Supplement Scene 9: (Aron watches Jorion and Aurora)

I apologize for the delay! Thank you for all your emails and encouragement! You're the best crowd of reviewers I've ever had!

Lady Herenya in particular keeps me on my game! Thanks!

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Miranda knew what was happening before anyone had mentioned it. She felt it, and cradling the smiling Aurora in her arms, she walked, dress sweeping around her feet, out of the nursery. Her feet picked up speed, though not jostling her daughter enough to make her cry or feel any fear, as she moved through the corridors.

The large stones clicked against her shoes and the green light of the torch fire in the long hallway served, oddly enough, to pride more comfort than nervousness. There was a time when she dared not walk here without a few protective spells surrounding her.

She didn't knock, she didn't need to.

Aron looked up from his desk, "Is something wrong?

"No, I just wanted to give you Aurora before Karsh gets here."

Holding out his arms, the king took the young princess from his wife and held her against his chest. At a year old, she stretched out her arms and grasped the buttons on his shirt, their brilliant gleam attracting her attention.

"What's Karsh coming here for?"

Miranda held up the first finger on her right hand, signaling for him to listen. There was a knock on the door not two second later. Like Miranda, Karsh didn't truly have to knock, but he did so anyway, conveying his remaining respect for his ruler.

"Enter!" Called Aron, and the servant practically burst into the room. Jorion was seated on his forearm, held onto tightly, and with his breathing and frantic look, both royals could guess that he'd nearly run to the king's study.

Lowering her hand, with her back to Karsh, Miranda smiled at her husband before turning around.

"Ileana's in labor! She needs your help!"

The queen nodded and looked to the king, "Aron, will you watch Jorion so Karsh and I can help Ileana?"

Aron nodded and Karsh set Jori down on the ground, "You be good for King Aron, okay?"

"Okay daddy." The little boy nodded, making eye contact with his father.

Miranda and Karsh took off through the doorway back to the upper part of the castle. Jorion turned around and faced the king, staring up at him with wide eyes of confusion. Aron stared back, and the two regarded each other for a moment.

"Mommy doesn't feel good." The child mumbled under his breath.

"She doesn't?" Inquired Aron, leaning down on one knee to speak more with the child.

"No, she's sad." Jorion clasped his hands together and fidgeted as those so young were commonly seen to do.

"It'll be okay, don't worry about it, alright?" Using his free hand, the king ruffled the boy's hair softly.

Jori didn't look too convinced as he stared up at the Lord of Coventry. To him, Aron was just another adult.

Holding out his hand, Jorion proved to Aron that while he was just another adult, he was at least a trusted one.

Taking the two children across the room, the king stopped in front of the large windows. Aurora was always fond of sitting in the sunlight and letting the rays warm her face, so her father kept a comfortable children's sleeping bed on the window seat.

Laying his daughter gently down, Aron then reached over and picked up Jorion, pulling him up to sit next to where Aurora was. Jori looked over at the young princess, constantly fascinated by her as always.

In an almost sing-song voice, the older child leaned over her and spoke, "Hello Aurora." He emphasized each syllable and it nearly rhymed as he said it.

Aurora rolled to look at him better and giggled, hiding her face under her blanket, "Jori!"

Jorion remembered this game from his own childhood, and he pulled the blanket back from her face only to laugh and quickly replace it when she burst into her own fits of laughter.

Smiling to himself, Aron walked to the bookshelf and selected a few of the favorite stories he had selected over the years, Coventry Fairytales, "Would you two like to be read to?"

He had their attention now, and while Aurora clapped her hands, Jorion raised his arms above his head and fairly shouted his approval of the suggestion.

With an impressive armful of books, the king sat down next to the pair, who leaned in close to hear the stories they'd already heard and perhaps a few they hadn't. In the cleverly written tales was Aurora distracted from the absence of Miranda, and Jorion was able to forget his concern over his own parent.

Hours flew bay, and the stories turned into afternoon snacks, which then became games of hide and seek and tag, both appropriately played badly by the adult in favor of the youth, and everything came back to books then.

The three went back to the window seat, which had traded sunlight for the pale glow of moon and stars. With perhaps the largest volume of stories yet, Aron entertained the little ones with the same tales his mother had read to a tired young prince.

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Everything was finally over in the middle of the night. An exhausted queen left the room of her two closest and most trusted friends. Karsh was sitting on the edge of his bed where Ileana lay, half in sleep, and half in drowsy awareness. In his arms, a mewling baby girl, the newest member of the family. The little daughter Jorion had informed him off had arrived in this child, Lorea.

Bidding them both good night, Miranda walked as fast as she was able down to her husband's study. She pushed the door open, fully expecting to find the room empty, forcing her to walk all the way back upstairs. It was an entirely different scene that greeted her eyes.

The book of stories was open on the floor where it had fallen. Aron's empty hand dangled above it, almost seeming as it he would make to grab it. The king himself was leaned back against the wall, reclined and sleeping peacefully. Aurora was curled up asleep on her father's chest, her father's free arm protectively around her. On the cushion next to Aron was Jorion, snuggled close to the Lord for warmth, the little boy had extended his hand up towards the princess.

She couldn't help but noticed the little princess' hand was holding onto Jorion's hand, her little fingers big enough to curl around his palm.

Miranda covered them with a nearby blanket as best she could before taking a blanket and pillow with her over to the reclining sofa.

Like the rest of the castle, the queen soon found herself in some much deserved rest.