A Shade Darker ✔️

{Chapter Thirty Eight}

Official

July 25th, 2017

Ashley

For the last two weeks my mornings consisted of being woken by either a lurching stomach or Lucile's mouth serving as an alarm clock. Apparently the need for my agreement on things happening in the colony was uber important and was worthy of interrupting my sleep. It's not like I asked to be the Queen, I just happened to have to marry the King who was also the most desirable male in the whole colony. This I had knew before but experienced first hand at a duel between two men. During the duel we sat in the stands, conversed with many people and I observed how many of the women flirted with my husband regardless that I was sitting there. Even the married ones. I admit, I had gotten a trifle jealous.

"Should we make it known, then?" Mike asks, rubbing my back as one of the maids came to empty the chamber pot I had just got done puking in.

Two solid weeks of nothing but morning sickness and no blood in sight. Increase in hunger, fatigue, decrease in energy and on and off mood swings. My breasts were tender and already beginning to swell and grow fuller.

There was no doubting it now, and it was safe to say that the pregnancy I had suspected was now an official confirmed one.

The color had returned to my cheeks and after a few minutes the fatigue and light headedness had vanished.

"I don't think I'll be able to hide it much longer before the maids start commenting on all the morning sickness. I wouldn't be surprised if half of them already knew it" He offers me a hand to help me up and pulls me to my feet.

He smiles at me and I can see the excitement written all over his face. I wish I could feel the same, and maybe I would if I was seen as someone of average social status, but I could hardly put one foot in front of the other when I thought what it would be like to announce to the whole colony the news of an oncoming child from the royal couple.

That to me was like writing your own death, I might as well just jump under the blankets and hide there for the next nine months.

Or for the rest of my life...

"We'll have a party or something, invite the whole colony and tell them the news there. But first, Lucile. And then we can plan a date for the celebration" He was already thinking ahead and to be honest it made my head grow heavy and painful.

But when he mentioned Lucile I could only agree. Lucile deserved to be the first to know, after all she had been waiting for this day since I practically married him.

We walk down the stairs together, hand in hand. I'm growing more nervous with every step, but I suck it up and walk into the kitchen in search for breakfast.

Lucile, as always, greets us good morning.

"Eggs? Sausage?" She asks, ready with a spatula to plate whatever we would choose.

She sends me to the island with a plate of both and two pancakes, my plate stacked high with various breakfast foods.

I showed no shame, I was running on an empty stomach. Not completely empty if we're being honest, but hey, I had an excuse now.

I'm halfway through stuffing my face when Lucile turns a watchful eye on the speed of my fork transporting pancakes to my mouth.

"Quite the appetite ye have, dear" She comments, giving me the perfect opportunity.

I find my face heating and I swallow my last bite of food.

"I find myself emptying my stomach in the mornings, so I have to fill it here. I'm eating for two, now, you see" Lucile's eyes flash to Mike, then back to me.

I shove another forkful of pancake into my mouth.

"A wee bairn holding your stomach hostage, aye?" I nod, eat more until I feel my stomach grow full.

Lucile's usual rosy cheeks grow even more red and pink. She smiles at us, says congratulations  and finishes cooking breakfast for the rest of the maids with a smile on her face.

"I told ye it was the storms" She adds, winking at us before opening the drapes and sighing.

"There hasna been a royal child since you, Queen Ashley. Now you will continue to make yer own history"

After the breakfast I'm led to the garden on a walk with Mike that seems to calm my nerves a little. Out here it was peaceful, gave me a little piece of home to hang onto.

Home....

How would my mom feel if she knew? How would grandma feel? My friends? Would I ever see them again?

"One day our child will walk through the garden with us, of course after a while until it can walk" It pleased me to hear him talk about our future, let me know that he was happy and looking forward to the rest of the pregnancy and the life that followed.

But I still didn't know how I felt, everything had happened so fast and I felt that Lucile, the maids, people of the colony, and even Mike wouldn't treat me the same because of it. They would treat me nicer maybe, like I was a child and incapable of carrying on with my everyday life.

I also felt that it would rob me of all the relationships I had. When the child got here, my time with Mike would be limited. There would be more stress, more work and less time to just spend time together. More arguments and fights and then what? Then what would happen to our relationship? Would it fall apart?

I rub my head, gaining his attention.

He frowns at me, wraps an arm around my waist and leads us to the nearest bench. His eyes are full of concern.

"Are you going to get sick again?" He asks, worry in his voice.

I shake my head and sigh, lead my temple that was beginning to throb against his shoulder.

"No. It's just a little headache..." He rubs my back and I let my worries melt away with every stroke of his hand.

Eventually they vanished, but only to the back of my mind. That's where I hoped they stayed.