Chapter 40
Cora POV
We leave for the royal wedding in two days, and Garrion has been tirelessly organizing the fortress for our absence.
His attention to detail reassures me, though my own thoughts are far less steady.
Soma’s belly is growing quickly now, and the doctor suspects she carries twins.
Mika has promised to remain with her, ensuring she is cared for while we are away.
I sit in the dining hall, staring down at the bowl of porridge before me.
Each spoonful feels heavier than the last, my stomach twisting with every attempt to swallow.
When Mika joins me, his plate piled high with meat, the sight alone makes my insides lurch.
I press a hand to my mouth, fighting the urge to bring it up.
It is the third morning in a row that I’ve felt this way. My body rebels against breakfast, and today, the spoon slips from my fingers, clattering against the table. A chill runs through me, my monthly bleed is more than two weeks late.
No… no… no. This cannot be happening.
I’ve been careful. I’ve taken the tonic the doctor provided, every dose without fail. Yet the possibility gnaws at me, undeniable now.
“Everything alright, Cora?” Mika asks, concern etched across his face.
“Yes!” I exclaim too quickly, my voice sharper than intended. I push back from the table, rising with sudden urgency. “I’ve forgotten something.”
Without another word, I march from the hall, my steps quick and determined, heading straight for the doctor’s quarters. My heart pounds with dread and hope tangled together, each beat echoing the question I cannot silence: Am I carrying Garrion’s child?
“My lady,” the doctor greets me, bowing his head slightly. “What can I do for you?”
I steady myself, though my voice trembles as I speak. “I think I may be with child… but I have been taking your contraceptive tonic exactly as instructed.”
His brow furrows, the lines on his face deepening as he turns toward his workstation. He opens a large box, carefully lifting out a small vial. As he examines it, I see the color drain from his face.
“I am so sorry, my lady,” he whispers, his voice heavy with dread. “It seems… I have missed an ingredient.”
The words strike me like a blow. My stomach twists violently, and before I can stop it, I double over, retching. The doctor rushes to my side, pressing a cloth into my hands, his expression stricken with guilt.
I clutch the cloth, my breath uneven, torn between fear and a fierce, protective instinct rising within me.
How will Garrion take these news?
The thought claws at me, relentless. He was clear, he would not even consider the possibility of a child until we were free of the King’s reach. Until our lives were our own. And now, fate has twisted the path beneath us.
I steady myself, though my voice comes out sharper than I intend. “How many other women have you given this tonic to?” I demand, my eyes narrowing at the doctor.
“Many, my lady,” he admits, his tone heavy with guilt.
“Then you had better go and tend to them,” I order, my words clipped, leaving no room for argument. I turn on my heel and walk out before he can say another word.
The corridors feel suffocating, every step echoing with the weight of what I carry. I don’t know where to go, only that I need to be alone. My feet carry me to the stables, the familiar scent of hay and leather wrapping around me like a balm.
Zeus lifts his great head as I approach, his dark eyes steady, unjudging. I press my hands to his mane, stroking him with trembling fingers. The tears spill hot and fast, blurring my vision as I lean into his strength.
“I don’t know what to do,” I whisper into the silence, my voice breaking. “If Garrion sees this as betrayal, if he thinks I’ve trapped him…”
Zeus snorts softly, nudging me as though to remind me of my own resilience. I cling to him, letting the sobs come, the weight of fear and love tangled together.
I want to protect Garrion from this burden, shield him from the chains of the King and the dangers of the world. Yet now, if I truly carry his child, I must protect more than him, I must protect us all.
Eventually, I make my way back to the fortress, the weight of my thoughts pressing down with every step. The corridors feel colder, the stone walls heavier, as though they know the secret I carry.
As I enter the main hall, I catch sight of Garrion speaking with Mika.
Their voices are low, their expressions serious, though I cannot bring myself to linger long enough to hear the words.
Garrion’s presence pulls at me, steady and familiar, but I cannot face him, not yet. Not with this storm inside me.
I keep my head down, my pace quickening. I do not stop, do not greet them, do not allow myself to falter. My heart pounds as though it fears discovery, as though Garrion might read the truth in my eyes if I so much as glance his way.
I push past the murmurs of the hall and head straight for our room. The door closes behind me with a finality that feels like a shield. Alone at last, I press my back against the wood, breathing hard, trying to steady myself.
Garrion POV
I see Cora enter the hall, but she rushes past me without a word. Her pace is too quick, her eyes downcast. Something is wrong. I catch the faint redness around her eyes, she’s been crying.
I make a quiet excuse to Mika, my voice steady though my chest tightens, and follow her through the corridors. When I reach our chamber, I pause. Behind the door, I hear her breathing, uneven, heavy, as though she’s leaning against it for support.
“Cora,” I say gently, pushing the door open.
She shifts away from me, moving toward the window, her back turned. The light spills across her shoulders, but she will not face me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, approaching carefully, my voice low, cautious, as though any sudden movement might shatter her.
She turns at last, and the sight cuts me deeper than any blade. Tears stream down her face, her lips trembling as though the words she carries are too heavy to speak.
I close the distance and pull her into my arms. She is shaking, fragile in a way I have never seen her. My heart pounds with fear. “Cora, you are scaring me,” I whisper, holding her tighter, desperate to steady her.
Her voice breaks against my chest, muffled but clear enough to pierce me. “The doctor made a mistake with the contraceptive tonic… I am with child.”
The words hang in the air, heavy and irrevocable. For a moment, I cannot breathe. The world narrows to her trembling form in my arms, the truth she has just laid bare.
I press my cheek to her hair, my arms tightening protectively around her. My thoughts race, fear, love, duty, the King’s shadow looming over us but above it all rises something stronger: the instinct to shield her, to shield what is ours.
I lift her chin gently, needing to see her eyes. “I love you,” I whisper, the words carrying all the certainty I can muster. I press my lips to hers, a kiss meant to steady her, to remind her that no storm can break what we are.
She softens in my arms, her trembling easing just enough. “You are not angry?” she asks, her voice fragile, searching.
“Terrified, yes,” I admit as I release her lips, my forehead resting against hers. “But not angry. Never angry.”
Then I sink to my knees before her, my hands sliding to her waist as I bow my head. I press a reverent kiss to her stomach, the place where our future now stirs unseen.
“This child will change everything,” I murmur, my voice rough with emotion. “And I will protect it with everything that I am. No blade, no crown, no king will take this from us.”
I look up at her, my eyes burning with resolve. “If I must set this kingdom on fire to ensure our child is free, then so be it. I will tear down walls, break chains, and defy every decree. Nothing will stand between me and the life we are building.”
Her tears glisten in the dim light, but now they are mixed with something else, hope. I rise back to my feet, pulling her into my arms once more, holding her as though the world itself might try to steal her away.
“Whatever comes,” I vow against her hair, “I will face it. For you. For our child. For us.”
----- End of Book 1