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Trinity
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I really do think that everyone had gotten together this morning and drawn straws on who was going to be spending time with me and when. There was no other excuse for why when one person or group left there was always another one right behind them. Like this fourth group that was coming up the stairs.
I knew who all of them were before they were at the door. And they didn't even need to knock, because, just as the person in the lead got to the door, I called out to them.
“Come in.”
The door opened to reveal the group and one by one they came in. Vincent, David, Shane, Shawn and Dietrich. These were some of my favorite people in the entire world. I was looking at them all with eyes that clearly said that I missed them. And if the way that Vincent ran to me and threw his arms around me was anything to go by, I could tell that they missed me as well. Well, at least he did.
.....
I did my best to hug Vincent back. It was hard to get my arms to respond still, but it was easier than before. The food had helped, it really did. But what I wanted now more than anything was an ice cold bottle of water. That would really hit the spot.
“Trinity!” Vincent called out to me while still holding me in his arms. “I am so sorry Trinity. I am sorry that I let this happen to you. This is all my fault.”
“Vincent..” I was so confused right now. “How is any of this your fault? You didn't do anything wrong at all. I was the one that left the room. I was the one that didn't even go to sleep. I was the one that lied to you. None of this is your fault, Vincent. None of it.”
“We have all been trying to tell him that for months.” Shane came closer to the bed and put his hand on my head like he was looking down at a cute little sister. “He wouldn't believe us and insisted that everything that happened was his fault. He even begged Reece to fire him.”
“What?” I did my best to tighten my grip on Vincent. I did not want him to leave.
“Yeah, he did. But, of course, Reece refused to do it. Reece told Vincent that he knew who was to blame, and it wasn't Vincent.” Shawn moved to stand next to his brother. He was giving me the same look, but the two of them were no longer identical. They were unique now, with the battles that we have been through, the scarring from them has made them different. That didn't stop them from being similar in their mannerisms though. That was the same.
“Yeah, Reece told us all that he knew it was you that was to blame. He was angry and so pissed off, but it wasn't at you. Reece was always angry at himself for not being with you. And for not forcing you to take time off of work and get some rest. He was kicking himself in the ass for everything that had happened.” David was the next one to join in the conversation.
“Regardless of who was to blame or not, Trinity, we all missed you. It has been quite the difficult time without you, but we managed. You wouldn't believe how far the new recruits that you hired to help you have come. Between them and Reece, things have continued to flow pretty smoothly for the most part.” Dietrich was the one to bring it all back to the important things. He was the one that I could always count on. Well, normally that would be Vincent, but he was a wreck at the moment.
“Thank you, Dietrich. Thank you for telling me that. No one has mentioned the state of the kingdom to me yet and I was afraid to ask. I am glad that things have continued to move smoothly. Also, I am so happy to see all of you. I have missed you so much. You're all so precious to me. And Vincent, I hope you don't leave the group. I need you. I have had you with me since the beginning. And you have to understand that you didn't do anything wrong at all. I lied to you. I snuck out of my room. And I hid what was happening to me from all of you. If only I had been strong enough to tell you what was happening, this wouldn't have happened.”
“I should have known about it though. I should have been able to figure it all out.” Finally, Vincent pulled away from me and looked me in the eyes. “I am sorry, Trinity, I was there with you all the time and I still didn't know what you were going through. I just thought that you were tired from overworking. I didn't know that Hekate was trying to drive you insane.”
“I am back now, and I am fine. Isn't that all that matters, Vincent? We are all safe. We are all alive. And the kingdom is still standing. Oh, and to top it all off, Hekate is dead. I would say that is a really good thing.” I smiled at him and put my hand on his cheek. I wanted to soothe his nerves and worry, but there wasn't much that I could do right now. “Besides, we all need to be happy. I am awake now and there are three more babies to prepare for.”
“Speaking of that, Trinity, are you sure that is how many you're having?” Shawn was looking at me with wide eyes and suspicion.
“What are you talking about? Yes, I am sure. I was with their souls in the underworld. There are three little boys and their names are going to be Zachary, Zander and Zayden.”
“OK, I understand that Trinity, but I am seeing something different.” Shawn's words were scaring me.
“I..is one of my babies dead? Did something happen?” I was starting to hyperventilate right now.
“No, it's not that. There is just something else.”
“What? What is it, Shawn?” I needed answers.
“Allow me.” Dietrich stepped up to his mate and put his hand on his shoulder. “You see, Trinity, Shawn and I can see four souls. There are the souls of three boys. That is very clear to see, but there is also a female soul in there. A fourth soul.”
“Oh, that.” I felt the gravity of what happened in the underworld hit me now. “Well, you see, while I was in the underworld, after I destroyed Hekate, something happened.”
“What? What happened?” Shane was the most curious. Of course he was.
“Well, Hekate's soul split into three pieces and the boys each absorbed a part of it. So, that would explain why you are seeing a fourth soul, a female soul. They each have a fragment of it, and since they are as of yet unborn and are so close together, I am guessing that it seems like just one soul.”
“Oh, wow. That is, uhm, I don't know what to think about that.” David was at a loss for words.
“How do you feel about that, Trinity? They have a fragment of that evil goddess's soul. What are you going to do?” Shane looked like he was worried for a moment. I knew that I had to settle this all right away.
“Well, Shane, I am not going to do anything about it. When these babies are born, I am going to show them every ounce of love that I would to any other child. I am going to love them with every fiber of my being, and they will be my sons. They will be my babies and nothing else. I know what they are like. I know them already. I got to experience something with my unborn children that no other mother in the world has done and I am not going to place an ounce of blame on them for anything at all. They didn't ask for her soul and it will not be a punishment for them. They are going to be strong and kind boys, and I know that because that was how they were already. So, Shane, to reiterate, I am not going to do anything about it at all.” I think that the five of them were a little taken aback by my speech. I didn't care. I needed them to know what was going on.
We all talked about how things in the castle had been going for the last three months. This time I wanted to know about the rest of the staff, the rest of the guards, everyone that wasn't in the royal tower, thought of my absence.
As it turns out, everyone had been told about the babies. They were told that I was pregnant with triplets and that it was taking its toll on my body. When Reece addressed them all, he had brought up the incident with the twins and told them all that we were just being extra cautious. So, until the babies were born, and I recovered, I was going to be staying away from the stress of everything else. They all accepted that answer with no issues at all. And just like that, Reece had been able to smooth out the tension that the community was feeling.
Also, they were planning lots of gifts and what not for us, but that wasn't something that I wanted. I would rather them donate the gifts to the community so that those that were in need would have the things that they were missing out on.
I do believe that this visit with my guards went very well. I had soothed Vincent's emotions, told them all about the boys and Hekate, and found out vital information. It was a very productive meeting overall. And I was so happy to see them all. And before they left, all five of them hugged me and rubbed my belly while saying 'hi, boys'.
After that visit, there weren't that many people that needed to come and see me. The others, my friends that weren't as close would see me over time, but there was no big rush. And I would wait for a while still to address the entire community. Honestly, I do believe that there was only one more group of people that I should be expecting to come and see me. And just before he left the room, I asked Vincent to send the next group with some water because I was even more thirsty now than I had been when they had gotten here. He smiled and nodded which was all that I needed to know that I had been right about there being another group coming. And I knew who they were too.
