Chrom grimaced slightly, as the old hinges of the chamber door creaked with protest when he tried but failed to shut it silently, reminding himself that he really must get that attended to in the morning. He cannot help but come back to their chambers late, but at least he can help not disturbing his wife's rest in the process.
While they were not at war, and so the fear and the dedication to the affairs of the State diminished accordingly, he had a large realm to administer, and he did it so mostly by himself these days. As such, it was only natural that his working days stretched longer than the sunlight hours over their heads. Nevertheless, he did it with placid determination, as he strived to have the country running smoothly for his subjects and, most importantly, for his family.
With light feet, the blue-haired monarch turned around and made his way across the room, placing his cloak on the stand in the corner, before moving to sit down on the edge of the bed. Slipping off his boots, he was careful to place them underneath, not wanting to risk his wife tripping on them, then lifted his head to let his gaze settle upon her.
There Robin sat in the armchair beside the fire, with the warm flickering glow illuminating her beautiful face perfectly, the thin bone structure, pale skin and silky platinum hair, her features heavy with sleep as the sound of her deep rhythmic breaths quietly filled the room.
She had certainly had been waiting for him to arrive, given the precarious position of her aching body. In one hand rested some thick book, probably some obscure magical treatise that would go right through his head, but that she enjoyed as leisure reading for some reason, balancing precariously at the edge of her knee as the other rested protectively across the fast-growing bump of her midsection.
With a content sigh, the corner of Chrom's lips curled into a grin, soaking up the view before him. His wife wase such a beautiful woman, more beautiful than any other he had ever set eyes upon, more beautiful than any other that this realm has to offer, but the sight of his baby growing healthy and strong within the nurturing confines of her body stirred to life all kinds of feelings he simply could not explain.
Reaching forward he carefully slipped the book from her fingertips, closing the ribbon in the open page he quietly placed it on the small table beside her and sat back on the bed, not wanting to disturb her just yet.
Robin did not look too comfortable, which was something her midwife had said it was usual, and with every passing day sleep was getting increasingly harder for her to find, so while she looked so peaceful, he decided to leave she be. Besides, time was easy to waste in the peaceful surrounds of his chambers, while she sat there safe and well, looking more beautiful than ever.
Pregnancies were hard on magic users. Miriel just had her first child, Laurent, and the entire process had been terrible on her body, forcing her into bedrest almost the entirety of her term. The midwife had explained that the arcane energy that flowed on the body thickened the blood, making it hard for it coagulate, at the same time that weakened the muscles, essential for birth. Robin was, fortunately, not only a powerful mage, but also an accomplished warrior, and so had suffered less, but as the due date approaches them sneakily on the calendar, her constitution grew frail.
Over the past couple of weeks, he knew that Robin had tried desperately to stay awake until late hours on the evening, patiently waiting for his arrival, in the hopes of stealing a few private moments together, but every night he would arrive to find her sound asleep in that chair, no matter how soon he managed to get there. Nevertheless, he is not contrarian, as every time he retired to their chambers, the vision took his breath away, filling his chest with the most nourishing kind of love.
In fact, Chrom had savoured every moment of the last eight months. After missing everything the first time around with the pregnancy and birth of their first daughter, Lucina, due to those same affairs of State, all of this experience was completely new to him, and every day he was left humbled and amazed.
Early on, he was humbled by her grit and perseverance, feeling utterly helpless, when day after day he watched she quietly deal with relentless morning sickness, that somehow seemed to last all day. As she breathed heavily after another hurl, she would smile and say that "this one shall be a great mage", as their magic cores were adapting to one another and was poisoning the mother's body.
As the months passed, as the seedling became more self-aware and their magic came under control, eventually her complexion transformed from pale and washed out to the beautiful almost ethereal glow he could see now. Then came amazement and awe as he witnessed the slow and beautiful changes in her body, changes perfectly designed to feed and nurture the growing baby, his growing baby, inside. The way the curve of her hips and breasts grew a little shapelier and the softness of her stomach grew rounder and fuller with each passing day.
Gods, how he loved to wrap her in his arms and rest his hands protectively around that fast-growing bump, cherishing how he needed to stretch just that little bit further each time. The first moment he felt those tiny flutters under his large and calloused fingertips, that before long grew strong and knowing, reacting to the sound of his voice, left him in a constant state of wonder. Reminding him every day there was a whole little person flourishing in there.
Provided, it was not merely paternal affection he felt on his heart on those occasions. Never has his wife seemed so appealing to him, and she was damn appealing before. If he had his way, neither of them would be seeing light of day very often.
With a deep and satisfying breath, Chrom smiled again and stood to his feet, taking off his tunic to settle in for the night. Pulling a fur from the bed, he closed the small distance between them, ready to drape it across her form when Robin began to stir, the sweetest sleepy noises passing her lips as she began to rub her aching side. Lifting her hand to her mouth she stifled a well-deserved yawn, her eyes fluttering open to meet his.
"Chrom?" Her voice was soft and husky with sleep "How long have you been here? Why did you not wake me?"
Throwing the fur back across the bed, he leaned down and tenderly grabbed her face between his strong hands, his fingers getting lost amongst the hair that fell loosely around her features, before pressing his lips against hers in a tender kiss. It was filled with such endless affection and bound with all the gratitude he felt for what she was giving him, what she had already given him, and wondered how he and his kingdom could ever begin to repay her.
Kneeling down before her, he rubbed soothingly around the sides of her belly, reaching down to kiss the top that poked adorably out from the edges of her white flowing dress, free of latches and corsets and crinoline that she so despises.
Leaving just the thin veil of her nightdress between his lips and the silkiness of her stretched skin, his voice coming through as a deep whisper. "I did not want to disturb you, looking so peaceful."
Then taking a small step back he offered her his hands, the touch of her soft fingertips feeling so warm and welcomed against his rough and hardened palms, giving she a small smile as he helped her to her feet.
"Now that you are awake, please rest up in the bed and let me ease your back aches." He says, pleasant and servile.
With the sweetest smile, Robin reaches up and placed a gentle hand against his cheek, her fingertips lightly caressing through his soft face, all the while stretching her back as she reached up to kiss his waiting lips.
Her next words leaving him shaking his head with amused disbelief. "Chrom, my dear husband, you are too sweet and too kind. How will I ever repay you for everything that you do?"
His sweet amusement quickly faded, replaced with intense yet somehow humble eyes, reaching across to kiss his wife once more, this time upon her forehead.
As his hands tenderly slipped beneath the edges of her dress, they came to rest affectionately upon her big beautiful belly, his lips moving to whisper lovingly in her ear.
"My beautiful sweet wife, I do believe she are already doing more than enough."