Iracebeth and Stayne had been ignoring each other for some time now. Besides, she'd been acting very strange. She was trying to tend to her young son, and failing miserably. Just the other day, she'd mutilated his favorite toy. It seemed that she'd taken to eating her feelings, as she'd gained a lot of weight recently, and the Knave couldn't help but notice. One day, he decided to break the silence.

"You realize you've gotten quite plump of late" he observed, visiting the former queen in her chambers.

"Fuck you, Stayne, I'm pregnant." she said miserably.

This explained a lot. She'd been throwing up violently the first few months of their exile, and now that he got a good look at her, her waist was expanding but he couldn't see any extra weight anywhere else.

"Whose is it?" he asked dumbly.

"I don't bloody know. Most likely it's yours. But it could be the Hatter's. I spent a night in his arms while he was my prisoner." the knave's jaw dropped. He didn't want to be the father of any child of hers. This was the worst possible scenario. But there was a chance it wasn't his.

"How many months?" he asked, trying to comprehend.

"I don't know. I first realized it a couple weeks after banishment. Probably 6 or 7 months now." as she said this, the child she carried within her shifted to one side as if to reach for its possible father.

"It knows your voice." she said solemnly. Stayne was disgusted. He didn't want to be associated with his former lover's spawn. He abruptly left the room, with Iracebeth on his heels. He took a sword and sunk it through his chest. He'd wanted nothing more than to die after banishment and now he had his wish.

Iracebeth stood over his body, horrified. How would she raise Hayden and this new baby on her own? She decided to tell her son what was happening to her. Maybe he'd understand and step up to his role as a brother. She could feel her unborn child twisting and writhing inside her as if it knew something was wrong. She ignored the feeling and went to break the news to Hayden.