An Unforeseen Union

The small, crudely made stick figures on the parchment seemed to mock Isodole’s burgeoning dread. She traced the outline of a round belly with a trembling finger, the charcoal smudging under her touch. It wasn't a drawing of a stranger. It was a drawing of *her*. A drawing that had appeared overnight, tucked beneath her pillow, a silent accusation. The strange, gnawing sensations in her stomach, the sudden aversion to the rich, spiced stews the castle kitchens churned out, the dizzying waves that washed over her during morning lessons… they all coalesced into a terrifying, undeniable truth.

She was pregnant.

The realization hit her with the force of a frost giant’s blow. Pregnant. With Riven’s child. The thought sent a fresh wave of panic through her, a stark contrast to the slow, simmering fear that had been her constant companion for weeks. She clutched the parchment, her knuckles white, her breath catching in her throat. Bianca. Riven. The coronation. Everything was teetering on the brink, and this… this was the final shove.