Lycan's Affection

Eleanor's feet conveyed her to the small room where Eric and Matthew were lying, and she stayed there, in front of the door, her chest heaving. She closed her eyes tight, Conaan flashing before her.

His scent, his touch, and those final moments when he had fought with everything he had. She hated to think of those moments as final. They could not be.

She gave a small sigh, then opened her eyes and slowly let her hand rest on the door knob. Slowly, her hand opened the door, and she walked in, her eyes fixed on nothing at all.

"Your Highness."

She slowly turned to the bed. Eric was sitting up, his hand wrapped up, his wrist missing. He had a tear in his eyes, his eyes wide.

"What is your name?" She asked, disappointment filling her eyes. Matthew was still lying, his lips half parted. He had regained colour over the months, but why was he not waking up? Why could he not just...

"Eric. I am.. Matthew's best friend. His...how is His Highness? What happened and..."

At this point, Eleanor could no longer control it, as she fell to her knees, her hair dropping in front of her, her palms cupping her face.

For a moment there, she had dared to believe that Matthew would wake up and bring her Conaan back. She had desperately hoped for it to happen.

Not like she hated this stranger, who had stopped Alexander from winning and had lost his wrist in the process.

It just felt almost...like she kept losing with regards to Conaan. She had missed out on so much time with him, and she hated to think she was still waiting and wasting time.

"Your Highness," Eric said, as he struggled to move to her.

She shook her head, then sniffed and looked up, a small smile reaching her lips. It did nothing to wipe away the tears in her eyes.

"I am glad you are awake. His highness...Conaan will be fine."

Eric nodded and watched, a little confused as she stood up, then slowly started to walk away. She leaned on the door as she closed it behind her. Her eyes closed as she felt both dizziness and sadness overtake her, her head spinning.

She felt nausea, her chest lightly heaving as she struggled to move. One step sent her falling to the ground, everything above her turning pitch black.

OUTSKIRTS OF THE LYCAN CITY, ALSO KNOWN AS ROGUE VILLAGE

Jenna sighed as she opened her eyes, then slowly turned to Jamie. He was sitting in front of the fire, roasting the wild meat he had caught for dinner.

"Do you regret this?"

He turned to her, then gave a small sigh. "What? Did you see another prophecy?"

She gave a small shrug. "I just did what I had to."

"No, Jenna." He turned to her, his eyes thin and incredibly intense. "You chose the selfish way out. You ran away from what you really had to. Because of one kiss, you killed the king's best friend. Now the king is there, lying unconscious, almost dead. Every day, you join the prayer sessions held for him instead of leaving to the capital to heal him. Every day you ask me if I regret it because you know you do. And I am the very worst for not dragging you back. Father, mother, the king... everyone, Jenna. We disappointed everyone."

Jenna swallowed hard. "I did not want to be saddled with that responsibility. I did not ask for..."

"He did not ask to be king too!" Jamie said, his eyes wide as he abandoned the fire. "I am tired of pretending like you are not in the wrong, Jenna. No one asked for the lives that they have, but they accept it, adopt it. You chose to run away when the key to the life of the man who had been saddled with the responsibility of every single one of us lies in your hands. That is... just wrong."

She sighed, then moved. "Let us stop talking about it."

Jamie cussed under his breath. "I...I wonder what happened to the King's shadow. He..."

A knock came on the door, and they both froze in place. Jenna turned to Jamie, whose eyes were fixed on the door.

"Do not open it. We do not know..."

Before she could finish, Jamie went to the door, then opened it, anticipating the very worst. He did hope it was someone who had the bravery he lacked to force his sister back to the capital.

A sword met him, and Shadow gave a small smile. "Glad to know you worried about me."

Back at the lycan palace, a healer sat beside Eleanor, a small smile on her face. She was mixing a few potions, her head slowly bobbing to a music only she could hear.

Eleanor gave a small groan as her eyes fluttered open, her eyes wide. She slowly turned, her hand coming to cup her forehead, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What happened?"

The healer looked up, then smiled. "You do not worry, Your Highness. You fainted earlier, but you are fine." She gave a childish giggle, then shook her head again.

"What...what is it?"

The healer smiled. "Did you not notice anything different about your body, Your Highness?"

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "What?"

The healer looked at her for a while, probing her to try and remember with her eyes. Eleanor let her thoughts slowly wander. She could not think of anything.

"What is it?" She asked again, her eyes wide.

"Did you not... miss a month?"

Her brows furrowed even darker. "No..I..."

"When last were...you with His Highness?"

Her memories flashed back to that passionate day, and after that...she swallowed.

"Am I..."

"Yes, my lady. You are carrying His Highness's child."