Post 100!

Welcome to the 100th post! I can't believe it! One hundred posts of my writings! Who would have ever thought that I would have gotten this far? Here's to another hundred! Right? In celebration of this hundredth post, tell me, which post was your favorite? Perhaps Fred's Secret? Or Escape from Pinewood? I know a lot of people have seen Martin's Entrance. Which did you enjoy (cry, laugh, scream at?) the most? I'd have to review all the posts to tell you which is my favorite. I love almost all of them! ;)

Now for my gift to you for this joyous occasion. To the story!
*********
Martin, Sona was sure, was working too hard.

Perhaps no one else could notice it, but she knew him too well to not notice. There were small clues. He was rubbing his eyes more often than normal, there was a slight tiredness to his walk, his mind would wander when people talked with him. And when he was alone with her, she could see the worry in his eyes.

Sona walked purposefully to the prince’s apartment, determined to do something about it.

She no longer bothered knocking on the door. For some reason, Martin always knew when she was coming and never minded it when she came. If anything, he was grateful for her sudden appearances and took pleasure in her company. Sona often felt the same way.

Martin sat on the couch before the fireplace, the table in front of him piled high with papers and books. This was where he did most of his planning for the Nacre Takeover, or the War Ender as he and Thomas called it. When she had asked why he kept the information in his apartment instead of his office, he told her it was because his office was for Aeternan government business, not for ending a war.

“I think I’ve been a bad influence on you,” Martin said, not even turning to see who had just walked into his apartment. “You don’t knock on doors anymore.”

Sona snorted, walking over. “I do knock on doors. Just not yours.” She paused as she came up beside him, quickly taking in what he was reading. It was a report from one of the Ghosts, Dixon judging from the handwriting. Martin was slouched over, reading the report as he rubbed his temple.

“Martin,” she sighed, deciding to get to the point of her visit. “You look exhausted.”

The prince sighed, glancing over all the work he had on the table. “That’s because I am.”

Sona expected him to be truthful to her. She was, after all, one of the few people he trusted with the truth.

“Then shouldn’t you rest?” she insisted, sitting down beside him.

“But there’s so much to do,” he groaned, putting Dixon’s report down and picking up another. “Terk’s going to be here in a couple of weeks. There are about a hundred decisions that need to be made and another thousand details to pound out. There’s just no time to rest.”

“Yes,” she said firmly, “there is.”

“Oh?” he asked, finally turning towards her, the corner of his mouth twitching in a smile. “When?”

“Now.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Now?”

“Yes,” she said. “I know you’ve taken the afternoon off, to work on this without interruptions. Now is the perfect time. No one will disturb you. Take a nap.”

He leaned back, the twitch turning into a half smile. “And who’s going to make me? I told you, I have work to do.”

“Your work will still be here,” she pointed out. “And I’ll make you take a nap.”

He smirked, his eyes squinted with amusement. “How?”

She took a deep breath. “I’ll have the Spirit make you.”

Martin stiffened, his smile quickly gone and eyeing her uneasily. “Can you do that?”

“She’s right,” Sona heard in her head. She shivered. She couldn’t get over the fact that the Spirit was willing to talk to her. “We’ll make you take a nap.”

“That’s unfair,” Martin pouted. Sona quickly learned that Martin and the Spirit had a teasing relationship, often with Martin at the receiving end. While it might seem disrespectful, Sona viewed it as something healthy for the prince. He wasn’t one who liked to be adored.

“What isn’t fair is you running yourself ragged,” Sona argued. “Now, do as Aeterna says and take a nap.”

“But…” he weakly protested, glancing over the paperwork he still had to do.

Sona had enough. He would argue against a nap as long as he could. Words meant nothing to him. Instead, she grabbed his head and pulled him down to her lap. Martin stared up at her, shocked. He tried to get back up, but she put her arms on his chest and pushed him down again.

“Sleep,” she ordered, smirking down at him.

“Here?” he asked, sounding very hesitant as a blush colored his face. “I have a room…”

“Shh,” she said softly. “This is the only way to make sure you’re getting a nap. Now, close your eyes and I’ll read your reports for you. I’ll tell you what you need to know when you get up.”

“This is a bit awkward for me,” he stuttered, again attempting to get up but she pressed down again. “I can go in the other room…”

“I will not be satisfied that you took a nap until I see it,” Sona argued. “Sleep. Now.”

Martin searched her face, easily seeing her determination. She meant what she said. She would not be satisfied until she was sure he had taken a nap. He had been working too hard lately. He needed down time. He finally sighed, his body slowly relaxing.

“You’ll really let me sleep on your lap?” he asked softly, no longer trying to get up.

She imitated his shrug. “I don’t mind.” Absently, she ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the feel of it. She had always liked his soft hair. “Now, sleep. You need it.”

He chuckled softly, finally closing his eyes. “Only you can make me do things I don’t want to.”

“Sleep.”

He chuckled at her final order and finally stopped talking. Sona watched him fall asleep, running her fingers through his hair. His even, slow breaths told her that he finally was asleep.

“Thank you.”

Sona immediately stiffened. It was still nerve racking to know that the Spirit could, and would, talk to her directly. She couldn’t bring herself to remember what it meant.

“I’m only doing what I can for him,” she whispered. It was odd seeing the prince asleep. Come to think of it, she had never seen him asleep before. But seeing him now, she could see just how relaxed and peaceful he was. When he was awake, Martin always portrayed confidence, an unconcerned air of what was happening around him. Oh, at times he showed his anger and frustration, but never sadness… or peace.

“We know,” the Spirit said to her in her head. “That’s why we thank you.” Then it was gone.

Sona just sat there, watching Martin sleep for a few minutes before carefully reaching over to the table and picking up the reports he had left there. She read through them, with constant glances down at the sleeping prince. She struggled not to feel ridiculously happy to know that he trusted her enough to actually let him sleep on her lap. It hadn’t been long, though, before there was a knock on the door.

“Martin,” Queen Abigail said, opening the door without permission to enter. “We need to talk about how you keep loosing your crowns….” Sona froze, feeling blood rush to her face. The queen closed the door behind her and quickly scanned the room.

“Oh,” she said, spotting her. “I’m sorry, Sona. I didn’t realize you were here. Where’s Martin?”

“Uhm,” Sona said, gulping. “He’s… He’s taking a nap.”

“Oh,” Abigail sighed, eyeing the door to the prince’s bedroom. “I guess I’ll just have to talk to him later.”

Sona nodded, hoping so much that the queen would leave. From where she stood, she couldn’t see her son sleeping on the couch. On her lap. Sona wondered just what had gotten into her head to let this happen.

“Martin doesn’t seem like the type to take a nap though,” Abigail mused, walking over. Sona felt her face heat up the closer the queen got, wishing she could disappear. “I wonder what…”

The queen stopped, finally seeing where the prince was taking his nap. Sona was sure her face was flaming. Caught! Sona had no idea what the queen thought of this. She must have suspected that she and Martin had been courting, but either she had said nothing of it or thought nothing would come of it. Pomace said that the queen had been the one to approach her to help the prince be with the one he loved, but that didn’t mean much. Abigail could have wanted any other girl for her son.

Abigail smiled kindly, her eyes a bit misty. “Oh, Sona,” she said softly, sitting down in an overstuffed chair. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“I have a prince sleeping on my lap,” Sona said in a hushed tone. “We haven’t exactly been open about our relationship.”

“So Martin has told me,” Abigail said seriously, the softness hardening a bit. “And he’s also told me that you don’t think you could be a princess. That’s why you haven’t been open.” It sounded like a rebuke.

Sona nodded, too afraid to speak. It was one thing to argue with the prince, a man she loved with all her heart. But Abigail was his mother, the queen. What did Abigail think of this? Her son was destined for the throne. Shouldn’t he have someone willing, prepared, to take the throne with him?

“Being a princess isn’t that hard,” Abigail said softly, switching her gaze to her sleeping son. “Neither is being a queen.”

“It isn’t?” Sona asked, frowning. “But I’ve seen the work you have to do…”

Abigail shook her head. “Running a nation, yes, is hard. But a queen doesn’t run a nation all the time, now does she?”

“What do you mean?” Sona asked, confused.

“When Jon was first courting me,” the queen explained, absently rubbing the locket around her neck between her fingers, “there were several woman who tried to come between us. Many of them wanted Jon, the chance to be queen. But for some unknown reason, Jon only wanted me. It wasn’t until one of his aunts told me why.

“She told me,” she went on to say, “that a queen wasn’t someone who ran a nation. While the possibility was there, it wasn’t the queen’s priority to get involved in the government. A queen is a king’s only complete friend.”

“Complete friend?” Sona repeated, now very much confused.

“A king’s life is very lonely,” Abigail sighed, letting her hand drop from her locket. “I never knew just how lonely until I married Jon. And it wasn’t until then did I realize what his aunt had meant. A complete friend is someone a king can trust fully, someone he can go to express his worries, to reveal his deepest fears, to find comfort where everywhere else had nothing. Where he can go to be just a man and not a king.”

Abigail fell silent for a moment, her eyes distant with the past. Shaking her head slightly, she nodded to Martin. “You’re a complete friend to him. It’s so easy to see because he doesn’t let many close to him.”

It suddenly hit Sona. “That’s why you went to Pomace,” she breathed. “You wanted us to be together.”

“Martin needs you in his life,” Abigail said, smiling sadly. “I can never be the mother he needs because he can’t really imagine what it’s like to have one. And Sara is just annoying teenager to him, not a sister. The only family he’s ever known is you.”

Sona bit her lip, glancing down at Martin’s face. He was still sound asleep, the cares and worries gone from his expression.

“I’ve never thought of it like that,” she whispered, resuming running her fingers through his hair.

“I figured that,” Abigail chuckled softly. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this for a long time now. But I tend to get too busy and kept putting it off.”

Sona said nothing, keeping her eyes on Martin. She didn’t want the queen to see her tears. She didn’t know why she was crying. She wasn’t sad. But she wasn’t bursting with joy either.

Abigail approved of her as the future queen. Aeterna approved of her.

Martin wanted her.

He needed her.

Perhaps, she wondered, a small smile finally coming. Perhaps I am the only one for him.
**********
Dixon was overseeing the training of some citizens when Martin came, with Sona on his heels. The large Ghost wasn’t surprised to see her trailing after the prince. The news had reached him while traveling of what the Court had approved. No doubt after Martin had permission to marry anyone he wanted, he immediately started courting Sona again. And though he and the other Ghosts hadn’t seen much in the way of action between the two, Dixon was sure that they were discretely courting. Why else would Sona follow the prince around like a lost puppy?

“Oh great,” Dixon said, smiling widely. “Here comes the distraction to our training.”

“I’m not that distracting,” Martin chuckled, shaking his hand. “How goes it?”

“Better than expected, actually,” Dixon admitted, glancing to the citizens. They were using one of the supply stash rooms to train the citizens. It served a double purpose to be training underground. It first got the citizens used to being underground and familiar with how things worked. It also helped to keep their secret army in training from the news.

“I’m not so surprised,” Martin said, also eyeing the scene.

“Why’s that?” Sona asked, stepping up next to the prince. Dixon was always surprised when he saw a woman wearing trousers. Sona seemed to like it more than a decent skirt any day.

“This war needs to end,” the prince said softly. “Everyone can feel it. Everyone wants it. They’re all going to work as hard as they can to end this war.”

Dixon blinked in surprise. “How can you possibly know that?” he asked, rubbing his chin. “Not everyone wants this war to end.”

“But most people do,” Martin pointed out. The prince focused on the citizens, watching as soldiers corrected stances and showed proper weapon hold. “These people are no less dedicated than the enlisted men. They have their own stakes in winning this war. We shouldn’t be so surprised that they are preforming better than expected.”

Dixon stared at the prince, surprised by the conviction in his voice. However, he did not doubt what Martin said. He was linked to the people, he knew how they felt. How many times over the course of the last few months did he witness first hand how Martin worked with the people, inspired them in a way that only one who knew the people could?

He really is a servant of the people, Dixon wondered with amazement. It had only been two months since he admitted that Martin wasn’t like other nobles. He could see it now, watching as the prince went among the citizens and talking with them. Even Dixon had to admit that the citizens were excited to talk with their prince, never mind the division of social status.

He’s not that different from the people, he berated himself, shaking his head. If anything, Martin knew more about the commoners than anyone, even himself.

“He’s going to be a great king, isn’t he?” he said softly, feeling great pride in his prince.

Sona, who hadn’t gone with the prince, smirked. “Yes,” she said, sounding smug. “He is.”
***********
“And this is the what number of crowns you’ve made disappear?”

Martin and his sister sat in the Santer office in the House of the People. The Court had taken the usual lunch break and he decided to enjoy a quiet meal with his sister. Their mother had another appointment to make and left the Court to them. While the politicians argued, he found that his mind constantly wandered. No wonder, really. Terk was due to arrive within the week.

I’m surprised the news hasn’t gotten a hold of that, Martin thought, gazing out the window, in the direction Terk was coming.

Then again, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Terk was moving very fast and he didn’t let any messengers get through. Martin may have been able to spot the strange silence coming from the northeast, but not the politics.

“Martin, are you listening to me?”

“Hum?” he hummed, turning his gaze back. Sara sat across the table from him, her plate already half gone. He hadn’t taken in more than a few bites.

Battle always seemed to take his appetite away.

“You’re ignoring me,” Sara pouted.

“You’re easy to ignore.”

Sara’s mouth dropped. Martin smiled a bit. They bickered and teased like any other normal siblings. But he did have an unfair advantage. He was quicker with his witty remarks than she was. Thankfully, Sara was still too happy about having a brother to be bothered by it.

“You’re annoying,” she finally muttered. “You know that, right?”

“I’ve been called a lot of things,” he pointed out. “Annoying is one of them.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she brushed off. “I was just asking how many crowns you’ve made disappear. You’re not wearing one today and mom’s going to be giving you a new one because you didn’t.”

“I doubt that,” Martin chuckled. “Five so far have disappeared. Six if you count the one she won’t be giving me.”

His sister blinked in surprise. “You got rid of the one she’s going to give you?”

“It wasn’t hard to find them,” he snorted. “I’ve also gotten rid of seven and eight. It’ll take the royal blacksmith another week to make another one.”

Sara shook her head. “Why don’t you like wearing a crown? It’s just like a hat.”

“A hat that’s made of metal and attracts everyone’s attention,” he argued. “It’s a symbol of power.”

“All the more reason you should wear it,” she argued back. “I know the Connection proves your…” She floundered for the word. “Santer-ness. But mom has a point. The people like a non-magical symbol of your station.”

“Dad didn’t wear a crown,” Martin said faintly.

They fell silent. Martin’s mouth felt strange. He had never used the word dad before. It was a part of his life that he was never going to receive.

“I miss him,” Sara whispered, tears misting her grey eyes. “By the Seven Founders, I do.”

“I’ve only read things about him,” Martin whispered, staring at his plate, his appetite completely gone now. “I think… I think I would have liked him. He kind of reminds me of Fred.”

“Fred?” Sara asked, frowning. “The man who brought you to Aeterna?”

Martin felt the corner of his mouth lift in a smile. “He’s going to be known for the rest of his life for that act. Yes, he brought me here.”

“What did you think when you first came? Back to Aeterna, I mean,” Sara asked, quickly changing the subject from their father. He couldn’t blame her. They both hurt from loosing him.

“Like something was…” He paused, searching his memory for the exact feeling. “Like something was right… I had lived for so long just trying to find my next meal. But when I got here…” He shook his head. “It’s hard to explain. I knew I would never go hungry again. That I’d never have to sleep under bridges again. I knew that my life was going to be spent serving Aeterna. My life had been just wrong and without meaning. But then Aeterna became my world and everything was just… right.”

He sighed. “Sounds silly, doesn’t it?”

Sara stared at him. “No,” she said, her eyes wide with sympathy and understanding. “I don’t think so. You’re linked to the land. It only makes sense that it was right to return.”

“True,” he chuckled.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Sara said.

Shay walked in, papers filling his arms. Abigail had sent her personal assistant with them to Court. Martin was glad that she had. Shay was an excellent administrator. Somehow, with his arms full, he managed a bow.

“Forgive my interruption,” he said, haggling through the papers. “But you have a message, Prince Martin.”

Martin sighed, but rose and walked over to the assistant, accepting the paper. A quick glance told him it was from Steve. It was, of course, written in code, something Martin and Sona had been drilling into him lately. It took the prince a moment to read the actual message.

Everything was ready.

Martin suppressed a shiver as a chill ran down his spine.

Within a week, hopefully, the war would end.
***********
“And I’m saying, missy,” Jared was saying, “you can’t find a better man than Martin.”

Sona smiled fondly at the retired soldier, shaking her head. “I know that, Jared,” she said, picking at the food on her plate. “You don’t need to convince me that Martin’s wonderful.”

“Then why don’t you marry him?” Devin asked, pointing his fork at her. “Believe me, a man can’t wait forever.”

It was the lunch rush at Dean’s shop and Sona had a meeting with the retired soldiers. She made it a point to be Martin’s main point of contact with these men. The prince just couldn’t disappear every night to check on the progress of the War Ender, so she volunteered to keep track of what was going on. Besides, she was able to move more freely than him anyway.

But it also meant that she had to deal with the soldiers’ constant nagging about marrying Martin.

“I don’t think I have to worry,” Sona said, rolling her eyes. “Besides, we have a war we need to end. Let’s not distract our poor prince with marriage.”

“Why not?” Trey pouted. “Every man needs a bit of a distraction. And you’re the only one who seems to be able to do it.”

Sona shrugged, another habit she had picked up from the prince. “The war, gentlemen,” she reminded them firmly. “How are things going?”

“Everything’s stocked,” Devin reported. “Everyone’s training… All we need is our guest to show up and give him the butt kicking of his life.”

Sona snorted with amusement in her drink. Putting the cup down, she quickly wiped her face. “Butt kicking?” she laughed. “I’ve never heard it like that before!”

“I don’t know what else you’re going to call it,” Devin huffed. “Terk needs it to get it through his skull that Aeterna isn’t his to take.”

Sona picked her cup up again, taking a sip. No. It wasn’t to tell Terk that Aeterna wasn’t his to take. It was to tell him that he had no right to take Aeterna’s prince.

“You’re worried,” Trey said softly, seeing her expression. “Aren’t you? About this war. About our prince.”

“Yes,” she whispered, staring at the water in her cup. “He’s putting himself in danger. He’s always putting himself in danger. I should be used to this, but…” She sighed, propping her elbow on the table and her face in her hand. “Something could go wrong and we can loose him.”

“It’s a risk he’s willing to take,” Jared said, trying to sound reasonable. “He loves Aeterna. He’ll do anything for our nation.”

“And that’s why he’s a great prince,” Devin added. “And he’ll make an even greater king. Don’t worry, Sona. He knows what he’s doing.”

Sona somehow managed a smile. Martin may know what he was doing, but the danger was still there and it twisted at her insides. She quickly changed the subject with the soldiers, wanting to keep her stomach from rolling. After she was sure that they had everything ready, she paid for her meal and left. She slowly walked back to the palace, wondering what she would do when she got there. Martin was at Court and her project was finished. While no one yet wondered what she was still doing at the palace, Sona kept trying to think of excuses to explain why she lingered.

You know the simplest way, she told herself, her feet moving her through the streets without her really thinking about where she was going. Just tell everyone the truth.

The truth.

It wasn’t that scary, was it?

“Sona!”

Sona paused and turned around. “Uncle Scott,” she said, surprised to see her uncle approach her. “What are you doing here?”

Uncle Scott laughed loudly, causing many by standers to turn to stare in surprise. As her father’s brother, Scott looked a lot like her father, with a strong build and similar beard. People often mistook them as twins, though her father was five years older.

“I’m here on business from Chesterfield,” he explained, sweeping her up in a hug. Sona squealed, trying hard not to think that her ribs would break. However, before her ribs could protest at the pressure, Scott released her and held her out at arms length. “My dear Sona, you’ve grown!”

“Only taller,” she teased, smiling. “What business are you here for?”

“Ah,” Scott scoffed, “I’m here to negotiate a new deal with our coal buyers. They seem to think that they can cheat us out of our fair shares. We’re not going to put up with that. We’ve brought them to Court to settle this matter.”

“Really?” she asked, a bit surprised. “When is your trial set to go in?”

“In about a week,” Scott sighed. “So we’re all sitting around, twittling our thumbs. What about you? What are you doing in Nacre?”

“Uh,” she hesitated. She hadn’t been honest with her family about what exactly she was doing in the capital. Oh, her parents knew that the queen had asked her to do something, but she didn’t tell them what. “I’m…”

“Come on, girl,” Scott said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a half hug. “Why are you here? I know you had some project for the queen.”

“That’s done,” she admitted. “You saw that in the papers. Don’t act like you didn’t see my name on the official records.”

Scott grinned. “Caught me. We’re proud of you. You’ve done well. Now, tell, what are you still doing here? I thought you’d high tail it back to the Tree, safe among all those spies and books of yours.”

Sona felt herself blush. “Well,” she muttered, not meeting her uncle’s gaze. “I’m… I’m.” She took a deep breath. Scott was family. She shouldn’t hide things from family. “I’m making the biggest decision of my life!”

Her uncle blinked at the sudden rush of words. “The biggest decision of your life?” he repeated. His eyes went wide. “You’re meaning… A boy has you considering marriage!”

Too embarrassed to speak, she just nodded.

“Sona!” Scott laughed, sweeping her up into another bone crushing hug. “That’s wonderful! Who is he? No!” he said, putting her down again. “Don’t tell me. I want to meet him. Are the two of you free tonight?”

“No, actually,” she said truthfully, her blush suddenly gone as the blood drained from her face. Scott wanted to meet Martin? How was she supposed to explain that!

“Oh,” Scott said, frowning. “When are the two of you available?”

Sona thought about the crazy schedule she and Martin shared. He had a ball to attend the next couple of nights, and then there was following up on the progress of the War Ender… “In about five days,” she admitted. That was the time when Terk could first show up. Martin expected it to be another five to seven days before the Mad General started marching through Nacre’s streets.

“Great,” Scott said. “Now you have plans. The two of you can come over and we’ll have a party.”

“Party?” she asked, stepping back, shocked. “How many people from Chesterfield did you bring?”

“My family,” Scott began to count out with his fingers. “Your cousin and his family. My cousins and their families… About a fifth of Chesterfield.”

Sona stared at her uncle. True, Chesterfield wasn’t very large, but it was large enough for a lot of people to fill up that fifth. “That’s about a hundred people!”

“So?” Scott said, shrugging. “We demand our fair share. We’re going to get it. And besides, a lot us just wanted to see Nacre.” He grinned as he looked around the street. “A person could get used to this place. So much to do, so much to see. An exciting place.”

And it’s going to get more exciting when Terk gets here, Sona thought, her stomach dropping in dread. It was enough that she had to worry about Martin being in danger. Now she had family involved. And they weren’t aware of the incoming danger.

“Uncle,” she started to say. She had to stop this madness before it got out of hand.

“No, Sona,” he said firmly, smiling at her. “I’m not going to fall for any of your tricks. I want to meet this young man. We’ve been waiting a long time for someone to catch your eye. It’s nice to know that he actually exists. You will be coming to our party and bringing that boy with you. I’ll have your word on it.”

Sona floundered for her words. She was in the middle of a plot to end the war! She couldn’t be distracted by…

She shouldn’t hide things from family.

“Alright,” she sighed, feeling a pit in her stomach. “We’ll be there.”

“Great,” Scott laughed, patting the top of her head. “And don’t worry. We won’t be hard on your boy. That hard, anyway.”

Sona somehow managed a weak smile. Her family was going to be in for a huge surprise. They weren’t going to be hard on Martin at all.
************
You know, Scott's reaction to finding out that Sona was interested in someone reminds me of how my family will react if that ever happens to me. :P

Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy the journey!