Love Knows no Boundaries

"The hooves will not hurt me, will they?" Shyla asked the midwife as she felt her colt kick again.

"No, my darling." she said with a smile. "They are coated to prevent harm." she held her ear to Shyla's growing belly. "He is an active one." she said.

"You are certain it is a he?"

"all firstborn centaurs are male." the midwife said. "Afterward, we cannot tell until they are born if they will be male or female. Or centaur for that matter."

"How could I not have a centaur?" she asked.

"Darling," Ardath said. "It is all in the shared species. We may have a centaur after this, or we may have a fairy. Just because you are big does not mean your child will be. Remember, you were born a fairy. You may have fairies."

"Hmm." Shyla said. "Is it possible to have a fairy centaur?" Ardath and the midwife laughed.

"I'm not certain." the midwife said. "I guess you could...I would love to see that. Come Ardath. Feel your offspring move." she directed Ardath to cradle Shyla's stomach in his hand. He smiled as he felt his colt adjust inside his wife. "It won't be long now." the midwife said, packing her things into her bag. She slung the sack over her hide and trotted out.

"What will we do about my debt to the Ancient One?" Shyla asked, rubbing her stomach.

"I guess we should try and find someone with a large enough heart to fool him."

"But who?" Shyla asked. "And how would we get the heart? I do not wish to kill anyone, nor do I want you to."

"I will seek the advice of an Elder. Go home, honey, and relax. Do not worry overmuch about this. I will take care of it." he kissed her on the head, pushing her towards their hut. He headed to the Elder hut as she entered theirs. She gasped when she saw Xandr tearing the hut apart.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?' she shouted, heading towards him.

"who the hell are you?" he asked, squinting at her.

"It is I, Shyla. Why are you tearing my home apart, Xandr?"

"Shyla?" he said astonished. "You're not a little fairy anymore."

"No, I'm not." she said, "I became grown so I could bear my husbands children." she stepped towards Xandr. "Why are you here?"

"To take back what is rightfully mine."

"I have nothing of yours." she said.

"You are mine."

"Oh lay off already." she said. "I belong to Ardath. As you can obviously see, I'm fully his as I carry his son."

"That can be dealt with." Xandr said flippantly. You are coming with me." he lunged for her, but crashed to the floor as she stepped aside. She headed for the door, trying to flee but Xandr grabbed her ankle. She fell, twisting to her side so she didn't land on her belly.

"Leave me be!" she cried, scurrying away from him. He leapt up, grabbing her hair as she reached for the door. He pulled her back, trying to tie her hands with a bit of rope. She reached out, grabbing at anything she could. She managed to get hold of the heavy decorative urn given to her by the midwife as a birthing present. She swung it around, gagging at the sickening crunch it made when it struck Xandr's head. He let go of her and fell back just as Ardath came through the door.

"what happened?" he asked as Shyla threw herself into his arms with a cry.

"He was waiting for me when I came in." she said against his chest. "He wanted to take me back and keep me as his prisoner." Ardath kissed her head lightly, gently pushing her aside as he bent to inspect Xandr.

"He is dead." he said softly.

"Oh, I did not mean for this." Shyla said tearfully. "I only wanted him off of me."

"Hush darling." Ardath said, pulling her to him. "It is not your fault. He would be alive and well if he had not come here." he held her as she cried, rubbing her back. "Our colt is okay, right?" he asked, running a hand over her belly. He smiled when he felt it kick as if in response to his father.

"what will we do?" Shyla asked. She suddenly gasped, bending forward.

"What is it my sweet?" Ardath asked, "Did that bastard harm you?"

"N-no." she gasped. "I think it is time." she shrieked as pain ripped through her again.

"Come. We will go to the birthing hut." Ardath led her to the sacred hut, calling for the midwife as they rushed inside. She appeared instantly, prepping the ground with hay and oats.

"It is all right, child." she said to Shyla, laying her on the floor. "just relax, breath and let nature take its course." Ardath trotted back and forth nervously. One of the elders came in to lead him outside.

"I know you would like to see this, but it is safer for us to be outside." he said as Ardath resisted. "It is known that in the old times, before this tradition, one unfortunate father stepped upon his colt in his excitement. We do not wish for this to reoccur, so it is now the custom for you to wait outside." Ardath looked back at Shyla one last time as he allowed the elder to lead him out. "She will be fine, my son." the elder said. "She is in good hands."

Shyla breathed deeply, hoping the pain would ease. She could feel her baby moving a lot inside her, as if preparing to come out. "You are ready." the midwife said from between her legs. "On three, I want you to lean up, and push as hard as you can. One....two....three."

Shyla grunted as she pushed, her insides burning as they stretched to make way for her colt. She lay back panting, gripping the hay beneath her as she heard the midwife count again. She leaned up, pushing again. She let out a final cry as she felt her baby slip out of her, heard the wet slap as it hit the floor. She lay gasping for breath as the midwife tended the colt, cleaning it off and clearing the airways. The first sound of his little cry brought Ardath in, tears gleaming in his eyes. He knelt by Shyla, gathering her into his arms. "You did it baby," he said. "Look at him."

"He's beautiful." she said as the midwife lifted their son to her. He was a deep blood red like his father, with blond hair and little blue eyes like his mother. Shyla held him close to her side and he immediately sought her breast. She slit her tunic aside to allow him access and he fed hungrily.

"I will leave you to your happiness." the midwife said after she had cleaned up the afterbirth. She walked out, silently closing the door so they could have their privacy.

"I cannot take his heart." Shyla said quietly as her son nursed. She gazed upon his perfect little head.

"You do not have to, my sweet." Ardath said with a smile, running a finger over his son. "I hadn't a chance to tell you, but the elder I spoke to said a full grown satyr's heart is the same as a newborn centaur's."

"truthfully?" Shyla asked.

"Yes. So we need not worry. We have a full grown satyr in our hut. I will take care of procuring his heart and disposing his remains. You need not worry a bout a thing. Just keep our son warm and fed." he kissed her deeply before heading to his hut to harvest the satyr's heart and save his son.

"Who dare disturb me?" the minotaur bellowed as Shyla entered his cave.

"It is I, Shyla, Come to pay my debt." she said. He turned to her, his hand out. She pulled the sack from her hip and opened it, revealing the large heart.

"Well done." the minotaur said. "You are smarter than I first thought."

"How do you mean?" she asked as he took the heart.

"This is not your son's."

"It is."

"No." the minotaur smiled. "You do not have it in you to harm anything, let alone your own child." Shyla shuffled her feet nervously. "It is fine, my child." he said. "But you are smart to have brought me the heart of a satyr. They are the closest to firstborn centaur hearts. Others have tried to pull the wool over my eyes and have failed so obviously. You are fine. I will not punish you, nor will I remove my gift. You are free to go. Be happy and fruitful in your life." he tossed the heart into the big pot in his fireplace as he turned away. Shyla smiled, and slowly backed to the door.

"thank you." she said before leaving. She ran to the forest where Ardath and Ronak awaited her. She laughed as she broke the news to her family. Ardath kissed her deep, lifting her into a big hug. The family headed home, Shyla gripping Ardath's back as he rubbed against her clit.

They lived long and happy, producing child after child. They had ten in all, each one loved as much as the first. After Ronak came Ludmilla, a centaur. Then came Eleazaro, another centaur. Ariacella surprised them all, as no one could tell Shyla was pregnant. Not even Shyla, until one day she sneezed and a teeny little glowing dot fell from her loins. On closer inspection she realized she had given birth to her first fairy child. Baldric and Balto came next, twin centaurs. Orinoco, her first fairy son, arrived next. This time Shyla knew he was in there, for she felt him flitting around like a bumblebee. Zarhi came next, a female centaur, followed closely by Melisande, another centaur. A few years past, and they thought they were done. Until little Laureliyan was born. She stunned the entire village with her birth. She was about the size of a squirrel, her wings strong and translucent. The ever-present sparkles followed her wherever she flitted, lifting her little centaur body with ease. The love and happiness was evident to all as they lived out their lives together, happily ever after.