Amelia - Chapter Thirty Two

"You are so cute. Prince James gave you such a pretty name. I think it suits you well." she told the baby. 

She then placed the baby in the cradle and left the room.

The wizard picks up Amelia to take a look at her. "Well, she looks just like you and James, but I'm not too sure if it would be wise to test any potions on her while she's this little. I want to observe her and take some samples to run more tests," the wizard told the queen."Yes, I agree. I think she is too young to test the potions on. I want you to still test the others, but let her get a bit bigger before we move forward with her." Kristen replied.

The wizard placed Amelia back in her cradle. They both left and headed down the corridor and out of sight. James was so curious about the little baby that his mom and the wizard were so interested in. He snuck in and peered over at the cute little baby his mom let him name. She smiled up at him. You look just like me." James told little Amelia. James heard someone outside the door and hid behind the curtain.

One of the queen's ladies came in and gave the baby something to eat. When she was done, she placed her back into the cradle and left the room. James came out from behind the curtain, and once everyone was gone, he waved goodbye to the baby, and then he darted out the door. 

Later that evening, James and one of the little girls were playing outside when they heard a baby crying. James and the little girl snuck up to the wizard's window and peered in.

They watched as the wizard looked through the stuff on his table while little Amelia lay in a cradle, crying.

She cried and cried, kicking her feet and thrashing around. James watched to see what was making the baby cry. "I wonder what he's doing to her? It's not nice to make a baby cry. I never make her cry. She always smiles and makes funny noises when I play with her," James told the girl.

Finally, out of frustration, the wizard turned around while holding his ears. "Stop crying!" he shouted.  

He finished what he was doing and got the baby situated. Eventually, little Amelia gave in and quit crying. The wizard got what he needed from her and summoned one of the ladies to come and get her so he could rest his ears.

William was outside with all the kids while they played in the starlight. All the kids seemed to be having fun, and he loved to see his son so happy.

James chased the girls around, playing like he was a monster, and the girls squealed as they ran. That was one of their favorite games to play.

Amelia had gotten bigger, and one of the ladies was carrying her. James ran up to her. "Wait, I want to see my Amelia," James told her as he looked up at the cute little girl that used to be so tiny and small.

"Put her down so I can play with her," he demanded. "But I'm not sure if your parents want you to," she told James. "I don't care; she's my little Amelia." he insisted.

She placed her down, and Amelia began to crawl across the floor.

James sat down in front of her and began to talk to her like he used to when she was little and in her cradle.

Amelia was fascinated with James. She began to giggle and laugh at James when he made faces at her.

She went over to the block table and began to play with the blocks.

James sat down beside her and started to pile up the blocks to show her how to make something.

"Look, Amelia, stack them like this; you can do it. We can make a little house." James told her as he started stacking.

The wizard was hard at work, trying to find a cure. He went through all his books and examined all the samples he had collected from all those who had the curse.

After going through them all and looking at Amelia's samples, he found something in his book that actually might work. However, he had to make sure before he could give it to the queen or James.

The wizard meets with the queen to tell her the news."I must go to the other two and test one of them with this potion. It will determine if it will work," he explains to the queen."I will, in good faith, let one of the girls go back to persuade them to take the potion. I want to keep my word, but one will stay until their curse is cured. Take the little girl with you and the potion, and once you have the results report back to me." she told the wizard.  

James finds his mother in the banquet hall."Mommy, I want to ask you something. I have a request and want to have your permission on something." James told his mom."You know I will do my best to make you happy. What is it that you want?" she asked. "Well, I want to keep Amelia in the castle with me. I want her to share my room with me and for the wizard to not do anything bad to her? he responded confidently. "Well, that's quite a big request. Do you realize what your asking? You will be responsible for her if we agree to this. But I will not make any promises right now. I will have to talk it over with your father." she replied.

Sometime later, the queen arrived in James's room, where the kids were playing. "I want you to know that your sister has been returned to your parents. If all goes well, you will join them soon," she told the little girl.

Once the queen left the room, the little girl was excited but sad at the same time. "I wish they would have chosen me to go. I will miss them dearly," she told James.

"It will be alright. I think they know me and that you are a good friend, and I wanted you to stay a bit longer. You will go back to them really soon." James told her as he gave her a big hug."You are my best friend. I will miss you when I go," she told him.

Meanwhile, James loved to play with Amelia. He spent a lot of time with her. Amelia would giggle and laugh when James came to play with her. He was growing quite attached to her.

Kara's Pregnancy - Chapter Thirty-One

The girls were released from the dungeon and even allowed to play with the prince to keep him company while he was indoors during the daytime. They all seemed to get along, and the prince loved having friends to play with.

When it became night, the kids would go outside to play. They loved to play with the horses while they were in the field. "Do you like it here?" James asked one of the little girls. "Yes, I do, but I must admit, I miss my family," she replied to James. "I'm sure you will see them very soon," James told her.

The girls were given their own rooms with two beds, a toy box, and some toys.

The girls seemed to settle in more after being in the dungeon for so long and the loss of their family.

Meanwhile, Kara missed her girls and thought of them often. She was always scared that the wizard or the queen would go back on their word about the girl's safety. All she could do was stay positive for her girls and do what she was told in hopes that they would keep their word. As the days passed, she was now certain that she was pregnant. This was a step closer to being reunited with her girls.

"I'm sure now that I'm with child. I'm beginning to show and have all the signs of being pregnant," she told Beth."This is good news. I will send word to the queen of your progress. She will be very happy. I will also find out how your girls are doing." Beth told her.

"This brings back many memories of when you were pregnant with our girls. I know you miss them so much. We will see them again once you give them what they want. I wonder what this child is?" he asked Kara curiously. "I don't even think of it as a baby. We will not see it grow and must put it out of our thoughts. It probably won't even live long with that wizard, or he might actually find a cure for all of us." she replied sadly.

Kara enjoyed being outside and spotted a little ladybug on one of the leaves of a flower. She picked it up and thought about how her girls loved to catch them and put them into tiny jars to bring home.

"I have received news from the queen. She is thrilled about the news of your pregnancy and replied that your girls are doing well. She allows them to play with her son, James, and they have their own rooms in the castle. They are allowed to play outside and are being treated very well." Beth told Mark and Kara. "I'm so happy to hear that they are doing well," Kara replied, comforted by the response.

This pregnancy was much harder on her than the others had been, and she constantly found herself very tired. She rested as much as possible.

When she wasn't sleeping, Kara tried to relax as much as possible and would read to pass the time.

She would stare out the window, wondering what her girls were doing at that same moment. She had never been away from them for this long. Now that she was getting closer to delivering this baby, she became more and more anxious to see them again. 

Kara's water broke, and the pain began. Mark ran to get Beth so she could help Kara with the delivery of the baby.

Beth arrived to find Kara in a lot of pain. A few hours passed, and it was time for the baby to be delivered. With the last few pushes, the baby was born.

Kara wrapped the baby in a blanket and cuddled the baby to her chest.

Beth gently took the baby and placed it in a cradle and then attended to Kara. Once settled, she checked on the baby. "A little girl, you are a cute one," Beth said to the sleepy little baby. She prepared a carriage to take the baby to the queen. Beth felt sorry for Kara, knowing how painful this must be for her. All she wanted now was to reunite Kara with her girls to help heal her broken heart. 

The baby was healthy and seemed to have the characteristics of the same curse that befell the queen and her son. This is what they had hoped would happen. It proved that it was possible to get a baby with the same curse and that Mark and Kara were the same as the queen. Now they were a step closer to finding a cure.

"You and your husband are to stay here while I take the baby to court. I will ask when your girls are to be returned to you. If the queen agrees, I will be bringing them back with me." Beth told them."When you see them, tell them I love them and will see them soon," Kara told Beth. "I will. Take care of yourself. I shall return," Beth replied.

Beth reached into the tiny cradle to pick up the baby to take it with her.

As Beth headed out of the room, she could hear Kara begin to cry. 

"Don't cry, my love. We will be with our girls again. This child, you must forget. Think of it as if it had never existed." Mark said as he tried to console her."I know, but this child is a part of us, and now, this will be another child that has been taken away," Kara said as she sobbed. "I know, but you must not think of it this way," Mark responded as he took Kara into his arms and hugged her tight.  

Beth took the baby to one of the queen's ladies. The lady took the baby into the throne room, where the queen was waiting."This is the child that you have requested, my queen." The lady took the baby to the queen so she could get a better look. "I see it appears to have the same curse. Is the child otherwise in good health?" the queen asked."Yes, it seems to be quite healthy," she replied. "So, what gender is the baby?" the queen asked. "It's a girl," she replied. The queen then looked over at James. "So what shall we name this baby?" she asked him. "Well, I like the name Amelia," he says. "Ok then, she will be known as Amelia. Take her to the nursery and tend to her needs until I decide what to do with her." the queen ordered.

A New Plan - Chapter Thirty

The mother was very depressed and seemed to lose hope that she and her girls would survive another day. After losing one of her daughters, she feared that it would only be a matter of time before her other two girls would be taken by this wizard's schemes to please the queen.

After some time passed, the husband returned to find his family missing. When he came to court to ask for help, the queen realized that the family he was searching for was in her dungeon. So to keep things quiet and not be so cruel, they put the man in the dungeon to be reunited with his family. The queen hated what had happened to one of the kids, so she wanted to do something that would ease the family's stress. 

Before he was united back with his family, the wizard gave him some water to drink....or so he thought. He began to feel a warm sensation spread all over his body.

He was then struck with horrible pain all over his body. He had never felt this much pain in his entire life. A cloud of red smoke surrounded him and began to fill the cell.

A few minutes passed, which felt like an eternity, the smoke disappeared, and the man felt different. The pain had stopped, and he looked down to see his hands did not look the same. His skin looked pale and had a bit of a glow to it. Before he can try to figure out what had just happened to him, the cell door swings open.

There was her true love. Her sweet husband and the father of her children. She rushed to him only to realize they had gotten to him first. He was given the potion that had changed her earlier. 

"I have been looking everywhere for you and the girls! What have they been doing to you, and what did they do to me?" he asks her."I do not know for sure what they are doing. This wizard had been experimenting with us," she replies.

After a moment, he pulled away from his wife and looked around. "Where's our other daughter?" he asks. "I told you they were experimenting with us. I feel it has something to do with the queen's condition. They have a new wizard trying to find a cure, and we are the ones they have chosen to try these potions on. She was the first of our girls to take the potion. It worked on me, but when she took it," she paused and took a deep breath. "She... died from it. It was a very quick death," she tells him in a small whisper. She pulled him close and let him hide his tears from his other daughters. In a soft whisper, "I will get revenge. They will suffer for what they have done."

The queen summoned the guards to bring the lady from the dungeon.

 "I want you to do this for me, and I will have mercy on your girls. I will let them out of the dungeon and set up rooms for them in the castle until you have completed what I ask of you." the queen explains.

"You and your husband are to go and stay in one of the country houses I have prepared for you. There you will get pregnant and stay until you deliver the baby. If you fail to do this, I will have no mercy for you or your family. I will let the wizard test the potion out on and will let the wizard continue his experiments on you and your daughters. So will you do this?" she asks her. "I will do anything for my family. If you keep my girls safe, I will give you anything," she replies without hesitation.

She was then taken, along with her husband, from the castle, and her girls stayed at the castle just like the queen had promised. There was one lady there to take care of her needs. "I'm Beth, and I will be with you through the whole process. I will report your progress to the queen regularly. So what are your names so I will know what to call you?" Beth asks them."My name is Kara, and this is my husband, Mark," she replies. 

She then left them alone. Kara and Mark sat on the bed and talked for a long time. "I can't believe they are making us do this. We will give them this monster, and hopefully, they will let us leave with our girls. We just need to make sure we don't get attached to it." he tells her. "I don't want another child, but only to keep my girls safe. I will do whatever I need to do," she tells Mark.

Once the decision was made, it didn't take them long to get started. They were happy to be together again but had to make sure they succeeded in what the queen wanted for the sake of their girls.

She missed her girls desperately but enjoyed being with her husband again. It was a beautiful house, and she was allowed to go outside for a bit after the sun went down. Beth did regular exams to look for any signs of pregnancy. Weeks had passed, and there was still no sign of pregnancy. Everyone was on edge, knowing the queen was not patient. 

Another week passed, and Kara became sick to her stomach. Even though this was a good sign that she was with child, it was scary and sad at the same time.

Not long after, she began to throw up all the time. She had a hard time keeping anything down.

After a little while, she began to feel much better, and she was sure that the days were counting down to being united with their children again.

Beth noticed Kara was getting sick every morning and was sure she was pregnant, but it was still too soon to tell. She would wait to make sure before she told the queen.

Kara woke to an awful pain. She was cramping and very sick. Mark feared that Kara was losing the baby. Beth ordered Kara to stay in bed until they knew that she was either losing a baby or that she suffered from some other ailment and was not due to the pregnancy.

Meanwhile, in the castle dungeon, the girls had heard that their parents were sent away for a bit and that they were to stay in the castle. James managed to sneak down and tell the girls that they were to have their own rooms and that they would be able to play together all the time. This gave them hope, but they missed their parents.