Soon enough they had made their way back to Central Command.

The Braevs (Edea elbowed Ringabel when he called them that) were at the top of the tower in the Council room, just as they had been left, though Braev Lee the Elder had removed his gauntlets so that he could hold his grandson more securely in his arms. Braev Lee the Second was chewing on a toy.

"Alternis just left," Braev told them. He didn't seem surprised to see them again so soon. "He should be returning to his rooms tonight if you still wish to speak with him."

"If he doesn't flee the country in embarrassment," Ringabel commented to Edea. They had stopped in one of the lavatories, and he'd taken the opportunity to freshen up, feeling much better for it.

"Be nice."

Braev made no notion that he'd overheard them. "He left a present for the baby with me, Edea. Did you want to open it now?"

"Ooh, yes!" Edea said, clapping her hands together. "We'll open it together!"

She sat on the floor, taking the baby into her arms so that he could lean against her chest. He was still a bit too small to sit up on his own, but he could lean, as long as she was careful with his head and neck. Right now, they could fit perfectly against her chest, though she kept one hand against his stomach as the other unwrapped the present that Alternis had brought.

Ringabel kneeled beside her. "What is it?"

"Aw!" It was adorable - a little blanket with a stuffed bear attached to it, something Edea supposed was meant for comfort, to be cuddled and keep him warm at the same time. She handed it to Bee, and he quickly gripped it instinctively, bringing the bear up to his mouth to chew on, and letting the blanket fall over his chubby legs

"That's cute," Ringabel commented. "I want one."

"You don't need one," she reminded him. He had something to cuddle at night, after all. "I love it! I'll need to tell him thanks."

That would have to come later. Agnès needed to return to Grandship to rest, and Edea knew that Airy was eager to move on to the Holy Pillar to sweep the darkness from the world. Or… so that they could once more travel to a new world.

Bidding her father goodnight, and promising to have dinner with them one last time tomorrow evening, they packed up all their belongings and headed back to Grandship. Agnès was yawning by the time that they returned.

"You need to rest, Agnès," Airy said. "You need to take care of yourself! It's been so long since you've awakened a crystal, you've probably fallen out of practice."

Indeed, Agnès looked as though a strong breeze would knock her over. She gave Airy a smile. "This will be the last Crystal, won't it…? After a few days rest, I will be strong enough to travel once more."

"We'll head out from Eternia in a couple of days," Ringabel assured the fairy. "Then, I know that Agnès wants to try to see Olivia one last time, and… then we'll be off to the Holy Pillar."

"Thank goodness. The darkness has been around for so long. I hope that nothing goes wrong when we try to sweep it away this time! I don't know if it'll work."

It hadn't worked the past three times, Ringabel thought privately, though he wisely kept his mouth shut. No, he doubted it would work this time. Her wings carried the number two. They had at least one more world, provided…

He cleared his throat to distract himself from his own thoughts. "Everything will be fine, I'm sure of it."

They would have dinner with the Lees one last time the next day, and then leave Eternia the day after. For the rest of the evening, Agnès would rest. In theory, Ringabel could leave Eternia now, allowing her to rest while he piloted the Grandship but… it was hard to say goodbye. Harder still, knowing that they could never see each other again.

Agnès took a nap, and Ringabel and Edea retreated to their room so that they could spend time together as a family… or, that had been his plan, at least.

Instead, his head hurt. He whined at his wife, looking as pitiful as possible while she lounged back on the bed with the baby in her arms.

"What is it?" she asked him. "You didn't look well after awakening the Crystal."

He sighed. He hated talking about his problems, even though Edea was not as delicate as she had once been. There were just some things that were embarrassing, even though Edea had seen him at his worst. A few bad days were nothing compared to what he'd once been through.

"I worry about the Holy Pillar of this world," he told her, sitting down beside her. Anxiety churned in his gut. That monster from his darkest memories… would it reappear? He knew it had something to do with Airy, and she was agitated with them. Perhaps…

"Don't worry," Edea told him, waving a hand. Bee mimicked her action, kicking his feet at the same time. "We'll take it as we have every other Holy Pillar. Though this time, I doubt Alternis will come on board to battle us."

"He's already battled us," Ringabel said absently. He still smarted from that battle, too! "No, Eternia will not be interfering any longer. That's good, isn't it?"

"It is… we're free to finish up our business here and move on."

Move on… Ringabel leaned his head against Edea's shoulder. "Yes, let's move on" They had come this far, they couldn't quit now.

Later that night, after dinner, Ringabel found himself feeling much better. So better in fact, that he cuddled up to Edea immediately, his arms wrapping around her and Bee both. He nuzzled her neck.

"I'm busy," she muttered but didn't elbow him, which he thought was a good sign, even with the baby that she held.

"We could get busy," he replied, waggling his eyebrows.

"Ringabel!"

"Ah, I love it when you say my name so," he teased, kissing her bare shoulder. She still wasn't elbowing him.

Edea groused, but leaned into his touch, pressing her cheek to his. "What am I going to do with you?"

"There's things you could do to me."

"Not in front of the kids," Edea said, sounding mock-scandalized. Then, she laughed. "Once he's done – and you change his diaper – you can put him in the bassinette, okay? Then we'll have plenty of time to ourselves." Bee tended to sleep after eating. They could have some moments of privacy.

Privacy would be sorely needed. Ringabel loved his son, he truly did, but there were times when he wanted Edea all to himself. Not in any nefarious ways, but he had been touch-starved for so long that he genuinely craved being able to hold her without any barriers between them. Not only that, but anxiety for the future was bubbling under his skin. He needed reassurance from her, and what better way than to spend some intimate time with her?

In short order, Bee was changed into a fresh diaper, put into an adorable onesie, and placed into his bassinette for a nap. Afterward, Ringabel immediately shucked his shirt and pants off, climbing back into bed with Edea.

"Woah there," she told him, hands on his shoulders. "Someone is eager."

"Someone is anxious," he corrected her.

"Ringabel. You'd said you would talk about your feelings. You promised." She frowned at him, squeezing his shoulders and looking as though she were contemplating pushing him off the bed.

"And I will," he promised again, planting a kiss to her forehead. "After."

"Hmm." Though she didn't seem entirely convinced, she didn't say anything more, instead pulling him down for a kiss. He leaned into it, and her, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of her warm skin against his own. "How long has it been?"

"Since our wedding night," she replied absently, nipping at his bottom lip. "A few months. You've survived."

"Up until now." He dipped his head to kiss her throat, suckling gently at the skin there. "Just barely."

He knew better than to complain, but he still found himself whining as he kissed her more firmly, leaning her back into the mountain of pillows that had found their way to their bed. Edea's arms wrapped easily around his shoulders, holding him tightly to her. He caught his weight on his forearms, blanketing her form with his own.

It had been long enough that he found himself with tears in his eyes as he finally entered her some long moments later, after he was sure she was good and ready for him. It just felt so nice, to finally bond with her once more. Edea's hands cradled his face, her thumbs sweeping across his cheeks.

"I love you," he whispered, blinking rapidly. He wasn't going to cry. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she replied, smiling. Those words made his heart beat faster than any sort of act could. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her foot rubbing against his leg. "Now, less talking and more action."

"I thought you wanted me to talk," he teased, his eyelashes fluttering as he rolled his hips against hers. She sighed in response to his motion, her fingers tugging his hair.

"Later. Love me right now."

"I do love you…" but he knew what she meant. Closing his eyes, he focused on the feeling of his wife underneath him, fully prepared to perform his husbandly duties. He was to protect and to serve her, to make sure that she was happy. Edea was everything to him in this moment.

Her hands continued to caress his face through his motions, not stopping even when they began to increase in urgency and pace as he climbed up to his peak. He leaned into her touch, breathless noises slipping out of his lips the closer he got to climax. Words of love spilled out as well, punctuating his thrusts.

"I love you," he finally breathed. His toes curled; he was right there. "I love you, I love you, I – ah!" With a final cry, he came, holding his position against her, blood rushing through his ears, his pulse like lightning. Then he sagged, tears finally springing from his eyes down his cheeks.

"You shouldn't hold those in," Edea murmured, rocking up against him. He opened his eyes to see her looking adorably flushed, biting at her lip as she squirmed under him. "You can cry if you want."

"I'm not crying," he replied, feeling embarrassed, and somewhat selfish. Slipping out of her, and ignoring the way that his limbs felt like lead, he lay out beside her, their limbs entangling, and his hand sliding down to caress the apex of her thighs. It just wouldn't do to keep her unsatisfied. He had pride.

Edea lifted her hips into his touch, and his fingers pressed into her easily, courtesy of his release. He lay his head against her shoulder, listening to her cries of pleasure as he touched her, deftly and experienced, until she too, came with a shout, her body shuddering against him.

She trembled, curled up on her side and wrapped her arms around him. He held her in return. For long moments, they lay there together.

Then Edea sighed. "Okay… that was good. Very good. I missed that."

He chuckled and squeezed her. "Tell me again how good it was."

"Shut up. Let's talk about feelings now."

Ringabel made a face. He had promised, but…

"Ringabel!"

"Shouldn't you clean up?"

She paused. "I'll clean up and then we'll talk," she replied, already moving out of his arm and to her side of the bed. Reaching for a robe, she wrapped it tightly around herself before sweeping out of the room and into the restroom adjacent. Ringabel reached for a towel to clean up instead, noting mentally that he would need a shower first thing in the morning because this was a little gross, but if he joined Edea in the shower she'd either want to talk, or they'd do the complete opposite of talking, and he wasn't sure he was up to that right now. Already, exhaustion was hitting him like a brick, but he knew that if he fell asleep, Edea's wrath would be painful. Fear of it kept him awake, waiting for her patiently to return.

When she did, disrobing and once more climbing into bed with him, he wrapped his arms around her once more.

"No baby?"

"It's you and me time," she told him, reaching up to tap his nose. "And I don't want you using the idea of waking up the baby as an excuse. Now… talk!"

"I'm anxious," he finally spilled with a deep sigh. "It's almost your birthday, which means that we've been in this world far longer than any other, and Airy is impatient. She's doing a good job of hiding it, but who knows what will happen once we reach the Holy Pillar?" Thoughts of monsters and murders danced in his head. Luckily, Edea didn't seem to notice the way his breath caught

"What could she do?" Edea asked him, frowning. "Worst case scenario, we travel into another world and repeat everything once more. If that happens, we won't have anything slowing us down. We can awaken the crystals much faster."

"That is true, however…" How did he begin to articulate his fears?

"Let's talk to everyone in the morning and come up with a plan," Edea suggested. "I'm sure Agnès and Tiz have some ideas, too. Things will be fine, delay or not. You'll see."

He squeezed her, relishing the feel of her bare skin against his own. "I… alright. Let's do that." Yes, talking with the others would be a good idea. Surely Agnès could say something to Airy that might help, and Tiz was so level-headed that Ringabel's fears would seem silly. It would help to confide in the others as well. They had perspectives that he didn't, as much as he dwelled on his past mistakes.

"Let's sleep," she told him, kissing his chin. "While we can. Bee will wake up soon, I'm sure."

Bee was still not sleeping through the night, which was one reason the two of them had been too tired to do anything privately. Sleep always made him feel better, what little he had of it these days, and sleep while holding his wife? He felt very warm and safe. "Of course. Goodnight, dear." He dragged himself out of bed only to turn out the lights and slid back underneath the covers within short order.

He was asleep seconds after his head hit the pillow.

And woke sometime later, his heart pounding in his throat.

A baby was crying.

His baby was crying.

This in itself was not new – Bee had no other way to communicate except through tears, and so Ringabel had been woken more than once in the middle of the night by cries for a diaper change. Bee had a good set of lungs on him, but this was bloodcurdling.

Not only that, but this time he felt the oppressive, almost sickly feeling of something murderous in the room as well, and all of his instincts as a Dark Knight, and as a father, lit aflame.

Rolling out of bed, he reached for the sword that was kept by the nightstand, unsheathing it in one movement and slashing toward the presence that he felt. A light was flickering in the darkness, something that wasn't candle or crystal.

"Watch it Ringabel!"

"… Airy?" he gasped, realizing that the light came from her wings and that the presence he had felt had suddenly faded. Before him, the fairy rested on the edge of the bassinette where Bee was still screaming, his limbs flailing with discontent, face shiny with tears. "What are you doing? What are you doing here?"

"He's been crying for ages," Airy complained. "You weren't waking up, so I tried to do something to get him to go back to sleep. I just want him to quiet!"

Ringabel lowered his sword, confused. Was that… true? He and Edea were much attuned to Bee's cries, but they had been tired…

"I'll take him," Edea said, having woken up in the commotion. She swept in and picked up the baby, who immediately quieted now that his mother was there. Going back to her bed, she huddled over him, rocking him carefully in her arms.

"You shouldn't be in here." Ringabel said to the fairy, biting back as much venom as he possibly could. His mouth tasted like iron. "Get out."

"You should have woken up! How is anyone supposed to get any rest if a baby is crying for so long? Also ew, put some clothes on."

He instinctively covered himself with a hand, flushing despite the anxiety gnawing in his gut. Something wasn't right here. That presence he felt… it had been the same feeling as that day in Florem. As that day on Grandship, so long ago. He was sure of it. Why… why would Airy have felt like that? Or had he been imagining things once more? His dreams were still plagued with nightmares. "Airy, get out."

"Airy, I've got Bee now. You should go back to sleep," Edea said. The calmness in her voice belied the way her arms were shaking as she rocked the infant. Ringabel stared at them both. "Let Ringabel be nude in the privacy of his own room."

"There's nothing wrong with nudity," Ringabel argued, despite himself. His nudity was the last thing on his mind right now! "It's completely natural!"

"I could have gone my whole life without seeing that," Airy told them, but she fluttered toward the door without further argument all the same. "Remember that other people need to sleep, too! The baby was loud. Keep him quiet please, so Agnès can rest."

"Airy…"

The fairy swept from the room, leaving the three Lees alone. Ringabel, still clutching his sword, followed her so that he could lock the door, shutting it firmly – too firmly – and locking it. Then he closed his eyes and inhaled, letting his anger flow out of him before he did something stupid.

Edea had started crying, which only made Bee squirm unhappily in her arms. After a few moments, Ringabel let out the breath he was holding and turned to go to her, halting by the bed to pull his underwear back on. The sword went onto the nightstand, still within arm's reach, as he sat next to Edea.

"Don't cry," he begged her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "You know I hate it when you cry."

"I'm not crying," she argued, wiping at her face. "I'm tired. That woke me up."

Ringabel leaned his head against hers. "She was lying. We wouldn't have slept through his tears for that long."

"It doesn't matter," Edea replied. "Crying or not…"

Whether Bee had been crying or not, Airy had come into their room while they'd left him alone. Ringabel remembered that murderous presence and felt sick. Edea had been trained by Kamiizumi. She'd likely felt the same thing.

"I know Airy doesn't like kids, but…" Edea was muttering, wiping Bee's face of tears and snot with the edge of the blanket. "She hasn't been complaining as much as she was about Egil."

His bottom lip trembled, but with the dim light, he thought Edea couldn't see. Forcing his voice to be steady, he said, "Bee is cuter. And he just sits in our arms and doesn't bother her directly as Egil did." He'd thought Egil was a sweet boy, but he'd figured out how to poke at Airy and annoy her. Bee couldn't do that.

"I guess that's true…"

He shuddered, a full-body shiver that had his stomach churning. The need to throw up was strong but even stronger was the need to be there for Edea and Braev.

"Ringabel?"

"Let's go back to sleep. It's too late… or early. When we wake, we can talk to Tiz and Agnès," Ringabel suggested, crawling under the covers. He suddenly felt cold, chilled down to the bone. Under the covers, it would be warm, especially with Edea and Bee close. "Put him between us."

"Okay…"

"If he cries again, we will wake up this time." But, Bee usually only cried once during the night, rarely twice. Once he was fed and changed – Ringabel would have to get out of bed to do that, he belatedly realized – he'd sleep until the morning, and the sun or an alarm often woke them up before he did. Still, it was better to be on the safe side.

However, once Bee was fully fed, changed, and tucked in securely between them, Ringabel lay there, his eyes open. Every part of his body was on edge. He couldn't have slept even if he wanted to, but he'd already decided not to go back to sleep that night. Not after… that. In the darkness, he could see the white of Edea's eyes casting over his face, and he reached over for her hand, tucking his fingers into hers.

For the long hours of the night, the two of them lay there together, their son between them, neither speaking nor sleeping. As the first of the dawn's rays began to peek through the window, Ringabel realized just how much his eyes ached, and pulled his hand away just so that he could rub at his face.

"Go take a shower," Edea suggested. "You've been crying on and off all night."

He wanted to argue with her, but he could feel the dried tears on his face. Edea had been crying too, he declined to point out, though he imagined her tears were of anger. At least he hadn't had any nightmares this time. "I'll shower and you stay here. We'll switch."

Bee was stirring at the sound of their voices, his little limbs flailing about. Ringabel slid carefully out of bed. He would enjoy this shower, he decided. Use it to chase any tiredness and fog from his brain. Edea had Bee. They were safe.

He returned, after styling his hair and doing his makeup, to find Edea dozing with the baby in her lap. Smiling at the sight, he leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "You can sleep now," he told her. "I'll take him for a few hours."

Edea should have been resting any moment she could get, he scolded himself. No more letting her stay up like that! She barely argued with him as he lifted Bee into his arms, tucked the baby against his shoulder to pat his back, ignoring the slight spit-up that came with it. Instead, she slid back into the sheets, rolling over and pulling them over her shoulders.

Making sure that both he and the baby were in clean clothes, Ringabel carried Bee down to the tavern, a bag of essentials slung over one shoulder. He needed coffee.

"You're up early," Tiz said. The sun was higher in the sky by now, but it was still early morning. Just early enough for the shepherd to be awake. "You both are. Edea asleep?"

"We had a bad night," Ringabel replied, sliding into a chair and situating Bee on his lap. The Proprietress waved a coffee mug at him and he nodded.

"I can tell. You're wearing more makeup than usual."

"Bad night or not, I must look my best!" Ringabel winked, then sagged in his chair. "We didn't sleep well, any of us. Well, he might've."

Bee waved a chubby hand, kicking his legs and burbling up at Tiz, who smiled at him. "That's just the way it is with kids. I remember when Til was newly born. My parents were exhausted for months."

"Your parents didn't have a fairy barging in on their room while they slept, did they?" Ringabel asked, trying to soften the bite behind his words and failing. Tiz's eyebrows raised up into his unruly hair.

"Airy was in your room last night?"

"Did you hear Bee crying last night?" Ringabel asked, instead of answering. If anyone had been disturbed by a baby's crying, it would be Tiz. Even now, all these months later, Tiz suffered from insomnia at the best of times. He was woken by little noises.

"A little, yeah. But I figured you and Edea had him covered. I didn't really pay attention."

"Airy heard him too," Ringabel mumbled. He thought back to the previous night, the light of her wings almost painful in the darkness of their room. "She came into our room to … check on him."

"Airy did?"

The Proprietress came over with a cup of coffee for both men, and Ringabel took his gratefully with one hand, balancing his son with the other and making sure to keep his cup far away from grasping little fingers. The black liquid both warmed him nicely and made him feel a bit more alive as caffeine began to flow through his veins. He sighed.

"Yes, she did. We woke to her hovering over his bassinette."

"I thought he sleeps with you."

"Well." Ringabel flushed. "Not last night. In any case, she claimed he'd been crying for a long time, and that she came in to try and soothe him. Edea and I didn't wake until she was there."

He opened his mouth, then closed it, deciding to omit the murderous presence that he'd felt. That wouldn't help anything, especially if he tried to tie it back to the monster in the Florem forest, or to that horrible day where his life as Alternis Dim had ended.

"I don't know if he was crying that long," Tiz admitted. "I woke up in the middle of it, I think. Are you thinking…?"

"Thinking what?" Agnès asked, crossing the room over to them. Airy followed behind her. The sight of the fairy made Ringabel feel uneasy, once more remembering that disgusting feeling from the previous night, but before he could say anything, the Vestal immediately swooped down to pick up the baby from Ringabel's lap, cradling him expertly as she sat down in a third chair at the table. "I can hold him while you eat breakfast, Ringabel."

"You just like holding him," Ringabel replied, trying to give her an easy smile. This wasn't the place to talk about murderous presences. "Ready for your own?"

Both Tiz and Agnès blushed, and Airy immediately went on the defensive. "Ringabel! You shouldn't joke about things like that. Agnès is a Vestal. She's not like you or Edea!"

"It's quite alright, Airy," Agnès assured the fairy. "I know he's merely teasing. Aren't you, Ringabel?" She kicked him under the table. He reached down to rub his leg.

"Of course I'm joking. Really, Edea and I are blessed that Agnès likes him so much. It means that he also has the Crystals' favor, doesn't he?"

Agnès beamed. "Of course he does!"

"And you too, Airy," Ringabel said, an idea coming to him. "You were so worried about him last night."

"I – "

"What do you mean?" Agnès asked.

"Edea and I woke to find Airy in our room," Ringabel explained, voice as even as possible. "She said she heard the baby crying and was trying to soothe him."

"He'd been crying for ages," Airy complained as she had hours previous. "Someone had to take care of him."

"As much as we appreciate the thought, we do wish you wouldn't enter our room unannounced," Ringabel told her, gleeful that he might get Airy in trouble. "Unless you want to see another show!"

"Ew! I'm telling Edea!"

"You two," Agnès admonished them both. "Please behave."

"But Agnès-!"

"But Agnès nothing," the Vestal said firmly, and that was the end of that.

Edea joined them a couple of hours later, looking a bit better for the sleep. She took the baby in arms and settled down at the table. Ringabel passed her a plate of food, which she also took, much more enthusiastically. Already, she was an expert in eating one handed.

"We said we'd have dinner with my parents tonight," Edea reminded them. "All of us. He wants to throw some sort of celebration for Agnès."

"And after that, we're going to see Olivia. Eternia needs to send a message to the Black Blossoms so they know to expect us. She's still in hiding, but she'll come out to visit," Agnès added. "I'd like to see her one last time before we move on to the Holy Pillar. If sweeping the darkness doesn't work this time."

"It will, I'm sure it will," Airy told them. "This time for sure!"

Ringabel still had his doubts, but he said nothing as he eyed Airy's wings. 2…

What would happen when the number adorned on them reached 1? Or even beyond that, if such a thing existed. They would have to find out, it seemed.

After breakfast, they each went their separate ways. Ringabel and Edea returned to their room, and Ringabel lounged on the bed with Bee lying beside him, playing with the little boy's hands as he wiggled around.

"Edea…" Ringabel said after some time. Edea was dozing on the other bed, curled up on a pile of clothes. "Tiz said that he heard Bee crying, but not for very long."

"Do you think Airy was lying?" Edea asked sleepily, opening her eyes. "Why would she do that?"

Airy had been lying about a great many things, Ringabel wanted to remind her. Lying about the baby crying would be the least of them. "I don't know…" He had an idea, but the very idea made him sick. Airy hated children, had hated the delay that Edea's pregnancy had wrought. If she had thought that perhaps… no. Ringabel didn't want to go there. His heart began to pound in his throat, anxiety rippling through him at the mere fleeting thought. He retched.

"Breathe." Edea was suddenly sitting on the edge of the bed, reaching for his shoulder. "Just breathe, Ringabel."

He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, on the tiny little hand that was grasping his fingers, on the way that his wife's fingers ran through his hair, musing it up more than he would have normally liked. Still, it was soothing, and he found himself calming down within short order, his heart rate going back down to normal. He no longer felt like throwing up.

"I'm scared," he finally admitted to her. Promise after promise to talk to her about his feelings, and here he was, opening up. "I'm scared about what the future holds."

Edea bit her lip. "Me too, Ringabel."

They had sacrificed so much to bring Bee into the world, and Ringabel would continue to sacrifice everything that he could to keep him safe. But with Airy so close, and her true motives still unknown….

What options did they have?