Nesta had never been particularly good at singing, much to the chagrin of her mother, but she gently rocked baby Nyx in her arms as an orchestra sounded from her symphonia. He gurgled quietly, and she stood up, twirling around the room with him still in her arms, his eyelids starting to droop, until he was happily snoring. Cassian grinned at her, and changed the song to one of her favorites, an old love song, one she'd even heard in the human lands, the story of a queen cast out from her kingdom, forced to serve its conqueror.
Nesta laughed when the music lifted, announcing the arrival of a silver-haired, frozen-hearted prince who stole the young queen's heart. She kept dancing around the room with Nyx happily asleep in her arms all through the story of their fight to reclaim her kingdom. The music was as beautiful as the first time she'd heard it, and she didn't try to halt the tears as the final note sounded, ringing through the room, somehow capturing all the prince's icy rage, the queen's burning temper, and their combined hope for their kingdom.
She paused after setting Nyx in his crib, Rhysand's magic immediately rocking it gently to keep the child asleep. He was perfect, and her heart leapt at each little wriggle in his sleep, gods she wanted one, what had she been thinking? She could do this, she would do this. Nesta sighed as Cassian wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head,
"He's so cute when he's sleeping,"
"Yeah, and not crying." Nesta chuckled, leaning back into him as Cassian started to sway to the rhythm of the music flowing around them, she let him spin her around in his arms, and wrapped her arms around his neck, drinking in his happiness,
"It'll happen," he murmured, "Patience, sweetheart, it'll happen when it's meant to."
"I know, I just, I don't know, I'm just worrying that maybe it won't, that maybe we're not meant to have children,"
"Are you kidding?" Cassian slipped a hand into Nesta's hair, and she leaned back into the touch, automatically meeting his gaze, "You're meant to be a mother, when it's meant to happen, it will."
"Only if you do your job." Nesta teased,
"You know I've been busy, I wasn't supposed to be gone that long, you know that."
"I know, I'm kidding, but maybe I can come with you next time." She suggested,
"I dunno, Nes, the Camp Lords are shitty enough normally let alone with a female, and an evil witch on top of it." He furrowed his brows, considering her suggestion, and Nesta pushed on,
"All the more reason to bring me, I scare them, they'll be more agreeable."
"Or they might dig in." Cassian countered, "I don't want you in danger, if one of them decides to act on his hatred of you, I don't know what I would do."
"I'm not an easy person to kill, Cass, let me help, I can help, our work here can be done whenever, but Illyria, that's where it's happening, I don't want to run straight into a battlefield, but I do want to help where I can, I get bored when you're all gone."
"Okay, so long as you promise not to pick any fights while you're there."
"Pick fights? Me?" Nesta relented at Cassian's worry, "I promise, I'll stick right by your side if it'll make you feel better, but you don't have to worry about me, you saw to that." He nodded,
"I'll always worry about you."
"I'm not the one who's a reckless idiot, if anyone should be worrying, it's me, but I trust you to look after yourself, can you do the same?" Cassian froze, his face falling, and Nesta wrapped her arms around him, she knew he did, but he could just be so stubborn sometimes,
"I do trust you. I just worry, that's all, I know you'll be fine really." He tipped her chin up to meet her eyes, and drew in a deep breath, "Okay, next time I go to inspect a camp you can come as well, it might be a good opportunity to scout for Valkyries as well." Nesta grinned, and lifted herself onto her tiptoes to kiss him, it was only a soft brush of her lips, but Cassian gasped, "Not in front of the baby, Nesta! Honestly," he chuckled, and spun her around when the music picked up, keeping a hold of one of her hands as he tugged her against him, leading her around the nursery. It was by no means a proper dance, and Cassian had next to no sense of rhythm, but Nesta managed to follow him easily, laughing as he fumbled with the steps.
"C'mon," she quietly counted out the beats, showing him where to put his feet, and laughed again when he stumbled,
"This is hard, don't laugh at me."
"I thought Nyx was the baby, do I need to buy a crib for you as well?" She teased, and Cassian narrowed his eyes,
"Show me that again." Absolutely foolproof, and typical, threatening egos was so easy with these Illyrian males, but then again, it was one of the reasons she had wanted to find out about him to start off with, to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face, the same smirk that was now plastered across his face as he successfully made it through the series of steps Nesta had been trying to get him to do. "See? I can do it,"
"Oh I know, but you're so easy to mess with."
"Oh really?" Cassian tightened his arm around her waist, and lifted her off the ground, in no way was he capable of executing a proper lift, but he spun around with Nesta in his arms, and raised an eyebrow, a gesture that Nesta was all too familiar with, and she flushed,
"What, now? What about-" she fell silent when Cassian flashed her that smirk again,
"You're so easy to mess with," he parroted, grinning at her annoyance, "You're so cute when you're angry," he crooned, and Nesta scowled again, rolling her eyes at Cassian's chuckle,
"Shut up," she glanced back across at the crib, sighing in relief as the front door opened, and Feyre's laughter lilted up the stairs. "Let's go, Illyrian baby," she murmured, dodging Cassian's attempt to grab a hold of her, "Too slow," she made her way back down the stairs,
"Nesta, we were wondering if you'd heard us getting back," Feyre grinned as she noticed Nesta coming down the stairs,
"He's all yours, sleeping now," she said, "How was dinner?"
"Wonderful, it's been so long since we've been able to go out properly, thank you for watching Nyx."
"You only have to ask, I'd steal him from you if I could, before long I'm sure we'll be swapping places,"
"Not too soon, I hope, two babies at the same time, now that would be a nightmare,"
"Well, it'll be two babies at the same time anyway, with Cassian included," Feyre chuckled again, and snorted at Cassian's indignant huff as he complained to Rhysand,
"You know, Nesta, I think you may be right, I'll be sure to think of all the tips for both babies, young and, very, very old." Rhysand glared back at her, complaining that he wasn't that old, but waited to wish Nesta and Cassian goodnight before following Feyre up the stairs.
Cassian laughed at his brother's retreating back,
"I don't know what you're laughing at, old man, you're just as ancient."
"Ah, but I'm young at heart, Nesta,"
"Yeah, five years old at heart." Nesta yelped when Cassian picked her up, and shot into the sky without any warning, leaving her squealing and clinging on to him as he flew back home.