“Caden…”
“Really, it’s not a problem, Isabelle. I’ll take him down there while you rest here for a few minutes and I’ll be right back,” Faolan said quickly as he took a few steps closer to them.
“See? I told you,” Caden said as he slid out of her arms and onto the floor. He quickly took Faolan’s hand before she could begin to protest again and led him out of the room.
“Bye, Izzy,” he said at the doorway.
“Get some rest, Caden,” she called back.
“I’ll be right back,” Faolan quickly said before he was pulled from the room by his hand.
After they had left, Isabelle sank down on the edge of the bed as her mind tried to make sense of what had just happened. Since his birth, Caden had only wanted her. He would cry when anyone held him but her, even their father.
Faolan came back into the room a few minutes later and sat down next to her on the bed. He stroked her lower back as he pulled her closer to him.
“I’m sorry about Caden, he’s never been like that before,” she said after a short pause.
“Don’t be sorry, Isabelle, I like him very much. Kylin knows to give him cake tomorrow morning and he is welcome back here anytime. Are you alright though? He was right, you are a bit pale today.”
She smiled gently at him. “I’m probably just a little tired.”
“Take a nap with me before a meal then?” he asked.
“I would like that very much,” Isabelle replied.
Chapter Twelve
Isabelle buried her head further under the pile of blankets. The morning sun was already much too bright and her stomach felt as uneasy as it had the day before and she hadn’t even stood up yet. She vaguely recalled Faolan saying something to her about needing to see Kylin before he left earlier, but that had been hours before.
The bed shifted beside her and Isabelle opened her eyes just enough to see Caden’s blonde tousle of hair splayed against the dark sheets. She didn’t remember him coming into the room, but judging from how comfortable he looked, he had probably been there for a few hours at least.
“Caden?” she whispered.
There was a grumble and then some moving of the blankets, but he remained under the covers. She nudged him a little, but he still didn’t wake. With a soft sigh, she gave up and closed her eyes, hoping to fall back asleep.
As she lay in bed though a strong wave of nausea hit her, churning her stomach and blurring her eyes. She pulled her legs up tightly against her chest and whimpered. Tea might have helped, she knew, but this late in the morning the tea would have grown cold and that was not appealing to her in the least. Feeling stifled and hot, she sat up in bed and tossed the covers off. Thankfully Caden was still asleep, even as she took a few deep breaths and willed herself to stand up. She thought some fresh air might do her some good. It had been a long time since she had been outside in the sun and even longer since she had felt the grass beneath her feet. But since Thadius had insisted that she not leave the mountain without Faolan and he seemed to be nowhere around she decided to settle for stepping out onto the balcony. She had seen Faolan do it plenty of times and it never seemed to bother him so she reasoned that it must be safe enough. With one last glance at Caden to make sure he was still asleep, she stepped carefully into the open air and let the warm sun wash over her.
The air was still and calm, not at all what she had expected from being so high up. All around her, she could only see large red and brown colored mountains. There was a sickly sweet smell in the air, something she had never experienced before. Feeling brave, she took a few more hesitant steps into the open air.
Isabelle cautiously moved closer to the edge. But although the warm stone seemed solid under her feet, she still felt her nerves go on edge and the fine hairs of her neck stand on end as she chanced a quick glance over the side of the cliff and saw only the blurry bottom of the canyon thousands of feet below her. It must have been madness that led her out here in the warm midday sun.
That was really the only explanation she could come up with for her foolishness. She slowly turned to go back inside, back to the safety that awaited her there, when a large gust of wind sprang up from the side. Stumbling from the force of the sudden blast, she quickly crouched down just as another harsh gust of wind threatened to sweep her from the relative safety of the ledge to what would surely be her death thousands of feet below. She could almost hear the soft thud her body would make on those jagged rocks as she huddled against the wind. Isabelle began to make a few tentative movements toward the wide opening she shared with Faolan, but each small step became harder and harder to take as the wind steadily grew stronger and began to bash against her from all sides.
Hot tears began forming on her eyelashes, threatening to spill over at any moment, but she held them back. She had surely been through worse and survived that. So why did it seem such a challenge to walk the few yards back inside? Mustering her courage, she took another step toward the opening. The wind pummeled her and each gust threatened to send her hurling over the edge, but she continued walking slowly forward.
There was a soft thud behind her, causing her to turn. At the sight of the dragon, her breath caught in her throat. He was small and lithe with long sinewy muscles and smooth skin the color of onyx. She took a step away from him, her hands coming up to her face protectively. But then she stopped. The dragon was just standing there, watching her curiously, his head tilted slightly to the side. She looked back at the opening and took a step backward toward it, never taking her eyes off the dragon. Her foot caught on a loose pebble though and she stumbled slightly. But before she could fall, she felt something smooth curl against her side. The dragon pressed his tail against her again, firmly helping her back up to her feet. She hadn’t heard him move and certainly hadn’t seen him even take a step, but now he was only a few yards away with his side facing her, his head still tilted slightly as he watched her brush off her dress.
Isabelle nodded to him in thanks and took another step toward the opening, but the dragon continued to keep his tail near her, elevated at her waist. She eyed him warily and took a step away from his tail, but he just moved it closer to her. Another strong gust of wind blew up around them and she braced herself for it, realizing a second later that she didn’t feel a thing. She opened her eyes and stared in wonder as the dragon’s wings spread further, creating a massive canopy over her, shielding her from the wind. She could see his dark blue veins clearly through the transparent skin of his wings. Isabelle looked back at the dragon and again nodded her thanks to him. This time though he nodded back. She quirked an eyebrow at him, thinking he was very odd indeed for not even speaking to her when even Lysander had, but she felt his tail bump against her again, drawing her attention back to it.
The dragon took a step toward her, his wings creating a massive shadow over the warm stone. She took a step away from him, but he took another toward her, pushing her back. Again she stepped away from him and again he moved toward her. Feeling cornered and a bit ridiculous at being pushed around by an animal, Isabelle put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Now see here,” she began, but the dragon only looked at her and took another step toward her, forcing her back.
She was about to argue with him, but he took another step toward her and before she could react, he took another, pushing her backwards with each one. Isabelle opened her mouth, but quickly closed it as she felt the smooth stone wall against her back. She pressed her hand against the wall behind her and felt the familiar wall of the inside of her bedchamber. She turned back to the dragon, wanting to thank him for helping her get back now that she realized what he had been doing, but he was already gone.
Chapter Thirteen
“Isabelle?” Faolan called into the darkness. There was a grumbled response from somewhere under the piles of bed covers. “Are you not feeling well again?” The covers moved a little, but she did not come out. He reached over and patted the lump that he assumed to be her shoul
der. “Alright,” he said as he began getting dressed. “I’ll send for Kylin. This has been going on for long enough.” There was more grumbling as he rose, but there were no further protests.
A few minutes later a guard had returned with a barely awake Kylin dressed only in a nightgown trailing along behind him. He was about to scold Faolan for waking him so early when he spotted Isabelle, pale as a crisp white sheet, sitting at the edge of the bed.
“Leave us, boy,” Kylin told him offhandedly, not even bothering to look over his shoulder at the prince.
“But I—”
Kylin rounded on him quickly. “You will wait in the hallway. When I am done I will send for you. Now get out.”
Faolan’s eyes narrowed, but a quick look at his sickly wife told him not to argue with the healer. If he was still sore about it when they were done speaking, he could always go tell his father of Kylin’s rudeness.
* * * *
As soon as Faolan was out the door, Kylin turned sympathetic eyes on Isabelle. “My dear, what’s wrong?”
Isabelle kept her eyes on the floor as she whispered a hoarse, “I think we both know what’s wrong, Kylin.”
“Ah yes. How far along do you think you are?”
She shook her head quickly. “Not long, a few weeks maybe. I don’t even think I should be having signs yet. But it hurts so much. My mother, weak as she was, did not seem to be in this much pain when she was with Caden.”
“Your mother was not carrying a half Draconian child,” Kylin gently reminded her.
“Will I…Will I be alright? Mother…She…” Isabelle’s voice trailed off as her eyes brimmed with fresh tears.
She would not voice her fear of dying in childbirth as her mother had. Isabelle barely remembered that day, but she did recall her mother’s ashen face and the sound of her breathy voice as she asked if her son had survived. Caden had let out a shrill cry as a midwife had cleaned him. Isabelle had glanced away to look at her newborn brother. When she had turned back, her mother had been dead.
* * * *
Kylin took a seat in the chair next to her and placed his hand on her trembling shoulder. He had heard briefly of her mother’s passing years ago. Although he had never met the woman, he felt obligated to give the girl some hope. “You are so much stronger, so much braver, than your mother ever was, Isabelle. She could not have done what you have, not by far. You will have to be careful at first of course, but I believe that you will be fine.”
“But this pain—”
“Will subside, in time, as all pains of this nature do.”
She nodded. “Isn’t there something that you can give me to make this easier though?”
“Unfortunately this early in your pregnancy it’s too dangerous to give you anything as it might hurt the baby. But perhaps in a month or two that can change. Shall I let Faolan back in? I’m sure he’ll be curious to know what’s wrong by now.”
If possible Isabelle went even paler. “Faolan…”
“Keep your chin up. This will all turn out alright. Trust him. He’s a good man,” Kylin said as he moved toward the floor. She nodded and he left the room. There were muffled voices in the hallway before Faolan returned.
“Faolan, I…”
“Kylin told me.”
Isabelle looked up at him sharply. She hadn’t known what to expect from him, but it certainly wasn’t his clipped tone or the dark shadows in his eyes.
“I—”
“Father will need to know,” he said quickly, cutting her off. “I will send some guards to move your things to the vacant rooms next to your brother’s.”
“Oh. I suppose that would be best now.”
“Yes,” he replied in a clipped tone.
Isabelle frowned deeply and said, “Faolan?”
He paused mid-step, but continued to avoid her gaze. “Yes?”
Her voice wavered uncertainty. “You are happy about this, aren’t you?”
Foalan nodded quickly.
“Will you be happy to have your rooms to yourself again?” Isabelle pressed.
His shoulders stiffened slightly and his chin tilted slightly towards her. “It will be…different. Now I really must go.”
“Of course, I’m sorry that I delayed you, Faolan,” she said weakly.
He nodded and turned on his heel. In seconds he was out the door and down the hall, leaving a bewildered Isabelle in his wake.
Later that night Isabelle lay uncomfortably on her side. All around her lay unfamiliar things and the worst of it was that nothing smelled like him. She hadn’t realized how accustomed she had become to his scent, his familiarity. Although this was still his mountain, his place, he was absent from the small stone room she had been told to use. It was less that he wasn’t there. Nothing that seemed like him was anywhere in the room. He was soft sheets, large furnishings and simple lines. He may have been a lot of things, but he was definitely not these cold gray stone slabs of what some may have mistakenly called furniture. Even what she was now resting on was little more than a pile of furs strewn upon a heavy slab, the furs barely thick enough to keep out the chill of the night air swimming around her. She realized quickly that she wouldn’t be able to sleep that night or possibly any other that she spent in this uncomfortable room. But what else was a girl to do? Faolan had exiled her from the only place she had just barely begun to feel at home here in the mountains. And she doubted very much that Kylin would welcome her to sleep next to her brother. She heaved a great sigh and pulled a heavy fur over her shoulders, hoping to block out the hurt she hadn’t realized she had been feeling.
Without any warning, slow tears began to streak down her cheeks, falling lightly amongst the tan fur of some unfortunate creature below her. This hurt, as new and confusing as it was, was the one thing that comforted her on the first of what she feared would be very long nights. She shivered slightly as his face came unbidden to the forefront of her thoughts. How would he be sleeping tonight, now that she was no longer in his bed, she wondered. Perhaps he would be as sad and uncertain as she was. But she somehow doubted it. No, she thought with an audible sigh, Faolan would be just fine without her. Now he could get on with his merry little life and have his privacy again. And she could stay well out of his way, probably only visit her brother and leave her chamber just to take meals. No, meals could be taken in her room after all. So that left only her brother. Faolan would have no reason to come visit her, these rooms were so far out of his way after all. She wondered idly if she would see him before this baby, his baby she reminded herself cruelly, was born or if Kylin would simply hand it to him and then Thadius would send her on her merry way. She wanted to half scream, half cry with the unfairness of it all.
This bitter pain kept her company throughout the night until day found her wearily walking around her room in a half dazed fog.
Isabelle turned slightly at the sound of something scurrying across the floor of what she had dejectedly decided was her bedroom. She frowned at the offending brown tuft of fur. Just a mouse after all then.
It was mid-morning. She had bathed with a small pitcher and a slightly scratchy cloth. No large, heated baths for her down here. And then she had decided to dress in a simple gown of blue. She had gathered her hair in a sloppy bun, nothing too fancy and besides, no one would be around to notice her hair today anyway. Not that anyone really cared.
She had tried to see Caden earlier, but he had been eating breakfast and had seemed far more interested in it than in her disjointed mutterings. She had left quickly, unable to tell her brother of the latest news in a series of things he was much too young to understand but tried hard to anyway. She appreciated his effort at least.
Isabelle turned slowly toward the doorway, barely a length of heavy cloth covering the opening. At least this opening seemed too small for what she imagined the Draconians to be in the natural state. The furniture, too, was smaller than in Faolan’s room, though not nearly as nice as his. Human furnis
hings, a human doorway, all for a human bride, she thought with a scowl. She began picking at her nails and then threw her hands down to her side, her fists rapidly clenching and then unclenching as she fought the range of emotions that seemed to find her already this morning. She had never thought of herself as a spiteful person, but perhaps that was changing now. It wouldn’t surprise her in the least, not with all the changes Kylin said would be happening to her over the next few months. It seemed a bit early for mood swings to be developing, but she quickly decided they were the cause of her bad mood that morning and the night before.
Hoping that a change of scenery would lighten her earlier thoughts, Isabelle stepped gracefully out of her small room, the curtain closing behind her with a loud swoosh of fabric, and proceeded down the hall, her bare feet soundless against the stone floor.
Her walk was aimless, just the motion of moving her feet forward, but having no real direction or will behind her actions. Her only decision since she stepped out of her room minutes before was that she wanted away from there, and nothing more. Perhaps she should have thought more about it, or should have paid more attention to where she was going, because she quickly found herself standing in front of the familiar carvings of a wooden door.
She should not have stayed as long as she did, or stared at it as she was. If Isabelle had been thinking she would have kept walking, preferably in the opposite direction, the minute she realized she had found herself in front of Faolan’s door. But she had decidedly not been thinking and so the only thing Isabelle was certain of as she stood there dumbly staring at what had been her mountain home up until the night before, was that she missed him.
As odd and ridiculous as that sounded, she missed Faolan. He was only her husband in name really, they were little more than an arrangement, and he had made it undoubtedly clear that she meant very little if anything to him at all yesterday. But she couldn’t deny those feelings, as they crashed against her like an angry torrent wave.
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