The Tagatha Story

Chapter 2: Changes in Pattern

Agatha clasped Tedros's hands. "Infiltrated?" She repeated. Tedros rubbed Agatha's arm.

"It'll be ok. Its not like all crime has stopped just because Japeth is gone. But as soon as we find out who is causing trouble we'll catch them and shut them away." Agatha nodded. Although his words sounded convincing, the small quaver in his voice suggested that he was just as worried as everyone else.

"What did this person actually do that was so bad?"

Tedros's eyes shifted to the King of Jaunt Jolie, then back to Agatha. "Some important...very important information was stolen from the Jaunt Jolie vault. It helped this mystery person hijack the Camelot map room so that we can't track them, and it also allows them to access every map room in the entire woods, meaning that they can track Camelot. The thing is we can't get the map room back in order."

Agatha's mouth hung open. She didn't even know where to start. Their list of problems was so large. Even if Camelot did regain control of the map room, they would still be being tracked by other maps.

Sophie's P.O.V

Sophie was upset. There was no other way to describe how she was feeling. And when she got upset she got angry and when she was angry well...bad things happened.

She was angry for a multitude of reasons, and these were just a few:

1) She had written to Agatha and she had not written back

2) So she wrote another 2 letters and still got no reply

3) So she sent a letter to Teddy and got no reply

4) The only thing Hort could say to make her feel better was, "They are a king and queen they are probably busy." (and that just made her feel worse).

Sophie lay on her bed. Silently stewing on her many problems when she heard a knock on the door. "Go away!" she said, but almost pleading for some comfort. Hort could hear it in her voice and came in anyway.

"Hey" he said.

"What do you want?" she replied in a grump.

"That's no way to talk to you're boyfriend" he teased. Sophie tried to pout but ended up giving a sheepish smile.

"You know it won't make you feel better to just sit in bed and do nothing." He grabbed her arm and pulled her up. She put her arms around his neck "Thanks" she whispered in his ear. He pulled her into a gentle kiss.

"You wanna do something to take you mind off...well...everything?"

"What do you have in mind?" she said with a grin.

Hort took Sophie across the bridge from the school masters tower and towed her towards the open courtyard. Sophie saw a candle lit picnic and her eyes lit up. She saw all her favourite foods including: cucumber, cucumber juice, salad, cakes and trifles, and small portions of beans (she had never been able to shake the craving from when she was a boy).

Hort sat down and offered her a plate. She sat down and eyed Hort. He was breathing very heavily and his hand kept twitching in his pocket. Small beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. He coughed and then said, "Sophie there is something I need to say. Something I've wanted to say for a long time now, so please don't interrupt me. Sophie the moment I saw you in our first year I wanted you. But I knew you would never want me. I mean who would? I was just Hort and you were so much more. So you have no idea how privileged I feel not only to have spent all these years with you but to be your boyfriend. I love you more than anything on this Earth Sophie. So I guess what I am trying to say is this. Sophie of Woods Beyond, will you marry me?" He held out a small blue box and in it was the most beautiful ring Sophie had ever seen. Her eyes welled with happiness she could see her never after and just had to reach for it. She looked into Hort's hopeful eyes and said "YES! Hort I love you so so so much!" She kissed him passionately on the lips. He took the ring from the box and slid it gently onto her outstretched finger.

Hort picked Sophie up and swung her around in the air. "Sophie I love you".

"Hort I love you...and that's an understatement!" Sophie was so overjoyed in that moment, that for once, she wasn't thinking about Agatha.

Tedros's P.O.V

Tedros had just sent some of his best knights on a hunt for the villain causing all the problems. It was gone midnight and Tedros flopped onto the bed. He was exhausted. He looked at his sleeping Queen. He admired her beauty. He loved her so much. Slowly Agatha's eyes fluttered open. "I'm so sorry my love, did I wake you?"

"Its fine" replied Agatha. She had never really been asleep. She was waiting for the right moment to tell Tedros what she was thinking. "Tedros there is something I need to talk to you about." Agatha was fidgeting with her fingers.

"What's the matter?" asked Tedros.

"I had an interview with the Courier today...then someone asked a question and I sort of got all flustered and-"

"What did they ask?" Tedros was concerned now that his Queen was obviously so panicked.

"They asked if... if I was...they asked if we were expecting an heir." She blurted this all out. Tedros's eyes widened but he did not seem panicked.

"So I asked Myrtle to tell the Courier to leave, then I rushed to the bedroom and now I'm really worried because obviously you need an heir, but I didn't know if you thought we were in that place and I don't know if we're in the place. I mean are we ready for children? Are you ready? With all that's going on in the kingdom right now...Tedros I'm not going to stop talking until you say something!" Agatha had said this all without breathing. She lifted her eyes to Tedros...who was grinning like a fool!

"Wow. Thanks Tedros, I'm glad you think this is funny." she grumped and rolled over. Tedros rolled her back over.

"I'm not grinning because I think it is funny, I'm grinning because I know I'm ready, and I know you're ready, and I can't wait to have a family with you. I thought I would be the one panicking about this, but really what is there to panic about?"

Agatha gazed up at him, she admired the matureness in his voice. He was ready. After all the worrying, after all the questions, her King was ready. She kissed him and then gave him a hug. "I love you Agatha" he said.