"You'll have to excuse my love. It's difficult." Matthias said , touching her shoulder.
"I'm fine." She nodded, taking a breath, while the two girls held theirs, goose bumps covering their skin. It was the most vivid vision I have ever had. It began with an open plain drenched in the blood of my people. The poor and rich, peasants and kings alike. And at the heart of the field was me, only, it wasn't me.
'There were four worlds at the four ends. Behind me the past. The death of my first-born, Julia, the king and all my love's family and my sisters. Those with the misfortune of having the same vision. Their bodies strewn across the floor, piled over each other, broken. Behind me, my past, to my left and right, alternate choices which effect the world ahead. There were more bodies. On each side.
'There were symbols on the bodies. Their piled corpses formed a path. The dead weren't my brethren, no. These were mixed races, the Sigcawu, the Sefefo, the humans, the IiHagu and most importantly the Umbaleki, it was their hewn bodies which held the most symbols. At the end of the path upon all their bodies stood seven winged figures. They held, in their hands the heads of two. Myself and my husband.
'But upon the shoulders of the tallest was my son, my Judge."
At that moment she broke into a horrible fit of tears, trembling so violently Judge woke up and started screaming. The rest of the group woke. Heather pulled them to her between their waves of bewilderment.
Heather didn't bother with updates rather silencing them as she waited for Miriam to contain herself. It took a while, longer than Heather had patience for, but Matthias raised his fist.
Heather shut up, compelled and impressed. She'd never met royalty, perhaps there was a difference between them and others.
Perhaps all royalty were divinely chosen leaders or perhaps it was a side effect of a lifetime of good food and good training.
She didn't know.
He started stroking Miriam's head and she calmed, looking up. "I'm sorry about my pause, I'm able to continue.
'Upon the shoulders of the tallest figure sat my Judge. He looked happy, content and older. He was five years of age.
'Upon the opposite road stood myself, my husband and my Judge. He was tall with good, strong muscles and a calm disposition. He was happy, content living his life with me and Matthias as we worked in an unowned territory. Untouched by war and filled with fruits, tillable soil and squatters as far as the eye can see. We're safe there.
'But each road has consequences, the road which leads to both mine and Matthias's death changes the road in front. The road to our fate still holds a bloody pile of bodies but few are of people we know, even less of those we care for, instead they're of our enemies, those who hold ill will. Judge has returned with an army at his back. He's taken back his home, only his beliefs have been altered because he was raised by the dark figures and not us. Things change. Not for the worse but still, they change.
'The future of the other road ends with him alone but happy, he's tilling the field in this new land and brings flowers to my grave, Matthias, he leaves nothing at all. Something between them has ruined their relationship, even in death. He does not move on but does find love. A simple plump human of no greatness. They live together but have no children, the royal blood line ends. Back at our kingdom, there is nothing but death and ruin. The piled bodies so immense our bloodline disappears under its sheer enormity, but our son lives a modest life. He is happy, content, in love, we all are.
'There will be a crossroads for Matthias and myself. One where we will either choose left and die or right and grow old with our children at the cost of an entire kingdom."