Chapter 58: Sister of Gwaine
"She arrives tomorrow." Gwaine scoffed as he read his letter from his sister. "She doesn't believe that we are married. She thinks I am still a scoundrel."
Elaine laughed. "You are. You're my scoundrel." She stood behind him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "But I would love to see her face when she realises you are telling the truth." She looked down at his letter and read the contents. "Were you close as children?"
He shook his head. "No. She is a lot older than me. She was my father's daughter from his first marriage."
"Oh I see." She moved around him and sat on his lap. "What happened to her mother?"
"Died giving birth to Angharad. My mother raised her as her own but she never appreciated it. She was married to a nobleman a few weeks after my birth." He stroked Elaine's back as he told his sister's story. "She hated my father for it as she was only 13 and her husband was 29."
"Quite an age gap. I can see why." Resting her cheek on the top of his head.
He chuckled. "Don't worry. She fell in love with him. That's why she never visits me. Too busy playing happy families with her husband and their four children."
She laughed softly and sat up straight. "Well, I best see if her room is ready. It is only her and her husband coming?"
"Yes." He laughed and pulled her down for a kiss. "Her room is ready. Stop your worrying." He stood up with her in his arms. "Now, my wife, you need to rest." He placed her on her feet. "Our son or daughter needs their rest just as much as you do." He stood behind her and placed his hands on her stomach, which was slowing growing. She was now in her fifth month of her pregnancy. Gwaine was still determined that they were having another girl. He kissed her neck as he undid her dress. "Now, my wife, come to bed." Pushing her dress off her, allowing her to step out of it and walk towards their bed.
"I have had another message from Vortigern, asking whether he is able to visit." She sighed heavily and stepped up onto the bed. She slipped into the covers and waited for him as he undressed. A smile grew as she watched him. She was very lucky to have him. Her eyes took in his physique. He looked after himself and it made Elaine feel very lucky to have him.
"Stop staring woman." He smirked as he climbed into bed with her. "You're making me self-conscious."
Elaine laughed as she moved into his side. "You make me self-conscious." She kissed his chest as she ran her fingers down his arm and locking their fingers together. "You are gorgeous and I'm fat." Looking down at her round stomach.
"Shut up, woman." He pulled his hand away from her own and placed it on her stomach. "You are not fat. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Seeing you beautiful and round with our child fills me with absolute joy. So stop putting yourself down, woman or I will show you how beautiful you are." He ran his hand up her leg, pushing her nightgown with him.
She giggled and pulled him into a hot kiss. "Get some sleep, you delightful man. Your sister will be here tomorrow." Kissing him again and curling into his side, looking for the comfort she needed and desired.
The newest thing about this pregnancy was that Elaine was still experiencing morning sickness in her fifth month. She retched into a bucket in a corridor. She felt so embarrassed. She could barely keep her food down. Declan said it was normal but it frustrated the Queen. She had been on her way to greet Gwaine's sister, when she was faced with another bout of sickness. She sat on the edge of a window seat and took deep breaths.
"Are you well, your Grace?" Katrina asked her. Katrina was her new maid as Mary had married Percival a year after Owain's birth. The maid was living in Camelot and the maid of honour to Queen Guinevere.
Elaine chuckled. "Yes, thank you." Rubbing her stomach and placed her hand over her mouth. She took deep breaths and calmed herself. Another maid rushed to her with a bowl of water and cloth. "Thank you." She wiped her face and washed her mouth before standing up. "Right. Let's go." She brushed her pale blue skirts down before she started walking through the corridor. She met Gwaine just before the main doors, who was pacing nervously. "Nervous, my love?" Linking her arm with his.
He was wearing his Corbenic uniform. "Is it obvious?"
"No(!)" She said sarcastically and laughed softly. "You'll be fine." She gave his arm a little grip for comfort. "If she says anything against you, I will throw her into the dungeons."
"Really?" He sounded so serious.
Elaine laughed. "I could try. Carter would not be too pleased."
He laughed and kissed her cheek as he led her out into the courtyard. "Fine. I will behave, if she does."
She scoffed, "that will be the day." They stood on the top of the steps and waited for the arrival of his sister. When she did arrive, Gwaine seemed to stiffen at her side. "Relax," she whispered in his ear.
He gave her a small smile as he pulled away from her. "I am trying." He turned his gaze to the entrance, which showed his sister entering on a horse with her husband riding alongside her. "Here we go. Wait here." He kissed her cheek and walked down the stairs. "Angharad." He smiled at his older sister, as she dismounted her horse.
"Hello little brother." She kissed his cheek and looked over his shoulder, her eyes focused on Elaine, who was smiling a little. "I see you were not lying. Married to the Queen? So, that makes you the King?"
Gwaine laughed. "I'm not the King. Just her husband and lead councillor. She offered me the Kingship but I turned it down."
She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh well. It would have been nice to say that my brother was the King of Corbenic."
"Oh, shut up Angharad. She asked to meet you. Be nice. I'm trying to persuade her to throw you into the dungeons if you annoy me." He raised an eyebrow at his sister. The two of them were the same height and had familiar looks. "How are you, Robert?" He asked his brother-in-law, shaking his hand.
"I am well. You are doing well, Gwaine. Last time I saw you, you were banned from nearly every inn in a twelve mile radius from my home." He chuckled and tapped his brother-in-law's shoulder. "Do we get to meet the woman, who finally got you to settle down?"
He laughed. Despite his own sister resenting him, he did like his brother-in-law very much. "Of course." He turned and frowned. Elaine was not there.
"Where is she?" Angharad asked. "Rather rude not greeting her guests." Pursing her lips and folding her arms. "Are you really married to the Queen?"
"Shut up, Angharad." Gwaine groaned. "She's pregnant, thank you very much. She still has bad morning sickness."
"I'm sorry for your recent loss." Robert spoke softly as Gwaine led them inside the heart of the castle.
He nodded. "Thank you." One of his wife's ladies stepped forward and whispered in his ear. "Thank you." Smiling at her and nodding to the young maid. "Elaine is in her chambers. Her physician is with her. She will meet us in the Great Hall." He heard his sister scoff but he chose to ignore it. "This pregnancy is much harder for her than her previous ones."
Angharad chuckled. "She's a woman. It's her way of life. To have children for her husband. But in her case, for her Kingdom."
This annoyed Gwaine. He spun around and faced his sister. "You have no idea. She is the Queen of two countries. A mother to two children. Being a mother is her priority. Don't you dare contradict her. You may have been a mother much longer than her and think you are much better than you. But you're not. You do nothing." He glared at her. "She's my wife. I will protect her and her reputation through thick and thin. Don't you dare think anything different."
She was quite taken back. Her brother was no longer the drunken scoundrel who occasionally visited. He was now a strong man and very much in love. "I am sorry." She stepped back and stood by her husband.
"Have I missed anything?" Elaine entered the Great Hall, everyone bowing and curtseying to her.
"Nothing." Gwaine smiled and kissed her cheek. "Your Grace. This is my sister, Lady Angharad and her husband, Lord Robert."
Angharad curtseyed deeply and Robert bowed to her. "Thank you for inviting us." Robert spoke softly and took Elaine's hand and kissing it. "It is very kind of you."
"Yes, it is." Angharad smiled sweetly. "It is nice to be away from the Kingdom."
"Gwaine tells me that you have four children." She looked between the two of them as she looped her arm through Gwaine's.
"Yes. Three boys and a girl." Angharad smiled. "Our eldest son and daughter-in-law gave us our first grandchild last year."
"Congratulations." Elaine smiled broadly. "Now, let us eat or would you like to freshen up?"
Robert gripped his wife's arm and led her forward. "We will eat. Journey was not very long." Elaine nodded and Gwaine led her to the long table where the dinner began.
"My goodness!" Elaine groaned as she sat on the edge of the bed. "You were right. She is so spoilt." She laughed as she tied her hair into a long plait.
Gwaine was washing his face and neck in a bowl of cool water. It was a warm summer's night and he needed to cool down. "I told you. I should not have offered her to visit." He stood up straight and dried his face. He was wearing loose breeches and no shirt. "Thankfully, she is leaving in two days. I don't think I could cope." He walked over to the bed and climbed in. Their thick bed covers had been replaced with thin cotton sheets to keep them cool in the night. "You can ask her to leave if you wish to. You are the Queen."
She laughed softly and climbed into bed with him. "I could but that would be rude." She lay on her side, facing him.
He reached forward and stroked her stomach. "My brother-in-law can stay. I get on with him. My sister can go."
"Behave. Or you can sleep in the stables." She raised an eyebrow at him and tried to keep a straight face but she could not help but laugh. "You feel that?"
"No." His smile fell. His baby was moving but he could not feel it.
She smiled and moved his hand to the lower part of her stomach. "Wait." They waited in silence for two minutes and there was a small nudge against Gwaine's hand.
"I love that feeling." He smiled at her. "Get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. His life was perfect. He just hoped there was nothing to spoil it.
"She is stressful!" Elaine grumbled as she sat in the council chambers with Carter. "She is my sister-in-law but she seems to contradict everything that I do." The older man chuckled and she shot a glare in his direction. "What?"
"She is jealous of you. She's jealous of Gwaine." He chuckled as he placed his quill in the ink pot. "Your Grace. Lady Angharad has always been privileged and comfortable. When Gwaine came into her life, the green eyed monster reared up in her. Here was a little boy, who was taking his father's attention. Now, he is taking the attention away from her again. He is your husband and she does not like that."
"I see now." She nodded and chuckled. "Oh well. Two more days." She rubbed her stomach and reached for her quill. "Right, back to business." Dipping the tip into the ink pot. "Vortigern intends on visiting in three weeks time. So, we best make plans to what he can do here."
"How long is he visiting for?" Carter asked as he jotted down notes.
She sighed, "one week." She laughed as she sat back on her chair. "A few feasts, possibly more negotiations and I'd say a jousting tournament."
"I can get that organised." He continued writing notes on a piece of parchment.
Elaine smiled and nodded. "Right. Is that all?"
"Yes, your Grace. An afternoon with your sister-in-law?"
"Don't rub it in." She sighed softly and stood up. "I may have to abdicate due to me committing murder."
"I hope not, your Grace." Carter laughed as his assistant collected the papers. Carter stood up and leaned heavily on his cane. "Now, go and be nice." Elaine chuckled as she left Carter alone to meet her Angharad in the courtyard.
"Mama!" A cheerful voice squealed as she left the council chambers.
She turned to see her daughter running towards her. "Well good day, Princess Anne." Elaine knelt on the floor and opened her arms to her. "Why are you not with your governess?"
Anne gave a small giggle and wrapped her arms around her mother. "No," she lied.
"Are you telling your Mama a lie?" She shifted her daughter onto her hip.
"Maybe, Mama." She laughed as Elaine placed her onto the floor. "I wanted to come and see you."
She laughed softly and held her daughter's hand as they walked side-by-side. "Well, my darling. Are you behaving in your lessons?"
"Yes Mama. I promise I am." She skipped as they walked out of the main doors and into the indoor courtyard. They were met with loud angry voices. "Oh dear. Papa is arguing again."
"I don't like Papa's sister. She's grumpy and mean." Anne mumbled quietly to her mother. "She never plays with me."
Elaine smiled a little. "Your Aunt is a little older than Papa and I think she does not like playing with little girls, who should be with their governess and their studies." She looked behind her to see Anne's governess following behind them. "Now, you go back and finish your studies." She knelt in front of her daughter. "I shall you later." She kissed her daughter's forehead. Anne nodded and turned, walking towards her governess. Elaine stood up and turned to face her husband and sister-in-law, who were still arguing in the middle of the courtyard. "What is going on?" She asked as she walked towards them.
Gwaine and Angharad stopped and bowed and curtseyed to her. "Nothing, your Grace. Just a misunderstanding," Angharad tried to explain but she stumbled over her words.
"Gwaine?" Elaine asked, her hands clasped in front of her.
He stood tall and proud. "My sister wishes to stay another week but I said that she cannot."
"You are correct. Lady Angharad, I do not have the time to entertain you for another week. Also, you have been incredibly rude towards myself, your brother and also your niece. So, you have outstayed your welcome. I have an important visitor arriving in a week and I cannot have you here, whilst I am trying to prepare for my visitor." Elaine stepped forward. "You will leave tomorrow as you had planned or I will have you escorted from my country by force."
"Yes, your Grace." Angharad nodded and curtseyed to her, before leaving the Queen alone with her husband.
"Wow!" Gwaine exclaimed and walked to her side, both of them watching his sister leave.
"She needed to be told. No one ignores my daughter." She turned to face her husband and kissed him softly. "Now, feed your pregnant wife."
"Grapes?" He asked. She nodded with a grin. "I swear you are having a boy."
Gwaine was insistent throughout Elaine's pregnancy that she was having a boy but Elaine thought she was having a girl. Elaine was right. She gave birth to a girl two days before Yuletide. They named her Maria for Gwaine's mother. She was a very beautiful and healthy baby. But the birth was hard for Elaine and Declan told her that she was unable to have any more children. It broke her heart and it broke Gwaine's heart. Though the two of them were perfectly content with their two girls and with Galahad.
A/N: Next chapter will be a BIG time jump. This story is near the end. It will all quick off soon.