Sigrid

“It’s nearly time, isn’t it?” Agamori narrowed his eyes at the men training before them, then glanced to Daniel. When only a gentle shrug from one of Daniel’s shoulders came as a response, the old witch threw up his hands and wrinkled his nose. “You know that the moon is full tonight, don’t you?”

Daniel rolled his eyes at the question before he blinked to Agamori and his shoulders dropped with a sigh. “What does that have to do with anything?”

The vastly more experienced man twisted his lips and shook his head with his typical disapproving expression. “It’s as if you’ve learned nothing at all since you’ve come, Daniel. When we do take the castle, you need to spend more time learning the old texts. You are a warrior, without a doubt, but you know so little about the religion. It’s a tragedy, really.”

“Tragedy?” Daniel chuckled to himself. “I’m a fighter; that’s what I need to learn now. I can’t read the language in the old books, anyway. They’re worthless to me.”

His pointy finger poked at Daniel as he leaned a little closer. “If you are to be the best, the most powerful, you need the magic in those books. Don’t be so arrogant as to discount it. You know the things that are coming; we need every advantage.”

With his arms crossed, Agamori gripped his chin with his fingers. “Consider this. You are a masterful Warlock; you were just born that way. Now imagine if you knew all the magic, how unstoppable you would be. You might rule the whole Realm if you wish.” Before he walked away, Agamori stopped at Daniel’s side and slapped his back. “You would be a god. Now, what do you think about that?”

Agamori wasn’t even a few steps away when Daniel balled his fists and called out for him when the pain tore through his body. “Agi!”

He rushed to Daniel’s side and pressed his hands on his back and chest to steady him. “What is it?”

Daniel tried to laugh off the pain, but it brought him to his knees when the next wave came. Through his gritted teeth, he managed to groan out, “Rosemary!” When the pain pulled back, and he caught his breath, his tightly pinched eyes opened to his brother. “The baby, she’s coming.”

Agamori groaned as he yanked Daniel to his feet and shook his shoulder. “Well, go then. I’ll take care of all this.”

In the black swirling mist, Daniel heard Rosemary’s cries for him and the rush of her heartbeat.

When the world fell back into place around him, Daniel stepped out of the mist in the Great Hall and took the stairs two at a time until he came to the library, then sprinted to their room. He slid to a stop in front of their door and found Rosemary on her hands and knees by the bed.

Rosemary saw his boots before she felt his hands slide around her, and before she could say no, he tucked her into his arms. “Let me get you in bed.”

She whimpered into his neck, and her sweaty forehead bathed him as she shook her head and pushed against his hold. “No, please. I can’t.”

“You’re not going to give birth on the ground like an animal.” His lips pinched together, and a grunt sounded through his nose when he lifted her from the floor. The springs creaked under the weight of his knee when he pressed it against the mattress and lowered her to the soft bedding. Daniel moved his hands down her arms and came nose to nose with her. “Just hold on to me. It’ll all be over soon.” He whispered his soothing voice into her ear and gave her the little comfort he could as the midwife took her place below. “She’s almost here. I’m so proud of you.” The whispers reached out to him, and he closed his eyes when he heard Sigrid’s voice in his head. “She’s ready to come now.”

She gritted her teeth and screamed out one last time, and the next breath brought with it Sigrid’s cries for her mother’s warm breast.

The midwife bundled Sigrid in a blanket then placed her in Rosemary’s arms. Their matching blue eyes met, and every doubt about being a mother faded into the breeze that blew in from the balcony.

Her teary eyes blinked up at Daniel, and she laughed as she lifted the bundle towards him. “Oh, look at her, Daniel; she’s so beautiful.” The blanket that swaddled her was soaked with her mother’s tears, but Sigrid just blinked when Rosemary pressed her lips against her cheek. “My sweet girl.”

When Sigrid was full and let go of her mother, Rosemary kissed her soft cheek then gave her to Daniel so the Midwife could help her get cleaned up.

“There’s my girl.” Daniel rubbed his nose against Sigrid’s and whispered as he spoke to her eyes in the light of the balcony. “How I’ve missed you.”
He clicked his tongue when she answered him back, and his head shook as he spoke in his softest tone. “Yes, but those days are gone. Everything is different now; we know better.” His lips twisted, and his eyes opened wide as he bounced her. “Now, we just have to find your brother.”

“Excuse me, my Lord, can you please wait outside for a few moments?” When his eyes lifted from his baby, the Midwife got a shiver down her spine as his cold, dark eyes pierced her. Daniel was becoming less kind to the city dwellers the stronger he became and the more he remembered. “I just need to change the bedding, Sir.”

His glare became the warmest smile when he turned his attention back to his wife. Bowing his head to her, Daniel tucked Sigrid into his chest and backed towards the door. “We’ll be right outside, my love.”

A new father’s prideful smile stretched across his face as Nicholas, and the brothers gathered around him. “Isn’t she beautiful? Look how beautiful my daughter is.”

When Nicholas’ kind eyes gazed over his granddaughter, Daniel licked the tear from his lip and nodded. “This is my Sigrid. She came back to me.”

“She’s an angel, Daniel.” Agamori placed his hand above her head and offered his blessing, then Daniel brought her forehead to his lips.

When it occurred to him what just happened, he raised his eyes to his father. “I can have them all back.”

Nicolas pressed his forehead to Daniel’s temple. “Yes, I believe you can, Daniel. Only you.”

The door creaked open, and the midwife bent her knees to the group of men before leaving them. “She’ll need her rest now.”

Nicholas placed a kiss on Sigrid’s forehead before he and his sons said their goodbyes. “If you need anything, please call on us.”

Daniel shuffled through the door, and it closed behind him with a wiggle of his finger. “Let’s get you back to Mother. Hmm?” He slid into bed beside Rosemary, then laid Sigrid on her legs as she sat up in bed against her pillows. She relaxed into his arm and rested her cheek against his chest. “You’ll be leaving us soon, won’t you?”

He sighed through his nose, then kissed the top of her head. “Yes. The sooner, the better. If I don’t leave soon, I never will.” His eyes closed as he took a deep breath of her wildflowers. “I don’t know how I will face this world without you both. My soul is already begging me to change my mind.”

Even though she was already regretting her words, her fingertips met his cheek, and she felt his conflicted tears beneath them and knew she had to reassure him. “You’ve come too far to concede what belongs to you. Go before she is old enough to miss you, Daniel.”

The truth of it was too complicated to explain, so he closed his eyes and agreed. “I’ll leave the morning after next.” Soft jerks spread through her back against Daniel’s chest as she started to cry. “I’m sorry, my Queen.”

The hand on his cheek pulled him closer. “You saved me, Daniel. Everything you’ve done has been for Sigrid and me. Now, I want you to have everything that your heart desires. Go with my blessing.”