The morning was chilly and quiet when Isis awoke. She had beat the sun and even the cheerful birds, who still slept peacefully in their dew covered nests. Isis was still peacefully tucked in bed, waiting for the world to start. Not even the bakers or servants would be up at this time. Her hair was still messy and she felt the dry crust of drool on her chin. Her eyes were still tired and her body exhausted, like all her energy had been sucked out of her to be used elsewhere. She felt sick, her stomach was always churning now, and her feet and back wouldn’t stop aching. She felt swollen in places she never thought she would. Bloated and emotional were only just a few of the things she felt. She didn’t know how much longer she could take feeling this way. She hoped it was nothing serious, but she knew feeling like this for so long would not be just a simple cold of flu that she often got as a young girl. She was a sickly young girl who would get ill at least once every season. Hay fever in spring, heat rash in the summer, a common cold in autumn and the flu in winter. It was hard to catch her at a time when she wasn’t sick. Though Julius never minded that they couldn’t play sometimes when they were kids, however, the one thing he didn’t like was not being able to see her at all. His mother, Empress Catherine, was always a worry wart about him getting sick with smallpox or malaria. Even though Isis had never contracted such a thing.
As the sun finally rose from behind the mountains and nestled tightly within the cloud in the pinkish orange sky. Few birds stirred in the trees, little yellow chicks and big brown birds started to sing and make noise, desperate for something to quench their undying hunger. Isis listened intently at the song of birds who communicated with their kind easily, better than Isis could ever with anyone besides Julius.
‘A shy girl has no place in this world with a man like Julius.’ Isis thought. Her destructive thoughts had no place in a future empresses mind. She knew that, but she didn’t know how to deal with it. Knowing how to do things and actually doing them were two different things and equally as hard. Like a pathological liar telling the truth instead of giving a half assed untrue answer they had made up on the spot. It was difficult for Isis to not think about it, she thought there was no room for a timid woman in a world of dominance and disgusting men with a hunger for power. Even so, she had to be strong for Julius, not because it was her duty to do so as his soon to be spouse, but because she wanted to, she wanted to be a lighthouse in the middle of a hurricane, lighting the way to land and away from the dangers of the treacherous sea. A guardian angel of sorts. But Isis was too humble to ever name herself as beautiful and pure as an angel. Her mother would most definitely scold her if the thought even brushed past her mind.
As Julius finally stirred awake and the palace began to bustle with noise and fleeting heels on the floor. He blinked a few times before rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. His hair was fluffy and messy. Isis giggled, finding a disheveled Julius very cute. She playfully ruffled his hair even more as she laughed. Julius retaliated by ruffling her hair as well, but the playful teasing soon turned into a full blown tickle war, and one that Isis was losing badly. Isis was laughing and laughing until she wept. The two teased each other before the maid named Marabelle cautiously knocked on the door of their bedchamber. She poked her head inside, her hair dangled down towards the floor. It was thin but well groomed, some strands of hair that jotted out in different directions. Isis smiled at her, the maid curtsied and anxiously helped Isis into her morning dress. A simple white garment with a slightly ruffled bertha collar, a high waistline and light green long cardigan. The simplicity of Isis’ wardrobe never failed to confuse the average maiden. As Isis came from a wealthy family who could buy her more than enough dresses to last a lifetime. Though she always chose to wear the more demure and simple dresses that the tailors had to offer. Many young girls thought that she wasn’t taking advantage of her wealth or utilizing it properly, while others of higher status admired her for her ability to look effortless in such plain dresses and minimal accessories. Julius watched intently as the two ladies left, his eyes lingering on the roundness of Isis’s breasts. How they bounced and shifted whenever she moved. He didn’t want her to leave him yet, still wanting to spend the day together even though there was no way he could convince his cabinet to allow them. Countries don’t stop for one person’s wish. Julius sighed and got out of bed, putting on a white tunic shirt with a jabot and a pair of black dress pants to match. He slipped on his leather shoes before taking a comb through his hair before he could be considered presentable. He sauntered confidently out of their chambers and down to his office, due to the war starting, he would have breakfast brought to him in his study. He didn’t want to miss eating breakfast with Isis everyday, but there was so much to do that there was little time for recreation. He sat in his chair with an exasperated sigh, grabbing his quill and dipping it into his pot of ink on the right of him. Going through some documents and signing the unfortunate drafting agreement, he tried not to think about all the people that would inevitably die because of this dispute. Julius didn’t even know why they were going for his country's throat. They hadn’t rooted for or helped either Tuniviva or Shrima when they were at war with each other, they had only moved a few soldiers down to the border to protect themselves. So it made no logical sense to Julius. His mind just couldn’t wrap around it.
He worked and worked and worked and worked, but it felt like the more he did, the more undone work piled up even faster. He felt like he was drowning in it. And starting somewhere is easier said than done when you're trapped under an avalanche of war preparations. Julius- much like Isis- hated violence, he only wanted to be a peaceful and calm king to his peaceful and calm country. But that dream was unfortunately no longer in the cards for him. He knew he had to hurry up and get married to Isis so he could fully focus on the preparations, but he didn’t want to rush her. Planning a wedding is hard work, seating charts, floral arrangements and so much more, but with work piled on top of it, Julius didn’t know how she balanced it all. His strong and confident soon-to-be wife who he admired so much. He gushed just thinking about her; the way her hair coiled, the texture of her skin, the deep and gorgeous color of her eyes that he could get lost in time and time again. It made his face flush with his unconditional love for her.
Isis still felt like crap. She could barely eat her breakfast, the only thing she touched was a bowl of fruit and a glass of juice. The other foods made her feel nauseous, like something was kicking her insides when she even looked at meat or carbs. They all smelled like dirty water. It only got worse as the day went on; feeling dizzy, bloated, sore and in pain whenever she did anything, she was exhausted, not only physically, but mentally as well, and it was only ten in the morning! Isis didn’t want to call a doctor or go to the clinic, because that would mean being near one of those devilish horses Isis hated so much. She shivered just thinking about being near one. Her everything ached, back, feet, head, eyes, hips, legs,. You name it, it’s aching. It was so uncomfortable that her work was being affected. Not that she wasn’t working hard, but she just couldn’t sit down in that chair anymore! She had to get up and walk around, exercise a little bit.
When a maid came to bring her lunch; grilled chicken and green beans. Isis couldn’t even be in the room with the plate. The stench of the chicken was too overwhelming for her. The moment the maid put the platter down on her desk, she rushed up and sprinted to the nearby lavatory. She retched over and over again, until the smell no longer affected her senses. Her body felt heavy and sluggish, like moving underwater. Worried, the maidens immediately summoned not only a doctor, but Julius as well. As Julius rushed to her, he didn’t know what to do, his mind immediately thought she had gotten sick.
“Isis!” He shouted when he spotted her. He ran to her, not caring that he could get dirty from the small bit of discharge on the porcelain bowl. He pulled her close, fearful that she would end up very ill. Isis was shaking as he cradled her in his arms while they both waited for the doctor to arrive. The maids, tried as they did to get them both to get up, were unsuccessful. Julius would only listen to two people now; the doctor, and Isis. He didn’t care about anything else besides making sure she was okay. And if she didn’t want to move yet, then he would make sure she didn’t move until she was ready.
When the doctor arrived at last, he requested that they move over into their bed chambers so he could examine Isis in a more comfortable position. He took out a small brass and mercury thermometer and took Isis’ temperature. When it came back negative, he checked her lymph nodes, rubbing the upper most part of her neck slowly.
“A bit swollen.” He murmured, taking out a stethoscope and placing it on her chest.
“Breathe in. Good, and breathe out.” He told her, Isis did as he asked, trying her best to make this quick so she could determine what was wrong with her. Julius sat anxiously on a chair near the bed, watching the doctor work like a killer whale. As the doctor began to feel around her abdomen, pressing lightly to check her liver, kidneys and uterus, he halted and furrowed his brows.
“Would you lift your skirt for me, your highness?” The doctor asked. Isis complied almost immediately, lifting her skirt until it reached her waist line. The doctor examined her stomach more closely, taking in every bump and whatever he felt under the surface and taking note of it. Reaching for his notepad and writing a few things down, handing the list to Julius.
“I will be back tomorrow, there is a test I need to do. In the meantime, give her a few walks, some greens and juice, and plenty of sleep tonight.” He said before packing his instruments up. Bowing to them both politely and exiting the room. Once he was gone, Julius rushed to her side, making sure there was nothing wrong with her.
“Are you in pain? Did he hurt you anywhere?!” He asked extremely stressed about the situation. Isis sighed.
“No, I’m okay, I promise.” She reassured him.
“But you’re not fine! The doctor wouldn’t want to run tests if he didn’t think you were fine!” He cried, taking her hand in his and squeezing it tight. Isis; still nauseous, smiled at him weakly.
“Well I’m okay right now, so don’t worry too much.” She told him, kissing his forehead. Julius had small tears teasing his eyes, he was worried for her and she knew that.
The two took the rest of the day off, Julius made sure to do everything the doctor instructed. Helping her take walks, he made sure she ate plenty of fruits and vegetables- though she couldn’t eat anything else. Meat and sweets made her feel faint. When night finally came, Julius made it a point that she go to bed early. Even though she wasn’t tired yet, she humored him and got ready for bed. She took a short bath and cleaned herself, washing her hair and body. She had a maid help her dry and comb her hair while she washed her face and cleaned her teeth. When she finished and arrived back in their bedchambers, Julius was already waiting for her. Laying on the bed under the covers, he read a book by the light of his bedside candelabra. The warm light flickering with any movement of the air. She crawled into bed next to him. Snuggling up close. He set down his book and rolled over to meet her face. His eyes were still tainted with worry. He rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks, Isis knew he was not only trying to calm her down, but also calm down his own nerves. He didn’t want to lose her. He couldn’t imagine a life without her by his side, not only as his fiance, but as his closest companion as well. He kissed her forehead gently.
“I love you Isis.” He said, his voice shook as he spoke. He turned to his nightstand and extinguished the flickering candles. He settled down again facing her, just looking into her eyes with such affection that it made Isis’ cheeks flush. The two laid intertwined in the other embrace as they slept, eagerly and fearfully waiting for tomorrow.
When Isis arose the next morning, Julius was already awake and speaking with the doctor, his face overflowing with distress. She sat up slightly and the doctor made his way over to her.
“Good morning, your highness.” He greeted her, bowing his head in respect.
“Yes good morning to you as well.” She replied faintly. He handed her a glass cup and cleared his throat.
“Uhm, it would be greatly appreciated if you would… Well, relieve yourself in this glass.” He said, a bit embarrassed that he was asking the future empress to do this. Isis, though she didn’t want to, got up and went into the lavatory to do as the doctor said. Once done she discreetly handed the glass back to him. The doctor took a syringe and extracted the emiction from the glass and grabbed what Isis figured was a young or juvenile mouse. The doctor injected the mouse with the emiction. The doctor looked back at the two with an impatient look.
“It's just a waiting game now.” He informed them.
“Well what was the test for?” Julius asked, more impatient than the doctor. The doctor sighed.
“If it’s what I think it is, everything will be fine, but if it isn’t then I’ll keep looking. But the test is not important unless it is a positive result.” The doctor informed him. Julius groaned, becoming restless.
“How long until we know the result?” He asked.
“Two to four days.” The doctor replied, stroking the mouse's injection point. Julius groaned again, leaning his head on Isis' shoulder, too impatient to wait that long.
“I’ll be back when the results are in.” He said, packing back up, bowing and then promptly leaving the palace.
The two barely talked. Both of them were too anxious to talk about anything else than the results of the test. They only said their pleasantries and an ‘I love you’ here and there throughout the days. The suspense was unbearable for the two. Was Isis okay? Or not? It was killing them slowly inside.
On the fourth day, the two were having tea in an awkward silence. A maid came in bearing a letter.
“Oh, please deliver it when we’re done.” Julius said, sipping his tea as Isis took a bite of her scone.
“No your Majesty. I think you want to open it now.” The maid handed him the letter and promptly scurried out of the tea room. Confused Isis stood up and walked over to Julius so the two could read the letter together. Julius opened the letter and began to read.
“To emperor Julius Briddleton and Princess Isis Boyavard,
Regarding the results of the test, I am glad to inform you that nothing is wrong with the princess. She is healthy and strong. The results of the test came back positive. It is my pleasure to inform the Emperor and future Empress that Princess Isis Boyavard is pregnant.”
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