The Dying

15

Marcus stops outside the door to the queen's chamber. "This is your new room, Aurora. If you don't mind both of us coming in I can then show Margaret her new room from there."

Both females are confused by this, but Aurora nods. She doesn't have a problem with them both coming in. She most definitely doesn't have a problem with Marcus wanting to come into her bedchamber.

As they step into the room Aurora can't hold back the gasp that escapes her. The room is breath takingly beautiful. "My mother decorated it. Karla didn't change a thing. She didn't dare, she was terrified that Garrett would beat her."

"I know that she was afraid of him. It did shock me a bit when you told me that you two were lovers because of that."

She is so busy looking around the room that she misses the flinch Marcus gives at her words. If he had known how much he would screw up by getting Karla pregnant and telling Aurora about them being lovers he never would have said anything.

"I won't be with her any more. Emmett is taking her to wife and will be raising my child as his own."

"Okay," Aurora says shrugging. "But why would he take your child to raise as his own?"

"Our oh so loving father became angry with him over some choices he made and did a lot of damage to his reproductive organs. He's sterile and won't be having any children of his own." That at least gains him Aurora's full attention.

"Were they removed?" She demands to know.

"No."

"Then he shouldn't be sterile. Lockheartians can fix whatever damage is done with enough time unless it is removed."

"How does he know that he's sterile?" Margaret asks curiously. Like her mother she believes that he should be healed.

"He did tests shortly after it happened and he hasn't gotten any of the females he's been with pregnant."

Aurora snorts in derision. "Twenty years ago there weren't females here. You were and are the only one that knows how to get a female pregnant. Have you told him how to yet? I know you haven't let others in general know, but have you told him?"

A shocked look comes onto his face. "I'll take that as a no. Before someone declares themselves sterile they should actually use the method necessary to get a female pregnant and have it fail multiple times over years before declaring them sterile." Her words are stark, but there is absolutely no derision held in her voice.

"I will let him and the others know now that it's known that I have several children on the way."

"That door is the bathing room. That door is a closet. The door behind you, where does it go?" Aurora demands since she can't open it since he and Margaret are standing in front of it.

"Forgive me, this is how I'll be showing Margaret her new room. If you both would follow me?" Marcus moves away from the door to open it. The room is spacious and obviously not a bedroom.

"What is this?" Margaret asks.

"The sitting room for the queen and queen consorts/princesses. Those doors each open into a bedroom for the consorts. None of them are as nice or elaborate as the queen's but this is the only common room between them." Margaret is delighted but Aurora is even more closed off.

"Aurora, I would prefer to have you move into my room which is just across the hall from your room."

"No, I would rather not know when  you are with the others."

Marcus is just about in tears at this point. He had hoped that the bedroom would show her that she is special. He hadn't thought how having the other females that close would make it like she was just one of many.

"Mother. Come see these rooms." Margaret comes back in and pulls her mother's attention to her. Grabbing Aurora's arm she brings her into each room. Each succeeding one nice, but not as nice as the one before it and none of them any where near that of the queen's chamber.

"Which one is mine, Marcus?"

"The nicest of these, the first one of course." Marcus smiles at her bubbling innocence even as he wants to cry.

Margaret stays in her room to get herself settled in and accustomed to her new room and Aurora returns to Marcus.

Marcus in defeat gives her a wan smile and does his best to hide the tears he feels coming on. "I'm sorry, Aurora. I had hoped that I would help you see that you are the most important person to me by giving you a better bedchamber. Instead I've made things worse. Forgive me. I am sorry. Good night."

"Marcus, you have no need to ask my forgiveness. Once more it is I that owes you. I am sorry that I am acting like such a bitch. Forgive me?

"I would ask you to spend the night, but I honestly don't wish to have any more children at this time, five is quite enough."

Marcus's eyes light up once more and he gives her a wicked smile that actually makes her feel happy once more. "Emmett gave me some protection for the times we might want to have some fun but it wouldn't be good to get with more children."

Aurora looks at him shocked. She had heard some of the Earth females talk of this kind of protection but didn't think that the Lockheartians had anything like that.

Marcus smiles at her incredulous look. "It is something that was developed to keep problems from happening when we were with our male partners. Too many health issues happened and so they were developed and he's pretty sure that it will work on females as well."

"He thinks it will?"

Marcus comes up to her and pulls her into his arms and kisses her. "Yes, until now there hasn't been a reason to try to see if it works on females. The idea had been to get them pregnant not stop them from getting pregnant."

Aurora responds to his kisses and doesn't stop him from picking her up and carrying her back to her room. Once he gets into the room he makes sure that the door to her bedroom is closed and locked. Both of them.

"But what about Margaret?"

"What about her? I want you tonight, just you. She'll still feel and enjoy it, but won't be participating this time."

"Will she get her own time as well?" Aurora wants to demand but is having a hard time even thinking at this point.

"I don't know. Maybe, if you both are agreeable, but if not, no." After that Marcus doesn't let her think straight as he spends the next several hours showing her just how much he loves her and just her.

After they lie there exhausted but well satisfied Aurora manages to ask the question she wanted to earlier. "Will you be doing this with the others?"

"I won't spend the night with them. I might be required by the throne to take others as you've informed me, but that doesn't mean that I have to be with them like I want to be with you. After I'm done I'll either be returning to my bed alone or if you will permit, I'll come to yours. It will be up to you. Just remember, I'm not wanting to be with others any more than you want me to be. If it was my choice I wouldn't be with any one other than you."

"The throne informed me that it was because of Garrett's mother that your people were almost destroyed. That because of her jealousy that your father, my father I guess, turned from being a good king to what he became."

"Yeah, it was because of that bitch. She was always jealous of my mother and made her life a living hell, especially after she turned Demetri away from her. That damn near killed her. I still don't know how she got pregnant with Korban."

"She told me that Korban is biologically as much yours as your father's. She couldn't fully over come the binding but she did what she could. Korban is yours, at least halfway."

"What? Is that even possible?" Marcus demands incredulous with what Aurora just told him.

Aurora merely shrugs and repeats what she was told.

"He's my son?" Slowly the idea sinks in and a smile overtakes his face. No longer exhausted he gives her a kiss that just starts a whole new round of love making.