Six months later:
Jaenelle Laid in her bed a bundle of pink in her arms. Daemon had been pushed out of the hall that morning by his both of his brothers and father only because he couldn't sit still and was snapping over every little thing without really knowing why. She hadn't shown any signs of going into labor until after he had left then had nearly shredded a pillow to bits because she hadn't expected the pain to be that sharp. Cursed herself then cursed Daemon for not being there. And then kept cursing with creativity in languages that Karla and Gabrielle didn't know right up until the pain stopped and the sound of a baby crying filled the room, then it all didn't seem to matter. No what had mattered was that Daemon wasn't there.
Aleanna had been given the task of finding her uncles and father. Found them at the keep. Daemon was making mulch just so he would have something to do. Her father and both her uncles were keeping an eye on him but none were outside. Payton glanced down and her and almost yelled at her for coming alone, saw the nearly three hundred pound kitty behind her and thought better of it. "Come to watch your uncle too?"
"No, Karla sent me?" being polite was something she was learning. Unfortunately she was learning it for Karla.
"I see. And she sent you because?"
Aleanna shrugged then in a too matter-of-fact voice said, "nothing important except Witch is having the baby."
Three sets of eyes fell on her. Lucivar being the youngest got to dunk her in the fountain while Payton who had years of experience dealing with the High lord when he was moody got to tell Daemon. They weren't sure what Payton had said, was sure they didn't want to know since one minute he was standing having a calm conversation with his younger brother in the middle of the garden and the next he was on the ground with his back against the wall and Daemon was making his way to the landing web.
Laughing Revenar reached his hand down and helped his brother up. He wouldn't ask what was said, couldn't ask was more like it since he was sure if he tied to speak all that would come out was a roar of laughter. Drying his hands on his trousers Lucivar said, "We should follow him. After all I would like to see my niece before the Boyos do."
Payton growled, "You knew he would do that didn't you?"
"You're the one who said 'I have over 50,000 years of experience dealing with father so I can handle him.' Guess I should have told you Daemon is worse when he's moody more so when he's moody and it has something to do with Cat." Lucivar shrugged then burst out laughing. He wasn't going to tell his brother that Daemon would have killed him if he wasn't family. He would let him figure that out on his own…. Then again being family wasn't exactly going to save him if Daemon really wanted him dead either.
Daemon gently knocked on the door. Six months and he was still hesitating about entering without knocking. The door opened and Karla slid off to the side so that he could enter without any challenge. She might be sassy on her good days but stopping a new father from seeing his new daughter … now that she wouldn't do. As he slipped into the room both she and Gabrielle slipped out.
He saw the pink and was sitting next to Jaenelle not a heartbeat later. She didn't say anything to him just laid his daughter in his arms then watched in amusement as his gaze sharpened. She knew that look, knew the moment his eyes shifted nothing and no one was getting near his daughter till he said otherwise. Well that was just fine with her… after all it would give Daemon someone else to fuss over till his daughter learned how to turn her father's attention elsewhere.
Slowly hesitatingly he started to fiddle with the soft pink blanket. In a tired voice Jaenelle said, "If you're going to uncover her go ahead, but be gentle she hasn't fully found her husk yet. Then again she may not want one."
He looked at her before curiosity took over and he was unwrapping his daughter. Ten little fingers that turned into not quite sharp claws is what he found. Knew in a few short years how deadly those little nails would become, almost pitied the first fool who would find that out… almost. Then something else caught his attention, or more like moved against his hand. Holding her so her chest was against his he found the not dark membranous wings that would match his brother's but… white nearly blond wings that more looked like that of a butterflies but were crossed with a bat… not quite eyrien but …, " Sweetheart?"
"A gift from the weavers. I love to fly guess they thought she would to and she can both flutter like a butterfly and dive like a hawk if she so chooses." Jaenelle smiled, "it will give Lucivar something to do the three or so days every few months she goes and visits with him."
Grinning at the thought of his brother chasing after a little girl who would probably be worse than his own son… Daemon started to wrap her back up and let himself take in her scent or tried to… it was still too weak to be certain but if he took blood line in account he could be sure of two things … queen and black widow, he didn't need to wait a few years to know that. After all she was her mother's daughter and those deep blue chasms in her eyes told him something else. It told him what lived beneath the flesh was much darker then her mother.
She was three days old before anyone outside the healers that had delivered her or her parents saw her. It would have been longer but Jaenelle insisted that the family get to see her. And see her they did, holding her however was a different story altogether. And the only reason any one did was Jaenelle had given him that I am your queen and I'm telling you look, but it was more like I'm your wife and if you want to sleep in a warm bed tonight look. The laughter of Daemon's quick change of altitude filled the air was snapped when he handing her to his brother with a warning, "watch wings they're more fragile then yours are."
And that caused for her to be unwrapped. If one warlord prince playing protect the baby wasn't enough having a room full was more than enough. Jaenelle sighed, it was going to be an interesting few months till the hall was filled more fluttering little wings that needed special attention.
Three months later:
Three more little eyriens were born. Two the closest Lucivar would get was a room away. Their scent had brought out a side of him he tried to kept hidden, didn't want it to show since it wasn't the children's fault that they smelled so much like the bitches that had birthed them. The other, her clean scent and dark membranous wings… the moment she was brought near him Lucivar had calmed. It was that moment he understood why Jaenelle had thought that this child would need to be raised with him… Cassidy would never have been able to raise her, not with that dark scent that told of a strength that ran in their family. Then again he glanced over at his son, who for once was being perfectly well behaved, and sighed… could he really handle three little beast flying around the house. Maybe he shouldn't have waited this long to baby proof the eyrie.
He glanced back down at his daughter who was looking up at him with big golden eyes, an innocent smile formed on her chubby newborn face. It was a look that if she were a few years older would say, "I'm about to do something to make your heart stop." However since she was just born he took that look to mean that she was thinking of all the possible ways to do just that. In a soft voice he spoke to her, "you're going to be a hand full aren't you?" a happy gurgling coo was the response he got. With a sigh he said, "at least your giving me far warning. Better than your brother ever did." Then again maybe he had and I just didn't understand the warning.
"Condemning your daughter before she's even a day old?" Daemon tried not to laugh, knew if he did he would pay for it later on the practice field.
"Not condemning, foreseeing. After all she is your niece and she's bound to take some things form your daughter and try to copy them."
Daemon looked down at his daughter who was at the moment asleep in his arms. "My daughter will be… well as long as she don't scare the shit out of the entire realm at once I think it will be alright."
"In other words as long as she takes after you and not her mother…"
"Is that what I said?" they looked at each other then at their daughters. After a moment of complete silence Daemon added softly, "we're going to be in trouble in a few years, huh."
"It's not like this is our fault you know… not like any one will believe that, but…"
They laughed knew it was true. No matter what happen from now till their children were grown whatever happened when they acted like little beast would get blamed on them and when ever their darling daughters did something cleaver it would a proud moment for their grandfather. Everything else well that would fall on their mother's regardless if it was Marian who was raising the child or Cassidy who had birthed her, everything that was cute and innocent would be given credit to them and as for Daemon's little daughter… like he said as long as she didn't scare the shit out of the entire realm, well Jaenelle could take the credit and if she did manage to scare everybody…. Well that couldn't possibly be blamed on him.
Six months later:
The eyrie was blessed with two more births. Though it wasn't unheard of it was rare. For this birth Lucivar was as near to his wife as he could get, and since he had been there the moment she grab her stomach with the first pain of labor he wasn't going to leave this time. A summons on a thread directed to his sister and a few hours later had him both exhausted and grinning. He held his son who just by looking at him he knew would be more of a beast then his brother and his daughter, by looks took after her mother, in scent…. Lucivar sighed, couldn't one of his children not take after him?
The little girl looked up at him. Golden eyes and a soft toothless grin. Lucivar looked at his very exhausted wife and with a kiss said, "whatever you say she take after you."
Marian looked down at the bundle in her arms, "she was just born, what could she possible have done to…"
"In a few years when she starts learning her craft I do not want to hear that she is my daughter. Regardless of what she does Marian I swear she takes after you."
"And why…?"
"Because I want at least one of my children not to be just mine when they make everyone's hearts stop."
Playfully she hit him, "oh poor Lucivar."
He looked at his daughter once more, "well we could always blame some of it on father, and after all he started it."
"Started what?" that deep un-amused voice came from the door way.
"In a few years you won't have to ask. Hell I'm related to enough of you to know that scent."
He gave his son the blankest look he could before saying, ": there is no way you can…"
"No, you think not? Good when I'm proven right you get to teach her. That should be fun."
Blank looks and laughter filled the room. For now everything was perfect.
Just after a year from being rescued Peyton stood in the large nearly empty room trying to fasten the cuffs of his jacket. Trying but nerves were making it more difficult than it should have been. Revenar came up behind him, "you're never going to get those fastened if you keep pacing while you try."
"How many people get married in front of…."
Daemon leaned on the door frame, "just don't back into the unicorns. I don't think Karla would be able not to laugh." Not that Jaenelle didn't laugh but he wasn't going to bring that up at the moment either.
"and why would I back into one of them?" that at least got him to stop pacing long enough for Revenar to grab his arm and fasten the cufflink that he had been trying to do himself.
"Don't know. Just thought I would warn you. That and tell you this, you may be my brother but when Karla finds herself with child you are not hiding in the Hall. I don't care what you say."
"And why would I be hiding if that would be a joint decision?"
"Because the first time she can't have her morning cup of coffee she will dent your head, joint decision or not."
"Namesake, stop trying to scare your brother or I'll suggest to your wife that you mentioned having another little darling flying around the Hall."
Daemon turned to his father and shrugged, " go ahead and I'll tell her about you telling your granddaughter stories that were giving her too many ideas… like creating a raft out of twigs and holding it together with craft. Though I would love to know where you came up with that idea to start with."
Saetan chocked. He didn't know Daemon was listing to his idea of story time with his granddaughter. "Maybe we should go get your brother married before we start playing snip and snarl."
"What an excellent idea. After all I can't wait to find out how you react to having Karla as a daughter and not just a queen you have to deal with on occasions."
Saetan paled. Oh he had thought of that already but really didn't think it completely through. Damn his son for bringing it up now.
The ceremony was simple the party after was anything but. It seemed the whole realm had showed up to wish the high lords son happy or to wish the Queen of Glacia the same. Aristo family danced and ate beside shopkeepers and landens. Queens danced with farmers. In short everything was perfect. The fact that there was fluttering little eyriens bobbling around in what could be assumed was their version of a dance made it just that much more wondrous.
Saetan took a step back and watched his sons, his three sons laughing and talking with each other like they had spent a lifetime together. His daughter laughing and trying to dance at the same time. Marian and Karla off to the side laughing over who knows what. His heart warmed. As a smile formed on his face a soft hand grabbed his and was pulling him onto the dance floor. His granddaughter who he had spent the last year getting to know wanted to dance, and dance he would as long as he could.
