I want to be clear. This is not a continuation and I won't be doing one. Probably ever. I've come to realize that some stories are better for being short and mysterious. Also, this story was meant to be a character exploration. Not a love story or what have you. The main point now. This is actually a re-write of this story. Its been bothering me for awhile, knowing how much better it could be written and how much better I am at writing. This is to give the idea I had everything it deserves. I will be leaving the original draft up as the second chapter. I think it can be interesting and inspiring to see the differences that can occur in a re-write. If you're curious and want to follow up this adequate, but still likely messy version with the truly painful version, well thanks for sticking to it!

Kel woke to sparrows twittering in her ear. "Okay, okay, I'm getting up," she mumbled. Finding seed, she opened the shutters and spread it across the sill. The birds now occupied she ducked into the privy, splashing her face and scrubbing her teeth. She had just spit when her stomach heaved and what little food was left from the night before was unceremoniously dispelled. She scrubbed her teeth again to get rid of the taste, deciding to skip breakfast later.

Walking back out she was met with the concerned looks of the sparrows and a now awake Jump. "I'm fine," she told them, changing into her practice clothes, "I'm not really sick. I've just been a little nauseas recently." Not that she needed to tell them, they were the only ones aware of the ongoing problem. After she finished her glaive practice she visited the women's bathing house before changing in a soft, fawn brown dress. It was peacetime and contrary to everyone's beliefs she did enjoy dressing like a woman. Almost as if to prove that point, she picked a couple of the hairpins she had acquired over the past few years and styled her short bob such that her hair was pulled delicately away from her face. Satisfied with her appearance, partially because she would now blend in better in town, she bid farewell to her animal family.

Leaving the castle was almost harder than her trek through Scanran. Everyone in the castle knew the famous Protector of the Small and wished to talk. She was able to dispense of many of them quickly, by telling them that she needed to get to Corus to finish some last minute Midwinter shopping. The only time she ran was when she heard Neal call her name from down a corridor. It was getting increasingly difficult to avoid him in the last few weeks. Him and his unannounced, unwanted health checks.

Once off of palace grounds she directed her steps towards the Goddess's temple. Her comments about needing last minute gifts had not been a lie, but it was not her reason for visiting the city. Her main reason was the Goddess's healer priestesses. They were skilled, knowledgeable, and discrete.

Her thoughts drifted back to that night a little over a month ago when her friends had convinced her to spend a night on the town.

Kel had been drinking cider that night as she hated the lack of control she associated with spirits. That didn't stop her from enjoying herself though! It seemed as if everyone was there. People she knew from the knights, the Own, the Riders, the palace guard, and commoner friends from the city. This, of course, meant that a couple of her ex-lovers were there as well and, as was typical, her heart was still feeling things that her head had tried to dismiss ages ago. It didn't help that most of the men she had dated were still so fine looking too. She was on amicable working terms with them and those two reasons were added motivation to be the sober one in the crowd.

She should have known to never trust anything if Neal and Dom were in a room together.

An idea from Dom, a little mage craft from Neal, and she never even realized that her cider was spiked until the next morning. The next morning, when she realized that she was in the rooms of one of the aforementioned ex-lovers, hungover, snuggled up, and naked.

Coming back to the present Kel cursed herself yet again for the fool she was. For various inconsequential reasons, she had put off having her pregnancy charm renewed. It had definitely needed to be renewed…

Ah well, Kel thought to herself, what's done is done. You need to stop moping about it and take care of the issue at hand. Realizing she was at the temple, she envisioned the stone she strove to be as she provided her name and the reason she was visiting to the priestess acting as clerk that day. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long to hear her name called.

Escorted into a small white room, she took a seat were the healer, Agatha, indicated. Kel vocalized her symptoms and suspicions to the kind older woman.

A soothing, soft pink glow settled over her before Agatha confirmed them.

"I don't know if this is good news for you or not," Agatha said, "so I won't offer my congratulations, but you are correct. You're pregnant. I'm assuming you have questions and I would be more than happy to try to answer them for you."

Kel nodded, taking a moment to respond. Her thoughts were awhirl. It was one thing to suspect, but completely different to have it confirmed. Finally, one question surfaced above all the others.

"What are my options here?" Kel asked.

Agatha and Kel spent the next few hours discussing just that before Kel left to finish the Midwinter shopping that had been her excuse to visit town in the first place.

Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed my original version. It was my first piece of fanfiction and you were so nice in your criticisms. Your feedback is what helped me to really re-write this piece in what I hope is a more realistic scenario. The first time it was far fetched, but I was just trying to get a concept out. Hopefully the concept and some realism came through this time.

~LadyKnightSam