Lynda also seemed to take charge making me the king she hoped I could be. she quizzed me on ethics, ways to end the war with out losing the faith of the gentry. She pushed me to do more exercises, brushed my hair, trimmed my nails and helped me practice walking and sitting like the men. with al her brother she did have a better understanding of noble men. 

Her new found energy was a blessing but she would get very pushy about things I didn’t see the point in so I broke down and  asked “Lynda why are you using so hard, what is this all about? You know I am doing my best but I was raised as a lady. This is  all so foreign to me that I’m always felling wrong. Now as much in my womens cloth as my mens.” I now no longer wore skits trying to get used to the change I would forever live now. It felt dangles to my growing family so dress a a woman but that is all I had known for so long that it felt as if there was no safe place for me. I also had a almost revolting reacting to warning the codpiece Lynda had encouraged me to add to my outfits. not hiding my form was one thing accenting it was quite another!!!

“I’m sorry Sam. some part of me knows this little ones life depends on you being able to pull all of this off. With such close large family I somehow feel like I have a better understanding of mens rolls. I also spent a lot of time with my father an actual King, so have more knowledge of how king and court acutely work. I am sorry, when I see you struggling I want to show you how close you are or give you options and really give you a chance. You have lived your life so excluded that once you do take over your going to be overwhelmed with people telling should and shouldn’ts so I’m trying to poor all my knowledge into you all at once. I am sorry.” she look hurt and scared. the situation was so fraught we were both charging forward to protect the hope she was growing for us. 

I had been so focused on protecting her I hadn’t really worried about myself at all. Lynda was right I was going to need support of people that I could trust and I knew so few before that this was really going to be a challenge “It is good to know that I don’t have to worry about myself then.” I smiled in appreciation of her loving care “if you are so focused on my care I will intern focus on yours and we will be so looked after that we will know no strife.” I grind at her in the silly way you do when you know what your saying is for show but you need that inside joke to survive.

she rolled her eyes at me but also smiled little at my exuberant forgiveness of her driving me to such a challenge. When my dress outfit was almost finished she took out 6 of the sapphires and added them as buttons then lined the button wholes with the golden thread. I watched her in the spring light she was more beautiful then any painting I had ever seen. The peaceful seen was shattered by a large man on a larger stead charging though the courtyard. the big man in a billowing cloak made such hast I almost mist that James fallowed him! 

We quickly put on better things Me in one of my nicer tunics and long breaches. Lynda in a pale pink dressing gown that made her almost glow! 

Fallowing a great commotion that as always took its time to make it’s way to the cell door the large man slid the slat open and commanded that Lynda and I come to the door “Queen Lynda present yourself. I have been informed of the causes of this disturbance. You must choose now to either take vows, honoring the marriage contract or for the child you carry to be forever question in legitimacy. Queen Lynda you need to know if you do this you are calming your infidelity to the current king and will never be freed from here if the child is a farce. So having obtained oaths of your chastity from all parts involved and with Sir James refusing even me the key to your room I can see no other options for your situation. If you maintain the claims of heritage and siring and take vows then once that child is born it will be the heir. We I would however encourage you to take vows so we will not repeat history with the first child not taking the throne.”

Lynda nodded quickly she fully understood the situation. “I am willing and eager to fluffily my both right.”

 He continued like he had to get through everything he needed to say in a short time “If you do your vows before me, they will supersede the separate vows made earlier, so repeat after me quickly.” he continued on addressing her, then called me to join the vows. he never offered me the choice not that it mattered in our land having a child on the way was your choice made with the ask so I wasn’t surprised at all.

So on some random spring day we said our vows to each other. in our most common clothing, before a man who could barely see us on the other side of a great iron door.  

He said a prayer then closed the slat as abruptly as he had opened it. he seem angry at the situation not necessary at us and later that day we witnessed the Orin soldiers stoping the big man from leaving the court yard it got very loud and he turned bright red till the commander came out and calmed things down the big temple man went from almost purple with anger to the color leaving his face and fallowing the commander indoors.

Lynda asked “what would quell a senior man of the cloth so quickly?”

“The mountain of things, I do not know grows daily but that was some trick!”

by that night the portcullis was closed and solders were posted on guard, not just patrols. The quality of the food agin increased making us puzzle over how they were getting such nice things.

The whole fortress was buzzing with a tension no one fully understood. As the month past Lyndas guessed due date it felt like you could almost hear the ever present tension. As spring was slowly gave over to summer the humming insects were an ominous orchestra to the thick air. 

Lynda woke me one night “I’m scared Sam hold me.” most nights I had fallen asleep holding her but as we slept we readjusted to more comfortable position, so I was happy to again wrap her in my body as a protective warmth. however soon she gave a little whimper and curled into a tight ball. Then she relaxed. “are you felling unwell?”

“Sam I think it’s stating.” she sounded scared to her bones.

I hugged her tight knowing the comfort of routine asked again  “What dose the book say?”

we spent the morning hours quizzing each other over what to expect and what to do. It was some how just distracting enough and relaxing enough that we stayed entwined in-between wake and sleep. Just the two of us for the last night. 

We tried to fallow the book and go about our day till things really got moving but it was vary distracting. Exercises were not finished as Lyndas water broke. We immediately set about making the best space for her to give birth on. the bed stripping off all of our bed things that needed to be kept clean then leaving out all of the things that came in the birth care pack. We made it through lunch, both of us working hard to get food in her. She didn’t want food but the book was clear on how long an hard labor was and that being properly feed before hand was important for the mother keeping the strength for the long hours ahead. 

She took a disturbed nap, then everything started in earnest and she stated to cry out at regular intervals. once she really stated whiling in pain, the slat on the door opened and men arguing and yelling I had just checked that things were going how they were supposed to, and from the book all seemed right and other then breathing there wasn’t any thing I could do for Lynda. between shrikes she tolled me to “make the men stop!” she was red faced and fierce.  

I strode to the door and bang on it so they would listen “Shut Up! your Queen is birthing the heir to your kingdom and deserves the reverence such an occasion deserves. Commander find brandy the child should be toasted  properly. Father( I didn’t know the position of the religious man)  lead prayer, no part of this situation is ideal and we will need all the grace that can be afforded. James under no circumstance bring the key here, till I am fully established and my wife and heir are fully safe! and whoever else out their that may have may be making Noise don’t! It is only the two of us in here and we need to focus!” 

someone I didn’t know desperately tried to argue that the door must be opened so help may be given but Lynda was having another contrition so I had no temper for standing at the door so clapped “the kind of help thet yells at the door of a birthing room is not needed, sit down in the mess and if any kindness is afforded to us get the men to play and music that will help us keep time. You may post One person at the door that may run updates to the mess but keep it down enough that we may hear the music.” 

The commander struck by finally understanding the relevant part of the situation, stated barking orders to his men. After I checked on Lynda and she wanted me to giver her space in no small part blaming me for her cement pain. I checked the courtyard and saw random solders coming off watch. I then checked the door the was a solder watching though the slat he stepped back so I could see that two Orin solders were grading down the hall were the mess connected. I could hear the religious man saying a prayer and when he finished the solders started playing music they did dancing songs that were easy to tap you foot to and keep timing.

I thank the solder and he didn’t react, I aspected as much they were vary well trined that no matter what was happening we were prisoners. Still even in this moment we were prisoners. 

Lynda cried out for me so I returned to find that our child was ready arrive and so was Lynda. The book had over prepared us for all manor of tragic issues but Lynda was young and health so once her body declared it was time, my job was only support, wen my son was born he was perfect! he was a he and he was ours I held him to me a wept till Lynda started having contractions again. I cut the cord tide it and wrapped the baby in the provided towels and set him in the chest lid we had  been using as a bench, now flipped back over to be a rocking cradle, right beside me. Then I started what the book pointed out again and again as my most important job collecting the placenta and making sure it was whole. Before long it was all done and Lynda was holding our boy, he had so much hair with little waves like his mother but with my blue eyes. we marveled at him