Prince Kelton frowned as they finished the short journey to Ghinf Village. When they had to stop again because Iredys went into convulsions once more, it took everything he had to not ask Ponderosa if it was because of Kenaz or Dagaz. As it was, the blank expression she gave him when he asked what was happening was less than comforting. There was no panic in her eyes, but nor was there any calm, and now that he had been booted from the carriage by Ponderosa, there was less he could do to try and comfort Iredys.

Even less of an opportunity to ask the questions that were stuck on his tongue while he hoped she would answer him in thought. He was sure she knew of his thoughts, but he also knew that she would remain silent until he could ask, as she had in Ponderosa’s cottage. He hoped to get an answer once they were settled in at the inn. The village was quiet, but quite a few people still milled about. Many of them paused when they entered. Their eyes were full of curiosity as they took note of Prince Kelton, his knights, and the presence of the simple carriage.

Prince Kelton did his best to ignore the stares. His top priority was to make sure Iredys was comfortable and given enough rest in order to be able to continue the journey. Hoping beyond hope that she and their baby would be able to make it to Greywolf Castle okay. Prince Kelton led his knights and the carriage to the inn near the center of town.

Sir Droyn was quick to step up and dismount. He caught Prince Kelton’s reins as he dismounted and approached Ponderosa as she stepped out of the carriage. Ponderosa reached for Iredys’ hand. Iredys twitched and jerked a little as she stepped out of the carriage. Prince Kelton tried to hurry to help her, but by the time he was close enough, she was holding tightly to Ponderosa once more.

“Can I…?” he asked, holding out his hands a little.

Iredys nodded slightly then let Ponderosa pass her Prince Kelton so she could grab the bags she needed.

“Will you tell me what is going on?” he whispered to Iredys.

She shivered and twitched in his arms, but said nothing. Her eyelids fluttered as her eyes rolled back. Her legs started to collapse, forcing Prince Kelton to scoop her up into a princess carry. Ponderosa pulled a dropper bottle from her satchel and brought it over. She gave Iredys one dropperful then turned back to pick up the satchels she needed. Then, with a nod, she followed Prince Kelton into the inn. The innkeeper looked up. Her eyes opened wide at the sight of Prince Kelton carrying a pregnant woman in his arms.

“I am in need of ten rooms if you have them,” Prince Kelton said before the woman could speak.

“Yes. Absolutely. Right this way.”

The woman scurried out from behind the bar and led them upstairs. She entered one just off the stairs. The fire in the room burned low. She busied herself with stoking the fire as Prince Kelton lay Iredys on the bed. Ponderosa grabbed a chair from the nearby table and sat close to the bed. Prince Kelton turned and noticed that she had purposefully seated herself in the innkeeper’s line of sight to prevent her from seeing who it was.

“I will check on the two of you in a little while,” he said to Ponderosa.

She nodded then turned her attention to pulling several things out of her satchels.

“Thank you for your swift response,” Prince Kelton said to the innkeeper.

“Do I need to send for the village healer?” she asked, her gaze traveling to the bed.

“No. She just needs some rest.”

The woman nodded then practically scrambled out of the room when Prince Kelton motioned to the door. He followed long enough to turn the charge of finalizing the rooms to Sir Juleack. Once he was satisfied that the rooms, horses, and carriage would be taken care of, Prince Kelton returned to Ponderosa’s and Iredys’ room. Ponderosa sat beside Iredys helping her drink a glass of meal. The residue on the inside of the cup was green. He furrowed his brow because it looked darker than usual.

“What did you add to it?” he asked.

Ponderosa pointed toward the table.

On the table was a jar of wheat powder, a glass of water, and a bottle labeled Chlorella. Prince Kelton picked up the bottle of Chlorella. He looked at the liquid in the amber colored bottle before turning back to Ponderosa.

“Is this something you add to her drink often?”

She pursed her lips and tipped her head side to side before she turned back to Iredys to get her to take the next little bit of meal. Iredys swallowed what Ponderosa gave her before she brought her hand up to take the glass from Ponderosa’s hand. She sat up a little more, so she was no longer leaning against Ponderosa. Ponderosa took this moment to dig into her satchel for something else. She pulled out another bottle and added a few drops to Iredys glass. Iredys circled the cup a little before she resumed her drinking.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Prince Kelton set the Chlorella on the table then moved the chair to be able to sit in front of Iredys. He rested his arms on his legs and looked up at Iredys.

“Will you talk to me now?” he asked quietly.

Iredys slowly opened her eyes and lowered the glass to her lap. ‘Yes.’

“What happened?”

‘Kenaz granted me information about the citizens of Shounto Village and Ghinf Village.’

“Do all visions cause you to convulse?”

‘No.’

“And Dagaz?”

‘Is quiet… for now.’ Iredys lifted the glass in her hand and tipped her head back fully to empty the cup.

“...Do the visions and convulsions scare you?” he asked, thinking how she had held tightly to Ponderosa both times he had seen her have a fit.

‘No.’

His brow furrowed and he sat up a little. “But the whining.”

Iredys held her glass out to Ponderosa who added more water to her glass. She circled the glass in her hand again. ‘The whine in an involuntary response. It is also what helps Ponderosa know that the visions being given to me are becoming overwhelming.’

“And holding onto Ponderosa after the visions have passed?”

Iredys emptied the glass in her hand once more before answering. ‘I was asleep when we left Pride Town. Would your knights not find it strange that I would readily accept your embrace while still feeling disoriented by the convulsions that woke me?’

Prince Kelton turned his head to the side.

‘I understand your desire to help and to comfort, Prince Kelton, in addition to the increased temptation to re-consummate our marriage just in case it is Dagaz trying to change my form before our son can be born.’

He brought his fist up to his mouth.

“Our son will not be born before we arrive at the castle, so Dagaz will not be changing my form anytime soon. That much I can confirm for you.”

He nodded.

“As for the convulsions, there isn’t anything you can do for me. Nor do I want you to try.’

He turned to her, wanting to protest, but she continued.

‘Your knights, however, will ask about the fits. You may tell them that they come as a result of being starved. Given enough nutrition and rest they should eventually stop.’

“But will they really?”

‘Yes.’

“...Will they stop before we reach Greywolf Castle?”

‘No. Between now and then many of them will be worse than today.’

“Worse?”

‘What you saw today was related to information about everyone in Ghinf Village and only about half of those in Shounto Village. The convulsions would have been more harsh and gone on a little longer had Ponderosa and I not visited Shounto Village prior to your arrival.’

“Does it get worse with more people?”

‘No. Worse or better is determined by how many possibilities arise for those I am given information for.’

“Do you know who will have more possibilities than not?”

Iredys smiled. ‘Even if I did, I would not tell you which settlements they are from. You need to reach the castle in time for the masked ball Queen Leona decided to throw shortly after you started this circuit, which leaves you no room to detour.’

Prince Kelton grit his teeth and bunched his hands into fists. Of course his mother would throw a ball. A ball he could avoid if he just re-consummated his marriage with Iredys, but he was coming to see that she would not allow him to do that.

‘You are right, I won’t,’ Iredys said to him. ‘There is more you need to see regarding Princess Analisa and Countess Lilia that you won’t see if you do not attend.’

“Are you pushing me toward them on purpose?” he asked through clenched teeth.

‘Whether I am or not, in order for you to make the best decision, you need to see the whole picture.’

He sighed and ran a hand over his face.

‘Go eat and rest, Prince Kelton. There is still a long road ahead of us.’

He nodded then left the room.

Sir Hamnet and Sir Droyn stood near the stairs talking softly. They turned to him.

“How is Lady Iredys?” Sir Droyn asked.

“Resting,” he replied. “As we all should be.”

Prince Kelton went downstairs for a bowl of soup. He ate it thoughtfully while he reviewed Iredys words. No way to stop the convulsions. No chance to detour to try and lessen them. Firm and unwavering that they all had to arrive at Greywolf Castle in time for the masked ball. He was just finishing the bowl in front of him when Sir Hamnet settled into the chair beside him.

“Is there a reason, aside from her pregnancy, that you didn’t tell us that Lady Iredys was the one you were visiting while we were in Pride Town?”

“...There was much I needed to know and understand before I could make the choice to bring her back or leave her there.”

“Leave her?! Just because she is pregnant? She….”

Sir Hamnet stopped when Prince Kelton looked at him. “If I had left her, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“Forgive me, Sire. I misspoke.”

Prince Kelton nodded then made his way up to his room to lie down. The last two months had been far from kind, and it seemed like the weeks to follow would prove to be nearly as torturous. He was trying to understand why Iredys wouldn’t let him embrace her. Having to watch her have fits he could do nothing about, the fact that she insisted he attend a ball he didn’t want anything to do with, to talk to and interact with ladies he didn’t care to be close to, so he could potentially choose another woman, both tore at his heart and frustrated him immensely. He shook his head and sighed.

Finally, Prince Kelton rolled over and let his mind empty of thought, empty of awareness