The Crystal River

Chapter one

Lianna stood on the balcony of her room staring out past the gardens to the hills beyond.  The morning sun gleamed brightly on the verdant hillsides, sending sparks of light when the shiny blade of a sword was caught in reflection.  The soldiers had been practicing for only a few days, getting ready for the mission set before them.

She sighed heavily as she lifted her mug to her mouth and savored her coffee as it slid smoothly down her throat.  It was still very much a dream to her, everything that had taken place the last few months.  She returned to her room and looked around the expansive area.  The enormous, green satin bedding and canopy, beautiful, gilt-trimmed furniture, running and hot water in the bathroom were only just a few of the luxuries that she knew to be a figment of  her imagination.

The island of Barshaban was a land of unrivaled beauty, blessed by the Maker’s handiwork.  The air was pure and crisp, the sky was a deep blue.  Rivers and streams meandered the country side, giving the villagers a never-ending source of water for drinking and watering the crops and livestock.  Green could not fit the description for the color of the trees and grass, grass that was soft and lush under one’s feet.   The trees whispered songs in the breeze to the listener, songs that could soothe the soul.  She pulled out of her reverie when a knock sounded on the door to her room.

“Your Highness?” came a voice on the other side.

“Come in, Eliza,” Lianna called, “and please quit calling me ‘Your Highness’!”

The door opened and the older woman came into the room.  Her auburn hair was piled on her head and she wore the dark blue clothing that denoted her status a servant.  She stood a few inches taller than Lianna, but then, so did most people.  She placed a fresh cup of coffee on the edge of the marble tub as she started drawing bath water.  Lianna followed her into the bathroom still marveling at her good fortune.

“You are so good to me, Eliza,” she said as she sank into the fragrant bubbles. “But I am going to get so spoiled.  You must quit pampering me.  I can do all this for myself.”  She saw Eliza’s wide smile as she left the room and returned momentarily with a clean dress.

“His highness, King Dorian had this made for you.”  Eliza said as she held up a lovely white organza dress adorned with embroidered rosebuds.  Lianna’s eyes sparkled with delight as she took in the tiny pearls sew into the bodice and the intricate work of the red embroidered buds.      

“Who does such lovely work?”  Lianna exclaimed.  “This took so much talent to make.  I am not worthy to wear such a treasure.”  Lianna remembered the linens in muted earth shades she had been required to wear as a slave in the territory of Piorandia.  She never dreamed she would someday be married to a king and being treated to such riches and luxuries.  She bowed her head and gave thanks to her Maker for bringing her so many blessings. 

“Some of the women of the village delighted in making this for you, as well as some other dresses.  We are all proud of our king and queen, and will see fit that our queen is the best dressed of all,” Eliza said proudly.

“Eliza, I am but a servant like you,” Lianna said as she stepped out of the bubbles.  She saw Eliza’s gaze fall to the angry red lines down Lianna’s abdomen and thighs and saw a look of concern mirrored on her face.  Lianna pulled a plush robe around the scars, also covering the deep scar that crossed her back and shoulder, a scar that made that very movement difficult for her to maneuver.    Fine slivery lines also scored her back from a brutal beating she had received as a slave in Piorandia.

 Eliza helped her dry off and try the dress on.  It fit a little too loose around her in places, she had lost quite a bit of weight during their three month journey from Piorandia to Barshaban.  Eliza cinched the belt around her waist tighter.

“I wish I had the tiny waist you do,” she commented as she began to pull a brush through Lianna’s curly tresses.

Lianna knew that she was looking thinner.  She had not had time to put back on any weight since her arrival, as her new husband had kept her mind quite far away from food the last several weeks.  She smiled as she stole a glance at their empty bed and wished that he hadn’t had to leave so early this morning to start rounding up the soldiers.  She blushed when she saw Eliza smiling at her as if reading her thoughts.

“Yes, I do remember those days with my husband too,” the older woman whispered to her. “That is one of the most precious gifts the Maker bestows on us here in this world.  Do not ever forsake the priveledge.”

“I have been told that before,” she answered, “but I wonder who would?”  They both dissolved into laughter as Eliza pinned a cascade of locks on top of Lianna’s head. 

“Sometimes it will become hard, believe it or not,” Eliza said sagely. “When the everyday trials get in the way of romance, then you will have to find time to make each other feel special.  Most of all, remember the love you share, the love that brought you together in the first place.  If all else fails, step back into your heart and examine yourself, find the one person that used to live there, the one that the young man fell in love with.  When you lose that young girl, you lose the romance.”

Lianna took Eliza’s hand and held it to her cheek.

“Thank you for all you do for me.  I hope I can return the kindness,”  Lianna said softly.  Tears welled in Eliza’s eyes.

“You just did,” she said as their eyes met in the mirror. 

Eliza had never had children of her own, after fifteen years of marriage, she was resolved to the fact that her Maker had other plans for her.  When she learned of her duty to be a handmaid to the queen, she was proud and honored to be chosen.  Eliza thought her duty to be a joy with the quiet and introverted young Lianna.

Eliza remembered the tiny package being brought aboard the ship that carried them across the Calcanta Sea.  Lianna had spent her first few days aboard the ship in her cabin, mourning the loss of her lover.  Eliza had seen the resolve of the young woman turn as she realized that she would marry the prince to save her people, even as her heart broke into a million irreparable pieces.  Eliza smiled as she remembered, wishing then that she could have told Lianna that it was Dorian she was going to meet, but she was forbidden.  Even though it was a test from the Maker himself, she desperately had wanted to comfort the tears that Lianna spilled day after day.

Now she enjoyed the company that she kept with Lianna when the opportunity afforded it.  She had a feeling that she would be spending a lot more time with her over the next few weeks as King Dorian was rounding up the troops and preparing to fight the war to save his people.  She admired the young king, he was so full of life and love for his Maker and it reflected in everything he did, including loving his wife.

“Now that I have some time on my hands, I should like to see more of the palace,” Lianna said brightly.

“First, let me show you where the kitchen is,” Eliza giggled as she pulled her out of the door.  They ran down the corridor that led to their bedchambers passing many closed doors.  Lianna stopped her and pointed to them.

“What are those rooms?” Lianna asked her.

“Those are empty now,” Eliza stated. “They are yours to do with as you wish.”

“Oh, I see,” Lianna said as she wondered what she could possibly do with so many empty rooms in such a large palace.

Eliza led her back to the main hallway and showed her the hallway to the kitchen.  They followed their noses to scrumptious aromas leading to the grand kitchen.  The room was bright with many windows and a closer view of the gardens that she could see from her bedroom.  A large French door opened to a terrace off of a breakfast area that was blooming with honeysuckles and a variety of other flowers.  Several small tables were set around the terrace, inviting the early morning riser to bask in the sunrise. 

Lianna turned back to the kitchen and greeted several of the cooks in the kitchen.  They seemed to be stunned to see her there and bowed low to the mosaic tiled floor.

“Please, do not do that,” Lianna sighed with frustration. “I am but a servant.”

“You were a servant, Your Highness,” said a pleasant looking older woman. “Now you are our queen, and rightly deserving.”  She smiled with pleasure.

“What is your name?” Lianna asked her.

“I am Marona, the chief cook and overseer of the kitchen.  If there is anything you desire, let me know right away,” she bowed again.

“The only thing I would like is not to be treated as if I were on a pedestal.  I wish to serve my people and hope to make it known that I am equal with them.” Lianna smiled sweetly.  She spied a tray full of tarts and felt her stomach rumble.  Marona saw her gaze and offered her a tart.

“I would love one,” Lianna accepted.  Marona nodded to Eliza as in in silent communication.

“This way, Your Highness,” Eliza started to show her to the dining room adjacent to the kitchen.

“What is wrong with this table right here?”  Lianna indicated a long table in the kitchen.

“Oh, no, Your Highness,” Marona started.

“Lianna,” she prompted the cook.   

“The table is for the servants,” said another cook who was stirring something in a boiling pot.  Lianna noted that the pot sat over a funny looking fireplace that stood in the center of the room. 

“That is a funny looking fireplace,” Lianna commented,  wondering where the chimney was.  “Where is the smoke?”

The cook chuckled under her breath before answering.  “A special oil feeds the flame, there isn’t any smoke to need a chimney for.  Although, Marona can manage to singe a few meals that would have a fire-breathing dragon gasping for air.”

Lianna laughed as she sat down at the polished oak table, watching the activity around her.   She sighed as she bit into the tart as the others in the room looked at each other in frustration.   Knowing that they expected their royalty to use the main dining room, she smiled even more brightly at them.  Soon, everyone in the room was laughing and giggling as if old friends.

Eliza continued the tour several tarts later, showing her the way to the grand entrance and continuing through halls that she vaguely remembered from her first night. 

“Are my parents in this wing?” Lianna wondered out loud.  She had not seen them since the morning of her wedding.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, they are in these quarters.”  Eliza pointed to a double door halfway down the hallway that they had been exploring.

“And the King’s parents are over there in those quarters.”  She pointed to the far end of the hallway.

“May I?” Lianna asked as she raised her hand to knock.

“You are asking me?” Eliza smiled. “You are the queen.”

“Oh, this is ridiculous, I am an ordinary person!” Lianna said as she rapped loudly.  She waited a long moment until she heard rustling on the other side of the door.

“Momma, Da?” she said loudly.  The door flung open and Eulana stood with a wide smile on her face.  Her father pulled her into a tight embrace when he saw her.

“Come in!” Eulana exclaimed. “Come look at everything!” Her mother tittered in excitement as she pulled her into the foyer of their quarters.  Lianna gasped at the luxury that surrounded them. 

Their quarters consisted of a large kitchen with sinks made of marble.  She noticed that the kitchen also had one of the funny looking fireplaces in it.

“What is that thing?” Lianna asked her mother.

“It is called a stove.  A special fuel feeds the flames without smoke.”  Eulana struck a flint as she turned a knob, causing a flame to leap from one of the two circular grids.

“I cannot believe how much different things are here.” Lianna said to her father.

“Yes, it is amazing when we call on our Maker, the wisdom he supplies us with to create new things.  Just like the water that comes into the room,,” he said.

“I have discovered that luxury myself,” she remembered her bath that morning.

“Eliza,” she called into the hallway. Eliza had been patiently waiting outside.

“Come in a meet my parents,” Lianna requested.  Eliza approached and curtsied.

“We met Eliza on the boat,” Eulana said. “But we are glad to see you again.  Do come in and have some tea with us,” she offered.

“Oh, that is quite polite of you, but I have some tasks to complete.  If you will excuse me, Your Highness?” Eliza asked.

“Lianna.  Yes, I am going to visit with my parents for a while,” Lianna smiled as the older woman dismissed herself from the room.

“She is wonderful to me,” Lianna said as she flopped onto a large sofa in the sitting room.

“I guess that is the way the queen sits herself down,” Eulana laughed gaily.

“Momma, how will I ever be a queen?  I am just a servant myself,” she laughed with her.

“That will be your role as queen,” her father explained. “You will be their servant as you lead your life as an example of how the Maker would have women to be.”

“Me? What experience do I have as a woman?  I am newly married, I do not have children, I can barely cook!  How can the women look up to me?” she exclaimed.

“The Maker will guide you into the paths of the proverbial woman. You must look to him for those answers.  Lean entirely on him for the woman you must grow to be.” Benran told her quietly.  She nodded as she listened to his instructions.

“Da, I have so many questions!” Lianna exclaimed as she related the past few months to him. “You told me that I was not going to marry Dorian.  Somehow I feel that I took a wrong turn somewhere,” she said.

“No, now I never said that you were not going to marry Dorian.  I told you that you were not the woman for him.  The Lianna that came to me was yet to know her full calling, thus, not the woman that Dorian needed,” Ben told her.

“So, I had to come full circle,” Lianna stated slowly as she reflected back on the past few weeks.  Ben nodded in agreement.

“You had to know that your love for Dorian was not founded on what he supplied for you, but your actual feelings for him.  But first and foremost, that you would sacrifice your feelings for Dorian to obey the will of the Maker.  That was the ultimate challenge and test,” Ben concluded.

“But Da, why would the Maker not just name a queen from the people of Barshaban that were already here?  I am not deserving of this title.”

“No one is, but you know the suffering as a slave, and the passion that you carry for what you believe in is strong.  The Maker destined from beginning of time that you and Dorian should be the couple to lead his people in truth and knowledge.  You have an enormous task set before you, now you must never take it lightly.”

“So the Maker took you away for two reasons when I was young.”  Lianna referred to the day he was to be burned at the stake in the kingdom of Piorandia.  His body was never found unbeknownst to them, and he was forbidden to contact his wife and daughter until the time the Maker would set their future into motion. 

“Yes,” Ben agreed, “if I had been in the picture, your mother would not have developed a closer bond with the Maker.  Dorian would not have stepped in at ten years of age to befriend a petulant little four year old.”  Lianna smiled at her father’s reference to her.

“The Maker has a way of working things out,” Eulana smiled brightly.  She had her hand on her abdomen and Lianna looked at her in curiosity.

“So, Momma, anything new I should know about?” Lianna raised her eyebrow.

“Yes, darling, you are going to be a big sister in a few months.” Ben and Eulana’s joy was expressed to her as she noted their happy faces and her father’s adoring look at her mother.  She jumped up and hugged them both, excited for them.

“I am glad it is you and not me,” Lianna said magnanimously.

“Oh, someday it will be you,” Eulana said to her with laughter.  Lianna shook her head with a smile.  She did not tell anyone that she had started taking her tilavist that morning, an herb that would keep her from getting pregnant.  No one knew how she feared having children, especially after seeing it first hand when her friend, Mayrie had given birth at her home.

They visited for a long while, enjoying the company that had not had a chance to share in a few weeks.  Eulana fixed lunch for them over the new contraption called a stove.  Lianna was fascinated by as she watched Eulana quickly prepare a meal on the stovetop.  She discovered that the room did get quite warm as the stove heated up.   Benran opened a window over the sink to let the cool air from outside circulate, mixing the scent of fragrant flowers with that of lunch.

Lianna ate heartily and was warmed to see her mother do the same.  The last couple of weeks of travel had seen them both lose a few pounds.  Eulana did because her stomach was weak with the first few weeks of pregnancy and Lianna from stress then grief. 

“It is good to be here with my wife and daughter,” Ben stated happily as he polished off his plate with a chunk of bread.  “Enjoy these days of bliss and give thanks to our Creator.”

“Da, I worry about the war,” Lianna said, wondering how Dorian and the troops were going to manage a fight against the Royals of Piorandia.

“It is already predetermined by the Creator.  We have to trust in his providence and know that we will be the victors.”

Lianna closed her eyes as she felt her stomach twist.  She had come so far in learning about her Maker, yet had so much to learn in the way of putting her trust in him.   Faith, for her would be a daily lesson.

Chapter 2

Lianna wandered the halls in search of the doorway leading to the gardens.  She had not been outside other than her bedroom terrace and wanted to enjoy some fresh air.  Eliza spotted her as she made her way through the dining room heading to the kitchen.

“Would you care to eat in the dining room tonight?” she asked Lianna.

“Yes, I would like to be able to have dinner with my parents as well as Dorian’s parents,” Lianna answered with delight.

“I shall arrange that immediately.”  Eliza bustled off to make preparations.  Lianna found the door in the kitchen that led onto the flowering terraces.

  She made her way down the many stairs as she fixed her eyes on the flower beds beyond.  Some of the gardeners spotted her and bowed down.  She smiled and waved to them as she spotted a beautiful fountain towards the rear of the gardens.  Following colorful, graveled pathways to an enormous oak tree that boasted an elegant wrought iron swing, she sat in the swing and pushed off, enjoying the sound of trickling water in the fountain. 

The water erupted from the middle of a sculpted bouquet of flowers and ran off the edges of the fountain into a pond teaming with underwater flowers and bright colorful fish.  She had a flash of memory as she envisioned the glade she used to frequent with the same kind of fish and flowers.  She knew that if she pulled one of the flowers from the water, that it would glow brightly for hours.  Lianna leaned against the back of the swing and shut her eyes, basking in the afternoon sun. 

Dorian had stepped onto the terrace of their room and seen her walking the pathways of the garden.  He watched as she sat down in the swing and push off, casting tawny curls off of her shoulders.  He knew there would be a sparkle in her wide green eyes as she took in the beauty surrounding her.  Her dress was brilliantly white in the sunlight, and he sighed as he took in the ethereal vision before him. 

He had worked hard with the soldiers that morning and early afternoon.  In a few more days he would have to leave his beautiful young bride to fight the battle looming over on the other side of the Calcanta Sea.  His people were expecting him to return with his army to free them from their captors.  If they knew that the army was small…

His thoughts turned back to Lianna as he removed his sweaty tunic and washed up in the bathroom.   Smiling brightly as he remembered the last few weeks spent in their private chambers,  he planned on making a memorable few more nights with her before he had to go.  He combed his long blonde hair back and tied it with a leather cord before he dashed down the hallway.

Lianna started as she felt she swing shift under an added weight.  She had dozed off in the sunlight and her cheeks were turning a bright pink.  Dorian pulled her to his chest as she sighed heavily and snuggled into his arms.  She looked up into his eyes, noting the golden flecks mixed with amber.  She could melt away in his gaze alone, much less his touch.

“What has my flower princess been up to all day?” he asked as he traced lazy trails down her throat with his fingers.  She smiled and took his hand in hers.

“I visited with my parents.  It was wonderful to see them again.  We are going to have dinner with our parents tonight in the dining room.”  She saw his face fall as she announced the news.

“What is the matter?” she fretted.

“Nothing,” he replied, pasting a false smile on his face.  “I just wanted to have more time with you alone.”   He lifted her to his lap and brought his mouth down savagely down on hers.   She let her head fall back as his mouth found the spot on her neck that drove her wild. She became increasingly aware of his need for her. She pushed away after a few moments, breathless.

“Now, King Dorian, is that anyway to treat your wife in public?” she said with a sultry voice as she stood up. 

“No, but I sure know how to treat her in private,” he said with a broad grin as he chased her up the gravel pathway. 

She ran, giggling all the way up the terraced steps to the kitchen and past a bewildered Marona, with Dorian at her heels.  Marona raised her eyebrows at the sight, but then laughed with the other cooks when the couple disappeared from view.  Dorian and Lianna could hear their laughter in the corridor growing faint as the couple got further away from the kitchen.

The servants laughed for long minutes, laughter that reflected their happiness that Dorian and Lianna had come to grace the halls of the palace.   The palace had been empty for many centuries the walls silently holding vigil for the moment the Maker would grace it with the new king and queen.  Many pictures of former monarchs graced the hallways and if one looked closely, they could see emerald eyes captured by the artist, from a picture in the main entrance.

******

Lianna and Dorian arrived in the dining room before their parents.  The long table had the leaves removed to allow a more intimate setting.  The butler seated Dorian on one end of the table and started to seat Lianna at the other end.

“Oh, no, my wife will sit by my side,” Dorian stated to the butler.

“Your Highness, in all due respect, the queen always sits at the other end of the table,” the butler stated with a red face.  Dorian got up and skirted the table and took Lianna’s hand.  Only after he had placed Lianna beside him, did he once again take his seat at the head of table.   The butler sputtered in agitation as he rearranged the silver on the table. 

“What is your name, sir?” Dorian asked.

“Morgan, your highness,” the man responded.

“Well, then Morgan.  I know it has been practiced for the time when a queen and king would ascend the throne once more.  I know there have been customs and practices that have been neglected for a long time.  We,” Dorian indicated Lianna and himself, “have no idea how to behave as royalty, for we are but servants ourselves.  But one thing I know for sure, I love my wife and I desire to sit next to her at the dining table, not down the hall.” Dorian’s eyes sparkled with mirth. 

Morgan apologized and excused himself from the room, but quickly returned with Eulana and Benran on his heels.  Bethami and Nathaniel, Dorian’s parents, followed soon after that.  Dorian and Lianna got up to exchange hugs and kisses with the four of them.  Soon they found steaming bowls of chowder placed before them as they began an evening of fellowship.

“I still can not believe it,” Bethami was saying. “My son, the King of the Chosen people.”

“It is a responsibility beyond belief,” Dorian acknowledged to her. “I hope that my every step is not without the wisdom of the Maker.”

“As long as you know where your help comes from,” Benran stated, “you will not be without the presence of the Maker.   That will be reflected by your everyday living.”  Dorian nodded in agreement. 

“I wonder how the villagers in Piorandia are doing?”  Lianna reflected quietly.  She hoped that the plagues had not been too hard on them, and that the royals were being plagued by the misfortunes the Maker had promised in the revelations given to the chosen people.

“I know that the plague of darkness still prevails over the land on the other side of the Calcanta sea,” Nathaniel stated. “I am sure that the darkness will continue until our people have returned here, to their homeland of Barshaban.”

“What of the other territories, like those that Anithiel came from?” Lianna asked Dorian.  She was referring to the group that they had met on their journey from Piorandia and the leader whose name she mentioned.  The alliance had not thought about the fact that there could be other Chosen people among the remnant that had been carried into captivity so many years ago.

“The Maker has plans to free all of his people, we shall endeavor to bring them home,” Dorian stated.  “I have called a meeting of the army and elders for tomorrow afternoon after field practice.  We need to map out our quest over the next few days and place in charge those who will take care of Barshaban while we are gone.” 

The spoon that Lianna had raised to her mouth fell with a clatter to her bowl.  All pairs of eyes looked over at her as she covered her mouth with her hands.

“What is it?” Dorian took her hand in his as giant tears started to fall from her eyes.

“You do not plan on going, do you?” she asked frantically.

“I must, it is my duty to serve my people,” he stated softly to her.

“No!  We just got here, you are weak still!” she sobbed on his shoulder. “You did not tell me that you were going to go.”

“I know I that I have neglected telling you, I did not wish our short time together to be a sad one for you,” he stroked her head as she cried harder.  He looked beseechingly at Ben and Eulana.

“Lianna,” her father got up and came to her side. “you must be strong and supportive of your husband, he needs you more than anything to be strong at a time like this.”

“Your father is right. We will be here for you.”  Eulana wrapped her arms around her daughter.

“I am not staying here, I am going with Dorian,” she stated emphatically.

“That is not possible,” Benran said.

“Of course it is,” she sat up looking at Dorian emploringly.

“No, my flower, it is not.  We will be entrenched in battle, it is no place for a woman.  I need to know that you will be safe here.”

“I need to be with you, what if you do not return?” she cried harder.

“Do you not trust in our Maker, is your faith so little that you would believe that the All Knowing would bring us here, only to see to my demise a short time later?” he turned her head with his large, strong hand to make eye contact with her.  The doubt he saw there slowly dissolved and a small smile made its way across her face as she shook her head slowly.

“But I will miss you so much,” she whispered.

“And I will miss you so much more,” he whispered back as he kissed a tear on her cheek.  “We will have to make the most of our time together, and then rejoice when I return with our people.”  Lianna nodded and sat up with resignation.

“Now, lets eat.  We need our strength,” Benran stated with a clap of his hands.

“Momma needs her strength,” Lianna smiled through her tears.  She saw Dorian’s look of concern and laughed.

“You are going to be a big brother of sorts,” she told him.  He looked at Eulana in amazement as she flushed with embarrassment.

“I guess congratulations are in order,” Dorian stated and held up his cup.  Everyone followed suit with a clanking of cups.  They enjoyed a sumptuous roast duck with crisp vegetables on the side.  Lianna had never eaten so much at once and sat back holding her stomach when the meal was through.  Dorian’s gaze rested on her stomach as she did so, making her feel guilty for having eaten so much.

“I wonder, with that appetite, if someone else may be having news for us soon?” Dorian pondered with a smile.  Lianna was oblivious to the reference as the others at the table looked at her.

“What are you talking about?” she said as she yawned widely.

“Maybe your sister or brother will be an aunt or uncle soon?”  Eulana stated with a smile.

“Impossible!” Lianna stated emphatically.

“No, I don’t really think so,” Dorian stated with a wicked grin. Lianna blushed but continued to deny the fact.

“Well, tell us why you think it could be impossible,” Eulana stated with a laugh.  Lianna opened her mouth to tell them about the tilavist, but saw all eyes on her and Dorian’s look of consternation.

“I just am not ready for a baby yet,” she said softly.

Everyone laughed as they each finished the soufflé that had been placed in front of them.  She felt Dorian’s eyes on her and she smiled softly at him as he slipped his hand in hers under the table.  She knew that it would be her duty to supply heirs to the throne, but felt that the time was not now.  She also knew how much Dorian wanted to have children and the thought still scared her.

As if reading her thoughts, Dorian squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

“We are just newly married and with many tasks before us, children will come later,” he told the others at the table. “I am sure that the Maker with bless this union with many children,” he smiled at Lianna

Later in their room, Dorian approached Lianna with a small vial filled with a rose colored powder.

“You are still taking this?” he asked evenly, his face a mask.

“Yes,” she nodded. “Dorian…” she started to explain.

“You do not need to explain,” he said softly, “I mean what I said in the dining room. Yes, I cannot wait to see tiny replicas of you running around this palace, getting into mischief.  But much more, we need time together, and that is not a luxury we will not have over the next few months or so.”

“Do you think it will take that long?” she asked as she settled in next to him on their massive bed.

“It might take even longer, my flower princess,” he said as he gathered her in his arms. “I will fight my hardest to come back to you as soon as possible.”

He looked deeply into her somber eyes as he pulled the ribbons holding her dressing robe together and saw her expression change in the candlelight as he bent over her to claim her mouth with his.  Hearts of sorrow vanished and quickly the flicker of passion ignited into flame.