I'm not generally one for excruciatingly detailed birth descriptions in fanfiction, and so I've spared a lot of the gory details. However, most of this chapter is centered on Edea in labor!


If he threw himself over the Grandship deck, would they take him back to Eternia immediately for treatment? It was a very stupid thought, but one that he found himself thinking multiple times nevertheless as time passed.

Ringabel stared out over the horizon, watching the sunset. In his hands, he clutched the steering wheel of the Grandship tightly. As soon as they finished getting all of Alternis's and Eyvel's belongings off the ship, he, Agnès, and Tiz would take off. Return home.

Olivia had gone down to Florem three days ago, the same day they had made their plans, to great fanfare and the relief of the people, who had flocked around both her and Agnès. They had spent time meeting with a variety of people, including the Matriarch most of all, and Olivia would spend an additional week in the city before leaving for Ancheim, though she only planned to tell everyone she was "going abroad" for safety's sake. Agnès had stayed at her side throughout, hesitant to part with her dearest, oldest friend

Then at dinner, just a few hours ago, Agnès had finally bid her a teary farewell, promising to come and see her in Ancheim soon, and begging her to send updates through the Eternian message system as often as she could. Alternis had already committed to coordinate all of that, sending the Vestal updates along with his own to the Grand Marshal.

Anazel…

The story was that 'Anazel' was going to stay in the Flor Region for now, with his 'newlywed wife' Eyvel, who could assist the Eternians with navigating through the Florem woods. They certainly couldn't take Alternis away from his men and his airship, not when they needed him to lead them, and it was a good enough cover story for Airy as to why their new fighter wasn't returning to Eternia with them. The fairy had complained at length, apparently very disappointed they couldn't take Anazel to the Earth Crystal, but she had shut up upon seeing Anazel and Eyvel act particularly lovesick around one another.

'Gee, Ringabel,' Airy had said. 'You sure he's not related to you? He's almost as gross.' Despite her harsh words though, and her initial distrust of him, she seemed to have acknowledged that he was good in a fight, and had just started to try to get close to him. It was time to force their distance.

Eyvel would actually, of course, stay on the Dark Knight with Alternis, and return to Eternia with him later. It would be a good way to keep all of the lies straight, as well as they could. Airy would never have to see Anazel again, and Alternis could go back to hiding in his helm. If Eyvel showed up in Eternia without Anazel later on, well… Caldisians were known to be very attached to their home continent. Who could blame him for wanting to stay home after all?

"We've unloaded everything, you can leave at any time."

Ringabel turned to see the very man he had been thinking about ascending up the stairs, dressed in his casual clothing.

"Thank you," Ringabel breathed, relief bubbling in his chest. "Did she take what she needed?"

Eyvel had gone with Alternis to both her sister's house and her dorm to retrieve the rest of her belongings, but the dorm was female only and had not permitted him to step over the threshold. With some of her former coworkers leering at her, Eyvel had felt too uncomfortable to go into the building by herself, not when she knew there were secret rooms and passages, and while Aideen had carried down her most precious items, her clothing would have to remain in Florem. Agnès had insisted that Eyvel take some of her old clothing instead, and Ringabel had offered some of Edea's, even if he already felt pain in his wallet at the cost of replacing the items. It was the least they could do for someone they'd inadvertently gotten exiled.

"She's got what she needs for now," Alternis replied, looking thoughtful. "One of my female officers will take her shopping for a few more of the essentials, but that's all. She wanted me to tell you that she'll return that red coat of Edea's when we return to Eternia where she can buy her own."

Ringabel let out a deep sigh. "Good. I appreciate that, and I know she will too." That coat had been expensive, and though Edea had worn it only once, she loved the color.

The other man hummed in thought. "I suppose I should be thanking you instead. Finding the Water Vestal proved to be much easier with the Wind Vestal here."

"Isn't that thanks meant for Agnès?"

"I've already spoken with her," Alternis replied, following Ringabel's sight over the horizon. "Tiz as well. They told me that you were holed up in here, eager to go."

"Can you blame me? I have a baby on the way and I promised to be there when he was born," Ringabel reminded Alternis, puffing out his cheeks. "You're going to come and see him as soon as you can, won't you?" Edea would like that, Ringabel knew. She was eager for her family to see the little one.

"As soon as we've organized forest evacuations and done initial sweeps in the woods, I intend to return to Eternia for a bit of time so that my men can rest, yes. I'll see him then, I suppose."

"You suppose? That's your nephew!"

"Despite your head injury, you do remember that we're not really brothers, don't you?" Alternis asked, sounding only slightly vexed.

"It's close enough," Ringabel shrugged, and he left the wheel to approach the stairs. Alternis turned to begin to walk down them, and since Ringabel wouldn't be able to fly until he left the ship anyway, he followed him as they made their way out of the bridge. "In actuality, wouldn't he be your son as well?"

Now that was commentary that Ringabel felt certain Edea would hit him for. He made a mental note not to joke about it around her. Yes, he and Alternis were the same person, but he was the man she had married, not Alternis Dim.

Alternis stopped in his tracks, startled beyond words. Red bloomed across his face, reaching all the way to his ears and down his neck."You… I…"

Whatever Alternis was about to say, Ringabel was sure that it wouldn't be pretty. "Don't tell my wife," he begged, pushing at Alternis to keep him moving to the deck. "Let's just forget any of the past ten minutes happened? Please?"

Alternis seemed to come back to life at the manhandling, shoving one of Ringabel's hands off his shoulder roughly. "I would be more than happy to forget any of these past few weeks," he grumbled. "You should know that we may have had the same history, but we are not the same person. Not anymore. You are your own self, a man who has created his own story, separate from mine."

Ringabel beamed at him. "What a way with words you have! You know, my story may have a happy ending, but yours will as well, should you want it. And I know that you do."

The Dark Knight waved the statement off, but the anger in his eyes faded.

"This is goodbye," Ringabel said as they came to a stop in front of the ladder leading down the side of the ship. "We'll see you in Eternia in a few weeks, then?"

Alternis nodded. "Yes. I…" he trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked over the edge of the ship to the gardens below. The Dark Knight was moored in one of the larger lakes surrounding the city, the evening lights of it reflecting on her dark exterior. "Give Edea my regards."

Ringabel was dying to know what Alternis wanted to say. On the other hand, he was also dying to get home. For now, perhaps it would be best to leave things as they were. When Alternis returned to Eternia - because he would return to Eternia, a Dark Knight couldn't possibly fall to a monstrous beast, no matter how ferocious it was - he would have to sit down with him and speak at length.

They had still never talked about the contents of Ringabel's journal. Alternis had returned to him the next morning after borrowing it, quiet but contemplative. Then again, perhaps some things were better left unsaid.

To the skies they went.

Checking in with the Proprietress, Datz and Zatz, and Tiz and Agnès, Ringabel ensured all of them had everything they needed, and that Agnès had the full stock of sweets they'd purchased for Edea as promised, and lifted off finally from the gardens of Florem. He couldn't say he was sorry to see it left behind.

It wasn't strictly his favorite idea of fun, but Ringabel decided that he would push himself tonight, would fly all night to get as far as they could, as fast as they could. All he had to do was worry about staying awake, which was easy enough. He was so used to flying, even over mountains, that he had long mastered the art of piloting while thinking of a myriad of stories in his head, little fantasies that he may or may not commit to paper later. While they were over open seas he could ask others to watch the wheel, but until then, he could navigate them safely over mountains and other obstacles.

For the remainder of the evening and all of the night, he stood at the steering wheel, imagining all the things that he would do with Edea once he returned. Kiss her, of course. Cuddle her close. Spend hours upon hours telling her about their adventure in Florem. Perhaps, once the baby was born and they were both ready to travel, they could all return to the region for some fresh air, sometime after the Earth Crystal was awoken and before the Holy Pillar.

The Holy Pillar…

Thinking about that, and the secret behind the Crystals, gave him a headache that was not conducive to piloting an airship. So Ringabel decided not to think about it, at least not now. Later he would. Later he'd sit down with his friends and talk about their next steps. They'd get Braev involved. For now…

Datz came to the bridge in the morning, taking his place at the wheel. Even with auto-pilot, it was a good idea to have a human in the bridge, in the event of some sort of system failure. That was why they had outfitted it long ago with a couch, a table, and other items that Datz could use once he wanted.

"I'll see you tonight," Ringabel waved, hiding a yawn behind his other hand.

"Get some sleep," Datz replied, his voice amused. "By the time you get some get some good rest and wake up, you'll be that much closer to getting back to Edea."

That was a nice thought. The very idea made him fondly remember some of his earliest days in Eternia, when he had convinced himself that Braev had made him into some sort of time traveler. How else could he fall asleep in the library and wake up in his bedroom the next morning?

With fond memories and even fonder thoughts of the future, Ringabel went to his room. Though he could no longer share with Agnès and Tiz, now that they had to sleep in separate beds upon the return of the fairy, those thoughts helped to lull him to sleep.

Soon, he would be with them.

That afternoon, they were over the broad ocean when Ringabel heard a peculiar noise on the wind. It was loud, urgent, some sort of machine? Oddly, worryingly familiar. Eyebrows furrowed in concern that Grandship was experiencing a mechanical problem - it wouldn't be the first time - he made his way out of the pub he'd been eating in and out on to the deck of the ship, listening for the source of the noise.

To his surprise, it wasn't the airship he was currently flying on that was making the noise. It was the black airship that was moving toward them at a shockingly fast speed. She slowed, but not nearly enough, and overtook them with ease. As the Dark Knight flew past, Ringabel was nearly blown off his feet, bracing himself on his knees at the last minute to avoid disaster. In the pub, the Proprietress cried out as the gust of wind blew dishes off her tables.

His heart thundered in his throat.

Why had Alternis followed them? What was wrong?!

The Grandship was slowing down. Datz, who was still on the bridge, had by now seen the other airship. The Dark Knight was circling back around. Ringabel rushed to the railing to watch, his eyes peeled on her.

"Ringabel!" he heard Tiz call, Agnès right behind him as they made their way down the stairs, weapons in hand. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," he shouted back. Had something happened to Olivia? Had the monster returned to slay her?

The Dark Knight was very close. By circling around she had lost most of her speed and now the pilot was able to keep her at a steady pace next to the Grandship. From her deck, Ringabel saw a dark figure jump.

Alternis, clad in full armor, landed on Grandship with a clatter and a groan, stumbling as he did so.

"Alternis!" Ringabel kneeled beside him, gingerly grasping his shoulder. "What's the matter? Is the Water Vestal alright?"

Agnès came close. Ringabel could see Airy hovering at her shoulder, clutching lightly on to the Vestal's hair now that she was no longer in danger of being blown away.

"She's fine," Alternis replied, voice strained. He clutched his side. "Nothing has befallen her. No, I had to catch up with you."

"Then what is it?"

Now that Grandship was at a full stop, the Dark Knight could hover beside them. The ship put out a ladder so that people could disembark - or board - in a more civilized manner. Ringabel glanced up at it in confusion. He knew they were on friendly terms with the Eternians, but what on earth…

"I received a message from the Grand Marshal," Alternis managed to get out, still catching his breath. "It's Edea. She's in labor."

Agnès gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

Ringabel's mouth opened, but all that came out was a croak. Edea… in labor? His mind raced to calculate how much further it might take to get back to Eternia. Even at Grandship's top speed, it would be days, if the ship didn't fall apart from the strain.

He'd promised. He had promised to return before the baby was born, and here he was, oceans away.

"You flew all this way to tell us that?" Tiz asked. He too, kneeled beside Alternis, offering a potion. Alternis pushed it aside.

"You'll never make it in time with the Grandship," Alternis told Ringabel. He reached out to grip the other man's shoulder, the claws on his manifer digging in deeply enough to draw Ringabel back to the present. "Take mine instead."

"What?" Ringabel asked. He could hear the sounds of Datz and Zatz joining them now. "The Dark Knight?"

"She's one of the fastest in Eternia," Alternis reminded him. "My navigator will fly her as fast as she can go, and you should get there by this time tomorrow. It's your only hope."

Ringabel pressed his lips together. He tasted salt.

"You - "

"I'll stay here and pilot the Grandship in your stead," Alternis offered, and he stood unsteadily to his feet. Tiz pushed the potion back at him again and this time he acquiesced, taking it in hand, though he made no movement to remove his helm and drink. "Go. You told me that you told her you would return before he was born. So go."

Ringabel had to hide his face in one hand before his emotions betrayed him.

"Go on, Ringabel," Datz said, clapping him on the shoulder. "We'll be right behind you."

"Don't worry, Ringabel," he heard a familiar voice say, and he turned to see Eyvel had descended down the ladder as well, a large backpack over her shoulders. "My sister said that first-time babies can take a while to be born. You still have a chance to be there to see him." She smiled at him.

Ringabel swallowed, his throat tight.

"Every minute you sit and think is a minute you lose," Alternis grumped. "Just go, already! Get out of my sight." Still clutching his side with one hand, and the potion bottle in the other, he made his way toward the bridge, favoring one side.

Agnès nodded. "We'll leave now, won't we?"

"What about our supplies?" Airy asked her. "We can't just leave everything! We can't leave Grandship!"

"Grandship will be in Eternia in a few days," Tiz said, taking Agnès's hand in his. "We've got everything we need for now on us."

"There's food, and clothes that will fit you on the Dark Knight," Eyvel told them. She had started to follow Alternis but had stopped to talk, even as Datz started to hustle Ringabel toward the ladder of the other airship."The crew will take care of you."

Airy peered at her. "Hey! What happened to that guy - Anazel?"

"He stayed to guard the Water Vestal," Eyvel replied without skipping a beat, her voice cool. "We had to leave her there - there was no time to get her and her guards onboard. I came to help Alternis since I know some magic."

Eyvel knew enough magic to cure minor wounds, Ringabel recalled. Clearly, Alternis had planned that ridiculous jumping stunt. Despite himself, he was impressed.

"I…" Ringabel finally managed to say. "Thank you. Thank him!"

"Go", Tiz and Agnès urged him, their hands on his back. He had already had one hand on the lower rung of the ladder. When had he gotten there? He had everything he needed on him, a sword at his hip and his journal in his pocket. All he needed now was to get home, to his family.


It had been nigh-unbearable, being on constant bed rest without her friends to keep her company. Even years later, Edea would find she'd largely repressed that period of time due to how awful she had felt during it.

Originally, her plan had been to throw herself into anything and everything she could do to keep herself preoccupied, starting with knitting enough baby hats and booties, in a variety of sizes, to last him a couple of years. Then she'd started to knit toys, little plush figures that her mother helped her stuff one afternoon, filling them with cotton and helping her to sew on details like tails and tassels. Then she moved onto clothing. Clothing for the baby, clothing for Ringabel… the baby was going to be the best dressed little boy in all the worlds, she decided, and she even made up her own "fashion" label to embroider into the neckline of the onsies, so that everyone could know where the clothes came from.

She read. Books were delivered by the boxful, ranging from tawdry romance novels that she skimmed through so that she could get to the "good" parts to Eternian history books to cookbooks, because she was always eager to learn more about that. She wrote; letters to her baby that she put into his book or messages to Ringabel that weren't nearly as detailed nor as loving as she might have liked, considering they would have to go through her father to be delivered. She even tried her hand at journaling, writing out her feelings like her mother suggested one afternoon, before deciding they were far too depressing to put into words and abandoning the practice altogether, tossing the journal across the room and under the dresser. She worked out, because while she had to limit the exercise her legs got, there were no such limitations on arm exercises, and she was determined to be the most toned mother in the whole maternity ward. Though the tiny dumbbells they gave her were way too light, way too easy for someone at her level, they were better than nothing.

She even tried her hand at drawing, borrowing one of Ringabel's least-used sketchbooks. When it came to people, the best she could do was stick figures, but at least trying to sketch the area around her was good practice. Trying to make the folds in the bed as realistic as possible took her mind off how numb she felt.

Most of all though, she slept.

As the days passed, she found herself growing more and more tired. Ringabel had hoped to be gone only a couple of weeks, and so she knew better than to wait for his return before then. As time dragged on, though, she felt her heart squeeze unpleasantly each time the door opened. She would look up, hopeful, only to see her nurse or her parents walk in instead. The messages that her father brought weren't much help. They were trying to gather clues to the Water Vestal's location. Another village had fallen. They were going to go scouting in the forest. They were going to return when they could.

Eventually, she was sleeping most of the day away, waking only at night to read listlessly before going back to sleep. The energy had been sapped from her, and she could tell it worried her doctors, but was it really that big of a deal? The more she slept, the faster her son's birth would come. They didn't need to fuss over her as often when she was sleeping. They should be happy she was preserving her energy.

"They found the Water Vestal," Braev told her one night as he was visiting. Her mother was sitting beside her, the three of them eating dinner. He had been visiting more often, at least every other day by now. Edea perked up, hiding a yawn.

"They did?"

"Yes. The report says that they've decided to mend things with the Matriarch before taking her out of Florem. Alternis will be staying there, but he expects that the Crystalists will return shortly."

"Does that mean Ringabel and Agnès?" Edea asked.

Braev nodded.

She should have been happy. She was happy, but tiredness dulled that emotion. "It's about time," she said, setting down her bowl of fruit and patting her belly. "He's taken so long."

Her parents said nothing. They'd already had long, energetic discussions about her decision to send her husband and best friend across the world, and his decision to listen to her.

Still, the news did lift her heart somewhat. Ringabel would be back soon and he would surely be back in time for the baby to be born, as promised. After dinner, Braev escorted Mahzer back to her own room and Edea looked out the window to the falling snow, wondering if she would be able to see Grandship return. Soon.

More days passed, and there was no sight nor report from her husband. Still tired, her limbs felt heavy with restlessness, her mind foggy with misery. Little shocks of pain started to cascade down her hips and thighs, a result of the baby shifting his position once more, and not at all helped by her inability to get up and move around. Small contractions, more like menstrual cramps, had started weeks ago and were now increasing in frequency. She'd been startled, almost fearful when she'd first felt them until her doctor had reassured her that they were normal, and now? She was over it.

It was only her reputation that kept her from breaking down.

That reputation meant nothing in front of her mother.

"It's alright to cry," Mahzer murmured soothingly one dreadful night, cradling Edea close as the younger girl wept in her arms. She had done so well that day. "I know it's hard, my love. You're doing so well."

"I want him out," Edea sobbed. She was trying to be mindful of the fact that her mother was physically weak, but that only made her cry harder. "It hurts! I'm tired! I'm done with this!" She wasn't sure how much she was going to be able to take. She'd wondered more than once if all mothers felt this way. Surely not, if they were able to bear the pain and still love their children as her mother loved her.

"Do you want me to call for Dr. Gale?" Mahzer asked, her hand gentle over Edea's hair. "She's said that we can induce labor now if we need to; you're so far along that he'll be fine, Edea."

"No!" Edea screamed, knowing full well she was being irrational. The baby was full-term, and his life was no longer in danger. Labor induction was harmless, and might even help. The doctors were very worried that he was getting too big in the womb. There might be 'complications'. Edea had grown to hate that word. "Not until Ringabel gets back. He promised. I can't do that to him." Ringabel would return before the baby was born. She couldn't make that harder on him by inducing.

"Alright," Mahzer replied, voice even. "How about some more sleepytea, at least? Doesn't that help with the pain?"

Edea was crying too hard to do anything more than nod. Being in this position, twisting herself in bed so that she could curl up in her mother's arms, was making her back ache. The tea would help with all her pains, and help her sleep as well.

Except that night, sleep did not come easily. She tossed and turned, the pain in her back continuing no matter how she might lay, coming and going at times throughout the night. The baby had been less active as of late, since there was less room for him to move around, but that didn't mean she couldn't still feel him, an ever-present sensation in the body that no longer felt like her own. His movements, scarce as they were, didn't help.

By the morning, the backache was still there, a dull pain that spread down her legs. Edea sat up in bed, picking at her breakfast. She didn't feel like eating, though she knew she needed to. It was as if she'd lost her desire for everything.

"Is everything alright, Miss Edea?" Katerina asked her as she came in for her morning routine. "You haven't eaten anything."

"I'm not feeling hungry," Edea replied. She'd had some juice, but her aches made swallowing difficult; even attempting to eat only a mouthful had made her nearly throw up. "My back hurts."

"I'll get you something for the pain," Katerina said, taking the tray. "How about a smoothie? Do you think you can swallow that?"

Edea nodded, closing her eyes and leaning back against her pillow. Her breaths came slowly, deliberately; she was well-versed in breathing techniques, between her training with Kamiizumi and the many books that recommended them to help with labor pain.

Labor… pain?

"Katerina," Edea said slowly when the other woman returned, a green smoothie in her hand. "I think I may be in labor."

Dr. Gale was called in, along with the pediatrician Edea had been speaking to, Dr. Grigor. They examined her together, Dr. Gale monitoring her heartbeat and that of the baby.

"How strong are your contractions?" Dr. Gale asked, her stethoscope over Edea's belly. "How long have you been feeling them?"

"They're in my back," Edea explained. Now that she was aware of what it was, the back pain felt worse than ever. It radiated out to her swollen sides, increasing every so often as her contraction peaked. How could she not have realized what it was? She and Ringabel had read so many books in preparation for this! "Since last night."

The doctor shook her head, and after another examination, told Edea, "You're barely dilated, but I think this is it. Do you want us to give you something to speed it along?"

Yes. "No," Edea told her. "I want…" she swallowed. "We need to give Ringabel more time to get back."

Dr. Gale took a deep breath. She too had made her opinion clear on her patient's husband leaving. "For now, I'll give you something to make the pain less intense. Nothing too strong, in case your labor speeds up, but enough to help you rest if you need it. And let's get you on your side, Mrs. Lee. It'll hurt less."

Her parents were told. Her mother arrived first, a flurry of excited grandmother-to-be that settled at Edea's bedside table and told the nurses that she didn't plan on leaving anytime soon. They bought her clear broth that she had Edea sip between contractions, and pillows to make both women more comfortable.

Her father arrived later, in the afternoon. Curled up on her right side for now, Edea listened to him remove some of his armor, piling the metal pieces on the table in the room. He seemed to have removed even the sollerets, judging by the lack of noise he made as he crossed the room to her bed. Why, she had no idea.

"How is she doing?" he asked Mahzer in a quiet tone.

"The contractions are slow right now," Mahzer told him, rubbing Edea's lower back. "But strong. They're worse if she's on her back, so we're having her stay like this for a while. Dear, are you still awake?"

"Edea?" Braev asked. His bare hand, firm and soothing, rested on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

Edea bit her lip, not least because a contraction was starting. She kept her eyes closed and counted the seconds as she breathed in deeply, held it, then breathed out slowly. "I'm in labor. How do you think I feel?"

She could practically hear him smiling. "Fair enough, my daughter." He settled in a chair on her other side.

The three of them remained there in relative silence for some time. The only sounds came from the machines that were hooked up to Edea, monitoring her every moment. Every time a contraction started, the beeping grew more urgent, then ebbed away. With that in mind, she had no idea how they expected her to sleep, even with the promised potions that would dull most of the pain and make her tired. Her eyes felt heavy. They burned.

"I sent a message to the Dark Knight," Braev told her after some time. He had taken her other hand in his, which Edea was very glad for. She'd been too afraid of hurting her mother to grasp her hand through contractions, but had none of that fear with him. She squeezed his hand now, satisfied with the strong way he squeezed back. "To let them know that you're in labor."

"You did?" Her next breath came in a bit shaky. "Did you hear a response?"

"Yes, from Alternis. He said that Ringabel had already left, but that he would let him know."

Ringabel had left but Alternis would let him know? That didn't make any sense. Grandship wasn't equipped with the same Eternian message crystals. There wouldn't be a way for Alternis to contact them. Still, her heart filled with hope. Ringabel was on his way back, and so far her labor was slow. There was still very much a chance he could get back before the baby was born, even if it was close.

"Thanks, Father."

Her labor continued along with the day and night, the contractions increasing in both frequency and in length. The healers came to check on her every hour to see her progress, tut-tutting under their breath. No one seemed too worried, not just yet, the night doctor remarking that she was moving just fine for her first baby. She was very young, they said. Her body was taking it slow, and that was good.

Was it good? By now she'd had two nights of very little sleep, and tears came easily to her eyes no matter what was happening. Her mother had napped on the cot while her father had sat up with her, and Braev had let her sit up and lean against him in a futile effort to nap as well. While the potions had helped with the pain, they weren't supposed to stop contractions. How did anyone expect her to sleep through them, with the tightening of her belly that threatened to take her breath away, she wondered. After this, she was sure that going to sleep for a full week.

Edea couldn't remember the last time she'd cried in front of her father, truly cried, but she did so that night, tears rolling silently down her cheeks as she clutched his hands each time a contraction rolled through her. And that night, he showed a side to her that she hadn't seen since she was a child, kind and supportive, guiding her through the night. His support made her cry almost as much as the pain did.

"Are you certain you don't want something to speed everything along?" Dr. Gale asked her again in the morning when she came by on her rounds. Edea was hunched over on her knees, clutching a bar they'd installed over her bed so that she could lean forward without fear of falling. A heating pad rested on her lower back. It felt heavenly.

"I'm sure," she snapped. Pain made her cranky. "Ringabel isn't here yet. I want to give him more time."

"Mrs. Lee, I know you want him to be here. I do too. However, your progress is beginning to worry me. You should be dilated more than you are, and we're running out of options to manage your pain. Are you sure you can keep going like this?"

"I said I'm sure!"

"Edea-"

"Please give us a few moments of privacy, Dr. Gale," Mahzer said for her from where she was sitting behind her daughter. Braev was dozing now, curled up on a cot that was woefully small for his form. "I'd like to speak to her alone."

Dr. Gale left the room, taking the nurse with her.

"I'm not going to speed things up," Edea muttered.

Mahzer said nothing, but gathered Edea's hair up in her hands to wrap into a bun first. Her ponytail from earlier had already fallen to pieces by her movements and sweat, and Mahzer reached for a few pins to keep the bun secure.

"You're just like your father," Mahzer said quietly. "So stubborn. Your son will probably be the same way."

Edea smiled, letting out a breathy laugh. "He'll get it from me and Ringabel both."

"I know you want him here, and I know he wants more than anything to be with you now. However, do you think he would want to know that you suffered on his behalf? I believe he's made clear how he feels about that."

Edea took a deep breath. Her mother wasn't wrong. Ringabel wouldn't be happy once he found out - because he would find out - that she'd let labor prolong to give him a chance to get home. Another contraction began to rise, and she groaned, slamming her hand down onto the pillow she kneeled on. "Maybe if he would hurry up and get home we wouldn't have to worry about this!"

A deep breath.

"If he isn't back by tonight, then… I'll think about it," Edea acquiesced. "I really want to get some sleep." How on earth did they expect her to be able to push if she was too tired for it? No, she had her limits, and she wondered if the baby did too. He probably liked the contractions just as much as she did.

"Thinking about it is all we ask of you, honey." Mahzer drew her into a warm hug, patting her hair. "Now, didn't she say earlier that putting some pressure on your back during the contraction will help? Do you want me to try it?"

"Please." She imagined that normally a woman's husband would be helping with this, but her's was off somewhere else in the world. At the very least, he had better have brought back everything she'd asked for and more.

Braev rose in the early afternoon and took his place once more at Edea's bedside so that Mahzer could check in with her own healers. One of his aides had delivered a few messages, and he read them now with one hand, letting Edea clutch at the other for when she needed something to squeeze.

"Any word from Alternis?" she asked. Dr. Gale had given her a shot of something that was easing the pain greatly, but her contractions were coming closer together. She still had to use breathing techniques each time, but at least she could eat without wanting to throw up, which was nice. She needed calories.

"Nothing," Braev said, thumbing through the parchment again."No word from either of them."

She frowned down at the empty soup bowl in front of her.

"I don't believe that he'll let you down," Braev said suddenly, setting aside the papers on her nightstand so that he could stand, taking her entire bed tray to put away. "Perhaps his decision-making leaves something to be desired, but he would never forgive himself for missing his child's birth, as I did mine."

Edea had known for most of her life that her father had been absent when she'd been born, out overthrowing the Crystalists of Eternia. It had been unfortunate, but unavoidable, her mother had always said and Edea had never really held it against him. "Do you… regret that? "

He looked down at her with some surprise, and perhaps something else, in his eyes. "My biggest regret as a parent is not being there for you and your mother when you needed me the most, Edea," he said. On the cot where she was resting, Mahzer nodded her agreement. "So, I am here now for you."

She let out a watery, shaky laugh. She could feel a contraction starting up again, strong and quick. "Thank you, Father."

Evening was only a couple of hours away when Edea heard the rumble of thunder, urgent and approaching quickly. "A storm?" she asked, lifting her head from where she was once more laying on her side, arms and limbs propped up with pillows. That was unusual for this time of year.

The windows started rattling, and Braev frowned up at the ceiling as the lights swung. Shouts could be heard from the halls. "That is no storm. That's a military airship, flying far too fast and too close to the city. There are rules," he muttered, and he swept over to the table where most of his armor lay. Earlier, he had removed all but the cuirass. Now, with a snap of his fingers, his Asterisk reset itself with a flash of light, leaving him fully armored. "I'll be right back, Edea, Mahzer." He swept out.

The rattling from the airship was not helping her labor pains. Edea curled in on herself, wishing she could drown out the noise. Whoever was piloting that airship, she hoped they'd get demoted! Or was something wrong? She couldn't detect a hint of smoke, anything to indicate a potential engine fire that would spell disaster, and could not figure out why else a military airship would be this close to the city. As her father had said, there were rules.

The airship's engine was slowing, or the pilot was moving away. Perhaps both. Either way, the sound lessened and the windows stopped rattling, and she could make out the sound of voices in the hall, including one very familiar one. Her heart nearly stopped.

"-ry I took so long. How are they?"

Edea looked up as the door opened, and in strode Ringabel, looking infuriatingly-put together. Yes, his hair was a bit wind-ruffled, and his face was without concealer, but he didn't look near as tired as she felt. He was only slightly covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his cheeks flushed like he'd had a good run. How dare he look so attractive! Dr. Gale came with him, but whatever she was saying was too quiet for Edea.

"You!" she shouted at him.

He halted in his tracks, throwing his hands up to as though to defend himself. "I came as fast as I could!"

As much as a part of her wanted to, she couldn't be mad at him. Not when he was finally there, safe and sound, and as he had promised, before the baby's birth. Her vision swam with hot, painful tears that blurred out his figure. A sob escaped her lips.

"Don't cry, darling," Ringabel pleaded, and he finally crossed the room to come to her side, taking her hand in his. "I'm so sorry I was gone so long. I'm here now, and I'm not leaving you again."

She leaned against him, burrowing her face into his shoulder as he wrapped his free arm around her back to hold her close, kissing her sweat-dampened hair. She'd missed this. Missed him, the stupid jerk… even if he smelled kind of bad.

"Hello Mother," Ringabel said to Mahzer over her head. "How… is she doing?"

Edea drew away. She could feel a contraction coming on, and right now her favorite way to ride through them was to hunch over on her knees. She did so now, breathing in through her mouth.

"She's getting there, slowly but surely," Dr. Gale said to Ringabel. "She was very reluctant to use any sort of potion to speed along labor, but now that you're here, perhaps you can get her to reconsider."

Edea didn't need to open her eyes to know that Ringabel was frowning down at her. Who cared? He was rubbing her back with one hand, and letting her crush the fingers of another as her contraction reached its peak.

Once that was over with, Dr. Gale pulled Ringabel aside to speak with him on a few things. Edea was dying to know what they talked about, but instead, her mother was once more rearranging the pillows on the bed to make her comfortable. She took a few moments to wipe her face clean of sweat and tears. Then, Braev strode through the door, Agnès and Tiz at his heels.

"That was the most reckless thing you could have ever done!" Braev admonished Ringabel, crossing to the table to remove his armor again as he scolded the younger man. "What on earth possessed you to do such a thing?"

"What did he do this time?" Edea asked. Agnès came to the side of the bed to hug her.

Both men looked at her, and then at each other. "That airship was far too close to the healing tower," Braev said finally. Agnès giggled, and Tiz only shook his head.

"It wasn't my idea," Ringabel replied sullenly, and to Edea's surprise - she really shouldn't have been surprised - he began to remove his clothing.

"What are you doing?" she asked him bluntly. Perhaps Ringabel would take any excuse to take off his clothes, and perhaps she didn't always discourage such behavior, but they were around polite company, even if there was a curtain drawn over the windows and the door to keep the room in relative privacy. He should have known better by now than to strip in public!

Dr. Gale laughed. "We're going to have him sit behind you, Edea. You've still got some time before you're ready to give birth, and this may help. We recommend it if a woman's partner is with her."

Who was she to argue with such logic? No one, especially not with another contraction rearing its ugly head. She groaned, clutching the armbar of the bed and scooting forward with Ringabel and Agnès's help so that he could sit behind her, cradling her with his knees. His hands were nicely warmed and firm against her shoulders, his knuckles kneading out knots she hadn't been aware of until now.

"What took you so long?" she muttered to him once the contraction was finished, leaning back into his embrace. He'd kept his underwear on, thank goodness, but his chest was bare and felt very nice against her back.

Ringabel kissed her shoulder, lacing his fingers through hers. "I'll let you know later, my dear. It's a very long story, but one with a happy ending, I assure you."

Edea found that she could curl against him, tucking her head under his chin. If she positioned herself in just the right way, his heartbeat pulsed against her cheek, comforting. This… this felt right. The past few weeks now felt so surreal, as though they were a lifetime ago. In her husband's arms, she felt better than she had in days… until another contraction started, at least.

Now that her friends were there, Mahzer and Braev could relax. Mahzer slipped out to get some quick treatment, take her medication and check in with her healers once more. Braev settled in at the table with his messages, rifling through them once more and replying to a few. Tiz went between speaking to Braev and checking on Edea and Agnès, who had planted herself in a chair next to Edea's bed and did not seem to want to budge. She told Edea in a whisper that Airy had woken from her hibernation, but that Tiz had hidden away her in the dresser so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed with "so many humans." The fairy would be out of sight, to Edea's great relief. This meant she could cling to Agnès and Ringabel both as her pain grew and not need to worry about being nagged at.

Having Ringabel finally with her eased a tension she hadn't even realized she'd been feeling. Great feelings of relief were sweeping through her, and they were so strong that her contractions almost (almost) didn't hurt as badly as they had before his arrival. Ringbel was warm and solid, and he had picked up on exactly where to press his fingers into her lower back quickly, easing much of the ache.

Then, things picked up, and she found herself crying as she had the previous night, curling up on herself when one contraction was particularly painful. She retched.

"Sweetheart," Ringabel attempted to soothe her, running his hands across her bare shoulders. "You're doing so well, so far. Just try to hang in there."

"I hate you so much right now," Edea groaned. Why was it that men always had the easy jobs?

"Take this," Dr. Gale said, handing her a potion. "It isn't as strong as some of our other portions, but it will still help with some of the sharper pains."

Edea chugged it down, not caring that it tasted bitter and not sweet in the least. The effect, at least, was immediate, and she leaned back against Ringabel's chest in a slightly better mood as Dr. Gale examined her progress.

"Another centimeter already!" the healer said, raising an eyebrow. She stood back to think, before glancing around the room. "I think we should get Edea ready to have the baby in a few hours. Ringabel, would you be able to help her change?"

"Of course."

"I also think it would be a good idea to let them have a few moments of privacy." Dr. Gale crossed over to a cart that had been wheeled into the room and opened up a bag, taking out a few articles of clothing to give to Ringabel. "I daresay this will be their last moments alone for some time."

With some difficulty, the healer managed to convince the rest of those in the room to step out of the room, at the very least to freshen themselves up and "shore up for a long night." She drew the curtains tightly around the bed, closing them off to any errant eyes.

Once again, Edea was alone. This time, however, her husband was here, as he should have been the entire time. Before stepping out, Braev had helped Ringabel lower Edea to the floor, and she stood now, leaning heavily over the bed with her feet flat on the floor.

A contraction was starting, so before they could get anywhere, Ringabel stood behind her, carefully massaging her lower back as she breathed in, breathed out. Her chin dipped to her chest.

"I'm going to undress you," Ringabel told her, once her contraction faded. She nodded her consent. The doctors had already said that the thin cloth gown she wore would be better off replaced with something that would allow maximum skin contact between herself and her newborn. She just… hadn't had time, nor the inclination to change.

Ringabel made quick work of the ties of the gown, pushing it down her arms and letting fall to the ground. In its place, he tied a bandeau around her bust for modesty's sake, and a small wrap that hung around her hips. Both could be removed with the strings as necessary and seemed to be made of some of the softest material she'd ever felt.

"What if I get cold?" she asked. It was a silly question. The temperature in the room had been increased for several reasons, and she was actually very sweaty from the workout that was having contractions for hours upon hours.

"I'll be here to warm you up," Ringabel replied with a wink and smile. Edea opened her mouth to make a retort, or at least to shut up him, but before she could so, his smile fell from his lips and he quickly engulfed her into her a hug.

"Ringabel?"

His mouth was hot, peppering kisses up her throat and her face. She closed her eyes and he kissed each eyelid in turn, before moving to her nose and lips. The kiss was urgent and eager, and Edea leaned into it, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Then, she pushed him away.

"Hold on a minute there," she told him, feeling flushed. "Let's not get fresh or anything. This isn't really the time or place!" Absolutely not the time. She could feel the very beginning twinges of a contraction coming on, the sides of her stomach tightening.

"I just want you to know that I love you," Ringabel said, eyes half-lidded.

"I know that."

"And… I'm going to stay at your side until the very end," he continued, noticing the way that she was starting to tense. He once more wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him as she leaned heavily against his form. Edea clutched him tightly, clenching her hands on his shoulders while her contraction rode its course.

When it was done, he smoothed back her hair from her face, rubbed at her face with his thumbs. "If I could take this pain from you, I would in a heartbeat," he murmured.

"Next time we have a baby, you're going to be the one going through labor," she mumbled threateningly. Oh, she could think of many ways to at least make him share this pain, but… at least half of them would result in his inability to have further children. At the moment, that seemed like a good idea, but this was no time to make rash decisions.

He raised an eyebrow but declined to say what she knew he was thinking. Instead, his common sense prevailed, and he helped her get back into bed, though she didn't settle onto her bottom as she had been previously, deciding instead to kneel on a cushion and lean over the support bar as she had done previously. Ringabel kneeled behind her, hands steady on her hips. He braided her hair and pinned it up on the top of her head, and kneaded out knots in her shoulders from all the weird positions she was getting into to make her labor tolerable.

The others rejoined them a half-hour after they had been swept out of the room. Tiz had gone to the cafeteria with Agnès, the two of them returning with two trays of food and several cups of strong-smelling coffee. The sight of the food made her happy, while at the same time her stomach flipped unpleasantly at the smell.

Noticing her glare in his direction, Tiz just winced. "Sorry, Edea", he told her when he came over to give Ringabel a cup of coffee, who held it exceedingly carefully. "Dr. Gale suggested we get ready to stay up for a while, and we didn't eat earlier. We want to make sure we're here for you as long as you need us."

"Just eat in my stead," she said, sighing. "Let me live vicariously through you."

Her parents returned, Braev carrying in a box full of some of the baby things she had previously been working on; Mahzer had taken a few to her own healing tower room to finish them up for her, adding in embellishments and embroidery to make them even cuter. Mahzer herself had a few of the baby blankets draped over her arms. When she noticed her daughter's state of almost-undressed, she left one on draped over the rail of the bed, within reach.

"I'm excited," Mahzer said, holding her face to another blanket. "I'm very ready to meet him."

"We all are," Ringabel said. He rubbed Edea's shoulders. "I feel like I've been waiting for this moment my whole life."

Night came. The sky outside deepened to a deep blue, the skies clearing and revealing the stars. It would be a beautiful night, with the moon full and the air crisp and clean. However, Edea could not enjoy the nice weather, trapped in the healing tower room as she was. The room in the air felt stifling and hot, her pain mounting with each passing hour.

Around nine, her water finally broke. Dr. Gale examined her carefully and ordered clean sheets from the night staff, then determined Edea was in the second stage of labor. Only the second? Edea thought, mind hazy. Then, the healer said that with her anxiety lessened now, she was progressing quickly. So quickly in fact, that it would no longer be safe to give her more potions to help with the pain. For the remainder of the night, she would just need to get through it all on her own.

… Mostly on her own. When her contractions reached their peak, she clutched Ringabel's hands tightly in her own, until she was nearly certain that she could feel his bones crack. Regardless, he never complained, his voice tender and quiet as he reminded her to breathe, to try and relax, get through this contraction, and then she would be good until the next one started.

"I can't take much more," she gasped near midnight, collapsing back into his arms. Agnès swooped in to wipe her sweaty face, and she leaned into the cool touch of the washcloth. Why wasn't it over? She wanted to eat and sleep, finally get out of this bed and walk around, go out and fight some monsters. She wanted to hold the baby she'd carried for so long.

"You can," Ringabel murmured to her, shaking out one hand. "I'm so proud of you, Edea. You've done this much, you can hold out."

"Easy for you to - nnghh…"

The contractions were so close together, she barely had time to breathe, let alone argue with him.

"Dr. Gale has said you should be fully dilated soon," Mahzer reminded her, as Edea hunched over once more, pressing her feet into the bed and squeezing Ringabel's hands to ride through the pain. He grunted. The older woman's hands rested carefully on her shoulders, helping to support her. "Take deep breaths, Edea. You'll know when it's time. Just a little longer."

A little longer. Edea was tired of a little longer. She was exhausted and in agony. She was no stranger to pain, but this was something entirely different. Was this what her mother had felt 18 years ago? She'd always admired her mother for that quiet inner strength she had displayed throughout Edea's childhood, but there was an entirely new layer to the respect she felt now. She looked up at the woman and whimpered.

"You're almost there," Agnès whispered encouragingly from her side. She squeezed Edea's arm. "Hang in there, Edea!"

"I love you," Ringabel said into her ear, kissing the side of her neck. "You're so strong, my dear. We're almost done."

"We? Ringabel…" Edea groaned when she could. "You owe me so, so many cookies for this."

He laughed, and she wished that she could hit him, because it was no laughing matter and at this moment, she thought she hated him more than she loved him. "You can have all the sweets you want after this. Anything you ask for."

After this, she was never going to let him touch her again. Women did this willingly, more than once? Her husband was the masochist, not her!

Dr. Gale returned to the room from where she had been speaking with the nurses, staying up with them so that she could deliver the baby. When she wasn't checking Edea's dilation, she had been getting the room prepared for the arrival of a newborn. A small bassinet, some blankets, and a few other things Edea didn't recognize had been brought in. The healer was monitoring the machine, helping to clean when she threw up in pain, and just generally watching over her.

Now the older woman approached her once more, examining her pulse and her progress. "Edea, you're almost entirely dilated. I think he'll be born within the hour, if not two. Are you ready?"

"I've been ready," Edea managed to say. "He's been served eviction papers and everything." At her urging, and because she had been very cranky, Braev had earlier written up documents and signed them as the Grand Marshal, informing the baby that he was being formally asked to come out into the world. One of the perks of being Braev's daughter, she supposed.

Time blurred together. Was it only an hour? Later, they would tell her yes, but right now her contractions were coming so quickly, so strongly that they seemed to last forever. Ringabel cradled her throughout, his arms strong and steady, letting her cry out as the pain deepened. He whispered quiet words into her ear, words meant for her alone, though she couldn't quite hear them through her own quickening pulse. She didn't care. His presence right now was more than enough.

More healers came in to help. Her father and Tiz stepped aside to give them room, but Agnès and Mahzer stayed at her side. Though she held onto Ringabel's hands only, for fear of hurting anyone else, they stroked her arms and face and helped her keep in position on shaky legs. Perhaps she should have been embarrassed by her own vulnerability, but with the pain now centered in her core, she was well past caring.

With the next wave of pain came a strong urge to push. Bracing against Ringabel, and with Dr. Gale's encouragement, she gave in to that urge.

The world muted. The incessant beeping of the machines disappeared, unimportant. The voices of the healers, of Agnès and Mahzer at her sides, Ringabel at her back, faded into static. All she could hear was her own strained breathing, her heartbeat pounding through her veins. Even her thoughts seemed to have disappeared.

A baby cried out.