Chapter 31

It was very late when Hugh had finished his tale.

"Well that certainly was one hell of an adventure!" Tom exclaimed. "It seems that all these troubles are just the insane ambitions of just one man!"

"Well it certainly makes life here more difficult. I mean, it's hard enough here, without adding to the problems!" Paul replied.

"Um, excuse me, but what did you mean when you said about being from a place called Earth? What's a 'city banker'? And who or what is a character from a TV?" a somewhat bemused Eleanor asked.

Tom, Paul, Hugh and Adrianna looked at one another.

"Yes, what exactly is a TV?" asked Judith.

Tom took a deep breath. "I guess we owe you all a full explanation. However, what we tell you must never leave this room. Unless you can agree to this and stick to it, I must remain silent."

"We know how to keep a confidence," said Eleanor, slightly miffed. The others nodded.

"Very well." He then went on to explain about Cassandra, Crossroads and Earth. He told them about the problems the people there had in having children. He told them about damsels and the reasons that heroes came here to rescue them.

Judith looked at Adrianna. "So you will only ever have one child?"

"Yes, but that child will be loved by the whole community. He or she will want for nothing"

"How will you maintain your population?" Rob asked.

"That is a very good question. It is something that is a great worry to our people. Our main hope is that any boys born will be far more fertile than is normal, and these will gradually repopulate the planet."

"It's a little bit of a long shot, isn't it?" Eleanor remarked.

"Yes," she sighed, "but it's all we have. Nothing else we have tried has worked. The few boys born normally end up with a harem. They are the most popular men on the planet! We would like to take men back from here or Earth, but there is something on our planet that kills them! We do not know if it's the water, if it's something in the air, or something in the food. All we know, is those taken back do not last long. If they did, there would be women queuing up all round the block for them!"

They all laughed at this. Janice, who up to now had been quiet, asked, "How did you end up here?"

"Well it was very simple, really. I was selected by lottery to come and have my chance of being rescued. I chose the area because I had heard the tales of a man who operated in this area, and from what the girls that returned said, he rocked their world like nothing they had ever experienced. I went and worked as a barmaid in a small village called Montsatire. I was there for four months, hoping for a hero to come for me, when those Brotherhood people turned up and dragged me off to Belarick. They stuck me in that filthy dungeon and left me there. I was absolutely terrified! Then finally my hero turned up. He managed to free me, but we were recaptured on our escape. We were stuck there until you came for us."

"You must be very brave to come here, knowing how dangerous it is. You take an awful risk!" Janice said.

"Well, it's our only hope of ever having children, and yes, some don't make it back home! But now I have my Hero," she said, looking up adoringly at Hugh, "and I'm sure that our child will be a big healthy strapping boy, who will go on to have many children of his own!"

"Are you already pregnant?" asked Judith

"No, not yet, but as soon as we get back, well..." She was squirming in her seat in anticipation at this event. Hugh went quite red.

"Look, it really is very late now. We have the party to organise tomorrow. I'm sure some of us need to get some sleep. Morning will be here far too early. So, to bed, everyone!" Tom ordered.

They all retired to their rooms. Tom held Eleanor in his arms and asked if she was upset or troubled by today's revelations. She took his head in her hands and said,

"No. What I have learned today has only made me love you more. You have left your home and family, risked your life on numerous occasions to rescue these women. But you have done far more than that. From what I have been able to gather, most of these heroes just come here, rescue the girls and go home again, and we that live here never know of their existence.

"You and your companions have done so much more. You have saved not only these women, but the entire island, and from what I can make of it, started a revolution on the mainland as well! You have raised the status of women here from chattels and slaves to one of revered healers. It was you who united the tribes; it was you who led these people to victory.

"Not only that, it's thanks to you that we have new ideas. New ideas on how to grow more food, new ideas on roads, on how to build them. It is you who has shown us how to organise ourselves to live more peacefully together. It's you that has given us hope. You have only been here a short while, yet the changes you have made, and the people you have inspired will change this land forever.

"You didn't have to do this, you could have stayed safe at home, but instead you came here and risked everything for people you do not know, and have not seen. Your wife is a very lucky woman, for you are a true hero!" And with that she kissed him.

Morning did, in fact, come far too soon. It seemed to Tom that he had barely closed his eyes when sunlight was streaming in through the windows. He awoke, washed and had his breakfast, a fine breakfast of eggs, bacon, and fresh bread. Gone was the thin porridge that he endured yesterday. He dressed in his finest robes and prepared for the day's celebration.

There was a large open space near the centre of town. Tables and trestles had been laid out. The cooks and bakers had been up before dawn preparing all manner of meats, breads and cakes. Vegetables had been prepared and Tony had shown one of the cooks how to prepare chips! These were to be served hot, so a great vat of boiling oil had been prepared to fry them in. The anticipation of the festivities to come was overwhelming. Speeches were made, and congratulations given. Finally it was time for the food. The people were shocked when Tom, Eleanor and the others took their places behind the tables and made ready to serve their subjects.

The people were amazed at this. "Your majesty! Please!" said a very shocked woman. "This is our job. You shouldn't be here!"

Tom smiled at her and then said, "My dear, this is your day. This is a day for all the people to celebrate their salvation and freedom from slavery. Today, it is our duty is to serve, not be served."

She looked at him in amazement. "But Sire..."

"No 'buts'. It's too easy for those in power to forget that the best rulers rule at the behest of their people, for the benefit of the people, not for their own advancement or profit. If more were to remember that, then maybe there would be more co-operation and less trouble in the world."

Several folk who were standing in line nodded. Eleanor leaned over, took his head in her hands and kissed him. This brought a cheer from those around.

"What was that for?" a surprised Tom asked.

"For just being the wonderful man that you that you are," she replied, smiling.

The food was served, musicians played, the people ate, drank and danced. People came over to them and thanked them for everything they had done. He saw young Poppy leading her parents over towards him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for such a wonderful feast" the young girl said. "It is the best ever."

Tom smiled. "Have you had plenty to eat?"

"Oh yes! I don't know when I've been so full."

Her father stepped forward. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for everything. If not for you we would all be slaves, and I shudder to think what the future would hold. We owe you our lives, our liberty, just about everything. Thank you, Sire."

It was drawing to towards the end of the day when Janice, with Martha on her lap, took Paul off to a quiet corner. "Do you think it's nearly over?"

He looked down at his beautiful wife. "Yes, I do believe it is. We can now go on to Politon, and once we have done that, we can all go home."

"Good. For when we do, we are going to have to find a large house with a nice nursery."

"Why a nursery? Martha doesn't need a..." The 'penny' dropped. "Are you? Are you really?"

She smiled at him and nodded. He stood up and held out his arms. She put a baffled Martha down, and Paul gathered her up in his arms and swung her round laughing and crying at the same time.

"Someone seems happy," Tom said, placing his arm around Eleanor

"She must have told him then."

"Told him what?"

"Men!" Judith exclaimed with her arm around Rob.

Both men were totally baffled.

"Her news, of course. She's pregnant; she's going to have a baby!"

He stood there with a stunned expression on his face as an excited couple came over towards them.

"Tom, Eleanor, have we got some news! Janice is pregnant! We're going to have a baby!"

Again he picked up his wife and danced around. People looked round at the couple and could see the joy on their faces.

Hearing the commotion Tony walked over. "Somebody's happy!" he exclaimed.

"Janice is pregnant. She just told him," Tom explained

"Ye gods! He definitely won't be coming back with us now!"

They all went over to the happy couple. Eleanor picked up a confused Martha.

Janice and Paul came to her. "How do you feel about having a little brother or sister?"

"When? Can I see them now? Where are they?"

They all laughed. "The baby's in here," Janice said, holding Martha's hand against her belly.

"How did it get in there? Did you swallow it?"

"No," laughed Janice. "Daddy planted a seed in mummy's tummy and in, oh, seven or eight months time, just after all the harvest is in, then the baby will be ready to be born."

They were all laughing at this. Tom took his friends hand. "Well done, mate. I'm really pleased for you."

"Me, as well," said Tony shaking Paul's hand also. "Won't be the same down at the club without you there."

"I don't know what to say. It's just this feels so right. If I could, I'd take her back with us. I must admit I would prefer our standard of antenatal care to what is available here. After all, who wouldn't? But even so, the idea of not being with her ... Well, I'm just not prepared to even consider it. I love this fantastic woman! I'm so proud that she is carrying our child." He stood there totally stunned as it finally sank in. "I'm going to be a dad!"

"I know, it takes some getting used to. I remember when Pam told me she was expecting Lydia. I went around with a stupid grin on my face for days. I just couldn't believe it."

"I know that I've fathered children before, I've satisfied enough damsels in the past, but this is totally different. This time I'm going to be around to see the child grow up, and have some influence on his or her upbringing."

As he said this he looked down and saw a very worried Martha. He reached down and picked her up. "How do you feel about having a little brother or sister?"

He saw her lip start to quiver "You won't leave me will you? You won't send me away to the nasty men now that you're having another baby will you?" Tears started to flow down her cheeks.

Paul clasped her to him. "No, my darling! You are my little girl. No one will ever take you away from us, and we will never leave you."

Her arms were locked around his neck and she clung to him like a limpet. The others noticed what was going on and they all gathered around the little girl, assuring her that she was still loved and would always be loved.

Their wonderful news soon spread and before long everyone was coming over to congratulate them. It added an even more celebratory air to the proceedings. The party went on all day and well into the evening. As night started to fall, Tony told Tom that Paul wouldn't be the only one to be a father as they saw one couple after another slowly drift away into the evening. He nodded to Rob and Judith who were talking quietly, seeming very close, and it seemed they have an announcement of their own. They came towards us.

"Your Majesties," Rob started, stopped, then taking a deep breath continued, "Your Majesties, as you know, Judith and I have been rather close lately. I wish to have your permission to formally ask for her hand in marriage. I know that under local custom the time we have spent together constitutes a marriage, but we want something far more formal, more permanent. I love your daughter and will always be there for her. I know we will have to wait until this war is over, but we have beaten them here, and I'm sure that it won't be long before we have driven them completely from our lands. Once they are gone, I will wish to settle and make our home here. There is good land and I can see a bright future here."

Eleanor looked at him and then at her daughter. She could see the love shining in their eyes. She knew he was the right man for her.

"Yes, I think that will be a wonderful idea. It'll give us something to look forward to once all this is over," she said.

A look of sadness passed over her. She knew that Tom would be leaving once they defeated the slavers. It was something she was not looking forward to.

"Congratulations to both of you," Tom added. "I'm sure you'll be very happy. I'm sure you won't have to wait too long. We just have to take Polliton and then it's just a case of mopping up the stragglers. Remember Sir Rolof and Captain Simon are there already, and now that we have the supplies here, we can set off and take the town. We'll leave as soon as we are ready."

Eleanor took his hand "So soon?"

"I'm afraid so. We were only waiting for these supplies to arrive. It'll take two days for everyone to be ready, then we'll leave." He looked into her eyes and saw both the love and hurt there. He knew she wanted him to stay, but he also knew it was impossible. "I'm sorry if I've hurt you. I really care for you, but we both knew this day would come."

"I know. Let's not talk about that now." She took his hand and led him back to the castle and their room. He could sense her need as she clung to him.