hit the
floor.
Her collapse was witnessed by Atoc Cristoph
and Ator Jocelynne who had just come around the corner by the
dining hall. “What's wrong?” Cristoph shouted as they hurried
toward them.
Jonathan held Gracielle tightly. “She says
that Anika attacked Lantalia and they've both been killed!”
Jocelynne gasped and both she and Cristoph
froze in place.
Gracielle babbled, “Lantalia called Ultara .
. . downstairs . . . sending for the bodies . . . the council will
need to . . . .” Her eyes fluttered; she took a deep breath and
seemed to regain a little of her strength.
Jonathan, who was still concerned, however,
looked at his father and shouted, “Can you get the doctor? I'll
take her to our room.”
Cristoph nodded and he and Jocelynne rushed
away.
Jonathan helped Gracielle down the
hallway.
When they were almost at the end of it, he
reached out to a beautifully carved wooden door and pushed it open.
“Come on, Love, you need rest,” he insisted as he led her towards
the bed.
“I . . . I think I'm okay now, Jonathan,”
she assured. “A lot has happened today. I was just overwhelmed.”
She sat down on the bed, gazed into space, and then blurted
matter-of-factly, “Oh, and Jonathan . . . I'm pregnant.”
He stared at her for a few seconds and then
mumbled a feeble, “What?”
She exhibited no emotion whatsoever. “We're
going to have a baby.”
Jonathan paced for a moment and then asked
soberly, “And if it's a son?”
“It’s not going to be a son, Jonathan. It’s
a girl,” she replied.
“I understand it usually happens that way
for Trysta Heiresses, but . . .”
Gracielle stopped him. “No, Jonathan, this
has nothing to do with me being a Trysta Heiress. I've been told
that it's a girl.”
“Told? Who could’ve told you? Nobody
would’ve. . . . ”
Just then, there was a knock at the
door.
“Come in,” Gracielle answered, relieved
that—at least for the moment—she wasn’t going to have to give
further details.
A tall, slender man entered the room with
Atoc Cristoph.
“Oh hello, Doctor,” Gracielle welcomed with
a forced smile.
The doctor walked over and put his hand on
her shoulder. “Good evening, Atoh. I'm so sorry to hear about your
mother.”
“Thank you, Michelan.”
She leaned forward and gave him a hug.
“And thank you for coming, although I’m sure
I'm all right now. It's just been a hard day; I let it get to
me.”
The doctor frowned. “Of course, but I would
feel much better if you'd let me take a look. I'd like to make sure
both you and the baby are okay.”
Cristoph looked questioningly at Jonathan
who smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “We'll be outside.”
He put his arm around his father and led him
out of the room.
Jocelynne came walking down the hall toward
them. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were splotchy; she'd
obviously been crying.
“They've taken them,” she sighed.
Cristoph embraced his wife, and no one said
anything for a few minutes.
Finally, it was Cristoph who broke the
silence, “I think our son has something to tell us, Jocey.”
Jocelynne sniffled and looked at Jonathan,
who gently embraced her. “Gracielle and I are having a baby.”
A knowing smile crept across Jocelynne’s
face. “Of course . . . I should have realized. She hasn’t been
herself lately.”
She was giving Jonathan another squeeze as
the door to the room opened and Dr. Michelan peered out. “We're all
finished in here. Everything looks fine,” he assured.
Jonathan sighed with relief and he, and his
parents, stepped back into the room.
For the next couple of hours, Gracielle,
Jonathan, Doctor Michelan, Jocelynne and Cristoph all sat in the
room and talked. They spoke fondly of Lantalia and Anika and
contemplated what Jonathan and Gracielle's child would be like.
They discussed Ultara’s appointment, and debated over when they
should call the council together to make it official.
“Are you sure it's not too soon?”
floor.
Her collapse was witnessed by Atoc Cristoph
and Ator Jocelynne who had just come around the corner by the
dining hall. “What's wrong?” Cristoph shouted as they hurried
toward them.
Jonathan held Gracielle tightly. “She says
that Anika attacked Lantalia and they've both been killed!”
Jocelynne gasped and both she and Cristoph
froze in place.
Gracielle babbled, “Lantalia called Ultara .
. . downstairs . . . sending for the bodies . . . the council will
need to . . . .” Her eyes fluttered; she took a deep breath and
seemed to regain a little of her strength.
Jonathan, who was still concerned, however,
looked at his father and shouted, “Can you get the doctor? I'll
take her to our room.”
Cristoph nodded and he and Jocelynne rushed
away.
Jonathan helped Gracielle down the
hallway.
When they were almost at the end of it, he
reached out to a beautifully carved wooden door and pushed it open.
“Come on, Love, you need rest,” he insisted as he led her towards
the bed.
“I . . . I think I'm okay now, Jonathan,”
she assured. “A lot has happened today. I was just overwhelmed.”
She sat down on the bed, gazed into space, and then blurted
matter-of-factly, “Oh, and Jonathan . . . I'm pregnant.”
He stared at her for a few seconds and then
mumbled a feeble, “What?”
She exhibited no emotion whatsoever. “We're
going to have a baby.”
Jonathan paced for a moment and then asked
soberly, “And if it's a son?”
“It’s not going to be a son, Jonathan. It’s
a girl,” she replied.
“I understand it usually happens that way
for Trysta Heiresses, but . . .”
Gracielle stopped him. “No, Jonathan, this
has nothing to do with me being a Trysta Heiress. I've been told
that it's a girl.”
“Told? Who could’ve told you? Nobody
would’ve. . . . ”
Just then, there was a knock at the
door.
“Come in,” Gracielle answered, relieved
that—at least for the moment—she wasn’t going to have to give
further details.
A tall, slender man entered the room with
Atoc Cristoph.
“Oh hello, Doctor,” Gracielle welcomed with
a forced smile.
The doctor walked over and put his hand on
her shoulder. “Good evening, Atoh. I'm so sorry to hear about your
mother.”
“Thank you, Michelan.”
She leaned forward and gave him a hug.
“And thank you for coming, although I’m sure
I'm all right now. It's just been a hard day; I let it get to
me.”
The doctor frowned. “Of course, but I would
feel much better if you'd let me take a look. I'd like to make sure
both you and the baby are okay.”
Cristoph looked questioningly at Jonathan
who smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “We'll be outside.”
He put his arm around his father and led him
out of the room.
Jocelynne came walking down the hall toward
them. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were splotchy; she'd
obviously been crying.
“They've taken them,” she sighed.
Cristoph embraced his wife, and no one said
anything for a few minutes.
Finally, it was Cristoph who broke the
silence, “I think our son has something to tell us, Jocey.”
Jocelynne sniffled and looked at Jonathan,
who gently embraced her. “Gracielle and I are having a baby.”
A knowing smile crept across Jocelynne’s
face. “Of course . . . I should have realized. She hasn’t been
herself lately.”
She was giving Jonathan another squeeze as
the door to the room opened and Dr. Michelan peered out. “We're all
finished in here. Everything looks fine,” he assured.
Jonathan sighed with relief and he, and his
parents, stepped back into the room.
For the next couple of hours, Gracielle,
Jonathan, Doctor Michelan, Jocelynne and Cristoph all sat in the
room and talked. They spoke fondly of Lantalia and Anika and
contemplated what Jonathan and Gracielle's child would be like.
They discussed Ultara’s appointment, and debated over when they
should call the council together to make it official.
“Are you sure it's not too soon?”
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