A Twist in Fate

T w e n t y - N i n e

*nine months later*

America pov:

The sound of crying filled the silent night, as the atmosphere shifted from the sudden intrusion, not that we weren't used to it. I was pulled out of my sleep, my senses hyper-alert, as my eyes jerked open, before snapping shut, me making barely any effect to keep them open. Hearing a groan from beside me, I smiled in a daze, my eyes still sealed shut, as I felt the blanket being pushed over to my side of the bed followed with the shuffling of feet. Squinting my eyes, I saw my dear husband walking in an almost zombie-like stance, steps faltering, limbs flailing and eyes closed shut more than half the time; after all, we were deprived of sleep.

I watched with half-lidded eyes as he bends over, arms stretched and fingers searching, lifting our baby from the white crib. He started cradling her, cooing sweet nothings into her ear, which came out more like incoherent gibberish, the words mashing together. I let out a low chuckle as I slowly lifted the covers walking towards the pair. Bending down over the edge of the other adjoined crib, I reach out to grab my other precious.

Yes, that's right. I was one of the lucky ones to have been blessed with twins - a girl and a boy; perfectly healthy children. Eadlyn's arm smacked my nose as she cried uncontrollably, tears streaming down her chubby cheeks, her eyes wide terror as I pressed her against my chest, rubbing her back. Nicholas did the same with Ahren, who had already succumbed back to his slumber and was sleeping away peacefully in his arms. It took me more than three months to come up with the perfect names for them, it was a more strenuous work than I originally thought.

Honestly, how hard was it to choose a name for your child... unbearably, painstakingly arduous! The number of novels I red while I was pregnant was unimaginable; I wrote down some of my favourites. The dazzling, frozen snow accumulated in fields over the gardens; reminding me of Illea's gardens and how much I preferred them exceedingly over the ones here. So I frequently spend my time in the library, further enhancing my need to read and reach out to the outer universe, getting lost in their magical words.

Eadlyn and Ahren were born three weeks ago. I remember the day the doctor informed me about the twins like it was just yesterday. To say that I was ecstatic would be the understatement of the century, I started weeping in disbelief and merriment as joy overtook me. Nicholas had run to my side, worried that I didn't take the news well, when in fact, I just couldn't speak as I was that over-joyed. The months before they were born was a whirlwind of emotions that not even the highest of psychologists could apprehend, as it was far from my comprehension, even though I was the one going through them. The slightest of things would manage to flip me off, ending with me getting angry - then crying for no apparent reason. I reminisced one moment when I cried endlessly until I wouldn't get some cinnamon rolls.

It was the middle of the night.

And, as expected, all the cooks were off duty, so Nicholas tried to wing it and ended up almost burning down the kitchen. The fire alarms practically woke up the whole palace... except the person behind the cause of it all. The guards found him in the kitchen; his head laying on a ball of dough and half his face covered in flour, very close to sliding off the chair he was seated on, near the counter. You should've seen the look on the Queen's face when she stood transfixed at a sight, that I'm betting was once in a life opportunity. And Nicoletta! My God, she couldn't stop taking pictures as she was ranting to me on how it could be used for blackmail later on.

Another beautiful irreplaceable memory was the baby shower that Nicoletta and I planned. According to Nicoletta, that was one of their best celebrations.

*Flashback*

"Get up ... ugh, get up already," someone shook me like a ragged doll, as I buried my head deeper into the cloud-like pillows in response.