High Knight le'Kefroumpoi walked to Silas' barracks and found Bijela standing there on the outside of the door as straight as a board. She looked like she had been frozen, a statue.
"Undersquire Greygold?"
"High Knight." She said with a small nod to him.
"Are you guarding the door?"
"Yes."
"May... I enter?"
"Yes, sir, of course." She said rigidly, seeming to stand even more straight.
Gigandet made a face at her. "Undersquire, how long have you been standing here?"
"Since last night, sir; about ten hours."
"And... have you eaten or anything?"
"No."
To reiterate the fact that she hadn't eaten, her stomach decided to have a bit of say in the matter, letting out a dissatisfied grumble. Bijela gave a sheepish smile to the High Knight. He made another face at her.
"Go take a break, Undersquire."
"Knight von Lagon told me to guard the barracks with my life. I failed him once and I vowed that I wouldn't do it again."
"What do you mean?"
Bijela suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I think it best not to say it out here, sir."
Gigandet narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you know?"
"Know what?" she asked back, narrowing her eyes at him.
"You've seen him, haven't you?" Gigandet asked, narrowing his eyes even more, if that were possible.
"...Yes..."
Gigandet sighed. "How was he?"
"Big and round." She said, looking around to make sure no one would hear.
"How big?"
The Undersquire thought for a moment and then moved her arms around to show Gigandet just how big Silas was. The width she was holding her hands from each other disturbed the High Knight as his black eyes widened.
"And that was ten hours ago?"
"Yes, sir."
Gigandet ran his fingers through his hair. "Great... You can go take a break, Undersquire. I'll be here for a good bit so I'll make sure no one gets in uninvited."
"Are you sure?"
"You've earned a reprieve."
Bijela nodded and then looked at the High Knight with worry.
"Will Knight von Lagon be alright?"
"I really wish I could give you a good answer, but I can't. I'm putting him on leave and will encourage him to find a way but I can't guarantee anything. Just remember to speak of this to no one or you will be kicked out for the DEU."
She saluted and then turned, leaving the barracks. Gigandet watched her leave and had to give her credit for making it in this tough business. Although it was prohibited for women to join the DEU it was mostly because not all women could handle it. There were a few of them that slipped past training and it was because they were able to go through the rigorous and sometimes grueling training that had to be done, the higher-ups tended to ignore them as long as they didn't tie the men up, cause problems, or let their gender be their downfall. Besides the Superior Grand, Bijela Greygold was one of the few women that truly impressed Gigandet.
Shaking his head, Gigandet opened the door to the barrack and wondered exactly what he was going to see.

+++++++++++++++++

Silas was cooking in the kitchen, happy that he other guys were gone so that he could eat all the food he wanted. He didn't have share anything that was in the icebox or the cupboards. He flipped the steak and then stuck a spoonful of peanut butter into his mouth. He also took a helping of garlic butter and threw it into the pan with the steak. The scent of food making him practically float, Gigandet entered the kitchen.
"What you cooking?" he asked, practically melting in the doorway.
Silas yelled, dropping the spoon from his mouth and it clanged on the floor. He turned to Gigandet angrily and Gigandet yelled back at him, dropping the tube on the ground.
"What the hell?!" he screamed.
"What the hell to you too! My spoon!" he growled, pointing at it on the floor.
"Oh, sorry..."
He bent down and picked it up along with the tube he dropped and handed the spoon to Silas. Silas snatched it and then turned off the stove as he threw the spoon in the sink.
'"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I told you that I would get you a leave of absence so... here it is...God, you're rotund."
"You're kind of an ass. Anything else you'd like to include with your teasing session, High Knight?" he growled angrily.
"I assume you're quite emotional."
Silas just glared at his superior and went back to his steak, pulling it out of the pan. He put it on a plate all by itself and took it to the table. He then grabbed almost every type of sauce and seasoning his had and brought it also to the table. He sat down, his large stomach forcing him away from the table and making it difficult to reach his food.
"Aw, shit... I left my peanut butter on the counter. Can you get that and a clean spoon while you're gawking at me?" Silas asked, waving to the peanut butter.
Gigandet did and handed them to his underling. Silas set the stuff on the table and then looked at his superior.
"Well?"
"Right... well... you must leave here as quickly as you can. You've gotten way too big in such a short amount of time."
"That book said it was a normal gestation period for dragons and I only look huge because I'm so small and the dragon egg is a regular sized dragon egg. But don't worry though, I'll leave at first light so as to not dsgust you anymore."
"You're not disgusting, Silas, it's just so abnormal. You seem to actually be taking it well."
"You don't see me in the darkness of the night, High Knight." He cut into his steak and then put his knife in the peanut butter, slathering it on the steak. "So what did you use for my excuse?"
"Technically, the truth."
"Well, let's see it then."
Gigandet pressed the button on the tube that he had and a document rolled out.
"'Knight Silas von Lagon is hereby granted an extended leave of absence due to a sudden medical development that after further examination by Dr. Azize Mitchell confirms the requirement of immediate treatment.'? That's pretty specifically vague..."
"Told you I could come with something convincing. The best part about it is that the seal and signature are legit."
"You really got the Superior Grand to sign off on this?"
"Yes. Ironically, Dr. Azize was more than welcome to provide information to the Superior Grand if there were questions of any kind. I think he's related to the Superior Grand somehow..."
"Interesting."
Gigandet watched Silas smother his steak with peanut butter again and some other sauce. The steak smelled delicious but putting all of that nonsense on it?
"Do you really enjoy how that tastes?"
"So far I haven't thrown up with the concoctions my stomach is making me crave so, I guess it's what my body needs."
"I see... so is Undersquire Greygold aware of your predicament, then?"
"And Knight Oakseed but I'm fairly sure that Brantley is trying his hardest to think that it is just a dream."
"And Greygold?"
Silas thought for a moment and then ate another piece of steak.
"I think she'll keep a secret. I haven't figured her out yet."
"To be your personally undersquire you should have more trust in her."
"I do have trust in her. That's why I chose her to stand guard. The only reason Brantley and her even found out is because Xika came to visit me and I couldn't make her suspicious.
Gigandet made a face. "Does your sister know?"
"No, she left before anything happened. The only reason they know besides Xika is because Brantley moved Bijela out of the way in order to get back in so, it's a little but of both of their faults."
"Right now, this is a disaster. I mean... How will you travel while you're like this? Walking would be murder on your feet and riding a horse would be too damaging."
"It would also widen out my hips even more than they are and I don't think I could deal with that. No, I'll get a carriage and use that."
"How?"
"Cloaks are a good thing."
The High Knight sighed in frustration, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
"I wish this had never happened or at least the egg was normal or something... but a dragon egg of all things."
"Well, this is what we get for taking it upon ourselves to slaughter animals who may or may not be as intelligent as we believe them to be."
"Again, you're taking this all quite well."
"Actually, I'm raging inside. You don't know how much I want to run full speed into a wall with my arms stretched out so I can break the egg and kill this thing. You don' t know how degrading and insecure and completely disgusted I feel about this. But I know that if I try to do something to this egg, I will be somehow punished far worse than now."
"You're probably right. Well, I have paperwork to do-"
"Did you relieve Bijela of her post?"
"Yes, why?"
"Because if she's gone then you have to stand watch."
"Oh, right..."
The two talked for a while until Bijela got back.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

"And then, I thought I saw my friend with this huge stomach that was hard, not soft. He wasn't fat anywhere else, just right in the girth area. He looked almost pregnant!" Brantley said with a humorless laugh to try and keep his mind together. "So, I think we have everything?"
"Yes; so far, you believe that your male friend is pregnant and you're concerned because you really don't believe it was in your head or because of lack of sleep." Dr. Mitchell said, looking at his clipboard. "So I guess the question is what exactly do you believe?"
"Isn't that what you're here for? To persuade me that I'm going loony? That I was tired and thought I saw something that could never be true?"
"Actually, no. I'm a doctor not a psychiatrist. I definitely don't get paid enough to deal with that shit. I deal with the body and slight mental issues, not just the mental. If I did, I'd be mental."
"Well, he had to come and see you, right? Was I right or am I crazy?"
"That's called doctor/patient confidentiality and you're so worried about your stupid friend, why not be a friend and actually go ask him and show that you are concerned? I mean, how hard is it to do-" There was a knock on the door and Dr. Mitchell looked over. "Excuse me for a moment." He got up and went to the door, opening it slightly. "What?"
"Open up."
"Oh lord..." he grumbled angrily as he opened the door.
A tall woman with light gray (almost silver) hair coifed in an intricate bun wearing the uniform of the DEU walked in and Brantley stood up, taking a long bow. Dr. Mitchel did not.
"Superior Grand..." Brantley said, still bent over. "It's an honor..."
"You can stand up now." He did. "And what's your name?"
"I'm Knight Oakseed of Squad 4, your grace."
"Stop with the overly sappy nicknames, man. She's just a woman who's in a higher position than you and you're calling her names fit for a queen. Get over yourself."
Brantley looked at him in surprise as the Superior Grand turned to him and smiled.
"Ah, Dr. Mitchell..." She pulled back her arm and punched him right in the face. "How good it is to see you again!" she said, punching him with each word.
Azize fell to the ground but got right back up and bull rushed her to the other side of the wall. Brantley was just confused and watched in the same manner as the doctor pulled away from the Superior Grand as she pulled herself out of the wall from the crater that was created.
"You're a dirty cheat, Azize." She growled.
"I didn't cheat. You've lost your touch being up there in that fancy seat of yours. Got the lard-ass going on there, sweetheart." He grumbled as the two walked around each other.
"My dear sweet doctor, you do realize I could have your head or your job just like that?" she said with a snap of her fingers.
"Yeah, I'd like to see you try, you overachieving bitch."
The Superior Grand let out a yell and grabbed the doctor by the privates, hoisting him in the air and throwing him clean across the room. Brantley flinched in sympathy of the poor man but was surprised to see the doctor come out of the rubble of books in a relatively normal way and put his hands on his hips.
"No crotch grabs, Clever! I demand a rematch!"
"Fair is fair, Azize." She said as she began to pushing stray hairs back into their original places, the intricate array of hair still practically perfect. "I can't help it if you got angry."
"This isn't over."
"Hmm..." She turned back to Brantley, who was still confused and was behind a desk to keep out of the way. "I apologize, Knight Oakseed, but could you leave while I speak with my brother on a personal and secretive matter?"
"Brother?" he asked, slowly standing up. "The doctor is your brother?"
"Unfortunately." They both said at the same time.
"Um, yes... yes, I'll leave. Sorry... It was a pleasure to be in your presence, Superior Grand."
"Get the fuck out, groveler!" Azize growled, pointing to the door.
Brantley ran away and the Superior Grand leaned over to the doctor.
"You're not very nice to the knights."
"They kill baby dragons and mama dragons for a living and you expect me to be nice to them? I'm a doctor not a daycare worker who coddles the children while mommy works. What the hell do you want, Clever?"
Clever walked over to one of the seats and righted it, sitting in it backwards and folded her arms across the back.
"I got the most interesting request from Squad 12 yesterday."
"So?"
"High Knight le'Kefroumpoi asked for a leave of absence for one of his knights. He claims the man is ill but after thinking about it, Knight von Lagon is our best man in the twelfth division, is he not?"
"Fuck if I know, Clever, I just give 'em alcohol, a cotton swab, and instructions."
"Looked like you were having a psychiatric session with Knight Oakseed."
"Man, I thought he wanted some headache medicine, not a mental session. What with the twenty questions anyway?"
"Knight von Lagon hasn't taken a sick day since he's starting at the DEU. He's the brightest and most talented Nest Destroyer we have and now all of a sudden he is ill and need sick leave? I smell something... off..."
"And... what are you doing here?"
Azize had walked closer to her and she grabbed his shirt, twisting the fabric to choke the doctor as she pulled him to her level.
"Don't play with me, Azize. What's wrong with that knight?"
"Doctor/patient confidentiality." He grunted.
"My ass. You tell me about all sorts of info that you really shouldn't be dispelling. Why are you being so secretive, brother of mine?"
"Because you don't need to know, sister of mine."
"Because it's a secret."
"Because I don't want to fucking tell you. Let me go."
She let him go and leaned on the chair some more, balancing on two legs.
"Then tell me this: is it something interesting?"
"Not to you."
"Is it something... strange?" He didn't say anything. "Is it something ancient?"
"It's not common."
"Hmm..."
The Superior Grand got up and pushed the chair back under the desk and straightened her uniform.
"Well then, I guess you just won't tell me then. Oh well, I give up." She walked to the door and put her hand on the doorknob. "Could it be... poetry?"
"Poetry?" Azize said, crossing his arms. "What do you mean?"
Clever looked over her shoulder at her brother. "'Blood from dragon, blood from man; brooding mother and death's dark hands...' I believe that's the first lines of the Dragon Mother's Curse?"
"Your memory is amazing."
The Superior Grand turned back to the door and smiled, opening it up.
"Indeed... and if I remember correctly, I don't believe I sent Squad 12 out on a mission the other day and now a star knight needs to leave the DEU... How odd."
She left the room and Azize made a sound of annoyance as he looked around the room.
"Bitch comes in here and messes up everything... Besides, what does she think she'll gain from learning of Silas von Lagon's condition?"
The doctor set to tidying his space back up, wondering over and over again what exactly his sister was wanting to know and why she wanted to know it.