The Nursery

We Arrive at The Estate late in the Evening. The Grounds are relatively quiet, Allowing us to go unnoticed. The five of us slip Silently through the corridors until we Reach the East Wing Drawing Room. After shuffling everyone in, Seamus closes and bolts the door.

"Seamus, The Children Will Need their own wing. Please Secure the rooms adjacent to my Chambers."

Seamus bows his head. "Yes, my QUEEN. I will Return shortly." I nod. He unbolts and exits the Room. I relock the door and turn to Layra.

"Tonight, you will Share a room with Jeremiah. Once he is Feeling Comfortable here at The Estate, we will Speak about more Spacious Living Arrangements for the two of you."

She nods. "Thank you, your Grace."

I then turn to Eliza and Timothais. Eliza Smiles. "Is this our new Home?!" Her eyes twinkle with Excitement.

"It is." I Say, my Voice Warming. "You and Timothais will be Sharing a room Tonight to ensure a Smooth Transition for you both. I will be Joining you once you are Settled. However, I Must Tend to a few items first."

Timothais quietly Answers. "Yes, your Majesty." I place my hand Gently on his face, cupping his cheek.

"Everything will be GOOD. You will soon See." I Smile at the little boy filled with uncertainty. He nods quietly, trying to be Brave. My HEART aches for him. I continue. "Layra, once everyone is Settled, Seamus will Escort you down to the Kitchens. The Children and I will be relying upon you to Prepare and Serve untainted Meals for the Time Being."

"Yes, of course, your Majesty." She responds.

"GOOD. Now, regarding limitations.. You will have Access to the entirety of The West Wing. This will be where The Children will Remain until The Estate is deemed a Secure environment in full." She nods. "You and The Children will Find that The West Wing contains everything you Need - Drawing Room, Dining Room, private Courtyard inaccessible to outsiders, Library, Study, and Nursery for the Enjoyment of The Children." Layra and The Children Smile upon hearing of their new Lifestyle Standards. "Of course, you will have more leeway as my personal Handmaiden, Layra, but you Must Protect your Identity for the Sake of your Self and the Sake of The Children."

A knock resounds on the door. I Approach, hesitant to Answer. Another knock. "My QUEEN." A muffled Voice comes through. It is Seamus. I Allow him to Enter.

"The West Wing has Been Secured, my QUEEN."

"Thank you, Seamus." I turn to the Others. "Let us Go quietly." We make our way back through the corridors and into The West Wing. A GUARD has Been Placed at the Entrance. Seamus turns to me.

"I have two of my Best GUARD Assigned to this Post. There will be no breach in Security, this I Assure you, my QUEEN."

"GOOD."

We pass by The Guard and Enter through the large doors Allowing us Access to The West Wing. The heavy doors close behind us.

"Welcome Home, Children." I Say. "Shall we Select your rooms?"

We walk through the large hall, touring The Wing as we make our way to the Sleeping Chambers. Layra and Jeremiah are Assigned to the last room on the left, while Eliza and Timothais take the room on the right.

"Remember, Children." I Say as we Enter the room. "These Sleeping Arrangements are only temporary. Soon enough you will have your own Private Chambers. Until then, make yourselves Comfortable. Layra will be Bringing a hot Meal soon, and I will remain here until then."

"May we go Play in The Nursery, your Majesty?" Jeremiah chimes in.

"I See no Issue." I reply before turning to Seamus. "You are to Escort Layra to and from the Kitchens."

"Yes, my QUEEN." He bows and leaves, Layra Following closely behind.

"Children." I Say. "Shall we Go Explore The Nursery?"

The Children let out a Cheer of Excitement and run ahead passed me to the room filled with toys. I Follow along Happily taking a Seat on a Wing-backed chair next to The Nursery fireplace, while they Play rather boisterously.

I sit and Observe this new chaos unfolding before my eyes. Eliza plays dramatically with a large dollhouse while the two boys run and chase each other around the room, the volume quickly rising.

"They will Need Play Clothes." I Think to my Self. "For both in and outdoor Play.." I Begin Creating a Mental Checklist to Accommodate their New Needs. "Education will be a Challenge.." I continue to Think. "..typically a Series of Specialized Tutors Provide a Solid Foundation upon which Education is built, but we do not have this Luxury.. I will Need to look more into this."

"Your Majesty?" A sweet little Voice Interrupts my Thoughts. I look down to See Eliza looking up at me with round pleading eyes. She is quite Precious with soft brown ringlets, large emerald eyes, button nose, and a slight scattering of freckles across the bridge.

"Yes, Eliza?" I Gently reply.

"Will you.." She hesitates, chewing on her tiny bottom lip.

"Go on, Dear." I Encourage. "Be Brave."

She nods and Smiles. "Will you Play with me?"

My eyes widen in Surprise. "Oh my!" I blurt out. "I Do Believe that I May have forgotten how."

She giggles. "You are so silly!" She Says, grabbing my hand in hers and tugging Gently. "Come on! I will Show you!"

I Rise, Allowing my Self to be Led to where she has set up the dollhouse According to her Preference, ready for Play.

"So!" She Begins. I take a seat on the floor, delicately tucking my skirts around my folded legs. "This is the Mama and this is the Papa. They LOVE each other very much. And this.." She reaches into a tiny bedroom. "..is their Daughter. She likes to Dance!" Eliza rocks the little wooden figure back and forth while singing Gleefully to her Self. "La la la.. dum dee dah.. La dee dahhhh!" She Smiles up at me. "Your turn!" She Exclaims, her eyes Brightly Twinkling. She hands me the wooden doll. I stare at it blankly. She giggles again. "Make her Dance!" She Instructs.

I Begin waltzing the tiny figure around the miniature Ballroom. "She Needs Music to Dance, your Majesty!" She squeals in Delight. I Begin humming an Orchestral Tune. "You are Doing it!!" She Encourages. I Smile. Timothais and Jeremiah stop Chasing each other and walk Toward us to See what Eliza is Enjoying to such Extent. She turns to the two boys. "I Taught The QUEEN how to Play!" She Tells them Proudly. All three of The Children Give me a Smile. My HEART Swells with a New Emotion as I Allow my Self to bask in this Moment.

"Play with Me, your Majesty!" Jeremiah Says.

"No!" Eliza pouts. "We are Playing dollhouse! She is Playing with me!"

"It is my turn, Eliza!" Jeremiah Begins to shout, the sudden turn of events taking me by Surprise.

I Rise to my feet. "Now look what you did, Jeremiah!!" Eliza Begins to whine.

"Now, Children. There is no Need to Anger our Selves. Let us Find a New Game. One that we can all Play. Together." I Say, emphasizing the last word.

Eliza nods her head, wiping her eyes with her little fists. Jeremiah and Timothais perk up with a Smile. "How about we Play chase?" Jeremiah Asks.

"No! I do not want to Play that!" Eliza pouts again.

"Now, Eliza. This is not how we Behave. Perhaps you can Suggest a New Solution rather than Raising your Temper?" She nods again.

Eliza Thinks quietly to her Self. A New Idea flashes across her face. She Smiles. "What if we Play House?" She Suggests, the boys twisting their faces in disgust.

"We want to Play GUARD." Timothais quietly Suggests.

An Idea comes to Mind. "What if.." I Say. "..we Play 'Dominion'?"

"What is that?" The Children Question, Eager to Learn.

"Well. Timothais and Jeremiah can Play The GUARD, if this is who you want to Play that is, Jeremiah?" He enthusiastically nods. "GOOD." I continue. "You, Eliza, can Play The Princess or The QUEEN, and I.." I trail off as I Think.

"You can Be my Royal Maman!" She Finishes my Sentence.

I Laugh. "Perfect! I will Be The Royal Maman." The four of us resume Play.

"Oh no!!" Eliza Exclaims, completely engulfed in Play. "We are under Attack! Whatever will we Do, Maman?!"

"Do not worry, Queen!" Timothais chimes in. "We will Save you!" He pulls out a wooden toy sword.

"Hurry, your Majesty!" Jeremiah waves me over to where he is crouched behind a sofa. "You and the Queen can hide over here while we Fight the enemy off!"

Eliza and I Begin crawling over to where Jeremiah is hiding when Seamus and Layra walk in.

"Maman!" Jeremiah jumps up and runs over to his Mother. "We are Playing 'Dominion'! Me and Timothais are The GUARD, Eliza is The Queen, and The QUEEN is The Royal Maman!"

"That sounds like so much Fun, my little LOVE! Are you ready to eat?" She Kindly responds.

Seamus glances over at me, humor Dancing in his eyes. I Feel my Self flush. I Stand, smoothing out my skirts before walking over.

"I will leave you and The Children to your Meal then." I Say.

"Will you not Join us, your Grace?" Layra Politely Offers.

"Thank you, Layra. Not Tonight. I will take my Meal in the Drawing Room a little later. I Must Tend to my DUTIES in the meantime."

She nods. "Come on Children. It is Time for Supper. Follow me." The Children all cheer and fall into line.

"Enjoy your Meals, Children." I Say as I wave them Farewell. They walk out of the room, following Layra to The Dining Room, The Nursery suddenly unusually Silent.

I turn to Seamus. "You have Served Me Well Today, Seamus. You are Relieved of your DUTIES."

He bows his head. "My QUEEN."

Together we exit The West Wing. "Until Tomorrow." I Say.

"Yes, my QUEEN." Seamus Says before taking his leave to The Council Members' Chambers.