A Sinless Betrayal by Cherie Benjamin (books to read for 12 year olds .TXT) 📖

You can try, but I doubt that the harem will be removed."

I frown and chew on my lip. "A lot of things have changed since I came," I say to her. "Abigor's softer. A lot of the conflicts that we faced both faced when I first came to Stauckana are now gone. I wouldn't be surprised if he did."

Evalyn sighs and gives me a sympathetic little smile as if she knows something I don't. "I'm still not holding my hopes."

I'm a little bit disappointed that she doesn't believe me, but when one has been living this way for so long I suppose it's hard to think that things could change. I look out the great open window to see the fields and fields of barren trees and frozen grounds glistening with crystal snow in the sun.

Winter of 1321. One of the harshest and desolate winters I'd ever experienced. I cradle my heavily pregnant stomach and stand up, my back cracking loudly. "Oh gods," I whisper as another wave of pain ripples through me. "Evalyn, is it supposed to hurt this badly?"

The woman sighs. "Unfortunately yes. The gods have not ruled in favour of the women during pregnancy. All they gave us were methods to soothe the pain." She pulls out a small vile of green liquid and shows it to me. "I gave this to Michelle when she went into labour and it helped her a lot. Do you want half a dose now?"

I wave her off, holding my stomach again. Nausea permeates through me and I squeeze my eyes shut until it passes. "I think I'll need all of it when I actually go into labour," I say to her. "Let us just pray that the elixir works."

I begin to walk out of the small room when I run into a flustered Abigor. "Where you been?" he says, grabbing my hand tightly and squeezing me against his body. "I was so worried when I saw that you weren't in the harem with Cassandra anymore."

He buries his nose in my hair and inhales my pheromones. His skin is extremely hot to the touch. "Ow," I groan and pull away from him slightly. Another wave of pain electrocutes through my body. I double over from the pain. This time it's bad.

When I thought that the previous contractions (as Evalyn told me they were) were painful, they were nothing compared to the one that I just felt. On a scale from 1 to 10, the pain was no doubt a 9 or a 10.

I feel suddenly faint and the ground seems to be getting closer and closer. Abigor catches me before I can hit the ground. I feel something wet running down my legs as the pain grows worse and worse. I scream. I can't help it, and I don't care who hears me. It's just so bad.

Evalyn rushes over and frantically gives me a checkup. I'm slowly fading in and out of darkness. "Her time," is all I can hear her say before I float away into the darkness.

0o0o0o0o

I don't remember much of how I got into this room but I remember the searing pain between my legs as Abigor carried me away. I fade in and out of consciousness with Evalyn pleading with to push and Abigor looking extremely distressed, clutching my hand like it was a rope suspending him over a pit of angry lions.

The horrid pain comes when I give one large push and Evalyn is finally coaxing the baby from my body. I let out a spine-tingling, blood-curdling scream as the infant is finally out of me.

I see blackness for a few moments. When I come to again, I can see Abigor holding a screaming child in his arms, his eyes wide in and his face resemble those of a shocked man's. And a new father's. He breaks into a smile and sighs in a relief only a moment later.

Evalyn sees me and she strokes the side of my face. "Sleep, my Sarauniya. You have been through a long ordeal. I shall tend to the child until you wake."

I don't question. I slip into sleep as soon as my eyelids shut.

0o0o0o0o

I wake up in my room, feeling a little better with the sun filtering through the curtains and warming my bed sheets. I still ache everywhere and my throat feels sore since I'd been screaming from the pain. I look around the room, only to see Abigor drinking wine in his great bearskin chair by the roaring fire.

I sit up on the bed a little too quickly and groan. He hears me rustling and nearly drops his wine. He throws the goblet to the side before rushing to my side with a worried look on his face. "You are okay?" he asks me, wrapping me up in his arms.

I hug him right back, burying my face in his shoulder. "I was so worried about you, Tiger Claw." He's whispering to me, his unnatural strength threatening to crush my petite and especially fragile frame.

"Abigor," I whimper. He loosens his grip a little, placing a tender kiss on my temple. He lies back on the pillows and I follow him, nestling into the crook of his arm. He smells like cinder smoke and fresh, sweet mint.

"So strong," I hear him murmur. "You didn't…succumb to the pain." He looks down at the floor, gulping. I know that what he means to say is: "You didn't…die. And I'm so thankful that you're alive."

I skirt my fingers along his structured jawbone and kiss the dimple in his chin. "Stop stressing, please…" I murmur, my throat still scratchy. "I'm here, by your side, and I'm not going anywhere."

He turns his head to look at me, his deep chocolate eyes burning hot holes into mine. "You don' know how good that feels to hear that from you." He dips his head to capture my lips in a kiss of passion. Abigor's kisses are always filled with love and the utmost care. His tongue strokes over mine as he forces my mouth wider open. I melt into his touch, savouring the way he tastes like mulled wine.

We break apart a moment later. "The baby?" I ask him with furrowed brows. He nods his head.

"The baby's well," he whispers, wiping a tendril of sweaty curls from my forehead and tucking it gently behind my ear. "You gave birth to a healthy boy. It is a great honour in Hausa society for a wife to give birth to a boy as their first child."

"And where is he then?" I sit up a little too fast, but I ignore the pain in my stomach. "I wish to see my child."

"Shh," he murmurs, pushing me to lay back down. "You need time to heal. I'll tell Evalyn to bring the baby to you."

As he walks out into the hallway to notify a maid, I sit back against the pillows and try and imagine what my child will look like. Evalyn is in my doorway with a little bundle in her arms when I look up. She smiles at me.

"Your new baby, Sarauniya," She whispers. I stretch out my arms, eager to hold my child for the first time in forever. She sets the little bundle down in my arms.

When I look at him, my breath is taken away. A full head of dark black hair, tan skin, and big brown eyes. And a smile. A toothless smile that takes my breath away. I kiss him on the forehead. "Beautiful," is all I can manage out.

I never believed that I'd ever give birth to a prince, but I have. And I am the king's queen, and I will give him as many sons and daughters as he desires.

"What do we call him?" Abigor asks softly, coming over to sit beside me and our child. "First a common name…and then a barbarian one." He smirks at me.

I smile right back at him. I am not ashamed to be called the Queen of the Barbarians. I am not ashamed and I never will be. "I have always liked Noah for a little boy's name. What do you think?"

He seems to process it over in his head. "N-No-ah." He rolls it around on his tongue. "Your names from Bellechester are peculiar," he chuckles. "But…I like No-ah."

I grin at him. "Then Noah it is. You must give him the proper barbarian name, my king."

"His name shall be Kerkeci Kambori. Wolf Claw."

I love the name. He's mixed our names together: Dances with Wolves and Tiger Claw since our love has mixed to create our son. "Strong like his mother, Tiger Claw. Powerful and brave just like his father." He looks down at the tiny child lying in my arms. "One day he will be a fierce warrior, ruling all of the continent Bertol, and dominating kingdoms far and wide. He will sit on the great throne of Stauckana. He will be the greatest king the world has known."

I look up at him, and how I can see the excitement in his eyes as he speaks so gloriously of his son. "You, my love, are the greatest king I have ever known and I will ever know."

He looks down at me and strokes the side of my face. "My soyayya a gare ku, bã zã su gushe bugun jini saboda haka karfi, ta hanyar jiki." He whispers to me. "Ka bã ni rai kuma. Ka bã ni da." (My love for you will never cease to pulse so strongly through my body. You have given me life again. You have given me a son.)

Noah gurgles below us and starts to cry. "He is most likely hungry, Sarauniya," Evalyn says to me. "Feed him upon your breast."

I nod my head and unclip the side of my nightgown, letting the child latch onto my nipple. I've never felt such a strong connection with a child—my child. The only connection I'd felt stronger was with Abigor.

The fact that I gave birth to his child is thrilling and I take great pride in my body's work. "We will win this war," I whisper, looking far out into the distance at the great barren trees swaying in the distance. "And we will live a long, peaceful life."

0o0o0o0o

…

Abigor draws his troops out of Bellechester after they had dominated the kingdom. Drinks of Waterfall returns, but not without a price. He has lost his arm in the fight, reducing his once great mass of muscle bulk down to a short stump.

They give him a tattoo of high honour so that people will know that Drinks Of Waterfall gave his arm for a great reason. He sees his child and his wife for the first time in a month and breaks down into tears.

I have never seen him so vulnerable.

Three Horses returns home unscathed, and as does White Fire Sun and Grey Hawk. They return to their wives and celebrate the victories in the north. Pateros, however, is still putting up a fight. Queen Amelie has put her son, Prince Titus on the throne with his new wife and he has been pointing his fingers here and there, directing the Navy when there were no sea battles declared.

Abigor retaliated by sending 1,000 some fleets of naval ships to meet the Paterosian army on the Barbarian Sea.

It has been about a week or so since I had my child. I call him by Wolf Claw, since I know it pleases Abigor. He claims that Wolf Claw is the name fit for a warrior and that our son is nothing less than a warrior.

Since has wolf blood running through his veins, Wolf Claw has been growing more rapidly than other children. He is a calm child, rather content with sitting in my arms and watching the world go on around him. He is also fascinated with the king and queens' thrones in the throne room.

With bright eyes, he looks at the skewered bear heads positioned above Abigor's throne and the intricate designs and sparkling crystals on