Akkarin wrapped his arms around Sonea as the door to the new Black Magician Quarters clicked shut behind them. He placed a kiss on her temple and she sunk into his embrace.
'Our new home,' Sonea sighed, 'it's finally finished. Thank goodness!'
Akkarin chuckled and smiled down at her. 'No more magicians living in our basement making sure that we don't escape into the city and go on a power rampage.'
Sonea laughed, rolling her eyes. 'True, it'll be nice to not have eyes on us every time we leave our room. It'll just be you and I, and Takan. We can finally relax.'
'Would you like to explore?' Sonea nodded. Akkarin had been overseeing the designs and building of the new Black Magician Quarters whilst Sonea had been studying with Dorrien and Lady Vinara in the Healer's Quarters. He hadn't allowed Sonea to see the plans, wanting the house to be a surprise and to keep her focused on her studies.
'So, we are standing in the entrance hall on the ground floor. This is where the first set of Magician's rooms reside,' he motions to a door on the left. 'Each set of rooms has a sitting room, a master bedroom, two smaller guest or family rooms, and a private bathroom. To our right is a common seating area with a small library.'
Akkarin lead Sonea by the hand into the common area. At one end of the room are comfortable seats arranged for social gatherings, and at the other end sat sets of desks for general use. Almost all the wall space is taken up by bookshelves half filled with books, and broken up by large windows which let the afternoon light spill into the room. The room was warm and cosy, a perfect place to study away from everyone else, she thought.
'It's wonderful, Akkarin, I think I'll be spending quite a bit of time in here.'
He smiled his crooked half smile at her, 'I thought you'd say that, but wait until you see our rooms.'
They walk out of the room and Akkarin gestures to the door beneath the staircase. 'At the back of the ground floor is the kitchen, which opens out onto a small garden. 'I'll show you that another time, Takan is a little busy at the moment and I don't want to disturb him.'
Sonea smiled at Akkarin's care for his servant. Well, Takan felt more like family than servant, but he wants to serve his 'master' for saving him and Akkarin assured Sonea that he is happy in his role and wouldn't change it for anything.
Akkarin showed Sonea the rooms on the ground floor; they had no furniture in since there was no magician to live there at the moment. Despite that, the room looked inviting in the bright light, which made her wonder at what it would be like when it was eventually filled with the belongings of a new Black Magician.
Though, I hope that isn't soon, she thought, because that would mean that one of us had accidentally slipped a thought to one of our Escorts, or had died. She shuddered at the thought of Akkarin dying, and quickly pushed it out of her head.
'Sonea? Are you alright?' A worried crease appeared between Akkarin's eyebrows.
'Yes, I'm fine,' she smiled up at him, 'just a bad thought, that's all. Are you going to show me our rooms now?'
'Of course.' Akkarin took Sonea's hand and lead her up the stairs. On the landing he pointed out the doors that lead to the empty quarters on the left and right sides of the Quarters, then opened the door that lead to their new home.
Sonea walked into their new sitting room, smiling at how much attention to detail Akkarin had put into making it their own. From the bookcases lined with their personal books, to the matching desks, and the artwork depicting the country they had saved. Comfortable seats in a deep red colour matched the curtains, and the screens matched the cream rug that covered the majority of the floor. The room was cosy, but not dark, despite it's relatively large size. The sunlight streaming through the window drew Sonea's attention.
She walked over to the window and let out a little gasp as she took in the view. Their new home looked out over the hills and fields situated north-east of the Guild, she could see for miles and miles.
As she was taking in the landscape, she felt Akkarin walk up behind her and envelop her body in a warm embrace, his chin resting gently on her head.
'It's beautiful, isn't it?'
'It's absolutely amazing.'
'It's the reason I chose this spot, and this set of rooms for us. I wanted a place where we could look out and forget about the Guild and the city, where they will undoubtedly stare and whisper about us. This is going to be our sanctuary away from all of that, I want you to be happy despite being confined and followed and monitored all the time.'
'It's perfect, Akkarin, and I haven't even seen the rest of our rooms.' Sonea turned away from the magnificent view to face her lover. She pressed a gentle kiss against his lips. 'Thank you, so much, for everything.'
'I love you, Sonea, and I put you in this situation by teaching you Black Magic...'
'Which I asked you to do, and I don't think either of us would be here if you hadn't taught me.'
'Probably true, but nevertheless, we're both stuck here so I might as well make sure that we are comfortable.'
'You're doing wonderfully so far.'
'So far? Do you want to see the rest of our rooms?'
'Yes please!'
Akkarin lead Sonea to the right side of the apartment where the two doors lead to two empty rooms.
Sonea looked up at Akkarin quizzically as she peered into the second empty room, and he laughed.
'They're for you to decide what to do with, whether you want a private study or for them to be turned into guestrooms so that our family or friends can stay here if you wish, or we could even turn them into a Healer's apothecary if you decide that's what you want. They can be used for anything you want to use them for.'
Sonea's mind ran through all the possibilities that Akkarin had suggested, smiling at every single idea. Her own space, one that she could use to make into whatever she wanted. That would have been practically impossible before she came to the Guild. Now she was being given the chance to make a space her own and she didn't know what to choose. But, she did know that she wanted Akkarin to feel included in whatever she chose.
'I don't know what we will do with these rooms yet, but I will make them ours. I do like the idea of a study with a small apothecary, though it would be one that we'd share.'
Akkarin placed a kiss on her temple.
'You don't have to decide now, you don't even have to decide at all if you don't want to.'
'Don't worry, they'll be used,' Sonea smiled, 'I'll have a think about different ideas and let you know.'
'Great,' Akkarin smiled back at her, 'do you want to see the final two rooms now?'
Sonea saw the hesitant anticipation in Akkarin's eyes as he asked, and she blushed lightly. They hadn't been together intimately in months, not since the first week after the Meet that had decided their fate. They had decided to be cautious around the other Magicians, knowing that their relationship would be frowned upon. It would be much easier to conceal here than when they had two magicians guarding the cellar of the High Lord's Residence at all hours.
Sonea took Akkarin's hand, and they walked towards the other end of their rooms. Akkarin pointed out the door that led to the washroom, but they didn't go look. Instead, Akkarin lead her to the other door.
The room was similarly decorated to the sitting room, except instead of deep red the accents were dark blue. A four-poster bed stood in the center of the north wall, and a matching wardrobe and dresser were against the wall to the left of the door. The east wall's large window allowed the sunlight to illuminate the room with a soft glow.
Sonea turned to Akkarin and wound her arms around his neck in grateful embrace. No one had ever done anything like this for her before, he truly did love her. She tilted her head and kissed him, letting all her feelings pour out of her like a waterfall.
Akkarin's grip around Sonea's waist tightened as he picked her up and carried her towards the bed, never once breaking the kiss. He sat on the edge of the bed, which allowed them to kiss at an equal height.
Their hold on each other loosened as they each reached for the sash that held their robes in place. Then Sonea reached for the ribbon that held Akkarin's hair out of his face, and Akkarin's hands pushed open her robe to rest his hands under her undershirt and upon the skin at her hips.
Sonea ran her fingers through Akkarin's long, silky hair before pushing the robes off his broad shoulders. His hands left her skin for only a moment as he shrugged out of the garment, then he pulled her closer to kiss her neck. Her hands wandered over his skin, as his wandered over hers. Akkarin's warm hands brushed at her back, her ribs, her stomach.
His hands and lips stilled.
'What's wrong?' Sonea asked, wondering whether it was too much for him so soon after the Invasion.
'Why didn't you tell me?' Akkarin asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper. If Sonea hadn't been so close then she wouldn't have heard him. She looked at him, confused.
'What are you talking about?'
Akkarin looked up at her in surprise.
'You don't know?'
Sonea was extremely confused now, wondering what had gotten into Akkarin and what he was talking about.
'Know what? I don't know what you're talking about.'
'When was your last monthly cycle?'
'Why?' Sonea then hesitated, her hands tightening on Akkarin's shoulders, as she realised what he was asking, and why he was asking. She couldn't remember bleeding recently. 'Oh. just before we were exiled, I think?'
Sonea placed a shaking hand over her abdomen and cast her mind into her body, searching for something. Something new that hadn't been there a couple of months ago. Her body trembled slightly as she found a second heartbeat pulsing within her womb.
She looks up at Akkarin, straight into his eyes.
'I'm pregnant.' Akkarin nods.
'You really didn't know?' Akkarin asks, his shock equalling hers.
Sonea shook her head. 'No. I didn't. I must've assumed that my lack of bleeding had been from the stress of the past couple of months. I didn't even consider that I might be pregnant, I thought you would've taken care of that in Sachaka.'
'I'm so sorry, Sonea, I had assumed that you were taking care of that.'
'I was never taught how because I was not popular as a novice. The Healers thought that no one would be interested in me that way for it to matter.'
Anger flashed through Akkarin's eyes. Was he angry at her for not knowing? Or at the Healers for not treating her the same as the other Novices? Did he want this child? Did she want this child?
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Sonea knew that she couldn't get rid of it. She would get through this whether Akkarin wanted the child or not. She moved her other hand from Akkarin's shoulder to rest on her stomach, using her hands to sense the life within her once more. There was even a small bump, and she didn't know how she didn't see it before.
Then it hit her. She was going to have a child. A living, breathing human being, and she had no clue how to do that. How was she going to cope? She was still being educated!
She couldn't breathe. She was gulping in air but it still wasn't enough. It felt like her airways were closing so she grasped at her neck trying to remove the restriction, but there was nothing there.
Warm hands enveloped her own, making Sonea look up at Akkarin. Panic evident in his eyes.
'Sonea. Sonea, you need to slow your breathing, you're having a panic attack.'
She couldn't. She couldn't slow her breathing. Her fingertips were tingling and her vision was getting blurry. She swayed on her feet.
Akkarin pulled Sonea closer, so that she was encircled in his arms and leaning against his chest.
'It's okay, it's okay, you're okay' his voice rumbled, 'we will get through this, whatever way you want to. Try and match your breathing to mine, ok?'
Sonea nodded, and tried to focus on Akkarin's slow breaths and the thudding of his heart beneath her ear.
Slowly, Sonea's breathing became less laboured and she sank towards Akkarin in exhaustion.
'You're going to be okay, Sonea. We're going to be okay.' Akkarin murmured into her hair, gently running his hand up and down her back. 'I'll stand by whatever decision you make regarding our child.'
The way in which he said 'our child' made Sonea's heart clench.
'You want me to keep it? Don't you?'
'I do, but the decision is entirely up to you since it's your body.'
'I want to keep it, too, Akkarin.' Sonea said quickly, not wanting Akkarin to even think about her getting rid of their child. Akkarin simultaneously relaxed but hugged her closer. 'There is no way that I am getting rid of our child, we can handle it.'
'Yes, we can. It will be challenging with you technically still being a Novice, but I will be working here most of the time. Between us we will be able to manage it.'
Sonea smiled up at him, glad that he wasn't mad about her being pregnant and that he wanted to keep it.
'I love you, Akkarin. You're going to make a wonderful father.'
'And I love you.' Akkarin smiled down at Sonea, his statement shining true though his eyes. 'You know, I didn't think I would ever get to be a father. I always pushed away advances from women of the houses because there would've been no way to hide what I had been doing for Imardin. So I had just accepted that it would never happen. But now, the woman I love is carrying my child, and I couldn't be happier!'
Akkarin leant down and caught Sonea's lips in a gentle, loving kiss. His hand moved to cover her own, fingertips tracing the small bump between her hips.
The kiss deepened, their hunger for each other returning to the level before their revelation, and Akkarin's hands and lips worshipped Sonea's body as the sky turned to twilight.
'How many people do you want to tell when the time comes?' Akkarin asked, trailing his fingers over Sonea's bare stomach as she leant against his chest.
'I don't want everyone to know, they'll just judge us both. We won't be able to hide it forever but I think we should try to hide it for as long as possible from the majority, barring a few close friends and family.'
'I will probably end up telling my parents closer to the birth, though I doubt they'll approve of any of this. It will mainly be courtesy. I'm guessing you'll tell your aunt and uncle?'
'Yes, Rothen too. I'll probably have to tell Dorrien and Lady Vinara as well since they'll see me most days.'
'It would help having Lady Vinara's expertise as well, just to make sure both you and our baby are healthy. I'm not exactly skilled in that department, it's been a while since I took a Healing class.'
Sonea chuckled, 'I'm sure you can remember more than you think. Anyway, I don't want to depend on just Healer's with this, I'd like help from my aunt as well.'
'Anything you need, I want to make this as easy as possible for you.' Akkarin kissed the top of Sonea's head. 'They can even stay here if you want, if we can get permission of course.'
'Oh! That would be fantastic! I probably won't need her here until it's due, but it would be a good thing to plan ahead.'
A knock at the door made Sonea jump. Akkarin laughed.
'One minute, Takan,' he called as he started to shift himself off the bed.
'Okay,' Takan's voice floated through the door, 'dinner is served downstairs.'
Sonea listened as Takan's footsteps walked away from their door and down the stairs before standing and grabbing her clothes.
'We should tell Takan first.' Akkarin's eyes filled with warmth as he smiled. 'He's family, and it's not like we could hide it from him.'
Akkarin laughed, 'to be honest he might even know already if he noticed a change in your eating habits.' He held out his hand, 'come on, let's go tell him.'
Downstairs Sonea greeted Takan with a smile.
'This smells and looks amazing as usual, Takan!' She surveys the arrangement of food in the middle of the table, noting that their favourite foods had been chosen for this meal. 'Thank you!'
'Sonea's right, you have really outdone yourself this time.'
'It's no trouble, master, I enjoy cooking for the both of you.'
'You should join us, Takan. Today is a day for celebrations!' Akkarin shot a smile at Sonea, making her heart race.
'It's not right, a servant shouldn't sit at the dinner table with his master and lady.'
'You're much more than just a servant to us, Takan,' Sonea placed a hand on his arm. 'You're family. Which means you should join us.'
Takan looked down at Sonea with hesitance in his eyes, and she smiled back at him in what she hoped was a reassuring way. He's uncomfortable, Sonea realised, this is so out of the ordinary for him since he's been serving one master or another almost all of his life.
'It doesn't have to be every night, you can choose when you want to join us. Though, I do insist upon tonight's meal. It is a special occasion after all.'
'Alright, if you insist I will join you tonight. Most of the meals are already prepared and are just being kept warm in the kitchen, I'll just let the boy know what's happening.'
Takan left the room and Akkarin pulled out Sonea's chair before taking his place beside her.
A short while later, Takan returned without his apron and carrying an extra dinner set. He loitered nervously near the table, as if unsure what to do.
Akkarin gestured at the seat across from him.
'Come sit, Takan.' Akkarin smiled at him as he sat down, quickly and efficiently laying his place.
Sonea could see a quizzical look in Takan's eyes as he observed Akkarin, and without even looking she could tell that Akkarin was trying hard not give anything away, his leg bouncing beneath the table was a dead giveaway. She tried to stifle her laughter, but it ended up bursting out of her. They both turned to look at her.
'Sorry,' she laughed, 'I couldn't help it. Takan looked so confused with the way you were acting. Go on, just tell him.'
Takan's attention flicked back to Akkarin as Akkarin gave Sonea a quick grin. He looked over to Takan.
'Sonea's pregnant.'
A quick bout of shock crossed over Takan's face, before it transformed into a joyful smile. He jumped out of his seat and rounded the table to where Sonea was sat. Sonea turned to face him as he knelt by her side. He gently gestured for her hands and she gave them to him. His hands were pleasantly warm.
He bent his head over her hands before looking up and smiling with tears in his eyes.
'Congratulations Lady Sonea, this is truly wonderful news,' he gently squeezed her hands. 'I am so glad that you're here, I honestly believe that you were destined for my master. He has changed so much since you've been here and it has only made him better. I am glad he has found someone who loves him for who he is, not for who they expect him to be. I am glad he has found you and that he gets to build a family with someone he loves.'
A single tear traced down Takan's cheek. Sonea reached up and gently wiped it away.
'He already had a family before I came along, Takan. He had you. Now it's just expanding a little.' Sonea laughed, 'I'm going to expand a lot.'
Akkarin let out a chuckle from behind her and his fingers tickled her cheek as he brushed her hair out of the way to place a kiss on her cheek.
'And you'll still look beautiful.' Sonea flushed.
Akkarin stood and helped Takan up from the floor. He placed a hand on Takan's shoulder.
'Thank you for being my family, Takan.' Sonea smiled as they pulled each other into an embrace. When they pulled apart, Takan bowed to Akkarin.
'I don't think there's enough thanks in the world to express my gratitude, so I will just settle for serving you and Lady Sonea and your child until I cannot.' Takan smiled at Akkarin. 'Congratulations on the wonderful news, master, your child is going to be the best magician that the Guild has ever seen.'
'Thank you Takan. We'll just have to wait and see for that though,' Akkarin chuckled, before frowning at him with a playful glint in his eye, 'I thought I asked you to stop calling me 'master'?'
Takan coughed, heading for his chair. 'Food's getting cold, it's best to eat it whilst it's hot.'
Sonea laughed and started helping herself to the feast in front of her.
Whilst they ate, Sonea glanced at Akkarin who was listening intently to his friend, then looked over to Takan who was regaling them with a story. She smiled as their laughter filled the room.
She relaxed in her seat, a hand resting lightly on her abdomen, as she listened to Takan describing his favourite memories from his childhood.
This was family.
