"By you, of course," Olga said, sounding confused. "You have a week, but it must be done by then."
"Why does the King wish for us to conceive so soon after having twins?" Mikhail asked. Olga grimaced.
"Jaelynn is not the only prisoner too young to become a broodmare. The King has declared that those prisoners will be turned into Witches and placed in the womb of a Witch woman, who will birth them and raise them as loyal Witch subjects. This is part of the King's plan to make Witches dominant over non-Witches. However, the transference will only work if the woman is already pregnant, so Lady Iris must become pregnant again to carry the next prisoner."
"Do I have no say in this? She is my future wife!"
"It is an honor," Olga said firmly. "Only a few women have been deemed worthy of this. Your future wife will help give rise to the next generation of Witches. And, to be quite frank, it is not just an honor but also a blessing. You know full well that Witches tend to struggle to conceive. With this program, you will have a large family that would otherwise be near impossible to achieve."
"But-"
"Lord Copperstone, there is no way around this. Lady Iris has been chosen. She must answer her kingdom's call," Olga said firmly. Mikhail clenched his hands into fists. "Luckily, her second pregnancy will be allowed to progress at a normal speed. The acceleration for this one was to ensure she was the right fit for the job." Olga bowed to both Iris and Mikhail. "A messenger will be by in a week to confirm Lady Iris's pregnancy, as well as transfer the next prisoner into her womb."
With that, she left, the other Horse Witches following her out of the stable. Iris returned to her human form, now fully nude, and waved her hand. The foals turned into newborn human infants. Iris picked them up and held them to her enormous, perfect breasts to suckle.
"It seems I am a broodmare regardless of species," she said dryly. Mikhail sighed. "Before you try to come up with a way to get around this or tell me you will talk to Nightingale, do not waste your breath. I want to do this."
"Really? Why?"
"I must serve my kingdom by protecting my subjects," Iris said softly. "In this task, that is what I will be accomplishing. I will be protecting the prisoners within me, and then as my children."
"But-"
"I told you. Do not waste your breath." Iris smiled down at the babes nursing from her. "Jaelynn and Jaesynn are an adorable pair, are they not?"
"Jaesynn?"
"The boy. Our son."
"Ah." Mikhail smiled at the children. "Yes, they are." He cleared his throat. "So. We are to produce a pregnancy together," he said awkwardly.
"Yes."
"When and how would you like to do so?"