C Fecund Royalty [w/ thoughtless]

[thoughtless]

"It's nothing," he grunted, though less convincingly than he wanted to. His voice was gruff and commanding but there was a tinge of something else too. His forehead creased as tension continued and he moved his free hand to his belly. He stroked the tight orb, perhaps hoping that it would relieve some of the discomfort, before resting his hand on top of his wife's. After a moment, the tension broke and his stomach released, leaving nothing the residual ache in his lower back. "It's nothing," he said again. He wondered if he was attempting to convince his queen or himself.

She was staring at him--worry evident on her face. It shouldn't have surprised him. She was a kind woman and raised to portray all the necessary traits a queen should exibit. Obedience. Loyalty. Decorum. She was a picture of noble birth, but before she joined his house it had never crossed his mind that there could be love there too. Marriage was a contract just like any other, and August had treated it as such. Feeling, not even desire, had ever entered into it. Yet, now this woman clung to him, supported him. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her. The thought was intoxicating and took his mind from the pangs of his stomach to the deep pulse of his growing erection.

If he could have he would have tossed her over his shoulder like some kind of primative ape and carried to their bed that very instant. Instead he took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Shall we?"