Char cradled his newborn son in his tanned arms. The sunlight beat against
the closed shades and Mandy bustled around the room.
I was too tired to move. I couldn=t do anything but cry in joy and a little bit of pain. It was wonderful. Nine months of carrying around this angel and finally, finally he came.
But, he had come at a bad time. Queen Daria had just died not two days ago from illness, and Char=s sister had received it. She was dying too. Char was abashed and saddened by the suddenness of it all, and now he was a father.
I thought nothing could get worse. Nothing in the world could have made this moment any more bittersweet then it was now. But I was wrong.
The room, though in the middle of July, was suddenly cold and chilling. But it was an empty cold, and it chilled places too far to be warmed. Belinda!
Belinda was Lucinda=s daughter, in a sense. She was causing as much trouble as Lucinda had before she had taken her oath. But Belinda was worse.
While Lucinda had cast spells to make people like her, Belinda cast spells to get revenge and to spread her hatred. She was last rumored to be in Ayortha, but apparently now she was here.
When she appeared, she snickered evilly and looked at Char holding our son.
A The first born child of the royal family,@ she sneered, A How touching. You must let me hold him.@
Char hesitated, and then handed my baby over to Belinda. He cooed and gurgled happily in her youthful arms.
Belinda was a young fairy. She was really about two times my age of 19. She had the tongue of an ogre and the cunning of a fox. Her pale brown eyes had a look of deception and her thick black hair was plaited into a braid that reached down to her waist.
A Oh, he loves me!@ she said sweetly, A What is his name?@
A We haven=t got one yet.@ I said and sat up in my bed. Mandy gave me a worried look and Char winced as the bed squeaked.
A Oh, you must let me name him!@ she said. I would not.
A No! I would like to name him.@ Char said a split second before I would have.
A Oh. Then you must let me give him a gift!@
A Of what?@ Char asked calmly. He was always calm, and I loved him for it.
Belinda shrugged and put my baby over her shoulder, A Maybe, obedience. Possibly healing. Or, I=ll give him the gift of hatred. Yes, the gift of hatred!@ her red lips twisted up in a sneer.
A NO! You mustn=t.@ I said.
A Oh. How about obedience?@ Belinda said smiling.
A You can=t give him that one either.@ Char said, his lovely eyes growing wide.
A Hmm, let me think about it.@ she handed my son to Mandy and I let out a sigh of relief. Belinda thought about a spell that would make my baby miserable. Something that would make him cry at night, I knew it. But I didn=t know how bad it would be.
A Yes, I=ve got it!@ Belinda said after a while. I held my breath and bit my bottom lip.
A I shall give him the gift of muteness.@
A MUTENESS?@ Char and I said in unison. Mandy collapsed on the small wooden chair.
A Yes. He can only speak if he is speaking truth. No questions, no conversations. We will be able to answer questions and only questions that can be answered with the truth.@
I pulled the cover up over my face. My little boy couldn=t speak unless he was speaking the truth. And that=s when we officially hit rock bottom.
***
Char and I later agreed to call him Simon after our friend Simon who sold the birds. We waited a little more then a year until we dared to have another baby. The second time, we had a girl.
She was born in December. The cold wind had nipped at my nose when I went into labor in the middle of a carriage ride. She was born in the carriage, with a little help from some elves nearby.
For their help, we let then name our daughter. They named her Torlin which meant fairness. I remembered a few years back when my father had forced me to eat torlin kerru, and I had temporarily fallen in love with the Earl of Wolleck.
We thought that all would be good in the castle. Simon was waddling around the castle on his fat baby legs, still getting used to walking and Torlin loved her new home.
But, two weeks after Torlin was born, Belinda came.
She strolled into the sitting room where I was nursing Torlin in an over stuffed chair. Char was playing with Simon in the corner and Mandy was reading a book, humming to herself. Mandy stopped humming when Belinda came in.
A Hello Princess Ella, Prince Char. Mandy, Simon, and who is this fair maiden?@ she gestured to Torlin.
A That is Torlin.@ Mandy muttered, A At that is the door.@ she pointed to the door leading out.
A Tsk, tsk Mandy! I just wanted to visit the royal family!@ she turned on me, A May I hold this little babe?@
A gleam in her eye made me un latch my little angel and hand her over. Torlin was asleep. Her duck feather blonde hair blew across her tiny little eyes and her little nose. She cooed in her sleep.
A Torlin means fairness,@ Belinda whispered, A It is fitting that she should act her name. From now on, Torlin will be fair to everyone and everything by following the law of an eye for an eye. She will mimic everything that someone does or says.@
Char gasped and startled Simon who slipped on a block and fell. Mandy shook her head in disbelief and I clutched my mother necklace. My children were both cursed now.
.
I was too tired to move. I couldn=t do anything but cry in joy and a little bit of pain. It was wonderful. Nine months of carrying around this angel and finally, finally he came.
But, he had come at a bad time. Queen Daria had just died not two days ago from illness, and Char=s sister had received it. She was dying too. Char was abashed and saddened by the suddenness of it all, and now he was a father.
I thought nothing could get worse. Nothing in the world could have made this moment any more bittersweet then it was now. But I was wrong.
The room, though in the middle of July, was suddenly cold and chilling. But it was an empty cold, and it chilled places too far to be warmed. Belinda!
Belinda was Lucinda=s daughter, in a sense. She was causing as much trouble as Lucinda had before she had taken her oath. But Belinda was worse.
While Lucinda had cast spells to make people like her, Belinda cast spells to get revenge and to spread her hatred. She was last rumored to be in Ayortha, but apparently now she was here.
When she appeared, she snickered evilly and looked at Char holding our son.
A The first born child of the royal family,@ she sneered, A How touching. You must let me hold him.@
Char hesitated, and then handed my baby over to Belinda. He cooed and gurgled happily in her youthful arms.
Belinda was a young fairy. She was really about two times my age of 19. She had the tongue of an ogre and the cunning of a fox. Her pale brown eyes had a look of deception and her thick black hair was plaited into a braid that reached down to her waist.
A Oh, he loves me!@ she said sweetly, A What is his name?@
A We haven=t got one yet.@ I said and sat up in my bed. Mandy gave me a worried look and Char winced as the bed squeaked.
A Oh, you must let me name him!@ she said. I would not.
A No! I would like to name him.@ Char said a split second before I would have.
A Oh. Then you must let me give him a gift!@
A Of what?@ Char asked calmly. He was always calm, and I loved him for it.
Belinda shrugged and put my baby over her shoulder, A Maybe, obedience. Possibly healing. Or, I=ll give him the gift of hatred. Yes, the gift of hatred!@ her red lips twisted up in a sneer.
A NO! You mustn=t.@ I said.
A Oh. How about obedience?@ Belinda said smiling.
A You can=t give him that one either.@ Char said, his lovely eyes growing wide.
A Hmm, let me think about it.@ she handed my son to Mandy and I let out a sigh of relief. Belinda thought about a spell that would make my baby miserable. Something that would make him cry at night, I knew it. But I didn=t know how bad it would be.
A Yes, I=ve got it!@ Belinda said after a while. I held my breath and bit my bottom lip.
A I shall give him the gift of muteness.@
A MUTENESS?@ Char and I said in unison. Mandy collapsed on the small wooden chair.
A Yes. He can only speak if he is speaking truth. No questions, no conversations. We will be able to answer questions and only questions that can be answered with the truth.@
I pulled the cover up over my face. My little boy couldn=t speak unless he was speaking the truth. And that=s when we officially hit rock bottom.
***
Char and I later agreed to call him Simon after our friend Simon who sold the birds. We waited a little more then a year until we dared to have another baby. The second time, we had a girl.
She was born in December. The cold wind had nipped at my nose when I went into labor in the middle of a carriage ride. She was born in the carriage, with a little help from some elves nearby.
For their help, we let then name our daughter. They named her Torlin which meant fairness. I remembered a few years back when my father had forced me to eat torlin kerru, and I had temporarily fallen in love with the Earl of Wolleck.
We thought that all would be good in the castle. Simon was waddling around the castle on his fat baby legs, still getting used to walking and Torlin loved her new home.
But, two weeks after Torlin was born, Belinda came.
She strolled into the sitting room where I was nursing Torlin in an over stuffed chair. Char was playing with Simon in the corner and Mandy was reading a book, humming to herself. Mandy stopped humming when Belinda came in.
A Hello Princess Ella, Prince Char. Mandy, Simon, and who is this fair maiden?@ she gestured to Torlin.
A That is Torlin.@ Mandy muttered, A At that is the door.@ she pointed to the door leading out.
A Tsk, tsk Mandy! I just wanted to visit the royal family!@ she turned on me, A May I hold this little babe?@
A gleam in her eye made me un latch my little angel and hand her over. Torlin was asleep. Her duck feather blonde hair blew across her tiny little eyes and her little nose. She cooed in her sleep.
A Torlin means fairness,@ Belinda whispered, A It is fitting that she should act her name. From now on, Torlin will be fair to everyone and everything by following the law of an eye for an eye. She will mimic everything that someone does or says.@
Char gasped and startled Simon who slipped on a block and fell. Mandy shook her head in disbelief and I clutched my mother necklace. My children were both cursed now.
.