Hello, again! Here's the awaited chapter 12! Hope you enjoy this one. It's a little slower paced than the last couple of chapters. There's not much to tell, except that I finally have an editor!! (Oh joy, joy!) She's very good at, too! She's been much encouraging in her comments to me. Thanks again, Sun Princess. And thanks to Sailor November for the award!! And I can't forget the readers, thank you, too! Again and again, please visit my site at: geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/9408 or geocities.com/~ladymharris. I really do love to hear from everyone! Read on, if you dare!
MOONLIGHT MIDNIGHT GLORY
By Lady M. Harris
Editor: Sun Princess
Chapter 12
The county of West Maire . . .
"Really, Mary, are you sure you don't need any help?" Mrs. Chatworth,
fondly known as Carol, asked quietly.
"No, no, Carol." Mary said, shaking her head. Most of Mary's brown
hair was speckled with gray. "You've been very kind asking, anyhow. She's
no problem, the poor wee thing." Mary sighed, looking over at the still
figure on the makeshift bed.
"She's very lovely, isn't she?" Carol summarized. "And no word from
anyone knowing who she is?"
"Not a word. And Tim has put out the message to the royal houses,
but no one is looking for a red-haired wench." Mary picked up her tea and
took a sip. "I don't understand it. I looked at her hands. She hasn't
worked a day in her life. So, she must be of some type of upper class."
"Poor thing, and to be with child. It's a good thing you've got
experience with some nursing. She would have expired long ago." Carol shook
her head, then popped a piece of a warm, blueberry muffin into her mouth.
"And what do you call her condition, again?"
"She's in suspended sleep. I think the midwife called it a coma."
Mary explained. "But almost two months like that isn't good at all for the
wee one!"
"I agree." Carol said, sipping her tea. Then piping up, "Oh, did I
tell you?" At Mary's questioned look, she added, "Prince Darien and his
party came through the village yesterday. You should come down more often,
Mary. It was such a grand site!" Carol giggled. "Too bad the prince isn't
looking for a redhead."
"I know, how can you miss someone with silver hair?" Mary sighed,
again.
"Oh, did I tell you, Prince Darien and his . . . I tell you, Prince
Darien and . . . Prince Darien . . . "
Serena blinked her eyes open, rapidly. For a moment, everything
seemed blurry. Then, they focused on a point in the room. The room was
unfamiliar. It was all brown, slightly cracked and dark. She could vaguely
hear voices in the background, quietly talking. She tried speaking, but
nothing would come out. Serena swallowed a couple of times, trying to work
some moisture into her parched throat, and tried again. Again, only a slight
croak came out.
She tried sitting up, by raising her head slightly and using her
arms. But her arms were so weak that she fell back against her pillow. She
felt as if she had been running for miles. She must have made a sound
though, because the voices stopped and a woman rushed over to her.
"My goodness! You've finally awakened!" The kind face of the woman
said to her. "Carol, would you please get Tim and fetch some water, right
away!" The woman said to the lady named Carol. The lady, Carol, nodded her
head vigorously and then disappeared out of the room.
"Now you just lay back!" The woman said, laying her back down against
the warm pillows. "I'm so glad that you've awakened." The woman went on,
clucking away, motherly. "You've been here quite a while, young lady." Then
looking at her, the woman said, "My name is Mary Moore. Tim, my husband of
thirty years, is out on the fishing boat right now."
Carol, a woman in her late forties, slightly chubby with ruddy cheeks
and pale, blonde hair, rushed back into the room. "My goodness, I keep
forgetting that the docks are so far! Here's the water." She said as she
handed the water to Mary, who gave Serena a sip. "And Tim is on his way!"
She sat next to Mary on the bed and smiled a friendly smile at Serena. "I'm
Carol. Mary's a distant neighbor of mine. You have had everyone worried
here! That must be some awful sleep you've been in!" She went on.
Serena was slightly confused. She was trying to remember, as Mary
and Carol continued talking, how she had arrived at the Moores and how long
she'd been here, but she couldn't seem to recall anything!
"Almost two months, dear!" Carol mused thoughtfully, catching
Serena's astonished attention.
She whispered hoarsely, "Two months!" echoing the ladies, who nodded
in return.
"What's your name, dear?" Mary asked, sympathetic. "I'm sure there's
a family missing you badly even though there hasn't been a response. Tim and
I have sent word out to everyone."
Her name? Serena searched the crevices of her mind and drew a
complete blank. Panicking, she searched the deep recesses of her mind;
again, nothing. Her eyes blinked rapidly, confusion the only thing that
still answered her. She couldn't remember her name! How could this be, she
thought horrified? I have a name; I just can't remember it! She tried to
recall anything from her past, and still, nothing came to her.
She must have made a panicked noise, because both of the women became
alarmed.
"Don't you worry a thing, dear!" Mary crooned. "You'll remember it
in no time!" She reassured Serena.
"Oh, definitely. Mary here found you by the sea cliffs with some
pretty bad injuries. Your body has probably healed, but your mind still
needs to catch up, too."
"What do you think?" Mary asked her, softly.
"Thank you . . . " Serena finally was able to say.
"It's no problem! You and that wee one need to completely heal."
Serena looked down at her stomach amazed. A baby? She was pregnant?
There was a prominent roundness in her lower stomach. She touched the life
that was nestled within her. Oh the poor baby, she thought. What did I do,
that I would put you in such danger? Her eyes watered, and the ladies cooed
at her sympathetically.
"Don't you worry about a thing, dear!" Mary began as her forehead
creased in a frown. "We'll just call you Ruby until you can remember your own
name! You and that baby can stay here until you're all healed up and you've
got that memory of yours back. In no time at all, you'll remember, okay?"
Mary asked, as Carol nodded her head, agreeing with Mary.
Serena nodded her head as the panic disappeared and the wariness
began to creep up upon her again. Trying to sit up and talk had drained her
of all her energy. Her eyes began to droop as sleep pressed for its time on
her again. Like another dream, she watched as Carol lifted the covers and
tucked it under her chin. She closed her eyes and this time, when the
darkness came, it didn't completely dominate her. This time, the sandman
hovered in the corner of her mind with a time capsule in hand.
As the days turned into months, Serena slowly but surely, got better.
Her body had healed, but her mind was a different matter all together. It
frustrated her to no ends that she could not remember anything about her
past. She still could not even remember her own name. Why, everyone had a
name, she thought, as tears coursed down her red cheeks. The baby would then
move, distracting her. Smiling waterily, as it would slightly kick her in
the stomach. You certainly know how to make your mommy feel better, she
thought to her baby.
Her appetite was the first to return, and it was ferocious. Mary had
concluded that she had probably been around two months when she found Serena
by the sea cliffs.
Tim, excited with the prospect of a child in their barren house,
wasted no time in carving a cradle for the babe. Diligently, although his
hands were a bit gnarled from days working the fishing lines at sea, he
carved out a cradle fit for a king. Intricate scrolls and leaves were etched
around the cradle's facade. Mary had laughed, also thrilled with the thought
of a tiny child's laughter ringing in their house.
For years, Tim and Mary lived on the edge of the village called
Timberland, their tiny house bordering the ocean. Tim was a good fisherman.
His father had been one and so was he. A lover of the ocean he was, yet not
enough to cause him to wander the vastness of the ocean herself. He loved
Mary and so, the land beckoned him also. They had never been able to have a
child of their own, and the excitement of one being born under their roof had
them acting like enthralled grandparents.
Serena was glad to have been found by such kind folks. Someday, she
would repay their kindness, she thought. Occasionally, Carol would come by
and visit. She would exclaim over the increasing swell of Serena's stomach
and give Mary the local gossip.
When Mary was sure that Serena was fully healed, they ventured into
the village. Mary needed to go to the market. That old, reprobate husband
of hers didn't know how to shop or bargain with the vendors, she had told
Serena who simply laughed at Mary's gruff opinion of her husband's skills.
The marketplace was full of crowds, people and animals mulling about,
clogging the narrow streets and making it difficult for shoppers and vendors
alike to trade and sell their wares. Because Timberland bordered close to
the sea, the ports were always full of traders. Vendors of different races
and trades shouted out to any and all of the shoppers about the superb
quality of their product, beckoning anyone in hopes of a sale. Children of
all ages raced about the adults, getting into mischief or hovering
dangerously close to inattentive vendors. Every once in a while, one would
hear an angry vendor spluttering expletives at the disappearing back of a
laughing child, whom had gotten away with a succulent fruit or sweet.
The smells of different foods, such as poultry, pork, beef and fish.
Even the sharp brine of the sea itself wafted throughout the market. Various
wares, from luxurious furs to cotton cloths were laid out for every
inconceivable taste. Pottery pans, linens, and furniture of every
conceivable design were displayed to please the eyes.
Serena felt the excitement of the market tingling in and invigorating
her blood. There was just so much to take in. Her stomach growled loudly,
catching Mary's ears. They laughed as Mary helped her down and out of the
buggy. Serena was very heavy with child now, and she felt somewhat
self-conscious and more than a little clumsy about the way she waddled like
an overstuffed hen.
"Perhaps, we should feed you and the wee one first, before we venture
into the wolves?" Mary suggested, her brown eyes crinkling with amusement.
"Mayhap, Mary. If I could finish it, it would be a wonder. The baby
takes up so much room in my body, now." Serena giggled. She looked up as
they dismounted from the buggy. They were standing not too far from the
village's general store.
"A tasty, tempting sweet for the pretty mother!" An old woman harped
next to them. She showed them her cinnamon sweets and Serena could feel her
mouth beginning to salivate.
"My dear woman, I don't have much to give you for the sweet." Serena
complimented the old woman as she continued eyeing the pastries.
"What've ya got?" The old woman began bargaining.
She reached up to remove a diamond earring; she didn't remember who
had given them to her. For some reason though, when she looked at the
sparkles, they made her sick. "Four cinnamon rolls for my earrings." Which
she knew would more than compensate for the rolls. The old lady looked as if
she needed them more than she did, anyhow.
"Now, you know I can't take that, lady!" The old woman exclaimed.
This pretty one, must be a lady. Only rich ones would give away something
worth that much, the old one thought. Yet, looking at the redhead's clothes
and the fact that she was staying with the Moores, she knew that this lady
wasn't rich. What a generous heart!
"Well, of course I can! They're mine! Do you have a name, old
woman?" Serena asked, chuckling.
"Don't be impertinent, young lady! Of course I have a name. It's
Matilda." Matilda snapped, but smiled, softening the harsh sound of her
words.
Serena opened her mouth to introduce herself, but Matilda answered
her.
"Never mind your name, everyone here knows about the mysterious
redhead with no name and no past. Ruby, right?" Matilda nodded toward her.
"Everyone?" Serena voiced to Mary, who nodded as she watched the
exchanged between Serena and Matilda.
"Well, the villagers and the traders know about you." Mary said,
looking toward the general store. "Come on, Ruby." Mary urged her. "I told
Carol I'd stop by for a moment."
"Oh. Okay, here you go." Serena said as she handed Matilda the
earrings and took four cinnamon rolls from her tray.
"Well, if you insist, I ain't stopping ya, lady!" Matilda said,
smiling as she gazed at the earrings that sparkled brilliantly in the sun.
She could close early today and buy some new shoes for her aching feet, not
mention food for the rest of the week. The list went on and on as she
tallied up her earnings in her old head.
"Ruby, I'd like you to meet my younger brother, Stephen." Carol said
smiling as she introduced Serena to her younger brother. Stephen was
visiting Carol and her husband, Jim for the month. "Stephen here, owns a
much larger general store in the city."
Serena nodded her head and smiled at Stephen. Stephen was very tall
and broad-shouldered. Perhaps, several years older than her with blond hair
and friendly green eyes.
"A pleasure to meet you, Ruby." Stephen said, smiling back. "My
sister has told me a great deal about you."
Serena looked at Carol, her eyebrow slightly raised as she flushed.
"Nice to meet you too, Stephen." She replied. What were those sly biddies up
to, Serena thought?
"It's not going to work, Mary!" Serena grinned as she looked over at
Mary, who turned slightly red. "Stephen is not remotely interested in me,
especially since I'm with child!"
"Oh pooh!" Mary replied as they looked over the fruits arranged in
neat rows. Bananas, oranges, apples and even grapes abounded this part of the
vendor's corner. The sun was beginning to warm the morning breeze. "Stephen
is well off and is in need of a wife for his two older boys."
Serena rolled her eyes heavenward. "You know, we don't even know if
I have a husband. What if I do remember? Then what?" She asked. She was
beginning to hate the feeling of hopelessness she felt every time her lost
memory was brought up. She hated it, this not knowing. Maybe, she was
completely alone in the world. Oh God, don't think that way, she told
herself.
"Oh, all right!" Mary conceded. She really didn't have the right to
push the girl. She just wanted Ruby to be happy. The girl always had a
frown marring her lovely features. It was times like that, when she knew the
girl was trying to remember. She had seen the tears that Ruby tried to hide
from her and Tim.
"One more push, Ruby!" The midwife urged Serena from between her
outstretched legs. Sweat beaded her forehead, and ran down her chest and her
back. Her hair was plastered to her head and she knew she looked a fright.
Serena was breathing hard, tired from all the pushing. It seemed as if she
had been pushing for hours.
The afternoon, summer sun beat hard on the Moore's little house as
another scream pierced the still day. There was a moment of silence, before
the sound of an infant's cry broke the quietness.
"A boy!" The midwife could be heard saying exclaiming loudly from
behind the closed doors. From the other side of the sitting room's door,
collective sighs of relief could be heard. Tim, Carol, Jim and Stephen
collapsed, sitting down from all their pacing.
"Come back here, Mary! There's another one coming!" The midwife
hollered to Mary who was cooing at the newborn. Mary's eyes shot wide as
well as the others occupied in the other room.
"Carol, get in here! We need yur help, now!" Mary shouted.
Eight months later . . .
"Has she had any memory flashes or relapses, yet?" Stephen asked Mary
one warm, spring day. They were out on the beach. Stephen looked over at
Ruby, trying to understand this incredible woman. She had swept into their
lives and had touched each and every one of them with her soft heart. She
was absolutely, the loveliest woman he had ever encountered in his life. She
just didn't seem real to him. He was also deeply in love with her.
He had tried asking if she remembered anything about her past. She
seemed so sad at times, it nearly broke his heart. He watched her close
herself off from him, preferring not to acknowledge the question with an
answer. He didn't press it either and would rather that she didn't have a
past, so that he could finally admit to her that he was in love with this
enchanting woman they called Ruby. He would take her as his wife to love and
to hold. He would care for the twins as his own; he was already fond of
them. Alas, he did not. He kept his mouth shut, although he suspected that
Ruby already knew his feelings for her. She, in return, was graciously kind
to him.
She was the most lovable mother to her children, the twins,
showering them with her love and affection--if you could call them twins.
The eldest boy, by two minutes, had a shock of jet- black hair, deep blue
eyes and a hot temper to boot. The youngest, the little girl was delicate
and petite. She reminded him of Ruby. When she had been born, her hair had
been blond-white. As she grew, the color turned into brilliant silver as did
her eyes. Since then, hey had turned smoky gray from their former, baby
blue. Stephen had thought it was odd that they didn't have any of Ruby's
colorings.
"Not that I'm aware of." Mary said, shaking her head sadly. "It does
seem strange though, that when the gypsies come to town, she disappears to be
with them."
"What do you mean?" Stephen asked, intrigued by this news concerning
Ruby.
"You know, those gypsies have been everywhere. I was told by some of
the villagers that Ruby was spotted dancing with them one evening. They were
dancing some dance known only to the Cienna tribes and apparently, she was
very good at it." She related. "Of course, she told me that she didn't
remember how she knew about that dance."
The twins were almost eight months now and crawling all over the
blanket that was set up for them. Serena sat next to her children as she
played with them; her skirt hiked up over her knees, showing off her shapely
calves. The warm, sea breeze shifted through her auburn tresses, throwing
off red-gold highlights in her long hair.
Some fortunate man had loved this woman. Who could not, Stephen
thought, as he continued to gaze at Serena. This man had to be dead to not
claim her. Her heart was golden and her presence brought grace and beauty to
where none had existed. Her children were darlings. Stephen wondered again,
for hundredth time, if Ruby would ever come to love him. Whether she had her
memory or not.
"Sometimes she awakes with nightmares, yet she doesn't remember any
of them." Mary continued. "But . . . I have heard her call out a name."
Mary added, her face frowning.
"Whose name is that?" Stephen asked as his brows creased, in worry.
Maybe soon, she would regain her memory. And her other life would take
control, leaving him and those who had come to care for her and the twins in
their wake, he thought, suddenly.
"Darien." Mary replied, shrugging her shoulders just as puzzled, as
Stephen seemed.
"There aren't any Darien's around here." Stephen rubbed his chin,
thinking. "I mean, there's Prince Darien, but he's looking for a
silver-headed princess." It seemed odd to him, like a missing piece to a
puzzle that doesn't seem to fit quite right. Yet, you're sure the pieces
don't fit, until you actually try them out. Then, voila, they suddenly
appear to be the matching pieces. Meshing together as one, solid piece. "You
don't think she'd actually know the Prince of Earth, do you?" He asked Mary,
somewhat disbelieving.
Mary glanced over at Serena as her gaze wandered over the children,
slowly. At the same time, Stephen and Mary's gaze stayed on the infant girl,
Rini.
Their eyes met simultaneously as the implications dawned on them.
"She couldn't be . . . " Mary breathed, almost in awe. "She's a
natural redhead." She stated. Yet, the baby girl had silver hair. Plus,
Ruby had popped up out of nowhere at the same time the Supreme Princess of
the Moon had disappeared. Something didn't fit into the story, though. For
Ruby was a natural redhead--wasn't she?--with twins, a black-haired boy and
silver-haired girl. Whereas the Prince was looking for a silver-haired
wench, who was pregnant with a silver-haired girl. How the Prince had known
what sex or color hair the child would be born with was beyond Mary, yet the
Prince was a very powerful man in his own rights and within the realm of
sorcery.
"Who governs this area, Mary?" Stephen asked, breaking into her
thoughts and changing the subject slightly. "She may not be the missing
princess, but she may know something. And this also, might trigger her
memory."
Mary nodded slowly, agreeing. "Maybe your right. Jadeite is one of
the Ambassadors that governs this area. From local talk, he's out of the
area and someone else in his place for the time being." Unpacking the picnic
basket, she added, "I'll tell Tim to ask around about who is in charge
tomorrow, at the village town hall."
Stephen nodded, "I'll go with him. Maybe you should tell her what we
discussed tonight, after she's put the twins to bed."
"That I will, dear." She said, then added, "Everything will work out.
You'll see, Stephen." She smiled encouragingly at Stephen. Although, for
some reason she had a feeling that with this discovery, their lives would be
changing again. For a moment, he looked sad, and then he joined her, smiling
slowly.
The Palace . . .
"How's Darien doing these days?" Princess Amy of Mercury asked Mina.
All of the inner Senshi were staying at the various palaces, for the time
being until their worlds were rebuilt
"He's still the same, Amy." Mina replied, as she folded the little
shirts. "He and Malachite are scouring the countryside again." She said,
sighing. "Between his duties to the kingdom and helping out in establishing
a plan to rebuild the other planets," She paused, sighing again; "they are
warring him thin. He's become so hard." She finished as she looked away from
her folding.
She and Amy were seated in Mina's chambers, folding some of the new
clothing that Mina had commissioned for the upcoming birth of their child.
Everyone within the palace walls was excited about the coming child. There
were two trunks filled to the brim with little infant clothing. She and Amy
had exclaimed earlier with gleeful delight over the clothing.
Five months ago, Mina and Malachite had married quietly within the
Palace's church. Everyone had attended the marriage ceremony, except for the
still missing Serena. It had been very hard for Darien, who at the time was
still searching the world for her. Yet, he had attended the ceremony and had
wished them well. The wedding had been small, but that was just fine for
Mina and Malachite. She had just wished that her best friend could have been
there too.
Malachite assured her that Darien knew that Serena was still alive.
The other piece of the Silver crystal would have returned to him had she
actually passed away. Although that reassured them for the moment, it didn't
make any sense when the Moon Wand reappeared before Darien. A tiny piece of
the Silver crystal that was embedded within the Moon Wand, should have
reappeared before Serena, not Darien. Serena was the true owner of the Moon
Wand, as the Moon Wand was passed down to each new generation of Supreme
Princesses.
Malachite had told her that Darien had also tried communicating with
Serena telepathically, but that also failed. Something profound had to have
happened to Serena when she and Darien became separated during the battle
with Metilla. They just didn't have any idea what had happened to her.
Mina remembered her and Queen Augusta quietly eavesdropping behind
the closed large, dark, wooden, doors that lead to Darien's chambers. They
had grimaced as they heard a loud crashing from behind the doors as Malachite
tried easing an enraged Darien. They could--as well as everyone else within
the palace walls-- hear Darien's vehement cursing as he threw the Moon Wand
against the walls. More eruptions of furniture being thrown followed as
Darien continued to pour out his pain, frustration and grief.
Darien, these days, was an even more driven man than he was when she
had first met him. Mina ached with pain every time she saw Darien. She
could also tell, that her husband, Malachite was also affected badly by his
friend's suffering. Sometimes, late at night, Malachite would hold her
tightly, telling her how grateful he was that she was all right. Malachite
would then, not by any fault of his own, make her feel guilty that she was
filled with happiness. She knew it was not his intention to make her feel
this guilt.
In spite of their frequent searches for Serena, Darien and all of the
Ambassadors of Earth also dedicated their lives to rebuilding the other
planets. One of the four Ambassadors had been assigned to each Sailor Senshi
to revise a plan in the rebuilding of their planets. The Senshi were all
staying at their designated Ambassador's palace. Everyone except for
Malachite and Mina. Darien had conceded that Malachite was needed at his
palace for the moment, until they found Serena.
Although most of the populations on the planets had been wiped out,
Queen Serenity sent those few hundreds that had survived the attacks to
Earth. At the very same time, she had sent the outer Senshi to Earth.
Darien would take over the rebuilding of Saturn, since Sailor Saturn was
still too young to govern the process. When she came of age, she would then
take her rightful place as the governing queen of Saturn as the inner Senshi
would govern their respective planets when they were old enough. The outer
Senshi have full reign to rebuild their own planets, since they were older
than the younger Senshi. Darien's father, King Damian and Queen Augusta would
see to Earth's progress. Earth had suffered the least amount of damage, when
compared to the other planets.
Raye, Princess of Mars had Ambassador Jadeite assigned to her. As
gossip had it, before they left for Mars as the first to begin the long
awaited rebuilding; Raye had met Jadeite's extended family. All six of his
strapping boys, and all by different women! And, that he claimed to have
been in love with all of them. It was amazing, to say the least. Raye,
apparently was also falling under Jadeite's charms. She did not make it easy
for him though, seeming to lead him on a wild goose chase. Still, he was
making a fool out of himself for her. They were leaving a trail of fiery
rumors burning wildly out of control. Still, the gossips were having a field
day over this hot couple.
On a colder note, Princess Lita of Jupiter barely tolerated
Ambassador Nephrite's presence; they bickered bitterly over the revision
plans for Jupiter. It seemed to Amy that there had to be more than meets the
eye when it came to those two. They were positively frigid around each
other's presence. Both of them never missed an opportunity to throw callous
remarks at each another just to see who would get the upper hand in the
matter. Their arguments were another famous topic around the palace gossips.
"And how are you faring, staying at the Palace of Zoisite?" Mina
asked, curious. Mina had also heard a couple of rumors that were circuiting
around with regard to Amy and Zoisite's professional relationship. Rumor had
it that although Amy didn't particular care for Zoisite's vainness over his
own looks, he was indeed up to Amy's speed when it came to intelligence. Amy
was pretty shy when it came to men being around her, being more comfortable
around books of Science and Philosophy.
"He's not such a distasteful person, once you get to know him a
little." Amy chuckled. Mina laughed, as Amy's face flushed a becoming pink
hue.
"A distasteful person?" Mina giggled, her blonde brow raising
slightly. "Just, what does that mean? Does he lay smelly bombs or
something?"
This of course, had the ladies laughing outright.
"No, silly!" Amy chuckled, as they got a hold of themselves. "What I
mean, is that he's kind of vain!"
"Ohhh! That's not surprising, Amy! The man has a beautiful face,
not mention a wonderful looking body!" Mina laughed again, as she watched
Amy's face turn an even brighter shade of red. "And what about those
luscious, golden locks of his, hmmm?" She giggled, as she threw her blond
hair back. Perfectly imitating Zoisite's famous gesture. Amy giggled again.
"Don't tell me you haven't checked him out on more than a couple of
occasions?"
"One could not help but to." Amy voiced, bravely.
"Do I detect just a little awe in your voice, Amy?" Mina exclaimed.
" He has good looks and a brain, Mina." Amy boldly stated. "What
would you do in my place?" She laughed.
"Jump his you-know-what! That's what I'd do!" Mina laughed,
hilariously.
Amy's face, now the color of bright, red tomatoes, burst out with
laughter as Mina joined her again. Mina paused for a moment, clutching her
round stomach as she gasped out for some air, her face slightly pink from her
exertions. That only set off Amy again.
That was how Malachite found his wife, Mina, and her dear friend,
Princess Amy. They were rolling about on the marble floor with the pillows
supporting them, gasping for air and laughing at the same time.
Stay tuned for chapter 13 . . . Lady M Harris.