"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations!" The voices of people in the hall echoed as they offered their congratulations to both mother and child.
Oriana sat beside Adric, smiling and nodding to acknowledge the greetings. Meanwhile, Fidelis sat close to where the child was laid, ensuring no other hands touched her.
"Grandfather, I want to play with my little sister too! It was because of me that Auntie Oriana brought her," Walter whined, standing near the pillar. He wanted to pick up the child and look at her face, but nobody would let him, and the boy was beginning to get frustrated.
Oriana chuckled. "With the way things are, I’m not sure Father and Walter will be leaving the palace anytime soon."
Adric nodded with a smile. "I agree." He reached for Oriana’s hand. "I’m sorry I couldn’t get your mother and father to come."
"It’s no problem at all; at least they know I have nothing against them," Oriana replied, her fingers mindlessly touching the small pendant at her neck. At that moment, she thought of her grandmother. If the woman were still alive, she would have argued with Fidelis over who would stay with the child.
A strong woman, Oriana thought of her nana. No one would have believed that the woman had led an army and protected Orion. And now Oriana was made the Queen of that same army. Even in her old age, the Queen Dowager had prepared for the moment, giving her granddaughter something to fall back on. Though they were not directly related, since Oriana’s father was a commoner, the woman had never treated her poorly. It was the opposite. Oriana remembered when she was small, just as tiny. She had thought her grandmother was a giant, and thinking about it now made her smile.
She wished the woman were alive to see what she had become, to see the battles she had overcome. Though there were scars, looking back now, they actually left beautiful traces, especially when you’re healing with your loved ones. The happy moments outweigh the wounds.
The entrance door opened, and three other guests holding five children walked in. Everyone turned to look at them, and the confidence of the tall young man carrying a small girl marveled everyone.
"Cortez!" Adric shouted his friend’s name, standing up from his throne, ready to welcome his old friend.
Oriana pressed her lips tightly when she saw Axilla holding a girl of about four years. She could still remember how she had tricked the kind young lady. "Axilla."
"Your Majesty," the young woman bowed with a smile, but before she could raise her head, she was pulled into a hug.
"I’m so sorry for that day. I’ve been looking for a way to apologize," Oriana whispered, holding the young woman closely.
Axilla moved back and smiled. "Not at all. Congratulations on welcoming the newborn." Her eyes shifted towards the newborn’s crib.
Oriana smiled and gave a small nod. "Thank you." Her eyes moved towards the little girl. "Your daughter?" she asked.
"Yes. Zenda, bow to the Queen." Axilla nudged her daughter, but the girl shyly hid behind her mother.
Adric, watching the scene, smiled and turned to Cortez. "I’m so sorry, my friend. I should have come to visit you. I had a lot to take care of."
Cortez nodded. "I understand," his eyes moving towards the newborn. "And her name?"
"Oh, we named her Nora Aaliyah Galgani," Adric replied, looking at his daughter. Then he turned to look at the other lady standing with three other children. "Larel, you didn’t tell me you had more children besides Labre."
The young woman named Larel smiled and shook her head. "They’re Kitanna’s children. We came to stay with Cortez for a few days. Eve, Adrian, bow to the King."
"I knew they looked familiar," Adric smiled, looking at the two children that appeared to be twins.
The twins, who appeared to be about eight years old, stepped forward and bowed deeply. The older boy behind them also bowed.
"I see Labre is also growing fine," Adric said pointing at the older boy standing behind the children.
"Kai! Isn’t that the girl you like?" Walter’s attention shifted from the newborn to the girl with silver hair. "She’s here."
Walter waved for the other children to come over and meet his little sister. "This is my little sister," the boy said with a smile.
The girl with silver hair looked away lazily, scanning the room as if she wasn’t just a child.
"Your sister is very beautiful!" the other boy chimed in, his blue eyes shining brightly. "Can I look at her?"
Walter nodded. "Why is your sister like that? Does she hate us? You know Kai likes her!"
"Shut up, Walter. Stop talking," Kai mumbled shyly, going to push his brother.
The older boy watching them gently knocked Walter on the head. "You’re still a child. Don’t talk about such things."
"Ow..." Walter rubbed his head. "Who is he?" he asked, pointing to the friendliest of the three, the boy with blue eyes.
"Labre. He’s just like Eve. They both don’t smile, but don’t mind them. You’ll like Zenda. She’s shy but also friendly," the young boy said, giving Walter a small smile.
"Adrian, I’m going to tell Mother when we get home," little Eve huffed, walking away as Kai ran after her. Soon all the children ran outside, with Walter’s loud voice heard as he continued chattering to anyone who would listen.
Everyone in the room started laughing as they watched Kai act shy in front of the small girl who was the same age as him.
"Children," Oriana smiled, looking away from them. "Axilla, please make yourself comfortable." She gestured for Freya to bring food and drinks for the guests.
Adric looked towards the door, sighing softly. "I thought Lady Jenna would come today. Have you heard from her?"
Cortez shook his head. Moving the small girl he was crying to the other side of his hand. "Last I heard, she moved to another kingdom to start her life afresh. There was also a time she visited Avon. I thought you’d seen her."
"I didn’t. If she had come to visit, she should have come to the palace, for old times’ sake," Adric replied, as he and his friend continued reminiscing about old times.
Despite the past aches and tears, the room was filled with joy, cherished moments, and, most importantly, family and friends.
. . . .
THE END
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A world has come to an end, but it’s always the beginning of another. Thank you to all my readers for supporting me; I couldn’t have done it alone. I hope to see you all at the start of the next story as we create beautiful Chapters and moments together.
The last story from the Kitanna series will be released soon. I’d love to see you all there!
Guess which character from Kitanna we’re going to write about next!
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