Love
twenty-something

The sky was dark and threatening, allowing no natural light to stream into the hall despite the mid-afternoon hour. Violet paced outside the double doors at the end of hallway, clutching a corner of her apron between her hands. She had never been comfortable with this, never comfortable with all of the changes that came about immediately after. But who was she to question things like that? It wasn't her place. She could only help as much as her station allowed, though her station might not have allowed what she did.

Lightning flashed, thunder immediately roared, Violet jumped and the click of determined heels filled the hall. She dropped her apron back into place, already missing its comfort, and drew herself up as tall as she could stand as the King walked down the hall with alacrity. He had always been so unassuming before, Violet had hardly noticed him. But now, with regal posture and determination, he was impossible not to notice. His traveling cloak billowed out behind him as his long gate ate up the hallway before him. He stopped in front of Violet, who curtsied and kept her head bowed.

"Thank you," he said in an almost imperceptible whisper, "for calling me."

"Yes, your Majesty." He reached for the door, but Violet's hand beat him to it. She looked up at him and paled as his eyes narrowed at her.

"What are you doing?"

"All due respect, your Majesty, you can't go in. I-it's not a man's place."

Violet was certain that he grew three feet taller in that instant as he took a step towards her, looming over her. She trembled in his presence and cursed herself as she stepped aside, unable to guard the door against him. Blessedly, he didn't spare her a second look after she stepped aside and he opened the door and stepped in the room.

Violet could see Sofia's eyes light up when she saw her King before another pain of contraction had her eyes shut tight as she screamed through the agony. Tears and sweat were already streaming down her face from her efforts and, in a minute, she was given a brief respite and fell back into her pillows. She turned her head to her King, her lover, as he stood frozen by the door.

"I still don't forgive you," she said, gulping in deep breaths.

"I know." Violet couldn't see his face, but she could hear the sorcerer, not the King, in his voice this time.

"Especially now," she let out a bitter laugh as she started to clutch at the sheets around her, preparing for the next round of pain.

Lightning flashed again, followed much more distantly by thunder. Sofia held out her hand and Cedric was beside her in an instant, taking her hand in his. He was far enough from the door that Violet almost missed his next words.

"I still love you."

Violet, knowing her place was outside of this private moment, began to close the door.

Sofia sucked air in between her teeth in a hiss of pain, her grip tightening around his hand. "I know," she cried, wincing, "I love you, too."


A/N: This ending feels like a bit of a cop-out to me, as it's a rather angsty little drabble. I wanted to channel Sofia's inner Han Solo but it ultimately didn't feel right, not in the high-emotional state that is giving birth. You see, she DOES love him. That doesn't mean this story gives them a happily ever after.
I imagined that Sofia married Cedric and that happy union happened to coincide with the Royal family vanishing/dying/etc. Something happened to make Sofia blame Cedric on some level, after they've conceived this child, and they separate. Sofia refuses to see him. But when Sofia goes into labor, Violet (because chamber maids know EVERYTHING) knows Sofia wants him there, know she still loves him, calls Cedric and this is the first Cedric hears that Sofia is pregnant at all! dun dun dunnnnn!