Retired

Chapter 66

Chapter 66

I woke up in bed alone. I vaguely remembered fighting with someone in the night. My jaw ached and my head felt like someone had tried to kill me. They may have succeeded. I tried to sit up and my stomach commanded me to lay down, quickly.

As I lay there trying to remember what had happened the night before, there was a sudden fanfare of trumpets outside my bedroom door. The sound alone made my head try to run away to parts unknown.

Robert came in the door with a crier preceding him. The crier stepped to the foot of my bed and then spoke in a voice loud enough to be heard at the moon base.

"His Imperial Majesty, Davinal Robert Stavio-Noir, Defender of the Empire, Lord of the Four Quadrants, Lion of the House of Stavio-Noir, Caretaker of the Trust of Mankind, Commander in Chief of the Military Might, and Father of the Royal Line, seeks to bid thee good morning, Drake Daemon, Grand Duke of the Eastmarch, Hero of the Empire, Supreme Marshal of the Military Forces, and Sword Arm of the Empire!"

By the time he finished, my head had managed to explode into bright sparks and scatter around the room. Somehow, even in little pieces, it still hurt.

"Good morning, Drake! How is your hangover?!" Robert had an evil smile on his face, as he shouted his greeting.

In all the time he had known me, I had never drunk alcohol around him. I had never been drunk in my entire life. Then it came back to me, in scattered little bits and pieces. My bachelor party had been last night. I could remember drinks and drunken men singing. I remembered the women dancing in next to nothing. I vaguely remember the next-to-nothing they wore becoming nothing. Then I remember one of the PG noticing me blushing.

"How many men ended up in the hospital?" I asked, as my eyes tried to swim into focus.

"None! That bunch plays hard when they get together! Maybe we should confine them to a bomb shelter for their parties!"

"Please quit shouting."

"I'm not!"

My stomach decided it was tired of lying down at that point. I barely made it to the bathroom on time.

As the evidence of my sickness swirled away, I looked at Robert. "Why did you let me drink so much?"

"I was pretty drunk myself! Why don't you take these pills and drink this? Then you can get in the shower!"

"Is it poison? I could really use a good strong poison right now."

"No! It is an old home remedy! Asta made it for you this morning! I have no idea what is in it but it seems to work!"

I took the glass from his hand and popped the pills in my mouth. Then I held up the glass and took a long drink. The concoction in the glass bore a striking resemblance to raw sewage. It also tasted a lot like what I imagined raw sewage to taste like. I managed to force it down and was amazed. My stomach quit churning instantly. Maybe it was just stunned by what was being forced into it.

I turned on the hot water and started to strip off. I couldn't care less about Robert and the crier standing there. I really felt like I needed a shower. I turned to look at Robert and the question on my lips died a quick death. Asta and Cleo were now standing there with him. Asta looked as regal as ever, without so much as a smile to betray her thoughts. Cleo on the other hand, had her fingernail in the corner of her mouth and was staring at my unclothed body.

"Do you mind?", I asked petulantly.

"Not at all," Cleo answered, with a devilish smile.

I climbed in the shower and the hot water started to wash away the aches and pains. I grabbed the body soap and began to scrub myself clean.

The voices in the apartment started to drift to me.

"Was he a good boy last night?" Lizell asked.

"He got in a fight with one of the men, when they tried to get a girl to dance in his lap," Robert answered.

"Is he alright? Did he get hurt?"

"You have got to be kidding me, Lizell. That man could take on half the military while he is drunk. The fight did start a general brawl and all the men seemed to enjoy themselves."

"How much did he drink?"

Robert coughed before he answered. "I am afraid your husband-to-be has a weakness. He seems to have a fairly low tolerance for alcohol, unless, he was sneaking drinks and I didn't see them. I think he had four drinks, and was so drunk we had to carry him back up here last night."

"So he refused a lap dance, got into a fight, and got drunk."

"That about sums it up. How was your party last night?"

"You know how we ladies are. We all sat around knitting and talking about how great our men are." For some reason, Lizell's answer caused Asta and Cleo to burst into laughter.

I climbed out of the shower and reached for my towel. It was not there. I started to turn to look for it when I heard the apartment door shut. "Don't turn around," Lizell said softly. "You are not supposed to see me today, until the ceremony."

"Isn't this bending that rule just a bit?"

"Not at all. You just can't look. I will have to blindfold you."

I smiled as she pulled a cloth around my eyes from behind. Then with delicate care she tied it in place. I had no idea what she had in mind.

She led me out to sit on the edge of the bed. Then I felt her weight settle next to me. "Drake, does Robert always expect to get his way?"

I chuckled before I answered. "He is the emperor. He normally does get his way. Why do you ask?"

"He is refusing to let me or my parents pay for anything. I feel like I am secondary to the wedding."

I reached out and placed my arm around her shoulder. "Baby, he wants you to have your dream wedding. He really does mean well."

"I know he does. I just feel like Asta and he are doing everything and I am just along for the ride."

I reached over and took her chin in my hand. I could feel her lovely features as I turned her to look straight at my blindfolded face. "No matter what they do, they can not take away the most important part you play in the wedding. They cannot say 'I do' and wear the ring. Baby, everything they plan and pay for means nothing without you. They think of us as family, and they want to be part of it all, as well."

I could feel her smile as her mouth turned upward. "Is this really what you want?", she asked softly.

"What I want is for you to become my wife. The ceremony is just toppings on the sundae. I would be happy with anything that allowed me to put the ring on your finger."

I felt her move as she placed her face to mine. Our kiss was gentle and warm. Then quietly she moved away and left the room.