Asteron

ASTERON

I can't stop watching her, and him, cuddled together in our bed. Prince Kao is suckling on my mate in his sleep. Ginny is slumbering too, having fallen asleep feeding the life we created. She is utterly exhausted but incredibly happy. I can feel it down our bond and it is simply amazing.

When he came, Kao was not going to keep us waiting. Within nova-minutes of our bond snapping into place, he was born. I didn't even get a chance to call for Thannie. Instead I held our son in my hands as he arrived on Xnos and bellowed at the top of his tiny lungs.

That was enough to have the medic come running. I chuckle quietly to myself at the memory. Ginny shifts in her sleep, a smile playing over her face. Our bond is strong enough I don't wake her, but I do make her happy.

"Sire?" Phinade whispers behind me and very nearly has his head taken off as I spin to face him.

He peers around me at Ginny and our son, a very silly smile on his face.

"They're resting." I usher him outside and close the door as quietly as I can. "What do you want, Phinade?"

"There are a number of clan delegations who wish to speak with you, sire. They arrived last night and have heard about the birth…"

"How? I haven't even made a royal decree yet!" I exclaim.

Phinade stares at his hooves. "I might have made one for you, sire. Everyone was waiting, wanting to know…"

I clap him on his back and he stumbles forward. "Well done." I grin at him. "I knew there was a reason I kept you around. And not just because you saved my life."

Phinade nearly chokes.

"Where are the clans assembled?" I ask.

"In your throne room," Phinade says.

"Fine, I'll be there shortly. In the meantime, I have something I need to do."

I turn on my hoof, leaving my vizier with his mouth agape.

"How are Dalus and the others?" I ask my head guard, Tauran.

"They are making progress, my king," he says, although his mouth is in a grim line. "The poison the Habosu gave them has wrecked their systems, but they are rallying and should be back to full strength in time." He eyes me carefully. "But I would not expect them to return to their duties here."

"Why not? They did all they could to protect my queen. I am at fault for underestimating the threat to her person from both her own kind and that of the Habosu. Had I assigned her more guards, it would have been a different matter. Both the queen and I expect to see them back on duty as soon as they have fully recovered."

Tauran is not a warrior who shows much emotion, but it seems having a bond with my mate has heightened my ability to gauge emotions in others, and as he gives me a short bow, I can see his delight as a warm green glow.

"I am leaving the palace for a short while. I do not need a guard."

"Sire, I don't think…"

I hold up a hand. "I know, but I'll be fine on my own, just this once."

I know where I'm going as I descend through one of the many hidden passages carved by my ancestors, which lead out into the main town of Xnossonous which has grown into a vast city in the valley below the palace.

The place is a hive of industry, commerce, and innovation, something even my father's crooked rule could not stop. Like Mazos, Xnossonous stumbled on until I got rid of the Habosu. Now it thrives.

I throw the hood of my cloak over my horns and turn in the direction of the old town. It's a place I frequented under cover of darkness as a young warrior. It was where I first learned about Trefa and the gladiator games, where I listened to the stories told by old warriors in taverns.

But this time I'm going for a reason, as I enter the winding streets of the town with its quaint colorful two to three storey buildings built from stone and clay, and my hooves sing out over the cobbles. It's quiet this time of the morning, and not too many heads turn in my direction. When I finally reach the establishment I want, it is, predictably, shut.

I bang on the door. There is no answer. I thump harder and up above me a set of shutters finally flies open.

"Hooves and horns! Do you know what time it is? Fak off and come back later…or not at all," an elderly voice grumbles above me.

"I've come for what I paid for," I call up at the window.

A head pokes out. One horn is half destroyed, but the other speaks of a strong warrior, once. A grizzled muzzle is turned my way.

"Stars and hooves! I did not know it was you!" he says, and the head retreats, the shutters closing with a bang.

I wait, and in a few nova-minutes, the door flies open, the smell of heated metal and chemicals nearly bowling me over.

"My king." He embraces me. "I trust the queen is well." He beckons me inside his dark little shop.

"More than well. She birthed our son in the early hours." I grin because I am never going to tire of telling everyone who will listen.

"Then you are here for it?"

"I am here and I am ready. Do what you must."