Shrimp Dinner

Introductions were made and hugs were given. Naomi stared at Roland with surprise and confusion. She'd seen King Duncan a handful of times in her life, and this man looked exactly like him. Roland smiled when Finn pinpointed the cause of the woman's ill-at-ease expression.

Naomi was about to protest the undeserved honor of eating with the heir to her country's throne when Peter arrived with his peculiar sea creatures. The atmosphere lightened, and the jokes flew readily.

Everyone was clearly comfortable with one another, except Naomi, but they welcomed her easily. It was overwhelming and refreshing at the same time.

Mrs. Sherman graciously received Peter's dubious offering and took it to the kitchen.

"May I help?" Naomi asked, both anxious to not be a burden and curious as to the things that Mayra had so vehemently protested eating.

"Of course, Dear, I welcome it," Mrs. Sherman smiled. "I'm unfamiliar with these creatures, but I've heard tell of the strange foods the Sea People eat. I think I have a basic idea of how to deal with the little... things." She finished lamely as she peeked into the package.

The two decided to begin with taking the shells, eyes, legs, and the ends of the tails off of the 'shellfish'. Victoria helped for a while, but was quickly disgusted by the task and asked to be dismissed to perform other chores.

"Meat shouldn't be that color," She asserted firmly. Naomi couldn't voice any disagreement.

Once that was finished, the ladies began the other tasks of cooking dinner. Mayra came in to help after properly storing all of the things she'd bought for Dr. Sherman and finding Serafina a place to comfortably rest her considerable bulk.

Soon enough, a meal was on the table, and Dr. Sherman descended from his study to join the merry crew in its enjoyment.

"I'll... I think I'll politely decline to eat Peter's sea-bugs, if I may," Finn said gingerly, her hand on her stomach. Although the vomiting had lessened somewhat in the later stages of her pregnancy, it had not disappeared entirely.

She did not want to risk having to taste whatever that was twice.

The others laughed at her slightly green face, except for Peter, who comically pouted until Mayra elbowed him. He gave up the farce when he saw how Finn's eyes were welling up at the thought that she had offended him.

"I'm teasing, Finn. Don't worry. The only one who has a moral obligation to taste it is Mayra."

"Moral obligation? And what in my unlucky stars has caused me to incur such a debt?" Mayra protested.

"You gave me this opportunity to prove they aren't disgusting, are you going to now deny me what you promised?" He assumed a posture of being deeply wounded.

"So dramatic, Peter." Mayra rolled her eyes. "Fine, I will taste your sea bugs, but only since Mrs. Sherman and Naomi suffered through the torture of preparing them."

Picking up her fork, she delicately speared one of the things, which Mrs. Sherman had doused in butter and lemon juice with a few culinary herbs. Popping it into her mouth bravely, she determined to remain stone-faced while eating.

She chewed and swallowed as everyone else at the table stared at her in anticipation of the verdict. Slowly, she raised her fork into the air before speaking.

"I hereby pronounce them... edible." She said at last.

Peter puffed out his chest triumphantly as everyone else laughed and applauded. The atmosphere dissolved into a celebratory yet familiar atmosphere, with several side conversations taking place as everyone served themselves and began eating.

Roland spoke briefly of the ongoing trade negotiations between the Sea People and Klain, which was frustrating in its complexity. His time with the Council today had proved fruitful; the former Provider had given a cursory explanation and apology to the Sea People's envoy over breaking the agreement many years prior.

The ocean-dwellers were astonishingly nonplussed to learn that Lysander had been under the influence of a dark creature from another realm. Perhaps it was their way.

Regardless, they offered a variety of goods and fish as a goodwill token of their openness to trade with Klain despite the former ill will. The sea-bugs, as the least appealing item offered, were given to Peter, who had guard duty at the City Hall at the time.

"Since they have offered us such rare and amazing delicacies as these bugs," Mayra said, a bit sarcastically, "They must want something of high value in return."

"Indeed," Roland's face twisted for a moment, causing pause at the table.

"What do they want?" Dr. Sherman put in a rare word.

Roland replied with a frown. "We have come to learn that the wave which flooded the river when the mountain fell into it reached all the way to the Southern Ocean two years ago. It completely wiped out a large village where many women were encamped while the men were at sea. Some sort of festival, I think. A great tragedy. The Sea People now face a surplus of young men without enough available women to wed them.

"In trade with Klain, they have asked for brides."

"What?" Mayra was outraged. "They just want us to ship off women to them? Like cattle or fish or crops? Or BUGS?" She tossed one of the shellfish back onto her plate in disgust.

"Calm down, Dear," Mrs. Sherman chided. "It doesn't have to be like that."

"It's a sensitive topic," Roland admitted. "We want them as allies, surely, but of course we would never send anyone unwilling."

"What about Rhone?" Naomi asked when a chilly silence overtook the table.

"Pardon?" Roland turned his blue gaze on her, and she squirmed at the attention of royalty.

"Many of our young men were killed in the war. There is a shortage of husbands, and many of us are barely surviving. That's why my mother sent me to Klain. To find a job... or a husband." Naomi looked down at her hands, her face on fire with embarrassment.

"I forgot the Rhone do arranged marriages! Like with your father and Ashley. That didn't work out though," Mayra snapped her mouth shut when Roland glanced at her, lest she speak too freely about her new sister-in-law, his almost-stepmother.

"Not all Rhone marriages are arranged, but many. I'm sure you will find plenty of starving young women eager to be wed and cared for, even if it is far away," Naomi took a drink of tea to cover her uneasiness. "I might even volunteer, myself," She whispered.

"Are you serious?" Mayra asked incredulously, earning a shush from Mrs. Sherman. Naomi tilted her chin upward.

"Yes," she said, becoming more certain in the face of confrontation. She and her mother had depended on themselves for a long time and gotten nowhere. Even though she wasn't fond of her stepfather, she easily recognized the security her mother now had in marriage.

"But what if you don't love him?" Mayra asked despite Mrs. Sherman's sharp look.

"What has that to do with marriage?" Naomi's expression creased in confusion, raising eyebrows across the room. Finn was the first to speak into the stunned silence.

"You're right, in a sense, that romantic love is not necessary to beginning a successful marriage, however, it can make it a lot more enjoyable." She shared a smile with her husband before turning back to Naomi. "Are you certain that you would put yourself at the mercy of a man you don't know, in an unfamiliar land, amongst a strange people?"

"I think it's my best option." Naomi nodded confidently. Though the idea had only come to her moments before, it was cementing in her head as something she was meant to do. "Can I volunteer tonight?"

Roland choked and coughed on a bite of food.

"Um… how about you sleep on it first?" He asked after gulping down some water.

"Good idea," added Mrs. Sherman, "please do stay here the night. No need to decide anything this minute."

Naomi nodded thankfully, but sincerely doubted her mind would change. Her widowed mother had no chance of matching her with a decent man, but now she could be guaranteed a husband! Maybe by volunteering first, she could even get one who wasn't too old or ugly.

She grimaced. Beggars could not be choosers, and she certainly was the former.

"I'll speak to Father about the idea before approaching the Council with it. He should know the attitudes of the Rhone well enough to guess whether and how many other young women might be open to such an idea." Roland chewed another bite.

"Can I come along?" Mayra asked suddenly. "If you do ship these women off, you should have an official matchmaker of some kind to make sure they're well-treated," she turned to Naomi and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "I'm something of an expert matchmaker."

Finn laughed so hard she had to hold her belly in alarm as the baby kicked his or her protest to the sudden movement.

"An expert?" She finally sputtered. "Who declared you an expert?"

"You and Roland did. In jail. You were my first success, and my brother was my second! I venture I'll add many more to my list of triumphs before I retire! I definitely need to be involved to make sure everyone works out for the best!"