It was dusk and the group had started to make campfire. We have opted to stay for another night to rest and retrieve our strength. I was sitting at the side resting.

Regaleon was out hunting for our dinner early in the afternoon. He and the men that accompanied him would be back any minute now.

Tricia was arranging the cooking utensils for dinner tonight and William was left to accompany me. The siren child was also here with me keeping me company as well, while I write a letter to my family back the Alvannian palace.

The siren child that came to us stayed within the camp. Her siren sisters were still afraid and stayed under the lake. She said her name was Anatalia and I was happy seeing her very curious with our things.

"So, this is what you call a 'pen'." Anatalia looked at the pen that I was using. "You use this to 'write' words on this 'paper'." She looked at it curiously.

"Yes." I said with a smile. "I am writing to my family back at home in Alvannia."

"You can send words with this?" Anatalia said with twinkling eyes. "Amazing." I giggled looking at her bewilderment.

"You look pale, are you feeling well?" William that was standing beside me asked.

"I am just feeling a little dizzy, maybe an after effect of the poison?" I said not letting him worry even more.

"That cannot be. The antidote should have done the job to complete detoxify the poison in your system." Anatalia said. "Here, let me take a look."

Anatalia took my hand and felt my pulse.

"You know how to take pulses?" I asked in amazement.

"I may look like a child, but I am already twenty-five years of age." Anatalia said. "We age rather slowly than humans do. And also, I have studied medicine and is a certified siren doctor."

Anatalia was seriously listening to my pulse. I was rather fond with Anatalia by my side, I made a connection with her rather quickly to my surprise.

"Tell me, when was the last time you bled?" Anatalia asked.

"You also know the time of the month of human women?" I asked in bewilderment. "Well I am not sure really, I lost track of time."

"We sirens also have such times like human females does. We have the same reproductive organs as well, that is how we mate human males and reproduce." Anatalia explained. "Well, judging from your pulse, you might be expecting."

"E-Expecting?" I was shocked by what Anatalia said. "You mean expecting meaning… pregnant?" I asked rather surprised.

"That is what I think it is." Anatalia said pinching her chin in thought.

"But I do not feel anything out of the ordinary other than the dizziness." I said. "Should not I at least feel fatigue, dizzy, and the constant vomiting. As I know, that should be the case in the early stages of pregnancy."

"Judging by your pulse, it is still in the most early stages. Maybe two to three weeks at most." Anatalia said. "The morning sickness, that is what you call the symptoms of pregnancy, usually kicks in in the sixth week or so. Sometimes, a woman would not have such symptoms at all. It varies from person to person. But I am sure that you are expecting, even though it is rather faint. Take my word for it, I am quite am expert on this. I have diagnosed many sirens and it turned out positive at most."

I blinked at the thought of my pregnancy. Yes, Regaleon and I have been doing it every night without any protection, but the journey we are in was rather rough. Everyday my body was shaken riding a horse, not to mention the rough roads we have passed by. I never even though I would conceive in this journey.

"That is great news." William said. His face showed sincere delight to the news. "We must tell his majesty at once."

William was about to run out to find my husband, but I quickly held his hand in haste.

'No, Regaleon should not know of this for the time being.' I thought to myself. 'If he knows of this, he will use this reason to send me back to the capital of Alvannia. I would have to abandon this journey in finding the key fragments.'

The news of mt pregnancy should be kept a secret for now. Just until we find both of the key fragments, we were in this journey to look for. The key fragment here in Alvannia was just days journey away. The other one in Grandcrest was also near.

'It will only take a few months to retrieve the two and after that I will tell Regaleon about the pregnancy.' I thought to myself. 'Yes, I know I can hold this information until we get both the key fragments.'

"Will, please don't." I looked at him with pleading eyes. "Not yet."

"But Alicia… why?" William trailed off. "His majesty should know of this. He has the right to know."

I looked directly at his eyes pleadingly. "You know how protective Leon is of me." I said. "If he knew, then I will be sent to the capital in post haste."

William looked at me, rather surprised with my words. "But that should be the best for you. You are carrying another life Alicia. You will be safer in the capital than to be here in this journey. You are carrying the heir of the future empire." He looked at me as if not understanding why I have told him this.

"I know Will, this life inside me… is the most precious gift I have ever received in my entire life." I said, holding my lower abdomen as if protecting it. "But… at least give me the chance to finish this mission we were tasked to make. I do not know why, but my gut feeling tells me that I must be there to get the two key fragments. After that, I will gladly return to the capital to take care of me and my baby."

William looked at me with bewilderment and sighed. I knew that at least I have convinced William, that is for a short while.

"I understand Alicia." William held the hand that I used to hold him down gently. "But promise me that you will not be reckless like what you did last night. If you do that again, I will personally tell his majesty of your pregnancy without second thought." He looked at me with a fierce glare.

"I promise." I said with a heartbeat.

It was not just me using this body now, I have someone inside of me that I must protect. I will not jump into danger like last night, now that I know that I have my little bundle of joy inside my tummy. That was when I remembered the kick the siren queen did to me last night. That kick was directly in my abdomen, and I remember wiggling in pain after.

"Anatalia, you said that along for at least three or four weeks now, correct?" I asked in worriment.

"Yes, that is correct." Anatalia replied.

"I-Is my baby doing fine?" I asked, worried that maybe something would be wrong with my baby inside my abdomen. "I mean, I got a heavy beating last night in the fight."

Anatalia knew why I was worried and had a look at me once again. After the checkup, she smiled at me without worry.

"Do not worry Alicia. The pulse of pregnancy might be a little weak, but it is there." Anatalia said with a huge smile, comforting me. "If something bad had happened last night, then you should be bleeding right now. Did you see any spotting lately?" She asked.

"No." I shook my head with her question.

"Then I conclude that the baby has latched on safely." Anatalia pated my shoulder to appease my worries. "Your child with that man is strong. He or she take from both his parents greatly." She giggled.

"I suggest you do not do that to her majesty." William held Anatalia's hand that was patting my shoulder. "That is rather disrespectful to a queen and the future empress." He has a rather serious look while warning her.

"Why is that?" Anatalia asked in confusion. "I was also like this with our queen."

"That is different." William exclaimed. "In our kingdom, treating a queen is…" He trailed off.

"It is okay will." I interjected. "I am quite fond of Anatalia." I smiled. William sighed in defeat.

"What is that smell?" Anatalia was sniffing around. "I can smell something tasty.

"Oh, it must be the mushroom soup Tricia is cooking." I replied. "If you want, you can go and take the first taste. Tell Tricia that I sent you to taste test it."

"Yey…" Anatalia skipped towards Tricia's direction.

"If it is only me, then that is fine if that kid treats you equally." William said. "But if she were in the presence of others, then disrespecting you would have been a serious offense."

William's word held truth. But as Anatalia is a siren, being ignorant of our culture is not a crime.

"It is okay, I have decided to take Anatalia under my wing." I said with a smile. "I plan to give her education that someone of noble status should have. She would be an ambassador for the sirens."

William smiled kindly hearing my plans. "You have fallen fondly to that siren child."

"I also do not know why." I said truthfully. "I just felt very at ease the first time my eyes fell on her."

I did not know why, but I had this feeling that Anatalia will be someone dear to me. This was the first time I felt his way after seeing someone for the first time.

"His highness has come back!" Someone from the camp yelled. I put on a happy smile hearing that my husband has arrived after hunting for food inside the woods.

edited by: nalyn

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