The Peace Offering

Kouen: Chapter 20

I made sure everything was ready, from the napkins to the noodle sauce. It had been two weeks since Sindri and I had made plans to have dinner and I finally had some time to make it happen. A sharp knock at the door startled me, I wasn't expecting Sindri to be early. However, the person who walked in was not Sindri but a Ream merchant I recognized to be a man named Lucious. 

"Ah, Prince Kouen, I did not expect you to have dinner ready for our meeting." Lucious stated, his arrogant smile getting on my nerves.

"You'll have to excuse me. Our meeting is not til later, this dinner is for my wife and I." I responded. Lucious' smile wavered for a second causing the scar on his lip to twitch. 

"How is your wife? I trust she is adjusting to her new life?"

Before I could answer there was a knock at the door and Hana entered. She gave as small bow, her face had a small smile. As she looked up and saw Lucious her eyes widened.

"Lucious!" She yelped in surprise. Lucious cleared his throat and adjusted his shirt sleeve.

"You must excuse me, I don't think we've met before."

Hana hesitated for a second before bowing to Lucious and turning back to me, her face was flustered and her speech was slightly stuttered.

"Prince Kouen, I have come to inform you that Princess Sindri will be arriving shortly."

I waved her away and she turned to leave before Lucious stopped her.

"I will be taking my leave to give the royal couple their privacy. I have not yet learned my way around the palace, escort me to the courtyard that I may wait for my meeting with Prince Kouen." Lucious said as he grabbed Hana's arm. She nodded and gave me one final bow before exiting with Lucious. The whole ordeal left me with a weird feeling, but I brushed it off and did a final check over of the table to make sure everything was perfect.

I didn't have to wait long before Sindri entered the room along with Tabul. She was, as always, elegantly dressed in a white dress and her head was adorned by a crown of flowers. I sat at the table and Sindri joined me, Tabul stood near the door.

"You look beautiful, those flowers bring out the color in your eyes." I complimented, surprising myself. I was rewarded by Sindri's smile and a tint of red in her cheeks. My own face heated up a bit, Sindri was known for being stone faced but I had gotten her to blush with a small compliment.

"Thank you, I picked them from my garden." Sindri said shyly, her blush slowly growing. I raised an eyebrow, I had not seen a garden near her part of the palace. She seemed to sense my confusion and started to explain.

"I came across a hidden garden near my room. It lies in a small courtyard blocked off by a horse statue with a man riding it. The flowers there were nearly dead, but I managed to revive them."

"They seem to be truly thriving thanks to you."

"They say thank you."

"They?"

"The flowers. I can hear them my aligning my Rukh to theirs. But enough of that, this food smells delicious."

After I showed Sindri how to use the chopsticks she could not put them down. The way she was stuffing her face with noodles was certainly against traditional princess etiquette, but I didn't mind. I felt really happy that she was enjoying the food of my country. We continued to talk and enjoy ourselves.

But as I've stated before,everything comes to an end. The end of our time came mid-joke. Sindri was in the middle of telling a joke when she suddenly lurched forward. Her hands came up to her mouth and her eyes widened. Tabul rushed over and took her over to a potted plant where she promptly threw up.  I rushed over to her side and instructed Tabul to fetch the palace physician. 

"Not again." Sindri mumbled as she heaved up the dinner she had only scarfed down moments ago. 

"What do you mean not again?" I asked, beginning to become very worried. Before Sindri could answer me the doctor burst into the room with Tabul at his heels.

"Mistress Sindri, it is happening again. Please follow me back to your room. I will brew some ginseng tea to ease your stomach." 

As the doctor took Sindri to her room I turned to Tabul, my voice harsher than necessary.

"Tabul, what it going on?"

"My Prince, I must beg your pardon. Sindri-"

"You dare to address my wife solely by her name?"

"Forgive me your majesty. I meant no disrespect. The princess has asked me to forgo formalities with her, I will no longer do so if it displeases you."

"You may do as she wishes, but remember this soldier, she is my wife and I will not compete with another man for her affections. Now tell me, what is going on?"

"It began a few weeks ago, in random moments Princess Sindri would throw up. The doctor prescribed ginseng tea to calm her stomach, but it does not seem to be working."

A wild thought suddenly formed in my mind, but I pushed it down not wanting it to take root. As soon as Tabul finished explaining everything that had been going on with Sindri we both made our way over to Sindri's room.

"Tell me doctor, what is wrong with her?"

"I will tell it to you straight, the tea only works slightly to calm her stomach."

"What does that mean? Is her sickness serious?"

"I don't believe she is sick. It is time to consider another option."

"What exactly are you implying?"

"I believe Princess Sindri is with child."

A.N.~ This is probably one of the longest chapters in this book. This chapter is also full of foreshadowing, not to mention the huge bomb at the end.