Queen of the Seas Ch. 71

   "S'Beautiful, Isn't it?" Henriette asked, inhaling the wonderful scent of gold. Piles of the riches poked out of the water, nearly glowing in the light of torches.

   Fits rubbed his eyes in disbelief, "Is this, real?" he coughed. The bags of gold over his shoulder dropped to the ground. He let his eyes follow the barrels floating in a circle until they sunk on their pulley. The gold in mounds around him took his breath away.

   "It's all been gathered over the generations," Henriette explained.

   Fits crouched down and looked into the calm water at the edge, "There's even gold, down there," he pointed in the water, "Will ya look at that," he breathed.

   Henriette laughed, "And you were questioning my heritage. He'll be a Cooper, and he'll take pride in his family."

   Fits poked a finger in the water, the gold disappearing under ripples, "I take pride in your family, this is amazing!"

   A ripping sound took Fits' attention away from the gold, when he turned, he saw that Henriette had ripped one of their bags open, "Care to do the honors?"  she held out the bag to him.

   Fits' eyes lit up like a childs as he took the sack of gold out of her hands. He pulled one coin out, inspecting it, "Breathetaking," he murmured and turned. With one flick, he skipped the coin across the water, it bounced a few times and crashed into a stack of coins, bringing a few down with it. Fits leaned over the edge and carefully, slowly, let the coins fall into the water.

   Henriette swung a second bag over her shoulder and stretched over to the floating barrel after it resurfaced. She rode it around half a circle and split the bag open, throwing gold everywhere.

   They unloaded all the gold, getting some to Sir Galleth's shrine, and after the last bag had been dumped, They sat together, dangling their feet in the sacred water.

   "This, THIS is the vault." Fits said in awe.

   "Isn't it great?" Henriette agreed, kicking her feet. She leaned on Fit's shoulder, "On accident or not, I'm glad there'll be another Cooper to carry it on."

   Fits glanced at her and put his hand over her belly gently, "Did you feel that?" he asked excitedly, "Can he move in there?"

   Henriette nodded, "I'm guessin' so, he does nothin' but kick at me these days," she put her hand over Fits'.
~ ~ ~
   Fits helped Henriette up out of the vault, resting together next to the empty bags.

   Fits was smiling like he hadn't in a long while, and Henriette was laying with her head in his lap, "Why so bubbly?" she asked, catching her breath.

   "Tennessee, he can be a part of this? He will be, it's amazing to think. He's already movin' around, can ya imagine the baby when he's walkin'? He'll be like a fire lickin' at a bar!"

   Henriette laughed, "He'll be a handful alright," she sat up and tucked the bags in her belt, as did Fits. The cliff's edge was easier up then down, but they made it to the bottom and rested again.

   "Henriette?" Fits asked.

   "Yes?"

   "I love you," he said bravely.

   Henriette smiled back at him, "I love you too.