Shayn's blood boiled as he watched the woman sashay away. Insufferable brat.
Kyler wore a self-satisfied smirk as the food came. Fine. Whatever amused him was ok with Shayn.
"How do you think the rest of the mapping went? We might be the last ones back." Kyler said around a bite of food.
"I'm not sure. There may have been different numbers of anomalies in other areas. It was strange that the last area we mapped had more than the rest." He shrugged.
"That's true. It would be nice to beat some of the others back since we had the furthest and most unmapped region." The elder smiled.
Shayn hoped that were the case. Kyler deserved to have some distinction to his name. They wouldn't have even gotten the assignment except nobody else wanted it.
The General had been reluctant to let a man who could barely walk embark halfway across the known lands even then, but Shayn had begged Riley to pull what strings he could to let them go.
It had worked, and the brothers had set off on their adventures, mapping the world for the good of humankind.
"Do you think much has changed?" Shayn asked after a moment.
"I guess we'll find out tomorrow." Kyler shrugged around another bite of food. "I can't imagine too much has happened in the past few years. Everyone seemed pretty settled in their ways."
"Not everyone. Gabe was growing like a weed. He'll be what, eighteen now?" Shayn thought about their stepbrother, the youngest in their blended family.
Kyler shook his head in disbelief. "That will be different."
"And his weird little friend who insisted we were her brothers."
"Roland's little sister? I think she's just a year younger than Gabe. And she was kind of right, in a convoluted way. Her brother is our step-brother-in-law."
"Adopted brother. It's not even close. Irritating little girl." Shayn frowned.
"Fine, whatever you say. It will be nice to be home, regardless." Kyler sighed. "Though it's a bit of a shame you can't stick around and get better acquainted with your pretty new friend," His gaze darted with mischief to the stairway where the young woman had recently made her dramatic exit.
"A shame, yes. Exactly the word I would have used." Shayn rolled his eyes.
"You didn't dispute she was pretty that time," Kyler grinned.
"Why are we still talking about her? You seem like the obsessed one, not me." The younger brother accused.
"Maybe I just see something." Kyler shrugged.
"You're worse than Mayra."
"You take that back!"
"Never!" Shayn sat up straighter, wielding his fork playfully like a miniature sword. "I will fight to the death to defend the veracity of my declaration, sir!"
"Then you will die a liar!" Kyler swept a hand upward to knock the cutlery from his brother's grasp.
After a brief duel which caught the attention of the inn's owner, the brothers sheepishly went back to eating their meal.
"You have to remember how to behave in polite society." Kyler warned.
"I look forward to your lessons on the subject, given your expertise," Shayn grinned.
"I lived in society longer than you!" The elder straightened his shoulders.
"Barely."
"And yet, my charm and charisma far outstrip the measurement of my years." Kyler added dramatically. "You should be so lucky to have a tutor as wonderful as I."
"Oh yes, indeed, Wise Brother. Might I defer our first session until the morrow? A good night's rest will prepare my mind to soak up all the knowledge you will impart to me."
"Of course. Tomorrow's lesson is how to talk to pretty young women." Kyler's smile was like a cat about to pounce.
"As long as there's no practice involving one in particular." Shayn shrugged.
______________
Finn led her three dutiful children through the streets as she did her daily shopping for groceries. Though most children their age were in school, that process had not gone particularly smoothly.
Once Roland had assumed the Rhone crown and the leadership of Ceto, the children became heirs of two nations. That had complicated social engagements considerably. Both King Emeritus Duncan and the Dowager of Ceto, Cora, demanded that the young heirs be kept under constant guard and supervision.
The disruption to the classroom had been untenable, and so now the triplets were homeschooled with the help of various tutors. It was just as well; there weren't exactly leadership and 'ruling a country' classes in Klain's primary schools.
Having private tutors also solved the problem of learning gaps for when the family embarked on their twice-yearly trips to the sea. Roland went more often, leaving them behind, but it was important for the children to be exposed heavily to the culture one of them would someday rule.
She and Roland had never publicly announced which of the triplets was born first, so as to protect all three from various threats. Not even the children themselves had ever been told.
"Let's visit Grandpa and Mimi while we're in the area, what do you think?" She asked over her shoulder.
The two guards, one Rhone and one Cetoan, kept a loose distance behind the group. Finn had gotten used to their presence enough to ignore it, most of the time.
"That sounds lovely, Mama." Lily responded for the three. It was funny how often she did so. If her brothers minded their sister's outspokenness, they never expressed it openly.
"Excellent," Finn smiled, turning in that direction. The triplets loved their unusual sets of grandparents. Phillip and Amelia were titled Grandpa and Mimi. Former King Duncan was known as "Grumps," to his chagrin and everyone else's secret amusement. Dr. and Mrs. Sherman were called exactly that, though the couple doted on the children every bit as much as blood-related grandparents would.
Knocking at her father's door, Finn waited patiently for the answer. Amelia was the one to open it, a beaming smile on her face.
"Finn! Children! Oh, do come in and see who's here!" She cried.
The group filed in curiously, leaving the guards outside the door. At least it was a lovely day, and Finn didn't feel bad for making them wait there.
Two young men sat at the table, looking almost identical except that one had a pair of crutches and a more pronounced depth to his face.
"Kyler? Shayn?" Finn asked with cautious delight. "Back after these years?"
"Isn't it wonderful? I finally have my wandering sons home again!" Amelia beamed.
"That is fantastic! Welcome home, both of you!" She kissed each on the cheek with a sisterly greeting, "Lily, Roen, Ivan, do you remember your uncles?" Finn turned to ask. The children looked uncertain but had polite smiles on their faces.
"Come on, you remember your favorite, Uncle Shayn! Best piggy back rides in town." The younger coached.
Ivan's eyes dawned with understanding. "I remember!"
"There it is!" Shayn declared.
"What's this about 'favorite uncle'?" Kyler cut in. "You can't just make a child have a favorite by declaring it like that."
"And yet…" The younger gestured to the triplets, causing Lily to giggle.
"You are both wonderful uncles. We're glad you're back," Roen put in diplomatically.
Kyler winked at him with a smile. "We're glad to be back."
"We're having a welcome home dinner tomorrow for them, I hope you all can come!" Amelia declared. "They just arrived back this morning!"
"That sounds perfect. Can I bring anything?" Finn began taking mental inventory of her pantry to see what she could make for such an occasion.
"Whatever you would like. A side dish, or dessert perhaps. I just sent a note to Riley asking if we can have it at his house, so there's enough room for all of us. Such a big family we have now!" Amelia beamed.
Finn nodded. Ashley had recently had her seventh child, and Mayra was pregnant with her fourth. The next brother after Shayn, Collyn, had married almost a year ago, so the family would likely grow even more before long. It was quite a crowd with everyone together.
"We should probably go and report in," Kyler stretched his arms. "We came straight here instead of doing our duty and letting the Council know we're back. I suppose there's been an election or two since we were gone, but I'm sure the General will fill us in on all that."
"Oh! I didn't even think to tell you!" Amelia pressed her hands to her cheeks.
"What do you mean, you didn't tell them?" Finn put one hand over her mouth to cover her smile. The news might hit the brothers a little strangely.
"I was so busy telling them the names of their new nieces and nephews, it didn't even occur to me that they missed all that as well!" Amelia turned wide eyes on her stepdaughter.
"What is it?" Kyler's voice was colored with suspicion.
"Well," Finn put in. "You remember that Roland became the king of Rhone and the Commodore of Ceto before you left?"
"Yes, of course," Shayn spoke, but both men nodded.
"Well, they've since elected Roland to the positions of both Judge and Provider," Finn paused.
"One man in two of the Council positions? Has that ever happened before?" Kyler blinked at her.
"Well, no. And after that, the General retired before he finished his term–"
"Don't tell me Roland is also the General now?" Shayn asked incredulously.
"No, he thought there was someone better qualified to fill the position." Amelia bit her lip. "Riley is the General now."