Cinderfella 2: A New Life - 19. Chapter 19

As great as that celebration was, it was back to business, as usual, the next day. The grape yield was booming and so was our output. Not only bottles of wine, but barrels of the stuff! Profits were rolling in. And as that was coming in, things in the town were improving as well. Increased profits, increase in pay, more money spent and more local taxes were paid.

Demetrius still delivered messages between me and Christian, and now we had deliveries from our nieces and nephews in A’Dore. We sent a picture, drawn by a local artist…and it looked just like us…to A’Dore, as a result, pictures were being sent by four budding artists from A’Dore. Pictures we hung in our room and elsewhere. Thomas was proud he was taking sword lessons now. But we hadn’t heard from Demetrius directly in a while.

I was working in the house office when I heard another bell ring. I smiled, looking at the bell as it disappeared. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Demetrius’ head came out of the wall. “Just following the rules.” He grinned and stepped in fully.

I nodded, getting up and hugged my godfather. “You’ve been busy.”

Demetrius nodded. “And how.” He exclaimed. “Being a creature with access to magic is demanding! She wants this, he wants that. Demanding, I tell you.”

I chuckled. “So, don’t do it.”

He looked alarmed. “And then what do we do?” He shook his head. “We have to have something to do.”

“So, why are you here?” I smiled. “Just to say hello again?”

Demetrius shrugged. “Would that be so bad?” He grinned. Then he looked around. “I take it Seth is in the vineyard.”

I nodded. “And loving every minute.”

Then Demetrius got a serious look. “But I’ve not forgotten.” He said. “About a child.”

My heart began to pound. “You found one?”

Demetrius again sat without looking for a chair, which slid over under him. No shock from me at all now. “As I have said so often. I present potential opportunities, it’s up to you to take them.”

“Demetrius,” I growled.

Demetrius shrugged. “I’m just reminding you!” He said helplessly. “Now, I said there will be a trauma. You know I can’t stop or prevent injuries and stuff.” Then he smiled. “But Seth wanted someone with a good family history behind them…this person has that, both parents do. She was very young when she married. Fourteen.”

“Fourteen!?” I gasped. “It’s only legal if her parents consented.”

“Which her mother agreed,” Demetrius said. “The girl’s father was a nobleman, who didn’t acknowledge she was his daughter, but she is. Her mother was of good stock. The young man was also the illegitimate son of a nobleman, not the same one, of course. But also of good stock and barely eighteen.”

“Okay.” I nodded.

“He died about three months ago in an accident,” Demetrius said. “The girl is here in Royal Valley.”

Here!? Of course, she was. “So, she’s what fourteen still…fifteen?”

“She’s seventeen.” Demetrius corrected. “She already has a son and expecting another. Soon.” Then he hurried on. “I mean she’s been in labor a few hours.”

My eyes widened. “Where is she? Is there something about her I should know?”

Demetrius nodded. “Her son, who is approaching two is deaf.”

“Deaf!?” I repeated.

“But he’s smart,” Demetrius said. “But no one these days will see that. Not generally, but you will.”

“But how will he communicate?” I asked. “He can’t talk.”

“And?” Demetrius asked. “You can communicate with your hands! You’ve dealt with it before. He sees just fine.” He took my arm. “Just get Seth, go to the Royal Valley Inn. She’s there. Meet her, and her sons. You will be surprised. If nothing else, if you decide not to take them, you can assure the mother someone will.” He looked at me seriously. “Please.”

I shook my head. “You said you can’t do anything about injuries. What injuries?”

“She has been seriously damaged giving birth. The sort of damage not uncommon with some women who are pregnant. She won’t survive.” Demetrius said sadly. “But you can assure her before she does, her children will be fine. Her baby will be fine.”

“What of her family?” I asked. “Won’t people be looking for her?”

“No one. She was guided here.” Demetrius said. “Now go!”

I ran out the door and hurried into the vineyard. Seth and the men were working on the vine again when I grabbed Seth.

“We have to go to the Royal Valley Inn,” I said hurriedly.

His eyes widened at my urgency. “Why?”

“There’s a girl giving birth any minute,” I explained. “She won’t survive.”

Seth was working what I said in his mind. “Demetrius?”

I nodded. “He told me she was guided here. We need to at least meet her…and her sons.”

“Sons!?” Seth asked. “She already has sons?”

“She has one son and is having another now,” I said grabbing his arm and hurrying toward town.

“Wait!” Seth stopped. “Who is she?”

“She’s a young girl in trouble. Her husband is dead. She has no one.” I replied taking his arm again and making him move again.

He hurried with me to the inn. Entering, the owner was looking worried up the stairs.

I stopped at the desk of the inn. “Is there a young woman here having a baby?”

The man looked at me and nodded. “How did you know?”

Seth shook his head. “He was told. Is she here?” He asked urgently.

The man nodded as a woman nearly screamed in pain. “She’s upstairs, my wife is up there with her and the midwife.” He groaned. “I knew better than to let her check in. She had no money, but my wife insisted we take her. She couldn’t bear to let her go as she was so close to delivery.”

“We’ll pay for her stay!” I said hurrying to the stairs and took them two at a time, closely followed by Seth.

A woman came out of a room with very bloody sheets. “Don’t go in there, a guest is having a baby.” The woman said to us.

I nodded. “We know, that’s why we’re here.”

The woman looked surprised. “Is she family?”

“Who cares?” Seth groused. “Is she alright?”

The woman shook her head. “She’s bleeding badly. Her baby’s fine, but the bleeding won’t stop.”

“Where is her other son?” I asked.

Again, the woman was trying to figure out how we knew. “He’s with my husband, right now he’s in there.” She pointed to another door. “Odd child, he doesn’t respond.”

I nodded. “He will to Seth.” I took Seth’s hand.

“Wait.” Seth refused to move. “Why won’t he respond? What else do you know, Erik?”

I hesitated. “Because he’s deaf.”

“Deaf!?” Seth balked. “Then he can’t respond. He can’t talk!”

I sighed. “He can see.” I put my hand on Seth’s arm. “His mind is fine. There are others that are deaf that get along well, we’ll just have to talk to him with our hands.”

“How do we do that?” Seth asked.

“Well, we’ll just have to come up with a sign for things.” Then I smiled at Seth running my finger over his face. “You have a face that appeals to almost everyone, that includes children. It won’t fail us now.” Then I led Seth to the door and knocked.

A man opened it looking perplexed. “What?” Then he saw who we were. “Sorry. I thought it was that annoying Harlan again. He’s sort of upset, with my wife helping that girl in childbirth.”

“Is there a little boy here?” I asked.

“Sure.” The man nodded opening the door wider. “He’s right there. Odd, though, he doesn’t turn around when you call him or talk or nothing.”

I nodded. “Did you have him look in your face?”

The man looked at us curiously. “Why?”

“Because he can’t hear you,” I explained walking in. The little boy was about eighteen to twenty months old, but he was a beautiful child with brown hair. Getting in front of him, I sat down on the floor and smiled at him. I waved to him and said so he could see me speak. “I’m Erik,” I spoke clearly and made sure to say it making sure he could see my mouth. Then I pointed at Seth, which the boy looked where I pointed. I waited until he looked back. “That’s Seth.”

Seth watched as the boy looked and seem to follow everything.

I was sure his mother spoke to the boy, knowing he was deaf or suspected he was, so he probably read our lips to a degree, but he was very young so may not have understood. He pointed to the door and the direction of his mother.

I nodded. “She’s very sick,” I explained. “She had a baby,” I said rocking an invisible baby in my arms.

His mother had obviously used motions before because he nodded and was making motions I didn’t know.

I stopped him gently. “Okay. I don’t know what you’re saying yet. You will have to show me. But Seth and I are here to take care of you. Okay?” I asked and I reached up to Seth and pulled him down beside me.

“How will we do this?” Seth asked me. “What do I say? How do I say it?”

“He obviously has some signs he uses, but we will have to learn them.” I smiled at the boy. “Just remember to smile,” I said smiling again at the boy. “And when you do speak to him, make sure he’s looking at you and enunciate clearly. He will read your lips.”

“Read my lips?” Seth asked. “But he can’t hear!”

“You’ve never dealt with a deaf person before.” It wasn’t a question. “They are just as smart as anyone. I wished there was a standardized language to use with our hands, but he will learn, and so will we.” I said to the little boy as much as Seth. “But there were two in A’Dore I knew of. They had symbols they used, I remember most, but…” I smiled at Seth. “We’ll have to make some up ourselves. He is bright…” I grinned. “He’s following everything. And he can read lips to a point.” Then I reached out to him, and the little boy took my hand. “And he’s beautiful!” Then I remembered a sign I knew for beautiful and I used it pointed to him and mouthed “you are beautiful.” He probably didn’t understand it, but he could see my face. Seeing that I was not angry or upset, perhaps he saw a reason to trust, for he got up and crawled into my lap. I grinned at Seth. “See?”

The woman came into the room. “She wants to see Toby.” She said like we would know what she was talking about.

“Is this Toby?” I asked pointed down at the boy.

The woman was now smiling at what she saw. “That’s what she said his name was, Tobias. Toby for short. He seems to like you.”

I smiled picking Toby up having him face me. “Sure. I’m a likable person.” I grinned at him. I patted Seth’s arm. “This is Seth. He’s a very nice man. You’ll love him.” I said to Toby and passed him to Seth. “Smile, Seth.”

Seth did as he took Toby. “Hi,” Seth said to the boy.

The man rose. “They’re doing better than I did. How is the girl, Helen?”

The woman shook her head. “She’s not going to make it. She’s trying to nurse the baby, but she has no strength. She lost a lot of blood.”

I rose. “Can I see her first?” I asked. “We’ll bring Toby to see her, but in the meantime, can I see her?”

The woman shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” Then she looked at us curiously. “Are you the ones that are taking the boys?”

I frowned. “Why would we?”

“That’s what she’s saying.” The woman explained. “She said she was told to come here. That her boys would be safe, to be taken by two guardians.”

Seth looked up. “Really?” He looked at me. “Why would Demetrius tell her that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know he did. But, of course, we will.” I knelt down, turning Toby’s face to me. “I’ll be right back.”

The boy, again I couldn’t tell if he understood, but he was fine.

I went with the woman into the other room. The girl was indeed very young. Blonde. I couldn’t escape them. But she was deathly pale and she had been through a rough delivery. She looked up from the baby that wasn’t latching on to her breast. Seeing a young woman’s breast didn’t bother me. I felt nothing at all.

“Are you one of the ones taking Toby and Dennis?” She asked me.

I sat on the bedside. “Who told you we were?”

She smiled. “Well, this nice old lady on the way here, told me there were two guardians that would take care of them.”

I looked at the newborn only a few minutes to an hour old. Dark hair matted still with the fluids that came with birth. “So, this is Dennis.” I smiled at her. “Toby is fine with…” I hesitated. “…my husband.”

She smiled. She didn’t frown hearing I had a husband. That was encouraging. “Toby’s deaf.”

I nodded. “That’s okay. I’ve dealt with those that are deaf before. In the limited form, but I’m familiar with them. He’s very perceptive.”

She nodded, smiling after she heard that. “He’s learning to read lips and he can understand most of what I say. He’s very bright.”

I nodded. “I can tell.” Then I took a deep breath. “Understand. You’re very sick.”

She nodded. “I know. I’m going to see Tom.” She smiled. “That what I called my Thomas, it was my husband’s name.”

I grinned. “Thomas is my nephew’s name, too. Good name.”

“My name is Sarah.” She shook her head. “I knew this was going to happen.” She said sadly. “We were told another birth was very dangerous after Toby. And that it would probably kill me.” She smiled. “I guess it did.” Then she looked at me. “You believe in the afterlife, right?”

I nodded. “Absolutely,” I said with confidence. “God created a wonderful world, but I know we are more than just animals that know they’re just animals. I’ve seen some amazing things, all of which tell me there is so much more. I’m Erik. Seth is my husband.”

Now she was smiling even more. “You’re Prince Erik? And your husband is King Seth!?”

I gave a shrugging nod. “Well, yes…although Seth is no longer king.”

She had tears coming out of her eyes. “But he was king! And you both are the royal members of the royal family that owns Royal Valley vineyard and winery.” She closed her eyes as she was giving thanks to…God? “This is wonderful! I never dreamed…” she put her hand on my arm. “Please take my sons. They will be good men, I promise. They’ll be good boys.”

I nodded. “They will be Seth’s and my sons,” I assured her. “We will love them. I think Toby is working his magic on Seth now. Seth and I love children. Seth has a charm with them.” I laughed lightly, but this whole thing was sad.

“Can I see him? Toby?” She asked.

“Of course.” I nodded. “I’ll bring him and Seth in here to meet you, okay?”

She nodded.

I went back to the other room, where I was delighted that the Seth charm was working on Toby who was laughing at Seth because of something.

“I think Toby needs to say goodbye to his mother,” I said to only Seth.

Seth looked up sadly. “So, she is dying.”

I nodded. “But she knew before, so…”

Seth smiled at Toby. “We need to go see your mom.” Toby looked at me.

Seth rose and carried Toby as I led them to the room where Dennis and Sarah were. Sarah smiled at her other son.

“Sarah, this is my husband Seth.”

“It’s an honor to meet you.” She greeted Seth as he brought Toby over as Seth put him beside Sarah. “Hey, Sweetie.” She said holding her arms out to take Toby. She was smiling while tears were coming down. She hugged her son. “I don’t know what you’ll understand.” She said to him clearly. “I have to go see your daddy.”

He understood that. His face lit up.

“No.” She shook her head. “You can’t see him yet. I don’t want to, but I have to leave.” Then she pointed at Seth and me. “These two men are taking care of you from now on. They will be your daddies. And they are going to love you as much as I do.” She assured. Then she hugged Toby but made sure he could see her face. “I love you, baby. I will always love you. You will not see me, but I’ll be watching you. I promise.”

But Sarah was weak, very weak and it was just a few hours and she was gone.