Maybe it's All About Timing

We're Back Ch3-Part2

We're Back

Chapter 3

Part 2

"She seems to be on the verge of bursting any day now," the aged handmaid uttered to her longtime confidante in a censorious manner.

"Aye indeed, between thee and me," the other handmaiden whispered in a hushed and secretive tone, "it is said that her witch of a mother was affianced to King Leopold whilst with child by the palace gardener."

"Methinks 'tis not unlikely that the babe is of royal lineage."

"Hush, Carlotta," Johanna uttered in a low voice, "Let us not arouse any more idle talk within the palace. Yet, I cannot deny," she murmured in a barely audible whisper, "the timing does seem peculiar indeed."

"If I recall correctly, 'Twas a great trial for Her Majesty, our beloved Queen Eva, who endured many arduous years before she could gift the King with an heir. May her soul rest in peace."

Both handmaidens paid their respects with a solemn moment of silence for their beloved late Queen.

Then Johanna quipped, "Well, I am most certainly thankful that Snow is with us, for it seems the new young Queen's lineage is rampant with wanton and fruitful women if the rumors of her mother be true."

Both elderly women chuckled simultaneously.

Once Johanna's chuckles had abated, she proclaimed with passion, "Though the King may desire a male heir, our Princess shall always remain the rightful heir to the throne. None of the progeny birthed by this young Queen shall ever displace our beloved Snow White. She is the true heiress of the Kingdom, a born ruler."

"Aye, indeed!" replied Carlotta.

The elderly handmaidens continued to chatter away, as they carefully folded the grand royal linens, completely unaware of the young Queen standing nearby, concealed behind the grand pillar.

Regina turned her back to the pillar and lifted her head, trying to quell the intense emotions that had taken hold of her. Gently, she caressed her swollen abdomen, hoping to soothe her active unborn child, who had been set off by its mother's distress. Tears streamed down her face as she gazed down at her abdomen, the words of the handmaidens reverberating in her mind. She angrily wiped away the tears and spun on her heels, hastening towards her bedchambers as best she could in her current state.

Once Regina was safely in her bedchamber she was greeted by Rainy, who was sitting in a rocking chair knitting a blanket for her unborn child.

"Hello dear, how are you feeling?"

The pregnant young Queen was infuriated by the conversation she overheard between the two lowly handmaidens, and so she had no choice but to unleash her rage onto her very own beloved handmaiden.

"How am I feeling? Well, let's see... To be quite honest, I feel like a whale ready to implode, with constant backaches and swollen feet only adding to my discomfort. Let's not forget that I'm trapped in a loveless marriage with a husband who is older than my father, whom I'm disgusted by every passing day, and a stepdaughter who is nothing but a nuisance. To make matters worse, everyone in the palace seems to have a negative perception of me, based on false rumors they have heard about my mother," Regina paused to take a long, deep breath.

"I certainly don't have the best relationship with my mother, and she's far from a saint, but they have no right to speak lies about her... and I am nothing like her. I refuse to be a reflection of my mother!" Regina exclaimed; her voice slightly raised.