A wedding gift-fic for mariagoner, this falls into her Uses of Enchantment series. I hope. ; Long-awaited, and much revised, I hope you enjoy!
Larsa had never truly thought about the process of giving birth. After all, his own mother had died very shortly after his own birth, and Drace, the only woman he knew during what little childhood he had, was not inclined to discuss such domesticities with her future liege lord. Judging by the sighs currently coming from Judge Gabranth, however, this may or may not have been a wise move on her part.
He flinched as his Lady Empress screamed again, heartbeat quickening at the thought of the pain she was currently experiencing. Judge Magister Gabranth almost stood from his current position on the bench to restrain the young emperor, but after a moment of looking at Larsa's pacing figure, decided against it. Larsa himself hardly noticed, every sense tuned to the strained noises coming from the birthing chambers (currently one floor up and down the hall from his current position).
"My lord..." Gabranth's raspy, not-the-same-as-before voice broke through then young emperor's intense concentration. Larsa stopped his pacing to face the Judge Magister. Slightly unnerved by his lord's intense gaze, Gabranth stumbled on, "Would you not prefer to find some activity to occupy yourself? I have heard that physical labor often..." He trailed off. Larsa's gaze did not waver; rather, a slightly pitying look overcame his features, as though Gabranth did not understand the situation.
"My dear Judge Magister Gabranth, I cannot find it within my heart to find other occupations while my Lady Empress labors so." He paused for a moment, wincing again as further painful sounds reached them through the thick stone. "As she suffers, so must I." With nothing more to say, the young emperor continued his pacing.
Suddenly, the noises from above changed, a new tone being added to the muffled sounds, and Larsa froze in place. After several moments of intense concentration, he turned and sprinted towards the nearest stairwell, Gabranth too startled by the sudden change to restrain him. Before he could even think about it, the young emperor was at the doors to the birthing chambers, where he slowed, uncertain.
Hesitantly, he leaned in close to the door, relieved to finally recognize that most heartening of cries: a newborn. Emboldened (for, after all, who would stop the Emperor of Archadia from viewing his own child?), Larsa confidently opened the chamber door to be greeted with what was, to his mind, one of the most lovely visions in all of Ivalice: his lady wife, beautifully exhausted, contentedly holding their child with a small smile on her face as she caught sight of her husband in the doorway.
"You know, Larsa, she's not going to bite you," his wife called from the bed, laughter tinging her voice. He blushed, he cheeks reddening, but he moved toward his family with a gentle smile.
Minutes later, holding his first child - a daughter no less! - Larsa let his thoughts meander from the tiny form in his arms to his own parents. "I promise you, Concordia," he murmured, "I will learn from their errors."