On getting to the Mighty House, the men led Margriel to the chief's seat and requested his audience along with that of Janice, his nurse and intended bride.
Preparations were in high stead as servants were everywhere decorating and cooking and juicing. Thorne was assisted in walking to the high seat. He encountered great difficulty getting on it. He was physically uncomfortable and it showed on his face. He demanded the soldiers be quick with their matter.
Seated on the high seat, Thorne observed the man with presents in his hands who claimed to be the brother of his betrothed.
"Are you truly who you say you are? He thundered.
"Yes... Yes I am." Margriel answered.
Thorne chuckled and replied, "Well, if you aren't, all you have to lose is your life... as you should have done in the battle of Wasis."
Then he looked around. "Somebody call my lady out now!"
Just then, Janice came out from the right hand door behind the chief's seat.
She was in a black dress, symbolizing mourning.
She saw Margriel at the very moment he was looking up to see her. She was filled with excitement and ran towards him. She looked breathtakingly beautiful as she approached.
"Jamis! Jamis! Oh Jamis." she proclaimed as she jumped to hug him. He gathered her up in open arms and hugged her close but she held him even tighter.
"Jamis?"
"Yes, Janice"
"How are you alive?"
"I don't know for sure" he answered. "All I can say is God protected me"
She stepped back to take a look at him from afar as if to confirm it was truly him. Then she came close again and gave him another big hug.
Thorne observed all this in astonishment. He was confused but excited about it. Maybe this would lift the mood of his wife to be and she would smile at the wedding.
He announced a feast in honour of the returned brother of Janice.
He took the gifts Margriel had brought and ordered that he be taken care of and allowed private audience with Janice for a short while before she had to prepare for the wedding.
Thorne watched them as they went away. He observed the golden haired young man with a slim build. He was good looking, but not exactly what would be considered handsome in those times. More like pretty.. He looked very much like a woman.
Thorne hoped that Janice's brother would not be one of the dissenters against his rulership. He definitely didn't look like it.
Thorne had just sent Baris to execute tem dissenters that morning and he very much hoped that he wouldn't have to kill another member of the family of the woman he wanted to marry.
Anyway, Jamis didn't look like one who would openly declare dissent. Neither did he act like it. He was a coward who had run away at the sound of the battle cry.
But the concept of him coming back from the famed man killing forest was difficult for Thorne to wrap his head around. He was determined to find out how it happened... But for now he would allow Janice have her reunion with her brother who had been returned from the dead.
After all, they had nowhere to go... It was his town and they were both his subjects. There was ample time to find out what really happened.
In fact, Janice could do most of the finding for him.
What mattered now was for everything to be in order for the wedding.
Thorne reasoned that the presence of Jamis was to his favour, as it could help lighten the spirits of the deeply saddened queen.
Thorne retired to his chamber with the help of a servant and there began to feast on the delicious fruits that Jamis had brought.
There were bananas, coconuts and many other kinds of fruit. All very tasty.
Maybe he would actually come to like this young man he thought. And how well that would play out. Especially if Jamis continued being such a thoughtful and proactive in-law.
Thorne laughed to himself... He could not have hoped for a better sudden occurrence a day before his wedding. Now at least his bride would not be as sad and dejected as she had been since the day he arrived Wasis.
When he was done eating, he left the remaining fruits and laid on his bed to rest his badly hurting body.
He needed to heal. For up to a month. But he could not wait for that before the wedding took place. For some reason, that was all that was on his mind.
As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered why this woman had taken over his reasoning. She wasn't the first beautiful woman he had seen, or whose husband he had killed... But she definitely was the most beautiful. He smiled as he fell asleep, hoping that his dreams would be of Janice.
Instead he dreamt of terrible things... Of an unknown creature covered with too much light to see it's appearance. The creature was destroying his plans left, right and center.
Even as he slept, he felt deep pain in his head.
It ached badly, but he could not stir himself up from this terrible dream. He seemed doomed to see it to the end.
He saw himself fight the creature of light for such a long time. And when he finally thought he had won, the creature produced another creature filled with even more light! And then he was certain of doom.
So was Thorne's sleep troubled the day that Margriel arrived at The Great House.