Chapter Twenty-Four

The months were passing quickly and slowly at once, in a haze of golden autumn and one of Carthak's mildest winters. Spring brought a plentiful fruit harvest, thanks to two weeks straight of rain, which had been welcomed by the entire country.

Meanwhile, congratulations (and gifts of chocolate and watermelon) arrived from the rest of the world. Foreign affairs were all right, aside from the tumult in the Copper Isles and the pesky rebels that insisted on little raids on their western coastline, despite being crushed several times by the navy. The rest of the world was calming down, thanks to the approaching end of the Tortallan-Scanran war. Even their councilors were mellowing out. Just the other day, Kaddar and Kalasin had spotted Duke Samjan, Lord Sanjit, and the Baron of Singh prancing around the gardens with bouquets of daffodils.

There was one issue to be resolved, which was plaguing Kalasin and Kaddar more than their previous issues with Galla and Tyra combined.

Names.

"Honestly, at seven and a half months, we can't keep calling them Kallydara and Kaddarasin, you know," Kalasin sounded definitely irritable, through her slice of watermelon.

"Kally, you're eating all the watermelon. Save some for me." With that, Kaddar grabbed one of the pieces and lounged back against the trunk of the tree. "And we're only calling them—her—him—it—Kallydara and—or—argh Kaddarasin because we can't think of anything else. We should just give up."

Kalasin dropped her rind back onto the plate, disheartened, and placed one hand on her stomach, feeling a light flutter. It seemed like the baby wanted a say in its own name. Sorry, little one, but that's not the way things work out, she thought. "Kaddar, what if we choose a name and it hates it?"

Kaddar scoffed, sniffing a rose, and then tickling the side of her neck with it. "That's ridiculous. Babies can't dislike their own names. And by the time it grows up, it'll be used to it."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Not true. In my early teenage years, I hated the thought of being named after a woman who had thrown herself off a tower. Anyway, I guess we have to make two separate lists. One for a boy, and one for a girl."

Furrowing his brow in thought, Kaddar considered it for a few moments. "For a girl, um, Kalahari."

"Kalahari? That's an unusual name. Isn't it a desert?"

He fidgeted a little. "No. It's…well, part of the scientific name for the golden-amber desert rose. Please don't ask me how I know that."

"Kalahari Iliniat. Princess Kalahari." Kalasin tested the sounds, sniffing an orange blossom absentmindedly. "I like it, you know. It's pretty."

"I thought it would be fitting. After all, her name will sound a little like both of ours."

The baby kicked, and Kalasin winced a little. "Ouch. Yes, I'm all right," she assured an anxious looking Kaddar. "I think it's a lovely name for our daughter," she said decisively. "About boys?"

"Zaimid is out, as is Raj—"

"And Jonathan, and Roald," Kalasin completed with a smile. "They're not Carthaki enough for the heir to the Empire. So no Tortallan names for this one, at least."

Kaddar sighed. "I can't think of any good names. Naming a boy after a flower wouldn't do. I—don't want to name him after my father…honoring the lost aside, it would hurt too much." Kalasin rubbed his hand sympathetically, and he went on. "All the names of our male ancestors are either overused, antiquated, bring back bad memories for the people, or are just plain ugly."

Kalasin dug deep into her mind, and went back a few years to her time at King's Reach, learning how to be Empress. A sudden idea struck her. "Kaddar—the magic inherited from your mother's side of the family was primarily war magic, right?"

The emperor nodded. "There were a few roots of it from my father's side, too, but I don't know how they got lost in Nadi and I. Nadareh has a few traces of it, though."

"Excellent!" Kalasin exclaimed, and the baby gave a similar twitch of excitement inside her. "We'll consider the names of famous war mages!"

Kaddar frowned a little. "Most of our war mages were infamous, though…let me think about it." He tried to remember his classes at the University, and the lectures from great-aunt Parvati. He was beginning to wish that he had paid more attention, instead of trying to make a dandelion grow on Zaimid's head during those lectures. The only thing that he even slightly recalled was a distant female relative of his, many generations ago. She had been a famous war mage during the rule of Emperor Zekoi, and had married his younger brother, the war mage and prince instrumental to unifying the states of Zallara and Yamut…

"Elissar! That's it!"

Kalasin jumped a little, startled. "Don't do that. And who's Elissar?"

Kaddar outlined the remembered history lesson to her, and she sat back, amazed. "I never thought I'd be saying this, but thank the gods for great-aunt Parvati! I think Elissar is fabulous. A positive historical figure, a unique name, and Prince Elissar sounds great."

"Are we settled, then? Kalahari for a girl, and Elissar for a boy?"

"Of course," she said contentedly, eyeing the plate of watermelon. There was one slice left. Then she eyed Kaddar, who was also eyeing the watermelon. On any other day, she would have knocked him over, sat on his chest, and then eaten the watermelon in front of him. Then she remembered that pregnant women weren't supposed to do such things. And besides, Princess Fazia had said that peace and quiet during pregnancy would lead to a peaceful, quiet child. Which would definitely be good.

Kaddar eyed his wife discreetly, while appearing to eye the watermelon. Should he risk swooping in for the slice? Or would it be too much of a risk? Somewhere inside his mind, his father sighed. Kaddar. I cannot believe you are even considering snatching a slice of watermelon away from a pregnant woman. I thought that you had more wisdom than that.

Silently cursing his conscience, he pushed the watermelon toward Kalasin. "Go ahead, eat."

Kalasin blinked. He was telling her to eat it. Before, she would have declined, because fighting a man for a piece of watermelon was more honorable than eating a slice of watermelon offered out of pity. But things had changed. Honestly, this baby was wreaking havoc with her mind. But Kalasin picked up the watermelon and scarfed it, not even caring about whether she looked like a pig or not.

"Mmmph," she said, definitely satisfied. They leaned back together, and sighed simultaneously. Kalasin touched her stomach again, closing her eyes. She was nervous about having the baby, and yet she wanted to have it already and hold it and cuddle it, and see if it was going to be a Kalahari or an Elissar. Whose eyes and hair and nose and Gift it would have.

It was too bad that she'd actually have to physically have it before holding it in her arms. Great-uncle Gareth and her mother had told her not to worry, because women from their family gave birth easily. It didn't change the fact that she was still worrying about it any time that she wasn't actively doing something else.

"Kally?"

"Hmm?" She cracked her eyes open, and found Kaddar peering at her.

"May I touch?"

For a second she didn't know what he was talking about, but then she blushed slightly as she figured it out. He didn't ask to touch the baby a lot. She took his hand and guided it to where Elissar or Kalahari loved to kick, and his eyes widened. Bending over, he kissed the baby through her gown and skin. When he looked up at her, she tried to look happy.

Not fooled, he squeezed her hand. "You're frightened."

Kalasin nodded. "Yes. I am." It felt good to admit it to somebody, even if that somebody was probably more nervous than she was.

Kaddar was quiet for a few moments, smoothing her hair. "Kally, you'll be all right. I know you will."

"I hurt just thinking about it," she muttered against his shoulder. "I'm scared and I want it to be over with."

He kissed the top of her head, deciding not to tell her that he worried about her more than she worried about herself. He didn't know quite what to say. Finally, he settled with pulling her close and giving her a lingering kiss. "Please, don't stress over this," he told her quietly. "Relax. And…what will come will come, I guess. And I know that we'll get through it all right."

Kalasin smiled up at him, feeling a little bit better. "Thank you. And please don't fret over me. If you say I'm going to be all right, then maybe I will be."

"Of course."

--

Despite his words of two months ago, Kaddar Iliniat was fretting. No, fretting wasn't accurate enough. He had probably paced a track outside of their entire suite of rooms, ripped out at least an inch of his hair, and thrown about three stacks of parchment and one inkwell. The past five and a half hours had been torture. Complete and utter torture.

He had no idea about what was happening to Kalasin, and that was the worst torture ever. No word, nothing.

Zaimid appeared out of nowhere, and pulled him down onto the sofa. "Kaddar. Calm down."

Kaddar closed his eyes and collapsed onto the sofa and Zaimid. "Oh, Mithros, I hope she's all right. What if she's not all right? What's going to happen to her? You're the healer here! Tell me!"

The other healer gave a little squished sound, cradling his cousin in his lap. "Look, Kaddar, I don't know. Let's just assume that she's doing fine. They would tell you if she wasn't, wouldn't they?"

Kaddar closed his eyes, feeling his head pound and noticed for the first time an ache in his chest. "Kalasin's strong," he managed at last. "Strong and athletic. She'll manage. Won't she?"

"Of course," Zaimid soothed. He gave Kaddar a light headbutt. "Have faith in her."

"You're worried about her too, aren't you?"

He inclined his head silently. "I am. I really care for her, you know."

"I know."

They were both silent, and Kaddar rested his head against Zaimid's shoulder. Neither of them had slept for a long time, and within a few minutes the exhaustion, stress, and worry took its toll on the emperor.

Kaddar had fallen into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he looked rather as if he was having a nightmare. Zaimid considered waking him up to put him out of his misery, but then he realized that sleep was probably something that Kaddar needed.

He rested his head against Kaddar's, closed his eyes, and dreamed.

It wasn't very clear in details, but he saw everything that mattered. Kalasin, Kaddar, and…four others. A ten-year-old boy, a girl who looked about seven or eight, and two more boys, three-year-olds who looked exactly alike. Zaimid caught his breath when he realized who the others were, and when he woke up, he knew everything was going to be all right.

It was the most unsettling thing he had ever experienced. He struggled against sleep, wanting to wake Kaddar and tell him that Kally was going to live through this, and that there would be more, and not to worry…

He stared at Kaddar, plucking at his sleeve. His cousin stirred faintly, looking up at him with eyes blurred with sleep. "Zaimid…what happened…"

"Kaddar, you'll never believe it, I…I…saw Kalasin and you and…" Suddenly he couldn't remember what he was trying to say. His eyes unfocused, and he slumped on top of Kaddar, feeling the world go black.

--

Kaddar woke up to somebody shaking him roughly. "Kaddar! Kaddar, I don't care if you're royalty, you awful snot of a little brother, get up!"

"Argh!" He registered the form of Nadi, and jumped off of the couch. "What happened? Kalasin?"

Nadi dragged him out of the waiting room roughly. "…Been trying to wake you up for the past five minutes, and I find you and Zaimid spooned together, sound asleep…he was born perfectly healthy, even though things had gotten a little worrying earlier…"

"He? What? We have an Elissar?" Kaddar's mind was in a tumult, and he couldn't think or see straight. "And Kally? How's Kally?"

"Kally is fine."

Her voice was tired, but she smiled up at him, looking pale and exhausted. "Kaddar, you won't believe it…Elissar…"

Kaddar almost fainted in relief. He knelt by the bedside and kissed his wife soundly. "Oh, Kally, you're all right…I love you a lot, did I ever tell you that?"

Kalasin gave a little sound of pain, and he realized that he was holding her hand so tight that it had probably bruised, and let go, giving her an apologetic look. "I love you, too." Her eyelids fluttered. "You want to see Elissar. He's perfect. Wonderful. Everything I thought he would be."

Nadareh brought something small and bundled in a dark blue blanket into the early-morning dark room. "Your Imperial Majesties…I would like to present Prince Elissar Iliniat."

Both Kalasin and Kaddar stretched out their arms in unison. Nadareh looked from one to the other, and sighed. "Should've had twins, in situations like this. Kally gets the baby first," she told her brother. "She had to suffer through almost seven hours of labor for him. While you and Zaimid, I hear, spent some quality bonding time together."

Kalasin accepted Elissar in her arms, feeling more than a little awed. He was so tiny. A layer of fuzzy black down covered his head. When he opened his eyes, she almost squealed in sheer glee. They were Kaddar's dark eyes, but they were so big and wide and innocent, with long, curling black eyelashes. Elissar moved his arm feebly, waving a little hand near the collar of Kalasin's shift.

"He's adorable, isn't he?" she asked Kaddar after kissing the baby on the forehead, who nodded, looking completely speechless.

"Absolutely. He has your nose, you know. And ears, thankfully." Kaddar reached out, tickling Elissar gently. The baby stared up at him, looking rather surprised, as both of his parents beamed at him, and then when his father kissed his mother on the forehead. "Kally…I'm so glad…" he felt his throat tighten, and he determined not to cry.

She nuzzled against his cheek for a moment, and then the door banged open, and a rather disheveled Zaimid staggered in. He stared from Kally, to Kaddar, to Elissar, and back again. And then he tilted his head to the sky. "I knew it. I knew I was a messenger for the gods! Joy!" He fairly pranced over to them, and kissed first Elissar, then Kalasin, and then Kaddar.

The Imperial Family stared.

"I love all of you," was the next, emotional proclamation, as he scrubbed at his eyes.

Kaddar grinned, recovering from the rather sloppy cheek kiss. "I think your new godson approves of you," he said, watching Elissar mew a little and stare at Zaimid curiously.

Zaimid's jaw dropped. "Me? Godson? I have a godson!" The chief healer looked as if he was going to squeal. Then he decided against it, stood up straighter, fixed his hair and tunic, and squared his shoulders. "I am ready to accept the responsibility of training, supervising, wiping, burping, feeding, and otherwise tending to Prince Elissar. Yes, I am," he cooed to the baby. "Because he's a handsome little prince, yes he is, with a nice nose and normal-sized ears, too…"

Kalasin rolled her eyes, and she and Kaddar laughed as Elissar gave a little squeak of a burp. Zaimid grinned at them, silently, and then chuckled.

"What is it?" asked Kaddar.

"Nothing," Zaimid giggled. "It's just so funny, you know…you and Kally."

"Why's it funny?"

Zaimid flopped down on the bed unceremoniously. "I mean, it's got to be the strangest love story ever. You two married rather unwillingly and hated each other. It was kind of ridiculous; you have to admit. Hogging blankets, drawing unkind pictures, poking with quills, constantly arguing…really pathetic. When you started to be friends, the ice caps in Scanra almost melted in surprise.

"Not a lot of people even thought you'd make it past the friend stage. You know, settle into the whole working relationship thing. And then, even when both of you fell in love and Kalasin was nice and sweet and wonderful enough to admit it, and you were obdurate enough to reject her, things still worked out." Zaimid beamed. "It's inspirational."

Kalasin and Kaddar both flushed. "It's hardly…you know…wasn't obdurate…sweet and wonderful, thank you…" they muttered, more or less in unison.

"It's like a fairy tale. It would have been easier if you two had just fallen in love at the start, because I know you could have," said Zaimid thoughtfully. "But then it wouldn't have been this kind of fairy tale. Not an average one. Definitely not your average Carthaki fairy tale."

Quite a while later, after he had left and everybody else had come and congratulated them, Kalasin snuggled up to Kaddar and he wrapped his arm around her. Elissar had fallen sound asleep, making little mewing sounds in his sleep.

"Is it true, what Zaimid said?" she asked drowsily. "About this being a fairy tale? If it was, would this be our happily ever after?"

He bumped her head with his playfully. "I'm not sure. We're more than happy, but ever after? Since when have things been easy? After all, we have the rest of our lives to deal with. In fairy tales, the 'happily ever after' always implies that the protagonists live, well, happily ever after. Rather mundane, don't you think?"

"You're right," Kalasin sighed. "But I'm happy," she said.

"Good. And, Kally?"

"Mmm?"

"You know…I'm glad that I can live out the rest of this story with you."

Kalasin rested her head on his shoulder, blinking back sudden tears of happiness. "I guarantee things will never be mundane around here. I love you, Kaddar."

"I love you too, Kal. Always and forever."

---

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I'm only saying it once--THIS IS NOT THE END! Next chapter isn't the end, either. Chapter after the next isn't the end, either. After that, I make no promises. -grin-

Infinite thanks to everybody who's been lovely enough to review.