Fourteen #3
"Yes. Oh, they also said they will not be here for more than a few days," she said, and a moment after that, she hung up.
"A money changer will be sent over, and two tailors are on their way."
"They were planning on something else, weren't they?" I asked with a sigh.
"Ummm…" she said, looking a little nervous.
"Do you think you might be able to arrange for me to meet Jocelyn and my child with her, Mariah and our child, and Princess Chari and our child?"
"I will try," Elsabeth said with a slight curtsey.
"Thank you. Now, if you could order us some food while we're waiting, that would be nice, too."
"Oh! Right!" Suddenly, she looked relieved at having a much more mundane task and set about it immediately.
The money changer arrived before the food. I converted a few gems after hearing what Elsabeth thought the clothing would cost, so I'd have twice that.
The tailors showed up just as the food did, so Suzona and I stripped down, which I guess shocked them.
We told them what we wanted, gave them some money, and told them we needed it by morning in case the king requested our presence.
As it was only lunchtime, I figured they'd get it done.
They could just modify something off the rack.
We'd just gotten dressed in the clothes we'd worn back in Sandy, as they fit in better, and sat down to eat when there was a knock at the door.
"Will?" a woman's voice asked.
Getting up, I opened the door.
"Jocelyn!" I said with a smile, and we hugged. "How'd you know I was here?"
"I still have friends in the palace! Now, Will, this is your daughter, Helena. Helena, this is your father, Will."
Helena was surprisingly beautiful, but then, so was her mother.
"It's nice to meet you, Helena," I said with a smile.
"Mom says you're supposed to be some big, powerful warrior."
"Something like that."
"You don't look like any warrior I've ever seen," she said, looking me over.
I laughed. "Yeah, you're one of mine all right. Come in—we just got the chance to eat—and tell me about yourself."
"Why?"
"Because this is the first time I've had a chance to come back here and visit you. I feel bad about that, but I was given to understand that you would be well taken care of, and I had other commitments."
I stood aside, and Jocelyn all but dragged our daughter in.
"Jocelyn, Helena, this is Suzona; she's one of my wives."
"Now, she looks like a warrior," Helena said, looking Suzona up and down. "Why are you with him? He doesn't look all that special."
Suzona laughed. "I would not last a minute in a fight against William. He is a complete and utter monster if you anger him."
"Him?"
"You should show her the real you, William."
"I don't want to go around scaring people, Sue," I said, rolling my eyes. "This is supposed to be me checking on my kids, not terrorizing people."
Suzona laughed. "William, the moment somebody gets between you and one of your children, they're going to come face to face with their worst nightmare, and you know it! You might as well warn them, at least."
"What do you mean by that?" Elsabeth asked.
"William is quite protective of his children and their mothers."
"Really, Will?" Jocelyn asked.
I sighed and unbuttoning my shirt, I pulled it off, and loosened my belt. At least I was barefoot. My pants fell down a little when I shifted to make room for my tail. Thankfully, I was wearing underwear; I didn't think my daughter would appreciate being flashed.
"Don't!" I growled in my champion's voice when I heard an intake of breath. Jocelyn was looking shocked, and our daughter was looking… impressed?"
"Damn, you're big. You're a cat?" Helena said after a minute.
"Of sorts." I kicked off the pants, as they were in the way, and then dropped to a knee so I wouldn't loom over her.
"You okay there, Jocelyn?"
"Were you like this when we…?" she asked, looking me over.
"Yes, I'm a god's champion. We all were. Some of our gods live in places that are very different from here."
"I'm almost sorry I didn't know!" she said and then giggled.
"Wow, that's soft," Helena said, reaching out and touching my arm, feeling the fur on it. She pressed a bit into the muscle. "How strong are you?"
"Very."
"What kind of monster are you?" Elsabeth asked a little breathlessly.
"The biggest one you'll ever meet in your life, but I don't harm innocent women and children, and I'm not here to cause problems. I just want to see my children."
"Still, I've heard of things bigger than you," Helena said.
"Hopefully, you'll never meet them. Now, let's eat, and you can tell me all about yourself. That goes for you, too, Jocelyn. Are you married now?"
"What? Oh, right!" Jocelyn had been stroking my arm. "Damn, I wish I'd known!" she said with a chuckle. "Yes, I'm married, I have three sons by my husband, and if I didn't love him, trust me, I'd be dragging you off to the bedroom!"
I smiled. "I'm happy you found someone. Now, seats!"
Helena, it turned out, had had a good upbringing and childhood.
Jocelyn had gotten married not long after I left.
A ranking member of the king's guard had made his move on her; there was some sort of custom or something involved there, but I really didn't pick up on it.
All I understood was that they hit it off quickly, got married, and were still happy.
Helena was smart, well-educated, and starting to think about what she wanted in a man, so she could figure out what she wanted from life. She did have options, and she was considering a career in medicine, surprisingly.
"Did you really come here just to see me?" Helena asked when things were winding down, and they were getting ready to leave.
"Yeah, I did. I felt bad that I never got to see you or the other two. I wanted to make sure you were happy and not in trouble or any of that."
"What if I was?"
"Then I'd fix it."
"What if you couldn't?"
Leaning in close, I gave my daughter my best evil smile. "Oh, you'd be surprised at the things I can fix."
Helena blinked, then, smiling at me, she surprised me by giving me a hug.
"I'm gonna hold you to that, Dad," she whispered in my ear.
Pulling back, she smiled, and we all stood up. I gave Jocelyn a hug, as well, then showed them to the door.
"I'll let Princess Chari know you're here," Jocelyn said. "You'll probably have to go visit her. She is a princess, after all."
"Thanks, Jocelyn. And thanks, Helena."
"What's your god's name?" Helena asked.
"Feliogustus."
She smiled. "Sounds like a good name for a god."
"The best."
I closed the door behind them, shifted back into my human form, got my pants, and put them on.
"You okay over there, Elsabeth?"
"I think I need to talk to my boss," she said, shaking her head.
"I'd suggest sleeping on it and telling him in the morning."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want anybody thinking I'm here for anything more than a visit. Your boss would just complicate matters."
"You're just a guide, Elsabeth. None of this is your problem," Suzona said. "Jocelyn is much more important than you are and has more responsibilities. If she thinks someone needs to know, she'll talk to them."
"I guess you're right," Elsabeth said, nodding slowly. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when you order dinner."
"We will."
We watched as Elsabeth went into the other bedroom, then Suzona got up, walked around the table, and sat down in my lap.
"Yes?" I asked.
"That's twice now you've told people I'm one of your wives," she said, giving me a look.
"Sue, assuming you'd even let another man touch you, what do you think I'd do?"
Smiling, Suzona put her hands around my neck and kissed me. "How about we work up an appetite?"
"How about?" I agreed.