fandomania | The Adventure continues...

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Our eggs:

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Our hatchlings:

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Two days later, when my older children were back from school, I got up and out of bed. I was still very weak, not so much from the miscarriage, but more from the draining of my powers. Both Mahli and Ellyn tried to persuade me to go back to bed, but I was bored and needed something to keep me from thinking of my lost babies. If I stayed there any longer without anything to occupy myself, I felt as if I would spiral into a world of sorrow that would be difficult to climb out of. I needed Donal so much that it hurt. I needed my family. I needed to be with them and let them help me from being so sad. I couldn’t bear to be isolated any longer.

Ellyn and Mahli helped me walk to the nursery play room. There they helped me sit in a rocking chair as my children gathered around me and I let them talk about their day and whatever they felt like. The nursery maids came in carrying Yusaf and Eryssa, toddling behind were my darling twin sons. We spent several hours together, enjoying ourselves. When Yusaf became hungry, I began nursing him. Celianne started asking all sorts of questions about babies. Since she was twelve and curious, I answered her as best I could. Unfortunately, Melia and Melisant weren’t interested and went off to a corner of the room and started playing a game. When Reuel wanted to join them, they ignored him, which upset him and a verbal fight started. Since I couldn’t get up to stop then, I asked Celianne to stop the fight and bring her sisters over to me.

“Melia! Melisant! What have I told you about being rude to your brothers and sisters?”

“But Mommy! We weren’t being rude!” they said at the same time.

“Deliberately ignoring someone who has asked to play with you politely is just as rude as saying something rude. We have talked about this before, haven’t we?”

They both looked shamefaced as they both replied, “Yes, Mommy.”

“I told you that if you did this again, I was going to have to punish you, did I not?” They both nodded their heads affirmatively and hung their heads. “Melia, I want you to go stand in that corner over there,” I said pointing to the right. “Melisant, I want you to go stand in that corner over there,“ I said pointing to the left. “You are to stand there face to the wall and not talk or move an inch. You are only to think about your behavior and how much you have disappointed me. You two are nine years old now and you should know better than this.” The girls started to cry but they went to their respective corners. I made them stand there for an hour, although it broke my heart to hear them sobbing.

In the meantime, Reuel, Jayzon, and Loysa started playing together and seemed oblivious to their sister’s crying. When Yusaf finished nursing, Eryssa wanted her turn. So I gave Yusaf to Celi to burp and gave Eryssa my other breast.

I watched Celi holding her baby brother and saw how she handled him so beautifully. She was going to be a good mother someday. And then the thought of her growing up and making me a grandmother was just too much for me. I was only twenty-six years old! I was not ready for that! I think that Celi must have realized what I was thinking, because she asked, “I suppose I am going to have to get married soon…” she asked wistfully.

“What makes you ask that, Celianne?” I inquired.

“Because you were thirteen when you got married and I will be thirteen next year.” she replied.

“My darling girl! I was way too young when I married your father. I will never allow that to happen to you. I can assure you that you will not be forced to marry anyone you don’t love and you will be over eighteen before I let you marry.”

Relief spread over her pretty face. “Thank you, Mommy. I was beginning to worry. I am not sure I will ever want to get married. Boys are so stupid!”

I laughed. “Yes they can be…”

I noticed the time and told Melia and Melisant that their punishment was over. They came back over to me, with tearstained faces. “We are sorry, Mommy, that we were rude. We promise to be better.”

“I am sure that you are sorry and I accept your apologies. You don’t have to play with your brother. If he asks politely to play, you can refuse him; just do so politely as well.”

“We will, Mommy.” They came closer so that they could get hugs and kisses from me.

But while we were doing that, Izshaq knocked on the nursery door and asked, “May I come in?”

I quickly covered myself with a nursing blanket and then invited Izshaq to enter.

He entered, looking around as he came in. It seemed as if he was already checking out the security of the nursery. He then walked over to me and got down on his knees and bowed to me. I quickly removed Eryssa from my breast and rearranged my dress. I then gave Eryssa to Celi and she returned Yusaf to my arms.

“Get up Izshaq! Don’t do that!”

“But your Majesty! That is how you should always be greeted. My father taught me very strictly on the proper respect one gives to their monarchs and their betters. Just because you wish to be informal doesn’t make you any less royal or any less deserving of respect.” I could see from most of my children’s faces that they were astonished at Izshaq’s obeisance. I sighed and made a mental note to add lessons in court manners and deportment were going to have to be given.

“That may be true, Izshaq, but you may do this to me in public or when I am actually crowned a queen. Right now, I am just another woman and mother. I wish to be treated as such.”

“As you wish … um… How am I to address you properly?”

“Patra is fine. Or Lady Patra. Or ma’am. But not ‘your majesty’ or ‘your highness’.”

“As you wish, ma’am.”

Izshaq got up with amazing grace.

“Children! Please come here?” When they had gathered around me, I said, “Children, this is your new guard and tutor, Mister Izshaq. Izshaq, these are all my children…” My children bowed and curtseyed to him as I proceeded to name each of them in order of their ages. “And last, but not least, this is Yusaf.”

“Prince Yusaf!” Izshaq exclaimed and bowed deeply to him.

I sighed. “He is only Yusaf here. I don’t want anyone to think that he is anything other than a baby.”

“Ah! I see the wisdom in your thinking … ma’am.”

I told the children that Izshaq was another person to go to if they felt afraid or were being bothered by anyone. I then suggested that we all play a game together. It was a silly children’s game that even the two year old twins could participate in, but that the older children weren’t bored playing. We all laughed and had a lot of fun. I was able to watch how Izshaq interacted with my children. He was very natural with them and they soon responded back to him.

After an hour of play, though, I felt at the end of my energy and Izshaq noticed. He came over to me and knelt down in front of me. “Ma’am, you look very tired. May I call your maids to come for you?”

“Please. I am suddenly feeling very faint.”

“And please know how sorry I am for your loss.”

I smiled weakly back at him. “Thank you.” I said simply.

He quickly hopped up and left the room. He came back quickly with my maids and Aunt Suthi. Suthi fussed over me like a mother hen and scolded me for overextending myself. She supervised while Ellyn and Mahli helped me out of the rocker. I was slowly walked to the door, but before I left, I turned to Izshaq and asked him to come to me in the morning so we could discuss his schedule.

“As you wish, ma’am,” he replied.

“He will do nothing of the kind!” exclaimed Suthi.

“Oh, shush! I will be better tomorrow.”

I allowed myself to be taken back to my room. After eating some dinner, I was then tucked into bed and was soon asleep.