The Dragon King's Hated Bride

>>Aelin (First year of marriage)

I sat on the window sill, a book in hand which I was trying to read but for some strange reason I couldn't quite get into it.

The loneliness in this room was something I could never quite get used to. No matter how many books I buried myself in, no matter how many pages I flipped, the silence always pressed in on me. The days blurred together. Some mornings I'd wake up with the vague hope that maybe, just maybe, something would change. But nothing ever did. The same routine. The same isolation. The same silence.

I was pacing around the room one day, some sort of anxiety swirling inside of me, when I felt something—a strange, sharp tug in my stomach. It was quick, like a pinch, and I stopped in my tracks. 

Ah!

My first thought was that maybe I was getting my period.

I walked to the bathroom thinking about how I'd have to beg a maid to get me some cotton since they rarely ever listen to me. I sighed as I checked, hoping to see the familiar blood stain that would mean it was nothing to worry about. 

But nothing.

My stomach churned. The blood wasn't there, but there was something else—a gnawing, uneasy feeling growing in my chest. 

!!!

Wait, 

That's when it hit me.

Come to think of it, how long has it been since I got my period? I thought back and realized I hadn't gotten it once since I arrived here.

And that realization was followed by another speculation.

Could I be pregnant?

The thought hit me like a wave. Could I really be pregnant?

I felt a flicker of something inside of me. 

Hope? Fear? Maybe both but I could sense myself feeling better just by the thought of it. The thought of a 'baby'. And I couldn't help but smile in that moment as I placed my hands on my stomach

When the maid came to deliver my meal later that day, I barely noticed her until she set the tray down in front of me. But then, the words just slipped out before I could stop them, afraid she'll leave just as fast as she came.

"I think I might be pregnant."

She froze for a second, her face expressionless, but there was a flicker in her eyes. Without saying a word, she turned and left the room. I was afraid she might not do anything about it but I'm glad I was wrong.

A sheep doctor came to visit me the next day and it was confirmed that I was indeed pregnant. Her visit wasn't long and she left after confirming and I was left alone again but for the first time I didn't think about it at all.

It was a strange kind of happiness, the kind that bubbled up in the pit of my stomach and spread like a warm fire through my chest. I hadn't felt this alive in what felt like forever. My body felt different—strange, but in the most wonderful way.

I placed my hands on my belly and smiled.

A baby is coming. My smile widened as everything else seemed to fade away. My baby.

Our baby!

I thought about Draegon. Then I imagined the look on his face when I will tell him about it. And hoped that this news would make him happy too.

But as the days passed, the excitement in my chest began to fade, replaced by something else—a cold emptiness. The palace, the people around me, were silent. No one came to congratulate me. 

No one spoke a word of the news.

The doctor had confirmed it, of course. I was pregnant. But the only reaction I got was silence. No one came to see me, no one even asked how I was feeling.

It stung, but I didn't let it show. I clung to the happiness in my chest, the hope that Draegon would be the one to make it all worth it. That once the war was over, once he was back, he would tell me everything would be okay

I told myself it didn't matter. I told myself that once Draegon came home, once he knew, everything would be different. All the other people who were treating me like this, wouldn't do that anymore.

And that life here wouldn't be the same as in Heavenmoore, in that place that was my 'home'

I was fine with the ignorant treatment… I think. It was still better than what happened in home. But what I wasn't fine with was how even when everyone knew I was pregnant, I received no special treatment. My meals came in the same way… the same small quantity…

Sometimes a maid or two would sneak in more bread, but that was it.

In situations where I felt overwhelmed my fingers instinctively went to the pendant around my neck and I would hold it tightly. I felt a strange mixture of hope and longing swell within me.

"Draegon," I whispered softly, the words almost a prayer as I looked down at the pendant, the deep purple stone catching the faint light that filtered in through the window. "We're going to be parents."

A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips as I spoke, even though I knew no one else in the palace shared my joy. The child growing inside me was our child, his and mine. That thought alone made everything feel brighter, even if the world around me was dull and cold.

I closed my eyes for a moment, imagining Draegon's return. How he would react to the news.

Would he smile when he learns he's going to be a father? I hope he doesn't mind that the baby will be half human. Would he accept us?

I pursed my lips

He will, wouldn't he? It's his child too. 

"Please be safe," I continued, my voice trembling slightly, though I tried to keep it steady. "Come home to us." I placed my hand on my belly, "We need you."

I don't know at what point I began to find myself yearning for Draegon. He was a demon, and I had known him personally only for a day.

Yet, he seemed to be growing close to my heart.

And no matter how much I thought about it, I think the sole reason for that was because he was my husband, the father of my child, and he was the man who said he wanted to keep me safe and protected.

I looked out the window as I clenched the pendant.

It's alright

When he's back, everything will get better

***

I had only seen Alishay twice before. Once, at the wedding and then again in the courtroom when Draegon was appointed as the commander of his forces. 

So when I heard the soft knock on my door and saw Alishay standing in the frame, I froze while I was sitting in the window sill. My heart stumbled in my chest.

"Alishay," I stammered, standing quickly, hands instinctively clutching my dress. I wasn't sure what to say, what she was doing here. Was something wrong? "I—what brings you here?"

Her eyes, dark and sharp, seemed to appraise me for a moment before she stepped inside. She didn't smile but there was something about her presence that made my skin tingle with unease.

"I wanted to see you, Aelin," she said, her voice smooth, almost too sweet. "I heard about your pregnancy." She moved further into the room, her heels clicking on the floor with each step.

…

I wasn't sure how to reply to her. She heard about my pregnancy? Now? It's been more than six months now. Four months since everyone found out I was pregnant.

She paused, eyes flickering toward my stomach for a brief moment, and I immediately clasped my hand over it, protecting the life growing there. She noticed, of course, but didn't acknowledge it directly. "I think there is something you should know,"

"Yes?"

"I know no one told you about it, but as a wife, it's your duty, don't you think?" I had no idea what she was saying.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my heart thumping in my chest. I had no idea what she was getting at, but I felt a sinking sensation deep inside me.

She crossed her arms, leaning casually against a nearby chair. "We last heard some unsettling news," She talked calmly, "About the war."

"..." I could tell what was coming next and it made my skin stand up.

"Draegon's situation isn't good. He's struggling. The army is losing."

I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth. "What? Losing? How?"

Alishay raised her hand gently, cutting me off. "I know it's hard to hear, but it's the truth. And I came to you today for a reason Aelin"

"Yes?"

"Draegon needs help. The only way he can win, the only way he can come back to you, is if you make a choice. A difficult choice, but a necessary one." She kept her eyes on me and her gaze was very unsettling.

A choice?

"What kind of choice?" I whispered.

She paused, watching me carefully, as though weighing the best way to break the news. "There's a way to save him. The witch, the one the council has brought in... she can help turn the tide of the war. She can channel power through you," She pointed at me with her index claw, "Through the baby."

The words didn't make sense at first, and I felt the blood drain from my face. "What do you mean, the baby?"