Ever since Honerva threatened Elara, Zarkon hasn't been sleeping because of constant worry and fear. He vowed to love and keep her safe eleven years ago and now her life was at risk and apparently according to Honerva, Elara was knocked up yet again which is something they needed to confirm if it was true or not as soon as possible.
He lay awake staring at the ceiling while Elara slept. She had been more tired so that's a sign of being in the early stages of pregnancy but she chose not to jump to conclusions.
Zarkon watched her sleep and it calmed him a bit however it wasn't enough for him.
He was so on edge that he pulled numerous high ranking commanders like Mar, Ranveig, Ladnok, and Throk from their usual posts and had them guard that palace for increased security, that itself made poor Elara feel uneasy. Her anxiety has gotten really bad.
Everyone could see that both Zarkon and Elara were crumbling from the pressure and fear.
Anyway, he sat up in bed not knowing what else to do. Every time he shut his eyes to sleep he was tormented with visions of ways Honerva would kill Elara, regardless of if she was pregnant or not.
"How can I possibly protect her?" He muttered and sighed deeply.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Elara shift in her sleep. He turned to see her awake and facing him.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep?" She asked tiredly.
"Nothing... I'm fine don't worry about me. Get some sleep." Zarkon said, not wanting to concern her.
"Nightmares?" She asked.
He knew he couldn't lie to her even if he tried.
"Yes... Every time I close my eyes I see visions and images of ways that witch would kill you. I hear your screams ringing in my head. You scream for me to save you but in those nightmares I can't and she kills you right before my eyes. I can't take it anymore." He growled.
"Zarkon... In the past eleven years have you let anybody harm me and get away with it?" She asked
"No." He responded.
"I trust you. You won't let her hurt me and if I am pregnant like she said since she could be bluffing to mess with our heads... You would protect that baby just as you'd protect our whole family." Elara said.
"What if I can't? What if she catches me off guard and something happens to you? I couldn't live with myself." He said, clenching his fists.
"She has nobody on her side. You have thousands on your side. We're not alone. Numbers matter. She is only one person while we have an entire fleet and thousands of allies who are like extended family. She is nothing compared to us. To an extent I can protect myself as well, I'm not easy to take down. You know that." Elara said.
"I know but I can't help but be worried. I can't afford to lose. The children would be more than devastated and I sure as hell couldn't handle losing you. We grew up together and now look, we've been married for eleven years. You've been with me for so long, I need you." He said and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
"Positive thoughts help. Not by much but they do. We will stop and throw in a cell for good. If I am pregnant, I'll just pop this one out and boom we have another little one." She said.
He settled down a bit but still felt uneasy. He knew she was only trying to help but he knew she was a little scared but after the talk he put on a brave face for her sake.
