Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't...

Summary: Oreius planned the perfect Christmas surprise for his wife, even if she was on bed rest.

A/N: This story is on the fringe of my A Light in the Darkness universe and is officially AU to the main series. Enjoy!

Christmas Surprise

Part Two

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"Oreius?"

He looked over his shoulder. Alambiel wore a rather pensive expression as she rested her hands on her stomach, no doubt feeling their little filly's kicks again. Oreius stirred the fire once last time then replaced the poker. "What is it?"

"I've forgotten to do something."

Raising his eyebrows, he watched her with only a hint of wariness. "And what might that be?"

"I don't know. And that annoys me." Alambiel looked at him and then grinned. "Come back over here. Maybe I'll remember it."

Oreius chuckled but lost no time in obeying his wife's command. Being careful not to jostle her, he settled on the wide couch beside her and then rested his hand on her stomach. The little one was not kicking quite as enthusiastically as she had earlier that afternoon. Alambiel sighed and relaxed further once he started to massage her neck.

He noticed how tired she seemed again in spite of Leeta's report that she had slept most of the morn and through the noon meal. "Shall I carry you back to bed? Would you be more comfortable?"

Those blue eyes opened immediately. "No." Alambiel shook her head as she continued, "No, Oreius, I want to spend more time enjoying our tree and the fire and you." She frowned suddenly. "I know what I forgot. The present."

"What present?"

"The present that is sitting wrapped in Merryflower's shop, Kentauri." She reached up and pushed at his shoulder. "Go get it for me."

Oreius didn't move. "Does this shop not have runners?" He had no desire to leave Alambiel's side, not when she wasn't even allowed to stand. Nevertheless, as soon as Alambiel frowned at him with just a hint of hurt in her eyes, he knew that his currently-less-rational-at-times and very pregnant wife had the advantage in this skirmish.

"One, it would be rude to make Merryflower send a runner since I told her I would send someone to fetch the present. Two, it can't wait because I know you were just about to say that and the present must be here before Christmas Eve. Three, Merryflower closes her shop from Christmas Eve to the end of Yule so if you don't go get the present now, it will be a belated Christmas present and I can't stand the thought of a belated Christmas present right now." Then she leaned toward him, resting her chin on his shoulder, and looking up soulfully with just a hint of a pout around her mouth. "Please, Oreius. I know I should have asked someone else to get it sooner but I just…forgot."

And the skirmish was over.

Oreius sighed then nodded. "All right, all right, I will fetch this present for you. Where is Merryflower's shop?"

"Next to the weaponsmith's forge. The one run by Cadmus." Alambiel kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Chuisle."

He held up a finger. "But there will be rules for you to follow while I'm gone."

"Of course."

She grinned when he glared. Rising, Oreius considered the situation. "I will have to summon Leeta for you."

"No, you don't."

"Leaving you unsupervised is never a good idea. You find trouble in your sleep."

Alambiel giggled.

Oreius folded his arms over his chest. "This is hardly a laughing matter, Minx."

"Oh come on!" She grinned then raised both hands as she assumed a look of perfect innocence. "I will behave myself. Leeta wants to spend time with her own family, I'm sure. And you won't take long, I know. The odds of my going into labor now are very slim, especially since I won't be doing anything aggravating."

"And you will not attempt to even get up?"

"I won't even put my foot down."

Oreius deliberated for a few more moments then bowed his head. "Very well, but if you need anything or feel even a twinge of pain, you summon the guards. Do you understand?"

"Yes, dear."Alambiel grinned at him then added, "Can you bring my sewing basket in here before you leave?"

Fetching the basket, Oreius set next it down next to her. She immediately pulled out a small white gown. He studied it for a moment. "It is finished."

"No, it is not finished." She dug out two spools of gold and blue thread respectively. "I have to embroider it now." She had already threaded the needle and begun stitching when she glanced up at him. "Will you please hurry before Merryflower has to wait much longer?"

He bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Do not move from this spot."

"I won't. Go."

Oreius didn't show any hesitation until he had closed the doors behind him. Then he immediately beckoned to the guards. "If the Princess Royal makes any sounds of distress, you are to send word to Tuulea, Alithia, and myself immediately. You will also go in and ensure that she is safe."

"Yes, General."

The chorus from the four guards only eased his mind a little. As he made his way out of the Cair, Oreius couldn't help imagining all the while that a page would come with the intelligence that Alambiel was hurt and in labor or simply in labor. It was not until after Merryflower had given him the wrapped package and he was hurrying back to Cair Paravel that he realized the Centauress had been rather…amused…at his distracted state.

The guards were still in their assigned places but that meant nothing. It was only when Oreius entered his quarters and saw Alambiel was still lying on the couch that he relaxed. The little Minx paused in her stitching, looking innocently concerned. "Are you all right, Oreius?"

He snorted at the recollection of his own foolish behavior. "I am quite well, Wife. Where do you want me to put this?"

"Under the tree, of course." As soon as he did so, Alambiel smiled in satisfaction. "Now that is a proper Christmas tree—with presents underneath." Then she frowned as Oreius knelt next to the couch. "Why are you down there?"

Oreius chuckled. "Because it makes this easier." He slipped his hands underneath the blanket and wrapped them around her calf, massaging gently.

"Are you trying to put me to sleep?"

"If you sleep, it is because you and our little filly need the rest." He tightened his grip slightly when she reflexively pulled away after he found a knot. "Relax, sweetheart."

She glared at him but there was no heat in it. "I'm starting to think you only give me massages when you're trying to get me to go to sleep."

Oreius chuckled again. "I promise you, Alambiel, the excuse to touch you will never be one I pass by. And you do have a lot of knots."

Alambiel frowned at her sewing, murmuring, "Yes, I do. Ouch. Not so hard."

"My deepest apologies." He adjusted the pressure but wisely kept silent on how she didn't pull away or the manner in which her head began to droop in spite of her valiant efforts to stay awake and focused. She began yawning by the time he reached her knee and the sewing had been allowed to drop in a little white pile on top of her stomach by the time he switched to her other leg. And by the time he reached her knee again, she was asleep.

He decided not to move her right away. Instead, he watched the flames dancing merrily in the fireplace. There was much he worried over with this new little one. He feared he would be better at ordering his soldiers and instructing the Four, the colts and fillies he had claimed as his own for twelve years now, than being a father to a little filly. What if he failed to be the father she needed? A colt would be Centaur and he knew what he should do, how he should be, with a colt. But fillies were very different creatures entirely. And unlike Centaurs, the little Nymphs remained defenseless and vulnerable for far longer. Oreius closed his eyes, feeling wholly unworthy and unprepared for the task assigned him by the coming of his little daughter. Aslan, help me to be the sire I should be not only to my filly but the other foals who will come after her. Show me how to defend her without restricting her ability to grow into the fine young filly You intend her to be, how to love her, how to be just but fair when it comes to the rules she must live by, and above all, how to best show her, to best teach her about You.

A soft moan came from behind him and Oreius surged to his feet. Alambiel had shifted onto her side but her sleep seemed troubled as her brow furrowed and then relaxed. She sighed and Oreius calmed, reassured it was only the usual discomforts caused by the little one's kicking. At least, their daughter's antics weren't enough to fully wake her for now. He glanced at the waterclock resting in the center of the mantle. It was barely past the half hour. Bending down, Oreius carefully lifted Alambiel into his arms and then carried her into their bedchamber.

He set her on the bed and began to pull the coverlet up but then he paused. Half past eight was rather early to retire, especially for a Centaur, but… Oreius went back into the sitting room, banked the fire, and then locked the doors before he set out three more presents under the tree. Satisfied, he decided it would be best to follow his wife's example and sleep.

As he joined her in the bed, he heard her whisper, "Oreius?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

He smiled and kissed her temple as he wrapped an arm around her. "I love you too, Alambiel. Now sleep."

It was not until he felt her relax and her breathing evened out that Oreius himself slept.

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"Oreius. Oreius, come on, wake up."

He ran his hand down his face, yawning. "Alambiel, must you always choose to talk when we should be sleeping?"

"I don't want to talk."

"Then try to go back to sleep. Or are you craving something?"

He heard her make an odd sound, something caught between a laugh and a hiss. Then two hands landed on his arm and shook. "Oreius! Wake up you boneheaded Centaur! The baby's coming!"

Oreius started, sitting up. "You can't have the baby now."

Alambiel glared at him. "Oh yes I can. Now send for Tuulea!"

He almost protested again but then Alambiel grimaced, grasping the sheets in a white-knuckled grip, as she breathed out slowly. "That one was stronger, much stronger." Then she looked up at him. "Why are you still here?"

The foal was coming. Now. Oreius lurched out of bed and stumbled as his hooves tangled in the sheets, pulling them off the bed with him. Alambiel snickered. "Do you need help?"

"No. You do." Wrenching the bedchamber door open, he galloped to the main doors and flung them open. The guards stood at attention and he ignored them in favor of addressing the Swallows who had been stationed nearby since Alambiel's bed rest began, "Summon Tuulea. The foal is coming."

The Birds darted off and Oreius returned to the bedchamber, lighting candles. His wife looked pale and there were faint lines around her mouth. For a moment, he looked at her and then he shook his head. "You said she would not be born for several more weeks."

Alambiel gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Two and a half weeks is not that bad. What time is it?"

"Half past second hour."

Tuulea arrived shortly after that with Alithia and Leeta in her wake. The Black Elder Nymph examined Alambiel and then nodded. "We'll need more towels but there's still time to spare."

Oreius stepped forward from where he had been standing next to the nursery door, out of the healers' way. "You can stop the labor?"

The Nymph shook her head. "It's already been progressing for hours and there is no reason to stop it now. The child is big enough that she will be healthy. Birthing never keeps an exact schedule in any case."

Words kindly meant but they did not reassure him after the fear of losing his little filly months earlier. Oreius cleared his throat. "Then it will be soon."

"Hours more to go."

Alambiel groaned and Alithia paused in her preparations to pat her hand. "Don't worry, it won't seem so long when your little one is in your arms."

Tuulea looked thoughtful as she glanced between Alambiel and him. "As for you, young one, you may either stay here or you can wait outside in the sitting room or even in the hall where you will have more room to pace."

"Stay."

Oreius nodded, "I will stay."

Hours passed and Oreius struggled with his own helplessness as he watched Alambiel moan in pain. Even though she didn't scream, something he suspected was linked to her stubbornness; the way her nails cut into his arms bore witness to the agony. He soaked a cloth in the bowl of lukewarm water then placed it against her sweaty brow. Alambiel didn't bother to open her eyes as she grumbled, "Never again."

After her last outburst, which involved cursing in Irish and words Oreius never knew were in her vocabulary along with one slap (that one she immediately apologized for), he knew better than say anything at all until the pain passed. They were coming closer together now, though. Once she relaxed, Oreius pet her hair, smoothing back the sweat-darkened strands. "You're doing well, sweetheart. Just a little longer."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Alambiel retorted. Still she turned to Tuulea. "Can I push yet? I would really like to push."

The Nymph looked up. "Not yet, child. But soon, very soon."

"You've been saying that for hours!"

Oreius tugged on Alambiel's shoulders gently, making her lean back against his chest. "Relax, love, relax. Rest while you can."

She sighed and the sheer weariness of it reminded him yet again of how much was required of mothers…and the dangers that accompanied such weariness. Alambiel's breathing slowed further. She slipped into a light doze. Oreius worried but nothing could have forced him to leave her side.

Time crept by slowly and, with the bedchamber door closed, Oreius couldn't see the waterclock to know if time really was so slow or if it was simply the process that made time appear to move at a crawl. Alambiel grimaced and pressed her forehead against his arm, digging in with her nails again, as she endured another pain. "I can't believe you did this to me."

He muttered under his breath, "You were also involved."

"Never again."

Then the pain passed and Alambiel relaxed again. "Oreius?"

"Yes?"

Oreius chuckled, amused at the sudden sweet sincerity in her tone and expression as she whispered, "I love you. We're going to be good parents. Know why?"

"Why?"

She smiled. "Because you're the daddy. And because we have managed to keep the Four alive through twelve years. There's no way this child can get into all the scrapes they have over the years, right?"

He paused, almost pointing out that she had only been protecting the Four in her own way for eleven years, but then decided agreement was the safest course. "Of course, sweetheart."

Tuulea cleared her throat, smiling at them. "Alambiel, now it is time to push. Oreius, you might want to brace yourself."

He frowned, wondering what she could mean, but then it started again. Alambiel moaned softly, struggling again as she pushed when Tuulea instructed. Oreius pressed against her back and tried not to worry when he felt how much she was trembling. He murmured encouragingly to her, trying to give her something other than the pain to focus on. "Almost there. You're almost there. You can do this and you are doing very well."

"Shut up! I'm giving birth to a pumpkin or a watermelon or some type of large fruit I have no business pushing out of me and you're distracting me."

Oreius coughed, hoping and praying that she hadn't heard the laugh hovering just beneath it. "What would you like me to say?"

"You're an idiot." She grimaced and bore down again. Between clenched teeth, she hissed, "And your parents were never married. Why did I marry you?"

He breathed a prayer of thanks when Tuulea spared him from trying to decide how Alambiel wanted him to answer. "I can see the top of the head. One more big push, Alambiel."

Alambiel pushed then Tuulea made her wait before she grinned at them. "All right, last push."

Then a small but fierce cry filled the room. Oreius' heart leapt as he heard his filly and then Tuulea placed the naked child on her dam's chest, letting Alambiel look the baby in the eye. She smiled and then laughed as she kissed the little one's brow. "You're here." She touched the little foal's cheek, almost as if she sought to reassure herself that she was really there. "You're here," she murmured again and then looked up at him, an exhausted joy radiating from her. "You need to hold her, Oreius."

Alithia placed the filly in his hands. Oreius stared down at his daughter. She was small, not even as long as the width of his hands put together, messy from the birthing and red from both birthing and screaming. She shook her little fists and scrunched her face further as she wailed, gaining strength as she went on. She was…perfect. Thank Aslan, she was perfect.

Then Oreius had to allow Alithia to take the filly again while Tuulea ushered him out, instructing him not to come back until they had a chance to clean up mother and child. Oreius stood staring at the door that had been so firmly shut against him then laughed softly in disbelief and joy. His foal was here. His precious little filly. Early but she was still here and seemed healthy enough although Tuulea would have to confirm that part.

The pale light of dawn spilled into the room. Oreius turned to check the time but paused. There were a few more presents under the tree and beside the long, wide couch was a cradle. The one item meant for their filly that he had not gotten yet. Oreius walked over to it and examined the fine craftsmanship of the wooden flowers, roses and snowdrops, that ran along the bottom half of the cradle and the stars carved along the top. Dangles formed of shells and a mix of wooden and silver trinkets hung from ribbons attached to the cradle's hood.

A sheet of parchment rested on the foot of the couch. The sprawling handwriting was unknown to Oreius.

General Oreius,

Since your lady wife was in the midst of delivering the best present anyone could receive when I passed through, I thought I would help you with those last finishing touches. One hooded rocking cradle and one finished gown (I trust Alambiel won't mind).

Merry Christmas and Long Live Aslan!

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It was late in the evening before Tuulea and Alithia took their leave…with a warning that Oreius needed to be extremely careful when he moved Alambiel back to their bedchamber. He still wasn't certain how Alambiel had managed to coax them into allowing her to rest on the couch and accept their first visitors, the Kings and Queens and Stonebrook, who spoke the traditional blessing over the newborn, to see the filly. For now, though, Alambiel was sleeping.

Oreius smiled down at the precious bundle he held. The little rosebud mouth opened in a yawn as the filly squirmed in her blankets but still kept her eyes closed. He held her a little closer as he walked over to the tree, rumbling, "Do you know that your mama told me you were going to be a part of our little herd just after we returned from a trip to the Seven Isles? And I had assumed that she was merely suffering from seasickness the entire time we were there. She's not the best sailor, your mama, but you mustn't tell her I said that. You also gave us quite a scare this past autumn." He stroked her round little cheek then pet the fine light hair covering her scalp, smiling as she opened her eyes, revealing their grey-blue color again. "Good evening, my little Oriana. When you are a little older so your mama won't panic when I carry you near a window (not that she will ever admit to it), Da will teach you how to read the stars."

His filly blinked up at him then yawned again, unimpressed at her sire's words. Oreius chuckled then kissed her little brow. "We are so very glad to have you here with us, Oriana. Aslan has blessed Mama and Da beyond imagining with you." He smiled again as she wrapped her tiny fingers around his forefinger then sighed. Oreius began humming the lullaby his people were fond of, rocking his daughter gently until her breathing evened out and her eyes once again closed. He rocked and hummed for some time longer until he was certain she was sleeping again. Then he picked his way back to the couch and took Alambiel's hand. Even in her sleep, she relaxed a little at his touch. Oreius' gaze once again drifted to his daughter as she slumbered, tucked safely in the crook of his arm. She was certainly the best Christmas surprise and, Aslan willing, he would not have to let go of his fillies for a very long time.

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A/N: Please Read and Review! It's STILL AU but hopefully you'll like it anyway. I don't know when I'll be able to post anything again, so I'm wishing you all an early and very merry Christmas! Leave a review and let me know what y'all thought about this one.