Breagadoir was enjoying some more time with his beloved Harlequin.
And Sotal was with...someone other than his wife.
The Countess had her suspicions that Sotal was being unfaithful, so she started with the most likely suspect.
They had a nice, honest heart-to-heart talk,
and the maid knew nothing of Sotal being with anyone but the Countess. Just as she was feeling that, perhaps, these were just hormonal feelings of jealousy, her husband came home.
"My love," he greeted her, "why aren't you in bed resting? You know our glorious bundle of joy will arrive soon."
"I was just waiting for you to come home," she told him. "And by the way, if you cheat on me, I'll go straight for your jugular."
"Cheat on you?" Sotal asked, with a tone that sounded both incredulous and mildly terrified, "How could I ever cheat on you? You're all the woman I could ever need."
"Yes," she replied. "I am." And off they went to bed.
In the midst of some restful slumber,
the Countess awoke to some sharp pains: the baby was coming.
"You will
not sleep through this," she warned her husband.
"Yes, dear," her husband quickly agreed, "whatever you want, my precious darling."
They briefly considered going to the hospital, but the Countess decided she would follow through with their plans for a home birth.
"Yes, my love," was Sotal's only response to her sudden changing of the mind. But shortly thereafter,
the Countess was speaking to someone else.
"Thank goodness you're finally
out of me!" she said to the newborn baby girl.
Sotal, meanwhile, was wondering how displeased his father would be that Ahna had been born human rather than elven. At least she was a witch. Maybe that would redeem her to him. Sotal then tried to settle back in for some rest while his wife put the newborn baby in her crib,
but then he had to wake up as it was feeding time. Not for the baby.
Her strength recovered, the Countess went back to work...within an hour of giving birth to her first child.
Sotal also went back to work and revealed his new work outfit.
And Bregadoir and Harlequin had never really
stopped working...
