April 14, 1192
A messenger had ridden out ahead of Jeda and the girls, on Willott's orders. That messenger had left behind more information than Octavius was used to processing most afternoons. Ietrin was dead. Hollie's secret was out. Jeda was pregnant with another man's child. She and the girls would be seeking refuge with him until the scandal had died down and Dea was secured as Queen Regnant--at least, he hoped Dea would be secured as Queen Regnant.When his daughter did arrive, he greeted her with a hug. He wasn't sorry for a second that that sack of shit was dead, but Jeda had witnessed his gruesome end. He hadn't wished that on her. "Are you all right?"
"I think I will be. You're not mad about..."
"Of course not." After all those years of Ietrin, what woman wouldn't have deserved one night with someone decent? "We'll talk about that later. Right now, I think we should start with Hollie."
Jeda stepped back--reluctant, but willing. "Yes. She, uh... she hasn't really said anything since she found out. Gennie and Prior are with her now.""I suppose the best course of action would be to just let her be for now. She has a lot to consider; no sense in making her make any major life decisions before she's ready."
"Of course."
"Trouble is... well, regardless, it seems that enough people overheard Ietrin's ranting that she wouldn't be the heir anymore. She'll have to come to terms with that.""So... then Dea is the heir."
"Unless Roderick specifically designated Farilon as the heir over her, yes--and honestly, I'm not sure why he would." Farilon was a decent young man, but far too wishy-washy to be a king. "I don't recall ever hearing about Ietrin drafting a will?"
"I don't think he did. He probably thought he'd live forever." Jeda sighed. Each breath was a new emotion. "I started to fear he would too."
"It's all right." Octavius pulled her in for another hug, rubbing her back as he'd done when she was a little girl. "There's no need to be afraid now."NEXT CHAPTER:
13 comments:
Thoughts on Jeda's new dress? I like it on her, but not to the point where I'm not on the lookout for something that might suit her a bit better. I think she'll be showing next time we see her anyway, so she'll be wearing her maternity-wear then.
Awwwh, poor Jeda. I'm sure she hardly know what to feel right now - and Hollie! Her whole world has just gotten crazily shaken up, hopefully she'll be able to come to terms with it.
I like the dress, personally. It's plain but she's always struck me as someone who preferred simplicity and was forced by Ietrin to wear lots of gold and embroidery and such. (Although I don't know why but I've always pictured her wearing something more high-necked and prim?)
Jeda has a lot of feelings right now, many of them conflicting. It's not a good place to be at the moment. :S
Hollie--definitely! That's not the sort of thing anyone expects to find out about themselves, and the way it went down won't help. She'll need some time to think. If she decides she's a boy, then I'm sure his family will help him start off somewhere else, where no one knows him, once he's old enough. If she decides she's a girl, there will still be some adjustments to be made around Naroni. Luckily, I don't think Queen Dea is going to put up with people making life miserable for her sibling.
Thanks! Yeah, that's how I've always found Jeda too. She looked great in her queenly garb, but it was Ietrin's taste more than hers. I actually don't have too much as far as high-necked dresses, but it's a thought, for sure.
I'll just have to say that I will never forgive you if Dea won't be Queen Regnant! XP
Nobody needs Queen Danthia after King Ietrin. And somebody needs to break the track record of horrible (or lackluster) monarchs in Naroni!
I second Mimus! Not that I think you'd do that to us after all this, never mind to her and her family. The mere thought of 'Queen Danthia' makes me shudder in dread.
Dea will be great! *unwrapsQueenDeaflag*
Also, I'm relieved Jeda is back to her old hairstyle and wearing something comfortable again. I like it!
sorry for the double-post... ~~
Octavius FTW. He's such a good daddy. I really feel for Jeda, though. Ietrin may have been a monster to her, but it must have been traumatizing for her to see him go out that way. I imagine she's probably experiencing mixed feelings of horror and relief. I want to say I hope Naroni's next monarch is more competent and kind than the previous two... but chaos does make for an interesting story. I would LOVE to see a queen on the throne, though!
I've always been in the camp that supported Dea being queen. I especially want Dea to be queen because of Danthia. I can't think of anything good happening if she is queen, especially after how she went about getting a boy.
Mimus: I think a lot of characters would agree with you there. It's time for a decent Naronian monarch. ;)
Ann: Yeah, Queen Danthia would be bad news. Even though she'd only be Queen Consort, Farilon--while he's a good guy--doesn't have much of a backbone from what we've seen...
Jeda's always preferred to keep her hair down when she can. With hair like hers, who wouldn't? XD But yeah, it's nice seeing her back to her old self.
Katdelval: I don't think Octavius has ever really forgiven himself for letting Jeda and Ietrin's marriage go through. So, he's been in Dad of the Year mode ever since. Jeda needs that right now, with all she must be feeling. She won't miss Ietrin, but you're right: it was a traumatic sight.
If nothing else, it would take a lot for Naroni to have a WORSE monarch... ;)
Orilon: Dea would make an excellent queen--and Danthia would make a horrid one. I'm sure she'd find a way to wrap well-meaning-but-too-malleable Farilon around her little finger despite his distaste for her. :S
Jeda looks like Jeda again! I like the style of dress on her. It's much more comfortable than what she had to wear around the castle. I do think that shade of green washes her out. The saving grace of her queenly attire was that the rich green looked great on her.
I'm glad Jeda and the kids have a refuge at Tetran until things calm down. Even if Dea is queen and standing by her mother, Jeda would probably prefer to live quietly for a while. I hope Fred's path will be weaving through Naroni sometime soon :)
Looking forward to see what Hollie and Gennie think about all this...
She does, doesn't she? But yeah, that's my one complaint about the Any Color You Like actions in general: they're just not bold enough for my personal taste.
Octavius did promise that Jeda would always have a home in Tetran, so he's not about to go back on his word there. I don't think Jeda has any desire to live at the castle again, at least not until it's been firmly Dea-fied.
Fred's bound to hear about Ietrin's death eventually, so... hmmm... ;)
I really like the dress. Jeda is such a beautiful woman, the simplicity suits her and I love the color and the waist detail.
At first I thought it was a bad idea to leave Hollie alone like that, but it's not really alone and it's better than having people around who might look like they are expecting some particular sort of reaction.
Also I love Jeda's hair down.
She really is gorgeous. There's not much I could have stuck her in that wouldn't have been flattering. The trick was finding something that suited her character.
Yeah, Hollie's with people who aren't adults but who are mature enough to be relied on, and they don't have any idea what Hollie might be thinking and therefore don't know what to expect. It's pretty low pressure for her at the moment, which is what she needs.
Jeda always did prefer wearing her hair down, but Ietrin didn't think it queenly. But she can wear her hair how she wants now. :)
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