章節 701: Unexpected
There was some confusion about where the woman and little prince had gone, but that was overshadowed by the order to clear the room.
The soldiers sprang into action and everyone filed out in an orderly fashion shortly.
Not that those on the dais were paying any attention to it. As soon as things came back into motion, the four people left behind by the Empress exited the room.
"I will change out of these robes if it pleases Your Majesty. I do not think that we need two Empresses being seen in the halls." Anna curtsied and removed her wig.
The woman's dark locks came tumbling out from underneath as she breathed a sigh of relief.
"It pleases me, Anna. Go and find Ezer so he can hear the good news from you. I am sure he will inform the rest of the Council. Then take the rest of the day. We can meet tomorrow to begin catching up." Aurora dismissed her beloved helper.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Anna scurried out of the alcove, leaving the others behind.
Nurlan backed to the wall, giving the princes, Emperor, and Empress as much privacy as he could.
"You were going to tell me about Mairwen," Renat prodded, unable to contain his concern. "Is she…"
He could not bear to say the next word.
"Mairwen is alive. She should have died in the tower, but she pleaded with the Maker. He allowed her to return." Aurora grasped the prince's hands and squeezed them, her eyes brimming with pleasure.
"Sissy!" Colvyr cried at the sound of his sister's name. "I want to see."
"So do I. Why didn't she come with you? Where is she?" Renat's heart and mind were racing.
"She needed to rest and I said I would bring you when court was over. Hanna is watching over her." Aurora explained.
"Take me to her at once, please," the young man added the last word belatedly. "I must see her!"
The Empress stopped his sudden dash. "Before you do…I need to prepare you for what you are about to see."
"My wife is alive! Everything else is just details, right?" Renat smiled.
"This is a rather big detail," Aurora tried again. "If you think I am altered, you will find the Princess is even more so."
"Tell me no more! I don't care what is wrong as long as she is back," the prince straightened his back.
Nothing could make him stop loving Mairwen. He did not want his in-laws to doubt his resolve.
"Please, lead the way whenever you are ready," Renat opened the door to the chamber.
The Empress and Emperor exchanged a silent conversation before Aurora sighed. "Perhaps it is better this way, but I did try to warn you."
"You did," Renat nodded.
While they walked down the hall, Devrim and Aurora caught up on the events of the past months. The young prince was back in his mother's arms, telling her everything he could think of about his life as well.
Behind them, Renat walked a few steps ahead of General Nurlan. The burly man's presence was a strange comfort to him. The General could not fight off whatever awaited him when he met his wife, but his calm demeanor would help Renat not lose his head when he saw the state of the princess.
What could the Empress have meant by his wife had changed? Was she an invalid? Was she still a ball of light? A thousand options ran through his mind, some more preferable than others.
The hardest one for him to bear, he decided, would be his wife not looking like herself anymore, but looking like another woman. He had Mairwen's face etched deep into his memory. To change it would be difficult. 'I would do it for her sake in a heartbeat.'
Coming to the Empress's suite, Aurora knocked lightly on her own door.
Instead of Bella or Candela, Hanna answered by peeking her head out. A knowing smile appeared on her face.
"I told you they would spot you," she told the Empress.
"It was Colvyr who outed me, but you already knew that. Thank you for giving us a moment of privacy to sort that out." Aurora curtsied.
"My pleasure, dearie. I suppose you have come to see Her Highness." Hanna frowned slightly. "Have you told him?"
"He wouldn't listen," Aurora's face was unreadable.
Hanna's concern deepened. "Well, Mairwen isn't exactly ready to receive visitors right this moment. You will have to wait—"
"Let them in!" The princess called.
The Fate shot a look into the room and sighed. Opening the door, she admitted the four royals.
"I will remain outside," Nurlan bowed. If a Fate could not handle whatever danger lurked inside, there was no way he could. The general would guard the door.
Hanna left the man to his duty as the others filed inside. They went through the main sitting area and into the bedchamber. Renat felt intensely uncomfortable going into his mother-in-law's private space, but his love for his wife forced him to overcome his fear.
In the lavish room, a privacy screen was blocking part of one wall. Mairwen spoke from behind it. "I will only be a moment. I am having trouble getting dressed."
Aurora passed off the little prince to her husband, and she and Hanna hurried to the woman's aid.
Devrim and Renat waited awkwardly by the bed.
'Mairwen's voice sounds normal enough, not like she did when she was a blinding light. And she is getting dressed, which means she has a body. But when she said she was having trouble, both Aurora and Hanna rushed like the palace was on fire...' Renat's head filled with ideas.
He wanted to call out and talk to the princess, but he did not want to delay the ladies' progress. So he attempted to patiently wait. It had been months. What was a couple of minutes compared to that?
Thankfully the task was completed sooner rather than later.
Mairwen poked her head around the screen and smiled shyly at her husband. Her dark hair and blue eyes were a welcome sight to Renat.
Like Aurora, her skin was shining, making her look like a fallen star in the room.
"Hello, my love," the princess beamed.
"Are you really here?" Renat's voice caught in his throat. Part of him still didn't want to believe it was true.
"I am...all of me." Mairwen slowly stepped out from behind the screen.
The scientist felt like he might pass out. "What? How?"
The lady touched her belly gently. She was wearing one of the Empress's maternity gowns. Mairwen had a distinctly round shape.
"It was a bit of a shock to me at first too," Mairwen blushed deeply. "When the Maker told me that I would be able to return, he also informed me of this little gift. I did not know it, but I was with child when I went to the tower. The little one was part of why I was having difficulty healing. My body could not heal the injury to my brain and sustain the new life simultaneously."
"But...I saw you. You were a light!" Renat caught the edge of the bed to keep from falling.
"I cannot explain it. The child grew inside the light. I could feel the kicks and movement even without my body." Mairwen stepped tentatively toward her husband.
"When will you...?" The man was truly tongue tied.
"I am not sure. I need to see the doctor after this to get a date." The princess's eyes watered. "Are you unhappy?"
The question broke Renat from his stupor. He rushed forward, embraced his wife, and kissed her deeply.
"Unhappy? I am the happiest man alive! My wife has been returned to me healed and I am going to be a father. I love you!" Renat sealed his words with another kiss.
"Congratulations to you both," Devrim processed that he was soon to be a grandfather with a smile. "You will be wonderful parents and I am sure Colvyr will be very glad to have some company around here."
"Baby?" the young prince asked.
"Baby?!" a voice echoed from the door said, shocked.
Alaron stood, dumbfounded, but only for a moment. He surged forward. "What did you do to my sister!?!"
Just when it looked like he was going to punch his brother-in-law, Alaron pushed him away and hugged his twin. "I am glad you are home, Mair. The world hasn't been the same without you. And look at that! I am going to be an uncle!"
After a short time of joyous reunions, the others disappeared while the two couples found spaces to get reacquainted.
"You did it," Devrim said, holding his wife close as they cuddled on her balcony. "The world is safe once more."
"We did it," Aurora corrected him, breathing in his scent. "It is time for peace at last. Which brings me to my next project..."
Devrim raised one eyebrow at her. She had just gotten back!
"What project is that exactly?" he asked incredulously.
"That island vacation you have been wanting. I think we should start planning it." Aurora kissed her husband on the cheek.
Devrim relaxed. "That is serious business. We can start work on that tomorrow. For today, I want nothing more than to watch the sunset with you."
For the rest of the day, no one disturbed the Empress of the World and her Consort except for the visits by their youngest child and Nanny.
Together the pair talked about anything and everything until the sun finally fell on the horizon. When it rose, a new age dawned.
An age of peace.
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