W.I.T.C.H.: The Bloody Throne

Part 1

                Perhaps Will was right about him being an insomniac, after all, he went to bed late, had trouble falling and staying asleep, and wakes up before the sun peeks over the horizon. Then again, it had never hurt him in the past, and now that he knew they were going to be parents, he might not seek out a cure for it. He enjoyed the moments at night when he was awake and could watch his wife sleeping peacefully; all he had to do was stay still and she wouldn't notice. He knew her nightly habits of tossing and turning, covering herself up and uncovering herself, stretching and curling into a tight ball against him; it all fit her and she fit to him. Today, was another one of those early mornings, the sun barely peeking over the horizon and the sky had just turned a deep shade of purple when he woke up and looked over at his sleeping, pregnant, wife. Laying next to her, with her red hair a tasseled mess and the top knot of her nightgown undone as to reveal a bit of her back and the curve of her shoulder, he couldn't help but smile at her. He could still hardly believe everything that had happened in his life that led to this and he still wasn't sure if this wasn't all just a dream; however, if it was he never wanted to wake up. Sure, he could have lived his life without her, if it hadn't been for the poison, but he didn't like the idea of a life without her. She managed to make him laugh, feel warm, and made his life interesting; a life without her simply seemed boring in comparison.

Even though he didn't want this peaceful moment to end, he knew he would have to wake her soon. She had school and he had work; furthermore, with her condition, he wanted her to endure as little stress as possible. Considering her habit of sleeping in, she usually had to rush in order to make it on time. With a sigh, he leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. "It is time to wake up."

In response, Will scrunched up her nose and curled into a tight ball. He chuckled and ran his fingers along her shoulder, which prompted Will to cover herself with the blankets. She knew she had to get to school, but she didn't want to get out of the warm bed. Gently, so not to hurt her or cause her any unnecessary stress, he pulled the blanket from his wife and smiled down at her. "It is time for you to get up."

"It is too early." Groaned Will and turned around so her back faced her husband.

"It is 5:30 am and you take an ice age to wake up. I want to make sure you'll get to school on time."

"I don't want to go to school. We just came back from the cabin; we deserve a day to ourselves." She replied and covered her head with a pillow. "Besides, I am too pregnant to go to school."

"Is that so?" he asked and raised an eyebrow at her. "Well then, I'll ask the physician to proscribe permanent bedrest for you until you deliver. I am just not sure how we will explain your absence to your mother." At this, Will groaned and sat up in bed; she had promised her mother that nothing would happen between her and Phobos until she was older, so coming clean to her mother right now was out of the question.

"Can't I say I have a cold from the trip? I really don't want to get up." She asked as she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and leaned against her husband. "Besides, it is cold, and the bed is cozy. I want you to hold me for a while."

Just like on Earth, it was Winter in Meridian and snow covered the land in a soft, thin blanket. There had been a fire burning in the bedroom's fireplace to warm the room up, but it had extinguished at some point during the night; leaving only some residual warmth and the smell of burning cider-wood. Will had a point, the room was considerably cooler than the bed, but the daily grind wasn't going to wait for them, so with a sigh, he gently nudged her. "Sorry, but I am meeting with the Duchess of Ero and Lord Ruslan of Morovia to finalize the peace treaties between the two kingdoms. If you so desire it, you can call in sick and stay in bed; however, I have to get to the daily grind."