I notice That all of the guards have knelt down with their hands over their hearts. "We pledge ourselves to the Princess of Aelmere, for now and always" The head guard says then "aye" the rest of the guard’s yell in unison.
Enre bends down whispering in my ear "They Will protect you as they do us now My love". I don’t know what to say.
"Would it be alright if I thank them, I do not know the customs here" I ask. Enre smiles at me and walks me down to the Head guard.
The guard and his men stand at attention. "Terra. This is captain Kinley Ross. Captain my lovely wife has something she wants to say to you and your men, go ahead My love" Enre says.
I step up to Closer to the Captain and say "I just wanted to Thank you and the other guards for your pledge, So Thank you" I say to him. trying not to bumble my words. The captain bows then followed by the rest of the guard.
He says "It is our Pleasure to serve My lady, and might I add, you are as radiant as the morning sun, Aelmere is lucky to have you". "Aye men?" he yells.
"AYE" The guards yell back. I smile at them. and Enre walks me over to our carriage. I look at the horses that are harnessed to it and see Saber and Slate. I look at Enre and he laughs walking me to the front of the horses. I rub both of them down their heads.
"It’s good to see you again Saber, Slate. Did they feed you well?" I ask. 'yes, very well' Saber said in my mind. "Thank you for pulling the carriage, for us" I say. 'you are very welcome Princess; the others say the same' Saber said to me. I smile and pet them one more time before walking around to get in the beautiful silver carriage.
Enre hold out his hand to help me. "After you Princess" he says. I take his hand and climb in. Sitting on the plush seat. He follows, sitting beside me. Thegan climbs on next sitting across from us. Soon we depart from the castle, Food in tow for the people. The guards are following us on foot and horseback for our protection.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Enre
Sitting in the carriage, I cannot help admiring Terra as she looks over the landscape. She is utterly breathtaking. Thegan interrupts my daydreaming "When we get to town, please make sure you stay with Enre and the guard’s, sister, for your safety" he says.
"He is right; you never know when one of Molven’s men will show up again" I add. Town is not too far from the castle and it has a wall all the way around it with Two Entrances. As far as I know, the town has been here since the beginning. And its wall was built because of predators. It has been repaired a few times over the years, But Hopefully we will be able to eventually take it down to expand the town, after all of this is over.
We Soon arrive at the city gates. The Bells toll to signal our arrival. When the gates open, a huge crowd is standing on each side of the road. "They seem to be in good spirits today Brother" I say to him.
"They have heard about our return; news travels fast around here" he says. I lightly squeeze Terra’s hand. Her eyes are wide, taking in the throngs of people and the new sights. All of the people are waving and have huge smiles. children are on their parent’s shoulders so they can see. When the carriage stops at the center of town, still surrounded by guards.
Thegan steps out and He says in a very powerful voice "My People, we have returned to Break the curse, I Know that times are rough, if you will bear with us for a while longer, We Will Bring Aelmere Back to its former Glory. Prince Enre Has taken a Wife, May I Introduce, Princess Terra Ogden Arthfael" He reaches a hand out to Terra and I urge her stand up.
I know this is over Whelming for her but it is out of necessity. This way the people know that she is protected. She stands, Smiling at the crowd. Cheering and applause erupts. The people are happy. She starts to blush and before I can stop her the carriage becomes covered in bright Blue Flowers and green vines. The crowd of people jump back. Gasps and whispers can be heard. Terra starts to tear up and I stand up quickly and put my arms around her. "Princess Terra is the daughter of Bohyne Tarna, The warrior of Aelmere. Do not Be afraid. She is here to help save us all. The crowd begins to cheer again, no more whispering can be heard. People are fickle. Always Reacting the same as everyone else. One second they cheer and the other they are backing away scared of what they don’t know exists.
I whisper to her "Everything is Alright, everyone knows about essence, It’s just not a lot of them have seen it in action. There are very few families that actually practice it. But everything is ok now My love, no harm done” Wiping a tear that has escaped from her emerald eyes. She sits back down in the carriage and I sit beside her as Thegan continues to talk to the people.
"We know that food has been scarce lately so we brought some back from our journey to The Earth realm. The guards will hand it out, to make sure that everyone gets their share" Thegan announced at last. Motioning for The wagons to come in one at a time. "There is plenty for everyone, so please be patient while it is being handed out" Thegan adds while the people cheer and holler.
Now That The speech is over I can take Terra looking around. I climb down the carriage and lift her up and out. sitting her on the ground gently. I enlace my fingers in here and say "are you ready my dear?" She smiles and nods her head. "You four come with us please" I say to the guards standing beside us.
As we walk through the streets, People are congratulating us on our marriage. Offering us some of their wares as presents. I explain the reason they offer things as gifts to Terra. I can tell it was making her uncomfortable. After a while she smiled at the People and thanked them one by one. This is a fairly rich City; this is their way of welcoming her. Even though they are a wealthy people, the only down side is lack of food. But it seems that every one has been keeping their spirits up, since this curse has taken hold.
"Can we look in there?" Terra asks, pointing to a wood carving shop. I smile, walking her to the shop she wants to visit. Going in, the shop keeper says "Welcome your highness's, Congratulations on your marriage". We say thank you to him and look around. After leaving that shop, I take her to the glass blowers.
The Artist there offers us the same greeting as the others. "May I ask what your favorite flower is Your Highness?" The artist asked Terra.
She smiled and said "An orchid". An earth flower.
"I know those well, please allow me to make you one My lady" he says to her, instantly getting to work making her a glass flower. She stands there watching with wide eyes as the artist Heats the glass and starts forming the flower. Shortly after, He cools it and ties a white ribbon on the stem. He places it in a long wooden box that has been lined in down feathers. Walking over to us he hands the box to Terra saying "May this meager gift bring luck to you Your highness".
She opens the box and looks inside. "It is beautiful, thank you" She say to him then she pulls on my hand wanting to say something to me. Whispering in my ear she asks "can I use my powers to give him a flower back?" I grin at her and nod my head slightly. She says to the man "allow me to give you a gift as well, though it is not much." She holds out her hand and concentrates. A few moments later, a Blue flower forms in her hand, with a small vine wrapping around the stem. She is getting better at controlling her powers.
She hands it to the Artist and he grins from ear to ear. "Thank you My lady, it is a beautiful gift you have". Bowing to us as we leave the shop.
I tell Terra "That was wonderful". She smiled and turned a slight pink.
"This towns design comes from many different cultures; it is very breath taking" She says while walking through the vendors. I explain to her that our people have been to Her realm a lot over the century’s, taking design and culture from many places. Asian design, Indian, Gypsy, and many many more. A lot of our building and wares are inspired from those different cultures. Everything from fruit trees and garden vegetables to cows and horses.
When we get back to the carriage Thegan is waiting. He stayed to oversee the food distribution. "we are going to need another wagon just for the gifts you have gotten sister” Thegan says snickering.
She smile
s back at him, "since they know about my flower growing may I try something? There are no flowers here, it’s sad" she asks Thegan.
"I don’t see why not, just don’t push yourself to hard ok" he replies. "My people, Princess terra has something she wants to say to you all" He says in a loud voice, Getting everyone’s attention.
"Thank you all for the wonderful gifts and kind words, I would like to give you all a small gift in return" She says to the crowd. They start cheering. She steps forward a little and lowers her head concentrating. she slowly starts to lift her hands, motioning for the walls and buildings. The crowd grows silent. I look around to see why. To my shock, the walls are being covered in vines and flowers. Then small flowers are popping up in front of all of the homes and business’s. I look back at terra and notice that she is starting to sway a little. I have to stop her; she is doing too much. I stand up behind her just as she is about to collapse. "Just a couple more" she says.
"No you have done enough, you need to stop" I tell her. pulling her in my arms. The crowd starts to cheer loudly. Thank you's are being yelled from the people. I sit her down, beside me. "You did well, but you went too far, you cannot do that. We do not know what would happen to you" I say to her.
"I’m sorry" she says in a weak voice. I pull her close and motion for Thegan’s attention. When he looks at me, he sees terra and announces to the people that we must be going, but we will return soon, thanking them for their generosity, he sits down as the carriage starts to move. After we get through the town gate Terra says "did you see how happy they were?" I don’t know whether it was a question or a statement, so I just pulled her in to my chest.
Thegan says to her "What you did was great for the peoples moral, but do not ever push yourself that far again sister. we do not want anything to happen to you". She nods her head. The next thing I know she goes limp in my arms.
"We need to hurry back. she has passed out" I tell Thegan. He yells at the guard to ride ahead and have Mrs. Anna waiting on us. The guard darts off at full speed. We arrive soon after the guard.
Mrs. Anna was waiting with two other nurses. when we come to a stop I hurry out of the carriage and Thegan lifts Terra up and passes her down to me. I tell Anna what happened and we rush up to our chambers. I lay her down on the bed gently. "Go on now, I will take care of her, then come find you" Mrs. Anna Says to me ushering me out of the room.
"I will be in the main hall" I tell her. I pace the hall in front of the door for a few minutes. Worried to death about Terra. Why in the hell did she have to push herself so hard. I feel a hand on my shoulder.
"Come brother, she is in good hands" He says. we go to the main hall and sit at one of the tables. A maid brings us both a drink and sets it down in front of us. I sit there with my head in my hands, sending up silent prayers to the goddess's to ask them to help her. "She is a lot more powerful than we thought brother, from now on we need to make sure she doesn't overdo it" Thegan says. I look at him, my eyes moist from worry. I do not know what to say to him so I just nod my head yes.
After sitting in silence for what seemed like hours, the door finally opens and Mrs. Anna comes in. I jump to my feet, anxious to hear what she has to say about Terra. "Your wife will be fine; she has just over did it. A couple days’ rest and she will be as good as new" she says in a calm voice. My heart starts beating once again. I felt like I was dying, not knowing if she was going to be ok or not. "she is sleeping now, so do not go wake her" Anna says pointing a finger in my face. Firm as always.
I Tell her "Thank you". She waves me off and heads out of the main hall.
What she said makes me wonder though. If she over did it with the flowers, which caused her to pass out. why did she not pass out when she caught on fire and when she disintegrated the prisoner at Norpool. Or when she caught fire in the loft. I wonder what has changed.
Me an Thegan sit at the table discussing various things that we need to do before we head off to battle Molven and his men, when a Guard Enters and says "My lords, you have visitors". Thegan nods his head and takes his place up on the dais. Me standing beside him. He nods to the guard to let them enter.
When the door opens Dazna and Crios walk in. "Welcome" Thegan says to them.
"We came to speak to Prince Enre My lord" Dazna says. Strait to the point.
"Alright, I will leave you for now" Thegan says getting up and heading out of the room. I wonder what they need to speak with me about.
"Come, sit" I tell them.
Crios says "We came because we have seen a vision, that concerns You and your wife my lord".
"Speak Then" I say to them. Dazna looks to Crios. And he urges her to speak. "Will one of you tell me what is going on?" I say in a stern voice.
Crios starts talking first. "The vision we seen was of A baby that is in danger" A baby in danger?
"What does that have to do with Me and Terra?". I am completely confused.
They look at each other than Dazna says "Your wife is with child, and we need to cast a protection on the child, so that her powers will not harm it". She's pregnant, I am going to be a father. I sit back in my seat, stunned at what I have just learned. "It is very doubtful that she knows at this point, but we need to act quick my lord" Crios says. I fill them in on what has happened to her today as we rush to her room.
Mrs. Anna is sitting outside of the door, guarding The Princess. "The princess is still asleep my lord" Anna says. We tell her what is going on and she says "Can the spell be done while she is sleeping?".
Crios nods his head and says "We will try not to wake her". Mrs. Anna opens the door and lets us in. Walking over to the bed I notice Terra in her night gown. Anna must have changed her.
The Haruspex get to work on the protection spell, mumbling words and moving their hands just above the belly of my sleeping wife. Watching intently, I notice her belly start to Glow, just a faint light shining through the material on her gown. Starting to worry that something is going wrong I look to Crios. When he stops chanting. he nods his head and him and Dazna motion for me to follow them. I take one more look at Terra before I follow them. When we are outside the door Crios says "It is done, nothing can harm them now, Not her powers or anyone else’s". Them?
I ask him " you said them?"
He nods his head and says "Twins, A boy and a girl" twins. I am having twins.
"Are they healthy?" I ask. Just wanting to make sure.
Dazna answered my question this time. "They are very healthy My Lord, and now that the protection is on them, nothing will be able to hurt them". Thank the Goddess's that they are alright, all three of them. I am so excited that I am about to jump out of my skin.
I ask them "Do you mind staying here at the castle for a while, so you can explain to her what you did, when she wakes?"
Crios says without hesitation "It would be an honor My lord, we are at your service". Mrs. Anna tells them that she will have rooms made up for them and leads them away. I sit down in the chair that Anna was sitting in. I say to myself 'I am going to be a father'. not just to one, But two babies.
Thegan comes around the corner and looks at me. "What is the matter brother, Is it Terra?" I shake my head no, changing my mind I nod yes.
Then I tell him in a low voice "I am going to be a father, The Haruspex- The Haruspex told me I am to have twins. A boy and a Girl, they had to put a protection spell on them to keep them safe from her powers".
Thegan clasps me on my shoulder and says "Congratulations Brother". We walk to the kitchen to get us something to eat. I tell him everything the Haruspex told me about the spell blocking all damage and the health of the babies. "Does Terra know yet?" He asks.
Shaking my head, no, I tell him "I am going to tell her when she recovers from the events today".
He nods his head and says "Let me know when you do tell her so we can celebrate". He is almost more excited than I am.
"You know this is going to make you an uncle" I say to him. "I know, And I am going to spoil them rotten"
he says with a laugh. I laugh with him.
After eating supper, we both head to our chamber for the night. When I climb in behind Terra she makes a small mumbling sound and curls in to me, Wrapping her arm over my stomach. "My beautiful Wife, I love you" I whisper to her and kiss her on top of the head. Soon after my dreams are filled with the sounds of children playing.
The sound of someone talking wakes me up from my child filled dreams. Opening my eyes slowly to adjust to the light I see Terra and Mrs. Anna sitting at the table talking. She shouldn't be out of bed yet; she needs to be resting. I sit up and Mrs. Anna says "I just came to check on her, it seems she has made a miraculous recovery". That’s right we never told her about Terra’s fast healing. "I will leave you two alone" Anna says winking at me on her way out.
"Good morning" Terra says to me in a cheerful voice.
"Good morning Love" I say back, getting out of bed and going over to the table to sit with her. "Are you sure you feel alright?" I ask.
She nods her head and says "I feel much better, I am sorry about yesterday, I really did not mean to use that much power".
"I know love, but from now on you are going to have to be mindful of how much power you use" I say. I do not know how to tell her she is pregnant. Do I just come out and say it? I sit and try to play over in my head what to say to her.
"Is something bothering you Enre?" She asks me. She must have noticed my hesitation.
"Umm well, honestly I was trying to figure out how to tell you something" I say. there is no need on hiding what I was doing.
Her face turns blank and she says "Good or bad?". After thinking on it I decided that she will not be going into battle with us.
"Both" I say.
She paused for a minute then says "Well tell me the bad first then". She Looks as though she is bracing herself for something really bad.
"You will not be going with us when we fight Molven" I say waiting for her response.
"Why not, I am a part of this too" she snaps.
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