At first, I was going to have the giant battle in this chapter, but I think it's too soon, and it would make the chapter too long. So some fluff, some humor, and some angst.
Warning: feels alert in the next couple chapter. Prepare yourself in the time it takes me to update.
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Daylen
Sometimes, he thanks whatever gods he can name that he is the Commander of the Grey.
If he wasn't, he wouldn't have an excuse to be away from Vigil's Keep.
No offence to Avina, of course; he loves her like a sister after all they've been through together.
But being around her when she's pregnant...
Sometimes it's perfectly fine. He'll feel her tummy move with life, hear her sing to it, listen to the servants and even his companions coo over her...
But sometimes she has... moods.
And when that happens, Daylen cannot get away fast enough.
A pregnant mage was something he'd never experienced before; but a pregnant mage Warden? One at least as powerful as he is, if not more so?
It terrifies him.
She would glare at her stomach, or at anyone stupid enough to pass by.
"I'm carrying the king's demon spawn," she'd snap whenever Daylen gets on her nerves. "I could use a little compassion! I am so large, I am a cow! Get me some mutton!"
And that's another thing. Not that it's anything bad or something to complain about, but she walks really funny.
She doesn't walk, she... waddles, really.
She'd lean backwards with her fists pressed into her back, and she'd walk slowly with her legs farther apart than normal.
He didn't dare say a word of it to her. She might castrate him for thinking anything she did was funny.
She may be slower, but if you ran away from her when she was angry, she would remember.
And she'd slit your throat in your sleep.
He hears her singing sometimes.
When she thinks she's alone, when she thinks no one hears. She holds the life growing inside her and cries soundless tears, and she sings.
Melava inan enansal
ir su araval tu elvaral
u na emma abelas
in elgar sa vir mana
in tu setheneran din emma na
lath sulevin
lath araval ena
arla ven tu vir mahvir
melana 'nehn
enasal ir sa lethalin
Daylen works continually, trying to make both the Keep and Amaranthine stronger while keeping the peace and feeding everyone.
And Avina's pregnancy slowly comes to the end of it's term.
It's then, just after he recruits Sigrun and Justice, that he receives the letter from Morrigan.
You have a son, Daylen. He is well, as am I.
I've named him Kieran. I hope you don't mind.
As for my work, I've found a lead. It may be nothing, but I'll look into it.
-Morrigan
He can't do anything but sit and stare at the piece of paper in his hands dumbly, not knowing what to say or do.
He has a son. Kieran.
Morrigan is alright. And their son is healthy.
His eyes start to sting, and he blinks furiously. No. He will not cry. Not for such good news.
He gets to his feet, and makes his way to Avina's chambers in the Keep.
Her door opens on the first knock. "Yes?"
He surprises her by pulling her into a hug. "I have a son. I have a son!"
She blinks for a moment before laughing and patting him on the back. "Congratulations."
Avina
Velanna's hand rests over the bulge of her stomach curiously, her face close with her head tilted to the side to listen carefully. Oghren leans against the wall, while Nathaniel sits closer on the floor.
Often while Daylen is out with the others, the ones that stay behind come to visit her.
Underneath it all, Velanna is actually a good woman with a kind heart, fiercely protective of those she cares for. She sort of reminds Avina of Sten. The two of them have bonded over the short time they've spent together, sharing knowledge of the Dalish.
Nathaniel has told her he's grateful to her for letting him go with his family's things, that she inspired him to be a Warden.
And Oghren has always been a friend.
With Daylen, Justice, Anders, and Sigrun in the deeper parts of the keep, attempting to clear the way and stop further darkspawn attacks from beneath, the others sit and wait with her.
Nathaniel sighs. "I don't mean to pry, but... your child's father. Where is he?"
Avina sucks in a sharp breath, and Velanna removes her hand while Oghren straightens up.
"I assumed the Commander was the father for a while," Nathaniel admits. "But he treats you as he would a sister, and a fellow Grey Warden."
"That's not something you should be askin'," Oghren rumbled, taking a step forward.
Avina gently waves him off. "It's... alright. No, Daylen isn't the father. Just a dear friend. The father... we met at the beginning of the Blight, and stayed together throughout. But... he had something he needed to do. Something more important than me."
"You know about this, dwarf?" Velanna asks.
Oghren grunts. "Aye. I was there."
"But I thought Grey Wardens could not have children," Nathaniel protests.
"So did I," Oghren chuckles. "But, y'know. Try enough, and you'll get there."
Avina flushes red. "Uh... right."
"What kind of duties require a man to leave his child before it is even born?" Velanna demands.
"The duties of the sodding king," Oghren cut in.
Nathaniel looks at her in disbelief. "The King impregnated you?"
"Ugh," Avina groans, dropping her face into her hands.