25th August 1303,
Dead of the night.
It was the dead of the night when the Queen of Hucklebee went into labor. Not to forget the rain that poured outside, thunder rumbling outside as it shook the mountains and hills to their core, glinting threateningly against the large glass windows of the castle. It was bizarre and strange. The delivery was the most unexpected as the Queen wasn't expecting in the next three weeks.
Yes, the strangest of all days.
But you see, the strangest news is still to come, which I shall hold out for now, as the Queen, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Rihanaya would soon produce her third child. And as she wailed and moaned from the intense pain in the birth chamber, her husband, His Majesty the King paced around the corridors impatiently, his hands clasping and unclasping in nervousness. The Royal attendance could do nothing to ease his tension as they remained stoic in their positions; feeling rather puzzled at the sudden delivery themselves.
The door to the birth chamber flew open as a midwife rushes out, a bowl of red water in her hands. The sight was one of alarm, and it surely didn't go unnoticed by the King as he stopped the woman mid way, crossing her path.
"How is she? How is my wife?" The uncertainty in his voice was unshakeable, yet the authority it held said he needed an honest answer.
So with her head bowed, the mid wife replies. "Her Majesty is in pain since the baby won't come out. We are trying everything so pl-"
"Will she be alright?" The King was scared, that was for sure. And the fear had the midwife finally looking the man in the eyes, as what he needed the most now was reassurance. "The baby will come. Her Majesty will be fine. Please do not worry Your Majesty."
So saying, the woman curtsied in haste before sprinting away in search of clean warm water to replace the bloody one. Needless to say, her words brought little to no comfort to the King. If anything, it made him more frantic.
The Queen's shrieks made everyone flinch, even the stoic attendances while sweat began to bead in the King's forehead. She screamed and wailed and moaned for hours even after the midwife had returned with a new bowl of water, even after one of the midwives had fainted from exhaustion. The screams of pain continued till the breaking dawn, the first streak of sunlight visible in the horizon. And yet His Majesty sat there, outside the birth Chamber with his head in his hands, completely vulnerable in front of his servants. It was a sight they were rather used to, having seen it at least twice before.
Speaking of which, a lady in her mid-thirties slowly made her way towards the King's closest advisor who had stayed awake along with the King, whispering something into his ear. But whatever she had to say, the advisor made no notion of expressing his emotions, having learnt the art of staying monotone at all times. However he made his way toward the King before bending down to whisper the same words in his ears.
"Your Majesty."
"What is it Charles?"
"Their Highness's, Prince Mimin and Prince Minder are awake. They require your presence at once."
"Why is that?"
The advisor thought about his words carefully before finally speaking. "They wish to inquire about their mother, Her Majesty. I assume they want to ask y-"
"And you are telling me the nanny cannot handle something as simple as that?" As the King said those words, he glanced sideways at the woman that had approached the advisor, who flinched at the sudden attention. The advisor stared at her too, waiting for her to speak.
When the lady realised they were waiting for an explanation, she began. "With all due respect Your Majesty, I have already spoken to them when they awoke, however it appears Prince Mimin hasn't slept a wink out of worry and Prince Minder is…hungry. So I came to you, Your Majesty. I believe your presence could improve the situation."
"Mimin is but two years old, he couldn't possibly know what is going on to actually 'worry', as you claim." His Majesty replies flatly, finally turning to the lady completely. "And I get it, Minder is hungry, but there is no way I can solve that in all honesty now can I?"
No. But all you have to do is present yourself to your children. That's more than enough. Were the nanny's thoughts, however she didn't voice them out loud of course. She stood there with her lips pressed into a thin line and her hands clasped together in front of her while her knuckles turned white.
Just when she thought the King had made up his mind, the man surprised everyone. "Nonetheless, if my presence helps ease their minds, I shall take a break from this eerie corridor and check on them."
As he said that, he glanced behind him at the door that led to his wife whose screams had doubled than before, and with a pained expression, he tore his eyes away from it, ready to walk away as he asked his advisor to lead the way. Until it happened,
The cries of a baby.
He had come.
The constant echo of screams and moans had finally come to an end, replaced with the outcry of the new member while the people around laughed and smiled as they rejoiced in this glorious moment. Even the stoic attendances were hugging each other in delight.
Meanwhile the King remained stunned in his position as his advisor congratulated him, which completely went unanswered. The door to the birth chamber was pulled open and out came the physician, ready to give the good news to the father who was still too stunned to speak.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. It's a boy. You have another Prince. Congratulations, Your Majesty." The Physician beamed from ear to ear, and it was only then did the King final move. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding, shutting his eyes in relief while the Physician only smiled. But once he opened his eyes, he noticed the physician's white tunic. It was stained in red.
"The Queen?" The King suddenly asked, getting tense again. "How is the Queen?"
"The Queen is safe, Your Majesty. She is a bit exhausted now, but with a few days rest she will be back in shape. Do not worry, Your Majesty." The Physician said it all with a smile on his face which definitely reached his eyes, given the old age lining that appeared due to his smile.
At long last, the King did it himself. He smiled.
Now reassured that his wife and child both were safe, the King turned to the nanny, still smiling. "Bring the boys here if they are awake. They can meet their mother now if they like. They won't need me after all."
It was a reunion. The King kissed his tired wife on the forehead as she lay straight on the bed, her face sunken and ashen, but still alive and breathing. The sheets had been changed and cleaned, including the Queens night gown which was removed. The affection had broken whatever slumber she was in as she slowly unveiled her eyes and looked up at her husband, a tired smile forming in her lips. "Your Majesty-"
"Don't. Stay as you are. You need rest." He replied with warmth, forcing her back in the bed before moving toward the servant that had his newborn in her arms, lulling it to sleep. She had a soft smile as she slowly handed the baby over to him, watching as the King's face filled with adoration and affection.
"He is beautiful." The King whispered, watching the little one coo as he squirmed around, trying to adjust his little body in the King's large hands which made him chuckle. From where she lay, the Queen smiled at the sight. "What shall we name him?"
"I was thinking," The King began, walking back toward the Queen to place the baby beside his mother. "I was thinking about Austin. What say you?"
"Austin…" The Queen mused the name, staring at the baby lovingly beside her. The smile slowly spread in her face as she turned to the King. "I think it suits him. It's lovely."
The couple had no time to dwell on their conversation for long, for just then the door burst open and in ran a little Mimin with his little feet, still in his nightgown. "Mama!"
"My love!" The Queen replied, raising her hands for the boy to come closer. She didn't need to ask, for he was already crawling on top of the bed to join her and his little brother. Little Minder stayed in the arms of his nanny, his eyes still drowsy with sleep, but awake enough to see his surroundings. He stared at the sleeping figure of his mother with his little doe eyes, but made no inclination to move as if knowing she needed rest.
So the five stayed like that, feeling content in each other's company after a whole tiring night as the soft purple and orange hues of sunlight streaked inside the birth chamber, making them all feel like everything is going to be alright. Of course it was. The Kingdom of Hucklebee was just blessed with another baby boy.
A knock on the door was what pulled the family out of their blissful moment. "Your Majesty?"
"Come in Charles." At the King's command, Charles ushered himself in before shutting the door, gracing the Queen with a smile. "Many many congratulations to you, Your Majesty. His Highness will bring many good blessings to this Kingdom."
"Thank you, Chief Advisor Charles." Rihanaya replied weakly. That done, Charles turned to the King. "Your Majesty, we have news from the Queendom of Hallowywoods."
At the mention of their neighbouring and most friendly Queendom, the two exchanged a glance as their interest peaked. "Hallowywoods? What about them?"
Charles took a second to adjust his words before he began. "The Queen has been blessed with another child as well. A princess."
Charles stopped talking after that, but his pause didn't mean he was done, and the King knew that. So he waited until Charles spoke up again. letting the man complete his sentence.
"Another one."
There you have it, the strangest thing I was talking about earlier.
---------------
The celebratory drums rang across the entire Queendom along with the trumpets as the news of a third child spread across far and wide. The long rain that had drenched the streets all through the day yesterday was now casting a radiant rainbow across the valleys, making it a serene view for the citizens of Hallowywoods. They danced and sang and distributed sweets and the happy news to have another princess while at the same time they were also singing songs of praises for the Queen, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Rebecca.
Said Queen stood a few feet away from her massive balcony, watching from the shadows as the parades of celebrations in regard for her new born continued, while she cradled the baby girl in her arms, a blank face plastered on.
There's a knock and once the door is opened, Diana, the chief advisor of the Queen walks in with her head bowed in respect. "Your Majesty."
"Is it done?" Came Rebecca's monotone voice as she made no attempt to look at the lady behind her. Diana however continued. "Yes, Your Majesty. Brenda will take care of the final rites."
"Good." Was all she said. But Diana still made no attempt to move, making Rebecca glance behind her. "What is it?"
"There's news from the Kingdom of Hucklebee. The Queen has been blessed with a Prince. Another one."
"I see." Was all Rebecca had to say as Diana curtsied one last time before taking her leave. All the while, the Queen stood with her back to the room, her attention divided between the parade and the baby in her arms.
"King Karloi just got another son. We must congratulate him. He may have received our news by now too, they will come to congratulate as well. It is not every day that two nations of friendly terms have such auspicious days at the same time. What say you?" It was her husband, Prince Astrad. The Prince sat on the armchair beside the two beds that held his First two daughters, one year old Chiffery in her cradle and on the other side, his two years old first born, Marona.
"Indeed." Came Rebecca's slow and calculated voice, her eyes never leaving the streets below. "Congratulations are on their way."
Astrad all but smiled, turning his attention back to his sleeping daughters. All of a sudden the smile disappeared, replaced with a look of worry. Slowly but surely, he got to his feet before coming to stand beside his wife, but not to look at the spectacle below, but at the new born baby. "Rebecca, will you ever tell them?"
"Who?"
"Chiffery and Zoronus. Will you tell them? Even Marona?"
It seemed like that was what Rebecca needed to finally pull her out of her gawking, as she turned to stare at her husband, her face holding no emotion. But her words held all the authority anyway. "Not a soul will know. Not Marona. Not Chiffery. Not Zoronus. They will never know. No one will."
A lot of words made their way into Astrad's mouth, making him want to interfere, but one look at Rebecca's face as she delicately held the baby in her arms silenced him. For the first time that day, Rebecca smiled, her face finally morphing into a blissful expression as she watched baby Zoronus coo in her arms. Then she inhaled in her deep baby scent, nuzzling her nose in the crook of the baby's neck.
"I'll protect you, my love. I'll protect all of you. Forever and always. After all," Rebecca turned to her husband, the smile still intact. This made Astrad smile as well.
"You are my daughters. You are my world."
—--------------------------