Cinderfella 2: A New Life - 16. Chapter 16

The time went by and life here was getting back to being more routine. The town of Royal Valley was still growing, even more! We had to increase the men that patrolled Royal Valley, and not just at night. We had to increase the number of lamps on the street. We added sidewalks for some of the shops. Paved a good bit of the streets in the central area. Now it was not just a town of employees for the vineyard or winery. It was a town that just happened to have a winery and vineyard attached to it.

The priest became an outspoken person about those in the town there were in same-gender relationships. Most all his hate sermons were said from….that thing he preached from every Sunday. When he finished his scripture reading, in the ancient language no one understood and why is that? He would preach against us from that moment on! Some listened, but most waved him off, demanding to know what the scriptures really said about it. Mostly what the scriptures really said, no one here understood that ancient language. I didn’t stop them! In fact, I encouraged them. He could quote the parts that said it was wrong. Now the people want him to tell them how the Church got the rules and how the ancient language was is interrupted.

“Don’t believe something because someone tells you to,” I said many times. “Find out where the belief came from and demanded to see the proof! No one tells me what to think or do. Laws are written to be read, not just obeyed. Understand what you believe was critical. Then you can be confident in what you believe.”

The priest was not happy with us, or me in particular. Many of the people had heard me argue the scriptures with some knowledge of them and knew there was more than what they were being told. He began telling them what to believe and now he might be mistaken!? Before, that was unthinkable. There four nuns that worked with him, but the increase of citizens meant more donations so the local Church was doing fine, but now there were more demands on his time. He was busy! The people of Royal Valley were improving their lives. They were being educated and were starving for knowledge. We had a vendor that moved in that had books! Hundreds of books. Those books he rented to citizens that liked to read. These were hand-printed books and a book was expensive, and now that someone in town had the books, for a price they could take it home and read! The danger with that was, not everyone was careful with these precious books. Some got ripped or torn. Well, the agreement was if it was damaged, you paid for it! A few times that kind of damage happened, and when the damaged book was discovered, and the agreement which was signed that they would pay for the repair or for the book, people were more careful.

I grinned as I looked out on the town below from my home office window. It was beginning to bustle! People were busy anyway, now it was very busy.

I heard Seth come in, and as usual. “Where are you?” I heard. It was a daily occurrence. I made comments that were pretty much wisecracks normally in the past.

“In here, baby.” I smiled to myself at his predictable pattern.

Seth came in the room and I felt his arms go around me from behind. “What? You haven’t run off with a manly hunter or a handsome salesman of hardly ever used gadgets?”

I chuckled as I wrapped my hands over his arms. “Not today.” Seth smelled like a man that worked hard. I could smell the rich earth he’d been working in. It wasn’t unpleasant. Seth loved it. I picked up one of his hands, seeing the dirt under his fingernails. Yep, he worked very hard. “It’s a good thing we have hot water. We probably keep Grace busy with the laundry.”

He turned me around. “Well, it’s a good thing she likes us.”

“She loves you.” I smiled. “It’s almost as if she sees herself as your mother.”

Seth gave me a questioning look. “So? She loves you, too.” He defended. “I guess she’s our mother.”

“I lit the fire under the water heater.” We both heard Grace say as she passed by the door. “It won’t be long.”

I grinned at Seth, then we both said. “Thanks, Mom.”

We heard her footsteps stop, come back a little and her head looked around the door. “Thanks…Mom?”

Seth and I didn’t let each other go, I grinned at her. “I said you were his mother.”

Seth nodded. “And I said you were our mother.”

She smiled at that. “Well then…” an eye narrowed as she looked at us. “Put those dirty clothes in the bin. And when’s the last either of you had a haircut? Or do I get ribbons?” Then winked, blew us a kiss and went to the kitchen as Seth and I laughed at her.

Things were pretty sweet.

“The new grapes from Italia were planted,” Seth told me as I was washing his back. “But it will be a while before we get many grapes.” Then he sniffed. “That feels different. What are you using? It smells different.”

“It’s a new soap from Parisa.” I grinned liking the suds it made on him.

“It smells like flowers,” Seth said. “Can I see it?”

I handed him the bar of soap. “That’s because it is floral based. Not ash and animal fat based like many soaps.”

“Lye.” Seth sniffed the bar.

“Right.” I took the soap back. “This doesn’t have the animal fat, but plant oils.”

His eyes told me he was impressed. “Where’d you get that?”

I chuckled. “Hey, we have a real town here now. They have a shop for this stuff, too! Can you believe it?”

“No kidding.” He grinned getting some on his hands and the suds that came up easily. “It’s slippery.”

“Soap usually is.” I smiled. “Even with lye soap.”

“But needs no effort to get the suds. And it smells good.” Seth nodded.

“So will you now.”

Our bath is done, clean clothes and a good meal was enjoyed. As we were at the end, there was a pounding on our front door.

“What on earth?” Grace asked as she came into the dining room and answered the door.

“Seth! Erik!” We heard Zek’s voice shout as we heard fast footsteps running through the house. He sounded scared.

“Zek?” I shouted at him. Seth was standing as we heard the footsteps come toward us.

Zek charged in, nearly out of breath. “They arrested them!” He was pointing at the direction of town as he gasped for air. “They’ve got Gabe, Curt, Daryl, Caroline…all of them!”

The icy spike went in my heart. “Who is arrested?”

“For what!?” Seth asked.

Zek pointed at himself and us. “All like us! They were after me, too, but I ran. I had to tell you! You gotta come quick!”

Seth and I were running out the door with Zek back to town. There was a mob scene in front of the mayor’s house and the town hall and the prison house which were close together. Norton was trying to push into the place where they’d taken his son. Eb, Zeks’ big father was arguing with someone else that looked as if it was coming to blows! Someone was arguing with the mayor, I think it was Gabe’s mother.

I stopped in front of what we had as a prison house, we almost never had more than one or two in it at a time, now there were over a dozen people crowded in it. I looked at the man in front, Bent was his name. Bent looked very uncomfortable as he was stopping Norton from entering.

“He was arrested. I’m just doing my job.” Bent said sadly hoping Norton would understand. “Please, Norton.”

I looked at him. “Someone pressed charges? Who?”

Bent pointed at the same woman who had been so vocal at the meeting, was now being yelled at by a lot of people around her. But I noticed the priest smiling behind her. He was the one that had her do it. I would wager the house on it. She was Margret, and she was the same woman that didn’t see how two men could be in love when Zek and Gabe moved in together. Walking to the woman, the others stopped yelling at her and watched me approach.

“You’re really doing this?” I asked her.

“They’re breaking the law.” She nodded simply and shrugged.

I turned to Seth. “It seems we have no choice.” Say what you will, but married people learn to read each other without using words. Seth looked alarmed only for a second but then nodded. I turned to Bent standing in front of the prison house. “Take us in.”

The woman wasn’t prepared for this, turned to the priest. “But you’re not breaking the law.” She objected to me. “You are married.”

I waved at the others being held. “But they can’t! Either they get married or arrest us! The law can’t be interpreted both ways.”

Margret turned to the priest. “What do we do, father?”

The priest came up. “The marriage between you two makes what you’re doing legal, not moral, but legal, there was no choice.”

Seth frowned and then shouted. “Were you there? If you were, I don’t remember you. It was most definitely our choice. He could have married anyone, including a number of my female cousins. But he chose me, I chose him! Of course, we had a choice!!”

I held up my hand to stop the debate. “Wait! How many people do you have in there?”

“Fifteen so far.” The man guarding them said. “More are on the way.”

I turned to Keith Davidson, the mayor. “When a group of ten or more are brought up on a charge, they can request to be heard before the king.”

Mayor Davidson’s eyes widened. “The king?”

“It is the law,” I said calmly. “I know there’s a copy of those laws here. I’ve read them in the palace of Blethos before I married Seth.” I turned to the priest and woman. “And that includes you two.”

“I just wanted them out of town!” The woman said weakly. “I have to appear before the king!? I take the charges back.”

“Many of these people have children!” I said.

The woman turned to the priest. “This is becoming more than I bargained for. I can’t.”

The priest frowned. “You can’t. The accusation has been made.” He nodded. “We will appear before the king.”

“And as this is going to take a couple of weeks, we all have to travel to the capital of Blethos, and that’s two days journey. And two days back. No telling how long before we get a ruling. Those children need a parent.”

The priest nodded. “Let one of the parents go to care for the children, the other goes to see the king.”

I narrowed a look at them. “And no one just disappears, damn it,” I said flatly. “Or I bring charges against you!” Walking past Bent who didn’t stop Seth and me now.

Seth looked at Norton. “We’ll take care of Gabe and Zek.” He smiled. “Take care of my babies on the vine.”

“This was what I feared from the beginning! They will execute Gabriel and Ezekiel!” Norton moaned. “I have to be there!”

Seth took Norton’s arm. “They won’t, I promise.” He came in behind me. Looking at the prison house once we were inside. He frowned. “We don’t have enough chairs!”

Bent rolled his eyes. “I’ll find more.” He said glumly and walked off to find some chairs. He really was a nice man.

It was an uncomfortable night, no one really slept. There weren’t enough beds!

“What do you think he’ll do?” Curt asked Seth as I sat held by Seth between his legs on the floor. My back to his chest. Most people here were afraid to act like a couple. Seth shrugged when they said that.

“We’re being charged for being in love, why shouldn’t we behave like we are. Acting like we’re not is sort of moot now.” Seth said. Seth grinned at Curt. “Well, the king is my brother. And he is reasonable." He put his face against my head. “He has to rule on this. That’s it.”

“Either that or kill us all,” I added with a smile.

Curt smiled now, looked at Daryl who was dozing against him. He saw Seth and I were together, so he threw his arm around Daryl. “I knew it was smart to move here.” Curt smiled wider.

The trip to Blethos’ capital was difficult because there was no prison wagon. We all had to ride either a carriage or horse to get there. Now we were all motivated to go, so no one was trying to escape. Margret rode in a carriage with the priest and both were looking as if they had won already. What would be two days was three. No one of the accused was dragging, but Margret and the priest. I heard them plotting. Okay, I did eavesdrop. Wouldn’t you?

“He has to rule against them.” The priest explained to Margret. “If not, I’ll claim the marriage of Seth and Erik is not valid, it goes against the Church. Therefore the throne was taken on a false claim and there will be a trial. Not only about what they’re doing, but about Seth’s rise to the throne. If the claim is false, then so is his brother on the throne. He won’t be king after that.”

I smiled. I had to admit, it was a good plan. The fool.

Upon arriving at the palace, and as in travel back and forth from Blethos to A’Dore, hot baths were impossible, so we all took turns around a fire where a pot of water was boiled. At least we were clean enough not to offend anyone when we were escorted in the throne room, where Samuel would hold court. If he’d known we were coming. He stood shocked as we all walked in.

“These are plaintiffs from Royal Valley, Sire.” The man that scheduled appearances before the king said shakily.

“My brothers are plaintiffs?” Samuel asked.

The man shook his head. “No, Sire. Margret Hammel is and Father Markum are the plaintiffs. They…” he looked at Seth and me in a little terror for what he had to say. “…are the accused.”

Samuel looked at the man like he’d lost his mind! “What!? Accused!? Of what?”

“For living a life of sin.” The priest said coming forward. “They all are.” He waved at all of us. “The charges against Seth and Erik were not going to be done, but they chose to stand with others like them.”