Rightful Ruler

It had been almost an entire month since they had heard anything from the King. Kallie could only assume. If she had to make any sort of guess, it was due to the annual tax collection tat would be upon them soon. She didn't drop her guard. She didn't let Baylee leave the base without someone accompanying her undercover. She refused to leave herself without Benjamin or Ravin at her side. It was never safe to assume that you were safe, and it had been so long since she had even heard stirrings from the palace that she began to worry.

Kallie ran her hand through her ebony curls as her eyes brushed across the pages of the book that she held in her hands. A soft tapping of quick footsteps skittered across the floor. A sudden retching sound came from the wash room. Kallie closed her book, placed it on the couch and stood with a wince. She took steady, gentle steps as she approached the lavatory. Baylee was bent over a bucket, taking deep breaths. She had been retching like this for almost a week, and only when the smell of cooking meat wafted through the air. It wasn't much of a secret that she and Hugo had made love many times. Kallie wasn't the only woman to put the two together.

Kallie winced, kneeling next to her friend. Her petite hand gently rubbed her back in circular motions. She leaned over and wretched again, "Oh, Baylee..."

Baylee groaned, "I feel so nauseated and my breasts are so swollen..." She whimpered. Kallie shifted, stifling a groan of discomfort. "I hope I'm not—" Baylee cut herself off and lifted to look Kallie in the eye, "Maybe I'm just sick. It's the right season for influenza, right?"

She looked at Kallie with a hopeful glimmer in her eye, "Yes, but—if you retained anything from lessons as child—you would be dying." Kallie reminded her softly, "I don't think swollen breasts are a symptom of influenza. Come here," She waved Baylee forward. She placed her hands on her tummy, "You aren't quite showing, but pregnancy doesn't usually show until about the third month.

"W-what!?" A surge of panic struck her teal eyes, "I can't be! I just can't be...not in times like these..." Kallie shushed her into quiet whimper before she pushed herself into hysteria.

"It seems as though you are with child," She kept her voice soothing. Ignoring a whimper from Baylee, she continued, "Everything will be fine. Nothing will happen."

When she was a little girl, before her mother died, the queen would bring in young girls or young women that were pregnant and unmarried to be our maids. They needed a steady place to call their own because they would be cast out by any man. Many of them were abandoned. Some were raped. But, no matter the reason, her mother took them into the castle. There they were fed, given a home, a small wage, and safe haven for them and their child. Kallie had helped several maids through their pregnancies, so she was determined to help her dearest friend. She even had some experience with infants. Not a lot, but even some would help.

"Oh..." Baylee groaned, "Jasper will be so...what if he doesn't want me any more!? What if he leaves me? What if he doesn't want to be a father?" She thrust her face into her hands.

Kallie shook her head in disdain. She knew that she had her reservations with Hugo, but she would never expect him to abandon her. If he did, Kallie would make a note to track him down and force him to father that child, whether he wanted to or not.

"Baylee," Kallie gently placed her hands on Baylee's shoulders, "I want you to stop and breath. Do you honestly believe that he will leave you when you tell him?" She shook her head, "Exactly. Jasper Hugo may be a lot of things, but he is not dishonorable."

Baylee's eye's widened in alarm, "The king-"

"Knows nothing, and it will remain that way." Kallie said definitely, "Nothing will happen to that child, your birth will be as healthy as it can possibly be, and my brother will not harm a hair on either of your heads." Her teal eyes dropped to the ground, "Do you understand me?" Kallie's hand stroked her friend's white-blonde hair.

Baylee's long arms wrapped around her petite friend, "Thank you." She whispered.

Baylee swallowed hard and squared her shoulders. She reached for his door knob but gave in at the last moment, again. She couldn't bring herself to even knock. She considered just walking in, but a small fear in the the back of her mind made her a bit jittery. She let out a breath, readying herself. As mentally prepared as she was going to be, her knuckles rapped against the mahogany.

A muffled movement sounded behind the door before it opened. Her eyes met a pair of hazel eyes, and a blush crept onto her cheeks.

"Since when do you knock?" A seductive smirk crawled onto his lips. Baylee dropped her gaze and stepped over the threshold.

"I need to speak with you." She muttered softly.

"Yes..."

"Alone." She said softly.

"Alright." He shut the door and lead her to his four-poster bed, "Is something the matter, love?" Baylee kept standing as he sat on the bed in front of her. Her teeth worried her bottom lip as she tried to busy herself with finding patterns in the wood.

"There won't be any love making for a while...not for nine or so months..." She nibbled on her lip. It was cowardly to skirt around it, but she couldn't help it. She knew he would be most likely to leave her the instant he knew her condition.

His eyebrow arched, "Making love has never been a problem before," He pulled her into him, her body forming to his.

Baylee sucked in a sharp breath. Her thoughts were always so muddled around him, "N-No, Jasper...this is very important." His lips brushed her collar bone and all of her will almost left her then. But, she forced herself to steel over, "Jasper, this is important-" His hand traveled to the small of her back, "J-Jasper..." She groaned. His muscular arms lay her against the soft bed covered in furs. His lips pressed gentle kisses up her neck, his breath flowing over her earlobe.

"What is it that you want to talk to me about?" He sighed seductively.

"I-I'm...Oh god," His fingers inched downward in circular motions, sending waves of heat to places that made her grip her sheets.

"What's wrong, love? Can't you concentrate?" He teased.

"Jasper..." She groaned helplessly. He continued with his slow torture until she just couldn't take it any more, "Jasper, I'm pregnant!"

His entire body stiffened and Baylee began to curl in on herself in shame, "No." He said stopping her, "Don't do that." She peered up at him through her pale lashes.

His handsome, dark eyes peered into hers, "You are with child?" The phrase sounded too stiff coming from him. It lacked Jasper's general sense of casual playfulness.

"Yes." She muttered meekly.

"And it is mine?"

"I have been with no one else." She admitted. When he didn't speak, Baylee began to fear the worst, "If you don't want it, then I can...I can give it to someone else, or I can-"

He lifted a finger to quiet her, "There is no need for that." A sort of relieved wind huffed from his mouth.

"What do you mean?" He didn't speak again, and Baylee's eyes began to sting, "I am so sorry..." She sniffled.

"Don't you dare apologize!" Jasper stroked her cheek, "and don't you cry over something such as this." He pulled them both into a sitting position.

"I've-"

"You didn't do this." He said gently, "WE did this. Together. This was a product of our desires. It takes more than just a woman to make a baby." Jasper tucked a stray lock of her white-blonde hair behind her ear.

Quiet hope began to fill Baylee. Maybe he wouldn't leave her after all...

"I don't know what lies in the future, but I can say that I'm happy that it isn't that bastard king's seed." Baylee frowned, "I don't know that I could bear the birth of that child..."

Jasper's calloused fingers brushed Baylee's cheek, "As am I, love." Baylee leaned into Jasper's chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. If she had her way, she would never let him leave her side. Ever.

She listened to his soft hear beat, "If the child is a girl, I want to name her Jewly."

"That is a nice name." Jasper agreed, "Whatever you want, love. You have to carry it, not me."

"It was my mother's name." Baylee nearly whispered, "I think she would want me to honor her by naming my child after her."

Baylee was off to tell Jasper of the child, so now Kallie was free to go anywhere she wished. Within the perimeters that Ravin set that was. She ambled out of the washroom and into the sitting room. She hadn't been to town in a while, but guards had been swarming the heart of town recently. If it weren't for their secret gardens, the resistance would go without food. There were also allies that would donate spices and other materials, but there were some things that were only native to Concordia or the northern countries. And to have access to those, they would have to venture into the heart of the city. Where guards swarmed every stand, watching for suspicious activity.

They couldn't allow the most well noted members leave. Kallie being one of them, had been forced to stay in. She was just growing restless. She didn't dare leave without Ben or Ravin at her side. Not since her brother had made it his mission to make her life a living hell. If he caught her again, the torture that she had narrowly escaped would start over again. So she wouldn't leave with out them...

"Ben? Ravin?" She called out, taking carefully placed steps. Most of her wounds had healed and no longer caused any pain, but the internal bruising would not heal so quickly. She was sure that her rib cage was still black and blue. Just like her wrists...and her arms...and her legs...

"Benjamin?" She walked back down the halls, "Ravin?" She peeked her head into the armory. She hated that room. It reminded her of the dimly lit room that her brother still took her to in her nightmares.

Bartrom and Nathaniel were leaning playing a very heated match of chess. Kallie cleared her throat and both of them stood and bowed, "Enough of that." They resumed their positions, "Have either of you seen Ben-"

"Ah, love." Bartrom said fondly, "It blooms so young, so fresh, like the first snow of winter-"

"I have told you many times that we do not and cannot have that sort of relationship." Kallie scorned, "Have either of you seen Benjamin or Ravin?"

Nathaniel shook his head, "No, your grace."

"Alright." She said. She stepped into the Kitchen, more than happy to escape the memories of those late nights with her brother. Her eyes brushed over the assorted vegetables and spices along a wooden table near the back of the stone kitchen. Dough covered in flour lay out on a slab of stone and a metal pot hung over the fire pit in the middle of the room, stewing the beginnings of supper.

The hind end of a slender, apron wearing woman was sticking out of an open cupboard, "Helga?" The stern woman popped her head out.

"Yes, dear?"

"Have you seen Benjamin or Ravin?" Kallie muttered.

"Ravin is resting, and I believe Benjamin is picking katniss tubers for supper tonight upon my request." She gave Kallie a sagely smile, "I am nearly out of sugarcane seeds and tomatoes." A bag of coins were tossed into the princess's hands, "and buy more silk so that I can finish your new cloak. You're old one almost show's your ankles."

"Yes, ma'am." Kallie said. She turned away as Helga spoke again.

"Make sure Ben accompanies you." She said, "With our rotten luck, you would leave and never return. Then we would see your head on a spike and being paraded around town." Kallie didn't respond, she walked out the slightly askew front door and into the thick foliage of trees and moss. When she finally reached the small clearing filled with a variety of fruits an vegetables, she could see his dark chocolate hair and his wiry muscle flexing beneath his shirt.

"Ben?" His hazel eyes met hers.

"Oh, hello pr-" Kallie raised a brow, "Hello Kallie."

"I was going to go into town to buy a few supplies. Since Ravin is resting, I would like to ask you to accompany me."

"Of course," He said, "Allow me to gather what Helga sent me for and we can be on our way." Kallie ambled over and began to help him unearth the tubers at the edge of the all natural lake that touched the edge of the garden, "You shouldn't be helping me with this; you'll get dirty." He protested.

"That hasn't stopped me before," Kallie gave him a smirk.

He shook his head, "So stubborn..."

"Isn't that why we were such good friends?" Kallie giggled.

"Because you were stubborn? or because you didn't mind getting dirty?" He smiled.

"Both," Kallie smiled back, "Naturally."

"Not quite." Ben laughed, "You see, in the beginning, I just wanted to be your friend because I thought you were pretty." Kallie rolled her eyes, "No, really. Then I got to know you. That's when I realized that you were more than that. You were a feisty little demon child with the authority of a queen."

Kallie playfully pushed him, "I was not a demon child!"

"No, you're right. Your brother was the demon child. You were Old man Alabaster's pet." He sent her a playful wink, "though, I can't help but notice that you didn't deny the 'little' part." Kallie pushed him, but this time he slipped and all of the katniss flew out of his hands and into the water.

Kallie sighed, "Oh, Ben..." She reached for him so that she could pull him up, but he just pulled her down wih him. "Benjamin!" She gasped, letting out a chiming laugh. He chuckled too, but things fell silent when their noses were nearly touching. Her chest was flush against his and his hands rested on her back. A feeling buried itself inside her stomach. A gentle flutter erupted like the nuzzling of a butterfly's wings.

She pushed herself off of him and sucked in a sharp breath, "We should get these back to Helga before she wonders what happened to us." Kallie tried to shake those feelings. She couldn't feel for him in any way that could hurt them or the kingdom.

Ben sat up, "Yes." He began to gather the scattered tubers into a somewhat large woven basket. Kallie placed hers in with his.

Once they finished, Kallie helped him clean them and take them back to the older woman in the kitchen. Benjamin handed her the basket. Helga took it, emptied it, and handed it back to her, "You will need this for the supplies. Feel free to purchase what you wish to add to supper tonight."

Once Kallie and Benjamin wrapped cloaks around their shoulders, they set off toward the heart of their town. Benjamin made her wait behind the wall of ivy until he made sure that the coast was completely clear before they ventured any farther. Once he had, they continued into the heart of town. The square.

A large ring of vendors and shops lined the heart, filling the air with nervous chattering. A tenseness hung in the air that didn't normally linger, but it was easy to see why. Kallie spotted at least twenty palace guards. They wore the chain mail suit with violet and shimmering gold silk—those were the colors of Concordia. Most of them snooped around the liquor vendors and brandished swords at the people who looked at them too long. Kallie shook her head in disappointment. If her father were still alive, they would never be allowed to do such a thing.

A shaky old man made the mistake of bumping into one of the guards, and he was shoved into the dirt. The men guffawed, obviously proud of what they had done. Kallie started to make a beeline for the man, but Benjamin kept her firmly at his side.

Kallie turned on Benjamin to protest, but he spoke first, "We cannot risk that man revealing your identity." Kallie's eyes dropped as she nodded. Though it saddened her to admit, he was right.

They continued forward until they reached the fruit stands. Kallie pulled her hood further over her eyes—they were a dead give-away of her identity. No one else in the kingdom had violet—almost lilac—eyes other than her own brother.

As Kallie picked up a tomato, she noticed one disappear in the corner of her eye, "Hey!" A gruff voice shouted. One of the guards rushed over just as Kallie looked down at the thief. The child couldn't have been older than eight or nine. His matted hair barely concealed his sunken face, and he appeared to be all skin and bones.

A large stick bludgeoned the child across the back. A gasp rang from Kallie's lips as a flash of a night in Demitri's favorite chamber for torture slammed to the forefront of her mind. It was as if she could still feel the stinging agony of the whip lashing any exposed part of her back. Her knees weakened as the guard continued to beat the boy relentlessly with the stick.

"Kallie," Benjamin muttered, "What is it?"

"Stop it!" She cried, "Stop it! You'll kill him!" Ben stopped her from lurching forward.

"Stay out of it, Kallie." He warned in her ear.

"Move along, wretch." He growled, that small distraction barely gave the kid the time to limp away, foodless and bloody. "Where'd that boy go!?" He growled, "Look at what you've done." Kallie cringed as her brother's voice uttered the same words in her head. The man took a step forward and she jumped back with a soft whimper.

"I'm so sorry, sir." Ben covered, "She's my wife; you see, she's just lost a child so she isn't completely right." He pulled Kallie behind him, "I do apologize if she has offended you.

Kallie glanced between him and the guard, who seemed to accept it, "Fine, keep her under control, or else."

"Yes sir, of course sir." Benjamin loaded the basket with tomatoes and paid the vendor.

Kallie kept her eyes on the ground. What was wrong with her!? Flashbacks of those long nights in her brother's chambers kept ringing through her mind. Nothing she could think of cleared it. Nothing. They just kept coming and coming... Benjamin kept her close, which she was grateful for. He radiated warmth and calm. It kept her from collapsing. It kept her strong.

Kallie bought extra silk, a few cheeses to add to the soup and a phial of sage for Helga's spice collection, as well as a loaf of bread and a few apples. "Let's return." Ben nodded and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. As they neared the crumbling wall, Kallie saw a figure skirt in the treeline.

Kallie froze and squinted at the figure, "What is it?" Benjamin muttered.

"One moment." Kallie handed Benjamin the basket and slowly approached the treeline, "Is somebody there?" She heard a small gasp, "No, no! It's alright. Come out," She held out her hand as two pairs of eyes glimmered from the shadows, "I won't hurt you."

The dirty boy from the square inched out of the shadows, a tiny girl clinging to his leg, "What is your name?" Ben's voice softened as he stood next to Kallie.

"Jonah," He muttered, "This is my sis'a, my baby sis'a Eloisa."

"Do you have parents?" Kallie muttered softly, stepping closer. Though malnourished, the child was nearly Kallie's height. His sister couldn't have been older than four or five. Her dirty, wheat curls were matted to her face.

"No." Jonah spat, "Parents ain't good for nothin'."

"Are they dead?" She asked.

"They lef' us if that what choo mean," He sniffed.

"Where do you stay?" Ben asked gently.

"No where. Everywhere, I dunno..." Jonah said.

"Are you hungry?" Kallie asked, "I saw you take that food."

"Didn't get nothin' anyway. Now Eloisa don't have anythin'." He kicked up dirt with his free leg.

Kallie looked down into the pale grey eyes of the little girl, "Would you like food?" Eloisa perked up hopefully, her small hand rubbing her tummy.

"Would both of you like a place to call home?" Benjamin offered. Kallie's eyes were then glued to his face. It was like she hadn't quite seen him before. His warmth radiated in more ways than one, sending that feeling of fluttering through her stomach again.

The hopeful looks on their faces were enough. Kallie smiled graciously at them, "We know a place that both of you can go. You will have full stomachs, warm beds, clean clothes, and you will be happy."

"Where!?" Jonah chimed.

"We will take you there." Kallie held out her hand. Jonah glanced at it nervously, but after a soft encouraging smile, he took it, his cheeks flushing red beneath the dirt.

Eloisa seemed to take her brother's acceptance as enough because she wrapped around Kallie's leg. Kallie smiled and lifted her onto her hip and leading Jonah with her other hand. After making sure the path was clear, they led them through the ivy, down the dirt path, and toward the slightly askew mahogany door.

The rest of the base embraced them with open arms. Some of the women took them off to the washroom to clean them. Others retrieved them clean clothes, and Helga began to put a magnificent spread across the table. Kallie could smell the food brewing in the kitchens and wafting through the base.

Kallie's eyes trailed the table of decadent dishes. A soup of cheese, tomato and leek sat in a large pot, still simmering softly in the center of the table. Pastas and sweet rolls and other dishes were scattered down both sides of the table. She didn't eat much, despite the urging of Baylee and Ravin. She was still barely able to take in food. The biting nausea didn't constantly plague her as it did before, but it was still present. Especially tonight.

Kallie stood sending a hush over the inhabitants of the table. Even Jonah and Eloisa's eyes were on her, "We have two new additions to our family." She smiled motioning to the children, "They are to be given the love, attention and respect that they deserve. Now, why don't we eat."

"Aye, you said it, Princess!" a man called out. Both children stared at her in wonder. She motioned for them to eat, and both children tucked into their mountainous plates of food.

Once the night was over, Kallie volunteered to help tuck them both in bed.

"I didn't know you was a princess." Jonah said sleepily.

A soft smile lifted her lips, "You'll have to promise me that you won't tell anyone outside of this place, okay?" Jonah nodded, his eyes drooping until he fell under. Eloisa's large grey eyes watched Kallie as she tucked her brother in beside her, "Sleep little one." Kallie smiled.

"You won't leave us will you?" She nearly whispered, her baby lisp coloring her words.

"Never, I promise." When she seemed satisfied, Kallie tucked her in and kissed her forehead. She fell under nearly instantly, allowing Kallie to leave her be.

She left the door cracked and came face-to-face with Benjamin, "You did a wonderful thing."

"WE did a wonderful thing." Kallie reminded him.

Ben smiled and led her to her chambers. Kallie pulled off her day dress and started toward the bed in her slip, when Ben grabs her hands and kisses her knuckles, "Good night, princess." This froze Kallie in place, and as he is stepping out the door, she realized that she didn't want him to leave her alone. Not with the nightmares that were sure to control her dreams tonight.

"Wait! Ben," His eyes met hers, "Don't leave me alone." She muttered, "Not tonight..." His expression softens. His hands close the door between them and the outside world, and his feet close the distance.

The instant her light is blown out and she could feel his arms around her, giving her that comfort, that warmth, she fell under.