Chapter 3-Consequences

About six weeks passed. Adam, Adora, and their respective spouses generally tried to avoid Edwina. Mealtimes could be a bit awkward. Edwina claimed that her pregnancy was making her emotional; therefore any outbursts or temper tantrums could be excused. Her behavior improved somewhat when King Randor informed her that if she didn't make any attempt to tone it down, she would have her meals in her room.

One day, a guard came into the throne room saying that Count Marzo was at the palace gate and wished to come in. "I invited him here, I want to try to reconcile with him," Edwina said in a haughty tone. "Our daughter is due in two weeks."

"You would have done well to inform me first, Edwina," Randor said, his tone stern.

"I didn't think about that, Uncle," Edwina said in a dismissive tone.

Adora had to keep from rolling her eyes. Her cousin never thought of anyone except herself. Edwina had just turned twenty-six but she behaved like a three-year-old.

"You need to start thinking about these things in the future, dear," Queen Marlena said in a gentle tone. Adora knew that her mother's patience was at an end and that she was disguising it.

Edwina's only response was a roll of her eyes.


Count Marzo was put in the same room as his wife, at Edwina's request (or rather, command). Adora still felt uneasy having him around; he still looked at her lecherously and she tried to avoid him whenever possible.

Adora was headed down the corridor to check on her daughter one day when Marzo came out of another room. "Adora...my beauty," he said to her.

"You have the wrong cousin, I'm afraid," Adora said.

Marzo leaned in close to her and she found herself backed up against a wall. He put his hands on the wall, on either side of her head. "I bet I can give you an even better-looking child," he said in a low voice.

Adora's heart was racing. She quickly brought her knee up as forcefully as she could, getting him in the abdomen. As he backed away she gave him a good kick right between the legs. He howled as he slumped to the floor, and Adora ran to her suite.

Sea Hawk was in their room, playing with their daughter, when Adora burst in. "What happened?" he asked as he sat Marissa down in the middle of their bed.

"Marzo...he...he..." Adora managed to tell her husband what Marzo had done-and what she had done.

"Both of them need thrown out of here. It doesn't look like there's any trouble between them," Sea Hawk growled as he hugged her.

Suddenly, Queen Marlena burst into the room. "Adora! Sea Hawk! There's been terrible news!" she cried.

Adora stood up straight, and Sea Hawk picked up their daughter so she wouldn't roll off the bed. "What is it, Mother?" she asked.

"Your Aunt has died in a fire!" Marlena cried.

"Edwina's mother?" Sea Hawk asked.

"We just got word...it happened last night, while her husband was on a diplomatic mission," Marlena said, tears running down her cheeks. "She was like a sister to me..."

Adora went over and hugged her mother, tears streaming down her own cheeks.


A few days later, Adora and her family traveled to the Plains Kingdom, which Edwina's father, Milton, ruled. The auburn-haired King Milton looked broken; his beloved wife had burned to death.

As they stood in the kingdom's main graveyard to say their final farewells to Queen Mira, Princess of Eternia, Adora studied her cousin Edwina carefully. Edwina didn't seem to be terribly upset over the loss of her mother. Her main complaint was that she had at least two whole weeks to go before she gave birth, and it was so hard to walk.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Uncle Milton," Adora whispered after the service. She was holding Marissa but she managed to hug him. He kissed her cheek in return and gave his grandniece a kiss on her cheek as well.

"Thank you, Adora," he said.

"You know we'll help you if we can," said Adam.

Milton looked over to where Edwina was chatting it up with some friends. "My daughter won't be of help, she's too busy looking out for herself," he said sadly. He shook his head. "Where did we go wrong? I fear for my soon-to-be-born granddaughter."

Marlena hugged her brother-in-law. "You have Mira's family, Milton," she told him sincerely.

There was a meal at Milton's castle after the funeral. The mood was somber, as if people knew something wasn't exactly right. Rumors were flying that the fire was no accident; it was a hideous act of arson. Word was that Marzo had visited with his mother-in-law that night, but by the time the firefighters came, he wasn't there.

"I bet you anything it was Marzo," Adam said to Adora quietly as they sat down at their meal.

"I think so too," said Teela as she fed some baby food to Duncan, who was sitting in a high chair. "I just wish we had real proof. Marzo is so slippery."

"Father will have the matter investigated," said Adam.

"Better find out where Marzo was that entire night," Sea Hawk put in.

"Don't any of you worry, this will be looked into closely," said the elder Duncan.

Adora looked across the room to where Edwina was sitting with her husband and some friends. Edwina seemed to be thriving off the drama; she enjoyed the attention, and she seemed to think that it was all about her. With the death of her aunt-an heir to the throne of Eternia-Adora was even more convinced that her family was in danger.

Marzo looked up and returned Adora's glare with a smile that made her all the more uncomfortable. Adora quickly averted her gaze and turned her attention to her daughter. She had already told her father what had happened a few days ago; there had been no time to do anything about it because that was when they had found out about Mira's death. Randor planned to keep close tabs on Marzo, which meant letting him and Edwina stay at the palace-but confined to their suite. He felt strongly that Marzo was responsible for his younger sister's death and he wasn't going to let the attack on Adora go unpunished.


The following day, Adora and her family returned to Eternos. Later on, her father planned on announcing that Marzo and Edwina were to be confined to their suite until an investigation was made.

The babies were put down for naps. "I'm going to go to the den to relax," Adora told Sea Hawk as she lightly kissed his lips. "It's just been crazy the past few days."

"All right. I'll get our things put away, and I think I'll join you in a little while," Sea Hawk said as he gently cupped her cheek in his hand.

Adora headed down the corridor to the main den. It was still so unreal...her aunt was dead, and her cousin's husband might have had something to do with it. She just wanted a little bit of time alone to process things. She went and lounged on one of the couches.

"Well, well, look who's decided to join us," said an evil-sounding voice.

Adora looked up and saw Marzo and Edwina enter the room. "I'll just be going," she said.

"No, stay. I have something to tell you," Marzo said as he approached the couch. He unsheathed a knife from his belt. Edwina stood nearby, looking smug. "I killed your aunt. Edwina and I are going to get rid of all of you, and since her mother is dead, we will rule Eternia together!" His gaze traveled up and down Adora's body. "First, I want to have fun with you, I've been denied it for so long, and you decided to marry that pirate..."

"Why don't you just dispatch her and get it over with?" Edwina snapped.

"Quiet, woman. Think of it as your cousin getting what's coming to her!"

Edwina came over and tried to pull her husband off Adora. Much to Adora's surprise, he gave her a mighty shove backwards and she fell, slamming her head on a nearby coffee table. Adora screamed as he then held the knife at her throat.

Suddenly, someone else burst into the room. It was Adam and Sea Hawk. "He's going to kill us all!" Adora cried.

Marzo raised the dagger, prepared to drive it into her heart, but Sea Hawk quickly kicked him in the side, knocking him over and away from Adora. "Adora, get out of here now!" Sea Hawk told his wife.

At that point guards came pouring in. Marzo had leaped to his feet and was wrestling with Sea Hawk. One guard helped Adora out of the fray. "This way, Your Highness," he said.

Adora watched fearfully from outside the room. Two guards came out carrying Edwina's body. "The countess is dead but the infant may yet be saved," one of them said as they ran in the direction of the infirmary.

Finally Sea Hawk emerged, blood on him. "Hawk-you're hurt!"

"No, more like that Marzo is dead. With his own dagger," he said grimly. "His murdering days are over."


A little while later, Adora was holding a newborn infant, Countess Kerianne, in her arms. The baby girl had managed to survive the death of her mother. She had not been without oxygen for very long, so she would be fine. Edwina had been thirty-eight weeks along, so Kerianne was considered full-term.

Edwina had died of a head injury. When she fell and hit her head, death had not been instantaneous, which gave Kerianne a chance at life. Adora gazed down at the infant, who was her child's second cousin. She was a countess twice over; her father had been a count and her mother Duchess of Eternia. She might be sent to live with her grandfather, King Milton. For now, Adora had volunteered to nurse her young cousin along with her own daughter.

"I can only hope that nothing bad was passed on to you, little one," Adora whispered to the dark-haired infant, who was fast asleep in her arms as Adora sat in Marissa's nursery. "I can only hope you turn out to be a good person like your maternal grandparents."

Sea Hawk emerged from the bathroom, dressed in clean clothing. "That poor baby," he said, shaking his head.

"I don't know if I'd say that, given what her parents were like," Adora replied. She looked up at her husband. "She would have been raised without love, I'm sure of it."

"Do you think King Milton will want to raise her?"

"I don't know," Adora replied. "Father said he would leave it up to Milton. If he doesn't want to raise her, Kerianne has a home here. Teela said she would help take care of her. What do you think, Hawk?"

"I'm all right with caring for her. At least here, she will be around children her age-her cousins." He paused. "What do we tell her about her parents when she's older?"

"The truth, as she's able to handle it," Adora replied. "Hawk, when you killed Marzo, that was in self-defense."

"It was," he nodded.

It was almost a week before the funerals were conducted in the Plains Kingdom. King Milton was looking like a man totally defeated. "I think I should raise my granddaughter, Randor. She is heir to the throne. I am not that old; I think I may be around for a good long while, barring any mishaps," Milton told him after Marzo and Edwina were buried.

Adora handed little Kerianne to her grandfather. "This is your grandpa, Kerianne," Adora told her. "He will take care of you."

"She's a beautiful baby," Milton said as he gently took his granddaughter into his arms. "She has such beautiful blue eyes."

"She's a quiet baby, Uncle," Adora added with a smile. "She only cries if she needs anything. And if she wants to be cuddled."

Kerianne seemed to be content in her grandfather's arms. She dozed off, a peaceful look on her face, totally oblivious to the chaos around her.

-end-

A/N This may be the end of this story, but I will have more stories coming!