Golden Sword

Chapter 21

Arriving at daybreak at the Otani and Mercedian camp the party dismounted and was greeted by the duty officer, Otani Royal Army Major Amos Singh. The camp was hidden in the woods near where they would deploy for the ambush at the lake. Jack was with Keika's group, so Roxanne was in charge here, but she saw no sign of her. She turned to the Captain. "Where is Captain Mitchell's tent?" Singh pointed at one of the larger tents. "That's her tent my Princess.......but......" She turned back to him with a question in her eyes. "What?" He sputtered and looked very uncomfortable. "Well....it's that.....I.....uhh....maybe later would be a good time? It's just that....." His voice trailed off. Keika gave him a hard look. "Later!?" Then hearing Jack behind her chuckling she started immediately toward the tent.

Jerking the tent flap back, she entered without warning and was rewarded with a view of the back of Roxanne's nude body in bed.......and she was not alone. "Good morning Captain Mitchell." Keika announced. "Have I come at a bad time?" Two naked bodies frantically rolled out of opposite sides of the bed, grabbing sheets to cover themselves. She was not entirely surprised to see who Mitchell's lover was.

"Princess!" stammered Mitchell, "We didn't expect you so soon." "Clearly" responded Keika. Devin returned her stare with a sheepish grin. He nodded and muttered. "We were in conference, Princess......we, uh, have found that we work quite well together." The Princess turned to leave the tent. Over her shoulder she replied, "Yes, it is obvious that your work has become a real team effort. Outside in five minutes.....in uniform......both of you!"

Although acting the part of the angry superior office, she was actually pleased. Roxanne was a beauty and, while she had been selected for this job due to her skills, the thought had crossed Keika's mind that these two might end up together after working side by side for weeks. Recalling Patrice's words of concern for her youngest son, and the hope that he might find someone to take Keika's place in his eyes, things had worked out quite well. Devin could not run Roxanne, however, and would find her an equal to him in every way. Their relationship would be most interesting to observe. She squashed a smile as she returned to join the others.

"Captain Mitchell and Prince Devin were occupied in.....ahhh....negotiation and will be joining us shortly." she said dryly. Jack now laughed out loud and shook his head. "Sorry, should have warned you about that ahead of time. I was thinking of other things, forgot about them. Yeah, that couple has been a hot item since Mitchell hit Mercedium. They clicked right away and you can't catch one without the other. The pair of them have been sharing that tent for a good month, if not longer. I will have to say that Otani girls are really something. You, Valerie.....Roxanne.....all very impressive. Devin usually has his women submissive and panting after him, but not this girl. She gives all of his shit right back to him.......and he seems to love it. It's been very entertaining." "I'm sure.......just as long as it doesn't interfere with their jobs." Keika replied.

Jack got serious with that comment. "No, that is not the case. You sent the right officer. Mitchell is very serious about her job and, if anything, makes Devin toe the line. Their playtime has strictly been after duty hours. She is smart, responsible and resolute. I've found her to be easy to work with and she has a clear view of what her duty to both you and her country is. I'd have her on my team any time. Both of them did an excellent job putting this together and most of the work is actually theirs. When you put me in command I only had to show up. Everything else was pretty much already done." Keika nodded. "Good to hear. Thanks Jack."

He laughed again. ".....Although your Legion Generals are none too happy. They were clearly expecting one of them to selected to that position. Boy, when they found a Captain was in charge of setting up the army's organization, there was some heated discussion going on. At first they tried to order Mitchell around, as Generals usually order Captains around, but that didn't work this time. Mitchell didn't back down. She shut them all up when she told them that her presence was to be considered your presence. In the event that they refused her orders, they could answer to you upon your return. It helped that a six foot tall Prince Devin was backing her up, looking like he was going to go off at any minute."