Gabrielle was greeted with every eye on her as she entered the throne room. However, not a single sound was heard as the queen made her way before the king. Her heart beat thunderously in her chest. She looked up at her husband. He had woken up before her. She gasped at what she saw. He was dressed in black and red. The holy colors of retribution. It also made his white cursed hair stand out even more. She meet his ice blue eyes and slowly curtsied before him, before making her way to her swan throne.
The air was so thick in the room that you could it with a knife...no...feather. She felt the tension press into her shoulders so much that she worried she would collapse from the throne and make a scene. She gripped the edges of her armrests and pushed back into her swan throne for support. Finally, her husband took his scepter and banged it on the floor, signaling court was in secession. But today, it meant that the judgment was in order. The guards opened the door and a pile of nobles came with grave looks on their faces and they were white as sheets. She could tell that most of the women, and some of the men had been crying. These people were the Bluesparrow family. They lined in a large circle around the throne. Gabrielle's heart went out to the family. She wanted to show some kind of sympathy toward the family; but in the circumstances there was no way.
"Now bring out the defendants." Adrian ordered, his voice so low and dangerous that it made Gabrielle wince. Even though his wrath was in defense of her, not toward her. She didn't want to see anyone in the way of her husband's wrath. Memories flashed back to Isodara and her throat tightened so much that she was afraid she would lose air. She heard the dragging of chains and there entered the three girls who had attacked her. They had their hands cuffed in chains that were linked together and they sounded heavy by the way they were dragged on the floor.
Gabrielle doubted they were kept in such heavy chains because her king perceived them as a threat. More likely it was extra punishment. They had the same fancy clothes from when they attacked her. However, they were know torn and dirty from a night in the dungeons. Their faces and exposed skin was covered in snoot, but it did not obscure the bruises that Gabrielle had given them when she defended herself from their attacks. While she did not regret defending herself, she worried that her husband had not allowed them medication. Gabrielle wondered if he would go as far to deny them food. A head guard approached the them and bowed; Gabrielle nodded back to him in acknowledgment and respect.
"Presenting Lady Emily Bluesparrow, Lady Grace Bluesparrow, and Lady Rhonda Bluesparrow." The guard announced. Adrian spoke,
"Do you confess that you attacked my queen and wife on a holy day." The Bluesparrow cousins bowed their heads. Gabrielle wasn't sure if it was from guilt from what they did to her, or fear of her husband. If she had too, the queen would bet the latter. Finally, Rhonda Bluesparrow, the oldest of the cousins spoke.
"We do, your majesty." Her voice was trembling and her body was shaking so badly that Gabrielle worried that she would collapse. Adrian turned his wrathful ice blue eyes toward the other two cousins.
"Do you also confess to this?" A chorus of yes, your majesty followed. Adrian banged his scepter on the floor.
"I will pass judgment now. Since it is clear the Bluesparrow family cannot keep their family in line and from disrespecting the my crown I will strip them of their noble titles." At this the crowd, along with Gabrielle, gave out a gasp. She had expected her husband to be harsh, but she never imagined that he would go so far as to punish an entire family for the acts of only a few. Her husband continued, "Your estate will be confiscated by the crown and given to more worthier nobles. You will all now live as commoners." At this several of the Bluesparrow women began to weep loudly and then rest of the women and men's mouth dropped and now they were surly sheet white. She looked over at her king and he was about to bang his scepter down a third time which would make the punishment official. Gabrielle could take no more.
She suddenly rose from her seat and cried,
"No, please!" Her husband stopped his scepter only an inch before it hit the floor. He and the rest of the court turned their full attention to the queen. Gabrielle swallowed. She had to tread very carefully here. She could not risk usurping the king's authority and argue with him. That would make him look weak. She went before his throne and knelt down before him, taking his free hand into her hands. This was a sign of great respect from any wife to her husband along with the appearance she was being submissive to him.
"What is it, my queen? Do you not approve of my punishment for the transgressions against you?" Gabrielle had to word herself very carefully so she seemed as submissive and respectful to her husband in public as she could.
"My Lord, may I have permission to speak freely and beseech you of my thoughts on the punishment." For a terrify moment her husband paused and Gabrielle looked up to him with pleading eyes, as she prayed to Hestia that he would listen to her. Then to her greatest relief (And probably more to the Bluesparrow's) he gently laid his scepter on the ground, not a bang. So judgment would not be given.
"You may speak, my queen."
"I thank you for your mercy and patience with, my lord." She bowed her head in respect to him. "I ask for your mercy toward the Bluesparrow family. I do not want to see the whole family punished for the transgressions of the few." Adrian looked down at her.
"Do you just want the Bluesparrow cousins to lose their noble status?" Her husband asked her calmly. Gabrielle bit her lip, she had to word this carefully.
"No, my lord, I have no desire for anyone to lose their status, not even the ones who attacked me." Adrian gave her an incredulous look.
"Do you suggest they go unpunished? You know I will not allow such a thing, my queen." From his tone it was clear that the Bluesparrow cousins would not get away with this. Not like she expected anything else. Gabrielle shook her head.
"No, my lord, I just request that I can have some word in the punishment as both victim and your wife." She prayed dearly, he would head her request.
"What do you suggest?" Gabrielle gave a slight sigh of relief at getting his permission, but at the same time she knew she had not yet guaranteed the safety of the Bluesparrow cousins, or family. She rose up and bowed to her husband. She then turned and walked to the women who had attacked her.
She saw the pleading gazed of the Bluesparrow family on her; pleading that she would save them from the fate of losing status.
"Have you girls been given anything to eat since you've been in the dungeons?" She asked kindly, and she heard a confused mummer around the room. Why was the queen asking how they were, she could hear them in her mind. The Bluesparrow cousins looked at each other. Not sure what to say, then Rhonda Bluesparrow spoke.
"No, your majesty, we have not received a thing to eat." She admitted. Gabrielle didn't like heating that, but at the same time she had expected such an answer.
"Have you been given any medical care for bruises?" She asked, though the queen already knew the answer.
"No, your majesty, we have not." She told her. Gabrielle tried to think of how to word this next.
"The dress you tore was given made by Miss Goose. She has been my friend long before I was queen and she is very special to me. She worked very hard on that. Also I didn't clean up the mess that you made and neither did you. The temple servants had to do that. Did you ever think of the people whose work you made harder? You didn't just hurt me, you hurt many others." The Bluesparrow cousins said nothing. Gabrielle doubted they knew what to say.
"I think you all should learn the value of hard work. I served my stepmother as a servant for many years and it taught me to be humble and appreciate the work that servants and commoners do. I think you could benefit from that. I think you all should be made to live as maids for a month."
"Make it a year." Called Adrian's voice behind her. Gabrielle held back a wince at that. But she was not going to argue with her husband on a lighter punishment. It would only make her look like a shrewish wife and she knew she could not get her husband to show any more lenience. She turned back to Adrian and bowed.
"Thank you, my lord, for listening to my humble counsel. I would like to beseech you more to give the ladies food and pain killing tea in order to help their bruises heal faster." The king's pause gave Gabrielle worry that she had asked too much from him. But he simply nodded.
"It will be granted. I will say this. The Bluesparrow cousins will not serve in their families manors were they might be granted leniency, but to serve in the palace under the eyes of my trusted servants." Gabrielle smiled up at her husband before bowing to him.
"Thank you, for your mercy, my lord." With that she walked back up the steps to the Swan throne. She looked down to see the relieved faces of the Bluesparrow family. Some of the women were still crying, but it was clearly out of relief than sorrow. Adrian turned his attention back towards the Bluesparrow cousins.
"My queen and wife has just save you and your family. I suggest you show her proper respect before I change my mind since I refuse to reward the ungrateful." Without another action all the cousins went onto their knees and prostrated themselves before her. Then one of the Bluesparrow family members also did this and soon the whole family was prostrated before her. Adrian said nothing at this display for a few moments.
"You may rise." He told them and the family members did. With that Adrian banged his scepter to the ground.
"My judgment has been passed and the Bluesparrow family is dismissed." Slowly the family poured out of the throne room and the girls were lead away in chains.
"Now what else is there today." Adrian said causally and the rest of court began.
The next day was Sunday, and Gabrielle had just finished her training secession with Kianda and was sitting by her window seat reading a book. She heard a knock at the door.
"Your majesty, some gifts have arrived for you." Gabrielle blinked in confusion. It was nowhere near her birthday, or any sort of holiday. She placed her book down, went out, and followed the servant toward the foyer. When she saw what was in it she left out a loud gasp.
There was not just some presents, but many. An entire pile of well dressed gift boxes of all shapes and sizes.
"But...who...who would send me all these?" She asked in confusion.
"They are from the Bluesparrow family. As a gift from saving them from losing their titles." Gabrielle was shocked and humbled by such a generous display. She was not use to being reward like this. She woke up of her haze and shook her head.
"I can't possibly accept all these." She stated simply, "Please send them back, but with my thanks."
"Actually, My queen, I would advise against that." The servant told him and Gabrielle gave him a puzzled look.
"If you send them back it would be seen as an insult to the Bluesparrow family." Gabrielle thought this over that was true.
"But there is just so much. I couldn't possibly fit all this in mine and the king's chambers." She said looking over the pile. It would probably take her the rest of the day to open them.
"Most of it is probably fashions that can be put into spare dressing rooms, your majesty." Gabrielle nodded and went over to the pile.
"Please call in Miss Goose, so we can open them all together." The guard went right away and when he came back with Miss Goose the fae's mouth dropped.
"Well, you can't call the Bluesparrow's ungrateful." She said still in awe of it.
"Will you help me open it, Miss Goose?" The older woman smiled and together they started opening the gifts and such. Piles of dresses, accessories, fabrics, jewels, and small porcelain figurines were given. However, Gabrielle's favorite by far was a small painted statue of Hestia she would defiantly be carrying this back to her room. When they done, the servants carried away most of the excess too other rooms.
Gabrielle was so thankful for her husband's mercy. However, over the next weeks her health began to decline. She got up before her husband so he wouldn't know she vomited. Smells seemed to make her so sensitive, and she was crying when she was alone. Her training with Kianda made her more sweater than usual and finally, she had to quiet. Gabrielle didn't tell Adrian about this. She didn't want to cause any worry in him and she was sure this would pass...somehow.
It was one Sunday morning, when Gabrielle was trying to get into a dress when she realized the corset strings wouldn't lace. The queen had become to wide for them. She gasped, what the hell had happened? She didn't understand why she would gain weight. She quickly loosen the strings and pulled on a loose gown. She prayed that Adrian had not noticed her weight gain. The queen would have to stop eating pastries...even though she hadn't been eating many to begin with. Suddenly there was a knock on her door.
"Your majesty, your sisters are here." Gabrielle let out a happy cry and rushed to the door. There was a guard with Rosella and Estelle. The stepsisters quickly embraced each other.
"Get us some tea, please." She asked the guard, and she ushered her sisters to sit down with her. The girls were grinning so much.
"So tell me, how have things been up in the manor?"
"Well, Lisette has moved in." Estelle announced, and Gabrielle stared at her and then Rosella. Did her curly haired stepsister know? Reading her mind, Rosella answered.
"I caught them together." She told Gabrielle. "I was shocked at first...and to be honest rather disgusted." She bowed her head in shame. "I didn't know what to think of my sister being a woman lover. But then after several days I came to realize it didn't really matter what my sister did in her private life. I made a vow to the Gods to become a better person and especially a better sister. So I went up to her and apologized." Gabrielle was both surprised and impressed at her older stepsister's maturity at this.
"I am proud of you, Rosella." She told her.
"Thank you, Gabrielle. That means a lot coming from you considering how I treated you..and now I can never make up for it." Her voice became quiet at the last part. Gabrielle gently placed her hand over Rosella's.
"I forgave you a long time ago, Rosella. I promise you, I have." Rosella meet her green eyes and stared at her.
"I don't doubt you because you've been cursed to have a pure heart. But a part of me wonders if you weren't pure hearted if you could ever truly forgive me if you were like everyone else." At this Gabrielle couldn't think of an answer. She had never truly considered what she would be like without a pure heart.
"I can't say I would know what I would be without a pure heart, but I hope I would be wise enough to realize that holding onto hate and anger even at those who've wronged you is foolish. In the end you end up hurting more than the person you hate. Living with hate and anger can destroy all good in your life." Silence followed, as all girls were unsure of what to say next.
"So how have things been going on at home with Peter now helping you with the fiances." She changed the topic. Estelle spoke up,
"It has been going well. However, Peter nearly had a heart attack when he saw the mess that Isodara had made of the fiances. He made us cut down on the lavish lifestyle our mother had for us and we had to sell some of our things. He said it was necessary to lower the taxes on the peasants, immediately." Gabrielle thought back to Isodara's spending habits and how she had to raise taxes so often just to afford it. She could imagine how shocked the dwarf lord had been to see such a mess.
"It was a different transition." Rosella admitted. She had enjoyed far more of Isodara's attention than her sister, "But it wasn't as difficult as I thought and most of what I sold I hadn't worn in years." There was a knock at the door. The queen stood up.
"That must be the tea." She hurried to the door to let a servant in with a tray of tea." The maid placed a teapot along with cups, saucers, a sugar bowl, and milk on the table. Gabrielle thanked her and the maid left. Gabrielle played good hostess and served her sisters up some tea. Both thanked her and Gabrielle made herself a cup, before sitting down with them. Estelle turned to her.
"Gabrielle...we have heard so much about you. They call you the beautiful Swan Queen and adore you. Peter says he doesn't think that such a queen has been loved since King Adrian's grandmother, Queen Serena." Gabrielle blushed,
"I don't think I have done that much." She admitted, she didn't feel worthy of such respect from her subjects.
"Well apparently the people think you are worthy of it." Rosella bluntly stated as she sipped her tea. Gabrielle thought over the things she had done from giving that widow part of her allowance to sparing the Bluesparrow family. Had she really done enough to endure herself to her people in such a short amount of time? Her thoughts were interrupted by Estelle,
"How are you doing Gabrielle? You know how we are doing and we know what the people think of you, but how are you doing." At this the queen frowned. What should she say? She looked at both her stepsisters and took a deep breath.
"To be honest...I'm not doing well...health wise." If she had to admit it to anyone, it ought to be her sisters. Their faces turned to horror.
"What's wrong, Gabrielle?" Rosella immediately questioned.
"I have been throwing up almost every morning, but have been hiding it from my husband. So many smells overpower me and I have gained weight. I had to loosen the cords of my corset this morning." She expected her sisters to have looks of concern on their faces, but instead their faces were ones of surprise and they stared at her in silence for a while. Their staring was starting to make Gabrielle feel uncomfortable. Finally, Estelle cleared her throat.
"Gabrielle...are you have regular intercourse with your husband?" Gabrielle turned a deep red.
"Why are you asking that? What does that have to do with anything?" Why on earth would her stepsisters want to know. Rosella spoke up,
"Gabrielle you do realize what happens when a healthy young woman has regular intercourse with a man...don't you?" At this, Gabrielle dropped her teacup, its contents spilling and shattering on the floor. Her stepsisters were instantly at her side. The young queen was shaking badly. Rosella placed her hands on her shoulders.
"Gabrielle.." She whispered, "Are you all right?" Her voice was hesitant. Gabrielle gave a shaky nod.
"You think I'm pregnant." She stated,
"From the sounds...of it...you seem like you are." Rosella carefully stated, "But it might be something else." Estelle leaned in.
"When was the last time you bleed?" This only made Gabrielle's nerves worse.
"About...two months ago." A deafening silence filled the air. Gabrielle stood up, the chair backing behind her.
"If you would excuse me...there is someone I need to talk too." She picked skirts and started to leave.
"Gabrielle, where are you going?" questioned Estelle.
"Are you going to tell your husband?" Asked Rosella. This caused her to pause.
"No..not yet, at least. There is someone else. Please entertain yourselves while I am gone." She gave them a curtsey before, rushing out the door. She didn't give them a chance to say another word. The queen rushed through the halls as fast as she could. She couldn't hide the worry on her face and she knew some gossip would spread. She made her way through the halls, avoiding nobles and servants alike.
Finally, she made it. She opened the doors to see Miss Goose sewing the hem of a gown. The fae looked up at her with a smile, but dropped it when she saw the expression on Gabrielle's face.
"What's wrong my dear." The blonde turned around and locked the door before walking up to her old friend.
"Can...you tell when a woman is pregnant." Miss Goose dropped the needle.
"You think...you are pregnant?" Gabrielle paused, and then gave a nod. Miss Goose said nothing more and ushered her over. Gabrielle hesitantly came over. Miss Goose then pressed her hand over her lower stomach and Gabrielle felt the warm glow of magic. The fae's eyes widened, before she removed her hand.
"My queen...not only are you pregnant, but you are carrying twins."