Noir

Chapter 14 - Surprises

Two months later...

"What a beautiful day!" Yixing exclaimed, and I beamed up at him. We were in a small rowboat that he had dug out for this occasion, and he was rowing across the lake. I sat opposite him, dressed in warmer clothes, as the autumn wind gently tossed my hair.

And it was beautiful. The leaves had turned, framing the lake in colors of fire, and the blue sky was stunning, flecked with fluffy white clouds. My husband was before me, his strong, muscular arms flexing with each row of the boat. He had improved so much, his health much better, his body much stronger. I was so relieved that Yixing was going to be alright.

"It is beautiful," I replied, smiling softly. Ever since we had come here, everything had gone wonderfully smoothly. There was no Yimou or Li Yuen to bother us, and there were no more attacks or orders from the governor. Part of me feared that if the governor found out that Yixing was healthy, he would send him to the battlefronts, and I feared this for Luhan and Yifan as well, who had stayed everlastingly loyal to us. The lake house was our hideaway, and I prayed every day that the governor would not return to find Yixing strong again.

"Where would you like to go?" Yixing asked, pausing in the middle of the lake. He leaned forward on his knees sighing.

"Take a break, we don't have to go anywhere right now," I replied, scooting towards him in the boat. I didn't like the rocking motion, and how it was upsetting my stomach, and I remembered what the medicine man had told me last week when I had gone to see him. Yixing was out, and Luhan had gone to accompany me.

"Why are we going to the medicine man's house?" He asked with growing concern, and I wrapped my coat around me tighter, over my stomach.

"I've been feeling a little ill lately," I fudged around the truth. That wasn't totally a lie, but I didn't tell Luhan how I had skipped my period for two months now, and how the sickness only came in the mornings.

"So you couldn't take My Lord with you? Surely he must be concerned," Luhan said, and I turned to him, my heart pounding.

"I don't want to tell him until I'm absolutely sure," I swallowed, but Luhan remained oblivious.

"Until you're sure you're sick, Milady?" He asked, totally perplexed. I rolled my eyes. "I don't understand."

"Luhan, I think I'm with child," I replied softly, and his eyes widened in shock. "His child. But I don't know for sure, which is why I'm going to the medicine man without him. I don't want him to get excited over nothing."

"I won't tell," Luhan grinned, looking thrilled. "I promise."

"I don't know for certain," I stressed, as we reached the door. Inside, the medicine man had asked me questions and taken my pulse, and told me he had felt two heartbeats instead of just one. I was pregnant.

"Jikyung-ah," Yixing said softly, reaching for my hand. I snapped out of my reverie, and looked back to him. "What are you thinking about?"

"I have to tell you something," I said nervously, my hand going over my stomach instinctively.

"What is it?" He asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Yixing..." I took a deep breath. "I'm going to have your child."

"Jikyung!" He exclaimed, standing up abruptly. I shrieked, grabbing the sides of the boat, as Yixing's momentum sent the boat rocking and my husband falling back, tripping over his seat and falling into the lake.

"Yixing!" I screamed, peering overboard as his head surfaced once more. He flicked his hair back, water spraying me, a huge smile lighting up his face.

"Pregnant!" He exclaimed. "That's excellent!" Yixing pulled himself back up onto the rowboat, soaking wet. I laughed, as he wrung out his clothes in the bottom of the boat, and turned to me. "How long have you known?"

"I went to the medicine man last week," I replied, as Yixing began to row back to shore. "I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure."

We reached the dock, and Yifan and Luhan were there to greet us, watching Yixing in concern. "My Lord, are you alright?" Yifan asked, as Yixing helped me out of the boat. "You're drenched!"

"I'm going to be a father!" Yixing exclaimed, seizing Yifan by the arms with excitement. I had never seen him this elated before, and seeing him happy made me happy as well. A smile broke out in Yifan's face as well, and he turned to me. "Milady, this is excellent news! When is the child due?"

"Not for eight months," I replied, smiling with a warm pride. I could not help but feel as though I had fulfilled my duty. I had done what I had supposed to do, and the pressure was off. I was going to bear Yixing's child, and I was going to be a mother.