Divinity: Chapter fifty two
Dinner went by smoothly, at this time everybody was enjoying themselves drinking wine and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Gaia was glad to see her husband happy and without worry talking with the three royals and his father, it has been a long while since they enjoyed a meal together.
King Odell's health was getting more delicate, his heart was becoming weak and it was harming his eating habits making him to lose an important amount of weight. This worried Queen Narella and Eros greatly, sometimes when Gaia woke up in the middle in the night she could hear her husband crying and knew it was because of his father's health.
Odell taught him everything he knows and since Eros was his only child and a boy they had a very special relationship, he taught him to run the kingdom since he was very young and taught him to use a sword, to fight and be an honest prince since day one.
Gaia knew this was a very precious moment for Eros and Narella and enjoyed greatly to see them happy, to see Odell laughing and joking with Isra and the other guests, it didn't matter if she was feeling extremely tired and if her back was killing her.
Eros noticed his wife fidget several times in dinner and knew this was a big effort for her being here this late. He came closer to her ear "Dear, it's late…you are probably tired, why don't you go ahead and get some rest?"
Gaia turned to see him and placed a hand on his cheek "I know how important this moment is for you"
"You and our child are very important too" Eros placed his hand over hers and smiled.
"We're fine" Gaia smiled "I'll just go get freshen up a bit and I'll be back, alright?"
Eros nodded "I'll be waiting"
Gaia stood up and excused herself for a minute. She was walking towards the bathroom and in her way she saw King Bernard's assistant with his wife who seemed to be in her first pregnancy trimester sitting under a tree in the gardens. The couple noticed when Gaia came closer to them and the king's assistant stood up quickly and tried to help his wife to follow.
"No, please, don't bother, stay sit" Gaia said softly.
"I'm so sorry Your Majesty… we were just enjoying the fresh air and the gardens" the man said.
"It's alright, you don't need to apologize…you are in your free time you have every right to enjoy it with your wife" Gaia smiled.
"What's your name?" Gaia asked in a friendly manner.
"Kalel and this is my wife, Isadora" the man said.
"Nice meeting you" Gaia nodded.
"Are you going to have some rest Your Majesty?" Isadora asked kindly.
"No…I was just going to freshen up a little bit, your King is a man with thousands of stories" Gaia chuckled.
The coupled laughed softly "On the outside, you'll see a very serious man but once you get to know him you'll see a totally different person" Kalel said.
"Very true" Gaia smiled and looked at Isadora's baby bump.
"Have you thought about a name for your baby?"
"No Your Majesty…" Isadora said softly.
Gaia smiled, she sensed something from the young couple, taking a pouch she carried around all the time as a charm she took out a green with some pink sparks gem and showed it to them.
"I carry this little bag with four special gems with me all the time, my parents gave me this stones when I was little and said they were going to protect me everywhere I went" Gaia said.
"That gem is gorgeous!" Isadora said in amazement.
"Do you like it?" Gaia asked.
"It has a beautiful deep color" Kalel said.
"It's a mineral crystal" she held the cristaline stone in her hand and smiled "My father said it was the stone of grace and perception, he said this stone would always keep me on the right path. It's called Zoicite"
"Zoicite…how beautiful" Isadora said.
Gaia smiled kindly and handed the stone to her "Here"
Isadora's eyes widened in surprise "Y-Your Majesty…what?"
"Take it as a present for your baby" Gaia smiled.
"Your Majesty…I don't know what to say…thank you very much, we'll treasure it" the man with blonde hair said.
Gaia smiled "I better go back, my husband must be worried. Please, keep enjoying your evening; feel free to walk around the gardens"
"Thank you very much Your Majesty" the couple said.
Gaia turned on her heel and started to walk towards the palace. A few minutes later she was back at the reunion and sat next to Eros.
"Oh there you are! We were starting to get worried" King Isra said.
Gaia smiled "I'm fine; I just needed to walk for a bit"
"I met Kalel and his wife, they seem to be nice people" Gaia said softly.
"They are…" King Bernard nodded "They don't have much and live in a humble cabin near the palace, but they sure are good people"
"They are also expecting a child"
"Yes" he responded "I tell them that if is a boy he will be more than welcome to join the army to train"
"The army?" Gaia asked curious.
"Of course, to protect our land" Bernard said.
"I see…" Gaia lowered her gaze.
"Well…it has been a pleasure to see you all here joining us in this special dinner. You may continue with the celebration…I will excuse myself for tonight, I'm feeling a little tired" King Odell said while standing up.
"Of course, of course Odell, we all understand" King Bernard said.
Queen Narella stood next "We will see you tomorrow for breakfast then"
"That sounds marvelous" Queen Camila said smiling.
"Bonam Noctem" Odell waved his hand and patted his son's shoulder softly.
The rest of the party responded the king and continued their chatting.
"Have you thought of a name for your baby Gaia?" King Urmanus asked curious.
Gaia shook her head no softly "Not yet…"
"It is always hard to think of the perfect name for your child, a good friend of mine is about to have her second grandchild, and they are still trying to find the perfect name for the baby" Queen Eloisa said.
"Oh right, Kiki's daughter right?" King Urmanus asked his wife.
Eloisa nodded "Poor thing, Ianthe's husband left her and their unborn child and never came back, he abandoned them. They have very low resources, so now Ianthe helped the cook in King Isra's palace"
"Oh my…she's working in her state?" Gaia asked surprised.
"Yes, her mother, Kiki is ill; Ianthe takes care of her since her brother Oiotsu works all day to feed his own family. I couldn't leave her see her own faith alone in her state since she almost has her baby" Eloisa said.
"Ianthe…that's a beautiful name" Gaia said softly, and felt the same warmth when she was talking to the young couple in the gardens and felt the need to look for her pouch.
"She's assisting you now?" asked Camila, I didn't see her when we arrived.
"She's here?" Gaia's eyes widened in shock "This must mean something, to feel this warm energy from the stones…and the coincidence that are souls to be born into this planet, could it be…?Gaia thought.
"Yes, she's at one of the guest rooms next to Urmanus's and mine" Eloisa pointed.
"I see…hopefully I'll meet her tomorrow" Gaia smiled.
"Of course" Eloisa smiled.
"Well, I think is time we all go and get some sleep, tomorrow will be a new and busy day" King Bernard said.
"I believe you're right Bernard" Eros said and stood up.
"We will see you tomorrow then, have a good night" Gaia said.
"Bonam Noctem" the guests said in unison.
"Bonam Noctem" Eros and Gaia responded.
Gaia was about walk towards the palace too when she felt her husband's hand takes hers, in one soft motion he turned her to see him and smiled.
"I love you" he said in a boyish tone.
"I love you too…" she breathed "I'm sorry for worrying you so much"
Eros brushed away some hair away from her eyes and smiled "The important thing is that you are here safe and sound"
The couple walked in the gardens for a while, holding hands and laughing to each other, they were enjoying their time together. After a while both royals went to their chambers to finally have some rest.
The next morning Gaia woke up early to have breakfast with the royal guests, Eros was already joining them in the dining room. Again, she was late, although she had an excuse, a very good one. A baby.
On her way to the room she saw a young woman with wavy ash blonde hair, her skin was slightly tanned and it seemed she was also expecting a child. In her hands she was carrying a small basket with fruit, sensing she was being watched she turned to see Gaia in a gorgeous purple gown.
The woman immediately lowered her head "Your Majesty"
Gaia saw this was not the girl she met the night before with her husband, this was another young woman, her eyes widened in surprise when she came to the conclusion of who might this girl was.
"Ianthe…" she breathed.
"Your Majesty?" the woman asked surprised.
"You must be Ianthe, am I correct?" Gaia asked softly.
The young woman stood still, surprised "Yes, Your Majesty; I am Queen Eloisa's personal maid"
Gaia smiled "I know, the Queen told me herself…and that you were also expecting a child, being that the main reason why you weren't around last night"
Ianthe placed her hands over her round belly "Yes, Her Majesty Queen Eloisa was very kind to me in accepting me as her maid"
Gaia smiled, she felt sympathy for the girl standing in front of her, somehow she seemed fragile and kind, her big icy blue colored eyes shone with amazement. Then, the same warm feeling was there again, she could feel like if something or someone was pulling an invisible string and remembered when she gave the stone to the young couple in the gardens last night.
"Are you having breakfast with us Ianthe?"
"Me?... Y-Your Majesty, I'm not allowed to join you for breakfast or any other activities. I'm here just to serve my Queen whenever she needs me to"
"I see…" Gaia lowered her gaze "You seem to be a very kind person, it would be lovely if you joined us for tea this afternoon"
Ianthe's eyes widened in surprise "Really?"
"Of course, after all you are our guest as well" Gaia smiled.
"You are so kind, Your Majesty" Ianthe nodded.
"Well…I better get going, everyone must be starving!" both women chuckled.
"I hope to see you this afternoon for tea" Gaia smiled, waving her hand she walked away.
"So kind…" Ianthe breathed.
The dining room was full of laughter, the glasses made their particular and delicate noise when they came together, a long white table cloth covered the polished wooden table, white and gold china was placed in every guest seat, still impeccable because they were waiting for the last person to join them.
Gaia entered the large room and nodded her head "I'm so sorry for the delay"
"Good morning Gaia, did you sleep well?" Queen Narella asked.
"Yes I did, thank you" Gaia smiled.
Gaia went to sit next to Eros and a maid served her a glass of orange juice.
"Let's enjoy our breakfast" King Odell said cheerfully.
"Are you still going to fight your own daughter and put your grandchild's life in risk?" the god of war's voice was deep and showed concern.
"How do you know she's expecting a child?" Geb asked.
"I'm a God Geb, I can get any kind of information" Ares waved his hand.
Geb lowered his gaze, his heart was pounding fast, he didn't know how to react, he was going to be a grandfather, the apple of his eyes was going to have a child and he wasn't there by her side.
"I have to go…" Geb stood up quickly and walked out of the spacious room, leaving the doors open.
"I know its killing you Geb, I know it's killing you to be away from her just like it's killing me" Ares whispered.
Geb walked quickly out of Ares's palace, lifting his head to the heavens he saw the blue sphere hanging in the sky, his green eyes couldn't hold anymore the tears that were threatening to fall minutes ago.
"A grandchild…could it be…?" he whispered.
Serenity was still waiting Athan; she went to her balcony and stared at the blue planet in front of her. Her eyes felt swollen for so much crying, it was early morning and she didn't go to sleep because she spent all night waiting for him to come home. She was starting to wonder where he could be, what he was doing, with whom; minutes after she heard the door open, showing a tired king walking towards the bathroom.
Serenity turned to see her husband but said nothing; he too looked at her and noticed her red puffy eyes. He could tell she spent the night crying, waiting for him to come home back to her. Athan knew she loved him deeply and he loved her back but he couldn't explain that feeling of just wanting to stay away from her.
There she was, the most beautiful goddess crying over him, a warrior from Andromeda. And she chose him of all the male beings in the universe, she chose him and now he's making her cry and wonder if he still loves her.
"Serenity…" he said softly, his voice was raspy.
A single tear ran through her face, with the back of her hand she wiped it off, and walked to stand in front of him.
"What have I done wrong to deserve this? I have given you all the love I had and still it was never enough…I don't know what to do anymore Athan, really I don't"
Athan sighed and looked down "I… I don't know why am I like this…I love you but at the same time I feel frustrated"
Serenity's eyes widened and started to tear once again "We have a meeting in a couple of minutes, since you just came home, I'll go by myself" she left the room without saying another word.
Athan stood there; he ran a hand through his hair and sighed "Forgive me Serenity…"
"Everything was delicious" King Bernard said his hands rubbing his stomach.
"Delicious indeed" Queen Eloisa said.
"How about we leave the gentlemen talk alone and we go to the tea gardens" Queen Narella
"That's an excellent idea!" Queen Camila said cheerfully.
Gaia smiled and turned to see her husband and gave him a peck on the cheek, Eros smiled at her "Have fun dear"
"How about we go to the study so we can be more comfortable" Eros said, standing up.
The table in the tea gardens was already set, the delicate pink china was set, some pastries and more fruit was on crystal plates on the center of the round white table.
"This place is beautiful!" Queen Eloisa said amazed.
"Thank you; it's our favorite spot here inside the palace, right Gaia?" Narella commented.
"It is" Gaia smiled.
The women sat on the delicate white wooden chairs around the table and started to pour some of the hot tea on their soft pink porcelain cups.
"This tea is exquisite" Queen Camila said.
"It's our famous rose tea" Queen Narella said proudly.
"I was mesmerized by its taste when I had my first cup" Gaia said cheerfully.
The chatter started, they talked about clothes, perfumes, their husbands, some gossip here and there when suddenly a new woman appeared at the entrance of the gardens.
Gaia turned and smiled when she saw who it was.
"I'm glad you decided to join us"
The three queens turned to look at Gaia surprised.
"Ianthe!" Queen Eloisa wasn't expecting the girl to be there.
Ianthe curtsied before the queens "Forgive me Your Majesties for intrude this way…but…um…" she trailed off and blushed.
"I invited her to join us" Gaia said.
Queen Eloisa smiled at the northern queen "How kind of you Gaia"
Gaia blushed "I would have love to invite Isadora as well, but I guess she's spending the day with her husband"
"Yes, I believe so; Bernard gave his general the day off" Queen Camila said.
"Come in dear" Queen Narella said to the young woman standing a few feet away from them.
Ianthe bowed and came to sit next to Queen Eloisa.
They continued their talk happily. Queen Camila soon changed the topic to something more serious.
"Ianthe, how's your mother doing?"
Gaia paid total attention to the girl sitting across from her; she needed to know if she really was the right one to have the second stone. The energy was unmistakable; she sensed something special from her, just like she did with Isadora.
"She's delicate Your Majesty…her heart is now weak and she gets tired very easily" the girl said with a sad voice.
"I heard you were working in the kitchen as the cook's assistant in King Isra's palace, and I correct?" Queen Narella said.
"Yes Your Majesty…I was working in the kitchen until…I found out I was expecting a child" she lowered her eyes.
"Do you know where he is?" Queen Camila asked again.
"No…" Ianthe sighed "He just…one day said he was going to buy some food for us and he never came back"
"What a miserable man" Queen Eloisa muttered.
"His Majesty soon found out about my state and said I couldn't work anymore as a cook, so he asked Queen Eloisa if she needed a personal maid, as soon as I help Her Majesty with everything she needs I go home to take care of mother" the young woman said.
"And as soon as I give birth, I'll work harder to give my baby a better future"
Gaia didn't need more reasons to see why this girl was special. "You will give your baby a better future. Believe me"
Ianthe smiled.
Once lunch was over, each queen left to their chambers to get some rest and wait for dinner time. Queen Eloisa was the last to leave "What a lovely day, we'll see at dinner dear"
Gaia nodded and smiled "Of course"
"Ianthe, I will be waiting for you in my chambers" Queen Eloisa said softly.
"Yes, Your Majesty" she curtsied and started to leave.
"Ianthe…" Gaia said.
The girl turned to see the raven haired queen "Yes, Your Majesty?"
Gaia smiled "I truly believe you will give your child a better future, I admire your strength and honesty…and I want to give you something very special to me"
Ianthe's eyes widened in surprise "Your Majesty…a gift? For me?"
Gaia nodded and placed a purple stone on Ianthe's extended hand "This stone is called Kunzite"
Ianthe's eyes started to shine with tears "Y-Your Majesty…I...I don't know what to say…"
"My father gave it to me when I was little, for protection, loyalty and guidance, I want to give it t you, as a gift for your baby" Gaia smiled.
"Thank you, very much Your Majesty…I wasn't expecting so much kindness…thank you" she smiled.
"Things might be hard at this moment, but everything will get better, I promise" Gaia smiled.
Ianthe nodded.
"Queen Eloisa is waiting, you better go" Gaia laughed.
"Right!" Ianthe curtsied and turn to leave to the queen's chambers, but stopped in her tracks and turned to smile at Gaia.
"Thank you…for everything Your Majesty" she turned again and left the gardens.
Gaia stood there and smiled "No, thank you Ianthe" she placed her hands on her belly and left to her chambers.
A/N: Today is friday! finally, although I'm very sick and can't speak at all because my throat is incredibly sore I wanted to post a new chapter for you, I haven't being able to be at work these days but that gave me time to keep writing the next season. Well, I think you already noticed this final chapters are quite long (that was intentional) because well, who doesn't love a good ending season? and well, I still need to go ahead with th new season's chapters so I can go back to post three times a week :) I hope you like this chapter, many pieces will start taking their place for what's going to come next. Reviews are always welcome :) Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend :)
We know, I don't own sm, just the plot and some of the characters. Thank you.