Manon's Child

Part 53

I head straight back to mine and Dorian's rooms. He's pacing back and forth along the carpet, worrying about me. "Manon," he says, rushing over to me, worry in his voice as he cups my face in his hands, checking I'm ok.

"Dorian, I'm fine," I say, irritated, pulling my face from his hands. He looks hurt for a second, but I turn around and hurry to the cupboard in the other side of the room. "I just have some stuff to attend to."

"Ok," he says slowly, still sounding worried. "Can I help you?"

I turn to face him, forcing a smile. "I'll be fine, Dorian, I promise. I'll only be gone for a few days."

"Gone- a few days?!" Dorian exclaims. He grabs my arm and forces me to face him. "What's going on, Manon?" I open my mouth to answer, but it's a rhetorical question. "You know you're not supposed to travel!" he continues. "It's not safe!"

I sigh, and take his hands. I knew it wouldn't be this easy, but it never hurts to try. "Look, Dorian," I say slowly. "I am going to my kingdom for a few days. My people need me. I will be back as soon as possible."

"But, Manon," Dorian starts. I lose patience.

"You don't control me!" I shout, pulling my hands out of his grip. "I am the Crochan and Ironteeth Queen!! I control a whole people on my own. I'm not a human, Dorian, I was made to last! I am certainly not one of your fluffy ladies in your court. We're not married yet!"

An empty silence fills the new space between us, then Dorian turns away from me and sits heavily down on the bed. He's looking at his hands as he says. "Fine. Go then."

"Dorian-" I start, but he doesn't look up. I take a step towards him, and he still doesn't move. Ugh, humans. So many emotions. "I didn't-"

"What, Manon?" he snaps, standing up to face me. I often forget he's taller than me. "You didn't what?" I open my mouth to reply, but he cuts me off. "Do you even want to get married?"

"What?" The question catches me by surprise.

"Of course you don't," he says, acting in a way I've never seen him. "You-"

"I do," I interrupt. "I do want to marry you."

"Do you?" he asks. "Do you really? First, the stunt with my mother, now this? Do you even want to be here? Do you even care that those children are mine as well? Or am I just another human whose feelings got the better of him?"

It hits my heart. The emotion in his voice. The love in his eyes, love that's echoed in my own heart. I waddle over to him, taking his hand to force him to look at me. "Of course I care, Dorian. And you are not just another human. I love you."

He finally meets my eyes, the sapphire in them sparkling. "What?"

"I love you," I repeat, surprised by the emotion in my voice. He smirks, and before I can say anything, pulls me in and kisses me. 

"I love you too," he says as he pulls away. As if on cue, I feel a kick on my stomach, one of many that I've felt recently.

I grab Dorian's hand. "Here, princeling," I say, and watch as his smile broadens in delight as he feels the kicking. My face falls as I pull away, though.

"I have to go," I say quietly.

"I know." He steps back, pacing again, then turns as an idea lights his eyes. "I can come with you."

My immediate reaction is no. Not now. Not ever. There is no way I'd bring any human with me, or fae for that matter, into something so important. He can't be there. But as much as I fight it, a horrible thought comes into my head, forming itself into a horrible plan that I really don't want to do but... it's the only choice. I ask the Three-Faced Goddess for forgiveness as I smile and say, "Of course."

*********************

I spend the rest of the day with Dorian, packing a small bag to bring with me and false smiling whenever Dorian comes towards me. He doesn't know why I'm going. He's excited. 

When it's time to eat, I pour us both some alcohol that I ordered the servant to bring up. "Here," I say, passing a glass to him. He takes it, watching the one in my hand suspiciously. "What?" I ask, immediately on high alert.

"You shouldn't drink when you're pregnant," he says, sipping uneasily.

I frown. I've never heard that. "Maybe for humans," I concede, taking a drink. I hide my grimace. Alcohol isn't my favourite thing, but this? I don't understand humans.

I watch Dorian suspiciously as he continues drinking. I almost miss it, but a sharp pain in my stomach distracts me for a moment. My princeling is alert immediately. "Manon, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," I say. "The witchlings just kicked, that's all."

Dorian smiles widely. "Our babies." His eyes shining, he reaches across the table to take my hand. "I love you so much," he tries to say, but it's at this moment the drug kicks in.

His body falls forward onto the table, upsetting his wine glass, and I pull my hand out of his, moving away. "Manon?" he says, his voice slurred. There's fear in his eyes, real fear. 

"I'm so sorry," I whisper, a single tear slipping down my cheek. I watch him, guilty and a strange sense of hopelessness filling me.

Then, I brush away the tear, transforming back into my emotionless self and bringing back up my shield of cold. I haul up his body, dragging it ineloquently across the room and dumping it onto a chair. He's watching me with such hurt and betrayal in his eyes my mask almost slips. Almost. I bring out some rope I ordered up with the wine and begin to tie him loosely to the chair - only so he won't follow me.

"What are you doing?" he asks, almost incomprehensible.

"I can't have you following me," I say, keeping my voice cold. I finish, stepping back to admire my work. "This is for your own safety," I insist, more to myself than to him.

I grab my bag and head quickly to the door. I turn back at the last moment. "I love you," I tell him, "And I am so, so sorry." 

Then I shut and lock the door, pulling a hood over my head and heading out.

***************

I meet the other two by Abraxos. My wyvern is staring at me, a silent accusing in my eyes, as though he knows exactly what I've done. I look away guiltily.

"Lets go," I say, and climb onto my wyvern.

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HI peoples.

Before anything else, I just want to say that under absolutely 0 circumstances is it ever ok to drug someone. Never. I debated long and hard whether to put this in but chose to in the end. I tried to make it clear that Manon felt really guilty about this and she will face the repercussions later on in the story. I just want to make it clear that this is never something you should do.

on a lighter note thanks so much for all the reads. 16.5k it think? anyway, thank you so much, all the votes and comments mean so much to me. its so great to know people actually enjoy my work.

also guess what ? I posted in under a week!! you should be proud of me 😉😉😉🤣🤣😂😂

ALSO i discovered how to do emojis on my computer 😋😘🥰😍😊😚😊😁😀😃☺☺🙂🤩

stay safe :)