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Chapter 55 - Ardere
Luella
Curly golden hair. Green eyes. Gurgling laughter. Wiggling little toes. I thought that Metheus was the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me until he came, a blend of the two of us. Ardere was born in Mogochislenia, the first grandchild my father and mother had born right in Queenspell.
Nevertheless, it was not to be forgotten that he would one day be king of Prozeus. Because I would never be parted from my husband and son, it seemed that one of Samuel’s twins would have to rule after our mother one day. It would be fitting if Magda were chosen to keep Queenspell true to its name – a domain ruled by queens, which had defeated the witch-hating, women-hating patriarchy that it was for centuries. The name Kingspell seemed pushed further into the past, as it should. My grandfather, King Dante, would be the last patriarch to rule as its monarch. Ardere would be different from the cruel men who had chosen power over love throughout the centuries. He would be king of Prozeus one day.
It was almost time to leave Queenspell again. When we left the ruins of Prozeus’s palace, we had a greater hold on peace. Because of the ease with which my mind navigated my new world, I had conceived not too long after we sought refuge here. There was no Ninurta to attack at any time. The witches had their powers back, and even human enemies had been subdued for now.
From time to time, my conscience still brought me back to when Thomas went into flames. If that had not happened, I would have been married off to a Mogochislenian prince, not Metheus.
Our people were no longer afraid of me. I had become almost like a human queen, harmless and domicile. Despite the absence of drought, Metheus still visited the farms to see how they were faring. His first love was the soil, and I was glad, because it brought him to me.
On our third month back in Queenspell, I did not bleed. I was thrilled but cautious. Metheus was about to leave for Prozeus. Therefore, I must tell him about the possibility that I was with child. I wanted him to be the first to know. I told him to meet me in the cabin, where my mother and father met. He looked tense as if I was about to tell him something terrible.
“You look so anxious, Metheus,” I teased.
“Well, you said you were about to tell me something important,” he grumbled, his brows furrowed, as I led him further into the maze.
I giggled at how we looked, my smaller frame leading his large one only with one hand. Yet, he obediently followed each twist and turn.
“My mother and father met in the cabin at the end of this path,” I began. “My brother and sister had been here with their beloved. When you have the blood of a witch, you can pass through the hedge easily.”
“Do you want to know if other supernatural beings can pass through?” he asked, understanding a part of what I wanted to discover.
“It’s part of why we are here, but not the whole,” I said with a small smile.
His face looked tense again. I turned to face the hedge, not letting go of his hand. I passed through easily, as expected. Among the three siblings, I was the first one to be able to do so. I had come into power younger. Samuel’s shifts into his wolf form were a curse instead of a source of power. Carolina had to learn everything until she had come into her own power. Among us siblings, she was the only one who married a human. I thought I had the same fate until Metheus revealed his true self.
I might have expected a snag by the hedge. I might have expected him to let go of my hand, helplessly left behind.
There was no snag. My dear husband effortlessly passed through.
“What was that?” he exclaimed, delighted at something simple as a bit of hedge in a maze.
“Maybe you have a little witch in you, and maybe the hedge welcomes all supernatural beings,” I said. “Come. Let’s go inside the cabin.”
He looked fascinated at how flowers and vegetation grew in abundance surrounding the cabin.
“Does anyone take care of this place?”
“No. Nobody takes care of this place. It takes care of itself,” I explained. “I knew you would love it.”
“I do. But is this it? Is this what you want to show me? Tell me? Thank you, my love. I will savor this little place as I return to Prozeus and my responsibilities.”
“No. I do have to tell you something else,” I said, taking a more serious tone, one that he was not used to hearing from me.
He went close, twirling one stray curl in his fingers away from my face. Again, his face was filled with worry. What did he think I was about to say? Instead of saying the words, I took one of his hands and placed it on my belly. I did it without breaking my gaze, seeing how his eyes widened in comprehension.
“Do you mean that -?”
“Yes, Metheus. We finally made a little one of her own.”
“Then, perhaps, that is the magic that makes it easy for us to pass through the hedge.”
“No, my darling. That is all you,” I said until he quieted me with a kiss.
“How can I leave you now?” he asked, his face anxious again.
