Truth

Ashtons POV

“I’m pregnant” I hear Ava say and all other thoughts leave my head and are immediately replaced by new questions.
“What? How do you know?” I ask in disbelief.
“My grandfather said he can hear the heart beat and I believe him” She says more shyly. “Are you unhappy? Do you think it’s too soon?” She adds.
I pull her into me and hug her tightly. “It is definitely sooner than I would have planned, but then again we have not exactly been careful. I am delighted though, the thought of you carrying my child only makes me love you more. You have to be more careful now though, the battlefield is no place for a mother.” I say
“What about a queen?” She says.
I raise my eyebrow at her.
“My grandfather just abdicated his thrown and handed power to me until our child is of age.” She explains.
“Really? Well that might be useful. Still I want you to keep yourself and our child safe until I return” I say.
“Return? You are leaving?” she asks sadly
“I have to face my father, he has a lot of explaining to do. Kato is to stay where he is until I have some answers.” I explain.
“Why what’s wrong?” She asks and we exchange stories from the king and Kato.
“I don’t know what to believe, but I know I need to confront my father.” I say.
“I understand, but you can’t go alone, what if he kills you?” She says panicked
“He can try, but I’m far stronger than he is. I will take John with me though, he can send a signal to you if we need help.”
She looks at me with tears in her eyes, but she nods in agreement. I kiss her gently “I love you. I will come back for you. For both of you” I place a kiss on her stomach and I grab my things to leave. Leaving her feels wrong, like a part of my soul is being pulled away, but I steal myself and head to john.
“We are going to see my father. Be ready for a fight” I say.
“I’m always ready for a fight” He says with a smirk and we ride off towards home.
When we are safely out of earshot from everyone John whispers “You promise you really still haven’t told anyone about the frog?”
I laugh out loud “Your secret is safe with me” I make a kiss face and chuckle to myself at the memory of John kissing a frog in hope it would become a princess like in the story.
We ride the rest of the way and I explain the situation to john. Having been slightly younger than me, he didn’t know anything, but he agreed to find his mother and ask her while I’m speaking to my father.
As we arrive back at the palace, although i’m exhausted from the long journey, I storm straight to my fathers office.
“Leave us!” I order the guards who shuffle out.
“Ah my son has returned at last. You were only supposed to rescue the scouts, not have a vacation fucking some whore” He chastises.
“Do not call Ava that!” I snarl at him
“Oh this one has a name that you remember at least. It doesn’t matter anyway, I have arranged a wife for you while you were away” He says coldly and flatly.
“You are too late, I am married to Ava” I mirror his tone.
He actually drops his pen and looks at me “You can’t, you need a kings blessing to marry”
“We had a kings blessing, her grandfathers” I explain and smirk as the smug superior look on his face cracks and his composure breaks.
“You know that cross species relations are forbidden! She can never set foot in this country, yet alone rule it!” He shouts.
“What about mum?” I say ignoring his threats and getting to the topic I came for.
“Your mother was different, we were together before the sanctions were necessary” He says cold again
“Then why keep her a secret?” I say.
“The people would not have understood.” He says.
“Did you love her?” I ask
“I did”
“Then why would you keep others from loving like you had?”
“Because what we had was wrong, it shouldn’t have happened. If I had known, I would never have let it happen” He says loosing his temper.
“So you didn’t know what she was?” I ask
“No, she lied to me! She hid that part of her” He snaps
“When did she tell you?” I ask
“The day she died” he says.
“And how did she die?” I ask
“You know this already. Kato killed her” He says, but I don’t believe him. I push him against the wall and pin him up by the throat.
The door opens and Johns mum walks in. “He deserves the truth!” she shouts at my father and he glares at her and sends a fireball her way. John pulls her out of its path just in time and then hurries her away to safety.
“You heard her, I deserve the truth!” I hiss at him.
“You deserve nothing, I gave you everything, every opportunity and you squandered it! I should have let you die with her” He says harshly.
“Then why save me?” I ask
“I needed an heir. I know how the mate bond works, after your true mate no other can bare children. I had to hope that you took my gifts and not your useless mothers so that people would not be suspicious” He says.
“Don't call her that!” I snap throwing fire at him which he puts out quickly.
“Tell me, why so many questions suddenly?” He asks
“I spoke to Kato” I explain.
He sighs in resignation “so you already know. I did kill her. I was so angry and disgusted with her and myself. I regretted it instantly, part of me died with her. I convinced myself that separation was the solution, no one else would go through this. I lost the love of my life for the sake of my ideology, I had to see it through.”
Rage flows through me at his confession. I feel the ground start to shake because of it. I punch him, releasing him in the process. “surrender and you will live your life in prison!” I demand.
“You know I can’t do that” He says as he throws fire at me. I dodge it and throw my own back. It misses him, but sets the curtains on fire. I use air to push him, but he pushes back so we are both pushed to opposite corners pinned down by the force. I try to move earth to hold him, but we are too high up. The ground below still tremors. I dislodge a brick instead and throw it at him, breaking his concentration, I then throw more fire at him and this time it hits. He becomes desperate, moving towards the window, but I pull him back before he can jump. He throws fire at me and I feel it singe my clothes before I put it out. He draws fire, water, earth and wind around him, so that it is spiralling in a tornado shape protecting him. The shape builds in size and momentum and I feel the floor under me shifting. I do my best to subdue his elements, but they are out of control. I refocus on defeating him. I notice a dagger on the wall behind my father. I circle around him so that I’m closer to it. I throw a quick round of fire bolts at him to distract him and then I grab the dagger and throw it, using wind to guide it so that it plunges into his stomach. He drops to his knees and to my surprise I feel sad, I feel concern, I don’t want to lose him. I try to go to him, but as he drops, he loses control completely and the elemental tornado is released in the room. It crashes through the walls and tears through the floor. I try to stop it. I focus all my strength on dismantling it so that it does not get loose and hurt anyone. To my relief, I see the spiralling slow and then clear away completely. As it clears, the last thing I see is the beam of the ceiling crashing down and I’m briefly aware of the crushing pain before I blackout completely.