"And you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, don't worry."

"You're sure?"

"Positive." Arya said with a smile on her lips as she observed Eragon from where he sat, cross-legged in tailor-fashion. She sat in the same position on the floor on top of extra blankets to fend off the cold of the stone flooring.

"Good." He smiled back as he watched her shift a little uncomfortably despite the deceptively unproblematic look on her face. He knew her well enough to know that she's nervous. "And the baby's okay too?" He asked eagerly.

"Yes, the baby's also doing well." She let her hands openly cradle the swell of her abdomen and she saw his face light up.

"What's he up to?" Eragon asked as he stared at her stomach. She tried keeping the smile on her face but her anxieties were starting to overwhelm her.

"Right this moment? Probably squirming around. He does that a lot now that he can move his fingers and hands. He can move his feet too, a-and his toes." She informed, allowing her eyes to fall to her baby bump.

"He's getting ready for sword lessons." Eragon's grin became almost goofy and Arya couldn't help but laugh lightly at it.

"Can you feel him move yet?" He asked once their laughter died.

"No, not yet. Maybe in a week or so. He's growing very rapidly, much faster than it is for Humans. Rhunön figured it out before I could so much as think about telling anyone and she gave me this book that I'm supposed to be reading. It says he's growing like that to prepare him for developing magic later on. He should slow down in about a month and then I can relax." She looked back up to see the concerned look on Eragon's face.

"Relax? You're uncomfortable?" His voice became soft and worried.

Arya's eyes widened a little bit. "Oh, n-, uh… not at the moment."

"What happened?" He asked gently, knowing she wasn't telling the entire truth.

She sighed once she realized he had her figured out and her shoulders drooped slightly. "My mother… she miscarried four times before having me and… and I suppose I'm just worried about it, that's all. The risk is higher within a little over the first three months and I'm not out of the woods yet. Fourteen weeks is also when the chance of miscarriage decreases, so I still have a whole month." Her eyes watered. That isn't a thing she enjoyed talking about.

"Oh…" Eragon's voice was a little bit shaky too, but he quickly decided to pull himself together. It seemed she needed it more than he did. "It'll be okay. You're healthy and the baby's healthy. You're the strongest person I know, I'm certain it'll be okay. Did Islanzadí tell you how far along she was when she…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

Arya shook her head. "She never told me about it. Rhunön did. The necklace I'm wearing was my mother's. It was Rhunön who created it for her to help shield the child's life from prying minds until she was certain it would be okay to announce her pregnancy. It was passed to me so that I'd be safer on the road. I kept it in Ellesméra, though, and I'm wearing it now because if people find out, it might be dangerous for us. Rhunön noticed I was wearing it and… she just knew. Anyways, no, I don't know when my mother miscarried. Fírnen seems to think it's safe now, and I was also hesitant to tell you until I knew that it'd be okay, but I just… I couldn't keep it from you." She wiped her eyes, feeling pain in her chest again.

"Thank you for telling me." He said softly, entirely unused to seeing her get emotional. "And I believe Fírnen is right; Juniper is most likely fine. If he's big enough to move, he's been in you long enough to get well-situated. Human women usually deem it safe once they feel the baby move around and if you're close to that point in time, maybe that concept still applies." He shrugged. "Do all you can to stay relaxed. If you need to talk about something, I'm always here. There's not much to do on a ship, unless a storm blows up. Luckily the storms we've encountered haven't been that bad. I think the Eldunarí have the collective ability to keep the ship completely intact, because there's been a few times when I've wondered about the integrity of this thing." He smiled.

A worried look crossed her features. She hasn't thought about the dangers of being out at sea. "You're safe, though, right?"

"Yes." He nodded. "So is Saphira and everyone else. She is over the moon about the baby, by the way. She wanted to say 'hello' but she can't exactly fit down here and I haven't told anyone. I think Blödhgarm suspects something's amiss because neither of us have been able to contain our excitement this morning."

A small, curious smile danced over Arya's lips. "You're excited?" She asked quietly and he looked at her as though she grew a second head.

"Of course I'm excited, why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh… I just thought that since we didn't exactly expect this, y-you wouldn't find it as exciting." Her expression grew worried. "We're about to be parents and we didn't even talk about the possibility of a child." A guilty look replaced her previous worry. "I was uncertain whether or not you wanted…" her throat bobbed. "Juniper." She sighed and she couldn't find the strength to look up at him.

His expression was almost horrified and she's thankful she didn't see the most potent part of it either. She felt bad for even admitting this specific fear to him. "Arya, I never met my mother. I didn't meet Brom as my father until after Saphira hatched for me. He passed away soon after that. I could never, ever do that to you or this baby. I want to be there for both of you as much as I can because I don't want our son to feel the abandon that I felt from my parents, at least on my part." He said honestly and intensely.

"My mother wasn't the best parental figure either, so I suppose that makes two of us." She looked up at him, seeing the shock of her earlier statement begin to slide away from his features. "I'm glad you're excited and that you want to… h-help and… stuff." it was rare that she was ever tongue-tied, but right now, diction seemed to escape her entirely.

"I couldn't see it any other way given the situation. I wish I could be there with you, but I understand. Is there any way at all you'd allow me to visit?" He asked pointedly with curious undertones.

Arya sighed. "Perhaps if you're able to find a location suitable for early Riders and get established there, then you can visit. You can't stay long for risk of being manipulated by the powers in Alagaësia." Her gaze became nervous. "I-if you wanted to, I think it would be okay if you came during the later months. That way w-we can meet him together." She offered shyly.

"You'd like me to be there with you when you go into labour?" He asked rather bluntly and she jumped, her face going red.

"O-only if you want to." She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck nervously as she looked away.

He smiled. "Of course I want to. When is the soonest you'll let me come visit?" He asked eagerly.

"A month or two before I… before the baby is ready to be born." She looked up again to gauge his expression.

"How about three months?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to be with you… at least for a little while before the baby's born. The late stages of pregnancy can't be comfortable, and I want to help with that if I can."

Arya's gaze fell to the floor in contemplation, missing the embarrassed shade of red his face was slowly turning. "If you find a suitable place to raise new Riders before then, you can come when I'm three months away." she relented.

"Then I have three months to find a place for the dragons." He nodded, but Arya shook her head. "You have six months. Elves have a duration of twelve months."

His eyes widened. "Twelve months?" He whispered as his gaze softened. "That's a long time…"

Arya nodded. "It is… but it's not that much longer than a human pregnancy. I'm almost three months in, so really it's more like this is nine months anyways." Her hand found the swell of her belly. "Despite that I'm already showing." She sighed. "I'm worried about going back home."

"Why?" He asked gently.

"I-I didn't tell anyone. I thought it would be fine and that I could hide it until I got back, but that's… not the case anymore."

"Did Rhunön react well?" Eragon replied with a question.

Arya frowned. "She… it wasn't exactly negative or positive. She just… helped me; gave me advice and very little insight. I had no idea how pregnancy is for Elves, I still know very little, but I know enough to be slightly more comfortable with this. It… it's terrifying."

"You're terrified?" His gaze became worried and concerned again.

The Elf offered her best smile and nodded. "Of course I am. I'm carrying a baby who is literally living and growing inside of me. He's going to have to come out eventually and that's a scary thought. That's a long ways off, though, so for now, I just get to focus on making sure he's healthy." She shrugged, but Eragon could see the carefully masked anxiety and apprehension hidden behind her eyes. She's far more scared of giving birth than she let on, which just cemented his determination to be there for her when that time came.

"Please… for now, all you can do is think about it positively, and try to prepare yourself as best as possible. You shouldn't worry so much, though. The Elves will be more than happy to support you through this and during the process of when Juniper is ready to see the world." He smiled warmly, hoping to bring her comfort. "If the Elves treasure children as much as you once told me, they'll be happy for you. I know they will, probably in a manner similar to the way Rhunön reacted. You shouldn't worry about going back. It's safest in Ellesméra for you anyways. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself. How's your tongue?" He asked softly and Arya gave a smile at his last question.

"I promise I'll take care of myself, and my tongue is fine, see?" She stuck her tongue out to show him.

"You didn't put it back together?" He asked with curiosity, hoping he didn't offend her because his tone seemed a little too… forward.

"No, not because I couldn't, but because I preferred to keep this scar. Having a baby is thought of very highly in Elvish society, as you well know. I love our son in a way that I've never felt before and telling you about him was admittingly scary, but it also left a good feeling once I had told you. It just reminds me that my negativity can get out of hand sometimes and that I need to be more positive. Well, that and the fact that out of all the difficult situations I've been in, this is the one where I bit part of my tongue entirely off." She smiled and laughed at the prospect, and Eragon laughed with her as the beautiful sound was infectious. Soon his much lower laugh resonated between them.

The merriment stopped abruptly when Arya's eyes went wide, her gaze had fallen to her abdomen and she flinched violently.

"What happened?" Eragon asked seriously, the joy leaking from his face and mind as the first thought he had was that she was reacting to something heart-wrenching. Instead, she looked up at him, her green eyes bright and filled with tears, which didn't help his current state of mind.

"I…" She froze and looked down again, her hands were shaking, but remained pressed to the same location.

"Arya, please tell me what's going on. You're starting to scare me." he said, his voice beginning to shake with crushing worry.

She took a deep breath and looked up at him again. "I-he… he moved…" her gaze seemed conflicted as multitudes of emotions flitted across her features. "Eragon, he moved…" She restated.

The Blue Rider's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "What does it feel like?" He asked eagerly. He couldn't help the sounds of relief that coursed through him when he realized everything was okay.

"Uh…" She paused to think while also trying to wrap her head around the fact that her baby is moving and that this is real. "Like the feeling of a paintbrush, except on the inside and more like a nudge…"

"Can you feel him on the outside? With your hand, I mean." he answered quickly as he leaned forwards to see her better.

Arya shook her head. "N-no… just on the inside…" A teary smile transformed her features. "I think he knows you're his father. He did that when you laughed."

"You think?" Eragon said in a wonder filled way that rarely manifested.

"Yes." She said matter-of-factly as she waited for it to happen again.

"Bjartr Stjarna." Fírnen said suddenly and Arya jumped again.

"He moved?" Eragon asked, his eyes alight.

"No, actually, it was Fírnen this time. He's probably getting squirmy."

Eragon frowned. "The sun is just barely coming into your room."

She just smiled. "Good morning, Fírnen."

"Eila is up. She wants to know if you'd like to eat breakfast together." He informed diligently.

Arya looked surprised. "I'd love to."

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Eila wishes to eat breakfast together. She's very shy and I'm hoping she's willing to open up. Eylörís is quiet and observational. They're both that way, actually." Arya relayed the message to Eragon and his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You should get going then. I know all of you have a long day and you need to eat something. Would you scry me again this evening?"

Arya smiled. "I'll try. Sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to do things in the evening because I get incredibly tired in the evenings. Most times at the end of the day I feel as though walking takes the same amount of energy as fighting a Kull." She laughed and Eragon only smiled.

"Then don't worry about it. You need to rest when that happens. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

She nodded. "Yes. Tomorrow is good. Does the same time work for you?"

"Aye, it does. Send my greetings to everyone for me. I miss them."

She nodded. "I promise just as long as you do the same for me on your end. I'm going to go get dressed for the day. You can tell Blödhgarm about the baby if you want. Be warned, though. He is an old friend of mine and he might say some harsh things and you may want to have found land before you do that, just so you can get away if needed. Jumping into the water to escape on Saphira may not work either." She raised a playful eyebrow.

"Definitely noted. I'll talk with you later, Arya. Eka ástar ono, Juniper." I love you, Juniper. He smiled, then looked up at her for a moment. Their eyes locked for a long while before he pulled away. "Stay safe." She said, feeling confliction begin to build within her chest.

"I will. I promise." His smile was almost sad and she knew he wanted nothing more than to be there with her. She knew this was hurting him and it genuinely made her sad. It would just continue to get more difficult… for both of them. The mirror went dark as they separated and it returned her reflection only a moment later.

With a sad sigh, she let herself lay back on the cold stone and watched the sun as it drifted across the ceiling. "Why does this have to hurt so much, Juniper?" She whispered as tears welled in her eyes. "He loves you, and I love you too. We're going to do everything we can to raise you together despite the distance." It was more to reassure herself that this is what was planned. She couldn't help the uncertainty, despite having seen Eragon show his early devotion to them both.

It seemed like the baby heard her, because she felt that same sensation, a light nudge, come from somewhere inside of her and she flinched again because it felt strange. She looked down at her left palm and saw that it was glowing brighter than ever. She let a nervous smile spread across her lips as she pressed her hand over the area where she felt Juniper move. It wasn't that strong, but it was something and she can feel him. She closed her eyes to absorb the feeling because it was special. Her son first moved in response to his parents' laughter. It was just proof that he needed both of them.

The movement stopped and she frowned because she suddenly… missed him, even though he was still there. Under her skin. She closed her eyes, feeling the cool stone beneath her right palm and the back of her head, trying to ignore the sadness that suddenly came. She pulled her shirt up to expose her abdomen and she let her fingers brush lightly across her skin, which was becoming far more sensitive than she was ever used to and she shivered, but not from the cold. The feeling was intense and she squirmed, her mind drifting immediately to a very different angle as her body's natural responses began kicking in. All previous conversations and thoughts were lost as her distraction grew. Her fingers continued dancing across her flesh and it felt… good. A familiar coiling in her belly started lightly winding like the string of an instrument and she sighed quietly to herself.

She let her fingers drift lower, under the lip of her trousers and to the bend where her thigh met her hips.

"Stop distracting yourself." Fírnen said and Arya jumped. She wasn't aware that she was being watched.

"I'm not distracting myself." She said in a correcting tone that was clearly annoyed, and to herself, embarrassed. She pulled her hand away immediately.

"Then what are you doing?" He questioned and her cheeks reddened.

"Juniper moved and I'm saying 'hello'. Do you have an issue with it?" She fixed her shirt and pushed herself into a sitting position, then carefully worked to stand to avoid upsetting the ligaments that were prone to giving her issues. She looked it up in her book before going to bed the night before. Turns out, it's referred to as 'Round Ligament pain' and it occurs when the ligaments holding her womb in place get stretched too tightly, making them prone to cramping up. At least it wasn't anything bad.

"That definitely looks like you're saying 'hello'." He pointed out sarcastically, and Arya was certain he was grinning.

"What are you implying?" She tugged her shirt off and went into the bathroom to get her travel clothes. Those were for working and that was what she was going to be doing today.

"Onanism, as you so sophisticatedly put it." he said casually. "If that's not what you were doing, you have yet to even try, even in the most innocent of circumstances."

She huffed with a frustrated frown. "I believe it's possible that your maturity level has receded." she said darkly.

"Not necessarily. I genuinely think you need to relax, and like we discussed about two weeks ago, the book recommended it. Now is not the time to play with yourself, though."

"On all of the stars in the sky, Fírnen, please stop. That's not what I was doing." She said with a redness to her cheeks she was glad he couldn't see because… that's exactly what she was doing, or… about to do. She pulled her trousers on and laced them up. She frowned grumpily when she realized how much her waistline has changed over the weeks. She hoped it wouldn't change much more in recent times. It was hard enough to hide already, and while the fluidity of her movements were yet to be impacted, she worried how much longer it would be before she had trouble doing simple tasks.

She walked back to the mirror to check her appearance and to run a brush through her hair once more before she left her room.

"I have a valid point." he mentioned.

"Yes, you do." she responded, her mental voice dripping with as much sarcasm as possible while she crossed the room to get ready to exit. She felt another nudge and she pressed her right hand to her belly, frozen in place because it just felt… strange. Should it happen this often, or is she just hypersensitive to it now? Elven senses are much different than a Human's. She closed her eyes again, this time fighting against the panic that was starting to swell in her chest.

"Come join us. Eila has food for you, Vanir was here early this morning to deliver it. He desires to speak with you later if you have the chance. I think he's noticing your strange behavior."

"My behavior is not strange." She mumbled to herself, but also spoke to him mentally.

"He's found something that is unusual about the way you're behaving. He's just worried about you. You're his Queen."

"Fine. I'll be out in a second." She said, just to give herself enough time to calm herself down. Once she had herself composed, and after she had checked her reflection in the mirror once again, she left the room to greet everyone who lingered outside.

It was definitely going to be a long day.

A/N: Hello friends! I struggled so much with this chapter and I think it's because it feels slow. Hopefully I can keep my interest on this because I'm officially beyond my draft and I have no idea where this will go at this point. This chapter feels so random, but next chapter will be better, I think. I might need to take a little bit of a break. It won't be long, but my inspiration is starting to fail me and I'm getting distracted. I might end up writing a few one-shot things to have a little bit of a change and then jump back into this. Then again, the last time I was thinking about a very minor hiatus, I ended up posting another chapter three days later. We'll see.

Also, sorry for the darkness of the last chapter, but it was important for what I've decided I want to have happen in future chapters. Sometimes those are necessary evils.

Anyways, thank you all for reading, I hope you've enjoyed this so far, and as always, another 'thank you' to those who reviewed!

Love you guys!

-Lady Arlo