Chapter 34 An Heir Is Conceived

It wasn't long before Eleanor arrived with my dinner. I took it from her eyeing it hungrily. I haven't felt this hungry since I was on Earth. I scarfed down my two omelettes feeling thoroughly content and full. My dishes were cleared away and Asa took one last look at my tooth, satisfied he said that I was clear to go home with the promise that I wouldn't eat any hard foods for a few days. Helios carried me back to the castle. We ran into Ihloi as soon as we got back. Instead of heading back to Helios's chambers he took me to one of the drawing rooms Ihloi following close behind us.

A huge and inviting fire was crackling in the fireplace in the corner of the room. There were huge arm chairs and a couch sitting around a table filled with what looked like tea and snacks. Helios picked out a couple of cookies he thought I would like and sat down in one of the big arm chairs pulling me into his lap and handing me the cookies. I bit into one and to my surprise it tasted like the juice Asa gave me. Helios saw my reaction, "Eleanor made them. She wanted to experiment with ingredients from Earth and mixing them with ingredients here to see if you would like them. She wanted to find things here in Kosea that you would like based on your tastes."

I took another bite letting the taste wash over my tongue. The cookie had a berry taste mixed with sugar. It was excellent. "These are really good. I'll have to let her know when I see her again." I quickly finished off the second cookie in my hand. Ihloi sat down across from us on the huge couch. He was curious to find out about what happened to me. I gave him a recount of what Astrid did and how I handled the situation. His face showed shock, anger, and then understanding as I told him my story. He sat down his cup of tea on the table and siting back before he spoke, "you are quite lucky that's all she did. I'm glad the males stepped in when they did. She has been known to be quite vicious toward other females."

"It might not seem like it but a lot of the females are actually afraid of her. She has a high social standing only second to you. She never lets anyone forget it. The other females cower and follow her because they don't want to get on her bad side. You should have seen how she acted when Helios turned her down. You could have said the world completely ended for her. She thought that because of her high standing she would be the one to mate with the King, but little did she know that our King was quite fickle and turned her down along with all the other females. She was furious for at least five million years. She finally chose to mate with Lord Braeker who is one step below Helios."

"Lord Braeker is second in command. If anything were to happen to Helios he would be next in line if you were not able to produce an heir in time." I shuttered at Ihloi's words. I would hate to even think about that, I didn't want anything to happen to Helios. I buried myself deeper into his lap clutching his robes in my hand. "You don't have anything to worry about my little one," Helios chuckled at my reaction tousling my hair. "You must be careful around Astrid. She will do anything to get what she wants. She still hasn't completely given up on Helios. Every once in a while she'll stop by trying to speak to you. I won't let her in of course now that you are here."

"She can't have you," I growled staring up at Helios, "you are all mine. I'll fight her if she tries." I clutched his robes tighter my fist turning red. "You have nothing to worry about my love, I only have eyes for you. My heart is yours she will never get it," he said taking a hold of my hand that was clutching his robes. He uncurled my fist and entwined his fingers in mine so I wouldn't hurt my hand. He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed the back of my hand. Wrapping his arms around me he caressed my back trailing his fingers down my spine. I shivered under his touch even though the fire was warm on my back. It felt so good when he brushed his fingers down my spine.

"I'm so glad she didn't hurt you too badly. It could have been much worse. It's a good thing she invited Silas, if he wasn't there to pull you out of the way she probably would have gotten more than just a slap in. We will write to Lord Braeker letting him know what happened in hopes that he can try to keep her in check. We can't have Astrid harming you again." I nodded my head in agreement. "I don't want to be attacked again either, it really hurt. She was so much stronger than me. If she really wanted to she could have taken my head off," I said trembling. "You don't have to worry I would never let that happen. I love your head right where it is. We will just have you stay clear from her for now," Helios said patting me on the back.

It grew silent except for the crackling of the fire. Ihloi got up and handed me a cup of tea. I sniffed it cautiously before taking a sip. My face scrunched up when I took a sip. It had a strong floral taste mixed with a hint of what I thought could be cilantro? I retched choking on my second sip. "Females aren't too fond of this tea and with your sensitive pallet it mind be a little too strong for you. Its got a calming affect, depending on the female it could help make you sleep better at night. It's harvested during the winter solstice months it's called sleeping snowdrop." Ihloi added a couple cubes of sugar to my cup. "Try it now it should taste better."

I took another sip and the taste completely changed. The taste of cilantro disappeared leaving just the taste of floral and sugar. It tasted so much better. I took another sip before passing my cup off to Helios. He took a drink out of my cup. I stared in wonder, I hardly ever see him eat or drink anything so I found it fascinating when he did. He finished off my tea then he sat the cup on the tray sitting on the table. "How are the preparations coming for the males Nebula Magic Tournament?" Helios asked Ihloi. I heard about that tournament, Lucas was telling me about it. "They are coming along nicely we have hundreds of recruits signing up everyday."

"Our Queen seems to be really popular with the males. We are even getting males signing up from other cities across the galaxy." Ihloi winked at me with a grin on his face. I looked at him confused. "Lucas mentioned the tournament to me," I told them. "I don't really understand what the purpose of the tournament is for. He told me males fight each other to the death, do people really have to die to prove themselves? It sounds so brutal," I said looking up at Helios. "It's rare for males to actually really die. Most are just injured or lose their ability to do magic for awhile. The tournament is to select those who are most qualified to guard you when Helios can't be there." Ihloi stated.

"If Helios is battling the enemy, we need a team that we can trust to get you to safety before anything befalls you. We haven't had a war in millions of years but one can never be too careful now that we have a queen to protect. Males will be coming from all over wanting fight Helios for the right to be able to mate with you and take his spot as the new King." I gulped when I heard this. Was outer space really this scary? Would they really kill Helios just to mate with me. I bit my lip wrapping my arms around Helios. "Please don't let them take me. I don't want other mates. I only want you." I pleaded looking into Helios's eyes.

He wrapped his arms around me, "don't worry no one has beaten me yet. I'm too strong for anyone to last more than two minutes in a challenge with me. Now that I have you I will show no mercy when someone challenges me. They will be crushed to death," he growled. " I coward at his words. I wondered if he had ever killed anyone before. Shuddering I shook the thought from my head not wanting to think about that. I continued to listen to Helios and Ihloi talking about the preparations, where it will be held, who would be showing up, and who would be the top picks for my guards. They talked long into the night about all the logistics of the tournament. I wasn't sure when I nodded off but next thing I knew Helios was laying me down in bed in his chambers.

He carefully crawled in beside me and pulled me against his cool skin. I moaned throwing my arm around him before falling back asleep dreaming about tournaments, males, and fighting to the death and that I was locked away in a tower just like Rapunzel waiting for someone to come and rescue me. The tea must have knocked her out Helios thought. She couldn't even stay awake for ten minutes after drinking a couple of sips. He will keep this tea in mind for whenever she has a sleepless night. It was so adorable when she fell asleep in his arms while Ihloi and him were chatting by the fire. It felt the castle has truly become a home ever since his queen arrived.

His queen made the castle a lot more lively. Her voice filled the empty halls, her presence always sending a warm breeze through every room. Everyone in the castle adored her. If he wasn't careful he would eventually have to fend off some of the wayward males if they got too comfortable or too close to her. He was not happy that someone would want to do her harm even if it was another female. He gently stroked the bruises on her face that were now turning purple. She was much to dedicate to be getting into fights. She would never stand a chance if Astrid or any of the other females tore into her. He was eternally grateful for Sophie. His queen had a female friend she could rely on.

Later that night, he heard his Queen's stomach begin to rumble. She tossed and turned in her sleep mumbling something about food. She became restless as she sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She looked around blinking a few times before she realized she was in bed. She came over and sat in his arms snuggling against him and resting her chin on his chest she stared up at him with a pleading look in her big beautiful green eyes. "I I'm hungry again," I stuttered feeling a little awkward. I hated asking for things. I've never asked for a late night snack before. My stomach let out another long growl. Why can't I stop thinking about eggs I thought.

Helios's chest rumbled with laughter as he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Now what would my Queen like to snack on," he asked patting my tummy. "I want an egg burrito, with meat and sour cream. Helios raised his eye brow at my choice of a snack. Helios was about ready to send my order before I stopped him, "wait don't send it. Is Eleanor asleep? I don't want to wake her up, its so late. Maybe I should wait until tomorrow. My stomach growled again my face filled with disappointment. "It's ok I assure you she is still awake. You don't have to worry about waking her. She's available whenever you need her day or night."

In a burst of flame he sent my order down to the kitchen. It only took about fifteen minutes before Eleanor was knocking on the door with my food in hand. A little drool dribbled when I smelled the food. Eleanor came in with a gleam in her eyes humming a little tune. She smiled at me setting my tray down in front of me. "I heard someone wanted a late night snack," she said tapping me on my nose. I looked down feeling a little guilty that I probably had disturbed her sleep. "I'm sorry if I woke you. Even though I had two helpings for dinner I somehow still felt hungry. I couldn't sleep my stomach kept growling at me.

Eleanor's smile grew wider. "If I may I don't want to step past my bounds, call it a mother's intuition but I have a sneaking suspicion that you might be..." she trailed off not finishing her sentence. "Oh never mind, it might be a little too early. Helios and I stared at her confused as to what she was trying to say. "eat your food before it gets cold," she said pointing at my food. I picked up my burrito and took a huge bite. Satisfied she started humming again walking out of the room with a huge grin on her face almost like she knew something but wasn't going to tell us.

Hmm hmm hmm, Eleanor hummed to herself smiling. It's strange the queen has been only asking for eggs to eat with her meals. This is the first time she's had a midnight craving as well she observed. I'll have to keep track of her diet. When a female's meal habits change and owhen she eats at different times, or her portion sizes increase, it could only mean one thing. She grinned from ear to ear knowing all to well what was about to happen.

I devoured my egg burrito feeling satisfied. I patted my tummy showing Helios I was full again. I laid back down and within minutes I was sleeping again. When morning came I bolted upright in bed, crying out, "I need a bucket quick!" Helios quickly found a basin and brought it over to me just in time. My guts poured out as I vomited into the basin, Helios held my hair back so I wouldn't puke on it. I felt so nauseous, my stomach was upset. When I was finished vomiting, I looked up weakly my hair in my face, with a light sheen of sweat covering my body. Helios came over with a wet towel and began to wipe me off. He took the basin from me and with a snap of his fingers it disappeared.

I was totally embarrassed, that he had to witness me vomiting. I tried to look away but Helios held my chin in place, "are you feeling ok? Should I take you to see Asa?" I shook my head, "I'm ok I feel better now. Maybe it was the food I ate last night. Maybe I ate too much?" Helios couldn't argue with that so he shook it off just like I did. "I need a human moment," I said tossing the blanket off me. I sat up tossing my feet over the side of the bed, when I stepped down I flinched, buckling a little from the pain. Helios caught me just in time. His eyes narrowed questioningly, "my ankles hurt," I muttered. Looking down I saw they were a little swollen.

Helios called for Silas. In a moment he was standing in the doorway, "my queen needs a human moment. Take her and bring her straight back. She's not feeling good today." Silas nodded picking me up he carried me to the bathhouse. I quickly brushed my teeth and had Silas help me wash the sweat off my body. When I was done he carried me back to the castle, where for the rest of the morning, I stayed in bed taking it easy. By lunch time I was feeling hungry again. I ordered two omelettes like I did before. I hope I don't get fat from eating so much, I thought.

And so it went, days turned into weeks, the Queen was eating eggs with every meal, she would get sick in the morning and be ravenous by midday. Her appetite kept increasing day by day. Her ankles were swollen and it hurt her to walk so either Silas or Helios carried her around. By week four their Queen had put on ten pounds her stomach had a slight bulge to it. Helios was getting worried that something was wrong with his Queen. She kept getting sick and walking caused her pain. Yet she felt fine during the day and was eating more. Her tiny skinny frame had filled out. It was late one night his queen had been in Kosea for a little over four months now. It was now on week four since his Queen had gotten sick, she was laying in bed asleep while Helios was laying down beside her.

He was playing with his Queen's hair twisting it around his finger waiting for her to wake up. He had the basin ready just in case she got sick again. He brushed the curls out of her face acing a cool towel on her forehead. She was so adorable when she was asleep. All her worry lines vanished when she was in her dreamland he created for her. All of a sudden he heard a faint thump thump thump sound. It was barely audible over his queens light breathing but it was there. Curious he strained his ears listening for the sound again. Thump thump thump there it was again. Helios strained his ears trying to find the source of the sound.

Thump thump thump, he stared at his queen with curiosity. Leaning down he put his ear to his Queen's stomach listening closely his hopes running wild. He heard the thump thump thump sound again coming from her stomach, almost immediately after he heard the heart beat coming from within her stomach the star on his queens forehead began to glow. In Kosea a female's mate marks would glow whenever they were carrying a child. This would let males know to stay clear and for their mates to protect the female with their life. The star on her forehead indicated to him that his queen had finally conceived an heir!!! Pulling her into his arms he waited impatiently for her to wake up so he could tell her the good news!