Chapter 91: Request Denied

"Denied?" Marix repeated as he crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side.

"That’s right, Sir. Please have a wonderful day." The guard held his arm out towards the town.

Marix scoffed, "We’ve traveled a long way to get here. We risked our lives to get here and even lost a ship full of crew! I DEMAND an audience as the 2nd prince of Viraaz and the General of the army!"

The guard shook his head, "Sir, there is nothing we can do. The King and Queen have already rejected the request. That’s that."

"I cannot take no for an answer. We cannot leave here without speaking to them. It’s life or death!"

Marix tried to push forward and knock on the doors. The guards threw themselves at him, trying to stop him.

"Sir! Sir! You cannot do this!" One of them lifted a whistle to his mouth and blew it, letting out a high-pitched screech.

Marix winced at the sound that pierced his eardrums as he shoved the guards off and slammed his fist against the door.

"I WILL NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER! I COME ON BEHALF OF THE KINGDOM OF VIRAAZ! LET ME IN!"

The two guards tackled him, grabbing him by the waist as they tried to haul him away. Marix was strong, much stronger than the two of them, and barely budged.

"Sir! The King and Queen do not wish to meet! Please take your business elsewhere!"

After some struggling, they finally managed to push him away from the door.

"We understand you came a long way and that risks were involved and we are sorry for your loss, but this is not our problem. We did not invite you to come all this way. If you made a decision that turned out poorly, Norain cannot be held responsible."

Marix stood back, his arms crossed once again as he nodded with a smirk.

"No, you didn’t. It’s like I said, it was life or death so we had no choice but to come. Here. If you can give this to the King and Queen, I’m positive their minds will change."

He reached into his pouch and grabbed one of the coins. He held it out for them to take, but they raised their hands in the air.

"Sir! We do not take bribes! This is wildly inappropriate! Please leave immediately!"

Marix shook his head. "It’s not a bribe. Just show it to the King and Queen. At the very least, pass it onto them."

By the time, a group of guards had shown up, and seen Marix being pushed away. They grabbed him by the arms and hauled him back to the town, shoving him towards it.

"Enjoy your time in Norain. Please do not show up at the castle again."

Marix chewed on the inside of his cheek.

’At least they’re polite. I’ll have to figure out a way to get in there one way or another.’

For now, he needed to focus on replenishing those under him and Eilownia. Entering the Norain Castle would have to wait for another day.

He walked the streets looking for the markets again. It was difficult, the town was set up almost like a labyrinth. Houses and buildings were attached to each other with very few alleys and the streets felt like they split into multiple paths with no markers.

The architecture looked practically the same as well, making it near impossible for him to get his bearings.

Finally, he found the inn that he and Eilownia were staying at thanks to its giant sign that sat above its door, "The House Stone Inn."

From there, he was able to find the markets, or at least where they were set up to continue their festivities from yesterday.

He returned to the docks with a cart full of food and rolled it on board.

"Come and get your next meal!" He called.

They ran over like crazed wild animals, their eyes wide at the contents on the cart, their mouths salivating.

They started to cheer loudly as they began to unload the contents of the cart.

"Meat! We have meat! No more fish!" Prav screamed as he picked up jars of cured meat.

"There’s a bunch of vegetables too!" Tryde exclaimed as he opened up two of the barrels.

"Can we come on shore now, General?" Etil asked as he helped lift one of the barrels.

"Not yet. You’ll all have to remain here for the time being, but I’ll let you know as soon as it’s possible. For now, enjoy a hearty meal and wait for my further instructions."

A loud groan erupted from everyone’s mouths as they heard they had to stay on the ship even longer, but when Jinya announced she could make steak and vegetables for everyone, those groans evaporated quickly.

"I’ll be off now. Enjoy your meal." Marix said to the crowd, who was not at all paying any attention to him.

He smiled and shook his head as he headed back towards the inn. He had to admit, despite its maze-like city design, the town was quite pleasant. The buildings were well made and aesthetically pleasing, the people were polite – for the most part, and the temperature was perfect.

When he returned to the inn, Eilownia was lying on the bed, reading a book that had been provided by the staff. He sat next to her, the mattress dipping underneath his weight.

"Do you want to go out and see Norain? They are celebrating something. It might be nice to get out for a bit." He asked before rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

"I don’t want to. I feel unwell. I just want to stay here." She said quietly, closing her book.

"You feel unwell?" He repeated, his voice full of alarm, "What are you feeling?"

She wrinkled her face and slid her hand underneath her back, "My back’s been hurting a lot today."

"Here." Marix helped her sit up and slowly began to massage her back, "How is that?"

She let out a sigh, "It feels good."

"Your back is probably hurting from laying up all the time. Rest today and tomorrow we’ll go shopping."

She turned to look at him and tilted her head, "I thought I was on bedrest?"

Marix stopped and thought for a moment before nodding lightly with his eyebrows raised, "Yes. But, you still need to get some sun and walk around for blood flow. Your back is probably hurting because you’ve been laying down all day. We’ll just walk around a bit, nothing strenuous."

"Are you sure?" She asked nervously, blinking up at him.

Marix leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips, "I would never endanger you or our child."

The next morning, Marix helped Eilownia out of bed. Her stomach was huge, causing her to have difficulty moving around and making her waddle.

They walked through the marketplace and looked at all of the wares. Norain certainly had their own distinct item selection.

Eilownia, of course, was drawn to all of the baby supplies they had on display, her face finally lighting up at the sight of the clothes and toys.

Marix carried around the bags of things they’d bought as Eilownia spent to her heart’s content.

However, he noticed that whenever they used the coins to purchase their items, the merchants all gave an odd look. Almost like they didn’t know what to make of them.

’Are these coins not from Norain specifically?’ he wondered as more and more of them had the same reactions.

When they returned to the inn, Eilownia stretched and sat down on the bed.

"You were right. My back does feel a bit better."

"Here let me massage it some more."

Marix sat next to her and got to work rubbing her back, kneading it with his fingertips.

After a few moments of silence, Eilownia quietly whispered, "What will we do if I have to have the baby here in Norain?"

Marix chuckled, "You’re definitely going to have the baby here. You’re just about at the end of your pregnancy. You’re due any time now."

He slid his hand around to her stomach, feeling their baby suddenly kick against his palm.

"What will happen if I do? We aren’t Norain citizens. Will they take away our baby?"

Marix burst into laughter.

"Take away our baby?! Why would you think something like that?"

She shrugged, "I don’t know, maybe something like that happened with me."

He shook his head and returned to massaging her back.

"No, nothing like that will happen. Even if they try, I won’t let them. Don’t worry. Just focus on how you’re feeling and your needs. Besides, we have currency to buy whatever you need and Dr. Lein is with us as well."

She nodded slowly, her mouth twisting with anxiety.

Feeling her body tense up a bit, he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Relax. Dr. Lein and I will take care of you. Nothing bad is going to happen. I swear it to you."