112 Born in the Nigh

Adhiti

I visit Marissa to my mother's castle and I am surprised to see how big her stomach is. It's been six months now after she was freed from Era and fall into my mother's care. I hold her big stomach and hear the baby inside. I crease my brow. It wasn't just an ordinary baby she had. I look at her and she smile.

"I'll see my baby on next week. Would you stay until I give birth?"

"I will be back next day. And I will stay on the rest of the days. It is a baby boy, have you thought of his name?"

"Not yet. I'm still waiting for Patrick."

"Patrick is still in a long way, Marissa. At least, we could give a name and when he come back, we will get ready for the wedding."

"I miss him, dearly." She sighed and hold the picture that she had of Patrick.

"Oh, by the way, Althea just arrived from Outsideworld and she brought Katherine with her. Plus!" I pull out the boxes and gave it to her. It was a scrap book that I and her made when we are in academy. There's an additional photos from her mom that Althea probably took.

"Did she visit my mother?"

"She did. She felt a little embarrassed at first but your mom welcome her warmly. She told everything about you here. She will visit Outsideworld and would probably give your letter to your mom." Marissa gets younger as she smile. "She even send a camera and lots of batteries telling her to record yourself and the baby."

"That's sweet of mom, and Althea."

"It is." I look at my mom who get inside Marissa's room to bring food to us.

"How about you? How many times that you make love with Nick?"

"As many as we can when we aren't on duties." I told her that makes her and my mother laugh. "I'm not pregnant yet. Probably because I wasn't meant to get pregnant. However, there are lots of heirs. We will only give Aaron his love so he could start making heirs as well."

"When are you going to visit your grandfather?" my Mamma asked. I sigh.

"I couldn't yet, Mamma. I won't tell them that I was his blood. There are so much going on with the Elder's council."

"I understand love."

We talk a lot about our man until it is already seven in the evening. Nicholas didn't come with us since he's busy on lots of celebration in Era. The tournament and so on and forth. Few of the money has been wasted because of his father but the Psychē give them golds and silvers as a sponsor.

Luther and I try to save the dragons from the mining of Aer and three of them on the safest place. We only got three and others died. I mourn for days and night, but my mourning won't do if I don't get to work. I tried to fix everything and on their field with Princess Almira and Agatha helping me to grow the field back.

Marissa have a walk for a while and I can feel a familiar aura. I followed Marissa to the garden to pick new flowers for her vase and stop when a bulky thing falls down from the sky and kneel in front of Marissa.

"Goddess Adhiti." A new Guardian! I walk toward him and he keep his head bow.

"Who are you Guardian?" I ask him.

"I'm Sigmund, Goddess."

"Please rise, Guardian." I am right. He ask for Soul to bring him here as the Guardian of the child that Marissa had on her stomach. He rise his head and he directly look at Marissa's big round stomach.

"Ah," Marissa groan and hold her stomach. I look at Sigmund as he touches her stomach making Marissa more in pain. I called for her midwife telling the servant and hold Marissa. "The—the baby's coming." Sigmund keep his eyes on her stomach and Andrew who flew with us in Psychē carry Marissa to her room.

I stay outside with Sigmund as he waited for his God to be born. Luther was with us as we listen to Marissa scream inside. It takes few minutes until we finally heard the cry of the baby.

"Will he forget about himself?"

"No, Goddess. As he grow, he will know and know what he is. Just like Goddess of Soul, God of Death and the other Goddesses who are born here."

The sound of crickets, frogs and other night insects. The cold breeze of the night makes me shudder and now I understand who was born.

"What should we call him?" I ask Sigmund he was confused for a while. "I got an idea." I smiled and run inside. Marissa is breathless and lots of blood comes out from her. They are now cleaning and I hold her hand as my mom hold her other hand to give her strength. "What about a name of Daren? It means 'born in the night'." She smiled and a tears fall from her eyes again.

"That is a very beautiful name. I wish Patrick would know that our son was born."

"I'll let the wind tell him."

Once the baby is clean, the deliverer, bring it to us and let Marissa have it on her arms. She cry in happiness to see the baby's yes. It has the eyes of Patrick but deep inside, his eyes was the color of the moon.

"God of the Night." I mutter. I look down at him and he met my eyes and he tried to reach my face. "Beautiful one, you'll be with your father soon. Let your mom and my Mamma love you, let your guardian be with you until you grow up. So we can stop our brother and show him what real love is." I gently kisses his forehead.

I go out as I told them Sigmund that he could peek for the child. He did get inside and started telling his bow. Marissa was thankful for his oath to swear to serve and protect the baby and her, baby Daren laugh and try reach Sigmund's big thumb.

I whisper on the wind and send the beautiful cry and laugh of baby Daren. I send Patrick the beautiful message and Marissa's love and her wish a while ago to strengthen Patrick. I open my eyes when Patrick had received it.

"What else should we do, my Guardian?"

"We can't trespass on Abyss's area. Shall we face the Elder's council?"

"No. Not yet, my Guardian." I glanced at Sigmund who left the room to give privacy. "Are you hungry, Sigmund? Let your brother tour you both around. Make sure that your wings are hidden from the eyes whenever you visit lots of people. Sigmund bow his head.

"Yes, Goddess." I smiled and pat Luther.

"We will visit Aer." I told Luther.

"Goddess,"

"We will visit her for a while. No one will try to hurt me because I am a Goddess, beside of her and others who are with dark shadows."

"As you wish,"

"Good night boys." I get inside and nurse Marissa on everything that she needed.

Althea

It's been weeks since I last visited the Academy. Through my God's summon I keep working to keep peace. I visit few towns and ask the chief on each town about few of their problems. It will probably do to help me get busy for being preoccupied of Lancelot's threats. Yet it wasn't a threat but a proposal of his love.

I couldn't accept it. I keep my distance away from him for weeks. He keep sending me letters and asking me when I would come back to Academy. I never replied on him. I don't want him to get stuck on someone like me. An unclean woman. What would his parent's say about me when they find it out?

I booked in an inn with my personal knight. Though I could handle myself. I get in on the roam. It was a bit cold but there's a fire place. I lighten it and pulls the sheets and the pillows away from the bed. Once that I had taken a bath I put my clothes on. The one that I requested on my personal tailor to make. I let Rosy research for my own outfit so I could fight and have a comfortable horse ride on my own. She sketch me lots of clothing and warrior outfit for myself and I love every single of it.

As I keep putting few logs on the fire I could feel that shadows are roaming around. I sneak on the window and look around to see few of them outside. Few people who have positive energy takes a lot of positive and few people who have negative attracts those shadows and feed on the negatives.

I gasped when there's a knock on my door. I took my dagger and walk to my door opening it a little.

"Princess, a letter from La Jardin Roseaux, maison de d'Auvergne." I exhales and took it from him. "Do you need anything else before I leave?"

"No. You are dismissed." The knight bows and I closes the door. I locked it and I settled my bed. I pull a long wooden sofa and settled it near the fireplace. I put the clothing on the sofa and the pillows. I sit and open the thick envelope from Lancelot. I know that it was from him.

I pull out the thick papers that are fold neatly and there are petals of day lilies that he always give. I smell it and it is just as what I wanted to smell. It always melts my heart whenever I received a letter from him, every week. But still it broke my heart that I couldn't give what he wanted. I unfold the letter and his beautiful handwriting was perfectly aligned.

My dearest Princess Althea,

How are you today? I hope that you are not tiring yourself too much. I'm doing fine here as I tell my Mamman and Papal about our journey to Outsideworld. It was a beautiful story to tell on how good you are and how you took care of me when I have a fever.

The grasses inside my heart keeps on growing. Even you keep cutting the grasses it keeps growing every day, every night and every time. I thought about your smile, your laugh, your beautiful face and body… well love, there's a big attraction between us, like a magnetic field in science. How could I ignore this law of attraction?

I had been riding with my brothers around to help others on how to fight. It is what Queen Adhiti wanted. For us to learn how to fight. However, I keep thinking. If we aren't in this kind of situation, would we become together now?

I still have a lot to say. More I love you. But I'm running out of words…

What are your dislikes? It's alright that I couldn't have your respond. It's alright that I am a fool here keep writing you a letter every day.

But I love you and I will not get tired of telling it to you everyday and night.

Your Soul Mate,

Lord Lancelot d'Auvergne.

My sweet Althea,

I found few of your clothes here. I told the maid to keep it for your travel. Your uncle commander keep bugging me on few things. He's a big pain in the ass.

Sorry to keep one of your dresses with me. I need to sleep smelling your scent so I won't forget about you and how much I love you. If ever I did, I will still find a way to love you and to get back those memories.

Are you still afraid of the dark? You know that I could be there and lighten your whole place to push off those dark shadows? Tell me, my love. If they keep bothering you, just call me and I'm just one call away. I could fly there wherever you are.

The rest of his letters was his letter everyday to send to me. I ended up crying at the end of his letter. Why would this man won't stop loving me? Why would this man won't stop from bugging me?