Tie It With a Ribbon

I waited, absently twiddling with my thumbs in my lap, for Zanzibar to awaken. He had required stitching after the dagger was removed, but they had promised that he would be fine after recovering from the blood loss.

Reginald, however, had been declared dead before he was even dragged from the forest.

Salina was bedridden after Cadence and Grayson had bound her to her room, so she would be safe and so they could stop worrying. Other than a few bruises, she would be fine, the doctors had assured them.

A small, nearly inaudible groan pulled me from my thoughts, and I slowly turned my head, placing my gaze on Zanzibar. I could not bring myself to smile.

“I’m sorry,” he choked, unable to hold my gaze. “I couldn’t let you… I couldn’t bring myself to allow you to put yourself in harm’s way. I just couldn’t.”

“Salina is alright,” I told him, choosing not to acknowledge that he had just spoken. “She is bound to her room as of late. Both of the men were killed, and they were Aquilans who were disgusted, of course, by the thought of one baby. Reginald passed away due to poisoning.”

Just like his wife…

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, his voice breaking. “I didn’t know…” He bit down on his lip. “I didn’t know there was poison involved. I just didn’t want them to get you and our children… That’s all I could think about.”

“I can’t die, Zanzibar,” I whispered, slamming my eyes shut. “I can’t let his death be in vain—I can’t let his sacrifice be for nothing.”

He was silent then, and I soon found out why.

“What do you want?” he snapped, glaring at the woman in the door, the woman who had placed gloom and the lingering scent of death over our heads.

“I would suggest being more careful,” she told us, her face entirely neutral. “You are running out of sacrifices, are you not?”

“Why are you here?” I demanded, standing up and ensuring that Zanzibar did not do the same. “I think you have done enough.”

“Like it or not, I am the only one who can help you with your children. No one else would dare come here when it is like this.” She looked to Zanzibar. “Perhaps your guards should stop letting you do everything you please. If it had been a little more like the Nest, the guards could have stopped Salina from leaving and prevented Reginald’s death.”

“Shut up!” I screamed at her, striding up to her with murder in my eyes. “I will not have you come to our home and insult us so blatantly! Have you no soul? Have you no heart? How dare you talk of my friend’s death so nonchalantly? You are disgusting!”

She shook her head. “I am only offering advice. I have been sent here to ensure that those children make it into this world, and I will not allow you two to jeopardize this.”

“We are the parents,” Zanzibar managed to say with a firm voice, one that did not break out of pain. “I think we can take care of our children, and you can go worry about your own home, not ours.”

“I happen to disagree, and there is plenty of evidence to support me.” I opened my mouth to argue, but she held up one hand. “I think you could use some good news, so why don’t I tell you about how the children are doing? Hopefully the girl is progressing more.”

Zanzibar sat up, making room for me on the bed, so I sat carefully between his legs. I smiled, realizing that his legs were so much longer than my own. He kissed the bend between my neck and shoulder, though his eyes never left the unwelcome guest.

“We do have some good news,” she told us, feeling around gently. “It seems the girl is playing a game of catch-up, and she is definitely an Aquilan. The boy is also certain, and he is a Leonian. I am still on the fence about the second boy, but I am almost sure that he is a split. Because of the perfect triplets you seemed to have, I am wondering if Alena is a split as well.”

As soon as she pulled her hands back to herself, Zanzibar’s arms were wrapped around me.

“She can understand me when I am not in my human form, and she recently discovered that she can read Gryphe text, if that makes a difference.”

“It does, actually. There is a chance, however, that a lion talked to her as a baby to secretly teach her. There is also the chance that she could have heritage about which she has not known. But I would advise not diving into it right now, because I do not want her under any strain or any more stress than she has already faced. It cannot be healthy for the children.”

“It’s not our fault,” I choked, biting my lip. “We didn’t do anything wrong!”

“You broke tradition. Your people are sticklers for customs, and you brought them out of their comfort zone. That is often met with resistance. It has been attempted before, as you know, but you two have come the furthest. That is something of which you should be proud.”

She left without another word, and I turned to face Zanzibar. He shook his head.

“Please don’t cry,” he begged, biting his lip.

I sobbed once, shaking my head. “What else can I do but cry? I cannot bring Reginald back just as I cannot bring back my mother or father or any of our lost brothers… All I can do is cry for those who no longer can!”

“But we need to stay strong for those who still can feel sorrow,” he murmured, embracing me tightly. “I know it is asking a lot, but we need to stay strong. It’s hard, but Reginald would have wanted us to keep going.”

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I did not bother to stop it. “But you are right,” I choked, letting out a shaky breath. “And he is with Liana now, where they will no longer be persecuted. I just… I just wish they could have found that freedom here.”

“And soon people just like them will have that freedom,” he promised, kissing my neck again.

I wanted to talk about something else, but Zanzibar had been raised to talk out his problems. I glanced to my feet, smiling again as I realized how far away his feet were from mine. There was a certain sense of safety in that I was so small where he was so much bigger.

Perhaps that would protect our children: the world was so much bigger than they knew, but we could protect them until they were ready to see their world in its entirety.

“They are so small,” I whispered, placing my hands on Zanzibar’s, which were resting calmly on my stomach.

His soft laughter filled my ears, and I could not help but smile.

“Do you think you will be ready in a few weeks, should they be ready so soon?”

“Do you think we will be ready?” I questioned, turning my head to look at him.

He looked towards the ceiling then, a soft smile gracing his lips. “I know that we can handle whatever the gods throw onto our path, and I certainly welcome the pitter-patter of little feet echoing through these halls. And I do not think I could be anymore in love with you than I am right now.”

I turned from him, concealing my blush. “Then I guess we will simply have to wait with baited breath, just praying for their safe arrival.”

“We will continue to pray, then.”