The Heir and her Guard

Chapter 38

Days had passed since their return, and they were fully settled back in now. One morning, Nancy had woken up Jane as she had done usually, but had an odd look on her face.

The Princess, after some complaints, had noticing this, and asked her what was wrong.

"Nancy? Are you alright?" She asked, sitting up and meeting her eyes. "Why do you look so nervous?"
"I uh... I want- no need to tell you something. I don't want to keep it a secret from you any longer." The lady in waiting spoke.

Jane frowned slightly, pulling Nancy on the bed beside her. "Okay, tell me. Is it something bad?"

The older lady shook her head, putting her hand on her stomach as she took a deep breath, looking back at Jane, their eyes meeting.

"What is it?" Jane urged, curious to what had shaken her up so badly.
"Jane I'm..." She hesitated, "I'm pregnant." Nancy finally managed to get out, her breath getting caught in her throat as she waited for the Princess' reaction.

She was still for a few moments, her mind processing what she had just heard. A massive grin grew on her lips and she stood up, suddenly full of energy.

"What?!" She exclaimed, "You're pregnant?!"
"Shh!" Nancy shushed her, smiling lightly. "Yes!"
"Since when?! How far along are you?" Jane calmed down slightly, talking quieter but still so excited.
"Around 2 months, it's still early."

"2 months?! Nancy, why have you only just told me?" She asked.
"I was going to tell you weeks ago, but I grew too nervous and I couldn't get the right words out. But... I needed to tell you, I thought you might want to know."
"Are you kidding? Oh my God, we're gonna have a mini you running around!"
"Or a mini Jonathan." She chuckled, imagining it.

"Who knows?!" She asked.
"Just you and Jonathan so far. He is to tell the King soon, but I don't want everyone to know in case something goes wrong..."
"Don't say that." Jane shook her head, putting her hand on the lady's shoulder, "I literally can't believe this! But I won't tell anyone-" She stopped herself, knowing it wasn't likely she wouldn't be able to keep it from everyone.

"Okay, okay, you can tell Max." Nancy chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully as she knew Jane was likely to accidentally let the secret spill around her anyway. "But promise not to tell anyone else."
"I won't tell a soul." Jane smiled, happy to have been trusted with something as big as this, "I promise."

"Thank you." The lady smiled back, feeling like a weight had left her chest. She viewed Jane as younger sister, and not having any siblings herself, needed that. Despite their quarrels, she loved her like family, and the princess felt the same. "Anyway, come on. You should get ready."

———

Hours passed and the sun was setting. It was a chilly evening, and the winter breezes were arriving after months of warmth. But that didn't stop Jane from going outside, watching the sunset while sitting on the field was something nothing else could replace.

Luckily the ground wasn't wet despite the slight rain the night before, and she sat down on the freshly cut grass with her arms outstretched behind her, keeping her upright as she looked up at the sky. Entranced by the shades of pinks and oranges, she didn't even hear footsteps coming from behind her.

"Princess?" Max asked, standing just to the left of her.
Jane jumped, startled. "Jesus, I didn't hear you coming." She spoke, looking up at her.
The guard chuckled, amused. "I guessed so. What are you doing being out here so late? The sun is setting."
"I want to watch it, would you like to join me?" She wondered, signalling to a space beside her.
Max nodded, "Give me just a moment, I'll be right back."

The princess watched as she walked back inside, rolling the sleeves of her white shirt up to her forearms. She frowned slightly, confused on where she was going. But she didn't dwell on it for too long as she turned back towards the sky.

A few minutes passed and Max was back. She laid a picnic blanket on the ground, making sure there were no creases on it.

"A picnic blanket?" Jane asked, confused.
"You don't want to get your dress dirty sitting on the grass for too long." She replied, "Come, sit."

She did as she was told, and Max sat down too, soon turning around to get the other things she had brought.

"I've also brought a small blanket out, just in case you get cold while we're out here. And..." She grabbed the final thing and handed a warm mug to Jane as she held her own. "Hot chocolate."

Jane chuckled, not understanding why she had brought so many things just to watch the sunset. But she definitely didn't mind. "Thank you." She spoke softly, kissing her cheek. Max smiled gently in response, a blush growing on her cheek from where Jane had kissed her moments before.

The princess had her head on Max's shoulder, and they sat there for a while in comfortable silence, the sun peeking just above the trees.

Suddenly a movement caught Max's eye. A person dressed in greys and blacks seemed to be on a hill, and though it was difficult to see due to how far away they were, it seemed like they were looking in their direction. She frowned and suddenly the person scrambled to their feet, disappearing under the horizon just as the sun did.

Jane's slight shiver distracted her, and she wrapped the blanket around her wife, kissing the top of her head. She tried to get her mind off what she had seen. It was probably just someone wanting to watch the sunset too, it was beautiful after all. But something in her mind was telling her something wasn't right.

And it was true. Something just wasn't right.