Nuada.. part VIII

I stared at the white plastic stick in disbelief. It wasn't possible, Nuala had even told me so. Actually, a little voice in my head persisted, she had said it was rare to conceive; she never said it was impossible. And yeah there was a chance that a home pregnancy test could be inaccurate after only one week, but not three of them. All were done today and all showed the  little 'plus' sign.

I was pregnant.

I slumped against the bathroom sink. What was I going to do? What the hell was my mom going to say? How was Nuada going to react? I had tons of questions, but only one answer- the most important one: I was going to keep this baby.

My mom was going to be so pissed! She'll think I just let myself get knocked up by some no-name guy who didn't stick around long enough to find out he was going to be a father. I don't think Nuada will bolt when he finds out, but I guess we'll see soon enough. Besides, even if he did want to play daddy that still wasn't going to help me take care of my mom. "Hi Ma, meet my honeybunch, Nuada, Prince to the Elvish kingdom of Bethmoora." No way. She'd think I was nuts, and that he needed to stop parading around in makeup and freaky contacts.

Maybe Nuada's invitation to run away with him came at the perfect time. It's funny how things work out like that.

I swept all the pregnancy tests into the feminine waste disposal, washed my hands, and headed back to my dorm room to finish packing. Nuada had said I wouldn't really need anything, but I never had trusted a man's idea of packing. And I knew that he was in exile. Even as a prince I wasn't sure what kind of digs he could be living in. If I was going to be staying at the top of a tree then we might have some problems. Unless it was like one of those Lothlorien trees. Yeah, that'd be awesome.

I truly didn't know what to pack. Because I was unsure of where we'd be staying, I was in the dark about what kind of facilities it would possess. I decided I'd try to get away with only the essentials: an extra pair of jeans. two shirts- one long-sleeved and one short, some sleepwear, extra underwear, and my ballet slippers. I also included my toothbrush and toothpaste, some all-purpose eyeliner and mascara (where would I be without them?), a hairbrush, and my mp3 player (my guilty pleasure).

As I walked across the quiet little town that I loved so much, the light drizzle that cooled me off turned into a shower, and I was glad that I had grabbed my hoodie as an afterthought. The sun would set soon and I knew that Nuada would probably already be waiting for me once I reached the park. Until then my mind was lost in thought. I worried about how I was going to be able to disappear from the human world with nobody freaking out or asking questions. But more to the current point, I was worrying about how Nuada was going to take the news about the pregnancy.

My mind was still lost in thought long before I realized that I had reached my destination. The world around me was colored in varying shades of gray and green. The trees around me began to blur in my vision as I suddenly began to feel dizzy. I had to grab onto a small pine tree's trunk so I wouldn't pass out. Was the world supposed to spin like this when you're pregnant? I clenched my eyes shut and leaned my forehead against the cool, wet bark, seeking its reassuring solidity. I focused on my breathing, trying to calm my body, wishing that I could rip off my sneakers to sink my toes into the muddy grass. That always seemed to make me feel better in the past.

"What has happened?" asked a soft, concerned voice. "Are you not well?"

I opened my eyes slowly to see that Nuada's black and white form blended well with his surroundings- or maybe it was the fading light. His face was so close to mine. I could see that his eyes were a worried, nondescript gray color in their human appearance. Twilight eyes, I breathed silently with a small smile. There was worry etched into his scarred, but perfect face. He looked significantly older with the current expression that he wore, but still boyishly innocent all at the same time. It almost seemed as if he wasn't accustomed to portraying such an emotion. Maybe in fact he wasn't. Despite that, Nuada had never looked more beautiful- more vulnerable- more haunting. I knew I would always carry this image in my head from this point on.

"Muirnín?" he asked. I knew it was a question by the inflection in his voice, but I didn't know the language he spoke. It sounded ancient, and while it was beautiful, it wasn't as flowy as the Elvish language that JRR Tolkien had taught to us. This sounded more archaic and gutteral. I wondered if this language held any similarities to what we knew today as Gaelic.

I smiled up at him, and I knew that no matter what he asked of me (short of death upon those I loved), I would do it. My mixed up world felt right when I was with him. All that was dark and frightening held a new beauty and limitless possibilities.

Poor Nuada. He only asked if I was okay and here I was about to spout poetry.

I nodded my head weakly. Anything more than that I was sure would give me a jarring headache. Beyond where Nuada filled my vision, the colors of the park around us still blurred together in the late spring shower.

A pale white hand, cool and wet from the rain, lifted my chin. "What is it?" he asked softly, almost in a whisper.

I inhaled a deep, shaky breath. It was now or never. "I'm pregnant," I said, watching him for any involuntary jerk he may make.

His eyes, which had been watching my face intently, moved down to my mouth, and then back up again before slowly blinking. What the hell did that mean?

I frowned. "Did you hear me? I said I am carrying your child," I said in a louder voice, just in case the rain had drowned me out the first time.

"I hear what you are saying," Nuada said soothingly, like he was trying to calm me down. "I have been well aware that you are with child." And just like that he says something that throws my poor little human mind for a loop.

"You knew?" I asked, incredulous. My balance had recovered and I was moving away from the tree now, stepping closer to him. "How could you know when not even I knew?"

Nuada smiled patiently at me, which only irked me more. He was patronizing me. "My kind are gifted with a certain innate sense that detects the essence of life. Though you may not have been aware, I have already sensed the new life stirring within you. It has recognized me, it knows who I am." He placed a hand against my still-small stomach. "It listens."

Hearing him talk like that in such a serious voice was kind of creepy. I slapped his hand away and narrowed my eyes at him. "A little warning would have been nice."

He cocked his head to the side and studied me. "Does this upset you?"

I laughed, moving away from him. "Which part? The fact that I'm pregnant, that you already knew and didn't think to tell me, or that I could be carrying this super-intelligent magical guru of a child?" Yeah, I was a bit weirded out, I admit.

I felt him move against my back, but I didn't turn around. His black-clad arms snaked around my waist and I felt his chin rest on top of my head. He exhaled a deep breath and it made the semi-dry curls under my hood flutter.

"You are afraid," he whispered.

I nodded, blinking back tears that had suddenly sprung to my eyes. "I don't know how to explain things to my family. I mean, they'll think one thing, but if they ever meet you..."

Nuada's tight grip on my arm spun me around to face him. His hands moved up to cup my face and lifted my lips to his, dragging me to my toes. His mouth was so warm and soft, a beautiful mingling of sensations as we stood in the cool rain.

"Have faith in our love," he whispered against my face. His breath warmed my cheeks, but his words warmed my heart.