Scorpina stood opposite Zedd as one of his archbishops blessed their bed and blessed each of them in the Dragon’s name, a ceremony Scorpina was certain hadn’t happened at all in Zedd’s marriage to Rita. But then again little had happened in their union, on their wedding night as much as any if Zedd’s sarcastic hints were anything to go by.

It had been a long and winding road, but now, finally she was married to him - she was the Lady to his Lord, the Empress to his Emperor, and also the woman to his man. Her long, midnight-black hair fell loosely by her shoulders, contrasting greatly with her white nightgown. Clothes no longer figured in Zedd’s dictionary, so he looked like he usually did; his chromium brackets were a little changed - he’d had new ones made after his last ones were damaged in battle - but he still looked the same Lord Zedd.

The archbishop finished his chanting, bowed to his Emperor and his new Empress, before he left the room, along with Zedd’s entourage and a group of ladies that Scorpina could now count as ‘in her waiting‘.

They were alone.

“It all seems so formal,” she smiled at him.

He nodded, “It’s important. And at least any children we have will now be counted as wholly legitimate, blessed by the Dragon himself.”

Scorpina looked down, “Yes.”

Zedd cocked his head a little and walked round to her, taking her hands in his, “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, “Nothing, it’s just all so… weird. It doesn’t feel real.”

Zedd ran his hands over her shoulders, slipping the straps of her nightgown out of the way. They dropped, and subsequently so did the rest of her gown, leaving her standing just a little more naked before him than he was; “I’ll make it feel real,” he whispered, massaging her shoulders and admiring the plain beauty of her body.

She breathed lightly as he caressed her, her stomach fluttering with nerves, though she knew not why; this time, it was lawful, they had nothing to fear, yet she felt like she’d never been touched before and she was afraid.

Zedd noticed this and held her into him; “Calm down,” he whispered, “Relax…”

“I want to,” she blubbered, finding her eyes filled with tears, “I just don’t know what’s wrong with me…”

He stroked her hair, “It’s all over now. The war’s over. Let’s get on with our lives.”

Yes, the war was over - well, seemingly - a war that had lasted for so long, since before both her and the Emperor were born. Perhaps the shock of that, and the fact she was now married to him, was finally settling in…

“It‘s I who should be nervous,” he continued, “Look at me - I’ll be surprised if I still have the capacity to father a child…”

She brought her hands back up onto his chest and kissed his grille; “You do,” she said quietly.

He cocked his head, “You can‘t know yet,” he said.

Yes, this was why she was nervous; her hormones were playing hell with her. She took one of his hands in hers and placed it over her lower abdomen, where her womb was still small; “I’m already pregnant,” she whispered.

He paused for a moment, “And it’s mine?”

“Goldar and I hadn’t slept together for a long time… You were the last man I made love to.”

He laughed, but it was a strange laugh, one of sheer joy and one Scorpina hadn’t heard from him before, “Oh, my scorpion!” he cried, lifting her up before him, “An heir to my throne! A child of our own!”

She laughed, hugging him hard, feeling something akin to pride as it hit her that she had done what Rita could not, that she was fertile whereas her friend was barren - she was carrying the Emperor’s heir.

Zedd stroked her hair and beheld her with more love than he thought it possible to possess; “This is a sign from the Gods!” he said.

* * * *

Vile rubbed his chin, teeth ground together as he waited for Dregon and Rita to enter the room. His snakelike eyes glared at the far door, fingers beginning to tap upon a tabletop by his side as his impatience grew, drumming to the sound of a clock on the mantelpiece.

After another ten minutes or so, Dregon and Rita finally entered the room, the former’s head held high as he stared at his aged father-in-law with exasperation; “What is it now, Vile?” the Count growled, taking a seat opposite him whilst his wife perched by his side.

The warlord’s eyes looked between his daughter and son-in-law slowly, the pupils thinned to mere slits; “She has done it,” he hissed, his voice close to inaudible.

Rita and Dregon exchanged glances; “Done what, father?” Rita then asked, as perplexed as her husband as to what he was on about.

“Scorpina,” he went on, fists trembling with wrath, “That treacherous little whore has done what you could not.”

Rita recoiled a little as her father pointed at her.

Dregon sat back and placed a relaxed hand on his wife’s thigh, becoming indifferent to Vile’s petty rages.

“She has conceived a child,” he muttered, “She is carrying Zedd’s heir.”

Dregon smirked, “Are you certain it’s his?”

“Of course I am!” Vile thundered, “She and that Nimian beast have been as close as can be for some time now - who else’s child would it be?”

“That Titanian warrior’s?” the Count said, looking to Rita, “What was his name?”

“Goldar,” Rita replied, glancing to her father, “Though he and Scorpina were growing apart a long time before his death… I doubt it’d be his.”

“We’ll know when it’s born, either way,” the Count shrugged, “Zedd’ll be a little suspicious if the damn thing has wings.”

“It’s Zedd’s, I have no doubt! And it simply throws another obstacle into our path!” Vile rambled on, lumbering around the room like a dispirited ape, “Why, Rita? Why couldn’t you have given him a child?”

Dregon frowned, his hold on Rita tightening as the witch replied, “Make up your mind, father! First, you don’t want ‘your blood’ to mix with his, then you demand I have his child…”

“It would have been the key to our wildest dreams, you foolish girl!” Vile went on, “We’d have a claim to his throne - all that’s now his would be in time be ours!”

Rita scowled at him, “You’ve always been a compassionate father,” she snarled, “Your family are just pawns to you.”

“Enough,” he snapped, “We need to get rid of this child before it is born.”

“There’s low, Vile, and low,” Dregon said darkly, “I wouldn’t attack anything that wasn’t even born.”

“Whose side are you on, Count?” Vile asked, fixing him with a livid glare, “You’d not think twice about it if the child was old enough to fend for itself.”

“I know, but that’s different.”

“Is it? I say we hit it whilst it‘s down.”

Dregon’s lips tightened; “It needs a chance to get up, first.”