The door swung open and hit the stone wall on the side. The slam of the opening door echoed throughout the walls of Merthin's lair. Merthin, who had been sitting down and concentrating on the crystal stone had fallen off his chair and looked up to the Queen in horror. The Queen of Castile stalked slowly towards him, pointing a finger.
"The Queen is upset." Merthin said bowing his head down. He listened to the Queen's raspy breathing.
"I am exceptionally angry at you Merthin. I have waited nearly 200 years for immortality and I haven't been assured of that. Merthin I need you to hand me my youth. I need my youth before my heir is born." She said, her eyes glowing red. Merthin looked away quickly and nodded.
"Yes your Majesty." Merthin said. The Queen did not leave. Instead, she stood there as if she were waiting for something.
"There has been rumor about the Philosopher's Stone. Have you heard anything of the sort?" the Queen asked casually. Merthin had indeed heard about the Philosopher's Stone. It had been currently in the hands of Nicolas Flamel.
"No I have not my Queen." Merthin said. His heart pounded inside of him and he wished the Queen hadn't caught him lying. The last thing he wanted to hand over the Queen was immortality. He hated her deeply and a thousand deaths played over his mind, waiting for him to choose which one he would love to act upon.
"Tell me if you hear of the Stone. It will do me great outcomes Merthin." She said leaving. Merthin kept his head down and heard her stop nearby the door. "I also have seen the girl and Robert the builder together in the fields. I see she has stopped trying to pursue my husband the King. It won't be far away until he sees her treachery and snatch our son from her very womb." She left the room and Merthin looked up, shaking with fear and anger. He was going to send Jade, Draco and their child after the Queen would be killed.
Jade was four months into her pregnancy and she couldn't hide her secret anymore. She didn't think she would be so worried about showing her pregnancy to everyone, but since Robert had come along, Jade was dreading to tell him.
"What am I going to tell him? How am I going to tell him?" Jade asked, running over the slight bulge in her lower abdomen. Annabelle shrugged, not looking interested. She hadn't been feeling too well these days and looked sick.
"Are you all right Belle?" Jade asked, gathering Annabelle's long blonde hair. She tied it and fanned Annabelle's face, trying to alleviate her nausea. Annabelle jerked forward and vomited near the bushes. Jade held on to Annabelle, hearing Annabelle retch and empty her stomach from the morning's food. Jade wondered why Annabelle was suffering from a stomach illness so suddenly. Jade felt fine and so did everyone else. Something clicked in Jade's mind. The way she had also suffered from a 'mysterious illness' had turned out to be something that Helena called "A phase that all mothers go through." Jade said to herself.
"Annabelle…you're pregnant." Jade said. Annabelle looked up, looking surprised and then guilty after that. "Oh my God." Jade said smoothing Annabelle's hair out.
The two friends sat there silently, thinking about what they had just discovered. Jade looked at Annabelle who chuckled nervously. Annabelle turned towards Jade and signed that their child together were going to be born and would be good friends just like they were. Jade couldn't help but giggle and nod. She took Annabelle's hand and wrapped an arm around her.
"My child is your child and your child is mine." Jade said. They heard someone coming and straightened up to see Tallis walking by. He stopped to see Jade and Annabelle together and bowed his head slightly.
"Tallis would you please send Peter?" Jade asked. Annabelle immediately went to protest but Jade quieted her down. "Immediately." Jade told Tallis who nodded confusedly. He ran back and Jade turned to Annabelle.
"Belle you need to tell Peter. Besides, your mother would be heartbroken to see you pregnant and unmarried. She never lets me hear the end of it and I'm not even her daughter!" Jade said. Annabelle bit her lip, thinking things over. She looked at Jade and pointed to her.
"Me? Who would I tell? Robert? I don't know Belle. I don't know how to tell him." Jade said. Peter arrived with Tallis and smiled when he saw both Jade and Annabelle together.
"Hello." Peter said pleasantly. He kissed Annabelle's cheek and frowned when he saw Annabelle's pale face. "What is going on? Are you sick Annabelle?" Peter asked touching Annabelle's hand.
"Peter! Tallis where is your brother off to now?" Robert yelled. Peter turned around to see Robert appear, looking tired and wild. "Peter we only have to set the mortar, that's all. You can speak to Annabelle as much as you want after that. Hello sweetheart." Robert said seeing Jade.
"Annabelle looks sick. Can you manage without me?" Peter asked. Robert looked at Jade who stood up quickly and took his hand.
"Of course he can. Take care you two." Jade said as she pulled Robert away. Robert looked confused and kept turning back to look at Peter who spoke to Annabelle.
"What's wrong with Annabelle?" Robert asked Jade. They both walked to the site where the men had been preparing to pour the mortar on the stones.
"Annabelle's expecting. Peter's going to be a father." Jade said. It was as if Jade had told Robert that he himself was going to be a father. Robert cracked a smile and his eyebrows shot up. He looked at Jade with intense surprise and let out a small laugh.
"Peter's going to become a father? Peter and Annabelle?" Robert asked. Jade nodded. Robert pulled Jade into a hug, squeezing her tightly.
"She's telling him right now. She's about a month or so along." Jade said against Robert's chest.
"He's been constantly telling me that he'd love to have children with her. For a while he'd been planning to ask Annabelle's mother for Annabelle's hand in marriage." Robert said, letting Jade go. Jade smiled, her mind still fixated on how she would be telling him that she was expecting a child that was not his.
"Robert, I need to tell you something as well." Jade said. Robert ran the back of his hand down Jade's cheek and kissed her forehead.
"Oh no...are you expecting as well? You have put on some weight I see." Robert said. Jade tried to smile but she found it difficult for her to play along.
"Forgive me, I am merely jesting. Besides I must go. We need to set the mortar in and I'll be finished soon. Could you wait for me then?" Robert asked. Jade nodded immediately, feeling the temporary relief.
"Of course, yes." Jade said. Robert smiled and leaned in to kiss her.
"I promise to see you soon love." He whispered before kissing her. Jade didn't want to let go of him. Feeling him separate from her left a nagging emptiness. She held on to him tighter as he kissed her with a longing that she desired. He broke their kiss and chuckled, hearing her moan in protest.
"I promise you I will give you my time and attention when I return…I love you." he said.
Jade froze her entire body and looked at him with astonishment. He had told her he loved her so soon, was that normal in the 1300's? Robert placed a final kiss on her mouth and said something that Jade didn't hear. She was still reeling from the shock of his proclamation. What did she feel for him? Robert walked away from Jade, waving his hand at her and saying something she wasn't paying attention to.