Once Upon The Life of The Wise King

The Queen Gave Birth

ONCE UPON THE LIFE OF THE WISE KINGVolume 1The Birth of The Wise KingChapter 23 - The Queen Gave Birth

Those men who lost their way became bandits. The bandits were camping in the woods when one of them heard a carriage and horses' hooves moving. One of them went to look for the source of the noise and found the carriage of the Royal family. He showed a wide and malicious smile. "Lucky!" He went back to his troops and told them the news.

"That's great! We can have more money!" For the entire afternoon, the bandits made preparations. They knew which road the Royal family took whenever to go to the town. While some bandits followed the itinerary, others went up on top of the mountain-side road and below the cliff, waiting for an ambush.

When night came, they received a signal from their comrades that the Royal carriage was on its way back. But, the rain poured heavily and there was no sight of the carriage except a palace guard riding his horse. It seemed like the carriage took shelter, so they took it upon themselves to look for it. It did not take long for them to find the carriage as it was staying still on the road and surrounded by palace guards.

Together, they attacked the palace guards. They thought they could win, but they did not expect the palace soldiers to arrive at the scene. In the midst of chaos, a knife stabbed one of the carriage horses. Out of fear, it ran away, scaring the other horse and dragging the carriage. The palace guards and palace soldiers tried to stop the carriage but they were one step behind. Due to the slippery road, the horses slid and fell off the cliff.

The bandits, who were at disadvantage, decided to run away. The palace soldiers were able to get the unconscious Queen out. Her condition was terrible, so they hurried back to the palace. Once they got in the palace, they quickly sent the Queen to the medical ward and called for a doctor. They did not forget to inform the King as well.

Prince Colin, who was taking care of his younger brother, heard about what happened to his mother. He quickly called a maid to look after Prince Alphonse. Then, he rushed to the Medical Ward where he saw his father was already there, pacing on the floor anxiously. "Father!" he called out, gaining the King's attention.

Facing him, King Wenhart said, "Colin."

"Father, what happened to mother?" Prince Colin asked. His face did not betray his emotion. He was scared for his mother.

"They were ambushed by the bandits," the King replied. "According to the palace guards and palace soldiers, the carriage fell off the cliff."

"What? Then, what about the baby?"

The King let out a sigh. "We do not know yet," he said as he shook his head.

The operation went on for four more hours. Exhausted, both the King and the First Prince sat on the bench, waiting for the doctor to come out and share any updates about their beloved Queen.

  "Your Majesty, You Highness," the doctor greeted as he came out of the operating room. He wiped his sweat on his forehead. His face showed exhaustion. "The operation is done."

The King and the Prince stood up. "How is my wife?" King Wenhart asked worriedly.

"Your Majesty." The doctor paused, worrying his King and his Prince even more. "The Queen had a premature birth. Please don't worry, both of them are safe." King Wenhart and Prince Colin breathed out a sigh of relief. "However." They held their breath. "The baby needs to be observed in the next 24 hours. When he passed the critical stage, then we can transfer him from NICU to the nursery where he will be taken care of for another 2 months."

"Can we see them?" Prince Colin asked.

"You can see Her Majesty, but not the young Prince yet because he is susceptible to diseases. We need to strengthen his immune system first before he can have visitors," the doctor explained.

"You have worked hard. Thank you, doctor," King Wenhart said.

The doctor excused himself and the King went inside with his son to see his wife, who was unconscious. He went to the bedside and stroked the Queen's hair. "I am so sorry, my Queen. This should never have happened to you," the King said solemnly. The Prince, on the other hand, looked quietly.

The room was filled with silence for a moment.

"Colin," King Wenhart called his son, who immediately focused his attention on his father.

"What is it, father?" Prince Colin asked.

"Send a letter to the Holy Priestess first thing tomorrow morning. Tell her that the Queen gave birth prematurely."

"Shall I deliver it personally?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

Looking outside the window, King Wenhart thought it was so late at night, so he asked his son to go and rest first.

"I want to stay here with you, father."

"No," the King rejected as he shook his head. "You still have to wake up early tomorrow."

"I understand." Prince Colin sighed.

Prince Colin bid good night to his father. He turned around and walked outside the room, closing the door behind him. Before going into his room, he made his way to Prince Alphonse's room. He gently opened the door, sneaked in quietly, and closed the door as silently as he can. Then, he sauntered farther inside and stopped beside the child's bed.

"Hey," Prince Colin whispered. "Mother just gave birth to our younger brother, you know. It is premature birth. Mother is sleeping now, and the baby is in the NICU. They will observe him for the next 24 hours. I hope the baby will make it past the observation period." He took a pause and said, "When the baby is better, we must protect him at all cost as his elder brothers, okay?"

Prince Colin watched his younger brother sleep for thirty minutes more before he decided it was time for him to go to his room. He hoped that tomorrow will be a better day for them.