3. Oren

Oren pov

I could not believe what happened. At this moment, Amaya was next to me, and then she snapped the neck of that monster, Aalto.

But the one that killed him wasn't my Amaya. That was not my Alter. It was a beast. Not that this is changing my feelings for her. She is my soulmate. But I never imagined that this would happen either, that these beasts exist.

She must have been as confused as I was about this. The look in her eyes when she looked at me just before she ran away will haunt me for the rest of my life. She was hurt! Hurt by us, her friends and her soulmate.

The guilt that resides deep in my heart is eating me alive. Maybe if I didn't show the confusion and fear, perhaps if I just followed her in the forest... perhaps she would still be here to my side, where her place is. 

My coronation will take place in two days. I know I should be excited about this big day, but I'm not! Not as long as Amaya, my other half is not here. 

What is a King without a Queen after all?

"Oren? You are zooming out again." came the sweet voice of my sister.

I turned to face her and gave her a small smile. 

"Well, I can't help it, sis!" I said and looked away.

I couldn't look them in the eyes! Even if they are not blaming me, I do...

"How is my little pumpkin? Ready to explode?" I ask, brushing my finger on her swollen tummy.

"Stop calling your niece like this, Oren! And yes, I think she is ready to come into the world now. I'm so glad the war stopped so she can grow up in this beautiful land without the fear of what tomorrow brings." Evolet said with teary eyes.

"Yeah. I can not wait to meet her! Do you think she will control all the elements as well?"

"Well, she is a Zephiryne, Oren! She would be able to do that one day. But I pray to the Gods that day will not come too soon. As I know, there will be more born from the seeds of Tiros, who will want to hurt her."

I nod, thinking about what Evolet said. She was right. There will always be evil as long as good is. Exactly like day and night, it can't be one without the other.

We stood there in silence for about thirty minutes before Evolet decided to take a nap.

She was about to leave when she started screaming.

"Evy? What's wrong? Is the baby? Is it coming? Oh my God! Why me? Why should it happen here and now? What should I do?! What should I do?! Evolet? Evolet?" I shout, panicked, when she starts swaying on her feet.

I lift her bridal style and start jogging in the direction of the infirmary. 

"Blaze! Blaze you son of a... mother! Where the fuck are you, you asshole? Come here, or I will pass out before my sister!" I yell, breathing heavy. 

Evolet was barely holding up, and I was afraid that something might happen to her or the baby. Besides, she has put on some weight at the time of the pregnancy, and she was heavy as hell.

"Evy? Do you hear me? If you do, know that I will kick your fat semi goddess ass if you dare to faint on me! Do you hear me?!"

She chuckled softly, and an involuntary smile appeared on my face.

"Oren! What is going on? Love? Love, are you ok?" Blaze shouts, running towards us.

"We were in the garden, and she suddenly started screaming and swaying on her feet. I think that she might give birth?" I said quickly.

"Go let the doctors know! Tell them to be ready before we get there!" Blaze said in a stern voice, taking Evolet from my arms. 

I nod and start running towards the infirmary. I am glad that it wasn't needed for me to stay with them. Not because I'm afraid of my sister giving birth and not because I don't like them. The truth is that I love them.

Well, I love my sister, and I have immense respect for Blaze.

But whenever I am around them, the pain in my chest grows. The way he looks at her and softens every time she talks with him made me miss Amaya even more.

As soon as I get in the infirmary, I tell the doctor what Blaze said, and in less than a minute, they are ready.

"Put her here, My King!" the doctor said,d and Blaze follow the instructions.

"I will need to ask both of you to step outside of the room now, as I need to do some checks. From what I can tell, she will not give birth today. So I want to make sure the baby is ok."

Before Blaze could say anything, the doctor pushed us out and closed the door.

"Can you believe this? Is this a way to treat your King, now?" Blaze said, and we both started laughing.

"How are you, man?" he asks after a while, looking at me.

"Good... I think."

"You sure? You know I'm here if you want to talk about it. You are now like my brother, Oren."

"Thank you, man, but I'm good, honestly." 

"Whatever you say," he said, and we stood in silence for another ten minutes before the door opened.

"My Kings! You may come in now! The Queen and the baby are fine. It was just a contraction. It will happen more often now as the due date is approaching." the doctor said and bows before leaving the room.

"My love! How do you feel? Are you ok, my little flower...?" Blaze asks, walking next to Evolet's bed.

"You scared the shit out of me, Evy! Could you not do that again to me? Are we clear? And Blaze?" 

"What?" he said, trying not to laugh.

"Man, stop calling her LITTLE flower for a while!"

"Oren! How dare you?!" Evolet shouts, throwing a pillow at me, and we all burst into laughter.