Everything's alright
by Tessa
Chapter 3: The Zulta-village
Roxton, Marguerite and Alexia walked through the jungle. Marguerite walked
beside Roxton and Alexia walked behind them. Roxton tried to calm and comfort Marguerite, but she was still angry and didn't respond. Alexia saw Roxton's reaction and started to walk a bit faster so she could walk beside him, pushing Marguerite to walk behind them.
"How old is your baby?" Alexia asked.
Roxton's eyes softened. "She's almost 9 months now. If you knew how much Marguerite and I had been through this last year ... "
Alexia saw the look in Roxton's eyes when he talked about Aimée and Marguerite. It hurt her, it hurt her deeply. Though she managed to smile at Roxton and she said: "We will find her. I'm sure of it. Please tell me more about living here on the plateau." Alexia put a hand on his arm to
comfort Roxton and he felt indeed a bit better by this friendly gesture. Marguerite had been in deep thoughts, but at this moment she looked up and saw Alexia and Roxton talking to each other. She felt jealousy coming up. «Why does he let that girl touch him? How can she eases his pain of Aimée being kidnapped and I can't?» She was so deeply in thoughts she didn't notice that Roxton and Alexia had stopped. She bumped into Roxton and immediately flinched back, whispering a sorry. Roxton looked at her with concern for it was unusual to hear an apology out of Marguerite's mouth, but Marguerite didn't notice that. The three of them waited there for an hour, the most painful hour Marguerite had. Then it was time to go to the big tree as Veronica had said.
They walked slowly back. Alexia and Roxton continued their conversation about living on the plateau. Marguerite's jealousy grew increasingly. There was something about that girl, she didn't trust her. Marguerite started to walk a bit faster so now she was walking besides Roxton.
"John," she said with a soft voice, "do you think we can hold Aimée in our arms again?" Roxton, glad that Marguerite spoke to him again, stopped and turned. He softly stroked her cheek and said that everything would be alright. Alexia enraged seeing Roxton touch Marguerite. «I know your are a gentleman and that you would never leave a woman alone here in the jungle.» Alexia looked at Marguerite. «He will be mine, he will be mine!» Alexia fainted. Roxton caught her just in time. Marguerite knew Alexia did this on purpose, she was certain of it. Alexia awakened.
"I'm sorry, I felt so dizzy all of a sudden."
"Do you think you can walk?" Roxton asked.
Alexia tried, but she pretended she couldn't. There was nothing Roxton could do than carry her
if they wanted to be in time at the meeting place. Marguerite's patient was gone. This girl made her so mad.
"Well, I'm not waiting for this pathetic show. I will see the two of you at the big tree!"
"Marguerite ... " But Marguerite didn't look back and walked to the big tree.
When all of they were finally at the big tree they sat down and started to discuss the situation at the village. It didn't seem to appear that the tribe wanted to kill Aimée.
"Maybe she wasn't able of getting children herself." Malone suggested.
"So you mean that makes it's OK she took my child!" Marguerite flied out.
"Marguerite, please."
"What! Don't you say a word Lord Roxton! Don't pretend if you care!" Marguerite backed away from the circle where everyone sat. She walked away and sat herself down on a stone not far from the group. The rest started to make plans on how to get into the village, not paying any attention to this mood of Marguerite. Roxton sometimes looked concerned at Marguerite but she pretended not to see it.
«Why is this happening to me? Why? Why does Roxton leave me in the jungle by myself and not coming after me when I need him so much? And that whore only has to faint and he carries her! If Roxton wants to hang out with that girl it's fine by me.» She thought wrenchful. «I want my little girl back! Roxton can walk to hell!» Marguerite walked to the village.
×××××
Veronica was the first one who discovered Marguerite was missing. "Has any of you saw Marguerite?"
Roxton looked around him. In the area of the big tree there was no sign of Marguerite. He stood up and started to look in bushes. The others followed his example. Even
Alexia was searching for Marguerite although she really didn't want Marguerite back.
«Now I can have Roxton. Now he will be able to love me and not that woman Marguerite. It's even better if we don't find both of them: neither the woman nor the baby.»
After searching for an hour there was still no sign for Marguerite. Roxton really was getting worried. All of them saw it. His face was speaking volumes. All of a sudden Roxton remembered their quarrel at the treehouse before they left.
"She didn't ... " He said.
"She didn't ... what, Roxton? Veronica and Malone asked in unison.
"Remember the incident at the treehouse? When Marguerite and I were just back? And you asked where Aimée was?" All of them nodded a yes.
"I think she went to that village to get Aimée."
×××××
"Azalea, how is that little girl? Does she want to eat already?" A man's voice said.
"No. Boaz, I think only the woman who gave birth to her will be able to feed her. What do we have to do? I want her. You know how much I want to have children."
"Sssh, it's alright. She will be fine. Trust me."
Boaz left the bedroom and went to the living room. His parents-in-law were looking worried. He walked to them and they started to talk quietly. As quiet as they could so Azalea wouldn't hear them. After an hour to guards came in. Roughly they pushed a woman on her knees.
"Hey, watch it!"
"Sire, we found her in some bushes. What should we do with her? Kill her?"
Casimir looked up. Still worried about the little girl he asked the woman what she was doing here in his village.
"I just want my little girl back." Marguerite said, cause she was the woman the guards had found.
Azalea walked in with Aimée in her hands and Marguerite flew towards her. One of the guards hold her back and slapped her in her face saying that it was forbidden for a foreigner to touch the princess and her daughter.
"HER daughter! In her dreams! She's my little girl!" Marguerite flied out. She had loosen herself out of the warrior's grip and again walked towards Azalea. "Give me back my baby and you'll be fine and I will forget you have taken her away from me. Give her to me and I leave this place immediately."
The same warrior stopped Marguerite again and hit her harder this time. Marguerite tasted some blood. Then she collapsed. Everyone in the room looked surprised. They ever expected that the woman would faint.
" Guard, bring that woman to my room and make sure that when I come there's standing a bowl of water next to the bed." Ursula, Azalea's mother, said.
"Of course my queen."
The guards quickly did what was told them. After a few minutes the queen walked into her bedroom and wetted a towel, which she put on Marguerite's forehead. Marguerite remained unconscious.
×××××
Meanwhile Roxton was really worried. Everyone, especially Alexia, was trying to comfort him.
Veronica and Ned started to look for trails, which could be left by Marguerite. When she was sure the others couldn't hear them Veronica started to talk.
"You know Ned, there's something about that girl. I don't trust her."
Malone looked up surprised. He didn't expect this from Veronica, who always gave people a chance. "What do you mean?"
"Haven't you noticed the way she looks at Roxton? She is trying to disperse Roxton and Marguerite so she can have him. I'm not going to let that happen."
Ned put a comforting arm around Veronica's shoulders. "It's OK. We'll have to get Aimée back and I'm sure everything will be fine. Besides, they come from the future in case you have forgotten. They can't stay here."
Veronica looked at Malone and she leant forward so her lips touched his.
×××××
Summerlee was walking up and down, not noticing that Phoebe and Joseph looked at him concerned.
"Mr. Summerlee, I'm sure they will all return safely. With the little girl." Phoebe said.
Summerlee looked up disordered. "What were you saying? Oh, yes, you're probably right. Of course they will get back safely with Aimée."
However, that wasn't the thing Summerlee was worried about. He had seen the look on Alexia's face when Roxton passed her last night when he wanted to talk to Marguerite. «She isn't really going after Roxton, is she? Cause if she is, there will be a lot of trouble.»
×××××
Azalea entered her mother's room with Aimée in her hands. "Mother," she started, "I was thinking. That woman said she wanted her baby back, this baby. What if we let her stay here so she will take care of the little girl? Then I will be able to walk with her sometimes and when I'm dead we have someone who will get the thrown."
Ursula looked at her daughter with concern in her eyes. "Azalea, do you think that's such a good idea? When she has her baby back she will leave this instant."
"Mother, all we have to do is force her to stay here and make her one of us."
Suddenly Marguerite moaned and slowly she opened her eyes. She had no idea were she was. Marguerite tried to sit up, but she couldn't. She heard a woman's voice saying that she had to lay still and that everything would be fine after a good sleep. Marguerite closed her eyes again and fell in a deep dreamless sleep. Azalea and Ursula left the room, to let Marguerite sleep.
×××××
"Malone, Veronica, have you found any sign of Marguerite?" Roxton asked to his friends.
"Sorry Roxton." Malone replied.
Alexia looked at Roxton with an angry look but he didn't notice that for all he could think of was Marguerite getting safely home with him. Alexia stood up with a sigh and walked to some bushes. There she found a necklace. «Well, what do we have here? It's probably hers and I should probably give it to Roxton. But if I do that he will keep thinking of her.» Alexia put the necklace in her pocket instead of giving it to Roxton.
"I'm going to that village."
Veronica looked astonished. "Roxton you can't do that! You said it yourself that those people weren't friendly!"
"You all don't have to come along with me, I'll understand if you don't."
"Roxton, we're coming with you. I think you can need a little help." Challenger said. The five of them gathered their things and started their walk to the village.
×××××
When Marguerite awakened she didn't know where she was but when Azalea walked in with a crying Aimée in her arms, she remembered. Azalea slowly walked to her and gave Aimée to Marguerite. Marguerite quickly took over Aimée and soon the little girl stopped crying. As though she knew she was finally reunited with her real mother.
"How are you feeling? You got a nasty blow on your head due to one of our guards." Azalea said nicely.
Marguerite looked at the young woman. "Who are you? Where am I? And why did you take my baby?"
Azalea smiled. "Let's start with the first question. My name is Azalea. I am the only daughter of king Casimir and Queen Ursula of Zulta. And that's where you are: in the Zulta-village."
"Well that makes two of my questions answered. What is the answer on my last question? Why did you take my baby?" Marguerite looked Azalea straight in the eyes. She saw tears sparkling. "Well?"
"My husband and I aren't capable of getting any children of ourselves. Three years ago I was pregnant but I got a miscarriage. Our medicine man told me it was to dangerous for me to give birth and that I probably would never be able to give birth. So, when I saw you and the little girl I did something I would never do: I took yours. I'm so sorry."
Marguerite stood up and walked to the young woman. "I think I can understand the way you feel. But it doesn't go away by taking somebody else's baby."
"I know. That's way you have to stay here."
Marguerite looked at Azalea in astonishment. "You must be kidding."
"No. If you stay we will have someone who will follow me up when I die. Besides, you can't leave this place, not alive at least. Well think about it. Dinner will be served at in three hours. I'll be back then and I want to hear your answer, Marguerite. That's your name isn't it?"
"Yes."
«Think about what?» Marguerite thought when Azalea was gone. «It's not like I have a choice. I think the answer is clear: I'm staying. Roxton will certainly enjoy himself with that whore. He doesn't need me. He made that perfectly clear this morning.» Marguerite's eyes were filled with tears. Tears of anger and grief. All of a sudden the door opened. In the doorway stood a man. Marguerite stood up from the bed, holding Aimée tight.
"Don't worry, I'm not taking the girl away from you." Marguerite still looked with suspicious eyes to the strange man. "I'm Eloi," the man said, "I'm Boaz nephew."
"Boaz ... ?"
"Boaz is Azalea's husband. Azalea asked me to tell you dinner is ready and that your time's up. Follow me."
Marguerite followed Eloi towards the dining room. When they entered she saw a beautiful room. In the center stood a large table, which was beautiful set for six persons.
"Welcome. Please, sit down." Azalea said friendly.
Marguerite sat herself down and smiled polite to Eloi when he helped her. "The table is beautiful. It must have been quite much work."
"Well, thank you. Our servants did indeed a great job." Boaz said looking at Azalea.
"Marguerite, have you thought my proposal?" Azalea said softly.
Marguerite doubted about what she would answer. But this was for a short moment. "Yes, I would be honored to stay here."
Azalea looked relieved and stood up to hug Marguerite. Then she backed off with feared eyes. Marguerite turned around and saw her friends standing in the opening. Roxton had paled. Marguerite had never saw him like this.
"Don't you do this to me, Marguerite. I love you, you know that. Please." He whispered.
"There's nothing that can make me change my mind!" she said harsh.