#also i agree with the reply. FR has somehow raised the bar of what to expect from a KS backed petsim by an insane degree

[fyrets]

For what it's worth, I have hope that PB will be different if only for the fact that we know they have quite a bit of long term content already planned. Specifically the 22 breeds they want to release for the lifetime of the site, with only a little less than half being available at launch (founders + KS exclusive + KS stretch goal).

Assuming future releases will be done in domestic/mystic pairs and we get two releases a year (a possibly reasonable schedule for development time assuming we have a good number of breed concepts done already + what I think a good pace to satiate player demand for breed updates would be), that gives us about three years of content in breeds alone! The fear of development slowing down for some reason or another still exists I suppose, but I think the knowledge of there being a hard limit of what to expect on some level brings me comfort.

There's also a pretty good write-up by @/solborough comparing and contrasting LW to PB which has put a lot of what I've had bouncing around in my mind into words.

Man lately it feels like none of the newer pet sites are holding up very well. DV being slow on updates, communication and KS promises - and now LW updates also coming to a standstill. Makes me worried about the future of PB - it seems the standard recipe now that the devs are very active and hopeful before beta/release, then radio silence after they have raked in their fill of early release hype cash.

Psst, since this post seems more relevant to Pawborough - please submit Pawborough salt over to @saltboroughs instead!

[believingispowerfulmagic]

“Crown My Heart” Chapter 26: A Dark Cloud

           Robin had worried that he was riding into a trap of some sort even before he left for Fort Nott. His gut told him there was more to Keith’s demands and hunger strike beyond stubbornness and his desire to make his cousin’s life miserable. Lady Wellingsbury agreed and had tried to argue with the others to let him stay. The others, though, didn’t want to risk that Keith would starve himself before they could interrogate him and had left Robin no choice but to retrieve his cousin.

           From the moment he left his chambers, his heart told him to turn back and stay with Regina until their son came. He forced himself to keep going and he rode hard to Fort Nott, hoping he could retrieve Keith and return home quickly.

           His cousin, of course, had other plans.

           Even with Robin there, Keith refused to ride a horse back to Locksley. He had looked up at Robin, eyes cold, as he declared: “If you are bringing me back a prisoner, cousin, then do it properly. Put me in a wagon with bars and parade me through the streets. Let the people know what you do to your own family if they disagree with you.”

           “I can handle disagreements,” Robin told him, keeping his voice even. “I welcome them for they can allow me to see things in a new way. You, though, are undermining me and plotting harm to my family and myself. Your family, I add. So don’t think of yourself as some martyr. No one will see you as one.”

           He left his cousin in his cell, asking John to find a paddy wagon to transport Keith. It didn’t take long before his captain assured him one had been secured and that it would arrive at Fort Nott in a couple days. Robin penned a quick note to his mother, sending it with the fort’s fastest rider to let everyone—especially Regina—know he would be home soon.

           Robin then went down to tell Keith. “You will soon be paraded through Locksley as the criminal you are.”

           “And will you be leading the parade?” Keith asked, smirking at him as he sat in the cell.

           “No,” Robin replied, getting a thrill from denying him that. “I am leaving ahead of you so I can go home to my wife. I’ve been away from her for far too long.”

           Keith smirked. “Ahh, yes, she’s due to give birth to your first child any day now. It would be a shame if you missed the birth. And given how dangerous it can be for women, it would be terrible if you weren’t there for your wife’s last moments.”

           A chill went down Robin’s spine but he kept his scowl in place as he stared down to his cousin. “The paddy wagon will be here in two days’ time. You’ll leave at first light on the third day. I will see you in Locksley, cousin.”

           He somehow managed to walk out of the room calmly. Once the door closed behind him, though, he raced to his room. “I want my horse prepared immediately,” he told John. “I leave now.”

           John frowned. “What is the urgency?”

           “I need to get back to my wife,” Robin replied, gathering up his few supplies. “Something is not right.”

           “What do you mean?” John asked, looking concerned.

           Robin sighed, running his hand through his hair. “It’s something Keith said. He didn’t make any specific threats but something is going to happen to Regina, I just know it.”

           “You think he has allies in the palace?”

           “I don’t know if I’d call them all allies,” Robin replied, thinking of the poor maid who had been ordered to do the Ellises’ bidding. “But there are people who will do what Nottingham, Keith and the Ellises want done.”

           John nodded, handing Robin his bag. “Then go. We’ll handle Keith.”

           “Thank you,” he replied, clasping his captain’s shoulder. “I’ll see you in Locksley.”

           “And hopefully when I do, you’ll be a father,” John replied with a smile.

           Robin smiled as well, picturing Regina holding their baby boy. “Hopefully. And hopefully, Regina is there too.”

           Robin left Fort Nott and rode hard toward Locksley. Summer was almost upon Sherwood and he took advantage of the longer periods of daylight to cover more ground. He only stopped once it got too dark and left at first light, taking only a few breaks to water himself and his horse. It allowed him to ride into Locksley two days after leaving Fort Nott rather than three but he could not feel any relief as he crossed into the palace’s courtyard, not until he saw his wife.

           A stable hand took his horse once Robin dismounted, bowing to him. “Welcome home, Your Majesty.”

           “Thank you,” Robin said, patting Outlaw’s neck. He left the horse in the young man’s hands as he walked as fast as he could into the palace’s kitchens.

           Startled servants jumped up, staring at him with wide eyes. They then started moving around the room to no doubt get food ready for him. “Your Majesty! We weren’t expecting you to come home tonight!” one said.

           “Are you hungry?” another asked. “We can set the table and get you something to eat.”

           “Can you send it to my rooms? I am in a hurry,” he said, only slowing down to make the request. He didn’t hear the answer as he bounded up the stairs, eager to get to his rooms—and to Regina.

           Robin opened the door to his rooms and stopped short. Will and Ana both stood from his couch, looking solemn. Aunt Eleanor straightened up in the armchair, trying to force a smile onto her face. “Robin! You’re home,” she said, voice shaking.

           “Yes,” he said, growing concerned and suspicious. “What is going on?”

           Mother approached him, a bundle of blankets in her arms. A lump formed in his throat as she tilted the bundle, showing him the tiny face of the baby swaddled in the blankets. “Congratulations, Robin. You have a son.”

           “Henry,” he whispered. Mother placed his son in his arms, helping him to cradle him and support his head. Henry wiggled in his hold, adjusting to the new pair of arms. Though he raised his tiny hand, rubbing his face as his little pink lips smacked together, he continued to sleep, now safe in his father’s arms.

           Robin studied him, using a finger to trace everything he could touch. He ran his finger over Henry’s hand, counting each of his little fingers, before tracing his face. Robin then counted all the other fingers on Henry’s other hand before returning his hand to the baby’s back, fingers grazing his soft wisps of brown hair. Henry was a comfortable weight in his arm and feeling his breath was already soothing Robin’s frazzled nerves.

           When he saw Regina, he didn’t think he would ever fall in love so fast and feel it so intensely. As he gazed at the baby boy they created, though, he realized he was very wrong. Tears filled his eyes as he kissed his son’s forehead. “I love you, my boy,” he whispered.

           “He’s beautiful, Robin,” Mother said, rubbing his back. “He has all ten toes and all ten fingers, good reflexes and a healthy appetite.”

           “And a powerful set of lungs,” Will added, drawing a few chuckles from the other family members in the room.

           Robin looked up from Henry, smiling widely. “How’s Regina?”

           The mood changed and everyone looked away, unable to meet his eyes at that point. They all grew somber and his stomach twisted into knots as he recalled Keith’s words back at Fort Nott. Had the worse happened? Had he gained his son but lost his wife?

           Mother took Henry from him and placed the baby in Aunt Eleanor’s arms. She then took his arm. “Come. I’ll take you to her.”

           His heart jumped into his throat and pounded there as Mother guided him into his bedroom. The air was heavy in the room and a fire roared in the hearth, lighting up the room along with the other candles placed around the chamber. Tuck and Widow Lucas had been conferring in a corner but stopped when he entered, which concerned him greatly. Tink backed away from him, her head hung low, while Prince Henry stood up from beside the bed, wringing a damp cloth in his hands.

           Looking at the bed, Robin’s stomach turned. Regina lay there, her skin ashen but her brow fevered. Her hair stuck to her skin and beads of sweat trickled down her face. She was still breathing but it sounded like each breath was a struggle, stabbing his heart each time he heard the wheezing sound she emitted. Robin staggered over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed as he took her hand in his.

           “What happened to her?” he asked, his voice sounding strangled.

           Widow Lucas stepped forward, Tuck not far behind her. Tink, though, spoke first. “It’s all my fault.”

           She fell to her knees at Robin’s feet, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the floor. “I should’ve checked the tea. I accept whatever punishment you see fit for failing to protect my queen.”

           “It wasn’t her fault,” Widow Lucas protested, her voice firm with her conviction. “She did nothing wrong giving the tea to the queen.”

           Robin looked over at her as Tuck nodded. “We examined the tea leaves and found it is cotton root bark, which is not poisonous. Nothing would’ve happened had Tink tried it nor would it have been deemed dangerous had it been identified.”

           “Not dangerous,” he said, glancing down at his feverish wife. Her eyes never opened despite the conversation going on around her.

           “For the most part, it’s not,” Widow Lucas replied. “Some midwives give it to women to help them induce labor when the babe is late in making its entrance into this world. It can also lead to some painful contractions but can speed up labor.”

           Her words were like daggers to his heart. “Painful? Is that why she is like this? The contractions were too painful?”

           “I think the contractions weakened her,” she replied, wording her response carefully. “The reason I don’t advise women I tend to drink cotton root bark tea is that it can cause heavy bleeding after the birth. Since I can never know who will experience it, I feel it best to have women do other things to induce labor.”

           “Bleeding?” Robin felt the warmth drain from his face.

           Widow Lucas nodded. “It was too heavy and I couldn’t staunch it easily. Tink went for Tuck and the royal physician. Together, the three of us were able to get it under control. Unfortunately, that weakened her even more and she grew feverish within hours.”

           “Infection?” Robin asked, familiar with the possibility from time spent under Friar Tuck’s tutelage.

           Tuck nodded. “I’ve applied some herbs to where the infection is, following Widow Lucas’ guidance, and we’ve been feeding her some healing herbs in a broth. Otherwise, we’re making sure the fever doesn’t burn too hot, trying to keep her cool and praying it breaks soon.”

           “How long has she been like this?” Robin’s mind felt like it was spinning out of control as he tried to process everything.

           “Henry was born early in the morning two days ago,” Mother told him. “She developed the fever a few hours later, just before noon.”

           Robin did the math in his head, realizing that Henry was born the day after he left Fort Nott. He never would’ve made it on time then to both witness the birth and keep his wife safe. The fact broke his heart as he reached out, brushing some damp locks from Regina’s face. “Will she get better?”

            “No one can say,” Tuck replied sadly. “That is going to be up to her body. We’re giving it everything it needs to fight the infection but the fact she was already weak to begin with doesn’t work in our favor.”

           He nodded, understanding the severity of the situation. Regina, though, was one of the strongest people he knew. If anyone could fight this infection off, it was her. As tears rolled down his cheeks, he leaned closer to her. Heat radiated off her and he closed his eyes, trying not to imagine the worst before whispering: “Get well soon, my love. Henry and I need you.”

           “Come on,” Mother said softly, helping Robin up. “We’ll talk more in the parlor.”

           “I’ll take care of her,” Prince Henry promised, squeezing his shoulder. He then took a seat again, dabbing Regina with the damp cloth in order to cool her.

           Robin followed his mother out of the room, Tink following them as well. She once again fell to her knees before him. “I am still awaiting your punishment for failing my queen.”

           Mother pulled him aside before he could respond, urgently whispering: “Trina feels very guilty over the whole affair no matter how many times we told her it wasn’t her fault. She served her queen well. She got Widow Lucas as fast as she could and has barely left Regina’s side.”

           He nodded and approached Tink, his mind still a jumble as he processed all he learned in the past few minutes. Yet, he knew one thing and he gently lifted the maid to her feet. “I know you feel guilty for not noticing the tea was swapped but it does seem like something that would not have alarmed anyone. You also did what I expected—you helped your queen and stayed by her side. You have my gratitude, Tink, not my condemnation.”

           She sobbed, hugging him. “I just wish there was more I could do for her. She’s my friend.”

           “I know,” he replied, comforting her as he felt himself losing control as well. He hugged her back as tight as possible. “I wish I could do more for her too.”

           “Trina, why don’t you head back to your quarters? You’ve only napped at Her Majesty’s bedside. You need a good night’s sleep,” Mother told her, gently pulling her away from Robin.

           Tink shook her head, sniffling. “What about the prince? I need to stay with him.”

           Mother shook her head. “He is surrounded by family members ready to take care of him. You can go sleep and then help care for him when you’re more rested.”

           “I can make it a royal order if it’ll make you feel better,” Robin offered, giving her a soft smile in hopes of cheering her up.  

           Tink shook her head, still upset. “You don’t have to go that far. I’ll go get some sleep and then I’ll be back in the morning.”

           “Good night, Tink,” Robin said, suddenly feeling tired himself. He rubbed his face and he felt his body start to sag.

           Mother held him up. “You should get some rest too. Why don’t you go sleep in my room tonight?”

           He shook his head. “I don’t want to go too far from Regina. What if she needs me?”

           “She’s surrounded by people who love and care for her,” she assured him. “She would rather you get some sleep than run yourself ragged for her sake and you know it.”

           Robin sighed, knowing Mother was right. “I will go get some rest. But I will back first thing in the morning.”

           “That’s all I ask,” Mother said, kissing his cheek. “Do not worry, Robin. Regina will pull through this. I just know it.”

           He nodded, turning to leave his rooms and go to his mother’s. Robin wished he could be as optimistic as she was but there was a pit in his stomach keeping him from believing her. Adding to that was a little voice, one that sounded like Keith, taunting him that he couldn’t save his wife and that it was all his fault for leaving.

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