One would assume that as the one who initiated the proposal to Princess Alyssa, Sisa would be the first in line cheer her nephew. Duchess Sisa and Duke David of the house of Arosa were supposed to be at the front seat of the stadium, bidding their nephew good luck. But instead, the couple hurriedly went outside the palace.
The couple changed their plans on the last minute, they received an urgent message early this morning. The content of the message was unexpected.
Some things was more important that watching their nephew fight for the crown.
Someone had just given birth to a healthy baby girl--- their baby. The couple had been in contact with the mother since the early days of pregnancy. Sisa waited nine months for this moment. But Sisa did not have a hard time waiting, she was very patient. She had been wanting all her life to be a mother. Even as a young girl from the time before, she always dreamed of being a mother. This was what Sisa regretted the most when she was cured. She will never be able to carry a baby in her womb; she would never experience the pain and joy of carrying a life in her belly. She lost the children she would have had In exchange of her youth and title.
The couple hurriedly went to an orphanage in Sintopris, the Kingdom's capital city.
Half of the beds in the wards of the orphanage was occupied. Patients were a mix of new mothers and sick children. Each bed was covered with white cloth to give patients privacy.
The couple was standing beside one of the worn-out beds.
The new mother who was pale to the lips and plastered with sweat was lying on the bed. Sisa had never been envious of someone this bad before. She should be the one who was on the bed, cradling her newborn baby.
"You're going to take care of her right?" The mother was cuddling a bundle of old clothes
"Of course." Sisa nodded, eying the bundle like it was her prey.
"And… And… she's going to be cured right?" The mother searched though the couple's eyes.
"Well, yes. If she agrees, she would be cured once she's eighteen." David assured.
The mother nodded. "That's all I want to know." The mother kissed the baby on the forehead and handed the bundle of old clothes to Sisa.
Sisa took the bundle carefully from the mother's embrace. A small hand sprouted from the bundle of old clothes, reaching in the air. A pair of eyes peeked from the cloth, prying to the one who held her. Sisa saw the pair of eyes and fell in love instantly, a kind of love that would do anything for this little one—a mother's love. Sisa offered her hand and the baby gripped her thumb. But the baby suddenly released her grip and wailed in Sisa's arms. Sisa cradled her to calm but it was of no use. Not knowing what to do, Sisa carefully placed the baby into David's arms. But the baby cried even louder in David's embrace.
David returned the baby into Sisa's arms.
"What is her name?" Sisa asked the mother.
"She's not mine." The mother laid down and tossed around the bed. "She's yours, you name her."
Sisa was not the one how brought her into this world, but she could name her. It was enough for Sisa to be happy. "Thank you." Sisa smiled. "We'll take care of her. I promise you that."
Not facing the couple, the mother nodded as she hugged her knees. "Go." The mother whispered. "Just go." The mother's voice quivered.
The couple went out of the orphanage and never looked back.
The orphanage had a bunch of dirtied and smelly children. Most of their parents were killed by savages outside the Kingdom. Or some parents willingly abandoned their child just to let them have shelter within the walls--- even if it means to be separated from them. The Kingdom could only take much in, not everybody had the privilege to be a citizen within the walls.
But the couple did not notice the other children, their focus was on the baby who was still crying on Sisa's arms.
The baby had small hands and feet, incapable of doing tasks on her own. But as little and as fragile she was, the baby good at feeling and expressing emotions. The baby must have known that her real mother abandoned her. Or else, how could someone explain why she was crying this much?
"Shhhhh," Sisa tried to calm the baby down. "I will never leave you."
"Let's change her cloth." David suggested.
"You're right, maybe that would calm her down."
The couple did not forget that this child had to be taken care of like a glass--- the baby can easily be broken. This child is a perishable and the couple had to take outmost care of her. There are things that a perishable need that their kind did not.
The couple proceeded to the flea market to buy a few things they think the baby needed. At least things to make the baby stop from crying. Sisa and David sauntered at the flea market as people looked at them. Sisa and David wore long robes and their ashy complexion was prominent. Form their clothes to their walk---they were obviously royals---and royals had Rigs to spend.
The vendors were livelier than normal as they tried to entice the couple into their tent.
The couple chose to visit a store that sold children necessities. There were a lot of things they needed; they had the baby unprepared.
First was a fresh cloth to wrap the baby. The couple bought a cloth--- the color had faded but it was better that the filthy cloth the baby currently had.
"Maybe we need other things?" David suggested to her wife. "We need linens for the baby." David demanded to the vendor.
"I have linens, blankets…" The vendor pointed into his table--- things that were already used.
"Don't you have a better…quality?" David inquired.
"Well, Duke. If I would dare to show these…" The vendor took a big black suitcase below his table. "I do have better quality products if you would be willing to pay." There was a glint in the vendor's eyes as he knew he could charge a higher price to this couple.
"Please, money is not a question for us." Sisa looked at the vendor. "Anything for my baby."
"Well, if you insist." The vendor opened his suitcase.
The vendor revealed fresh linens with tags still attached to it--- a price written from the currency of the time before. The suitcase also had baby's clothes--- colorful ones even--- made of pure cotton. The vendor also had bibs, baby bottles, pacifiers, and even children books. But the rarest item was a stuff toy---it was a white bunny. It was the remaining stuff toy in the suitcase.
Sisa and David ended up buying each of the item including the remaining stuff toy--- for double the price.
The vendor was satisfied with the deal.
The couple changed the baby's wrap, gave her pacifiers, but nothing could stop her from crying.
Sisa was starting to be concerned.
"Something's wrong with her, I'm afraid she might get sick." Sisa's brow furrowed.
"Don't worry about that. She'll just tire herself to sleep, which is probably better." David said. "Give her some time to get used to us." David assured her wife.
"Do you think she will warm up to us in time?"
"Yes, Princess Alyssa was the same when she was young. But look at her now, the Princess grew up normal." David held his wife's arm. "But we might need to keep her away from the other royals in the palace for a while… we don't want her to be overwhelmed with our kind."
Sisa cradled her daughter close to her chest, but Sisa had no idea that this did nothing to calm her daughter. Her heart had no beat to comfort the wailing child. "Okay, as much as I wanted to show her, but her health is more important. We'll only let a few to get close to her for now."
Sisa observed the two bags of goods David was carrying. "Do you think those are enough?"
"No." David admitted. "But maybe we could ask the Princess for her old things as a toddler."
"Do you think it was kept?"
"Maybe, I think they were kept in the storehouse."
"Then I'll try and ask the Princess about that." Sisa wiped the tears from her baby's cheeks.
Sisa's life was now complete, she could happily live forever now that she had a baby to take care of. She wanted to raise her like Princess Alyssa. She wanted her to be as beautiful as the Princess.
Sisa and David returned to the palace where they were about to know that their nephew lost to Ziloh.
They would also soon find out that there was a new King.
***
Alyssa was stabbing her stir-fried tofu on her plate. She barely ate, her mind was vividly replaying what she witnessed at the stadium.
"Are you okay?" Kiva, who was sitting beside her, asked. "You're murdering your food but you're not eating any." Kiva ate a spoon of her monkey brain stew.
It was a tomato red stew that had wrinkly meats floating around.
Alyssa eyes hovered at Kiva's bowl and her stomach somersaulted. She usually was not as squeamish as this, but the monkey brain stew reminded Alyssa of King Greg's splattered brain on the field. She completely lost her appetite.
"Yeah, I think it would be better for me to stick with water." Alyssa had a sip of her glass.
"Hmmm," Cliff, who was sitting beside Kiva, licked the sauce from his lips. "Our menu keeps getting better and better. Did we change our chef?"
"No," Queen Kathy replied after a bite. "Just better-quality produce."
"It's good." Cliff nodded with every bite. "It almost tasted like---"
"Cliff." Queen Kathy glared at Cliff with warning.
"— my favorite dish." Cliff continued.
It was had to determine what was Cliff's favorite dish was as he would often compliment every main course he ever had.
Kiva definitely acquired the same taste in food as her father as she leaned in to devour her bowl.
The other royals around Alyssa were the same --- they were as hungry as ever. Unlike Alyssa, their appetite was heightened by the event at the stadium.
Queen Kathy was sitting across from Alyssa, enjoying her meal. There was no sadness in her eyes. The Queen is Queen and maybe she was suppressing her grief inside so she could lament later when she's alone--- at least that's what Alyssa assumed.
Sitting right next to Queen Kathy was the new King.
King Garrett was smiling from ear to ear as royals flooded him with cheers and greetings.
"Congratulations, King Garrett." Royals would greet as they pass by the new King.
"This one's a keeper, Queen Kathy." Cliff added. "This one is something else."
It was as if King Greg did not exist as all. But in this patio, at least to Alyssa he did. The referee dragged King Greg's body away from the field--- there were no funerals for those who expired, their bodies would immediately be burned. The mighty King Greg was now a pile of ashes to be cleaned.
Alyssa did not have a close relationship with King Greg, but they have gotten closer from the past few days. Alyssa wished she would have initiated more conversations with the previous King had she known this would happen.
Alyssa eyed the new King. She don't think she would be able to get close with this man, just looking to this man would send chills to the bone. King Greg was not his first kill, and Alyssa was afraid that King Greg would not be his last.
"But unfortunately for Princess Alyssa," Cliff noted. "she will not be married anytime sooner. I hear that other potential suitors are afraid to have a battle with my son. "Cliff laughed.
Other suitors were probably more afraid of what happened to King Greg than Edward. But good for Alyssa, marriage was far from her thoughts.
It was like life in the palace continued like nothing was missing. Alyssa could see the royals around her celebrating, but she could not hear them--- it was as if she were observing them from afar.
"I'm tired." Alyssa stood from her seat. It was an excuse only she could use.
"Wait." Kiva slurped her monkey brain stew. "Let me go with you." Kiva hurriedly finished every last drop of her meal.
Kiva and Alyssa proceeded to go and walked their way towards Alyssa's chamber.
Kiva saw Alyssa was in low spirit. "Why? What's wrong?"
Alyssa just exhaled.
"What's wrong?" Kiva prodded in.
"You really don't know?" Alyssa exhaled. "King Greg just…expired and no one seems to care about it."
"Oh, that? Well, we care. But life just have to move on." Kiva said matter-of-factly.
"But he killed King Greg and we did nothing about it."
"Well, we can't do anything about that. What King Garrett did was not against the rules." Kiva informed. "It's just that no one dared to do it before him."
Alyssa did not reply. She continued to walk silently.
As they were walking, they heard someone wailing--- a baby's cry.
Out in the field was Duchess Sisa, cradling a pile of cloth on her arms.
Kiva and Alyssa walked towards the noise.
"Is that?" Alyssa asked.
"Yes," Sisa smiled timidly. "I had been taking care of her for a while now, but she can't seem to stop crying. I don't know what to do."
The baby turned red from crying.
Before Duchess Sisa could protest, Kiva took the baby from her arms.
"Look at who this is," Kiva said in a high-pitched voice. "bu, bu , bu , bu." Kiva baby talked.
It had no effect, the baby kept on crying.
"Can I?' Alyssa opened her arms and asked for the baby.
"Sure." Kiva gave the baby to Alyssa.
The baby suddenly stopped crying on Alyssa's embrace. Alyssa embraced the baby close to her heart.
"What the, let me try again." Kiva took the baby from Alyssa's arms, but the baby cried. "She doesn't want me." Kiva immediately returned the baby to Alyssa—and the baby stopped crying.
"We probably found one of your rare talents Ali," Kiva admired Alyssa. "You're a baby-whisperer."
Alyssa rolled her eyes as she cradled the baby in her arms.
"What's her name?" Alyssa asked.
"Ysa, her name's Ysa." Sisa smiled. "I named her after you."