When Matthew pulled the parchment away from his face, he read the words and chuckled, “Sorry? Did you write an apology before doing something wrong, my dear?”

Sahara wanted to cry, she put the parchment back down and then wrote once again.

Matthew leaned over the parchment and read it, ‘Sorry I left.’

Yeah, she didn’t know what else to say, she should stay away from him, but right at this moment, she couldn’t help showing something towards him. Sahara was…Utterly conflicted…

She wanted to say that she didn’t regret leaving, and that if he comes to Purple Haven, then she will have to leave it. But perhaps it was ok that he came, especially when she was six months pregnant.

But she didn’t want to leave, she didn’t want him not to come, she wanted to say that she had desperately missed him and wanted to be in his arms. That she had looked at the suns and stars missing him, and that she had felt like the last time that she had seen him had felt like an eternity!

Sahara was against herself and confused after thinking all this and felt like her emotions were starting to go out of control…

So, in the end, all she could say, was, sorry that she had left…

His eyes showed pain and he quietly said, “Are you ok? It…Must have been hard…”

Suddenly Sahara got really emotional, all she wanted to do was hug him. She needed a hug from this very man!

A tear escaped, as she tried to hold herself back from doing the deed of teleporting straight to him!

“Sahara?” Matthew asked, as the brush hadn’t moved, nor the parchment.

She let out a sob and couldn’t help it, quickly looking over her attire, Sahara uncrumpled her sleeve and pulled the clothing down more, then she teleported straight to him, which was about a month away from Purple Haven.

Putting her hands around him, she clung to him as she started to cry once again.

It was so strange.

Sahara hadn’t really cried a lot since she had left, but now that she saw Matthew, it overflowed.

While she was doing so, it became completely obvious to Matthew, that she had…

“Sahara!”

She was just too busy crying, and even though Matthew desperately wanted to make her feel better, he was in shock to feeling and seeing her growing bulge!

With eyes wide opened and a hand unwilling to stay put, he touched her womb and finally let himself really wonder…

Was Sahara pregnant? Was she really with his child!?

Picking her up, he found her hugging him tightly and he jumped back onto his horse and went into a different path, to get away from all the onlookers.

Finally, being alone for nearly an hour, Sahara was silent and sniffling, and Matthew couldn’t wait any longer to ask!

Putting a hand over the unborn child, he finally said, “You are pregnant.”

Sahara nodded stiffly and defeated…She felt like a fresh, new start, like she was finally out of the tunnel…It was weird.

Having cried to Matthew like that, was something that she never thought would happen…But it did, and it reminded her that she had needed him. That she hadn’t been able to stay away from him, and that she needed to cry in his arms! To be able to move forward…It…

Sniff…

Dammit, he’s way too hard to stay away from! I already failed!

“Mmm.”

“Why…Why didn’t you tell me?” Matthew asked, trying not to sound hurt. Having seen her breakdown just before, he didn’t want her to cry again, but how could he not be a little upset!?

Sahara snuggled into him and put a hand over his and closed her eyes, “It’s a boy.”

Matthew could only sigh, he had spent the last six months in a terrible state and how could it just be blown away!

He wanted to be angry at her, tell her no, walk away, be nasty or just ignore her!

But not only did her crying nearly completely dissolve his anger, but the fact that she was carrying his child, sort of made him absolutely excited!

Never would he thought that they would have created a child in one night!

A boy!

“A boy…” Was all Matthew could say.

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“Mmm.” And Sahara fell into a strange sleep. She was deflated and exhausted, yet, felt great and…Happy…

The vow I had to not be with him…How had it simply just fell apart!? So…Stupid

For the first time in months, Sahara fell into a deep sleep that wouldn’t contain any nightmares.

Matthew kissed Sahara’s forehead and sighed. He was still at a loss, all the time, with this one woman! She had run from him twice now, making him miss her like crazy! Yet, she was such a blessing in his life, one he couldn’t let go of!

He needed her!

Tightening his embrace around her, Matthew put his forehead against hers and sighed…He found his peace again…

His muscles relaxed, his thoughts ceased, and his heart felt whole. This silly woman was everything to him and he vouched to never let her go again. That when she was to wake, he would make her take him everywhere with her…That will be her punishment!

Matthew returned to the rest of the men, who were on their way to Purple Haven, and the General was the first to walk up to him.

“My boy! Is that the little woman?”

Sighing, Matthew held her tighter, yes, she was a silly, little woman!

“Mmm, is she hurt?”

The General’s question made Matthew look curiously at him, so the General continued. “She was crying. If she’s not hurt, then why was she crying?”

Again, Matthew sighed, but in relief. He had started to get worried! Sahara seemed fine…

…Suddenly though, Matthew felt like he should check, what if she was hurt!?

“Ah! My boy, I get it, it all makes sense now! She’s with child! Haha! Both of our wives are pregnant and crying! Great work! Great work!”

His good friend pat him strongly on the shoulder and Matthew cringed, he hadn’t been ready to tell anyone, but he couldn’t keep it secret when they were still putting up an area that they could sleep in for the night. They really were being seen by everyone…Out in the open…

At first, when he found that the General was inspecting another child, Matthew had been upset. He had to deal with two little mutts, that had caused a hell of a lot of trouble! Then, to hear about another’s beloved woman, who had not run away, who had gotten pregnant…It had made him slightly angry to his own situation!

But he had never thought that Sahara would be pregnant already. As much as he was the happiest, proudest man alive right now, he still wasn’t ready for everyone to know that his run-away bride was pregnant…As it was, he had only just found out!

“Those who were sleeping?” Matthew asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Awake.” Came the General’s short reply.

Joshua stepped forth then, continuing his endless sighing to the General’s type of speech, “Forgive me, Your Highness. I would like to imply that those who had slept, only slept four hours, and that is why we are putting the time for others to sleep now with haste. Since you had been gone for so long, most of those who were sleeping had woken up unexpectantly, and now we have all eaten. Those who are to sleep in the wagons are already in them.”

Matthew nodded, their plans of going through the wilderness included a third to sleep and two thirds of the men awake to travel. The main objective of this type of travel, was to keep everyone pretty well rested, just in case, but it also gave them the best way to travel as often as possible. They have had to stop for a good couple of hours, a few times, in the last month, to eat and give the horses a good rest. And so far, they had only stopped to sleep five times, so they have been on the move most of the time, since they had left Green Haven.

Joshua thought that it would only be natural that they travel as often as possible, to get through the dangerous wilderness quickly. The biggest problem was with the horses having to endure…

The beasts that they had come across, while being out here, had not been much of a bother yet, but if there was a problem, all the men should be able to fight if it came to needing them. All up, there were fifty wagons with food and people sleeping, then there were well over a hundred men awake and then the Prince’s men and Matthew’s few Slayers.

In three shifts, people swapped around in a day and in two shifts, horses were swapped. Joshua wanted to make sure that people knew that they had no choice but to stuff up their own sleeping routine for now, just to keep everyone in the party safe, but travelling as much as possible. But the soldiers and Slayers had no problem sleeping day or night, so, luckily, he wasn’t hated. On the contrary, people knew that the wilderness was dangerous, that was why people didn’t venture out into it, so they were happily following Joshua’s plan.

Most Slayers had stayed in Green Haven, for extra protection for those who have now left, but a dozen had followed him. Matthew had only issued that a few follow him, but never noticed or selected whom had come…

Just like he doesn’t know that one of them had happily volunteered…

Having stopped the rotation of the men and their sleeping, because of sudden arrival of Sahara, did sort of muck everything up! Yet, how could anyone complain?

“Then do as planned, we will rest with haste and travel again soon. Let the men know, and Prince Seth should be informed as well.”

Joshua bowed and quickly ran off, taking another with him. One went to Prince Seth and the other went to the soldiers…And the General stood there, with his hands behind his back…

“…My boy…If she is from Purple Haven, maybe she can tell us who we are going to beat up! We could wake her…”

Matthew interrupted, “No! She is sleeping.”

“That is why I said to wake…”

“No!”

“Bah! I’m going to sleep!” The General let out, before stomping away like an angry child…

***

“Your Highness, water is ready for you to bathe.”

…Matthew wasn’t very comfortable…

It wasn’t like they could be in comfort when riding for months in the wilderness, so he didn’t have a bed. Instead, there were fluffy blankets and pillows…And a silly, little woman who wouldn’t let go of him…

He had already checked, and knew that she wasn’t hurt, but she was in such a deep sleep that she never knew he’d done it. Wondering his hands all over her precious body, Matthew sighed.

He wanted to kiss her all over, but she wouldn’t let him go!

Hence, he was uncomfortable, because he was unable to kiss her all over…

“No need…”

“…Yes…Your Highness.” The person walked out and clenched their hands…If they could only get Sahara all by herself…

Sahara mumbled in her sleep and Matthew lightly chuckled.

She had not changed, she was still very adorable. Her beautiful face was hardly seen in the dim light, but he knew it so well already. Her hair was just as soft as he remembered, and…Her skin…

She had broken his heart and left him, yet he couldn’t deny how much he loved her…Still.

In fact, he probably loved her more now, then he did before…He couldn’t deny his anger and hurt, but at the same time, he felt like she couldn’t handle it just yet. Knowing that it has been six months, and to have cried like that, was she still grieving the loss of her father and brother?

And on top of that, she was pregnant…So, if he were to act out his pain and angered emotions, she may very well just leave him again. No…He just didn’t want that ever again!

For a while, Matthew had to let her off…Even though he knew that he’d probably forget all about his anger if he did…

Sighing to the state of a strange type of happiness, Matthew shut his eyes for a brief time. They were only stopping for four hours, and three of those hours had already passed. Soon, they will pack everything up and continue on their journey towards Purple Haven…

Rubbing Sahara’s back lightly, Matthew felt like he could finally sleep properly again, even though he was uncomfortable. It really was…The best feeling in the world, to hold onto his beloved like this!

Lazily putting his other hand on his unborn child, he felt himself slip into a light sleep…