Captain Navarre is here already

"Captain," you say to Navarre, "I know you would not think of enjoying even Melisande's weakest ale while you are on duty, but perhaps you could partake of a pint of spring water? You deserve a moment's relaxation as well as I do; I don't think you had time to sleep more than four hours last night." He hesitates for a moment, until you add, "No one is in this courtyard without Melisande's invitation, and so I imagine that for you to sit down and let your sword hand hold a mug for for half an hour is an acceptable risk!"

"Perhaps you are right, Sire," Navarre says, sitting down stiffly upon the low stone wall which surrounds part of the apple tree.

"Xavier, if you would be so kind, Etienne. Please don't make me command you to call me by name, that would rather miss the point."

"I will try, Xavier." He catches the attention of one of the serving wenches, which is all he needs to do, as all of the barmaids know what Navarre drinks when he is in your company. A pint mug is in his hand a moment later, matching yours in every way except its contents.

"How fares Michelle, Etienne?" you ask. "I have not seen you in the company of your lady wife for a fortnight, save when she rode beside you at the parade."

"She fares quite well, Si- Xavier. Her father is among the guests to the festival, and they have not seen each other for many years, so although my duties have increased of late she has not missed me overly much." He pauses a moment, and then says quietly, "I was going to wait until the festivities were over before telling anyone, but if you would keep it to yourself..." You nod, and Navarre continues in a whisper. "Master Sanjay has confirmed, my wife is with child."

"That is wonderful news!" you say, genuinely pleased for the Captain. "Valerie said that Michelle had a glow about her this past fortnight; you know how women are, they can sense these things long before even the most learned healer. When the time comes, I do hope you will allow me to give you a leave of absence from your duties; I cannot speak from experience, of course, but I am told that a man should not miss the days when his child is newly born."

"The healer says the child is strong," Navarre continues, and he seems very happy to be able to share this with you; you know that he and his wife have been hoping for a child for many years, and there has been more than one heartbreak along the way. "I don't know how he can tell this so soon after the quickening, but he is seldom wrong about such things. There is good reason to hope."

"Well, when Michelle makes the announcement, I shall do my best to look surprised," you say. "I envy you sometimes, Etienne. To be wed in love, and to still feel the same about each other for as long as you have been together... it must be a wonderful thing. I hope that I may experience the same someday." Suddenly, Lady Trina's face is before your mind's eye, and you take a quick drink of your beer to conceal your expression.

"Her hand was not won easily," Navarre says. "A woman so beautiful as Michelle had many suitors, including men of far greater power than mine. That she loved me in return, I considered to be a near-miracle. We clung to that at the worst of times, and it saw us through when nothing else could."

You know something of the story behind Navarre and Michelle, how fraught with peril was their courtship, as the bishop he served desired her for his own. It is said that Navarre eventually had to kill the man he had once sworn to protect, in order to save the life of his beloved; you do not know for certain if this is true, and Navarre has never confirmed nor denied it. You do know that whatever happened, it led to Navarre's exile from his homeland in France - which was fortunate for you in the end, as he and Michelle sought out the hidden castle of Elyssia, and thus you gained the finest Captain you could have hoped for. "No one deserves happiness more than you, Etienne, and I am grateful for whatever small part I may have played in allowing you to find it here."

"And for you, Xavier?" Navarre asks. "The bishop I once served was always an evil man, I can see that with the wisdom of hindsight. But it was his loneliness which made him bitter and hateful, to the point that when he laid eyes upon Michelle, he swore that if he could not have her, then no man would. I do not see you taking such a path by any means, but nonetheless I would not wish upon you the despair which led him to that end. I forget my place when I ask this, but will there be a Queen for my King?"

"There is... someone," you say, the words coming unbidden from your mouth, as if you knew already you could not stop them. "But, I cannot say if I am merely smitten, or if it is love in truth. And, when one wears a crown, it complicates matters."

"Does she feel as you do?"

"You mean, confused?" you ask, summoning a smile. "Yes, from what I have seen, I would say that is very likely indeed!"

"Take this advice, from a man who nearly lost the woman he loves," Navarre says to you, clapping a hand on your shoulder. "And yes, there was more than one time that I almost lost Michelle forever... but if I had, there is one regret I would not have had to live with, because I never failed to show her how I felt about her; I never once allowed uncertainty to hold me back from what had to be said and done. A man must love with all of himself, or not at all. There is no path through the middle, no matter how 'complicated' matters are."

"Ah, if only you knew -"

"Sire, Mshindi approaches," Navarre says, straightening to his feet and instantly assuming the role of Captain of the Kingsguard once again. Another hush falls on the crowd, this one even more tense than when you first appeared.

"Forgive this interruption, Sire," Mshindi says when he is close enough to speak without being overheard. "My investigation has yielded results."