A Miracle for Love (Caesar Drisdall from The White Knights Chronicles)

Chapter 23

Before leaving Balandor, Katelyn picked up Nightmare. The same man she had met a few days prior was happy to see her return victorious from battle. A day of travel went by and the group dropped Sapphire off in Albana. Katelyn, Caesar, Lena, and Setti continued onwards until they reached a good stopping place to camp. They continued their travel the next day until they returned to Greede. Upon returning to the Gondola Station that flew to Greede, they could see the city was in a dreary state of what it had been when it was on the back of the Demithor. The city was laid on the ground at the bottom of the mountains. Katelyn dismounted from her horse and led him over to the stables next to the Gondola Station, leading him into one of the stalls. Lena looked down at Greede and asked, "How did the city get off of the Demithor?" Caesar said, "In case something happened to the Demithor, Amir had a ramp of sorts added to its back to protect the city from being completely destroyed." Katelyn looked to Caesar as the four boarded the gondola and remarked, "We will need a new system for transporting people and materials to and from the mines." "We will have a lot to figure out. I'm sure the people are waiting for us to return before making any changes." As they flew through the sky to the city, Katelyn noticed people below gathered in every part of the city, even after the death of the Demithor. The four landed in the train station next to the manor. Katelyn couldn't wait to explore the manor that she had only been inside of for a few days. "Is that the Drisdall Manor," Lena asked as they approached. Katelyn nodded and said, "It's huge, isn't it? I haven't even had a chance to fully explore it yet." "I'll show you three around the manor and find Lena and Setti rooms to stay in. There are plenty for them to choose from, but I know there are a few that are more girly than others." Katelyn nodded and leaned towards his ear, whispering, "We also need a bit of privacy after the Yulie situation the last time." "We definitely do," he said back to her. When they arrived, the steward of the manor came out and said, "Lord Caesar, welcome home. I see that you have guests as well." "This is actually Katelyn. The spell keeping her identity hidden broke while we were away. This is Lena, Kara's sister. We are going to be adopting her. And this is Setti. Me and Kara were raised with him as children, so he is like our brother." "Lady Katelyn, it is a pleasure seeing you again. Your appearance has changed drastically since I last saw you. And Lady Lena, Setti, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. The royals and leaders of the different factions have been waiting for you all to return from battle. With the Demithor gone, the people have much to figure out." "Yes. I know there are a lot of things we need to discuss. Let us get settled in. We will hold a meeting over dinner later tonight if you can invite them all and have the chefs prepare a feast for everyone. We have news to share." The steward looked down as Caesar grabbed Katelyn's hand, noticing the ring glinting from her finger. He said, "Ahh... I guess congratulations are in order. When is the big day?" Katelyn said, "Well, the big wedding will be soon. But..." Caesar continued and said, "The Don married us when we were traveling through Albana." The steward gave Caesar a knowing look and said, "You are much like your father in that aspect." Caesar said, "What do you mean?" "He married your mother before their actual wedding because he was just too impatient. That wedding was only attended by a few close friends." "That's exactly what we had. It was when we were on the way to Balandor." "I'm assuming there is other news as well." Katelyn asked, "Why don't you join us at dinner? There is a lot to discuss and we could use your input on the future of Greede. You've known it for more years than either of us." Caesar nodded and said, "That sounds like a great idea. I trust you. You were one of my father's best friends and it would only be right for you to join us. You have kept Greede running in my stead, so you know the ups and downs." The steward replied, "Yes, sir. I will get the preparations started and will join you tonight. See you in a little while." With that, he made his way inside and towards the kitchens.

Caesar wrapped his arm around Katelyn and said, "Do you want me to call in a nurse to check on you, or do you want me to call in an old friend who knows a few tricks?" "What old friend," Katelyn asked. Just then, Rosa came running around the corner and pulled Katelyn in for a hug. "My dear, you are back. And you look so beautiful. You are positively glowing," she said as stood back to take a look. "I think I found that old friend of ours. Rosa, it is so good to see you. You recognize me," Katelyn asked her. "Of course, my dear. Who else would this boy be with other than you? Oh, and who is this darling little princess," she asked, moving towards Lena. "This is Lena, Kara's sister, my sister. We plan to adopt her." "Oh, that is so wonderful. Another beautiful girl to dress up around the house." Lena giggled as Rosa moved to part and fluff her hair. "I have a question, Rosa. Do you know anything about pregnancies?" "I was a nurse in my younger years. I know a few things. Oh my gosh... do you think you are expecting?" "Actually, I am certain that I am. My period was late when we were in Balandor. A nurse there saw me, but said things were just starting to come together." "Okay. Well, let's get you to your room and I will examine you," Rosa said. She started to lead Katelyn down the hall and towards the room her and Caesar had been sharing. "Okay. You get settled and changed into something more comfortable. I will be in after I get my instruments." Katelyn made her way in and decided to change out of the armor she had been wearing for the past few days. She grabbed a loose-fitting shirt and pants before going to wipe off some excess dirt from her body in the bathroom. After cleaning herself as best she could with a rag, she applied extra deodorant before heading back into the room. She sat down on the small couch and waited for Rosa to return. Rosa knocked a few minutes later with Lena in tow. Katelyn could see that Lena had changed into a dress with the same slippers she had found in Balandor. "Okay, my dear. I am going to teach you a few things about pregnancy while I look over Mrs. Katelyn, alright?" Lena nodded and said, "Yes ma'am. I am ready to learn." Rosa said, "Katelyn, I am going to start by taking your vitals if you don't mind." Rosa pulled out a small watch and held onto Katelyn's wrist, checking her heart rate and respirations at the same time. She then pulled out a device to check her blood pressure that looked very similar to one's in Katelyn's world. After that, she said, "Your vitals are perfect. Now, if you would like to lay down for a moment so I can see your abdomen." Katelyn turned and laid back on the couch as Rosa gently pulled her shirt up a few inches. Rosa placed a palm over Katelyn's abdomen and said to Lena, "Listen closely to my words. This is an old incantation used to detect pregnancy. You will feel the life force of the individual and the growing child respond." Rosa said a few words slowly and closed her eyes as she let the power rush through. Lena said, "I feel it. Is that three life forces?" Rosa nodded and said, "Something is growing inside of you. Not just one something, but two." Katelyn looked down at her stomach and asked Rosa, "Twins?" Lena ran out of the room with a shout of, "I'm going to get Caesar." Rosa lowered Katelyn's shirt as she sat up and said, "Yes dear. It appears you are pregnant with twins. Double the fun." Katelyn looked down and rubbed a hand along her stomach, whispering, "How long do pregnancies last in this world?" "About 35 to 40 weeks typically," Rosa replied. Katelyn said, "I am probably a little over a week in. It seems unreal." Caesar came into the room and said, "Lena said you needed me. What's going on?" Katelyn said, "You may need to sit down for the news." Caesar sat down then asked, "Rosa, what is going on? Is everything alright?" "Everything is amazing, dear. It seems that Katelyn has just found out about a surprise." Caesar turned to Katelyn and said, "Really? What is going on? It's good news, right?" Katelyn took one of Caesar's hands and placed it on her stomach. She said, "Well, it seems that something we talked about has turned out to be double the surprise. They will be expected in a little less than nine months." Caesar took his second hand and placed it on Katelyn's face. "You mean twins? We are having twins?" Katelyn nodded with a scrunched face and said, "Double the dirty diapers and double the trouble. We need to get this wedding over with before I get much bigger." Caesar hugged Katelyn to him as a few tears fell from his eyes. He moved off of the couch and sat in front of Katelyn, lifting her shirt. "Hey there little ones. I'm your dad. I know that you will be in there a while longer, but I want you both to know I love you and can't wait to see you in nine months." Tears fell from the corners of Katelyn's eyes as she watched Caesar talk to her stomach. She looked up towards Rosa who nodded at her before leaving the room. Finally, Caesar stood and said, "You have made me the happiest man alive. I can't wait to tell everyone the news." "We should probably bathe and get changed into some nicer clothes for the dinner later this evening. I am sick of wearing armor constantly." "I really hope you won't have to wear it all the time now. For now, let's go get that bath." With that, Caesar picked Katelyn up bridal style and carried her toward the bathroom.