Author's Note: Sometimes I feel bad about writing short chapters. Other times, I feel that if a certain chapter was any longer, it would be a drag. I don't know.
***
They figured it out within a few hours.
On that embarrassing night when both Vidar and Muriel had been heavily drunk, they must have gone to each other, missing each other, loving each other. And although they had tried to have another sire a child with the Princess Consort, stupid luck tripped all over them, and that princess had given birth to a child that was certainly of Vidar's blood.
The process of giving birth had turned out to be fairly simple. Muriel was unharmed. After looking back on Vidar's worries, Muriel decided that he was completely in the right. He had only been thinking of her survival. He had done the right thing.
But now that they had what they didn't think they could have, a healthy child and a healthy mother, well, they both secretly agreed to never hire that blond man ever again.
Princess Arya held the child and murmured grandmotherly words against his cheek. Later, she whispered to Muriel, "You took a dangerous risk, but I'm happy to see the results."
The tiny prince was given the name Artair. He was easily irritated, but also easily calmed. He was a wiggling, kicking, loud thing with four curious hands, and Muriel loved every bit of him.
Once, Vidar carefully put the child to his face and smiled. It was an odd sight. Vidar's head was longer than Artair's whole body. The little baby wasn't frightened of him. He was too young to understand ugliness, or that was what Muriel assumed. In fact, Vidar often spoke to the boy with happy words, so the little prince was already learning that this "big weird thing" wasn't a threat, but a source of amusement instead.
Muriel's family came to coo at the child. Her sisters didn't agree to hold him, since he was such a peculiar little thing, but Glen Devin didn't care. He laughed and kissed the boy, and he said, "My Ferret has a little hob! A hobbie baby kit!"
Soon, it was time to present the little prince to the Royal Court.
Little Artair was wrapped in black silk with golden embroidery and hanging tassels. With his mother holding him carefully, he was slowly taken down the center of the throne room. Vidar was on Muriel's right. Princess Arya was on Muriel's left. A new person, a hired nanny/wet-nurse named Teresa, was behind them, just in case she was needed to help out with the baby.
They respectfully greeted the king. Then Muriel stepped forward and held the child out.
King Thorvaldo stepped down to her level and took the infant prince from her groomed hands. The king's gray eyes bulged as he peeked under the blanket to see his grandson's body. Then he looked down at Muriel with a shrinking mouth and reddening cheeks.
Muriel demurely smiled.
The king shrugged and addressed he court, loudly introducing the prince to everyone. Then, after everyone gave Artair their bows and curtsies, he was given back to his mother.
Later on, while Artair was being kept in a room with the wet-nurse, Muriel, Princess Arya, and Vidar had some tea with King Thorvaldo on the veranda near the pretty pond. The king was noticeably distant, and not in a physical way, but in an emotional way. He didn't look at Vidar's face, but rather, chose to look roughly in the middle of his body. Muriel couldn't blame him. Even she felt some disquiet on occasion when looking at poor Vidar. Regardless, the king listened to all of Vidar's concerns, and there weren't any dour disagreements.
When that meeting was finished, the trio left the king and went off to socialize the best they could. Most people in the palace didn't want to go out of their way to be close to Vidar, and Vidar didn't want to use his status to force anyone into a conversation. So, the trio mostly wandered around, sadly searching for a pair of willing eyes.
Eventually, they were in a tall and wide hall of gilded mirrors, painted wall panels, and nearly reflective marble flooring. The people there, as few as there were, tensed up the moment Vidar entered, and they intensified their own conversations as if to make him feel loath to interrupt them.
Princess Arya kept her head high as she sat herself on a wide bench, her skirts taking up all the spaces in the piece of furniture. She looked up at Muriel and smiled, although her eyes were tired. "We're in such a blessed state, dear Muriel. Don't ever forget to show your gratitude."
"Yes Madam," Muriel said with a nod. "I have far too many people to thank for my status."
Just then, she noticed Princess Arya's eyes touch something that might have been above Muriel's shoulder, but it was difficult to tell at that moment. "Oh, Emil," the mother said, "have you come to greet this little slice of family?"
Muriel turned to curtsy to Prince Emil. She saw Vidar give him a slight bow. Even when attending the Royal Court, Vidar kept his ordinary clothing. He had been excused from all expectations in that regard. He even had on his mask of loose fabric to save everyone the annoyance of seeing his distorted features. He was an obvious opposite to his fashionable, glamorous, and handsome older brother.
"A good morning to everyone," Prince Emil said with a very fast bow. He smiled at Muriel. It seemed to her that he didn't want to address Vidar. "I owe this couple a present now that they have a little one. What sort of present would you accept?"
Muriel nodded and gave him her best smile, tightly packing her disgust away. "Any gift you send would be appreciated, Your Highness."
With a brash grin, Prince Emil tilted his head and said, "I must admit a terrible error on my part. When I heard you were with child, I dared to imagine you must not have been loyal to my brother, but when you presented that little boy to my father, and we saw his ... unique charms ... well, I was highly relieved. I hope you can forgive me."
Muriel didn't let anyone else speak. She immediately responded, and she did so with the hopes that everyone in the hall would hear her. "Oh Sir! You are certainly forgiven!"
Prince Emil loudly clapped his hands together and said, "Poor, dear lady! So many must pity you. After all, in order to provide an heir, many cruel people would assume you sacrificed your own happiness."
"I'm not as sharp as you, Your Highness," Muriel said, ignoring Vidar's concerned hand slithering onto her arm. "I can't say I understand your meaning."
"Oh, don't force me to say it in front of all these people!" The tone of Prince Emil's voice, and the sweeping gesture he made with his well ringed hand, suggested that he wanted all those people to hear him. "It should be well implied."
She heard Princess Arya's skirts rustle as she got up from her seat. "Little Boy, I know you aren't trying to embarrass this new princess, and so your intentions are a mystery." There were thrusting needles hidden in her voice, seeking out anything dangerous.
Muriel decided to fake a startled gasp, holding her folding fan before her lips. It was the beautiful one that the king had given her. "Oh, do people assume I wasn't happy to help my husband provide an heir?" She closed her fan, slapped it onto her palm, and put on a mischievous smile. "I will admit, and publicly so, that something fascinating happened during our marriage." She turned back towards her mother-in-law and said, "I'd rather not say it in front of you, Dear Madam. It could be interpreted as distasteful."
"Perhaps one shouldn't be distasteful in the palace?" That was Vidar. His voice wafted down to her bejeweled hair as gently as cool mist.
Muriel shook her head. Then she noted how everyone else in the hall seemed to be looking at her, waiting for her next words. "Our dignified Princess Arya should cover her ears." She gave said princess a mildly pouty look. "Please? Oh please, Madam?"
Princess Arya's dark eyebrows rose, but she smirked, put her palms to her ears, and looked away.
Muriel patted Vidar's hand, and then she turned back to face Prince Emil. Very cheerfully, she said for everyone to hear, "I learned that Vidar's many hands are extremely useful. When one considers this, it makes sense that he's able to keep a wife for more than six months!"
At first, she thought that Vidar had coughed, but she soon understood that he had laughed and he was trying to hide it. She did hear, however, legitimate giggles from Princess Arya. She had seemed to hear Muriel even with covered ears.
A muscle in Prince Emil's cheek twitched, and then he nodded as his smile disappeared. He bowed and said with false cheer, "Oh, that's so wonderful to hear. I'm glad to know my brother found happiness in this world." He gave a civil goodbye then, and he left the hall with a darkening face.
Muriel happily sighed at all the whispered gossip that the other elites were sharing. Then she leaned into Vidar and tenderly said to him, "Now everyone will have no choice but to use their imagination."
Yet, even so, as they left the hall and continued wandering around, the trio heard gossip completely different from what they had expected.
The buzzing words their ears caught were frightening.
"A lovely woman, so endearing and brave."
