Marceline had made many mistakes in her life. But this, by far, had to have been one of the worst. She knew coupling with Fiero had been a mistake. Knew that she should have listened to her body better and denied his roguish advances. What was meant to be a single night of no-strings-attached fun, a momentary secession to bodily pleasure, had turned into one of her greatest regrets.
She was pregnant.
Though her body was not currently showing the change in any perceivable way, she could feel it deep in the marrow of her bones. As autumn rolled onward and winter crept nearer, it became impossible to ignore. It was a pervasive sensation that made her want to turn her insides out, to defy the laws of nature and vomit up every bit of bile in her stomach if only to get rid of the bitter taste of shame and rage at the back of her throat.
The red speckled mare paced the edge of the Meadow, wondering what if she was going to tell Fiero. How long could she keep this from him? Would he be able to tell? Did she care enough to divulge this information to him? Would he care either way?
She envied him; he had the luxury of simply ignoring this little problem if he pleased, and it would have no effect on him. He could go about his life like he hadn't just ruined hers. But she... she would never be able to ignore this. No matter how hard she willed herself not to, she could practically feel it growing cell by treacherous cell in her belly. Marceline wanted to rend it from her body and cast it into the ocean, to seal its fate as nothing more than a meal for some hungry predator. She wanted it out but it was stuck there, stealing nutrients from her body and (in time) making her grow fat and round.
That was probably what Fiero wanted, the bastard ― to tie her down to that god-awful desert hellscape and give her no chance of leaving. He must think that a reasonable mare would stay for the sake of her child, for the safety and protection he offered, but he was a fool if he thought she was reasonable in any logical capacity. She'd gladly dump him with his son or daughter and leave if it meant being free of him and his overly-possessive lover, who seemed to be operating under the delusion that Marceline was interested in her mate in some way. As if. Fiero been little more than a meaningless fling, a one-and-done lover, and she'd be damned if she let anyone think she was pining after the likes of him.
Perhaps it would just be more prudent to simply run away, to sequester herself from the world until this had passed and she could return like nothing had happened. Yes, that sounded reasonable....
Amidst her irate stewing, she could hear someone approach. The steady beat of hooves against packed dirt was unmistakable. What fool would dare approach her, clear as her displeasure was? Ears pressed firmly against the ruddy tangle of her mane, speckled lip curling in seething displeasure. She didn't deign to even swivel her head around to see who it was before she lashed out, assuming it was the dun stallion come to collect her and bring her back to the Dunes.
"Va-t'en - go away!" It was a venomous greeting, her thick accent made heavier with rage. Marceline was in no mood to deal with him ― or really anyone ― right now.
|