Tie It With a Ribbon

“Have you never heard of the expression ‘Food is food’?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, smiling innocently as I grabbed plates.

“Hmm… You know, here we just eat food without care as to what it looks like. You birds seem to focus on presentation?”

I shrugged, glancing to Zanzibar. He was leaning against the wall, just staring at me—and yet it was almost as if he was looking right through me. He was long gone, I realized, and I returned my attention to Camille.

“Why shouldn’t food look pretty?”

She grinned. “Oh, how I do love you dearly!” She embraced me suddenly, tightly, refusing to let go as we laughed.

“Please be careful,” Zanzibar muttered, almost talking to himself.

Camille released me and frowned, though it was only a moment before she was smiling again. “Of course, I have to be careful with you, I suppose—for your little bundle.” She grinned, clasping her hands together. “But I think it’s about time for Wes to get here!”

She skipped out of the room, and I glanced to Zanzibar. He watched me through blank eyes, and I frowned, stepping up to him and embracing him lightly.

“What is wrong? Please be happy,” I murmured into his chest, kissing his jaw quickly. “I hate when you get like this…”

He shook his head, his arms wrapping around me regardless. “How can I be happy? I want to beam about our child,” he whispered, “but I cannot tell anyone out of fear that they would try to end this wondrous occasion. I am scared, Alena, that I may lose you and our child! That is within reason, is it not? I cannot trust anyone with you—only myself!”

I frowned, shaking my head. “We have your wonderful sister and perfect parents as well.”

“Yes, but they can get carried away so easily,” he reminded me, holding me tighter. “What if Camille became over excited and she hurt the baby? What then? I love her to death, but she is all over the place.”

“Yes, but I love that about her.”

He laughed. “Why, I love it, too! I love her to death, I do, but a simple tap in the right direction and who knows what would happen! Sure, maybe it would be for the best, but…” He groaned. “No, I do not mean that… I just… Lately, I do not know.”

“Don’t make everyone worry themselves silly over you, please?” I begged, looking to the door. “Just try to be happy for them. Once we are alone, we can discuss this, but this is Camille’s night. We’ve had ours, and it is now her turn.”

“You are right, I know,” he murmured, kissing me gently. “I’m sorry to dampen your spirits, I truly am. I love you.”

“I love you, so don’t act like a burden—you’re not.” I released him to catch his hand. “Now, don’t we have a brother-in-law to meet?”

He grumbled to himself, but a quick elbow to the side fixed his attitude.

“Oh, Zanzibar and Alena! This is Wes. Wes, this is my brother and sister-in-law,” Camille cheered, holding onto his arm tightly. “Aren’t they so awfully cute together?”

He smiled, though he could not very well keep his eyes from falling back to Camille. I smiled, gripping Zanzibar’s hand in assurance as he started to get an attitude again.

“I’ve been told to behave—multiple times,” Zanzibar said loudly, glaring to both Camille and myself. He held out a hand, which Weston accepted. “I will have you know that Camille is my dear sister, and should you ever hurt her…”

Weston smiled even more, shaking his head. “I do not think that is a concern in the least, my King.” He bowed graciously, trying his best to remain at ease.

Zanzibar scoffed, receiving a subtle elbow to the side. He whipped around to me.

“Alena, you continue to abuse me!” he accused, smiling at the spectacle he was making as even his parents stopped to watch.

I laughed, poking him in the stomach. “If this is abuse, then you aren’t the strong lion I thought I had married!”

He smiled, pulling me to him suddenly. “I think I’ve proved my strength enough.”

I pinched him.

“Now, that hurts!” he exclaimed, releasing me. “Pinching is not fair!”

I pinched him again to make a point, but I burst into laughter when he pulled me into his arms and tickled me relentlessly.

“I can’t breathe!” I panted, flailing wildly as everyone laughed at my expense.

‘Zanzibar, dear, please stop picking on your beloved,” Cadence teased lovingly. “I hear that Alena helped with dinner?”

“She did!” Camille interjected, smiling to me. “And she was so concerned with how pretty it was.”

Zanzibar smiled, kissing the top of my head as I lingered the all-to-familiar embrace. It was, thankfully, loose rather than suffocating. He seemed to have relaxed visibly.

“A simple ‘thank you’ would also suffice,” I told her dryly, though I could not very well keep a straight face.

She smiled. “Well, shall we gather around the table, then? I am curious if it will taste as good as it looks.”

“I hope I’m a good cook, because I’m too young to be a widow,” I mumbled to Zanzibar, who smiled.

“I’m sure it is perfect, because I would not dream of leaving you to clean this mess all by yourself.”

I tried to shake off the somber comment as we sat around the long table. Zanzibar sat at the end, followed by me, then Camille and Weston, and Cadence and Grayson sat across from us.

Zanzibar reached under the table to catch my hand, drawing it to his lap as he fiddled absentmindedly with my fingers.

“So, Weston, I trust Zanzibar has lectured you already?” Grayson asked, casting a glance to his son. “I would not feel right doing the same, as I am sure you already know how dearly he loves his sister.”

I looked around the room, then. Speaking of his sister, where was Salina? I whispered to Zanzibar, just to be sure she was alright.

“She usually spends some time with Talon, Alec, Camden and Carmen around this time. She will join us when she is finished,” he murmured back, staring into space as he was trapped in thought, oblivious to the conversation between his parents and Camille and Weston.

I squeezed his hand gently, my free hand and eyes dropping to my stomach. Was it wrong to dare bring such an easy target into such an unstable world? Yes, it was, but I held Camille’s words dear to my heart: I could not avoid happiness simply out of fear of the dreaded what-if.

“Alena, you are quiet,” Grayson commented, smiling warmly. “Is something on your mind?”

Zanzibar’s eyes shot to me suddenly, begging me to dismiss the thought in that second.

“Oh,” I murmured, shaking my head. “I was just thinking how nice it is to be in this family. Weston is surely in for a treat.”

Camille smiled, embracing me suddenly. “Our ever-expanding family!” she squealed, losing track of her thoughts.

Zanzibar’s gaze then shot to her, an indirect warning laced into his eyes. She shrugged it off, returning to Weston.

I stared down at the food, suddenly not so hungry.

“Please eat, Alena,” Zanzibar murmured, his eyes drifting lower. “I’m sure he is hungry, too.”

I nodded, prodding the arrangement with my fork before taking a bite.

The sound of boots marching filled the room, and we looked to the left to see a group of soldiers standing, awaiting permission to speak. Zanzibar rose to his feet, bowing and asking what their business was.

“A Reginald is here, demanding to see Queen Alena. We insisted that he wait, but he will not listen.”

I nodded, standing and begging them to pardon me. Zanzibar was at my heels in that instant, rushing me even further.

“Reginald, is something the matter?” I asked.

He was so pale. “Please, tell me it is but a rumor!” he begged, reaching out and catching my shoulders. “It’s just gossip!”

“What is? What…?”

“The child!” he shrieked, his voice echoing through the halls. “Tell me you are not having a child!”

All of the nearby soldiers turned to us, and Zanzibar’s hands were clenched into fists. I glanced around him, back into the dining hall. They were all staring at us, but they looked away when our eyes met. Word had already gotten out?