Dawn came soon; the two lovers awoke in each others arms. Arabellia awoke first; stretching her body, she felt Dreyden's hard, smooth chest underneath her fingers. She blushed vividly; her hand staying very still, feeling the beating of his heart. She did not move her hand; instead, she let it linger upon his smooth, muscled chest; her fingertips teasing lightly, though she was not aware of doing so. Dreyden laid very still, his eyes shut as he felt her fingers move so teasingly; did she not know what each brush of her touch did to his body? He shivered slightly as he opened his eyes; startled as his eyes met hers. "Good morning, Love." Dreyden murmured softly, pulling her close.
"Good morning." Arabellia replied softly; looking into his eyes, she murmured lowly, "I could not help but enjoy the view," she said boldly, looking into his eyes.
He actuallyblushed, not much, but enough for Arabellia to chuckle softly under her breath. It appeared that the sheet he covered up with last night was no where to be found on him.
"I have embarassed you m' love!" She crows softly, leaning down to kiss his chin.
He answered simply by wrapping his well muscled arms around her body; she squeaked as he flipped them over, pinning her luscious body under his own. "Dreyden..." she murmured softly; wrapping her arms around his neck, she draws him down to her mouth.
Why she wanted him so much, so often, was still a mystery to her; all she knew was she wanted him, just as much as he did herself. She wrapped the sheet around him, the thin material cascading until it meet the ground around them. All of the sudden, Dreyden froze; his eyes penetrated the woods, his ears perked as he heard footsteps in the forest beyond. Leaves rustle softly; Dreyden pulled Arabellia closer to his body, protecting her with his own well muscled frame. Arabellia froze as she heard the sounds too; struggling to cover herself and him even more, she ducked her face into his shoulder. Their ears twitch as they hear Talivan and Aubrea voices before they stepped into the clearing; Talivan and Aubrea stopped in shock. "So... that's where the two of you went last night..." Talivan said, snickering softly.
Aubrea elbowed him, looking to her sister. Seeing the look on Bella's face, she smiled softly. "Dreyden has done well by her," Aubrea said softly, barely above a whisper.
Arabellia heard her though; blushing violently, she pulled the cover over Dreyden and herself tightly, blushing fiercely. "Aye... we did. What of it?" Arabellia said softly, growling slightly.
She stood up, the thin blanket covering her nudity; her body held stiffly in pride, her small frame not noticeable as she puffed herself up. Dreyden stood up chuckling softly, he looked to the other couple. Arabellia had taken the blanket for herself leaving him to stand exposed to the others, yet, he wasn't embaressed. Afterall, he was gifted in that department. "Do not anger the lioness. She will sharpen her claws on you."
"God, Dreyden, put on some clothes, man," Talivan yelled, shielding his eyes and attempting to force Aubrea to look away, but she wasn't dumb.
Arabellia admired him underneath her eyelashes, impressed by what she saw; his body, though not overly muscular, was very well toned; wide shoulders taper down to his firm backside. She blushed vividly, looking down at her hands as she murmured, "We must get dressed... time to go back to the camp."
Later on, the two couples headed off to the feeding area; Talivan and Aubrea leaning against each other, their strength showing from their gestures. Arabellia and Dreyden, though not as visibly affectionate, were close together; their fingers brushing each other, as they made their way to a table, recently emptied. The two couples laughed, talking about their day; ommiting the scene from this morning, though Arabellia's cheeks became very red from embarassment. After dinner finished, the two couples went to the girl's tent; they sat together, talking about the rumors they had been hearing. "I hear that some of the regiments will be sent off to Astranaar. They are hoping to force the Elves from their roost there." Aubrea said quietly, her eyes distracted.
Arabellia nods slowly. "Indeed. A few regiments, including my own."
Dreyden's eyes widen at Bella's words. "You are not going with them," he stated, his voice quiet but final.
"Dreyden... I have to. I cannot leave my regiment to be short a body, because of your worry."
Dreyden's eyes narrowed; meeting hers, he shook his head, though mad, he kept his anger hidden. "I cannot let you go. I forbid it."
The other couple tried to laugh, to lighten the mood; Arabellia and Dreyden were very stiff as they finished the dinner. As the weeks passed, the girls were noticing different changes about themselves. As they were getting ready for bed, Aubrea walked by the bathing area. As she heard someone getting violently ill. Aubrea had a strong urge to become ill as well. "Bloody hell... what tis wrong with me?" She murmured; she barely made it to the bushes, before throwing up.
She never felt so sick to her stomach in her life; barely pulling herself up, she stumbled home. Arabellia laid on the bed; she was groaning, holding her stomach. "By the Gods... I don't know what I ate, but I wish I hadn't." she said softly.
"What 'tis wrong with you?" Aubrea asks, her eyes showing alarm.
"I feel so sick... m' stomach can't handle too much right now. And my breasts... they have been so sore. Even the lightest fabric brushing them, makes me want t' cry." Arabellia said, rolling to her side; tears softly falling down her cheeks.
Aubrea watched her in alarm; she moved to her twin's side, wrapping her arms around her. "It will be alright... maybe it was from last night in the forest, but to be honest, I feel the same way, I am sure s' just something that is making us sick...maybe the boys are sick too?" Aubrea sounded very unsure even as she said so.
A few days later, Arabellia and Aubrea decided this bout of sickness needed to be taken care of, and soon. So off they went, to see the Regimental Shaman, Ari'Celia Demonslayer. Ari brought first one girl in, then the other; looking each other, she made clicking sounds, writing notes down. Finally, she brought them both in together; looking into each girl's eyes, she grins broadly. "Oi lass, ye dinna understand, no' completely... but yer both goin' t' whelp." Ari'Celia beammed as she stated the news to the girls; they both stared at the Orcess, jaws gaped as they both digest the news.
Aubrea began to smile first; tears on her cheeks as she soaked up the news. "Talivan will be so happy..." she murmured, her head turning to look at her twin.
Watching the facial expression, Aubrea could see Arabellia was having a much different reaction. Her eyes were startled; dazed as she stared off for a few minutes. Aubrea at first sat quietly; then, she began to waggle her fingers in front of Arabellia's face. "Are you alright, Bella?" Aubrea murmured, gripping her fingers.
"I... I am pregnant," she whispered; her eyes showing hints of being happy, but afraid at the same time.
Her hand rested unconsciously on her stomach. Looking at Aubrea; she gripped her hand tightly. "You cannot say a word... not to Dreyden. I never told him I wasn't on any type of protection or anything," Arabellia whispered fiercely.
The Shamaness, hearing the young elf's words, looked to her, startled. "Ye werena expectin' this I take it?" Ari'Celia said sympathetically.
"No.. no I wasn't. And I must figure out, how to broach the topic with Dreyden," She said quietly, her eyes troubled.
Ari'Celia looked to the girl; her voice quiet as she murmured, "The best way, is t' just be honest," Ari'Celia said quietly, her hand rested on the young girl's hand.
Arabellia nodded slowly; gripping the Shamaness's hand thanking her. "I will tell him... soon," she murmured.
She grabbed Aubrea's hand, and pulled her towards their tent; both girl's were very quiet, and contemplative. Aubrea walked into the tent first;a silly smile on her face, she turned to look at her twin. "Bella... when will you tell him?"
"Soon... I want to make sure how he feels, first," Bella said quietly, her eyes distant, closed.
"He must love you, at least a little bit," Aubrea teased, looking into Arabellia's eyes.
She watched the myriad of emotions flash in her emerald green eyes; finally she sighed, looking to Aubrea, as she murmured, "I will tell him soon... I promise."
Arabellia spent the following weeks trying to tell him; every time she went to open her mouth, she froze. Dreyden noticed she was acting different; he went over different scenarios in his mind. Each one was even more ridiculous than the next; he decided to let her tell him, when she was ready. Each night, Dreyden and Arabellia turned to each other; each desperately seeking the comfort they found in each others arms. Neither willing, at least yet, to broach the subject that hung thick around them like a early morning fog.
One day, about two weeks after Arabellia and Aubrea found out, Talivan and Dreyden were sent out on a patrol. Talivan rode along, an ear to ear grin covering his lips. Dreyden eyed Talivan curiously, before finally asking, "What has you grinning like a chesire cat?"
Talivan stopped briefly, before he looked at Dreyden, "The same reason you should be, brother."
Dreyden's eyes showed his confusion as he muttered, "What the hell do you mean?"
"Oh fuck... I am going to get it," Talivan muttered, looking hard between his mounts ears.
Dreyden reins his mount slightly ahead of Talivan, using it to effectively stop him from moving. "What do you mean, Talivan?"
"I wasn't supposed to say anything... not 'till she told you."
"Who told me what?" Dreyden asked, genuinely confused now.
Talivan, for once, looked very apologetic and embarassed as he muttered, "You need to talk to Arabellia. She has a suprise for you. But I didn't tell you about it," he uttered, a red flush covering his cheeks.
Dreyden reins his mount along; riding up ahead. His face showed he was aware, though deeply distracted. When their patrol arrived back at the camp, they were greeted by Aubrea and Arabellia; Talivan tenderly enveloped Aubrea in his arms, kissing the top of her head. Dreyden's eyes met Arabellia's; she ran into his arms, clinging to him. Dreyden returned her hug, trying to see if he felt anything different about her. The first thing he noticed, was she felt abit more filled out. She looked different, a new glow lit her face. He chuckled it off at first, kissing her lips, then the top of her head; resting his chin on her head, he began to think about the difference in her more and more. Slowly, he began to realize that it was more than just his imagination.
He spent the next few days, gathering up different things; he wanted to suprise her with some special momentos, from the day they met. He found his mind wandering, wondering....what was she hiding? Was it what he was more and more beginning to think it was? His eyes absent at times, a silly grin on his lips as he would think of his love; he was clearly in love with her. He pictured her, swelling with their child; he knew more than anything, he wanted her to be the mother of his child. He finally decided to confront her one day about her secret; he was noticing more and more how she would excuse herself for no apparent reason, though she looked rather green around the gills, so to speak. "Dreyden...." she looked into his eyes, hers troubled, scared.
"Bella.... I love you. You know this, I have told you so. What are you hiding from me?" Dreyden asked; his eyes boring into hers as he questions.
She looked down, shamefaced. Bringing her chin back up stubbornly, she murmured, "Dreyden.... I am..." she stopped, as a loud sound crashed throughout the camp; startled yells, people running to their posts, as primal screams tore through the night sky.
"What the bloody hell is attacking now... at this time of night?" Dreyden called out; he pressed Bella down upon the bunk, covering her with his own body. Bella looked up from under him, her body shaking.
"I do not know... but Dreyden, by the gods be careful... please," she said quietly, watching him get up; he slipped his supplies into his bag as he headed to the door.
"Dreyden!" she cried out.... she only cared he knew this, before anything else.
"Dreyden... I...I...I'm pregnant."
Dreyden's eyes widened; his lips parted in wonder as he turned, his body halfway out the tent, but paused in that very moment. It was as if time itself had froze, the sounds around them like distant, trembling bells, one inevitable followed the other, drowned out by this sudden news. It was as if nothing in this world mattered but that short moment.
"Bella.. I know"
He was stunned, though the look of worry filled his face. Despite the alarm around them and the destruction that was bound to follow; this was the happiest moment of his life. And the thoughts he had been having finally came to a close as she admitted the facts. He hastily stepped into the tent, his right hand instinctively pressed against her stomach. "Keep yourself and our child safe, love." Dreyden ordered, as he kissed her lips passionately; as though it was the last kiss he'd ever take from her.
Her eyes closed, and despite the event around them, she felt safe beside him. "Please be careful," she muttered as their lips parted.
Dreyden's hand slid from her stomach as he made his way toward the flap of the tent. He gave a small nod, assuring her he would try to remain safe the best he could. He stepped out into the opening, the flap of the tent whipped closed as the sound of Dreyden's horse echoed just outside.
