The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 64

"It's good to see you so happy, Iris."

Iris returned Elera's smile. "It's good to be happy."

The two women were making breakfast and talking. They were already past Iris' dream and the tears that came with that, and now, Iris was telling Elera about her visit to the orphans. She hesitated to say anything about it at first because of the strangeness of leaving her body, but Elera took that in stride. Iris still skimmed as much of that part as she could and focused on her conversation with Kayla, Ginger, and Fred.

"Good morning to my two queens," Char interrupted from right behind them.

Iris jumped, but before she could say a word, he'd kissed first her and then Elera on the cheeks. She couldn't scold him after that. "Hello, Char."

Elera chuckled. "Jarth and his ridiculous queen nonsense. You can't have two queens, so until you are married, that title belongs to me. Now, go set the table. Breakfast is almost ready."

Char and Iris' meeting with the priest was in an hour, so Char had decided to come over for breakfast instead of dinner today. She hoped he could get away from the barracks long enough to come for dinner, too, but she'd take whatever time she could get with him. Although the prospect of pre-marital counseling with a priest she didn't know made her nervous.

She was familiar with the concept; it was one of Father John's favorite parts of the priesthood. He'd liked to say if he did it right, he would put himself out of a job. She could hear his jovial laughter as he said it. Of course, solving the orphan problem wasn't that simple, but kids had the best chance at a happy life if their parents' marriage was strong. And the key to a strong marriage was a solid relationship.

But orphans came from many sources. Iris was proof of that.

She wondered if her mother had ever resorted to prostitution. Iris had seen nothing in her visions that pointed in that direction, but she only saw what her mother had allowed her to see, and her mother had to provide for them somehow. It wouldn't have surprised Iris if she'd gone that route, and Iris couldn't hold it against her, either. Not every girl had Father John looking out for them.

He'd always worked hard to protect his girls. Iris knew prostitution would have paid well, but she'd never given it a second thought. They made do with what they had. And someday, Father John would make sure she married the right kind of man who wouldn't abandon her and leave her with too many mouths to feed, so she would never have to worry about it.

That had been the plan, anyway.

"Ready for this?" Char asked, breaking into her thoughts.

She looked up at him and smiled as they walked hand in hand down the street. The plan had gone out the window, but she had no doubts about Char.

"If he asks the same questions Father John did, then yes, I am."

"What did Father John ask?"

"Oh, what kind of backgrounds the couple came from, how they met, why they wanted to get married, did they get their families' blessings, that sort of thing."

Char smirked. "So, nothing we can give a normal answer to. Maybe I should ask if the priest is ready for us."

That was part of the nervous tension fluttering in Iris' stomach. Father John had taken any and all strange answers in stride and focused on evaluating the couple as a whole so he could best advise them. If there were any problem areas, he would offer solutions or suggestions to help, and sometimes he had even recommended a couple wait longer to get married. It had been rare for him to refuse to perform a wedding, but it had happened.