Only You

Epilogue: Part Two

~ Four Years and Five Months Later ~

Since becoming queen just over three years ago, she had quickly discovered her least favourite thing to do— which was sitting in the end-of-day briefs. Why they couldn't update her on the goings on of the day the next morning was beyond her. She was usually tired and aching by the time she sat in the chair at the head of the table.

Today was no different. Rowan was sat to her right and Aedion on her left, the rest of the table filled with various lords and officials who all wanted her attention.

By the time she was seated and comfortable in her chair the throbbing in had tripled and she felt bone-tired. Although she had to admit that it was an improvement from the last three days where she'd kept having to excuse herself to go to the bathroom to vomit. It was randomly triggered and in between the bouts of sickness, she would feel completely normal.

She rubbed her temple and Rowan looked at her with a concerned expression. Are you okay?

She subtly nodded to him and tried to focus on what Ren was saying. She caught the gist of what he was explaining, but her head was getting worse and she could feel the rising bile in her throat.

"Excuse me." She scraped the chair along the floor and didn't make it to bathroom, instead emptying her stomach into the nearest bucket she found. Rowan had followed her and was rubbing circles on her back as she heaved again and then sat up wiping her mouth.

"I think I need to go to bed."

"I'm getting a healer to look at you. I'll fetch one and then finish this meeting." He kissed her brow. "Go and get some rest."

Aelin traipsed to her rooms, not bothering to change as she fell onto her bed and settled down under the covers. It was the end of summer but it was still hot and her rooms felt sweltering as the sun shone into them and basked everything in that late summer glow.

It wasn't long before a healer entered her rooms. The young woman was not much older than Aelin herself. Her face was soft and she smiled tenderly at Aelin as she approached her.

"Your majesty." The healer curtsied. "I'm Sirona. I'm just going to inspect you, is that alright?"

Aelin nodded and pulled the covers back and let Sirona come near.

"How long have you been feeling unwell?"

How long had it been? Maybe a week now, she supposed. She said it to Sirona and she merely nodded whilst she felt Aelin's head for her temperature.

"Have you changed your diet recently? Started exercising more? Or done anything that was out of the ordinary from your usual routine?"

Aelin sat up. "Not that I can think of. I suppose I came off..." Aelin stared at Sirona. Then looked down at her stomach.

"Your majesty?"

Aelin rose from the bed and went to her mirror. Inspecting herself from all angles. Nothing was different than normal... She looked back to Sirona who was loitering by the bed.

"I came off the tonic about six months ago." She went back and perched on the edge of the bed. "Just before Yulemas. Rowan and I were thinking of starting a family and we thought it would be a nice Yulemas gift to be expecting... but I didn't—" She stared at Sirona who was watching her. "Do you think I could be?"

Sirona motioned for Aelin to lie back down on the bed. She did as instructed and continued to feel around Aelin's stomach, pushing down gently and then taking an instrument from her bag before holding it to Aelin's stomach and listening into it.