Hey everyone!

Thanks so much for your patience and sorry for the delay! I'm going to try my best to have updates for you every week but they may be delayed by a few days because I'm vacationing in Sri Lanka right now! :)

In the meantime, don't forget to vote and comment! I love hearing what you guys think!

Love, Luckycharms

---

I had not heard from Seetha over the last few weeks and I wondered if she was okay. I thought at first that maybe she was ill, and I worried. But then I remembered she was busy now and I could not expect her to be so frequent with her letters.

Of course, that did not offend me at all. It actually made me happy. I was happy she was making herself at home... finally.

The march was long, but my excitement to be home made it feel longer.

And this was new.

I was never so thrilled to go home. I was always happy to be out of battle but that was it. Going home never really excited me.

Aathikara was expecting our arrival, so when we crossed through the gates, men, women and children gathered around, throwing flowers in our path to honour our victory and return. There were cheers and excitement and it was nice. But I was still more eager to get back to the palace.

After the long procession through Aathikara, it was with my arrival into the palace was when I finally let out a breath of relief. I jumped off of Bhumi and walked towards the smiling Lady Suhanya, who was waiting with a happy smile. "Welcome home, child," she said, putting her arms around me. "And congratulations."

I thanked her and smiled, but when I looked around, I noticed that my parents and brothers were here, but Seetha was not. "Where is my wife?" I asked as I walked towards my  parents.

"Not following instructions, clearly," my mother said. I barely heard her though, because my father spoke over her. "Now is around the time the servants eat. She must be preoccupied."

Before I could respond, the King of Kiyo's carriage pulled in behind me. My father, who had received word of the King's visit, walked past me and greeted the King happily. "Welcome!" My father said to him as he stepped out of his carriage.

The older king hugged my father. "Your son has brought glory to my Kingdom. I could not return home without thanking him and paying respect to his country and family."

"I am happy to hear such good words from you," my father said. "Come in, come in... we are preparing a grand banquet in honor of this victory!"

The King seemed pleased as he turned to me. "And where is your wife? I was looking forward to seeing her?"

"I–"

"Aaryan!"

I turned around, thinking that she was just on time, but the second I did she jumped into my arms. "You're back! I'm sorry! I was just in the middle of cooking and I didn't want the servants to wa–"

"It's fine, Seetha," I chuckled. She smelled of curry... something spicy. "I'm happy to see you."

She pulled away, looking at me with an ecstatic smile. "I have a surprise for you! But we have to be alone."

She whispered the second half, making me smile and raise a brow. "I'm looking forward to that."

She laughed before I turned her to face the King of Kiyo. "Seetha, meet the King of Kiyo. He's been looking forward to meeting you."

Seetha's eyes widened before she bowed.

"What a pleasure," the King smiled warmly. "I have heard much about you, Princess. It's not every day you hear of a village girl marrying a noble prince."

Seetha smiled. "Thank you for letting him come home safely."

"Oh, there is no need to thank me for that. He is the reason I will be returning home safely. So I thank you for keeping him happy and healthy, and I pray that you continue to keep him happy and healthy so that if I ever need him in the future, he will bring me more victories."

She chuckled. "Well, I'll pray that you will rule your nation with strength and power so that there will be no need for wars and battles and so I will not have to send my happy and healthy Aaryan off to fight them for you."

Though I could sense that many of the nobles around us, including my mother, did not really like Seetha's words or the way she spoke to the King burst into laughter. "Of course, of course!" he laughed before he turned to me. "I like her, she's a smart one."

---

The whole day ended up being busy, despite the fact that I would have liked some time to rest. After sending the troops home and reporting to my father exactly everything that had happened, the usual reports were pushed to tomorrow as everyone needed to be at the banquet to honor the victory.

Seetha was rather antsy. I could tell that she was quite eager to share this 'surprise' with me. She seemed particularly uninterested with the banquet and she fiddled with rings around her fingers more than she usually did. I figured at this point that this 'surprise' wasn't as simple as some alone time together, which was what I originally assumed it was.

Aayu had updated me on the events which occurred while I was gone. The affair with my mother seemed to have slipped Seetha's mind as she wrote me her letters, as did quite a few other 'mishaps.'

I also got a chance to speak with the nobles who chose not to participate in eating Seetha's cooking. To respect my father, I chose not to be too harsh. Instead, I told them that they missed out on a good meal... and one of these days they'd wish they hadn't.

That seemed to send the message well enough.

The night was long, but filled with music and dancing and celebration, but as the sun began to set, I was finally able to excuse myself from the banquet. It had been a long day and I was tired, and Seetha was certainly happy to leave.

As we made our way back to my chambers, I turned to look at her. "Well? What's this surprise you mentioned earlier?"

She was holding my hand as she grinned before pulling me forward into a run. "Come! I can't here, let's hurry!"

I raised my brows but didn't question her. I had to admit, I was rather interested in what this surprise may have been.

When we finally got to my room, she turned to me with a happy grin. "Are you ready?"

I smiled at her. "I've been ready since I returned home."

She got on her toes and kissed my lips before looking at me. "I'm pregnant!"

My eyes widened and my mouth began to gape as I stared at her. "W-what?"

She laughed, placing her hands on her stomach. "You couldn't tell?"

I put my hands over hers. There was barely anything there except for a small bump. "Are you sure? How long have you known?"

"Yes! I'm sure!" She was still grinning. "I haven't bled since you left... and Lady Suhanya is the one who noticed first."

"Does anyone else know?"

She shook her head. "I asked her not to tell anyone... I wanted you to be first before anyone else."

I figured my mother and the nobles were not going to be too pleased with the fact that she kept it hidden so long, but when I saw a look of nervousness flash through her eyes, probably seeing my concern, I pushed that all aside and smiled at her.

What did any of that matter anyways?

She was pregnant.

That was all that mattered.

I pulled her into my arms and kissed her lips and when I pulled away, I smiled at her. "You're pregnant."

She kept grinning, touching her nose against mine. "Are you excited?"

"Of course," I said. "Do you think it's a boy or a girl?"

She laughed. "I can't tell yet! I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell... but that's okay. Right?"

I nodded before I kissed her again. "We'll share the wonderful news with everyone tomorrow," I said. "Right now, you need to rest. Why are you still running around? The cooking and the gardening and the lessons can wait–"

"No!" Seetha laughed. "I can handle all of it. My mother cooked everyone dinner even while she was in labour, you know? She reminds everyone of that all that time."

That made me laugh. Her mother seemed like the type. "It's different here, love," I said. "There are certain expectations–"

"Fine," I said. "I'll rest when you can tell I'm pregnant. For now I can work."

She seemed to be the only one who was able to say no to my orders. She was also the only one who I allowed to do so. "Alright. But when you're with me, you rest."

She smiled, putting her arms around my shoulders. "No kisses then? Just sleep?"

I chuckled before pulling her closer. "Kisses are fine. Then sleep."

She laughed.

---

When the next morning came, I was sure not to wake her. I got dressed quietly before heading out for the morning prayers, after which Lady Suhanya met with me. Aayu and I were in a meeting room when Lady Suhanya joined us. She spent some time updating me on what happened while I was gone. It seemed most affairs went smoothly. When she finished, she looked at me with a smile. "So?"

I smiled back. "Good news."

"Are you relieved?"

"I was never really worried."

"Good," she smiled, leaning forward and kissing my forehead. "Congratulations."

"For what?" Aayu asked. "What happened?"

Lady Suhanya looked at me, clearly wanting this to be something that I shared. "Seetha is pregnant."

Aayu smiled widely almost instantly. "That's wonderful! She's been pregnant for a couple months then?"

I nodded. "When you helped her last? That was her last blood."

"So we can be certain it is all okay?"

"Yes, for the most part," Lady Suhanya, who obviously knew more than I did, said. "I've changed her meals and oils and herbs to help the baby grow and keep her healthy as well, but we will not know for sure until much later."

"Good," I said, leaning back in my chair.

"Aaryan, you seem concerned?" She asked me.

"I just..." I hesitated. "You allowed her to keep it a secret?"

"Those were her wishes," Lady Suhanya said. "I felt she had a right to that. You men may find it hard to understand but it is her body. It is her choice."

I let out a humored breath. "I understand, but people will not be happy to know she kept it a secret," I said, thinking of what the King of Kiyo said to me. "There are prayers that need to be done... and ceremonies, and–"

"They don't need to know that she's known for a while," Aayu suggested.

That was true, but–

"Lies only grow, son," Lady Suhanya said, reading my mind. She then turned to me. "It's fine, child, there is no need to worry. It is still very early on and your father has been more than understanding."

My father was not the one who concerned me. "Alright," I said. "I trust you to care for her. She does not have a mother here to help her–"

"Of course, you need not ask."

"I also ask that you try to convince her to settle down a little and rest. She refused to listen to me, maybe she'll listen to you?"

"I will talk to her, but keep in mind that keeping her body at work and her mind at peace will be good for her and the child."

"You know what's best, I'll leave you to it."

She smiled warmly at me. "In the meantime, you keep your mind at peace too. You have a child on the way, and you will need to be at your best. You cannot be a warrior prince in front of your child. You must be a father."

I let out a laugh. "Understood."

"I will call a meeting with the rest of your family and the nobles so you can share the news. I will make sure Seetha is ready for it too."

"Thank you."

She bowed her head before walking off.

When she was gone, Aayu put his hand on my shoulder. "This is wonderful news, brother, why do you still seem so concerned?"

"There is a lot to be worried about," I said. "Specifically when it comes to mother. You know how she is... she'll find something to be upset about."

"I suppose you're right... but it'll all work out, brother. The annoyances are only temporary."

I smiled as I looked at him. "And I should thank you for watching over her while I was gone. She spoke highly of you in her letters to me."

"It was an honor. I think we are becoming close... I'm only a little insulted that she did not share with me the news of her pregnancy."

I let out a chuckle. "Don't be. She only kept it from everyone because she wanted me to know first."

"I know, I'm only joking," he stood up. "For now I will leave you to your work. I'm sure you have plenty of things to do. Hopefully you can finish most of it before we share the news with everyone else."

I sighed. "I hope so too."

I did not end up finishing before Lady Suhanya called me to come join the rest of them. Seetha was already there, and when I arrived she seemed almost instantly relieved. I knew she did not feel particularly comfortable being around the court when I was not around. Of course, I hoped that she would eventually get used to it.

"Aaryaraavanan, is something the matter?" My father asked. He asked only because I never called such gatherings unless something was wrong.

"Nothing is wrong," I smiled, taking Seetha's hand in mine. When I looked at her, she smiled. "Maybe you should tell them?" As Lady Suhanya said, it was her news to share.

She hesitated but nodded before turning towards my family and the few nobles who joined us. "I'm pregnant!"

I saw my father's face brighten instantly... even my mother looked a little pleased, though she looked more shocked than anything else as all the nobles who joined us began to whisper excitedly. "Wondrous news!" My father stood up and walked over to us. "Suhanya! Call the priest!"

"Already done, Maharajah," she smiled.

"Excellent!" When my father reached us, he took Seetha's face in his hands and pulled her forward, kissing her forehead. "May all the gods bless you with a happy and healthy child. Have you sent word to your family yet?"

She shook her head. "I have a letter written, I just haven't sent it yet. I wanted to tell Aaryan first–"

"How long have you known you were pregnant?" My mother asked immediately, making me roll my eyes. "You should have told us as soon as you found out."

"It's fine, Niranjana," my father said. "Do not let the wonderful news fly over your head," he looked back at Seetha. "Let your family know. Invite your mother over here if it will make you more comfortable... whatever you need, just ask, child."

Seetha smiled warmly at my father, putting her hands over his. "Thank you, I will make sure I keep you busy."

My father laughed before turning to me. "Congratulations my boy," he took my hands. "I will pray that your wife bares you a son as wonderful to you as you have been to me."

I bent down, touching his feet with my hands. "Thank you, father," when I straightened up, I saw my father grinning. "A grandchild!" He said, excitedly. "I never imagined the day would come so soon!"

Seetha laughed and I found myself smiling rather widely.

I had never seen my father so happy before. It seems like all the gold and riches and luxuries and land and victories pale in comparison to the birth of a child.