"Look, Daddy! I'm a bunny rabbit!"
Four-year-old Ellen put her feet together and hopped up and down three times.
"Ribbit, ribbit, frog!" Not to be outdone, two-year-old Grace squatted down and jumped on all fours.
In spite of his heart racing in its longing to be near Marian, Robin grinned at his girls' antics. He had ridden hard to fetch Matilda, and was now leading his daughters to Will and Djaq's home, where they would wait out the birth of the baby, far from their mother's cries of pain.
Blinded by love, Robin and Marian believed their girls to be the most beautiful children ever born. And although remarkably cute, the girls had somehow missed being blessed with either parent's incredible beauty.
Ellen, small and thin for her age, had long straight brown hair, blue eyes that crinkled shut when she smiled, and a complexion liberally sprinkled with freckles. Grace, with her round toddler belly and short sturdy legs, had a head of short wispy brown hair that had only recently made its appearance, and huge blue eyes that were much too large for her round little face.
"Alright, Bunny...Frog, which one of you can hop fastest to the Scarlet's?"
Grace's gaze grew intense. She took her daddy's challenge very seriously.
"Ready, steady, go!" Robin called, needing to move his dawdling little girls along.
The "frog" won the race, but not before falling and scraping her button nose. Grace didn't mind the scrape, as long as she won. Ellen didn't mind losing to her younger sister.
"Good work, Gracie!" she beamed, congratulating her with a hug outside the Scarlet's door.
Robin squatted down to meet their faces, and fondly lifted both girls onto his knees. "Now, I need you to remember your manners and be good girls. Don't let me down. And when your baby brother or sister comes, I'll be back for you straight away. Alright?"
"We'll be good, Daddy," Ellen promised.
Robin knew Ellen would be. His sweet little girl didn't seem to know how to be anything but good. It wasn't Ellen's behavior that concerned him.
Grace was his challenging child. Under her parents' care, she behaved herself...mostly. But she didn't appreciate being away from them, and her strong will and curious nature caused her to quickly wear out her welcome with anyone else.
"Hurts," Grace complained, touching her scraped nose.
Her daddy "kissed it better," then told her, "Aunt Djaq will fix you right up, Apple Blossom."
"No! Daddy do it." Grace thrust out her lower lip, protesting.
Robin steadied himself with a sigh. Realizing Grace missed her mother, he chose not to engage in a battle of wills. "How about if Aunt Djaq helps Daddy fix it? Would that suit?"
Grace considered, then threw her chubby little arms around his neck and gave his face a slobbery wet kiss.
"Good," Robin grinned. "Now, who wants to knock on the door?"
...
A short time later, Robin bid his daughters goodbye and hurried to his home, where Much, who had somehow gotten word, awaited him.
Will and Djaq looked at their twins playing happily with Robin's little girls.
"Will Scarlet," Djaq said quietly, "if I had known when I married you what I know now, I would have made you vow, 'I, Will, promise not to leave you, Djaq, alone with Grace at naptime.' "
"How hard can it be to get one little girl to fall asleep?" Will asked, in firm denial of the truth.
Djaq looked intently into her husband's hazel eyes. They both knew the answer to that question.
