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Description
Keeping A Secret

***

Days passed in the Crimean castle. Elincia was slightly disturbed at the ever decreasing amount of time she had with her husband, but she could never seem to understand why he was always gone.

"You don't think he's having an affair?" she asked Lucia, her childhood friend.

The bluenette girl was just as protective of the Queen as her brother, Geoffrey. "Who would have the gall to sleep with him? All of Tellius knows he's yours."

"Who would have the gall indeed," the emeralde muttered, sipping her tea.

Lucia choked. "You don't think it's the sage, do you?!"

"I don't know what to think at this point, Lucia, but I won't rule it out... Soren seems the type to stab me in the back."

"Still... Do you have any proof?" the swordmaster asked.

"Only an empty bed."

"... Maybe he's just giving you space since you have a little one on the way. Men have stupid ways of dealing with women's issues. Talk to him, and let him know that you want him to be with you. Ike seems reasonable enough," Lucia offered, taking a sip of her own tea.

"Well, you would defend him. He did save your life," the Queen retorted, not willing to blame her marital problems on her hormones.

"That has nothing to do with this. Go talk to your husband, Elincia."

The emeralde let out a long, drawn sigh. "I will, but I can't guarantee he'll listen." The Queen stood and walked out of her private parlor to find her husband, but instead she found Soren walking down the hall; the one person she wished to avoid forever, but the only one who kept tabs on the King.

"Soren!" Elincia called motioning him over.

With a heavy sigh, the sage walked over to the Queen. "What is it, Queen Elincia?" he asked with the air of someone with a thousand better things he could be doing.

"I wish to speak with my husband. Have you seen him?" she asked, trying to ignore his rude behavior.

"I have."

She waited for him to elaborate, but soon found that he wouldn't without prodding.

"... And where was it that you saw him?" the emeralde asked impatiently.

"Your highness, if Ike wishes to meet with you, he will meet with you. He is a very busy man. He's having an important meeting at the moment. However, if you insist on bothering him, he'll be available in his quarters later. Good day."

Elicia's face scrunched, and she had to restrain herself from exploding.

Soren glanced at her from the tops of his eyes. "With you scrunching like that, I can already see the wrinkles forming."

He smirked unnoticeably and walked down the hall to the library, his robes billowing behind him.

***

Lucia stayed by the Queen's side, listening to her enraged rant about her encounter with Ike's adviser.

"Lucia, I have never met a more frustrating, rude, and cold human being," Elincia ranted. She paused and laughed, though there was no humor in it. "Wait! He's not even human! In all the time I've spent with him, he's never aged, not once! He still looks like the dark child I met during my time with the mercenaries. And he has the utter nerve to tell me I have wrinkles!" She yelled.

"So, I take it Ike's pet upset you?" Lucia offered, hoping to lighten the mood.

The Queen whipped around. "Well? What do you think!? Not only did he put me in my place as Ike's wife, he insulted me!"she floored. "He makes sure to make me feel as small and unimportant as I can to Ike. I can't take this...I can't let him get in the way of me and my husband."

Elincia sank into one of her plush chairs and balled.

"Elincia, there is little to be gained from crying in the chair... If you want to, assert yourself. You're the Queen of Crimea, not Soren. If you want to go visit your husband, do just that. He's always in the West Wing anyways. The one that he blocked off."

Elincia nodded and wiped at her eyes. "He's been spending a lot of time up there, for what reason is beyond me. You're right though, I do have the authority and I'm not going to let that depressing shadow tell me otherwise. I am the Queen of Crimea."

Lucia smiled. "Go get your man."

Feeling empowered, the emeralde stormed out of her quarters to rush the west wing. She planned to take it by storm, but as she drew closer, doubts raced through her mind.

What if this is all for nothing? What if Ike is only avoiding me in the hopes of giving me some space for my own comfort? I have no reason to believe he is seeing someone else. He loves me. Perhaps I'm just overreacting, she reasoned. On that note, she returned to her bedroom for a nap.

(End Chapter)

Description
Keeping A Secret

***

Days passed in the Crimean castle. Elincia was slightly disturbed at the ever decreasing amount of time she had with her husband, but she could never seem to understand why he was always gone.

"You don't think he's having an affair?" she asked Lucia, her childhood friend.

The bluenette girl was just as protective of the Queen as her brother, Geoffrey. "Who would have the gall to sleep with him? All of Tellius knows he's yours."

"Who would have the gall indeed," the emeralde muttered, sipping her tea.

Lucia choked. "You don't think it's the sage, do you?!"

"I don't know what to think at this point, Lucia, but I won't rule it out... Soren seems the type to stab me in the back."

"Still... Do you have any proof?" the swordmaster asked.

"Only an empty bed."

"... Maybe he's just giving you space since you have a little one on the way. Men have stupid ways of dealing with women's issues. Talk to him, and let him know that you want him to be with you. Ike seems reasonable enough," Lucia offered, taking a sip of her own tea.

"Well, you would defend him. He did save your life," the Queen retorted, not willing to blame her marital problems on her hormones.

"That has nothing to do with this. Go talk to your husband, Elincia."

The emeralde let out a long, drawn sigh. "I will, but I can't guarantee he'll listen." The Queen stood and walked out of her private parlor to find her husband, but instead she found Soren walking down the hall; the one person she wished to avoid forever, but the only one who kept tabs on the King.

"Soren!" Elincia called motioning him over.

With a heavy sigh, the sage walked over to the Queen. "What is it, Queen Elincia?" he asked with the air of someone with a thousand better things he could be doing.

"I wish to speak with my husband. Have you seen him?" she asked, trying to ignore his rude behavior.

"I have."

She waited for him to elaborate, but soon found that he wouldn't without prodding.

"... And where was it that you saw him?" the emeralde asked impatiently.

"Your highness, if Ike wishes to meet with you, he will meet with you. He is a very busy man. He's having an important meeting at the moment. However, if you insist on bothering him, he'll be available in his quarters later. Good day."

Elicia's face scrunched, and she had to restrain herself from exploding.

Soren glanced at her from the tops of his eyes. "With you scrunching like that, I can already see the wrinkles forming."

He smirked unnoticeably and walked down the hall to the library, his robes billowing behind him.

***

Lucia stayed by the Queen's side, listening to her enraged rant about her encounter with Ike's adviser.

"Lucia, I have never met a more frustrating, rude, and cold human being," Elincia ranted. She paused and laughed, though there was no humor in it. "Wait! He's not even human! In all the time I've spent with him, he's never aged, not once! He still looks like the dark child I met during my time with the mercenaries. And he has the utter nerve to tell me I have wrinkles!" She yelled.

"So, I take it Ike's pet upset you?" Lucia offered, hoping to lighten the mood.

The Queen whipped around. "Well? What do you think!? Not only did he put me in my place as Ike's wife, he insulted me!"she floored. "He makes sure to make me feel as small and unimportant as I can to Ike. I can't take this...I can't let him get in the way of me and my husband."

Elincia sank into one of her plush chairs and balled.

"Elincia, there is little to be gained from crying in the chair... If you want to, assert yourself. You're the Queen of Crimea, not Soren. If you want to go visit your husband, do just that. He's always in the West Wing anyways. The one that he blocked off."

Elincia nodded and wiped at her eyes. "He's been spending a lot of time up there, for what reason is beyond me. You're right though, I do have the authority and I'm not going to let that depressing shadow tell me otherwise. I am the Queen of Crimea."

Lucia smiled. "Go get your man."

Feeling empowered, the emeralde stormed out of her quarters to rush the west wing. She planned to take it by storm, but as she drew closer, doubts raced through her mind.

What if this is all for nothing? What if Ike is only avoiding me in the hopes of giving me some space for my own comfort? I have no reason to believe he is seeing someone else. He loves me. Perhaps I'm just overreacting, she reasoned. On that note, she returned to her bedroom for a nap.

(End Chapter)