Inside the Penthouse

She took the time to further relax within the pool as her husband undressed to join her. Her eyes closed as she sat back, a hand resting on top of her belly as she relished in the soothing scents that surrounded her, soothing the aches and pains that came with the body’s preparation for motherhood. 

Petra’s eyes opened as she heard movement within the water, glancing to the man now waist deep within the pool and making his way towards her. He stood tall before her, yet his large frame held not an ounce of intimidation as he reached to her with his hand, the petal tickling her skin and his lips causing a tickle within her heart. 

She felt his finger beneath her chin, the young queen looking up to him, offering a warm smile that reached her eyes. 

“You speak too highly of me, my king,” she spoke, her hand coming up to his still under her chin, and taking it into her own to hold. 

“If luck has graced either of us, it is certainly I. Your brothers, your sisters, your nieces, yourself; I am fortunate to have been welcomed into such a caring home.”

She smiled at him and Erwin’s knees nearly buckled. He couldn’t help himself when he leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers, but drew back after a brief moment, not wanting to intrude.

“I imagine we can agree we are both very lucky then,” he whispered, savoring her hand on his and pulling her fingers towards him, laying gentle kisses on each of the tips, and then directly onto her palm.

“Forgive me,” he begged quietly, lowering both of his hands to her belly, too shy to look at her.

“I am—I am awkward with romance,” the king confessed, “I want you to be happy. I want to be the man who makes you happy.”

With a masculine sigh, he chuckled, helping himself to a seat beside her.

She kept her grip on his shoulder, firm yet gentle. She trusted him not to allow her to lose her balance, but still found herself wanting to hold to him regardless. 

Petra did not question his slight pause, nor did she take notice to the fact either. Her own words do not bring the same revelation they had to him, in that she had for once expressed what she had wanted, rather than what she had been forced to believe. 

He stood, and she allowed her hand to slide down his arm, resting gently on his elbow as he spoke to her, telling her he would give her as many children as she desired. She could not help the slight flutter in her chest, relishing in the intimacy of his kiss to her forehead, and longing for his proximity the moment he pulled away. 

She followed him to the bath, holding onto his hand as she slowly, carefully stepped into the warm water, the aroma of the oil and petals filling her nostrils. Reluctantly, she took her hand from his, wadding in the water from the steps and off to the side towards the underwater ledge seating. 

She smiled, happy for his question, as she had been planning to ask him herself.

“I have no appetite at the moment, but I would be pleased to have you join me.”

Pleased. She would be pleased to have him join her.

Erwin needed no further persuasion.

He disrobed carefully, hiding hie eagerness, not folding his clothing nearly as carefully as he knew he could have (not that it mattered. A servant would surely be in soon to replace the garments), and as he stepped into the warm soothing waters of the bath, he plucked a rose petal from where it floated in the water, making his way to her.

Inhaling the sweet fragrance of the flower, he reached forward as he came to stand before his queen, floating the velvety petal over her own nose, her lips, her chin, bending forward to trail soft, gentle kisses in the flower’s wake. Romance had never been his strong suit, and now that he was giving it a try, he hoped his efforts did not come off as silly or awkward.

The petal fell from his hands, dropping silently onto the water and with a finger under her chin, gently coaxed her to look at him, admiring the radiance displayed on her features. Did she notice it, he wondered. No, she likely wouldn’t. She wasn’t so vain.

She does not think his admission to be a surprise, and nor does she take offense to the idea that he needed advising to come to her. The fact he had come at all, leaving the meeting he had been planning for, was heartening, and though she would not admit to such aloud, was content in his decision to do so, advised or not.

“I suppose we both find ourselves able to benefit from the advice of the more knowledgeable…a blessing in a sense,” she said, her gaze unfocused though staring at the marble flooring, her hand absentmindedly stroking her belly. Marie and Nanaba certainly proved to be quite a blessing to the young woman, guiding her through the experience of living a new life, aiding her in every step of the way. She was grateful for his sisters, her sisters, and what they had to offer. 

She looked to him again, and within a few moments, he closed the gap between them, his hand coming up to cup her face as the other set to undress her. A faint blush warmed her cheeks as she came to be exposed before him, something she could not help despite the number of times he had seen her previously. 

His hand came to rest on her belly, stirring the child within her womb as he (she had hoped) greeted his father in return. She hummed softly, a gentle agreement in his statement that the baby was a gift, a gift she could only hope the gods would not take back. 

“For as much as this baby moves, I am hoping it is a sign that he will be healthy and energetic,” she spoke, the cool air against her skin causing a ripple of gooseflesh to show. 

He knelt before her, Petra’s hand coming to his shoulder to balance herself as he carefully removed her sandals. The explanation of the family gag brought a grin to her features, the young woman looking to the cat, and allowing a gentle laugh to sound.

“If such a thing is to be true, then I can only wish that we will be adding much more than five extra years to her life.”

Erwin wanted to point out that the baby could very well be a ‘she’, but he understood her desire to birth him a son, if for no other reason than she had been bred to believe it was the only thing that might bring her a bit of honor in his eyes.

It wasn’t true, of course, but he supposed he would show her this if the baby was a girl. She needed time, that was all. She’d come around, certainly.

With a hand around one of her ankles, he paused his movements as her words regarding the cat hit him. It wasn’t the first time she had mentioned giving him many children, but in the previous discussions she had always talked about what he wanted. She wanted to give him as many children as he desired. Her admission today held no obedience or duty.

She wanted many children.

She wanted.

She had desires.

And she had voiced them to him.

“I will do my best to give you as many children as you desire,” he told her, rising and laying a kiss to her forehead, “once you’ve recovered for the birthing of this one, of course.”

Seeing the queen was safe in the presence of her husband, Pita gave Erwin what he thought to be a small look of approval before she disappeared back into the palace.

Taking her hand, Erwin walked Petra to the edge of the basin, his grip tightening not out of authority, but caution and fear when she stepped onto the marble stairs beneath the water. He couldn’t bear it if she fell, so small and delicate was she.

The subtle scent of rose oil within the bath water made itself known as Petra passed through the corridor. The gentle patter of hurried paws was heard behind her as Pita made an attempt to catch up, an easy feat for anyone to accomplish as the young queen’s movements had slowed. She smiled as the tortoiseshell feline rubbed against her leg, passing by to walk in front of her as though leading the way. 

A servant stood by the door, opening it to allow Petra into the private bath house, and making no attempt to shoo Pita away, having proved in the past to be quite a futile attempt. 

She had taken the time to undress her hair or jewelry and decoration, setting it aside on a silver tray set out by one of the servants. After tucking a few stray hairs that had come loose from her plait,she turned, surprised to see Erwin coming through the door and dismiss their servant.

Petra could not help the gentle smile that tugged at her lips, giving him a shake of her head as she spoke.

“I welcome your company; though I had been under the impression your meeting would last well into the later hours of the day.”

He had been busy, something Petra could never blame him for, as a rulers who were not engaged in work had hardly a care for the wellbeing of their citizens. Erwin more than cared for his people, wanting nothing more than for Sina to thrive, and her people to thrive as well. 

But she had not been lying when she said his company was welcome, for as much as she still was learning of the man she had been married to for the last year and a half, it was he and he alone with whom she felt safest, with whom she desired to be around most.   

A gentle chuckle escaped her, the desire to bend over and offer affection to the feline triumphed only by the ache she felt in her back, and perhap the thought of whether she’d be able to stand again or not. 

“Quite endearing, comforting as well; perhaps her soul belonged to that of a midwife previously,” she commented, turning again towards the tray and removing the rest of the jewelry she wore. 

Her mouth opened to speak, to inform him that she could manage to disrobe and he need not aid her in such a task. But realization had dawned on her that he had dismissed the servant, and that there was one thing she would need help with.

 She set a bangle onto the tray and turned to him, her head bowed slightly, “I may need aid in the removal of my sandals.” 

She wondered perhaps if she should call the servant again, for as kind and  accommodating she knew her husband to be, the customs ingrained into her being screamed that it was beyond beneath the King of Sina to remove her footwear. 

“My meeting may have gone on longer,” he admitted, a sheepish smile making its way to his face, “had I not been. . .advised by someone more knowledgeable about marriage than myself that I should take a break.”

He took a few steps closer, cupping her face in his large hand, and undoing the clasp on one of the shoulders of her gown. He almost hated to see it fall down. She looked radiant in her maternity wear.

“You needn’t do any work,” he told her, unclasping the other, listening to the soft whisper of the fine linen as it slipped down her chest and over the swell of her belly. His hands followed the fabric, just as gentle, save the callouses he sported. He only grazed her breasts, not wanting to suggest he had come here filled with desires, but when his fingers fell on the taut skin of her belly, he went no further.

He could feel the child inside of her reacting to his touch. A foot or a palm—he couldn’t be sure which—met with his own and he let out a small gleeful chuckle.

“This is such a gift,” he marveled, pressing his palm slightly against his unborn child, a silent sign that he was there, “you are such a gift.”

He bent his knees, traveling down her body, planting a paternal kiss to the spot his hand had been, and undid the belt of her gown, pulling the fabric out from around her ankles and off to the side.

With the same care he’d shown the previous parts of her body, he tended to the straps of her sandals, lifting one foot out of the shoe, then the other.

“You know,” he began, giving a side eye glance at Pita as she watched carefully his every move, guarding the expectant mother, “we have a joke in my family. Every child that is born to the palace adds five years to Pita’s life.”

It was a silly thing to be sure, but Levi had brought her home, an adult cat, almost twenty years ago and the creature hadn’t aged a day. They had wondered once if perhaps Levi kept bringing new cats home after the previous had died, but Pita was certainly one of a kind—irreplaceable.

Relaxation.

It had been the number one thing prescribed to her by the palace physician, the young Queen of Sina entering into what the medical expert believed to be her eighth month of pregnancy. 

She was nervous, naturally; on edge since the discovery of her conception, a mere two months after the loss of what would have been the Imperator’s first born son.

The shame still weighed heavy within her heart; that despite the reassurance from physicians, from family, from her own husband that it was not her fault, she could not shake the guilt, not when the customs of her own home had been so very deeply scarred into her being. 

So it was not easy for her to relax, yet she knew an effort must be made; for the sake of the baby, for the sake of the potential heir to the Sinian throne. After all, she did not believe she could handle not only a second loss, but shaming her husband a second time.

Petra had been advised to take frequent baths, as soaking in sweet, warm water had been known to aid in the relaxation needed for the mother to be to prepare for her upcoming delivery. But prescribed or not, the young woman would be lying if she did not admit to enjoying them, as it not only soothed her weariness, but truly brought about the tranquility she needed. 

“Your bath is ready, your Highness.” 

Petra looked up to the servant that had addressed her, their head bowed as though apologetic in disrupting the queen from the game of mancala she had been playing with her nieces. 

She nodded, a soft smile on her lips in gratitude. 

“Very well; I will be in shortly,” she spoke, before setting to finishing the game with the children.

“We’ll have another match later,” she promised them as she slowly stood from her seat, resting a hand atop her belly, and excusing herself from the company of her family. 

@patremformosus

Seated next to Nanaba, Erwin observed the scroll before him, listening as she addressed their plans to expand the grain fields in the west, creating jobs and with luck and the blessing of the gods, quelling some of the hunger that had swept over their lands as drought had crept across their borders the previous year.

He didn’t notice Petra exit the room, too occupied with his work (the physician had suggested Petra do nothing that might exhaust her and this included any sort of ‘ruling’), but he had heard the small chirp of Levi’s cat as she jumped down from her perch and trotted away after the queen.

Nanaba stopped speaking and it took Erwin a few minutes to notice, so involved in the map he was observing and when finally he noticed the silence beside him, he looked up at his sister.

“What’s wrong.”

Ice blue eyes set in a scold, she pulled the scroll from him and nodded towards the doorway.

“Go tend to her,” she hissed, pulling the quill from his hand and setting the scroll on her own lap, sitting back lightly, “I can take it from here.”

Erwin smiled softly, ever appreciative of the activeness of his family in keeping their kingdom protected.

“Thank you, Nana, but we have had this scheduled for a week now.”

“It can wait,” she told him, “your wife is young and frightened. She needs you.”

Erwin was not a bad husband. He did his best and he liked to think his queen was happy, or if not happy, at least not distraught in her position. The trouble was, having been a bachelor for thirty-six years, the emperor simply had no experience with this sort of thing and oftentimes needed gentle reminders from his family on how he ought to behave.

Seeing his hesitation, Nanaba softened her tone.

“Our people will not starve if you spend a few hours showing your queen affection.”

He looked towards the doorway. Would Petra even want him to watch her bathe?

“Besides,” Nanaba added, her voice low, giving a slight tug on his robes, “you’d better get going before Marie notices you’re putting your work before your wife.”

Erwin’s eyes flicked up to his other sister, lips pursed in irritation as her own husband discussed his need to travel for a few days. He thought her eye may have been twitching.

Ah, perhaps Nanaba was right.

He excused himself then, making long strides on his way through the palace to the bath house, a grand marble room lit by large pillar candles that clustered together in a perfectly mathematical formation, the light dancing off the aquamarine of the water inside the polished basin of the pool.

His approach of Petra was slow, more pleasure than business, and he dismissed the servant, offering up his assistance instead.

“Unless of course,” he added gently, “you wish to be alone.”

Though he had been advised to spend time with her, he would not impose.

His eyes fell to the cat, Pita (Levi had affectionately named her a ‘pain in the ass’) and he bent low to give the long haired feline a scratch beneath her chin, marveling as her cheeks puffed out and her whiskers peeled forward.

“She favors pregnant women,” he told Petra, though he was sure she was well aware of this, Pita following her dutifully any time she was alone, and having done so the time before.

With another gentle scratch, he stood, holding out his hand in offering. It smelled lovely in this place today, the water scented with sweet rose oil, the petals of said flower sprinkled throughout the bath. He momentarily lamented to himself that it hadn’t been his idea. He did know that roses were her favourite.

He should have done this for her.

Keep reading

Petra rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she sat up, holding the blanket to her bare body as waited to regain her full consciousness for the day. After a few moments, she located her clothing and dressed herself, but as she began combing her hair, the sight of something on the bedside table caught her eye. 

It hadn’t been there last night, nor the day before, but as she stepped forward, her brows rose at the beauty of not only the piece, but the glittering gemstones lying within it. 

Her fingers lightly grazed the smooth, shiny, black stone, carefully picking up one of the many gems and rolling it in her hand. There were four in each carved pot, the larger holes on each end empty. She had wondered what it was, certainly not something to storing the beautiful gems, but perhaps…a game? 

He strode over to her, placing a gentle arm around her shoulder to announce his arrival.