Marriage Bites – Chapter one

“Queen Sarah! Excuse me your highness! Queen Sarah! You have been summoned to attend the meeting in the king’s presence. I have been sent to help you chose an appropriate outfit for the occasion.”

I pushed my back harder into the wall of the closet I was currently hiding in. I had fondly dubbed the previous broom closet – the hidey-hole.

“Queen Sarah! Oh please madam! The king and council are awaiting your presence in the meeting room.” The maid called out in desperation.

I closed my eyes. The meetings were so frightfully dull. I would rather sit in a completely white room with only a small toy tapir to amuse me with. I heard some shuffles of feet and the opening of a door while the maid desperately searched for me. I felt sorry for the young lady; I just feel that I am capable to dress myself. It isn’t as if it really matters.

I heard the main bedroom door open and the maid squeak in surprise.

“Your highness!” the terrified voice of Elise reached my ears.

“Where is my wife, Elise? We have been kept waiting. I really cannot delay the council longer.” The baritone voice of Jared carried through the closet door, to my guilty ears.

“I… I… I don’t know sir… I cannot find her… I have searched the whole room” the squeak had not yet left the maids voice.

Jared let out a sigh and dismissed Elise with an exasperated tone that caused my guilty gut feeling to grow, swell and bloom like a daisy in spring.

“Sarah…”

I cringed as I heard the annoyance and displeasure in his voice. There is nothing I hate more than disappointing Jared. I felt my left foot starting to numb and I screwed my eyes closed trying to blot it out.

I shifted slightly on my precarious perch atop the vacuum cleaner. Why Jared and I have one in our bedroom, I am not sure, but it is taking up valuable bum room. I groaned in my head and shifted trying to get a more comfortable seat.

I let out a tiny sigh as I felt the blood start to flow back into my stinging foot. I strained my ears to listen for Jared. I felt my lips tug into a grin as he wandered aimless around the bedroom. I heard him open one of my draws and let out a long whistle.

I felt myself blush and exhale an indignant noise as I knew what he had found- the not-so-innocent undergarments in my undies draw. Trust Jared to try and bring out of hiding by attacking my embarrassing secrets.

“Ow” I muttered as something hit me on the head.

I heard Jared laugh and begin to move towards my hidey-hole. I groan aloud this time – not bothering to hide it. Jared opened the closet door and I was immediately rolled out and onto the top of his expensive business shoes.

I hurried to cover up my body with the extremely thin silken robe I had just managed to grab from my wardrobe when I was deciding what to wear to the meeting, when I ran to escape from Elise as she came to try and dress me.

I looked up to see Jared’s amused face staring back at me.

“I was going to ask to see you in this… but… this I like better…” He grinned at me while I all I could do was lower my burning face in my hands.

I reached up to grab the blue and black lingerie hanging daintily from Jared’s nimble fingers. Jared grinned and lifted the item clear of my fingers at the last minute. I scrambled to my feet and started to jump up attempting to grab the blasted underwear like a five-year-old wanting her teddy back from her brother.

As I was jumping I was subconsciously moving towards Jared, before long I found myself slammed into his chest. I stepped back immediately and rubbed my nose as my eyes started to water due to the dull throb in my nose. He has a really hard chest.

“Aww” Jared cooed as he wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“Your stupid chest hurt me” I pouted

“Want me to kiss it better?” he leaned down to kiss my nose.

I, very craftily, shifted my face up so he caught my lips in stead of my nose. I giggled at Jared’s amused face as I outsmarted him. Sarah: 1 Jared: 437

“Why wouldn’t you come and meet your darling, loving, adoring husband?” Jared murmured breaking the nice mood we had going.

“Because I am capable of dressing myself, I have been doing it since I was around five years old. I haven’t needed a maid and I don’t need one now… I feel like pampered princess!” I whined annoyingly up at him.

“You are a pampered queen! I don’t want to stress you out…” Jared said rubbing his hands over my arms.

I leaned in and wrapped my arms lithely around Jared’s waist. I placed my head on his comforting chest. I closed my eyes and sighed contently. I felt his fingers make soothing patterns on my back, I sighed in contentment as Goosebumps burst upon the skin on my shoulders and arms. I shuddered as a cool breeze ran over my skin.

My eyes snapped open.

My very bare and exposed skin

I squealed and pressed myself closer to Jared, using him as an attempt to cover myself. When he noticed my discomfort he wrapped protective arms around my waist and drew me closer to him. I snuggled into his chest and my previous anxiousness and embarrassment evaporated and was replaced with my love for Jared.

“Gosh it’s hot in here isn’t it…?” I heard Jared say from above my head

I looked at him in confusion due to the fact that he was very impartial to weather changes. He sighed at my oblivion and proceeded to take off his shirt. My mouth formed into a small “o” and then rose into a grin. He laughed at my expression and dragged me back into his embrace.

“… I think we’d be a lot cooler in the bedroom…”

Jared gave me a wicked smile and led me out of the closet and back into the main area of the bedroom.

“Trust me. I don’t think its going to be very cold at all…” I replied back in a seductive tone.

In the three months since my wedding, Jared and I had become closer than ever. I was starting to understand how the political system worked and was even starting to help Jared to make decisions when he was faced with a problem. Things in my life were starting to get more exciting as my life had been so dull up until I met Jared.

As I rushed down a hallway, I glanced at the large corner clock and noticed how late I was for a leaders meeting. As I rounded the corner my vision suddenly became blotchy and the room began to spin.

“Woah…” I mumbled as I slowly lowered myself to the ground.

I sat there for a moment realising how tired I was as I waited for the room to slow down. I took deep calming breaths and leant back against the cool stone. I listened to the low hiss of the air from my mouth that whistled through my teeth.

I bit the inside of my cheek in an attempt to work out what was going on. After a minute of sitting on the floor my vision began to clear. After two more minutes my vision had completely cleared and I was able to stand back up.

I glanced back at the clock and a cuss word passed my lips. I raced into the meeting room. I winced as the door hinges creaked, giving away how late I was. Jared glanced up at me with a disapproving look. I placed a sheepish expression on my face and crept into the room further.

The man speaking at the head of the table was a small, white haired man with a wiry frame and an awful nervous stutter. I winced in sympathy and continued to creep towards the empty chair next to Jared. The man cleared his throat in the dead silence and continued his economy speech.

I lowered myself slowly into the uniform, ergonomic grey chair and feinted interest in what the man was saying.

“In the…the…the past the…the…three months-s-s-s, our mon…monarchy has lost much money from the w-w-war. I pro-pro-propose that we incr-r-rease taxes in order to…”

I resorted to poking myself in the eye every time I started to fall asleep. I daintily wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth with my index finger and wiped it on Jared’s leg. I let out a small snigger as he gave me an odd look.

It was during one particularly boring section of his speech that I began to drum my fingers quietly on the table. Without warning my stomach exploded into agonising cramps and I could not refrain from crying out.

“Sarah. What’s wrong?” Jared was at my side immediately.

“Ahh… Nothing… just that… statistic about our economy… shocked me so much…” I panted out

I gave them all a grim smile and tried to put on a brave face as my stomach spasmed. I bit the inside of my cheek as my torso twinged again.

“Um… please all do continue…”

I put back on my brave face and gave Jared a small nod that I was fine. The wiry man looked at all the faces in the room as if unsure of what to do. I gave him a curt nod to continue, which he did immediately.

I closed my eyes and willed the pain to go away.

Five minutes later the pain in my torso had dulled but had not completely disappeared; it was then that I knew something wasn’t quite right. As I felt the bile start to burn the back of my throat and mouth, I felt panic start to also rise.

“Sorry to interrupt. But please excuse me while I go puke”

And with those parting words I leapt up and ran out of the board room. I clasped my hand to my mouth and ran for the nearest bathroom – damming the size of the castle the whole way.

Once my stomach was empty I decided it was best to head to the castle physician. If I had some weird disease I’d rather know about it sooner rather than later. I had a bad feeling in the base of my tummy that made me avoid Jared like the plague. I didn’t want to worry him and didn’t want him to know something was wrong – though it was possibly a little late for that.

As I turned the corner and was on the home run of the castle infirmary, I felt the dizziness I had experienced earlier. I groaned and sunk to the floor, waiting for it to pass once more.

“Miss, is everything alright?”Sounded a timid squeak from the corner.

I jumped a foot in the air and looked around for the owner of the voice. It came from a frightened kitchen maid. As my vision cleared I saw it was one of the small apprentice chefs. I gave her a curt nod and stood up.

“You will tell no one of what you have seen – especially His Highness – am I understood?” I said, lacing my voice with authority.

The small girl nodded and scurried off in the direction of the kitchen. I felt slightly bad but decided I would apologise later and see the doctor now.

I walked into the bleached-white room that smelt so strong it burnt my nose. I called over the doctor and explained all my symptoms – cramping, dizziness, loss of breath and nausea.

“How long has this been occurring your highness?”

“Um… about two weeks. But only recently has it gotten this bad” I replied and the doctor began to scribble down notes on his clip board.

“Well, I think we will take a blood sample to test for any inconsistencies. If you don’t mind waiting here, we will get the results shortly.”

I sunk into a chair and looked at all the ‘calming’ pictures hanging from the walls. The only colour that managed to brake up the large expanse of white wall. While staring at one particularly hideous interpretation of a flower, I was forced to run to the bathroom and once again vomit.

I stumbled back pathetically into the room to see the doctor waiting for me with the results of the blood test. I sat down anxiously, waiting to hear was strange disease I had.

“Well the good news, you highness, is that you have no diseases and that you are as healthy as a vitamin tablet”

I eyed the doctor with caution.

“Why am I getting so sick then?” I questioned

The doctor’s face brightened into a grin.

“My dear, dear Queen; you are in fact pregnant. Congratulations! Our throne now has an heir” the doctor’s voice cried out.

My heart thudded to a stop.

I paced the bedroom anxiously, knowing that Jared will be returning from the meeting I raced out of any moment now. I was starting to wear a track into the plush carpet as the light faded from the windows. Slowly the birds stoped twittering and the trees became still and quiet.

The silence was eerie.

Right on time, Jared burst through the door.

“Sarah! I have something important to tell you!” he said to me all in one breath.

“Me too, but you go first”

“You aren’t sick are you?” he frowned.

I shook my head and waiting for him to continue with his news. I wasn’t technically sick.

“Well, one of our outer cities has been captured. I must lead our forces in an attempted to take it back!”

I jaw dropped. He was going to war. No matter how many times it swirled around in my head, I couldn’t make sense of it.

He was going to war. He was going to war. He was going to war. He was going to war.

My heart started to hammer in my chest. I couldn’t tell him now. He was going to war! He couldn’t be distracted by something like this. His attention must be solely on getting the town and staying safe.

I gave him a hug.

“When do you leave?” I whispered into his chest.

“In a week; you can take care of the matters of state while I am gone; I know you will be fine.”

I inwardly groaned as he took my look of panic for the wrong reasons.

“What was it you wanted to tell me?” he asked with love in his eyes and voice.

“oh… its nothing. Don’t worry about it. You should get some rest…”

My heart sunk so far down with guilt and worry, it was in the very pit of hell.

A/N:

Well, here we go! The sequel to Love Bites! Woo! Anyway, this won’t be as focused on vampires and werewolves and crap because I am going to re-do Love Bites eventually as the same story without the vampire aspect. So I am making this sequel be neutral to both versions.

Please give me your feed back! After such a long time away it will be great to hear from you all!

love love

Mel.