Chapter Three
(Madi's POV)
It had been three months since Caspian had left for his voyage. Three months since I had received word from my husband. Three whole months since I had heard him tell me he loved me. Three months since Demetria had seen her father, since Antonio had been held by the love of my life.
Three months since I had found out I was pregnant with our third child.
I had decided against telling Caspian about my pregnancy, I knew he would've stayed behind and abandoned his quest if he had known. Even though I had wanted him to stay more than anyone could possibly comprehend, I knew that Narnia was more important than personal matters. The kingdom and its people mattered more. Countless lives were more important than just one.
Well, anyway, Caspian being away was starting to take its effect on me. The stresses of running the kingdom, taking care of my children, and being pregnant was all very draining. My battery was running low, dangerously low. Bags were under my eyes and my strength was starting to fail me. I hadn't gotten any sleep for days on end, which wasn't only unhealthy for me, but for the baby girl or boy I was carrying.
"Your Highness, you need to get some rest. You need to not only think of yourself, but of your unborn child as well. Please, Queen Madeline. You know you need some sleep." My maid, Eleanor, said to me. I shook my head, my hand on the small bulge of my stomach as I strolled through the palace. Demetria and Antonio were being watched by my other hand maidens, giving me a few moments of quiet time to just concentrate on paperwork from our neighboring kingdoms. As I walked, I could feel the baby kicking every once in a while. At first it was cute, but when you're running a kingdom by yourself for who-knows how long, cute starts getting old.
I had been pregnant for four months when Caspian left for his trip. I was surprised with how easy it was to hide my small bump, but that was a total advantage. Now I was seven months pregnant. I was hoping that Caspian would get home before the baby was born, but as the days went by, my hopes were starting to become dashed. Caspian had never missed any of his children's births, so that would've been very disappointing for him to find out when he returned. Or if he ever returned.
I stopped in my tracks.
"Wait, I want to spend some time with Demetria and Antonio." I suddenly said.
"But, your majesty-"
"No. When this new baby comes along, Demetria and Antonio won't be able to spend as much time with me. I need to see them." I suddenly said, turning on my heal and making my way to the nursery. I don't know what had suddenly changed inside me, but I had the sudden urge to see my children. I felt like I hadn't seen them in ages, or maybe I was just starting to have my pregnancy mood-swings. That wouldn't surprise me.
"Alright, your Majesty. Why don't I go get them and have them meet you in the throne room?" Eleanor asked quickly, stepping in front of me. I sighed and took a deep breath. With my eyes closed, I nodded. Taking long strides down the hallway, I made my way to the throne room. A small smile crept over my lips as thoughts raced through my mind. I would be getting to spend time with my kids, my children. My little girl and my precious baby boy.
After a few minutes of sitting in my throne, my baby bump slightly moving each time the new one would kick. I couldn't help but giggle silently each time, knowing that the newborn would have their father's clumsy two-left feet. Or maybe I'd be wrong, and they'd be an amazing dancer. As I thought, something new entered my mind. Names. What would I name the new baby? If Caspian still hadn't retuned, I would have the responsibility of naming the new girl or boy. But thankfully, I already had a few names in mind.
If it was a boy, it would be Caspian. I knew that Caspian's father's name was Caspian, making my husband 'Caspian the Tenth'. So I figured it would be reasonable to name my son Caspian, making him 'Caspian the Eleventh'. And if it was a girl, I would name her Lucy or Susan, in honor of the Pevensie sisters. I sighed, remembering the Pevensies. Peter, Edmund, Lucy, Susan, all of them were on my mind.
"Mommy!" Demetria shouted, suddenly pulling me from my thoughts as she entered the room. I smiled as I watched her sprint towards me, her dress flowing behind her freely. I would've laughed happily, but something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. She was running towards me, but there were tears of panic running down her cheeks.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" I asked her as she ran into my arms. Suddenly a loud burst filled the air. The noise, sounding like an explosion, echoed through the room. I gasped in shock as I held my little girl close to me, the walls beginning to shake. Fear rushed into my would as I realized what was happening. Trumpets were sounding in the distance confirming my suspicions.
Telmar was under attack.
"You Majesty! We must leave! Quickly!" Eleanor shouted as she ran into the throne room, my son in her arms. "Hurry! This way!" She shouted as we made our way across the room and towards the door that lead to the palace gardens. I lifted Demetria so she was riding on my back, piggy-back style. Antonio was crying in Eleanor's arms as we sprinted down the hall. My breathing started to become uneven the faster we ran.
Boom!
The hallway shook again. The four of us screamed in shock as the wall to our left suddenly collapsed, nearly crushing us in the process. Dust and debris filled the air as more and more blasts attacked the castle. Nearly falling, we continued to run as fast as we could. Shouts and screams mixed in with the sound of explosions, making our surroundings sound like a battlefield. Demetria and Antonio were sobbing and screaming with fear, but their fright just gave me more energy to want to get them to safety.
Just as we were about to run into the garden, we heard angry shouts erupt from within. Manly shouts, evil shouts.
Pirates.
"Hurry, this way!" Eleanor screamed as we ran in the opposite direction. I could feel my own fear blossoming inside myself. The only way I knew to safety was already blocked off, infested with sea vermin that were after me and my children. If only Caspian had stayed, he'd know what to do. He would've saved us by now.
Suddenly another exploding noise filled the air as we made our way down another long hallway. The floor collapsed beneath our feet, causing us to fall down into a large pit. We all screamed in fear and shock before we finally hit the ground with a THUD. I made sure that I swerved, not landing ontop of Demetria. Eleanor and Antonio landed beside us. I could feel my ribs breaking as I made contact with the hard floor.
"Your majesty! We need to keep going!" Eleanor screamed over the noise as she quickly got to her feet. I nodded, understanding. But I couldn't feel my legs.
"T-take Demetria. I-I'll meet you at our secret spot." I told Eleanor. She grabbed onto Demetria's hand.
"But what of you, your Highness?" She asked me quickly.
"I'll be fine, I'll see you soon." I said to her.
"Mommy! Don't go!" Demetria screamed. But I had to ignore her shouts, no matter how heart-breaking they were. I could feel my eyes growing heavy as I began to lose consciousness. Everything was growing blurry as the floor vibrated and the sound around me began to lessen.
Then everything went black.
