Chapter Sixty

The week flew by until the coronation - I felt like I blinked and it was gone. I was dreading the whole day, how stressful it would be and how Aidan was making me "relax" beforehand. And then after today I was leaving for my month long tour around the country to be seen by the common folk and to suck up to Dresden, the Lord whose territory we would be in. It was so strange to me how it all worked - nobles own large amount of territory that commoners live on and work the fields, they all pay taxes for the land they own or occupy to tax collectors that then goes to royalty, the King and Queen.

We own land as royalty but pay no taxes much like the churches here and you would think we have all the power but the nobles have a lot of influence since they control the land that produces all the food for the kingdom and each have soldiers to contribute to the Kings army in times of war.

Dresden was notoriously neutral throughout this entire feud which is why I was against it and it made Aidan furious but the advisors thought it might be a good chance for me to curry favor with my "feminine whiles". I wasn't sure how much charming I could do when I was 5 months pregnant and my hormones driving all of my actions but I would only be staying there a few days before moving on.

There was something going on, Aidan had been running around having hushed conversations for a few days now. It was hard to tell if he was planning something or dealing with an issue. He wasn't going to tell me either way and I had enough on my plate so I left it to him.

"You look magnificent Your Majesty." Louise said after she finished my hair and makeup.

"Thanks Louise...I wonder if Aidan will like it...if everyone will like it." I say.

"I'm sure everyone will love it." She says.

I smiled and put my hand on my stomach. It was starting to get bigger - I had to be close to 5 months into my pregnancy now. I'll be even larger by the end of this one month tour.

"Are you alright Your Majesty?" Louise asked.

"Y-yes, I'm fine." I say and turn around.

"Should I get the physician?" Louise asked.

"N-no, I was just lost in thought." I say and take a deep breath. "Now lets go get crowned."

We'd been receiving guests from surrounding allied nations and our own nobles for the last several days for the ceremony and the feast that's sure to follow. I had been focusing all of my efforts on trying to relax today but it wasn't going well.

I stood up and slowly walked out to the carriage where Aidan was waiting for me.

"Are you ready my Queen?" Aidan asked.

"Ah, I'm not quite yet a Queen." I said.

He chuckled. "You are to me love and that's all that matters."

He helped me inside and to sit down next to him.

"I'm fine. You fret too much." I say as the door shuts behind me.

"There is no such thing love." He says and puts his hand on my stomach. "Tomorrow you'll be off on this godforsaken tour and I won't see you for weeks." He says and grits his teeth.

"And you'll have to focus on your job my King." I jest.

"The advisors will be pleased even if it's at the expense of my happiness." Aidan grumbled.

"We'll be reunited soon. You're meeting me on the way aren't you?"

"I pit the man who dares to stop me." He says and I smile.

"How long until we're at the church?" I ask.

"Not long. An hour at most."

"I don't understand why we couldn't have this at the castle. We have a cathedral there too."

"That isn't tradition love."

"Coronations have been held at several different places."

"But most of them were held at the Abbey."

"The Abbey in the capital not the one out here."

"This is the sister Abbey, I'm not moving you down to the other end of the country for this. This Abbey will do just fine."

"Hm..." I say and look out the window.

"What is it love?" He asks and takes my hand.

"I-I've just been wondering something..."

"What is it?"

"Why stay here? At the place your family died?"

He was quiet for a while, just held my hand tightly until he was ready to talk. I didn't want to rush him so I just waited.

"At first...it was just convenient. There was plenty of space to house men and weapons; it's close to the border so it's easy to cross freely to gain intel or complete missions. And staying here...it fueled my hatred, my drive to keep going just being close to where it all started. But after a while good memories would pop into my head and I went out to that cliff I showed you..."

I turned back to look at him. "The place where you'd look at Cordova?"

"And think of you? Yes." He says and I smiled.

"You didn't know I existed yet, you couldn't think of me."

"Not you exactly but...still you."

"And then what?" I ask.

"I started to remember why I escaped and started all this in the first place - you. So I tried my hand at refurbing the place but everything else got in the way. And then I found you and I...I couldn't stop imaging filling the place up with babies and bringing laughter and happiness back to it."

"Well we've already brought the latter back. I can't wait to hear baby laughter echoing throughout the halls." I say and smile.

"Mrs. Shaffer, the things I could do to you now." He says.

"Not with this big belly and a baby in me."

"Oh, do not underestimate my love, I am a creative man."