Nixiesocean: New chappie for you to enjoy. Thank you, my little reviewers. (Pats heads)
Chapter 9: The King and Queen of Auszin and Guen
She wrapped her arms around Tristan's neck. She loved this man. She was happy he loved her. She wanted to kiss him all day. She heard an echo of a voice. Her voice.
"I'm scared, what if he's mean? Or if he doesn't like me?" She laughed inside. This was far from not liking her. Tristan pulled his face from hers.
"I love you, Ditri." He whispered.
She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you more, Tris."
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Perhin was in a padded room. The food was sent in under the door, then taken.
"How is she, brother? Is she as the myths said?" He mocked. His insane mind never noticed that it never reached Tristan's mind. "Is she a good lover?"
"Yes." He heard Tristan respond. "More lovely than you would ever know."
"I bet. Kiss her all day, Tristan. But, I will escape, and when I do, you'll be number one. Then your little lover."
"I love you too, twin."
"Shut up, ass."
Tristan did. Perhin didn't hear any more from his twin. It was weird. There was not two minds inside him anymore. He didn't know if he would ever see a living thing again.
Absently, he sent a threat to Tristan, "You made a fatal mistake, dear brother. A very fatal one."
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Two days later, Tristan and Ditri found themselves at the altar, holding each other's hands. The minister had just finished the whole process. They heard the 'you may now kiss the bride'. When they kissed, the whole country, it seemed like, cheered. They walked out of the cathedral and to their rooms. Tristan swooped Ditri into his arms and stepped into the room. He shut the door and grinned.
"I love you, Ditri." His wife's response was to kiss him on the lips. He wrapped her in his arms and, for not the first time, was content to hold her. He started to untie the corset that was on the outside of her dress. It fell to the floor.
-Later-
The morning stumbled upon the pair sleeping soundly. Ditri laying on Tristan's chest with Tristan's arm draped on her back. The light snores of Tristan echoed inside him, waking the sleeping Ditri. She grinned at the sight of him, a sheet tangled about his foot. She lightly kissed him and climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a bath so she could at least be presentable. She cleaned her luscious hair and quickly plaited it into a tight braid.
She heard a yawn and turned to see Tristan stretching. "Morning, lovely." He said between yawns.
"Morning." She said. Ditri was dressed in a light robe. She walked over and sat next to Tristan. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. She felt him deepen the kiss. He broke the kiss and rolled over and pulled her up on the bed and kissed her over and over again. Ditri pulled him closer to her body. They both heard a door creak open, then quickly close. They laughed, the continued.
"We'd better get breakfast." Ditri whispered in his ear between kisses.
"Aw." Tristan said jokingly. Then his stomach grumbled. "Sure." They both laughed and got out of bed and dressed. They ate a light breakfast.
"So." The queen started. "When will I expect grandchildren?"
Diri grinned as Tristan chocked on his breakfast. "Mom…" He said.
"We haven't decided yet," Ditri intervened. "We'll let you know when we have."
This seemed to satisfy the queen.
---------------------------------------------1 Year Later…--------------------------------------------
A wail piece the nighttime. Ditri groaned and rolled over to shush the baby. She crawled away from the warm body of Tristan. She picked up the crying child and cuddled the baby to her breast. She made crooning noises and smiled when the baby opened her bright green eyes. The baby reached up a small, sausage-like hand to grasp a lock of Ditri's hair. She, overcome by exhaustion, closed her eyes, still holding Ditri's flyway hair. Ditri brushed the baby's hand from her hand and set her back in the cradle. She looked lovingly at Tristan. She quietly climbed under the comforter and crawled back under Tristan's arm. She fell asleep, warmed by her husband's body and comforted by his light snores.
-The Next Morning-
Ditri crawled out of bed and picked up her sweet, little Fria. Fria opened her sweet green eyes and looked at her mother. She smiled and reached up to grab some hair. Fria's light hair, which would eventually turn darker, was wispy.
"There's my little baby." Tristan crooned from over Ditri's shoulder.
"No!" Ditri said jokingly. Gently pulling Fria to her chest. "She's my little baby!"
Tristan pecked her on the cheek. "Probably." He picked a shirt out of the dresser and slid the loose cotton onto his upper body. "But she's mine too."
Ditri took Fria to the bathroom and gently washed the baby, who seemed to love water above all else. She giggled and laughed through the whole bath, splashing her mother with he lukewarm water. By the time the bath was over, Fria's cheeks were flushed from the excitement.
"C'mon Tris," Ditri called while dressing Fria in a small white and pink dress. "We need to get going. After all, the country needs to meet their little heir, right?"
"I'll be there in a second." Ditri set Fria into her cradle and pulled out a matching white and pink dress with a corset. She quickly donned the dress, buttoning up the back, leaving the ten she couldn't button for her husband to do. Tristan came around and was dressed a light blue tunic with gold stitching. There was his family crest, a rearing lion facing a breathing dragon. His breeches were a dark, navy-like, color. Her dress was a low v-neck with long, billowing sleeves that gave her something similar to angel wings on her arms. The decoration bow on her waist in the back trailed down till it towed behind the Crown Princess of Auszin and Guen.
Today Tristan was anxious. Just before the couple presented Fria to the gathering of Auszins and Guenians, the pair would be crowned king and queen. Just after that, the company would proceed inside for the announcement of their baby's name. Then, there was the three-hour long reception. At the end, High Nobles and Low Nobles alike would come up and congratulate the lucky pair.
Ditri sighed. During her maternity she was made to memorize the whole process. It took her all eight months and three weeks to memorize it. Then again, she had an extra 3 months and a week to memorize the whole thing. The child had to be a year before the old king and queen stepped down and the new king and queen stepped up to sit on the throne. Fria laughed as she reached up to grab a trail from Ditri's dress. Tristan scooped his most beloved, and only, child into his arms.
His wife took his arm, like they had when they walked out of the cathedral after being wedded, and they walked out. High Nobles bowed as they walked past while the Low Nobles did a sort-of bow-curtsy thing. It was lower than High Nobles, but higher than servants (or peasants), who often had their knees to the ground. Slaves, or indentured servants, went all the way to the floor, having their forehead touch. Reviewing procedures for everything seemed to comfort the soon-to-be-queen.
"It'll be fine, lovely." Tristan assured her. She smiled. "We'll be fine. Fria will be fine." He leaned down to give her Fria and kiss her on the forehead.
The sun, needless to say, was bright. It was brighter since Ditri hadn't been allowed outside during her year before. It was beautiful. The royal crests were on streamers and banners that covered the whole area. It was big, about fifty feet long, thirty feet wide and holding countless numbers of peasants.
"May I present, the King and Queen of Auszin, King Clemone IV d'Aynon and Queen Ella d'Aynon." A herald called over the crowd. They cheered for their rulers, who bowed. "I would like to present you the King and Queen of Auszin, King Gerald d'Zelun and his wife, Queen Amilea d'Zelun." You could tell who was Guenian, because they cheered. "And, Crown Prince Tristan, Crown Princess Ditri and their daughter, Fria Lily." The crowd cheered once again. Tristan and Ditri bowed and sat next to their parents and in-laws. The herald stepped back. A wizened woman stepped up and took the crowns from the four rulers and set them apart. From behind her, she pulled two elaborate crowns, which were a mixture of Auszin and Guen's crowns. She gently rested one on Tristan's head and one on Ditri's head. She took a small cloth crown (due to lack of neck-strength for babies) and set it on Fria's head.
"Arise, rulers of Auszin and Guen!" The woman's voice rang louder than the herald's had been. The crowd erupted into cheers.
The presentation of Fria to nobles was a blur to the young couple. If they remembered any of it, it was when the old king and queen of Auszin congratulated them on the baby. Ditri positively glowed. Even Tristan's mood wasn't affected by the rants of his younger, and insane, brother. Around midnight, the couple, with a sleeping baby, went to their rooms to go to sleep.
"Ditri, please release the sentence." Tristan pleaded. His brother was starting to dour his mood. Not much, but enough.
"I said he could rot in that tower, Tris. That's enough of a break for that insane freak of nature." She set Fria inside the cradle, her gentleness with the baby unaffected b her anger. "I refuse to let him out. He may try and kill Fria. He may and try to kill you or me. I can't." She said flatly.
Sighing, Tristan relinquished and sat on one of the couches in their sitting room. Ditri started to forcefully forget the conversation. She walked up to Tristan and sat on his lap. She wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him on the lips. All to happy to oblige, Trisan wrapped his arms around her lithe frame. He gently picked her up and took her to their shared bed and set her down. She abruptly moved to her side of the bed so her husband would have room to sleep. After he changed, Tristan crawled into bed and was immediately confronted with Ditri's head on his chest. He smiled and put his hand on her back and fell asleep, warmed by Ditri.
"Wake Up!" Someone shook them. Hard. "King, Queen, Wake Up!" Rousing herself, Ditri saw a servant, white-faced standing by the bed. Tristan woke seconds later. "Please, you need to leave." He pleaded. "Your brother escaped and no one can find him. He said something about a fatal mistake." The servant informed the new rulers. "The old king and queen want you two out of the royal-" An arrow appeared in his chest and the wound bled heavily. Laughing, the murderer stepped into the moonlight. Perhin. Tristan snarled (while also grabbing his dagger, which he kept by his bedside) and leapt out of bed, protectively blocking Perhin from Ditri and the baby.
"I thought you'd be more receptive of your brother, Tristan!" Perhin almost spat. He shifted his weight so he could easily dodge anything his brother tired to do. Tristan saw it and changed tactics. Ditri gracefully picked up Fria who woke up. Ditri set her finger on Fria's lips so the baby would know not to cry.
"I am, brother." Tristan lashed out, his dagger ahead of him. Perhin dodged, but wasn't ready for his brother's quick change of tactics. Tristan swerved on his heel and cut Perhin's forearm. "But not accepting of a criminal!" Perhin, whose mind was not working quite like it should, yanked out a sword, and charged Tristan, who wielded only a dagger. Ditri, tears already running down her cheeks, reached out just as Perhin's sword tip reached Tristan's chest. She touched Tristan's back and shut her eyes and thought of the friendliest place she knew: her palace back in Starfall. She willed herself, Fria and Tristan to be transported there. It was harder than back on the road to Auszin City. Tristan had been asleep. Now, she carried him awake, and an awake Fria along with herself. Had she thought about it more, she might've transported them all to the infirmary, but she had to make a spilt-second decision and went to the place in Starfall she knew best: her quarters. The effort she used, made her pass out.
"Queen Ditri?" Someone asked, poking her. "Are you awake?" She opened her eyes. There stood another servant. "Oh good. Your parents are traveling back once they heard about the attack and your disappearance." The servant informed her. "The king was taken to the infirmary and so we returned for you and the Crown Princess." The servant had the sense to look worried. His wound was near fatal. By the grace of the gods we found him in time." Mentally and physically drained by the act of transportation, Ditri was taken to the infirmary by stretcher. She saw a pale Tristan (pale skin was not his color!) lying on the bed next to her. She reached out a hand to touch his face. He was too far away. Fria was looking her directly in the eyes all the way there. But, once they got there, she was taken from her mother to be checked out for injuries. A nurse passed.
"Nurse?" Ditri asked. "May I be moved closer to my husband? At least close enough to touch him?" The nurse shook her head.
"No, lady Queen. I can't move you. The doctors want to make sure you feel better first."
"Please…?" Ditri asked. She needed to touch Tristan. She loved him with her whole heart. She needed to be comforted by his warmth. She reached out a hand. She missed by a bare inch or two. The nurse, pitying the weakened queen, came over and gently moved the bed over six inches. "Thank you very much." Ditri reached out a hand again and this time was rewarded with touching Tristan's hand. She wished she hadn't. It was cold.