The knight's breasts began to leak a yellowish-brown liquid.
More buttons began to "pop" in the night.
Ka-Ron was too deep in her sleep to know.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ka-Ron woke to the warm welcome of sunshine invading her cabin. The Argo was still floating in the heavens, easily taking both she and her squire to their predestined ends. All was well.
The warmth of the bed's covers was just too much for the knight to deny. Ka-Ron smiled and snuggled close to her sleeping lover. His warmth was all she required to forget her troubles.
"Oh!" Ka-Ron whispered, her face flashing discomfort. "What was all that, then?"
The knight was feeling a "bumping" sensation coming from her stomach. She surmised that it had to be something that she had eaten. However, she suffered also from a certain heaviness and fatigue, which suggested just the opposite - that she had not been eating enough.
Jatel rustled himself awake. He hummed a tune of satisfaction, discovering that Ka-Ron had placed her arms around him. Gently, he kissed one of the knight's hands.
"Many a season I have dreamed to be in such a place," Jatel whispered.
"What do you say?"
"I have dreamed of the time when, upon waking, my sun starts such as this," Jatel shuffled, turning to face his master. "To be in the arms of a beautiful&"
Ka-Ron's face beamed with happiness as she awaited the finalization of her squire's words. Flattery seemed to work wonders upon her disposition, and made all hardships seem that much smaller. Again, the knight's concentration was interrupted by the "bumping" coming from her stomach.
"For the gods!" Jatel said, almost horrified. The squire slowly rose and retreated away from the bed.
"Jatel? What ails you?" Ka-Ron asked, her hand reaching out for comfort.
Jatel's features turned almost to a panic, for there was something in his sight that terrified the man. Of that, Ka-Ron was quite certain. In reaching out to comfort him, the knight's attention turned toward the discomfort of her body. She felt odd, and was only now discovering the realities of her situation.
"To the gods!" Ka-Ron screamed. "No! Gods, no!"
The knight's breasts had indeed grown more, not by much, but enough to bust open the remainder of her nightshirt's buttons. They were both heavy and wet. Her nipples had turned an attractive tint of brown and quite sensitive too. In grabbing one, Ka-Ron was quite surprised to discover that it was loaded - spraying out an incredible fountain of milk.
"This cannot be&" the knight's voice trailed off to almost a whisper.
"I will get the wizard, sire." Jatel almost broke his neck running from the room.
Alone, Ka-Ron pulled down the bed sheets, discovering the origins of her discomfort.
Ka-Ron the knight was at least six lunas pregnant!
***
Keeth chewed nervously, upon the end of his pipe, while he knelt down and studied the enormous belly of Ka-Ron the knight. The woman, herself, was holding up quite well - that is, after the wizard had provided the most powerful relaxant pill his powers had the skill to muster. The drug was the only thing that kept the knight from screaming.
Upon discovering her condition, Ka-Ron screamed as loud and as long as her constitution would allow - and she had quite a constitution. After her silence, came the tears. It took both men to get her off the bed in her cabin. Each time she had tried it on her own, her bulbous stomach kept her from reaching her goal. All the knight had managed to do was waddle like a duck from left to right, causing both men to smile and chuckle.
So, after a fashion, Ka-Ron stood upon the main deck of the Argo, silently rubbing her huge stomach, unable to ignore what was growing inside of her. Jatel, although quite calm and quiet, appeared to be controlling his own demons. Cocking his head, the wizard admired the squire's strength, for he knew that if given the chance, Jatel would have need of the same relaxing drug Ka-Ron was now enjoying.
"Is this an illusion, then?" Jatel asked, hiding his shaking hands behind his back.
Keeth shook his head after placing a hand upon the knight's soft stomach. He searched deeply with his powers for an answer to the squire's question. The response he received was more than real, for the child growing within had decided to kick the wizard's invading hand with a great defiance.
"Oh!" Ka-Ron stirred, rubbing her belly. "This one's a kicker."
The wizard shook his head in agreement. Clouds of smoke rose from his stern countenance as he continued with his curious studies.
"Oh, dear no, sir," Keeth said, "This is certainly real."
"You think!" Ka-Ron retorted, her eyes full of rage.
"But she appears six lunas into her&" Jatel could not bring himself to say the word. "How can all this pass in just one night?"
Keeth silently counter-questioned with a "Are you serious?" glance upon the squire.
"I do not know how this could have come to pass," the knight said, covering herself.
Puffing on his pipe, Keeth gave the woman a knowing glance.
"Oh, miss, I believe that you do."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Jatel challenged.
"Nothing more than the fact that you two are at it more than a flock of red hares!" Raising his voice, the wizard pushed the squire away from him. "And it would not be wise to challenge me in such a manner again, young squire!"
"We&we&" Jatel tried to counter, but soon trailed off. The truth was impossible to combat.
"I apologize, dear knight and squire." The wizard bowed. Upon the old man's face, clearly, was the emotion of deep regret. "It has been some time since I have talked with real people, and I am short upon my graces."
"No need to explain, wizard," Ka-Ron said. She sat down on a nearby bench, exhausted. "We all have our little faults."
Jatel kept his distance, watching the wizard. If the wizard were to verbally attack Ka-Ron, he would be ready to confront him. Ka-Ron was deeply touched.
Keeth continued smoking his pipe. His eyes never seemed to leave the knight, studying anything and everything. For the longest time, Ka-Ron knew that the old man was looking at her stomach. She could feel the wizard's very concentration upon her skin, as she, every now and then was moved by the subtle kicking that was continuing to grab at her attention.
"Are you comfortable?" Keeth emptied his pipe, finally breaking his silence.
"I do not feel unwell."
"That is good!"
"And the importance of all of this questioning?" Jatel asked.
"I thought that would be obvious," Keeth said. "Her spell, thus far, has not hurt. I was just curious to know if that had changed."
Jatel huffed but surrendered.
Keeth bent down on one knee, silently asking the knight's permission to apply his hands to her body. She gave that permission, and was surprised to experience the wizard's gentle touch. The wizard's hands rubbed Ka-Ron's stomach, while his eyes remained closed. He was, Ka-Ron surmised, exploring with his mind, not his senses.
"This is unlike any magic I have ever encountered, my child. I am amazed at the child's speedy growth."
"Still&there is no pain." Ka-Ron stated, adding her hands to the rubbing of her stomach. The knight said nothing, but she thought that her stomach had grown even more since her sitting down. Her skin was tight and was starting to itch. When she had a free moment, she would change her dress - her top was soaked with dripping milk.
"This is dark arts at their worst," Keeth whispered.
"This once, I agree, wizard."
Keeth gave Ka-Ron a long, silent gaze. "There is a spell I could try that could relieve you of this burden."
Ka-Ron stared long into the wizard's eyes.
An incredible sensation came over the knight. While the Argo continued her trek through the skies towards their shared destination, Ka-Ron became aware of everything. She felt the tiny kicking, and subtle movement of the being growing inside of her, and it was wondrous! The feeling was more fantastic than she could ever have s
urmised. There was a joy there, inside of her, that felt more right, more intimate, and more godly than any she had ever encountered in her old life. She was becoming a mother. And, to the knight's complete surprise, she was enjoying it.
"No, Keeth," Ka-Ron whispered. "I think not."
The wizard was taken aback. Ka-Ron realized that she had given a response he did not expect. That made her even surer of her choice in the matter.
"Child, I do envy you."
"How so?"
"You are the bravest soul I have ever encountered," the wizard said, chuckling tiredly. "And take it from me, love, I have encountered quite a few. You, perhaps, are the only true "man" alive."
"Speak for yourself!" Jatel huffed from the bridge deck, insulted.
Keeth and Ka-Ron smiled.
"I shall leave you to your thoughts." Keeth soon joined Jatel at the ship's wheel.
Alone on deck, Ka-Ron tried her best to feel rage. She tried to feel hate toward Kai, and the terrible thing she had done to her. She tried. But hate was not what the knight felt.
She was happy!
Her hands paused over a spot on her stomach, feeling the tiny bumping of a baby's kick. Her whole body responded, and it was a terrific feeling. For one brief moment, Ka-Ron remembered honestly why she had become a knight. One brief moment, when upon hearing from a practitioner of the medical arts that it would be impossible for him, as a man, to father a child&one horrible moment, when as a young man he had had stolen from him that chance to be a father, to have a family, to be normal. When one loses all of that, all that was left for Ka-Ron was honorable service and an honorable death.
That was why she could not accept Kym's love.
Ka-Ron knew that Kym wanted to have children.
She knew that Kym wanted a family.
Ka-Ron, with all her bravery, honor, and love could never provide those things. She had been rendered unable to provide seed.
That was the knight's true fear. Her true shame.
She turned, slowly, with her back facing both Jatel and Keeth. She did not wish to allow them to see her face.
Ka-Ron was crying.
She was going to give life to a child.
She was going to have a family!
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The sound started out as an innocent squeak, at first. Then, as the mileage was added onto the Argo, the noise became both loud and frightening. In fact, the ship started to shake and shimmy so much that Keeth, who had been knocked from his bunk, came running out onto the main deck in a panic.
The wizard had soon discovered that his vessel had suffered some damage while leaving Tork's body. There had been several planks and levers along the ship's side which were in dire need of repair.
They had to land.
"There is a village ahead, I remember, which will serve quite well as a resting post," the wizard stated, looking at some old navigational charts he had drawn while living in the sea dragon. "Nice people. They mind their own business."
Jatel looked over the shoulder of the wizard and studied the maps himself. A troubled look ran across his face, for he was not familiar with the territory in which they would land. He gazed out at the approaching land, appearing only now at their bow, and drew Keeth's attention towards it.
"Wizard, the maps say nothing about the lasting fog."
"Fog?"
Keeth folded up his charts following the squire's inquiring finger. As Jatel had claimed, the valley was covered with a thick gray fog. There was nothing of this revelation that foretold of danger or anything negative. It was just a fog.
"Strange that a fog would persist in this weather," was the wizard's only comment.
"Then, we land?"
Keeth shrugged his shoulders surrendering to the situation. "We have no choice in the matter, young squire. If we are to reach the ultimate destination of your master's quest, we must make repairs."
"Agreed." Jatel's voice rang with both caution and acceptance.
"Then man the wheel, Jatel," Keeth ordered, walking up to his mysterious levers and switches. "We shall land in the city of Cibola."
The wizard pulled up one lever and activated two more.
The Argo shook with another series of odd clicks. As both gears and locks were put into action, the ship's lines began to change once more.
All at once, there came the slow and steady sounds of escaping gas.
The four devices the wizard had called "engines" started to point their shiny noses towards the ground. The incredibly fast and spinning pieces of wood, which Keeth had stated were responsible for their ship's foothold in the air, hovered and spun upward above the Argo. Again, the great wooden ship amazed her passengers by once more defying the laws of the physical world.
The ship hovered above the town of Cibola like a self-contained island in the sky.
"Prepare for landing." the wizard shouted, flipping yet another switch.
From the keel of the ship, there extended four circular pods which resembled a horse's hoof. These, the wizard explained, were landing pods, which would allow the Argo a comfortable berth while being repaired on dry land.
Descending through the fog, the tiny wooden vessel's "engines" caused several animals and birds to flee in havoc. This was quite understandable by both Ka-Ron and Jatel, because the devices did create quite a sound when placed on full power by the wizard.
"Squire, look over the bow and instruct me on a final position."
"Right you are, sir." Jatel's feet sprang the young man to action. Upon reaching the bow, he turned, momentarily, to spot Ka-Ron projecting a smile in his direction. He responded in kind.
"Keep to your task, squire!" the wizard ordered harshly as he took the ship's wheel.
In ancient times, Cibola used to be a part of the Nown nation. Upon that race's sad demise, it suffered in the void for a long and unmeasured time. Now, after hundreds of seasons of being abandoned, there were people in her once more. Keeth had explained that the city was a mixture of dwarf, elf, and human. It was a hub for traders, hunters, and those seeking solitude in a world slowly shrinking by progress. Cibolans were a good and private people, worthy of respect.
As the Argo bumped and settled, the ship landed.
"Ah! We are here." Keeth said.
All that greeted the crew of the Argo was silence
***
There was much to call familiar about Cibola. In many ways, the skyline resembled that of Teal's. A simple hamlet, upon first glance. There did exist amongst its streets the glory of the Nowns. Keeth pointed about the city, instructing both knight and squire to pay attention to certain lanterns which hung about the corners. These, according to the wizard, were safety warnings, informing pedestrians when it was allowed to cross the street, not having to worry or look for advancing carriages and wagons.
The buildings themselves, at least the original ones, had need of no maintenance - they were built of unknown material that never chipped or decayed. The great plague which had extinguished this ancient and noble race left behind them both mystery and wonder.
"We shall start repairs after we sup," the wizard stated, licking his lips.
Jatel gave the village an uneasy glance.
This did not escape Keeth's attention.
"What worries you, squire?"
"Where are all the people?"
Keeth looked out into the fog. He was somewhat surprised that no village officials were there to welcome them, or, at the least, to protest their landing. The wizard was quite confident that it wasn't everyday that a vessel such as the Argo had come to visit.
"It is puzzling."
All three peered over the ship's starboard bow.
All that seemed to move was the fog.
There was an uncertainty that seemed silently to attack each of them as the wind softly shuffled past. It was like accidentally walking into a funeral, not knowing if one should accept fate and stay, or challenge happenstance and leave.
"Supper is what we need for now,
" the wizard suggested.
All three turned from the sleeping village.
The Argo's larder did not disappoint.
***
Ka-Ron no longer walked. She waddled.
Both Jatel and Keeth had lowered themselves down on rope benches, doing what they could to repair the Argo. There was a lot more damage than the wizard had first surmised. Several holes, one the size of a horse, were in dire need of patching. However, on the bright side, several of the sea dragon's scales were deposited in the hull, giving both knight and squire shields when needed in battle.
Jatel stopped his hammering when he heard his master's footfalls.
Ka-Ron had become...enormous!
The knight's belly had swollen much since breakfast, and was now so huge, that it became quite impossible for her clothing to contain her. Ka-Ron had to add cloth to both her bosom and her skirt. Her face was more round and her features engorged with motherhood, but there was an inner light which, at least in Jatel's eyes, made her more attractive to him.
She, on the other hand, felt quite different.
"I am no longer in the position to protect myself in war." the knight cried.
Jatel had to spend several cycles in bed, holding his master, trying his best to keep her from crying.
Now, hearing his master struggle on deck had caused the squire to bow his head in shame. There existed in Jatel's mind a guilt - he had caused all of her suffering. He was responsible.
Keeth did not fail to see all of this.
"What haunts you, squire?" The wizard looked up at Jatel, who was hanging several sticks in height above him, fighting several nails he had placed in his mouth.
"This was never meant to be."
"Of course, it was never meant to be, my son," Keeth grunted. "It's a curse. Curses seem to work that way."
"Be serious." the squire rebutted.
"I am nothing but, my son." Keeth paused, his features softening. "Do not torture yourself so. It would all be to folly if you tried to reason this whole affair out. There is no logic; there is only the reality of the now."
The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight Page 19
