I never told anyone about the nightmare I had of Mother killing my baby. I didn't want to worry anyone. Instead I painted it in secret, so that I could get rid of the thoughts and then I burned it. It didn't help though. I was constantly worried that Mother would find out about the baby and take it away from me. Ben would increase the security on me when it really needs to be on the people and I can't have that.
So, I went on with life as per normal. I signed paper, gave interviews about the pregnancy and the barrier. I helped improve battle plans for when we needed to battle the villains. Oh, and arguing with Ben about whether we should have a nanny for the baby or not. I thought that between all our friends, us and some of the guards we would have plenty of carers for the baby when we weren't available. Plus I wanted to be a proper mother and raise my own child, not have others raise it for me. Ben was worried that I would get too tired being queen and a full time mum, but of course I won the argument by saying that I wanted to be a better mother than mine was, which meant that I had to be there for my child every second that I could. It wasn't too hard for him to say no once he understood my strange need to keep nannies well away from the baby. Then we'd go back to arguing about what the nursery should look like and what the name should be.
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I was finally starting to get bigger and it was more noticeable. I dressed in clothes that showed off my stomach because I was proud out of. The morning sickness had finally stopped. All I had to do now was do the nursery, get some clothes, and start my pregnancy class.
We had gotten the situation with the villains under control for now which was a good thing. Fairy Godmother was correct when she said that no one knew how to break down the new barrier. Villain after villain tried to tear it down, each of them failing. Ben and I had driven past the barrier to see if there was any activity, we had villains try to damage our car with food, tools, anything they could get their hands on, but it was no use with the barrier in place. I looked out the window of our bedroom at the big blue dome that was no surrounding Auradon. This was why kept us safe, and I thanked Fairy Godmother any chance I got.
Today we would be interviewing the children and their families that were possible candidates for the last key. After the interviews I would have the ultrasound that would finally tell me if I was having a boy or a girl! I was so excited! Ben was going to come to this ultrasound. Ever since he heard what ultrasound this was, he was constantly talking about how he wants the room decorated for each child and we were beginning to pick out names too. I looked down at our list; so far we had Stella-Marie, Rosemarie, Charlotte or Annabelle if it was a girl. For a boy we had Mason, Adam, Alexander, or Elijah. Personally, I like Stella-Marie and Elijah best, but Ben had yet to make his decision. I think he was just waiting for the gender of the baby. After the ultrasound, I would be going to meet with Evie, Jane, and Lonnie to see what they were doing for my baby-shower. I actually think they started planning it the day we told them that I was pregnant. Haha, always excited...and way too eager to party, I used to be like that...before I got pregnant and ended up in bed by 8pm. Anyway, the shower was supposed to be a pool theme or something like that because it was summer and they wanted to do something outside.
I called my maid, Chantelle to help me get into my gown, because I couldn't do it by myself anymore. After a quick but elegant hairstyle and grabbing the magical pendant on my way out, I met Ben down the hall ready for the interviews, both of us looking very regal.
"My Queen." Ben grinned down at me, planting a kiss on my lips.
"My King." I answered, smiling back.
"You ready to find the last key?" He asked.
"Yes." I answered, slightly nervous. After all this could be it. "Fairy Godmother said that this pendant will glow slightly and get hotter if we are near the third key." I explain holding up the pendant.
"How did she do that? Maleficent cast the curse, there's no way another fairy could assist in finding the answers, is there?"
"I don't know how she did it, but she did." I sigh. "Let's just be thankful that she's been able to help us so much."
We reached the doors of the meeting room, and signalled the guards to open the doors. 'When in front of citizens always maintain the air of royalty.' That's one of the lessons that Bella taught me before she died. Walking into the room with my hand in the crook of Ben's arm, there were three families seated on the other side of the table who stood up and bowed or curtsied when we walked in.
"Thank you all for coming." I spoke, in my queenly voice, motioning for them to rise and be seated. Ben and I took the seats across from them all. "We know that we have not given you very much information however, this has been a new discovering and we are still figuring out the answers to the curse that Maleficent placed on this kingdom.
"We have figured out the first two keys, which are the King and myself. The third key we believe is one of your children." I explain, holding my breathe as I wait for the parents reactions.
"Your Majesty, with all due respect, it was my parents that were from good and evil not my husband or myself. I don't believe that my daughter, Arina is that last key to the curse." The mother to the right said, I believe it was the Donnahough family.
"Thank you, Mrs Donnahough for your honestly." Ben praised her. "However we will get each of your children to hold the pendant that my wife has around her neck for around a minute each. If the pendant glows or becomes hotter at any point than your child is in fact the last and final key to undoing this curse.
"In which case, your family will remain here at the palace until our one year anniversary where we will present all the keys to Maleficent." Ben's voice rang strong through the room even though the families were sitting right in front of us.
Pulling the pendant over my head, I placed it in the little hands of Arina Donnahough, who looked to be about 3 years old. Holding my breath, I counted up to a minute; but the pendant didn't glow and she didn't complain about it getting hotter.
"Mrs Donnahough, it appears that you were correct in your statement, your daughter isn't the last key. Officer Travis will escort you and your family to the waiting car outside that will take you home."
Next was the...umm...oh I forgot, wait it was the Jackson family. Placing the pendant in the rather chubby hands of Jefferson Jackson, who was around 8 years old, I held my breath once more and counted one minute. Again nothing happened. He didn't complain about the heat and the pendant didn't glow.
"Thank you Jefferson." I said simply, taking back the pendant.
"Did it work, Your Majesty?" He asked in a small voice.
"I'm sorry sweetie, but you aren't our key." I watched as his face fell. "My friend Officer Gerald will take you and your family out to the car now."
Reluctantly, he waddled off with his family. Ben could tell that I felt bad for him, and I felt his hand move to me knee and rub it, comforting me. I turned around to face our last remaining family who had a set of twins. The Tremaine family, every long, distant and a few times removed relatives of Chad.
I placed the pendant in the hand of little Lisle, who was 4. After a minute the pendant did nothing. So, she, very graciously handed it over to her sister, Melonie. After the minute, the pendant didn't glow again or grow hotter. So, I went to take the pendant from her, and just as my hand touched it, it glowed and Melonie dropped it.
"Ow!" She cried. "It burned me!"
We all sat there in shock, looking from the pendant singeing the table, to the little heart-shaped face that was staring at it.
"Umm, well I guess a congratulations of some form is in order, Mr and Mrs Tremaine." Ben said, holding out his hand for them to shake. "We will have rooms set up for you in the east wing of the palace. Anything that you need from home, just tell Jane or Doug, our personal assistants and they will have it brought over to the palace for you."
All I could do was stare at the little face that would be the last key to this curse. The one we'd been searching for, for months. The tiny eyes, blinked and when they opened again they were staring straight into my own. Something about them unsettled me, so I looked over at the clock on the wall. 11 o'clock!
"Shoot." I say under my breathe. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt everyone but the King and I have an appointment to attend to and we are late."
I quickly stood up and everyone followed suite. Ben said his final good byes and promised to come check on them when he had a free moment. I made my way to the door quickly. I didn't know what to think, we had spent months searching for this child and all of a sudden she was sitting right under our noses this whole time! I practically run to the hospital wing, with Ben on my heels, throwing open the doors Doc looks up from his clipboard.
"Ah, you are here!" He exclaims checking his watch. "Any later and I might have had to send out a search party for you."
We laugh along with him and I climb onto the table and show my stomach, good thing that I chose to wear the two-piece that connects into a dress. Squirting the gel on my stomach and moving the wand over it, Doc brings up our baby on the screen.
After looking around for a bit confirming that the baby is healthy and happy Doc turns to us, "So, do you wanna know the gender?"
I look over at Ben with begging eyes, I really want to know if it's the beautiful baby girl from my nightmare. Ben and I both nod.
"It's a girl!" He cries.
"It's a girl?" I ask, just to make sure that I've heard him correctly. It is the baby from my dream.
Doc leaves us so that we can talk and I can get myself sorted out.
"So?" Ben says. "I think we should name her Stella-Marie." My head shoots up to look at him. Is he finally agreeing on the name that he kept fighting me against?
"Really?" I ask.
"Yes, I mean you love the mean. It sounds almost magical and I may have grown to like it too."
Without even thinking I leap off the table and through my self into his arms for the deepest kiss we've had in a long time.
"Our baby girl, Stella-Marie." I say with tears in my eyes, while I rub my stomach.
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And there you have it folks! It's a beautiful baby girl! And she has a beautiful name to match....now we have to see if she looks the same as she did in Mal's dream!
Please keep reading!!!