Stephanie's Challenge Read online

  "No, I need to get up to speed here. I want to tour the Palace, go over all the defenses, and meet the Captain of the Palace Guards."

  Nick nodded his understanding. "That would be Chandra."

  "Yes. Chandra's been the Captain for the last twenty cycles, hasn't he?"

  "Yes, he's a good man."

  "Why are you telling me that?" she asked.

  Nick should of known she wouldn’t have just accepted his advice. He took a deep breath before speaking. "He's been a little... surly of late."

  "Because he's losing all his best guards,” she stated simply.

  "That, and because the ones that have returned have been somewhat... disheartened."

  "Because they failed to complete the course." She nodded her understanding.

  "Yes."

  Before she could respond, his desk comm dinged indicating he had received a message. His frown had her saying, "You can look at that if you need to."

  When he did his frown disappeared. "We just received an application for the Royal Guards."

  "Hasn't the next class already been selected?" she frowned at him.

  "Yes, but this applicant won't need to go through that training." He couldn’t help but smile at that.

  "Every applicant must complete the RGTP. It's the most rigorous training program on the planet," she reminded him.

  "There is one that is even more rigorous and Sergeant Woodrow has completed it."

  "Woodrow? He completed Captain Chamberlain's program?"

  "Yes.” Lines still marred the beautiful golden skin of her forehead and Nick didn’t understand why. “He would be a great asset to the House of Protection."

  "Then why isn't he offering his services to his House, the House of Healing?" she asked.

  "There may not be a position open,” he began but her question started him wondering to. “Captain Chamberlain's program only accepted applicants from the Coalition, without regard to the House they were from or its needs, unlike the RGTP program where the Royal from the House must submit the applicant."

  "Possibly, but I find it hard to believe that King Yusuf wouldn't find a place for him if only so he could boast about it."

  "It doesn't sound like you have much respect for the King of the House of Healing." Which he found strange as her family on her mother’s side were all born into that House.

  "I didn't appreciate his attitude toward my mother at the Royal Ball."

  "At the Royal Ball?" he questioned in surprise. "I didn't hear or see anything."

  "That's because you don't know how to read my mother's body language, like I do. He said something that upset her, so did Queen Pima. Jotham didn't like it either."

  "Neither said a word to me.” It was something as Captain, Nick should have been informed about.

  "Did you think they would?" she asked quietly.

  "I..." Nick didn't finish as the door to his office opened, and this time it was Green.

  "What in the name of the Ancestors is going on, Nick!" Green demanded as he stormed into the room then pulled up short when he saw Stephanie sitting there.

  "Uh... Lieutenant, I'm sorry I didn't know you were here."

  "I'm no longer a Lieutenant, Captain. I retired my commission with the Coalition effective yesterday."

  "I... Oh, well I guess that was to be expected... Princess."

  "Ancestors, please not that either," she instantly said. "Call me Stephanie."

  It seemed that Stephanie took after her mother in more than just her gorgeous looks. Jacinda had ordered everyone to use her first name too, unless they were in public.

  "If that is what you wish, Stephanie, and then I'm Kort. I will only refer to you as Princess when we're not alone."

  "You will refer to her as Commander," Nick growled, not liking the smile Kort was giving Stephanie. It was the one he used to charm all the ladies.

  "Commander?" Kort gave him a confused look.

  "I believe the reason you burst in here was to know why the entire Royal Family would be attending a special meeting at the Assembly Hall. Not to flirt with Stephanie." Nick winced, regretting that revealing last sentence.

  "I... well yes," Kort said carefully. "Your message was somewhat cryptic."

  "My order to have every Royal Guard at the ready was cryptic?”

  "It is when you don't tell me why or the threat level."

  "The threat level should be relatively low as no one, but the Assembly Guards, know who will be attending this Assembly. But the entire Royal Family will be there so make sure your men are armed accordingly. As for why," he looked to Stephanie who gave a slight nod of approval. "Jotham has some long, overdue business he wishes taken care of. He then plans to announce he is reinstating the position of Commander of the Royal Guard."

  "He is? So who..." Kort snapped his mouth shut, his gaze shooting to Stephanie as he realized who. "Commander. It will be an honor to serve under you... under your command," he quickly corrected.

  Nick saw the flash of anger that crossed her face before she masked it. He had to admire her restraint. While the Coalition had zero tolerance for any kind of harassment he was sure Stephanie had still had to deal with it. She was a beautiful woman. Learning when to ignore it and how to deal with it when she couldn’t was something she seemed to have perfected.

  "I thought we agreed you would call me Stephanie,” she said.

  "Yes, but that was before I knew you were the Commander."

  "I'm not... yet," she told him, "but as one of my Captains, I don't expect you to address me by my rank. If Stephanie makes you uncomfortable, you could use my last name, but trust me, Michelakakis can be a mouthful. Of course, it's up to you." She just shrugged.

  When Kort didn't respond, she looked to Nick. "As I'm not yet officially the Commander, I will leave you and Captain Green to finalize your plans for today."

  "Where are you going?" Nick asked, standing when she rose.

  "I am going to get acquainted with the Palace," she told him.

  "You will need guards."

  "I will be staying within the Palace walls," she breathed out in an exasperated breath.

  Nick didn’t care how frustrated she found this but he would not break protocol. His job revolved around seeing to the safety of the Royal Family, of which she was one. "As you were yesterday when you couldn't even make it to the doors protecting the non-Public Wing?"

  Her slight nod acknowledged he was right. "Then I'll stay within the non-Public Wing."

  "You will still need a guard."

  Her eyes narrowed, but he remained firm. Still, she needed to learn her way around the Palace because right now the lowest of Palace Guards knew more about it than she did.

  "Who can you spare?" she asked.

  "Honestly?" he replied.

  "Always."

  "No one. Not with the special Assembly being called."

  Nick knew Kort closely watched the interaction between his Captain and the one who would soon be their Commander. Nick would always be his Captain and that would take some adjusting on all their parts.

  "I understand," Stephanie finally said. "Would it be possible for you to send the blueprints of the Palace to the comm in my room? I need to get familiar with all areas of the Palace."

  Kort’s surprise was easily seen on his face but Nick ignored it. Stephanie wasn’t like other Commander’s he’d come to know. She could be reasonable, especially when it concerned the welfare of her men. She was going to be an impressive Commander.

  "I will send it," Nick replied.

  "Also the file on the latest applicant."

  Nick just looked at her for a moment then said, "I will send that too."

  "Thank you. I assume you won't insist I have a guard to return to my suite."

  "I believe you can make it there by yourself," he told her with a half smile.

  "Nice to know you don't see me as totally helpless." She looked at Kort. "Captain." With that, she left the room.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

>   Nodding her thanks to the guards who opened the doors for her, Stephanie entered the King's Wing. It was still early, Carina's second sun having just completely cleared the horizon. So she was surprised to see Barek walking toward her.

  Barek had come by the house to see her several times while she'd been recovering, but mostly to meet with Danton. She'd been surprised at the friendship that had quickly developed between the two men. Their own relationship was proceeding at a slower pace. After all, Barek had never had a sister, but now it was as if she had a third brother.

  "You're up early," she said.

  "And how do you know I'm not up this early every day?" he tossed back with an easy grin.

  "Because you’re a Prince," she teased. "Everyone knows that means you never get up before the third sun is high in the sky."

  Barek's eyes narrowed at her. "You're a Princess now, so that means they'll say the same thing about you."

  "Please. Everyone knows I'm not a real Princess."

  "And what makes one a real Princess?" his brows rose questioningly.

  "Charm, beauty, diplomacy," she immediately responded.

  His gaze lightened and she caught the glimmer of humor in it. "And you don't believe you possess those things?"

  "Ancestors, no. Mom, Dad, Danton, and even Ethan got all the charm and diplomacy. I'm more apt to tell someone when they're a foabhor than to make nice."

  Barek tipped his head back, his laughter filling the corridor. "Yes, I believe you would and in most cases, you wouldn't be wrong, but you seem to have forgotten one."

  "What?"

  "Beauty," he reminded her, "because no matter how much you try to downplay it, you are a stunningly beautiful woman, Stephanie." When she started to look away, he gently gripped her chin and refused to let her. "You know you are. It takes nothing away from what you've accomplished."

  "There are those who would disagree," she told him quietly.

  "So what? You know it's true, I know it's true. So does my father and the High Admiral. You can't control what others think."

  She gave him a half smile. "I suppose you learned that the hard way too."

  "I did, and I know my father would never have offered you this position if he didn't think you were qualified. No matter what you had done or who you were related to."

  "Thank you. That means a lot, Barek, especially coming from you." She paused for a moment. "Can I ask you something? Concerning the Royal Guards."

  Frowning, Barek looked around and even though they were alone, pulled her into a secluded alcove. "You can ask me anything, Stephanie, but it would be best to do so when we are in private, especially if it concerns the guards."

  "Why?" she asked but made sure to keep her voice low.

  "Because while I trust them with my life, they do still talk amongst themselves. It's best that if you are displeased with one of them that you discuss it directly with them, in private."

  "I know that,” she told him, “and I'm not displeased with any of them. What I wanted to ask is in regard to the RGTP."

  "The training program?" He continued to frown at her but the tension left his stance. "I'm not involved with it."

  "But you do know that the House of Protection enacted a little known clause that allows only applicants from our House into the program until the Royal Guard is back to its full strength."

  "Of course.”

  "I want to expand it. We can't keep pulling from the Palace Guard, not without devastating consequences."

  "They are some of the best-trained guards on the planet."

  "They are.” She was proud of the fact even thought she had nothing to do with it. “But there are others from the House of Protection, just as well trained, that aren't on Carina."

  Barek's head pulled back slightly as he gave her a considering look. "You're talking about those currently serving in the Coalition."

  "Yes. I want them to be allowed to apply and if they complete the program, to be released from the Coalition."

  "Only the High Admiral can approve such a thing,” he told her.

  "I know, but until a few moon cycles ago you were not only a Colonel in the Coalition but its High Consul. If anyone would know how to make this happen, it would be you."

  Barek rubbed the back of his neck and sighed but she could hear the interest in his voice when he spoke. "It would be a groundbreaking precedent that could have other Houses wishing to do the same."

  "The sudden need for guards for seven new royals is groundbreaking. I highly doubt any other House is ever going to find itself in just such a position."

  "The exact same, no," he agreed, "but I will still need to research it."

  "Well do it ASAP, Barek, because we need those guards and we needed them yesterday!"

  "You do realize you're not the Commander yet," he said smiling. "You can't tell me to do anything."

  "Of course I can. We're family."

  Her answer seemed to throw him. Barek was still getting used to the easy teasing the Michelakakis family included him in. Rumor had it that he'd never had it with Dadrian and she couldn't help but wonder how different things might have been if they had.

  "Barek?" Stephanie's soft prodded when he remained silent. "Are you alright?"

  "I'm fine. Thank you. Just thinking about where to start in convincing the High Admiral."

  "You're sure?"

  "Of course." He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Now tell me, what were you doing out of the Wing so early?"

  "I needed to speak with Captain Deffand, so I could get up to speed on a few things."

  "And were you able to?"

  "Not really. Nick has his hands full getting ready for this afternoon's Special Assembly. Instead of taking a physical tour of the Palace, I'm going to study the plans on my desk comm. We also studied the files on the graduates of the latest RGTP class to get them assigned." Tipping her head slightly to the side she added. "It would help me a great deal if you would give me your assessment of those attached to you so I can see if they've been correctly assigned."

  "You doubt Deffand's placement?" His eyes widened in shock.

  "No," she replied. "He placed the men he had where they were most needed. But once we are back to full force, there will be other considerations."

  "Like what?" he asked curiously.

  "Like the Royal Guards for the Princes of the House of Knowledge aren't protected the same way as the King is. There are different rules, needs, and considerations. Ethan and Kasmira have two young children and not every Guard will be suited to deal with them suddenly chasing a ball across the street, or making friends with a new classmate that hasn't been vetted. They need to be allowed to be children."

  "That is true."

  "So guards might need to be shifted, so their strengths reflect the needs of their charges."

  "For most, being a Royal Guard will be more than enough, but you are aware there will be those that won't be content unless they are protecting the King or Queen."

  "I'm aware, but that's not my concern. My only concern is to make sure the Royal family, my family, is being properly protected and no guard can do that if their charges don't listen to them."

  "This is true."

  "So you will give me your honest thoughts and opinions on your guards?"

  "I will."

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  The knock on her outer door had Stephanie jerking up in her seat. She'd gotten lost in all the information Nick had sent, especially the plans of the Palace, comparing them to what she recalled from memory. While they were detailed, she knew there were things not shown on them, things she needed to know. It was knowledge handed down from Commander to Commander, or in this case, Captain to Commander. She ignored the knock, her gaze returning to her screen.

  When the door opened, she quickly locked down her comm then rose to confront whoever dared enter her private rooms. Within the Coalition it was an unspoken rule that unless it was life or death, you never entered someone's private
quarters without express permission. Seeing who it was had her attitude instantly changing.

  "Mom, I wasn't expecting you."

  "I know, but I wanted to speak with you." Jacinda looked to the servant behind her pushing a cart. "In front of the window if you would please, Morvan."

  "Yes, Majesty." Morvan quickly set the table where his future Queen requested, then with a bow to each of them, left the room.

  Stephanie moved around her desk, and after giving her mother a hug, looked to the table. "What's all this?"

  "Lunch," Jacinda told her, returning the hug. "I wanted to share it with you while you were still my daughter."

  "Still your daughter? What are you talking about, Mom? I'll always be your daughter."

  Jacinda gave her a slightly sad look. "Yes, but Stephie, you are going to be so much more than that. What you did, protecting Jotham and myself... it made you a hero. Your name will now always be synonymous with protection and sacrifice, just as the High Admiral's is. But you were still my daughter. Now with you becoming the Commander, I'm going to be known as your mother, and I couldn't be prouder."

  "Mom... You are going to be known as a Queen," Stephanie argued back.

  Jacinda waved a dismissive hand. "There have always been Queens, Stephie. That's nothing new or groundbreaking, and I've done nothing to deserve it except fall in love with a King. But there has never been a female Royal Commander. You have done something no other female in the history of our civilization has been able to. You are now going to be a symbol for every woman, every little girl on this planet, that she really can be whatever she wants to be if she's willing to work for it."

  "It's not what I set out to do." Stephanie flushed at what her mother's words. "I only wanted to achieve my dream, which I didn't."

  "No, you didn't, which is what makes it that much more remarkable. You surpassed your dream, Stephanie, and made the unattainable, attainable. Ancestors, I know it's petty of me, but I wish Jag and Kannon were still alive just so I could see their expressions when this is announced."

  "Jag? Kannon?" Stephanie frowned. "Who were they?"

  "Jag was the Captain of the Talon when I served on her. He was a fucking foabhor who believed women didn't belong in the Coalition, and he made sure we knew it. Kannon was an Admiral in the Fleet at the time. He held similar beliefs, but never personally voiced them, allowing his Captains to instead."