Rachel Rossano - The Theodoric Saga (14 page)

Her middle had been doing this every morning for almost a week now. Most mornings, when it woke her, Eve obediently stumbled to the bathroom and emptied her stomach, but this morning was different.

Labren had not hurried off to his duties before she had awoken. Breaking from his habit of being up, dressed and gone by the time her stomach forced her to the chamber pot. For months, she had barely seen him and since he had not run off yet today, Eve was determined to linger in his embrace and her middle was just going to have to wait.

That was the plan. Eve found it more difficult by the moment to lie peacefully enjoying her husband’s presence. In fact, within five minutes of deciding not to let her stomach have its way, she dove desperately toward the bathing room. She made the move so abruptly that Labren went from contented, oblivious sleeper to worried husband almost instantly.

“Eve?” His sleep-ragged voice followed her to the tiled room. “Are you all right?”

The sounds of retching answered him which brought him immediately to his feet. By the time Eve’s stomach tried to climb her throat the second time he was there. Brushing and holding her hair out of the way, he silently rubbed her back to soothe her.

When she finally finished and he returned from emptying the pot, he scooped her off the floor. “You should not be on the cold tiles.” He carried her back to the bed. Setting her down and sprawling beside her, he looked over and asked, “How long has this been going on?”

Eve avoided his eyes. “About a week.”

“Eve, please look at me.”

She did.

“Do you have a stomachache? A fever?” His blue eyes clouded with worry as he reached to feel her forehead. “I do not think you should be entertaining Yulandra today. You should rest.”

Eve instantly opened her mouth to protest, but was interrupted by a noise coming from the front of their quarters. Now, after growing accustomed to living in the palace, Eve was finally confident that the sound would be dealt with. Their servants learned, after the second week, that neither their master nor mistress needed assistance with dressing and a myriad of other things Eve did not even know you could be assisted with. Now the servants only cleaned, served meals, answered the door and announced visitors.

A moment after they heard a burst of cheerful, childish chatter, a maidservant appeared at the bedroom doorway. “Her majesty Princess Yulandra and her daughter are here to visit Princess Eve.”

“Thank you, Lisip.” Eve shot Labren a defiant look. “Please tell her I will be right out.”

“Yes, Your Hi…Madam.” The woman disappeared back around the corner.

“Only if you promise to rest later,” Labren immediately demanded. He caught her hand as she moved to rise. Cradling her face with his other palm, he stroked her cheek with his thumb.  “I want you to take care of yourself. Ireic, Han, and Olof all back me up when I say you do not take care of yourself enough.”

Eve hated the way the lines deepened around his mouth when he worried. It had been an almost constant feature over these last months.

“I will rest after she leaves.” She placed her free hand over his and pressed it hard against her cheek. “I promise.”

A half hour later, the women and Isica retired to the gardens.

“Trahern seemed extra agitated this morning,” Yulandra observed as she and Eve watched Isica running after a butterfly. “Is something wrong between you two?”

They were sitting on the patio adjacent Eve and Labren’s living area. Eve loved this part of the gardens. All the green and space were wonderful to see after the coldness of the palace halls and the strict paces of the dance. The warm spring afternoon sun played with the shadows across the lawn and a gentle breeze ruffled Isica’s hair.

Eve looked over at her new friend.

Yulandra looked and acted like a princess. Her clothing displayed riches and beauty without being gaudy. She could gracefully glide across a room without thinking about the curve of her slender neck or where her hands should lay. Although obviously Ireic’s sister and Labren’s half-sister, she was also clearly feminine. Even now as she bent her dark head over the white linen in her hands, she defined composure and elegance. Her slender hands with their long, tapered fingers were constantly making something. Eve, who had sewn all her life, still wondered at the beauty of the embroidery that Yulandra could produce with her needle and colored thread.

“Eve? Are you listening to me at all?” Yulandra’s dark brown eyes regarded her with mild concern.

“I am sorry.” Quickly, Eve picked up her forgotten fabric and resumed basting the seam. “I have been so easily distracted lately. What was your question again?”

“Is there anything wrong between you and Trahern? He seemed a bit out of sorts this morning.”

Eve felt a slight blush creep across her cheeks. “No, there is nothing wrong.”

“Then why are you blushing?” Leaning forward, Yulandra raised Eve’s chin. “Tell me about it. I might be able to help, being an experienced wife and all.”

They both smiled at the statement. Yulandra had been married all of three months in which she only saw her husband for one week. That one week had given her Isica, for whom, Yulandra told Eve, she was inexpressibly grateful. The child was the reason she survived the death of her husband and, shortly afterwards, her mother.

“I have been having trouble for a week now with an upset stomach,” Eve finally admitted.

“About what time of day?” Her sister-in-law immediately asked with widened eyes.

“Mornings.” Puzzled at the woman’s response, Eve tilted her head. “He only found out about it this morning because he did not leave as early as usual.”

“Tell me more.” The woman set aside her stitching and gave Eve her full attention.

“It started a week ago.” Eve tried to think of anything else that could be important. “Every morning I wake up with the need to empty my stomach. After I do, I am fine.” Looking at her friend’s focused features, Eve started to feel a little worried.

“Have you had any trouble with dizziness or wanting certain foods?” Yulandra counted the items off on her slim fingers as Eve nodded at each. Yulandra smiled brightly and jumped to her feet. “I know what is wrong with you.” Eve looked at her in amazement.

“You are happy about this?” Hesitant to believe what she saw, Eve glanced around for Isica.

“Eve.” Yulandra caught her hands and pulled her to her feet. “You are pregnant.”

Eve felt faint. Sitting abruptly, she gripped the arms of the chair.

“Eve?” Yulandra knelt at her feet. Eve fought the waves of emotion. “Do you want me to get you something? I have never seen you look so pale.”

Eve shook her head before managing, “H . . . how do I tell Trahern?”

“Whatever do you mean?” This time Yulandra looked confused. “This is the best news a wife can give her husband.”

“It is?”

“Of course. A child, a son, an heir . . . Eve, every man wants children, especially Trahern.”

Isica, who had been trying to catch a grasshopper near the edge of the rosebushes, suddenly jumped up and ran out of sight with a cry. “T’en! I’ic!”

Eve felt even sicker. Her connection to the world suddenly wobbled and her stomach tied in a knot.

Yulandra leaned close. “If you want, I will tell him.”

Eve shook her head as Ireic and Labren appeared from behind the roses. Han was with them and surprisingly, he was the one carrying Isica. Noticing this, Yulandra lost a little of her own composure.

“Ah, girls,” Ireic smiled as they approached.

Immediately noting Eve’s coloring, Labren moved quickly to her side. While the others exchanged greetings behind them, he leaned close.

“Why are you out here? You promised me you would rest.”

His dark blue eyes were even darker than usual.

Unfortunately for Labren, his gentle rebuke was the last straw and the emotions of the entire morning and afternoon suddenly seemed too much.

“Yulandra says I am pregnant.” Eve fled inside.

Pregnant… their child…  Slowly and carefully, Labren sat down in the chair Eve had just vacated. Eve was with child. For some crazy reason, he had forgotten about this possibility. It made sense, considering the changes in their relationship two and a half months before, but a child? A quiet joy began to grow in his chest.

“Trahern? Is Eve all right?”

Ireic’s voice cut through his thoughts. Raising his eyes to focus on his brother’s face, Labren realized the reason they had made this unusual trip to the garden was no longer possible.

“We cannot stay longer.” Ireic’s face took on an odd look of confusion and surprise.

“What do you mean you cannot stay? Stay here now or the proposal we discussed? Did you ask her?”

“No, but I have decided we are leaving as soon as we possibly can.” Before his brother could manage the question on the tip of his tongue, Labren explained. “Eve is going to have a child.” Pushing himself out of the chair, Labren turned and went in search of his wife.

Han and Ireic looked after him in a stunned silence. Finally Yulandra spoke. “I take it you were trying to persuade him to stay longer.”

“Yes, and he seemed sold on the idea a moment ago,” Han replied. He set the squirming Isica on the ground. She dove for the nearest grasshopper. Wondering what it would be like to be a father, he slowly turned back to the King and his sister. He was surprised to find Yulandra watching him with a look that he refused to analyze.

Oblivious to the silent exchange, Ireic sat down in a nearby chair. He ran his hands over his head, neatly avoiding the circle of gold among the strands. “I guess I am going to have to negotiate that marriage contract with the King of Sardmara after all.”

Isica, with a crow of triumph, pounced upon a slow-moving moth only to have it evade her at the last moment.

“Eve?” Labren pushed aside the door so he could see into the bedroom. His wife was nowhere in sight. He opened his mouth to call again when a soft sound drew his attention to the floor on the opposite side of the bed. With quick strides, he crossed the room and rounded the end.

His wife sat with her back to the wall. As he approached, she raised her face. Tear trails traced over her cheeks. She flashed him a wobbly smile.

“Sorry I left.”

Labren settled in front of her with his back against their bed before he spoke.

“Why are you crying?”

When she did not reply, he looked up and met her watery gaze. Her bottom lip trembled and he could not stand the distance any more. Reaching over, he pulled her into his lap. Silently, she curled against him.

After a few moments during which he stroked her hair, she finally said, “I was frightened that you would be angry.”

“Sweetheart!” Labren tried to get her to look up, but she only burrowed deeper against him. “Please let me see your face, Eve,” he pleaded.

Reluctantly, she raised her head, but still would not look at his eyes. She concentrated on his chin.

“I love you.” His voice sounded rougher than he had intended. “And I am going to love our child.”

Finally, Eve lifted her eyes to his.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“No, I should be the one saying thank you.” Labren caught her precious face between his hands. “Because Kurios brought you to me I am alive and going to be a father.” After kissing her damp cheeks, he drew back and smiled. “If you had not been stubborn about not letting me die, I would have never reconciled with my brother or sister. Isica would have never have known her Uncle T’en and I would have never had the joy of loving you.

“Beloved, a child is the most wonderful gift you could ever give me.” Unable to find the words to express all he felt, Labren possessively tucked his wife close to his heart. He planned on spending the rest of his life savoring her sweetness and making her happy.

Muffled against his chest, Eve whispered, “I love you too.”

~~~

Epilogue

“They are here!” Three young boys tore through the front door and into the hall. The sound of their progress bounced off the ceiling two stories up. Between their repeated cries and the pounding of their feet, Eve heard them long before they skidded to a stop outside the doors leading to the back balcony.

“Ireic…came!” Turic gasped.

“Yulandra too.” A Ratharian lad named Randare danced with excitement.

“Boys.” Eve began the slow process of easing her way out of the chair. “Remember your manners.” Timoty caught her falling needlework as she rose and what little lap she had disappeared. “He is the king of Anavrea. I will be sadly disappointed if you do not show him the proper respect.”

Just because she was not longer teaching, Eve did not see it as an excuse for the children to run wild.

“We will, Madam Theodoric. We promise.” Turic reassured her as she followed them toward the stairs. Timoty scurried ahead of them to let the new arrivals know she was coming. Eve watched enviously as he slid around the corner and clopped down the stairs.

“If only I could do that again.”

Ruefully she glanced down at her blossoming stomach. Considering her small size and the fact the baby was due any day, Eve reasoned she was probably a healthy size. Regardless of these important facts, she could not help feeling awkward, heavy, and big as a boat.

“Ouch.” The child followed up his first jab with another. “You know.” Eve rubbed the top of her stomach. “I will not miss you kicking, little one. I am surprised I am not bruised from your abuse.”

“Are you talking to the child again?” Labren’s voice interrupted her one-sided conversation.

“Our little one is anxious to be free.” Eve greeted her husband with a smile. He appeared so much better than when they were in Ana City, the worry lines around his mouth softened and the tension gone from his movements.

“Soon,” Labren replied as he pulled her against his side and spread his large hand over hers. After a brief silence between the three of them, Isica’s glad cry came wafting up to them from the hall below.

Eve laughed.

“I think your niece has discovered her new playmates.”

“Our niece,” Labren reminded her. “Poor Yulandra.”

“Why is it ‘Poor Yulandra’?”

“The children are going to spoil Isica rotten.”

“Then let us go rescue the poor woman.” Eve put herself in motion once again. “Besides, I have a million mother questions for her.”

Labren quickly moved to regain his place at her side. Offering her his arm, he asked, “Shall we go and be good hosts?”

Placing her hand on the offered support, Eve flashed him a brilliant smile. “Lead the way, my love.”

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