"Stop telling me to push you hag!! What do you think I'm doing?!!!"
The Goat midwife, known to be the best in all Vinoli, did not flinch at the insult that Argath had just thrown her way. Nor did she take any notice of the dragon-Queen's features, made horrible by pain and anger. Instead, she simply nodded and crouched down between her patient's legs.
"That's it, Your Majesty" she said, encouragingly. "Keep going."
"Arghh!!!"
As she struggled to vacate from her body the life that had been steadily growing in it and was about to burst into the World, several thoughts went through Argath's head:
This is worse than any form of torture I could ever devise. To think that some women go through this more than once.
"Ngaaa!!
How long has this been going on? It feels like an eternity.
What if something goes wrong? What if this damn thing ends up killing me? It happened to my own mother. No! I don't want to die! Not this way. I want to live and rule.
"Almost there, Your Majesty. A bit more effort."
Damn you, Faljan, if you had belonged to an egg-lying species than I would not have to suffer like this...
*****
Multi-colored blobs danced in front of Argath's eyes and gradually turned into people. One of them was the midwife, cradling a tiny bundle. She raised an arm and pointed at it.
"Is that...?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. This is your son."
"Bring him here. We wish to examine him closer."
The Midwife took a step forward and held out the infant for his mother to observe. Argath looked at her child and saw herself in her tiny features. With the exception of the eyes, which was the color of his father's. She nodded in approval.
"Do you wish to hold him, Your Majesty?"
"No. You may show him to the Royal Consort and the others. Oh, and tell them that a name have already been decided."
"What name?"
"Had the child been female, it would have carried Our name. However, since that is not the case, it shall have the name of the best male We have ever known."
And so, later day the citizens of the capital (and soon all the land) were greeted with the news that an heir to the thrones of Vinoli, Frigonia and Guanaca had been born and had been given the name Argeron.
****
Around this time, the Eramus Troupe, having fulfilled the obligation of their contract, had once again, set sail. At the moment, the Troupe had cast anchor in a harbor to restock on provisions.
"I can't wait to see Luke and Amelia again" Leorin said, as he and Sara strolled through the bazaar. "It's been years."
"You'll have to wait" said the porcupine. "We still have weeks at sea ahead of us, and that's if the winds are favorable."
"True" Leorin agreed. "It's too bad that..."
"Eeeee!!!"
Both Leorin and Sara turned in the direction that the piercing shriek had come from. A youthful female bat was struggling in the grip of a fruit-seller.
"You hurt me!" She whined. "Let go!"
"Thought you could steal from me, did you?" Growled the big ape, baring a row of jaundiced teeth. "You'll soon find out what happens to thieves in the city" he added, tightening his grip around the shoplifter's wrists.
It was then that Leorin stepped forward, stirred to pity by the bat's appearance; by her unwashed fur and the rags covering her bony limbs.
"Excuse me" he said. "I'll pay for whatever she took. What was it?"
Surprised that anyone would come to the rescue of this nefarious fruit-thief, the vendor could only stare slack-jawed at the person before him.
"A mango" he said, eventually. "Fifteen bronze."
"Here's your money" said Leorin, as he put down the requested sum in the simian's outstretched paw. "Now, let her go."
The Vendor did so, and Leorin took a mango from the stall and held it out to the bat, who was eyeing him guardedly.
"Go ahead" the cat smiled. "It's yours now."
After a moment's hesitation, the bat quickly snatched the offered fruit and, without a word, leaped into the air and flew away, holding the mango close to her chest.
"You're welcome!" Sara called out after her. "The Nerve of some people" she muttered, biting her lip in dismay.
"Aw, it doesn't matter" Leorin said, goodhumoredly.
He then asked Sara if she, too was getting hungry. She answered in the affirmative and the couple went in search for something to eat.
****
That evening, Leorin could not sleep. For some reason, he kept thinking of the girl he had saved. Not that he was in love with her, Leo was fairly certain that was not the case, but he did find her intriguing. Perhaps he and Sara could use her as a character in their next play? He'd have to discuss with her.
Quietly, so as not to wake Sara, he left the cabin and went out on deck. There, another member of the troupe was keeping watch.
"Trouble sleeping?" He asked Leorin and the younger male confirmed that it was so.
"In that case, perhaps you could..." The Other began.
"Sure, I'll take your shift."
The Other offered Leorin his thanks and went off to bed. Left alone on the deck, the black cat gazed up at the moon, while a light breeze tugged on his nightshirt.
Leorin's contemplating was suddenly disturbed by a sound. It came from somewhere in the ship's hold and at first, it made its sole listener frown in puzzlement. Surely, he must have misheard? No, though faint, it was unmistakably the sound of someone chewing.
Who could this someone be? Probably not one of the troupe, which left one alternative: A stow-away.
Whoever's down there might be dangerous, Leorin thought. I should alert the others? No, wait, what if I'm wrong? I'd never hear the end of it. Besides, I'm almost an adult. I'll deal with this myself.
Having made up his mind, Leorin climbed down into the hold. There, he took from a nearby box, a sword. One used only for playacting, but which looked real enough to an untrained eye.
Thus armed (so to speak), he ventured deeper into the hold, while taking care not to step on any planks whose sound would give him away. Soon, he came up behind a hunched figure wrapped in a tarp. With one quick move, Leorin grabbed the tarp and pulled it away. Surprised, the stowaway turned around and Risha's brother found himself face to face with the person who had kept him awake.
