Vol. 1 - Another Typical Day (The Wizards of Eredwynn)
Page 22
The level area then dropped off rapidly into a warmer plain. I saw movement and what appeared to be a camp but I wasn’t in the mood to socialize. As I flew over I saw that the camp was quite large and of the Orc race. They didn’t appear to be the nomadic creatures that we had on the other side of the mountain, but more ‘civilized’ if that were possible. I continued my headlong flight south but was beginning to simmer down some. I passed over dozens of Orc villages and began a slow ’U’ turn. I saw giants, ettins, ogres and trolls scattered across the landscape. It looked like a nightmare I’d once had but this was very real. I was just glad that we had that mountain range between our country and this.
The sun set and I had thought that I’d seen some aerial creatures in the dusk light, so I no longer wanted to be here. I slowed myself down, scouted the area and then dropped to the ground. As soon as my feet hit I recalled to the roof of the keep. We had designated a recall point on the roof that was a no walking or standing zone. I walked down the stairs and went to the door of my room. I knocked and waited for it to be opened.
Isabel answered my knock and opened the door for me. Her eyes were red and swollen; it was obvious that she had been crying for quite some time. In a quiet voice she asked if I wanted to talk.
I walked to a couch and sat down, and waited for her to join me. When she did I looked her in the eye and told her, “I love you very much. You have granted me two wonderful ladies to be consorts and I’m very happy. At one time you said to me that a man can have as many consorts as he could afford but the wife had to agree to the arrangement. I don’t recall any such arraignment being made with Alice. With as much liberty as you have given me, why would you think that I would be unfaithful?”
“David, I don’t know! I know that you would never do anything to hurt or upset me! When I was saying those things to you it was as if I was watching myself do it and couldn’t stop! I love you and am very sorry! I probably owe Alice an apology too for including her in my madness.” Isabel sobbed.
I had to stop and think for a moment. Irrational anger, crying, the feeling of being out of control, they all had one common cause that I knew. I took her face in my hands and softly said, “my love, when was your last period, your last menstrual cycle… um… the last time you brought flowers?’
Her eyes brightened with recognition at my last fumbled guess. Then her bright eyes widened, “It was shortly before Alba’s birthday! Oh my stars!” She raised her tunic above her belly button and the slight bulge in her midriff of a pregnant belly showed.
Now I felt weak…
Chapter Thirty-Three
A baby! This was certainly … news. I didn’t know exactly how I felt about that. Daddy Master Wizard just didn’t sound right. Isabel was ecstatic! I was told that I was not to say a word about this to anyone until everyone could be told together. Her sisters were in their own rooms for a change because of how upset she had been. She said that she would get them and Alice if I would get everyone else. I agreed just glad that the idea of Alice and I had been completely forgotten. I went downstairs rounding up all the girls. I simply told them that Isabel wanted to see them, and then I went back up and made myself small in a corner.
Isabel walked in from our bedroom and made the classic ‘ahem’ for attention. Everyone got quiet and I waited, wishing for earplugs. “Ladies, I would like to make an announcement. I may have to ask each of you for some extra help from time to time… over the next six months or so.” She clasped her hands over her tiny belly. For a moment there was silence, and then everyone realized what she was saying. There were squeals and clapping, congratulations and hugs. These were all the things that I had wished for the earplugs to avoid. Then the girls remembered that I had something to do with it and all came over to hug me.
I knew that I didn’t need to be here so the first chance I got I whispered in Isa’s ear and said I was going to tell Pariset. She just nodded and went back to the giggling mass. I slipped to the balcony and flew to the front of Valeview. I walked in and stopped by the kitchen to have someone get two mugs of ale. Armed with those I crossed to Pariset’s office. He was happy to see me and asked if he could be of service. I asked if he would please have a drink with me. He nodded and asked what the occasion was that called for this. I had never done anything like it before. I told him that I’d just found out that I was to be a father. He told me congratulations and shook my hand without squealing, the way it should be done!
I then asked if he knew what was over the mountain range to the south. He told me that it was a no man's land and he didn’t think that anything lived there. I told him that he was right; it was a no man's land but things certainly lived there. I told him about what I’d spotted all the different types of monsters and organized Orcs. He was as thankful for the mountain as I was. If those critters ever decided to migrate we all might be in trouble!
We sat and chatted about guy stuff for an hour. I hoped that by that time the girls had decided to settle down. I had one more question. I asked if he knew where there was an educated woman that was mature and would be willing to work as a dean for the school. She would have her own office, bedroom and wages were negotiable. He promised to look into it and would get a message to me. I thanked him and left.
I landed on the balcony outside of my room and looked through the door. It appeared that all the girls except for one had gone to their own rooms. I walked in and said hi to Isabel and Alice. Isa told me that she had asked Alice, since she was the oldest girl in the place next to her, to be the baby’s primary babysitter when it was born. I asked if it wasn’t early to be looking for a sitter and got shushed. Isa also said that she had told Alice about her blow up and had apologized to her. Alice had said to her that she had feelings for me that had started just after Alba’s party with my concern for her, but would never have acted on them. She knew the noble’s acceptance with consorts and knew that she would have to be approached by the Lord or Lady. Isabel then informed me that she had asked Alice to be a consort and, if I agreed, had accepted.
I was in shock! After the blow up of this evening about Alice and I being together to much and then asking her to be a consort? I asked how the complete reversal of her attitude could happen in such a short time. Was she sure that she wasn’t asking Alice out of a hormone imbalance (she had no idea what that meant) or some other craziness that was caused by pregnancy? She reminded me that the day Alice and the twins had arrived she had talked to me about consorts. She had told me then that she would be willing to have any of the other five girls we had in training. Her blow-up this afternoon must have been caused by pregnancy because she felt none of the strong emotional turmoil that she’d felt before. I asked her, since the twins had been there that night too, would she be asking them next? She laughed and said that when they moved to the third floor she just might consider it! Alice cut in and said that if her being asked to be a consort was going to cause us to argue, then perhaps we should rethink it. I walked over to her, put my arms around her, kissed her, and told her that we just had to get that out of our system. It really wasn’t because of her at all, and that if she really wanted to be my consort, I’d be happy and honored to have her. She smiled and said that we would have to be gentle with her. Her only other experience with a man hadn’t been a pleasant one. I promised to do my best to make up for that unpleasantness. Isabel came over and hugged her too, welcoming her to the family.
Later that evening I told Isa that, since Alice was going to be spending evenings with us, we should take away her long, granny nightgown and put her in one of her new ones. I had talked to the tailor and together we had worked out a gown that was much friendlier to the eye. It was a simple, low cut, middle of the thigh, spaghetti strap design. It was similar to the kind that most of the women in my world wore. Isa agreed and took a dubious Alice back to the bedroom, where they picked a color for her. They both changed into the gowns and came back to the living room. They were beautiful. Alice had picked an emerald green and Isa was i
n, of course, royal purple. They were much better than the long, to the ankle, white things that everyone else in the kingdom wore! I also noticed by her underarms and legs that she had learned the ‘shaving spell’. I’d find out later how far she had taken that!
But that would have to come later…
Table of Contents
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three