"Whoever could be visiting at this hour?" Emma asked, facing little Derek who seemed to have discovered apples could be stabbed with a fork as better entertainment than eating them.
"No idea." True, Alivia had no idea who could be visiting. However, when Terence of all people walked into the large wooden doors, even she was surprised.
"Terence!? Where have you been?" Terence, Grant's personal manservant, who assisted him in all royal things had been missing for an incredibly long time. No one had seen or heard from him since he disappeared.
Terence looked worse for wear. His shoulders were slumped, his hair was a mess, he looked way to thin and he had some cuts and bruises all over his body where torn clothes were met. Alivia quickly stood and placed him down in a chair, sending for the physician. Terence began to shiver, but replied despite the need for sleep.
"I don't know your majesty. I was in the stables cleaning out the horses when suddenly I was hit on the head. Next thing I know I woke up in Sokove."(a distant town on their countries borders).
"No one seemed to know where I came from or how I got there, so I walked back to the palace by means of the great road. That's how I got here. How long have I been gone?" Emma quickly padded his face with a damp table napkin.
"A few weeks dear. Go rest, I am sure the King can manage a few more days without your help for now. We will tell my cousin what has transpired." Alivia nodded and allowed him to follow the servant to where the physician would meet him.
"Strange" Emma spoke as they walked away. "Yes, very strange indeed."
****
Grant sat in his mother's room, where he had been mainly there since her stroke. She was healing well but he couldn't bear the idea that he had been away when it happened. What if she had died? He couldn't lose both his parents, he still needed his mother's guidance. Despite her constant need to tell him what to do, he loved her.
So, he sat and read her books that he that she might find interesting, he shared meals with her and told her about the festival days planning. The Festival Days Ball and how her new dress was coming along.
She was still weak, but she wrote very slowly on a piece of parchment to explain how she felt or what she felt needed to be said.
"How are you feeling, Mother?" Grant asked, he was about to go out and assist with the Festival Days planning, he tried to not be with his mother all the time. He was still a King.
His mother, lightly picked up her quill and ink and began to scrible something onto the parchment. Grant began to stand above her, and watch.
Grandchildren.
Grant tried not to scoff at her brash comments, but since she had taken a terrible illness on once again he felt the need to humor her.
"Yes, one day you will have them. For now, you need to rest so you can watch them grow." He was about to walk away, when he heard her reach onto her table and pulled out a think wrapped parchment.
"What is this?" Grant said, taking it into his hands and unraveled it. Grant tried to contain the surprise on his face but seeing something that looked like a magic spell was enough to earn his mother an open faced look of shock.
"Mother what is this?!" Eugenia began to write on the parchment once more.
Wilhelm's. Grant tried to understand what she was referring too, but Eugenia seeing her son not understanding what she meant, began to scribble once more.
Alivia, baby. Grant focused harder on his mother's words and the parchment in front of him.
"Mother...is this...no it can't be. This is the spell that Alivia's mother and father used....so they could have children?" Eugenia gave a slow, sickly nod.
"Mother, I can't prohibit this kind of thinking! Alivia's mother, died from this spell. Magic is banned from our kingdom. It has caused too much pain and anger, suffering and death in our lives as it is. Did you forget I defeated a Great Animal just to save Alivia's life from the man-no-devil who used this exact spell to begin with!?" Eugenia tried not to yell, but began to scribble rather quickly onto the parchment.
Fallback.
Grant scoffed at his mother and tossed her the paper scroll once more, feeling as if his hands were on fire from touching it.
"I promised Alivia I had gotten rid of all traces of magic that had been found at the Enchanted Castle and here you are shoving a spell that requires a price to use, just so you can have grandchildren when you want. How do you know that we don't want children right now. You're despicable mother...Using your illness as a way to con me to use magic." Grant stormed off out of his mother's room, eager to put his hands to use with physical labor to help take his mind off of it.
Grant, in his storming rage after leaving his mother's room, failed to notice the person standing on the opposite side of the door with a tray of tea in her hands. Scooting to the side, to be hidden from Grant's view, Alivia quickly walked into Eugenia's room as he descended the grand staircase.
Slowly walking into Eugenia's room, she couldn't help but tell the woman was crying. Deciding, Eugenia's frail heart needed more comfort than her own, she placed the tea on the table and picked up the scroll Grant dropped and placed it back where she had seen it before.
"Don't mind Grant...his feelings are just hurt." Eugenia's eyes met Alivia's and were shocked to see her sitting in front of her.
"I understand, you want Grandchildren sooner than later. We've tried, but I feel that my mother's infidelity may be a trait that has been passed to me. Don't fret though, there are many little children who need homes that we could adopt. Even older ones. Just promise me, not to worry Grant with things of this matter, he is worried enough as it is." Eugenia wiped her eyes and gave a soft nod. Alivia handed her a cup of tea, adding in the desired sugars and creams that she wanted.
Alivia waited until Eugenia fell as asleep and without saying a word picked up the tea cup...wrapping some old parchment Eugenia used to write her sayings; Alivia very quietly switched out the parchment with the Fertility Spell on it--tucking it below her skirts.
Eugenia tried to pretend she wasn't awoken by the sound of Alivia taking the spell--but felt an intense sense of overwhelming guilt transpire over her as she watched her innocent daughter-in-law walk out of her rooms.
Hello! Sorry it's not the best chapter of the book so far--i've gotten my wisdom teeth out you see so I'm a little exhausted. I wanted to send out some of what I have written so I can keep the momentum. Let me know what you think! Everything is slowly starting to come together for another epic plot!
Have a good night,
XOXO
thequeen2375
YOU ARE READING
The Swan Princess & The Swan Princess 2
Fanfiction(All ownership goes to Nest Family Entertainment) Young Princess Alivia has had a tough life. her mother died, her father and her kingdom are depending on her to decide whether she will marry Prince Grant and on top of that the evil sorcerer Rupert...
