[IC] The Making of a New Queen

[tsubasa]

Anastasia looked at Samsul again as he started to tell the news and again, she looked at her asked if she would like to finish. She nodded and sat up a little and smiled at them, "Samsul and I wanted to tell you-"

"You're pregnant!" Millie nearly shouted in glee. A moment after, she quickly covered her mouth, realising what she had just done. Luckily, she knew both Samsul and Anastasia and knew whether she was right or wrong that they would be more than fine with her exclamation. Anastasia laughed and nodded, "Yes, I'm pregnant. Beyond our parents, you are the only ones we've told. We are going to try and keep the news within the castle walls... To avoid any mishaps such as the one at my own birth. Of course, we had to inform my parents and" She looked to Autry, "I am getting awfully sick of walking around in night gowns."

Gerald was rather stunned just looking at the two of them in amazement. Finally, he stood and held his hand out to Samsul, "Congratulations, your majesty..."

Millie squealed and hopped up, hugging Anastasia. Ana laughed and took the girl's hand, placing it on her rounded stomach. Her eyes widened, "You are already that big! I hadn't even noticed... No wonder you took to changing yourself."

Anastasia laughed and nodded, placing her hands on her stomach, "Yes... I'm already four months along. Which leaves five months of preparing and hoping we don't get invited to anywhere."

[pyroman]

Samsul laughed and nodded along with Anastasia after Millie shouted out that she was pregnant. He should have expected for her to do that, but was caught off guard when it actually happened.

Autry smiled kindly at Anastasia and Samsul and nodded when Anastasia told her that she didn't want to wear night gowns all around any more. As soon as she got back to her store, Autry was planning on making several dresses for Anastasia that would fit her growing stomach. She remembered having to do the same thing for Elana. Oh, how Elana would have wanted to see her grandchildren..

Samsul took Gerald's hand and shook it after smiling a little more. "Gerald, you know me too well to call me 'your majesty,' but thank you for the congratulations." He then looked at Anastasia and laughed a little as the hoped to not be invited anywhere during her pregnancy.

[tsubasa]

Gerald chuckled and returned to his seat, "Ah, yes but that would not be proper," He looked at Anastasia, "And as an etiquette teacher... We can't have that."

Anastasia looked at Samsul and kissed his cheek, "I find it best to let him do as he wishes," She turned back to Millie and Arabella who were chatting her up about cribs and blankets. That was something they would be needing. A nice crib in their room. The question was where to put it. She didn't want it close to the window. Not only was it possible to scale the walls and steal the child but the morning light would surely wait them early in the morning. On the other side of the room was the entrance to the bedroom and she didn't want to put the baby there either for similar reasons to the window. Maybe at the end of the bed. Then, if it woke in the middle of the night they would be right there to grab the baby. Kiss its little head.

She smiled and looked at Eric, "What was it that you brought for lunch?" She asked shyly. She ran her hand over her stomach, "We are starving."

[pyroman]

Eric smiled at the mentioning of food and pulled off the lids that were covering the trays on top of the food cart, exposing two simple dishes. He wasn't really sure what they wanted, he cooked something simple that he was sure that they were sure to enjoy it. "Here you go." He told them as he moved the cart over to them. "I hope that you enjoy it!"

[tsubasa]

Anastasia was very grateful when Eric pushed the food over to them. She was starving, she hadn't noticed how hungry she was until she saw the food though. She thanked Eric and grabbed her fork. She looked to the rest, "That is all the news we have for you. You are free to leave if you wish. No need to watch us eat."

She laughed a little and dug into the food. She nodded to Eric, "Very good. As per usual."

Millie and Arabella both congratulated the two once more before they left behind Gerald, who was making his way to the door. She looked at Autry, "We trust that you will be keeping our secret... It's a lot to keep in... but thank you."

[pyroman]

Autry nodded at Anastasia with a sweet smile on her face. "I'll be sure to keep quiet about the situation, my queen. I'm glad that you invited me here rather than coming to my store and asking for increasingly large dresses." She spoke with a soft laugh, remembering Elana during her pregnancy. "I'll get working on larger dresses as soon as I get back." Slowly, the woman stood up and left the room, requesting a nearby guard to take her back to the town.

[tsubasa]

Anastasia climbed out of the bed with a hand on her stomach. The office was in the middle of the castle, leaving no windows, which left the room stuffy. Headaches kept cropping up while she worked with Samsul and once or twice she had to grab her desk for support to stop herself from falling over. Finally, Samsul sent her out, not wanting her to fall and hurt the baby. She had brought some of the papers to her bedroom but worked through them some time ago. So, she had taken to resting until now. She walked over to the balcony and stood out, looking over their country that spread out beyond the castle wall. She looked down at her stomach and rubbed it through the dress. She was thankful for Autry. She now felt as though she were actually dressed. She felt a little kick and gasped before giggling, "Hello there..." She whispered.

[pyroman]

It had been almost a month and Samsul and Anastasia let a few people know about her pregnancy. It was two months and Anastasia and Samsul actually found out, and the two of them were as excited as ever to have their child. Earlier that day, Sansul had sent Anastasia out if the office because it seemed that could barely stand by herself. He would get all of the paperwork done for the day and head back to her, but something dire stopped him from heading back when he was planning too.

As he walked back to his room, a guard approached Samsul and whispered something in his ear, not wanting for anyone to hear. The news that he had even given was more than important, and as soon as the guard moved away from him, the Lost Elf sprinted down the hallway and to one of the vacant rooms, where an injured woman waited to see him.

[tsubasa]

Anastasia was glad to be breathing the fresh air. It kept her headaches and dizziness at bay. She grabbed a chair from their room and moved it onto the balcony and took a seat. Sitting, she continued to look out onto the fields and city that stretched out before her. Every once in a while, she'd stop, she'd rub her stomach. She'd fell the baby move within her or kick her. Every flutter of move brought a smile to her face. At one point, she retrieved 'The Secret Garden' from the bookshelf read it slowly aloud. She wasn't sure if the baby could hear her but did so anyways. She liked the thought of sitting out here in months to come. The baby in her arms and reading the book as it slept. The moving and kicking lessened each time she spoke, as though her voice were calming it. As though, she had the same effect of their child as Samsul had with her.

[pyroman]

Samsul rushed down the halls as quick as he could, having so many questions in his mind at the moment if it truly was here, he wanted to know why she was in room being tended to by a doctor for treatment of major wounds. As he reached the simple door, Samsul opened it slowly and looked inside to see the doctor and the woman that had called him to the room. She smiled at him kindly and even she'd a small tear. During her travels, she had hear about what happened I the castle. Including Samsul being married to Anastasia and becoming the new king. He looked at her with wide eyes and whispered her name. "Elana..."

[tsubasa]

Anastasia looked up from her book when she saw lights in the city start to flicker. Was it already that late? She looked into her room, she must not have noticed by the light in the room spilling out on the balcony. She stood and pulled the chair back into the room. Once it was back in place, she sat on the bed. It was strange that Samsul wasn't back yet. Normally, he practically ran there to come see her. Especially if she left in less than the best condition. The baby felt as if it were doing summersaults in her stomach. She patted and rubbed her baby bump, "Shh... It's okay... Daddy is on his way."

[pyroman]

Elana smiled at Samsul and nodded at him, so happy to see him again after so long. She wanted to see her daughter as well, but she was so afraid to see her again after leaving unannounced and even going as far as to be called dead. Little did he know, she had come closer death then any of them would have imagined. "Samsul, I need you to listen to me... While I traveled, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone found me. When they did, they captured me and killed the men that were guarding me. This happened after I had signed the treaties, but the fact still stands that someone out there knows that I'm still alive.. How is Anastasia?" She asked him and he informed her of everything that had happened recently, but leaving out the part of her being pregnant just in case that it wasn't actually Elana. She nodded at him and smiled once more. "Go back to her for now.. I'll see you tomorrow.."

[tsubasa]

As Samsul still didn't arrive, Anastasia started to get worried. To keep her mind off of his current absence she went to the closet and changed into her nightgown. She neatly lay her dress out for Millie and Arabella to grab when they came into the room. She started back to the bed when the door opened and Samsul walked it. She smiled at him and gave him a kiss, "I was starting to worry something had happened," She fixed his shirt a little, he looked undone almost, pale like he had seen a ghost. She took his hand in her own and looked up at him. After a moment, it seemed like he was not going to tell her what was on his mind. She didn't ask but instead placed his hand on her stomach. She watched him when she felt the baby kick his hand. She grinned at him, "It starts earlier this afternoon. After you sent me away," she laughed a little, "Seems to me like our little baby is a fighter and I know exactly where it gets it from," She took his hand again and kissed it.

[pyroman]

As Samsul arrived at the room, he was met with a kiss by Anastasia. He smiled at the kiss and relaxed a little, but was still worried about how to go about the news about Elana. He knew that he couldn't tell her yet, as he feared how she would react to it, especially in the state that she was in at the moment. Before he could say to anything to her, she took his hand and placed it on her stomach, only to feel a kick. He smiled even more than before and most of his worried were washed away. "I can feel the strength in their kicks.." He said before kissing her lightly. "They should happen more frequently as the months pass."

[tsubasa]

Anastasia smiled when he kissed her lightly. She nodded when he made comment to them happening more often, "As long as they don't start to hurt, I'm more than alright with it."

She took his hand and led him over to the bed. Sitting him on it and getting him comfortable, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "You worked hard today, enough for the both of us. You must be tired," She brushed some of his hair out of his face and smiled softly. She was just happy to be there with him, with their children. They had two little cribs set up at the end of the bed for them when they arrived. She walked around them and the bed and climbed in on the other side. She moved close to Samsul and placed his hand on her stomach again, her hand resting on top of his, so that he could feel it when the babies moved at all. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed, "This is nice..."

[pyroman]

Samsul lay there on the bed with a small smile on his face. He was so happy to hear that Anastasia was going to have twins. They still were sure if they were boys or girls yet, but he knew that they would find out in time. Samsul nodded at his wife and widened his smile. It truly was nice to just lay there on the bed with his loving wife, thinking about the sons or daughters he would have in the future. "I could be here for quite some time.." He drifted off as he yawned and slowly closed his eyes. He wasn't sure about how late it actually was, but his internal clock decided that it was time for him to sleep. With another yawn he slowly drifted off to sleep. "Good night.. Anastasia.."

[tsubasa]

Anastasia smiled and kissed the top of his head, "Good night, Samsul."

Once he had fallen asleep, she eased him out of his jacket, loosened and tucked his shirt, as well as removed his shoes and socks. She laughed a little, he was hardly ready for bed and there he was fast asleep. She climbed out of the bed and piled his clothes and shoes by her dress for Arabelle and Millie to take. Then, she walked back to the bed, climbed under the covers and snuggled close to her husband. She gave him one last kiss before she joined him in sleeping.

[pyroman]

During his sleep, Samsul had a dream of his encounter with Elana. It happened in the same exact way that it had before, that he had a hard time believing that it was a dream. The only thing that was different compared to what actually happened was that Anastasia's name popped up a few times. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but left like he did the first time. When he woke up, the sun was flowing into the room and illuminating it. He smiled at the sun and kissed his wife gently. He didn't know if he should tell her or not, as it was still very early in the morning and he wasn't sure how she'd react to the news this early on.

[tsubasa]

Anastasia woke slightly when Samsul kissed her. Although, she did not open her eyes. Instead, just rolled over and wrapped her arm around him, wanting to go back asleep. After a moment or two of failing that, she opened her eyes and sighed, "Good morning."

Her voice was groggy. Sleep had been uncomfortable. Laying on her back wasn't comfortable due to the two small children that resided in her stomach. On her stomach was no longer an option and her side was only comfortable for so long. She feared the nights in the coming months as she was just going to get bigger and bigger. She sighed and sat up, "These two buggers kept me up most the night..."

She yawned and kissed him, "What kept you last night?"

[pyroman]

Samsul wasn't sure what to say to Anastasia. He couldn't like to her, as she was his wife, but that him feel much worse. He had been luring to her for some time. He never told her the truth that her mother never died and kept it from her even after being officially married to her. He felt horrible and didn't know what to do. With a small sigh, he looked at her. "Someone asked for my attention last night. I haven seen them in quite some time.."