Sally was sad. She stared at her husband, who was making a fire in the kitchen. Her heart felt heavy with burden.
Wasn’t it time she got pregnant? This question bothered her greatly. Sally had been in marriage with her husband for five months now. Shouldn’t she be with his child now? Am I a barren woman? Tears burned the back of her eyes and she sniffled.
Chad heard the familiar sound and swiveled his head in her direction. The relaxation of his face was replaced by sadness immediately. He left the woods and walked to her. “My dear wife. Don’t.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she rushed out. “I shouldn’t be doing this. I just can’t help myself.”
He took her small hands into his. “I just want you to be happy, dear wife. Your increasing sadness every day hurts me immensely. The days we spend together are the best days of my life—the happiest days. We will have a child when the time is right.”
“We have been married for the past five months. It’s a l-long time for a wife not to be carrying her husband’s s-seed,” she cried.
Pain flashed in Chad’s eyes. He wanted a child greatly, but he wanted her happiness more. Sally blames herself for this. Their inability to make a child in the past few months had reawakened the traumas of her life she tried hard to forget.
She began, pain lacing her words. “What if the h-horrible things the kings did to me—”
“There is nothing wrong with you, dearling. Please, stop blaming yourself. Even if something changed because of that...horrible evil they did to you, it still will not make me love you less, Sally. Never!”
His words made her tears overflow. “I can’t give you a child,” she cried sorrowfully.
“I want you to be happy more than I ever want a child. Please, stop beating yourself up, Sally...please.” He led his weeping wife out of the kitchen to the sitting room and lowered himself onto the folding chair with her sitting on his thighs.
“I just can’t h-help it! I feel like such a failure!” she sobbed.
“What if it’s me?”
A pause. And then, “W-what?”
Chad let his own fears out. “What if I’m the reason why we haven’t been able to make a child?”
She faced him completely, wiping her tears to see him clearly.
He averted his eyes. “I was tortured as badly as the king was. I was never...roasted down there, but I still...” He swallowed tightly. “I had it very bad in Mombana, Sally. The things I was put through..I wouldn’t be surprised if all the healthy seeds inside me have finished.”
“No. No, please, don’t say something like that ever again! There’s nothing wrong with you!” She whispered vehemently, her pain forgotten in the face of his.
“Would it have made a difference? If something is wrong with me?” He voiced out another fear of his. “Would it have made a difference between us if I can’t give you a child?”
“No,” she shook her head adamantly, sniffling. “I love you, my husband. I will keep being by your side, and I will keep trying to make you so happy. I love you.”
“And I love you, Sally. It’s also the same for me. I will not stop loving you just because we cannot make a child. I married you because I love you so much, dear wife. I did not marry a mare that bears children.”
Her lips quivered, and new tears filled her eyes. “Oh, dear, the things you say.”
He kissed her passionately. His wife had been so sad lately.
He wished something—anything, any news—would come and make her happy again.
.
The celebration was lively but very tiring for the pregnant queen. By the time she finished going round to greet all the kings, her feet were aching.
I’m forgetting something... I’m forgetting something... Something Important...
The thought kept banging in Danika’s head, but for the life of her, she couldn’t seem to place it—that which kept skipping her mind. She had been quite forgetful of some little details for the past few weeks.
Baski said it was normal for some pregnant women, but Danika didn’t like it. It kept nagging the back of her mind that she was forgetting something important.
It was early evening, and King Lucien had retired to his bedroom an hour ago. The king had been acting very strangely towards Danika, and Danika couldn’t comprehend why for her life.
Uyah came and rescued her. She led her out of court through the back door to her bedroom, where she was able to sneak in food and water for her.
“You’re holding up greatly, my queen.” The young girl beamed at her as she took the empty plate of food.
“My feet hurt. You all are very mean. You should have at least given me a hint in the morning,” Danika complained tiredly.
“And ruin the surprise? That’s not me, my queen.” She carried the plates towards the door. “Don’t worry about your aching feet. Very soon, you’ll be in your kingdom. You’ll be resting your sore feet then.” The door closed behind Uyah.
Uyah was right. Very soon, I’ll be in my king—
Her thoughts cut off suddenly. That was when it dawned on her—the last piece she had been trying to reach today but kept skipping her mind.
Her kingdom? Mombana?
She’d be going back to Mombana. She would be leaving Salem?
Dread filled her. Of course, she would be leaving Salem; she was no longer a slave but a queen. A queen of a different kingdom.
“By heavens!”
As one piece fell into place, the others followed. Suddenly, everything was beginning to make sense. Everything.
The way the king had been for the past few days.The night before. His words.
“I fear that if I take you the way I crave to do all day, I will not be able to let you go.”
He had been preparing to let her go since he made plans to free her from slavery. His sour moods, the new look in his eyes, the new stiffness of his shoulders...his recoil from her touch.
It’s all because of this.
Her heart became so heavy like some wood had been placed inside her chest. She rose from the bed, tears filling her eyes.
She had to go and see him!