Raven's POV
“I’m pregnant,” I said, freezing as the words left my mouth. “What does this mean for me now?”
I turned to Rowan, heart pounding. “Rowan, what does this mean?”
He shifted, rubbing the back of his neck like he wished he could take it back.
“I— I’m sorry for bringing it up now. I just thought… you needed to know. So you’d take better care of yourself. And because…” He hesitated, eyes dropping.
“You can’t come with me. Not anymore. Not on the rest of this quest.”
“No,” I breathed. “No, I—”
“Raven,” he said gently, painfully. “Don’t fight me on this. Please.”
His eyes—gods, I had never seen them look like that. Distant, aching. Sadder than I’d ever seen.
“You don’t understand, do you?” he whispered. “The future of the kingdom is inside you.”
“What?” I blinked, as if so
