A King's Heart

Royal Drama

The next several months flew by for the royal couple as Naveen being king was busier than ever while Tiana was growing more pregnant by the week. She was now six months pregnant and well into her second trimester. Her mood swings driving the entire palace out of their sanity, some of the time. Naveen didn't mind it as he was always gone but whenever he did return to his wife he was very pleased to be welcome by her sweet kisses.

"I missed you too, Tiana!" Naveen laughed relieved to be back in the presence of his wife.

"Don't you ever leave me again," Tiana hugged him tighter. "Not with your mother at least."

"I thought you two got along now."

"Oh, we do!" said his pregnant wife, "But every time we're around each other she wants to stuff food in my mouth."

Naveen laughed a little.

"It isn't funny!" Tiana playfully shoved at him. "And she keeps mentioning how she gained eighty—

"Eighty pounds with me. Yes, I know. She only wants you to be healthy."

"I don't want to gain eighty pounds and push out a forty pound baby!"

"You're fine," He kissed her on the forehead. "And I was ten pounds, not forty."

"You looked about forty pounds on that family portrait," Tiana joked. "And if I see that damn fish room one more time…"

"The aquarium hall? My mother spent a lot of her pregnancy with me in that room."

"So I've heard," Tiana crossed her arms. "Look, I respect your mother trying to be nice and, but can you please tell her that I don't want to constantly stare at fish all day? The fist time was nice but after sitting in the damn room for hours at a time while you were out on business can get sickening. I almost threw up in the room today."

"I thought that you were passed our morning sickness phase?"

"I am when I eat in the middle of the night, now look, tell ya mama that sitting in that blue room all day makes me sick in the stomach."

Naveen k new that it was hormones talking and that he should definitely tell his mother about inviting Tiana into the room less often.

Taking her hands and kissing them he said, "I'll mention it to her during dinner."

()()()()

"Now why on earth would you NOT want to sit in the aquarium hall? Thalia sat there with me for hours. It made her labour and deliver very easy," said a disappointed Nagina.

Tiana rolled her eyes while Naveen responded.

"Mother, not everyone likes the same thing. Tiana enjoys walking."

"Thalia enjoyed—

"Well, I ain't no Thalia!" Tiana cut her off, "I'm m own woman and I will have no one, not even my own husband tell me what I should and shouldn't do. I'm not a child."

"You're acting like one!" Nagina blurted out.

"Mother, it would make m wife very pleased if you do not invite her to the aquarium and Tiana…" he stopped when he looked her way.

Nagina snorted, "Yes, you're always defending your wild little minx."She started walking out the room.

"Mother…" Naveen said.

"I know when I'm not wanted," Nagina walked out of the room.

"Drama queen." Tiana crossed her arms.

"Mi benita, she's trying—

"Trying what? To make m life a living hell while being here? I don't want to be in that room. I know how fucking fish look like."

"And the dirt mouth she gives you!" Nagina marched back in the room.

The couple turned to see the middle aged woman back in the room. "If you're not going to show her where her place is then I will!" She raised her hand as she neared Tiana and tripped when the young queen moved, falling over onto the marble floor. "Why did you move out of the way?"

"Why were you coming at me like you wanted to deck me?" Tiana challenged as Naveen helped up his mother.

"Mother you really need to retire for the night." Naveen didn't want to choose sides, but his mother was being ridiculous.

"Not until you tell her where she stands here. No woman has ever had this much freedom of speech in this palace. Not even me!" Nagina exclaimed with now watery eyes. "What makes her different from the past queens and princessas?"

Naveen sighed and walked his mother over to the supper table. He handed her a handkerchief, "Mother, I know that father hasn't been the gentles husband—

"He was a very stern and stoic man with me and everyone," Nagina wiped her eyes, "I've always been submissive and obedient to him, and Thalia was the same way with you."

"Not all men want that in a woman, and I'm sorry that you had to live that way."

Nagina glanced over at a quiet Tiana before looking back at her son, "I suppose that I was a bit out of line with Tiana." She reached out her hand for the younger woman, "Please forgive me."

Tiana slowly walked over to the woman, taking her hand, "Nagina, I ain't mad ya. I just want you to know that I will never be a submissive yes, no kind of girl. That isn't in my character."

"Now that we've got that settled…" Naveen smiled.

"A queen must be tough, but willing to her husband." Nagina told Tiana.

"I'm willing enough," Tiana rubbed her growing tummy, "But I will never be less than what I am for no man." She winked at Naveen who nodded in return.

Nagina rose from the chair, "Well, I will not hold you two up any longer." She hugged both her son and daughter-in-law. "I will take m son's advice and retire for the night.'

"Goodnight, Nagina," "Goodnight, mother," the couple said.

"Enjoy your night," Nagina walked toward one of her ladies in waiting before leaving the room.

"Well that went well," Naveen wrapped his arms around his wife.

Tiana rested her head on his shoulder, "Could've ended disastrous."

"Are you ready to go to bed?" He asked.

Tiana turned and stepped on her tip toes, "There's a few things I want to do with you before 'going to bed'." She pressed her lips onto as just as Jason cleared his throat. But Tiana wasn't going to give up that easily. "No…" She deepened the kiss.

Naveen loved his wife and her advances but he had to see what his valet wanted. "I'm sorry. Will you meet me in the suite?"

Tiana playfully rolled her eyes, "I just might be asleep by then…"

"Not if I ask you to wear my favourite colour silk for me?"

"Even with this round tummy?"

"You're beautiful and enticing in everything you wear," he gave her one more kiss before she left the room.

Jason nodded, also watching her leave.

"What is so important that you had to interrupt m time with m wife?" Naveen asked, annoyed.

"There's been a situation in the kingdom of Revejah. The king is in desperate need to speak with you."

"What kind of situation is it?"

"It involves his daughter."

()()()()

"…so you're saying that your daughter didn't come home with you?"

"Yes, I am saying that! Have you seen her at our palace?"

"Not that I'm aware of, but if she were here she would've shown up by now." Naveen explained. "I'll order my guards to search every room and hall in the palace."

"Please do not be cruel with her. She's sensitive and since your marriage to the lovely Tiana she hasn't been herself. Not even speak with her closest friends or leave m castle unless we're out for publicity."

Naveen heard the concern in the man's tone and completely understood how he felt, "I will let you know if she's here."

"You've always been a good boy, Naveen. I thank you for that."

"No problem, Abasi," Naveen then hung up the phone.

Jason crossed his arms, "So I take it that the Revejahian princess ran away again?"

"Yep…" Naveen answered. "And something tells me that he isn't giving me the full details behind her sudden leaving home."

()()()()

The Revejahian king laughed as soon as he hangs up the phone, "This going to be quite entertaining…"

()()()()

Tiana applied vanilla scented oil onto her soft brown legs before checking on her hair once more. She was pleased but quickly frowned in disapproval as she examined her figure through the beautifully hand made silk nightgown she wore. It was thigh-length, but that wasn't what got her feeling a little insecure, it was the round bell poking out from it that caused her to worry.

"You can really break the mood, little one," Tiana told her growing tummy.

"And I thought that I blamed anything on my weight," said a female voice.

Tiana turned to see the Revejahian princess glaring her way. "So what's it like?"

Tiana grabbed a blade that Naveen gave to her from the vanity table, "How in the hell did you get in here?"

The princess laughed, "That little thing is sharp enough to give me a paper cut!" She pulled out her gun, "I'm surprised that a king would give his wife such a pathetic gift to defend herself."

"How did you get in here?" Tiana repeated her question.

"Answer m question first, queen." The princess smirked, "How does it feel to be carrying Naveen's child? It must be rewarding to have all of him…you commoner whore!"

"Aaliyah!" Naveen called out to the Revejahian princess. "What are you doing?"

The Revejahian princess looked up at Naveen as her heart pounded hard onto her chest, "Naveen…"

The guards soon appeared, frightening the princess. "No, please I've got to have you to myself." She pointed the gun at Tiana. "If we get rid of her we can raise the child ourselves—uh!" She cried out as a guard knocked the gun from hand and tackled her onto the floor. "Naveen! Help me!"

Tiana ran by her husband's side, hugging him.

"Are you all right?"

"Mmhm," Tiana nodded her head. "Just hold me."

He did just that as the princess was quickly escorted out of the room. "I'm so sorry for leaving you here alone. I had no idea that she was here." Naveen sounded like a concern husband, but he was fuming. He knew that Abasi was behind this and used his daughter as bait. "You will have nothing to worry once I properly handle this manner."

()()()()