Heretics

Chapter 33: Trouble in Paradise

      They told me I could go back to my room a few days later. It was now one day until the Winter Fete. My feet ached and my stomach was in knots.

     I continued to throw up every morning at eight like clockwork. My clothes and trinkets had been since moved back to my bedroom but the window was now blacked out. I couldn't see onto the field were the word murderer was still burned into the ground.

      My dress for the ball arrived a few minutes ago and I had been to sad to see how it looked. The rest of my designs did as well. They all came at once and the servants put them away in the wardrobe as I sat on my balcony, my feet dangerous dangling over the edge.

      "Yelna? Are you listening to me?" Zoya was here. She hadn't left my side since the events with Alina a few days ago. She even resorted to sleeping in the bed with me. I loved that she was worried and I thanked her for being with me when I knew that if I was alone I would do something incredibly stupid.

     "Hmm?" I responded and turned around to look at her. She was wearing the dress she was going to wear to the ball and I smiled. "You look beautiful Zoya. Everyone will definitely be looking at you. I'm glad I get to see it now since I'm not going."

      My responsibilities had been handed to a random fabricator I didn't know the name of. They had taken over planning the Winter Fete in my place. I hadn't seen Aleksander since the healers room either and I hadn't exactly left mine all that often. Only for short walks to Zoya's room and back.

     "What do you mean you're not going? Your dress is here. Which is gorgeous by the way. I'm going and I'm mot going without you." She was definitely set in what she was saying.

"I don't even know if I'm going to fit in my dress. It was like two weeks ago when he sent it to the fabricators." Realizing what I said I turned my attention back outside. From here I could see his bedroom window. Every now and again I would see a shadow but nothing more.

"Oh come on! You don't even look like you're going to have a baby you twig. Now shush and try it on!" She pulled me to my feet and back into the bedroom. She had laid my dress out on the bed.

It was beautiful. The gold color glittered against the lights. The cut in the modded of the chest just open enough to give a glimpse and nothing more. The dress was tight to my knees then fanned out. The shoes were the same beautiful gold as the dress and the beautiful chain gloves were also golden.

I picked up the dress and looked at Zoya. "Fine I'll try it on but this does not mean I'm going!" I told her running to the bathroom to change. Once I was changed I looked at myself in the mirror and was at a loss for words.

It was a little snug around the stomach since it was supposed to be a form fitting dress with no stretch. The shoes were a beautiful addition and the gloves showed just enough of my ebony black hands for people to wonder whether it was the gloves or me. I turned to Zoya who was standing in the door was mouth agape.

"You're going to catch flies Zoya." I rolled my eyes and looked back at the mirror playing. With the little feathered designs along the dress.

"And you going to catch the attention of every man in the room with that on." I snorted which was very unattractive and Zoya came up behind me. Still in her dress and wrapped arms around around me from the back and hugged me. "You're mother is beautiful."

"No your aunt is beautiful. Your mother is a tragedy in a dress." I laughed and Zoya punched my arm. We heard the door open and ignored it thinking it was just someone coming to put warming stones in the bed.

"Yelna." Aleksander's voice rang in my ears. The room filled with shadows as I felt my pulse race. Zoya turned around to face hun and grabbed my hand as I put my eyes to the floor.

"You should go General." She said. Her voice like stone. Fill of confidence and defiance. I felt her squeeze my hand when he started to speak.

"I needed to speak to Yelna," he began before I cut him off. My eyes still training to their spot on the floor. Zoya's hand tightened around mine.

"No you don't Aleksander. You've made your choice. Please just leave." I but my lip to hold back a sob that was threatening to reveal itself. I head to seen more heard from him in days and now the day before the Winter Fete he decides to pay me a visit.

I felt myself breaking as I squeezed Zoya's hand tighter. "General may I talk to you outside?" I figured he nodded at Zoya and they left the room to go talk in my bedroom instead.

I felt the shadows condense around me as I fell to my knees. My dress was so beautiful and I was crying in it. I knew that I should have held myself together better but hormones and this baby were making everything harder than I normally was.

"You can't do this to her." Zoya voice broke through my shadows. She was angry. I could hear it in her voice. She was beyond angry at Aleksander. I wanted to be but all I felt was sadness towards him.

"Do what to her? She almost killed the sun summoner!"

"SHES A SUN SUMMONER TOO AND SO IS YOUR CHILD ALEKSANDER!"

They were shouting at one another now. Their voices carried through out the two rooms. Aleksander sounded desperate. Like the reason he was yelling at Zoya wasn't the real reason he came here tonight.

"Zoya," he was going to start. This was going to be it. "Zoya, I'm here for the baby. I just wanted to check on them. That's why I'm here okay? So can you please get out of my way so I can go and see Yelna and my child?"

"No." The word was so simple and yet the world stopped when she said it. She was defying her general. She was ignoring a command to save her friend. She was going against everything she had ever been taught in this moment for someone she met a few months ago.