Holier Than Thou

[Emora Deen]

Tenele gave her husband a dangerous smirk. "Careful there. No matter if your immortal I will still hit you where it hurts."

Atul chuckled. "She's being diffensive, it must be true."

Tenele's glared at both if them and then pointed at Atul. "You're a traitor! I thought you were supposed to dote on me and pester him."

Atul smiled, foldin his muscles arms. "As king I reserve the right to switch sides at will."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad gracefully let the mattter drop as they made their way to the kitchen. The maids sprung into action as soon as the king arrived, protesting that they could have prepared something more formal if given notice. Vlad dropped into a chair in Atul's dining room, letting the servants scurry around him like ants. His shoulders felt a bit lighter amidst all the banter and activity.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smoothed her hand over her belly, while she spoke to the orphan children. She wondered what they might think of her for having a baby when so many of them needed a mother. She winced, letting out a heavy breath mid-sentence.

"Something wrong?" one of the children asked.

Tenele smiled. "No," she placed a hand palm flat over her stomach. "The baby is very active today. Lots of kicking." They admired her stomach like it was something foreign. "Do you want to feel?"

The boy nodded. he stood up from where he'd knelt on the floor and approached her cautiously.

"Its okay," she encouraged as she placed his small hand over the bulge at her waist.

The baby kicked again. Tenele sucked in a breath, and the boy giggled. "See?" she asked him with a laugh.

"Does he like to kick?"

"Oh, yes!" she laughed.

"I want to feel!"

"Me too!"

Tenele let each one of them come to her. It didn't bother her when children wanted to feel the baby. But, when people she didn't know or trust tried to touch her, to feel the child she carried, she immediately tried to withdraw, to protect it. Stalker didn't like it either, which is why she left him at home while visiting the children. It was hard to sneak away from him or Vlad lately, but she'd managed to get away with a small cluster of palace guards.

"Okay children!" The orphan house head called. "Lady Dracul needs to be going. Tell her thank you."

"Thank you!!" the called.

Outside the guards fell in place along side her. "Lady Dracul, will we be heading back to the palace?"

Tenele drew the hood over her head to hide her silver hair from the glare of the desert sun. The villagers hovered around the outer rim of her human shield. Being the human embodiment of a goddess had its perks, as well as its downside. The downside being she couldn't have a moments peace.

"I suppose," she sighed, glancing around at the faces watching her. Her eyes locked on a face in the crowd, a young man with a sour expression and dark eyes. Something about the look on his face, the darkness in his eyes... it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and a chill go down her spine. "Let's go..."

The guard nodded and began to lead her back to the palace.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad was pacing the halls inside the palace gates. Stalker rested in the shade at the base of a marble pillar. The dead king looked as frightening as he felt, and even the boldest servants gave him plenty of berth as they traversed the busy central walkway. It wasn't like him to display such a human habit of impatience, but he hadn't seen his wife since this morning, and as of late, he had a low tolerance for being out of her presence. To make things worse, Atul was on a political errand for the past week. Though the young king had been due back earlier in the day, it was now late afternoon with no sign of him. This left Vlad bored out of his mind. The thought of locking them both in an air-tight embrace until he was satisfied served as a soother for Vlad's impatient nerves.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele saw her husband pacing back and forth feverishly as they entered the palace gates. He didn't look pleased, but then again he was often grumpy when she left him... and even more so when she left him without prior warning. To be fair she had told him days ago that she was booked to speak at the orphanage since Atul was on a trip. When she crossed the threshold between the outside world and the inside palace walls she lowered the hood from her head.

"You better get scarce," she warned her guards, who dispersed rather quickly as the metal gate clanged closed.

"You seem out of sorts," Tenele told Vlad as she neared him. She looked weary, but that was more from the heat than anything else. She looked around for Atul, expecting him to pop out and scold her. When he didn't, she assumed he still hadn't arrived home. "So," she murmured, reaching out for Vlad's hand. "I'm going to tell you something... and... Maybe you should sit down."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad bit back the temptation to demand where she'd been. He could sense that she needed privacy sometimes, as much as he disliked it. He let his tension fuel a new sense of protective curiosity as she took his hand. Something to tell him? "I don't want to sit down," he said, looking nerve-stricken. His fingers curled lightly around hers.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled at him. "Okay, you don't have to sit down," she told him. "Remember, Ighten is sending a ship here to do some trading in the next few weeks. Well, I figured there would be a representative of Sinead's who would be tagging along. And... since we haven't told her, I may or may not... have sent her a message about the current state of our relationship." She swallowed. "I figured it was best to let her know before the representative told her."

Tenele had been hesitant to tell the Queen about their soon to arrive bundle of joy. Mostly because Sinead had so disapproved of Knight, she couldn't fathom what the woman would think of her carrying his child. But, there was no way not to tell her. Sooner or later she was going to find out, and the two of them had put it off for too long already.

"So... I figure this is going to go down two ways. One: We get a lovely card, maybe even a trunk of baby gifts. Two: She's going to pop over in one of her fashionable magic portals and scold us." Tenele rubbed her stomach with a wince. "So, that's it. That's all my bad news. I've told Sinead about our baby. The rest of my day was very uneventful."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad's eyes flashed with amusement. He should probably be wary of his Queen and Master's wrath, but instead he found the concept rather entertaining. "She's getting on in years, my love. What will you do if she has a heart attack?" he teased.

Of course, the idea of the practically immortal queen succumbing to such a problem was laughable.

"You do realize she's going to show up as soon as she finds your message? And your appointment with Maxwell is-"

"With whom?" an elegant female voice emerged from behind them. Queen Sinead was standing in the hall with them, as poised as if she'd been there all her life.

"Queenie," Vlad murmured. "Dare I ask how long you've been observing?"

"Long enough," she said, strolling out of the shadows in a blue and silver gown made in the outerland styles. Her ambassadors had done a good job advising her on fashions. She looked like a bright desert morning.

"Had you made your presence known, I could have entertained you," Vlad smirked. He did not kneel.

"I wanted to see you both together," she replied. It was difficult to tell her mood. "It appears you are still feeling stung that I sent you here, Vladimir. I will remind you only once that you are still my servant and must display your respect."

Vlad's ruby eyes flashed with power as he dropped to one knee. "My Queen," he said cordially with a sweeping bow.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele watched Vlad bow, trying to figure out if she should frown or smile. She dipped into as graceful a curtsy as she could muster. But, she did t dare go too far or risk falling. "My Queen," Tenele's greeted. "It pleases me that you took time from your busy schedule to visit us here in Hajara. Outerland clothing suits you nicely." Tenele rested a hand on her stomach as their child kicked again. She was definitely disapproving of something today.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Why thank you, my dear," Sinead warmed to her Maiden, though she didn't seem intent on sharing that warmth with Vlad. "How are you feeling?" she walked up to Tenele and took her fingers in her hands with the tenderness of a parent who hasn't seen her daughter in months.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled, feeling slightly more confident about the situation since Sinead hadn't barged in screaming. "I'm feeling fine," she told the Queen, the light hearted relief making it into the expression on her face. "I've been doing very well. Are things well at home?"

[Soran Nightblade]

"Things are well. We are slowly making progress. Although the people are growing weary of war, you two and the rest of my command have laid a strong foundation. It almost seems that the enemy forces are drawing back."

Vlad grinned. "We may have had something to do with that."

Sinead paused and studied him. Her blue eyes were like reflective mirrors, bright with the daylight around them. It was an expression that understood the meaning behind Vlad's smirk, and yet didn't truly accept it. "Tell me exactly what you mean, Vladimir," she commanded in the slow, protective tone of a mother asking where her child found that adorable snake they brought home.

Vlad recognized her concern, and his smile broadened wickedly. "It is done."

Sinead stood very still. "You were not hurt?"

The vampire waved a hand, dismissing her anxious gaze. "Verin was a piece of cake. It was Atul that almost got me killed. By accident, of course."

Blue eyes simply stared. "A piece..of..."

"But why are we making you stand out here? We're being quite rude. Would you like to continue this conversation in our suite, Queenie?" Vlad said mercifully.

"Yes, she regained herself just enough to say with authority. Her eyes slipped back to Tenele's belly as Vlad began leading the way. "I'm not sure what to be more shocked about," she muttered.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smiled at Sinead and slipped her arm around Vlad's to hold his hand. "Its this way," she told their queen.

When they made it to their suit, which had been relocated in to the room closest to Atul's it was a pleasantly large space, with a sitting area in a small room off from the bedroom and bathroom, and a second room behind that had been renovated into a small nursery. It wasn't quite finished yet, as Atul kept it locked and worked on it as a surprise to Tenele. She'd yet to even be able to take a peek.

"Have a seat," Tenele ushered Sinead. "I'm going to leave you two alone for a second. I'm going to see if one of the servants will bring us something cool to drink."

Tenele popped back out, with only a little bit of worry in terms of leaving the two of them alone.

[Soran Nightblade]

The queen seemed out of place in the carefully decorated room, made up of both Tenele and Vlad's tastes. It was more than a suite. It was a home. Sinead stood in front of one of their silk-upholstered armchairs, facing off with Vlad, who did the same. Neither of them sat down. They studied each other instead.

"One day, I would be very ambitious indeed to gain even one iota of grasp over what goes on in your mind, Lord Dracul."

Picking up on the formality in her voice, Vlad's expression went level and blank. "I do not grasp your meaning, Your Majesty. You have seen into my thoughts before." His shoulders dipped forward, one hand across his chest in a slight bow of submission.

"Oh, stop that, stop it!" Sinead snapped, the regal control shaking free. At Vlad's confused look, she inhaled. "I started it, but enough."

"I don't understand, my Qu-"

"Win the war. Establish relations with Hajaria. Learn more about their culture and guide them away from Verin. That is what i ordered when I sent you here."

Vlad's expression showed no understanding.

"I did not say to go about building a family and picking out curtains and romping about with King Atul!"

Vlad's cheeks darkened, despite his pale complexion. He wasn't so much embarrassed as unprepared for Sinead to bring up such a thing. "How would you..."

"Word gets around, Vlad. Monarchs are interesting people to gossip about."

"Fair enough. We've followed your orders, Sinead. And with great success. I don't understand....what exactly is your complaint?" His annoyed voice dropped low as he heard the doorknob turn.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele returned, followed by Matty, a lovely serving girl that seemed all too eager to help Tenele. She blushed deeply in Sinead's presence as she scurried into the room and set the serving tray on the coffee table.

"Thank you, Matty," Tenele mused kindly, patting the girl on the shoulder as she headed for the door.

Matty took one last look at the Queen before darting off and shutting the door quietly behind her. Tenele turned her to face her husband and her mother, but she couldn't help to notice how tight the air felt between them.

Tenele swallowed. She went to the couch, leaving the opposite chair, and the cushion next to her open for sitting. She sat slowly, trying not to move as awkwardly as she often did of late. For some odd reason it felt like showing weakness in front of a tiger.

Tenele rested a hand on her stomach, and turned her gaze up to the two of them. "My Queen, why don't you have a sip of the tea. Its very good here."