The day after the attack at the Circus was a harrowing one for Evelli. She had spent much of the evening before sending out runners, until she had almost ran out of servants in the Leventi old manor to send out. Worried for the safety of her family, Evelli could not sleep, fretting until she had seen to all of her offsprings's safety, and even then, it had taken a fair amount of soothing from her husband, before she eventually drifted off into a restless slumber plagued by nightmares.
The morning after saw the matriarch of the Leventi family looking less put together then before. Georgios had woken early to see to duties as a baron and royal lord in Taengea, and Evelli had not been surprised. With the death of their ruling King and the whole Senate in disorder, Evelli suspected her husband would be busy for the days that followed, if not weeks. The funeral of the dead King would need to be planned, as well as the issue of the inheritance and much... but what had worried Evelli most had been her thirdborn.
Being held at knife point must not be a pleasant experience, and saying that would be an understatement. Evelli could've sworn her blood had turned ice when her daughter appeared in the arms of the Creed in the middle of the Circus, and she now owed the crown prince of Colchis a debt in form of her own life, for his quick actions had saved her Olympia from certain death.
She had bundled all her daughters back home with her as soon as she could, and ordered them to bed as quick as she could. The Leventi old manor was on lockdown by Evelli, protective mother that she was, for even Theodora had not been spared being terrorized even if she had not even attended the chariot races. Angered and annoyed at how the Creed had managed to besmirch her daughter's memories of this Dionysius festival, it was an annoyed Evelli that barked orders at the servant's that morning, as they prepared morning trays for all the inhabitants of the house. Yet it had bordered on frustration on Evelli that one of her five was not at home. Olympia had been whisked away to the royal palace once the attack has quelled, and the woman had fretted.
It wasn't till just the night before, that her husband had finally fetched Olympia back, and Evelli had all but squashed her daughter in her embrace. Yet her dark-haired offspring had looked worst for wear, so quelling all questions and curiosities, Evelli had instead banished her sisters from asking her anything, and whisked Olympia off to bed. There, she dried and braided her daughter's hair while humming her childhood lullaby, and then watched as the girl drifted off to sleep, before she went herself. Georgios had refused to answer her questions - and so, Evelli spent another restless night, waiting till morning before she could speak to Olympia herself.
Rising with the sun, Evelli had hurried down the moment she was done with her morning ablutions. Her dark, curly locks were only held in a ponytail as she watched the breakfast for the family prepared, before summoning a servant to prepare a tray. Knowing Olympia likely would want some quiet time for now, instead, Evelli took the tray herself once it was done, heading out the kitchen. With a tray filled with flatbread, honey, juice and goat's milk, Evelli balanced the tray of food expertly as she navigated the hallways (one had plenty of practice with five children underfoot), till she finally reached the door of her daughter. There, she paused, nodding at the servant who had accompanied her to rap on the doorway, before she called out, "Pia, sweetheart? I've brought you breakfast."
None of this seemed real. And yet, her nightmares contained the screams from the circus, the crashing of the chariots and the terrified cries of the horses, she could feel the cold metal bite into her neck and the strength of the man who had dragged her from safety into the oncoming rush of the racers. The night she spent with Stephanos at the palace she had been tired enough to have a dreamless sleep, but now when she dozed it was all she saw when her eyes closed.
Her father had taken a word with the new king before whisking her home silently and discreetly, bundling her up to her room in silence which Pia was forever grateful for. She wasn't ready to speak, wasn't ready to face everything that had been thrown before her, and for the first time in a long time she felt more like a child than a grown woman, wishing for someone to come in and chase the nightmares away and reassure her that all would be well. In her father's house it had to be well.
The knock on her door startled her awake, but her mother's calming voice set her frantic heart at ease and she breathed out a sigh of relief. The night before her mother had helped her prepare for bed, putting her curls that were identical to the woman's own in a braid that had now become quite askew from her tossing and turning. Silence aside from the familiar lullaby had once again been a merciful gift, though between her parents she wondered how either of them had managed it.
"Come in, mother."
Evelli's servant opened the door to allow them entrance, and Pia managed a small smile as her mother filled the room. Her presence was one of command and comfort, and it was impossible to think that anything bad could happen when Evelli of Leventi held sway. Always one of ambition, she had been training Olympia and her sisters for a life of marriage to kings and had clearly put Selene in the path of Zacharias of Mikaelidas for years, though the man had shown little interest. Now she would still be mother to a queen, but not the pair she had thought.
Pia's hands had fallen to her stomach, the smallest of bumps the only sign that anything had changed. She had gained some weight, and managed so far to tailor her wardrobe to hide the signs, but now that it was to be a legitimate child of the king there was no need to hide it any longer. The girl wondered if her father had told her mother, or if he'd left it for her to say. If she would be disappointed as her father had seemed to be, or if she would be excited. It wasn't exactly the way anyone wished for their daughter to rise in the world.
Evelli was thankful to the Gods that at least, her voice seemed stable, and that she had responded when the servant had rapped on the door. Allowing the young slave to push open the door, Evelli tilted her head to signal the servant to leave, closing the door behind her, before the mother of the girl in bed made her way towards her offspring. Pia's smile was a balm to her worried heart - but the worry linger. Georgios had not told her anything beyond the fact that Olympia will have things to tell her soon, and none of what her husband had told her assauged her worry for her daughter.
Missing Olympia's minute action in laying her hand on her stomach, instead Evelli lay the tray of food on the nearby dresser table, picking up the mug of goat's milk, the woman made her way to the bed in which Olympia was in, perching on the side of it before offering her daughter the morning drink, and a soft smile.
Laying a hand on Olympia's knees, Evelli urged her daughter to take a drink, and couldn't help but take in the haggard look her beautiful daughter had now taken upon. Was her eyes playing tricks on her as she took in the shadows under her eyes, the dull gleam in the dark depths? Olympia had been hailed with her sisters as one of the beauties of Taengea - all her offsprings were gems of the finest water in terms of eligible bachelorettes, and Evelli would have it no other way. And they all knew it. To see Olympia in the state she was in now broke her heart.
Only when the girl was done, did she take the mug away from her, laying it by the side table before asking in a tone as soft and soothing as she could manage. "How are you, sweetest?" she asked, taking a hand in hers and soothingly rubbing circles on the back of it with her thumb. "Papa tells me you've got some news for me." It was killing Evelli to be out of the loop in regards to her daughter. She was no stranger to the fact that her daughters, Selene especially, was all doted upon and spoiled to a certain extent by Georgios, made even worst by Evelli's own desperate match-making attempts for her offspring. But it was no lie that she deeply cared for all her daughters.
Olympia accepted the cup of milk from her mother and shifted slightly so there was space for her to sit more comfortably. Taking a sip so she didn't have to answer right away, she was relieved that Evelli seemed to understand and waited patiently as she'd ever seen her mother for her to finish. Once it was taken from her though, she squirmed beneath the expectant gaze and touched the red scratch along her throat where the knife had been pressed just a few days ago.
What would she think? How would her mother feel about all of this after everything they had discussed for her future? Would she be proud, ashamed? Pia took a deep breath and then settled her hands on her stomach again, voice small as she finally made the admission that she had been hiding from her entire family for months now.
"I'm...pregnant."
Watching her mother with hopeful hazel eyes, it was as if she was looking into a mirror of herself in the future. Of all of her mother's children, she was the one who looked most like her. They had the same dark black hair and pointed features, very much differing from the blonde locks of her sisters or even Theo's finer brown. Down to the line of their jaws they were so very close to the same, and Pia couldn't bear to think that Evelli would be ashamed of her.
"Around five months, we think. Desma and I. It was the reason I stayed at the palace."
She bit her lower lip and sank down on the pillows, almost willing the silence to break and some kind of reaction to come forth, she hated waiting. Rushing on, she knew she had to finish the rest. That at least would hopefully make up for her transgressions. That a newly made king would be marrying her and the father of her child.
"It's, Stephanos of Mikaelidas is the father. After everything that happened in the Circus, he's asked me to marry him."
Out of all her girls, Olympia had been the one who took after her the most. Selene and Nana had taken after their father's fairer looks, while Theodora and Imma had been a pleasant mix of both their parents. It was Olympia however, that had taken her mother's angular features, darker locks and, by the time Evelli heard the news of her impending future, her mother's mind as well.
Unlike Selene and Theodora, Olympia had been the one she did not worry. Her third daughter had a mind of her own quite unlike her sisters. Selene had her father to champion her, and quite often any marriage prospects or future plans Evelli brought up, Georgios would shoot down in favor of going with what Selene preferred. Theodora was quick to say what she wanted - a marriage to a Mikaelidas offspring of the old prince that Evelli quickly approved. Evelli had been fully prepared to ensure the safe marriages of both Selene and Theodora before she focused on the settling down of her younger three.
But nothing could have prepared Evelli for what Olympia had told her.
As much as her husband had tried to warn Evelli to not show any rections, and that whatever it was, the plans were well in motion to ensure that their daughter would not be extricated in a difficult situation, the mother of the future Queen could not help how her jaw fell at the admission of her daughter's pregnancy. She gaped for a few prolonged seconds, before she shook her head slightly as if reminding herself of the situation and who this was.
... Five months, though?
Her heart had skipped a beat when her daughter told her of the length of time. How had she not noticed of her own daughter quickening with child just beneath her roof? Of course, if Evelli further dwelled on the topic, she'd see how she had been wrapped up with Selene's extended departure from Taengea and preparations for Theodora's impending marriage to have noticed much of Olympia, and on the heels of that, the guilt of a mother would eat at her. But for now, she simply let the shock sink in as her daughter finished speaking.
Only then, did Evelli finally noticed the sunken, hesitant way her daughter looked. As if... she was afraid of disappointment.
Truthfully though, could Evelli ever be disappointed in any of her girls? Like how Nomiki had taught her when she had been their age, Evelli had taughted the same to her girls, even more so because she had not had the luxury to bear them a brother to ensure their future. While she did not wish for ill fate to befall either herself or her husband, it did not change the fact that should luck frown on them, her daughters had no one to rely on.
So, credible marriages are necessary. For all her girls.
And a marriage to a future King... or, already a King with the events of the Creed, was the highest Evelli wanted for her girls. So was she really disappointed?
Biting her lip as she considered her words carefully, before speaking in slow, measured tones. "I.... am happy for you, darling." Picking up her daughter's ands, Evelli finally managed to look up at her girl and gave a small, friendly smile. "Has it been.... a difficult pregnancy Pia?" The woman paused, before the words suddenly spilled out as if a balloon had been burst in her. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
Watching her mother's reaction, she bit her lower lip with wide eyes, afraid that she would be shunned or scolded, maybe even disowned. Her father had been stoic, she hadn't been able to read anything from his expression that would tell her if he was proud, or upset. It could be anything, and she was terrified to lose her family after everything that had happened to her in the past few days, she needed them now more than ever and the tears began welling up behind her hazel eyes as she waited.
The moment Evelli said she was happy for her, Pia was unable to keep back the tears and burst into sobs, clutching at her mother's hands and trying to half crawl into her lap and embrace her all at once. It was an overwhelming feeling of relief, and as she held onto her she was only able to take half breaths between the cries that issued from her. She finally felt safe, her family wasn't going to let her go, they weren't going to banish her or send her off to one of the temples to serve out the rest of her life. With her mother's persistent questions, she tried to steady her breathing and stop crying quite so harshly so she could answer.
She smiled and placed a hand on her belly, the curve still slight but much more noticeable than it had been in past months, proof that this was happening, she was going to be a mother in her own right, and her child would be royal, the son or daughter of a king.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I was afraid you and father would send me away. I didn't want to bring shame to our family."
Pushing herself more upright again, she sniffed and wiped at her face with the sleeves of her robe, very much not proper behavior for a young lady who was going to become a mother and a queen soon, but in this moment she felt much more like a child, a little girl again than she had in a long time. The fear and worry that had been enveloping her was finally lifting away.
"It has been normal, according to Desma. I was sick, still get sick sometimes, but it's gotten much better. Sometimes I think I can feel it move. But it's so strange, how did you do this five times? My body doesn't feel like my own anymore."
It didn't take a genius to know that Olympia was scared. She had not spent the last almost thirty years of her life raising her daughters to be obtuse as to what they felt. Every change in facial features, looks in their eye, Evelli could almost guess what they thought of. She saw it as a point of pride, how well she knew her daughters, and she used it as a way to prove that it was also a reason why she would know what sort of spouse would fit them well, and would protect them.
Of course, the fact that Olympia had kept such huge news from her was a blow to her.
But Evelli tried to swallow her pride, knowing that right now, it was her third-born's spirit and strength and safety that mattered the most. Biting her lip when she saw Olympia placing a hand on her belly, Evelli could see herself most in this child of hers. It was a familiar sight, one that Georgios himself had seen in the five children she had bore for him, and it was clear to her why her husband had been unwilling to tell the news. Protective as Georgios was towards his daughters, she had no doubt that he was having a tough time coming to terms with the fact that someone had defiled his daughter before marriage and consumption.
Making a point in her head to speak to Georgios later once she had assured herself of Olympia's wellbeing, Evelli finally cleared her throat and shook her head vehemently. "Nothing you do would ever bring shame to the family, Pia, please remember that." Evelli stressed, brushing the back of her hand against her daughter's smooth cheek, giving a gentle smile. "Your father is more likely to hunt down the father of the babe, then he is to punish you over such a matter."
Reaching out to take Olympia's hands as she wiped her face on the sleeves, Evelli gave a reproachful smile as she folded the sleeves up, all while the younger Leventi spoke. "Does Desma give you the herbs that will help with your sickness, then?" she murmured. She herself had not had easy pregnancies with all her girls. Selene had been easy, but Imma and Nana's had been tougher. Her physician had stated that age was a crux, but Evelli was reluctant to think so.
She still harbored hope afterall, age aside.
Chuckling at her daughter's question, the matriarch's gaze dropped to where their hands were joined, squeezing Olympia's fingers before she answered. "I did it because Aphrodite saw it fit to bless me with five beautiful girls. How could I say no to anyone of you coming into my lives?" Even up till the end, Georgios and herself had hoped, desperately on Evelli's behalf, for a son. Her husband had been happy with whatever child she bore, but Evelli took the disappointment upon herself, blaming herself for being unable to bring a son to the family.
Now she could only hope her daughter did not suffer her fate. "My time, my life... everything I have, I'm willing to share with you and your sisters. You'll... understand, once you've met your babe." Evelli smiled for a moment, letting the silence hang before she asked. "And you... do you want to marry him, Pia?" While she had always wanted her daughters to marry high and marry royalty, to a certain extent, she wanted to make sure none of them were being forced into the union. Even if there was no love, there had to be at least consent from her daughters. If she knew that in anyway, Olympia's hand was being forced, she would take on the Gods themselves to protect her girls.
The reassurance that nothing she could do would bring shame to the family brought a watery sort of smile to her lips, and she squeezed her mother's hand as she tried to convince the tears to stop falling. A laugh came from her at the thought of her father hunting down Stephanos, though the more she pictured it the more likely it sounded. Georgios of Leventi was not a man who easily angered, nor would he turn quickly to violence, but she had seen on more than one occasion how protective he was of his family. She was blessed truly by every single god that could cross her mind in the clan she had been born into. No other family would be so strong and kind and loving and perfect for her as this.
Nodding as Evelli asked about the herbs, Pia gestured to an empty cup that had held her last round of the bitter potion her nursemaid created for her. It wasn't pleasant to drink, but at the very least the peppermint leaves she was given could remove the bitterness, and it kept her sickness at bay for the most part. Lately, she hadn't felt very ill at all, but after last night she'd gotten sick on her way back from the palati, and again since she'd gotten home. Desma said to think of it as the babe within growing more and more each time, and the change was what caused the sickness. It was comforting even if it wasn't true.
"She has brought me everything, said she did the same for you when you carried me."
Her tears returned as her mother insisted that she had been blessed with each child, and though she was more awkward than she might have been in the past, Olympia moved to wrap her arms around her mother's neck, holding her in a tight embrace as her tears soaked the older woman's shoulder. This was the kind of response she had been desperately hoping for, but too afraid of seeing to get. She wasn't going to be sent away to be some nobleman's wife, a hidden shame in her belly. She was going to marry a king, become a queen, and her offspring would be more kings and queens in turn. Every dream her family had held for them was coming true.
"I hope I will. And I hope it's a boy, at least at first for Stephanos' sake." Having lost his father and brother all at once had left the Mikaelidas line weakened, and as afraid as she was, she hoped she could prove to him with this first child that she was capable of bearing healthy sons to secure their father's reign. The question of love gave her pause, but then she smiled slightly, sitting back on her heels and blushing slightly at the thought of him. "I do, mother. In truth, I've always loved him from afar, I never thought he would look at me much less....well. I am happy to marry him, though a bit frightened."
With five pregnancies under her belt herself, the fact that Olympia was akin to a waterspout with tears right now was no surprise to Evelli. Her own emotions had not exactly been the most stable herself, and sometimes Evelli was surprised and thankful that her own husband still remained so faithful and loving to her even after all the emotional rollercoasters she had put Georgios through with each of her pregnancies. Her husband was patient, and for that, Evelli was grateful to the Gods for her luck despite the fact that theirs had been an arranged marriage.
Reaching up to brush the traces of tears away from Olympia with a comforting smile of her own, she flickered her gaze to the empty cup, and nodded gratefully, making a mental note to ask Georgios to offer Desma a boon in coins or some favor. She would owe the old nursemaid a favor for caring for her daughter when she could not. "She did indeed. You are in good hands. no one would care for you more." the old maid had fallen for her young girls ever since Evelli had given birth to them, and croquety and wizened she may be, but Desma had dedicated her life in ensuring the safety and health of her girls even at their age today.
Accepting Olympia's hug eagerly, she tightly held the warm - albeit a tad awkward - body of Olympia, placing a warm palm on her chestnut curls, stroking her offspring to comfort what was definitely a turmoil of emotion she was currently feeling. While she understood why Olympia thought so, Evelli would never send her daughter away, and even if she did, she doubted Georgios would allow her. Her husband loved each girl he had been giftd with more then life itself, and he would more likely adopt the grandchild as his own had Stephanos forsaken her, then allow Olympia to be forsaken.
"And for your sake, I hope so too." she murmured softly in return. Nothing granted a woman's security more then a son born, especially when her daughter's spouse is now king of a realm, and not a very loyal king for that matter. Stephanos had never been known for his loyalty to one lover, and while Evelli had been lucky to have Georgios as a loyal husband, if her son-in-law proved to be otherwise... a son would be Olympia's only chance at security.
The kind she had failed to provide for her daughters.
Taking a deep breate as she sat back, Evelli offered her daughter a raised brow, a knowing smile following after. "You did? Why, you never said a thing to me, sweet pea. I could have arranged something." A sly glimmer appeared in her hazel depths, for one should never doubt the lengts Evelli would go to if it was a question of securing marriages for her daughters. "Do not be frightened. Do not let it show. For him to know would be your first fight lost. Chin up, chest out. You carry the son of a King, and for that, you will be proud, my daughter."
Olympia felt her cheeks turn pink as her mother asked why she hadn't ever said anything about her love for Stephanos. It hadn't started out as love exactly, but an infatuation. A realization that though she and her sisters were supposed to be searching for matches that could bring higher prestige and her sights perhaps should have gone to someone higher ranked in a foreign land, that she didn't want to rule. Being the wife of a second prince would bring her the luxury and security with the title, without having to worry about her children being placed in harm's way, or fearing what would become of her if she lost her husband.
Now, in a cruel twist of fate she had exactly that. She was going to be made a queen, the queen of her home country. It was supposed to be Selene, the eldest Leventi had a much better temperament to be a queen and nurture heirs to a throne, Pia had never held such patience or grace or elegance. She was fire and ambition, impatient and jealous. All bad traits for the wife of a king. Her ambition had gotten her more than she had ever bargained for, and for a moment she wondered how her life would have been affected if she had stayed away from the king and Stephanos.
Perhaps in a few years after Theodora's wedding, her uncle would have arranged a match for her. Selene would have no doubt been made queen of somewhere, and she could have been sent to Colchis to be a prince's wife there, or Egypt even if there had been an alliance to strengthen. She could have gone on some grand adventure without the worry of what might become of her and her unborn child, without the trauma of being dragged into the path of an oncoming chariot race with a knife to her throat and the realization that she was going to die.
"I didn't want you to think me foolish. Since Selene was supposed to marry Zacharias, and Theodora Achilleas. I thought perhaps you and Uncle would have told me that a third tie to Mikaelidas was unnecessary. And I didn't want to think it."
Biting her lip, she stayed curled against her mother's breast and nodded in response to the advice. She would have to hold her head high and be proud, not show her fear or uncertainty to anyone else. Now that she was to stand by the side of a king, her every move would be scrutinized and she could show no weakness. A true Leventi woman.
To a certain extent, Evelli felt guilt. Guilt that she had been so consumed ensuring Selene's marriage prospects would come soon, and that Theodora's impending marriage would be pulled off without a hitch, that she had forgotten to check in on Olympia. Nana would always vye for attention, and as the youngest, Evelli would always ensure she checked in on Imma... but Olympia? Her third-born had always been so self-sufficient, mirroring her mother's ambitions for her own, that Evelli found herself not having to worry.
Yet look at what 'not worrying' had landed her in? Already she was questioning, if she had paid just a little more attention, asked Olympia a few more questions, would they have been able to avoid this fate, this hurriedly cobbled together wedding for her daughter and the new, young King of Taengea? While Evelli was overjoyed that one of her five would now have the security of crown and prestige, what cost did it come at?
"I could never think you foolish, sweet pea." she murmured in earnest return, squeezing the arm around Olympia's shoulders tight so she could hug her offspring to herself. Oh what Evelli would not give for them all to be young again, and her biggest worry was if Selene would fall over, or Olympia had been fed. Rocking her brunette daughter softly, Evelli allowed the silence to blanket them for a moment as she prayed to the Gods that her daughter's wedding, marriage and subsequent labor would be smooth. If she could not have a hand in the husband, the least she could do was try and ensure Olympia's life would no longer be in turmoil.
After allowing her to calm down for abit, only then did Evelli pull away and tilted the younger Leventi's head up to meet her eyes. Brushing away any trails of tears had they appeared, the woman brushed any stray strands of hair away, before managing a soft, encouraging smile. "You are a Queen now, Your Highness." It was a mix of a tease in the way she used the royal address to Olympia, and it showed in a small glimmer of light in the depths of her hazel eyes. Smoothening down the sides of her chiton that had gotten rumpled in the hug between mother and daughter, Evelli reached out to ensure that the mug of goat's milk she had offered Olympia was now empty, and headed for the dresser to pick up the tray that had the remainder of her breakfast.
Placing the tray which held an array of food, the woman now flashed her daughter a bright smile as she meandered over to pull the curtains open so the morning sunlight could stream in. "Now eat up, and we've got plenty to do today, Pia. I'm not about to let you starve my first grandchild, and neither am I about to let you get married in a shabby manner, even if it is a rushed ceremony. Hurry hurry!" Managing to inject a tone of cheery excitement in her, Evelli was a picture of positivity as she faced Olympia. For despite the dark circumstances that surrounded the situation, at the heart of it all, Evelli and Olympia have gotten exactly what all Leventi women would want.