Sayana opened her eyes. “It is so good to see some life in those big green eyes of yours, Sayana. Ethian has been terrified you were going to be asleep forever, you know,” a familiar voice commented.
She turned her head and found Meinard sitting next to her. “Meinard?”
“We have all been here. Each of us has taken an hour out of our training in the afternoon for the past three days. We are on day four now, and they were waiting for some test or something to come back clear before they woke you. They have sent for father, and I told them to send someone to the princes’ enclave too. They did not want to, but I was rather, um, forceful.” Meinard blushed.
“He raised enough of a fuss that the Imperial guards came in and said it would be in our best interest to comply,” one offended doctor said as he glared at Meinard.
Sayana smiled. She ached too much to laugh, but the thought amused her. She looked at the doctor. “My baby?” she asked.
“Perfectly fine, Your Imperial Majesty. We’ve been keeping an eye on her,” the doctor assured her.
Karis arrived fifteen minutes later. “My heart, how are you feeling?” Meinard stepped back.
“I ache, but I think I’m all right.” She realized she felt like she’d been used as one of the princes’ automatons, but she didn’t feel as badly as she’d expected after being stabbed.
“Is that normal?” Karis looked at the doctor.
“She’ll be sore for a few days yet, Your Imperial Majesty.” The doctor tending to her was calm as he looked at the emperor. “We had to replace part of her lung, after all.”
Ethian appeared in the med lab moments later. Meinard gave a wave to Sayana and headed out. “Mother, how are you feeling?” he asked, echoing his father.
“I’m sore, but the doctor says that’s normal.” Sayana smiled at her son. “I take it you’ve been worried about me?”
“Endlessly worried.” Ethian took one of her hands in his. “So has father, but he has had the galaxy to run so has not had nearly as much time to stress about it as I have.”
“You would be surprised, Ethian.” Karis gave his son a wry smile. He looked over at the doctor. “How much longer does she have to stay here?”
“Another two days, Your Imperial Majesty.” The doctor checked the scans. “Then she can resume her normal life.”
“I have guards on the med lab, so no one is going to get in here to bother you.” Karis rested his hand on her head.
“Can we still come and sit with her? I know you said only until she wakes up, but she is going to be awfully lonely here by herself.” Ethian looked anxiously between his parents.
Karis sighed. “All right, Ethian. Tell Reynard and the others I have extended your visits for another two days. I just do not want to hear reports of you slacking in any of your training or your scholastic studies over this.”
“No, Father. We will not be slacking.” Ethian kissed his mother’s cheek. “I will go let Jair know. It is his turn in here anyway.” He left the room.
“I take it this was Ethian’s idea? To have all the princes watch over me?” Sayana asked.
“Actually, it was Meinard’s.” Karis startled her with that bit of information. “They wanted to do something for you and when Ethian asked if he could come sit with you, and I said he could spend an hour a day in here, the others wanted to know if they could have the same deal.”
“They’re very caring young men.” Sayana was proud of the way the princes were turning out.
“Yes, they are, though you may find Jair and Hanzo not very good conversationalists.” Karis chuckled. “Jair is not a very keen scholar and Hanzo’s preference is for military history and tactics. I will have one of your ladies bring you your pad, so you can read when the princes are not here.”
“Thank you.” Sayana knew that reading was probably going to be her only source of entertainment when the princes weren’t there.
Karis stayed for a few more minutes and then left. Jair arrived a few minutes later. “Ethian tells us you are sore, but they expect you to make a full recovery.” Jair was quiet but he seemed relieved to see her awake.
“Yes, Jair.” Sayana smiled at Renate’s son.
“That is good to hear.” Jair settled into the chair near the bed. “We were all quite worried about you. Not as worried as father and Ethian, but we do like you and we did not want anything happening to you or our sister.”
“I appreciate that, Jair.” Sayana regarded him curiously.
“I am certain father told you I am not much of a conversationalist.” Jair smiled ruefully at her. “It is because I read widely, just not books he considers appropriate.”
“Are you reading salacious tales, Jair?” Sayana asked.
“No, actually, I am reading a lot of poetry at the moment.” That startled her. “Not romantic poetry either. Poetry about nature and stars and things like that. I know it is probably not suitable for a prince to be reading. I should be studying history, mathematics, science, technology, all those things my scholar teacher is trying to drill into me. And I do study those too. I just find poetry more appealing than history.”
“There’s nothing wrong with finding something more appealing than your studies, Jair.” Sayana regarded him solemnly. “So long as you don’t neglect your studies to pursue it. You know your father has high expectations of you.”
Jair gave a disgruntled sigh. “I do. I know my mother is very clever, and he expects me to be like her.”
“Yes, Renate is clever. But her strength was in her ability to focus on one thing and do it well. Is there one aspect of your studies that you find you enjoy?” Sayana knew there had to be something Jair liked above the rest.
Jair was silent for a moment. “I like technology. I am constantly reading the tech journals, trying to keep up with what is going on in the engineering labs and the cleanrooms of the galaxy. Even my scholar teacher is impressed by my knowledge on that.”
“Then make that your strength. Don’t neglect your other studies. Make sure you spend some time working on them as well, so you don’t fall behind. But if you want to specialize, do so. What’s something interesting going on in the tech world right now?” Sayana gave him the opening he needed.
Jair’s eyes lit up and he went off on a new discovery that had been made by one of the leading tech companies. Sayana understood enough about technology to follow along, and they spent their hour discussing that. When Hanzo came to take his place, Jair smiled at Sayana. “Thank you, Sayana.”
“You’re welcome, Jair.” Sayana smiled back at him.
Hanzo took his place next to Sayana. “I could hear you two talking as I came up. I do not think I have heard Jair that animated in a long time. What were you discussing?”
“Technology.” Sayana told him. “He’s very passionate about it.”
“He will talk my ear off about it if I let him,” Hanzo agreed. “He knows I do not have an interest in it though, so he does not talk to me about it very often.”
“What does interest you, Hanzo?” Sayana asked.
“The military.” Hanzo smiled slightly. “Military history and tactics, to be precise.”
“I’ve read some books on military history.” Sayana gave him a thoughtful look. “Not as many as on other topics, but the ones I’ve read were interesting enough.”
“I read them as often as I have free time.” Hanzo shrugged. “Which annoys my scholar teacher. He says I should be spending my free time working on my scholarly pursuits. I do well enough that father is satisfied. I do not see why I should pursue them any further.”
“As long as you are not behind in your training or your lessons, I see no reason why you can’t spend your free time as you please.” Sayana watched him closely.
Hanzo looked guilty. “I am afraid my training is where I am weakest.”
“Oh?” Sayana asked.
Hanzo sighed. “It is a great privilege to train with Cyprian. A warmaster is someone to be respected. I simply do not see how learning to fight as they do is a benefit to us if we are not going to be fighters. It seems a waste to learn what they have to teach us only to use it to ward off assassins, though it has come in handy the few times I have had to use it.”
“Hanzo, the only reason I am alive now is because Reynard taught me to fight.” Sayana gave him a serious look. “I’d be dead if not for what I learned from him. Yes, it might not seem like a lot to you now. But as you said, you’ve had to use it a few times already. Don’t discount what you’re learning as being useless just because you’re only going to use it against assassins. It has saved my life twice now, and I expect before the baby is born, it will save my life several more times.”
Hanzo gave her a speculative look. “You raise a very good point, Sayana. Perhaps I am looking at it the wrong way.”
“Think about it.” Sayana smiled. “Now, tell me one of your favorite military histories that you’ve read.”
Hanzo’s eyes lit up and he launched into a description of a book Sayana had also read. The two discussed the merits of the book for the remainder of his time. When his time was up, he thanked her for talking to him and headed out. “The princes certainly are a lively bunch,” one of the doctors commented.
“Yes, they are.” Sayana picked up her pad, which Vai had dropped off during her conversation with Jair, and called up the book she was reading. “I imagine the next two days are going to be very interesting.”
For the next two days she held conversations with the princes, was constantly monitored by the doctors, and slept when she got too tired. The ache slowly faded until it was barely noticeable. On the third day, Karis arrived to check on her. “All right, Your Imperial Majesty.” The doctor who had been overseeing her care unhooked the last of the wires. “You can take Her Imperial Majesty back to your rooms now. Give yourself one more day before you take back up your training with Warmaster Reynard, Your Imperial Majesty. Beyond that, you’re good to go.”
“Thank you.” Sayana made a face. “I want a shower so badly right now.”
Karis chuckled. “I am certain Ardatha and her sisters will be happy to oblige. Do you want to go to council with me this morning? Or wait one more day for that?”
“Let me get cleaned up and I’ll go with you. They can wait for me to be presentable.” Sayana was ready to resume her normal life again.
“All right.” Karis helped her stand. She wobbled a little and he braced her until the light-headedness passed. Then she took his hand, and they walked together back to their chambers.
“Your Imperial Majesty, are you feeling all right?” Ardatha watched her anxiously as she entered the suite.
“I’m in desperate need for a shower and a clean dress, Ardatha.” Sayana smiled at the women waiting for her. “And someone to help me brush out my hair. I’m going to attempt the council meeting this morning, so it will have to be done quickly.”
“Easily done, Your Imperial Majesty.” Vai head for the bedroom. “Let me set up the shower. We’ll mix some detangler in with the shampoo. That should make it much easier to brush out your hair.” She disappeared.
“I’ll settle the dress.” Faviola headed for the bedroom as well.
“I think they missed you.” Karis smiled.
“Of course we did.” Ardatha gave him an affronted look. “She’s ridiculously easy to take care of most of the time, and without her around we have nothing to do.”
“That’s not the only reason you missed her.” Imre gave a teasing smile.
“Hush you.” Ardatha laughed. “Don’t give away our secrets.”
Vai came out a few minutes later. “Shower’s ready, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Excellent.” Sayana went into the bathroom and climbed into the shower. She washed herself clean of the five days in the med lab. She glanced down at her stomach. Not much larger, so the dresses would still hide it. As she climbed out, she glanced in the mirror. The butterfly mask was more pronounced now. It was going to be harder to claim that it was cosmetics. Damn pregnancy hormones and the changes it made to her face and skin.
She stood on the dryer, and her hair blew all around her. The detangler had already done its job and most of the knots and snarls had washed out of her hair. Strands blew all around her and she giggled as she caught a mouthful of hair. She wrapped herself in a robe and joined her servants in the bedroom. They dressed her in a gown of her favorite brilliant blue and adorned her with a few key pieces of jewelry. They did the usual simple braid and coil that she wore for everything except court and high feasts, and she rejoined Karis.
“That did not take as long as I thought it would.” Karis nodded appreciatively.
“This is why I adore Ardatha and her sisters.” Sayana smiled gratefully at the women, who grinned back at her.
“Shall we go?” he asked.
“One moment.” Sayana slid her vibroblades, which the doctors had given back to Karis, up under her sleeves. “Now we can go.”
He led her out and they were surrounded by their guards. Sayana thought there might be more of them than there had been before. They made their way to the council chamber. The rest of the ministers filed in. “Your Imperial Majesty, it is good to see you back with us.” Metis smiled. “I trust you are feeling well?”
“I am.” Sayana took her usual seat.
“There have been rumors flying for a few days now the emperor was covering up your death.” Trenor was highly amused by the antics of the court. “You are going to disappoint several key nobles in the court, you realize.”
Sayana laughed. “I believe I am willing to deal with their disappointment, Trenor.”
“As are we all,” Mikhah agreed.
They got down to business. It was all straightforward and either dealt with immediately or petitions sent to Karis to read over. The only thing that was brought up that couldn’t be easily dealt with was the winter festival. “I know it is still a few months away, but I need you to sign off on some things,” Lidia pointed out. “You have been very hard to pin down since the wedding and this is urgent.”
“See Imre,” Karis told her. “Tell him I said to meet with us after the council session. We are going to pay a short visit to the enclave, and then we are all yours.”
“Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty.” Lidia was relieved.
“I think that covers just about everything we needed to discuss with you today.” Geraint checked his pad.
“We do have one question, Your Imperial Majesty.” Runa looked at Sayana. “I think, as do several other ladies of court unfortunately, the answer is obvious when you look at Her Imperial Majesty. Is the empress pregnant? We will not let the secret out of this room. We understand you do not want it confirmed right now. But there are certain tells and if you have had children as Metis and I have, you can see them plain as anything on the empress right now.”
“The butterfly mask is an obvious sign.” Sayana sighed.
“Yes, Runa.” Karis looked at the woman. “Sayana is pregnant. We are at, what, fourteen weeks now, my heart?” Sayana nodded. “We know she is going to become very obviously pregnant in the next month, but we are not admitting to anything until then.”
“Do you know if you are having another son?” Geraint asked.
Karis shook his head. “We are having a daughter this time, Geraint. She was watched closely while Sayana was treated for her injuries, and she came out just fine. We will probably announce it formally at the winter festival since by then we will not be able to hide it any longer.”
“Good to know.” Lidia made a note. “We can discuss exactly when you want to announce it during our conversation. I can slot it in somewhere during those two weeks.” Karis nodded and with nothing else to be said, the council adjourned for the day.
Karis led Sayana to the princes’ enclave, where they spoke briefly with the five princes. Then they returned to their chambers and found Lidia waiting for them. “Imre was kind enough to let me in to wait.”
Karis poured two glasses of wine and a glass of juice for Sayana, and they got to work. Mostly Karis just needed to sign off on the budget, but there were some menu changes that the cook wanted to make that he wanted their opinions on. “Absolutely not.” Sayana flatly refused to agree when she saw what he wanted to do for the three high feasts. “I will endure one chocolate dessert if I have to. But I will not have chocolate at all three high feasts.”
“Chocolate is a very popular dish, Your Imperial Majesty,” Lidia protested.
“Which is why I’ll allow one. The cook can come up with unique options that do not contain chocolate or spirits for the other two. And the first chocolate dish cannot contain spirits of any kind if I am to be able to eat it.” Sayana was not backing down on this. She was going to be sick from it anyway, but if they got the doctor there in time she’d be able to keep the dinner down.
“Sayana is not allowed spirits due to her being pregnant, and she is allergic to chocolate, Lidia. I know I told you that before we ever got married.” Karis gave the woman a hard stare. “I will support her in this. One chocolate dessert, no spirits.”
Lidia sighed and sent the cook the message. “He is going to be very disappointed. He was looking forward to trying those dishes out.”
“He has Founding Day and my father’s and my birthdays. He can try the other two desserts out spread over those days. I would do away with them altogether for Sayana and Ethian’s sakes, since they are both allergic, but I cannot due to how popular chocolate is. Once in a while is fine. Never for all the desserts on a multi-day festival.” Karis was firm.
“Do you wish to make the empress’ birthday a high feast day, Your Imperial Majesty? I realize you did not do that with your previous wife, but there were other mitigating circumstances surrounding that marriage that precluded any such celebration of her.” Lidia tried to be as tactful as possible.
Sayana sighed as she looked at Karis. “It’s expected, isn’t it?”
“Yes, my heart, it is.” Karis flashed her an apologetic look. “I will not let them turn the boys’ days into high feasts, but yours I am afraid will need to become one.”
“When is your birthday, Your Imperial Majesty?” Lidia asked.
Sayana stopped and thought. “You know, I haven’t thought about my birthday in a long time. It was never celebrated at the academy or in the courtesan wing.” She laughed. “I believe it is the sixteenth day of the second month of spring.”
“Between winter festival and Founding Day.” Lidia nodded. “I can work with that. I will get started on the planning right away. For your birthday, I will make sure the cook understands no chocolate, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Thank you, Lidia.” Sayana was very grateful she understood that one.
“Now, when do you want to announce the pregnancy? At one of the high feasts?” Lidia asked.
“Starflare, no. We will just announce it during one of the court events during the two weeks. Just slot it in as a casual thing in the beginning of the day. It will spread by itself.” Karis didn’t seem to want to make it into a big production, and Sayana was grateful. Being pregnant was awkward enough as it was.
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Lidia made a note on her pad. “Will you be having Their Imperial Highnesses with you for the full two weeks?”
“I have since they were old enough to join me, Lidia.” Karis made a face. “Though I am sure they would rather sit it out.”
“Do we need to increase the number of guards, do you think? Especially with Her Imperial Majesty being pregnant and how it will be obvious by then?” Lidia asked.
“Not a bad idea.” Karis was thinking hard about the situation. “I also want everything scanned before it ever touches our plates.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Lidia made some more notes. “Will you be asking the princes to stay after the meals are over this time?”
“Not until they turn eighteen, Lidia.” Karis seemed to be getting annoyed. Sayana wondered if he’d answered this line of questioning before.
“How old are they again?” Lidia asked.
“Seventeen.” Sayana knew without having to think too hard about it. “Ethian just celebrated his seventeenth birthday last month.”
“How do you know that so quickly, my heart?” Karis looked at her curiously. “Not that I think you are wrong. I am just curious.
“He turned sixteen the year we came back.” Sayana had no problem explaining it to him. “We waited until the following year to be married. We were married in the late spring and Ethian’s birthday is the twenty third day of the second month of fall. He is seventeen.”
“Trust a mother to know her son’s birthday.” Lidia laughed. “We have another year then before we have to worry about keeping the princes after the last courses are served.”
“How do you keep all that straight in your head, my heart? I cannot even remember all their birthdays. Imre keeps their birthdays on my schedule to remind me.” Karis looked at her with some surprise.
Sayana proceeded to recite every prince’s birthday from memory. “How do you remember all that, Your Imperial Majesty? I understand knowing Prince Ethian’s birthday, but the other princes?” Lidia asked. “And after so long?”
“I made it a point to remember them, Lidia.” Sayana smiled. “If the day ever came that I did marry Karis, I wanted to be able to remember and celebrate the birthdays of all his sons. I have flashed the princes a private message on their birthdays this year. I only missed last year because I was in the courtesan wing.”
“You have a remarkable memory, Your Imperial Majesty.” Lidia stared at her with newfound respect.
“Only for some things, Lidia.” Sayana laughed. “I am as forgetful as anyone, but certain things stick with me.”
They went on to discuss a few more things regarding the winter festival and Sayana’s birthday before Lidia left them to start on the everlasting paperwork that never seemed to end. Karis flashed her some without her even having to ask and she got to work.
Alison's Writing Corner 
Leave a comment