I Choose You

Fifty-Three

Maven

The walk back from the cold, damp, dank dungeons to the warm, welcoming room called our bedroom was interesting. When leaving Aunt Elena's cell, I had to drag Mare away from questioning her. She was speaking so quickly that it seemed like gibberish. On the stairwells, Mare was fretting about the names she chose, and about the last thing, Elena told her. Then, when we got to the home stretch, she starting happy crying that the babies are mine.

Babies.

It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that Mare is carrying twins. I can guess that she is pregnant with twins since it runs in my family on the Merandus side.

Now she is lying face-up on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I stand at the foot of the bed, watching her.

"Elena said the birth will be tragic," She says, lifting her hands straight up as she speaks. She plops them back on the bed when she's done.

"That's about 8 months from now, no need to worry about it," I try to calm her nerves.

"That gives me 8 months to worry about it! I don't think worrying is good for them!" She exclaims, sitting up from her post.

"Mare," I say to her, sighing as I do so. "I am sure everything will be just fine."

"But what if it isn't," She tells me defeatedly.

"But what if it is," I raise my eyebrow at her. She leans back down onto the bed, going limp. The mattress shakes at the impact.

"Look," I walk over to where her feet are. "We have the best nurses here, if anything happens to you or our girls, they will know what to do."

Mare looks up at me, lifting her head alone. Her eyes are welled with fresh tears. She inhales a sharp breath. "Our girls."

I smile warmly, tears sting my eyes as well. "Our girls."

I get on the bed next to her, the bed dipping as I crawl toward her. She rolls onto her left side so she can face me. I lay down on my right side and draw her into me. Her arm wraps around my waist, mine does the same. Our entwine is loving and warm, like they always are. I protect her body since mine is larger, but she comforts me since hers is softer. Yin and Yang.

"You'll be fine," I whisper to Mare, my chin idling at the top of her head. She takes a deep breath, an engaged inhale and a relieving exhale.

She removes her head from where it rested, causing my chin to move.

"I guess everyone in the High Houses knows now," She says solemnly. "And eventually everyone will know."

"That wasn't how I planned for it to come out," I decompress. "I will call a broadcast and let the people know, I've got it under control."

A smile tugs at her lips, but she defeats it quickly.

"I should probably do that right now, though," I tell her with a monotone in my voice. She gives me a tight hug and whines in protest.

"Do you have to go?" She cries like a baby leaving its mother.

I chuckle playfully. "If you want me to announce this to the world, then yes, I have to go."

She snuggles me even closer, squeezing the space between us even tighter until it goes away. "No." She moans out.

I continue to chuckle through my nose. "I know how to make it up to you."

She looks up at me with curious eyes. "You can give me ice cream?"

"No, that wasn't what I was getting at. You don't have to come with me,"