Jodi nervously paced back and forth in a small corner of the kitchen.

She was out of the way of her workers, but any who came closer to her was on the receiving end of her snapped comments and glares.

The tension in the room was only heightened as the sound of rushing footsteps was heard and a girl emerged frantic and out of breath in the doorway.

"For God's sake Stephanie, its been over an hour!" Jodi quickly moved to stand in front of the girl, ignoring how the other kitchen staff seemed to still in their own work as they breathlessly waited.

Stephanie held up a hand, causing an impatient noise to be heard from Jodi.

"I just ran from one end of the castle to the next and avoided guards from literally every country - give me a minute Jodi."

She coughed, rubbing her throat and wincing slightly as she bent and rose to straighten her back.

Jodi felt her foot tap nervously against the floor, her patience finally breaking as she snapped again, "well?"

"She's okay."

A relieved exhale left the whole room, causing Jodi to turn and finally notice the lack of activity within her kitchen.

"Get back to work!" She barked, her fury only lowering slightly at the good news.

She turned back to face Stephanie, "what do you mean okay? Do you mean she will live or do you mean she is unharmed? What is her condition?"

At that Stephanie winced. She knew Jodi would press her for more details.

"Uh..."

Jodi leaned foward, and even though Stephanie was a good five inches taller, she still felt intimidated by her aunt's stare.

"Her left shoulder is broken. And..."

"And?"

Stephanie took a nervous look around the room, taking a step closer so that no one else could hear as she whispered, "She's pregnant."

* * *

Lumi stared at her hands in shock.

"But you told Theros," Josiah was glaring down at her.

Lumi's head was still spinning. She was still trying to catch up to the events that had just passed in the hour since waking up.

Her shoulder had been bandaged. Unable to move. That had resulted in the warrior side of her to come out as she leaped to assault the medical staff.

They had been startled, taken aback by the fear and confusion the woman showed. If not for Ramus, she most likely would have caused further injury to herself.

It had taken them several minutes to explain the situation, where she was at, and what had occurred, for her to finally calm down.

And then like a dark twister, Josiah had pushed all that aside and demanded to know the truth. Lumi had laughed. There was no child. How could she explain to him that she had said it to save them? To save herself? To keep together the small form of peace she had been able to collect in those few months that had passed.

Only for her false sense of security to come crashing down as the physician turned to her in confusion and said, "what? What are you talking about Queen Lumikki? You're two months along?"

And now she was sitting there in shock staring at her hands while Josiah paced like an angry wild cat in front of her.

"Who doesn't know they're pregnant?!"

"It's not like there is a nice letter sent to inform you," Lumi mumbled.

"Isn't this just...don't woman just..." his hands went up to his hair, frustration clear and there. 

"And I forced you to travel...and you were so sick...God you were sick and I..."

With a horrified look, he quickly turned to the physician who had awkwardly been standing in the corner, watching the whole encounter.

"Sexual- I mean- If we...It doesn't hurt the child?"

Lumi choked on whatever air she had been breathing, "Josiah, be quiet!"

The physician, if possible, looked even more uncomfortable as he slowly shook his head.

Josiah let out a sigh of relief and sat heavily down on the bed, his hands coming up to cover his face.

Lumi looked at the physician, motioning towards the door with her head. For goodness sake, she was the one unable to move the left half of her upper body and here he was acting like this. Gratefully, the physician received the message and immediately bowed and exited the room.

"Josiah," Lumi whispered his name, her right hand reaching to gently stroke his hair in a comforting gesture. He caught it, kissing the palm.

"It's yours."

"Of course it's mine," raw possessive anger flashed through his eyes as he looked up at her, his grip on her hand tightening as he kissed it again.

There was a silence between them as they both looked at the other. Lumi waited for him to say something else, but it seemed he was in shock also.

"Are you happy?"

Lumi didn't know what else to ask. He had been worried. Then angry. Then nervous. Now he was silent. She couldn't read this emotion that sat before her now.

A small smile came to him. She felt her own face mimic it- trying to match the curve he showed.

"I..." he tilted his head, still thinking of a word to put to his emotion.

"Are you happy?" he whispered. He had pushed the question back to her. Lumi shrinked against it. She pulled back, letting him release the hand he held as she now went to hold her stomach. She should have noticed something was off. But no one had told her. No one had explained it to her.

Lumi didn't know how to explain to him the mixed emotions she was feeling. She didn't want to hurt his own. So she tried to explain them out loud.

"My mother...she never explained to me how I would know...I guess...no one did...I was often surrounded by males...I have four brothers you know. I was at my grandfather's tribe more than I was at my own- my parent's palace. I'm sorry I didn't understand what was happening to me."

"You do not have to apologize, Lumi," Josiah whispered, "I should have taken better care of you."

Lumi had to smile at the care he displayed just by speaking those words. But she continued on, hopefully able to figure out her thoughts as she laid them before him, "did you know...my brother is here at this wedding."

Josiah flinched. He had been waiting for this conversation. She had mentioned in passing that no one from her family should be invited to their small wedding when they had held it. She had told him she didn't want the lack of answer to come back.

It had been a fleeting comment. Something he had decided to let go since he had only known her for a handful of weeks. He was not comfortable approaching the look of hurt and pain that she had shown when speaking of them. So, Josiah had changed the subject. And her family had never been sent an invitation.

He watched as her eyes trailed to the opened window. The way the sunlight hit her eyes and made the color appear golden.

She seemed lost in her thoughts as she wondered out loud, "It's tradition in my country, for the head of the family for each gender of the child being born, to hold the responsibility of naming."

"In Galexious, we just name them."

His attempt at humor fell short as she turned back to him and smiled. He could read the different smiles she carried. The ones from pain, the ones from sorrow. The false ones, the hidden ones. The ones that meant nothing and those rare and few that meant everything.

This was a new smile that meant breaking.

She was trying to hold herself together in the presence of him, and for once, Josiah wished she would not break literally in his sight, but instead fall and shatter. He had an image of what she would look like with tears on her face. What she might appear like if she decended to her knees in front of him and he was the one to pick her up- to comfort and carry her.

She remained strong before him and Josiah wanted nothing more but for her to feel comfortable in the image of showing him what she looked like when she fell.

"I'm sorry." He leaned closer to her, coming to her right side, the side that was not wrapped in a sling and damaged. He sat there next to her, side by side, and felt the weight of her body as it leaned and pressed against his own.

His hand came up to softly caress her hair. He inhaled her scent, wondering what salt would smell like against her skin. But that thought quickly fell apart as he felt her lips come up to brush against his neck. Her own attempt to tell him that she had heard his words and that she would be okay.

* * *

Elowen watched as Theros stood on the balcony.

She had expected angry pacing or lashing out at any who came near him. But this action was more deadly in her mind.

He stood in the cold, letting the snow fall around him. Letting the air bite into his flesh as the world continued moving, while he remained fixated. The sun was falling in front of his eyes and still, he did look away.

His silence scared Elowen. It unnerved her. Whenever it concerned Lumikki, he was a man who showed his emotions- sometimes to deeply.

She was waiting for the moment when he would snap.

But he never did.

Instead, he turned back to her when the moon was in place. As if that was the signal he had been waiting for. With a silence, he closed the balcony doors.

Elowen looked at the wet carpets that surrounded the frame due to the snow that had been allowed to come in and melt. But he seemed unaware of it as he walked to the other side of the bed and wearily sat down.

She wanted to say something to him. Something such as 'they told me she would be okay?' 'They told me she had broken her shoulder, but that was it.' They told me she was with child. And somehow you knew before her husband did.'

"Elowen."

She jumped at the sudden sound that filled the void she had been trapped in. Turning to face him, she saw that he was looking back at her. He moved to sit on the top of the bed, his back resting against the headboard as he patted the place that was next to him.

She moved to where he motioned, unsure of what he had planned.

But without another thought, he talked, as if nothing was wrong. 

"Tomorrow is the hunt- do you have plans for the ladies who do not wish to participate?"

"Yes..." she moved to be more comfortable, struggling to let the tone of her voice match his in the way it effortlessly flowed out in a smooth, uninterrupted motion.

"There may be some ladies who wish to join," Theros said.

Elowen frowned, "I don't think there are any?"

He looked at her for a few seconds before shrugging slightly, "I have made preparations in case such a thing should occur. Have you made a consideration that males may not wish to partake either?"

"It's a horse race of the guards. I think both males and females will enjoy."

"Is there anyone guarding the horses?"

Elowen wished he had discussed this with her sooner. Who would need to guard the horses?They would be inside the palace?

"No...do you expect anyone to steal them?"

Again, Theros looked at her with a contemplating look. Maybe there was a foreign dignitary that had a tendency to steal?

"Place a guard to make sure only those who have been assigned to ride them for the race, actually ride."

"I will see to it..." she waited for him to make any more requests. She was not disappointed when he turned to her and said, "The dinner is inside?"

"It's too cold to be outside, Theros!"

He seemed dejected at that, but honestly, too many of their events had already been outside! Elowen, though she had been born and raised in the North, still could not get over the fact that his pushing and demanding ways had resulted in her standing in the freezing cold for almost two hours in such a thin wedding dress. She had to let that go someday, but she still was perplexed at his need to hold everything outside.

"The guests will be unhappy if we continue to host outside also."

A small laughter escaped him, shocking Elowen, but she found herself smiling with him.

She liked this. She liked this easy conversation that they were carrying. Not once had they brought up her. Elowen realized that that had been the topic to really bring them together, but they needed to focus on something else now if they were going to survive.

She tried to engage him more. She wanted to hear his voice. She wanted to continue.

"What will you be hunting?"She felt her smile grow as he turned to her. There was a boyish grin on his face, something she remembered seeing on him when they had first met. She had forgotten that expression - that he was capable of such a thing, but it came back now as he leaned against the headboard and said, "I think a hare." 

I'm going to let you readers in on a little secret- It physically hurt my chest to write this chapter. I can't even explain why to be honest. 

But on a side note, I've developed a habit of just coming home from work and writing chapter to then post. I have nothing planned out. It's all in the air. (yayy! freestyle!) 

I mean...I have an ending in my head and each time I have to write I'm like "we need to focus on the end goal here. FOCUS." 

I'm not telling you what the goal is but. FOCUS PEOPLE. STAY WITH ME. 

Hahahaha. 

Hahahahahahahahahaha. (<--- that is because I only slept five hours last night) 

I wish I could see your faces, but then again I'm worried that I have scared you now (RELAX. Someone dared called me sadistic in the comments earlier (glares) I am a very nice author I have no idea whyyyyy you would say that. *winks* )

Until next time, 

Loves, 

/////WORLD_JOY_/////