The journey back home was uneventful, and for the most part I spent it keeping an eye on Arn. A pregnant
handmaiden would seem as close to useless in court and the King and Prince would surely want her gone if they
knew. Arn's shame at getting knocked up had made her more reclusive than ever, and it hadn't gone unnoticed.
In desperation I sent a messenger to find Morgana and have her send back word. The witch must have had a plan
and I was sick of not being in the loop.
A few days later our party was nearing our destination, and one morning, as I was holding my sick sisters hair
back a small bird arrived on my shoulder. It took me a moment to notice the scroll it had dropped a few feet
away. It had Morgana's seal holding it shut. I looked back into the eyes of the bird. They were reminiscent of
the young boy I had dispatched earlier in the week. I had suspected the possibility of this happening, which
is why I had asked my fiance to provide a reliable body from his own troop. The poor kid would have to get
used to his new life with wings. I left Arn to sort herself out and took the bird and scroll into my carriage.
As the crow feasted on a few seeds I had spare I opened the letter and read what the sorceress had said. She
was as brief as ever.
By the time Arn entered the carriage I had all the facts, or at least as much as Morgana trusted me with. As
Arn started to tuck into breakfast I decided to start the most awkward conversation of our year.
"Feeling better" I broached.
"Yes, I'm getting used to it." she sighed and looked down at her belly. "I've been getting used to a lot of
things recently."
"You know how you claim to be the next virgin Mary?" I could see the daggers in her eyes. She had been
claiming not to have been with a man and until now I had refused to believe it. I had managed to accept my
brother's departure from manhood. He had the body of a woman now and a mind starting to match. I wasn't as
innocent as I claimed and the white dress Conrad had planned for our wedding would be false fitting. Still
perhaps he had enough masculine pride might be left to keep his/her legs shut around the never ending streams
of knights and soldiers that had come knocking.
"Well it turns out I solved your mystery and another that was troubling me" I began. I instantly had Arn's
undivided attention.
"It seems mother just didn't vanish off the face of the earth..."
"Wait, one thing at a time" Arn interrupted. "What about my baby?"
"I am talking about your baby" I hinted. Arn looked lost. Surely she was smarter than this. Perhaps it was the
pregnancy brain.
"Congratulations, it's a girl" Suddenly Arn realised. The shock turned to anger.
"That bitch" She cried out.
"Not so loud dear, you're suppose to be a handmaiden." I tried to calm her. "And look at it this way, how many
children get such a karmic way of repaying their parents for the upbringing." That seemed to calm the girl
down.
"Why couldn't it be you?" asked Arn forlornly. "I've gone from the next ruler to some servant preparing to
birth their own mother out of wedlock."
"I'll make sure everything is OK" I promised, unsure how I could follow through.