Queen of the Beasts✅

28

"Mother?"

She sat in her bed. The blinds were closed. No light was streaming in from outside. It was so dark.

"Mother," I said again. I was nervous. Father said she had lost the baby. I had only ever heard of that once with a maid. I had not seen her in three days. Three days without my mother. I knew she did not want to see me. Father said it as just because she was sad.

"Come here, Esmeralda."

I gulped, as I slowly approached her bed. Her voice sounded like a frog. Groggy and crackled.

I crawled into her bed.

I felt her arms wrap around me. "Mother, do not  cry," I said nervously. She was always happy and bright. Always jesting with my father and giving him a hard time. "I am sorry," I said as I felt her tears fall into my hair. I did not know what to do. Or say.

"You can have my children," I blurted out. I felt her stiffen.

"Esmeralda you are only twelve years of age," she said. It sounded like a sob and a laugh. "You cannot say things like that...dear."

I had gotten her to stop crying. "Yes I can. You are my mother and I love you. If babies makes you happy...I will have some and you can have them. I will name her Elizabeth too!" I exclaimed. "I will even have a boy too...and name him Elijah."

Her hold on me tightened. "Esmeralda when you have children you get to keep them. You cannot give them away to anyone," she explained to me as she kissed my forehead softly.

I found my hand traveling over her stomach. It was no longer round. My eyes watered. The baby really was gone... it made no sense. "I am sorry, mother," u said as tears began to flow from my eyes. I hugged her tightly as I cried. "I will give you all the babies you want!"

"It is okay. You are all I need. I have you and your father," she said softly. "You two are all I need. And when you have children, I will love them like my own, but I will not keep them," she added at the end with a small laugh.

I could not understand how she could be laughing! I was so sad! And so was she!

"Wake up, Esmeralda," she said while kissing my forehead. "Wake up."

******
"Wake up, Esmeralda."

I awoke confused.

My eyes wildly searched my surroundings. I was in a carriage. Sirus was next to me. My heart clenched. I do not know why I thought I would awake in my mothers bed. Cuddled up next to her.

The realization hit me like a bucket of water. I wiped at my tears as they began to uncontrollably flow.

"Esmeralda, why are you crying?" Sirus asked, as his hand attempted to snake around my shoulder. I pushed him away, scooting to the end of the carriage. Where he was no where near me. "Esmerelda, why are you crying?" He asked again. His voice not as harsh as before.

I was so upset, I could not even get the words out. All that came out was "mother" and "babies." The rest of the ride was silent. It was full of my silent sobs and Sirus's confused stares.

"Esmeralda what will your people think when they see you crying? They will think I caused it. You do not want them to think that you are not happy do you?" I could feel his hand on my shoulder. His body was now sandwiching me between himself and the carriage.