Thirty-Nine

 

Siward woke Rosamond with a kiss, as he had every morning for the last year since their wedding. "It is time," he said.

She smiled and stretched, still aching from the pleasure of last night's lovemaking. "So it is."

When they were both dressed, Siward opened the flap of their pavilion and led her out into the temporary village of tents that had sprung up beside the Wall.

The road ended where the hedge began, as it had for as long as anyone could remember, except Rosamond. But now it was time to make new memories, which was why half the kingdom had come to see the spectacle. For today, their beloved queen would open the door to the outside world.

Letting go of Siward's arm, Rosamond approached the Wall. She traced a small circle on the hedge, spiralling outward until she had to use her whole arm to span the radius of her circle.

Gasps and murmurs arose from the crowd as Rosamond's magic began to make itself visible. A hole appeared in the Wall, big enough to insert a finger, but no more. The hole seemed to spin, widening as it went, until it could fit first a child's, then a man's hand. Yet still it grew, branches unfolding and undulating until they formed a perfect arch for the sun to shine through from the far side of the Wall for the first time in fifty-one years.

Cheering and clapping erupted, but the show was not over yet. Rosamond took Siward's arm once more, and together the king and queen strode through the arch across the border. Then in view of everyone, they turned to each other and kissed.

On the inside of the Wall, a baby started wailing.

The king and queen returned home.

"The queen commands the Wall, to be our defence when we are in need, but she will open the door for all those who wish to pass through. For it might have been cursed by an evil queen, but she is no match for the power of Queen Rosamond the Fair!"

The wailing baby did not care for King Siward's speech, and the loud cheering from the crowd only made him scream louder still.

Rosamond sighed. "Lady Jolanka, bring him here." She held out her arms, but Siward plucked the baby from her companion's arms first.

"What's wrong, Helios?" Siward asked his infant son.

"Selene hit him, or pinched him, I am certain of it," Jolanka said, sounding quite proud of the girl as she thrust a beaming baby Selene at her mother. "You'd better name her heir to the throne and not him. She's the fighter, and the elder, too."

"We shall see," Rosamond said. "The king and I have many years yet, in which to live happily ever after. The tale of our twins...is yet to be told."