Island Dream [a Damian Priest fantasy story]

27 As the dawn broke

Humming, Sanja sat at the sewing machine that was now in their bedroom and worked on her dress for the wedding. She was nervous and excited to equal parts when she thought about the special day. But at the moment she just hoped that everything would turn out the way she and Damian had imagined.

Her beloved was in the small chapel at that very moment to freshen it up a little. Even if nothing major needed to be done, it still needed a little care and fresh paint. But above all, a deep clean. Sanja and Paya had spent the whole morning doing this before it was the men's turn.

By now, she had become quite tired. Somehow she wasn't used to doing physical work anymore. She had so much help here. People were constantly doing things for her that she actually wanted to do herself. It bothered her a lot at first, but she soon realized that she could spend more time with Damian this way.

"Sanja darling. We are finished. Do you want to come with me to-" she heard Damian say as he came into the room.

Sanja quickly jumped to her feet and blocked the door.

"What the... What are you doing?" Damian asked, confused.

"You can't come in. I'm working on my dress. Give me a second to hide it." she replied quickly as she poked her head out a little.

"Oh... That was close. Although it wouldn't be the end of the world to see it. At least you're not wearing it." he said and smiled as his thoughts wandered to a place that had little to do with clothes.

"But it would be. I want to surprise you. Besides, it doesn't fit yet. It still needs a bit of work." she replied as she finally let him in.

"Well, whenever you're ready. The chapel is ready." he said as he pulled her into his arms.

Damian leaned down to her and stole a sweet kiss. He felt the smile on Sanja's lips as she snuggled against him. His hands dug into the soft material her clothes were made of.

"That's what I like to hear. It's almost time. Well, if I can get the dress finished at some point. I had to make it bigger because my other measurements weren't right. I really need to work harder and stop being a lazy bum," she said after a while when she realized that she hadn't responded to his previous statement.

"You can do whatever you want, my darling. I like it when you are with me. You have the freedom to do or not do whatever you want," Damian replied.

"I know, that's why I've put on so much weight. I'm really lazy compared to before," said Sanja, a little upset.

"Are you sure? I don't see it." he replied as he looked at her with a furrowed brow.

He took her hand in his and turned her around so that he could look at her from all sides. He quickly realized that he had no idea what she was talking about. In his eyes, she looked exactly the same as the day he had met her. Perhaps even more beautiful.

"Thank you, love, but I still need to move a little more." she laughed.

"I think I can help you with that, don't you think?" Damian asked with that certain sparkle in his eyes.

He slowly pulled Sanja towards her bed. There he sat down on the mattress and pulled her onto his lap. Then he gently ran his large hands over her body. The whole time they looked deep into each other's eyes.

Sanja leaned forward and was about to press her lips to Damian's when there was an unexpected knock at the door.

"I hate to interrupt, but Chiquita is having her baby. Her waters have just broken." they heard Rhea's voice say before her footsteps went off again.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been nothing special. But for Sanja, it was the first time she was experiencing this. Damian knew how excited she had been about it for weeks.  

And so they made their way down to the stables together. Damian knew it would take a while, but that didn't bother Sanja in the slightest. She knew that it would give them both another beautiful memory.

As quietly as possible, they made themselves comfortable on the hay bales close to Chiquita. They had brought a few blankets and pillows to keep the cold at bay. It wasn't too bad. They were just a little worried about the foal. It was much colder than it usually was at this time of year and they would have to keep a close eye on it. After all, it wasn't the best season to be born.

"Good girl... You're doing great..." Damian said softly to the horse as he checked on her.

She alternately paced back and forth or lay down. Time almost seemed to stand still when nothing seemed to happen for a while. Sanja's nerves were tense as she struggled with tiredness. By now it was late at night. And every shadow seemed threatening due to her exhaustion. At one point she even had the feeling that she was being watched. Her gut told her that something was going on.

When dawn began to break, Chiquita had finally made it. She had given birth to the most adorable little creature imaginable. The foal was black like its father Negro, but the whole head was white like that of its mother. Talk about a perfect mix.

"Look at that, Damian." gushed Sanja quietly with tears in her eyes.

"I see... And what else I see is that it's a little girl." he replied as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Then I can use the name I had in mind," she whispered.

"And that would be?" he wanted to know.

"Keke... Just Keke. What do you think?" she replied.

"Perfect. Really perfect through and through. Keep an eye on her. I'll get some warm water and let the others know," he said and gave her a kiss on the hair.

Sanja watched as the new mama took care of her baby. She cleaned the little one and soon encouraged her to stand up by gently nudging her. Sanja was so engrossed that she almost missed the soft squeaking. But only almost. And the creeps running down her spine couldn't have been good news.

"You shouldn't have come here," Sanja said firmly without taking her eyes off the horses.

"Did you really think I would give up so quickly? Damian is mine. And you know that. I will do what is necessary. Just not now. I thought I should give you one last warning. One last chance to leave and not come back." Minette said menacingly.

"I won't let you scare me away. Damian loves me and I love him. You have to accept that. And now leave. Before I call the guards." Sanja replied as she slowly turned around.

"Oh please. I can come and go as I please. No one has seen me yet. And it will stay that way. Damian can't protect you. I will soon possess what is mine. Keep that in mind." she said with a deep laugh before disappearing again.