A young Horse Witch rushed up to Olga and whispered something in her ear. Olga looked at the girl in surprise.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Olga asked. The girl whispered to her again. "Hmm. I see." Olga raised her voice. "The King wishes for Lady Iris to return to human form," she called. Mikhail stepped back as the Horse Witches surrounded Iris. Iris was so brave and resilient, Mikhail thought, as her pregnancy was accelerated yet again. In a matter of minutes, three colts stood on wobbly hooves by her side.
Iris returned to human form. Mikhail followed suit. The new parents turned their sons human as well. All three had Iris's pale hair, but had a mixture of their parents' other features.
"What was all that about?" Iris asked.
"The King just sent word that your wedding takes priority over our Horse Witch production program," Olga said. Iris raised an eyebrow at her.
"Why would he care about our wedding so much?"
"He has yet to attend an event since becoming King, as he has been busy. He feels your wedding is perfect for his first formal outing as King. After everything your family has been through, he wishes to extend an olive branch." Olga notably didn't say anything about Anya's supposed captivity.
"And after the wedding, will I be expected to continue producing Horse Witches?" Iris asked tartly.
"I do not know. He did not say. But he says to plan the wedding for a month from now." Olga smiled weakly. "We must depart. You are not our only stop."
Olga and the others left. Iris was given her twins, returned to human form. She and Mikhail held the five infants and watched the rebels leave. Once the last one had faded into the distance, Iris turned to Mikhail.
"It seems we have quintuplets," she said playfully. Mikhail sighed.
"Yes. We do. I am sure my parents will pay for a nanny and wetnurse to help."
"Or we could have Nightingale take on that role," Iris suggested. "If you are fine with that."
"No, that is an excellent idea." Mikhail sighed again. "I suppose we should get started on planning the wedding."
"Yes."
"Do you have any thoughts?" Mikhail asked. Iris shook her head.
"Whatever you like," she said sweetly. Her demure tone made Mikhail suddenly worry. He had dominated her when mating with her. And impregnated her in the process. This would result in a permanent domination for a typical Witch's Pony.
Iris was a Witch. But she was a Horse Witch, and thus prone to horse instincts. It was very possible that even now that she was human, Iris was dominated and submissive to Mikhail. As they walked to the manor, Mikhail could only hope that wasn't the case