He pulls a chair and takes a seat. I lean on the wall, with my eyes on Aria and the doctor in the other room.

"Igor, I have known you all my life. I always thought you lived alone, and a few months ago when you started asking for women's clothing, I didn't think... How do you know her?"

I don't respond. Even if I wanted to, what do I say?

"Okay. How long have you known her?" I hear the accusation in his voice. He wants to know if Aria ran away to be with me.

"Igor, did you know she was the king's wife?"

My eyes turn to him. Aria is not that imbecile's wife. "He tried to kill her. He has no claim to her."

"And you do? Igor, I recognize that look on any man. So, I will ask you. What is your relationship with Queen Aria?"

"She's mine." I reply simply. Hanser is horrified at my confession. He buries his hand on his face.

"No. Igor, she isn't. She belongs to the king. Do you know how this looks? To me?" he hisses.

I don't respond. I am honestly done with this conversation.

"Did you know she ran away after the general accused her of an affair? That she is disgraced and how much trouble me and my family will be in if anyone finds out. Do you even care?"

I step closer to him, and his eyes widen in terror.

"You will not speak of her that way. I've known you since you were a small child, Hanser but she ranks higher than you." I tell him.

"So, what's your plan after this?"

I don't answer because that's none of his business.

"We saw no one coming here, but the walls have eyes, Igor. Do you realize what danger you've put my family in? My kids? My wife?" he grits.

I step back. "I didn't know what to do. She was not going to make it. I'm not an expert in human medicine."

Silence befalls us.

He rises. "I have to go home."

He rises. "I have to go home." Then he lifts his gaze to me, serious expression. "Igor, I know my family owes you a long debt, but like you said, Its paid after this." He looks at Aria's direction. "Goodbye."

He leaves.

I remain in that position, feeling numb about everything, including the decades worth of friendship I just lost. But Aria is my everything and nothing is above her.

The doctor approaches after she finished closing her jars. She returns things in the kitchen, and I get closer. I touch her hand and I survey her body. Her temperature is going down and her pulse is stronger than before. Not like normal, but I feel the hope.

The swelling on her legs is still there but the area looks better, and she no longer has the cloth limiting her blood flow.

The doctor comes back wiping her hands with a cloth.

"Thank you." I say.

"I took an oath." She says. I notice she wants to say and ask so much.

"Is she going to be alright and when will she wake up?"

"I gave her medicine and cleaned the bite. The medicine works fast but it is strong, and it has properties that will keep her asleep for a few hours as it works the poison out of her blood. Her body needs to heal without any interference from her moving. She should be up tomorrow, morning earliest or by afternoon. Just...uh, make sure she is lying down."

I nod. I see her dart her eyes around and the questions on her face.

"You can ask." I owe her something for saving her.

"She is supposed to be dead." She says

"That's not a question."

"You and her?"

"That is not your business."

"She is the queen."

I just look at her. She looks away before she exhales.

"There is another thing." The doctor says.

I just stare at her waiting for an answer.

"She's pregnant."

My body feels heavy, and my eyes are heavy. I try to open them, but I only manage to see Igor and the open sky before blackness pulls me under again. Next time I try to get up, my body is still heavy and its hard to open my eyes, but I breathe, and I do. I try to keep my eyes open. They close when the door opens, and I only see the form of Igor before they close again.

When I wake up again, it is because of Igor's voice. "Aria, can you hear me?"

I blink a few times and I breathe out, trying to get back to the land of the living. I find a worried-face Igor lying next to me. He is like a wall in front of me, and I can't see anything else.

"How long have I been asleep?" my body feels like I have been in bed for days, but also tired like I had been fighting previously. I am exhausted.

He snorts. "That's the first thing you say?"

I give him a lazy smile.

"How are you feeling?" his voice has a strange note to it.

I nod. I try to move my limbs. I sit up and his hands are on me like I'm gonna fail. I frown.

"I can get up on my own, last time I checked."

He chuckles.

Then I try to remember. Picnic, swimming. My eyes widen and I look at him. "I was bitten."

His face houses pain. He nods. "Yeah, you were.

"I remember pain. You brought me back here." I remove the blanket to see my leg that is bandaged. I touch it, and it hurts a little, but it's a dull pain now.

"Is it painful?"

"A little." I look back at him. "Igor, where...how?" my mind runs when I remember hearing voices I didn't recognize. I have a lot of memories that don't make sense. Most my eyes were closed.

"I took you to a doctor." He clears is throat.

"What?" my voice comes louder than I intend. "A human doctor?"

He sits up too. "Don't get upset, dove. I had to."

"Wh-what happened? Tell me everything? Did anybody see us?" I can't hide the panic in my voice.

"Hanser, his wife and the doctor. I didn't see anyone else."

"Are you sure?"

He nods. "I took all the precautions and plus it was in the middle of the night."

I nod slowly. I don't have the best feeling about that. "Did they recognize me?"

"They did."

"And?"

"And I will no longer be going to Hanser for supplies, but the doctor said they won't say anything. They all understand the gravity of the situation for everybody involved."

"What is word about me out there? What did Shepherd tell them?" I can't help the curiosity. To know what my devil of a former husband is saying to make me the demon, and him the angel.

"You don't need to upset yourself, Aria."

"Tell me."

"They were told you had an affair, and you ran because you had been found out."

I lean into Igor, and he wraps his arms around me. I mean, I'm not surprised. It's just like him that he'd say that. That mouth breathing imbecile.

"Are we safe here, you sure no one followed?"

"I made sure of it and Wolfie has been scouting the forest."

I move back with a quipped brow.

"She was here when I came back from the doctor. She saw you and the wound. I told her what happened, and she's been checking in every few hours. If someone were coming, we'd know."

I find a smile on my face. "See I told you Wolfie is my spirit guide."

He chuckles. "Fine, she's not useless. I made porridge. You should eat."

I grimace.

"Hey, I tried. Its edible. And you need to eat something." He says before he moves. I hold him before he goes, and he turns to me. I lean close and he kisses me. He smiles and goes. He comes back with the porridge.

"Igor, I love you." I say. "But this is...not good. It may be what kills me." I joke.

He chuckles. "That's your fault. I am out of practice. You spoiled me."

I sigh. I continue eating as he feeds me. I see him stewing a little uncomfortably and I wait for him to come out with it.

When he doesn't, I call him. "Igor..."

"Hm?"

"Say it."

"I found something else when we were at the doctor."

My brows furrow because what else could there be.

"You're pregnant."

My mouth falls open. "Huh?"

"She said it hasn't been long, a few weeks maybe but you are pregnant."

"How is that possible?"

Igor quips his brow.

"Okay, a stupid question, but I didn't think I could..." I drift off. I didn't consider the possibility of getting pregnant with Igor. We aren't the same species, and I just didn't think about it.

"Get pregnant?"

I nod. "I thought after all the failed attempts previously that I couldn't. Maybe I had a problem."

"Well, you don't have any problems."

I let it settle in me but it's hard to wrap my head around it. I'm pregnant? I'm going to be a mother? Igor's child?

"We are going to be parents?" I ask, excitement creeping inside of me a little.

He nods with a smile.

"Igor, is it real?" I don't know why but I can't believe it. I'm going to have a family with the man I love?

"We are going to have a family, dove."

I look at him. "Are you happy? Are you okay with that?"

"What? I am over the moon. I can't wait." He leans down and he kisses me. Then he pulls me so I'm straddling him. I wince a little at the sudden movement but when I settle its fine.

My smile widens at all the possibilities.

"Now we really need to expand the house." I say. "Wait, will 9 months be sufficient to bake an orc baby?"

He laughs and lies on his back. I fold my arms and I don't return the smile.

"It's a serious question, Igor." I pout.

"We are also born in 9 months, but I guess we have to keep a close watch on you."

"What if I'm too weak to carry an orc offspring, Igor?"

"That is impossible. You will. And I will be right here." He brushes my arms.

"There's so much to think about, Igor. We need to make space for them, where they'll play, where they'll crawl. We need to make it safe for them."

"Shh," he pulls me to him. "Easy. I have already started thinking about the improvements to the house. I will start tomorrow."

I quip my brow. "You have started? How long was I asleep?"

"Only overnight. But I haven't been able to stop thinking of all the things I have to do. I want to make both of you a happy home with everything you need."

"Does that mean you will be working shirtless throughout the summer?"

He bellows a laugh. "Aria, is that where your mind is right this second?"

I try to pinch his thick skin. "Don't laugh at me, orc."

"You just never seize to amaze me."

"It's a shame we can't go swimming anymore. The water felt amazing."

His face falls with regret and guilt. "I'm sorry about that, dove. I should have been there."

"Igor, you couldn't have known that was going to happen."

"But it was still my duty to keep you from harm."

"That's nonsense, Igor."

"Did you just say... Aria—"

I shut his mouth with a kiss because he talks too much.

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