Several months passed before Esme started to show-and feel-the babe growing inside of her. It felt a bit weird, like it was trying to snuggle into her side constantly. Nothing had ever rubbed against the inside of her womb before. Sometimes it would translate as her kidney itching, causing her to fear an infection, but it would stop too abruptly for her to ever seek care. That would just set her Prince to worrying.

The Princess had to give up on her leathers-she began to look at Althalos' uniform with a touch of jealousy. She wanted trim pants, but there wasn't anything close to trim about her figure, anymore. Her dresses didn't fit, either, and so she went back to stretchy cloeths cut to accommodate a growing belly.

Althalos slowed down on his frenzied lovemaking-and she let it be called that in her mind, as it became his common confession. They were still no closer to settling who they were to each other, but in this area they were more in union-no surprise, since their backwards relationship had always placed emphasis on the carnal. But his slowing was not out of a lack of desire-his admission that a good bit of their physical acts were about distraction gave her insight into what had happened to cause this change.

They spent a good deal of their spare time propped in a bed, with his head pressed against her expanding midsection, listening to and feeling the babe's every move. Esme may never be rid of doubts on who they were, but she had none over his feelings about the child she carried. The Prince was in love with being a father, even this early in the game.

Sadly, her thoughts weren't in the same place. She fought with her own mind against the idea of bearing a grub-it revolted her. She tried to imagine this cuddling child was rubbing it's nose against her side, or maybe that was a hand this time, but she knew these were lies.

"I have something for you today." His head, as usual, was pressed against her abdomen. The babe had chosen to rub against the side he was on, causing her skin to be squished between them.

"Oh? Is it going to be another tour of the inner courtyards as the walls loom over us?"

"No.I'm giving you your dirk back today. We're leaving the Aelfine behind."

He brought this up as she was running her hands through his hair, gently tracing his scalp with the tips of her fingers-something she couldn't get enough of, though she didn't understand why it was such an obsession to her. So she really didn't want to ask what next tumbled from her lips. "For what?"

"We are going to the Tattered Folds, and we'll meet with the Grimhold. I've sent a letter ahead of us, requesting a public meeting."

That caused Esme to sit up abruptly-the man got out of her way quickly. "I've never once called him anything but Praulx--and that only recently. And how did you get him to agree without any proof that the request came from me?"

He smiled at her, indulgently. "I am good at my job, sometimes, Esme. Our changes have netted us quite a few would-be thieves, but your warnings have given us reason to be cautious. We've been avoiding executions in these cases until we can figure out if the person is truly free to be accountable for their own actions. Word is spreading around the Shards that we're softening but are arresting far more than we ever did before. There's a lot of curiosity on your people's end as well. I was angling for a meeting without you there, but he insisted that he wanted to see you."

She pushed him further away with one hand, in mock-disgust. "I thought the worst of the questions had been answered during that horrid meeting with your uncle."

Althalos caught on that it was in play-something he didn't often get right without the pull she once had over him-so he lunged forward like he intended to start a bout of lovemaking, only to pin her and gently kiss the tip of her nose-startling his princess from rolling her eyes. Instead, she blushed. He drank in the sight of her, wondering if this was the last time he'd see her look this way.

But eventually play must end, and answers must be given. "There's still a few. Wouldn't you like to know more about how and why she offered you to him?"

"I was there and I was fourtee-no, ten. I well knew what she meant by what she said, All."

He just shook his head and helped her dress-not that she needed the aid, but he wanted to be sure of where she placed her newly returned blade. They decided on her bust, as retrieval from her shoe would become increasingly difficult over the months still remaining.