Nela

"Oh wow—hi! Bob and Larry!" I smiled at them.

They beamed back. Well, Bob did. Larry just nodded.

"Nice to see you again too, Larry," James chimed in.

Bob grinned. "All the Zin troops are gone, you'll be happy to hear. Every single one of 'em. Blasted off the face of Deandra."
Phil grunted. "Deandra doesn't have a face."
"It's an expression, you idiot," I muttered under my breath.

The sky slowly turned rosy pink and began to stretch over the entire kingdom of Deandra.

"James!" Phillip whirled around, real panic written all over his chiseled face. "James, you have to run! Go to Aurora with the flower!"
James ran across the drawbridge and into the castle, and Phil and I followed.

Bob waved at me. "Princess Nela, Larry and I are headed back to Zin to find our wives and children."
Larry nodded, and Bob translated. "Larry says his most sincere farewell. You are truly great people, and fit to be Royals."
I smiled, and they ran off.

Phil was barking orders in the kitchen.

"Get water! No, not tap water, Macy, hot water! And she's gonna give birth so get towels! TOWELS! No, not TROWELS, TOWELS! And get all the hot water you can. Get blankets, get something to drink for me and Nela and James. And milk! Get Josh a milk bottle!"
I smiled as Phil thought of our son in these grave circumstances.

"Upstairs, Nela!" Phil yelled as he took the stairs three at a time to get to Aurora's room.

In Aurora's room, James was bent over Aurora.

He looked pleadingly at us. "How do I—"

Phil stepped forward. "Pour it down her throat!"
James looked shocked. "I don't want to!"
"DO YOU SEE ANOTHER WAY?" Phillip bellowed.

James drowned the flower in a cup of hot water, and then gently eased the golden liquid down Aurora's throat.

We waited.

Time passed.

She didn't wake.

My heart was beating in my ears. I held Josh tight to my chest.

She didn't wake.

James smacked the cup of flowerwater down onto the dresser and fell to his knees next to Aurora, tears leaking out of his eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he kept saying. "Aurora, I'm so sorry." He pressed his lips to hers, and then ran his fingers over her giant ballooning stomach. "Oh, God!" he wailed.

I saw Phillip do something I had never seen him do: he gave James a hug.

He just stood there, hugging his sobbing best friend, and whispered: "It's gonna be okay, James."

Tears involuntarily came out of my eyes.

Suddenly, there was a flash next to me, and the enchantress appeared.
James looked up.

"It's alright, James," said the enchantress with a kind smile. "Take the flowerwater. Now. Hurry, before we lose anymore time."
James picked it up. "And?" Tears still ran down his face.

"Give it to her...right now." The enchantress nodded.

James gently poured the liquid into her mouth.

The enchantress held up a hand. "Wait."
We waited.

Time passed.

Aurora was motionless and still, her face grayish.

And then suddenly—her eyes opened.

We all gasped.
James was right on top of her, hugging her tightly, kissing her pregnant belly, her lips. Aurora cried, burying her face into James' body. I gave Aurora a tight hug, and Phil did too, and even though he didn't look happy, I knew he was.

"Who are you?" Aurora asked the enchantress, wonder written in her light blue eyes.

She smiled. "Princess Buttercup," was all she said.

Aurora gasped and burst into tears again. "OHMYGOD," She kept saying over and over again, and looking at James.
"It's true," he said simply, through his tears.

Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

Just saying.


Phillip

I had to watch Josh while Nela talked to Aurora and James in her room.

I was just sitting alone because I didn't like being mushy with this strange little child, Josh.

But I was getting a bit fond of him—

Josh was telling me a story about a dragon, and I wasn't really listening.

Suddenly, he let out a scream. "DWAGGY!"
I glanced down at him. "What?"
"Dwaggy!" Tears ran down the child's face. "Dwaggy gone!"
I blinked. "It's gonna be okay. He's just a—"

Josh threw himself to the floor and began to throw an absolute tantrum. "I WANT DWAGGY! BAD BAD MAN! GIMME DWAGGY! HE IS THE KING!"
I closed my eyes.

Servants had begun to stare.

I stood up and waved my arms at them. "Well?! What are you waiting for? Go find his dragon!"
"What color?" asked a servant.

"What color?" I demanded to Josh.

He raised his head. "Wed."
"RED!" I barked at the servants. "GO!"


Five minutes later

"We couldn't find it, Your Highness," reported the servant. "We searched everywhere."

"Is that okay, Josh?" I asked, hoping for the best.

Fat chance.

"WAAAAAAAAH!" Josh responded.
"Make one then!" I yelled. "Ask the craftsmen to make a dragon stuffed animal! A huge one! In—what color, Josh?"
"Wed."
"WED!" I shook my head. "I MEAN RED! GO!"


About another ten minutes later

"Here it is!" The servant brought in a huge dragon stuffed animal, red, that looked almost exactly like Josh's old Draggy.

"Josh, look!" I picked him up and pointed. "Look! It's your Draggy! Go play with him!"
Josh looked at me admiringy. "He so big!"
I nodded.
"Bigga than meee!" Josh toddled over to the dragon, falling on top of him. He hugged the dragon tightly. "I wuv you Dwagon!"
My heart felt a little full and a little happy. Josh was actually beginning to grow on me. A lot. Despite his little annoying habits, I had to tolerate him.

After all, he was my son.

And we were alike in more ways than one.

I grinned. "So, buddy, are you gonna name him Draggy?"
Josh looked thoughtful, his arms still around the Dragon. Then he slowly walked over to me, with a few falls in between, and hugged my leg.

His blue eyes traveled slowly up to meet brown eyes.
"No," he said.

"No?" I asked. "What will you name him, champ?"
Josh gave me a tiny smile.

"Daddy."