Sorry this took so long to come out! I rewrote this chapter 3 times, all of them almost complete, but none of them flowed correctly in the timeline I have plotted out or I just didn't like them in general. Then school and work got in the way too. But anyway, yay a new chapter!
Its pretty much Sora-centric since I don't feel like he's been getting enough screen time and I love my awkward brunet 3

Enjoy!

After Party

A scream of pain ripped through the room. Light danced off the young queen's face, highlighting the sweat. Her blond hair twisted in odd curls and her bangs stuck to her forehead. Her legs were bent at the knee, her heels digging into the soft matters as another pain traveled up her spine.

"You're doing great m'lady." A nurse between the woman's legs said with a large smile, "Head's almost out. Just a couple more pushes."

Naminé grit her teeth and followed the midwife's instructions. She tried to even out her breathing whenever a contraction became too much to bear. She felt like she was being ripped in half and that her insides were going to spill out. Tears welled up in crystal blue eyes as the pain became too much. She was on the verge of passing out.

With one last push she could hear the cries of a baby before everything went black.

~X~x~X~x~

Cloud paced around the room. The only noises came from the crackling fire burning in the corner and the soft coos coming from the bundle in his arms. Blue eyes carefully studied the baby. Round blue eyes looked back at him. The little one had Naminé's eyes, nose, even her pout. He couldn't see a trace of him or Vanitas. All this uncertainty was driving the king mad. Part of him was happy to finally have the long awaited heir to his kingdom had finally arrived, but the lack of closure over the child being his or not lingered in the back of his head.

A tiny hand reached out and grasped Cloud's finger.

"Zackary." A weak voice said on the other side of the room, grabbing the king's attention. Naminé had woken up and was leaning against fluffy pillows that looked like they were engulfing her, "His name's Zack."

Cloud smiled at his wife as he took a seat on the edge of their bed, "How are you feeling?" His queen had lost a lot of blood, her midwives managed to stop it in time, but the young woman was still deathly pale and was very weak.

Naminé smiled but made no move to get closer to her husband and child, "Just very sore. I'm afraid I'll be stuck on bed rest for a while."

"Don't push yourself, love. I'll inform your servants and ladies in waiting so you won't even have to lift a finger." Zack started to whimper and twitch in Cloud's arms. His face scrunched up as a wail started to form.

Naminé held her arms out, allowing her husband to hand her the newborn, "Its feeding time. I'd like to be left alone, please."

"Anything for you." Cloud leaned over and kissed his wife on her lips before standing and leaving the room. As the king walked down the hall he let his content smile fade, his act slowly fading. He was happy that his wife had been able to conceive and able to have such a healthy son. But deep down he couldn't feel a connection to the child. He knew that Zack wasn't Tact's rightful heir. He was a child of Ignis.

~X~x~X~x~

Sora was dizzy from all the dancing. All the lady's of the court couldn't pass up the opportunity to dance with a prince of a far off kingdom. The fact that he was next in line and unwed didn't help the fact. The brunet hadn't had a chance to sit down since the cake had been cut and Roxas disappeared.

Not that he minded any of this really. Having his arms wrapped around a pretty woman was far from a punishment. He was currently twirling Princess Kairi around the dance floor. The girl was starting to look bored standing on the sidelines, so Sora took it upon himself to show her a good time.

The two were laughing as the prince carelessly spun and dipped the young princess around the dance floor. It was getting late and a lot of the royals and nobles had taken their leave for the night, giving the dancing couple plenty of room to carelessly fling each other around.

The song ended and the two separated, large smiles on both of their faces, "Thank you." Kairi giggled with a bow, "Dancing isn't really Terra's thing. I swear he is the most boring person I have ever met."

Sora gave the girl a sympathetic smile and pulled her into a hug, "Everything will work out. Don't worry." When they parted the prince gave the girl a kiss on her forehead, "A princess always deserves her happy ending."

A slow clap interrupted the two, "Well done you two! I never knew someone could dance so horribly."

"Vanitas!" Kairi huffed at her older brother, "Don't be so rude!"

The black-haired prince laughed, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like a chipmunk whenever you're mad?" That just seemed to egg the princess on and her scowl deepen, making both princes laugh.

Suddenly, something caught Sora's eye. A girl hanging off in the distance. Among the crowd of brightly colored dresses and flashy jewels she was a speck of darkness, a shadow meant to blend into the background, "I'll be right back."

Sora left the bickering siblings and approached the strange girl. She didn't seem to notice him approaching, her sapphire eyes looked like they were searching through the guests, "Looking for someone?" Sora asked, making the girl jump.

The girl gasped when she realized who was talking to her. Taking a quick bow the girl said, "Good evening your Highness." Her choppy black hair hung in her eyes, "Can I help you with anything?"

Sora studied the girl for a moment, his face scrunched up in thought, "Just wanted to come say 'hi', so, hello."

"Oh..." The girl blinked a couple of times as she tried to think of something to say back, "Hello. How are you enjoying you time in Ignis?"

The prince just hummed and leaned against a nearby pillar, "Its alright. Kind of too dark and serious for my taste. But anyway, have we met before? I can't shake the feeling that I've seen you around."

"I've lived in this castle for many years. You may have seen me around, lending a hand where I can."

"Huh, so you're a maid? I mean, excuse me if I offend you or anything, but why are you dressed like you're attending the party? Shouldn't you be working or something?" Sora awkwardly laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

The girl blushed, "I mean, I am a maid now, but not originally." She seemed to falter for a second as she tried to gain her composure.

"Hey Sora! I see you've met Xion." Reno approached the pair. He had on a tipsy smile and a glass of wine in his hand. The redhead was clearly enjoying the party. Larxene wasn't too far behind her fiance, but seemed to be distracted by a mirror and started to fix her mused hair and smeared make up.

Wide blue eyes looked between the redhead and the embarrassed looking girl. "Xion?" Sora's mouth made an O in realization on who the girl he was talking to was. So this was Axel's ex-lover. She was cute and the young prince felt a ping in his chest at the thought of her being with his brother-in-law.

But he quickly pushed that thought aside. Axel seemed to be completely devoted to Roxas now. Xion wasn't even his concubine anymore. She wasn't tied to the redhead anymore. With that in mind Sora gave the girl a pleasant smile and a shallow bow, "I've heard a lot about you. Care to have a dance?"

Reno snickered in the background as he watched his tipsy princess, not paying any attention to the couple next to him. But if he had been watching them he would have seen the fire in Xion's eyes as she fumed at the brunet in front of her.

"I know what you're after." She growled, "Men are so typical." She spat and walked away, uncaring about how she just treated the visiting royal.

Shocked blue eyes watched the infuriated woman leave, he wanted to call her back but couldn't find the words. What just happened?

"Way to strike out kid." Reno snorted, "You need to learn how to be smooth. I can give you lessons if you'd like."

Larxene had made her way over to them by that point and poked Reno in the cheek, "I don't think you're the best person for that."She cackled as she grabbed her fiance's cheeks and squished them together, distorting his face, "So stupid looking." She let go and gave the glaring man a kiss on one of his abused cheeks, "But also adorable, I guess." The woman laced her fingers with Reno's. They shared a look of affection and adoration that made Sora's stomach boil with jealousy.

Why couldn't he find someone to look at him like that?

While the couple were distracted by each other, Sora slipped away. He aimlessly wondered around the ballroom. It was getting late and he couldn't find Roxas to talk to. Where had his baby brother disappeared to?

"Sora?" A quiet voice spoke up behind him. The prince turned to see Kairi sheepishly looking at him, "Sorry, I saw what happened and feel bad. Xion's my lady-in-waiting and how she treated you reflects on me." The usually happy princess looked a bit distraught at what her servant had done. Ignis and Lamina were on good terms, but they were fragile terms and she would hate to be the reason to start another war over something stupid.

Sora could see the worry and distress in the young girl's eyes and couldn't help but pull her into a hug. He rested his chin on top of her head and held her close, "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm not offended at all." He sighed and looked over Kairi at the slowly emptying room, couples exiting together. He couldn't get rid of the digging feeling of loneliness in his heart. He was the firstborn, the heir of Lamina. Shouldn't he have been married by now to some noblewoman or princess? It seemed like every girl he came in contact with was either taken or running away from him.

Kairi pulled away and brushed some hair out of Sora's eyes, "Are you okay?"

Two pairs of blue eyes gazed into each other. Sora couldn't help but admire of how beautiful the woman in his arms was. She was also a great person and someone he could call his friend. He felt a pang at that thought. He had to remind himself, Kairi was engaged. So this was as far as he could get with the princess.

Sora shook his head to clear his thoughts, "Yeah." He pulled away from Kairi, "I think I'm going to go to bed now. Have a good night Princess."

Kairi frowned as she watched the brunet's retreating form. Something was wrong, "Hey, Sora." She caught up to the prince and stopped him by grabbing him by the elbow, "Do you want me to talk to Xion for you?" She could see Sora's back muscles tense at the mention on her maid, "I saw you two talking. I'm not blind. I can see there's something between the two of you, but she's too stubborn to admit anything."

"Or she's in love with Axel and thinks I just want to sleep with her." Sora still refused to turn around.

"Just give me an hour. Meet me in my room."

Sora wanted to object. Him sneaking into the princess's room in the middle of the night seemed a bit inappropriate. But by the time he turned around to object to the idea, but Kairi had already left.

~X~x~X~x~

Who knew a simple wooden door could be so intimidating. Sora stood in the dark hallway looking at said door. The halls weer abandoned as everyone went to their respective rooms for the night so no one would see him sneak into the princess's room, but he still couldn't help but feel eyes on him.

With a shaking hand the prince reach out and gave a quiet knock. It didn't take long for the door to open up, but by the wrong girl.

"Xion?" Sora's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

The raven haired girl hummed and opened the door up wider for Sora to slip through and closed it behind him, "Kairi says I have to properly apologize to you." The maid crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at the floor. She stood in the middle of the room, looking completely out of place mixed in with the lavished furniture, "I'm sorry for accusing you of anything improper. I understand you were just being friendly. Will you accept my apology?" The girl bowed to the royal, keeping her eyes trained on Sora's feet.

The prince stood dumbfounded. He didn't know what he was expecting when Kairi had invited him up to her room, but he definitely wasn't expecting this. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "Ah...it's fine Xion. I wasn't offended at all. Just a little surprised to be honest."

"I still shouldn't have accused you of anything regardless." The small girl stayed in the bowed position, making Sora's back ache in sympathy.

"You, ah, can stand straight." He gently grabbed the girl by the shoulder and helped guide her to stand. Blue eyes locked in on each other and Sora had to shake his head a bit to stop himself from getting lost in them, "Please, this is all unnecessary. I'm not mad in the least bit."

"Yes, m'lord."

Sora cringed at that, "And no need to be so formal. Just call me Sora."

Xion's content little smile turned and she shook her head, "But that's no way to talk to a visiting prince. From a lady in waiting no less."

"Oh...well I was thinking we could be friends. Status doesn't bother me in the least bit." He stuck his hand out for the girl to shake, "So, friends?"

Xion bit her lower lip in thought, "Okay. Friends." She reached out and shook the offered hand.

~X~x~X~x~

"Roxas!" Sora yelled as he threw open his baby brother's bedroom door and ran in, completely ignoring the time of night. The candles in the room were dimmed and almost burnt out. In the dark room the brunet could make out the faint outline of Roxas. He was sitting up in bed with the blanket pulled up to his nose. The older prince didn't seem to care about his embarrassment as he jumped on the large bed, "Have you been up here all night? I was wondering where you went."

Roxas lowered the blanket and glared at Sora, "Not all night. Only about an hour or so. Did you come barging in here to make sure I was here or did you have something to tell me?"

"I wanted to ask you about Xion actually."

Just the mention of the girl hardened Roxas's glare, "What about her?"

Sora threw himself down so he was laying next to his brother, "I just met her and she seems interesting."

Roxas groaned and fell back into the pillows, "I don't like her."

"Ugh this again?" A new voice entered the conversation. The Lamina brothers both looked towards the now open bathroom door to see Axel. The redhead was only wearing a towel, making Sora blush. He wasn't attracted to men in the least bit, but he could see the appeal in Axel.

"Yes this again." Roxas sighed and rubbed at his face with both hands, "I'm tired of it too. Can she just go away already."

"You're allowed to have your friends and I can have mine." Axel's mood seemed to sour along with Roxas's.

Sora wished he hadn't brought it up. He didn't know how Roxas felt about Xion, "Look, if you don't want me being friends with her, I won't. I just started to talk to her and wanted to know a little more since she seems so secritive." The brunet sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed

"Oh fuck that." Axel scoffed, "She's a nice girl with some trust issues. Just break down her walls and she'll be the most loyal person you know." Roxas pulled the blanket over his face and seemed to curl up in a ball, almost like he was trying to hide. All the while muttering something under his breath. Axel rolled his eyes and pulled the offending sheet away, "And what was that? If you wanna say something then say it."

"I said," Roxas fully sat up and shoved Axel away so the redhead wasn't in his face anymore, "You would know something about breaking down her walls." The two didn't say anything for a few minutes, just stared intently at each other as they had a silent argument.

Sora was about to excuse himself and go to bed, his stomach sour for starting a fight between the two. He should have just gone to Kairi in the morning. But before he could leave Roxas sighed in defeat, "I guess she's never done anything to me outright." He looked away from Axel and towards Sora, "If you think its a good idea, then I won't stop you."

"But if you do anything to her and upset her then I won't have any problem burning all of your hair off." Axel threatened.

Sora paled at the treat. He knew that Axel couldn't physically hut him, but that didn't make it any less scary, "You make it sound like I'm trying to court her." He gave a weak laugh.

Axel raised a brow at that, "What? You're too good for her?"

"Axel," Roxas sighed and rubbed the stress from his forehead, "Can you please stop antagonizing him? Of course he's not going to be courting her."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Please Axel, just shut up for a little while."

The redhead didn't look too happy, but he respected his husband's wishes.

"Umm...well...it looks like I caused enough damage here for the night." Sora scooted off the bed and walked towards the door, "So have a good night you two, and I'll see you in the morning." The brunet quickly shuffled out of the door.

The moment the door clicked shut Axel threw off his towel and climbed over a now blushing blond. He cupped Roxas's face and pulled him into a heated kiss. The younger prince couldn't hold back the moan as the redhead slid his tongue into his mouth.

"Wait," Roxas gasped as he gently pushed Axel far away enough that the kiss broke, but the man was only a few inches away from his face, "Aren't we fighting?"

Axel darkly chuckled as he ducked down and started to nip at the exposed flesh of Roxas's neck, "You know we can not agree on every little thing and not completely hate each other right?"

Roxas couldn't stop the surprised moan when Axel ended his sentence with a rather harsh bite to his shoulder. Blunt nails dug into the redhead's back as the blond pulled him closer, "Gods you're unsustainable aren't you?" All he got in reply was a hand sneaking underneath the blankets and groping his hardening member. Looks like he wasn't getting much sleep tonight.

Sorry for it being short. There was supposed to be more, but it would send Sora down another path and I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet so I'm holding off on writing it until I can figure it out lol
But please review! I love all and any feedback!