Holier Than Thou

[Soran Nightblade]

"I don't see why not. I do all the time," he grinned slyly at her. A wave of his hand unlocked the chamber door, and the maid tiptoed in with a small art.

"Over here today, Simi," Vlad offered, gesturing to the bedside. "Also, would you please make Doctor Borat aware that the lady had a fainting spell last night and could benefit from his attention later today."

The maid curtsied agreeably and excused herself from the room.

[Emora Deen]

"Fainting spell," Tenele scoffed as she sat with her back against the headboard and drew the bowl to sit at the top curve of her belly. She giggled a little as she balanced it there, showing off to her husband. "Who needs a tray when you have your own table." Tenele started eating slowly. "I don't think I need another examination. Maxwell examined me last night, and he gave me something to take. I didn't faint, I just got dizzy." Tenele ate like a starved woman until the food was gone and she set the empty bowl on the table next to the vile of liquid Maxwell wanted her to drink.

She picked it up and examined it. "He said I should take it after I rest, do you think I should take it now?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad nodded. "He said as soon as you felt rested, so if you're feeling stronger, go for it. We'll see about the doctor later," he said in a voice that warned he hadn't backed down quite yet.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele smirked at him. "Fine, we will see the doctor later." Tenele popped the cork off and raised the vile to her lips. She took a sip and almost spat, making a terrible sour face before she downed the rest in one go, and washed it down with water. "Bleh..."

Tenele settled back against the pillowed headboard with a soft sigh. "I think-"

THUNK THUNK THUNK!

"Ambassador!" a disgruntled voice called from the other side of the door. "Ambassador Dracul. I'm sorry to bother you. Its important."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad was fondly watching his wife choke on her medicine when the loud knocking intruded. He cast a glance at the door and glided to his feet like a prowling cat. "I certainly hope it is," he purred darkly as he pulled the door open just enough for him to see the visitor without giving him a view of his sleep-clad wife.

[Emora Deen]

The official's brow was beaded with sweat, as if he'd run up all the flights of stairs to get to their wing. "Ambassador... A soldier with the king's army has arrived. He fell unconscious. The doctors are tending to his wounds. The King was supposed to return from Adilon yesterday afternoon, and when he didn't we weren't very concerned. That is of course until one of his men arrived. He tired to tell us something, but exhaustion stole his voice." Fear graced the officials features. "He just kept murmuring. 'They have him. They have him.'"

Tenele slipped out of bed slowly as she heard the words from where she lay in bed. Her stomach twisted into knots. She slipped the thin cotton robe over her shoulders and shuffled around the bed towards the door. Walking, she kept trying to imagine that she'd heard his words wrong. They had to be wrong.

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad's expression washed flat. "Take us to him."

"L...like that, ambassaddor?" he glanced carefully at the vampire's nude state.

"One minute," Vlad muttered offhandedly, slamming the door in the man's face. He turned to Tenele. "The man is a fool. Atul would not allow himself to be taken. Besides, who in the world would take him?"

[Emora Deen]

Tenele's heart raced as she looked to Vlad. "The soldier's hurt. I can heal him and he can tell us what happened. If it is true, Atul wouldn't let anyone take him. Someone... something overpowered him." It sounded completely unbelievable to her, that something could overpower Atul. The second most powerful being she knew aside from her husband... And that wasn't even pitching them in the realm of Knight. Knight was an all together different category. Tenele reached down and grabbed his pants from the night before, tossing them to him.

She took a step forward, cupping around her belly with a wince. Stress. No stress, she reminded herself. Taking a deep calming breath as the midwife had instructed her to do.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Just enough to make him talk," Vlad agreed as he opened the door for her. "You and the child are more important than his comfort." In his heart, he was already developing irrational resentment for the soldier who allowed his king to be taken.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele nodded as she stepped out, pulling the robe around her and tying the sash above the bump at her waist. She took hold of her husbands arm as the official lead them down the stairs, each one Tenele reluctantly took very carefully. She felt like she was slowing them up, but she knew her husband wouldn't complain about her cautiousness.

"Here, at the end," the official murmured as he guided them to a soldier in a corner cot. He was sunburned, dehydrated, and covered in small burns and wounds. But, nothing life threatening. It seemed he simply had walked himself to the point of death.

"Excuse me," Tenele whispered to a nurse. The woman bowed her head and stepped back.

Tenele smoothed her hand over the man's forehead, the other rested on the headboard for balance. "I'm not sure how much I can do for him. I think he just needs rest. Rest takes time..." Tenele felt her stomach twisting into knots again, tension seizing enough to make her choke on a breath. She blinked, narrowed her eyes with concentration. A pale white light fluttered out from under her hand and danced around his skin. She only held it for a minute before she drew her hand away.

The man didn't stir, but the cuts and burns on his skin faded, and the sunburn cooled to the natural colour of his tanned skin. "We'll just have to wait until he's rested," she whispered, stepping back towards Vlad. She reached out for him, pressing a hand to her stomach. Tenele pressed in close to him, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "Will you take me back to our room?"

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad frowned at the soldier. "Let me try him first," he muttered. He took her hand to steady her, then stepped closer to the resting man. "She's healed you, now explain yourself," he ordered, slapping the side of his face. "Up!" he slapped him back the other way.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele pressed her palm to her stomach. "Vlad, I don't think that's going to work," she muttered as he slapped the man. "Vlad! He needs to rest. Slapping him will do more damage than good."

She winced, taking in a deep breath. "I really want to go back to my room," she muttered. "Please, take me back." It felt selfish of her to ask that of him, when she knew he was so worried about Atul... She was worried about him too. But, she was also worried for her child.

[Soran Nightblade]

The center of Vlad's protective attention gradually shifted from Atul back to Tenele as he heard the urgency in her voice. "Yes, my lady," he said reassuringly, taking in her unsteady posture. "Anything you need." He swept her up very softly in his arms and began carrying her to the door. "If he wakes, notify me immediately," he called over his shoulder before bringing her swiftly from the room. Teleportation was out of the question during the pregnancy, according to Maxwell, but Vlad was skilled at moving smoothly, and he ensured not to jostle her as they made their way back across the building toward the stairwell. "Too much walking?" he inquired casually as they continued, though he knew it wasn't like her to get tired that quickly, even in her condition.

[Emora Deen]

Tenele nodded. "Maybe," she whispered. She shut her eyes and pressed her face into his cool skin. "I suppose there will be no talking you out of the seeing the doctor this evening." Tenele smirked, but she'd make no complaints about it. "I'll just rest a little while longer and then see him this evening."

[Soran Nightblade]

Vlad thought about pressing the issue now, but he decided it would be best to keep her relaxed for a while before bringing more doctors to poke and prod at her. It worried him that she was this uncomfortable, with weeks still to go, let alone the labor that was so notorious in Atul's family line. He listened to the faint rhythm of the child's heartbeat mixed with hers, and the duet kept him steady. "As you've said, some rest and you'll be fine." He carried her through the door of their bedroom and telekinetically pulled aside the sheets for her as he set her down. He rested a hand on her cheek, just brushing her skin, and gave her a kiss.