THEN I FOUND YOU [mcd]

chapter thirty one

Zianna's eyes are littered with tears as Garroth holds her tightly inside an embrace. I feel my heart sink inside my chest at the sight. A mother and son reunited only to be broken apart again. At least, this time, it isn't as hard as before.

After retrieving their mother from an invaded O'Khasis, Garroth and Vylad saw each other for only a few days before their departure. They made claims to see each other again soon, but the words fell ill.

Vylad left before Zianna could see him again.

Garroth saw Zianna because of our engagement.

Garroth told me that when he played dead and fled from O'Khasis the person he missed the most was his mother. How he felt horrible for another son of hers to be claimed dead. He missed his sister, but leaving his mother was painful. He went on, saying how Zianna never believed that Vylad was dead. That she continued to hope and pray that he would come back to her. She had no proof at the time that Vylad was alive. Garte would tell her she needed to learn how to accept the fact that Vylad was dead and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

The stories I've heard of Garte aren't ones that give him a favorable image. Stories from Garroth, Kandi, and Vylad. It only strengthens my confusion on why Vylad insists on finding him. Vylad wasn't at my wedding because he was looking for a man that treated him like an outcast.

"You'll write soon, won't you?" Zianna asks Garroth, her eyes saddened. "If I can see you as often as I have, I would at least like a letter or two."

Garroth nods his head as he slowly breaks the embrace. He looks at Zianna and kisses the top of her head. "I'll write more than two, mummy. I'll write as many as you'd like."

She seems pleased with his words before turning to me. I feel obligated to walk towards her to shorten the space between us. It feels wrong to even give her the thought that she must walk to me.

Zianna looks over my figure with a small hum, glancing over at Garroth before looking back over to me. She smiles widely, the thought in her mind bringing nothing but joy to her face, "While I would love to see you both before then, I do hope I see you pregnant the next time I visit!"

My eyes widen at her words. Pregnant so soon after our marriage. My hand absentmindedly rushes to my stomach. The mere thought of a child soon growing inside me causing my knees to go weak. A mother so soon.

"Then it appears we must make a visit sooner rather than later," I say, trying my hardest to prevent a rosy color from appearing on my cheeks. I look to Garroth for help, and his cheeks are betraying him. "For I don't believe I'll be pregnant for quite some time."

Zianna nods her head. Garroth and I haven't been married for a week, but Zianna has already moved on from the thrill of marriage to the possibility of bearing children.

We see Zianna inside before I look over to Garroth. He waits until Zianna is inside before he goes to our horses. Garroth and I rode on one together on the way here, and Zianna was on the other. Now, both Garroth and I will be taking our own horseback to Phoenix Drop.

"How strange do you think it will feel not having your mother around?"

Garroth decides to take a detour to walk over to me. His arms wrap around my lower back as his forehead rests against my own. "We'll truly be alone for once. We haven't been able to do that for quite some time. Always some person around."

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Garroth is laying in bed, finding himself rather tired from the journey today. I tease him, telling him it's because he's growing old. He argues with me about how he is only in his mid-twenties and how he wouldn't consider himself to be old.

I sit down beside him on the bed, running my hand through his hair. He looks up at me with a charming smile before pulling me closer to him. "Come, Alex, we can cuddle together."

"It's quiet," I say.

Garroth only hums in response. He's successfully brought me to lay against his chest. I can hear his heartbeat from under my ear. It's consistent and like a lullaby.

"Garroth, do you want a baby with me?"

He doesn't respond with another hum. Instead, he doesn't respond at all. At least, not at first. I can't tell if I have surprised him or if he's thinking deeply on the topic I have brought up.

"A baby that isn't forced to be an heir to a village," Garroth says, a bit of amusement in his voice. "A baby that can grow up to be who they want to be and not be forced to be what others want them to be. That's what I wanted."

I tilt my head up to look at him, trying my hardest to figure out what he's trying to get at. I don't have much of a name or title anymore. It's about as good as Garroth's at this point. Cadenza's children will take over Meteli, and O'Khasis has been invaded. I'm not against not leading Meteli. It was never something I wanted to do.

"Garroth, the only thing special between the two of us is the relic inside your body. We don't have any villages for them to be forced to lead."

I can feel his lips against the top of my head. He squeezes me inside his grasp with a happy hum. He laughs, "Even I don't know how my relic will work with our children."

"Children?"

"Yes, I want more than one."