Chapter 18: Life Renewed

The days went by much the same. Everyone helping to work in the fields, tending to the small crops as they grew. The area was turning green again, the bushes were starting to flower again. Ambien and Atona were growing much closer with each passing day. Every evening he would go to her room and sleep next to her. Her dreams had stopped haunting her at night, but she had this awful feeling in the pit of her stomach that wouldn't go away. Something bad was going to happen, or maybe it was the baby getting ready to come into the world. She couldn't place the feeling.

Her belly grew bigger and bigger, the baby kicking and squirming around wanting more room. Ambiens infatuation with her belly was really quite charming. He would rub a salve on her belly to keep it from itching, the whole time talking and singing to the baby. Atona was no longer allowed to work in the fields. Her duties changed to preparing the meals and taking them to the workers. Alistair was her constant companion on these trips for she was not allowed to manage a horse without assistance.

Alistair's fighting skills were becoming much better with her tutelage. She was allowed to practice with him some. The forceful blows, however, weren't allowed but the teaching of the graceful dance, and song was allowed. It was that practice that kept her fit and from gaining too much of the weight that she would have normally put on with the strict instructions that she had. To watch Alistair dance with the sword was a thing of beauty. He danced and swung the sword like the Cranes of the north when doing their mating dance. He would cross his legs with ease, and swing his sword down and around like the crane entwining his neck around his mate.

Watching his face as he practiced was like looking into Ambiens face. He was so serious about his concentration. He made sure that no one would interrupt his dance and that his concentration couldn't be broken. Every afternoon after they took the lunch out to the workers, they would practice and work. She even started teaching him reading, writing and other vital information in other languages. When She started teaching, he only knew Elven languages, she had the pleasure of teaching him to write and read in common and goblin.

"Alistair, today we need to have a short lesson. I am helping get the ball room ready for Justine's birthday."

"I remember. I need to go early too. I am on guard duty today." It was going to be a grand party for such a little one. The baby often sat with her and watched as she taught Alistair his lessons and his fighting skills. She was also fast learning things that she didn't think her sister wanted her to learn. Alistair was also proficient in the magical arts and was teaching her niece some of the basics.

"Atona, will the cake be done in time for the party this evening?" Rozelle asked as she touched her shoulder.

"Yes, it will. Andrianna said she was going to cover that herself. She was going to make sure that the cake was ready in time." Atona said, shaking her head to clear it of her thoughts.

"Where are you today? You haven't heard a word I've said all day. You seem to be so far away." She said as she sat next to Atona.

"I'm fine, I've heard you really, just sort of distracted over the events of the last few months. I still can't believe that every thing is growing again. Alistair is learning very quickly and I was just reflecting on that."

"I see. You disappointed you had to cut your lessons short today?"

"No. I was just thinking what else to teach him. He has the fighting skill down to an art. He is nearly ready to go on his own."

"Well, Lets see about getting these ribbons up where they belong then. This is so pretty. Where did you get these ribbons?"

"Not me. Andriana took them from her room. She said she was too grown up for all these pretty ribbons so she was giving them to Justine."

"Too grown up, she's barely even an adult. What's gotten into her? She used to love these ribbons."

"I think a tall handsome man has gotten to her. She is really smitten by Jaden."

"Jaden? Wow, wait till Jerimiah hears about this."

"Rozelle, keep it quiet. If Jaden wants his brother to know he will tell him."

"What will I tell my brother?" Jaden asked walking into the room.

"We were discussing your love life." Rozelle said giving him a hug.

"The day is that boring that you all have to discuss something that doesn't exist?" He said as he gave Atona a hug.

"Jaden, we all know how you feel about Andriana. We also know how she feels about you. I'm just concerned what your brother will say." Atona said.

"I'm glad everyone knows. I intend to tell my brother soon, however, I have to get the girl to say yes first." Jaden said with a smile.

"Your going to ask her to marry you?" Rozelle and Atona said together.

"I thought very seriously of it. It would bring the two countries together in a nice way. We could then begin to trade back and forth. I figure I already feel like family I might as well become a part of it."

"Jaden what about love?" Atona asked.

"I love her very much. I can't even go all day without seeing her. I have tried, but something inside me tells me that I must see her for my day to go right. Speaking of seeing her, have you two seen her today? I've been looking for her."

"Last time I saw her she was in the kitchen helping with Justines' cake."

"Good, I will look there. Any other ideas of where she might be if she's not there?"

"Well, try the garden, or her room. She is really into this party, so she was looking for all sorts of decorations." Atona said sitting back down.

"Are you ok? You look a little pale." Jaden said with concern.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired. I may have to go up to my room and get a little nap."

"Atona, you do look pale. Are you sure you're ok?" Rozelle asked feeling her forehead.

"You're even warm to the touch. Jaden get a cleric or someone. We are gonna have you looked at."

"I assure you I am fine. I just need to go rest for a little while." She said getting up to go to her room.

"Atona, you may be older than me, but I have had a child and you're not ok. This could be very serious. We will have the cleric come and look at you in your room."

"Fine, if you think you must. But I'm going to lie down. I promise you that it is only that I need to rest." She went up to her room, climbed into her bed and started to drift off to sleep. The cleric came into the room followed by Ambien, Jaden, her sister, Adrian, and her mother. The cleric felt her forehead, felt her belly, said a prayer, got up and walked out. Everyone followed him back out the door, and Atona started to drift back to sleep again when Ambien took her hand. "My love, I'm going to sit right here and wait while you rest." He said, as he kissed her hand.

"Ambien, what is going on? I'm just sleepy why is everyone making such a big deal over this?"

"Everyone is just really concerned, because of all the things you have already been through, and the fact that the baby is due to enter the world at any time now."

"I see. Well, I just need some rest right now. I am really tired. Please, make sure I'm up in time for the party. I don't want to miss it."

"I will personally wake you when it is time." Atona fell asleep with Ambien holding her hand and rubbing her belly. It was a sound sleep with no dreams, and no eerie feelings to haunt her. Ambien watched her sleep for a little while, then headed downstairs to help with the party decorations. While his mind was troubled with the crops growing big enough in time for harvest. He was also thinking about his love for the woman upstairs and what was going to happen between them when she left. He didn't want to think about her leaving him, but he knew it was just a matter of time. Once the baby was big enough that he would lose her to her adventurous nature. He knew he couldn't pin her down, without her resenting him for it. He couldn't go with her, his duty to the throne required him to stay close.

"Deep in thought are we?" Jaden asked

"Yeah, I guess I was."

"What was so troublesome? You looked as if you were really troubled with something."

"I guess I am. I don't want Atona to leave. I know she will though. I can feel it in my bones that she will leave soon. I can't figure out what would make her leave sooner than what we plan. "

"Ambien I think you are worrying too much. You love her so much that you just can't imagine her leaving you. That's all it is."

"Jaden I hope so. This feeling, I have deep down, seems different though. I have had this feeling before. Right before the tribes attack and take the babies. I get this awful feeling. Something is definitely wrong."

"Well, let's just keep our eyes and ears open. Maybe we can stop whatever it is or at least keep it from getting too bad that we lose more lives."

"Hopefully, we will be better prepared."

"Let's get this done before these ladies hang us up by our toes."

"Right you are." They finished the room, in silence. The dance hall was beautifully decorated in pinks, purples, yellows, and green ribbons that hung from the ceiling in loops. The tables were all covered in cloths of the same colors. Andrianna had folded paper lanterns of all different colors and hung them from the loops of ribbon. Each lantern held a small candle illuminating the room with the colors of a sunset.

Everyone stood back admiring their hard work. It was an all day project that turned out to be a beautiful collaboration of colors and ideas. They were ready to take baths and get dressed for the big event. They all went their separate ways. Ambien went up the stairs and into Atona's room to wake her. But she wasn't there. Panic sank deep into the pit of his stomach. He could not for the life of him think where she might have disappeared to. He went back downstairs to the kitchen, maybe she went in there to get a cup of milk. She wasn't in there either. He went up stairs to check his sisters room, Atona and Andrianna often shared a room together. Maybe she went in there looking for Andrianna, and laid down on her bed. He knocked on Andriannas' door.

"Andrianna, is Atona in your room with you?"

"No, I haven't seen her since this morning."

"O.K. Then I'll check her sisters' room."

"Ambien, is she missing or something?" She asked opening the door.

"Well, she wasn't in her room when I went to wake her. I don't know where she went."

"Have you checked the garden, or in the kitchen?"

"I checked the kitchen, but haven't checked in the garden yet."

"I will check the garden for you. You go look in your room first though. She may have missed you, and gone to your room to sleep on your bed. I often go sleep in her room on her bed when I have nightmares, because it smells like her. It's comforting to have the smell of someone you trust around you."

"I will do that right now." He went back down the hall to his room. Opened the door slowly, there she was sleeping soundly on his bed curled up around his favorite blanket. He grinned and went back down the hall to tell his sister that he had found her.

Back in his room he gently rubbed her back, and pulled the hair back out of her face. Enjoying the look of peace on her face, and the time alone with her. "Darling, it's time for you to get up."

"Oh. Already." Atona awoke in Ambiens bed with his blanket wrapped around her like she was a mummy. She must have curled up in it, to get closer to him. She had awakened earlier to a horrible dream of death and misery. The dream was just a glimpse of different scenes. She could see her friends dying around her. The baby in her arms, She was standing in the middle of the courtyard. Looking into dark eyes, they looked deep and cavernous. The next glimpse was of Ambien crying over a body. The body belonged to his sister. He was leaning over her body in the great hall. The room was decorated for a wedding. The groom was far away in the distance doing battle. The next glimpse was of her sister and her husband running through the woods. They were being chased by an evil monster of the likes she had never seen. It was hairy and bloodied. The baby was casting magic at the monster trying to protect her parents. The monster seemed to heal with every spell that the baby threw at it. The next glimpse was of her baby dead. It was laying on a sacrificial table with blood all around her. The baby was unharmed. Every time they tried to harm the baby a shield would appear and protect the baby. The baby was smiling at the evil eyes. As if to say you can't harm me the gods won't let you.

"Darling, are you going to take a bath before getting dressed? The party is only in a few hours."

"What Ambien? I'm sorry. I was thinking about the dream I had it was strange." Atona said, shaking her head to clear it of the strange images.

"What dream? Tell me about it." He said as he came over and sat next to her on the bed. He put his arm around her in comfort. She described the dream to him in detail and watched as his face went white with worry and pain.

Everything she described was just what he had dreamed the last four nights. These dreams were haunting him even during the day. He could not ever get the images of the baby or his sister out of his head. How was it that his dreams and her dreams could be of the same thing. It had to be the baby, it was the only logical answer.

"Ambien it was awful to watch as everyone I loved died." she cried as he held her close.

"Darling, do me a favor, don't tell anyone else about this O.K. It will just make people worry. People don't need to worry about this right now. Things are finally getting good." He said holding her and brushing her long locks of hair with the hair brush laying on the bed.

"I won't tell a soul. Let me get dressed for the party, so I won't have to let my darling niece down. She expects a great present from you and I. " She said as she stood to go back to her room. "Our gift to her is in the cabinet in my room."

He went with her to her room, and opened the cabinet and pulled out a dagger intricately carved with elven ruins and magic symbols. It was a beautiful blade, held in an equally beautiful scabbard. The blade glistened with a blue hue, and the scabbard was of fine leather. The blue hue hinting that this blade had a touch of magic to it. "Darling, it's beautiful, who did you have do it?" He asked sliding it back in the scabbard and lying it on the bed.

"I'm not exactly sure. I had told Alistair what I wanted to get for her, and he said he would tell his Uncle. I'm not sure who his uncle is though."

"Atona, his uncle is the Master Blacksmith. He is the finest man in the area. All his blades are of unique quality. He did right by you. What did this blade cost you?"

"I don't know, Alistair said he took care of it, he said that he didn't want me to pay him for it for all the help I give him with his training. I tried as hard as I could to get him to take the money for it but he wouldn't take it."

"Don't you worry your pretty head about it. He won't take your money he believes he owes you a great debt. He will take care of the blade himself."

"Well, I'm ready. How do I look?" She said as she turned in a slow circle. "You look very, very, lovely. And if we didn't have a party waiting for us downstairs we wouldn't be leaving this room. I would hold you up here for ransom and keep you all to myself." He said with a leering grin and a peck on her cheek.

"Ambien, you rascal you. Come on my niece is waiting for me. Three years old today. Wow, I can still remember my father showing me how to properly hold a dagger at that age." She said with a smile and a far away look in her eyes.

"I'm following you my lady." He said.