The Dying

7

Marcus heads to the dining hall early that night. Hope and fear mixing equally in his stomach. He doesn't know what he will do if they don't accept his apology and his gifts. Giving up other females won't be that big of a problem. Aurora was right, with the five children he's fathered it is enough to secure the throne. Taking Aurora and Margaret to wife will ensure many more children. 

The response Margaret had to him kissing Aurora will ensure that. That is a rare occurrence, so rare that it is only mentioned once in all their history. The one and only time that the throne took a hand in matters. When she had decided that the females were the ones that should be with the king. Then she blessed both females with many children.

If the two females accept him he has no doubt that he'll have more than the twenty children his father managed to father on his many wives and mistresses before he decided to turn to males. There won't be a need for him to be with other females, could even cause him to lose the favor of the throne should he do so.

Yet, he didn't lie either. He will be expected to take some of the females from the new batch coming from Earth. Indeed, the other males won't be able to touch them until he takes some. He'll just have to make them his personal servants and servants to his queen and princess. If they forgive him, that is.

He takes his seat at the head table and is disappointed at not seeing Aurora or Margaret there. He didn't even see them at the other tables. The doors open and he looks over to see who came in late and he sucks in his breath.

Aurora and Margaret are wearing the dresses that he chose for them and they are the most breathtaking sight he's ever seen. He stands up and so does every one else. He doesn't wait for them to come to the table, he doubts that they would on their own. He takes no time to step down from the raised dais to go to them and taking one on each his arms escorts them to his table.

"Does this mean that I am forgiven?"

"You will stay with just myself and Margaret?" Aurora asks still unsure.

"Yes, I swear it on the throne. I will marry you and if Princess Margaret will accept me, I will marry her, or if she would prefer she would be my only mistress." 

"What would the difference be, Majesty?" Margaret asks a bit confused. There isn't much taught about the differences.

"Our children's abilities to inherit mostly. If you are my wife they would be able to inherit the throne, they would be princes and hopefully princesses. There is no shame in you choosing to be my mistress instead, but then our children wouldn't be able to take the throne and they would be lords and ladies instead of princes and princesses. That's the main difference, but there are others that aren't very important."

"What are the differences?" Aurora asks, more like demands as they take the seats of honor that Marcus brings them to, Aurora on his right hand and Margaret to his left. As they take these seats there is a great deal of murmuring and speculation that starts up.

"You are aware that mistresses are more than likely to be shared as a reward to those that please the one they are bound to. I will be expected to share her. Call me selfish, but I have no wish to do so. I would rather you take your place as my second wife than as my mistress, but the choice is yours, if you accept me at all." Marcus says and takes his seat. All others sit as well.

"I will accept being your wife, Marcus." Aurora says after biting her lip and thinking things over.

"I don't want you as just my wife, Aurora, I want you as my queen. I want you to stand by my side and rule with me."

Aurora hesitates, "To do that I would have to be your equal. Females are not considered equal here."

"I know to both those things. I will make you my queen and my co-ruler. Your words will have equal weight. My words will be binding and for the most part I expect that your words will be just fine and will be allowed to bind into law. I just have to review it first or the males won't accept it."

Aurora bites her lip as she thinks things over. Then she gives a short sharp nod. "I accept then."

Marcus is thrilled. He hadn't thought that she could possibly forgive him and what his people have done to her and the other females for her to accept him now.

"I accept being your second wife as well. I don't much fancy being given to others that please you." Margaret tells him softly.

Marcus has a hard time holding back the jubilation that he feels at their words. Now more than ever he needs to move carefully or he could still lose everything.

"Thank you both, for agreeing to be with me. Now I need to know what you would like me to do at this time. I could announce my impending fatherhood by the other females tonight, insuring my right to the throne and waiting to consummate things between us after our marriage in two months before my coronation as king and Aurora's as queen. Or, I could wait for the announcement for tomorrow night and hopefully have both of you be with my child as well, proving to all that there will be an heir to the throne.

"I know which choice I'd prefer," Marcus sure hopes to hell that they choose the second one because it will be very difficult for him to resist being with them for two more months. "I will, however, let you both decide since it will be your bodies that will be with child."

"But, if we get with child before being married won't that cause problems?" Margaret asks confused.

"I thought that was the reason your father forced me into marriage before I even was able to look around this planet?" Aurora allows her voice to be a bit more waspish than she normally would talk to someone with.

"As long as we are married before the children are born, there will be no problems, they will be full heirs to the throne."

Margaret and Aurora look at each other and seem to have a long conversation silently before they both nod.

Marcus is dying to know what they answer is, but just continues to eat his food as he calmly awaits their decision.

He is more than a little shocked, but most definitely pleased to feel both of them set a hand on his thigh. He hopes that that means they are willing for him to take them to bed that night.

"We would be honored for you to have you escort us to my room and stay the night." Aurora says low enough that no one else can hear her.

That's all Marcus needs to hurriedly eat and then wait more than a little impatiently as both Margaret and Aurora finish eating. He didn't care that all others at the table were still eating, he stands up and that ends the meal.

He doesn't exactly hurry out of the dining hall, but they weren't  leaving slowly either.