Zelgadis was not used to giving a damn about what others thought of him or about seeking the approval of others. So having a picnic with Gene and Winnie the next day was unaccustomedly nerve wracking. While Zel usually paid no mind to what people thought of his parenting, now he was unnaturally sensitive to every glance that Gene threw at him as he found himself second guessing every move he made with Benny as they ate a picnic lunch in the palace gardens.
Was he being too strict when he insisted Benny eat his carrots? Or was he too lenient when he eventually gave in and let Benny eat his cookies after struggling unsuccessfully with carrot eating to the point where Benny was in tears? Was he being overprotective when he insisted Benny stay within ten feet of him, or too careless when Benny ended up pushing the boundary a bit further than that? Was he wrong to raise his voice when Benny wasn't paying attention to where he was going and nearly ran into a post, or should he have given him a full out scolding for not paying attention?
Zelgadis knew what he would do under each of those circumstances unwatched, and that he never would have second guessed himself if he hadn't been watched. Yet one thing his brief time as a parent had taught him was that everyone's definition of too strict and too lenient seemed to change. What if Gene was watching him, thinking he was a miserable excuse for a parent and that there was no way he would leave Benny with him?
As they finished eating Zelgadis found himself wishing that Gene and Winnie would decide to explore Seyruun on their own or spend time away from them so he could be with Benny without constantly feeling on guard. He ended up getting half of what he wanted. As they wrapped up Gene said casually, "I'd like to spend some time alone with my nephew."
Amelia and Zelgadis looked at each other, and Zel knew she was thinking the same thing he was. What if they took Benny and never returned with him?
"Look, it's hard for me to get to know him with you two around." Gene pointed out when he noticed their reaction, and given that Benny was currently wrapped around Zelgadis' leg, he did have to admit that Gene had a point.
"Of course." Amelia finally said diplomatically. What choice did they have? "What time will you be back?"
"Oh, late afternoon. Don't worry, we won't keep him out too late." Gene assured her.
Amelia put on one of her formal smiles, "Have fun, then!"
Zelgadis reached down to pick Benny up and toss him in the air before setting him down in front of Gene and Winnie, "Hey kiddo, you get to spend some time with your uncle for a bit! I'll see you tonight."
"You come too?" Benny asked.
"Sorry, just you and Uncle Gene and Aunt Winnie for the day." Zelgadis explained.
"No!" Benny cried as he clutched Zel, and Zel had to smile in satisfaction as he saw the look of shock on Gene's face, "I want you to come too!"
"Come on, we'll have lots of fun!" Gene said as he attempted to scoop up Benny, who screamed and wrapped himself even more tightly around Zelgadis.
Needless to say, it was the first time Zel appreciated one of Benny's tantrums.
Eventually they managed to pry Benny from Zel. And as Gene was holding him, asking them to go while Winnie watched looking exhausted and annoyed, Zelgadis hoped that Gene felt like a kidnapper. Now at his apartments with Amelia, Zelgadis stood at the window and hoped that they were having a miserable time, that Gene would decide that Benny was not worth the effort, that Winnie would put her foot down, that this nonsense about Gene leaving with Benny would end tonight when they brought him home.
If they brought him home.
It was so quiet now without Benny. Zelgadis sighed as he stared out of the window nervously, reflecting that for the first time in his life he was wondering how he would ever get used to the quiet. Usually breaks from Benny were times to rejuvenate as he tried to figure out which of the things he seldom had time for anymore to tackle. But today he just couldn't focus on any of those. His fears that Benny would never be returned were too overwhelming. And least he thought he was overreacting, Amelia lay in bed in the next room in a fit of nerves.
When he heard footsteps approach the hallway, he raced to the door, and opened it barely after they knocked. Gene was holding Benny who looked…happy. Way too happy. Happier than Benny should be with Gene. Zelgadis couldn't help but feel a bit betrayed.
"He calmed down as soon as you two got out of sight." Gene explained as he handed Benny over when he reached for Zelgadis. "You know how kids are. We had a great time!"
"Good." Zelgadis said stiffly as he felt Gene was reproving him a bit for hovering over Benny too much as he heard Amelia exit the bedroom and run to Benny.
"We'll see you at breakfast tomorrow." Gene said.
"We look forward to it." Amelia lied.
Amelia listened courteously as Gene listed his plans for the day as she forced the food into her mouth without really tasting it. As a royal princess, she simply was not used to someone else having so much say over her life. When she wanted something, she got it. But now, here she was groveling to a near stranger for her son.
Of course, given her position she could use her power and influence to take what she wanted. She could slander Gene as a drunkard and a child abuser and worshipper of Shabranigdo. She could go to a judge friendly to her to decide who Benny should reside with. She could just banish Gene and Winnie from Seyruun and never have to worry about them again. But none of those things would be the action of a just person.
Oh, stupid, rotten justice!
Amelia looked distastefully at her porridge as Gene said, "So I'd like to get an idea of what your day is like so I can know what Benny's typical day will be. So, Benny, what do you do after breakfast?"
"I play!" Benny said brightly.
"Who do you play with?" Gene asked.
"Sean and Travis and Eddie and Nanny." Benny said.
Amelia dropped her spoon as she saw the look on Gene's face. "Nanny?" he said, and then he stared at them accusingly, "But you said there was no nanny!"
"She's not ours!" Amelia insisted, "Sean, Travis and Eddie are my nephews, and they have a nanny who watches them, and Benny when he is with them. But Benny does not have his own nanny. The only time he's with her is when he's playing with them!"
"Which, I suppose, is twenty hours a day while you tend to the luxuries of royal life and leave the hard work to the paid help!" Gene roared.
"Gene, calm down." Winnie begged, "Remember who we're speaking to!"
Indeed, Amelia felt an unusual rage sweep through her. Why the hell did she have to justify herself to him? Indeed, Amelia never felt as close to putting someone in the dungeon for impertinence as she did now! Her father had always counseled against it. Doing so created tyrants and led people to rule through fear, which was a travesty of justice. All the same, Gene was out of line, and it would be a convenient excuse to get him out of the way while they laid the ground work for taking Benny.
"So do you and Winnie watch your girls twenty four seven without a break?" Zelgadis asked, "Because it seems as though you abandoned them to their grandparents for days while you tracked Benny down."
Gene turned red, "Their grandparents are blood, not paid help! It's completely different! I've seen enough, this has all been a farce! I'm taking Benny now!"
Benny looked pale as he looked at each of the adults. Amelia wasn't sure he understood what was happening, but the malice in the air was thick. Zelgadis moved between Gene and the door as he said, "You never wanted to give us a fair chance! You were looking for something, anything to use against us!"
"I have high standards for who I leave my kin with!" Gene charged back as he grabbed Benny, "Let's go."
Benny started to shriek. "Please don't!" Amelia begged.
"Out of our way!" Gene said as he held a struggling Benny to him, "Or is all of your talk about being a justice loving monarch just talk?"
Amelia dissolved into tears. Zelgadis glared at Gene, but then got out of the way to wrap an arm around Amelia. They did not watch as Gene fled out of the room with Benny. Winnie stopped for a moment and looked at them, "I'll talk to him." And then she too disappeared as Benny's screams resonated through the halls.
Neither of them said anything for a long time. And when Zelgadis did speak, it was bitterly, "I never should have let him leave with him."
Amelia's eyes, meanwhile, set, "This isn't over yet."
The first thing Amelia did was send word to the guards that Gene and Winnie were not allowed to leave with Benny until the documents of their relation to him were verified. Then she sent a page to them to gather the documents to take them to a judge to validate their authenticity. While Amelia felt that they were valid, her purpose was more in delaying them and buying time for Gene to change his mind than to uncover a conspiracy that did not exist.
Then Amelia and Zelgadis went down to the library and started to scour the books for a legal precedent where a child was given to adoptive parents over a blood relative, preferably a case involving peasants. Amelia tried to ignore how scummy she felt as she did this. Still, in her heart she knew that the best place for Benny was with her and Zelgadis, and that having him get used to a new family would just traumatize him further. So she read.
They read into the night as their eyes grew red rimmed and bleary. Still, they could not give into despair yet. And if this did not end in their favor, they weren't going to give up without being able to tell Benny they did everything in their power to get him back.
The sun was rising in the horizon, bestowing a warm glow in the library when Sylphiel walked in. "Miss Amelia, Mr. Zelgadis, I finally found you!"
Zelgadis and Amelia braced themselves, "What is it?" Amelia asked as she stood in alarm, "They didn't leave with Benny, did they?"
"No, no, Benny is still here." She assured them as she walked up to their table and took a seat, "When I came in to the temple to do my rounds this morning I learned that Winnie's water broke last night. She wasn't expecting to have her babies until another two months, but they arrived early this morning."
Amelia felt her heart pound. "Is everyone okay?"
"Winnie is fine. She's a bit overwhelmed, naturally. They were expecting twins, but it turns out there was a third one in there that went undetected until the birth. All three are alive, but you know how it is with babies born this early. They have a long road ahead."
Amelia felt a strange mix of emotions. Jealousy that Winnie had just had three new babies and may still take Benny from her. And hope. Winnie was already reluctant to take Benny. Surely with three pre-term babies to care for dealing with him would be one child too many! "Are they still wanting Benny?" Zelgadis asked.
Sylphiel bit her lip, "If it was up to Winnie he would have gone back to you last night. Gene wasn't with there when they were born because he was taking care of him. They don't have any friends or family here to help them, so Winnie had no one she knew with her during her labor. Saying that she's a bit upset with him right now is a bit of an understatement. Gene insists that they can manage, I think the grief he feels over his sister's death is so great that it's preventing him from seeing things clearly. I must say, even people with twins are overwhelmed without the help of family. I just can't imagine tackling all that they are on their own!"
"Any chance that they'll try to leave?" Zelgadis asked.
"They can't. The triplets aren't strong enough to travel. While it is a risk that parents sometimes abandon babies in these instances, especially since a wet nurse will be needed because even if Winnie wanted to there's no way she could nurse them all, Winnie is set against it and won't hear of leaving without them."
Amelia gasped. Sylphiel and Zelgadis looked at her. "What?"
"I have an idea!"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Zelgadis snapped at Amelia as they walked down the hallway, trailed by a wet nurse.
"Positive." Amelia said. "Gene and Winnie are overburdened. We're going to do everything we can to help them and prove to them that we are good people."
Zelgadis shook his head, "That will do no good when Gene has his mind set against us! Better to let them fail and see that there is no way they can do this on their own, especially when they reunite with their other two."
"And let Benny suffer in the meantime?" Amelia asked.
"It's better than hanging around them all the time and giving Gene more ammo to use against us!" Zelgadis countered.
"Trust me!" Amelia said as they reached the temple where the healing rooms were.
Zelgadis sighed in annoyance, but managed to reign it in when they walked into the temple. He watched as Amelia asked for directions for where Winnie and Gene were as he shifted a box in his hands. Then he followed her quietly, hoping that trusting her would be the right choice.
When they walked in Winnie was sitting up in bed with three babies cocooned around her chest. Gene was sitting with Benny, who screeched, "Mommy! Daddy!" when he saw Zel and Amelia and ran to them.
"Get back here!" Gene scolded.
"Gene." Winnie snapped.
"Hey kiddo." Zelgadis said as he sat the box down and knelt to hug him.
"What are you doing here?" Gene asked pointedly.
"We heard about your arrivals." Amelia said, "And we wanted to offer our congratulations and to bestow some gifts upon you."
"We don't need your charity." Gene said.
"It's rude to refuse gifts from royals!" Winnie rushed in, "Forgive him. It's been a long night. We will happily accept your gifts."
Amelia reigned in her annoyance with Gene as she silently thanked Winnie, "The first gift is Nan's service. She nursed the three royal sons of Crowned Princess Gracia and they are now strong and thriving. I have paid for her services to assist you."
Gene opened his mouth to protest, but Winnie cut in, "Thank you so much, Princess."
"Winnie…"
Amelia smiled. By accepting Nan, Gene would be in the position of putting his children in the hands of a paid caretaker, making his grounds for taking Benny because of Gracia's nanny rather flimsy. Winnie glared at him, "I only have two breasts! I can't feed all three of them! Do I need to get Sylphiel in here to explain it to you again?"
"We can even provide another wet nurse if need be, to lessen the burden on you." Amelia offered.
"Thank you." Gene said curtly, "Winnie can manage." After a few moments he added, "With Nan."
"I'll let you know if I need help." Winnie said courteously, and then she looked at Nan, "Please take this one. He's having difficultly latching."
"What are you calling him?"
"Tre for now." Winnie said with a laugh. "We thought we'd have a few more months to figure out names."
"Our second gift." Amelia said, as Benny starting pulling on her and Zel's hands in an attempt to drag them to the door, which made Gene turn red with silent indignation, "Is a set of diapers, linens, swaddling blankets, and clothing to clothe and shelter your new bundles."
Zelgadis lifted the box a little, "Where should I set this?"
"Set it there. Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much this means to us. We have no supplies here whatsoever." Winnie said emphatically as if making up for her husband's rudeness.
"Please let us know what else we can do." Amelia said, and then Zelgadis had to stifle a laugh as she said, "Would you like for us to pay for your twin daughter's travel expenses so you can all be together?"
"I do hate to be away from them for so long." Winnie said as Zelgadis hoped they would say yes. He so wanted to see them manage six children, three of them preemies, one a traumatized toddler, on their own! And then watch as they came begging at his doorstep for forgiveness! "But I don't know how we'll manage all six of them. Perhaps if…"
"We'll get back to you on that." Gene snapped, cutting her off.
Benny asked to be picked up, and Zelgadis did so, and this time Gene sent him a look of resignation as Amelia finished, "Once again, the kingdom of Seyruun offers its congratulations on your new arrivals. Please let us know what we can do to help. We shall leave you alone now to bond with your new family."
"I go with you!" Benny said.
Gene opened his mouth to protest, but Winnie jumped in, "That would be wonderful! He's so bored here."
"Winnie!" Gene protested.
"Just bring him to the apartments when it's time for bed." Winnie instructed, and Zelgadis couldn't help but note she was leaving Gene to deal with his night terrors, which had likely resurged after being taken from Zelgadis and Amelia, on his own while she stayed in the temple with the babies. Smart move, Winnie.
As they walked out of the temple with Benny bouncing merrily beside them, Amelia turned to Zelgadis and smiled. "See?"
The next few months passed by in a blur of activity. Every day Amelia and Zelgadis went by the temple to help Winnie with the triplets. They'd stay for a few hours as, with three babies and a toddler, there was always plenty to help out with, and often leave with Benny, and return him to Gene in the evening, who looked increasingly haggard and tired as the weeks dragged on. And when the triplets were strong enough to leave the temple (though not to travel), they visited Winnie and Gene in their apartments, taking a perverse satisfaction in how overwhelmed the couple seemed. Even with the addition of a second wet nurse.
And with the arrival of their toddler twin daughters around the corner, Zelgadis and Amelia were certain that soon, when they brought Benny to them for the evening, Gene would beg them to take him for the night.
"I'll say, it is nice getting to help Winnie with her babies so much!" Amelia commented as they walked to Winnie and Gene's apartment one morning, "I've never gotten to spend so much time with little babies before, not even my nephews."
"It is a bit nice." Zelgadis said, "Still, I won't feel comfortable until…"
Suddenly they heard Winnie screaming hysterically from the apartment. Zelgadis and Amelia looked at each other, and Amelia grabbed his hand for a moment, "Whatever it is, you'll have to cover for me. Aunt Flo is here."
He nodded, and they rushed into the apartments without knocking and found Winnie screaming hysterically as she held Tre, who was a bad shade of blue. Gene and the midwives rushed over to see what was happening and Zelgadis felt taken aback. When there was trouble he was so used to it being in the form of demons and mazoku that this was the last thing he was expecting!
"Stand aside!" Amelia ordered as she made her way through the small crowd, "Let me have him."
Winnie handed him over as she stuttered, "I'd just put him down for a second and when I went to check on him…"
Amelia put her head to the infant's chest and then laid him on the floor and used two fingers to start doing compressions. "Zel, I need you to do a modified Mono Volt to restart his heart."
He listened as she gave him the variation on the familiar spell and then knelt down beside her and cast it. The little body jerked alarmingly, but then he started to sputter and cry. A collective sigh of relief went through the room, and Zelgadis scooped the baby up and handed him to Winnie, who continued to cry as she held him while Gene wrapped an arm around his wife and son as he cried in relief.
"Let's get him to the temple and have him looked at." Amelia said.
"Thank you." Winnie said as she nodded.
Zelgadis was mildly surprised when Winnie and Gene came to their chambers later in the day to talk. Not to mention hopeful. As usual, Amelia insisted that everyone be seated and that tea and cookies were doled out before the matter at hand was discussed. And while it was frustrating, Zelgadis had to admit, there was something that was becoming soothing about the ritual, and starting a conversation this way had a way of breaking the awkwardness and tension that arose when he met with certain people.
When everyone was comfortable and Amelia had finally asked what had brought them here, Gene looked them in the eye and said, "I wanted to apologize for misjudging you."
Amelia grabbed Zelgadis' hand as Gene continued, "I felt so guilty for not being there to help my sister and my parents when the town was attacked. I thought, perhaps if I'd never left home I could have saved them. We'll never know if I could have, but it was hard for me to let go of Benny without feeling like I was betraying Eileen. Even if I left him with the best of people, they wouldn't have the same instincts for what to do if something went wrong like I would have. It wasn't rational, but it's what I was thinking."
"It's understandable." Amelia offered.
Gene sighed, "After this morning, though, I see that there is no better place for Benny to be with than with you."
Zelgadis slumped forward in relief as Amelia started to cry. "I'm sorry." She said as Winnie reached out and patted her knee, "This has just been such a long ordeal."
"It's okay, Princess." Winnie said.
"So he gets to stay with us for the night?" Zelgadis said.
"Every night." Gene said. "I'm ready to sign the papers giving you custody."
Amelia rang for an aide, "I'll get those drawn up right now!"
"There's more." Winnie said.
"Oh?" Amelia asked nervously.
Gene smiled sheepishly, "While we joked that the names Prima, Secunda and Tre were going to stick around as we've gone this long without naming the triplets, well, we always knew that Prima was going to be named for Eileen. Secunda and Tre we were stuck on, though. After this morning, Winnie and I decided on names for them and we wanted you two to be the first to know that we're going to call them Amelia and Zelgadis."
Zelgadis felt his mouth drop. He'd never had someone name a child after him! Amelia, as a popular royal princess, was used to it. But him? "We can't give you much," Gene said, "Especially after what you've given to us, but we thought this would be a good way to honor you for saving our son's life."
"We are honored." Amelia replied as Zel felt at a loss for words. For years he'd waited for the people of Seyruun to see who he was behind the myth of the pitiful creature Amelia had married out of sympathy or the evil chimera waiting to corrupt her goodness. He thought it would never happen, but finally, it was.
"We were also hoping," Winnie said, "That you would honor us by being their godparents."
Zelgadis was glad that Amelia could speak for them, because his voice was still missing in action as she said, "Of course."
Zelgadis grasped Amelia's hands as they stared at Gene and Winnie as the realization that they were not just gaining a son, but a whole extended family dawned on them. Amelia, Zel reflected, was right. Sometimes all you have to do is kill someone with kindness for things to work out.