by Unknown
“Why do you say that?” He stood and took my arms. “Is something wrong with the baby?”
“No, nothing's wrong,” I assured him. “He just got a little excited during the battle.”
“You went into battle carrying our unborn child?” He growled. “The heir to Fire and the possible savior of our race!”
“Don't start with me,” I pointed sternly at him and he backed down with a grimace. “Now, do you want to hear about what happened or not?”
“Yes, of course I do,” he rolled his eyes. “And may I remind you that I'm not your child, I'm thousands of years old.”
“Well then, act your age,” I smirked.
“Vervain,” he growled again.
“You know how Guirmean's baby was making those water spouts?” I started.
“Did our child create columns of flame?” He asked in an awed tone.
“Yes and you don't have to be so happy about it,” I grumbled. “I had no control over it. I could have done something horrible.”
“Did you?” He went serious.
“Yeah,” I gave him a little smile, “to the opposing army.”
“That's my son!” He shouted in glee.
“Who said it was a boy?” I lifted a brow.
“Do you know?” He gaped at me. “Have you seen the sex of our child?”
“Yes, actually, I have, and that's what I need to talk to you about,” I went over to the little table by the window and sat down.
“Is it neither?” He looked horrified as he took the seat across from mine. “Are we going to have a hermaphrodite?”
“Wow,” I blinked, “I'm a little shocked you would automatically go there... and that you know that word. No, it's not a hermaphrodite, we're having a son. Congratulations, go ahead and give another shout of joy.”
“I would have been just as happy with a daughter,” he took my hand with a gentle smile. “You know that. The word son just seemed like the right thing to say.”
“No shout?” I lifted a brow and he looked away with a slightly guilty expression. “Go ahead.”
“I'm having a son!” He shouted as he leaped up from the table.
“You good now?” I laughed.
“Yes, thank you,” he said calmly and sat back down. “Now tell me what's wrong with him.”
“Nothing's wrong with him,” I sighed. “Okay, you know how I have three souls?”
“Yes,” he frowned and then comprehension seemed to dawn. “What happens when a woman with three souls has a baby?”
“Exactly,” I nodded. “I had to choose a soul for him. He was out of balance without it.”
“And you didn't choose to make him entirely fey?” Arach gaped at me.
“He is entirely fey, Arach,” I took his hand again. “He has a completely fey essence. You'll have your dragon-sidhe heir.”
“But?” He frowned.
“But he's also a god,” I whispered.
“He's what?” He whispered back.
“During the battle, Ull was killed.”
“Thor's son?” Arach frowned deeper.
“Yes, and a very good friend of mine,” I nodded. “The baby was out of control and I'd put off choosing a soul for him because I was unsure up until that battle if he was yours or not. His imbalance began to kill me. Kill us. Alaric pulled me out of my body and brought me to the Void.”
“And then?” Arach turned his head, eyeing me strangely.
“Then Alaric told me of the benefits of giving a god soul to our child,” I explained. “If he were to ever die, he would go to the Void instead of returning to the fey Source where his essence would disperse. With a god soul, he could have true immortality.”
“I'd never thought about that,” his eyes cleared.
“And he would be yet another bridge between the races,” I added.
“What has this to do with Ull?” Arach finally caught on.
“Ull was there, in the Void,” I took a deep breath. “I offered to bring him back, to get him a new body, but he said it was time for him to have a fresh start. He was looking forward to living a new life.”
“No,” Arach whispered. “How would that even be possible?”
“What?” I stared at him with wide eyes.
“You put his soul into our child, didn't you?” He accused.
“Think of it like this,” I swallowed hard. “I could have chosen an unknown soul but this way, I know that our child will be a good man one day.”
“But he will be Ull,” Arach shook his head.
“No, he won't,” I reassured him. “Once born, he will have no memory of his past life. He will no longer be that version of himself. He'll be our son with Ull's soul. A kind and just soul.”
“Kind and just?” Arach choked. “Are you serious? We're dragons! We don't do kind and just!”
“You are kind and just,” I smiled at him. “You've worked very hard to become so. Our son will have that ability innately. He'll be born a diplomat, perfect to rule.”
“What was Ull the god of?” He quieted down.
“Justice and...” I grinned as I remembered the rest of Ull's magic.
“Yes?” Arach lifted a deep red brow.
“It doesn't matter,” I teased as he looked about ready to explode. “I had to choose one of my magics to infuse him with anyway and I chose Love.”
“You what?” He gaped. “He's going to be a kind and just wimp!”
“Arach,” I laughed. “My love magic is combined with Lust, Victory, and War.”
“Oh,” he settled down again. “That's not so bad then.”
“It's only an infusion,” I shook my head. “We have no idea what he'll be born with. Especially since he'll be a god without followers to influence his magic. However, Alaric said that Ull was made a god of justice because he was naturally a fair soul.”
“What was the other part of his magic,” Alaric narrowed his dragon eyes on me. “I don't care if it doesn't matter, I want to know.”
“Hunting,” I smiled as a very pleased expression settled over Arach's face. “He was the god of Oaths, Justice, and Hunting. Ull was an amazing archer.”
“That's my son,” Arach said smugly.
Chapter Forty-Five
“So you found Liatris? Arach asked as we lay in bed after incredible celebratory sex.
“Yes, but I guess Rowan won't actually hear from me for another... oh crap,” I sat up straight in bed as I calculated the time I'd spent away. “Another month.”
“You can't mirror him from here,” he said what I already knew. “It could have horrible consequences.”
“I know,” I sighed and laid back down. “It just feels awful to have some information that could help him and not be able to tell him now.”
“Well, you don't even know that she'll be in the same spot now as she will be in a month,” he observed.
“That's a damn good point,” I gaped at him. “In fact, I don't even know where she is now. I mean then, oh whatever. I had one of the Froekn follow her and then told Rowan to go and talk to him so the wolf could lead Rowan to Lia.”
“Well, there you are,” he kissed my cheek as his hand strayed to my belly. “Did you tell him about our child?”
“No,” I sighed.
“Why not?” He frowned.
“Because he wasn't in the right frame of mind for it,” I explained. “You don't share news like that with someone who is missing the woman they love. I'll wait till they get back together to tell them.”
“Alright,” Arach sighed and slid out of bed to stretch and show off his magnificent body. “But I'm telling the entire Fire Kingdom, right now.”
“Um,” my eyes slid over the smattering of red scales down the sides of his stomach and as I watched, more appeared to trail down to his groin. “I think that may have to wait as well.”
“I think I could be convinced to wait,” he grinned, “if you were just a little closer.”
“So we're not going to slow down now that I'm pregnant?
” I lifted a brow.
“Have you lost your senses?” He gaped at me. “When a dragoness is pregnant, she releases this scent that makes her virtually irresistible.”
“What?” I gaped at him. “So you knew I was pregnant as soon as I got back?”
“Actually,” he gave a self-deprecating grin. “No, I didn't. You're always irresistible to me. I only recognize the scent now that you've told me.”
“Oh, you're about to get very lucky, dragon,” I licked my lips.
“About to?” He asked as I slid into his arms. “I already am.”
Chapter Forty-Six
When Arach said he was going to tell the entire Fire Kingdom, he wasn't kidding. He had a giant mirror brought into the throne room and placed directly before us as we sat on the thrones of Fire. It was large enough to reflect both of us at once and was set in an elaborate gold frame shaped to resemble fire(of course).
He insisted we get all fancied up in our royal finery, which meant that not only were we wearing the fire crowns but I was in a dress made of fire, one that had been created for me awhile back. It had been made for me to attend the Fey-God Ball in and I'd had no say in its creation since that was back when I wasn't sure if I was going to make a go of things with Arach. He'd had the dress made for me and had brought it to me at the Castle of Eight.
It was kind of nice to get to use it again. It had to be stored in a special stone box in my armoire. It was made of enchanted fire and although it wasn't the same as an open flame, it did produce a certain amount of heat. Every time I looked at its box, I thought about what a waste it was that the dress rarely made an appearance. I mean, even though I was the Queen of Fire, that didn't mean I got to wear the stuff everyday.
So I sat there in my burning dress, trying to look regal, as Arach stood in front of his throne beside me. He was too excited to sit. He had my hand in his as the Reflectant established a connection with all the main mirrors in all the towns of Fire. A Reflectant is a fey whose job is simply to connect multiple mirrors to our main royal one, for the purpose of mass royal announcements. Yes, it was so difficult to connect multiple mirrors that they had to have a guy who specialized in it.
Due to the amount of mirrors we were contacting, we wouldn't be able to see the faeries on the other end. We could hear them but not see them. So we had to wait for the Reflectant to nod to us and indicate that we were reflecting to all of those other mirrors before we spoke.
“Greetings, fire fey,” Arach beamed at his own reflection. “I know it's not traditional to make this announcement myself but my Queen and I are so excited to share this with you that I've decided to make an exception. We are expecting our first child and have discovered that it's a boy. The Fire Kingdom will soon have a prince and the race of dragon-sidhe will have hope for a new future!”
We didn't have to see the faces on the other side of those mirrors. The sound of cheering was nearly deafening. Arach's hand squeezed mine and I got to my feet to join him. His arm slid around my waist as he beamed at the mirror. I didn't think I would be so moved by the announcement but I guess I'd underestimated both the response of our fey and the response of my heart to their joy.
I started to cry.
Arach looked down at me, having caught a look at my tears in the mirror, and turned away from our reflections to wrap my face in his palms. He gently wiped away my tears and then leaned his forehead down to mine. A silent communion of gratitude and awe. We just stayed there for a moment while the fire fey shouted even louder. Then he pulled back and smiled at me.
“I'd never thought to see you cry in joy over having our child,” he whispered.
“Damn pregnancy hormones,” I grumbled as I grinned. “How long will I be pregnant, by the way?”
“You're asking me this now?” He laughed.
“Yeah, I'm asking it now,” I shook my head. “How long?”
“You should be laying an egg in about a month,” he said seriously.
“What?!” I screeched and the sound of cheering stopped.
“I'm joking,” he laughed and glanced at the mirror to wave at them reassuringly. “I just told your queen that she'd be laying an egg and she believed me!”
Now the entire kingdom was laughing at me. I grimaced at him.
“The normal gestation for a dragon-sidhe is around six months,” he grinned and kissed my cheek.
“Six months?” I blinked in surprise. “I thought it would be shorter.”
“Dragons take longer to form than other fey,” he winked at me. “Otherwise you would have to lay an egg.”
“You're going to pay for that egg bit,” I narrowed my eyes on him and then immediately smiled brightly as I faced the mirror. “He's going to pay for that!”
The fire fey cheered again.
“They do so love a vengeful queen,” Arach chuckled.
“Our lovely, bloodthirsty faeries,” I sighed as he took my hand and we waved at them together.
“I wouldn't want them any other way,” he said and I began to wonder how much my son would change my fey.
Chapter Forty-Seven
We had a feast after the announcement, complete with entertainment by both musicians and actors, as well as dancing. It was during the dancing... and the dessert... that Guirmean started to argue with Nora.
“Just go then,” Nora growled and got up from her seat. At first no one noticed them(except me) but soon the fighting escalated.
“I'm not leaving you,” Guirmean huffed. “How many times do I have to tell you that. I just want to go and see my son.”
“You're there more than you are here,” Nora's hands went to her hips. Which meant that one of them was on her sword hilt. It was a very intimidating pose.
“You could come with me,” he offered.
“We've tried that, remember?” She snarled, her phooka ferocity coming out in full force. “I can't take being surrounded by so much water for too long. It actually begins to hurt, Guirmean. I'm not as elementally strong as you.”
“I know,” he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “But I miss my son.”
“And Lorna,” she growled.
“You know there's nothing between Lorna and I,” he suddenly snapped.
“Except a child!” She shouted.
“She's with that Intare,” Guirmean reminded her. “And I don't love Lorna, I love you. I'm here, aren't I? Do you think being surrounded by fire all the time is comfortable for me? I hurt too, Nora!”
The room went quiet around them and Guirmean's last statement hung in the air like a death knell. I got up and hurried over between them. I had no idea what I was going to do but I needed to do something. Guirmean and Nora's love was real, I felt it in my heart, and I couldn't let them destroy it over a little issue of location.
“Stop this, right now!” My voice rang out, startling even me since it wasn't mine. That voice belonged to Faerie. I must have been so eager to help Guirmean that I had opened myself up to her.
The room went even more silent and several fey went to their knees, knowing immediately who was staring out of my eyes. Guirmean and Nora both bowed their heads respectfully and waited. I waited too. What the hell was Faerie intending to do?
“King Guirmean,” Faerie set our eyes upon him. “I chose you to rule the Water Kingdom. You were not just elected by your fey, you were elected by me. I want you on that throne, ruling with the intelligence and fairness that your predecessor lacked, and you have greatly disappointed me by abandoning it.”
“I'm sorry, Faerie,” he swallowed hard, “but I cannot live without Nora. The throne is not as important to me as she is.”
Nora gaped at him as we turned our attention to her.
“Nora,” Faerie said in a stern tone and Nora's eyes shot to us. “You too have failed me. I smoothed the way for your relationship with King Guirmean. I did everything I could to inspire you two to overcome the obstacles in your path, and yet you continually throw Guirmean's efforts back into his face. It's like you want
this to fail. It's really fucking annoying, you know that?”
Nora's jaw dropped open.
“Now here's the deal, you two,” Faerie growled. “You should have asked me for this long ago but trying to work past Nora's stubbornness is nearly impossible.”
“Yes, I know,” Guirmean huffed.
“Shuush!” Faerie pointed at Guirmean and he paled. “I am speaking here and now you both will listen. Love overcomes all, you idiots! It overcomes race and elements and idiocy... usually. Your idiocy seems to need a little help. So here it is, the choice you should have asked for. I mean, damn it, do I have to spell it out?” She paused but they just continued to stare back at us dumbfounded. “I guess I do,” she huffed. “T-R-A-N-S... oh son of a bitch! That freakin' word is too long to spell,” she growled and then mellowed as she looked at the horrified phookas. “Sorry about the bitch thing. Anyway,” she looked back at Guirmean and Nora, “I can transmutate one of you.”
The crowd gasped and even I felt a little surprised... and a little stupid for not thinking of it myself.
You should, Faerie said in my head. I've transmuted enough of those damn cats for you.
I've been a little distracted, I thought back and she huffed.
“I personally think the choice is obvious,” she started speaking to them again. “But I leave it up to you. Nora, you can become a water fey or Guirmean, you can become fire. Which do you prefer?”
“I'll change for her,” Guirmean said immediately and Nora's amazed eyes went straight back to his face.
“You'd do that?” She whispered. “Just so I wouldn't have to change?”
“Oh come on!” Faerie huffed. “You've got to be freaking kidding me!”
“I would,” Guirmean nodded and took her hands. “I told you, I love you more than any crown or kingdom. I would give up water itself for you.”
“Seriously?” Faerie threw our hands up into the air. “Nora!”
“Well I'm not letting him,” Nora huffed at us. “I'm not that much of a bitch,” she cleared her throat as we lifted a brow. “Well, literally but not figuratively. Anyway, I won't allow him to give up his throne when I could simply become a water fey.”