something to tide you over (or make you crazy)

as part of nanowrimo (which i keep vascillating on), i posted an exerpt, some stuff i wrote last month. i thought i'd post it here too.

Once upon a time there was a good king. He dearly loved his wife and his kingdom. The people loved him and the land prospered. But this king made one fatal mistake. He hadn't heeded his father’s warnings. The man he thought he could trust took over the kingdom. To protect his wife and unborn child, he had to flee the castle and go into hiding. His wife gave birth to a son, but to keep him safe, the king gave him to a simple blacksmith to raise as his own.

When the king returned to his island, his wife was dying. Giving up her only son was more than her heart could bear. The king did all he could to save her, but it wasn’t enough. He held her in his arms and watched her die..

He buried her on the island, and as he stood over her grave, he vowed he would never let his pride keep him from doing the right thing. He would do all he could to keep his family and country safe. Even if it meant dying himself, he would do all he could to protect those he loved.

“Papa, is that a true story?”

Kieran tucked the covers around four-year old Mikayla’s chin. “Yes, it’s a true story.”

“Did you know the king?”

“Of course he did,” Lydia said. She put her hands on her hips and gave Mikayla a matter of fact look. “Grandpa Thor was the king.”

“It’s a sad story,” Mikayla said.

“It is,” Kieran said, “but it has a happy ending.”

Mikayla frowned.

“Papa died and made everything right.” Lydia climbed into bed next to Mikayla.

Kieran gave them each a kiss on the cheek. “Your mama and I brought the blessing back to Teleria.”

“That’s why the Baraca and Telerians started to get along again,” Lydia said. It still amazed him that his six year old daughter never tired of learning Telerian history. “And why we can get strawberries in winter.”

Kieran chuckled and blew out the candles. “Strawberries in winter and so many other things that make life easier.”

“Will it ever change?” Mikayla asked in the dark.

“You never know what can happen, sweetheart, but no, I don’t think the blessing will ever leave now.”

Lydia yawned. “How do you know?” she asked.

How did he know? The blessing was something that was always there, something they could always depend on.

Instead of answering, he kissed them both before saying goodnight.