Ravish Me, Oh Great Wizard King!!!

The servants quickly pulled four large cushioned chairs towards the fireplace and stepped back. Mira indicated the chairs to the bogwargs and sank down on the nearest one.

"Please have a seat. It is a bit chilly here since we are much further to the north. Once Felix arrives, he will be here where it's warm."

Once the bogwargs had settled themselves, she called one of the maids. "Bring some refreshments and wine for our visiting dignitaries."

"Yes---yes Your Majesty," the serving maid stuttered. She looked as if she was afraid to get too close.

Mira stood up and fixed steely eyes on the serving maid.

"What is your problem?"

"No--nothing Your Majesty…" she wildly looked around at the bogwargs seated in front of the fireplace.

"You will face me when you speak with me," Mira said through gritted teeth.

The woman's eyes darted furtively back and forth between her and the bogwargs. She was clearly so frightened that she could not even form the words to respond to Mira.

Mira turned to the head servant. "Take this woman away. She is clearly unable to do her job. You will serve me yourself, and you will treat my visiting dignitaries with respect."

The male dolmian head servant bowed. "Yes Your Majesty."

That was enough to galvanize them into action.

In no time at all, he and a different group of servants appeared with platters and pitchers of food and wine and began serving Mira and the bogwargs.

"Is Tinsel Pomfrey available at this time?"

"Yes, Your Royal Highness. It is still barely daybreak so His Grace is still retired in his quarters. I would expect he will be up within a few hours."

"When he is available, please ask for him to meet me here in the Main Parlor."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Mira turned back to the bogwargs. "So your people left Dolmia and migrated down to the bogs?"

King Theras gazed at the goblet of wine in his hand and slowly shook his head. "We did not leave. We were banished to the bogs by those who were frightened of us."

Mira brought a cup of hot tea to her lips to hide her dismay.

It was the same with the Pantheras. They were races of humans that had been banished into areas that nobody wanted to make room for those that coveted their lands and possessions.

It was so indicative of what humans tended to do to those that were different from them no matter what world they inhabited.

"Would you prefer to leave the bogs?"

"No. After thousands of years, Tourmaline Bog is our home. We would no more leave it than the dolmians would leave Dolmia or the Pantheras would leave Amber Savannah. What would be desirable though," he paused, "is for us to have a way to travel about in a safe manner."

Mira nodded. "I think I might have a solution to what you are asking for. Give me a little time to figure things out. Meanwhile, let's talk about one of your alliances."

King Theras raised an eyebrow.

"I'm referring to the chiros. As you've heard, they dive bombed my palace in Diamond almost two weeks ago. Are they your allies?"

"If you are asking me whether we are enemies or friends, I will have to be honest with you and say that we are frenemies."

"Are you referring to the idea that the enemy of your enemy is your friend?"

"Something like that."

"And of course, we are the enemy."

"Not you, per se. After all, you are also part of the much-maligned sterile hybrid."

"What if I told you that I am not a sterile hybrid?"

"That remains to be seen, Your Royal Highness. Having a bogwarg son is not indicative of your fertility, or lack thereof."

"ooooaaaaeee...gaaaayaarooooooee…"

"Speaking of whom, I hear him outside." Mira jumped up. "Please stay here. I will be right back with my son."

Mira ran out to the courtyard. Nonna Pearla was standing in the courtyard holding onto Felix while two other attendants followed her with bundles and bags.

The moment Felix saw Mira, he held out his arms and kicked his legs demanding to be held. Mira laughed and pulled his small body into her arms.

The air was frigid so she tucked his little body into her black leather jacket, exposing only the tuft of black hair on top of his head. Safe and warm inside her jacket, Felix clutched at her tee-shirt, as he did so many times.

"I have some visiting dignitaries inside the Main Parlor."

"Do you want me to take Felix away so you can deal with your work?"

"Not at all. The visiting dignitary is Felix's grandfather."

"His grandfather? Is King Leo back?"

"Not that grandfather. His real paternal grandfather."

"A--a bogwarg?"

"Yes."

Nonna Pearla was a person who prided herself on being stable and level-headed, but at the news that a bogwarg would be sitting at the same table with the Queen of the Northern Realm was to her quite foreign. Nevertheless, she kept her thoughts to herself.

"When we go in there, please be courteous to them. They are only here to visit Felix."

"Would they attempt to take him away?"

"And go where? They are in Dolmia and they cannot use portals."

Nonna Pearla nodded and followed Mira inside.

The fireplace glowed warm, lighting up the three bogwarg figures sitting by the fireside. Their soft fur gleamed like burnished copper.

The Main Parlor had also warmed up quite nicely, but Felix continued to clutch at Mira, not wanting to leave the warmth of her jacket.

"Here is the little Prince," Mira announced as she made her way back to the bogs. "Come out little dumpling." She smiled and rubbed the little black tuft of hair sticking out from the top of her jacket. "Come on. It's nice and warm here."

She unzipped her jacket. Slowly, Felix's head emerged. His eyes peeked out from between the zippered opening.

King Theras gave what sounded like a low growl but even Mira could tell it was a greeting call.

Felix responded to the call by growling back at him in the same manner. The boy was curious so he continued to peek out at his grandfather although he never let go of Mira's shirt.

Mira sat back down on the chair she had vacated as Nonna Pearla and the attendants stood behind her, on guard and highly alert.

She pulled little Felix from within her jacket and set him on her lap. Nonna Pearla had dressed him in a little child's one piece overall that looked like a baby's onesie, and because it was cold, on his feet were little white socks.

"He is looking quite well." King Theras nodded.

"We have been feeding him milk and warm gruel paste as well as a small bit of ground venison each day." Mira gently rubbed his little head. "Is there any other type of food that we should feed him?"

"He can also have a little bit of fruit and vegetables when he begins to grow teeth." King Theras smiled. "This is only the second time I have seen him so he has grown tremendously in the few short weeks he has been born."

"When was he born?"

"On the night of the new moon two moon cycles ago."

"That would make him…" Mira calculated in her head. "Two-and-a-half months old?"

"That would be accurate, Your Majesty, since tomorrow is the full moon." Nonna Pearla confirmed.

"Can you please make a note of that date? I need to enter it into the Tamein family registry."

A gasp sounded from behind them. "My Queen! You are going to register him in the Royal Family Book of Registry?"

It was Tinsel Pomfrey.

Mira raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Why not?"

"That is irreversible!"

"Tinsel Pomfrey. He's my son. That is also irreversible. I owe him this."

"Your Majesty. You owe him nothing. His family pack tried to kill you! If it wasn't for the fact that you are a powerful wizard and was able to defend yourself, you would have died alone out there in that bog."

"That does not negate the fact that I single-handedly turned him in to an orphan." Mira sighed. "He will get older and eventually ask me about it, and I honestly have no idea how to tell him I killed both his mother and his father."

King Theras held up a hand. "Queen Mira of the Northern Realm, do not be concerned about what has passed. I will slowly teach him the ways of the bogwargs, which includes the understanding of death and the cycle of life. He will come to the full knowledge about bogwarg life and the laws of living life out in the Bog."

Mira nodded a wordless thank to the old King.

Tinsel Pomfrey shook his head. "There is still the matter of the registry. Felix is a bogwarg who will take the first-born position of yours and King Zander's future first-born child. At least talk it over with the King before you do this."

"Tinsel, he is no less than flesh of my flesh. He will enjoy all rights and privileges as all my future children will."

"But Your Majesty, the position of Crown Prince---"

"Will go to the one most deserving, as it always has." Mira interrupted Tinsel's insistent voice. "Don't forget, the Crown Prince Erick is the fourth-born son to the Emperor and Empress of Ashrya."

"My Queen---"

"Tinsel!" Mira gave a silent warning.

"My apologies, Your Majesty." Tinsel Pomfrey nodded and looked down.

Mira turned back to King Theras. "Would you like to hold him?"

King Theras said nothing.

Mira stood up and approached the old King. With one hand, she extended the little boy's body towards the King. He reached out to touch Felix.

And just as the first moment when Mira reached out for Felix, the little pup grabbed onto his grandfather's arm and swung up onto the King's shoulder.

Mira laughed. "He looks just like you!"