*Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!
"Are you feeling okay, Love?" Roman asked his wife as she stopped mid-stride on their way to talk with Emma about what occurred with Carlisle and Victoria the previous day.
"Just a little pain," she responded as she picked up her stride. "I'll be all right," she promised.
"Should I call the physician to come do an exam? You know what he said about getting upset and getting overwhelmed. It's not healthy for you or the baby. Maybe I should call him just to make sure everything is all right."
"No," she said placing her hand on his forearm. "I promise I am well. I just get pain from the baby kicking from time to time. Do you want to feel it moving?"
"I can feel it?" he asked with a small smile. "I can actually feel the baby moving?"
"You should be able to," she said with a smile as she took his hand into hers. "Just touch right here," she said placing his hand on her growing stomach. The baby moved inside her womb and she said, "do you feel it?"
"That's beautiful," he said with a smile as he kept his hand on her stomach as the life within her moved and flipped about. He felt a sense of pride that he and Alexandra created something so precious, so beautiful. He was anxiously awaiting the arrival of their unborn child. He was anxious to see if they were blessed with a son or a daughter; a son being preferred by many but he wanted a healthy baby. That's all that mattered to him. He wanted to know if the baby would favor his Romanian gypsy ancestry or would the baby favor Alexandra and her fair skin, light hair and light eyes. He was certain their child would be the most beautiful creature he ever laid his eyes upon. "It is really active," he said.
"I never thought I would feel so much movement," she said with a smile. "If I hadn't known better I would say there are two babies in there but that's impossible."
"Two babies? Twins?" he asked nervously.
"Hypothetically but sometimes it feels like two little lives are growing in my womb."
"That would be frightening, I'm just learning how to be a father to Emma, I am nervous about having one baby I couldn't imagine having two babies."
"You need not worry, Love. There is one baby," she said with a smile as she took his hand into hers and they descended down the spiral staircase of the palace.
Roman and Alexandra took their seats at the dining room table and were shortly joined by their daughter Emma. Carlisle came into the dining room to wait on them, seeing if there was anything he could bring to them. Alexandra and Roman requested tea with biscuits while Emma requested milk with porridge. Carlisle left the dining room with a guard trailing behind him to observe and make sure the food and tea made it to Alexandra, Roman and Emma clean and free of any harm. "Good morning, Emma," said Alexandra with a smile.
"Good morning, Mummy," she said with a shy smile.
"Come," said Alexandra with a smile patting her lap. Emma walked over to Alexandra and climbed onto her lap. "How are you?"
"I'm well, Mummy," she said with a soft childlike smile.
"Papa, told me you were asking about going back to the orphanage yesterday, why would you believe we would send you back to the orphanage?"
"If I did something bad," she responded with her head down as Alexandra ran her fingers through her hair. "I wouldn't want to go back to the orphanage."
"Why would you believe you did something bad, Emma? You're a wonderful little girl and you mean so much to your Papa and I. You could never do anything bad and even if you did we would not send you back to the orphanage. Your home is with us here in the palace. We would never send you back to the orphanage, we love you too much and you're our family. "
"I'm never going back to the orphanage?"
"Never," said Alexandra with a smile as she tapped her tiny nose. "You're here to stay."
"I want to stay forever," she said with a smile. "Do you promise?"
"I promise," she said with a smile before she kissed her forehead. "Papa told me you were talking to Carlisle and Princess Victoria yesterday?"
"Yes, Mummy," she said softly.
"Did Carlisle say anything to you that would scare you or make you believe that we would send you back to the orphanage?"
"No, Mummy," she lied.
"You understand that if he did you can tell Papa or me."
"I know Mummy," she said. "Everything was good," she said.
"You seemed scared, Emma," interrupted Roman. "Are you positive that they didn't scare you?"
"Yes, Papa," she said with a nod. "They did not scare me. Carlisle and Princess Victoria do not like Mummy."
"They don't?" asked Alexandra not surprised by the fact that they do not favor her. "They said that?"
"They don't want you to be Queen," said Emma, "and they were talking about someone named Henry."
"Henry?" asked Alexandra. "Do they know where Henry is?"
"I think so," said Emma. "Princess Victoria and Carlisle said they were going to kill him or have you find him."
"Is that so?" asked Alexandra, "they said that?"
"Yes, Mummy, please don't send me back to the orphanage for telling you," she cried.
"Oh, Emma," she said hugging her. "We're not sending you back to the orphanage," she said. "I love you," she said kissing away her tears as Carlisle came into the dining room. It took everything in Roman not to attack Carlisle as he walked into the dining room. He was better alive than dead. He could help them find Henry. "Carlisle," said Alexandra. "You're dismissed from your duties as the servant of the Queen of England."
"Your Majesty?" he asked dropping the tray of food.
"You're fired," she said, "but before we send you to your cell, you will help us find Henry."
"My cell? What are my crimes?" he asked.
"Treason against your Queen," said Alexandra, "Guards!" she summoned. Two of her guards came to her aide. "Shackle him, prepare him for our voyage, we're going to find my brother today," said Alexandra, "and fetch Princess Victoria. She will share a cell with Carlisle, her charge, treason," she said with a smile as she filled with joy she could finally punish Victoria for her crimes. She would find out more and then she would have both of their heads. The guards shackled Carlisle as Alexandra stood to her feet, stumbling slightly as she felt light headed. "Carlisle, you will lead me to my brother," she said, "if you refuse I will have your head by evening."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I want a search done of Carlisle's room," ordered Alexandra, "and a search of Princess Victoria's home." One of the guards nodded and set off to arrest Princess Victoria before they held a search of her properties and a search of Carlisle's home.
Alexandra much to Roman's dismay traveled alone with three of her guards and a shackled Carlisle to find Henry. He didn't want her to go alone but she insisted it would be better for Henry that it just be Alexandra no one knew what his condition was. "How could you do this, Carlisle, I trusted you. You were like family to us."
"You're too young to be Queen, Alexandra, too naïve you married a gypsy man," he said. "Ruling over England is not for you Victoria deserves to be queen."
"Over my dead body," she responded. "I love my country and I will be a great ruler."
"That could be arranged, Alexandra," he threatened.
"You're in no position to threaten me," she said.
"You don't understand," he said, "arresting myself and Victoria that is a mistake. The nobles will not have it. Many of your enemies will not have it and they will revolt against you. You're endangering your life and the lives of those you love. You're endangering England," he said. "The revolution will happen and you cannot stop it. They will rise up against you. Do the right thing, Alexandra, give up the throne to the rightful Queen and leave England."
"I am the rightful Queen. I am the heiress to the throne. I am the rightful Queen. Victoria is nothing. She will never be Queen."
"Do not say I didn't warn you," he said, "you will regret your choice. Arresting your aunt and myself is proof you're not ready to rule the country. You're bringing harm to everyone around you. Step down, release us," he said.
"I cannot do that," she responded. "You committed treason, there is no escape from your punishment. How could you do this to my mother? You knew how much she loved Henry, how could you put her through the agony and my father?"
"You were enough trouble, I thought your father would send you off to boarding school one day after your mother died but he was determined to keep you in the castle, have tutors come to the castle to teach you your studies. Had we gotten rid of you, we could have easily gotten rid of your father and Victoria would have ruled until you came of age but your father ruined those plans and with Henry missing and you away at boarding school underage Victoria would have been crowned Queen."
"Regent Queen," she corrected. "And I would have come back to take my rightful place as the heir to the throne of England."
"Unless you disappeared we would have had no choice but to make Victoria the Queen of England but your father was stubborn and loved you too much. We had to take care of your father just like we needed to take care of your mother," he said. "And after we took care of your father, we were going to take care of you but you could not allow that to happen," he confessed. "You needed to run off marry that gypsy man and get pregnant with that bastard child you're carrying. You ruined everything Alexandra."
"You and Victoria killed my father and my mother?"
"Don't act naïve," he said, "you knew the truth all along."
"Carlisle, my parents trusted you."
"Victoria is the rightful Queen of England. She should have taken the throne before your father. She was robbed from her rightful right."
"My grandmother delivered my father first," she said.
"So the doctor recalls," he said, "Victoria was born minutes before your father, the throne belongs to her, Alexandra."
"My father is Victoria's twin?"
"Don't be stupid girl," he yelled. "Boy girl twins are difficult to determine a ruler. King Arthur or Prince Arthur came minutes after Queen Victoria but he was given the throne because he was a male and Victoria was not."
"But my grandmother ruled England."
"Because there was no male heir," he said. "You really are too stupid to be Queen. Do the right thing Alexandra, I take you to your brother, you give up your crown, release us and leave England."
"I will not turn my back on my country," she said. "I will not betray my people like you have done. You have committed two murders, kidnapping and treason. You will not walk away from your crimes."
"There is no proof, Alexandra," he said. "There is no proof of our crimes."
"It will be proven," she said, "I promise you that, Carlisle, now direct him where to go."
The carriage pulled up to an abandoned barn in the middle of nowhere after a morning of travel. They hid Henry well so that no one could find him. The guard helped Alexandra out of the carriage as a shackled Carlisle sat in the carriage while she was finally going to meet the brother she had never met before. The guard guided her inside after making sure the barn was safe. It had smelled wretched in there of rotten food and floor was covered with dirt. The guard took Alexandra to the stables that once held horses. They stopped at a stable that had a boy sitting in a corner rocking back and forth, mumbling to himself in the darkness. "Henry," said Alexandra softly.
The young man stopped rocking and mumbling before he slowly turned around. Alexandra's breath caught in her throat. She wasn't expecting to see the face she had seen. Henry suffered from a facial deformity causing his lip to curl up to his nose and his yellow rotten teeth sticking out. He shuddered when he saw Alexandra in front of him. "Henry," said Alexandra again.
"W-w-who are y-y-ou?" he stumbled on his words.
"Henry, I'm your sister Alexandra," she said softly with tears in her eyes.
"N-n-n-no," he said covering his face. "Y-y-y-you're d-d-dead," he stumbled.
"No," she said with tears running down her cheek. "I'm alive. They told you that. I'm here to help you, I'm here to take you back to the castle," she said.
"W-W-What Castle?"
"Your home," she said extending her hand to him. He looked like their father. He had his light hair and his dark eyes. He was King Arthur's twin. His facial deformity meant nothing to Alexandra, she found her brother and she was going to save him from the hell he endured the last 15 or 16 years. Henry looked at her hand and lifted his own shaking. "Come on," she said. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said. "I promise. Take my hand," she offered. "Please." Henry looked at her hand and then back up at his sister. He felt something between them, a bond he had never felt with anyone else. Alexandra was feeling the same bond, they belonged to each other, they were siblings. "Please, Henry, you can trust me. Do you trust me?" she asked. His dark eyes met her green eyes and he saw the sincerity in her eyes. The truth and love in her eyes made him relax. He quickly broke eye contact and shaking he placed his dirty hand into hers. She clasped his hand into hers and they both felt the electric spark between them. She helped Henry up from the floor and pulled him into the light. She gasped not ready for the full glimpse of his face. She took her free hand and touched his face. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she touched over his deformity. "Henry," she cried. "I've been looking for you." He took his hand and placed it on her cheek, wiping away her tears. They were drawn together and as they dropped hands they shared an embrace together. She kissed his cheek softly. "You're coming home," she said with a smile. "Where you belong."
They began to walk through the barn to make their way to the carriage. Alexandra felt a sharp pain in her stomach as she walked. She stopped to keep her balance as she felt light headed and wait for the pain to pass. "Your majesty, are you well?" asked the guard.
"I'm fine," she said holding onto her stomach.
"Are you certain?" he asked.
"I'm certain," she said. "Let's take Henry home," she said as she let go of the wall to take her first step unassisted. The barn spun around her as she tried to walk, her head light and fluffy, the pain in her stomach unbearable. She collapsed to the floor of the barn.
"Queen Alexandra!" yelled the guard as he and Henry came to her aide as she lay unconscious on the ground of the barn. "We need to get her to the doctor," the guard told Henry as he rolled her over to see her sweating profusely. He checked for a pulse. "Quickly," he said as he scooped her up from the dingy floor to carry her to the carriage. Henry wobbled behind them trying to keep up. The guard laid Alexandra onto the seat of the carriage and sat with her as another guard helped Henry onto the carriage. "We need to go to the doctor, the Queen is not well," he ordered. And the carriage took off to the doctor.
*A/N: What do you think of Alexandra's theory on possibly carrying twins, do you believe she could be? What did you think of Roman's reaction to feeling their child move? Are you glad Emma told Alexandra about Carlisle and Victoria? What do you think about them being arrested, do they deserve it? What do you think of Carlisle admitting it all to Alexandra? Will there be proof of their crimes, will the people truly revolt against Alexandra? What do you think of King Arthur and Princess Victoria being twins? Who is the rightful heir to the throne? What do you think of Alexandra finding her brother? What did you think of their interaction? Finally what do you think is wrong with Alexandra, will she make it? Please review and thank-you for reading.
