It was a rare day when Old Man Granger was up and about bright and early, preferring these days to leisurely take his breakfast in bed and venture out only after ten in the morning. Today, however, he was already in his study, eagerly devouring the newspapers that had arrived from Tirisano. He was anxious to know if anything had happened during the Independence Day Parade, to be certain that Dru was well and safe, and since the coverage of the parade was spread over three days' worth of journalism, he had three papers to get through. He didn't, however, get past the second one before his voice, still strong despite his age, rang out, piercing through the quiet manor house to summon his nephew excitedly. "JON!"

Jon was by nature a night owl. He had become accustomed to it after years of late nights spent at the theater and attending after parties, though he'd learned pretty early on after Emily's birth that small children and babies in particular didn't usually conform to the habits of their parents. Juggling a wife, two young children, an active dog, and an acting career wasn't always an easy task, but he managed it somehow. Living in the same house as his great uncle didn't hurt. Jon had come to think of Humphrey as something of a father figure in his life, or perhaps a grandfatherly figure, and the two men had grown close over the last few years since he and Vicki had moved to the big house at Maple Grove. This particular morning, Jon was juggling both children and Cosmo while Vicki spent a few hours at the theater tending to whatever matters Mataya deemed needed tending to. He had just finished diapering Ben when he heard his uncle's voice summoning him from the study.

By the time he reached the study, Humphrey was practically bouncing in his chair with impatience, a wide grin on his old face as he chuckled to himself. "Did I wake you?" he asked innocently, knowing full well that Jon never managed to sleep past eight these days unless someone else had the children.

"Are you kidding?" Jon chuckled as he stepped into the study, Ben in his arms while Emily led the way, the little family herded along by Cosmo. "These two early birds had me up hours ago." Thankfully, late night after parties were mostly a thing of the past, and Jon sometimes came home before he'd even removed his stage makeup.

Emily toddled ahead of the pack and right up to Humphrey, where she promptly climbed into his lap with a triumphant, "Gampy!"

"Hello, my little sweetheart!" Unexpected though the arrival of both little ones might be, Humphrey could always be counted on to be in a good mood for any child, allowing Emily to clamber up into his lap without even a wince for the slightly careless placement of her knees. Gently lifting her sideways over his thighs, he tweaked her nose, always happy to cuddle with this little princess. He grinned over at Jon, tossing the newspaper he had been reading across the desk. "Read that," he suggested with rather a lot of mischief for a man his age.

The newspaper declared itself to be The Tirisano Herald, the front page dominated by a picture of Dru and Josh, posed together, smiling for the camera, beneath a headline that announced ROYAL ENGAGEMENT. Below the picture, the story began.

"His Serene Highness, Prince Julius Iarocci, is delighted to announce the engagement of the Princess Royale, Claudia Amelia Drusilla Regina, to Lord Joshua Oliver Stuart, the second son of Duke Oliver Stuart of Roslae. The unexpected announcement comes swiftly on the heels of the Princess Royale's inspiring ride at the head of the Independence Day Parade, where she showed her mettle and proved her worthiness to be our next ruler. A spokesperson for the palace said, "Princess Claudia and Lord Joshua are very much in love. It has come as a surprise, but who is really going to begrudge a love match in the royal family?" Lord Joshua's father is said to be "ecstatic" about the news, adding that, "it's about time the young people who will be in charge of this country started being allowed to make decisions about their own lives". Following the rise in popular opinion that the Princess Royale should be given the opportunity to make this choice for herself, no doubt support will be strong for the young couple, who plan to wed in late autumn. Details on page 5 ..."

Jon arched a curious brow as Humphrey tossed the newspaper at him, his curiosity further piqued by the knowledge that the paper was not a local publication but had come all the way from Tirisano, where Jon's baby sister was considered royalty. "What's this?" he asked as he lowered himself into the chair across the desk from his uncle, settling Ben in the crook of one arm while he leaned forward to read the headlines. "Holy shit!" he declared when he saw the photo of Dru and her boyfriend featured on the front page. "They got engaged?"

Emily - who had recently become a magpie, echoing words and phrases in an attempt to master language - echoed her father's enunciation with a babbled version of "shit!" Which came out sounding more like "Sit!"

Which Cosmo promptly did, barking at Emily to get her attention as Humphrey tried his hardest not to laugh at the devious little girl and her new ability to mimic the worst of her parents' language. "So it would seem," he answered Jon, tickling the little girl on his lap to distract her from any other unseemly phrases that might tumble from her daddy's lips. "It would appear that patience does not run in this family."

Cosmo's barking did very little to calm the pint-sized ball of energy down, and Emily wiggled her way off Humphrey's lap to go play with her favorite toy, which just happened to be Cosmo, with a fairly-well pronounced, "Gampy, down!"

Jon picked up the paper to read further, turning to Page Five for further details as the article stated, but the highlights of the article were right there on the front page. "You don't think she's pregnant, do you?" he mused aloud, unsure how he might feel about that. He'd only met his baby sister recently, but already he felt somewhat protective over her.

Humphrey snorted, gently setting Emily down on her sturdy feet and patting her rear end to send her off with the overgrown puppy that was Cosmo. He met Jon's gaze, raising his brows incredulously. "They're young, Jon, but I doubt either of them would risk that," he pointed out. "Dru was born out of wedlock herself, she knows the stigma attached to it. And frankly, I think that young man could well be saving her for the wedding night."

"Why the rush?" Jon asked, knowing how young Dru was, but then, he knew life for a royal in Tirisano was very different to her life here in Rhy'Din. "Okay," he said lifting a hand to silence his uncle before he could explain. "I know. They're in love. You don't have to explain it to me." He and Vicki had been in almost as much of a hurry to be married, though he thought they'd been a lot more patient.

"Given how surprising this is, I very much doubt it was intended to be announced so soon," Humphrey considered thoughtfully. "Perhaps something happened that has not been reported; something that has made them wish to make their union official ahead of schedule."

Jon thought about that a moment and, knowing his sister the way he did, he frowned worriedly. "You mean something life-altering. Like an attempt on her life." He knew what that was like well enough. It had been his little adventure with the vampires that had made him even more determined to have a happily ever after with Vicki.

"Indeed," his great-uncle agreed, his own face lined with a worried frown. "Clearly there is nothing to be concerned with, but I would be inclined to think that something must have happened on the day of the parade. Something that took place in private, where the press cannot reach, but evidently something that has shaken them greatly. I daresay we will find out when they return in September."

Jon frowned further, looking both worried and thoughtful, though clearly Dru had survived whatever it was that had happened and that no one was talking about. "So, if they're getting married in fall, does that mean we get an invitation to the wedding or..." He understood the need to keep the matter of her paternal lineage secret, but it hurt that he might not be able to witness what could be the most important event in her life. A few of them had gathered together to watch the parade on TV, and while he was happy for her and proud of his sister, he wanted to be part of her life, not just an observor.

"Jon ..." Humphrey eyed him with a quiet smirk. The younger man worried too much sometimes, forgetting to look at common sense before finding something to be concerned with. "Do you really think your baby sister will wish to be married without her family there to witness it?"

"I guess not," Jon replied, though he was still frowning. "But I won't be her big brother. I'll just be some guy she met at the theater." But then, what did it matter" Dru's special day wasn't about Jon or anyone else - it was about Dru and Josh publicly declaring their love for each other and promising to spend the rest of their lives together. "Never mind. It doesn't matter," he added with a shrug.

"Everyone who matters will know the truth," Humphrey said firmly. "We have a duty to protect her from any backlash she might suffer were her parentage to become known. But there is no need to act any differently with her than you ordinarily would, Jon. There will be no press at the wedding banquet, you can be sure of that."

"I just want to be there, that's all. We shouldn't have to be punished because our father was an..." He bit off the word he'd been about to say, unsure if Humphrey would agree or want to hear that about his own flesh and blood. Then again, not everyone of Granger blood had lived a stellar life. That's just how things were.

"Jon, I am hardly the person to talk to regarding royal wedding invitations," the old man chuckled, refusing to let his nephew's worrying lower his mood. "I suggest you trust your baby sister. She may be a princess, but she is inordinately fond of you."

"I do. I trust her. I guess I just wish we didn't have to keep it a secret." Another thought occurred to him, which didn't take away that frown or brighten his mood any. He was genuinely happy for Dru and Josh, but was worried about how it was going to change his relationship with her. "Are they still gonna be able to visit' What happens if someone finds out who they really are?"

Humphrey rolled his eyes. "How do you think we have managed to keep her a secret for almost a year, Jon?" he asked gently. "Between our PR department, and the palace's own press management, every hint of her location, her employment, even her schooling, has been suppressed from both the newspapers here and in Tirisano. And we will continue to do so for as long as it is necessary, which I hope will be a very long time to come."