A fearful shriek rang out in the darkness of the night, winds howling as two figures ran into sight. A lady, dressed in a long skirt with her head wrapped in a scarf, hobbled as she ran, leaning heavily on the male figure beside her. She was crying, her hand wrapped firmly across her swollen belly, as she whispered under her breath, "Nothing's going to harm you darling, not while I'm around."
She stumbled, almost falling to the ground, but her companion, her husband cradled her swiftly, ensuring that she didn't hurt herself. Her heart lurched at the sudden pain in her womb, as she hurriedly turned towards her husband, whispering harshly, "The baby's coming. Our baby's coming!"
If possible, the man's face paled as he rapidly scanned their surroundings for their pursuers, his sharp hearing senses picking up the sounds of boots along the cold cobbled floors coming from the north, "This way. There's an alley leading to an abandoned corner room." He kissed the side of her head lovingly as he brushed a stray hair from her cheeks, "We can do this, my love. We will survive this."
She nodded weakly, biting on her lips to restrain herself from screaming out as another wave of pain shot through her stomach, "The baby can't wait any longer love, we-"
With a strong lift, the man hooked his arms under his wife and carried her firmly in his arms, "Stay strong my love. I will get us there. Endure!"
Turning down the street into a series of complicated alleys, the man was grateful that it was pretty deep into the night, and no one would be lurking around with all that had been happening in the kingdom. Stumbling a little under all the weight, the man readjusted his wife gently in his arms as he panted hard. "We will survive this." He whispered under his breath, kissing his wife's cheek. "We are almost there my love."
She nodded, her face shining with a sheen of sweat, her lip broken from biting too hard as she tried not to make a noise. She whimpered into his neck, crying slightly from all her emotions. "I love you." She murmured, clenching her fists hard as yet another wave hit her. Her child was coming, it couldn't wait. She could feel it.
"We are here." Her husband announced quietly as he used his shoulders to barge into the abandoned room. His eyes adjusting to the pitch darkness of the room, he found a rickety bed, looking worn and dirty, but all they had right now. He gently lay his wife down on the bed, wincing as the bed made loud squeaking noises. He knelt by her side instantly, one hand holding hers and the other caressing her hair. "What do you need, my love?"
His wife shook her head vehemently, her fist flying into her mouth so she could bite down instead of screaming.
"No!" The man whispered harshly, yanking her slightly bleeding fists from her mouth, hurriedly tearing his shirt and stuffing her mouth with the fabric, kissing her face over and over again, whispering words of affection.
She pushed and bite and cried and whimpered, and she did her best she could in the situation that they were in. She only hoped that they had enough time before they were discovered.
A loud, piercing shriek rang out through the night and she winced, heart clenching in pain. Adora, my sister. I'm so sorry. Thank you. Another of her sisters have fallen. Another sacrifice, so she could safely have her child somewhere else as the guards hunting them were distracted with chasing her sisters.
Another wave of pain hit her, and she knew, this was the final push she needed, she looked at her handsome and amazing husband, tugging on his hand to tell him that the baby was ready to come out, and as his eyes widened, he moved swiftly towards her knees, pulling his shirt off of his back as he waited to receive their child. With all the strength that she could muster, she gave it her all and pushed with all her remaining strength.
Silence.
She could see her husband's shaking hands, cradling her baby very precariously, wrapped in his shirt. But it wasn't crying like it should. It was eerily silent.
"Is- Is-"
Her husband's face looked shocked, stunned and sorrowful as he gazed upon their baby's face. "It's a boy." He whispered, his voice cracking as his body shook with sobs.
She began to cry for her child, "He's- He's dead?"
Her husband's face snapped towards her, his eyes wide with surprise, "No, no my love. No. He is alive. He is very alive. So beautiful, look my love. Our son." He presented the child to his wife, and the couple began to cry tears of joy as the gazed upon their son's smiling face, his eyes still yet to open.
"He's beautiful." She whispered under her breath, she sobbed, "So beautiful. Thank the goddess of our blessings, thank the goddess he is safe. Thank the goddess he is so beautiful."
But their joy was cut short. Her husband, with his enhanced senses, picked up the sound of boots heading their way. "We have to go, they are near."
With a panicked cry, she pulled her baby to her chest, ignoring the aches and pains in her body, as she planted kisses upon her baby's face. "He hasn't had his first cry yet! Where do we go? How can we? They will find us. Take the baby and run my love. Leave me."
He growled harshly, not having any of it.
"You condemn our entire family to death if you stay here with me, my love." She cried, "I cannot move from here, I cannot run. I do not have the strength to. But you can save yourself and our beautiful child. Go!" She pushed the baby into his arms, turning away from him so she would not have to watch them leave.
"No!" he growled under his breath, his demeanour turning animalistic. "You are my mate, my destiny, my love. In joy and in good health, we will prosper together. In pain and in sickness, we will endure together. You are my mate!" With a snarl, he pushed himself off the ground, holding his child to his chest. "You are my mate. We live and breathe together, we will also die together."
With that, he rushed out of the house, leaving his sobbing, confused wife still on the bed in the abandoned house. Turning two corners, he knew he did not have any time to waste, glancing around desperately, he found only one place that seemed to be inhabited, and he wished he could ensure the safety of his child, but he couldn't. He glanced at his baby son's face, kissing him with all the love he could muster, "I love you my beautiful son, your mother loves you so too. I wished things were different and we could show you exactly how much we love and cherish you. I'm sorry we are not in your life. But survive this. I know you can, you are my son, and your mother's child. Grow strong, do us proud. I know you can. My son. My darling son. I love you. I pray to the goddess that you never grow up thinking we didn't love you, we do, so much. I pray to the moon goddess that she watches over you every moment of your life, keeping you safe and happy and warm always. I love you. I truly do." With all the resolve in his heart, he placed his baby on the ground, tears falling freely from his eyes, "I love you. I'm sorry."
Turning on his heels, he sprinted down where he came from, his ears knowing that in a few seconds, the guards would discover his wife, they would attack a helpless women without reason. He would fight back with all he had, taking several lives with him before they would both succumb to their wounds, hand in hand, as they whispered their last affections, and drawing their last breath together.
∞
Carlen inhaled sharply as he jerked awake, his head numb with sleep, tears flowing freely from his eyes. Darting his eyes around, he held his breath as he found Nana asleep on a nearby chair, Lance nowhere to be seen. His heart clenched in pain as he replayed his dream in his mind once more. Did he really just have a dream of his parents? Was that what really happened? Or had he dreamt it up because he had been so bothered by the story of his assumed parents? What was real anymore?
Everything that Nana had shared with him came rushing back into his conscious mind. He gasped, closing his eyes as he heart raced. He wasn't abandoned because he wasn't loved. He was given up because he was so loved. He had minders' blood running through his veins.
If that dream were true, his mother was so beautiful, his father seemed so strong, their bond was unbreakable. He was loved. A sob escaped his lips and he pulled his knees to his chest.
"Carlen. You're awake." Nana gasped as she awoke from her nap, she hurried over towards her child.
"I saw them. I saw them Nana. They- They were so in love, they loved me. They didn't abandon me heartlessly." Her hands darted out to grab his flailing arms, grasping them firmly in hopes it would calm him down.
But Carlen wanted none of it. He needed to get out of here. He wasn't safe here. Pulling his hands from Nana, Carlen pulled the covers off his legs, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand. But trying to get up so quickly made him dizzy and he stumbled a little.
"Where are you going dear? You should sit for a while longer, you are not well!" Nana fussed, trying to push him back onto the bed. But Carlen stood firm, his hands cradling his very small bump. He needed to protect his baby, just as his parents protected him.
"I need to go. I need to leave this place." His eyes darted around and he spotted an empty rucksack on the ground. He moved towards it, against the grip of his mentor. "I have to go."
Tugging harder on Carlen's arm, Nana could only stand in his way in an attempt to keep him from moving anywhere and listening to her instead, "Where would you go? Where Carlen?!"
He yanked his arm out of her grip, clenching his teeth as he began to feel angry, "Anywhere but here is good. They will kill me if they found out. Alaric- will kill me if he finds out. I have to protect my baby!"
Nana lunged at him and held both his arms in her iron grip and looked directly into his eyes, "Listen child! Listen to me! You are in the state of panic now! Listen! We will get through this together. If you want to leave, we will plan it all out and we will leave together. You need to be prepared!" She shook him slightly, "How are you going to take care of yourself and the baby in your belly with nothing but the clothes on your back? Where are you going to stay? On the streets? Where you could catch a cold and your child will suffer along with you? And what about the disease that is spreading outside of the castle? What if you contract that! What will happen to you and your child? What about the rebels? How would you defend yourself? Did you stop to think of these things, you silly, stupid, naive child!" She ended her tirade in almost a yell.
The questions that she brought up made sense to Carlen, and he slacked against her grip as it hit him hard. He had no plans, he was irresponsible. He was a child. How could a child protect and care for a child? Was he ready for a baby? Could he take care of it when it was born? Or would he kill it because of his incompetence? "What-What should I do?" He whispered depressingly.
Healer Naomi sighed as she pushed Carlen towards the bed and made him sit down, "I need you to calm down. All these stress, these panic, it's not good for your baby, do you understand me? You need to relax. I know you love your child and you want to protect it. So please don't panic, we will figure this out together, we will get through this together. I won't let them find out, I won't let anyone hurt you or your baby. And dear goddess, dare I say, that warrior friend of yours will never let a hair on your head be harmed." She sat down by Carlen and held him in a hug, "I know all these seems so hard for you to take. I know it's a lot. But we are here for you, every step of the way. We need you to be safe and healthy. This place, this castle, as much as I always told you to be careful within it, this place can give you safe shelter, warm clothes and nutritious food. These things are good for you and the baby. So we stay. We stay here, while we plan our next move."
Carlen opened his mouth to speak, but Nana cut him off.
"We will not stay here forever. Believe me, when your stomach starts showing, we will have to leave. No one should know that you have the ability, as a man, to bear children. People will question it, and we don't want that. We will move to the outskirts of town, far from here. But not now. We need to prepare food, a place to stay out there, then we can go. My plan, Carlen, is to find a play for us to stay, secluded, but still safe. A place that you can peacefully have your child. Just wait for me, a month, maybe two. Let me set things up, and we can leave together. I have a great excuse to move, the epidemic will not be resolved for months, and I will be stationed outside the castle anyway. I will request for an attendant, and you will have a good reason to come along. The warrior, I know he will want to come too, if he could. So he will have to think of a good reason, but all these things, we will plan for it to happen, and we will make it happen. I need you to only take good care of yourself, let nothing slip, and stay calm. Can you do that for me Carlen? For yourself, and your child? For Lance too."
Carlen hesitated, his heart uneasy as he thought of the thousands of things that could hinder their leave. What if Alaric finds out, and he is forced to stay here? What if before they could leave, someone finds out about him, about his pregnancy, about his parents? What if-
"Carlen?"
Carlen snapped out of his thoughts, his face scrunched with anxiousness, "Two- Two months is too long Nana. I could- I could start to show, I could make mistakes. I could get into trouble-"
"What did I say about panicking and worrying? It's not good for your baby!" Nana sighed, "I will do what I can, as soon as I can, I promise. One month? I'll try to ready everything in a month my sweet child. Then we leave, alright? Love, you need to stay calm."
Carlen nodded quickly. One month seems a lot more manageable. One month, he could do this. He could. He had to.
∞
That night, Carlen went back to his room within Lance's quarters. He remained quiet and calm, he ate well, kept warm, and tried to rest early. Lance was thankful that he seemed more docile and more easy-going since his return. Lance had his own fair share of problems that he had to deal with in the inner courts.
The problem with the rebels have escalated out of proportion in the past week. More and more rebel attacks were reported, and they were coming closer towards the castle. All guard units and warrior units were activated to spread around the kingdom to protect their people, and to standby within the castle to defend it if the need arises. The nobles were beginning to panic, and that only created more strain within the inner courts.
More and more reports of the rebel attacks show that they were recruiting strong men, and fast. Just this week, they managed to capture one of the rebels alive, and they tried interrogating him, with no avail. All they could get out of the man before he bit his tongue and died, was that the people of the kingdom, the rebels were very unhappy with their lives. They had wanted the late king dead because of what they had done to them, and now that the late king had died, their anger was still not appeased. They did not want anyone from his seed to rule their kingdom. This time, they wanted King Alaric dead.
It was terrible, Lance admit, the things that late king did to these people. He decreed for their strongest men to serve in the castles as soldiers and slaves. Those who disagreed were killed, their babies and wives taken away to the castle to work, their homes and livelihood burnt down to make it hard for their remaining family members to rebuild their lives. Some pregnant women were stabbed in their stomachs, so that the king could control their birth rate. Those who fought his word or showed signs of going against him, were all killed brutally.
Villages that tried to band together to protect themselves, were massacred, or made examples of, tied up in the sun to be left to die without food or water. Even though that happen almost ten years ago, the anger of the rebels will not fade. Lance understood their anger. But it did not make sense for them to retaliate by attacking Alaric, who was a mere teenager when that all happened. But what revolt made sense?
Now the enemies of the late king have grown stronger, and their numbers are so much greater. They could cause so much more damage now, the last hunting trip was evidence of that. They fatally wounded the late king, and goddess knows what else they were up to this time.
Lance sigh as he laid on his bed, his ears listening out for Carlen's soft breath in the room beside his. The younger man was still awake, but his breathing was calm.
Three firm knocks to his door had Lance on his feet instantly. "Enter."
The door creaked open, and a lower level soldier stood at the door with his head bowed, "Sir, warrior Maskergan, the King wishes to see you."
"Now?" Lance asks as he began to pull on his outerwear.
The soldier nodded, "Yes sir, it is urgent. He is waiting for you in the meeting room."
Lance grunted as he secured his broad sword to his waist, "I'll be there."
The soldier excused himself and left the room quickly. Lance glanced towards the direction where Carlen was resting, contemplating if he should inform him of where he was headed since Carlen was probably still awake. Frowning, he decided against it, not wanting to cause more stress to Carlen by even mentioning Alaric's name.
Quietly as he could, he exited his quarters and headed down the corridor towards the council meeting room tiredly. He wondered briefly what was this about. It had been a while since he had a proper conversation with Alaric. Ever since the last time he had shouted at Alaric for hitting Carlen, they could not even look each other in the eye properly without Lance having the urge to lunge at him.
Entering the meeting room, Lance stared at the back of his friend, noticing for a moment that he seemed really out of it.
Silence passed between them both and Lance rolled his eyes at how dramatic it felt.
"If you're not going to say something, I'm going back to sleep." Lance yawned, turning on his heels, wanting to leave.
"I need you to take care of Carlen." Alaric said, breaking his silence.
"I have been doing that." Lance responded, sass dripping in his voice. What else has he been doing apart from taking good care of Carlen lately? His life revolved around that man.
Alaric spun around to face the warrior with a frown on his face, "No, I meant that I need you to keep a constant eye out for him-"
"Been doing that too." Lance interrupted, folding his arms and staring at Alaric expectantly.
"Listen Lance." Alaric sighed tiredly as he ran his fingers through his hair, "I know you are angry with me right now. But I don't need your attitude. What I need from you right now is to be a warrior that can listen to my orders."
Lance snorted, "So what now? No brotherly attachment? No friendship? I could do that, not too difficult for me. What may your orders be, sire?"
Alaric sighed once more, his temper beginning to rise and he forced himself to keep calm. He needed this favour from Lance, he trusted no one else. "I don't want to argue with you. I just need you to guard Carlen round the clock. I do not need your personal protection from now, Staed will take your place. We will have to work something out so that you can stay with him every moment of his life, waking or asleep."
Lance frowned, a wave of worry hitting him at what was not being said, "What's happening?"
Alaric looked at his friend with furrowed brows, "Don't tell me you haven't been paying attention? The rebels have been attacking, they are getting closer to the castle. I need you to protect him so the rebels can't get to him."
"Why would the rebels target him? He is merely a servant to you." Lance asked as he narrowed his eyes.
Alaric stood from his seat, walking towards Lance slowly, "During our last hunting trip, when we were getting attacked, one of them said something to Carlen. They claimed to know who he was. They might have a wrong guess, but I cannot take the chance with Carlen. I will not."
"So, is this you, caring for Carlen, or for your mate? Or shall I say, ex-mate?" Lance scoffed, folding his arms with a raised brow.
"Like I said, I don't want to fight with you Lance. I just need your expertise as a head warrior, and I need you to take my instruction and protect Carlen with your life." Alaric sighed as he looked towards his best friend tiredly. Everything that has happened since he took on his official role as King seemed to eat away at his patience and health.
"You know I will. You know that I will die for him. You need not even ask that of me." Lance insisted, his mind wandered to Carlen's unborn baby, and for a moment, he considered telling Alaric the truth.
"That's what I worry about!" Alaric narrowed his eyes at Lance, "Tell me, brother of mine. Do you have feelings for Carlen?"
Without hesitation, Lance answered with a firm, "Yes."
Alaric snarled and got up to Lance's face, "How dare you!" He lugged at Lance who promptly caught his body and threw Alaric to the side with his momentum.
"How dare you! Now that you have found happiness with your queen, is Carlen not allowed to find his? Am I not allowed to find mine?" Lance bared his fangs at his brother, showing his dominance. He wasn't going to back down on this. His selfish friend had had his way for far too long now.
"Yes! You may! Carlen may find his too! But not with each other! I will not allow it-" Alaric tried to lunge at Lance again, but Lance merely pushed him away.
"How selfish." Lance sneered, shaking his head, "You do not deserve even a hair on Carlen's head." He added while rolling his eyes, "My feelings for Carlen may be strong, but they are not romantic."
The powerful stance that Alaric held seemed to slack for a moment, before his guard was up again, "I really don't appreciate your jokes Lance."
"Am I laughing? Well then it's not a joke." Lance shrug, "I'll do a good job of taking care and protecting Carlen. You don't worry your dumb big head about it. Just find me a good reason to hang out in the healing room more often. Better yet, send me and Carlen out with that healer of his. Away from the castle, away from the eyes of other Royals, away from all these." Away from you. Lance wanted to add.
Alaric seemed to consider his words for a moment before shaking his head, "He will be too far away from me. I won't allow it."
"Even if it could save his life?"
Alaric kept silent. "I will announce your new posting as soon as I can." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Lance without so much as a word more.
∞
Thanks for reading this chapter! I hope you liked it!