"I'm Pregnant..."
Everyone in the great hall was in shock and horror. Where was this coming from? The king's wives all looked shocked. What did the king mean by no more male children? What's about the one he already had?
King Arthur had four sons and three daughters. Was the king going to take all the male children always or have them killed?
Queen Bianca fell to the ground, tears welling in her eyes, trembling as she looked at the king, speechless.
One of the lords stood up spontaneously, "My king, what do you mean by your statement? Do you know the gravity of your degree?" the man blurted out, angry and confused. He was from the tribe of Suhria, which was Queen Bianca's tribe.
"My king, having no male child means having no heir, our kingdom will be in great doom, who will lead your army to war, who will carry on your legacy when you are no longer alive, my king, you must revoke your decision..."
"I AM THE KING!"King Arthur roared in anger, and the palace was shocked. The sound of some of the king's wives was heard softly weeping and wailing.
"Whatever I say is the law, and no one can challenge me. I am King Arthur, and I will not be disobeyed," King Arthur raged in anger, and his anger caused a lightning sound outside.
The royal family started mumbling loudly, the women trying to calm the men from making an outburst.
"Silence!"
"My king," A woman stood up to speak. She was among the few women who sat separately from the royal family, who were known for performing sorcery; they were seen as the twelve seers. It was from this tribe that King Arthur's (late) mother came. They were highly feared and recognized as the fiercest women of the realm.
"Permit me to speak and allow your anger to go into a deep slumber, I plead," she bowed respectfully.
King Arthur sat back down and looked at his weeping wives, who were heartbroken and knew that their sons would soon be slaughtered or banished.
When the king had calmed down, the elders sat down, some looking worried, some angry, and some confused. Elizabeth felt her tummy sour and a strange pain emitting from her body; she felt a sharp pain as though she wanted to scream; she could see the pain in the other wife's eyes—some crying and some holding their stomach as though protecting something. Unconsciously, Elizabeth had her tummy, and hot tears sadly fell from her eyes.
Everyone tried to settle down so the woman could speak. Queen Bianca was led outside the great hall by her personal maid and by guards on either side.
The woman who had been standing took a deep breath before speaking aloud. "I would like to ask before saying anything else." She looked at the king, and her eyes showed fire. "My king, why did you not inform us of this new degree beforehand? Lately, the king has refused to visit the seer's town. Where else did your messenger go to find answers to your dream?"She narrowed her eyes. "Or is there another seer that we are not aware of?"
The king became angered by the question of the seer, "I shall not be questioned, not by any man or woman. I am the king, a god, and I am immortal. Questioning me is questioning your own life." The king spoke with so much rage. Not even considering anyone in the palace.
The king stood up from his throne and left the hall, his guards and personal guard behind him, leaving the upset royal family.
Elizabeth rushed out as well, trying to catch up with the king, but her gown couldn't allow her to move correctly. Before she knew it, she lost sight of the king and his guard along the hall.
Elizabeth started panting heavily and decided to stop and catch her breath. How could the king decree such a thing? Elizabeth felt her tears rolling down her face.
"Elizabeth," Elizabeth heard her mother's voice rushing towards her from behind, sounding worried.
Elizabeth turned around to meet her mother. "Mother.... I'm pregnant." Mrs Williams looked at her daughter, shocked, but hugged her tightly immediately.
"Shuu...calm down, it's ok. I'm here now, dear. Everything will be fine. You should be happy. Why are you now crying?"
Elizabeth shocked her head furiously "No mum, you do not understand, I don't even know how sure I am about this but I got to know of this yesterday, mum I was sacred, I didn't know what to do, I was scared of being a mother, I didn't think I was ready" tears rolling down both mother and daughter eyes
"But just when I thought I could, and I was happy to be nursing a child, the king made this decree, how am I supposed to feel? What if I give birth to a male child? My child is in danger. Why now, why"Elizabeth trembled "? No, no, I can't imagine losing this child. Mum, please, I can't."
Mrs Williams took her daughter into her arms and slowly patted her on the head, trying to calm her. "Mum, it was as if I could feel it, the baby, I felt the pain of losing a child, imagine what the other queens must be feeling now, mum, I don't think I will survive it, I won't..."
Kira rushed towards Elizabeth after searching for her throughout the great hall, until she finally saw her along the hall, hugging a woman she guessed was Elizabeth's mum.
"My queen, I need to take you to your room; you shouldn't be seen crying openly along the hall, it's not proper, "Kira said, seeing Elizabeth crying in her mother's arms.
"Take us to her chamber," Mrs Williams said.
Cristal came from nowhere and assisted Elizabeth from behind. "And who are you?" Mrs Williams asked the tall, handsome man, who looked like a knight, to help Elizabeth leave the hall.
"I am her personal guard, ma'am, and we need to take her to her room immediately. Everyone is evacuating the great hall," Cristal said.
The queen, her mother, and her maid went to the queen's chamber to refresh. Mrs Williams stayed with her daughter for hours while the maid and guard went to inform Mr Williams that Mrs Williams was in the queen's chamber.
Elizabeth explained everything to her mother, who listened carefully to every detail. Mrs Williams wasn't sure how to react because she never thought such a thing was usual in the palace. A lot of things happen at the palace, but nothing like this has ever been heard.
Later, after Mrs Williams had left, Kira went to see how Queen Elizabeth was doing and found her sitting by the window, staring down at the palace gate, the road to the village, and the high hills.
Kira asked if she needed anything, but Elizabeth didn't respond and kept staring out the window. Kira decided not to disturb Elizabeth further and turned to leave, but just a few meters from the door, Elizabeth spoke.
"Take me to the seer, "freezing Kira at the spot. But there was nothing much she could do to change the Queen's mind. She was determined to meet with the seer for the well-being of her unborn child.