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Maria looked at Jonathan running around on the sunlit meadow with Lawrence and Jacob, playing pretend fight with wooden swords. Gustaf’s three girls were seated next to her, the two youngest playing calmly with dolls, while the eldest was embroidering. One of Maria’s ladies-in-waiting were helping her from time to time.
The child moved in her belly, and Maria instinctively ran her hand over it. The child would come any day now, but she had insisted on this outing for the entire family. They would be fostering Gustaf’s children for the time being, then they would have to figure out what they were to do with them. Gustaf had been sentenced to death for trying to kill Jonathan but had ended up killing himself in his cell. Maria felt hollow every time she thought of it.
Margaret had been sentenced to house arrest at Gustaf’s estate for the rest of her life. She had caught pneumonia a couple of months ago. They had been assured that she would be able to pull through, but it seemed like she had lost the will to live and had perished from it. The thought of it made Maria choke audibly.
“Are you alright, Your Majesty?” her lady-in-waiting enquired.
Maria nodded and smiled faintly. It would take a long time for things to be alright, especially for the children. But it would be in the end. She felt certain of it.
Jonathan hadn’t been sure whether they should take in the children. Especially the boys, since he had tried to kidnap both of them and succeeded with one of them. Maria understood that, but had been stressing that if they grew up close to them it would be easier for them to find their right place in life. Especially to know that they were not the rightful heirs to the throne. Maria and Jonathan’s child was.
She ran her hand over her belly again. She could feel the outline of the baby underneath her skin. She got tears in her eyes just from thinking how lucky she was that she would soon be a mother.
The only problem was Anna. The grief of losing Valdemar had made her withdraw from the court. She was living in a monastery, trying to cope with the grief and her new situation in life. Maria was sad that she wouldn’t be there to help her when she was giving birth. She made a grimace so she wouldn’t begin to cry. She had cried so much over Valdemar and Anna already and today she wanted to be happy.
Jonathan came running.
“What is it? Has something happened? Is it now?” he said, and everyone turned to look at her. Maria just shook her head and smiled at him.
“No,” she said, as he sat down next to her. “I was just thinking of Anna.”
Jonathan nodded and she could see from his eyes that he understood and felt the exact same pain as her. At that time the baby moved, and Maria instinctively reached for Jonathan’s hand and placed it on her belly. She loved the way he smiled when he was able to feel the baby move.
“Come out soon, little one,” he said. “We are dying to meet you.”
“Uncle Jonathan, come play again,” Jacob called.
Jonathan kissed her quickly, got up, and ran towards the boys, charging with his sword as if he was an attacking enemy.
Maria smiled happily.