THREE:
Days tuned into weeks, and weeks transformed into months, and never did Daphne see or hear from Valtor. It was devastating to say the least, to allow someone to get so close only to vanish from her life completely. It wasn't at all what she imaged her first love to be, not by a long shot. However there was not a soul that Daphne could confine to, as to confine such a feat meant she would have to tell someone what had happened that fateful night. And she wasn't ready to do so. Ashamed, that is what she was. Purely and completed ashamed. Even after a couple months after the affair the details of the night had been fuzzy and rushed; as if some was hitting the fast-forward button on her memory.
One minute she was laughing, smiling at Valtor, and the next waking-up in a strange place with him… Just thinking of it all made Daphne uneasy.
But that wasn't the only thing making her uneasy as of late. It wasn't uncommon for her to wake some morning and rush into the bathroom only to vomit wildly. After a week of this Laura grew concerned and encouraged her friend to go speak with the nurse.
It was then another blur became to be, one minute Daphne was sitting on the exam table flipping through her book and the next the elder nurse emerged from behind a curtain looking greatly concerned. The nurse had grasp Daphne's hands and spoke calmly explaining to a worried Daphne that nothing was seriously wrong with her, but something was going on. It was then Daphne heard words she had only imaged would come when she was in her late twenties. Daphne was pregnant.
The news hadn't settled well with Daphne, but after visiting a doctor in Magix City per the nurse's instructions, and having it indeed confirmed it Daphne still remained in denial. Unsure how to tell her family, how to own up to the fact she had a one night stand with a man she had only just met and never seen since, she chose to keep it to herself. Almost in vain hopes if she did so it would magically go away.
But it didn't. Symptoms got worse and worse. And then one day she slipped and her parents discovered the truth. Their only child was going to have a child.
Ortiel was enraged, pacing back and forth as he swore in every language he could, promising to find the man responsible and make him live up to being a father the child deserved to be. And with that he sent out all the men he could spear to seek out this 'Valtor' and bring him back to the castle. But after an extensive search there was no luck in locating the man.
However as bad as Ortiel was dealing the news, it was much, much harder on Daphne. The princess who was reaching her last trimester of the pregnancy found herself unsure if she could handle motherhood. Seeing the mess her daughter had become, Mariam did her best to console her, and assure her that things would be alright and work out how they were intended to. But not even her mother's words could sooth Daphne nor field away the nightmares that haunted her into the night.
It soon became clear to all in the royal family that Daphne wasn't able to handle the card that had been dealt. It was then Mariam remembered something. That their friends, the King and Queen of Solaria had been trying to get pregnant themselves but had been unsuccessful and longed for a child of their own to one day rule over the kingdom. It was a rather observed idea, but Daphne did look enough like Queen Luna in passing that if the child resembled her it could also pass for being Luna's.
So that is what was done, and on August eighteenth Daphne gave birth a beautiful baby girl with ember colored eyes and blonde hair. The new daughter of King Radius and Queen Luna.
Her name was Stella.
Authoress' Notes: Thus completes the tale of Daphne's Legacy, I hope you all enjoyed the story. And you never know when you might see the aftermath of this come into effect (hint, hint). Be sure to review and look out for new stories and updates.
