"Amarinda's pregnant."

This caught Jaron's attention. Abruptly, he turned so he could face Tobias but still remained seated on his bed. Tobias shuffled his feet awkwardly as he stood in front of the king, looking like he was thinking of the countless other places he'd rather be at that moment.

"Pregnant? How'd this happen?"

Tobias arched an eyebrow at Jaron, wondering if he really wanted to know.

Realizing what he'd asked, the king started to chuckle. "Actually, don't answer that. I guess a better question would be since when?"

Tobias shrugged, thinking it over in his mind. "She told me last night but I've had my suspicions for a while now. It wasn't hard to tell but I suppose that's mostly because I'm a physician so things like that aren't difficult to take note of."

"Wow," Jaron processed the information. The thought of Amarinda being pregnant was baffling. Although they were eighteen now and it wasn't uncommon for women around that age to bear children, he still couldn't quite fathom the thought of Amarinda going through it so soon. Regardless, he said, "Congratulations, Tobias. But I must say, I really can't imagine you being a father."

Tobias sighed, "I can't either. That's why I came to talk."

Tobias moved to sit in a chair next to the king's bed. It would've been easy to lean back into the soft fabric and doze off but frankly, sleep was the last thing on Tobias' mind at the moment.

His response prompted a smirk from the king. "You want advice on how to raise children from a boy king? Wouldn't Harlowe be a better person to ask on such a subject?"

"I suppose. But I'm not as close with Harlowe as I am with you. And regardless, I believe you have more wisdom on this subject than you let on."

"What do you mean?" Jaron asked. He paused and raised an eyebrow at Tobias' insinuation, "Imogen isn't pregnant; in fact, we've decided to be wise and wait."

Tobias would hope so. The thought of Jaron becoming a father was absurd at best.

"That's not what I meant, Your Majesty," Tobias rarely used the formal title because he knew it made Jaron uncomfortable. It was times like these when the king was being exceptionally irritating did he put the title to good use.

He continued, "What I meant was that I've never really had a fatherly figure in my life but you have. So naturally, you have more experience on this than I do. Based on your memories of your father, I'd like for your wisdom on what will make me a good father to my future son or daughter."

Jaron set his jaw forward and his gaze dropped. Tobias was worried he'd hit a nerve but not long after, Jaron said, "Well, for starters, don't ask your kid to pretend to be a homeless orphan for five years. It tends to make the child develop a negative view of you."

Tobias sighed - he'd definitely hit a nerve. Maybe it was a bad idea to ask Jaron for advice after all.

But the king continued, "Second, its best to be honest and open with your child. If my father - King Eckbert - wouldn't have been so closed off towards me and disapprove of everything I did. . . ," he sighed and decided to rephrase his words, "I had my own share of flaws too for sure, but I can't help but feel that maybe our relationship wouldn't have ended so sourly if I had felt like he showed his love for me more. Or even attempted to understand the motives for the things I would do.

"I know you Tobias and the chances of you doing that are slim. But even so, its good to keep in mind. Put yourself in your child's shoes whenever you feel like you don't understand them. Anyway, you're instinctively loving and caring and there's no doubt in my mind that you'll make a great father.'

The regent listened attentively, absorbing every word. His words were good advice, even better than what he'd expected.

Maybe the thought of Jaron becoming a father wasn't as absurd as he'd originally thought.

Moments passed before Tobias smiled and stood up from the chair. "It's amazing how much you've grown, Jaron. You've matured and it shows at times when I least expect it."

Jaron returned a smile of his own, albeit it was a good bit more mischievous than Tobias'. "That was pretty good advice wasn't it? Probably would've topped Harlowe's advice after all."

Tobias rolled his eyes and said his farewell to the king, for fear continuing to thank him would only inflate his already big ego.

As he left the king's chambers, Tobias ran Jaron's words over in his mind. It was true - if he made sure he was honest and open towards his future child, then he was almost certain he would be a good father.

With his mind relaxed and worries cleared, he entered he and Amarinda's chambers, eager to check on his wife and the child they now had growing in her. Soon, he would be the father of their child and just the mere thought made him smile.

A/N: I love this series and I just wanted to contribute to it so I wrote this. I've been wanting to write a fanfiction for the ATS for a looong time but it wasn't until I reread the series did I truly decided to post anything. Anyway this is far from my best work (I haven't written in so long) but I hope it wasn't too bad and I'll try to update this as frequently as I can. (If you'd like, leave suggestions in the review box)