The loud bell that awakens many people, chimed one o'clock. Jonathan
got up from his seat where he was sitting with some friends and ladies from
Court.
"Jon where you going?" Gary turned from talking to Cythera to Jon.
"I have to go somewhere. You know my Mother's ordered me to get Sophia in Corus. So I'm going to meet her."
"You never said you had to meet her! How long have you known she was coming to Corus?"
"About a week. They took it slow coming here. You know she doesn't like coming here that much especially at the moment." Everyone around about the two men and Raoul where looking at each other with looks of confusion. Raoul was looking at the two of them paying attention to what was being said. "I need to go, I'll be late."
"You'll bring her up here to see us?"
"Of course. I'm under strict orders. Do you really think I'd get out of that with my parents? Not with the trouble I'm already in, I have a funny feeling I'm going to be in the bad books for at least another month maybe two. If you'll all excuse me?" he quickly bowed and left.
"Gary, who's Sophia?"
"It's a girl he's known most of her life. He hasn't seen her much though so he's gone to see her in the city."
"Why couldn't he see her here?" Raoul and Gary laughed.
"Sophia and her companions wouldn't like to be here."
"Companions? Can she not visit on her own?" Delia scoffed.
"No, she can't. She's not old enough to come on her own. She's not even a year old."
"Sophia's a child?"
"Yes, from what I've seen a cute one to. You'd just want to take her home with you."
"How does his Highness know the girl?" one of the ladies asked suspiciously.
"Eh, his parents have known Sophia's mother since she was a child. Well she's her adoptive mother."
"Are we all going to get some lunch now?" Dafeenie always the peacekeeper asked. Gary gave her a small look of gratitude.
"Hello Alanna." She jumped round when she felt him tap her shoulder.
"Hello Jon."
"Sophia!" Jon called to the girl Alanna had in her arms. He took her little hand in his while calling her name. She turned round from looking all over the square and laughed. She put her arms out towards Jon and almost fell out of Alanna's arms. Jon put out his arms to carry her and Alanna handed her over.
"Have you had something to eat yet?" He shifted Sophia to his other side so he could see Alanna easier.
"No, I haven't but she's had something at 11. She'll eat something no matter what time it is."
"Cakes?" Sophia started trying to look through Jon's pockets. Alanna leaned forward and took one of Sophia's hands making her look at her mother.
"No, no cakes for you. You have to have something else to eat first." Sophia turned back around to Jon and fiddled with his hair. "Looks like someone's in the huff." Jon smiled.
"I know a quiet place you haven't been before do you want to go there?"
"Okay."
"Thanks for lunch it was nice. We should go. We'll meet tomorrow?"
"Do you have to? I want to spend more time with her."
"I can leave her with you and then pick her up later."
"I want that. I want to see her more than I do."
"I know that! I want you to see her more, it's just." she leaned further over the table so as that nobody else may here what she says.
"It's just you don't want to go anywhere I am." He looked down away from her eyes. She reached for his hand and took it firmly in hers. He looked up and met her eyes.
"Let's not start that again. You know it's not like that. You can't stay away from Corus as much as I want to be away from it. I don't like Court, you know I don't and I hate especially now after what's happened. I don't know if I can take it if I came back now."
"I know it's just so frustrating! I love her, she's my daughter, and I want to see her. I miss her constantly. I know you're still really mad at me I would be too and I'm sorry. I know we can't go back to the way we were. Can we not try? At least for Sophia."
"I know Jon, but it's going to take awhile. You're right I'm upset and you're upset, we're both upset. We'll go back to the inn and I'll get some more stuff together for her and you can have her for the whole day. I'll be able to get some sleep; finally."
"She'll be okay with me the whole day?"
"Yeah, she likes you. I can tell. Give her a cake or a sweet and she'll be fine."
"Cake? Sweetie?" Sophia sat up more paying more attention.
"No! Come on we'll go to the inn and get some things." She stood up and he followed carrying Sophia before paying for lunch.
"We're going to meet Grandpa and Grandma now. If you're good I'll give you a cake. But since you've been good so far you can get one now too." He gave her a small chocolate out of a mixture he had just bought off of a market stall. The small girl took it and started eating it. Jon started to make his way up to the palace from the city looking for anyone he knew.
"Jonny!" He looked about him for the person who shouted his name.
"Swift! I haven't seen you in a while."
"I know. I'd been sent t' Galla by George to meet with the Rogue there."
"Why does he want to meet the Gallan Rogue?"
"I shouldn't tell you. So who's the sprog?"
"Sprog? Don't call her that, she's my Goddaughter."
"Since when have you been a Godfather?"
"About a year. We have to go now."
"I'll see you later?"
"Not for a couple of weeks probably."
"I won't be there then. I'm getting married! I'm going to be an honest man in the south." Jon laughed. Sophia looked at him and then laughed also.
"You an honest man! I'll have to see that one-day. Where are you going to be living? If I'm down your way I'll come and see you."
"Galore, just west of Pearlmouth."
"I'll remember that. It's been good seeing you, but my parents are waiting for me. They want to see the kid. One day we'll have to share another drink together."
"We will don't worry." He hugged Jon a goodbye and walked off with a smile on his face at the thought of his wife to be. Jon and Sophia carried on up the way to the Palace and the meeting with his parents. As the Palace got nearer he slowed down at the thought of what is parents were going to be like.
"Jon where you going?" Gary turned from talking to Cythera to Jon.
"I have to go somewhere. You know my Mother's ordered me to get Sophia in Corus. So I'm going to meet her."
"You never said you had to meet her! How long have you known she was coming to Corus?"
"About a week. They took it slow coming here. You know she doesn't like coming here that much especially at the moment." Everyone around about the two men and Raoul where looking at each other with looks of confusion. Raoul was looking at the two of them paying attention to what was being said. "I need to go, I'll be late."
"You'll bring her up here to see us?"
"Of course. I'm under strict orders. Do you really think I'd get out of that with my parents? Not with the trouble I'm already in, I have a funny feeling I'm going to be in the bad books for at least another month maybe two. If you'll all excuse me?" he quickly bowed and left.
"Gary, who's Sophia?"
"It's a girl he's known most of her life. He hasn't seen her much though so he's gone to see her in the city."
"Why couldn't he see her here?" Raoul and Gary laughed.
"Sophia and her companions wouldn't like to be here."
"Companions? Can she not visit on her own?" Delia scoffed.
"No, she can't. She's not old enough to come on her own. She's not even a year old."
"Sophia's a child?"
"Yes, from what I've seen a cute one to. You'd just want to take her home with you."
"How does his Highness know the girl?" one of the ladies asked suspiciously.
"Eh, his parents have known Sophia's mother since she was a child. Well she's her adoptive mother."
"Are we all going to get some lunch now?" Dafeenie always the peacekeeper asked. Gary gave her a small look of gratitude.
"Hello Alanna." She jumped round when she felt him tap her shoulder.
"Hello Jon."
"Sophia!" Jon called to the girl Alanna had in her arms. He took her little hand in his while calling her name. She turned round from looking all over the square and laughed. She put her arms out towards Jon and almost fell out of Alanna's arms. Jon put out his arms to carry her and Alanna handed her over.
"Have you had something to eat yet?" He shifted Sophia to his other side so he could see Alanna easier.
"No, I haven't but she's had something at 11. She'll eat something no matter what time it is."
"Cakes?" Sophia started trying to look through Jon's pockets. Alanna leaned forward and took one of Sophia's hands making her look at her mother.
"No, no cakes for you. You have to have something else to eat first." Sophia turned back around to Jon and fiddled with his hair. "Looks like someone's in the huff." Jon smiled.
"I know a quiet place you haven't been before do you want to go there?"
"Okay."
"Thanks for lunch it was nice. We should go. We'll meet tomorrow?"
"Do you have to? I want to spend more time with her."
"I can leave her with you and then pick her up later."
"I want that. I want to see her more than I do."
"I know that! I want you to see her more, it's just." she leaned further over the table so as that nobody else may here what she says.
"It's just you don't want to go anywhere I am." He looked down away from her eyes. She reached for his hand and took it firmly in hers. He looked up and met her eyes.
"Let's not start that again. You know it's not like that. You can't stay away from Corus as much as I want to be away from it. I don't like Court, you know I don't and I hate especially now after what's happened. I don't know if I can take it if I came back now."
"I know it's just so frustrating! I love her, she's my daughter, and I want to see her. I miss her constantly. I know you're still really mad at me I would be too and I'm sorry. I know we can't go back to the way we were. Can we not try? At least for Sophia."
"I know Jon, but it's going to take awhile. You're right I'm upset and you're upset, we're both upset. We'll go back to the inn and I'll get some more stuff together for her and you can have her for the whole day. I'll be able to get some sleep; finally."
"She'll be okay with me the whole day?"
"Yeah, she likes you. I can tell. Give her a cake or a sweet and she'll be fine."
"Cake? Sweetie?" Sophia sat up more paying more attention.
"No! Come on we'll go to the inn and get some things." She stood up and he followed carrying Sophia before paying for lunch.
"We're going to meet Grandpa and Grandma now. If you're good I'll give you a cake. But since you've been good so far you can get one now too." He gave her a small chocolate out of a mixture he had just bought off of a market stall. The small girl took it and started eating it. Jon started to make his way up to the palace from the city looking for anyone he knew.
"Jonny!" He looked about him for the person who shouted his name.
"Swift! I haven't seen you in a while."
"I know. I'd been sent t' Galla by George to meet with the Rogue there."
"Why does he want to meet the Gallan Rogue?"
"I shouldn't tell you. So who's the sprog?"
"Sprog? Don't call her that, she's my Goddaughter."
"Since when have you been a Godfather?"
"About a year. We have to go now."
"I'll see you later?"
"Not for a couple of weeks probably."
"I won't be there then. I'm getting married! I'm going to be an honest man in the south." Jon laughed. Sophia looked at him and then laughed also.
"You an honest man! I'll have to see that one-day. Where are you going to be living? If I'm down your way I'll come and see you."
"Galore, just west of Pearlmouth."
"I'll remember that. It's been good seeing you, but my parents are waiting for me. They want to see the kid. One day we'll have to share another drink together."
"We will don't worry." He hugged Jon a goodbye and walked off with a smile on his face at the thought of his wife to be. Jon and Sophia carried on up the way to the Palace and the meeting with his parents. As the Palace got nearer he slowed down at the thought of what is parents were going to be like.