decided to go back to Losahome, at least for several years.     He would open up another branch of the Practical Magician's Guild there and could run that, as well as serve as one of King Eiolmoel's Lords.    The King gave all of Deryck's lands and property to Muld and Syndi as a wedding present.

Their wedding was postponed until everyone recovered from their injuries, and this gave Queen Synthaeia time to finish preparations.

 

A week before Lightmas, Princess Syndi married Muld Mozzil in the beautiful Chapel of Yesh the Merciful in Losahome.    As she had on many previous occasions, Reverend Mother Zeatt officiated and over a thousand people from the Losasidhe, Marksylvanian and neighboring kingdoms attended.

None would forget the regal beauty of the bride with her fiery red hair contrasting a magnificent white dress with a train carried by six attendants.    On her brow she wore a tiara of silver, with green emeralds set into it.   

The beautiful bride and her handsome groom (who had finally tamed his mane of wild brown hair) exchanged their vows as the snow fell outside the glass walls of the cathedral. 

The banquet which followed was impressive by any standard and lasted for three days.   Unlike some elven wedding night customs, Muld and Syndi were given uninterrupted seclusion to enjoy each other at last.

 

A week later, early in the morning of Lightmas eve, the newlyweds lay in each other's arms watching the snow fall outside the large windows of their quarters, thankful for the warmth of the fireplace in their room.

Syndi sighed happily and kissed Muld, "Well, I guess our adventure is over."

"Oh, I don't know.   I'd say it was more of a change than an ending."

"Yes, and you know, really I don't mind.   For once I feel like I am at home.   I fought with Mom for years and wanted to get out of here for such a long time, but now I'm so glad we're here."

"It makes all the difference who you are with.    Your parents look at you differently now."

Syndi nodded, "It's different, but really nice.    She doesn't nag me and we get along so much better now.   She is even growing quite fond of you too!"

"I'm not a threat to her family now,”  Muld replied.

"No, now you are family!"

"You don't know how happy that makes me.   I would have been complete just having you as my wife, but to have the love of your parents and your brothers and their families is overwhelming to me.   I never knew how wonderful family can be."

"Well, like you said, 'it makes all the difference who you are with.'.   Muld, do you think I should still study sorcery?    With us living up here, there is really no one to study under.    I feel rather bad for Alleania; she was so kind to me and I just left her."

"Oh, she understands, sweetheart.   She is still training Allea and she has plenty to keep her very busy.   But to answer your question -- I'd say you should keep studying on your own.    The royal libraries here have spellbooks -- you could learn the spells your sister learned and maybe master her school of sorcery!"

Syndi leaned on the chest of her husband, "Oh?   So you don't want to see me wearing those skimpy costumes anymore?"

"I love to see you wearing them... but now I think I want to be your exclusive source of Qi."

Syndi smiled, "I think we can work out an arrangement, Master Muld."

 

 

The End