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The spire of Imperial Palace was as huge and dramatic and always, glowing vibrant gold s and reds in the bright sunlight and looming several stories overhead. It was a masterpiece of design, engineering and sheer wealth that stood unmatched across all the known realms. Most men would have been awestruck, even on their seventh visit, but Davion barely gave it a second glance. He was too focused on the task ahead of him and trying not to lose his nerve.

After months of dithering and trying to drown his feelings in work, drink and just about everything other than carnal pursuits, he had finally decided to take action and get everything out in the open. It would be better that way. Even if she rejected him – which she was sure to do, why would any woman like her be interested in a man like him? - at least he would know. At least he’d have tried. Maybe then he’d actually be able to focus on something other than the shape of Marci’s lips.

Either that or he’d get a whole lot worse.

His internal ramblings were halted by Asar only because the other man was standing directly in his path up the steps. “Asar,” He tried to bring his thoughts back down to reality, “Good to see you again.”

“Davion Dragon Knight.” Asar greeted him with a respectful bow, “I wasn’t expecting you to come so soon.”

“I was in the area.” Davion said evasively. It was true that he had made rather a lot of visits, ostentatiously to see Mirana, and that his excuses were becoming increasingly flimsy. He suspected that the sharp-eyed guard had noticed that something was up.

Though, very soon that wouldn’t matter. Either Davion would be able to dispense with the excuses or he would have no more reason to visit.

“I see.” Asar said with an even smile, “How convenient. Please,” He gestured inside, “I will let Empress Mirana know that you’ve arrived.”

“There’s no need for that.” Davion said quickly, “I was actually- ”

Asar waved away his objection, “The Empress assured me that your business was most urgent.”

“Oh, uh, really?” Davion asked. He could not think of any urgent business he had with Mirana and even if she had guessed his true intentions he could not imagine what that had to do with her.

Asar nodded, “She asked to be informed as soon as you arrived.”

“Alright then.” Davion was even more confused by that – normally Mirana was run off her feet and impossible to get hold of without either a dire emergency or several hours wait – but there was little point in trying to object. If Mirana wanted to see him the least he could do was find out way.

His thoughts wandered back to Marci as he was lead inside, following the familiar path to whichever of Mirana’s innumerable sitting rooms was deemed appropriate for dragon knights.

The straightforward approach was best, he decided. Marci wasn’t the type to be wooed by fancy words or overworked imagery. And he wasn’t very good at that kind of thing anyway. It would be better just to be honest. Tell her how much he had enjoyed travelling her and suggest that maybe they could do it again. Spend some time getting to know each other.

Without Mirana.

But not because otherwise he would be tempted by her!

Davion cursed himself again for his thoughtless impulsivity. It would have been so much easier to confess to Marci if he hadn’t already betrayed her. It wasn’t even like he had a good excuse – he’d had a few drinks, she was attractive, she was there , it was what he did. None of that would work.

Alright, start by apologising for sleeping with Mirana.

He was still rehashing his approach when the door opened and Mirana appeared . Her face looked less pinched than when he’d last seen her and most of the colour had been restored to her skin, although she still looked very tired and obviously anxious. Accompanying her were both Marci and Luna, the latter of whom greeted Davion w ith an utterly bilious glare, while Marci was staring at her own shoes, intently avoiding looking at him at all.

Neither of the attendants sat down when Mirana did, instead choosing to flank the narrow sofa on either side like a pair of mismatched guard dogs.

Davion pushed past the unnervingness of the scene to give all three women a friendly smile, “ Good to see you all again.”

“Thank you.” Mirana’s smile was strained, “And thank you for coming so quickly.”

“I’m afraid I came so quickly I actually missed your invite.” Davion admitted, “It’s probably waiting for me back in Dragon Hold.” He frowned slightly as his eyes scanned the group, “Do you mind filling me in one what’s going on? Is Terrorblade back?”

“No.” Mirana’s eyes dropped to her lap, “No Terrorblade. And my letter didn’t have any of the details.”

“Okay.” Davion waited for her to elaborate on said details but when met only by an awkward silence, during which Luna continued to stare at him as though he’d puked on her best shoes. “Was it something I did?” He asked eventually.

“You could say that.” Luna said archly.

“Alright.” Davion was starting to feel like he was on trial for a crime that no one had told him about, “Well, what ever it was, I’m sorry.”

Luna scoffed, “Bit late for that.”

Marci still didn’t look at.

“Okay. But- look,” Some of Davion’s frustration spilled into his voice, “Can someone please tell me what’s going on? I can’t help if you leave me in the dark.”

Mirana nodded, her expression genuinely contrite, “You’re right. I’m sorry. It was cowardly of me to keep you in the dark like this.”

“It’s alright.” Davion assured her. Unlike Luna, Mirana seemed genuinely upset, “Just tell me now, okay? Whatever it is, I’ll do everything I can to sort things out. It can’t be any worse than Terrorblade, right?” He flashed her encouraging smile.

Mirana let out a hollow shaky laugh, “I’m not so sure of that.”

Another silence followed, but thankfully this time it only last a few seconds before Mirana raised her head to meet his eyes, with a slow, deep breath, “Davion,” Her eyes lingered on his, “I’m pregnant.”

The entire world dropped away as a wave of dizzy terror over came him. Oh gods, oh fuck.

He didn’t realise that he was cursing aloud until Luna said, “Lovely.” Luna said sarcastically.

“Sorry.” Davion swallowed hard, fighting to bring himself back to reality, “I mean… Congratulations!” His fake smile felt like it was going to fall off of his face and his voice was so tight it sounded like he’d been punched.

“No you didn’t.” Mirana hugged her arms protectively around her mid section, “It’s yours, by the way.”

“I got that.” Davion was intensely aware of Marci standing just outside his field of vision but he didn’t dare look at her. If only he hadn’t been so reckless, so stupid. If only he had thought to approach her first before making the biggest mistake of his life.

“So yes.” In contrast to Davion’s barely restrained panic and Mirana’s quiet anxiety, Luna was positively crowing, “It is your fault. I’ have thought a man like you,” The words were poisonous, “Would know to be more careful.”

“I did try.” Davion protested, “But accidents happen.”

Luna scoffed, “To some men, I’m sure.”

Davion was now trying even harder not to look at Marci, “That’s not what I meant.”

“Well clearly something went wrong. Something you should have planned for.”

Davion closed his eyes, “Every method of contraception fails sometimes. I thought that Mirana would be taking precautions as well.”

“And why would you think that?” Luna asked, “Because otherwise you might have had to take some responsibility instead of just sticking your-”

“Because she was the one who made advances on me!” Davion’s voice rose as he spoke over her.

“Really, Davion.” Luna scolded, utterly unruffled by his out burst, “Now is hardly the time to start pointing fingers.”

“What?” Davion exclaimed, “You were just-”

“Stop it, both of you.” Mirana snapped. “Luna’s right, it’s done now.” Her arms tightened around her midsection, her eyes sad, “There’s no point wishing things were different.”

“Hey.” In a heart beat, Luna flipped from smug superiority to gentle kindness and she stepped closer to Mirana to lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “Don’t be like that. Everything’s going to be okay.”

On Mirana’s other side, Marci had also moved to comfort her friend. Now that her eyes were up, Davion could see that she also looked deeply sad. It must be awful for her to see her best friend in such a difficult situation and Davion felt a renewed wave of guilt and sadness.

He stewed quietly for a few moments until Mirana had been sufficiently fussed over and turned her attention back to him. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but, as you say, the gods are be… generous with their blessings. Especially when people are careless.” Her eyes reflected his own remorse back at him.

“That they are.” Davion took a long breath, “And Luna isn’t wrong about responsibility.” He straightened his shoulders to address Mirana head on, “I want you to know that I’m willing to do right by you and the baby. I know Dragon Knights have a reputation but we’re people of honour. I would never dream of abandoning a women in your condition or turning my back on my child.”

Even if it hadn’t been Mirana, a woman he at least liked outside of carnal pleasures, he would have done the same. And not only because Marci would never look twice at someone who could be so selfish and callous.

“I appreciate that.” Mirana’s smile was seemingly genuine, “But it won’t be necessary.”

“Are you sure?” Davion frowned, “It won’t be easy going it alone.”

“I won’t be alone.” Mirana assured him, “I’m engaged.”

“You are?” Davion was momentarily surprised, before quickly seeing sense. Mirana was not only an attractive and intelligent woman in her own right, but also the Empress of the largest and wealthiest nation in the world. She probably had hundreds of suitors lining up for her affections. “And he knows about the baby?”

“She’s a bit quicker of the mark than you are.” Luna commented dryly. She was still standing at Mirana’s side, with her hand resting protectively, almost affectionately, on her shoulder.

Davion’s eyes widened, “You two are...?”

Mirana shifting fractionally closer to Luna, “It’s not what the Court wants for me. But we love each other.” She turned to meet Luna’s eyes with a look of undisguised adoration, “And we’ve decided we’re going to be together, all three of us.” Her eyes were soft and misty as she stared up at her partner, “Luna is going to be such a wonderful mother.”

Luna graced her with a sheepish smile, “I’ll do my best.” She glanced towards Davion, for once without scowling, “I love kids. And Mirana, of course.”

“In that order?” Mirana asked, with a teasing smile and they both laughed.

Davion tried to reconcile that information with everything else he knew about Luna but rapidly gave up. Sure. Selemene’s butcher loved children. Good for her. “That’s wonderful.” He said this time really meaning it, “Congratulations to both of you.”

“Thank you.” Mirana’s smile remained in place as she turned back to him, “So, as you can see, there’s really no need for you to be involved if you don’t want to. The baby will have absolutely everything they could wish for.”

“It’s still my child.” Davion felt a flare of defensive anger. “I’m not going to just abandon them.”

“It’s your call.” Mirana said evenly, “If you want to stay, there’s a job in the guard for you and more than enough room in the Palace. But I know how much the Dragon Knights mean to you.”

That was true. He also wasn’t sure he liked the idea of living under Mirana’s feet, as one of her underlings, no less. And while being separated from Marci was agonising, he suspected that seeing her every day, without being able to say or do any of the things he longed to, seemed like too much to bear.

“Maybe not.” He said diplomatically. “But I’ll visit!” He added quickly, “I’ll visit all the time.”

He could tell, even with out looking at her, that Luna didn’t believe him. “I will.” He insisted.

“We’ll be happy to have you.” Mirana assured him. “As often as you want.”

“Or as little.” Luna added.

Davion did not rise to the bait, “And I’ll be up in good time for the birth.” He wasn’t so uneducated that he didn’t know how unpredictably the date could be, “This winter, right?” By his calculations, Mirana was coming up on five months pregnant.

Mirana nodded, “Sometime around them.” Her hand moved towards her midriff again.

Scarily soon. “How have you been feeing?” Davoin asked and mentally kicked himself for not asking earlier.

“Not too bad, now the sickness has passed. A bit tired.” Her expression was rueful as she touched the bump that presumably lay hidden under her skirts, “And getting rounder by the day.”

“You don’t look round. You look great.” Davoin said and then immediately regretted complimenting her in front of Marci. “I mean, uh, healthy.” He corrected, “Proportional.”

“Thanks.” Mirana said, without looking particularly reassured.

The group lapsed back into silence, with Mirana cradling her near-invisible belly, Luna at her side and Marci hovering an awkward distance away, examining the floorboards.

Davion decided now was high time for him to go. It seemed like they had covered all of the immediate concerns and he could really use some time to process. Preferably in a tavern. “So,” He got to his feet with an aura of finality, “I guess I’ll see you at the wedding.” He added jovially.

Somewhere the atmosphere managed to get more uncomfortable than it was already.

“Davion…” Mirana trailed off.

“Oh. Right.” Davion licked his lips uncomfortably. “I see.”

Not invited to the wedding then.

“It’s a state event.” Mirana’s voice was contrite, “I can barely invite Luna.”

“Of course.” Davion said quickly, brushing away her discomfort, “I shouldn’t have assumed. I’d probably just look silly anyway..”

Idly, he wondered if Marci would be attending. Most likely, as Mirana’s handmaiden. And she scrubbed up far better than he did.

“But we’re having another ceremony,” Mirana’s voice was too high and too fast, “An Elvish Ontonosse. It’ll be a little while later but-”

Davion raised a hand to cut her off, “Really, it’s fine. I hope you both have a lovely time, in as many ceremonies as you want.”

He made a move towards the door but Mirana followed after him. “At least stay for dinner. You’ve come all this way.”

“Thank you.” Davion’s voice was tight, “But I’m fine for food.”

What he really needed was a drink. Or twenty.

***

Davion needed a drink.

Even after all the whole thing with Luna and agreeing to put aside the booze for good, even after what it had done to him, he still needed.

He squirmed miserably on the bed, trying in vain to find a comfortable position as the silk blanket clung to his sweat drenched skin. Even with the curtains closed his head was pounding and his stomach seemed to be squeezing itself into sausage casing. Absent gods, this was unendurable.

He was in the process of pushing himself upright, thinking that if he started again from standing he could at least free himself from the damned sheets, when the door was thrown open and Marci bounded into the room, carrying a tray laden with various pieces of crockery – including a delicious looking jug of water and a nauseating smelling bowl of soup.

In a blink she half flung the tray onto the bedside table and then rushed to his side to fling her arms around him.

Sensing her distress, Davion squeezed her back, “Marci, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

Marci pulled back to give him a hard glare. No, you aren’t.

“Okay, well maybe not.” He admitted, “But I’m here now. That’s the main thing.”

A few hours sober and he was already talking like Luna. But if that was what it took.

Marci considered the statement for a moment before hugging him again, even tighter.

“I know.” Davion said into her hair, guilt and regret washing over his body, “I’m sorry.” He was well aware that it was his fault for letting himself get into this state and not getting help sooner. Or even just putting the bottle down himself.

Marci kept holding him him for several more seconds before reluctantly letting go. She stepped back to gesture to the tray, tilting her head questioningly

“Some water would be great.” Davoin answered.

He had a glass in his hand almost before he finished his sentence and, half a moment later, a cool damp cloth laid over the back of his neck.

Davion sighed with relief as he took a long drink. His head already felt better now that his fever had been taken down a couple of notches. “If I knew I could get this kind of treatment I’d come here more often.”

Marci continued to look meekly obedient but Davion could see what she was really thinking. I wish you did come more often. I wish you’d let me take care of you.

“Sorry.” Davion said again, his shoulders slumping back down as his false jollity faded, “I didn’t mean that. I mean I did, but… I don’t know.” He trailed off pathetically.

Marci just nodded and then moved to sit next to him onthe bed, her eyes solemn. Davion didn’t know what she’d seen of Luna struggles in the Nightsilver Woods, but he knew she’d never turn her back on her friend, so he could only imagine she’d seen a lot and none of it pretty. “You don’t have to stay and look after me if you don’t want to. This is all my own fault and it might not be fun to watch.”

Now Marci looked outright furious, so much so that Davion instinctively pulled away, “Okay, okay! You can stay if you want to. I was just giving you the option.”

Marci still looked annoyed that he’d even considered the idea. She pointedly whipped the cloth off of his neck and used it to dab the sweat from his face.

Davion had to fight to keep from groaning again, “I can manage on my own.” He insisted, “I always do.”

Marci did not look relieved by that, instead her head drooped sadly.

“I know.” Davoin admitted, “It gets lonely sometimes. A lot of the time.”

Marci did not react, but it was as though she was keeping herself from responding.

Davion’s mouth suddenly felt unreasonably dry as he thought about everything Luna had said to him. And not just the stuff about quitting the drink.

“Marci,” His voice was sharp in his dry throat, “Do you think – when I’m feeling better, I mean, and once Luna says I’m allowed -”

Marci’s head shot up, her eyes eager.

“Do you think,” Davion chest had folded into a tight knot under her bright, earnest gaze, “That you might like to go travelling with me again? Just the two of us. We could fight dragons and-”

He was cut off my the shift in Marci’s expression. A single question written across her face and shining in her now tear-filled eyes, Do you mean…?

Davion swallowed, “If- If that’s what you want, then yes.”

He could barely finish the word before Marci flung her arms around him.