-Interlude Chapter Five- Adventures in Babyhood-
-March 25th A Warren Made (1 year/3 months)-
'Man-spawn husband of mine, I demand more carrot stew!' the Taguel member of the Shepherds snapped, her recent mood swings goading her into sounding more harsh than she had meant to.
'Oy, little bunny is running Gregor ragged!' her mercenary husband sighed as he hurried into the kitchen of the house he had bought for them to live in a few months ago. 'Gregor is wondering if perhaps bunny and he should be doing the hiring of a maid or similar person!'
The cause for Panne's mood swings was the advanced stage of pregnancy she was currently in; according to Libra, Maribelle and all of the other clerics that Panne had dragged the mercenary to in fear for her unborn child's safety, she was ready to give birth any time now.
This, and the cravings that her pregnancy had brought, had caused some slight tensions to arise between the usually happy couple, but Gregor understood their source and so was quick to make up for any arguments they had had. Panne, for her part, always felt guilty for yelling at her husband, someone who she had never imagined she would find, and was also quick to resolve their issues that her very pregnant mind sometimes forced her to initiate.
'Just…just get me some as quick as you can, husband!' Panne replied now, slightly guilty for the way she had again yelled at Gregor and speaking in a more calm voice.
Gregor noticed the change in her tone and smiled to himself. 'Ah, lovely wife of Gregor does not need to worry; Gregor will be fixing perfect meal for her as soon as he can!'
Panne reluctantly smiled as well, rubbing her very engorged belly tenderly and cooing at the baby that was resting inside.
'Never tell him that I said this, but your father is a good man, even for a human,' she murmured. She then let out a little gasp as she felt a soft kick from the small being inside her. 'At least you seem to be of a fighting spirit!'
The Taguel then let out a slightly louder cry as the kicking continued, more insistent now. Hearing this, Gregor rushed back into their living room and put a hand on her shoulder.
'Is wife okay?' he asked quickly. 'Does Gregor need to rub her belly to soothe unborn child down?'
'N…no, you fool!' Panne snapped, as another kick rocked her; she had by now realised exactly what was happening even as she felt a sharp pain go through her entire body. 'I...I am going into labour!'
Gregor nearly fainted when he heard this. 'Oy…that means…'
'IT MEANS GET ME TO LIBRA!' Panne screamed, doubling over in pain as her contractions began to get worse.
Jumping out of his skin, the aged mercenary quickly gathered his wife into his arms and bolted out of their house.
'Gregor will find feminine priest as soon as he can!' Gregor vowed.
Panne merely screamed in reply.
()()()()()()()()()
'It will be alright, Gregor,' Lon'qu said quietly as he and the mercenary were waiting outside a room in Naga's Temple.
Gregor had been told by a very surprised guard that Libra was currently at the Temple and the mercenary had made all haste to the holy building. On the way he had bumped into Lon'qu and Lissa, who was sporting her own very swollen belly but who had insisted her husband accompany Gregor and render whatever aid he could.
'I'll catch up!' she had then said insistently when Lon'qu had hesitated. 'Go on, you idiot; Gregor needs a friend right now!'
And with that, she had shooed him away before calling out to a passing guard to let her lean on him for support.
Now, the mercenary and the myrmidon were waiting for Libra to finish aiding Panne through her birth, several clerics aiding him during the process. As soon as the priest had been called and found the labouring Panne in Gregor's arms, he had immediately dropped the scrolls he had been carrying, much to the consternation of a nearby scholar on his way to the Grand Library, and had whisked the trio to one of the emergency wards; luckily for Gregor, not only did the Temple to Naga also act as the location for the Grand Library, it also served as a back-up hospital in times of need and was thus equipped for emergency situations like a pregnancy.
'Gregor is hoping that grim friend is the right!' the mercenary muttered now as he paced up and down the corridor. He paused when he heard an especially loud shriek come from the room where his wife was currently being tended to. 'Perhaps Gregor should just go and check…'
Lon'qu shook his head and put a calming hand on the agitated mercenary's shoulder.
'No, my friend, trust in Libra,' he said calmly. 'He knows what he's doing, after all.'
'Priest has been 'knowing what to do' for almost an hour now!' Gregor shot back. 'Priest had better know what he is doing!'
Lon'qu merely sighed and shook his head; truthfully, he knew that he would be just as stressed once his own wife Lissa eventually gave birth, which, just like Panne had been, could be at any moment.
It was just as the stoic swordsman was about to try and soothe his friend again that an extremely loud wail, followed soon after by happy cries of triumph interrupted him. After the brief silence that followed, he and Gregor heard the unmistakable sounds of a baby crying and Lon'qu, almost reluctantly, smiled at the dumbstruck expression on his now frozen companion.
A moment later, the door opened and a smiling Libra stuck his head out.
'Gregor, your wife would like to see you now!' he said happily when he spotted the mercenary.
'I shall stay here,' Lon'qu informed his dazed friend. He then slapped him on the shoulder and pushed him encouragingly towards the room. 'Go on, you big oaf; Panne and your child are waiting!'
Gregor nodded briefly at the swordsman before practically sprinting into the room. When he entered, he immediately saw his beloved Taguel wife smiling warmly at him, holding a small bundle to her chest that was even now making little gurgling noises.
'Panne…is that….' Gregor breathed, quickly going over to his wife and staring down at the small face he was soon able to see. 'Gregor's…child…?'
'Yes, you fool…' Panne murmured back, poking him gently on the shoulder with her free hand. She then made to hand the bundle to her husband, a broad smile on her face. 'Now, why don't you hold him?'
Gregor looked wonderingly at her as he took the proffered baby into his arms, cradling his new born son and staring down at his face. He immediately saw the small, bunny-like ears and let out a soft laugh.
'Gregor sees that his son will grow to be strong warrior like his mother…' he commented.
Panne smiled proudly at the words. 'Indeed; and he shall take after BOTH of us, man-spawn husband of mine!'
'What…what is his name?' Gregor finally asked, reluctantly tearing his eyes from his newborn son to look at his wife.
The next word that came from his wife's mouth would be the most important one that he would ever know…
'Yarne…'
-May 4th Scion of Legend (1 year/4 months)-
'GODAMMIT!' Lissa screamed as she sweated and panted, Yana's calming words doing nothing to ease her pain.
Only an hour ago, the youngest member of the Exalted family of Ylisse had suddenly, and very unexpectedly, gone into labour during an evening meal she had been sharing with her family and husband Lon'qu. It had been so unexpected that Lissa hadn't even realised that there had been a damp seat underneath her for several minutes until Yana had happened to glance down and seen that her sister's waters had broken and then let out an immediate yelp of alarm.
Suffice it to say, dinner had been quickly abandoned while Chrom had panicked, Lon'qu had looked extremely pale as he supported his wife as they stumbled their way to her room, Emmeryn had immediately slapped Chrom to calm him down while Robin, her belly just as large, looked on with slight envy as Lissa was led away.
Luckily for the young princess, her clerical sister had been far more composed, immediately ordering Lon'qu to help his wife and leading the way to the room they had been sharing for the past year.
'Honestly, if I didn't know any better I'd say that our siblings are crazy!' Yana muttered now as she soothingly spoke to her beleaguered sister. 'I mean, Chrom I can understand being an idiot at something like this, but I'd thought at least Emmeryn would keep a calm head.' Shaking her own head, Yana thought back to the moment when, immediately after Emmeryn had slapped her brother, the Exalt of Ylisse, a woman known for her calm aura and peaceful demeanour, had then began giggling uncontrollably like a lunatic.
Lissa let out a reluctant giggle of her own before screaming yet again with pain.
'Y…you're only now…realising that our family…is a bunch of weirdoes?' she croaked, smiling sickly.
'To be fair, I've only known our family for only a little over a year now,' Yana pointed out, grinning encouragingly at her sister. 'I guess it's taken me until now to cotton on to that little fact!'
'Yeah well, better get…USED…to it…HOLY NAGA, I'M GONNA KILL LON'QU FOR PUTTING THIS THING IN ME!' Lissa roared, her pregnancy-addled mind making her think slightly vindictive things about her husband now.
'If you do that, little Owain will be without a father before he even knows what that means,' Yana replied patiently.
()()()()()()()()()
Lissa, of her own accord, had decided that her child's name was going to be 'Owain' as soon as she had found out that it was going to be a boy, courtesy of a very clever spell that Yana had recently invented that enabled her to find out the baby's gender even before it was born. This spell would soon go on to help several of the Shepherds decide on a name before their children were born.
When Yana had then asked her sister why she had chosen that name in particular and so quickly, Lissa had replied that it was inspired by an odd man she had encountered among an equally strange force some time ago.
'Yeah, that guy said his name was Odin Dark or something cool like that,' Lissa had continued. 'I met him just before we found Robin, actually; he and the others were following this really cool girl…I think her name was Corrin? Apparently they'd come from another country in search of some dangerous lost invisible warthogs.'
'…Invisible…warthogs…' Yana had repeated slowly, not sure if she had heard correctly.
Lissa had then nodded, giggling. 'Yep, believe me I was just as weirded out as you are!' She had then shrugged. 'Anyway, that Odin guy inspired me and I thought that it would be pretty cool for my son to have a name just as awesome, so because of that my son's name is gonna be Owain…Owain…' Here, the blonde princess had screwed her face up thoughtfully before snapping her fingers. 'Owain LIGHT!'
Yana's sister had then jumped up, still being able to at the time, and had brandished an imaginary sword above her head.
'I can see it now; Owain Light, a hero who the people would never even know they have, striking down evil wherever it might rear its ugly head and sweeping fair maidens off their feet!' she had cried impressively. 'And who could this mysterious hero's mother be? Why, it could only be the equally awesome…LISSA THE BRAVE!'
Yana had laughed then before gently pulling her sister back down. 'Yes, well Lissa the Brave should be careful not to jump around too much or Owain Light might kick!'
The two sisters had then shared a giggle and embraced, happy in the knowledge that soon a small bundle of energy would be joining their growing family.
()()()()()()()()()
Now, Lissa let out a final, lingering wail of pain and, with a grunt and a final push, suddenly felt the weight in her stomach instantly leave her and the cries of a newborn child ring through the air soon after.
'About…about damn time…!' she panted before looking groggily up at her sister's smiling face, noticing after a moment the small bundle in her arms. 'Is…is that…?'
'Lissa, I'd like you to meet, for the very first time, Owain Light…' the cleric smiled happily and gently handed Lissa her first newborn child.
Lissa smiled gently down at the peaceful face of her baby son, marvelling at how much of Lon'qu she could see in him, from the colour of the few wisps of hair on the infant's face to the nose that was even now twitching as if smelt for the first time the scent of the world he found himself in.
Her eyes glowing with happiness and pride, Lissa looked back up at her sister and said, 'He's absolutely beautiful…!'
Yana smiled and got to her feet. 'I'll go get the others; I think they're all going to be waiting impatiently to meet little Owain.'
As her sister left, Lissa only had eyes for the baby that she was holding in her arms, the final, enduring proof of the love that had blossomed between her and the stoic swordsman from Ferox.
'You…are so adorable…' the princess cooed softly, staring into her child's eyes as they slowly opened at last. 'And I will ALWAYS love you…'
Baby Owain gurgled in response.
-May 17th Perfect Daughter (1 year/4 Months)-
A few weeks after Lissa and the royal family had welcomed the baby Owain into their midst, Cordelia's own child finally decided that it wanted out.
It happened as Cordelia, who had reluctantly agreed to taking maternity leave while she went through her pregnancy, had been watching the new recruits for the much depleted Pegasus Knight Order train in the courtyard of the palace. She and her husband Frederick had argued on the matter before the great knight finally admitted defeat and gave his permission for her to watch and train the recruits, on the understanding that she wasn't to physically join in.
The recruits, who had heard about Cordelia's ordeal ain Plegia and how she had refused to retreat with Emmeryn when the Shepherds made their stand against Gangrel's final assault, had somehow blown the whole affair out of proportion to the point that they were all firmly convinced that the red headed pegasus knight had fought against a hundred Plegian's by herself with a broken arm and slaying them all with holy magic. It was this odd misconception, that the only other pegasus knight of the Shepherds and Cordelia's best friend Sumia found to be greatly amusing at, that soon led to the recruits looking up to Cordelia almost like she was the Divine Naga herself.
All in all, it made Cordelia slightly uncomfortable when she had found out how much the pegasus knight recruits worshipped her.
'It's utterly ridiculous!' she had complained to Sumia as the two pregnant women had spent a relaxing afternoon chatting at one of the small café's in Ylisstol. 'I mean, I didn't even HAVE a broken arm, nor can I even USE magic, holy or otherwise! That's more Raye or Yana's thing.'
Sumia had giggled and shrugged. 'Well, you had best get used to it, Cordy!'
Cordelia had huffed and sipped her coffee, still slightly put out by the out of control rumour that had made it intensely embarrassing for her during the training sessions of the recruits.
Now, as Cordelia was watching the recruits go through their spear drills, she suddenly felt a pinching sensation in her stomach, followed almost immediately by her baby giving a surprisingly forceful kick. Cordelia brushed it off; her daughter, the gender of which was found out by Yana a few months earlier and who she had decided to name after her deceased grandmother Severa, had been prone to kicking a lot in recent weeks. Due to this, the pegasus knight simply thought that it was another of those involuntary motions that had plagued her for several weeks.
However, she quickly changed her opinion when she felt her waters break after the third, violent kick.
'Oh gods…' she murmured, staring down at herself. 'Oh gods…'
The pegasus knight then looked up quickly and frantically waved at Phila, who had taken on her duties while she was pregnant. Immediately noticing the attention grabbing movement, Phila instructed her trainees to continue with their drills and hurried over.
'Yes, Cordelia, what is it?' the commander of the pegasus orders asked.
'Um, sorry to interrupt you training drills, ma'am, but…my waters just broke…' Cordelia mumbled.
It took Phila a moment before she realised what she had just been told and immediately snapped into action.
'I see…well, I had best get you down to the Temple,' the silver haired woman said and quickly picked up Cordelia in her arms, much like Gregor had with Panne a month ago. 'Right, hold on tight, Cordelia.'
'Wait! What about Frederick?' Cordelia asked quickly, gritting her teeth against a sudden wave of pain.
'I will have someone fetch him; however, it is more important that I get you to the temple,' Phila replied.
With that, the stoic Phila whisked Cordelia away, not noticing the keen looks from the recruits as she left.
One recruit turned to the one beside her and, giggling, whispered, 'They kinda look cute together, don't they?'
The other recruit also giggled but made shushing motions with her hands. 'Shh, Commander Phila will kill us if she finds out you said that!' She then snorted. 'Besides, Captain Cordelia is married to Sir Frederick, remember?'
Her friend shrugged and playfully poked her. 'So? Doesn't mean I can't imagine it!'
The recruit shook her head bemusedly at that. 'Keep it up and you'll be sleeping alone tonight!'
()()()()()()()()()
Frederick, Chrom by his side, rushed into the Temple a few minutes after a messenger had burst into the throne room where he had been previously watching Chrom fuss over Robin, stating that his wife had suddenly gone into labour. As soon as he had heard that, the great knight had gone pale before Chrom suggested that they go straight to the temple. Nodding and thanking his lord for his concern, the two men had soon left after Chrom one more made absolutely sure that Robin was comfortable.
'Chrom…I love you but you're being completely idiotic!' his wife had snapped, before shooing him away. 'Now go, you great idiot!'
'Milord…what do I do?!' Frederick now cried, his usual strong composure completely gone at the news that he was about to become a father.
'Er…I'm not entirely sure…' Chrom frowned. 'I guess we should find out where Cordelia is for the moment.'
'Yes…YES, good plan milord!' Frederick replied quickly, beaming. 'You really are most intelligent milord, no matter what others might think!'
'Hey…what do you mean by that?' Chrom asked, slightly hurt.
His friend merely waved off his question. He then grabbed the arm of a passing cleric, asking the surprised woman where Cordelia was currently giving birth.
After the woman had shaken herself from the man's grip, she pointed them in direction of the room they were after and the two men immediately went on their way. As they made their way down the corridor that led to where Cordelia was giving birth they were soon able to hear the pained screams of Frederick's wife.
Hearing this, Frederick's went more pale and he sprinted the last few steps and burst through the door and was greeted by the surprised looks of Libra, his wife and three clerics who were helping the priest.
'Cordelia…!' the great knight breathed, before slowly noticing the look of anger on Cordelia's face.
'GET THE HELL OUT!' Cordelia shrieked before letting out a loud cry of pain and, with one final push, fell back against the pillows stacked behind her back.
'Perhaps he should stay?' Libra commented, a happy smile on his face as he fiddled around out of sight between Cordelia's legs for a few moments before slowly standing up.
In the priest's arms was a beautiful, wriggling baby girl, who was flailing her tiny fists around and wailing at the top of her voice. Libra winced when one fist managed to lightly hit him on the chin before grinning.
'Quite the fiery little one already, isn't she?' he laughed before handing the baby over to the waiting Cordelia.
The red headed pegasus knight smiled tiredly at her husband and motioned for him to approach. 'I'm sorry, Freddy-bear; I didn't mean to yell at you.'
'I understand, love,' Frederick replied as he quickly sat down on a seat provided by one of the clerics.
Chrom smiled from the doorway and gestured to Libra and the clerics. 'Perhaps we should leave them for a moment?'
'A good suggestion, your highness,' Libra nodded and quickly led the way out of the room.
'Alright you two, take all the time you need,' Chrom said, smiling. 'And…congratulations!'
Frederick and Cordelia barely noticed it when he prince quietly shut the door, too focussed on each other and the newborn child they were both staring at with absolute love in their eyes.
-June 16th A Most Fascinating Experience (1 year/6months)-
Miriel hummed cheerfully as she poked at the golden knight that stood before her.
After much insistence and blunt blackmail, the inquisitive mage had finally made Sahria admit defeat and the manakete had reluctantly summoned her golden knight.
'You know, he's my guardian, not something to poke at!' Sahria now sighed from where she was sitting next to Lucina; the bluenette had arrived a few minutes after Sahria had summoned her knight. 'Why are you so fascinated with him anyway?'
'I am, as you say, so fascinated with your knight because he is constructed entirely out of magic,' Miriel explained, glancing down at her stomach when she felt a brief kick before returning to studying the silent magical construct before her. 'In essence, he is similar to the tales of the Faceless and Golems from the legends of Hoshido and Nohr, the difference being that your knight is comprised entirely of magic and is not a physical, non-magical entity imbued with magic to give it life and purpose.'
Sahria blinked before glancing at Lucina, her eyebrows raised. 'Er…what?'
Miriel sighed. 'In layman's terms, your knight is an impossibility; magic needs either words to bind it into any particular form, either written down in a tome and channelled through it, or with the words spoken directly, or it needs a staff to house it until it is needed.' The mage pushed her glasses back into position when they slipped slightly down her nose. 'The fact that your knight comes from your staff makes it even more fascinating; what form does it have when housed within Serenity? What prevents it from simply collapsing when it IS summoned? If I can discover the answers to these questions I may be able to replicate it!'
'Oh…well, I don't know if you would be able to do that if that's your goal,' Sahria replied, scratching her head with one hand and absentmindedly stroking Lucina's own with the other.
'What do you mean?' Miriel asked curiously, now giving the manakete her full attention.
'Just that Serenity was made from a divine dragon's tooth and scale,' Sahria replied. At this, the mage and Lucina both looked at her in surprise. 'What?'
'You never mentioned that Serenity was a divine weapon,' Lucina pointed out, now looking at the staff in her girlfriend's hand with more interest. 'Which divine dragon, can I ask?'
Sahria shrugged. 'Dunno; all that my old master from my original timeline was able to tell me was that it was a long dead divine dragon, I don't think he really knew which one.'
'Interesting…' Lucina mused, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
'Indeed, Princess Lucina,' Miriel nodded. 'If we are able to discern which divine dragon the constituent parts of Serenity came from, we may find the answer to how your knight…'
Miriel was cut off from voicing her theory as she felt a sensation that she had been prepared for but not expecting at that moment; the sensation of her waters breaking.
'Apologies…it appears that I have gone into labour…' the mage commented before falling to her knees and letting out a hiss of pain. 'I do not suppose I could trouble the two of you for some assistance?'
'Of course, Lady Miriel!' Lucina cried, jumping up and quickly moving to the mage's side. She then glanced back when her girlfriend cleared her throat. 'What is it Sahria? We don't have much time.'
'Just wait a sec!' the manakete grinned and turned to her knight. 'Right, sorry to ask you this buddy but could you please carry Miriel GENTLY to the Temple of Naga?'
The knight's helmeted head turned briefly to its mistress and nodded before striding over to the mage and, gently, scooping the now in pain mage in its golden arms and lifting her. It then followed Sahria and Lucina as they led the way towards the temple. As they walked through the crowds towards the temple, they had many surprised and concerned looks shot their way, mainly aimed at the giant golden knight that walked at least a full head above the tallest man.
Finally, they reached the temple and entered, the knight having to bend slightly even though the doors that led into the building were a good two metres in height. As they made their way into the temple, they encountered a problem; the clerics understandably didn't appreciate a giant golden knight, in one particular cleric's words when the knight accidentally knocked over a vase, stumbling through their precious temple.
'Fine, he's already done his duty anyway!' Sahria sighed in annoyance as the cleric glowered at her as another swept up the broken pieces of the vase.
The manakete then instructed her knight to gently lower Miriel down so that Lucina could support her on her shoulder and quickly dismissed it. After the knight had bowed to its mistress and disappeared in a flash of golden light, Sahria went to Miriel's other side and the two princesses carefully made the rest of the way to the emergency ward.
'Well, it appears I should have expected quite the busy few months!' Libra commented cheerfully when he walked into the room the three women had been shown into a few minutes later. 'Ah, Miriel, so it will be your turn to welcome your child this day!' When Sahria looked questioningly at him, the priest laughed. 'Oh, only two hours ago I had Lady Maribelle in here; she has now given birth to her own son and is positively ecstatic about it!'
'Ah, I shall make sure to congratulate her whenever I see her next,' Miriel commented before letting out a little whimper of pain. She then turned to Lucina. 'I'm sorry to ask this of you, princess, but could you please go and fetch my husband?'
'Of course, Lady Miriel!' Lucina replied quickly. She then lightly kissed Sahria on the cheek before hurrying out, gently closing the door behind her.
Sahria, smiling slightly at the brief show of affection she had just received, turned and asked the mage, 'So, do you want me to leave or…?'
'Actually, I was hoping to ask you a few more questions about your staff if you are willing,' Miriel replied even as Libra put a blanket over her legs, raised her knees and gently spread them.
'Er…I mean, shouldn't you concentrate more in giving birth to your son?' the manakete asked, a little surprised by the request.
'I am quite capable of performing both acts, Princess Sahria,' Miriel insisted.
Libra shook his head, a bemused smile on his face, before saying to Sahria, 'If I might suggest something for you to do, Princess Sahria, perhaps you could use that marvellous ability of yours and help numb the pain our good mage here will be experiencing in a few moments.'
The priest was referring to the ability that Sahria shared with her mother, that being the ability to project an aura that both protected an ally and, more importantly, healed them. Yana herself had utilized her ability to assist both Lissa and, only a few days ago, Sumia when the pegasus knight had had her turn at giving birth. Both women had expressed gratitude to the cleric, and it was now known, not only amongst the Shepherds but now the entire capitol, that if a woman was going to give birth one should try and petition the cleric-princess's services, which she was more than happy to give. Indeed, she had also helped Libra when Maribelle had been in the Temple, but had left saying that she was feeling slightly fatigued and needed something to eat.
'Um…are you sure?' Sahria asked now, slightly nervous; she had never been all that good at that particular ability and even though Yana had now been helping her practice it the manakete was still unsure if she was able to assist the priest. 'I mean…I haven't had that much practice with it…'
Libra smiled encouragingly at her. 'I am sure that you will do well, princess, and if you feel like you cannot then perhaps your staff will be adequate instead?'
'I…guess I can give it a go without Serenity…practice making perfect and all that…' Sahria mumbled as she moved to stand next to Miriel. 'But if it looks like it's not doing anything then I'll switch to it.'
'Thank you, princess,' Libra nodded gratefully.
Taking a breath to calm herself, Sahria then held out her hands with the palms facing down towards Miriel's stomach and closed her eyes in concentration. A few moments later a soft golden light, exactly like when her mother used her own ability, gently radiated out from her palms and slowly encompassed the pregnant mage's entire body. As it washed over her, Miriel eyed it keenly, a fascinated gleam in her eyes even as she let out a sigh of relaxation.
'Quite curious…' the mage commented. 'When you activated your ability I felt an almost immediate warmth begin to encompass my entire being…a most relaxing warmth as well…'
'Really?' Sahria asked anxiously, still unsure if she was really helping. 'Just tell me if it changes for the worse or anything, yeah?'
'I shall endeavour to notify you of any change in my current demeanour…' Miriel sighed, a small smile of pleasure on her face as she sat back, looking like she had almost forgotten that she was about to give birth to her son.
The atmosphere of relaxation was quickly ruined when the door to the emergency room was suddenly kicked open and the large, muscular form of the Shepherds' blonde fighter came charging into it.
'Yo, my rival's daughter told me that the wife of the Vaike was giving birth to his son!' Vaike cried, almost knocking Sahria over as he fell to his knees next to his wife. 'Shove over, princess dragon; Teach'll take it from here!'
As Vaike very bluntly began shouting at Miriel's stomach, using phrases like 'C'mon kid, the Vaike is waitin' on ya!' and 'As soon as you're outta the Vaike's wife the Vaike is gonna teach ya how to hold an axe!', Sahria and Libra looked on in stunned bemusement. Miriel, on the other hand, was becoming increasingly irritated as her husband continued to yell at her belly and their coming child, and if the deep furrows caused by her eyebrows meeting were anything to go by, Vaike had seconds to live.
Finally, after two minutes of loud shouts, Miriel finally had enough and, in a dangerously calm voice, snapped, 'Vaike; if you do not desist with that inane blathering, I will be forced to test a new combination spell on you forthwith!'
'Eh? What do ya mean by that?' Vaike asked, a look of confusion on his face.
Miriel rolled her eyes and looked at Sahria. 'Princess, would you be so kind as to escort my husband out of this room, please?'
'Woah, woah; the Vaike insists that he be here for the birth of his son!' the shirtless man protested. He then glanced down at Sahria, who was several inches shorter than him. 'Anyway, what makes ya think she can escort Teach anywhere; she's so tiny?'
Sahria's left eye twitched with irritation at Vaike's casual dismissal of her and smiled sweetly up at him. She then grabbed him by the arm and twisted it painfully behind his back in one swift movement, causing Vaike to let out a grunt of pain. When the fighter tried to shake off the manakete's grip, he found that he was quite unable to.
'Hey, what the hell?' he demanded even as he was pushed roughly out of the room by an irritated manakete.
'I'm a DRAGON, remember?' Sahria sighed, rolling her eyes. 'That means that, even in my human form, I'm probably twice as strong as you'll ever be, idiot!'
As Vaike continued to protest, Sahria looked apologetically over her shoulder before shoving Vaike the final step out of the room and quickly slamming the door in his face before he could recover.
'Right…' the manakete commented, dusting her hands off. 'Where were we?'
()()()()()()()
Half an hour later, Miriel finally exited the medical room, smiling faintly and holding a bundle. As Vaike looked up at her glumly from where he had been sitting on the ground with his back to the wall, his wife switched her smile to him.
'Oh, come here, you big oaf!' she sighed. 'I shall allow you to greet your son…as long as you keep it professional.'
Grinning, but actually trying to act calm, Vaike quickly got to his feet and cautiously approached his wife, who was holding the bundle out to him. He gently pushed the blanket aside to reveal the tiny face of his new born son. The sight of his child caused an odd prickling sensation in eyes of the brash warrior and he clumsily wiped at them.
'D…damn…' he sniffed. 'The…the Vaike seems to be leaking sweat from his eyes…guess he's been working them out too much…!'
Miriel eyed him keenly at that. 'Interesting…perhaps when we get home you will allow me to study such an intriguing phenomenon?'
'The Vaike has no idea what his wife just said, but if she wants it, she gots it!'
As the happy family gently embraced each other and fussed over their baby, Sahria felt a hand slip into hers and looked around to see Lucina smiling at her.
'I'm glad that you were able to make her feel comfortable,' the bluenette murmured, nodding her head at Miriel. 'There really is a lot of your mother in you.'
Smiling, Sahria simply responded by leaning forward and lightly pressing her lips against Lucina's, silently grateful that she had been able to assist in the birth of a child like her mother had done before her.
-June 30th Exalted Elation (1 year/6 months)-
Robin smiled at Chrom as he prepared to join her in their bed, the prince finally having returned from a long day with the council only a few minutes earlier.
'Gods, but I will be glad when Ylisse and her allies can finally have some peace!' Chrom sighed as he stripped off his armour.
As he made to jump into their bed, Robin's nose twitched and she grimaced; her husband smelt strongly like sweat.
'Uh, uh, mister; go and have a bath!' she ordered, pointing firmly at their bathroom.
Chrom rolled his eyes before eying her mischievously.
'Perhaps milady would like to join me?' he asked in a low tone, taking one of his wife's hands and tenderly kissing the tips of her fingers.
Robin laughed and pointed at her belly with a raised eyebrow. 'Perhaps milord should remember that his lady would most likely take up much of the bath's space in her current condition?' she teased gently.
'Aw, c'mon Robin; it's been months since I've seen you naked!' Chrom pretended to whine, though he had understood what his wife had meant.
'And as soon as I've given birth to baby Lucina and fully recovered, I promise that I will jump you and ride you with wild abandon; then you'll get to see as much of naked me as you want!' Robin replied, grinning. 'Now, seriously, go and have a bath; you're starting to make me feel a little nauseous!'
'Wow, you sure know how to make a man feel good!' Chrom said sarcastically, smirking.
His wife threw a pillow at him and he finally relented, laughing as he shut the door to the bathroom. Robin smiled fondly at him, shaking her head and wondering how in Naga's name she had allowed herself to fall in love with that man.
As she was about to return to her book, a helpful one that Lissa had lent her titled 'The Seven Great Years of Motherhood…and the ones following it…' when she felt a small kick. Robin paused for a moment, but when there was no sensation, she shrugged and returned to her book. However, a few seconds later there was another, more insistent kick.
'Are you hungry, precious girl?' Robin cooed, gently rubbing her belly and thinking that perhaps she should eat something.
These thoughts were soon driven out of her mind when the kicks returned, more forceful and more regular and the tactician let out a pained gasp. She then felt a damp sensation between her legs and immediately realised what was going on.
'C…Chrom…!' she whimpered weakly, sitting straight up and doubling over in pain as there was a particularly violent kick from the still to be born baby Lucina. 'C…CHROM…!'
'Yeah, what is it, honey?' Chrom's voice came from behind the bathroom door. 'Are you reconsidering joining me in here?'
Robin rolled her eyes before letting out a louder cry of pain. At this, there was the sudden sounds of splashing before Chrom came rushing out a few seconds later, a towel wrapped around his waist and Falchion drawn. When he saw his wife bent over in pain on their bed, he immediately sheathed his weapon and ran to her side.
'Robin, what's wrong?!' he asked quickly.
'I…I'm…going into…labour…!' Robin panted, letting out a hiss and cursing under her breath. 'Lu…Lucina is….coming…!'
Immediately after hearing this, Chrom's face went deathly pale and he immediately began to panic.
'Oh god, oh gods…!' he cried, frantically looking around the room as if expecting to find an answer hidden in one of the corners. 'Wh…why didn't you tell me this was going to happen?'
The almost accusing tone in Chrom's voice earned him an irritated look from his wife.
'Because I didn't know it would happen NOW!' she snapped, resisting the urge to punch her husband in the face for his stupidity; admittedly it was her now pain filled mind that had made her think of such an act. 'Just go get Yana and Lissa!'
'What about Libra?' Chrom asked, still not noticing the annoyed sigh his wife let out as he continued to kneel uselessly beside the bed.
'It's too late to go get him, besides he's looking after Lilah right now!' Robin reminded him; only yesterday Lilah had given birth to her own child, a daughter that the cleric and priest had decided to call Hannah.
'In any case, Yana is the best next thing, of not better, so go get her already!' Robin continued snappishly, pointing a finger towards the door.
'R…right…I'll go do that!' Chrom stuttered, his heart in his throat as he hurried off to do his wife's bidding.
()()()()()()()()()()
A few minutes later, Chrom arrived at Yana's door, Lissa trailing behind him and yawning as she tried to fully wake herself up.
Without even bothering to knock, having already done that when he had crashed open the door and nearly had his head taken off when Lon'qu's katana whistled through the air in response to the sudden intrusion, Chrom burst into his twin's room.
'Yana, we need you; Robin's gone…into…WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!'
The last part of Chrom's sentence had devolved into a strangled roar at what he saw; there, frozen with an expression still very much in the throes of ecstasy, was his twin sister, completely naked and straddling a similarly de-clothed Gaius, who was even now still massaging Yana's ample chest.
'C…CHROM…!' Yana shrieked even as she let out an involuntary, very loud moan as Gaius unconsciously moved his hips upward. 'G…GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!'
'Wait; first things first…!' Chrom growled, slowly drawing Falchion even as he glared at the thief, who was by now coming down from his love high and had finally noticed the presence of the intruder.
Yana closed her eyes in intense embarrassment, not helped by the fact that she was now biting her lip so hard that she was drawing blood in an attempt not to let out even more moans of pleasure that were threatening to escape her.
'C…Chrom…I swear to Naga that if you don't leave RIGHT NOW, I will sic my daughter on you!' she growled through gritted teeth, not trusting herself to open her mouth fully. 'I am ALMOST done here, so whatever was so urgent that you needed to barge in here without knocking can wait a few more seconds.' When Gaius cleared his throat pointedly, the cleric sighed and rolled her eyes. 'Fine; a few more MINUTES…gods…!'
Chrom furiously shook his head, staring pointedly away from Yana even as Lissa giggled uncontrollably behind him.
'No, this can't wait; Robin's gone into labour and she needs you!' he said stiffly. 'RIGHT NOW!'
At this, Yana's face straightened and she looked surprised before a smile slowly appeared on her face.
'OH…! Well then, yeah; that's definitely more important than this right now!' she said, instantly forgetting her anger at her brother and hopping off a very irritated Gaius, who was forced to quickly shove the bed sheets over his midriff to hide his still very erect manhood.
'So, guess I'm gonna have to finish by myself, huh?' he muttered, adjusting the lollipop in his mouth as his wife bent down to kiss him even as she was throwing on her nightdress.
Yana smiled down at him mischievously. 'Oh, don't worry honey; when I get back I will…' Chrom's twin bent over then and whispered into Gaius's ears for a few moments, a small, sexy smile on her face as she lightly brushed her husband's cheek at the same time. When she straightened, the thief's mouth was hanging open and he was staring in wonder at his wife.
'Er…uh…yeah, sure, go help our tactician!' he muttered, his voice cracking slightly with excitement and the unfortunate bulge near the part of the sheets covering his midriff raised itself perceptibly, much to Chrom's exasperation.
'Alright, let's go!' he snapped, waving his arms in the direction of the door impatiently. As Yana and Lissa quickly left, he remained behind briefly to look threateningly at the thief. 'Do NOT make me see my sister naked ever again! EVER…AGAIN…!'
'Hey, if you'd only knocked, Blue…' Gaius smirked, shrugging.
Chrom shook his head and was about to retort when he heard his sisters call to him impatiently.
As the prince slammed the door behind him, Gaius casually put his arms behind his head and let out a low whistle of admiration for what his wife had promised to do to him, and FOR him, as soon as she returned.
'Damn…what did they teach her down in the Rielet sisterhood?' he wondered to himself. 'Pretty surprising, babe; pretty damn surprising!'
()()()()()()()()()
Forty minutes later, Chrom was chewing his nails furiously as he nervously waited for Yana and Lissa to come out of the room he shared with his beloved wife Robin.
'Gods…what's taking them so damned long?' he muttered to himself for the twentieth time that night.
As soon as he and his sisters had arrived at his room, the prince had been gently but firmly told to wait outside while they assisted Robin. A few minutes after they had shut the door, Chrom had soon heard the sounds of his wife screaming in pain before she seemed to sigh in relaxation; Chrom had immediately known at that point that Yana had begun using her ability.
Now, however, Chrom was starting to worry; it had been several minutes since he had last heard anything from behind the door and he was now very tempted to simply kick the door down and storm into the room to make sure his wife was okay.
'Dammit…screw this!' he muttered and drew Falchion, preparing himself to do exactly that.
However, just as he was about to make his move, the door was flung open and a very tired looking Lissa poked her head out of the door.
'Chrom, Robin…er…what are you doing?' Lissa raised an eyebrow at the sight of her brother standing frozen on the other side of the door with his sword in his hands.
'Ah…no, nothing much, really…' Chrom mumbled embarrassed and sheathing Falchion. He then anxiously looked at his sister. 'Is Robin…?'
The blonde princess smiled widely and gestured for Chrom to come into the room. As she stepped back to allow her brother to move quickly past her, she let out a yawn and excused herself, saying that now that the whole ordeal was over with she needed to get some well-deserved sleep.
'I'm leaving too, guys, sorry,' Yana said quickly, smiling at Chrom as she patted him on the arm. 'I have an impatient husband who's waiting for me to…er…well, to return to our room. Oh and…congratulations, Chrom!'
With a final wave, the cleric shut the door quietly behind her, leaving Chrom to stare at his wife as she grinned up at him from their bed.
'Hey you…why don't you come over here?' she said encouragingly. 'I need the two most important people in my life to be with me right now, and so far I've only got one!'
Chrom's lower lip quivered and he quickly rushed over to his wife, throwing an arm around her as he joined her on the bed. After passionately kissing her for several long, blissful seconds, he then looked down at the face of the most beautiful little girl he had ever seen.
'Naga…she's….she's perfect…!' he whispered, smiling gently and tenderly stroking baby Lucina's face. He then laughed quietly and pointed to the baby's face. 'Look; she has your nose!'
Robin laughed with him and gently nuzzled her own nose against baby Lucina's.
'Lucina…I know I've already seen how you're going to grow up, but right now…you are the most beautiful thing in the world…' she cooed, her eyes full with adoration as she stared at her daughter's face as if hypnotised.
'And we will protect you forever…' Chrom vowed solemnly. 'BOTH of you…!'
With that, the happy couple, plus newborn daughter, spent the rest of the night fawning over each other, not even noticing when the night slowly began to give way to the first light of day…
()()()()()()()()()()()
Well, a slightly more heart-warming interlude chapter.
I had actually not originally intended to write this one, but after an hour's thought I decided that it might be fun to include it; after all, we all need to know how, and when, SOME of the future children came into being, don't we?
Please do let me know your opinion on how these little birthing scenes went and how you thought they were handled. Like lemon scenes, I am not very experienced when it comes to describing such events, and (I'll be completely honest) birthing scenes always freaked me out and still do. Of course, I'd love to have kids myself, but whichever girl who decides, for whatever strange reason, to have my kid will have to resign herself to the fact that the father of her child will most likely faint in the hospital room.
Yeah…I am a very faint hearted person when it comes to medical procedures, I'm afraid…
My final word will be a question: Which one of these did you like the best?
Ciao for now!
