Chapter 9

"Kalys, darling, you must hold still," Queen Celina scolded, and Kalys winced at her pulling tightly. The dress was obviously too small, and Kalys knew it was going to be when she'd woken up that morning and she seemed to have grown overnight. But Queen Celina didn't give up, and Kalys lost her breath as her mother-in-law pulled even tighter. "There."

Kalys made a face in the mirror. "Well, it's a good thing Rolf is announcing the pregnancy tonight."

Celie joined her in the mirror. "Kalys, have you ever been to a tournament before? We missed the midsummer games' one, and we didn't do the harvest one because of security reasons."

"How many do you have?" Kalys asked. The Found had never had one, but she knew the general idea. She just hadn't known they were this common.

"Four a year," Celie replied. "Well, four big ones. They are little ones with the village often. You're married to the champion of last year."

"Rolf is the champion?" Kalys asked, wincing at the surprise in her voice. It wasn't that she doubted Rolf's abilities, but her husband seemed much to jovial to have seen such discipline. She supposed she had never really seen him fight, and it was true, he had very good instincts and grace, but she had a hard time seeing how je could stand a chance against Lulath or Pogue.

Queen Celina laughed. "It seems rather unbelievable, but it's true. Rolf has been trained under the sword since he could hold one, and much more seriously since he was crowned heir. For all the times I have tried to withhold him from dangerous situations, I often forget all his training."

Her last sentence sounded more of a thought than anything else, and Kalys wondered how often she tried to withhold him. Seemed he'd been in many dangers despite his mother's efforts.

"You simply have to be his escort out, and then you'll sit up with me and watch the event," Queen Celina explained, shaking herself out of whatever she had been thinking about. "There is more work to be done after the tournament. You have a great many duties to serve him after, now that you are his wife."

Kalys felt a blush creep up her cheeks, and Celie let out a giggle, both of them catching her implication. It wasn't that Kalys was still overly awkward about the things her and Rolf had started up again in private, she just didn't delight in discussing it with his mother. Or when Cecelia kept giggling like a school girl.

"I had debated telling you this because I didn't except you and Rolf to be so close, but because of the pregnancy, I suppose I have taken a new perspective on your relationship with my son."

Kalys's cheeks burned this time, humiliation and anger filling her heart. She bit back plenty of retorts for the queen's harsh words, but nodded politely, fists clenched. Celie looked embarrassed enough, and Kalys sighed. It would be a very long day if comments like this continued.

The winter winds whipped around Celie's face as she took her place beside Lilah. She watched as the knights and competitors armored up, those who were married saying their dues to their wives. King Glower and Queen Celina sat in the box with them, and Celie knew she'd have to make room for Kalys.

"Is Mother angry with someone?" Lilah whispered to Celie. "She snapped at me for no reason coming out here."

Celie shrugged. "She's probably feeling guilty because she embarrassed Kalys this morning."

"How?" Lilah asked, wrinkling her nose.

"She just made a comment about how close Rolf and Kalys seemed to be," Celie whispered back, cringing at the memory.

Lilah didn't say anything after that, scooting when Kalys took her place beside them. Celie sat right next to her, trying to ignore the 'duties' Queen Celina had talked about.

"Can you hold still, Rolf? I'm trying to figure this out," Kalys asked, her fingers prying at the buckles to his armor. "I'm not used to this kind of armor."

"It's just unbuckles," Rolf said, wincing as he reached back to try and do it. "Damn it! Pogue did some damage to my shoulder, the prat."

Kalys sighed as she undid the buckle, sliding the armor off his shoulders, and helping him out of his chainmail. His hair stuck to his forehead, and his cheeks were ruddy. Kalys was surprised at how he had fought; he'd been most challenged by Pogue, but Rolf had won, and the friends seemed to be in good sport about it. Now, not so much.

"Take your shirt off and sit down," she said softly, walking to her trunk and rifle through some of the things she'd brought with her.

Rolf obeyed, and Kalys brought out a container of oil, rubbing it on her hands. She pressed hard against Rolf's shoulders, and he tensed a bit, but relaxed.

"What's that smell?" He said wrinkling his nose.

"It's a plant extract," she clipped. "And be grateful, it's from the Found."

"Are you angry with me?" Rolf asked gently. "If this is about the First Feast, I promise I haven't taken one drink since then."

Kalys softened. "I'm not angry with you."

She continued to press her palms into his bare back, feeling and rubbing his tense muscles.

"Kalys," Rolf started, his voice still so tender. "Who are you angry with?"

"Your mother," she blurted out, "she expressed her disappointment in our 'close' relationship."

Rolf caught her wrist, wincing as he pulled her around to face him. His eyebrows were knit, dark eyes clouded with concern.

"She's just a little stressed on what people are going to say tonight," Rolf said. "I wouldn't worry about it too much."

"Are you?" Kalys swung into his lap, pushing into his shoulder.

Rolf groaned. "Am I what?"

"Stressed on what people are going to say tonight," Kalys finished, kneading gently at his collarbone on the way over to work on his other shoulder.

Rolf moaned again, and Kalys couldn't help but flush at the nature of it.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I doubt I'll be the one to face the backlash. Let me know if anyone says anything more and I-"

"I don't need defending," Kalys said shortly, massaging the shoulder he'd been complaining about. She pressed into his shoulder harder, and Rolf jerked her, leaning into him.

"That feels so could, Kalys," he groaned.

"Stop doing that!" She said, blushing hard, especially thinking of Queen Celina.

"Stop what?" He asked, closing his eyes.

"Stop moaning," she answered. "It's making me feel funny."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Your hands are making me feel good."

He smirked, each words said for a purpose. She could his crooked teeth, and she decked him softly on the cheek.

He shifted her in his lap, and let his arms drop so that his hands lay flat against her belly. He smoothed her dress, his hands shaking on the bump. She watched his eyes, her hands stilling at his chest.

"Kalys, do you ever hate me for getting you pregnant?" His voice was shaking nearly as much as his hands.

She smoothed her hands down his cheeks, bringing him to look at her. His eyes were wet, and suddenly Kalys didn't know what to say.

"I hate myself, sometimes," he admitted. "I hate that I used you for my own pleasure and now you have to be the one to suffer the consequences. My whole life I've had duty beaten into me, to be a gentleman, and I-I have to admit I've considered you and escape for my own selfish gain. If you hate me, I understand."

Kalys pressed her lips against his in a gentle peck. "I don't hate you, Rolf."

She didn't have much to say after that. She swung off his lap, continuing to push into his upper back and shoulder. He grunted a couple of times, but refrained from the moaning. He was silent, as he stood, his jaw set, as he went to the water closet to bathe.

Kalys sat on the bed, thinking of all the things she had to do for him now. She was supposed to be with him, though Kalys wasn't sure he wanted her there.

"Kalys," Rolf called. "I know how many times you woke up last night. Take a nap. I'll wake you in time."

She laid back against her pillow, her eyes closing against her will. She looses her bodice strings, resting her hands on her bump. At least Rolf was trying.

Rolf's heart was beating fast as he raised his goblet. Though he'd promised Kalys he'd never drink, his father had insisted this was ceremonial wine that he had to toast with. Kalys sat beside him, looking up a him, blue eyes tired.

"It is with great anticipation, I make an announcement!" Rolf said loudly, inwardly cringing at how loud the Castle made his voice sound. The people looked at him expectantly. "With much excitement, I am so grateful to announce that my wife, your Princess Kalys, and I are already expecting a baby!"

He didn't know if it was the alcohol that drove the crowds to roar with congratulations and excitement, but a part of him was filled with love. His people had never failed him; not once.

He smiled down at Kalys as she gripped his hand, waiting for the nobles to come give them personal congrats. It was easy to plaster on a smile, and pretend to be very happy about it when he wasn't thinking about Kalys. She'd never answered his question that afternoon.

He turned when he saw Jane Marie put both hands on Kalys's mild bump. She smiled, but Rolf knew she was uncomfortable. She didn't love this attention, something that he often regretted for her. She sort of reminded him of Bran in that way; but she didn't have an escape like he did.

The Final Feast was long. Rolf kept a smile plastered on his face, trying to feign excitement. It was tiring having toasts made to him, having nobles ask him all of these questions. Kalys was sort of getting the hang of it, though Rolf had no doubt the smarter nobles had no doubts she wasn't overly excited about the pregnancy. He was a touch worried that they would wonder about a forced marriage.

But he had no room in his heart to blame her. He'd been trained to have a court face his entire life; Kalys had been here for five months. Had taken him long to impregnate her. So he just tried to make up for it best as he could, trying to rely on the peoples' trust in him. It was what a prince could hope for.

"Can you help me untie this?" Kalys asked when they had made their way up to the chambers, early dawn hours peeking through the windows.

They were allowed to sleep, getting a day to rest and put the Castle back together after an exhausting week of tournaments, and festivals. Rolf himself aches from everything sword, lance, and archery competitions he'd been in, and he had no doubt Kalys was exhausted.

He went to her, untying the laces at her back, pulling them loose so she could pull it over her head. He himself was undressing to his clothes, the ceremonial cape he wore beginning to tire him with the tight buckle.

"They responded well enough," Rolf said, gazing at Kalys. "Much better than my mother thought, though my announcement after most of the wine was gone was not on accident."

Kalys slid into bed, lifting the covers beside her. Rolf gave a little smile; there were few times when she showed sign of pursuit of him, something Rolf knew really wasn't something he deserved anyway. He took the spot and though he was used to her touch, her pressing against him felt strange.

"I really don't hate you," Kalys said so softly he could barely hear. "But I often anger at your reaction to our growing child."

Rolf didn't quite know what to say at her words. He didn't speak, only thought.

"You lie to our people," she whispered, "I feel just as unready as you do, but my heart rages at your rejection of the whole thing."

Rolf tried to be offended, he knew she was right. He wondered when Kalys had started considering the people hers.

She twisted in his arms to face him, her blue eyes staring deeply into his. She was expecting him to say something, but he didn't really know what to say. He felt helpless in the moment, and she seemed to sense it.

"If you don't have anything to say, please just don't make something up," Kalys said, and he nodded.

"I'm going to go to sleep now," Kalys murmured, twisting around, and Rolf cursed her, knowing that he wouldn't be able to now.

Bran didn't expect to run into his sister-in-law right outside the hallway. It was still rather early, and Bran knew Kalys had had to stay for the entire feast last night. Bran always left feasts early; they weren't very natural for him. Kalys looked exhausted, but she was up, and carrying a whole bunch of books and papers.

When Bran smacked into her, she dropped them all. If she was annoyed, she didn't show it, whispering her forgiveness when Bran apologized. He helped her pick a lot of it up, and he noticed a strange language on most of them, and he had no doubt it was Hathelocke.

"It's things I took with me," Kalys said defensively, and Bran shrugged. He understood being secretive even if you weren't doing anything wrong.

"Where's Rolf?" Bran asked awkwardly, trying to make conversation with her. He'd never really conversed with the girl alone; always having Celie or Rolf to buffer their conversations. He thought that should probably change due to the fact that Kalys was a part of their family forever now.

"Sleeping," Kalys responded. She seemed grouchy, and Bran didn't really feel like pushing her.

He wanted to do a more thorough check on Rolf after the tournament. While his brother had come out victorious, he'd been beat on pretty hard, and Bran wanted to see if anymore damage to his shoulder had been done.

"Do you need him?" Kalys asked, taking the last of her books from him. "I'm sure you could wake him up."

"I just want to make sure he's not bleeding internally," Bran said, still studying her face. She was rather short, he realized, and he didn't think she could be much taller than Cecelia.

She nodded, and hurried away. Bran wondered if it had anything to do with the pregnancy being announced the night before. Or that he'd been the first to know, or that he knew Rolf, no doubt, had complained of him often to Kalys. They seemed to be close enough.

Rolf was cuddling a pillow when Bran entered. He looked very young sleeping, an innocence that had long been gone across the features of his face. Bran shivered in the cold air, wondering how Rolf slept with the blankets only covering his waist.

He startled awake when Bran shut the door, and Bran wondered when he'd become such a light sleeper. He scrambled to sit up, blinking, and then glaring.

"You look like death," Bran commented, noting his tired eyes.

"I fell asleep maybe an hour ago," he responded, and Bran frowned.

"The feast ended at least four hours ago," he said, preparing his potions to see if he could detect any broken ribs, based on the large bruise on Rolf's side.

"Couldn't fall asleep," he murmured, rolling his shoulder back. It left a mark no doubt.

"Nightmares?" Bran asked, pressing gently against his brother's ribs, earning a hiss.

"No, Kalys is angry with me," Rolf said, sending him a glare at his next press.

"Why?" Bran questioned, studying the bruises on Rolf's side and stomach. "Have you had to vomit, or had trouble breathing since the tournament?"

"Because I've been rather negative towards the pregnancy," Rolf said grouchily, though Bran knew if he hadn't wanted to talk about it he wouldn't have brought it up. Rolf was excellent at hiding his feelings, something that he'd been doing much more often recently. "And I've puked a couple of times, but I had some alcohol last night."

"You shouldn't be vomiting more than once," Bran said. "I'm a little worried for internal bleeding. Are you having abdominal pain? And your negativity towards the pregnancy hasn't been helped by my attitude towards it."

"I feel sore everywhere, but I figured that's because Pogue was so aggressive yesterday," Rolf responded. "And I'm not trying to be negative about the whole thing, I'm just trying to adjust to all of this change. This permanent change, and it's fucking hard when Mother and Father keep droning on about what a toll this is on all of us."

Bran stopped to tousle his little brother's hair. "It will work out, I'm sure. Besides you've always dealt with change."

"You're terrible at advice," Rolf stated, lifting his arm as Bran began to roll it to see his mobility. "And it's true, but all of that was temporary change. I'm going to be married forever. Have a child for as long as I live. A child whom I have to protect and not mess up."

"You've been raised to protect and thrive a kingdom. Rolf, you have a heart full of Justice and kindness. You've had to make really difficult decisions the past two years. I have no doubt in your abilities as a king or a father." Bran continued rolling and pressing against his wound noticing Rolf's grimaces.

"View on kinghood has little to do with skills of fatherhood," Rolf said gently. "I'm scared, Bran."

His voice quivered, and Bran was suddenly reminded of his little brother coming into his bed at night. He'd always had nightmares as a child, and for some reason Bran had always been the one he'd trust most with them. He'd watched his brother grow into a man now, events that he hadn't seen Rolf go through.

"I'm sure-"

They were interrupted by the doors being thrown open. Bran whipped around, an odd sensation pricking the air. It was definitely magical, though it was much different than anything Bran had ever witnessed. Rolf had leaped off his bed, and had a sword drawn in seconds, Bran readying himself between his brother and the door.

"What congratulations I have for you!"

Bran started when he saw Casper standing at the door. There was a wicked gleam in his blue eyes-blue eyes that Bran couldn't quite help but think looked a lot like Kalys's. Rolf took a step forward, but Bran grabbed his arm.

"A little Hathelock child," Casper continued. "One that I will need. I'm sure you won't mind given your attitude about it, Arkish Prince."

Rolf stalked over before Bran could stop him, and brought the butt of his sword down on the old man's head. Casper crumpled, and Rolf seemed not to know how to speak, just began gesturing with his hands at the body. Bran swallowed, leaning down.

"He's just unconscious," Bran murmured. "Rolf, send for Father, and get me Wizard Thalia and Mother. I have a feeling I'll need some help with him."

Celie clutched at Lilah's hand as King Glower, Queen Celina, Bran, Wizard Thalia, Pogue, and Rolf marched up from the dungeon stairs. Celie, Lilah, and Kalys had been instructed to stay upstairs, something that Celie knew drove her sister-in-law mad, perhaps even more so than Celie herself.

"Let's meet in the sitting room behind the family dining room," Queen Celina said softly. "Lilah, send a maid or page for water. I'm afraid Rolf is going to faint."

Kalys pursed her lips as she followed Celie.

"I'm going to run and get some of my Hathelock legend books on Casper," she said. "Tell them I'll be in soon."

Celie tugged at Rolf's sleeve, though Rolf shrugged her off. He did look like he was going to faint, and he refused to talk. Celie sighed, going over to Bran.

"What happened? What's wrong with Rolf?" Celie demanded, watching as Bran fell behind due to scribbling something down.

"I don't know, I think he's just afraid. Casper didn't tell us anything, just sort of stared at Rolf," Bran answered, obviously annoyed. "Leave him alone, he barely slept last night."

Celie squinted her eyes at Bran's words. She watched as Rolf drank three glasses of water as soon as he sat down, Kalys hurrying a few minutes later to sit by him. She was skimming through the book in her lap, pointing at it to Bran. She was saying something, but Celie was pretty sure she was saying something in another language, because she didn't understand a word.

She slumped forward. "It doesn't say anything about a baby."

Rolf swallowed hard, and Celie could see tears in his eyes.

"Bran, I saw this vision," Rolf finally spoke, his voice shaking. "About the baby, and-and it felt so real, like I was there. Can a wizard send visions?"

Bran pursed his lips. "It's not unheard of, but not traditional."

"It's not uncommon among Hathelock wizards," Kalys piped up. "Out of the ordinary for most Arkish practices."

Celie nodded, remembering what Lilah had once mentioned about Arkwright founding the College, and what they knew of magic. She also wondered how much Kalys really knew. Not that she really thought her sister-in-law was behind this, but she was starting to feel as if Kalys knew a lot more than she was saying. Celie wondered if Kalys did know more and Celie just hadn't been told. She hadn't really talked to the girl in awhile; in fact, since the Rolf had told them the news, she'd only really spoken to him.

"What else do you know about Hathelocke wizards?" Lilah asked accusingly, seeming to be of the same mindset of Celie.

Rolf blinked out of his depressed stupor to glare at his older sister, though Kalys hardly seemed offended. She pursed her lips.

"They were much more magical than the typical Arkish. Sort of more what you read in stories, where the Arkish tend to be more science and medical based. Miracles for sure, especially when it comes to combat, but still much more precise and, and well, more calculated. Hathelocke wizardry is much more raw, often more powerful, but less controlled," Kalys explained and both Bran and Wizard Thalia were scribbling things down as she spoke. "Of course, that's only what the legends say, I have not firsthand witness."

"We'll have to tread very carefully," King Glower said. "This is a great magical threat, one I regret that I have ignored. The safety measures will be increased, though I don't know how. Kalys, are there great chances of him escaping?"

Kalys shrugged. "It sort of depends; while there's no doubt that Casper could break any of the spells you put on the dungeon, it's really more of a matter if he can get the timing right. The Hathelocke practices are very unpredictable, even to strong users. It sort of has a will of it's own. So he could be breaking out right now, or he'll never get out. There's no timing to it."

Celie thought that was extremely horrifying. Rolf looked like he was simultaneously going to vomit or fall asleep, and Bran was continuing to write things down. Lilah was clutching Lulath's hands, and Pogue made a little noise in his throat.

"I need time to think," King Glower groaned. "You can all go. Rolf, go take a nap, you look like you're dead."

Celie thought looking like death was valid if you'd seen a vision of your unborn child by an insane wizard. Celie pushed away the thought that Rolf maight not just be looking like death.

Just something to say: if you are a new reader, I am slowly updating this story, chapter by chapter to hopefully improve the quality and eventually make it longer.