8 quarter moans and a storm, that flooded the moat in the castle on the Eastern side of the kingdom, later and the queen was still without news of whether she bore an heir or not.
The ceremonious night had not been the last of the love making and they'd tried nearly every night since, yet she still did not feel the trademark signs of pregnancy. The former queen made daily visits in the morn with the maids, checking Julia all over and asking questions, yet the answers remained the same... Never changing and bringing with them the hopes of the royal couple.
That morning differed not as MinHo's mother strolled in, keeping a face tilted away from her dozing sun as she fled to the bathing quarters with the barely awoken queen.
"Is there any news today?" she asked, beginning the bath like she were the maid (who was hardly in the room at that point).
As if ashamed that she wasn't able to conceive, Julia fixed her chin downwards, giving a shake to her head. "Unfortunately not," she said.
The older women patted the girl's shoulder sympathetically. In her crow feet traced eyes she held a hope that rubbed off on Julia.
"We shan't rush these things... Creating a family can take time," she consoled, slipping to the side to let the maids swoop in to do their jobs.
Still, after preparing the queen into a sapphire blue dress and adding necessary details to her look, she still felt burdened by her responsibility. A walk through the gardens was meant to soother her shaky nerves, but as much as the blooming daffodils and swooping arms of the willow trees were beautiful they weren't enough to keep her above her concerns.
Her wistful sigh flew up to tremble the leaves and petals, carrying with it an intoxicating emotion that almost settled on the whole kingdom, waiting just as anxiously for news.
As her strides slowed and she approached the pond where the water lilies danced, her thoughts strayed to her husband.
Handsome MinHo, ruler of many, and caring... She saw the flame dwindle in his eyes, shake with each puff of air that came out of her mouth when she once against confirmed that a child was not yet coming.
How could she make it happen though?
To see her people disheartened by the silence from the palace she could handle. The somber attitude from her mother-in-law was tolerable. But to see MinHo pining for a family and to see him continuously shot down - by her tongue - was more than she could deal with.
"Oh, please, just give me a child..." Julia whispered as she perched on a bench over looking the still water.
The afternoon was wasted sitting out in the gardens, concealed by the aromas of the assortment of flowers. With drooping eyes the queen watched the sun's glare infiltrate the diamond surface of the green water, turning it emerald as if it, too, was of noble heritage. It wouldn't be long before dark crept in.
The setting sun meant she'd skipped not only her lunch meal but her dinner as well, most likely concerning the many workers and MinHo especially.
She was counting in her head now how long it would take for the king to traipse across the grounds to accompany her. Every one of her hiding spots was known by the man as during courtship he'd followed her around like she was honey and he a bee.
As predicted, the familiar sound of crunching grass reverberated within her head, announcing the arrival of someone. They gained on her yet Julia didn't turn around seeing as she could discern the shape of the shadow in the space before her.
"M'lady," MinHo said, concern tainting the gravel quality of his voice.
"I'm sorry I couldn't accompany you for our meal, my lord," Julia apologized, still not looking back.
MinHo stayed silent for a long moment, debating with his words before finally entrapping the hand of the queen and pulling it to his lap.
"You're fretting over small details," he told her.
Julia gnawed her lower lip, knowing he was entirely right, but she couldn't shrug off her panic. She didn't feel like she was infertile, but if she was she was afraid the kingdom would no longer respect her. Worst, she feared MinHo would abandon her.
"What... What if we're never able to conceive...?" she asked the king, leaning onto his shoulder.
His large hand stroked her delicate hair, rhythmically brushing to calm her.
"You mustn't think negatively... Maybe the future heir is simply taking his time..." he murmured.
"I do hope you're right," the queen sighed.
Alas, the sun kissed the horizon, washing the light from the palace grounds and announcing the end of that day. An end that wouldn't be celebrated by the usual steps to their love dance.
