Cleo
As the cheers of the crowd continued, Magnus and Cleonia walked back inside to the warmth of the palace. Their minds already moving on from their coronation speech and onto a slightly more pressing matter. One which had been brought to their attention just before the speech. During the speech, Cleo had resisted the urge to rest her hand on her stomach, but now there was nothing holding her back.
A son.
Or so Valia had claimed.
The couple had much to discuss. Starting with Magnus's first question, "Is it true?"
With only a short period of time before the banquet, both wanted to know as much as possible based on what little they did know. A witch's claim was one thing. Factual proof was another. Though if anything in the last year had taught them anything, it was to not underestimate the power of magic and witches.
"I think so," Cleo responded as she sat down on a chair in their bedroom, her hand still resting on her stomach. "After all, it would greatly explain everything that has been going on. The morning sickness, my dress not fitting right, it all adds up."
Magnus moves to stand in front of his wife, taking her hands in his. "Tomorrow, we will call a midwife and have her do a formal inspection. I do not want us to rely on a witch's word in case she was wrong about you."
"And if she is right?"
"Then we have the goddesses to thank for this blessing of a child." Magnus gave her a genuinely bright smile as he moved one hand to cup her cheek. "Regardless, if you are with child or not, I will always love you."
Just then, loud banging came from their bedroom door, drawing them out of their thoughts.
"Lovebirds, the banquet awaits," calls Jonas from the other side of the door.
Magnus let out a quiet groan. "I still hate him," he says, helping his wife stand.
Cleo let out a bell-like laugh as she stood, both hands in Magnus's. "No you don't," she responds. Standing on her toes, she presses a kiss to his lips.
The argument died on his lips as he returned her kiss. It was a brief moment. One that was once again interrupted by Jonas knocking once more.
The moment ended and the pair broke away from each other, both with a slight groan. Before Jonas could knock again, Magnus opened the door with a scowl on his face. Any tenderness he had shown Cleo had vanished. Now he stood, annoyed more than anything because of the interruption.
"Go on ahead of us, Jonas," Cleo says as she moves to stand behind Magnus. "We won't be but a moment."
Jonas gave a nod of his head and swiftly moved away from the door and down the hall, away from the bedroom.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Cleo moved to stand next to Magnus. The annoyance dissipated and he slowly relaxed under her touch. Smiling to herself, Cleo wrapped her arms around Magnus's middle and the two stood there for a moment before deciding it was time to meet their people and court.
They could hear the loud chatter of their people before they had even rounded the corner, and the voices became even clearer as they stood behind the closed doors, waiting to be announced. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Magnus glanced down at his wife, still dressed in the violet and gold gown she had worn at their speech. Her smile was all he needed as the doors opened and they faced forward to greet their closest friends and family. Everyone here to celebrate their coronation, and their promise of a hopeful future. One that hopefully will be getting much brighter very soon.
Taking a seat to Magnus's right, and next to Nic, Cleo smiled at her friends. Magnus remained standing at the head of the table. Cleo looked up at her husband. She could tell the happiness displayed on his face was a mask. One of many. Though a mask of happiness was better than some of his others. Especially since she knew that real happiness lay underneath.
"People of Limeros, it is with great honor that Queen Cleonia and I take up the throne of Mytica, joining the three kingdoms. We are thrilled to be celebrating with everyone here tonight, and embark on a continent wide tour to see our great kingdom."
Cheers rose up from the other end of the long table. The cheers slowly turned into a toast, and even Cleo found herself raising a glass of water, not just for herself or Magnus, but for her friends. Afterall, she would not be here without them.
Dinner continued long into the night. Lucia had retired early with a cranky Lyssa, and Jonas followed soon after. Several of the lords had already had several drinks and were beginning to get heavily intoxicated. However, she watched as Magnus only had a glass or two of cider. Not enough to get him terribly drunk. Cleo, however, opted out of drinking in case she truly was with child as Valia had suggested earlier in the afternoon.
Resting her head on her fist, Cleo knew she could not last another hour. Magnus must have sensed as much and took her free hand in his, and she gave him a silent plea with her eyes, telling him she was ready. He gave a nod and stood, and she followed his lead. They said nothing as they left the banquet. Not that many would notice in their drunken stupors.
Entering their chambers, it took all of Cleo's might to not simply collapse on their bed and sleep until morning. It had been a long day.
Without a single word, Magnus appeared behind Cleo to undo the laces of her dress. Brushing her long hair aside, he took his time pulling apart the strings, loosening the dress around her middle. Once the dress was loose enough she let out a breath and closed her eyes and allowed the dress to gather around her legs, leaving her in just the chemise. Magnus wraps his arms around her middle and rests his head on her shoulder, glancing down at her stomach. It had swelled the littlest bit, a good indication of something growing inside of her. Perhaps the witch was on to something.
Opening her eyes, Cleo turned her head to look at Magnus. His dark eyes meeting hers. Not waiting a moment longer, he pressed a passionate kiss to her lips. In no time at all, Magnus had undressed and the pair laid in bed, tangled in each others' arms. Cleo's eyes had drifted close and sleep began to pull her under. The last thing she remembered was Magnus pressing a kiss to her forehead, whispering, "I love you," before sleep claimed her.
