The House of Oldenrock

Deep Under the Wood

Chapter Twelve: Deep Under the Wood

            Robeilla stood out on her balcony of Forest Keep and watched the autumn sunset behind the trees.  Watching the sunrise and sunset had become one of her favorite hobbies since she made the Woodlands her home, although winning games of chess still was and would always be her favorite.  Speaking of chess, there were many wonderful chess players in the Forest Keep, but none of them were as good as her lovely husband Hilden, and of course, none of them were as good as her, but Robeilla had learned long ago that she would never be able to find a worthy opponent in her favorite game anywhere.

            Yet, Robeilla loved the Woodlands.  It was everything that she had imagined it to be, with its great clusters of deciduous and evergreen trees that seemed to touch the sky, little hamlets buried deep in the forest, and the great Forest Keep that towered above the trees, but, of course, it was designed not to look out of place in the deep woods.  There was so much beauty all around, and Robeilla discovered that the Woodlanders’ culture differed from that of the plain dwellers, yet somehow, she had found their more peaceful festivities and quieter days much more appealing than what she had grown up with. She had known that she would belong here.  Her song told her that, but she had not known that she would love it so.  Then again, it helped to be in love with a Woodlander.

            Her romance with Hilden had happened so quickly.  Robeilla was not even sure how it had happened, for she was not ruled by her passions.  She never jumped into a relationship quickly, yet something had just clicked with Hilden and her, and it had clicked fast.  There was no doubt that it came from her song, and Robeilla had learned never to doubt her song’s guidance.

            The sun disappeared behind the trees, and Robeilla was suddenly greeted with a sense of nausea.  She dashed inside the room before the feeling worsened enough for her to be unable to walk, and collapsed on the bed and lay there for around ten minutes until the feeling abated enough for her to walk around again.  Such occurrences, along with morning sickness, had become common since her wedding. At least the cause of the symptoms had brought happiness to Robeilla and much rejoicing in Forest Keep.

            Hilden walked into the room, looked at her and said, “Are you feeling alright?” It had become his most common greeting to her since the confirmation of her pregnancy.

            “No!” she snapped, for she was not yet fully recovered.  Then there were the mood swings.  They were the most irksome of all of the symptoms, for they clouded her logical mind.  They made her more subject to her emotions instead of her rational thinking process, and Robeilla hated it.  She could deal with nausea, she could deal with vomiting, she could deal with feeling faint, but she could not deal with wild emotions, but at least it offered her something new to learn, and Robeilla always jumped at the opportunity to learn something new.  She had to learn how to ignore it.

            Hilden, always a gentleman, rushed over to her, and Robeilla, now recovered sat up.  “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” she said, for she was.  There had been absolutely no reason for her angry tone of voice, none.  He had been kind and polite, as he was supposed to be.

            Hilden just smiled and said, “It’s fine, you’re just-”

            “That is not an excuse,” she harshly interrupted.  She sighed.  There she went again, letting her wild emotions get the better of her, except now she was angry with herself.

            Hilden just laughed at that.  At least he was not angry with her in return.  She had most certainly married the right man.  “I am afraid that I will have to take a leave of absence from the counsels and court holdings with you until my mood swings abate,” she said. There was no place for people ruled by emotions in counsels.