Camlann
My friend has a Celtic baby name book but I am really that lazy that I couldn't be bothered. Anywho here's a chappy.
Kungfuchick
Tristan is going soft in regards to her but as we'll discover later he's still just as good at killing. Ops did I just give something away?
Devonshirelass
I hate meeting the parents it's so scary! Vira and Emile are definitely going to have to work at understanding each other.
Ani
Welcome to fanfic… careful it's addicting! Lol! I loved Dag too much to kill him!
Tomb Raider X
Hey school is horrible when it takes over. Evil school! Yes I'm expecting those chapters soon!
Mustang Gal
Larx coming back made a lot of people sad! I'm glad that you liked Vira and Emile not liking each other. The kids feature again in this chapter!
Chiefhow
Yes I suppose it could be why we love him. He is a master of the wry remarks
Winterstar-light
Welcome! I create images? That's good to know I thought it was a bit simple with regards to that!
Modernprincess
Galahads mum is my girl! I love her! Vira is a bit freaky! Galfus is um a guy who has it in for Emile… why? It will come to that!
Elvenstar5
Well then I know you can be kept happy if Tristan and Emile are together but I don't know if this is a plot twist or something that should be seen coming! Oh well here is a chappy.
Disclaimer: you know the gig! I don't own anything!
CAPTURE dedicated to the Aussies because of Australia day!
It had been five months to the day since the attack and another one had yet to come. I was quite obviously pregnant and incapable of doing most things I would normally do. Besides if I tried I would have a horde of nasty women swoop down on me. Fulicina, Zarch and Vira just to name a few. But above all I feared Vanora. I had taken to hiding from her but that was hard to do when you are my size.
I couldn't escape her that morning at breakfast. She was trying to make me eat something because I needed my strength. I just wasn't hungry.
"Eat it!" she commanded.
"No!" I yelled back. I suddenly burst in to tears. Guinevere had been a graceful beautiful pregnant woman. I was an emotional wreck. Tristan sat next to me and tried to focus on his food. He was swiftly becoming used to my emotional out bursts.
"How long is she going to stay like this?" Tristan calmly asked Bors who was seated next to him.
"Till she dies," Bors was disgruntled. He had had to deal with me as well, as had all the knights, and I wasn't even his wife. I continued to cry at absolutely nothing. When my sobs increased to howl that would rival Wolf's Tristan finally broke.
"Oh for the gods sake," And he carefully pulled me onto his lap and cradled me against his chest. Well it looked that way. Really he was just trying to muffle the weeping. Vanora had thrown up her hands and retreated. I watched her go through the corner of my eyes. As soon as she left I brightened.
Gawain was cuddling Lyndaal. The affection had gotten worse since we had found out a month ago that she was pregnant too. Lyndaal seemed to be handling it well. Why did everyone handle being pregnant better than I? I was still a bit teary.
"Am I fat?" I turned to whisper to Tristan.
"No," He responded flatly. It was a different tone to his emotionless one. His answer was flat because he had heard this sort of question in multitudes recently. I couldn't help it. It wasn't as if I had forsaken the role of Queen. I still had people scouring the known world looking for Galfus. And I knew Zephyrus had forgotten my existence.
"I'm craving chocolate," I informed Tristan.
"What?"
"Chocolate. It was invented… somewhere but the Franks and the Romans have it," I gave him hints.
"Emile, I have already been sent around the country by you to find things you want. But I'm not going Rome," He told me frustrated.
"I'd go to Rome for you," I told him seriously.
"I'll remember that next time I'm pregnant," He retorted smartly. I glared at him and bit my bottom lip to stop it trembling.
"Are you mocking me?" I asked in a deadly manner. He didn't answer and he didn't deny it.
'Fine," I snapped rising as queenly as I could from his lap, "No sex for you ever again."
And with that I flounced out of the room. Well more correctly I waddled from the room and I did this so slowly I caught the next conversation Tristan had. My threat hadn't shaken him he just kept eating as if nothing had happened.
"Are you going to go after her?" Bors asked him.
"She's only bluffing," Tristan replied. I heard Bors laugh.
"I don't know, mate. Vanora once promised never to bring me breakfast in bed again and she hasn't. That was a vow she made pregnant. They usually stick by them promises."
"So I should go after her?"
"If you ever want to make love again!" There was a long pause and then I heard the scratch of a chair being pushed back
"Emile, wait!"
I had reached the door and was still shuffling towards my rooms with Tristan. He caught up with me.
"I wasn't mocking you," He tried to convince me. I snorted at him and continued to move away. I was surprised when my feet were swept from under me and I was being carried in his arms. I glared at him.
"Am I supposed to forgive you just because you're acting chivalrous?"
"No I did it to spare my own sanity. You were walking so slow," He wasn't improving his situation. Why couldn't I love and simple man? One easy to get along with, who I could tell what to do? Why couldn't I love Lancelot? Where was Alera? I'm going to try and swap men!
Never mind. I loved Tristan too much to hand him over just because he deliberately annoyed me sometimes.
He put me down and I sank to me feet. Retreating to my pillow filled nook I had made for myself.
"I want apples," I told him from my snuggled up position. He crouched beside me and looked into my eyes.
"Will you smile and stop moping if I get them?" He questioned gravely. I nodded and placed my hand over my heart.
"I promise," I tried to sound sincere. He rolled his eyes and went to leave muttering something about having a thief as the future mother of his son.
"Mashed up," I called after him, pushing my luck.
"I'll get Vanora to do it," He told me pausing by the door.
"No," I gasped, "she is possessed by an evil spirit that comes out to torment me."
'Then they won't be mashed. I'm not your nurse maid," He informed me then left. I smiled. I guess I was being a little unfair about Vanora. She had my best interests at heart.
"Don't you love being pregnant?" A merry voice filled the room. Expensive shoes filled my sight and I willed myself to throw up on them. It didn't happen so I gave Kyrilla a weak smile pretending as if I hadn't just contemplated soiling his shoes.
"It's lovely. You should try it some time," I responded wryly.
"Oh don't give me that," He laughed in good humor and sat down next to me, "You have the silent Tristan running around doing errands for you."
"That is a perk," I grinned, "what do you want Kyrilla?"
"I have a gift for you, my lovely."
"Oh really? How perfectly terrifying."
"Is gratefully in your vocabulary," Kyrilla made fun of me.
"Guess not. Can I have the present now?"
He feigned a moment of hurt before handing over a box. I opened it to find crudely shaped pieces of chocolate. I squealed in delight.
"They must of cost a fortune. Chocolate is only available to the very rich," I proclaimed ecstatic
"You neglected to tell Tristan that," He reprimanded me and I had the decency to feign guilt, "besides I am the god of thieves. I stole them."
I nodded at the appropriateness of the gesture.
At that point Tristan had returned. He held an apple out to me before sizing up the god.
"Tristan," Kyrilla greeted.
"Kyrilla," Tristan returned with a nod of his head.
"Kyrilla went to Rome to get me chocolate," I said waving the already half empty box in the air.
'Have his child then," Tristan said though he wasn't serious.
"Never," we said at the same time.
"The world would never be safe again," Kyrilla, said solemnly. I was laughing.
"You think I'd sleep with that," I pointed at Kyrilla. He was handsome in the extreme but he was always extravagantly over dressed, "it'd be like being with a jewelry shop."
"She isn't my type," Kyrilla continued as if he hadn't heard my last statement, "too tall and lately she's gotten fat."
"I'm pregnant," I snarled and threw a chocolate at him and immediately regretted it, "wait can you hand it back."
"Mood swings?" Kyrilla asked Tristan, who nodded warily. Kyrilla clucked his tongue sympathetically.
"Be gentle with him, Emile," Was the last thing Kyrilla said before disappearing. I grinned at Tristan.
"So what are you doing today?"
"The knights are going for a ride," He told me. I screeched and grabbed his ankle.
"Don't leave me," I wailed. I tried to look as vulnerable as possible. I had soon discovered pregnant women could get almost anything they wanted. I was using this opportunity to be as pampered and coddled as possible. He sighed.
"I suppose I could stay," He reluctantly relented.
"Could you read to me?" I entreated of him. He nodded with out argument and fetched the book I was half way through. He read to me a long time before eventually I nodded off.
I awoke at dusk. Tristan was gone but there was scrawled note telling me he had gone riding. I was very comfortable where I was. Since my belly had started to swell I had taken to sleeping on the floor. It seemed a ridiculous and uncomfortable thing to do but with the pillows it was quite relaxed. Sometimes I slept on the bed. It all depended on my unpredictable mood. But anywhere I slept Tristan was beside me keeping me close.
I waited there till he returned to the rooms, which didn't take long.
"Did you have a good sleep?" He asked dutifully.
"Yes but I'm hungry now."
"Well that's convenient because dinner is ready."
We hadn't had any grand feasts recently but the families all dined together. I was growing fond of every member of every family. I was even warming to Vira. She had treated me with a lot of respect since I had saved her life. The children weren't allowed to jump on me any more but I had told them that since Aunty Emile couldn't be their play tree uncle Tristan would be my replacement.
The kids had taken my words to heart and delighted in jumping upon him anytime they could. I was very proud when Tristan didn't try and freeze them with his stare or hang them from a real tree by their ankles. I did however fear that he would try and extract revenge by making me have another bonding session with his mother.
Strangely enough the person I had bonded with the most had been Zarch, Galahads mother. I hoped Kel was angered that we had hit it off so well. It was after all her husband's mother. But she seemed fine with it. In fact, apart from Vira, I seemed to be the mother's girl. They all wanted a chance to mother me. It had something to do with me having no mother, pregnant and unmarried. The unmarried part was fine by me but I wished I had a mother to see me have the child. Not necessarily my mother but a mother.
Now I had five. Vanora, Fulicina, Zarch, Witcarl and Unisal! Vira and I still weren't exactly best friends yet. When we made it to the room I was pulled over by Lyndaal to ask if it was normal that she wasn't feeling that much nausea while Tristan, after dodging all the children, talked to Jronté. They seemed to get along really well. They both had a mysterious sense and it was the most I heard Tristan talk to anyone other than me.
The dinner passed as they usually did. Blessedly uneventful. Guinevere and Alera were whispering. Something was up! Lancelot was talking in the same fashion to Arthur. Yes something was going on. Eventually Lancelot stood and Guinevere prodded Alera to stand next to him.
Of course Lancelot made the actual announcement. He loved telling surprises.
"Alera and I are getting married," He proclaimed proudly. His family enveloped the pair into hugs and best wishes. I moved to congratulate my big sister.
"Ma would turn in her grave," I said, laughing.
"I know," Alera agreed through her giggles. I hugged her hard again and found tears in my eyes. I blamed it on the emotions.
"I'm so happy for you," I whispered in her ear.
"Who knows you and Tristan might be next," She murmured back.
"Oh no," I said wiping my eyes, "We're daring to be different."
In truth he hadn't mentioned marriage since the time of the other wedding and I hadn't brought it up either. I turned to hug Lancelot.
"Oh gods you are going to be my brother in law," I told him worriedly.
"I know, poor me. But you of course will be glad to have such a handsome relation," He informed me cockily. I laughed and he looked affronted. I moved to talk to Unisal who had some questions about our woad background. She wanted to know so she could plan the combined wedding. I told her what I could about the woad marriage customs.
"But why have neither Alera or yourself got the tattoos Guinevere has?" Lancelot's father, Sontec asked offhandedly.
"Kel, Alera and I left before we were of age to have the tattoos. They are received on the eve of the woads twentieth year."
I joined in the celebrations for a while before I got tired.
"I'm going to bed," I sleepily told Tristan. The little kids were mauling him. One of the twin girls attempted to swing off one of his braids.
"Would you like me to come with you?" He asked desperately hoping I would say yes.
"You look like your having too much fun here." I ignored his cross look and made my way to the bedroom. I entered it and sluggishly made my way to my pillow corner. When a hand covered my mouth. The hand held a hanky. I couldn't help but breath the fumes that lay upon the soft material. My eyes grew heavy and I slumped. The person, it was a man, caught me. He let the hanky drop. I saw embroidered on it the letter Z.
Zephyrus had come. This man wasn't the rogue king but this attack carried his essence and style. As the man walked quickly I saw through hazy eyes black figures running everywhere. They moved swiftly and silently. I saw guards fall quietly to the floor. This was well planned.
Why hadn't I known there was a plot? I berated myself for not handing full command over to Fox and Namede. I wasn't in any position to govern whilst pregnant. I was outside the fort when I heard a loud shout! I could see the window of Tristan's room light up.
He had followed me and found the hanky! There was going to be hell to pay. I heard more shouts and the fort was in uproar but I didn't get to find out what happen I slipped away into unconscious.
I awoke soon after. I was being carried onboard a ship. I fell into blackness again before I could note details. The next time I woke the ship was moving and women sobbing. I turned my attention to the others being held in the room. I was on the only bed but the others crowded around me with a candle. I recognized faces one by one.
Fulicina was there, trying to calm a girl who I recognized as Bors eldest daughter. Zarch was holding my hand. Lyndaal was looking particularly dangerous and calculating and reminding me why I had got her in The Rouge. Leanent was silent in a corner. It was her who held the candle. Her mother Unisal held my other hand.
I noted they were unharmed. Zephyrus didn't harm women if he could help it and he pressed that on his servants. His thieves had probably grabbed these females and held knives to their throats to get the knights to let them pass but they would never have hurt them. Too bad I wasn't I wasn't there to tell them that the thieves were coning them.
But I had gotten sloppy and now my friends suffered for it. Why would Zephyrus want me to rule after I had been caught so easily? The women, even Lyndaal, looked like they needed some comfort. They looked to me. I after all knew this man that had initiated the attack. I had nothing real to offer them.
"What do we do?" Zarch finally asked.
"We wait," I responded flatly.
AN: wow this chapter went so fast so I could understand if there are things not quite up to scratch but hey. I promise every one of you who has eagerly been awaiting Zephyrus, that he comes next chapter. Review!
MD666