Page 49 of The Final Battle

Taking a deep breath, I clasped his hand and let him pull me out of the mental bubble I’d put myself in. As I opened my eyes, I found my men all standing around the settee I was placed on. Izel helped me to sit up but he pulled me close so I could lean on him as he wrapped his arms around me.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you all, that was just not information I was expecting to receive,“ I apologized.

A maid approached with a goblet of water, which I took. Paxton swiped it out of my hands and took a sip of it first, paused a moment then handed it back to me. “Can’t be too careful right now.“

“So you think drinking the poison yourself would be the right call?“ I snapped. “What if there had been something in it, then you’d have died. Trust me when I say that would not have made things better.“

Paxton gave me a guilty look as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking and just reacted.“

Queen Catharine waved Paxton aside so she could speak to me, sitting on the edge of the settee. “I’m so sorry dear, I didn’t know you weren’t wanting children. Sometimes, my excitement about things gets the better of me and I don’t always take into account how you would feel about the news. The world is changing and not every woman wants to be a mother.“

“That’s not it, at some point I did want to be a mother. My hope was this war would be over before that happened though. Right now, all I can think about is how I’m going to put my children in danger. In war there is no predicting what could happen and that is what had me so out of sorts,“ I assured her.

“You know what would be good for you, a visit to the summer house. It’s out of the city, a little more quiet, and has beautiful views all around. That’s where I went when I was pregnant with both my children. Then you don’t have to worry about prying eyes watching you blow up like a balloon and eat everything in sight,“ Queen Catharine shared, patting my knee.

My jaw dropped at how easily she’d just offered a fantastic reason for us to leave the city. If anyone heard about the trip, word would spread about my condition, which the Lost King might believe or he might think it’s part of the plan to get me there. In no other way has there been the slightest speculation that I could be pregnant.

“Thank you, your Majesty, that’s such a kind offer,“ I said, giving her an encouraging smile. “Only if it’s not too much trouble, I wouldn’t want you to feel obligated to offer that to me.“

“Nonsense child,“ she answered, waving off my worry. “I think a trip out there sounds lovely, we can even take the children and you can start to see what it’s like to be a mother.“

Panic at the idea of the kids being there if something went wrong had me turning to her husband. When he noticed my attention on him I gave a slight shake no, hoping he would step in and make some excuse.

“My love, while I’m sure you have good intentions, it’s still early in her pregnancy. Let the poor thing wrap her mind around it for a few days, then we can send the children up,“ he reasoned.

The queen pouted but nodded. “I suppose you’re right, we still have eight months yet to go before she has to be ready. Keeping her calm and healthy should be the focus of this whole thing after such a spell.“

My body sagged in relief, knowing that innocent lives wouldn’t be in jeopardy. While I didn’t trust Roulf to be honest about much, I didn’t think he was lying when he said if anyone touched the box that dragon heart was in it would kill them. That sounds exactly like something the Lost King would do to ensure he stayed immortal and protected from danger.

“Do you feel well enough to head back into the dinning room? It would help settle you to get some food in your stomach. I know you probably feel like eating is the last thing you want to do but it will help,“ Queen Catharine urged rising from the settee.

“Yes of course, here I am causing everyone else to go hungry with all my dramatics,“ I answered, motioning for Dayson who was close by to help me up.

While I felt perfectly fine, it was clear the queen expected me to act a certain way now that I was carrying a child and I would pretend the best I could. Granted, it looked like my men were just as concerned about my situation, the same way she was. That would be a conversation for later when it was just us. I didn’t plan to be the woman who hid herself away while she created life. My whole life I’d been instructed that it was unseemly for a woman large with child to be wandering about where people could see her. There is nothing unseemly about creating life, and as Queen of Sheca, I wasn’t going to be hiding behind any closed doors.

Dayson wrapped my arm around his as he led me back towards the dining hall, making sure to walk extremely slow. “Day,“ I whispered. “You aren’t going to break me by walking at a normal speed.“

He glanced down at me as if he didn’t believe a word I just said, but sped up to a normal pace. “It wasn’t just a shock to you.“

“I’m fully aware of that,“ I agreed. “When we get done with lunch, I plan for all of us to sit down and talk. This isn’t just about me or about you, there are nine of us directly affected by this surprise.“

“Are you happy?“ he questioned.

That was a fair question and I didn’t blame him for questioning that. “Now that I’ve had a moment to wrap my head around the idea, yes of course I’m happy. What makes me sad is that moment is being overshadowed by the fact I have a mad man to kill.“

“You mean we,“ Dayson corrected. “We have a mad man to kill. That duty isn’t resting solely on your shoulders, you know. The rest of us have more than enough reason to end him before this factor was added into the equation.“

“Let’s get through lunch, then we can all talk. I have a feeling the queen is going to smother me with all her good intentions,“ I sighed, resting my head on his arm as we returned to the dining hall.

“Alright everyone, take your seats and I’ll try not to share any more earth shattering insights,“ Queen Catharine said with a chuckle taking the seat next to her husband.

Chapter twenty-seven

Dayson

The last thing I wanted to do right now was to sit here and play nice with the stupidest, kindest queen I’ve ever encountered. Was this normal for royals? Did they all have a few marbles missing in their brains? Gavin’s father went mad and his mother now thinks everyone is out to get her since her children want to steal the throne. King Thomas couldn’t use the head that actually did the thinking and Queen Catharine had an entire personality change once Cassarah freed her mind.

I was a simple man who grew up with things being black, white, and gray when it came to the jobs we took. There were rules we followed, but when you knew them you also understood which ones you could break if need be.