Chapter 16:

[Arthur Talon]

New Hope, Kingdom of Galena
Formerly Fremont County, Colorado
June 18, 2011
Change Year 13

Arthur stood at the top of the battlements overlooking Hardscrabble Creek. The stream snaked its way through the cottonwoods as it flowed north ward to meet up with the Arkansas River near Florence.

The prince of Galina was wearing what many in court called commoner clothes. A black cowboy hat, a long-sleeved western shirt, and a pair of pre-change Wranglers over a pair of cowboy boots. The funny thing was, those jeans cost more than an annual salary of a laborer. Cotton traded with the Galvestonians allowed for modern reproductions, but they just weren't the same.

Arthur had been restless all day. The lyrics of the Megadeath song the oldsters were fond of had been running through his head all day. "The King is dead. I am the King, long live the king."

"My lord," his squire announced. "The queen asks that you get ready for the funeral."

"Mother sent up up here did she?" Arthur said staring off into the darkening east. In town church bells began to ring.

"She did," the squire said.

Arthur sighed, "I'll be down in a minute."

"As you wish my lord."

[Diana Talon]

Diana was in her room trying on clothes for the funeral, she was in a black corset and had a pair of black stockings on and was throwing clothes against the wall of her closet.

"Why is this so damn hard?" she grumbled to herself as she fell to her knees and closed her eyes. Her father wasn't supposed to die, not of something so... boring. In battle. Or a weary old man. Not because of an arrow in his leg that sent a blood clot that killed him quickly. Nothing she could think of to honor him seemed enough. She had half a mind to just wear her jean skirt and a blouse and her old cowboy boots. That's what he would have wanted. And yet... she was the 'Princess'. She fought in battle alongside the men.

"You should just go in that." one of the squires said with a smirk as he poked his head in the doorway.

"Oh yeah... that'll go over well." Diana grumbled and picked up a long black skirt and a matching black wrap blouse. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Your mother is getting antsy and neither you nor your brother are close to being ready." he said and crossed his arms.

"Not like my father is going to get more dead... he's..." Diana felt the tears welling up again and shook her head. "Tell her I'll be ready when I'm ready."

"Of course." he said with a nod of his head. "And I am sorry..."

"Everyone's sorry... wasn't their fault." Diana closed her eyes and pulled on the skirt and wrapped the blouse around herself, cinching it tight to give herself an hourglass profile. "Hey, Jimmy... I'm just being emotional. Don't take it personally."

"I never do." Jimmy said and headed out.

Diana looked at an old photograph of her father that she kept in a frame near her bed. "Oh dad... what are you leaving us... we can't do this without you."

[Arthur Talon]

- Moments Later -

Arthur clad in what had become Galina's ceremonial dress knocked on Diana's door. He wore a white doublet with hand stiched gold patterns. It was combined with a pair of form fitting leather trousers tucked into a pair of black riding boots. His longsword, hung from a belt at his waist. A rolled midevil looking hat with a pheasant feather sticking out of the band completed the look.

"Di, I know you're in there," he said through the closed door. "It's time."

[Diana Talon]

"You try putting on make up while crying." Di said as she opened the door. Looking far more 'goth' than Arthur had really ever seen her before, dark lipstick, dark eye shadow, her long dark hair flowing freely over her shoulders. Dressed head to toe in black, including black pearls and an onyx ring that her father had given her as a gift for Christmas a few years ago, it came with matching earrings but the earrings were given to help a friend of her. She kept the ring, she wasn't one for earrings ever since an enemy combatant yanked on her earrings and tore her ear lobes, since then she had a couple of studs she had in each ear that were in accupressure points to keep her headaches more manageable.

"I really don't want to hear it either... I feel black inside, may as well look like it outside." Diana said as she saw him open his mouth. "Don't really care if I don't look like a Princess... you know that title never suited me since I was 8 years old."

[Trinity Talon]

"There you two are... " Trinity said as she walked over to them, the sound of her high heeled boots echoing off the walls. "I know this is not easy for either of you, but we have to do this. This is as much for the others as it is for us and our own closure..." she put her arms around Diana. "I know you were always close to your father."

"Not as close as I wanted to be. Now... " Diana sighed and shook her head. "I'm trying very hard not to cry, that's part of the reason I went with the black, I have more of it." she tried to chuckle but just ended up with a weak smile.

"C'mon... let's get to the memorial service... you know your father would be teasing us about being late to our own funerals." Trinity said and kissed her head. "Arthur... you look very handsome... I suppose you should know that you will be taking your father's position around here. I'm going to be going to be heading out to rebuild our defenses. My mother thinks I shouldn't, but... before all this... world happened. I was a security consultant and for as much pomp and SCA inspired fiefdom as we've built up... the attack that injured and eventually killed your father, could have been prevented, but I'm the 'lady of the castle'. You two are old enough and wise enough to just rulers and... I can't walk anywhere here and not think of your father. He is and will always be the true love of my life... someday you two will find that in someone... but I need you both as brother and sister, to lead."

[Arthur Talon]

"Diana's always been the heir apparent," Arthur said shocked. He had intended to flee to his castle in Williamsburg, do some hunting and forget about this nasty buisness for a while. After all his mom was the Queen, and until Diana's coronation, the Queen Regent.

In truth, Arthur understood the desire to run away. It was his impulse too, and he couldn't fault his mother for it. "Of course mother. I can hunt here too. And even get some fishing in, which I can't do in Williamsburg."

[Hur'agha]

Lieutenant Commander Heather Morgan of the Galveston Republic Navy stood with her crew of PT-105 affectionately called the Minnow. It was a mix of Navy and Marines and they all wore their dress uniforms copied from the ceremonial uniforms found on the USS Constitution when Admiral Sandoval requisitioned the ship in the days following the change.

Heather wore a black bicorn hat with a navy blue tail coat over a pair of white trousers. The black boots came to just below her knee and polished to a near mirror shine. From her belt hung a cutless, and on her shoulders rank epaulets.

She vaguely felt ridiculous preferring the cotton and linen navy blue duty uniforms. They were far more practical on a river boat escorting merchant barges up the interior rivers. The Kingdom of Galina was a common trade stop for things like wheat and corn. The wine produced by the warrior monks in Cañon City was also highly prized in Galveston as grapes didn't grow very well in that region.

The funeral procession rounded a street corner. The open wagon with the casket was being drawn by a pair of the most beautiful black horses she'd ever seen.

A large, handsomely bred gruela mare was lead behind the casket wagon by a fully armored knight. A garrish red plume of feathers sprouted from the crown of his helm. The mare was fully kitted out with saddle, and barding. In the stirrups were a pair of well worn boots lashed in backwards. The riderless horse was followed by an inclosed carrarge drawn by a pair of perfectly average looking sorrel geldings.

As the procesion approached Heather shouted, "Minnow, aten-hut! Present arms!" The well trained Galvestonians snapped to attention with a single clump of boots, and their right hands snapped to their brows in a salute. The color guard lowered their flags in respect.