Divinity: Chapter forty four
The first trimester of Gaia's pregnancy was a challenging and at the same time wonderful experience for her, everyday that passed she felt this new life forming inside of her more and more alive. But this baby had character, one day she could be chirpy and happy with no symptoms at all or she could stay in bed sleeping the whole day, her tummy was also growing allowing her to feel the baby moving.
The first time the baby moved they were at the court having tea and eating lunch, for the very first time she was eating more than just fruit, Eros just came home from a meeting with one of the three kings and had brought her a present from King Bernard; a small box of chocolates. A few minutes later she ate one of the chocolates she felt a small tug inside her.
Eros watched her amazed wife with tenderness and excitement, after she told him what she just felt; she put his hand on her belly and waited for another reaction from the baby.
At her fourth month she felt more relaxed and collected, stil,l her emotions started to flow like cascades, luckily she had a very lovable and patient husband by her side.
"How's my grandson or granddaughter doing this morning?" Queen Narella asked excitedly touching Gaia's belly with care.
Gaia chuckled and answered in a childish voice "Very happy, I'm moving a lot today"
"How are you feeling today dear?" Queen Narella hugged her daughter in law.
"Good, I haven't feel too tired this whole month" she smiled.
"It's normal, I remember when I was expecting Eros; I felt tired all the time" Queen Narella laughed.
"Have you thought of names for the baby?" King Odell asked.
"No…not yet" Gaia commented.
"I can't wait to meet my little bundle of joy" Queen Narella said excited.
"Dear… maybe I'm not allowed to ask you this things but, does your parents know you're expecting a child? The mother queen asked again.
Gaia lowered her gaze "I don't know"
"I want to thank you, for not telling anyone about my true identity" Gaia said.
"Oh dear, that is something that only concerns to us" King Odell said.
"Yes dear, I could never tell the court…they would never understand" Queen Narella said.
"Including Charmindy" Eros said.
King Odell burst into laughter at his son's comment, Queen Narella turned to look at him with a puzzled look.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"I remembered how crazy that girl is…it would have been this kingdoms perdition to have her as queen" the father king said.
"I'll never forget that embarrassing moment at the ball…" Queen Narella said.
"Me either" Gaia commented.
"Imagine a child like Charmindy dear" Gaia laughed at her comment.
Eros eyes widened "Oh dear god…"
The lunar queen walked through the main hall of her palace, she accompanied Chronos to the exit; his words echoed her mind.
It had been a long while since she last saw her, her heels clicked on the marble floor. She was about to go to the gardens when she noticed the palace very quiet and without too much movement, Athan was at a meeting in Olympus and he won't be home until this evening.
"Maybe if I just pass by and say hello…" Serenity thought.
"I was wondering if you could go with me to the party"
"I have to work"
"Maybe if you ask for permission…"
"Are you crazy?"
"Yes… crazy in love for you…"
Aurea blushed and look down, Marlo, the chef's assistant was standing next to the maid with a yellow flower in his hand. Both were at one of the gardens, he caught her cutting some flowers to take to her mistress's chambers.
"Marlo…I can't ask for that, I have too much work, I have to take care of Her Majesty" Aurea said.
"Please…? It's just a party" the young man said.
"Well, then ask Aurora or Lilly I'm sure they won't say no" the woman said.
Gaia went to see Obelix but he was him doing his daily prayers and didn't want to interrupt him, so she better decided to go and take a walk through the gardens of the palace, she was about to sit near the fountain when she heard people whispering, finding it odd she went to see who they were and spotted her assistant and friend with the young cook.
She took a few steps closer and saw him trying to give Aurea a pretty yellow flower, the scene couldn't be more adorable and romantic, a man trying to win a woman's heart.
"I don't want them to go with me, I want you" Marlo said raising his yellow flower up to her.
"I have to work Marlo, I'm sorry" the young woman said.
Gaia saw the young cook's sad eyes, he was trying to conquer her love; and then the queen thought when was the last time she knew Aurea had a free night? She was always with her, taking care of her since she arrived and with her pregnancy she was always there for her. Gaia felt she needed to do something for her friend; it wasn't fair for that young pretty woman to live without love, without a companion.
"I can wait for you until you go can go" the man said.
"Marlo I said I can't…" Aurea said.
"Aurea" Gaia said joining the couple in the garden.
Aurea bowed so as Marlo "Your Majesty" the said in unison.
"How are you feeling Your Majesty?" the girl asked with concern.
"I need to talk to you" Gaia said in a serious tone.
"O-of course" Aurea wasn't expecting that.
"Come with me, it's serious"
"Y-yes Your Majesty" Aurea stuttered.
Gaia started to walk to the fountain and Aurea followed, she turned to see the young man standing there with a worried expression and smiled at him. Marlo blushed and smiled at her back nodding his head he left the gardens, somehow he understood what the queen was trying to do.
They stopped in front of the fountain; Gaia sat and motioned Aurea to sit next to her. They stayed in silence for a few minutes before Aurea decided to break the silence.
"Is something the matter Your Majesty?" Aurea asked worried.
"Yes" Gaia pretended to sound serious.
"How can I serve you?"
"I'm very upset with you Aurea, your behavior hasn't been the best" Gaia said.
"Your Majesty…I don't…" Aurea felt confused.
"I don't seem to understand how you can't go to that party!" Gaia said, turning to see the young woman.
Aurea blinked her eyes in shock "Your Majesty?"
"Gaia"
"Gaia…I don't understand" Aurea said.
"Am I being unreasonable with you? Am I asking to work extra hours?" Gaia asked.
"No! …it's just that…" Aurea looked down.
"He seems to like you" Gaia said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You have the right to go out and have some fun, what worries you?"
"I don't want to leave you alone, there are days you can feel great and others when you just can't get out of bed"
"Aurea" Gaia chuckled "It's actually a miracle that I'm pregnant, it's supposed to be hard, at least for me. But trust me in one thing, this baby is way too comfortable right now, I don't think this baby is going to be born anytime soon"
Aurea smiled.
"Why are you so afraid of loving him?" Gaia asked.
"I fear to give my heart to someone else again" Aurea confessed.
"I once had my heart broken too; it's the worst feeling…" Gaia said.
"Someone broke your heart? But you're a Goddess you're beautiful!" Aurea said.
"Beauty is never the reason to love somebody dear friend"
"Who was it?"
Gaia laughed "Why do you want to know?"
"It was the God who came that day am I right?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because no sane man can let a Goddess like you go, besides his face said everything"
Gaia lowered her gaze "Ares and I were very close friends, he taught me how to master a sword, he protected me…I was once in love with him but he always slept with other Goddesses. He always broke my heart in that sense, I don't know when he realized he was in love with me…I guess it was when he found out I was already in love with someone else…"
"I'm afraid to love him" Aurea said.
"You will never experience true love if you don't give him a chance…he seems loyal and lovable"
"He is…"
"Then go to the party with him…I really doubt Lilly and Aurora can win over you" Gaia smiled.
"But what if you feel bad?" Aurea asked worried.
"I'll bother the father of this bundle of joy" Gaia said, caressing her belly.
"But…"
Gaia took Aurea's hand and placed it over her bump.
"Baby…do you want Aurea to go to this party with Marlo?" Gaia asked her belly.
The baby started to move softly making Aurea smile widely.
"See? Even the baby wants you to go out. Have fun, it's an order from your queen" Gaia raised her nose to the sky.
"Thank you, Gaia" Aurea kissed the queen's cheek.
Gaia wasn't expecting that action, her eyes started to fill up with tears, but she did her best to hold them.
"You better enjoy this time because once this baby is born neither you, Eros, Leonidas and myself are going to sleep again" Gaia laughed.
Gaia returned to her chambers a while after Aurea left to get ready for the party, when she entered the room she saw her husband was still asleep.
"He really must be tired" she thought.
She walked to the small reception that was in Eros's and her chambers, taking a green book from one of the shelves she sat on a red couch and started to read the first pages of the book.
A silver aura appeared in an open room. It was gorgeous, tall pillars reaching for the sky, flowers all around and a small altar in the middle of the circular place; the sunlight filled the place giving a dreamy atmosphere.
Serenity was confused, she thought she got to the wrong place; she started to walk around the place taking the sweet gardenia aroma in.
Obelix saw the silver aura a few feet away from him and smiled, he knew who this aura belonged to; walking towards her he smiled.
"What a pleasant surprise, Your Majesty"
Serenity turned happily at the man behind her "Obelix, it's been so long since I last saw you!"
Obelix closed the long space between them and hugged the lunar queen "I know, I'm so glad to see you doing well"
Serenity broke the hug and smiled warmly at the priest. "This place is beautiful"
Obelix nodded "Yes it is…I love the way the sun enters this place, I spend most of my days here, praying"
Serenity sat at one of the stairs in the small altar.
"What do you ask for when you pray Obelix?"
The priest smiled and sighed. "I thank to the gods for giving us another day to live…I pray for the safety of this planet, I pray for my queen and her king…I pray for the future, for the little bundle of joy that's coming"
"Is it true, then?" Serenity's eyes showed surprise.
Obelix stared at the lunar queen with confusion.
"Gaia is expecting a child" Serenity's voice was soft.
Obelix nodded. "How did you know Your Majesty?"
"Chronos told me…" Serenity's voice held melancholy.
"We consider it a miracle" Obelix sighed with joy.
"How is she?" Serenity's eyes gleamed with happiness.
"Why don't you call her?" the priest smiled.
"I thought she couldn't respond to that anymore…" Serenity gave a curious look to the priest.
"She thought that too, but it seems the stone still responds to her. Call her, she'll be more than happy to see you"
Serenity closed her eyes, trying to find the link she shared with her goddess friend she smiled when she knew she had found her.
"Little girl of golden eyes…where are you?"
Gaia was changing another page of the book she was reading when she heard Serenity's words in her mind. She smiled when she recognized her voice.
"I'm at my chambers reading a book, where are you?"
Serenity's lavender eyes opened and gleamed with joy.
"I'm with Obelix, I escaped a moment from the moon to came and see you"
Gaia smiled.
"I'll be there in a moment"
"Baby of mine, someone very special to mommy came to salute you" the terran queen smiled, rubbing her tummy.
Serenity smiled "I can't believe it; she can still communicate with me!"
"I told you, she didn't know she could until Ares came" the priest said with a low voice.
Serenity frowned. "Ares, wait… Ares was here?"
"He came to confront me four months ago"
Serenity's eyes widened when she saw the terran queen standing at the entrance, her imperial cut dress in a forest green dress hiding her baby bump. Her hair was loose with a golden pin on her right side holding just a strand of her long raven hair.
"Oh my…Gaia!" Serenity stood immediately and went to hug her friend. That's when she noticed her pregnancy.
"Look at you…when you think you can't get any more beautiful you become pregnant and look beyond gorgeous!" Serenity placed a hand on her friend's bump. As if the lunar queen's hand had woken up the baby it reacted to her touch and started to move softly.
"I think the baby is saying hello" Gaia laughed.
"I'm so happy for you" Serenity shed some tears.
"We all are like crazy, we can't wait to meet this baby" Obelix commented.
"I can tell" Serenity's eyes showed more than just excitement.
Serenity widened her eyes "I thought you couldn't link your energy with us anymore…how did you…?"
Gaia sat on one of the benches and nodded "I thought that too but it seems I still have some power left, the crystal still responds to me and with a stronger force"
"She found out when Ares came" Obelix scratched his head.
Serenity stood up "Wait a minute…you said Ares came to confront you"
Gaia nodded.
"Did he hurt you?" Serenity's hands were trembling.
"No, he…came to take me back" Gaia looked down.
"He tried to kill you Your Majesty…to kill you and the King" Obelix looked at his queen.
"Oh my…I tried to stop him but he was frantic!" Serenity kneeled in front of Gaia.
Gaia raised her face to look at her friend "His eyes were filled with rage…he found out I was once in love with him"
Serenity sighed "I know, I told him…I'm so sorry Gaia but I had to…I had to find a way to stop him, although I guess it didn't work"
Gaia placed a hand on Serenity's shoulder.
"I'm the one who's sorry; I have caused you so much trouble"
"If God Ares hadn't come, the King's parents would have never found out about Goddess Gaia's true identity or about the baby" Obelix commented.
"Obelix is right, thanks to Ares I found out I was pregnant" Gaia placed a hand on her belly.
"How did they react when they found out you were the Goddess of Earth?" Serenity sat on the floor looking up at her friend.
"They were shocked of course but, they were incredibly kind to me and even kept the secret from the court" Gaia smiled.
"And when they found out about the baby?"
"They couldn't believe it; they are very excited, they can't wait to hold the baby in their arms"
Serenity smiled. "I'm so thankful this nightmare is getting to its end"
Gaia made a confused look. "Why do you say that?"
Serenity stood up.
"Ares got married"
Gaia turned to look at Obelix and then to Serenity with a shocked expression.
"He got married? To whom?" Gaia's was surprised by the news.
"With Eris, about four months ago" Serenity crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Eris was the woman who always stayed by his side all this time, and she was the woman in his bed every night since I can remember" Gaia's voice was quiet.
"He got married right after he came then, you said four months…" Obelix said with a hand on his chin.
"I'm glad for him, I hope he finds happiness" Gaia smiled.
Serenity looked down and sighed, Gaia stood up and hugged her friend with no need to know what is making her sigh like she did, Serenity couldn't help but cry.
A/N: I hope you like this chapter, sorry I'm posting it a day later but I've been like crazy at work, organizing, fetching and a lot of things, if you once watched that movie called ''the devil wears prada'' my job is like the one the assistant have but instead of fashion is art, fortunately, my boss is not like the one in the movie, she still has her strong character though, but she's very nice... lol oookay I'm drifting a LOT here; I want to thank you for your comments, questions, excited reviews and messages. I love your response to this story and as long as I continue reading reviews from you guys I'll keep finding the time to keep writing and posting new chapters :) I'm enjoying this process very much, as a first experience I must say is very rewarding, I feel like if I painted a portrait a lot of people could relate on...
Thank you very much and I hope to read reviews from you!