Zarkon allowed his food utensil to drop into the soup with an audible sploosh sending a wave of broth over the side of the bowl. He stared at Honerva, not even registering the servant trying to clean the mess at his elbow.

The other paladin's were staring as well. Half chewed food fell from Gyrgan's mouth before Trigel could reach over and slowly close his jaw. Her eyes not leaving the altean alchemist. Blaytz's face was convulsed in some mix of amusement and shock that apparently had him rendered speechless. Even Alfor looked like some frozen creature in the path of some oncoming threat.

Meanwhile Honerva just continued eating, completely blind to the effect she had rendered with just a few choice words.

In the end it was Queen Fala, Alfor's normally quietly observant partner, who spoke up.

"Honerva, darling," She began gently. "Can you run that all by us again?"

Honerva raised her head, paused, and repeated, "I was saying the new generators for the interplanetary spacecraft were-"

"No darling." Fala interrupted. "The other thing."

Raising an eyebrow and glancing at her husband, Honerva asked, "What I said about me having a baby or about that algae you all found on that moon?"

"Ah," Fala smiled in satisfaction. "The first bit."

"You're pregnant?!" Blaytz suddenly blurted, the food from his mouth flying everywhere. Earning himself a glare from Trigel. "Like, with a little version of you and Zarkon?!"

"W-well that's not a precise descriptor of the process but-"

"How far along are you?" Trigel cut in her usually collected voice tinged with excited curiosity.

"A few movements I think." Honverva shrugged. "Is it important?"

"Important?!" Alfor stood up suddenly. "This is a momentous occasion! A cause for celebration!"

"So this means there'll be another baby right?!" Grygan managed after finally swallowing his food. "Someone for little Allura to play with?!"

Blaytz moved around the table and threw his arm around his leader's shoulders.

"Zarkon you son of a guzmo! When were you planning on telling us this?!"

He waited to be shrugged off and reprimanded for acting up. When it didn't come he stared down at his friend whose face was frozen in an expression of shock. Zarkon eyes were wide and his mouth hung open in a way uncharacteristic of him.

"H-Husband?" Honerva asked her voice tinged with concern. "Are you alright?"

Zarkon didn't respond.

Blaytz glanced at Grygan, who shrugged, before slowly taking the cup from Zarkon's hand…

… which remained suspended in air in the same rigid position.

Fala clicked her tongue.

"Honverva?"

"Y-yes?"

"You DID tell your husband you were with child before now… didn't you?"

"Of course I did!" she stopped as Fala gave her a speculative look. "At least… I remember making a note of it in my office."

"Ah," Fala had seen Honerva's office. And all of the discarded notes within. "That's a no then."

"Uh guys?" Blaytz waved his hand in front of Zarkon's face but elicited no response. "I think he might be broken."

"Interesting," Trigel hummed. "I'm no doctor, but I'd say this is a case of acute paralysis caused by shock."

"Will he be okay?" Grygan asked.

"He'll be fine. We just have to wait for him to snap out of it."

"How long will that take?" Alfor asked.

Trigel shrugged. "The longest I've heard is a few hours but it's possible he could be like this for days or even-"

"I'm going to be a father?!" Zarkon stood up so suddenly that his chair fell to the floor.

"-Or a few minutes… well…" she sounded disappointed but nonetheless soldiered on. "Happy he's alright."

Honerva found herself being picked up by the waist by a pair of large and powerful hands.

"Is this true beloved?!"

He was holding her above him so that she had a clear unobstructed view of his face. She couldn't recall ever seeing her husband filled with such an unrestrained sense of childish excitement. Aside from their wedding night that is.

But that had been with just the two of them. This was in front of everyone. For him to forgo all formality and express himself so openly in burst of such uncontrolled emotion….

Honerva smiled at all that implied.

"Yes" she watched as the smile grew on her husband's face "We're going to have a baby."

Zarkon laughed and spun her around as their guests applauded and congratulated them. Even the servants and guards couldn't help but join in the jubilation.

Normally, such a display of undisciplined behavior would have caused the emperor's ire, but on this occasion he couldn't quite bring himself to care.