The Deals We Make - A CDG story in 5 drabbles
Title: The Deals We Make - Ch 1 - The Deal
Team: Tin Man
Length: 498 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Silence
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: don't own 'em
Pairing: CDG - angst with a fluffy ending
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story. They should be read in order, but can stand alone.
The Deals We Make
Ch 1 - The Deal
by lattelady6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You’re going to do what?” DG shook her head trying to make sense out of what her sister had told her.
“I’m stepping aside.” Azkadellia looked over her shoulder to their mother who stood in silent support. “The Witch took too much from me to rule. Most importantly, it is what is best for the Outer Zone.”
“But…but…I can’t be Queen.” Deeg tried to argue. Five months earlier she’d been a waitress at a truck stop and a part-time student. It was bad enough being a princess. To take the throne was out of the question. “I…I was raised on the Other Side. I’m not regal or sedate, and I leaned diplomacy from an ex-tin man who shoots first and asks questions later.”
“You’ll be magnificent, my Angel.” Lavender stepped forward. “The people love you and would do almost anything for you.”
“Wait, wait…I...” Her thoughts were scattered and kept slipping away the harder she tried to gather them back.
“Az, this is really your choice?” Deeg turned to her sister, aware of the dark circles under her lovely brown eyes. “You aren’t being coerced in any way.”
“I…I’m sorry little sister, I know this is a responsibility you don’t want, but I can’t do it.” Azkadellia’s eyes were downcast as she played with a ring on her finger. “Ambrose has asked me to marry him and I’ve said yes. I’ve loved him all my life, despite appearances to the contrary.” She wiped tears from her cheeks and sniffed delicately. “All I want is to live quietly with him; raise children; and maybe make the occasional difficult decision about what to have Cook serve for dinner.”
“I’ll…do it, but…on one condition,” Deeg’s voice broke when she saw the extent of the harm done to her sister by the Witch. “I…I…do not plan to marry, so you must produce an heir.”
“A Queen must have a Consort,” her mother finally broke the silence that followed Deeg’s declaration.
“No. I will not budge on this, Mother.” She held her chin high as if she were already Queen. It helped hide her broken heart. “There will be no suitors, or matchmaking attempts. If there are, the Zone will find itself with one less Royal.”
“The Consort isn’t simply the father of your children. He is in charge of the military.” The Queen reminded her.
“The way Ahamo is?” Deeg’s left eyebrow rose in question. “I’ll appoint someone, as you did.”
“Deeg, aren’t you forgetting about Mr. Cain?” Az looked at her questioningly. She knew her sister’s heart belonged to the Tin Man.
“He would be an excellent choice for the appointment, but he is leaving.” She hoped her voice didn’t shake like her insides.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Brown eyes met blue that were filling with tears. “Why is he going?”
“He’s been dying a slow death doing nothing but guarding me.” She blinked quickly. “I won’t be another tin suit that keeps him trapped.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: The Deals We Make - Ch 2 - Another Deal
Team: Tin Men
Length: 498 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Music
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story.
Ch 2 - Another Deal
The argument between father and son was bitter and harsh. Their angry words were at odds with the beautiful music that was playing in the distance. It was the ball celebrating the marriage of Princess Azkadellia and Lord Ambrose.
“I won’t do it!” Jeb clenched his fists.
“You’re the only one I trust to keep her safe.” There was pain deep in Cain’s chest that made it hard to breath, let alone talk. This wasn’t easy for him, but he couldn’t leave until he knew that the new Queen was well guarded.
“What about you? You’re the one she wants.” And therein lay the problem as far as the young man was concerned. Queen DG was in love with his dad. “And she’s the one you want,” he whispered. Jeb didn’t like it one bit, but it couldn’t be changed - what was, was. He’d learned that lesson from inside a tin suit as he watched his mother’s body laying cold in the moonlight.
“I can’t Jeb. Don’t you understand that? I can’t,” the words ripped out of his soul. He never talked about his feelings, but if that was what it took to convince his son to help him, then he’d do it. “By some miracle I survived all that happened and am still reasonably sane. If I let her in,” his words ran out and he shook his head denying the obvious: she was already in. “I can’t. I’d just end up hurting her.”
“I never thought I’d see the day Wyatt Cain was a coward!” Jeb challenged. His hands were locked on his hips and his feet spread in anticipation of having to duck a punch.
“You think this is easy?” his old man roared. If it had been anyone but his son who called him a coward, he would have responded with fists or bullets instead of words. “Leaving her is the hardest thing I’ve every had to do.”
“Then why are you going? She needs you more than ever and not simply as a guard.”
“It was her idea,” Cain whispered. “She said I needed to be free to put the pieces of my life back together.”
Jeb shook his head. He wasn’t sure he wanted a Queen who was such a fool, then he realized that she wasn’t being foolish. She really believed it was in his father’s best interest to get on with his life. She was being the best Queen he could imagine, taking care of one of her subjects, even if it broke her heart. It was too bad that when it came to Wyatt Cain she couldn’t see the forest for the trees.
“All right,” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, an unconscious habit he’d picked up from his old man. “I’ll take over your job, but only if you promise to stay in contact with both of us. If a month goes by and the Queen doesn’t receive a letter from you, I’m gone.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: The Deals We Make - Ch 3 - Deal Unfulfilled
Team: Tin Men
Length: 494 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Shadow
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story.
Ch 3 - Deal Unfulfilled
DG had been queen for fourteen months, when Azkadellia miscarried for the third time. The healers shook their heads in sorrow, but there was nothing they could do. It appeared as if conception was no problem, but Az couldn’t carry a child past the second month.
“It’s the Witch’s doing, I’m sure of it.” She cried as Ambrose held her. “She must have done something to my body so that she didn’t have to worry about there ever being another Gale, who might someday oppose her.”
“I can carry the child for you.” Deeg smiled. She knew how much the couple wanted a baby. With each miscarriage, Az grew more depressed and DG more worried.
“It can’t be done.” The princess sniffed and held onto her husband.
“Are you telling me that our healers can remove a brain and then put it back, but don’t know anything about artificial insemination?”
“Ya lost me, Dollface.” Ambrose glitched, it was a sign of how upset he was. That was the only time his personality migrated anymore.
“It’s done all the time on the Other Side. I don’t know the details, but they take the sperm from the man and the ovum from the woman, and once conception takes place, they can implant it.”
“Whoa, Your Highness, as much as we appreciate the offer, don’t even mention it to anyone.” Ambrose was back and fully himself. “If you gave birth out of wedlock, the child would be declared illegitimate and unable to inherited the throne.”
“But there has to be something we can do.” The young Queen felt her world tilt.
“I’m sorry, little sister.” Az’s eyes swam with tears. “It was the one thing you asked of me and I’m failing you. We’ll keep trying. I promise you.”
“No,” Deeg whispered in defeat. “You have to do what’s best for you. All of this is my fault from annuals ago,” her words rushed together. She turned quickly and ran from the room.
Tears were falling down her face when she opened the door and ran smack into Jeb Cain. He’d been guarding the room she’d been in, as faithfully as he always did. He followed her to her chambers unsure what to say. In all the time he’d known her, he’d never seen her cry.
“You’re to tell no one.” She had her arms wrapped around her body to keep it from shaking. “Is that clear, Jeb? No one at all.” Their eyes met and he knew she was speaking about his dad.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
DG fell on her bed and wept. A shadow of fear and pain had swept into her heart. Did she abandon the OZ or be forced to marry and sleep with a man she didn’t love?
Azkadellia crept down the hall, until she stood in front of Jeb. “Give this letter to your father. It’s vitally important.” As she handed him the note their eyes met in understanding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: The Deals We Make - Ch 4 - A New Deal
Team: Tin Men
Length: 492 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Innocence
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story.
Ch 4 - A New Deal
Princess Azkadellia met Wyatt Cain on the far side of Finaqua. “Thank you for coming so promptly.” She allowed him to assist her from the saddle, as she motioned to a patch of grass where they could sit and talk.
“Is Deeg, I mean, Her Highness all right?” He hadn’t meant to ask so quickly, but since Jeb gave him the note, he could think of nothing else.
A warm smile lit up Az’s face. It was apparent Cain cared as much about her sister as he once had. “She’s doing as well as any woman can and be ruler of a country in the aftermath of war. There is an issue that will come up soon that could be a problem for her.”
“What can I do to help?” He’d been bored silly and was thrilled at the chance to get back doing something vital.
“First you must promise me that you will be completely honest, even if you think it isn’t something I want to hear.” She shrugged her slim shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “I will do the same. My sister has an innocence about her that causes her to want only good things for others, no matter the harm to her. I lived with the Witch too long to be so noble.”
“What are you saying, Princess Azkadellia?” He crossed his arms and faced her.
“What are your feelings for DG?”
“I…ah…” He blinked and shook his head.
“An honest answer is more important than a kind one.” She stared him down.
“I care about her a great deal,” he whispered.
“Why did you leave? She needed you.” Brown eyes challenged him to tell her the truth.
“She said I had to get my life together before I could go on.”
“Did you?” Az pushed.
“No, how was I supposed to get my life together, if she wasn’t part of it!” There he’d said it, been as honest as he could and the damn ex-Sorceress had the nerve to smile at him.
“Deeg made a deal with mother. She would only become Queen, if she didn’t have to marry, didn’t have to produce an heir to the throne. It seems all those rumors that have been going around since the eclipse are correct, my little sister’s heart was already taken.”
“What are you saying?” He felt hope for the first time in almost an annual. He’d heard the rumors, but never paid attention to them. People liked to talk and they talked continually about the Queen and her Tin Man.
“She loves you, Mr. Cain. The question is do you love her.”
“I…” He closed his eyes and let himself simply feel for the first time in eight annuals. All the reasons why he shouldn’t suddenly didn’t seem so important. She’d sent him away to find himself and it had taken Azkadellia to lead the way. “Yes.”
“Good, but she’s the one you’ve got to convince.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: The Deals We Make - Ch 5 - True Hearts Don't Make Deals
Team: Tin Men
Length: 495 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Vapors
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story.
Ch 5 - True Hearts Don't Make Deals
DG locked her door and leaned heavily against it with a sigh. God she was lonely with Az and Ambrose at Finaqua.
“Hey there, Princess,” a familiar greeting made her catch her breath.
DG covered her mouth with her hand to hide her gasp, but a tiny squeak slipped out. She was dizzy as if she’d taken a huge whiff of vapors. It seemed wiser to slide down the door, than fall in a heap.
Cain was out of his chair in an instant and by her side. One hand reassuringly on her shoulder the other lifting her chin so she couldn’t look away. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’d been led to believe you’d be glad to see me.”
“I am…just a long day…meetings with the Eastern Guild….” she stuttered. “Who led you to believe I’d be glad to see you? Who have you been talking to?” She felt sick; sure that she knew the answer. “You’ve been talking to Az or was it Jeb?” Her eyes flashed as she pulled away from him and stood to regain her dignity. “I won’t have it! You’ve already given up enough. Whatever she told you was a lie.”
“You didn’t make a deal that Az would produce the heir, if you took the throne?” He knew her well enough to tell when she was trying to avoid an uncomfortable truth.
“So sue me, I don’t want to get married,” she huffed. “It was the rest of it that isn’t true. The next time she gets pregnant she’ll be fine. I can feel it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he growled.
“The miscarriages….”
“What miscarriages, Princess?” he demanded.
“It’s Queen now, incase you don’t remember.” She backed away from him realizing she’d told him more than he knew.
“I love you, Deeg,” he whispered and cupped her cheek.
“You can’t, you love Adora.” She blinked quickly as her eyes filled with tears.
“Sure I loved her. A part of me always will, but, for me, she’s been dead over nine annuals. You’re the one I’m in love with. Have been from almost the beginning.”
“Please, Cain, this isn’t fair.” Tears filled her eyes at his touch. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but I won’t have you give up your life because of some promise you made to the Mystic Man.”
“What are you talking about?” His eyes filled with worry as he gently ran a thumb over her cheeks to dry them.
“I need to marry and have a child.”
“That’s a cause for joy not tears.” He smiled.
“But I love you and you…”
“Hush.” He didn’t let her finish, he scooped her up and kissed her like he should have that day she suggested he leave. It would have saved them months of heartache.
“You really do love me,” her words were breathless and filled with joy.
They were married two months later and a year after that Emily Cain-Gale was born.
And They Lived Happily Every After
Team: Tin Man
Length: 498 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Silence
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: don't own 'em
Pairing: CDG - angst with a fluffy ending
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story. They should be read in order, but can stand alone.
The Deals We Make
Ch 1 - The Deal
by lattelady6
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You’re going to do what?” DG shook her head trying to make sense out of what her sister had told her.
“I’m stepping aside.” Azkadellia looked over her shoulder to their mother who stood in silent support. “The Witch took too much from me to rule. Most importantly, it is what is best for the Outer Zone.”
“But…but…I can’t be Queen.” Deeg tried to argue. Five months earlier she’d been a waitress at a truck stop and a part-time student. It was bad enough being a princess. To take the throne was out of the question. “I…I was raised on the Other Side. I’m not regal or sedate, and I leaned diplomacy from an ex-tin man who shoots first and asks questions later.”
“You’ll be magnificent, my Angel.” Lavender stepped forward. “The people love you and would do almost anything for you.”
“Wait, wait…I...” Her thoughts were scattered and kept slipping away the harder she tried to gather them back.
“Az, this is really your choice?” Deeg turned to her sister, aware of the dark circles under her lovely brown eyes. “You aren’t being coerced in any way.”
“I…I’m sorry little sister, I know this is a responsibility you don’t want, but I can’t do it.” Azkadellia’s eyes were downcast as she played with a ring on her finger. “Ambrose has asked me to marry him and I’ve said yes. I’ve loved him all my life, despite appearances to the contrary.” She wiped tears from her cheeks and sniffed delicately. “All I want is to live quietly with him; raise children; and maybe make the occasional difficult decision about what to have Cook serve for dinner.”
“I’ll…do it, but…on one condition,” Deeg’s voice broke when she saw the extent of the harm done to her sister by the Witch. “I…I…do not plan to marry, so you must produce an heir.”
“A Queen must have a Consort,” her mother finally broke the silence that followed Deeg’s declaration.
“No. I will not budge on this, Mother.” She held her chin high as if she were already Queen. It helped hide her broken heart. “There will be no suitors, or matchmaking attempts. If there are, the Zone will find itself with one less Royal.”
“The Consort isn’t simply the father of your children. He is in charge of the military.” The Queen reminded her.
“The way Ahamo is?” Deeg’s left eyebrow rose in question. “I’ll appoint someone, as you did.”
“Deeg, aren’t you forgetting about Mr. Cain?” Az looked at her questioningly. She knew her sister’s heart belonged to the Tin Man.
“He would be an excellent choice for the appointment, but he is leaving.” She hoped her voice didn’t shake like her insides.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Brown eyes met blue that were filling with tears. “Why is he going?”
“He’s been dying a slow death doing nothing but guarding me.” She blinked quickly. “I won’t be another tin suit that keeps him trapped.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: The Deals We Make - Ch 2 - Another Deal
Team: Tin Men
Length: 498 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Music
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story.
Ch 2 - Another Deal
The argument between father and son was bitter and harsh. Their angry words were at odds with the beautiful music that was playing in the distance. It was the ball celebrating the marriage of Princess Azkadellia and Lord Ambrose.
“I won’t do it!” Jeb clenched his fists.
“You’re the only one I trust to keep her safe.” There was pain deep in Cain’s chest that made it hard to breath, let alone talk. This wasn’t easy for him, but he couldn’t leave until he knew that the new Queen was well guarded.
“What about you? You’re the one she wants.” And therein lay the problem as far as the young man was concerned. Queen DG was in love with his dad. “And she’s the one you want,” he whispered. Jeb didn’t like it one bit, but it couldn’t be changed - what was, was. He’d learned that lesson from inside a tin suit as he watched his mother’s body laying cold in the moonlight.
“I can’t Jeb. Don’t you understand that? I can’t,” the words ripped out of his soul. He never talked about his feelings, but if that was what it took to convince his son to help him, then he’d do it. “By some miracle I survived all that happened and am still reasonably sane. If I let her in,” his words ran out and he shook his head denying the obvious: she was already in. “I can’t. I’d just end up hurting her.”
“I never thought I’d see the day Wyatt Cain was a coward!” Jeb challenged. His hands were locked on his hips and his feet spread in anticipation of having to duck a punch.
“You think this is easy?” his old man roared. If it had been anyone but his son who called him a coward, he would have responded with fists or bullets instead of words. “Leaving her is the hardest thing I’ve every had to do.”
“Then why are you going? She needs you more than ever and not simply as a guard.”
“It was her idea,” Cain whispered. “She said I needed to be free to put the pieces of my life back together.”
Jeb shook his head. He wasn’t sure he wanted a Queen who was such a fool, then he realized that she wasn’t being foolish. She really believed it was in his father’s best interest to get on with his life. She was being the best Queen he could imagine, taking care of one of her subjects, even if it broke her heart. It was too bad that when it came to Wyatt Cain she couldn’t see the forest for the trees.
“All right,” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, an unconscious habit he’d picked up from his old man. “I’ll take over your job, but only if you promise to stay in contact with both of us. If a month goes by and the Queen doesn’t receive a letter from you, I’m gone.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: The Deals We Make - Ch 3 - Deal Unfulfilled
Team: Tin Men
Length: 494 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Shadow
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story.
Ch 3 - Deal Unfulfilled
DG had been queen for fourteen months, when Azkadellia miscarried for the third time. The healers shook their heads in sorrow, but there was nothing they could do. It appeared as if conception was no problem, but Az couldn’t carry a child past the second month.
“It’s the Witch’s doing, I’m sure of it.” She cried as Ambrose held her. “She must have done something to my body so that she didn’t have to worry about there ever being another Gale, who might someday oppose her.”
“I can carry the child for you.” Deeg smiled. She knew how much the couple wanted a baby. With each miscarriage, Az grew more depressed and DG more worried.
“It can’t be done.” The princess sniffed and held onto her husband.
“Are you telling me that our healers can remove a brain and then put it back, but don’t know anything about artificial insemination?”
“Ya lost me, Dollface.” Ambrose glitched, it was a sign of how upset he was. That was the only time his personality migrated anymore.
“It’s done all the time on the Other Side. I don’t know the details, but they take the sperm from the man and the ovum from the woman, and once conception takes place, they can implant it.”
“Whoa, Your Highness, as much as we appreciate the offer, don’t even mention it to anyone.” Ambrose was back and fully himself. “If you gave birth out of wedlock, the child would be declared illegitimate and unable to inherited the throne.”
“But there has to be something we can do.” The young Queen felt her world tilt.
“I’m sorry, little sister.” Az’s eyes swam with tears. “It was the one thing you asked of me and I’m failing you. We’ll keep trying. I promise you.”
“No,” Deeg whispered in defeat. “You have to do what’s best for you. All of this is my fault from annuals ago,” her words rushed together. She turned quickly and ran from the room.
Tears were falling down her face when she opened the door and ran smack into Jeb Cain. He’d been guarding the room she’d been in, as faithfully as he always did. He followed her to her chambers unsure what to say. In all the time he’d known her, he’d never seen her cry.
“You’re to tell no one.” She had her arms wrapped around her body to keep it from shaking. “Is that clear, Jeb? No one at all.” Their eyes met and he knew she was speaking about his dad.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
DG fell on her bed and wept. A shadow of fear and pain had swept into her heart. Did she abandon the OZ or be forced to marry and sleep with a man she didn’t love?
Azkadellia crept down the hall, until she stood in front of Jeb. “Give this letter to your father. It’s vitally important.” As she handed him the note their eyes met in understanding.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: The Deals We Make - Ch 4 - A New Deal
Team: Tin Men
Length: 492 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Innocence
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story.
Ch 4 - A New Deal
Princess Azkadellia met Wyatt Cain on the far side of Finaqua. “Thank you for coming so promptly.” She allowed him to assist her from the saddle, as she motioned to a patch of grass where they could sit and talk.
“Is Deeg, I mean, Her Highness all right?” He hadn’t meant to ask so quickly, but since Jeb gave him the note, he could think of nothing else.
A warm smile lit up Az’s face. It was apparent Cain cared as much about her sister as he once had. “She’s doing as well as any woman can and be ruler of a country in the aftermath of war. There is an issue that will come up soon that could be a problem for her.”
“What can I do to help?” He’d been bored silly and was thrilled at the chance to get back doing something vital.
“First you must promise me that you will be completely honest, even if you think it isn’t something I want to hear.” She shrugged her slim shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “I will do the same. My sister has an innocence about her that causes her to want only good things for others, no matter the harm to her. I lived with the Witch too long to be so noble.”
“What are you saying, Princess Azkadellia?” He crossed his arms and faced her.
“What are your feelings for DG?”
“I…ah…” He blinked and shook his head.
“An honest answer is more important than a kind one.” She stared him down.
“I care about her a great deal,” he whispered.
“Why did you leave? She needed you.” Brown eyes challenged him to tell her the truth.
“She said I had to get my life together before I could go on.”
“Did you?” Az pushed.
“No, how was I supposed to get my life together, if she wasn’t part of it!” There he’d said it, been as honest as he could and the damn ex-Sorceress had the nerve to smile at him.
“Deeg made a deal with mother. She would only become Queen, if she didn’t have to marry, didn’t have to produce an heir to the throne. It seems all those rumors that have been going around since the eclipse are correct, my little sister’s heart was already taken.”
“What are you saying?” He felt hope for the first time in almost an annual. He’d heard the rumors, but never paid attention to them. People liked to talk and they talked continually about the Queen and her Tin Man.
“She loves you, Mr. Cain. The question is do you love her.”
“I…” He closed his eyes and let himself simply feel for the first time in eight annuals. All the reasons why he shouldn’t suddenly didn’t seem so important. She’d sent him away to find himself and it had taken Azkadellia to lead the way. “Yes.”
“Good, but she’s the one you’ve got to convince.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: The Deals We Make - Ch 5 - True Hearts Don't Make Deals
Team: Tin Men
Length: 495 Words
Table Number: #1
Prompt: Vapors
Note: I used each of the 5 prompts as chapters in a longer CDG story.
Ch 5 - True Hearts Don't Make Deals
DG locked her door and leaned heavily against it with a sigh. God she was lonely with Az and Ambrose at Finaqua.
“Hey there, Princess,” a familiar greeting made her catch her breath.
DG covered her mouth with her hand to hide her gasp, but a tiny squeak slipped out. She was dizzy as if she’d taken a huge whiff of vapors. It seemed wiser to slide down the door, than fall in a heap.
Cain was out of his chair in an instant and by her side. One hand reassuringly on her shoulder the other lifting her chin so she couldn’t look away. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’d been led to believe you’d be glad to see me.”
“I am…just a long day…meetings with the Eastern Guild….” she stuttered. “Who led you to believe I’d be glad to see you? Who have you been talking to?” She felt sick; sure that she knew the answer. “You’ve been talking to Az or was it Jeb?” Her eyes flashed as she pulled away from him and stood to regain her dignity. “I won’t have it! You’ve already given up enough. Whatever she told you was a lie.”
“You didn’t make a deal that Az would produce the heir, if you took the throne?” He knew her well enough to tell when she was trying to avoid an uncomfortable truth.
“So sue me, I don’t want to get married,” she huffed. “It was the rest of it that isn’t true. The next time she gets pregnant she’ll be fine. I can feel it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he growled.
“The miscarriages….”
“What miscarriages, Princess?” he demanded.
“It’s Queen now, incase you don’t remember.” She backed away from him realizing she’d told him more than he knew.
“I love you, Deeg,” he whispered and cupped her cheek.
“You can’t, you love Adora.” She blinked quickly as her eyes filled with tears.
“Sure I loved her. A part of me always will, but, for me, she’s been dead over nine annuals. You’re the one I’m in love with. Have been from almost the beginning.”
“Please, Cain, this isn’t fair.” Tears filled her eyes at his touch. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but I won’t have you give up your life because of some promise you made to the Mystic Man.”
“What are you talking about?” His eyes filled with worry as he gently ran a thumb over her cheeks to dry them.
“I need to marry and have a child.”
“That’s a cause for joy not tears.” He smiled.
“But I love you and you…”
“Hush.” He didn’t let her finish, he scooped her up and kissed her like he should have that day she suggested he leave. It would have saved them months of heartache.
“You really do love me,” her words were breathless and filled with joy.
They were married two months later and a year after that Emily Cain-Gale was born.
And They Lived Happily Every After