Tempered by Fate 26

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Sword of Kings: Tempered By Fate

 by Bill W
Copyright 2015 by billwstories
Chapter 26 Returning Home.

When Kieren arrived back in Aurelia, he received a hero’s welcome from the wood elves, which mildly surprised him.  First of all, he didn’t think word about what had happened would have reached the elfin homeland so soon, since the army had stayed behind to perform other duties.  He quickly discovered, however, that the wily wizard had sent messengers to every major community in the kingdom to share the extraordinary news of Madumda’s defeat and demise. 

The second reason Kieren was surprised was that he had never been exactly popular among the other elves and didn’t have very many friends.  He was shocked that they were now greeting him so warmly and it completely astounded him that some of his former tormentors were very prominently intermixed in the foremost ranks of this joyous welcome home celebration.  Maybe Garreth had been correct and those that had treated him so badly were now afraid of payback for their misdeeds. 

Kieren also received a very warm and affectionate greeting from his parents.  That wouldn't have been surprising, at least not under normal circumstances, but back when he'd parted from his mother and father it had happened under less than ideal circumstances.  The last thing Kieren had done before he left home was to scream at his parents after he'd found out they had withheld the information about Madumda and the knowledge that he might be called upon to go to Leander and carry out a special mission.  Due to this fact, he had been uncertain about how they were going to react when he eventually returned, but he needn't have worried. 

Fortunately, his parents were simply overjoyed that their son had not only returned, but he'd made it home safely and arrived in one piece.  They never hesitated and greeted him with all of the warmth and enthusiasm that would have been normal.  This released a great deal of tension from Kieren's body and removed a heavy weight from his heart.  After seeing how his mother and father were reacting in such a positive manner, it quickly removed any doubts from his mind about whether they still harbored any grudges over his rather rude departure.  He was unequivocally convinced they felt the same as before and loved him just as dearly as when he departed, which made him feel much better. 

Kieren was thrilled to be back home with his family again and greeted them just as warmly in return.  He was also eagerly looking forward to spending some time with his parents before he had to leave for Leander, because he planned to use that opportunity to make up to them for the terrible things he had said before he'd left on his mission.  One of the very first things he did was to apologize to his mother and father for blowing up at them before he left that day, which now seemed to have happened a very long time ago. 

"I'm really sorry about the way I acted before I left with King Dylan and Beraut to go to Leander  I hope you will forgive me for my childish outburst and not hold it against me," he begged his parents in his most sincere manner. 

"No apology is necessary," his mother replied.  "While you've been away, your father and I have had time to consider how you must have felt under the circumstances, especially after being told you had to go to the capital to take part in a very secret mission.  We undoubtedly could have handled the situation better and now realize why you were so upset.  It was because we obviously knew something about what was in the works but had never bothered to inform you about what might possibly happen.  We now agree you had been correct and were definitely old enough to have been consulted prior to all of this coming to light."

Even though Kieren was surprised by this admission, he was also very pleased.  In the end, they agreed to put this episode behind them and make a fresh start. 

Once it had been settled, Kieren introduced his mother and father to Qaim and Jana.  He then explained why he had brought them home with him and emphasized how they had both proven to be very instrumental in helping him defeat the Dark Lord.  He also pointed out that he probably couldn't have done it without them.  Seeing Qaim and Jana were each at least partially responsible for their son returning home safely, Kieren’s parents readily agreed to honor his promises. 

"We are extremely grateful for the things you did to help our son, so we will be happy to allow you to stay here with us," his father offered.  "This will be your home from now on and my wife and I will be happy to see that your basic needs are taken care of."

Even though they had welcomed the pair into their home, Kieren’s mother and father still gave their son the majority of their attention, without ignoring the newest members of their family.  Kieren's parents had no problem honoring their son's request and even attempted to get to know more about the newest additions to the family.  His parents were willing to do whatever it took to set things right, because they were simply ecstatic that he had made it back home unharmed and wished to make up for the time he had been away.  Fortunately, both Qaim and Jana were fairly independent, so this hardly impacted either of them at all. 

After things settled down a bit, Kieren’s mother took him aside and explained that she was planning to relinquish her claim to the throne on his behalf.  Upon hearing this, Kieren felt it would probably be best if he didn't tell her that King Dylan had already advised him about this fact, because he feared it might create another minor problem.  Instead, he listened patiently as she explained that she felt he deserved the honor of being crowned king, especially after everything he had just gone through and what he had accomplished by defeating Madumda. 

"I feel the kingdom needs a king right now, rather than a queen," she informed him.  "Seeing the kingdom has gone so many years without a monarch, I believe Tarolia would be better off having a strong, vibrant male to lead them, rather than an old lady." 

"You're not old, but are you certain this is what you truly want to do?" Kieren asked, but he wasn't doing this merely out of politeness either.  He was actually willing to wait and have his mother rule first, but she was insistent that this was what she wanted too.  "In that case, thank you for giving me this honor and I will do my very best to make you extremely proud of me." 

"I have no doubt of that and I am sure you'll do just fine," she confirmed.  "I will also do whatever I can to assist you, at least until you are comfortable dealing with things on your own, but I'm not sure how much help I will be.  I sincerely believe you will find King Dylan and the steward to be better resources for the time being, for several different reasons.  To begin with, I have never done any of this before and can only draw on my many years' worth of other experiences.  I'm convinced King Dylan will be a much better resource to help you in understanding the demands and responsibilities of ruling a kingdom.  He has done a fine job of ruling the elves for many years and I am positive he'll be able to give you some very valuable advice, as well as offering you some warnings about the pitfalls of filling such an important and highly visible role.

When it comes to the daily operation of the capital, I'm sure Nathar will be more than willing to help you learn about the day-to-day affairs of the castle.  He has been doing that job most recently, and from what I understand he's done a more than capable job of it, so let him be your guide for that portion of your new duties." 

Kieren and his mother talked for quite awhile and ended up having a very productive chat about the various issues he would be facing.  Each of them was more than satisfied with how the discussion went and agreed to work together to do whatever would be best for the kingdom, rather than basing their decisions on what would be best for themselves. 

Over time, Kieren also advised his parents about some of the things that had happened to him while he’d been away from home.  For the most part though, Kieren either downplayed the various situations that had taken place or, on occasion, he even elected to withhold particular pieces of information from them.  He only did this, however, whenever the more dangerous and life threatening events that he'd been involved in came into play.  He'd made this choice because he felt the information might upset his parents or caused them undue alarm, and since the past could not be changed it was better off forgotten.  He did this because he was especially worried about how his folks would react if they knew the details about what had taken place, especially where his mother was concerned. 

Overall, Kieren’s father seemed quite impressed by what he heard, although his mother often acted totally mortified after he'd finished telling them about some of the things that had taken place.  If this was the way she reacted to the watered down version of the events, then how would she have reacted if he'd told her what had really happened?  The major issue she had to deal with was that she couldn’t believe she actually allowed her son to be placed in such dangerous situations in the first place.  Her reactions only helped to convince Kieren that he was doing the right thing by withholding this information from her.    

Kieren actually stayed in Wildoness for an entire month after he returned home, but then Beraut suggested it was finally time for him to go to Leander.  The wizard felt Kieren should get started with learning about the duties of state and begin to assume some of the less complicated responsibilities, because there was a lot for him to become familiar with before his coronation took place. 

Prior to his making the move to the capital, however, Kieren decided he should speak with both Garreth and Romaric’s parents first, about letting their sons join him when he went to live in the castle.  Even though his efforts weren’t entirely successful, they weren’t a complete failure either. 

Kieren first went to speak with Romaric's parents and both he and Romaric were surprised that his parents kept a very open mind regarding the situation. 

"We had a feeling this might be coming," Romaric's mother stated once Kieren finished speaking.  "After we learned the true reason about why you had been requested to go to Leander, we assumed you would eventually move there and ask our son to join you when you became king.  We also knew if that happened then Romaric would probably agree it was what he wanted to do."

Even though they weren’t exactly ready to have Romaric go off and be on his own quite yet, his parents realized how close the three of them were, which included Garreth.  Romaric's parents also considered the fact that their son had already assumed the role of an adult on the mission he'd just completed, so they were forced to conclude that he was now old enough to make this decision for himself. 

"You've already proven you are no longer a child, so it is up to you to choose what you want to do," his father told him.  "Your mother and I will offer you our full support and give you our blessings, no matter what you decide is the best course of action for you to follow." 

After being successful there, the boys were a little more optimistic when they went to speak with Garreth’s parents, but his folks responded to the request quite differently.  His mother, in particular, wasn’t as willing to agree to this arrangement and was insistent that her son remain at home with them for a while longer. 

"He just got back from going with you on a long and dangerous venture and I'm not about to let him leave us again," Garreth's mother stated, defiantly.  "He is still a boy and belongs here at home with his parents and siblings."

It was apparent his mother wasn't prepared or willing to cut the maternal apron strings that bound her to her son just yet.  Of course, Garreth wasn’t about to accept this decision without a protest, so he continued to plead his case and even whined about not being able to do this, even after the decision had been made.  In fact, Garreth’s protestations got even worse after Kieren and Romaric left for the capital. 

Just before Kieren set out for Leander, he took some additional time to talk to his parents about something else that was on his mind.  It was very important to him and he knew he couldn't wait any longer to bring it up.  "Why don't the two of you move to Leander with me and live in the royal apartment at the castle?  There will be more than enough room for all of us." 

"We will be glad to visit you from time to time and I will be more than happy to come there more frequently if you need my help, but we just aren't prepared to live there," his mother answered.  "We prefer to remain here in Wildoness and continue to live in the same house that we've inhabited since we were first joined together in marriage." 

"Kieren, this is where we've always lived and feel the most comfortable," his father added.  "This has been my home since I was born and your mother and I have had a very good life here.  We also have many dear friends that we wouldn't wish to leave behind.  Living at Leander and being the king is your destiny, not ours, so we would rather stay here where we feel the most relaxed and at ease." 

As it turned out, this worked out quite well, because neither Jana nor Qaim wanted to move either.  They had independently decided that they also wished to stay in the elfin homeland, at least for the time being.  Jana had come to love being in the forest, mainly because it was so different from where she had grown up.  She thought the woodland was very beautiful and extremely peaceful, so she didn’t want to leave it. 

Jana was also worried that all of the painful memories she still harbored about living in a stone fortress would resurface, so she wanted to give those recollections time to fade a bit first and her emotional scars a chance to heal before she tried living in a similar structure again.  She told Kieren she'd be happy to visit Leander from time to time, whenever his parents went there to see him, but she just wasn’t ready to live in another large, stone edifice just yet.  To her relief, Kieren said he understood how she felt and agreed that staying behind would be fine.

Qaim also preferred to be in the woods, as opposed to living in a crowded and enclosed castle.  Since the aignx was a very independent creature and liked to spend most of his time alone, he preferred to have the freedom of wandering around the forest unfettered.  In fact, on most days he only returned to Kieren’s parents’ house for meals, but he didn’t always do that either.  Sometimes he would opt to survive off of the land instead, so he could continue to enjoy his time alone.  Kieren happily agreed to allow him, along with Jana, to do as they pleased, as long as they didn’t feel abandoned and were happy with the choice they'd made.  He was pleased that they liked being where they were. 

Approximately a week after Kieren moved to Leander, a big welcoming ceremony was held there in his honor.  Everyone in the castle and surrounding areas, along with many notable visitors and distinguished representatives from the rest of Tarolia, came to celebrate the return of the royal heir to his ancestral home.  Kieren’s coronation ceremony, however, wasn’t going to occur for several more months, because there were still many details that needed to be taken care of first, before this could officially take place. 

In the meantime, Kieren was still the king, even though the formal investiture hadn’t been conducted yet.  During the time in between, Kieren started to become acquainted with the duties he’d be required to fulfill and there was a great deal for him to learn.  Since he hadn’t had years of preparation to get him ready for the types of responsibilities he’d be expected to undertake, and he hadn't learned anything about the duties he'd be required to perform, he needed someone to tutor him first.  After asking the steward to do his part, Nathar cordially agreed to help him through the transitional period, at least with handling the duties involving the capital. 

In retrospect, this was quite an awkward period for Kieren.  From the very beginning, it was fairly obvious that Nathar was bitter about the prospect of losing his current position, but even more importantly he also wasn’t prepared or willing to give up the prestige and power that came with the job.  In order to make this adjustment slightly easier for him to accept and to put him in a better mood, Kieren offered to keep Nathar on as Steward of Leander, even after he'd become king. 

Although Nathar would retain the same title, his duties would be drastically limited in scope, at least as far as what he was used to doing.  Nathar would continue to handle most of the trivial day-to-day matters concerning the capital; including running the operation of the governmental building, but all of the legal issues would now be presided over by the king.  Kieren would also be the ultimate authority and in charge of all matters, even those under Nathar's authority, but this compromise seemed to have the desired effect.  >From that point on, Nathar’s disposition improved greatly and he was more like his old self. 

King Dylan also came to spend time with Kieren at Leander and he was very happy to be able to brief Kieren about matters of state.  The elfin monarch gave Kieren some pointers about issues he would need to be aware of, but he also shared much of the same advice his father had passed along to him when he was just a prince.  Kieren found this information to be very helpful and it gave him a much better perspective about the overall challenges of ruling a large kingdom. 

After he'd first arrived at the castle, Kieren temporarily stayed in the same room he had used on his first visit to Leander.  He was going to eventually move into the royal apartments on the top floor, but doing so meant that Nathar would have to find another place to live before this could happen.  Nathar had been living in the royal residence and Kieren decided it would be best not to rush him into moving out.  For that reason, he gave Nathar plenty of time to find a place of his own that would also be appropriate to his new station. 

With the royal living quarters being on the upper floor and taking up the majority of the area that wasn't required to accommodate the vaulted ceiling of the Great Hall, there would be more than enough room for him and his friends.  Romaric was going to be moving in with Kieren once Nathar had moved out and Garreth would be joining them, just as soon as he was able to talk his parents into letting him finally join the other pair.  In the interim, Romaric was using the same room he and Garreth had shared when they came to Leander with Kieren and Beraut, although he could often be found in Kieren's room instead.  Either way, both of them were more than comfortable. 

After Nathar announced that he had found a place to live, it still took a while longer before he could move into it.  The home he'd selected had belonged to and was still occupied by one of his former advisors.  Since that man’s assistance would no longer be required, he was planning to move in with one of his older children that lived in another part of the kingdom.  This meant the man would have to move his belongings out of the home first, before Nathar would be able to take up residence there, but Kieren wasn't worried about the delay.

In fact, in order to give Nathar the time he needed to move his things out of the royal apartment and into his new place, Kieren and Romaric decided they would spend a month living in the dwarf kingdom.  This way, Kieren wouldn't be infringing upon Nathar's time or getting in his way while he was busy taking care of his personal affairs.  At the same time, however, Kieren could still learn about ruling a kingdom, but this time King Brolin would be his mentor.

During the time they would be in the dwarf kingdom, the teens hoped to be able to experience what it was like to live as the dwarfs did and get a feel for how the dwarfs looked at various issues.  It would provide them with a unique opportunity to get to know and better appreciate this noble race and help Kieren to be better able to deal with issues that concerned the dwarven people in the future. 

Even though the boys had previously spent time at Thorold and had gotten to personally know a few of the dwarfs while on their adventure, it had only been a small glimpse into this normally secretive race.  This time, however, the pair was anxious to become acquainted with more than just the handful they had gotten to know thus far.  Kieren also wanted to get a better picture of their daily lives, social interactions, beliefs, values and basic philosophy. 

The pair started off by spending much of their time with King Brolin and his wife, although Kieren spent even more time with the king alone.  One of the first things King Brolin did was to give the boys another tour of Thorold, including the Royal Burial Chamber, but this time it was done in a leisurely manner and the teens were given time to investigate any part of the area they wished.  It was a truly fascinating endeavor and Kieren felt he learned a lot more from being able to do this again, because he also asked a multitude of questions that King Brolin graciously answered. 

While they were alone, the dwarf king was also more than happy to tutor Kieren on the affairs of state and provided the young king with the dwarf perspective on issues that affected his kingdom as a whole.  King Brolin also passed along the same advice and warnings his father had given to him about being a ruler and Kieren was grateful for every detail he shared.  King Brolin even went over the dwarves’ plans for rebuilding Thorley with Kieren.

"Once we had verified the curse on the valley had indeed been lifted and there were no longer any supernatural threats to anyone going there, we began to send out work parties," he explained.  "These work details began the job of clearing the land of all the dead vegetation and started by burning as much of the brambles, shrubs and weeds as they could.  We felt this would add some nutrients to the soil and help to make the land fertile again.  Then, we began to remove the left over debris from the irrigation ditches so they would be ready to put into use once more.  While those things were being worked on, another group started to tear down and cart away whatever parts of Thorley that couldn’t be reused, but so far we've only just begun our efforts to rebuild the city." 

The king then showed Kieren the drawings of what the new Thorley was going to look like.  He also advised Kieren that he had asked for volunteers who were willing to move there, once some of the town had been completed.  This way, those individuals could begin tilling the land or assisting with the task of rebuilding the rest of the city.  Eventually, this would allow the dwarfs to turn Peaceful Vale back into the bountiful garden it had once been.  King Brolin then happily reported that hundreds of dwarf families had expressed a desire to do this, so he expected Thorley would soon become a thriving agricultural community once more. 

Kieren was pleased by what he heard so far and viewed this news as another benefit of having defeated Madumda.  The young king was saddened though, when he realized that Doenilio had been the last needless victim to have died in the haunted valley, so the fatherly dwarf wouldn’t be able to participate in or enjoy what was currently happening.  King Brolin had a way of making Kieren feel a little better about that too, when he announced he was planning to erect a statue of Doenilio. 

"We are going to place his statue in the center of the fountain that will occupy the main square of the rebuilt Thorley," the dwarf king advised him.  "It will be our way of honoring the sacrifice Doenilio made in helping to liberate Peaceful Vale from the horrors that had afflicted it for so long.  We will also be placing a plaque at the base of the statue listing the names of everyone else that participated in the assignment he was on when he became the final victim of that dreadful place."   Kieren loved the idea and enthusiastically endorsed it, while agreeing it would be a fitting memorial to his noble friend and fearless comrade. 

Now that Kieren had seen the plans for how Thorley was going to be rebuilt, this brought another incident to the young king's mind.  Thorley's rebirth prompted Kieren to remember the stories he'd heard about what had happened to Tunstan, so he immediately sought out Commander Elgin and asked him about what he had observed.  Eventually, he got the dwarf military leader's views about what had taken place at the community that had been closest to Treblanc.  After listening to the dwarf's account about what Madumda's brigands had done there and how they had razed the city and slaughtered many of its inhabitants, Kieren vowed to help rebuild Tunstan as well. 

Immediately upon his return to Leander, Kieren would begin making plans for the city of Tunstan to rise from the ashes.  Not only would he rebuild the homes and other buildings that had been destroyed, so the surviving former residents could return, but Kieren would also establish a lasting memorial there as well.  He wasn't sure exactly what form it would take, but there would be a monument that would include the names of all who had died there.  It would be a perpetual tribute to honor the sacrifices of the soldiers and civilians that had died defending their homes and neighbors from the Dark Lord's cruel barbarism. 

While Kieren was spending so much time with King Brolin, Romaric had decided to hang out with Commander Elgin.  They had bonded after Elgin’s troops had rescued Romaric from the Dark Lord’s mercenaries that had been holding him captive.  Now, Elgin and Romaric had time to get to know one another a little better, which they both were happy to do, so they made the most of this opportunity. 

Over the course of Romaric’s stay there, Commander Elgin and his wife filled the role of becoming second parents to Romaric.  They also made the elf tell them all about his childhood and what it had been like growing up in the elfin kingdom, because they wanted to know as much about him, as Romaric was learning about them.  Then, they gave him a hands-on taste of what it might have been like if he had actually grown up in Thorold instead.

The commander also took Romaric out to Peaceful Vale with him, since Elgin was responsible for overseeing the soldiers and civilians who were volunteering to clean up the land.  Romaric was surprised by how different the valley looked now and felt a surge of pride when he inwardly acknowledged the small role he had played in making it possible. 

Kieren and Romaric also spent time with Sedain and Quintain and even got to meet their parents and siblings.  Both boys were very glad to have this opportunity and took full advantage of it.  Sedain and Quintain’s father had been a major player in the dwarf war with the human thieves, so he willingly gave Kieren some valuable insights into racial relations and how he might be able to prevent another conflict of that nature from happening in the future.  Kieren found the militaristic dwarf's advice to be very sound and thanked him for his input. 

Kieren and Romaric were also introduced to Doenilio’s widow and children and immediately took the opportunity to offer their heartfelt condolences over his death.  Each of them sincerely expressed his sorrow about having witnessed what happened during that part of the mission to get to Madumda's stronghold and conveyed their regrets that they had lost their husband and father.  The teens also told Doenilio’s family they had truly enjoyed their time with him and explained that his family should be very proud of the things Doenilio had accomplished.  The boys also told them Doenilio was not only a brave warrior, but he was also a wonderful and caring individual whom they both admired tremendously.

While they were visiting with Doenilio’s wife and children, King Brolin joined them and informed the family about his plans to honor their husband and father.  Once the dwarf king had done this, Kieren made his own announcement. 

"As soon as I get back to Leander, I intend to arrange for a pension to be paid to you from the Tarolian coffers," Kieren told the dwarf's family.  "It will be my way of recognizing Doenilio’s valuable service to the kingdom and it should make it so the rest of you won’t have to struggle to survive, now that your primary breadwinner is gone."  Doenilio’s wife and children were very grateful to Kieren for his consideration and generosity, for which they thanked him profusely. 

Since he was doing this for Doenilio’s family, Kieren planned on arranging something special to honor Selvaggio and Hadwin’s sacrifices as well.  He'd work this out with each of their families first, so he could decide on the best way of doing it.  He would also make sure to respect the customs and traditions of their individual homelands, so he wouldn't accidentally offend any individual or group in the process. 

Kieren sincerely wanted to find an appropriate and fitting tribute to acknowledge what each of these brave warriors had done in defense of the kingdom, as they carried out the task of getting rid of an evil and ruthless threat.  Kieren had decided to put Turquinine in charge of arranging the details surrounding these honors, considering he was Selvaggio’s closest friend.  Even though his home and Hadwin's weren't that close together, the Nardinian was also one of his northern countrymen and the Mitikuan was more likely to gain the approval of Hadwin's fellow citizens.  Kieren was also convinced the knight would be highly honored to be able to do this. 

While the teens were at Thorold, they also got to meet many other members of the dwarf kingdom, but Kieren made a special effort to spend more time with Hoby as well.  Hoby was the young dwarf that had been assigned to him when he had first visited the dwarven kingdom and Kieren had taken a sincere and immediate liking to the lad.  Therefore, he was looking forward to being able to spend more time with the youngster. 

Hoby was extremely impressed when he learned Kieren was now the king and immediately started to slip back into his previous mode of calling Kieren ‘sir’.  In fact, Hoby even went as far as to start calling Kieren ‘Your Majesty’ and ‘Your Highness’, which Kieren liked even less.  Kieren insisted they were still friends and should, therefore, remain on a first name basis, but it took a little effort to get Hoby to comply.  Reluctantly, the young dwarf agreed to do this, but he still felt he should be more polite to someone of Kieren’s rank.  It was obvious he was trying to cooperate and do as Kieren had requested, but he still made more than a few slips along the way.  Kieren merely smiled and corrected Hoby whenever this happened and then happily overlooked these petty mistakes.

Now that Kieren got to spend more time with the young dwarf, he also had an opportunity to meet the rest of Hoby’s family as well.  The young king had also thought ahead and brought some money with him specifically for this purpose and eagerly gave the purse containing the coins to Hoby’s parents, with an explanation. 

"You are to use this so your children will be able to take time off from their jobs while I am here," Kieren explained.  "I want to spend time with each of them and won't be able to do this if they are working most of the time.  Don't worry; King Brolin has agreed to make arrangements with their employers so none of them will get into trouble for doing this." 

Kieren had arranged this so Hoby and his siblings would be able to just be kids while he was there, but he also figured this would not be possible if he didn't make up for their lost wages.  Since Kieren wanted to get to know each of the older siblings as well, he understood it wouldn't happen if they were spending much of their time toiling at their jobs.  Since they wouldn’t have to go to work now, it would give them a little extra time to get to know one another better. 

Kieren also invited Hoby and his family to visit Leander as his guests, whenever it was convenient for them.  Although the family was pleased by this offer, Hoby’s parents objected when Kieren also insisted that he would be sending them additional money on a regular basis, so Hoby and his siblings could either quit their jobs or be able to work fewer hours.  This news suddenly prompted Hoby to start wondering about something else. 

“Were you already thinking about doing this when you told me that some day a benefactor might come along so we wouldn’t have to work any more?”  Even before Kieren had a chance to answer him, a light went on for the young dwarf. 

“You were planning on doing this all along, weren’t you?” Hoby challenged, with a flabbergasted look on his face.  Kieren merely grinned, shrugged his shoulders and then moved on to another topic. 

Once Hoby’s brothers and sisters learned what Kieren was going to do for them, it catapulted him into the status of instant hero.  Seeing their children were now so enamored with Kieren, Hoby’s parents began to accept the wonderful things he was willing to do for their family.  They also invited him to come back to see them all again whenever he wished, provided he was able to find time in his busy schedule. 

Shortly after he left Thorold and returned to Leander, one of Kieren’s first official acts was to name Daimon as his court musician.  This was not only because Garreth and Romaric liked the young troubadour, nor was it solely due to the fact that Daimon happened to be a fine minstrel in his own right.  There was also a third element that came into play and had inspired Kieren to make this decision.  The young king had decided to do this as a way of repaying Daimon for the risks he had taken and the excellent job he'd done after agreeing to do some unofficial spying for Beraut. 

Daimon was initially shocked when he learned that Kieren was now the king, but he was even more flummoxed when Kieren bestowed this honor upon him.  Of course, Damon was also quite pleased as well and gratefully accepted the post. 

There was also a new development in Garreth’s situation.  After listening to her son’s constant pleas to be allowed to join his friends and having witnessed his tantrums and heard him whine about 'how unfair it was' for such a long time, Garreth's mother finally relented.  With the utmost unhappiness about having to give in to her son, she finally agreed to let Garreth join Kieren and Romaric at Leander, but she added one stipulation.  This wasn’t going to happen until just before Kieren was formally crowned king. 

Garreth’s was thrilled that this was going to happen and he talked his mother and father into grudgingly consenting to allow him to accompany Kieren’s parents when they journeyed to the capital to attend their son’s coronation ceremony.  After getting Kieren's parents to agree to this arrangement, Garreth began to make plans for this adventure. 

On the day Kieren's family was to leave for Leander, Garreth would go with them and take some of his belongings at that time.  He would then remain at the castle with his friends after the ceremony had concluded and he wouldn't be required to return home.  Of course, Garreth would have to return to Wildoness later, so he could collect the rest of his things he wanted to have with him, but it was the first step in allowing him the independence he so desperately sought.

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I wish to extend my thanks to Scott, Emoe57, Andy, John and Donny for editing or their suggestions with this story. 

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other ‘constructive’ comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com  - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn’t get deleted as junk mail.  

My other stories can be found at: http://www.nifty.org/nifty/frauthors.html

listed under BW in the extreme left hand column.