The Tagatha Story

Chapter 8: A lions roar

Agatha heard noises in the corridor. Then she heard the crash of an explosion. She knew Melody was here. As Agatha sat up she knew that giving birth would be easy, the hardest part would be giving away her son or daughter, and having to live with the guilt.

Suddenly the door flew open and Melody stood in its frame. "We thought it would be nice to have a little family reunion." she said. Melody clicked her fingers and Tedros was flung through the open door. Followed by Anadil and Hester, gagged and bound. Agatha looked Tedros up and down and burst into tears. She leapt out the bed and rushed to his side.

"T-t-Tedros" she said lips quivering and voice cracking. Tedros stirred.

"A-a-Agatha?" he said in a hoarse voice.

"Y-yes it me" she pulled the King into her lap cradling his head. "W-what happened to you?" she asked .

"Agatha that's not important" said Tedros "How are you? Did that demon hurt you?"

"N-no, but Tedros the baby is on the way!" Tedros's eyes widened as far as the bruising would allow. He didn't know that he would never meet his son or daughter, never be able to bond with them and teach them right from wrong. It fractured Agatha's already broken heart.

"Quick!" he said urgently "we need to get a healer!"

"Sophie had gone to get one" smiled Melody evilly.

"You monster! Stay away from my family or I'll saw you in half!!" Tedros exclaimed.

"I don't think your in any position to be throwing around threats." said Melody eyeing Tedros broken torso up and down. "And besides. Even if you could attack, which you can't, but if you were able to, then you would be stopped easily." added Melody, inspecting her nails a smug smirk on her face.

"How so?!" shouted Tedros "I own the most powerful sword in the woods!"

"Be that as it may" said Melody, "the minute you make any move to attack, I will do this to your darling queen." Melody held her fist again and Agatha shrieked in pain. Tedros's mouth opened in horror, his face cherry red with anger. He let out a Lion's roar.

"Are you ok?" Tedros asked voice quavering. Agatha winced as another contraction came.

"Con-contraction" she breathed. Tedros shifted his weight and sat up against the bedpost, arm around Agatha's waist.

"And let that be a reminder, to everyone in this room" threatened Melody eyeing the witches and Tedros with an evil glare "that if any of you try anything, your precious Agatha will not ever see her baby." Tedros's arm tightened around Agatha.

Suddenly, Sophie staggered in and behind her the healer who had seen Agatha just weeks before came in.

"Baby is coming is it not?" asked the healer. She felt Agatha's stomach with her hands. "Baby is not ready yet. Baby in bad position." Tedros looked at Agatha with pure fear on his face. It made Agatha's heart ache even more.

"Do not worry" said the healer "I think 6 more contractions and baby will be ready to come to delivery. You are about 5 cm dilated so far."

Agatha cuddled into Tedros before saying to the healer "seeing as I've still got some time, please will you help my husband?" The healer looked Tedros up and down.

"Of course." she helped Tedros up into the bed, before pulling herbs and creams out of her apron and applying them to Tedros's face. The swelling slowly went down, the cuts scabbed over and the bruising started to heal. Then she moved onto his lower body. She moved her hands up and down his legs in a swaying motion and they slowly started to straighten out. Finally Tedros was able to stand his face almost back to normal. He picked Agatha up and gently put her back on the bed.

Melody's P.O.V

Melody watched this all without saying anything. It didn't matter to her whether the boy-king was weak or strong, he still couldn't do anything to her. Although his beating was entertaining to watch, almost all wounds healed eventually. Almost. Melody had never recovered from her mother's death. That wound had cut to deep to ever heal. She knew whatever she did to avenge her mother would never truly satisfy her. Killing the little mermaids sisters had given her a rush at the time but that did not change the fact her mother wasn't there to celebrate with her.

Then one day she had an amazing idea. At the time she had been reading 'the tale of Sophie and Agatha'. She had just got to the bit where Rafal had returned. This gave her a thought. If love so powerful could bring back an evil sorcerer, a more powerful source should be able to bring back her mother...such between Agatha and her child.

A few hours later...

Agatha's P.O.V

"Agatha get ready to push" said the healer. Agatha was covered in sweat, Tedros firmly holding her hand.

"You can do this" he said encouragingly. Agatha pushed with all her might.

"I see a head" said the healer.

"Tedros I can't do it-" said Agatha whimpering.

"Yes you can! Come on we're almost there. Push for me, one more time." Said Tedros, wiping a mixture of sweat and tears of her face. Agatha pushed as hard as she could.

"You did it!" exclaimed Tedros. Agatha's sudden relief turned to horror as Melody looked at her.

"Congratulation's Agatha it's a...