Selfless Love

Misunderstandings

"Dad!!"

"Dad!"

"DAD!!!"

Riftan tensed as he heard his children shouting as they raced down the hall towards the council room. The doors flung open and collided with  the wall with such force that the hinges rattled.

The children bent over for a moment catching their breath. A tense silence nearly choked the room. The children knew better than to interrupt the counsel meeting, unless it was an absolute emergency.

Having somewhat collected themselves the children stood and flinched back slightly as they were met with dozens of pairs of eyes staring at them intently.

"What is it?" Riftan asked, trying his best to keep his tone as even as he could so they wouldn't notice the tension he felt already rising in his chest.

"Mom," Andrew panted out, still a bit winded.

"The baby!" Victoria nearly sobbed.

"They're being attacked!" they shrieked.

For a moment no one dared to breathe.
Those few seconds seemed to stretch on forever.

"Well...come on!" Victoria shouted, quickly losing her patience. She turned towards the door, and her brother followed closely behind her.

The young girl's shout seemed to knock some sense into everyone who had fallen into a worried trance. Truly it was shocking that anyone would dare attack the lady, in her condition, in her own home. No one could believe it. No one wanted to believe it. Victoria's call to action however had brought them out of their brief daze.

Riftan swiftly made his way to the other side of the room ready to follow Andrew and Victoria. Hebaron and the other knights also moved towards the door.

The group moved quickly through the halls of the castle. Not a word was spoken as fear and uncertainty hung in the air like a thick fog.

The children didn't even bother to knock as they entered their parents' room.

"Mom!" they shouted as they ran over to Maxi who slept soundly in a large chair close to the fireplace. The fire bathed the room in warm light but the tranquility brought little comfort to the knights and the children.

She looked peaceful, tucked beneath a soft quilt Rudis and the other maidservants had made for her. Even under the large blanket one could clearly see her large swollen belly. The maester's believed Maxi would give birth in the following month.

As they barged into the room, Riftan already had his sword drawn, ready to defend his wife and unborn child. He had positioned himself slightly behind her chair shielding her from a potential attack from behind while his men gathered in front of her and the children. Though she looked relaxed he was still on edge. His shoulders and back were tense as he tightened his grip on his sword eager to cut down anything that tried to get close to her.

Maxi groaned and stretched lazily as she stirred from her nap. Her eyes fluttered open and she jumped slightly in her seat as she saw her children and half a dozen knights staring at her intently.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly. "Has something happened?"

"Mom," Victoria nearly shouted, "you said you were hurt so we ran to get help as fast as we could."

"What?" Maxi asked, rubbing her tired eyes as though trying to shake off the last of her sleep.

Maxi cleared her throat with a small cough as everyone continued to stare at her as though she were made of glass. She glanced at her son with a questioning look hoping he would provide her some clarity.