Leaving Maren the morning after they married was terrible. She was still in bed when Donovan needed to go, but he roused her enough to kiss her goodbye and then kiss the spot where they had felt the tiny buzz of power.

"I love you both, I'll see you soon," he whispered to her.

"Mmmm, love you," she murmured back to him before going back to sleep.

He hoped she would rest while he gone. She seemed to be extremely tired a great deal of the time. When he had spoken to Alec about pregnancy, he told him that was normal for the first twelve weeks or so, but Donovan still found it worrisome.

Donovan was grateful for the military escort to the Capital. The escort would be able to make the eighteen-hour trip with only minimal stops, so he'd arrive sometime in the middle of the night instead of later the next afternoon. He really wasn't up to making another aggressive drive himself.

They arrived at the Capital Fort late at night. Donovan did not want to be seen taking a military escort to the palace, since he had left on his own. So, he drove himself from the fort the rest of the way. It was roughly two in the morning when he arrived, and he gratefully collapsed in his bed shortly thereafter.

After too few hours of sleep, Donovan woke up and hastily dressed. He wanted to see his parents as soon as possible. He downed two cups of coffee and gathered the important documents he'd need before going to see his clerk.

It was early enough that Mr. Morano had only just arrived in the office. He looked very surprised to see Donovan, which was understandable considering that Donovan had told everyone that he would be staying on the southern coast for a time. (And also because Donavan rarely appeared at his office before the morning council meeting.)

He gave Mr. Morano a copy of the marriage contract (they had made half a dozen or so in addition to the one the magistrate would file with the local records office) and asked him to begin executing the provisions that transferred property and money to Maren.

Mr. Morano raised two very surprised eyebrows but nodded.

"I suppose my congratulations are in order, Your Highness."

Donovan smiled. "I thank you."

His clerk shifted, looking uncomfortable. "Out of curiosity, sir, do the King and Queen know about this?"

"Not yet, but I'll be telling them shortly," Donovan said. He couldn't help but smile at the ridiculous audacity of what he'd done.

Mr. Morano smiled as well. "Shall I notify their offices that you would like to see them?"

Donovan nodded. "Please, as soon as possible. I'll wait in my office."

Donovan pretended he might read a report or do something else useful, but instead, he just tapped his fingers on his desk anxiously. He found he really couldn't focus on anything except what he would need to tell his parents and how he would do it.

Unfortunately, when word arrived from his parents' offices, it was that they would not see him until after the council meeting, which he had very little interest in attending. He decided to go anyway mostly because it would seem odd if he did not. He also did not want to risk annoying his father just before making his various announcements.

So, he trudged into the council room and went to his usual place beside his father.

"Donovan! I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. When did you get back?" his father asked when he arrived.

"Ah...late last night, Your Majesty," Donovan said, bowing slightly.

"And how concerned should I be about what you want to talk to me and your mother about?" his father asked, this time speaking softly so the other arriving council members did not hear.

Donovan was not terribly surprised to hear his father trying to get additional information from him. He could not ever recall asking to see both of his parents simultaneously first thing in the morning and knew they must be curious.

"Well...it's two matters, really. Different levels of concern," Donovan said, hoping that would be sufficient, and sat down beside his father.

"Mmhmm, and are they family matters or official matters?"

Donovan thought about that for a moment, he thought the line was somewhat blurry for both matters.

"Both," Donovan said.

His father sighed and gave him a very wearisome look. "Of course. Well, let's see if we can't wrap this up quickly then, you know how I hate waiting for concerning things to happen,"

In the end, likely because neither the King nor the Crown Prince had any interest in the proceedings, the meeting concluded rather quickly.

"Let's go see your mother," his father said when the meeting ended.

His father sounded as though he'd resigned himself to being displeased with whatever Donovan was going to tell him. Which was likely true, but Donovan hoped the baby might salvage things. It was hard not to be happy about a baby, even if it was unexpected.

The benefit of walking with his father was that they were not obliged to wait to be announced and given permission to see his mother, they could just go into her receiving room where she was waiting for them.

"That was quick," she said. "Not a great deal of business today?"

"I wanted to find out whatever this was about," his father said, going to sit beside his mother.

"Donovan, how was your trip?" she asked, but Donovan could tell from the tone of her question that his trip wasn't what she wanted to know about.

"Very fine, thank you, Your Majesty," he said, bowing to her before taking his seat.

He made a mental note that he would not ever want his children to call him, "Your Majesty," in private. He thought it likely Maren would agree that was completely unnecessary.

"Alright, out with it," his father said, clearly tired of waiting to hear whatever it was Donovan had to say.

"I owe you both an apology. I misrepresented where I was traveling. I did not go to the southern coast, I went to Worthingham-"

"Worthingham? Isn't that where your former mistress just went?" his mother asked in a tone that suggested that Donovan had done something she thought very foolish.

"Ah...yes, Maren is there. After she arrived, she discovered she was pregnant. The child is mine, of course, so I went to see her, and we decided to marry while I was there," Donovan said, grateful he was at least able to finish his statement before his parents interrupted.

His father grimaced slightly. "Son, I understand that you are fond of the lady. She was, of course, a pleasure to have at Court, but you cannot marry her, you know that."

Donovan resisted the urge to grimace himself, he had not spoken clearly enough.

"This is for the physician to handle, Donovan, not you," his mother said gently.

"I apologize, I misspoke. I did not mean we decided we would marry, I meant we got married while I was there," Donovan said.

"What?" his mother cried, outraged.

"Are you telling us you married without our permission or knowledge?" his father shouted, turning red with anger.

Donovan took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. He could not afford to get angry.

"I know this is not what you wanted for me, but I had to do it. I love her very much, and she's having my baby. I had no choice," he insisted.

His parents glared at him.

"Tell me there's a contract," his father growled.

Donovan pulled a second copy of the contract out of his jacket. "Yes, there is. And her father signed it, so everything was done properly."

"Give it to me," his father snapped.

He did. "That is a copy, of course. The magistrate filed the original."

"Of course," his mother snapped, eyes blazing.

His parents scanned the contract. He knew they would object to most if not all of the provisions in it. But that was alright, it was done.

"Gods above, boy, did you give her the palace too?" his father cried.

"There's nothing in there that isn't entirely fair or that I didn't want to put in there. I am ensuring that she and our child are well provided for should something happen to me," Donovan explained.

"This was very foolish, Donovan," his mother hissed. "You will have done quite a bit of damage with this little stunt. Do you have any idea how much we will have to concede to get the Duke of Carrington's daughter to marry you now?"

Donovan raised his eyebrows at her. "I was not aware you expected me to take two wives. I don't think I'm interested in that."

"Obviously, this nonsense will be annulled. Surely, you knew that," his father snarled.

"I had hoped you would respect my decision to marry someone I love, but yes, I did foresee that you might want to annul the marriage. That's why you'll see that last provision in the contract," Donovan said, pleased that he managed to keep his voice calm, even if he was feeling agitated.

He knew if his parents' seething anger was going to boil over to full-blown rage, that provision would do it.

His mother read aloud in disbelief. "'Should this marriage be annulled by any party other than the bride, any accounts and properties held by the groom as of the date of the signing of this contract are to be transferred to the bride for her sole use.'"

"Donovan!" his father shouted. "What is the matter with you?"

"I do not want this marriage annulled," Donovan stated firmly.

"I should do it anyway and leave you penniless!" his father shouted.

Donovan tilted his head in acknowledgment of his father's point. "That is, of course, your prerogative. But if you do, I will relinquish my claim to the throne and resign from all royal duties and marry her again."

His father puffed out his chest. "Are you threatening me?" he shouted.

"Not at all. I am telling you what will happen. I am fully committed to my marriage. Support it or don't, but it will not go away."

"How could you have done this? What do you have to say for yourself?" his mother demanded.

Donovan gritted his teeth. He was prepared for his parents' wrath, but it was still difficult for him to remain calm.

"I do apologize for doing this behind your backs. I would not have done it if I had a choice," he said

"I should disinherit you for this," his father snarled.

His mother suddenly looked suspicious. "How do we know she's really pregnant? The physician is supposed to check for that before the girls leave."

Donovan was prepared for that. "You may recall that Maren had to unexpectedly depart early. But he tested her twice and both were positive. I have a sworn statement from him if you like."

His father made the same frustrated growling sound Donovan did when furious.

"I'll say even if it had been positive while she was at the palace, this would have been the outcome," Donovan added.

"This is not what you do if you get your mistress pregnant!" his mother snapped. "You should have had the physician handle it!"

Donovan took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "Neither Maren nor I wanted that."

"And wasn't she supposed to marry the Duke of Worthingham? Surely, he is also now furious with you?" his mother cried.

Donovan suppressed a smile. "Actually, the Duke was not bothered. You'll see he witnessed the marriage contract. He was very gracious and is still hosting Maren."

His father narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't you bring her to Court?"

"Yes, I would very much like to talk to the girl," his mother snapped.

Donovan thought it was best not to correct his mother regarding the proper way to refer to Maren, but he did want to.

"That brings me to the second order of business I need to discuss with you. Kieran," Donovan said. He knew his face darkened at his words. That was fine. He was still furious about it.

His father sighed as though extremely aggrieved. "I have already dealt with it."

Donovan could not imagine his father was talking about the same subject Donovan meant to talk about.

"Dealt with what?" he asked.

"Kieran has been warned that should any more of his detainees not arrive at trial, there will be serious consequences," his father explained.

"What!" Donovan cried. "You knew?"

"So did you, apparently," his father said. "How did you find out?"

Donovan shook his head. He had not expected his father to know about Kieran stealing powers.

"More than a year ago, he asked me to spar with him. He won in about ten seconds. He could have killed me just as easily. I did some digging and pieced it together after that," Donovan explained.

His father looked alarmed. "I didn't know he'd become that powerful. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I had no proof, and I thought it sounded too outlandish to be believable. I still have no idea how he's doing it," Donovan said, shaking his head.

"How did you find out?" he asked his father.

"One of his people made a report," his father said. "I know Kieran commands a good deal of loyalty in the organization, so I was surprised any of his people would step out of line. I looked into it. He said the screaming was giving him nightmares."

Donovan suppressed a shudder and remembered when Maren asked him to kill her himself before letting Kieran take her powers.

"What he's done is bad enough. He should have already been punished!" Donovan insisted. He was furious his father knew exactly what was going on and did next to nothing.

"I have no doubt he is done with that particular enterprise," his father said in a tone that dared Donovan to argue with him.

Donovan strongly doubted it. Kieran would only stop if someone made him. Nevertheless, it wasn't the time to argue that with his father. He took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself.

"Be that as it may, that is not the matter I wish to discuss with you," Donovan said. He knew he sounded angrier than he should, but he didn't care.

"You'll recall Maren left early after being injured?" Donovan asked.

His father sighed. "Let me guess, it was not a riding accident."

"It was not. Kieran beat her half to death and I asked Alec to take her early because I feared for her life," Donovan said tightly.

Both his parents were shocked.

"That is a very serious accusation," his father warned.

"I assure you it's the truth. I had to stop him myself. I have sworn statements from Maren, Lord Alec, who treated her, and myself," Donovan said.

He passed the documents to his parents.

"To summarize, two palace guards brought her to the old temple and then Kieran came and beat her until I found her. She was missing for several hours and wound up with numerous injuries. She still has not fully recovered," Donovan's snarled.

He meant to speak in a detached manner but was unable to do so. His voice kept rising in his outrage.

"He is convinced that Maren is a witch, and spent the better part of the last year trying to prove it. His assault was another attempt to try to get her to reveal herself to him. The only reason she is alive is that I was able to find her in time to stop him," Donovan said in a tense voice.

"Did he use his powers?" his mother asked sharply.

Donovan growled. "He used his powers to pin her to the ground with her wrists bound in front of her, so he could watch her hands while he kicked her and slammed more Darkness onto her. She had burns around both wrists. She nearly escaped at one point, but he filled her throat with Darkness, so she couldn't breathe, then encased her hands and knees, so she was unable to run."

Both his parents looked appalled.

"Why is this the first we're hearing of it?" his father asked.

"Because I knew what Kieran suspected, and I was concerned he would make his accusation public, which would irreversibly damage her reputation," Donovan said firmly. "He spent the better part of the last year trying to prove his suspicions."

His mother cocked her head. "Is that why...the execution?"

Donovan nodded curtly. "I suspect he thought that if she were a witch, it would distress her to the point of revealing herself. Obviously, it did not. And I should say, as she is pregnant, Kieran is proven incorrect."

His father sighed. "Not to mention that it's highly unlikely anyone with magic could resist using it while someone else is using it to hurt you."

Donovan nodded curtly. Magic did seem to want to come out when there was other magic nearby. He still didn't know how Maren had managed to control her powers that day. He supposed all of her work meditating had paid off.

"I thought sending her away early was the best thing for her. As it turned out, Kieran set up a checkpoint on the road west, and Lord Alec and Lady Maren were detained for a time. The timely intervention of the Duke prevented any further trouble, but I was deeply concerned," Donovan said.

His parents both seemed uncertain about how to proceed. Donovan pulled the last of his documents out of his jacket and handed them to his parents.

"If you require them, I have sworn statements regarding what happened at the checkpoint," he said.

The King sighed and rubbed his temples as though getting a headache. "What do you want me to do with him? I'm not saying I'll do it, but I will hear what you have to say," his father said.

"I'd like to see him confined to Court or another residence. I also think he should be removed from his position. I leave that to you, but no matter what, I will not allow him to live or even be under the same roof as Maren now or in the future," Donovan said. "Her safety and the safety of our child is my only priority."

His father looked at him begrudgingly. "I am furious at you for being a disobedient son, but I am proud of you for being a decent man."

Donovan nodded his thanks to him.

His father sighed. "We will decide what to do about Kieran."

"I ask that you inform me of your decision so that I can plan appropriate living arrangements," Donovan said.

His father nodded. "And I'll write to the Duke of Carrington. But be aware that he will not forgive you for this slight on his daughter. You will have to deal with his enmity and likely his heir's enmity for your entire reign."

Donovan had not considered that, but he felt his father was likely right. That said, if he did even a fraction of the things he intended to do as king, he'd have far more enemies than just one duke.

"I am prepared to deal with that."

His mother rubbed her temples as though she were getting a massive headache.

"Do you have any idea what the Court is going to think about you marrying your mistress? Your mistress who helps in the nursery and rides astride?"

Donovan tried very hard not to laugh. "I know there will be a great deal of talk. And I know Maren is not like the other women at Court, it's what I like about her."

He wasn't able to hide his smile at the thought.

"I am furious with you," his father growled. "Don't think I won't punish you for this."

Donovan nodded. "I understand that too. I did this because I had to, not to cause you grief, and I hope you can eventually forgive me for it."

He couldn't help but smile to add, "And I do hope that a grandchild is some consolation for you."

Both his parents suppressed smiles. He knew they wanted to remain angry, but Donovan thought it was impossible to be upset when talking about a new grandchild.

"Go before I change my mind," his father grumbled, but without anger.

Donovan rose and bowed to them before leaving.

-
A/N: Thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote and comment! See you next time!