Growing Pains | a traitor's tale novel | Narnia

Together Again

Jacqueline's POV

I won't deny that Genevieve was right about it being boring staying at the How. I still had Smumbleshy, Sufak and Quivermist to keep me company.

I finished my book shortly after my daughter and the others left. Quivermist was the first Narnian I found.

"Hello, Miss Jacqueline," she greeted me with a smile.

"Hello Quivermist. How are you today?"

"I'm doing quite well, well as well as I can these days."

"That is quite true indeed," I replied. I noticed that it seemed like she had something else on her mind. "What are you thinking about? You seem distracted by something."

She glanced around to see if anyone else was in the room. We were alone. "I was wondering, when did you know that you were pregnant?"

My eyes widened. I was not expecting that. "Well, I think I was around two and a half or maybe three months along when my family noticed me getting sick. Most mornings I couldn't stand to be in the same room as food, the smell made me nauseous."

"And when did you decide to tell your family?"

"Actually, Susan and Lucy suspected I was pregnant with Genevieve before I did. I told Edmund shortly after they'd confronted me about it. Are you asking because you think you might be?" I asked her. She looked down at the floor and nodded.

"I figured you would be the best person to go to, you know, seeing as you're about ready to pop any day now. I'm just worried about what Tall might think. Now doesn't seem like the best time to bring a child into the world, no offense."

"Oh don't worry about it, none taken. I was pregnant long before the Telmarines invaded, but apparently Aslan wants me to have my children now. We will end this war so that our children can grow up in a peaceful Narnia, I promise," I assured her. She still seemed like something was bothering her.

"It's just, I know he wants children as much as I do, but he's been justifying why we haven't on this war we're facing. And I don't want my child to lose its father in the fight," she explained her worries to me.

"I understand. I don't want my children to lose Edmund either, though now it seems like they have."

"Should I tell him?"

"Yes, you should tell him, but do it when you're ready. My suggestion would be to tell him before the fighting starts, then he will have another thing to fight for."

"Thank you Jacqueline, I think I really needed to hear that."

"Of course, anytime you need me I'll be there, unless of course I'm in labor, then I won't be able to help much," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

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