Lam was bored. She was sick of being stuck in the manor doing nothing but feeding the life inside her (frankly, her appetite had never been small or ladylike and the extra drawing on her resources saw her practically haunting the kitchen, day and night) and... well... gestating. It was all she was capable of doing in her big-bellied condition, for her former svelte figure had been swallowed by a baby belly the size of a cow\'s.
Her ankles were swollen, her back ached and her bladder was little more than a punching bag for tiny fists but she was determined that she was going to do something more constructive with her final few weeks (? Perhaps days? Hours!?) of pregnancy than lay about the house and eat. She was hungry for some action, hungry for some life and the only place she could find to satisfy that hunger (with her husband at work and her wait staff too busy preparing her frequent meals to talk) was out in the keep.
It was a beautiful day; crisp and cool but the snows were gone and the earth was getting ready to renew itself. Since there\'d been not a glimpse of a cloud in the sky, she\'d decided that it was a fabulous excuse for a stroll. Despite it not being the ladylike thing to do, she decided to go out and enjoy the air.
Hurrying upstairs, she\'d pulled on the nicest pregnancy outfit her aunt had made for her - a royal blue dress of velvet that clung to her ponderous breasts and belly (though gave the former some discreet support from a very firm inner lining, considering that a corset was out of the question) but held a sleek bell-like skirt and sleeves that floated prettily about her limbs. Of course, it was still much too cool to go out in just that, so she pulled on the matching cloak and her sturdy walking boots for warmth.
The cloak had a beautiful snow fox fur lining at the wrists and around the oversized cowl (it puddled slightly upon her broad shoulders), softening her radiant features even further and framing her attractively. The deep blue was a perfect offset to her red hair, which she left down beneath the hood, so long, wavy tendrils of it curled towards her breasts and where the cloak was sealed.
Deciding she was ready, Lady Liari set off, uncaring that she should be enclosed secretively inside the house simply because she was about to undergo the mystery of childbirth. She headed along the cobbled paths of the Inner Keep, admiring the way the mid morning sun glinted on the dewy trees and dappled the first brave shoots of grass at the roadside gaily. She nodded at anyone who passed her, her smile only broadening if they happened to cast a reproachful look at the very obvious bump beneath her clothes. Yes! she felt like shouting. I\'m pregnant because I had a lot of sex with my husband and I feel wonderful!
She didn\'t shout anything, though. She merely ducked her head so that her cowl fell forward slightly, hiding her smirk. The fact that most people recognised her as the former Captain of the Guard meant that anonymity wasn\'t a possibility, but that didn\'t bother her either. She strolled and smiled, stopping here and there to have a conversation with sympathetic folk, discussing the weather, the way the baby kept her awake some nights - kicking her kidneys into submission - and what a wonderful job Captain Frederickson had done about whatever they\'d had to do with him over. It made her heart sing to hear her good friend praised and she cherished those conversations the most.
Eventually, she waddled her way to the centre of the public area, beside the stables, to the courtyard and the keep\'s maze. The palace was not far away but she knew her place with regard to that building and so she decided to take a rest on one of the pretty benches placed around the grassy courtyard area. It sat beneath an old, broad tree that blocked the now-insistent sun and she was surprised at what a relief it was to immerse herself in its shade. Walking and talking was hot work - her feet and stomach were also complaining of ill-treatment now that she\'d stopped, too.
Dropping the cowl back onto her shoulders and running fingers through her shiny red shoulder-length hair (which had actually grown almost halfway down her back since she\'d not got a haircut in a few moons) to straighten it, she decided she would lean back on the wooden seat back for just a short while and then head back to the manor. It was lunch time and most were heading in for their midday meals anyway; she and the baby needed their sustenance as much as others did and if no conversation was going to be on offer, she might as well head home. She\'d already achieved her goal of getting out of the house, after all.
She tipped her head back to look up at the myriad of leaves on the tree, allowing her eyes to fall closed as a few spots of sunlight danced upon her smiling face, recuperating and gathering her energy for the walk home.
