Chapter Three

When the king heard what the first Queen told her about the birth of a new prince. He headed towards the nurse department forthwith he came out of his room. He sauntered as if he was thinking of something. He was in a sheer royal cloth. He preferred simple wears which would endeavour him to move with solace. He was in his typical footwear. His cloth-hand shape was so long that one couldn't see his hand, it was because of the winter atmosphere. As he was strolling, he was gawking around, taking a step after the other with his two hands clasped together behind him. He soliloquized as he strode. The extent of the nurse department to where he was, was some distance away. The palace was so massive that the major activities of the kingdom did take place therein excluding market activities. His eyeballs were blur, one could think he was sleeping while glimpsing. His cloth breezed due to its softness. He was a thin man, but he desired huge cloths.

At the nurse department, most of the fabrics in the rooms were white. The door was made with iron and painted brown. The windows were also left open to ventilate the rooms. When the king entered, he peeked around endeavouring to locate where the Queen was. When the people in the nurse rooms saw him, they all left what they were doing and bow down their heads, it was the norm of the kingdom. When the king twisted his eyes for a while. He saw them. He strode towards their direction, all those who bow down their heads proceeded with what they were doing forthwith the king moved. The king reached where the nurses were with the queen laid on the bed. They bowed down their heads in reverence of the king. The king lifted his hand in a signal for their acknowledgement. The bed which the queen laid was shrouded with a white cloth. The foam was positioned on an iron made stand. The iron stand was also painted white. The nurse was stood while the king declined to seat on the wooden chair he was given, he in lieu seat on the bed beside the Queen. The new prince wasn't there with them. They were taking care of it in the vestibule. The nurses were afraid to disclose the news of the new prince nature to avert his wrath. They were glaring at one another trembling like a hen that had been drained. The king didn't notice their reaction as all his concentration was on the Queen who was laid with eyes closed on the bed. Though they didn't know the king had been told about the child nature they haven't told anyone, they thought disclosing it to the king could provoke him and might endanger their position in the department. Forthwith the child was born in the labour room, they took the Queen out to her bed and make sure no one had learnt about it unknown to them that one of the maids peeped through and eavesdropped the nurse conversation forthwith the child was put to bed in the labour room. The king concentrated his eye on the Queen. The nurses who were thinking of how they would disclose the news to him were carried away and were left stunned as to why the king was so concentrated on the Queen in such a manner. The king beamed and the nurses were left astounded.

"Is it a male or a female?", asked the king.

"A male, His Majesty!", the nurses chorused in reply peeking at one another with their head bowed.

The king was very amazed and opened his eyes in disbelief. The nurses were anxious when they saw his reaction, they thought he wasn't happy with it. The king soliloquized that he asked a similar question from the first Queen but he gave entirely another reply. The king thought flashbacked what the first Queen told him about the child being a dwarf, though if he was a dwarf he still wouldn't be that concern he didn't believe what he heard from the Queen, he thought the Queen must have reiterated that out of spite. The king noticed the reaction which he hadn't seen since he arrived at the nurse room. He noticed the nurses were susurrating into one another's ear. He gaped as to what they could have been uttering, though he did as if he didn't notice. He was stylishly shrouding the Queen body with the shroud very well. He noticed the stain of blood on the bed.

"Where is the child?", asked the king, rising on his feet.

The king noticed mute. He gazed at them curiously awaiting them to respond to his question. They used their hand to scrub the back of their neck like someone who was itching. What the first Queen said about the child crossed his psyche again. The nurses were peeking around. The king doesn't usually get provoked by such occurrence. He was very jovial and he understood everyone's situation irrespective of whom they were even though he did segregate the middle class. If he was tensed in nature, he would have vociferated, but he maintained calmness till the nurses concluded their drama. There was nothing he would be told that would provoke him. He was surprised that the nurses hadn't known him all these while. The king resolved to go into the labour room to meet the nurse master as he couldn't go on standing with the nurses who were hesitating to reply to his question. They stretched out their hands to halt him from going towards the direction he headed.

"He is in the labour room being cleaned and taken care of", one of the nurses replied reluctantly.

The king nodded his head in approval. What the first Queen told her continued to run through his psyche. He also thought maybe something had happened to the child but if so they ought to have told him, he thought. The nurses were surprised because they thought the king would nudge into the labour room in objection. The king kissed the Queen's forehead. The first Queen entered immediately and saw that the king pecking the second Queen. He couldn't imagine such because she expected the king to be furious towards her to have given birth to a dwarf. The Queen stood at the entrance looking at the king from a medium distance. Her left hand was on the pillar that held the iron door, she held it tight and felt infuriated towards the king. She had tried all means to triumph the psyche of the King against her but all was to no avail. The last one she thought would crown her long effort was still unsuccessful as the king was giving her a sassy smirk. The king slanted on his feet, the nurses stood before him. The first Queen who was the entrance vanished forthwith and headed towards her room with her infuriated gaze. The king bid the nurses a bye and exuded that he would be expecting the child. And they all bowed down their head as he headed towards the entrance.