Chapter Thirty-Five - Protocol

  Fulgaday - Luxaday, 23-24 Tamihr, Year of Folivor the Restful Sloth, 489 years AWA

  The Crystal Crown and Around the Island of Takatari

  The guest wing of the Crystal Crown proved more luxurious than anything Kere had experienced in her travels. Each companion had their own room—not large, but beautifully appointed with crystalline accents in the walls that caught and refracted the light in geometric patterns. The beds featured proper mattresses rather than hammocks or bedrolls, and the windows overlooked either the harbor or the palace gardens.

  Kere had barely set down her travel pack when a palace servant knocked to inform her that the welcome feast would begin in two hours, giving them time to wash and change into appropriate attire for a formal dinner.

  The bathing facilities alone were remarkable—a shared bathhouse for the guest wing with heated water that flowed through crystalline pipes, the whole room singing softly with harmonic resonance. After eleven days at sea, the opportunity to truly clean herself felt like an unimaginable luxury.

  She emerged feeling more human, then donned her hat of disguise and envisioned a simple but well-made dress in deep green that complemented her Half-Elven features and matched one she had at home. It wasn't fancy by noble standards, but it was respectable.

  The others gathered in the common area of the guest wing, and Kere noted with approval that everyone had made an effort. Even Perx, normally content in his weathered sea clothes, had donned a clean shirt and vest. Jori wore deep blue that brought out his aquatic heritage, while Cali's pale gold dress created an almost ethereal effect against her mixed Celestial and Elven features.

  Sondil arrived to collect them, looking considerably more princely than he had during the voyage. His formal attire bore the navy and scarlet of Andovarra, and he carried himself with the bearing of someone who'd been trained for exactly these sorts of occasions. "Ready?" he asked, though his slight nervousness betrayed that he was asking himself as much as them.

  "As we'll ever be," Kere replied with an encouraging smile.

  The feast was held in one of the palace's great halls—a space that exemplified everything remarkable about Takataran architecture. The walls themselves seemed to glow with soft luminescence, the crystalline structures creating patterns of light that shifted subtly as people moved through the room. Large windows stood open to the evening air, and through them, Kere could see the harbor below.

  The water had transformed completely since their afternoon arrival. What had been merely unusual during daylight now glowed with intense blue-green luminescence that illuminated the entire bay. Ships moored in the harbor appeared to float on liquid light, their hulls casting reflections that doubled the ethereal effect. The sight was breathtaking—beautiful in a way that spoke to magic and nature combining into something unprecedented.

  "The Radiant Harbor," Perx said quietly, following her gaze. "It's even more spectacular during the mirror-like states, but this is impressive enough."

  King Ryland and Queen Annelie greeted them formally—a middle-aged couple who carried themselves with the easy authority of people comfortable with power. Princess Charina stood beside them, still radiating the same enthusiastic warmth she'd shown at the docks, though she'd clearly been coached to maintain slightly more decorum for the formal welcome.

  The introductions were made, pleasantries exchanged, and then they were guided to their seats. The companions found themselves at a table of honor—not at the royal table itself, but close enough to indicate their importance as Sondil's escort and protection.

  The food was extraordinary—fish prepared in ways Kere had never encountered, vegetables she couldn't name, fruits that seemed to shimmer with their own subtle luminescence. Everything was fresh, expertly prepared, and distinctly Takataran in its flavors and presentation.

  "This is amazing," Neric said after his third course, his Halfling appetite fully engaged. "I could get used to this."

  "Don't get too comfortable," Jori cautioned quietly. "We're here to work, not vacation."

  "Can't I do both?" Neric replied with a grin.

  Conversation flowed around them—nobles and officials discussing trade, politics, the upcoming wedding. Charina managed to visit their table briefly, asking questions about their voyage and expressing genuine interest in their answers. Her warmth was clearly not an act; she seemed genuinely delighted to meet them.

  As the evening progressed and the formal structure of the feast loosened, some guests moved to the windows to better view the harbor's luminescence. Kere joined them, drawn by the otherworldly beauty of it.

  "It never gets old," a voice said beside her. She turned to find an older woman—one of the Takataran nobles she'd been introduced to earlier but whose name she couldn't quite recall. "I've lived here my entire life, and the harbor still takes my breath away every night."

  "It's remarkable," Kere agreed. "I've never seen anything like it."

  "That's Takatari for you—familiar enough to feel welcoming, strange enough to remind you that magic touches everything here." The woman smiled. "Your group will do well to remember that during your stay. What seems normal on the surface often isn't."

  It felt like a warning, though Kere couldn't determine if it was meant as one or simply an observation. Before she could ask, the woman had moved away, rejoining her own group.

  The feast continued late into the evening, but exhaustion from the voyage finally caught up with the companions. They made their excuses politely and returned to the guest wing, grateful for the comfortable beds that awaited them.

  As Kere settled into her room, she looked out the window at the glowing harbor one more time. Beautiful, yes. But also deeply magical in ways she didn't fully understand. And somewhere on this crystallized island, danger waited—warnings of accusations and kidnapping, of currents that would carry them where they needed to go whether they wanted to or not.

  But tonight, at least, they could rest. Tomorrow would bring new challenges soon enough.

  Kere woke early the next morning, her internal clock still adjusted to shipboard watches. The morning light streaming through her window caught the crystalline structures in the walls, creating rainbow patterns across the floor that shifted as the sun climbed higher.

  She dressed and made her way to the guest wing's common area, where she found Jori already awake, studying a map of Takatari that had been provided for their use.

  "Couldn't sleep?" she asked.

  "Slept fine, actually. First solid rest in eleven days." He gestured to the map. "Just trying to get oriented. The palace complex is larger than I expected, and if we're meant to guard Prince Sondil through the wedding events..."

  That stopped Kere short. Guard Sondil through the wedding events. Of course that's what they were here to do, but she hadn't actually thought through the practical implications.

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  "We'll need to know his schedule," she said, moving closer to examine the map. "Where he'll be, when, who else will be present. And we'll need to coordinate among ourselves—he should probably have at least two of us with him at all times."

  "Agreed." Jori pointed to various locations on the map. "The wedding itself will be here, at the Royal Floating Plaza in the harbor. But there will be pre-wedding ceremonies, fittings, formal dinners, meetings with Takataran officials..."

  "We'll need to establish a rotation," Kere said, her mind already working through logistics. "Make sure we're not all on duty at the same time—someone needs to be rested and ready if there's trouble."

  "And we'll need a way to identify ourselves to palace security," Jori added. "So they know we're authorized to be near Sondil during formal events."

  That was an excellent point. In their current clothing, they looked like any other foreign visitors. During crowded ceremonies, palace guards wouldn't necessarily know they were Sondil's protection detail.

  "We'll need some kind of uniform," Kere said slowly. "Or at least something distinctive that marks us as his guards."

  The more she thought about it, the more complicated it became. They'd need to coordinate with palace security, get Sondil's schedule, establish guard rotations, source identifying clothing or badges, brief everyone on protocols...

  "Someone needs to organize all of this," Jori observed, watching her face.

  "I know." Kere sighed. "I suppose we should call everyone together and figure out who wants to coordinate."

  But even as she said it, she knew how that conversation would go. Jori was competent but preferred following orders to giving them. Perx had explicitly said he was done with leadership after his pirate days. Neric, Jenna, and Monoffa were too young and inexperienced. Cali was gentle and wise but not assertive enough for coordination. Wenthe would rather die than do "boring administrative work."

  Which left Kere. Again.

  She'd fallen into leadership roles before—in her druid training, during group projects, whenever organization was needed and no one else stepped forward. She was good at it, even if she didn't particularly enjoy it. And someone had to do it.

  "Let me talk to palace security first," Kere decided. "Find out what protocols already exist, what we're expected to do, what resources are available. Then I'll call everyone together and we can sort out the details."

  Jori nodded, looking relieved that someone was taking charge. "I'll help however I can."

  "I know. Thank you."

  By the time the others began emerging for breakfast, Kere had already spoken with the head of the guest wing's staff, gotten a copy of Sondil's preliminary schedule, and learned the name of the palace security captain she needed to contact. The man's name was Merisar, and according to the staff, he was "extremely competent but also extremely practical"—which Kere interpreted as "won't suffer fools gladly."

  She gathered the companions in the common area after breakfast, spreading out Sondil's schedule and her notes.

  "We need to organize ourselves properly," she began without preamble. “Prince Sondil should have at least two guards at all times during official events. We need to establish rotations, coordinate with palace security, and make sure we're identifiable as his protection detail during crowded ceremonies."

  "Identifiable how?" Wenthe asked, her ears forward with interest.

  "That's what we need to figure out. Some kind of uniform or badge that marks us clearly as Sondil's guards."

  "I'm not wearing a uniform," Wenthe said immediately.

  Kere took a breath, pushing down her immediate irritation. "We can discuss the details. But we need something that identifies us to palace security and to the crowd during the wedding."

  "Why do we need to be identified to the crowd?" Neric asked. "Isn't that more of a security concern?"

  "Because," Jori said, having been the one to suggest the need for a uniform in the first place, "during a crowded ceremony, if something goes wrong, we need people to know we're authorized to be near Sondil. Otherwise palace guards might prevent us from reaching him if there's a threat."

  "Exactly," Kere confirmed. "Which means we need something visible and distinctive."

  She outlined her preliminary thoughts: some kind of identifying garment that could be worn over their armor, featuring Sondil's personal sigil. Dark pants and boots to distinguish them from Takatari's typically brighter clothing. Perhaps armbands in bright colors as a nod to the local custom that wedding guests wear vibrant attire.

  "I like the armband idea," Monoffa said, her pupils dilating with interest. "Different colors for each of us? That would look coordinated but still individual."

  "That could work," Kere agreed. "We'd still need something with Sondil's sigil for formal identification, but the armbands could be a nice touch."

  "What's his sigil?" Cali asked.

  Kere sketched it quickly from memory: a shield divided vertically, navy blue on the left and scarlet on the right, with a gold owl's head outlined in the center. "The navy and scarlet are Andovarra's colors," she explained. "It makes us clearly identifiable as his Andovarran guards."

  "That works tactically," Perx said, his old pirate captain instincts showing. "Distinctive enough to be recognized at a distance, formal enough for a royal wedding."

  "So we need..." Kere was making a list as she spoke. "Light tabards or vests with the sigil that can be worn over armor. Dark pants for everyone who doesn't already have them. Dark boots—same. Colored armbands. And we need all of this ready by the wedding in three days."

  "That's a lot of shopping," Jenna observed.

  "Which is why we need to start today." Kere looked around at the group. "I can coordinate the sourcing and make sure everything gets done. But I'm going to need help—people to run errands, pick up items, handle fittings. And before we do any of that, someone needs to actually visit Captain Merisar and explain what we're planning, make sure it meets palace security protocols."

  "I'll go with you to meet Merisar," Jori offered.

  "I can help with the shopping," Cali said. "I'm familiar with tailors and fabric merchants from helping at the temple."

  "I'll help too," Jenna added quietly.

  Kere felt some of the weight lift. "Thank you. Perx, can you and Neric work on coordinating the guard rotation schedule? Figure out who's on duty when, make sure we're not burning anyone out?"

  "Can do," Perx confirmed.

  "And Monoffa, Wenthe—" Kere turned to the two Catfolk. "Can you two scout out the palace grounds? Get familiar with the layout, figure out the fastest routes between key locations, identify potential security concerns?"

  "That sounds more interesting than shopping," Wenthe said, her tail swishing with approval. "We can do that."

  "Good. Then let's—"

  "Wait," Wenthe interrupted. "Who put you in charge of handing out assignments?"

  The question landed in sudden silence. Everyone looked at Wenthe, then at Kere.

  "No one put me in charge," Kere said carefully. "But someone needs to coordinate, and I started working on it this morning. If someone else wants to take over, I'm happy to hand it off."

  "That's not the point." Wenthe's ears were flattening slightly. "You just started making decisions without asking if anyone else wanted to help plan or if anyone had other ideas. You decided we needed uniforms, decided what kind, decided who's doing what tasks. When did we vote on any of that?"

  Kere felt heat rising in her cheeks. The criticism stung because it was partially fair—she had just assumed leadership without checking with the group. But the practical part of her mind also recognized that they didn't have time for endless committee discussions.

  "You're right," she said, keeping her voice level. "I should have consulted everyone before making plans. I apologize for that." She looked around at the others. "Does anyone object to the uniform plan? Does anyone have a different approach they'd prefer? Or does anyone else want to coordinate the logistics?"

  Silence. Several people looked uncomfortable, caught between not wanting to criticize Kere and not wanting to step up themselves.

  "The plan sounds good to me," Neric finally said. "And honestly, I'm glad someone's organizing it because I wouldn't know where to start."

  "Same," Jenna agreed softly.

  "I appreciate you checking," Cali added, "but you're doing exactly what I would have suggested. Please continue."

  Kere looked at Wenthe. "Does that address your concern?"

  "I guess." Wenthe's tail was still lashing. "I just don't like being told what to do without being asked first."

  "Understood. In the future, I'll make sure to consult the group before making plans. But we do need to move quickly on this—the wedding is in three days. Are you willing to scout the grounds with Monoffa, or would you prefer a different task?"

  "Scouting is fine." Wenthe stood, clearly ready to leave the suddenly tense conversation. "Come on, Monoffa. Let's go find out where all the interesting places are."

  The two Catfolk left, and Kere let out a slow breath. "That was fair criticism," she said to the remaining group. "I did just take over without asking. I'll try to be more conscious of that."

  "You're organizing things that need organizing," Perx said bluntly. "Don't apologize for being competent. Someone has to coordinate, and you're good at it."

  "Wenthe has a point though," Jori said quietly. "About being consulted. She's not wrong to want to give input."

  "I know. I'll work on it." Kere looked down at her notes, suddenly feeling the weight of everything that needed to happen in the next three days. "Shall we get started?"