Chapter 27

Iris walked around the castle looking for King Evander.
“My darling queen, how is your morning?” King Evander asked, looking at her when she walked into the throne room.
“Eventful,” Iris said, looking at Marchelle.
“Tell me all about it,” King Evander said, waving everyone to leave the throne room that was still waiting to talk to the king.
“Just woman things but nothing your kind sister could not help me with,” Iris said, making King Evander raise a brow at Marchelle.
Iris eyed the queen’s chair next to King Evander and wondered if she should sit on it but as she reached King Evander, he pulled her onto his lap before kissing her.
Marchelle rolled her eyes at her brother that was acting like a lovesick puppy, thinking, ‘why has never been like this with me?’
“Marchelle, tell the servants to bring brunch to the throne room and tell my court officers that I will only commence after brunch,” King Evander said before standing up with his queen in his arms and putting her down on her feet.
King Evander walked Iris over to a large window, “what do you think?”
“It looks beautiful, even better than before,” Iris compliment the new gardens.
“The chapel structure where we got married is all that was left and undamaged by the attack,” King Evander told her, seeing it as some sort of a sign that they will last forever no matter what.
“Indestructible, like our love,” Iris said, wondering how she was going to stay a queen and save her parents.
The servants arrived with the brunch and male servants carried in a table and a few chairs.
“Only two chairs are needed,” King Evander made it clear
Marchelle caught the hint and rolled her eyes at her brother before leaving but took an apple off one of the trays that were being carried by a servant.
While eating brunch Iris made small talk, “would you still love me if I was not me?”
“I am not sure what you mean,” King Evander said, smiling
“Um, let’s say, um, well, let’s say I swop bodies with my servant and look like her and she like me will you still love me?” Iris questioned hesitantly.
King Evander burst out laughing, “don’t get me wrong, you servant is beautiful and all, but she is not you.”
“Yeah, but what if I am in her body and she in mine?” Iris asked again.
King Evander thought for a moment before answering, “I married you as you are and what will the people think if I all of a sudden cast my Queen aside for her servant?”
Iris gave up on the conversation.
A few months of private breakfast, luncheons, and dinners went by and one day during breakfast Iris felt sick and vomited.
“The food is poisoned!” King Evander slammed the food away from them.
“My darling, calm down, the food is not poisoned,” Iris chuckled, feeling better after vomiting.
“Are you ill?” King Evander placed his hand against her forehead.
“No my darling, just pregnant,” Iris smiled.
“We are going to have a baby?” King Evander stood up and picked her up from her chair, swinging her around in the air.
“I am going to be sick again,” Iris held back the nausea.
“Sorry,” King Evander laughed, putting her down on her chair again.
Marchelle’s guard that was standing at the door made his excuse to give Marchelle the news.
“I have news,” the guard said, knocking on Marchelle’s door.
“Come in,” Marchelle said, taking a grape from her breakfast tray that was on her bed.
The guard shut the door.
“Oh, I see,” Marchelle chuckled, untying her nightgown.
“No, I really have news,” the guard whispered.
Marchelle sat up, “go on.”
“The princess is expecting,” the guard continued to whisper.
“Urg!” Marchelle shouted and slammed her breakfast tray off the bed.
“Send me her servant, Iris,” Marchelle demanded.
“What are you going to do?” the guard hesitated.
“I am not going to harm the pregnancy, you fool!” Marchelle shouted.
The guard left and moments later Princess Cerena arrived.
“The guard said you wanted to see me. Do you have news?” Princess Cerena asked hopeful stepping into Marchelle’s room.
“Not good news,” Marchelle said, walking up and down in her room.
Princess Cerena looked at the food on the floor, “everything ok?”
“You are with child,” Marchelle stated.
“I am?” Princess Cerna asked, puzzled.
“Your body,” Marchelle explained, annoyed.
“How convenient, I don’t have to go through the labor pain,” the princess said, falling on Marchelle’s bed.
“Don’t you get it? If she carries that baby to full term and births the child, she will put it above her parents and you won’t get your body back,” Marchelle spat.
“I see how that can be a problem,” the princess said, biting her lip.
“Can you think of anything about her parents and the time you spent with them?” Marchelle asked.
“You already asked me that and the answer did not change,” the princess said, sighing.
“How did you even survive this long?” Marchelle asked sarcastically.
“A scar,” the princess said out of the blue.
“A scar?” Marchelle asked coming to a halt.
“Her mother has a scar in the inside of her hand from a burn, shaped like a butterfly from pressing her hand shut after the burn happened,” the princess explained.
“And you only remember this now?” Marchelle asked, thinking the princess was a moron.
“The butterfly made me remember it,” the princess said, pointing at the flapping butterfly against the window.
“Won't everyone know this?” Marchelle questioned.
“How should I know?” the princess said, getting off the bed.
“Where are the mirrors?” Marchelle asked.
“Safe,” the princess said.
“If I go to the princess alone, she won’t think that I got the information from you; you that were in contact with her mother but perhaps if she sees only me, she won’t put two and two together,” Marchelle suggested.
“I will bring you the mirror,” the princess said.
“I will come with you,” Marchelle said casually.
The princess was hiding the mirrors in her former room that are now the queen’s room that never got used.
“Here, but it won’t work if both of us don’t make the wish at the same time,” the princess gave Marchelle one mirror.
“I will confront her today and by tomorrow evening you should be back in your own body,” Marchelle says, planning to swop herself that night still. ‘I have to get someone to put her to work and out of the way so that I can get the other mirror.’
Marchelle waited for the perfect moment to get the Queen alone.
“Why don’t the two of us go for a walk in the gardens today?” Marchelle said, when she found Iris in the King’s office, reading on a day bed.
King Evander was so busy at his desk that he did not even notice Marchelle walking into his office, speaking to his Queen.
“I want to finish reading this,” Iris said, declining.
“I have your parents,” Marchelle whispered.
Iris put the book down and jumped up before walking out with Marchelle.
“Tonight, be at your window, I mean the King’s bedroom window, and, in the garden, below you will see your parents and when you see them you have to make the wish,” Marchelle instructed, giving Iris the mirror.
“How do I know it is my parents?” Iris asked, knowing she won’t be able to know for sure in the dark.
“I can always bring you, your mother’s hand with the butterfly scar on,” Marchelle said before walking off.
“Wait! Please let me see them,” Iris pleaded, as she fell for Marchelle’s trick.
The princess will stand with your parents in the gardens tonight with her mirror and when you are back in your body you will be immediately reunited with them. If you don’t make the wish your mother will lose more than just her hand,” Marchelle warned.
“But I am having a baby, a baby I made with the king,” Iris said, sadness all over her face.
“With the princess’s body,” Marchelle said.
Iris went back to King Evander’s office and decided that she will spend a lot of time with him to make good memories so that she will remember him forever.
“Make love to me, husband,” Iris said trying to distract the king from his work.
“Almost done my love,” King Evander said.
Iris took her dress off and repeated herself, “make love to me, husband.”
King Evander dropped what he was doing and pulled her to him, “yes my queen.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon making love and only stopped when the dinner dong rang.
King Evander helped Iris put her dress back on and after he was dressed, they had dinner in his office followed by going to the King’s room to make more love.
“This is pretty, where does it come from?” King Evander asked looking at the hand mirror with a golden frame.