This is a special Valentine's Day present for probably my best friend on he, Kayla! This os completely and totally dedicated to her! I hope she loves it!

Now, before I say more, if you read my story Forced, and want to be surprised at the ending, and don't like spoilers, DO NOT READ THIS! DO NOT! This ficlet is not for you!

Anyway, enjoy! XD

Really, Raz was hard to surprise anymore. Her life was about as crazy as could get. In just the last year or so, she'd been kidnapped, forced into marriage, fallen in love, discovered her heritage and claim to the throne of a mystical species, nearly wiped out a whole species, died, brought back to life, watched her husband trade his soul to the devil, so on and so forth.

But this?

"Zalim… wot in th' world…?"

She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. Her entire room… full of flowers! They were on the walls, the ceiling, covering the window, spread over the floor. "Whas all this then?"

He smiled. "Don't you know? Today is exactly one year from the day you were properly coronated, and…"

She smiled upon remember, her expression fond at the remembrance of her mothers' words. I trust you with my daughter. Treat and love her well. "Oh thas righ… th' day mm act'lly sai' Ah could be queen and marry yer sorry self."

He chuckled, appearing on the bed beside her. He presented her a pretty bouquet, and when she went to take them, she noticed they seemed unnaturally hard. She gasped upon realizing what they really were- carved! At least twenty perfect roses, carved of jewels! The petals were shaped of rubies and diamonds, all different hues of red and white. The stems and thorns were beautiful emeralds, and they all glittered in the morning light filtering in through the window.

Experimentally she smelled the flowers, and found with delight, and slight surprise, they still held a real rose's natural beautiful aroma. "Aw Zalim, they're gorgeous. Thanks." She hugged him with one arm, beaming. He tended to spoil her, but that didn't mean she minded getting gifts. "Ya do too much fer me."

"No, I don't think so." He argued playfully, stroking her ears in such a way that made her involuntarily quiver with delight; it tickled and gave her chills, but it made her feel happy and calm. "Only better than the best for my love."

She chuckled. "Ya don' make much sense, an fer some reas'n Ah love tha."

It was his turn to laugh, before reaching onto the night stand and placing her golden circlet on her head. "So, my dear queen, I don't suppose you'd be willing to take breakfast down to the waterfront?"

She grinned. "Tha' soun's great."

…

Raz found, when Zalim said 'breakfast', he meant a feast. She was surprised to find a silken blanket already laid on the sand, surrounded by dozens of platters and bowls, all piled high with the most delicate of foods. Her mouth watered at all the wondrous smells. "Mm…" she found another bouquet, this time real, in a vase waiting there. As they sat down, she didn't hesitate to help herself to the food.

Popping a grape into her mouth, she grabbed a silver spoon, not hesitating to stick it in a bowl of nearby strawberry jelly. Hey, she was the queen, and this was her celebration. She could eat this however she wanted. Chuckling, Zalim copied her, and soon they were both enjoying their meal, not bothering with plates.

"Mm…" swallowing a mouthful of some kind of thick cream that tasted like peanuts, Raz turned her gaze to the water. The sunrise had turned the waves pink, and the mist-like clouds had all come together to form a big heart. She giggled; he could be such a sap. "Oh Zalim… what'm I gonna do with you?"

"We could go ice skating. I know how much you love that."

"I dunno…" the last time they'd gone ice skating, they'd fallen into the freezing water and had been stuck in bed with pneumonia for a week afterwards.

"Don't worry dear." He soothed, petting her ears. "I'll ensure the ice is thick; my magic was weak at the time, remember?"

She nodded. "Alrigh. Ice skatin it is."

…

That was how they found themselves gliding around on the ice, gripping one another's hands. They were unaware of the eyes watching them until them until their owner suddenly fell through the bushes and crashed forward onto the sand.

Instantly, Opal's adoptive family were standing in front of her, Zalim with a stern expression, arms folded, Raz looking rather amused. "Alright pipsqueak." She chuckled, bending down and holding out her hands. Opal jumped into them. "What's up?"

"S-Sorry to interrupt." She apologized. "But the Queen is requesting your presence."

"Which one?" Raz inquired. They knew plenty of queens; the Sprite Queen, the Mermaiden Queen, that terrible Dragon Queen, and of course-

"Your mother."

"Oh… oh." she winced. She remembered Kari mentioning that she needed to come by and have a serious conversation with her. She hadn't realized it was going to be today;she'd actually been looking forward to spending the day with her husband. "Alrigh'. Ya sure i' can' wait?"

Opal shook her head. "She said it was urgent."

Raz sighed. "Of course. Bu' Ah swear, if she wants me ta baptize anothah' hatchlin, I'll lose it." As the queen of two separate kingdoms, she had much to tend to. In each place, she had so many duties. She had sacred rituals to perform for the Gryphons, formally welcoming any newly hatched babies into the kingdom, performing marriage and funeral ceremonies. She dealt with threats from the Dragons, tended to any crisis's that may arise in her kingdom. Here, she had identical operations to run, though it was made easier with Zalim helping her. Still, stressful. "Let's go." Summoning her staff, she disappeared in a flash of blue light.

She found herself in one of the smaller rooms of their palace, empty and sparse. A small, shabby rug rested before the closed door. The tiny window was boarded shut. The room was terribly dirty, dusty and grimy. She rubbed at her eyes, watering as she rapidly blinked to get used to the musty air.

"Hello, my dear."

She turned. Her mother stood there, in her human form. She wore a dress woven of gold, her golden tiara glinting in the dim lighting. Her lush purple hair was plaited into a braid with a silken ribbon that matched the color of her dress. A long, emerald green cloak adorned her shoulders.

"'Allo mum." Her form shimmered, and her shorter human form instantly changed to that of a kangaroo, with pink fur and bronze eyes.

"Oh, my dear daughter." She wrapped her in a hug, gentle and elegant as ever. "I've missed you so."

"Mum, it's barely been a week."

"Ah, yes." She smiled, cupping her face in her hands, long, elegant fingers stroking her fur. "But I lost you for twenty years. After that, a week, is an eternity away from you."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yer ridiculous."

"Oh, but I am not. You sure my only daughter Raz." Her voice softened. "And I love you very much."

She smirked. "Ah know, I love ya too. Now" she gestured at two crude wooden chairs, obviously waiting for them. "Whas all this abou' then?"

"Dear" she began, hands beginning to glow. They shaped an image; a younger Kari cradling a bundle. If you listened closely, you could hear the bundle giggling. "I tried seven times to successfully give birth to a baby girl. You know this?"

"Yeah… where ya goin with this?"

"You see sweetie, only a female can rule the Gryphons, they must have a queen."

"Aaaaaaand… yer point?"

"Well, even though we are immortal, we can still grow weak. A kingdom needs a strong queen, hence why I tried to hard to be given you. But it is destined, written in the ancient scrolls, that every queen eventually bears a female heir. You see" she changed the image to that of a scroll. "See here?" she pointed, and if Raz squinted, she could see her name. "You are destined to bear a daughter. And the written time is approaches quickly."

Raz was getting nervous. "…Wha're ya sayin, mum?"

"I am saying, dear, that you and Zalim are going to be made parents… and very, very soon."

There ya go. I know, not entirely Valentine's Day themed, but I figured this would work. If not, tell me, and I'll rewrite! Review please! And before ya yell at me for spoilers, I warned you! This ficlet will continue minimally if and only if the person its dedicated to asks for it. Of not, this is your teaser trailer/spoiler thingy for the sequel.

Oh come on! You all knew this was gonna happen eventually! And if somehow you did not… well, A) You haven't read Forced, or B) You're really bad at picking up story hints…