Robbin's POV
"Are you upset with me," I asked Lilliana.
"No, your grace, why would you say that?"
"Is it because I hurt Grey the yesterday? I've already apologized to him."
She sighed and rested her elbows on the balcony railing. "I was angry, but only for a short moment. When you pushed him, I felt protective but I knew I couldn't do anything about it. It's not like I can challenge you or anything," she chuckled.
"I turned and placed a soft hand on her shoulder, "But if there is anything bothering you, please tell me. It's been so long that I've had a friend. I don't want to lose you."
Lilliana smiled and wrapped her arms around my torso. "You're not going to lose me."
I embraced her too, letting her warmth travel through my skin and down my spine. The warmth of others was always the sweetest.
Lilliana inhaled a deep breath before pulling away. "Are you sick," she asked randomly.
"Well, no, but I have been getting an upset stomach now and again. I think I'm just stressed. Why do you ask?"
"I..nothing. I thought I smelled something. I gotta go teach a training class. Go see the doctor, though okay?" I barely had time to tell her I was already going to. Lilliana jogged back inside, leaving alone.
It was past sunrise, although the sky still shines a pinkish-blue. I skipped on my daily fly with Vision since I was still feeling feverish. One moment, I'd be fine, and in the next, I was throwing up in the bathroom in the middle of the night. What if my body was rejecting food? Was I sick or do I have a disease?
I shook off the irrational thoughts. I've noticed they've been more frequently lately. Glancing at the sky one last time, I walked back inside of the castle and headed for the infirmary. Xander wanted to join me but I didn't want him away from work. I'd be fine on my own.
The new castle doctor was a woman. Xander's aunt, actually. She'd been away treating the rogue rehabilitation camp on Northerner territory west of the kingdom, but ever since Vision burned the last one, we were in need of someone else. Someone loyal.
So, here she was. Xander told me her name was Tallulah. She was in her sixties and had straight black hair that only reached her shoulders. Her skin was a nice olive and looked like Xander's mother. There was only one picture in the entire castle of his family. It was a portrait that hung in the throne room. In it was Xander, Agustus, and their parents. In it, they were all smiling; happy. I wished he'd smile like that again.
I sat in her office that leaked sunlight in through the huge windows. I couldn't help looking out of it. I wanted to get better so I could fly. I almost felt caged in my own body.
"My queen, it's so nice to finally meet you," Tallulah said as he walked in the room and bowed.
"You too, but there is no need for that. We're family."
"Of course. So, Xander said you have an upset stomach? How long has it been bothering you?" I watched her take out a pad and pen.
"Only a few days. It started while I was in the city of Kale. Is there a virus going around?"
"There's always something going around, but definitely no virus. Describe the pain."
"There isn't any. It's just an upset stomach. Whenever I eat, it comes back up. Even smelling food makes me nauseous."
Her pen stopped writing on the paper and she looked up at me. "Anything...unusual anywhere else? Do your feet hurt? Any heartburn?"
"Well, not my feet, but maybe heartburn."
"When was the last time you bled?"
"About a month ago. Why?"
"So it's been a month. Are you late?"
The questions felt intense. I didn't want to sit anymore and shot up to my feet. "What," I asked, "What the hell is wrong with me?"
"Your grace-Robbin, there's nothing wrong with you," she smiled happily, "You're pregnant."
~*~
The day was a daze to me. Pregnant? It shouldn't be much of a surprise to me since Xander and I did it so often. And I have been queen for a while now. It had to happen at some point. But now? This is the worst time to have a child. We're at the brink of a war. If Ryker and the rogues found out, I'd be their first target.
I'm not even sure the pregnancy term of a dragon carrying a wolf. Tallulah decided to give me an ultrasound of my stomach and concluded that I was early in my first term; barely two weeks, but it's equivalent to two months of a human pregnancy. Werewolves carry their child for three months and it takes six for a dragon blood carrier. But Xander and I aren't considered normal in our species.
We were born from the royal bloodline. There's blue blood in our veins. And since this hasn't happened before, Tallulah said it could take five months. I asked her why I wasn't showing and she said many people don't have a rounded belly until the last trimester; that our genetics worked differently.
She also explained the trouble with my scent, which I didn't realize I had. Since I'm not a dragon, I don't have a change in scent, not a dramatic one like female werewolves have when they're carrying.
It's why no one noticed. I'm sure it would've been quite the surprise if I woke up one morning with a rounded stomach. I laughed softly at the face Xander would've made. Does he even want a child? I'm sure for heir purposes, he'd be thrilled.
Should I even tell him? I paused in my tracks. Of course, I'm going to tell him. I can't be that cruel to him. I just don't want him to hide me away in a tower and go fight Ryker on his own. We need to stand together. Fight together.
After all my walking I did feel a slight soreness in my feet but didn't want to worry too much about it. I straightened myself out and knocked on the door. I never really cared for the curiosity but I was feeling nervous.
"Come in," a voice said.
I opened the large wooden door but didn't enter.
"Robbin is everything okay," Alec asked.
"Um, not exactly. Do you mind we talk for a moment?"
"Of course," he got up from his bed and gestured me inside. Alec's room was painted a nice tan color and had black silk sheets spread out on the bed. These weren't much else. A desk by the window. A tall dresser by the wardrobe.
"You'd think the hand of the king would live in luxury," I commented.
"I'm more of a minimal person," he chuckled, "what's going on?"
I handed him the small yellow envelope I held tightly in my hand. He opened it and slid out the single photo it had inside. His eyes stared carefully for a moment before expanding them. "This is yours?"
"Uh, yeah. I found out today."
"You're pregnant."
"I'm pregnant."
"You're pregnant!" Alec picked me up and spun me twice, holding me close. "I can't believe it."
"And why is that," I asked as he put me back down.
"Well, you're you."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"If I recall correctly, you hated people before."
"No, I didn't!"
"You did. Robbin, you'd threaten any man who'd offer his hand to you."
"That's because they never understood when I turned them away."
"I'm surprised they even came forward," he chuckled.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You were scary."
"I was not!"
"You know, you and Xander were made for each other. Cruel to others but melt for no one else."
"No...we just deal with our fates."
"Maybe at first, but now? You're happy, right; carrying his child?"
"I am."
"But?"
"With everything going on, is it even wise to-"
"Don't dare finish that sentence," he interrupted, holding out a single finger.
"But if there's a chance he's in danger-,"
"Robbin, no. You do that and you'll break Xander's heart."
I was lost internally. I never thought I'd be a mother and now that I'm going to be, I was struggling with a heavy decision. Keep my child and risk the chance of his life, or give him up.
I sighed sadly. "I need to talk to Xander about this. He needs to know."
"You haven't told him yet?"
"Well, no. I needed a friend first."
"Thanks for thinking of me, but I don't think he'll be happy that you told me first."
"Yeah," I laughed, "so you think he'll be...happy about the news?"
"Are you kidding me? You're his mate. The fact that you're having his kid is the cherry on top of the cake for him. Trust me, this is good. I know the timing is unfortunate, but it's a blessing."
"Okay," I breathed in an encouraging breath then released it slowly, "I need to find Xander. He needs to know about our son."
"Son? How could you tell the gender? Isn't it too early?"
"All firstborn dragon blood carriers give birth to a male. It's in our genetics."
"Well, that'll make him even happier. You're having the heir to the Northerner throne."
"Yeah," I rubbed one hand over my stomach. It could start growing any day now. I wonder would it would feel or even be like. I can still remember my mother's pregnancy with Olympia. She always kept herself busy and my father would always try to keep her still.
Such a simpler time; where Xander didn't exist. For so long, all I wanted was to return to that time, when my mother was still alive when I'd spend my days flying with Vision.
I didn't want to anymore; go back. I had more now than I ever did. And now, my family was growing.