Pawns and Queens--a 15th Century Gwynedd Story--Chapter Thirty-Two

[Evie]

Previous chapter: https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/index.php/topic,3266.0.html


Chapter Thirty-Two

September 16, 1464
Main Gwyneddan War Encampment
Somewhere in the Duchy of Haldane
Evening

Young William de Lacey, formerly senior squire to the late King, arrived at the war camp where the Duke of Cassan and Prince Alarikos had been temporarily left in charge of the main body of the Gwyneddan army. His first mission for the new Regent had been to deliver the sad tidings of King Cinhil's death as well as the Regent's military orders, for Prince Nicholas would likely need to remain in Rhemuth a few days later than he had originally expected. The elder of Cinhil's junior squires, Edmund de Nore, was currently en route to deliver the same news to the Earl of Jenas and Prince Philippe, who had been left in charge of Prince Camber's forces.

"The Regent says that the besieging army encamped around Rhemuth is larger than originally expected, because not only have the three allied enemy armies combined outside the City walls, they were joined by more troops who sailed up the Eirian to meet them. We estimate their strength at around twenty-thousand men now, or at least it appeared their combined armies were that large until King Cinhil defeated Prince Rémy in the Duel Arcane. The Regent sentenced over four-hundred Jouvian war criminals to hang this morning, and the other Jouvians were to leave the Kingdom under the terms of the duel, so I think that brings the current enemy count closer to sixteen-thousand."

"So he wants us to join up with Prince Camber's forces and the Duke of Corwyn's, and close in on the enemy from behind?" the Duke of Cassan guessed.

"Exactly, Your Grace. Or from all around, more precisely, since even though the majority of the enemy are encamped to the northeast and east of the city, there are smaller camps to the south and west."

"I imagine Corwyn is still in Rhemuth as well. Has anyone contacted the Earl of Derry to inform him of your King's death?" asked Prince Alarikos. Earl Declan O'Flynn had accompanied Prince Nicholas when he'd gone to inform the King's Champion of Cinhil's plans to be Empowered, since as Corwyn's lieutenant, he was to lead Joss Morgan's forces in the Duke's absence.

"Corwyn's squire Anselm was sent back to inform him," said William, "although I think Corwyn might be able to leave Rhemuth a little earlier than the Regent. Prince Nicholas just has a lot on his plate right now, between sending the Jouvians packing, trying to figure out how to plan the late King's funeral in some dignified manner while the Eistenmarckers and Nördmarckers are lobbing stones and body parts at us, not to mention Queen Alixa could give birth at any moment, and God forbid something should go wrong with that!" The squire crossed himself hastily. "Then since it's known the baby will be a girl, even if she has to actually be born first and witnessed before he can officially proclaim that, he'll likely need to stick around at least long enough for the Accession Council to proclaim him King once Princess Cynewyn makes her entrance into the world. But I think he hopes to return right after that."

"Princess Cynewyn?" asked the Duke. "That's to be her name?"

"Yes, Your Grace. King Cinhil chose it for her." The squire's eyes grew misty.

"Have a drink, lad," the Duke offered, his voice gentle with compassion. "I know it's been a rough journey for you."

#

September 16-17, 1464
The Enemy War Encampment
City of Rhemuth
Midnight to Dawn

The Konungamóðir, Seið-kona of Eistenmarcke, donned the ceremonial garments of her station and ascended the steps to her high throne-like seat. Before her, the flames in the brazier burned brightly, tended by the thirteen shield-maidens guarding the seat and circle.

She held her staff as her maidens began to sing, chanting the ancient magics while keeping rhythm by the pounding of their spear-butts on the ground. The smoke from the fire arose, redolent of dried oak and hemlock seeds, as she entered into seið-trance.

As the music thrummed through her veins, she began to point her staff at the Jouvian bodies on the city walls, imagining them animated in a grisly parody of life. The corpses, still hanging from their nooses, began to dance.

Ingrid sank deeper in her trance, imagining the dead lying deep below the earth of their encampment there in Rhemuth's Potter's Field. She imagined them in ghostly form, rising high to sweep through the city, disturbing the slumber of those within the walls of Rhemuth.

The illusory forms rose up before her, and she sent them on their way.

#

September 17, 1464
The Regent's Apartment
Morning

"There's absolute panic in the streets, as you can imagine," an exhausted looking Sebastian Arilan reported to his Prince, as Colin rubbed sleep from his eyes, having had far too little of it. "Hundreds of reports of people waking up in the middle of the night to the smell of decomposing bodies and seeing ghosts flitting through the house, or looking out their window to see Jouvian soldiers dancing above the wall. The clergy at the Cathedral and the various churches around the city are trying to calm things down, but it's mayhem out there right now. I'd almost rather have the enemy flinging bodies at us again; at least those can be easily carted off and buried!"

Colin rubbed at his face tiredly. "I was going to have the Jouvians cut down later today and buried outside the walls, but still within bowshot of them, but now I'm wondering if that won't just provide the Eistenmarcker seether-mage with more ammunition, even if she can't physically get to them." He sighed.  "All right, ghosts flying around the city–or the illusion of them, anyway–doesn't sound like the sort of thing I can mount any sort of military response to, but if the Archbishop's already got that side of things covered, I'll see if can figure out some way to disrupt Ingrid's focus. I imagine she must need to be able to focus on her form of magic much the same as we do, so if we can break her concentration, hopefully the illusions will go away. All of this and a brother to bury. Bloody hell!"

#

September 17, 1464
Melisande's Apartment
Later Morning

Melisande answered the knock on her door and, to her surprise, found Colin's Princess standing on the other side of it.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," Catherine said. "Colin meant to check on you and the girls this morning, but something has happened in the City that he needed to go see to."

"Would it have anything to do with apparitions of corpses flying around people's rooms?" Mellie asked. "I just now got the girls back to sleep." She stepped into the room to allow the Princess in.

"Yes, exactly that. I'll let Camber know. I can try setting up wards around your chambers, but he might know something more effective to do, maybe involving a blessing and some holy water. This is not the sort of thing I'm used to dealing with." Catherine sighed. "At any rate, Colin wanted to let you know that we're having a funeral for Cinhil in the Basilica tomorrow. Not the larger, public observance–I think Colin is hoping for something along those lines once the war is over–but just a private funerary Mass so we can go ahead and inter him at the Cathedral. I know it's very short notice, and it occurred to me that you and the girls might not have picked up any suitable outfits for a funeral when you were out shopping for them...."

Mellie shook her head. "As much as I would love to be there to pay my respects to Cinhil, I think it would be best if we don't attend."

Catherine sighed. "I was concerned you might think that. But Balian was Cinhil's page, and therefore he will be expected to be there. And I'm sure he will need his mother's support. I would be happy to support him in any way that I can, of course, but I am not his mother."

Mellie glanced towards her bedchamber, where Lucie and her girls were still sleeping. "Maybe Lucie will watch Anneke and Emmie. I don't want them hearing the spiteful sorts of things that people say whenever I turn up somewhere public. I know this is going to be so difficult for Balian, but I'm honestly not sure if my presence will be more helpful or hurtful for him."

Catherine gave a mirthless chuckle. "You know, the gossips whisper about me also, sometimes. You're not their only target, just the one easier to aim for."

"They gossip about you?" Melisande looked baffled. "Why? What possible reason could they have?"

"There goes 'Catherine the Unwanted.' You know the Prince's family had to drag him from his lover's arms to force him to wed her. She's not one of us, with her peculiar accent and her foreign ways." Catherine shrugged. "Cruel and mean-spirited people say cruel and mean-spirited things; they need no good reason. They may not dare say them to my face because I am their future Queen, but the whispers get back to me nonetheless. They will peck at anything they see to be a difference or a weakness out of a need to feel superior, because that is what those who feel a need to bolster their self-worth do. Here's what I propose doing in response. When we gather for the funeral, I will greet you and the children as I would greet any other Haldane, and we will act like any other civilized family coming together to support one another for a sorrowful occasion. Let the tongue-waggers go tell everyone about that if they will. There's no way to shield your children from the scolds and busybodies of Rhemuth forever. Teach your children how to look them in the eye instead. They are the son and daughters of our future King, and even Kings are not above attracting gossip." The Princess smiled at Melisande. "You stood by Colin's side for ten years and didn't allow the scandalmongers to separate you because of your love for him, so I know that you have more strength and courage than you realize. Let Anneke and Emmeline learn that from your example.

"So, about the clothing.  If any of you have clothes that are otherwise suitable for a funeral but simply the wrong color, I believe the laundry women are brewing a batch of black dye this morning, since there are several others here in similar circumstances, though you'll want to get the gowns to the laundry quickly so they'll have time to dry and be returned in time for the service tomorrow. Otherwise, I think the Queen Mother has found a couple of Princess Richeldis' old outfits that could be quickly altered to fit, and I have an extra black velvet giornea that could go over your darkest kirtle."

#

September 17, 1464
Atop The City Walls
City of Rhemuth
Noon

The Regent consulted with Lord Anthony Colfax, the commander of Rhemuth's garrison, regarding the best means of disposing of the Jouvian corpses that were being cut down from their gallows trees atop the city walls. Their original plan had been to cart the bodies out to one of the large pits dug a short distance outside the walls, but well within bowshot, prior to the beginning of the siege in case a mass grave should be needed. Now that Queen Ingrid had amply demonstrated that she had no need to physically dig up corpses in order to use them against the City, they were more hesitant to put this plan into action without first having some plan in place to prevent her from giving them all a second nightmare-filled night just like the first.

"The Archbishop is prepared to consecrate the ground prior to its use," said Lord Anthony, "but I was thinking to be doubly certain the bodies will remain untampered with, it wouldn't hurt to set up wards over the grave once the bodies have been buried. Surely the seether-mage's magic wouldn't be strong enough to overcome both forms of protection?"

"Let's hope not; I'm not sure what else we can do. If we dig up our green spaces within the walls, that would also mean digging up our siege gardens," the Regent replied. "All right, let's work with that plan. As for disrupting any future workings of that sort, once the gallows trees have been taken down, let's bring up some of those small catapults and handgonnes and aim them at that section of their breastworks. Even if they don't quite have sufficient range to land a missile directly on her pavilion, that should hopefully prove disruptive enough to interrupt her ability to focus. "

#

September 18, 1464
St. Hilary's Basilica
Late Afternoon

Three evenings earlier, the late King's body had been washed and shrouded, attired and bejeweled in royal raiment, and protective spells placed on him to aid in preserving his body from corruption until he could be laid to rest in the family crypt at Saint George's Cathedral with his forefathers. His body had lain in his coffin, which had been set atop the same linen-covered bier on which he had rested for his Empowerment Ceremony, only now King Cinhil lay in the nave of the Basilica rather than in the undercroft beneath the castle's Great Hall. The area around his body was draped with black cloth, candles had been lit, and a steady stream of mourners from both the Castle and the City had come and gone, paying their last respects to their late King and saying prayers for his soul.

On the afternoon of the third day, the southern gatehouse had been closed to all but family and the current Castle inhabitants in preparation for the private funerary Mass which was to take place before King Cinhil made his final journey down the King's Way to the Cathedral. There, his body would lie in state a day or two longer, just long enough for the wax artisans in the City to create an effigy of his likeness, and then he would be laid to rest in the Haldane crypt. The effigy itself would remain on view until a more public celebration of his life could take place, likely on All Saint's Day, by which time all hoped that the war might be over or at least postponed until the following spring, for none wanted to consider the possibility of the enemy still being encamped outside the walls throughout the winter months.

Now the family and other castle residents had gathered in the upper bailey of the Castle, taking their places behind the priests and clergy who would lead the small procession. Melisande and her children, approaching hesitantly from the apartment block, had been swiftly welcomed by the Duchess of Carthmoor as had been promised and escorted by her to their place in the procession immediately behind the late King's nearer relations, the Regent himself looking on with a smile more appreciative than surprised, since his lady wife had informed him of her intent to do so the previous evening so that none would dare make Lady Melisande feel unwelcome. Even the Queen Mother accepted the presence of her son's former paramour with quiet forbearance, condescending to giving her erstwhile enemy an acknowledging nod.

Once gathered, the small procession made its way to the grounds of the Basilica, the priest bearing the Cross before them as a symbol of hope and resurrection. They stopped outside its entrance. "Ego sum resurrectio et vita, dicit Dominus: qui credit in me, etiam si mortuus fuerit, vivet: et omnis qui vivit et credit in me, non morietur in aeternum...."

The congregants entered the Basilica for Cinhil's funerary Mass.

#

September 18, 1464
St. Hilary's Basilica
Evening

Afterwards, the late King's coffin was brought out and lifted onto a hearse carriage, the procession following it down the King's Way towards the Cathedral. Along the way, crowds of mourners lined both sides of the street to pay their respects to their heroic young King. Already, rumors had begun that King Cinhil had been granted a brief miraculous recovery in order to execute Divine justice on Prince Rémy and the invaders from Joux. Why God had not seen fit to deal with the other invading armies in like manner, few seemed to question; it was universally acknowledged that the hand of God moved in mysterious ways.

A few in the crowd were overheard to whisper that surely King Cinhil was a saint. The Regent, thinking back upon his brother's life, was hard pressed not to laugh despite his sorrow. Cinhil certainly would have!

They reached the Cathedral stairs. The two Haldane Princes, accompanied by the King's Champion, the Royal Chamberlain, the Royal Healer, and Lord Geoffrey Arilan served as pallbearers, lifting Cinhil's coffin and ascending the steps to bring their late King into the nave where he would lie in state until his interment two days hence.

#

September 18, 1464
The Royal Chapel
Night

The Queen couldn't sleep.

She had only managed to sleep fitfully since Cinhil's death three evenings before, catching a few hours of needed rest here and there, but there was an emptiness beside her where none should be, and she hardly knew what to do with her time, even though she knew there was certainly plenty that needed doing, especially in the middle of a siege. Her world these past few years had revolved around Cinhil, and with him gone, she felt like her universe had come unmoored.

Cynewyn had shifted in such a way that was not particularly comfortable, adding an odd sense of pressure to her back at intervals. Alixa felt restless, needing to get up and move, to do something besides just lie here in the darkness needing Cinhil by her side.

Quietly she got up and dressed, grabbing one of her new Andelonian style gamurras because it was easier to lace into without assistance. She was used to having Cinhil assist her with her lacings; perhaps it was time to do what Catalina had suggested months ago and look into selecting ladies-in-waiting of her own. Alixa tossed a lightweight giornea over that, for even with the undergown being sized to accommodate her growing belly and the latest fashion allowing for part of the chemise to be visible beneath the front lacing, it now barely laced up sufficiently for decency without the overgown. She added a belt to ensure the outer garment kept her modestly presentable and then ventured out of her apartment, her startled guard asking no questions but simply following in her wake.

She felt the need to pray. At the bottom of the tower steps, she hesitated, not knowing whether to head towards the Royal Chapel or the Basilica, but the chapel was closer, so after that brief moment she veered left, following the arcaded walk into the side entrance to the Great Hall, taking the shorter route through rather than around it.

Entering the Chapel, she headed for the altar rail, stopping short as she saw someone else was there already, which she had not expected so late at night. She recognized him instantly, of course, even from behind.

Camber stood, genuflecting, and turned to face her.

"I couldn't sleep."

He gave her an understanding smile. "I couldn't either." He glanced back at her guard with an acknowledging nod before turning back towards her. "Would you prefer to be left alone, or shall I stay and pray with you?" Camber asked.

"Would you stay? I mean...unless you need your rest. I'm sure you do."

"I doubt I'll sleep anyway," he assured her, kneeling by her side.

#

Alixa knelt in prayer for a quarter of an hour, her mind sometimes wandering, when the first odd tightening in her abdomen began. When she looked up, Camber was looking at her strangely.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine." She blushed self-consciously. "I've just been feeling a bit odd on and off throughout the day. I'm sure it's just the stress of Cinhil's death." She frowned, laying a hand on her belly as the tight feeling gradually subsided.

Camber glanced back at the guard. "Perhaps we should get you to the Healer, just so he can make sure everything is fine."

"I'm sure it's nothing," she protested, although she took the hand he offered as he assisted her to her feet. "It's very late. I wouldn't want to wake him."

"Alixa?" Her brother-by-marriage gazed at her sternly. "What would Cinhil want you to do?"

She sighed. "He'd probably tell me to go wake Healer James. But really, you're making a fuss over nothing! I'm not an invalid, I'm just pregnant."

"Yes, I know. And what normally happens towards the end of a woman's ninth month of pregnancy?"

Her sleep-dimmed mind couldn't catch up at first, but then realization dawned. "Oh!"

Camber began to usher her out of the chapel. Glancing at the guard, he said "Please let Healer James know the Queen is on her way."

#

September 18, 1464
Rhemuth Castle
The King's Study
Late Night

The Regent was not in his apartment, Princess Catalina had sleepily informed her brother-by-marriage. He had taken to catching up on his late night work in King Uthyr's former study in order to avoid keeping his wife awake into the wee hours.

So Camber continued down the corridor until he had reached the room that had gone mostly unused since the previous winter, it being too inconveniently located for Cinhil's use when he was King, though ideally situated for Colin's, whose apartment was only a few short yards away. He knocked on the door.

"Enter." His brother sounded distracted. Little surprise, with everything they'd had to deal with lately.

He let himself in. "I think the Queen is in labor. I've just escorted her to the Infirmarium."

Colin looked up. "Alixa's all right, though?"

"How the bloody hell would I know? Do I look like a midwife?!"

His brother's brows shot skyward. "Jesú, I hope not!" He leaned back in his chair. "Has she been in labor long?"

"Again, how in the blooming blazes would I know? You're the fertility god with three children here and two others on the way, not me!"  Camber searched the room for something to drink, found a bottle of Fianna red and helped himself to a glass. "She said she's been feeling odd throughout the day."

"Haven't we all?" Colin shook his head. "She'll probably be fine, Cam." Despite the reassuring words, Camber could sense a small bit of concern coming from his brother. "It's her first child, so chances are we won't know anything until late tomorrow, maybe in the evening. I think it took something like twelve hours for Balian to put in his appearance."

The idea of Alixa having to go through twelve hours of escalating pain was sufficient to make Camber require another deep swallow of Colin's wine. His brother chuckled. "Whoa there! Go easy on that wine, it's the expensive stuff! Look at you! The way you're pacing a hole in Father's carpet, I'd almost think we were awaiting your firstborn!"

Camber found himself at Colin's throat before he could quite work out how he had arrived there. Forcing himself to release his brother's collar, he ground out, "Do not ever dishonor her by suggesting that!"

Colin stared back at him incredulously, rubbing at this throat. "Bloody hell! I know you're not...." Camber saw the realization dawn in his brother's eyes.

"Crap, Camber, of all the women in the universe, do not tell me you're in love with the Queen!" He set aside his dispatches, shaking his head as he stood and crossed the room to pour out some of the wine for himself. "Does she know you love her?"

Camber shook his head. "Not a clue."

"Well, I was planning on sending you back out to the front tomorrow, but clearly you're not going to be in any decent shape to lead an army until after the baby's born." Colin sighed. "Have a seat." The Regent took a sip of his wine. "Cinhil warned me earlier that Renier might make allegations about Cynewyn's parentage, but now it's clearer why he wanted the matter left to Joss to handle rather than leaving it to us to deal with. He knew, didn't he?"

Camber, falling into a chair, nodded. "Nothing ever got past Cinhil, you know that." He sighed. "I have no idea what to do about it. In Alixa's mind, I'm just...I don't know...the dear brother she never had, I suppose. It's probably for the best if things remain that way."

"Certainly for now, it would be," Colin agreed. "Especially right this moment." He chuckled. "Even if she were madly in love with you, you go in there while she's in the middle of childbirth to declare your undying love, and she's likely to amputate parts of you that have grown rusty from disuse! I'm pretty sure I could hear Mellie calling me everything but a beloved child of God while I was pacing in the next room."

Camber gave a reluctant chuckle. "At least the Healer can relieve pain," he said, starting to calm down at the thought, "so there's that."

"Yes." Colin took another sip of his wine. "Alixa's strong. She's in good hands. And she's been through far worse things than bringing a new life she and Cinhil longed for into this world."

"I know. I also know that despite a midwife's or even a Healer's best efforts, sometimes women and children die. God knows I've had to officiate enough funerals for them."

Colin thought back to the close call Mellie had suffered after Emmeline's birth. He had no answer to that. "At least Master James doesn't seem to have thought there was any particular high risk to be concerned about," he finally ventured, "or he would have told us so beforehand. Look, it's late, and staying up worrying about the birth isn't going to do a single thing to help it along. These things take time to happen, but she's in the best of hands. Far better hands than the village midwife down in Candor Rhea. Even if some complication were to happen, she's in the very best place in the Kingdom for such things to be dealt with swiftly. Try to get some sleep, all right? And whatever you do, don't emerge from your apartment until I've sent you word. We don't need your agitation adding to the rest of the rumors around here, especially if you're planning on numbing your feelings by getting drunk just because our brother's wife is having a baby. That might be a little hard to explain. Though speaking of rumors and improbable things, I've already been informed there's a movement afoot to petition for Cinhil's canonization, if you can imagine that. Clearly Banoidhre Aoife didn't share with the general public our dear saintly brother's idea of appropriate poetry for a traditional Duel Arcane!"

#

September 19, 1464
Rhemuth Castle
Queen Alixa's bedchamber
Early afternoon

The Queen's bedchamber had been darkened aside from the fire in the fireplace, with tapestries hung over the shuttered windows to prevent light from entering all but one, which was half shuttered but still allowed a little bit of light to enter the chamber. As soon as Master James had verified she was in labor but that there was no underlying condition which indicated the need for a Healer's special care, he had sent a runner to fetch a midwife to attend upon the Queen. Healer Saoirse had accompanied Alixa back to her chamber, both to keep her company and monitor the progression of the labor until the midwife could arrive, and also so she could gain more experience with the birthing process, because as a rare female Healer, she would be excellently suited to become a Healer-midwife someday if she so chose. At any rate, it was an acknowledged fact that a Queen's lying-in required witnesses, ideally more than one, to assure the public that the baby to be presented as the King's child was indeed of royal birth, verifiably born to the Queen herself, and not another woman's child presented as a substitute. And yet, a woman's lying-in, being an intensely private and feminine affair, was normally a women-only domain unless there was great need for medical intervention beyond the scope of a midwife's abilities to provide. If that should turn out to be the case, the Master Healer would certainly be on hand to intervene, though he had every reason to hope that his assistance would not be needed with this birth.

But those things which Master James was able to handle so that the Queen might enjoy her rest in the early stages of labor, he did. Once the midwife had been summoned, he checked to make sure she had all the supplies she would need for the birth to come, including the royal birthing chair, recently prepared for Queen Alixa's use. Afterwards, he took a brief nap, awakening around dawn, at which time he sent another runner to notify Queen Soraya and the Duchess of Carthmoor of the Queen's impending childbirth.

By the time both women had arrived at the Queen's bedchamber, Alixa had awakened for good from her fitful attempts to sleep, having moved from the earliest and easiest stage of labor to the second stage. The Queen Mother, having been through this process multiple times in previous years, took an active role in assisting the midwife with helping to support Alixa as she walked around the chamber in hopes the activity might help speed up the birthing process. The Duchess, for her part, since she had not yet given birth to a child, nor was she a Healer or midwife, had mostly been restricted to the antechamber, lending assistance by sending down to the kitchens for food or wine every so often, or leaving the chamber on occasion to fetch back some things like the royal birth girdle, a long narrow parchment inscribed with prayers of protection meant to protect the mother and newborn child from harm, which was to be worn wrapped around the Queen's lower abdomen while she gave birth. When not otherwise needed, she spent her free moments in prayer, preparing breech cloths or swaddling for the baby, or playing soothing music on her vielle or on a lap harp to help ease the heart of the laboring mother.

By noon, the midwife had deemed it time for the Queen to sit upon the birthing chair. Queen Soraya opened the one exposed window shutter to allow in more of the noonday light so that the midwife could see more easily, yet without letting in so much light that it might prove hazardous to the new mother's eyes, for it was thought best to keep a birthing chamber cozy, dark, and as womb-like as possible both for the new mother's relaxation and for the sake of her newborn child, to ease it gently into a brighter and louder world than that of the womb which it was vacating. Eventually, over the course of the Queen's lying-in, more light would be introduced into the chamber, even as the Queen herself would be allowed more freedom to walk around and gradually return to her previous levels of activity, but the hours and days immediately following childbirth were meant to be a time for as much rest and recuperation as possible, with only the company of other ladies of the court to assist the new mother so she could sleep as much as she needed, or as her energy started to return, so she might enjoy celebrating the baby's birth with her friends with as many nourishing foods, sweetmeats, fortifying beverages, and other refreshing or soothing delights as could be provided to assure her swift return to full health. Most importantly, she was to be kept as unstressed and unbothered as possible during this time in her life while she was meant to remain entirely removed from the world of loud, demanding, and boisterous men until her churching in forty days' time, though in the middle of a siege, it was anyone's guess whether this ideal could be turned into a reality.

"She's crowning now, Your Majesty," said the midwife. "Push again."

Alixa clutched the knotted end of the rope Healer Saoirse held, focusing on bearing down as the strong contraction gripped her once again. She cried out as her daughter slipped free of her confinement into the midwife's hands. A few moments later, Princess Cynewyn wailed a vigorous cry of her own.

#

September 19, 1464
Rhemuth Castle
Early Evening

"Hear ye, hear ye!" the town criers called out in the Rhemuth Castle courtyard and in the City below. "The Queen Alixa has been safely delivered of a girl child, the Princess Cynewyn Catalina Éloïse Soraya Haldane...!"

In the King's Tower, the newly-recognized King completed some final business as he prepared to head back out to rejoin his army. There was still the matter of being formally proclaimed King by the Accession Council, but he planned to make his quiet departure very shortly after that with no further delay, because he very much hoped he and Camber could join their forces into a combined army large enough to deal with the remaining threat outside of Rhemuth's walls before the autumn frosts set in.

In his apartment in the Queen's Tower, Prince Camber breathed a sigh of quiet relief. He was weary from a mostly sleepless night, yet still sober, since it had eventually occurred to him that he couldn't very well obey his brother's last request to him to 'take care of his girls' if he was lost somewhere at the bottom of an empty bottle. Not that he was likely to be able to do much about that anyway for the next forty days at least, except on the battlefield, where he intended to return at first light the following morning. But there was one thing he could do before he headed out.

He opened up a storage chest and began to rummage inside it for the small parcel he had previously prepared. He would add a brief note–something congratulatory and light in tone, that would hold no hint of the feelings behind it, or so he certainly hoped, but would hopefully serve to bring a smile to the tired new mother's face.

Camber crossed over to his writing desk, took up a quill and a small piece of paper, and began to write.

#

September 19, 1464
Rhemuth Castle
Queen Alixa's bedchamber
Evening

"A present and message for Queen Alixa, Your Majesty."  The Queen Mother's page, Adam, handed Queen Soraya the small bundle with the attached sealed note.

"Thank you, Adam," the new grandmother said with a smile as she accepted both. "I'll see she gets them as soon as she is awake."

#

September 20, 1464
Rhemuth Castle
Queen Alixa's bedchamber
Dawn

Alixa awakened at the sound of her daughter's cry, her mother-by-marriage scooping the newborn from her cradle to bring her to Alixa to nurse. Queen Soraya's plans for the day included selecting nursemaids for the Royal Nursery, including a wet nurse, because even though Alixa had been adamant about wanting to care for Cynewyn herself, her husband's mother reminded her that as a Haldane Queen, even if no longer the Consort of Gwynedd, there might still be times when her schedule would be too full to care for an infant without some assistance to fall back upon. Besides that, newborns were apt to wake up at odd hours throughout the night, but an exhausted young mother needed a few hours of uninterrupted sleep sometimes. But for the moment, there was only Alixa available to meet Cynewyn's most pressing current need, which suited the younger queen just fine as she held her child close to nurse her, marveling at the perfect blend of Cinhil's features with her own.

Alixa sat up straighter, Soraya fluffing up the pillows behind her to help her do so, and noticed the parcel sitting on a nearby table. "What is that, Maman?"

Soraya followed her gaze. "Oh, Adam brought that up for you last night!" She went to pick it up and bring it to her daughter-by-marriage. "I imagine it's a present for the baby. I took the liberty of sensing if there was anything threatening about it–we can't be too careful in these times!--but there's nothing out of the ordinary about it. I think it might be from Camber, by the feel of it."

Alixa cracked the seal on the note and started reading, a smile brightening her features as she began to giggle. "Oh, mercy!"

"Is it from Camber? What does the note say?" Soraya asked. Alixa attempted to collect herself, unsure if the Queen Mother had ever heard about the boyhood escapade the note had alluded to. Most likely not. Hopefully she wouldn't suffer a sense of humor failure over learning of it now.

"Many congratulations on your beautiful little princess, Alixa!" she read aloud for Soraya's benefit. "Even though I am unlikely to see Cynewyn for some weeks, I imagine that she must be quite the lovely little bundle, assuming she resembles her parents. I am off to rejoin my troops in the morning, and would have liked to say my goodbyes in person, but unlike His current Majesty, I haven't the knack for passing myself off as a beautiful young lady to be allowed access to a queen's lying-in, even if I could manage to find a properly fitting gown and shave off all this bear-fur on my chin." Alixa started giggling again as she shared Cinhil's memory of Colin's and Miranda's youthful prank on their younger brother with their mother, who shook her head with exasperated amusement. "Maman would simply have to throw me out, quite likely directly through the window, and then Philippe and Jenas would end up crowned with glory at the end of the war while I continue to recuperate from my injuries in the Infirmarium. We can't have that, can we?

"I hope you will find the presents in this parcel of some use. In service, Camber."

Alixa untied the wrapped bundle, discovering a coral teether with a silver handle which rattled when she picked it up. The craftsmanship was lovely, and she imagined the item would certainly come in handy once Cynewyn's teeth began to come in. She handed it over to Soraya to admire as she unfolded the other item in the parcel, a soft shawl of fine cashmere in a shade of periwinkle that was Alixa's favorite. Had he known she loved the color, or had it simply been a lucky guess?

The present reminded her. "Maman, would you hand me the small coffer in the corner there? There is something in it that Cinhil intended Camber to have, if he hasn't left the Castle yet."

Soraya brought her the box. "I believe he hasn't left just yet, but he should be doing so very soon. I can send Adam to bring him whatever it is you mean to give him."

Alixa rummaged through the box, finding the medallion Cinhil had intended his brother to have, but not the chain she remembered seeing it on previously. Nothing else in the box seemed suitable, so she untied the ribbon from the end of her braid and strung the medallion onto that, knotting the ends together and handed it to her mother-by-marriage. "It was Cinhil's Saint Camber medallion." Belatedly she realized that the ribbon she'd strung it on was the same color as her new shawl. That seemed fitting somehow; a gift for a gift.

"I'll have Adam bring it down to him at once," Soraya said. "The Queen should be here soon, then I'll go see what I can do about those new nursemaids for you."


Next chapter: https://www.rhemuthcastle.com/index.php/topic,3271.0.html

[DerynifanK]

Lovely. So happy that little Cynewyn arrived safely. I hope things will go well for Mother and daughter. Just sad that Cinhil could not be there but I feel his spirit was there.

[Evie]

Lovely. So happy that little Cynewyn arrived safely. I hope things will go well for Mother and daughter. Just sad that Cinhil could not be there but I feel his spirit was there.

I had briefly considered having Alixa give birth while Cinhil was alive, but it turned out the timing was best this way. Alixa needed to be very visibly pregnant in the Duel Arcane scene so that Rémy (and all other witnesses) would know that she was pregnant with Cinhil's child and was free from Renier's terms in the betrothal contract, and also so Rémy could see her powers had been returned. But if she then went into labor while he was still alive, they would miss out on sharing those last hours of Cinhil's life together, and Alixa wouldn't have even been permitted to attend Cinhil's funeral, given the tradition of keeping new mothers and their babies strictly confined to help protect them as much as possible from the hazards of post-childbirth complications and allow them both to become stronger before rejoining society. So that's why I had Cinhil psychically "See" his daughter instead. That seemed like the best compromise solution.

[DerynifanK]

I will miss Cinhil but he will still be in your head and part of the story, I think.

[DerynifanK]

Lovely. So happy that little Cynewyn arrived safely. I hope things will go well for Mother and daughter. Just sad that Cinhil could not be there but I feel his spirits was there.

I agree that your solution was best. The last hours Alixa and Cinhil had together were beautiful and it was important that she was holding his hand as he passed.

I had briefly considered having Alixa give birth while Cinhil was alive, but it turned out the timing was best this way. Alixa needed to be very visibly pregnant in the Duel Arcane scene so that Rémy (and all other witnesses) would know that she was pregnant with Cinhil's child and was free from Renier's terms in the betrothal contract, and also so Rémy could see her powers had been returned. But if she then went into labor while he was still alive, they would miss out on sharing those last hours of Cinhil's life together, and Alixa wouldn't have even been permitted to attend Cinhil's funeral, given the tradition of keeping new mothers and their babies strictly confined to help protect them as much as possible from the hazards of post-childbirth complications and allow them both to become stronger before rejoining society. So that's why I had Cinhil psychically "See" his daughter instead. That seemed like the best compromise solution.

[DerynifanK]

I'm looking forward to the story of Cinhil and Alixa's early marriage.,Judging by this story it should be a beautiful romance

[DerynifanK]

After Cinhil's death what happens to his squires? Will they transfer to Nicholas or to someone else's service. As king he will surely need more assistance than he has before. And what about Balian?
Also wondering about the King's Champion. Is that an office that Joss holds and does he then serve Nicholas?

[Evie]

After Cinhil's death what happens to his squires? Will they transfer to Nicholas or to someone else's service. As king he will surely need more assistance than he has before. And what about Balian?
Also wondering about the King's Champion. Is that an office that Joss holds and does he then serve Nicholas?

All of these are great questions that will be addressed in the sequel. 😄 But suffice it to say that no one is going to be left without a position at Court.

[Demercia]

A bit late responding I know but I love the interchange between Catherine and Mellie, it seems like there is some mutual respect growing there.  And I also loved the "what do I owe you for the pig". A man who deserved a better Lord.

[Evie]

A bit late responding I know but I love the interchange between Catherine and Mellie, it seems like there is some mutual respect growing there.  And I also loved the "what do I owe you for the pig". A man who deserved a better Lord.

LOL, the pig wasn't meant to be in the story, but as I was starting to write the sentencing scene and the bit about the defectors, Colin's voice in my head kept going on about "That's the guy who stole my pig!" I was like, "Look, I'm trying to write about Jouvian Deryni defectors here, who cares about some pig?! How would you even know about your stolen pig, you weren't in Candoe Rhea at the time!" But he was insistent that the pig be included, and once I realized that the Comte's memories would play an instrumental part in Colin's decision to pardon him, I figured the pig would add a nice touch of comic relief. Though I'm fairly sure it was trying to spare Mellie that got the Comte his pardon, not his willingness to pay Colin back for the unevenly cooked pork, though the willingness to do so would have been noted and caused him to rise even higher in Colin's estimation.