An unexpected turn of events

Over the following months Dixon made a point of lying with Denah at least twice a week. He was determined to have a son, and wasn’t going to let his emotions stand in the way of his duty to his kingdom. Denah didn’t mind the loveless marriage, she knew what she was destined for and decided not to fight her fate anymore.

The castle awoke to a commotion mid fall when a carriage arrived unexpectedly at the front gate. Denah was woken up by raised voices, and quickly dressed and went to her window. She could hardly believe her eyes. Helen Walton was standing in the courtyard. A man she did not know, whom she assumed to be Helen’s husband, was shouting and throwing bags out of the carriage. The man left before any of the castle servants could address him, and Helen was left standing alone and crying in the courtyard. Denah felt sorry for her. She knew exactly how it felt to be tossed aside by the man who was supposed to love you. Her emotions were short lived, as she knew the exact circumstances of Helen’s marriage.

Denah stood at the window for a few minutes watching Helen. She looked... different. Helen turned her head up to the window Denah was standing in and they locked eyes. Helen's cheeks were red and stained with tears, but she still managed to pull a smug smile for Denah. Something was going on, and there was a siniser reason behind Helen's return. Before she could figure it out, the door to Denah's bedchamber burst open and 3 of her handmaidens fell into the room.

"My Lady!" one said breathlesly "Miss Walton has returned!"

"Yes, I see that.... help me dress."



The royal family received Helen formally, and King Caleb silently read a letter from Helen’s husband. When he finished reading the letter he looked angrily from Helen to Dixon, then back to Helen.

“Your new post will be in the kitchens. You are not to leave the kitchen quarters unless you are going to your own bed, do you understand?”

“Yes, my Lord” Helen replied quietly. She walked out quietly and was embraced by the staff, happy to see her returned, but unaware of the circumstances. Denah looked in disbelief at her father in law.

“The truth will be out soon enough” was all he said.

The following week Danica arrived for her visit, and Denah filled her in on everything she knew, which wasn’t much. None of their servants knew what had happened either, and Helen had kept her story to herself as instructed by the King. There was also important Kingdom news, Denah was pregnant again.

Give me my son! *Content Warning*

The following day Denah called on Danica again to tell her about Helen Walton. They decided the best way to get information was to employ their most trusted servants as spies. Within a few weeks their suspicions were confirmed. Helen Walton was well known in her village for being ‘friendly’, and the dispute between her parents and the parents of her fiancée was over her virginity. Helen swore she was untouched, and no one would come forward and admit to lying with her, despite the rampant rumors. Denah and Danica decided they would write the families in secret and pay a handsome fee to be rid of Helen once and for all.

Two weeks later Helen left Legacyville Castle to be married. The entire household saw her off. Denah, King Caleb and Queen jenny were all very happy to see her gone, while most of the men servants and Dixon watched dejectedly as her carriage rolled away from the castle. Denah was quite happy to have her husband to herself again, and was looking forward to him in her bed again. She wanted to prove to him that she could give him the son he so desired.

Denah got her wish that night, but not the way she was expecting. Denah was settled in bed, reading a book when her bedroom door burst open. Dixon was in the doorway, sweaty, shirt unbuttoned, an almost empty bottle of rum in his hand. “Are you happy Now?” he slurred

“Pardon me, my love?”

“She’s gone! Are you happy now?! You got what you wanted, you’ve got me all to yourself!”

“Dixon please, stop shouting you’re scaring me!”

Dixon stumbled into her room and dropped his rum. “You got what you wanted now give me what I want!”

Denah suddenly realized what Dixon meant and pulled her blankets up around her neck. “Please don’t do this Dixon!” Dixon climbed into the bed and threw himself on top of Denah. “Give me what I want” he whispered into her hear “give me my son.” Denah knew there was nothing she could do to stop what was about to happen. All she could do was close her eyes and cry.

Yes, My Lady

“I have failed. He doesn’t love me.” Denah had finally come out of the depths of her grief and called for Danica. She had hardly been able to care for her twin girls and relied heavily on the wet nurses and nannies. She cried into Danica’s shoulder “What have I done to deserve this? Why am I being punished?” “Oh Denah…” She couldn’t think of anything positive to say. They both knew that this is the worst thing that could have happened. Danica stayed with Denah over the next few weeks to help with the rigors of motherhood.

By early summer, Denah was once again in good spirits and took breakfast with her family for the first time since Princess Etta and Princess Elsa were born. King Caleb and Queen Jenny were happy to see her, and made light conversation of the goings on in the castle and Kingdom that she had missed. Dixon didn’t acknowledge her presence, which she expected and was not upset by. What Denah didn’t expect was the new servant girl that brought out breakfast.

She couldn’t help but notice the way she paid special attention to the way she laid Dixon’s plate in front of him, or the icy stares she garnered from the King and Queen. Though young, she was no fool and knew there was something going on between the two of them. Denah also notied how low the neck of the girl's dress was, and the ways she swayed her hips whenever Dixon was around. Denah knew better than to make a scene in front of anyone, so when she passed by the new girl unattended in the hall one day she made her move.


“You, what’s your name?”

“Helen Walton, my Lady” she said with a smug smile. She knew she was virtually untouchable.
Denah, paused for a moment and looked down on the young girl. She knew exactly what was going on and had to find a way to get rid of this girl.

“I imagine a young girl like yourself would be interested in an advantageous marriage?”

“Of course my lady… but I am already betrothed.”

Denah was surprised. “Is that so? When is the wedding?”

“No date’s been set yet, my lady, there is a dispute...”
This piqued Denah’s interest. There were only two things that would hold up a wedding in this kingdom: A dowry, and a question of Virginity. Denah motioned for Helen to continue.

“The dowry… my father is a fisherman, and my fiancé works in textiles. He’s having trouble acquiring the items that have been requested”

Denah could see right through the lie, and Helen knew it.

“Very well then, I hope your families can come to some sort of accord. It would be a shame for your financee to turn his eye to another woman, don’t you think? A beautiful young girl like yourself, cast aside on a whim…”

“Yes my Lady, it would be a shame.”

The two women looked each other in the eye, and for a moment it seemed the hallway would ignite with Denah’s fury.
“If I catch you so much as looking in my husband’s direction I’ll have you whipped to within an inch of your life.Do you understand?”

Helen smirked and replied “Yes, my Lady.”

A child is born

The castle was in an uproar when Denah went into labour. The entire household was gathered and waited patiently outside the bedroom door. The labour was long, and very painful. When Denah finally let out a gut wrenching scream everyone outside the door held their breath. After a moment the sound that they had all been waiting for , a baby’s cries. The hallway erupted in cheer and servants shouted “Long live the Queen!” They didn’t yet know if they had been given a Prince or Princess, but they didn’t care, it had been so long without a baby in the household.

Their joy was short lived though, Denah began to scream again, and confusion erupted from within the room. Dixon was standing expectantly at the door, waiting for the midwife to present him with his son, and when she didn’t arrive he began to get angry. He pounded on the door “Give me my son!!” A scared apprentice opened the door a crack to face him “Please my lord, there are some…. Complications. You must be patient.” Dixon tried to force his way in, but was forced back by the apprentice and the thick smell of blood in the air. He could hear Denah breathing heavily, but couldn’t see her. “Denah!” He shouted. The apprentice pushed him back “We will call you when you are needed!”. The door slammed millimeters from his face. He could barely contain his rage, but he knew he had no place in a room where a woman was giving birth.

The entire household sat in the hall outside Denah’s rooms. For 45 minutes they didn’t know what to do, and they all feared the worst. Finally, after more grunts and groans from Denah, something no one in the hall was expecting, the cries from a second baby. Dixon couldn’t contain himself any more, he bust into the room. “Twins? Twins?! Please tell me this woman has given me the greatest gift of twin boys to receive this kingdom!” But the mood in the room was somber, and Denah was crying silently. The midwife and apprentice carried his babies to him “Twin Girls my Lord. You have been blessed with two beautiful girls.”

On his best behaviour

From that day on Dixon was on his best behaviour. He spent every night in Denah’s bed reading his ‘son’ to sleep, and made sure there were fresh flowers in her room every morning. He took days off work to wait on her every need, and rubbed her feet every night when they started to swell.

Denah and Danica's lunch dates continued, of course, and she made sure to keep her sister up to date with everything that went on with Dixon. Denah knew better than to fall for his affections a second time. To have your heart broken twice by the same man was stupidity on the woman’s part. “Just entertain him, let him be happy, and when you give him his son you’ll be free to do whatever you like!” “What if it’s a girl?” “Just pray that it isn’t and everything will be fine.” That was the answer Denah always got, and every time she heard it her heart skipped a beat. What did everyone mean by that? Did they know something she didn’t? Only time would tell.

A Royal Marriage

*Unfortunately the photos dry up after this, and don't kick in until the next generation. Stick with it though, the storyline gets good!*

The wedding of Crown Prince Dixon West to his second cousin Countess Denah West was a grand affair and a joyous occasion for the entire kingdom. Not only did it partially ensure the succession of the crown and stability for the people of LegacyVille, but it meant that, once a child was born, there would be no chance of someone from another kingdom attempting to claim the throne, as Dixon and Denah’s child would be a descendant of the king on both the mother and the father’s side.

Denah was pleasantly surprised at how loving and attentive Dixon was, and made it a point to thank Danica every time they met for lunch. If it wasn't for Danica, Denah never would have opened her heart to Dixon and allowed herself to be loved.

Denah’s happiness was short lived. When she failed to show signs of pregnancy after only 3 months of marriage, she began to notice Dixon returning to the snide and short tempered prince she had known before the wedding. She had her suspicions as to why, but she had to know for sure. She caught him on his way to work one morning and asked “My love… why are you so angry?” Dixon scoffed “As if you don’t already know the answer. You’ve been here three months and there are no signs of my son.” Denah’s heart shattered. She had been fooled into thinking he really loved her. All he really wanted was a son, and she was a nuisance he had to tolerate in the meantime. Her lip began to tremble. “Look, I’ve got to go to work, to do my job. Why don’t you do your job and give me my son, instead of running around having lunch dates with your friends.” Dixon turned and left without seeing the tears streaming down his wife’s face.

When Danica arrived for lunch, she could see Denah had been crying. It didn’t take much for her to tell Danica what had happened between her and Dixon that morning. Danica tried to comfort her, but she knew nothing could be done. Denah would have to endure, and produce a son if she was going to have any chance at happiness.

That night Denah waited patiently by the door for Dixon to come home. When he finally arrived, she opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off. “I don’t want to talk.” He threw his suitcase and jacket on the chair next to her and walked upstairs. She heard the door to his office close. Denah decided she would try again when he came to bed. She waited for him, but when he hadn’t arrived by 1am she decided to go to bed. It was the first time since they were married that she slept alone.

Several weeks went by with Dixon spending most nights away from Denah at night. She didn’t know where he slept, but there were any number of places within the Castle for him to lie at night. One thing that never changed was the family breakfast. All families in LegacyVille ate breakfast together, and the Royal Family was no exception. Denah had been helping herself to double servings lately, and her weight gain was unmistakable. Dixon noticed her round belly. “Denah, you’ve got too much food on your plate and you’re getting fat. You need to eat less.” Denah shot him her trademark fiery glance and was about to speak when the King cut her off. “Are you stupid?! Can’t you see the woman is pregnant!?” Dixon looked at Denah in amazement “Sweetheart?! Why didn’t you tell me?” “What do you think I’ve been trying to tell you for the last 5 weeks?” Dixon ran out of the dining room and through all the halls of the castle jumping with joy that Denah was pregnant. By this time everyone else knew, and he was alone in his celebrations, but he didn’t care. He would soon have a son.

A Summer Wedding

Over the next 5 months, Denah and Danica became inseparable. They spent so much time together Denver started to complain. He decided to confront his sister at breakfast. “Any chance of me getting my wife back?” “You can have her back when I become a wife myself.” “Dear God, that day won’t come soon enough” Denah grabbed a sausage off the table and threw it at her brother, then turned to rub Danica’s growing belly “Don’t worry Brother, this little one is due at the end of spring, and I have decided to marry in summer.” Everyone’s jaw dropped. Denah looked around the table, “Mother, close you’re mouth. It’s not lady like.” Tara spit out the food she was chewing. “Well when were you planning on telling ME this? Summer is only 4 months away!” “Mother, don’t shout, it’s not lady like. Besides, I’ve just told you. Four months is plenty of time to plan a wedding.” Denah pulled out a chair for Danica, and took a seat across the table. Tara stared at Denah in disbelief and threw her fork down on the table. She looked at Charles “Are you going to let her speak to me like that?!” “Think of it this way,” Charles replied “she’ll be gone in four months.” Tara got up from the table in a huff and spent the rest of the day making wedding plans over the phone with the Queen.

The next 4 months passed in a whirlwind of excitement and commotion. Tara hardly slept as she planned for the birth of a child, and a wedding. At the end of spring, when Danica gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Tara threw a small party to celebrate. When Dixon arrived, Denah wasn’t sure what to expect. They hadn’t seen each other since she announced she was ready to marry, and she wasn’t sure what kind of comment to expect. She was surprised when he arrived with a bouquet of flowers and a friendly smile. He kissed her on the cheek “I’m so happy you have decided to become my wife and queen.” Denah was shocked. Dixon was pleased when she didn’t immediately snap back. “Hopefully with the grace of God we will be throwing our own welcoming party this time next year.” Denah smiled back at him. She couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. What was once snake venom was now sweet honey. She felt her heart melt, and was overcome with relief. Maybe Danica was right, she thought to herself, maybe he will be easy to love.