February 15, 1183
"Mother! Father!" Taimyra heaved herself out of her father-in-law's desk chair and greeted her parents with successive embraces. In her haste to send off that reply to Jeda, she'd almost forgotten that they would be visiting. "How nice to see you! How is everything back home?""Not bad. Celina's due in less than a month--and that's not the only new grandchild we can expect within the year, I see." Her mother winked as she pressed one hand to Taimyra's firming stomach. She was barely showing yet, but there was no hiding a pregnancy from Viridis of Luperia. "You and Farilon sure didn't waste any time."
"Yes, well... we love the girls, but we do still need an heir." But unlike a certain other royal, from what she could figure from Jeda's letters--they'd only briefly met in person, but once Taimyra had married, she'd struck up a correspondence, crown princess to crown princess--Farilon did not pressure her for sex, nor did he disregard the possibility of his brothers inheriting should he die sonless.
And he certainly never faulted her for any perceived infertility! Yes, they had been married for ten years now. Yes, they only had two children, ages six years and eight-and-a-half months, to show for it. The people could think what they thought, but Farilon knew full well that it was hardly Taimyra's fault if he preferred his stepmother's brother to her.
"Well, either way, we'll all be delighted." Her mother drew back her hand with a smile. Her father's mouth didn't move--for once--but a twinkle in his eye told her that he agreed. Taimyra's mother only had three children, two of which were twins who were decades younger than their older brother, so her father had not been a man of King Ietrin's variety either--not that he'd had any right to be, what with her numerous half-siblings. Regardless.Her father gestured to the couch by the wall. "Why don't you ladies sit down?"
"I can stand if you prefer, Father."
"Now, now. I must consider the comfort of my future grandchild--and while I may be old, I'm hardly dead." He stepped between Taimyra and her mother and offered them each an arm, then led them to the couch. Her mother sat, then after a nod of insistence from her father, Taimyra did the same. "So, your brother Severin tells me that your friend Jeda has given birth."
"Yes, to a little boy. Prince Holden.""Holden." Her father smirked. "I would have guessed Roderick--or Searle, based on sheer statistics. Where the hell did Jeda get an original name like Holden from?"
"Her stepmother, maybe--Holladrin. They were very close. If she'd had a daughter, I bet you anything her name would have been Holladrin."
"She may yet have another daughter," her mother mused. "Now that the stress of providing an heir has been lifted, it may be easier for them to conceive again."
Taimyra nodded, though she couldn't be sure. From the sounds of it, Ietrin had a curiously low number of suspected bastards for a man of his age and reputation, but had never realized this himself. The midwife in Naroni had also examined Jeda multiple times and found nothing abnormal. Did stress affect male fertility as it did female? No one ever spoke of male fertility. As far as most saw it, it was a given that a man could make sons, never mind that every other aspect of health varied from person to person and that it took two to make a baby.
"But you know..." Her father grinned, and she couldn't help but respond. Her father may have been a notorious cad, and while she might have wished otherwise, there was no denying the love there. "Call me an old fool, but your pregnancies seem to take cues from Jeda's. She has a girl, then you have a girl. She has another girl, then you have another girl. Maybe you'll have your boy too."
"Maybe." Somewhere inside her, a tiny limb tickled. "But we'd love another little girl too."NEXT CHAPTER:
7 comments:
In case it was a bit vague, Taimyra is Sidwein's twin. I think he's the older one.
It seems like the crowned heads of Dovia are a little more reasonable than the one in Naroni currently. I like Taimyra a lot. That sense of humor regarding her father has to come in handy.
Lonriad had an interesting point about the name. Any king who didn't all but throw his father into a plague pit a year ago might have wanted a family name. Possibly outside of naming the child 'Octavius', Ietrin doesn't seem to care what the children are called.
Viridis looks good as an elder!
The current royals of Dovia are pretty sensible. Oswald is a good king, and while he loved his brother, he wasn't exactly in denial about Roderick being an idiot. He doesn't like his nephew Ietrin much at all. I don't know if Farilon and Ietrin have met, but I can't see them getting along either. That and I think Oswald and Farilon, The Times or not, do realize that a woman doesn't get to choose the sex of her baby, and Oswald has four other sons (and of those four, the older two have sons of their own), so they see no reason to put any pressure on Taimyra (plus, you know, the whole Farilon being gay thing).
As for Taimyra, I think she got the best of both her parents. She'll make an excellent queen.
Yes, it's strange that the long-awaited crown prince would not have a family name (if Taimyra's baby is a boy, it will probably be Oswald, though there are Lonriads in the royal family as well). I think at the end of the day, Ietrin doesn't really care too much what his children are named--just as long as they have penises, that is--but this might be interesting to those who are still thinking about the suspicious circumstances of Roderick's death.
She did age well! But man, it's been a while since we saw her.
Hmm, but if Taimyra has always a child of the same gender as Jeda's, she won't get a boy this time either. :P
Though, is it just me or are people already suspicious about "Holden"?
Quite possibly! But then again, it's likely just coincidence that they both had two girls. It certainly was in terms of the game; I didn't have any plot reasons for rigging the sex of any of Taimyra's kids, and Jeda's all cooperated with me and were girls, no saving and exiting required.
I think people have questions about the name. That said, it's a small enough thing that it will probably blow over soon, so long as nothing else suspicious happens.
Well, I hope Taimrya gets a boy. Sure, she and Farilon would be happy with a girl, but because it's The Times and most people who aren't in the know are probably clucking their tongues and blaming Taimrya for the lack of boy, I figure a boy might make things easier all around. Plus, Taimrya seems like a good person, and I like good people to get what they want. :)
(I figure I ought to make some kind of nice comment after all the IETRIN RAGE.)
Also, good to see that The Original Lonriad and The Original Viridis are still doing well! I'm sure Lonriad's got another bastard or twelve on the way, too. ;) The Kemorin(ish) family never stops growing!
(And am I the only one getting a kick out of Lonriad wearing the same outfit, albeit a different recolor, as Florian?)
It would be easier if they have a boy, definitely. But there are plenty of heirs lined up as it is, so a girl wouldn't be the end of the world. Also, I imagine that Taimyra and Oswald are pretty close (and she and Farilon are good friends, despite not being in love), so if too many people were making too big a deal, I'm sure he'd calmly remind them that there are still plenty of heirs to the throne hanging around.
Like almost all the babies in Dovia, I have no plans to rig Taimyra's either way. However, since they already have a daughter named after each of their mothers, I am hoping for a boy in the interests of lazy naming. ;)
Yep, Lonriad and Viridis are still alive and kicking, though they are getting up in years. And I'm sure the bastards are still being conceived in waves (and when Lonriad goes, there's still always Jadin to ensure the perpetual spreading of the Kemorin genes).
Eehee... when I put the new outfit on Florian, it occurred to me that it would suit Lonriad as well. It's really a shame that those two don't get more chances to hang out. XD
Post a Comment