Excellent Most Excellent and Then Again Beyond All Whooping

"It all started in babyhood, you lot see."  Gaston sipped his vino.

We were back in the Ocean Dining Room at the aforementioned table in the aforementioned seats, with the add-on of Cookie, who was treated to his own serving of the "delicious duck."  His posse was settling in their rooms and would come to dine afterwards.  Similar all Merchants, Cookie loved gossip, and Arbitrator gossip was simply too delicious to ignore.

"All of us come from the world where the division between nobility and commoners is very stark.  George and Jack are brothers built-in into a commoner family.  They lost their parents when they were young, and they were raised by their older sister, Rose. The three of them tasted true poverty, the kind when you know the exact balance in your depository financial institution account downwardly to a dollar and can tell exactly how much change is in your pocket without checking."

That was not something I experienced.  My parents' inn was prosperous, and while Gertrude Hunt and I had seen some lean times, we were never truly poor.

"Rose somewhen married a human from a noble family, handsome, rich, and very stable, and the two brothers caused a new and illustrious last name, Camarine. George and Jack received an teaching appropriate to someone of their new status. Their personalities are very unlike, just as brothers they share sure traits and existence a chameleon is one of them. They adapted to their new roles perfectly.  Unless y'all knew their history, you lot would never suspect that those two are anything merely noble princes, one elegant and cute, and the other fashionably jaded and rebellious. This is important."

Cookie blinked.  "Fascinating."

He was clearly committing every drib of information to memory.

"Sophie is really nobility.  Her grandfather was a noble of a rival country who was exiled to the Mire, this horrible swamp, which I dear."

Sean frowned.  "You lot honey the swamp?"

"It's home. You lot should run into it when the moon slips from the clouds on a quiet night.  The night flowers glow, the poisonous worms fluoresce in every color, and the behemothic alligator-like reptiles sing to the sky. It is peaceful."

"Y'all are a strange man," Sean told him.

"I'm only ¾ man," Gaston corrected. "But I digress. Sophie is actually my cousin, in one case removed. Her aunt is my grandmother, which doesn't seem right since I'chiliad older than Sophie, but information technology is true."

"That'southward zip," Cookie said.  "I'k my uncle's thrice-removed cousin'due south seventh son."

 Gaston nodded in appreciation.  "Family unit ties are important. We come from a very big family, land-rich, money-poor.  The Mire is not a nice place.  There was an incident when Sophie was young.  She was kidnapped by slavers and put in a hole for a calendar week. In Sophie's head, a little girl went into the pigsty and a monster came out."

I had no thought.  When we met, I could sense there was something there, something dark and painful, but I didn't imagine that.

"The matter is, Sophie's grandfather did his all-time to raise her and her sister equally nobles.  They had the education, and they knew the legacy of their family unit, yet  they besides understood that they would be stuck rotting in the Mire forever.  Information technology had all the makings of 1 of those stiff tragedies. But!"

Gaston waved his drinking glass with a flourish.

"There was a matter of international intrigue.  People were murdered, disasters occurred, righteous punishments were delivered through feats of personal heroism.  The end effect of all this complicated mess was our entire family relocating out of the Mire. Sophie's sister married Declan'southward best friend, and Sophie and George were introduced."

"The swamp monstress and the elegant prince," Cookie said.

Gaston grinned.  "Indeed. Non falling in love would've violated a fundamental law of existence. Cue decades of malaise."

He raised his hand to his brow in an obviously feminine gesture. "Oh no, I am a damaged killer with trust issues.  I do not deserve happiness."

He slapped his hand over his left eye, his expression dark and tortured.  "Oh no, I am a necromancer who must manipulate everyone to keep them safety due to childhood trauma and the woman I love, whom I most desire to keep safe, will not let me to accept care of her."

Cookie snickered.

"Incredibly frustrating for anybody involved," Gaston said. "George refused to brand the commencement movement in consideration of Sophie'southward feelings. He wanted it to be her decision. And she, in turn, wanted him to throw himself at her feet and walk away from his professional person obligations of playing chess with existent rulers and empires as his pawns. They got nowhere."

This was like some cheesy romance novel, except I knew the people involved.

"I had given up on them," Gaston confessed. "And then George became an arbitrator and dragged the lot of us with him. I have read this wonderful book, chosen Three Musketeers. It was just like that, except nosotros were missing our D'Artagnan. I believe you were in that location when George enticed her to return to the pack."

"I was," I confirmed. "It was something. He gave a very passionate oral communication."

Gaston smiled. "He'south excellent at that. I don't know what he said only it worked. Withal, in one case Sophie joined the states, she realized that null had changed. George was still assuming responsibility for everyone and everything, still working himself to the os, and withal manipulating people and beings, except now, he was doing it on a galactic calibration. Our little band of misfits had graduated to the big leagues. Sophie left us. Again."

"She did?" I had no idea.

Gaston nodded. "Crushed George's centre. I didn't recall he would recover but somehow, he did and threw himself into his work, the way he always does. The story would have ended right at that place if it wasn't for Ruk Minoody."

"I thought somebody killed him," Sean said.

"Don't ruin the story." Gaston refilled his glass. "Ruk Minoody ruled over a prosperous planet in the central burl of the galaxy. The planet'due south citizens identify peachy value on martial prowess, specially when information technology comes to settling personal conflicts."

"The planet of swordsmen!" Cookie exclaimed. "I know about them. Uncle in one case did concern with them."

I knew near them too. Their planet was called Harriblex, and they were not all swordsmen, although all of them were martial artists of some discipline. They were excruciatingly polite when they stayed at the inns until someone mortally offended them by stepping on their shadow or some such nonsense and then cipher would finish them from demanding satisfaction.

"The Office of Arbitrators had offended Ruk Minoody," Gaston said.

"Let me guess, he demanded satisfaction?" I asked.

"Exactly. They tried to reason with him. They failed. He sent striking squads to chase down individual arbitrators and managed to kill a couple. The Office declared that whoever satisfied Ruk Minoody would exist entitled to a single boon."

"Oooh." Cookie opened his eyes wide and put his ears dorsum.

"Exactly," Gaston said. "The line to satisfy Ruk Minoody was long enough to wrap around a planet, figurately speaking, of course. He loved it. While he kept killing them one by one, Sophie infiltrated his knights, got herself promoted to his personal baby-sit, and challenged him for the throne in front of his unabridged court."

Gaston paused and sipped his wine slowly, milking the moment for all of its drama.

Cookie bounced up and downwards in his seat. "And and so what?"

"She won. They made her their queen."

I had a feeling I knew where this was going and, judging by the grin on Sean's face, he did also.

"The Role owed her a favor and she claimed it. They asked her what she wanted, and she said she wanted George."

Sean laughed.

Gaston's optics sparkled. "Sophie finally decided to stop trying to live upwards to other people'southward expectations.  She knew where her happiness lay so she reached out and grabbed it. She had asked George's consent before demanding this system."

"And he consented?" Sean asked.

"Enthusiastically. The Office didn't desire to requite George up. He is vivid and he's a born workaholic. They bargained back and forth for a month. Threats were made. Things such as 'You offended Ruk Minoody, here'south his head, honor the bargain, or I will get offended' were said. Finally, they came to an agreement. George is allowed to work four months out of the twelvemonth."

"Consecutive months?" Cookie asked.

"Non necessarily. He tin do it in chunks, only the total duration cannot exceed 4 months.  The rest of the time he has to attend to his duties as the royal consort. Sophie must corroborate every job he takes every bit an Arbitrator, or he can't take it."

"Oh, sweet Cosmos," I murmured. "And he'southward okay with it?"

"He loves it," Gaston said. "She conquered a planet to ally him. It was the proof he always hoped for, and at present he tin exist with her all the time. George is his own worst enemy. The homo doesn't know the meaning of work/life balance. Now he is devoting all his energy to the person he loves most, and he is taking his consort duties seriously, the way he takes everything. Before I left, Sophie was presiding over a court case.  George was reading a book on child rearing next to her. The defendant, i of their better fighters, challenged him.  George put downwards the book, killed this veteran in two seconds, and went right back to reading. He is an excellent duelist, yous know."

Sean shook his head.  I knew what he was thinking.  That kind of arrangement would never work for usa. Merely we were not George and Sophie.

"They were married in a ridiculously lavish ceremony about 6 months ago," Gaston connected.  "They've dealt with the initial unrest, and now they're trying to nudge the planet toward democracy, which the planet is fiercely resisting. Information technology will take to be a boring, gradual change, and they will be busy for years. Almost chiefly, they are happy. They honey each other, only for them dear alone is not enough. There must be clearly defined boundaries and common respect for them. George is a smart homo. He knows this is his only hazard at happiness and he will do cypher to jeopardize it. And at present you understand why George cannot exist here. The last job he did ended a few days ago and he barely squeaked in under Sophie'southward deadline."

Now the booster made perfect sense. George had been trying to finish things earlier his fourth dimension ran out and he had to go back to his wife.

"Where does that put yous and Jack?" Sean asked.

"Jack is on Harriblex somewhere," Gaston answered. "He told me that for the first time in years he doesn't accept to worry about George or Sophie. I asked him what he wanted to practice with his reanimation, and he told me he would get a house in the woods and not meet anyone for a couple of years. He claimed it would be the all-time holiday he could become and that he more than earned it."

"And yous?" I asked.

"Every bit they say, somebody must make the doughnuts. I've been a spy, a gentleman of adventure, and occasional assassin, and now I am a free agent. George is paying me a hefty sum to assist you with this affair. Once that's washed with, who knows? Maybe I'll open a shop at Baha-char side by side to that old werewolf nosotros all are trying to save."

"And so you're not here in an official chapters?" I asked.

Gaston put his palm on the tabular array. "Dina, I'm here to aid in whatsoever style I can. Your goals are my goals.  Your enemies are my enemies. Tell me how I tin can help, and I will do my best."

He rose and bowed with an elegant flair, his manus sweeping the air. "My dear friends, I am at your service."

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Source: https://ilona-andrews.com/2022/chapter-9-part-2-2/

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