In a small restaurant, a man dressed in plain trousers and tunic with a large pack on his back, walked in with his friends and sat down at a table near the door. A young boy came over to wipe their table.
"What can I get you?
The man's voice sounded like he ate lava rocks. "Something cold and sweet."
The boy frowned. "Yes, sir."
One of his companions nudged him with a sly smile. "What exotic thing did you just order?"
The man smiled and spoke in his natural voice. "I really want juice. I can't wait to go home."
"Your wife has spoiled you," the other companion said.
A silly grin spread out on his face. "Yes. He has."
An older waiter stopped at a nearby table with a tray full of food and drink. As he set the dishes and drinks down in front of the four guests. A gossip, he loved when new people showed up to chat with. He looked around and lowered his voice. "Did you hear the latest news?"
A chubby, well-dressed man with a cap on his head, picked up his utensils ready to dig in. "Hear what?"
"The empress cleared out the harem."
The woman beside the chubby man let out a shrill shriek. "What!"
"Lies!" Another man beside the chubby man hissed looking around.
The waiter was undeterred. "For truth."
The chubby man covered one side of his face and shoved a piece of meat in his mouth. "Why would he do that?'
"Isn't the emperor away?" the woman asked in a lowered voice.
The older waiter nodded "Aye. I heard he was jealous and wanted to get rid of them before the emperor returned. He even slit the throat of the mother of the eldest prince."
"How could you spread such rubbish?" The woman scoffed and lifted her chin. "The empress is so loved. He doesn't need to be jealous of those people. Let alone kill."
The waiter put his hands on his hips as if offended. "I'm just tellin' you what I heard."
The young woman who had been sitting and eating in silence, narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah? And who is the brave soul that risked their life to sneak that bit of juicy news out of the palace?"
The waiter put his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out. "My sister's cousins aunt -on the father's side -friend of a brother- that worked in the stable of the farmhand-- next to the minister."
The four people at the table looked at him with a look of stunned disbelief. This waiter was spewing gossip he heard from a stranger as if it were actual truth. Being a successful businessman, the chubby man knew when to be diplomatic in situations. He took a sip of his drink and dabbed the corner of his mouth.
"Well, we certainly appreciate you sharing this news with us. We must hurry to eat. We have a meeting with the minister of commerce in an hour's time."
"Yes, of course. Enjoy your meals." The waiter bowed and hurried off.
The older woman looked at her husband. "What are your thoughts?"
He angrily shoved several mouthfuls of food before answering through clenched teeth. "We will not repeat this. If fools want to hang themselves, so be it." He took a gulp of his drink and set the cup down on the table with too much force. "Hurry up. We need to leave."
The men at the nearby table digested the conversation they just heard. Rumors about the harem weren't new. Such an exaggeration, that was new.
"This is quite the smear campaign."
"Indeed."
"If the rumor gets anymore out of control, the ministers may try to impeach the empress."
"It's fortunate we finished the tasks he assigned us and returned ahead of time."
"Yes, yes! We can be a source of extra support for him in the court."
"When is the emperor due to return?"
"His convoy should return in the next seven days."
"You're awfully silent."
He snorted softly with a smile. "Yeah. Guess I am." He took a drink from his cup and sighed. "A lot can happen in only fifteen days."
**********
Shaugn sat at his desk going over his notes under the bright candlelight. In the two weeks Xoan was gone, he'd done a lot. He rectified the harem and sent people away and locked a few up. The princes and princesses were undergoing the harshest relearning program he could bring himself to inflict on them. Just because the ancients were barbaric in their punishments, didn't mean he'd follow suit. He'd dealt with the court and blocked powerful ministers from getting in the way of future progress. Xoan already had his own spy network in place. Shaugn just added more eyes in ears in more places in order to deal with things in a more timely manner.
All in all, he was content with how things were going.
He rubbed his stomach and sighed. Now if things could be quiet for a while, he could focus on growing this little human in his body. He picked up his fan and began fanning himself as a wave of heat came over him.
"If I could go back, I'd apologize to my mom and sisters," Shaugn whispered to himself. He smiled and stroked the swell of his belly. No more hiding it. There was a knock on the door before it clicked open. Dagaslan poked his big head in before trotting over to him. Shaugn couldn't help laughing at the creature as he rubbed against him acting more like a giant dog than a lethal cat.
"Where do you get off to all the time? I'm gonna put a leash on you so you can't run off and leave me alone."
Dagaslan stood on his hind legs and draped his arms over Shaugn's shoulders in a hug. Shaugn couldn't help laughing hard as he hugged him.
"You are something else." He silently held Dagaslan and let his mind wander. "Things are going to get chaotic soon. Maybe even dangerous." Shaugn let go of Dagaslan and stood up. He walked across the room to his wardrobe and changed his outer robe. He caught sight of his reflection in the mirror on the back of his door. There were dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks looked a little sunken. Surprised, Shaugn pushed and pulled on his cheeks.
"Damn ancients are stressin' me out," he muttered. Smacking his cheeks, he shut the wardrobe and vowed to increase his food intake.