When four year old Lumina first heard the "good" news that her mommy was pwegnut, the four year old didn't grasp the meaning or excitement of it. Daddy's eyes fared and glowed brighter than anything she's ever seen, he talked louder and more eagerly, occasionally scooping her up at random and just holding her close, humming and whispering to her that they were going to have someone new in the family. She didn't get what he meant, only that he was just happy about this... thing. She could swear she's seen him skip a few times to meetings. Even she knew daddy hated those, and she was FOUR!
Mommy was almost different as well, though in comparison to daddy, she was almost normal. She didn't skip or jump around like daddy, still did business like she usually always did. But there was a smile on her face in times that she was alone, or observing a powerful storm, a soft touch resting on her stomach. She caught Lumina always watching, laughing at her sneaking.
"You lean out too far," her mommy would scold lightly, a chuckle in her voice as she waved Lumina over. The girl came over slowly, glancing at the raging storm outside, then her mommy, still trying to see what this pwegnut thing was.
Just what did daddy mean about new family?
She even consulted with her trusty red dragon Zaltys (gift from daddy) and not even he could give her much insight, only an awkward grumble and shrug. Clutching the red stuffed animal to her chest, she came up beside mommy, looking up and watching as her pale pink hair flared silver in the storm. "Want to storm watch with me?" Lightning asked, patting her lap.
"Awn't I supposed too be in bed?" Lumina couldn't help but tease, a smirk on her lips as she rocked on her heels, Zaltys hung behind her back, held tight in her hands. Lightning arced a brow at her, challenging. "Well, if you want to go to bed that badly-"
Lumina was quick to catch onto what Lightning was imply. With a loud "Nope!" she scrambled up into her lap, leaning against her stomach, Zaltys settled in Lumina's own lap. Mommy's arms wound her, making her feel safe as angry flashes of her mommy's namesake flared out, deep, loud grumbles following after it. Her mother didn't even flinch at the storm, gently rocking them both side to side, shifting only to lightly press a content kiss on Lumina's head.
Licking her lips, and narrowing her blue carefully, she leans back and stared up at Lightning's curious expression, boldly asking, "Mommy? What's pwegnut?"
Lightning blinked before it clicked what Lumina was asking. "Pregnant," she clarified.
"Yeah, that, what is that?"
"That is something when a mother is expecting to have another child," Lightning explained, shifting Lumina to the side and laying a hand on her stomach. "There is a baby currently growing inside, and they're going to be your younger sibling."
Lumina frowned at mommy's stomach, trying hard to believe that there is another child inside her. It was actually a bit of a creepy thought. Slowly and worriedly, the young princess asked, while somewhat edging away from mommy's stomach and clutching Zaltys close. "Is it going to burst out of your tummy like the aliens?"
Lightning blinked at her. Twice. Trying to process what the young princess just asked while her mind scrambled to gather where the reference came from...
"Who showed you Aliens?!" the queen demanded, the storm raging outside fittingly.
After a long debate and thinking, Lumina decided that she didn't want this younger sibling. Clutching Zaltys arm tightly, she watched as the room across from her was swarmed and changed, standing right next to mommy and daddy's room, with a connection between them. It also didn't help that it used to be her room.
She was moved out across the hall when she was two, Lightning declaring that she'd be fine in her own room. Noctis had wanted to wait one more year but the young princess was getting rowdy in her crib.
And needed to learn to sleep on her own without her parents close.
Not that the princess knew that. What she knew was that she used to have two rooms. One to sleep in, two to play in, and one to sneak into when she wanted to jump on mommy and daddy's bed (when they weren't there of course, daddy made it very clear he did not like jumping on beds). And, it was nice having two rooms, it felt like having her own palace.
And now she was loosing half that palace.
She and Zaltys watched as the mirrored black walls in this one were painted over with vivid cobalt blue paint. In all honesty, Lumina loved the color blue, her daddy's eyes were a lovely blue, the ocean that mommy used to live by was a pretty blue, and she and her parents both all had pretty blue eyes (even if mommy's were more green and silver sometimes), but to see it cover her favorite color, she found that she wasn't liking the color blue as much.
What's more, all her toys from that room were being moved into her room. She was starting to hate the sight of them, wanting to throw and kick them at a wall. They weren't supposed to be in this room, they were supposed to be in the other!
Glaring at the black chocobo toy her aunt gave her, Lumina stopped when she caught the staring yellow eyes of Zaltys, looking down to see him staring back up at her.
You'll hurt his feelings doing that, the dragon warned. They aren't the ones at fault.
"I know," Lumina sighed, bringing the red dragon up and hugging him tightly. Prior to what her parents believed, toys were alive. They were her companions and playmates, understanding certain things better that most. She knew it was true for when she first moved into her new room, she had nightmares almost every night, wailing and crying till one of them (usually mommy) caved and joined her in bed, sleeping while holding her till morning.
Daddy came in after a month of struggle and showed her first toy to her, Zaltys, a red wingless dragon. "Something fierce to protect you," he told her as he set the toy in her arms.
And protect her he did. Her face snuggled up in his small chest, she slept easy against his surprising warmth, those yellow eyes watching over her head and glaring at any moving shadows. If there was any toy she trusted, it was Zaltys, her little guardian.
"Got you!" a deep voice suddenly bellowed behind her, making her squeal as large hands came around her side and she (and Zaltys) were tossed into the air before easily caught by those same large hands. Laughing and giggling as she was tossed again, turning so that she was face to face to a friendly face, she stuck her tongue out at her uncle, scolding. "That's cheating Uncle Glad!"
He made a face that acquisition. In a weird voice he scolds back, "It is not!" Setting her on his shoulder he explained, "I just to my freakishly tall height and awesome strength to overpower the little people."
"That's cheating!" Lumina insisted, letting Zaltys scratched her uncle's cheek.
Of course it made no dent. Zaltys never hurt anyone he didn't think was a threat.
"Hey," Gladiolus defended, "I have rights to use my superior awesomeness to get others. That's not cheating, that's tactic."
Lumina just stuck her tongue as a thought entered her head. Smirking, she pulled at her magic, feeling the distant throb of the crystal hidden somewhere in the palace. It responded to her reach, offering her the little magic she needed. Gladiolus' only warning was the red pooling around her once blue eyes before she was gone, his shoulder empty. Then something blunt was jabbing at his back, looking behind him, he saw Lumina smirking up at him, jabbing him with a stick.
"Gah!" Gladiolus shouts, falling to his knees dramatically, his arms waving all around him as he made the weirdest faces, and fell, flat on his face.
Lumina stared at him for a minute before smirking and jumping up onto his back, stick raised high in the air, Zaltys snug under her arm. "I win!" the princess shouts, grinning at the moans below her.
"Silence deadman," Lumina scolds, lightly tapping his shoulder with her stick. "Deadmen aren't supposed to talk."
Gladiolus shifted, one brown eye grinning at her as he warned. "You shouldn't underestimate your opponents princess..."
Lumina frowned, a little confused.
"Else they'll surprise you!" he shouted, whipping around and grabbing her, pulling her shirt up and blowing right into her tummy. The princess squealed and shouted, the hairs on his beard tickling the soft skin and making her thrash in his grip as she laughed. Gladiolus finally relented, letting the princess drop breathless and giggling in his lap, trying to recover from the onslaught. "I win," he declared proudly.
"Shut up," she grumbled, smacking his leg as she sat up. Ahead, she could still see the servants working on her old room, changing to fit the next child that will live in it. Her smile dropped as she watched them move the last of her things into her now only room.
"Exciting isn't it?" Gladiolus asked, watching them work. "We're going to have another kid running around here soon."
Lumina didn't reply, glaring at the servants though they weren't at fault.
Sensing her down mood, Gladiolus ruffled her hair, offering, "I'm going to be glad that you're not going to be alone anymore." Lumina blinked up at him, curious. Alone? She didn't think she was alone. She had toys, her parents, her uncles, her aunts. What about her was alone?
On the ground where Zaltys was flung far away during her attack, the dragon answered. No other kids.
Lumina wasn't sure if she really did want another kid around.
The princess was starting to think that yes, the child was going to burst out of mommy's stomach just like the monster in the movie Uncle Prompto showed her.
Her stomach was starting to grow, just a little. Mindful, at a glance it wasn't noticeable, but leaning against her Lumina could tell there was something there. She even felt a light tap at her back once, that surprised her enough to make her jump out of mommy's lap in alarm. Lightning looked just as surprised before laughing. "He kicked," mommy explained, telling her that occasionally the baby will move inside.
The thought was so freaky, Lumina ran to daddy, shouting that the baby was going to rip mommy in half!
Like Lightning, it took Noctis a couple of minutes to grasp what his princess was referring to before a look of horror crossed his face. "Who showed you that movie?" he demanded, making Lumina wonder what the big deal was. Yes, it was scary, but it was preparing her for this moment in life, she's sure. "Daddy," she stressed, "we gotta move fast if we're going to save moooom," the princess huffed, wondering why she had such dumb parents.
Why weren't they freaking out?!
Running a hand through his hair, Noctis sat down and pat his lap. "Ok lets clear this up. The baby isn't going to burst out of mommy's stomach-"
"Then how else is it going to get out?" Lumina grumbled.
"Well he..." Noctis slowed, frowning before changing the subject. "Never mind, I'll tell you when you're older."
"But that's another year!"
"Much older Lumi."
"That's even longer!"
"Did you know that you were in mommy's tummy once too?"
Lumina gasped. No way. That's impossible. And... and... gross. "I was inside mommy?"
Noctis smiled, not catching his daughter's disgust and horror at the subject matter. "Everyone comes out of a mother, and that's how each of us were born. You and your brother aren't any different, even we, mommy and daddy, came from your grandmas. Mommy's safe, your brother's not going to burst out of her stomach. He's going to come out just like everyone else."
Lumina frowned, still not sure what to think about this information. "But what if I don't want a brother?" she asked. What if she didn't want another kid?
Not quite understanding, Noctis ruffled her hair and kissed her brow. "Lets just wait till we meet him, then you can decide if we like him or not. Okay?"
"Okay."
Lumina looked up when she heard a racket across the hall, watching as daddy set up her bold crib, arranging the blue and silver sheets to his liking, staring at it with a hazy look, a fond, excited smile on his face. Glancing at the stand that hung above it, he reached down beside him, scooping up an old mobile that she used to play with over her crib. A flock of colorful chocobos danced slowly over the empty mattress and for a minute, Lumina almost wanted to go back inside, play with those soft plush birds, smiling up at daddy hanging over her.
A small matter of pride argued against it.
She likes sleeping in her big girl bed more than the crib, and mommy and daddy still tucked her in. She didn't need chocobos hanging over her...
Still, her legs moved her up and walked her to daddy, gripping his pant leg as she stared into the crib, trying to imagine what this baby will look like. Smiling down, Noctis scooped her so they both looked down into the crib. "You brother's going to be sleeping here," Noctis whispered. "Prince Saevio. How does that sound?"
Prince Saevio.
Lumina didn't know him.
She shook her head, frowning distastefully. "Where's mommy?" she asked instead. Noctis lent to the side, letting her peek in and see that she was, surprisingly, still sleeping. "She's pretty tired today, though its getting close to that time," her daddy murmured, more to himself. Then he straightened and turned to her with a smile. "Come on, lets got pester Uncle Ignis. I'm sure he's bored."
Lumina smiled at the suggest, gripping his shirt as he walked them out of her old room.
Lumina jumped when she heard a racket. Rising up and rubbing her eyes, she left Zaltys in her bed as she stumbled to peek out from the room. Across the hall she could hear her father, grumbling to himself as he scrambled about. "Shit, shit, shit," he repeated under his breath, grabbing a lot of thing while mommy followed after him with an annoyed scowl, one hand on her stomach, the other holding her bag. She looked a little in pain as she walked around daddy.
"How about you get Lumina ready, I'll see you at the hospital."
"I almost have everything!" he promised.
"You're going to trip down those stairs, land on your face, and I will laugh at you. Just focus on getting Lumi ready, I'll see you there."
"How are you going to-"
"Ignis will drive me, it'll fine."
"M'Lord! M'Lady! We must hurry!" the frantic voice of uncle Ignis shouted up at them.
"I hope," Lightning grumbled as she walked down towards Ignis, leaving Noctis to scramble as he gathered up clothes for Lightning and the baby. When he started to head towards Lumina's room, the four year old gasped and ran back to bed, grabbing Zaltys and pretending that she's asleep. "Lumi?" Noctis whispered as he peeked in, turning his sights towards the bed. "Lumi, it's time to go."
She couldn't help but ask where.
"To the hospital, your brother's coming."
Lumina hugged Zaltys closer, nervous.
Noctis drew nearer, insisting, "Its time to meet him, Lumi."
His hand stretched out towards her, a sure smile on his face. Lumina reached up, letting him pull her up and pulling her along out the door and down the hall, loyal Zaltys staying close and offering her the support she needs.
Lumina woke to crying. Blink from where she was lying in daddy's lap, she sat up stiffly at the cries, looking around for the source. It was coming from the room that mommy was in. Last the tired girl saw. Glancing up at daddy, she saw that he looked relieved and tired. Holding her up to his chest, they slipped in, seeing a tired mommy holding a bundled blanket in her arms, looking half asleep. She offered them a smile as they stepped in, nodding them over.
"He's finally here," she whispered, listening to the sniffles in her arms. Noctis came around and Lumina bent over, her eyes widening at the sight.
He was so... small.
And squishy.
"This is your littler brother Lumina," daddy whispered, "Prince Savio," he added with pride. "My two, perfect heirs."
While mommy rolled her eyes, she adjusted Saevio in her arms, letting Lumina get a better look at him. Where she had daddy's dark blue eyes, Saevio had mommy's bright blue green eyes, a little brown bit of hair on his head. "He's going to look just like your daddy," Lightning mused humorously, "he's already got your nose."
"No dear, I think that's your nose, see, its a little flatter. And I think he'll have your cheeks and jaw."
"No, that looks more like yours."
"That's a little heart shaped face," he pressed lightly, sitting down beside Lightning, Lumina in his lap while the two jibed around playfully. All the while the two heirs stared at each other in curious wonder, both trying to decide what the other is. In a very soft purr, Lumina heard Zaltys whisper, He looks like a good brother. If a little small. Do you like your new brother Lumina?
Lumina reached out, her finger lightly poking at his round arms. Saevio laughed and giggled, his hands wildly whipping around and grabbing her finger in a tight grasp, giggling as his bright eyes glowed brighter. Smiling back, Lumina whispered to Zaltys, "I think so."
It was a definite maybe.