So here is a snippet from the next Princess book. The book is still being edited of course but feel free to point any typos – they’ve probably been fixed already but you never know. 🙂

Hi dad

Captain Karvon Alistair, Master of the Q ship Kormorant, Reserve Captain in the Brython Navy, and second son of Baron Huntsmouth, led the way to the small terminal building, which was all the New Bristol spaceport boasted by way of facilities. Inside he headed for the vehicle rental desk. His small party had passed through customs without a problem, which he had been expecting them to, but it was always nice when these things went off without any trouble. His soon-to-be official fiancé, Gizel Alexa Verena Dorotina Desnoute, was traveling with him under a fake passport as Gizel Verena to hide her identity. Her documentation and visa had all been arranged by Kimerian Imperial Security and therefore have passed the customs check easily, but even so, there was always that doubt until you were actually through the checkpoint.

The third member of their party, Janus Dedsun, was a real Imperial Security agent, well, not so much an agent anymore, as he was Gizel’s aide and close in bodyguard. He had been with her since she graduated from Imperial Naval College and had recently been promoted to Sergeant due to his performance during the rather exciting events of Gizel’s first cruise as a naval officer. A second Imperial Security guard had been assigned to her for this trip, but he was staying with the shuttle they had used to land at the regional spaceport. Gizel had herself had been promoted to Ensign a couple of months early as a result of the events of that cruise as well. Officially. she was on extended leave from the Navy while they visited Karvon’s home planet.

The rental desk had a suitable auto-drive vehicle available for hire, and in a very short time, it was making its way through the city traffic heading for the hills to the east where his father’s Baronial Seat was. Although the Baronial Seat would always be home, as far as Karvon was concerned, his father and his elder brother spent most of their time in the capital, Nulundun, politicking. The next two months were about the only period during the year when his father spent more than just a few days at his seat. Which was one of the reasons they had landed at the regional spaceport rather than at the capital. The other was to avoid unnecessary attention, of course. Gizel might be travelling under an alias, but while Karvon was not famous, he was well known enough that some inquisitive newsy might take a closer look. Any decent facial recognition software that did a study of Gizel’s features would almost certainly recognise her.

New Bristol had not changed much from the last time he was home. It was more a residential city than an industrial one these days. There was still quite a bit of heavy industry over to the south along the river, but it wasn’t growing much these days. Most growth in the kingdom of Brython currently was occurring out in the colonies. Which many people, especially those that liked the countryside, thought was a very good thing. He pointed out a few local landmarks to Gizel, although there weren’t many, really, when he thought about it. New Bristol was a very unremarkable city in a lot of ways.

In what seemed to take no time at all, the vehicle was driving up to the relatively small but still impressive country seat of Baron Huntsmouth. Gizel spent the entire drive gazing out the windows taking in what was the hometown of her soon-to-be fiancé, and had found herself experiencing a sense of letdown as they had passed through the rather plain and nondescript city. The warm tones that Karvon used whenever he mentioned New Bristol or his father’s seat had left her expecting something a good deal more entrancing than what she saw during the drive. At least as far as the city went. Still, this was where Karvon felt at home, so she would try to like it.

The vehicle pulled up in a covered circular driveway outside the obvious entrance to the house. Once the vehicle had stopped, Karvon hopped out and moved around to the rear of the rental vehicle, where he helped Dedsun get the luggage out of the rear baggage compartment. Gizel had a large handbag, a backpack, and a small suitcase as her share while the boys loaded the top two large suitcases that each had wheels with the smaller cases. Most of the clothes were Gizel’s and Dedsun’s, Karvon assuring her he had plenty of clothes stashed here at home. Not that he got home very often.

Gizel gazed around, both at the building and at the setting. Brython was the longest settled world in this part of the galaxy, although it had been made over completely in the centuries following its discovery by Kimeria and the introduction of advanced technology along with Terran plants and animals. Not that the local flora and fauna had been particularly inimical to humans, which was fortunate for the castaways that had crashed here, but the urge to introduce plant and animal species from Earth had been impossible to resist.

The Baron’s Seat, as it was called here, was situated on the northern face of a gentle hill with the forested crown rising behind it. The forest was a local one from the reddish hue of the foliage, with some trees reaching perhaps two hundred metres into the sky. The grounds near the Seat were composed of very green, beautifully maintained lawns surrounding the building. The lawns were defined by hedges that utilized one of the local plants, given the reddish color, while further out, there appeared to be a mixture of uses of the land. On the western side was an area of barns and other utility buildings, each done in the same stone and tile roof as the main house and beyond them a more farm-like paddock with a few horses grazing.

To the east, the land was one sizeable grassy paddock with an ornamental lake in the center. There was a pavilion and some rustic-looking seats, and she wondered if there were fish in the lake. She decided this side had been deliberately left clear of obstructions so the morning sun would reach the house early on winter days. Across the other side of the circular driveway, the western aspect was an extensive flower garden with clearly defined paths disappearing into the interesting collection of plants with Earth types mixing with local plants. She hoped she would be able to explore the garden while they were here.

The main building was somewhat smaller than she was expecting, or at least it appeared so. It had a broad staircase that fronted the circular drive, flanked on either side by solid-looking stone walls that appeared to have been rebuilt at some point as their construction was obviously much newer than the stone blocks that formed the lower third or quarter of the walls. Modern-style windows flanked the entranceway, which was two large if plain, wooden doors framed by Corinthian columns and had a lintel consisting of a single piece of the light grey, almost blue stone that the whole Seat had been built from. The single stone forming the lintel was carved with interesting designs that appeared to be some type of mythological scene, but Gizel wasn’t sure which scene it was supposed to represent.

The walls flanking the main entrance were wide enough for there to be good size rooms on either side of a central hall she observed. Back maybe five meters, there was an extension on the left side that would provide the building with another set of large rooms she observed. The entire edifice rose a good three stories and possibly had attics as well. The stone used made the place look large but neither bulky nor threatening. Unlike the older part of the Palace on Kimeria, which was bulky, dark, and threatening! The roof appeared to be composed of slate tiles or something that looked a lot like slate tiles.

She was still admiring the exterior of the building when one of the doors opened, and a dignified-looking older man with grey temples stepped out, glanced at Gizel and Dedsun without recognition, and then his face lit up as he took in Karvon.

“Lord Karvon!” He boomed, the joy in his voice clear to all. He advanced down the stairs to meet Karvon halfway up, and they hugged briefly. “It IS good to see you, my lord!” He said clearly.

“And you, Ebson,” Karvon replied, his voice equally warm.

The hug broke, and Ebson looked Karvon up and down. “You’re looking well, my lord.” He said, and then his eyes turned to the others.

“So are you, Ebson,” Karvon replied before turning to the others. “Ebson, here is my father’s Seneschal. Ebson, allow me to introduce Gizel and her aide, Janus Dedsun. Among other things, Gizel is a Naval officer, although, like me, not on active service currently. She will be in with me, and I’d like Janus somewhere handy if that’s possible?”

Ebson nodded. “I think the West Room, my lord. Just across the upper hall from your suite.” He then looked down the stairs and then waved at Janus, who was loading up his share of the luggage.

“Leave that. I’ll have a couple of the staff take your luggage upstairs.” He turned back to Karvon. “We knew you were coming, of course, but we didn’t expect you this early.” He sounded almost annoyed as he waved an arm, indicating that they should follow him up the stairs and enter the Baron’s residence.

“The advantage of having my own ship,” Karvon commented as they passed through the doors into a long hallway.

It had polished wooden floors, old-style plastered walls similar to what Gizel was familiar with from the palace, and at the far end, an elegant, curving staircase that led upstairs. The wall was adorned with several paintings, most of them clearly quite old, given the clothes the subjects were wearing, and all in very elaborate, old-school picture frames.

“Has father been well? I didn’t comm from orbit as I am trying to keep a low profile for a bit. Don’t want the newsies staking out the place.” He said and waved an arm back at the front of the property.

Ebson looked a little surprised at this comment but didn’t question it as they headed for the stairs.

Karvon glanced at the Seneschal as they marched over the polished wooden floor.

“So, who’s here?”

“Just your father and brother at present/. However, your brother has apparently met a woman!” He looked back down the stairs to where Gizel and Dedsun followed them around the sweeping and broad staircase. “Unlike you, he has yet to bring her home, but I understand she will be here soon.”

Karvon shook his head.

“Harry has found someone who’ll put up with him?” He said quizzically.

Ebson actually smiled at this but shook his head.

“Now, now, Master Karvon. Your brother is a perfectly respectable young man who has many redeeming features despite the pair of you having some antipathy and he could very well have said the same thing about you.”

Karvon snorted. “Perhaps, but he has four years on me, plus he’s the heir. I know father has been on his back about grandchildren for some time, even had a go at me the last time I was here.”

Ebson led them across a carpeted, not really a hall, more of a foyer, from which several doors opened off to the door farthest to the left of the staircase. It looked to be a fairly heavy door, possibly of oak and sporting a rather elaborate carved design that Gizel finally recognized as a rather abstract version of the family coat of arms. Ebson knocked and then entered without apparently waiting for a reply. Karvon turned, smiled at Gizel, and took her hand before leading her through the doorway with Dedsun bringing up the rear.

The room revealed was a very cozy-looking space, to Gizel’s quick survey. There was a large stone fireplace with stacked wood next to it, paneled walls, a couple of wooden and somewhat elaborate bookshelves, a small bar area, and five comfy if large armchairs in a semicircle facing the fireplace. An elaborate chandelier provided the room’s lighting, although the lights themselves appeared to be modern appliances. One of the lounge chairs was occupied by an older gentleman who Gizel recognized as being Karvon’s father from the photos she had studied, while a second contained a younger man who looked rather like Karvon, so he had to be Karvon’s elder brother Harri.

Their entrance was clearly not expected as it caused both men to stand and look at the three of them with some surprise. The older man’s somewhat lined face suddenly smiled, and he advanced upon Karvon, arm outstretched. Karvon perforce had to release his grip on Gizel’s hand to respond to his father’s enthusiastic welcome.

“Karvon, my boy!” He boomed and clasped forearms with his second son. Then he stepped back a pace. Karvon glanced over at his brother, who gave him a nod which Karvon returned with a small smile. His father noticed the nod and smiled.

“So, who do we have here?” He said, still somewhat overly loud to Gizel’s ears, and turned to look at Gizel and Dedsun.

Karvon reclaimed Gizel’s hand, smiled at her, and then turned back to his father.

“This is Gizel, my not publicly announced fiancé and her aide Janus Dedsun. Gizel, this is my father, Jordain Alastair, Baron Huntsmouth, and my elder brother Harri. He normally goes by the moniker of Lord Harri as he is far more starched up than I am, but you don’t have to worry about that stuff.”

Gizel felt her eyes narrow for a second. “Oh. You should rightfully be Lord Karvon, shouldn’t you?”

She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice. It suddenly struck her as being quite funny that she never thought of him as Lord Karvon even though she knew he was the son of a Baron.

Karvon’s father’s eyebrows rose at this introduction though he seemed a little amused at Gizel’s surprise statement.

“Yes. He should rightfully be Lord Karvon, although it is very hard to get him to act in a particularly lordly manner.”

He pronounced this in a tone that Gizel decided combined censure with amusement.

“Although he has surprised me once or twice. So boy, you brought your unofficial fiancé home; why? I would not have thought you would have held off announcing your engagement so you could introduce me to the young lady and get my official approval. Not really your style, Karvon.” He smiled at Gizel. “Although you seem like a nice young lady. You’re not here to actually seek my permission to marry, are you, Karvon?”

Karvon snorted. “I haven’t asked your permission for anything in the last ten years!” He responded, but Gizel noticed he did it with a smile. The two men looked at each other for a moment, and Karvon’s face became serious.

“Actually, father, we’ve come to talk to the King before announcing our engagement.”

“The King!” His father retorted, clearly surprised.

There was a snort from his brother, very similar to the snorts that Karvon gave on occasion, Gizel noticed.

“As if old Artur would be interested in your marriage, Karvy!” Harry added.

King Artur was not, in fact, that old, well, not ancient anyway, Gizel thought. He had, however, spent a long time as the Prince in waiting to his father as his father had lived to a good age. Artur had had no children with his first wife, and about the time Gizel was born, they’d gone through an acrimonious and public divorce, and the now King Artur had only remarried while Gizel was in high school. He had managed to father two young heirs with his second wife, which the entire kingdom had rejoiced over despite his being a good a generations older than his new wife’s own father.

Karvon sneered at his brother. “Not all of us are political drones, you know, brother dear.”

“And some of us are tramp freighter drivers with little to show for their lives.” Came the quick retort from his brother.

“Now, now, you two.” His father broke into the impending battle between the brothers. “I want none of that petty sniping between you two in front of our guests, you two may have no shame, but I have no desire to be embarrassed by my offspring!”

“Oh, don’t mind me, Baron Huntsmouth. I quite enjoy watching Karvon embarrass himself. He is so damn capable that it doesn’t happen very often.” Gizel put in. This brought her to the attention of both young men who turned to face her. Karvon smiled ruefully while Harri looked a bit nonplussed.

“You actually think Karvon is capable?” He offered by way of observation, sounding as if he was wondering if she lost her marbles.

Gizel shrugged. “As he’s saved my life twice, I think he’s incredibly capable.” And she pulled his arm up to hold it alongside her chest.

The effect of this statement was interesting. Harri looked surprised? Unbelieving? Something like that while the Baron’s eyes suddenly narrowed, and he glanced at Karvon with a look of inquiry.

“There’s something odd going on here, isn’t there?” The Baron asked his son.

Karvon nodded, but before it could say anything, Harri entered the conversation again.

“Did he really save your life? Twice?” He asked, still unbelieving by the look of his expression but perhaps not so unbelieving after his father’s statement.

“Oh yes. The first time was two and a half years ago and the second time just recently. And no, I’m not marrying him just because he’s my hero. I got over that two years ago. I’m marrying him because he’s the man I love.” She answered forthrightly.

Harri seemed a little taken aback at this forthright response, but the Baron studied her with some interest.

“I feel I should know who you are.” He said after a moment. “By your accent, you are Kimerian, but given Karvon’s galactic wandering, his meeting a Kimerian girl is no big surprise. But there is something about you.” He studied her for a moment. “Have I met you before?”

Even his brother seemed to be giving her a closer look now, and at this point, Karvon laughed.

“You know, I just realized I hadn’t properly introduced my fiancé, have I?” They both glanced at him, slightly puzzled expressions on their faces. “Father, brother. Allow me to formally introduce my fiancé, her Imperial Highness, Princess Gizel Alexa Verena Dorotina Desnoute.”