Taking Back

The Queen

The Queen couldn't help but be nervous. She listened in on her daughter and Eddie in the library as she shared their Viking heritage. She looked in to see the two fall asleep. She felt her heart drop as she sighed. She wasn't sure if she could take another scare. As much as she didn't want them to be together, she knew that she couldn't stop them. Queen Catalina only wanted to do everything to protect her daughter.

Catalina walked down the hall to a small room that stood next to the right of her daughter's room. She opened the door to see everything set up for an upcoming baby. The crib was set near a window, and everything such as blankets and sheets were white. She ran her hand against the smooth wood and saw a sewn lamb set at the head of the crib. She carefully picked it up and held it in her hands. She held the lamb close as she walked to the window.

Catalina wanted grandchildren, as any mother should, but she never expected it to be so soon. She hoped that one day her daughter would be happy and find a suitor. When Eddie came and told her that her daughter almost committed suicide, she didn't know what to do or think. She almost wanted to thank him, since he saved her only daughter.

Catalina and John didn't have a problem with other kingdoms. As far as they knew, they were relatively peaceful, there was no need for fights and battles.

When John took in Lucinda, they opened their hearts and home to her as a second daughter. When Catalina grew ill, she opened her eyes to see Lucinda and her healing powers. She watched over her since her arrival and she noticed how the maids and other servants looked at her. Catalina had given her a hug after her recovery and thanked her.

Lucinda was the first to discover Alisha missing the day she was kidnapped. It shocked everyone in the kingdom. A letter was found on the nightstand saying that a Chermonoan spy had taken her. Was there a witness?, she thought. She asked anyone and everyone about the note but everyone denied the claim of the mysterious message. John was so enraged that he scoured search parties all throughout the kingdom. It wasn't until a soldier found a cottage deep in the woods close to Chermonoan territory.

Catalina remembered John carrying their daughter, bruised, numb and her forehead trickled with blood. The light in her eyes had been completely drained and vanished. John stayed by their daughter's side as the days progressed to weeks. Weeks progressed to months. Months progressed to years. John never wanted to leave her and remained cautious about holding her. Catalina remembered every day since her return that she often jumped and hid away from the soldiers who used to treat her as an equal and with respect.

She remembered John growing more vengeful every day until the battle. She missed the light in his eyes, which had been replaced with a red shimmer of anger. Upon returning from the battle and hearing her husband's death, she felt a part of herself break in two. She didn't feel like herself anymore. She often tried her best to comfort her daughter as they mourned the loss of John. She could tell that something broke inside of her daughter as well, and all she could do was hold her close. Her daughter had become an empty shell built on depression and grief. Catalina didn't know how to help her. She expected her daughter to have nightmares, but was blessed with visions. Her daughter did rest easy to a point.

Catalina held the lamb close to her as she walked out of the nursery to the hall until she stopped in front of a painting of her late beloved, King John. She missed his comforting smile and charming personality that seemed to disappear over the years.

When she heard of Eddie's origins, she was skeptical about him and her daughter's happiness. When she saw the matching blushes on both of their faces, she wanted to trust him because she was reminded of when she and John first fell in love. She knew that she couldn't stop them. She only wanted the best for her daughter, and she hoped that one day maybe she could find a suitor to understand and take care of her daughter. She hated to admit it, but if trusting the first born prince of Chermono meant it would bring her daughter comfort and happiness at long last, then she was willing to take the risk.

Catalina looked at the lamb she held in her arms. The baby Alisha now carries is an innocent victim of her daughters kidnapping and rape. She knew that the baby would grow up in a loving and nurturing household, hopefully without knowing the truth about their origin of being. She prayed and hoped that she could trust Eddie to take care of Alisha and her baby.

"Oh, John, I wish you were here right now," she said aloud. "I need to know if I'm making the right decision. Eddie is a victim of all the wrongs done by Chermono, just as much as Lucinda. I know that if you were here right now, you'd take him in."

Catalina felt a chill in the air as she looked down the hall to see something black pass down into a corner passage. She couldn't make it out, but she knew that it wasn't a good sign.