Heretics

Chapter 30: Zoya pt.1

     I woke up the next morning and stretched. The sun was shining just a little through the curtains and for some reason I thought today would be a good day. Then I felt the sickness.

     Morning sickness was going to be the end of me I swear it. I raced to the bathroom and puked. Aleksander was by my side in seconds. He rubbed my back and held my hair out of my face. Whispering to me the whole time. I felt better knowing he was here with me and was helping me.

      I spent most of the next twenty minutes sitting on the bathroom floor. Aleksander had been running a bath for me while I tried to contain the rest of my organs inside my body. I brushed my teeth and rinsed out my mouth quickly before throwing my nightgown to the floor and not so gracefully stepping into the warm bath. After a few minutes he joined me.

     He washed my hair out and lathered soap onto my body which he then rinsed. All the while humming and whispering. One of his hands never leaving my stomach. I could tell how over joyed he was with this. The thought of him being a father. He really was just a big teddy bear.

     When he was done washing me I leaned back against his chest and closed my eyes. His arms wrapped around me and we sat in a beautiful silence for a few minutes.

      "Milaya?" He broke the silence and I opened my eyes to look at him. He looked lost in thought with a smiled plastered onto his features.

     "Hmm?" I traced his fingers with my own drawing little random shapes and designed against them. I didn't want to leave this tub. It was warm but slowly becoming cold and I would defiantly be shivering soon.

      "You're not still thinking about the fold are you?" He was brining it up again. The thing I wanted nothing to do with at the moment. The same argument we had not long ago. I sighed and began to climb out of the tub.

      I wrapped a towel around my body and caught Aleksander's solemn expression in the mirror. "I don't want to talk about this right now. You should get out. It's getting cold." I threw him a towel which he caught without even looking. "Show off." I mumbled and hear him chuckle in response.

     "What are you doing today because I'm not going to let you lie in this room all day." I groaned and put on one of my old keftas. The very first one Aleksander had given me actually. The all black one. I had worn it often so it was comfortable now and I was used to the weight.

     "I was thinking a walk through the trails and by the lake. Maybe take Zoya or Alina with me." I piled my hair into a high bun and put a clip in it so it would stay. Aleksander wrapped his arms around me from behind and started to kiss my neck. I let out a couple breathy moans in response.

      "I'll be in meetings with the king and is advisors. Come get me if you need me. Zoya should be your first stop. She's been highly annoying." He placed his chin against my shoulder and his Ah SS against my stomach again.

     "I'll go there first then." I chuckled and leaned my head against his not wanting to lose the feeling of hun against me.

     He then turned me around to get down on his knees and he whispered into my stomach. "I love you little bean. Keep mommy safe." He placed a kiss against my stomach and got back up to give me one too.

When he left I sighed and walked out onto the balcony once again catching sight of the lake. It was a beautiful royal blue in the morning sunlight. The grass sparkles with bits of morning dew the dock looked dangerously slick and I laughed as I watched a few grisha children laugh and kick water at one another on the banks.

In reality I didn't plan on seeing Alina or Zoya at all today. Though a walk with Zoya did sound pretty nice. I wanted to speak with Boktin about learning. Go fight with knives. I never wanted to use the cut again. I refuse to use the cut again and I wanted a smaller way of defending myself and this was my way.

I left the bedroom and walked down the halls attempting to put my boots on as I did which I silently cursed myself for not doing it in the bedroom. Zoya caught my eye and I called to her. "ZOYA!" She turned and gave me a cheeky grin.

"Hello darkling. Need some help?"

"Yes please. I also have something I desperately need to tell my best friend but only if she promises to not tell another soul living or dead." I knew by saying that what I wanted to tell her would pick up any interest she had in secrets at all.

"She promises on her good looks not to tel. Now what is it?!" She asked as she pushed my boots onto my feet which I for some unknown reason were getting angry about.

"Not here. Walk with me please." I stood and started to walk down the hallways and stairs to the trails outside. She followed quietly at first and when we were surrounded by trees she finally broke the silence.

"TELL ME!" She practically yelled at the top of her lungs and I rolled my eyes.

"If your going to be that loud we're walking out further. Now shush. I tell you when we're far enough away. The only people who know are Aleksander and Bagrah!" I harshly whispered to her as I grabbed her wrist and took her further along the trail until I decided we were far enough away.

"Now will you tell me or will I have to wait until I'm old and decrepit?" She gave me her best puppy dog face and eyes and I snorted. Knowing that it wouldn't work on me but it was funny to watch anyways.

"Zoya, promise me on your life you won't tell anyone. This is seriously important and I'm telling you because your my best friend." She shook her head like crazy and waited for me to tell her the big surprise. "I'm pregnant."

Her mouth dropped to the floor and she squealed. "I'm going to be an aunt?!" I didn't know where to look. She was hopping around excitedly and pumping her fists into the air. Wind was blowing around us like crazy and I was almost knocked off my feet by it.

     "Woah I would like to remain on my feet thank you." I said grabbing onto a tree for dear like jokingly. She stopped and ran up to me apologizing like fourth times. "Zoya it's okay. I was just jesting."

     She shot me a pouty face and folded her arms over her chest. "That was rude. Your mother is rude." She said to me then to the baby inside my womb.

     "You know they can't hear you yet. Their ears haven't had time to develop." I stated and she looked as if I had just told her how the earth orbits around the sun and not the moon.

      "How do you even know that?"

     "I get bored and read random books in the library when I was in the first army. I ran out of good things so medical books it was!" I said sarcastically waving my hands around like an idiot.

     She looped her arms through mine and led me out of the trail. "You are not an idiot. Slow at times yes but not an idiot and this baby is lucky to have you and of course me." She smiled and I laughed. Almost doubling over as my stomach began to hurt from laughing so hard. "What?"

      "Yes yes Zoya their lucky to have you." I continued to laugh taking deep breaths to calm myself down. Zoya looked as if she just stepped into some random inside joke I had with myself as I continued to laugh.