A figure trailed down the dark corridors of King Casimir's castle. At this point in the night, the rooms were illuminated by candles and the few lanterns carried by the Valencian guards stationed on duty. The mixture of yellows from the flames shone on the woman's silhouette as she passed by two men guarding the doors, who dipped their heads in her presence. The only sound heard were the steps of her heels pressing against the gray marble flooring. Things were silent otherwise, as others were reasonably long into their slumber.
Queen had to slow down when she found herself exhausted. She held onto a nearby wall for support as her other hand came to her stomach. Her fingers lightly pressed against the area just above her belly button before slowly trailing down the small curvature that formed within these weeks. Beyond her palm was the source of fatigue, sickness, and worry she kept bottled up for two months. She managed to hide it through careful planning and sheer luck. But the inevitable time this secret would show in a physical form was one she hadn't exactly prepared for.
She continued on until she was at the last door of the long hallway. She practically collapsed on its surface and removed herself before any more noise could be made. She lingered a few seconds for any activity. Upon hearing silence, she knocked her knuckles a couple of times gently. She heard a muffled voice reply from the other side:
"Enter."
Her small hand pushed the door open. While such a task would normally be done with ease, she found herself short of breath. She darted in the small space and stepped into the room. She was surrounded by stacks of paper and miscellaneous machinery sprawled out on the floor. She brought her brown eyes upwards and found the figure of a man hunched over a desk, his face obscured by a small prototype his gloved hands were currently tending to. Queen stepped forward and hesitated to speak. Rarely would she enter one of her husband's work rooms and interrupt him for any trivial matters.
Normally, she would be in their proper bedroom right now, waiting for Kane's eventual return to the mansion. But he informed her he'd be working late tonight. And she so desperately wanted to spend time with him. He'd been so busy lately - cooped up in his work again, even though she scolded him countless times before for sacrificing his sleep….
She took a long breath, attempting to not sound as exhausted as she truly was. "Darling, I was wondering when you'd come to bed..? It's awfully late."
He acknowledged her with a wave of his hand. "-Shortly. I'm nearly finished with this for the night."
She bit her tongue. He was always absorbed in his work when the time became late. She grew lonely the longer her lover remained away. She felt unusually restless tonight. It was becoming more difficult to hide her showing through her nightgowns - their transparent layers doing only so well at hiding her stomach. Even the one she wore now, a golden garment with white trim that loosely came to her ankles, effectively covered only half her abdomen. A long slit in the middle created an opening that would reveal the long curve of her tummy if one stared too long. She discreetly brought her arms down to cover the region as she approached her husband's desk.
"Kane, it's getting colder the longer you're not beside me. You barely got any sleep the other night, amore mio. I think it's time for you to rest."
Kane paused in what he was doing and laid down a piece he planned to glue. He stood in his chair and her hands quickly came over her stomach again. She caught this habit and allowed her arm to rest while the other uncertainly found its way to the edge of his desk. He turned and fixated his eyes on hers. She was thankful his gaze did not wander any lower, and whimpered when his gloved finger found its way to her face. He used his thumb to stroke his wife's chin lightly.
"I apologize, cuore mio. I've spent too much of my time at work again. I hope you'll forgive me for not remaining by your side when you most need me."
Her chest grew warm when his face came closer to hers. She could feel his mask press against her cheek while they kissed. She enjoyed every second until he pulled away. Her hands naturally reached for his own, but he passed by her to approach the door. She followed and found herself tired by the time they were in the doorway. Her legs grew weak as she rested a hand on his back. She looked at Kane with pleading eyes.
"Would you mind carrying me back to our room..? I'm tired staying awake for this long. It's so far way..."
He didn't pry, much to her relief. Without a word, he swept Queen off her feet and held her in his arms bridal-style. Her hands came to the ends of her gown and layered them to hide the bump. Kane was too busy closing the door to notice. He started the trip back to their temporary bedroom. Queen closed her eyes and relished this moment where she didn't have to say anything. To enjoy his touch after all these hours of being alone...
She snapped back into reality when her figure was gently laid on the bed. Her eyes followed him as he changed out of his uniform a few feet away. She chewed her lip, thinking how she could uncover the news to her husband. She wondered if he would even be happy to learn they were…expecting. She imagined how the situation would transpire if the news wasn't taken so greatly. She reasoned with herself that he would never get upset. So she took a deep breath and prepared to tell him...
Kane had a lot on his mind tonight. He was so swept up in his work that he hadn't realized how much time passed. He was thankful Queen interrupted the process, otherwise he would've worked himself into the morning. He didn't fancy missing an entire night with her. How could he have neglected her like this? He grew disgusted with himself just thinking about it, and decided tonight that he would not spend another moment away. He realized how fatigued he was the longer he continued to sit still. It was for the best they'd sleep now, and another night he could make this up to her...
When he climbed into bed, he found a strange look on Queen's face. There was something on her mind. She edged closer as her hand fingered its way to his chest, where it remained as she pressed herself against his side. He usually grew touch-starved after not seeing her, but the reasonable part of him was somewhat wary at the coy gesture. He knew his wife well after being married to her for years, now.
"Before we sleep, I have something important to tell you. Some news I've keeping from you..."
"-From me?" He asked. It was unusual for her to keep any secrets. "What for?"
"I didn't exactly know how to tell you. I was a little afraid you wouldn't be too happy about it-"
She knew he wanted to question her on this, so her finger went to his lips to hush him down. He was about to ask what unfortunate news she was about to deliver. But seeing her insist on continuing kept him quiet. He allowed Queen to gather her thoughts. She was hesitant to relay whatever it was, confirming Kane's suspicions that this was serious. He attempted to think of anything unfavorable that happened between them lately.
"Honey, do you remember when we went to the King's masquerade party months ago?" He nodded. "And that night, when we...celebrated such a good time?"
The dots were beginning to connect, but to what, he didn't exactly know. He motioned for her to continue despite the long pause. She began to fidget, toying with the tassels on his clothes and looking away from him. He passed this moment by taking a proper look at her figure. She positioned herself differently than usual, and wore a gown that was loose on her. Before his eyes could wander any further, Queen decided to cut to the chase and inhaled sharply.
"Kane...I'm carrying your baby." Those words left her lips bluntly. "I have been, for a couple months now. At first I thought I was ill, but when it prolonged, I...I realized-"
He felt too astonished for words, but to his surprise, they slipped right off his tongue: "-You're... pregnant?"
She winced. "I am."
Now the dots were connected. He had an answer to the questionable habits of hers lately. They never went unnoticed with him, but he hadn't pried, as he trusted she would've let him know if something was wrong. All the times she politely declined alcohol, how long it took her to get dressed in the mornings, all the extra trips she made to the restroom, and how easily she grew tired...they made sense.
He rested his hand on his chin as he absorbed this news, his eyes quickly darting over to her stomach. Queen realized what he was looking at and slowly moved her arms so he could see. That's when he found the small baby bump she'd been concealing this entire time.
"I thought..." He began quietly. "I thought we were careful…"
"We drank a lot that night, remember? It was the only way we could cope with the royalty's antics." She sighed. "We weren't really thinking…"
He continued to stare at her stomach with widened eyes, trying to imagine his child growing inside of her right now. It has been many years since he experienced the expectancy of fatherhood, but it was... different, now. This was his wife. Granted, he ceased taking certain precautions at times...Nothing happened after this long. He never imagined receiving this news - not with her. And now that he is, he wasn't exactly sure how to respond...
He was taken aback when he found his hand being carefully led to her stomach. He fought against her grip, but stopped after she gave him a pleading look. He was mesmerized when his palm touched its surface, and was left to carefully trail his fingers over the small curve that existed on her abdomen. He reminded himself his child was there just beyond his touch - in the woman he loved so dearly...
He felt an usual moisture in his eyes. He ignored it until it crawled down his cheek. He rubbed his eye and found a teardrop on his bare finger. He froze, trying to comprehend the sight.
Queen, meanwhile, gaped at him. "Kane...you're crying… "
"Ah." Was all he could manage as he wiped it away. He attempted to clench his jaw and control the sensation, but failed as another one fell. He rubbed it off with more insistence.
She placed a consoling hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright..?"
"I'm fine." He insisted. He tried to understand why this was happening. He changed topics in the meantime. "Are you keeping it..?"
"The baby?"
He nodded.
She looked down at her stomach and felt the small bump again. His words echoed thoughtfully in her head. This question hadn't been on her mind as much as it was just spilling this news to him. She was ashamed she hadn't put much thought into it prior to this moment. After awhile, she stopped moving her hand and smiled.
"I want to. Darling, I know you have your sons...and I love and appreciate them deeply. But I never experienced motherhood. And I would like to, with your baby that I'll carry…"
She kept her stare on him to see his reaction. He was still tending to the moisture in his eyes. He stiffened at her words. A sound of relief left his lips. His posture loosened as he finally dried the tears.
"Valerie, you're my wife. I never had a proper partner to share my children with, until now." He took her hands into his own and clutched them tightly. "Perhaps that's why I reacted like this...I feel quite happy."
"..You do?"
"Bearing a child with the woman I love...how could I not be?" His words made her smile. "Not to mention, they'll be as beautiful as you."
The tears started to leave her own eyes. She wiped them away. "And I thought you wouldn't want this…Not another, I mean, with your family-"
"They're far into their adulthoods now. I didn't expect to have more, but if you want, then I will father again." He tilted his head slightly. "It's not just about that, anyway. It's about raising a child with you, my Queen...and I would be honored to do exactly that."
"Kane…"
She hugged him and began to weep, more than elated at this news. Seeing how handsome Kane's sons were, and the family dynamic they shared...she longed to have something like that of her own. Even though she was well-accepted into their lives and treated like a mother to Bishop, Rooke, Deacon, even Phule...she couldn't help thinking. The quiet curiosity she's had, wondering what a child between her and Kane would look like...to create something beautiful….
"Do you know anything about it?" He asked. At her confused look, he elaborated. "Have you seen anyone at all to know how it's doing?"
"No…I was nervous telling you as it is. I needed to know what you thought before I did anything."
"-Not entirely my decision." He chided. "We should see a doctor as soon as possible. To make sure it's healthy before making any haste decisions."
He pulled the blankets over their figures, allowing them to get comfortable. He was calm with this news, relieving her as well. She was mindful of her stomach as she moved closer, resting her head on his chest. They were met with peaceful silence. She sighed as the tension left her body. She'd never tire sharing this closeness with him.
"I'm curious about the gender…" She confessed quietly. "I know you have the boys, but wouldn't it be nice to finally have a girl?"
His breath hitched in his throat. His eyes started to water again. He tried not to make it too obvious as he looked away, holding a hand over his mouth to keep his composure. It went unnoticed as Queen rambled on:
"If we have a daughter...I have plenty of names I can think of. But a boy would be just as delightful..! We'd love it no matter what, right?"
He swallowed dryly. "Right."
"Not a chess piece's name, dear. I think you used all you can." She teased as he moved to pull the lamp's handle. "What do you think of Carina? Or Aurelia?"
The names struck something inside of him pleasantly. But he wouldn't tell her that, for now. "We'll decide when we know it's healthy. Rest. "
He turned the light off and watched the room darken. He waited a few seconds before laying back on the mattress, where she clung onto his side. A little moonlight peeked from behind the curtain, lighting the lower half of the bed. He was thankful for this - otherwise, she would have noticed the tears drying away on his face.
A daughter. A little girl as beautiful as Queen, and as smart as him…it was hard not to desire. He shouldn't have any hope - it wouldn't be right, if an expectation formed - but he couldn't help it. If there was anything he learned from parenting the Elite - boys were rowdy, especially together. It was a nightmare, at times, when he'd have to constantly break his sons apart from fighting…he knew all the imperfections to fix. To do this right, for certain.
He placed his hand over hers. Fatigue hit him like a brick. He was out in a few minutes. Queen smiled as her thumb trailed over his cheek, wiping the last of the moisture from his face.
