Wesley was unsure how to address the king or the duke; he finally asked, "Well, I'm not here to marry anybody, I'm not even sure how I got here. But I'd be curious to know, is this engagement agreeable to both parties, or just one of them?"<br/><br/>"Ahem" a gruff voice came from the entrance of the throne room. Navarez had apparently been observing everything; walking toward the king and past Reginald, he stopped briefly and stared right in the Duke's eyes. Knowing his place of deference, he bowed his head briefly before saying his peace as he slowly realigned his eyes with the Grand Duke.<br/><br/>"If it would pardon your majesty, guest of King Geoffrey, **guest** of Princess Kiara, I should like to ask you if you think it proper to assume someone's affections toward you without hearing their opinion on the matter? And since Sir Wesley here is in the care of Princess Kiara, King Geoffrey, and myself for the time being - would this really be something your highness would press the fair princess for right now? After all, even if this Sir Wesley were here to steal away the Princess from you, would it not be a travesty for you to presume that his Excellency would still not show graciousness and hospitality to all his subjects, even from far off lands, before unnecessarily dismissing them? You know, the Princess has told me many  times in so many words she would like to be left alone for she is her own independent person; don't you still believe in chivalry? I mean no disrespect to his Lordship, Reginald, Grand Duke of Loxem, a **commonwealth** of Cyrth?"<br/><br/>While it seemed that Navarez' words were intended to be smooth and casual, his abrupt turning to King Geoffrey without waiting for Reginald's response ascertained what he thought on the matter. Before addressing him, he quietly turned to the soon to be Queen and said in a whisper, "Forgive me for my insolence, fair Princess. But your suitor is an ass; I shall happily receive punishment from your hand later for my insult."<br/><br/>"Your majesty, King Geoffrey and memory of beloved Queen Julianna" ... Navarez paused and then continued, "may she rule in the eternal land of sun and snow forever ... might I suggest that since we have never heard of the land of New Jersey, we should treat Sir Wesley as an ambassador of that place? For, if it is as far away as Sir Wesley suggests, it's armies or citizens pose no threat here. Would not the King show to Sir Wesley the same mercy you showed to your lowly Servant, man at arms, when he was found as a child on the streets long ago?"<br/><br/>As Navarez listened to the king, he realized that it was times like these he loved the land of Cyrth; the land gave people a chance to be themselves. Then it occurred to the captain of the guard he had forgotten why he approached the throne. "Forgive me, your excellency. I have been given a message ... by courier ... it is addressed to you, my liege." Knowing the king's eyes were sometimes tired, he continued. "Shall I read it to you in the presence of your friends? It is from the sorceress of the other land. I have been told by the same courier it is about our mystery guest here" and he pointed to Wesley. "In fact, it is regarding his son."<br/><br/>*************************<br/><br/><span style="color: #FFFF00">Uncle Stevens ... he was not sure he would fill the role very well. But he asked Brandis to sit down a moment and put his thinking caps on. Dr. Stevens took out a piece of lined paper and a pen; setting it before him, he thought carefully next what to say.<br/><br/>"When I had my adventures, I received a lot of messages from my daughter. Like I said, they came in all sorts of shapes and forms. Sometimes in the land I was in I somehow received the message on paper, sometimes through a song. It was all of those messages put together that saved me. I knew my family hadn't forgotten me. When I woke up, I had found my daughter had written me all these letters. When she wrote them to me is when I received them in the other world.<br/><br/>"So, it's important Brandis you think very hard. If you could write your father anything now in a letter, what would it be? Put it down on paper and we shall keep a notebook. This is the only way I know how you can communicate to your Dad. You must have faith; it will be quiet on your Dad's end for a little while, you must not lose heart or patience and you must believe that everything you write, he will receive it. Because", Dr. Stevens sighed, "I'm not sure what I would have done had I not known my daughter still loved me."<br/><br/>Brandis thought about it for a moment. "I don't write well, will you do it for me, Uncle Stevens?"<br/><br/>The doctor thought a moment. He responded, "I'm not really your Dad's brother you know; though I feel awfully lucky for your kindness, Brandis. The letter must come from you; it's not so important how perfect you say it. It's important, though, that you say it." The good doctor got up from the table and talked with Audrey.<br/><br/>"Please, take all the time you need. I have to get started on this paperwork for homecare. Feel free to visit Wesley before you leave, he's in room 202. I have your phone number, I'll call before the first visit."<br/><br/>Brandis turned to Audrey. "Mom ... I mean, Ms. Audrey. I know what I want to write, but I'm afraid I'm going to cry."</span>