Say a Prayer Ch. 11

They were just like their older brothers, gray eyed, dark haired, beautiful little boys.

Some men longed for sons and never had any. Erdgar had five. There were kings around the world who would have been highly envious of him.

And damn it, he already wanted another baby. He wanted as many as physically possible.

Best to wait, though, best to wait. The last thing he wanted was to destroy his wife's body.

And it just happened to be a very beautiful body ... at least in his mind.

Even when Danetta was furious, her face turning red, stomping her high heels down, she was beautiful to him.

One day, Erdgar had overheard something Andreo murmured into little Roland's ear. "Don't worry about sinning against the gods. I don't think they can do much anyway."

Unfortunately, Danetta heard that too. She put baby Ermo into the arms of one of her handmaidens. She made certain that Enio was safe in the arms of the other handmaiden.

Noting the rage flaring out from the blonde's eyes, Erdgar went into immediate action, wanting to keep his eldest son from enduring what was likely a pointless scolding.

Erdgar called out, "A moment, Sweet Mistress, I must have a moment of your time!" Then he firmly grasped her arm and dragged her out of the room in the most non-violent way he could manage. They went rather far off. Erdgar didn't want to risk having the boys hear the conversation they would have.

"Erdgar! Erdgar! Where are you taking me?!" Her hand rotated a bit as she tried to get away.

He wasn't having any of that. "A guest room, Dearest. We must have a discussion."

Inside the nearest guest room, Erdgar finally released his wife's arm. He closed the door and gestured towards an armchair. Danetta's lower lip stuck out, but she put her hands together and sat down as a proper gentlewoman would. Then Erdgar knelt down before her, both knees on the floor.

His scarred hands went to her covered knees. He gazed up at the baffled and wounded face his wife was so adorably displaying. "Danetta, my Love, please don't punish the boy. He's committed no crime."

One of her eyelids twitched. "I don't understand."

"Dear Wife, do you believe I'm anything other than a good man?"

She slightly leaned forward. Her smooth hands jumped to his and they clamped down. She was wearing a single gold ring, and that ring seemed harsh against Erdgar's flesh.

"You're the finest man I've ever known," Danetta insisted with gravity shining in her aqua colored eyes.

"Yet I'm not religious." Erdgar saw her lips part again. He freed one of his hands from her grasp. Then he put two fingertips against her plump lips. "Hush, now. My words need to reach you." He put those fingertips under her chin. "I swear by my life that if you search the whole nation, you will eventually find a Temple Child with an evil heart. Concerning this matter, religion is irrelevant."

Danetta's nose was becoming rosy. "How can we be good parents if we don't teach them the ways of the gods?! How will our children function in society?!"

"Morality and religion are two different concepts, Darling. Do you believe that I'd lead my children to a path of debauchery and decay simply because I'm not religious?"

She shook her head. Her curls swung and bounced around her face. "You're an excellent father."

But ...

But tears were coming. Her chest swelled with a breath sadly held in. A few coughs escaped.

Erdgar hated to see her cry.

He got up to his feet, and he tugged her by her hands, leading her to stand with him. Then he put one hand to her head and the other on her back. Cinnamon, pumpkins, and vanilla were in her delicious perfume. She was as comforting as a creamy pie.

But she was the one who needed comfort.

"Danetta, it's not my intention to put discord between my children and their mother. I only want a compromise. Please continue to teach our boys about religion and everything else our culture has to offer. But, don't try to force them to have faith in the gods. Don't be angry if they can not believe. Instead, focus on their conduct and their morals. Will you comply?"

Like oddly affectionate lizards, Danetta's hands crawled and slithered between their bodies so they could rest on his chest. Her cheek pressed against him, and she sobbed and whined.

In the end, however, she gave in.

She trusted him.

Even though she believed she might accidentally lead her children to sin, she trusted him, because he loved those boys just as much as she did.

However, to keep her happy, Erdgar let her say his name, and all the boys' names, in her prayers. It seemed like a harmless thing to do, and it eased her mind.

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The End

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Author's Note: A part of me feels bad for making this chapter so short. Another part of me wanted to cut off as much fat as possible so I could get to the meat of it all. I also have mixed feelings concerning the ending fight scene. Was it cheap and lazy? Was it to the point with minimal dilly dallying? Feel free to tell me your feelings on these matters. It's the best way for me to keep learning, after all. Thank you all for reading my silly stories. I appreciate it.

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