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Maiden by Decree: Epilogue
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“The governess to see you, your Majesty.” Sestalphas informed Deirdre and she could well see the man was barely holding back his amusement. “She says it is urgent.”
After signing the document she had been reading, Deirdre gave her secretary a probing look. “What have they done now?”
“I have no idea, your Majesty.” The man blandly answered. “The Lady Violet is barely coherent at the moment.”
“Don’t bother sending her in, I’m coming.” The Queen of Jhalmar told him as she rose from behind her desk and almost glided to the door.
“I believe that would be a good idea, your Majesty.” Sestalphas was smirking now.
“They are your god children, Sestalphas.” She gave him a pointed look. “One of these times I just might let you take care of a problem.”
“An event that would likely prove to be very enteretaining, your Majesty.” The man answered then barely suppressed a chuckle.
“Gods, what have they done now?” Deirdre questioned the ceiling knowing that her secretary wasn’t going to tell her.
“Central courtyard.” He told her. “Fountain.”
Deirdre pointedly ignored her secretary’s muffled chortles as she smiled at the fifth governess they’d had within the past year as she took the young woman’s arm gently and left the antechamber to her offices.
“What have those hellions done now, Violet?” She questioned, noting that the young woman showed no signs of having been tied up, or abused in any way other than her being wet.
“I am sooo sorry, your Majesty!” Violet let the words rush out. “They ignored every word I said, I swear on the gods I did my best to restrain them!”
“Peace, Lady Violet.” Deirdre shook her head. “I know my children. Just tell me what they’ve gotten into this time.”
“The — the fountain, your Majesty.” The girl managed to choke out.
“Ahh, and just what are they doing in the fountain, Lady Violet?”
“Fighting, your Majesty.”
Once the ladies emerged into the central courtyard of the palace, Deirdre noted the presence of sergeants Savar and Hemish.
“Why are you two just standing around?” She questioned the men.
“We were just preparing to step in, your Majesty.” Savar answered with a smoothness he had learned over the past years.
“Aye, your Majesty.” Hemish agreed. “Things have been a bit confused over the past few minutes.”
Giving a fond look to the leaders of her personal guard, Deirdre laughed. “Admit it you two. You’ve been enjoying this and didn’t want to stop it.”
“Well, they really aren’t hurting each other, your Majesty.” Savar defended himself and his long-time friend.
“I seem to recall giving you both permission to spank them if they really misbehaved.” Deirdre answered while looking at the thrashing screaming and giggling mess in the center of the fountain.
“But, your Majesty.” Hemish gave her half guilty look. “They are having so much fun.”
“I noticed.” Deirdre nodded with a sigh.
Deridre reached the edge of the fountain and watched the pair rolling around in the water for a few breaths then raised her voice just enough to get the miscreant’s attention. “Evaine! Cedric!”
The twins recognized the ‘mama voice’ in her tones and stopped long enough to give their mother a half guilty look before resuming their mayhem on each other.
“Don’t make me come in there to get you.” Deirdre threatened.
“Your Majesty!” Violet was appalled as Deirdre lifted her skirts and stepped up to the raised tiles around the fountain.
“I’ve been in there before, Lady Violet.” The queen reassured her children’s governess.
“But it is unseemly for you to do this!”
Deridre gave the bedraggled, still wet and dripping form of the governess an impatient look. “Would you rather go get them? Let me handle them, they’re my children.”
Before anyone else could protest, Deirdre stepped into the pool and started wading towards the two rowdies in the center of it. “You two stop this NOW!”
That demand from a queen who terrified hardened warriors had no effect at all on the pair of children wrestling and squealing as the fountain poured water over them.
“That’s it!” Deirdre growled as she moved forward to catch each miscreant by their necks and pull them apart. “What is it this time?”
Evaine, a miniature image of her mother gave her brother a dark look and piped. “Ced said girls can’t fight!”
Deirdre sighed and took her son’s chin in a gentle hand. “Cedric, do you really think that?”
“No mama.” The boy, with her piercing blue eyes and his father’s cornflower hair admitted.
“So what was this all about?”
“I don’t know, mama.” The boy mumbled.
“Cedric…”
The four year old caught the hint of menace and a spanking in his mother’s tone of voice and shrugged. “I wanted to play in the water and she wouldn’t.”
“So you made your sister mad enough to follow you into the pool?”
“No mama!” The child answered. “She pulled me into the water.”
“Evaine?”
“I just wanted to show him that girls CAN fight, mama.” The little girl responded.
“We’ll talk about this later.” The queen told her children. “Now why don’t we all go home and get into some dry clothes?”
She stopped them as they left the pool and gave her son a mother look. “Fish, Cedric. Put them back now.”
The boy sighed, then pulled two gold fish from a pocket and gently set them back in the pool.
“Other pocket, my beloved son.”
With a put upon sigh, the boy produced another goldfish and placed it back in the pool. “That’s all I have mama, honest.”
“Evaine.” Deirdre looked at her daughter.
“Yes mama?” The little girl gave her mother an innocent look.
“Fish. Back in Pond. Now.”
“Oh, all right.” The little girl sighed while taking several of the finny creatures from a pocket in her apron and setting them back in the pool.
“Now, let’s go home my darlings.” Deirdre took a hand of each child and led them out of the fountain pool. “We will discuss this once we are all in dry clothes.”
The king emerged from a side passage to watch his family leaving the area and shook his head. Mother always threatened me with having a child like I was. But she never considered having a child like my wife.”
Garret chuckled and followed the wet trail his wife and children had left on the way to the royal apartments.
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Comments
Bravo
Short, sweet, and very, very amusing. Good luck to Dierdre, having to put up with two miniature versions of herself, lol. Great job, Maggie. I look forward to seeing what you put up next.
-Korran
A fitting epilogue to the story
A fitting epilogue to the story. I think the Kingdom will be safe for at least another generation when those two grow up!
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
Goldfish and Fountains
The sound of experience with the goldfish and the fountain just proves once again that our Deirdre is a very special Queen. I just knew her children would be a handful and more.
The epilogue of this story, but the prologue of the next.
Thanks Maggie.
As always,
Dru
As always,
Dru
Water Fights
Hurray! I was looking forward to a water fight in the last chapter but you covered it very well in the epilogue.
Thanks, Maggie! I loved it.
- Terry
re: maiden by decree
lovely ending for this story. should be exciting to see where this leads us.
robert
GREAT
Epilogue* !!! LOL
* I always thought this was a device for removing bark from French dryads' limbs. (Epilog for English ones)
BE a lady!
Laughing
Worse curse than "interesting times" - may you have a child just like you...
Epilog????
This has to be the Prologue to a NEW Series about Deirdre and her family... otherwise I'm going to hold my breath until I turn BLUE!! SO THERE!!!
LOL
Zip
The perfect Epilogue to a
The perfect Epilogue to a great story!
Maiden by Decree Epilogue
Now that there are three hellions, the kingdom is in very good if active hands. Why am I thinking about Luke and Leia from Star Wars?
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Grande Romp
Great people, terrific story and enough dangling feelers for a follow on, what more could we ask for. Great work Maggie.
Kristina
Why do I get the impression
that life around the old palace is never going to be boring?
A very entertaining saga, Maggie; a wonderful mixture of hiatus and hilarity.
Susie
Foolish Me
At the end of Chapter 30 I had asked what Maggie was going to do next, not knowing she had this lovely piece up her sleeve. I should have known better.
Wonderful and charming, a perfect way to end a perfect little, (Little?), story.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear Maggie.
Okay, enough with the saddle soap. Whatcha gonna do for us now, eh?
Nancy Cole
"You may be what you resolve to be."
T.J. Jackson
Well
At least we know that little whatevers tend to grow up! ^_^
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Darn it
I would have given a lot to be a fly on the wall as Deidre was in the middle of labor giving birth to these darlings ;)
Still, it is a wonderful dessert after a great meal!
Kim
Chickens have come home to roost
That is one of my father's sayings. ROFL
Did I see some very subtle Bill Cosby references? I almost expected one of the mages to say that the Mother's Curse works. And the whole "I don't know" thing is a symptom that all children have brain damage.
But, could we expect Dierdre's kids to be any different?
Thank you for the great story. I love the way you weave light-hearted humor into your stories without losing the drama or making them absurd.
Huzzas again!
I can't say anything more than what's already been said, Maggie, other than I wonder just *who* was going to be the target of a goldfish drop?
I will say that these two are exactly like their mum, and I can't wait to read the further adventures of Queen Dierdre and King Garret
Like mother...
...like child!
So we now know that Deirdre's children will be a pair of hellions, just like her. It'll be interesting to see if Ilene or Mina give birth - Mina's children in particular would probably give Cedric and Evaine a run for their money...
...needless to say, the courtyard goldfish may well evolve to scarper whenever they see any humans approaching their fountain :)
EAFOAB Episode Summaries
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Luck!
I found this on which I'd missed during my moving. I can't say how much I've enjoyed this wonderful novel length adventure. The humor and heart are beyond compare! The epilogue was as it should be and left smiling. Great, and yet sweet!
Hugs!
Grover
I Repeat
Truly one of Maggie's best. A totally complete story with so many twists, turns and quips.
As always,
Dru
As always,
Dru
Great Story.
Good writing, Great plot, Loved the humor and wished it didn't have to end. Can't wait for the sequel...
i've enjoyed this story the
i've enjoyed this story the 2nd time around and it has never lost its lustre. This is and will always be a classic in my view, with lovable characters and a beautiful narrative. I love it!
I hate it when a great story comes to the end. BooHoo.
Hi Maggie,
I love this story, you said you needed a break, you've had your break. Time for more.
Come to think of it, I love most of your stories. But this is special.
Chris
Just finished reading the story Maggie and
I have to say that this is one very well written story and I loved and enjoyed reading every word of it. I truly hope that your muse will inspire you to one day share with us, your avid readers, the continuing adventures and miss-adventures of Deirdre, Garret, the twins and all of the other lovable characters in this story. BTW: this story had me laughing and crying several times while I was reading it. Specially crying during the wedding scene. But then I do tend to cry at weddings.
My your muse continue to bless you with marvelous stories.
Hugs,
Tamara Jeanne
Wonderful
Amazing adventure with enough cliff hangers and wonderful characters. Bravo hugs Jackie Anna
Anticipating more.
Wonderful, Maggie!
I was reminded of this story when someone else commented on a chapter yesterday. I thought I'd read a chapter before turning out the light. I finished about 5am. I'd forgotten just how much fun it was! Thanks again for this wonderful tale!
BTW: I don't know if it came up in a comment, I read only a few of them but, when Deidre started calling Garret "Sirra" and later "Sirrah", did you know the meaning of those forms of address? ;-)
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
In nine years, I've probably
In nine years, I've probably read this story at least once a year. I hope that you (Maggie) are doing well, and maybe eventually will come back to this story.
I just can't see Dierdre only having the one pregnancy. It just seems like with the way everything was set up, she'd be fruitful and multiply :) Mind you, at this point, she's probably only 22 years old or so. (16 when this started, two years for lead up to marriage and pregnancy length, then four years added to that for the age of the children).
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Great fantasy story!
At first i didn't think i would like this one, it seemed like a little boring if different forced feminisation story.
Something I'm not a fan of.
But since someone recommended it to me i wanted to give it a chance, so i kept reading past the first chapter.
And it didn't take very long for my impression to change:)
Deirdre's adventures and antics makes a great fantasy story that is a lot of fun to read. It is silly at times(in a good way), pretty cute, funny, strong, exciting, i dare to say epic and it is a beautiful love story on top of it all.
Simply loved it:)
Excellent!
Someone mentioned this story to me recently and I started reading it a while ago, I just finished and waited until now to comment on the story as a whole. It is hard to add anything to excellent, but I will say that I laughed and even cried a bit at this story, so I'll add it to the list of classics I keep, not that given Maggie's other writing there ever was much doubt!
I particularly like the epilogue,
it sums up this romp very well. What a lovely funny, breathtaking story.
Monique.
Monique S
Yay
I started reading this somewhere else but it stopped... so I searched and found it here.
Thank you for the lovely story.
Kaetii
Yay
I started reading this somewhere else but it stopped... so I searched and found it here.
Thank you for the lovely story.
Kaetii
One thing I don't understand
Those two were so busy shoving goldfish into their pockets how did they have any time left to fight? True multi-taskers!
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
This remains a classic!
I've read this story at least once/year, and it's wonerful every time! RIP, Maggie.