A/N: This chapter in particular ties up a couple loose ends when it comes to actions/positions when it comes to Johan, Clara, and their brood in the future, as I had kinda jumped into everything without really explaining too much so here we are.

Since this chapter takes place a bit over a month after ch.49, The Thief, rough ages are the same, which are: Johan at 73, Clara at 54, Olivier at 29, Lena at 23, Astra/Tara at 21, Sterling at an old 17, Maglina at 15, Seren at 10, and Jasper is a newborn.

Chapter Fifty: Changing of the Guard

It was the red of night as the Marquis and Marchioness lay in their bed, indulgently lazing after demonstrating their love and devotion towards one another. Despite aching bones and aging bodies, it was an act they continued to enjoy, regardless of the fact many would have not blamed them for setting aside that particular part of their relationship. There were couples younger than them who had already slowed their physical affection in a much more drastic manner despite not losing the emotional connection, yet they knew that they would continue for as long as they could, telling common sense and their creaky joints to mind their own business, and they would enjoy it all the while.

It was only just when the Marquis began to slowly pepper his wife's body with kisses—however—was there something that occurred to bring them away from one another. A soft whimper came from the open nursery door, prompting him to halt his second wind of desire and shift himself off the Marchioness. He put on his robe and padded into the nursey, where their grandson was waving his fists around in irritation as he lay in the cot of his ancestors. He plucked the boy from his bed and held him gently in his arms; a well-practiced hand at the act.

"Such a dutiful grandfather," the Marchioness chuckled. Her husband glanced over to see that she had followed him once she put her own robe on. The two then sat together on a large armchair, with the Marquis putting his free arm around the Marchioness as he idly bounced Jasper in the other. "This is the seventh child that shares our blood—how did we get so lucky?"

"I do not know, but what I am aware of is how fortunate I truly am to have the wife and children I do, only compounded by the presence of this beautiful little one." The Marquis smiled softly at his grandson, who was in their care so that his parents could sleep through a few nights without worry. "Now we have a whole new set of nappies and firsts and lessons to impart. What new challenges shall follow our grandson?"

"Outrunning anyone and everyone, most likely," the Marchioness smirked. She rested her head on her husband's chest as she gently rubbed Jasper's cheek with a finger. "Juggling the children and our duties to the lands was difficult. No wonder Papa's wife said we were insane."

"Linda is a creature that has little experience where we have plenty," he mentioned. "Things might have been different with her had circumstances been so, but for now, I accept her words as merely that: the words of a childless crone unwilling to accept worldviews that are not her own. There is no use in dwelling on the past, especially when it comes to her." He kissed the side of his wife's head, lips lingering as the babe in his arms stilled into sleep. A thought crossed his mind, pulling on both his hearts, as he murmured into her hair, "We should talk."

"…about…?"

"What we are to do, now that this little one has come into our lives." He stood and put the infant back into the cot, then turning and holding his arms open. "What do you say?"

She went into his arms and returned the embrace—they would stand by one another until the end of time itself.

Morning broke and the Marquis and Marchioness quietly reaffirmed what they had exchanged across their pillows the previous night as they readied for the day. A maid brought a warm bottle of cow's milk from the kitchens for Jasper and the grandparents made sure the boy was content and fed before bringing him with them down to their breakfast. Their other five children were already there, waiting patiently for them to arrive.

"It's about time—I'm nearly ready to fall over," Seren muttered. He began scooping himself up some eggs, while his elder siblings let their parents sit down before taking anything for themselves.

"Do you need me to hold Jasper while you eat, Mama?" Maglina offered. The Marchioness shook her head.

"I could do it with all of you; I can do it with Jasper," she replied firmly. The weight of a child against her chest as she served herself breakfast was comforting and nostalgic—she did not have to give it up quite yet and for that she was eternally grateful.

"Is Astra taking Jasper home after she is done here for the day?" Lena asked between bites of bacon. "If she does or not dictates how long I will keep her when it comes to going over the previous year's books."

"That is what was planned, but there is still something your father and I wish to discuss with you… all of you," the Marchioness replied. The faintest smile quirked the corner of her mouth upwards, causing her children's hearts to skip a beat.

"Stars, that's ominous."

"Lena, starlet, let your mama finish," the Marquis scolded gently. "Clara?"

"Yes, thank you," she nodded, continuing to load her plate as she talked. "Well, your papa and I have been discussing this very important matter—all night and this morning, in fact—and we've decided that since we now have our first grandchild, we are going to retire to help take care of him."

The room grew silent as the information sank in, the only sounds being that of the Marquis and Marchioness with their breakfasts. Exchanging looks amongst themselves, their children were not entirely sure how to react.

"Retire…?" Seren wondered. "You mean you're not going to work? You always work."

"It means that our jobs will involve taking care of you and Maglina and Jasper, only performing official business on rare occasion," his mother explained. "I have been at my duty for almost thirty years, and your papa for over fifty; no one can blame us for wanting to spend time with our family, especially now that it's growing."

"…does Astra know about this?" Lena asked. There was an undercurrent of rage in her voice, one that required her to wear her lady's mask to keep her voice level.

"Not yet—we were going to talk with her and Olly separately," the Marquis said. At that, his eldest left her seat and just barely stormed from the room.

"Should I go after her, Mama?" Sterling asked.

"No, let her be. This is between sisters," the Marchioness said. "Besides, I want to hear what you think."

"This is a disaster," Seren said, not waiting for his brother's response. He hit the table with his palms and stood, furrowing his brow. "Bad enough this baby has stolen my birthday, the nursery, my old toys, everyone's attention, but now your jobs?! It's stolen everything!"

"Jasper has stolen nothing," the Marchioness frowned. "Astra was your age when I was expecting you and now I expect you to show her and her child the same respect."

"It's still not fair!"

"Seren, room, now," the Marquis scowled, pointing at the door. His youngest stomped out half in tears, leaving the remaining two children to sit with their parents awkwardly.

"Well, I think it's lovely," Maglina said, trying to break the tension. "Astra and Olly are going to be thrilled! Now they won't have to worry about finding a governess if they don't think they can keep Jasper with them during the daytime. There are plenty of good people in Gallifrey, but I don't think there's many you could trust when it comes to raising a child so closely like that."

"Well, they'll be grateful for the childcare at the very least," Sterling added. He fidgeted in his seat, trying not to blush. "You and Papa will watch over all of our children, right Mama?"

"Of course," she affirmed. "Why? Are you considering finding a wife soon?" Her grin widened cheekily as he shrank in his seat, already knowing the answer to her question.

"N-no," he stammered. "M-mama, I'm only seventeen."

"Nearly eighteen, and Astra was nineteen when she met Olly," his father noted. He pretended to not remember the lad's crush on his classmate Oriana, knowing that anything that occurred between the two would have to be natural in order for their happiness to remain intact. "There's no shame in having someone in mind, let alone wanting to explore your options. Did you wish to attend the National Ball this year to get a glimpse of the young women your age whom are available for courting?"

"I'm unsure," he mumbled.

"Sterling, you're going to escort Ori and me in two years, so you might want to practice," Maglina said matter-of-factly. "I know you need more time to prepare than most, so this is as much notice as you're going to get."

"Thanks Maggie," he replied sarcastically. "I don't know how many suitors you'll get with your brother on your arm."

"More than you'll get cooped up in the library," she snarked back. "I love books too, but at least I can read them in other places, hiding from my siblings and friend."

"Children, behave," the Marchioness said, cutting her son off before he could retort. She felt Jasper gum her shoulder through her dress, slightly dampening the fabric, which caused her to kiss the side of his head. "If you want to bicker about petty things, do it elsewhere. It would be a shame for Jasper to always remember his aunt and uncle sniping at one another."

"Mama, he's six weeks old."

"Doesn't matter," she told Sterling. "Now eat your breakfast or leave; it is your choice, for both of you."

Sterling and Maglina knew that it was not their choice in the slightest and returned to their breakfast, not wanting to push their mother any further towards ire and get the same punishment as Seren.

Listening to her horse's shoes click and clack against the flagstones, Astra rode calmly towards Castle Gallifrey—her ancestral-home-now-workplace—in the frigid morning twilight. With an entire night's decent rest behind her, she felt leagues better than she had for at least a few months thanks to carrying her son, birthing him, and the seemingly constant feedings that had occurred immediately afterwards. Now that he was nearly a month old, she had accepted the offer for her parents to watch the child and feed him cow's milk, allowing her and Olivier two precious nights of complete and total rest. It was nearly like a dream, and although she was going to be happy to carry her son home again later in the afternoon, a part of her could not wait until the next time Grandmamma and Grandpapa wished to watch over the baby.

Coming into the castle stables, she handed the reins of her horse to one of the servants and dismounted, ready to tackle the day ahead. She took her bag from the saddle and went into the warm castle, going through the main halls until she arrived at the office she shared with another woman, who was already there.

"Morning," Astra said cheerily while undoing her coat clasps. She saw the look on her coworker's face and raised an eyebrow curiously. "What…?"

"You might want to go see the Earlessa soon as you are able," her officemate warned.

"Why? Is there something wrong?"

"I didn't think anything seemed off when I came in this morning, but she still seemed exceptionally cross. Maybe it's a sister thing…?"

"I hope; be right back." Astra then placed her things down on the desk and left the room, going through the corridors until she found Lena's public office. Sure enough, there was her sister, crossly glaring out the window in one of their father's signature scowls. "I heard you tried to find me earlier?"

Lena continued to stare out the window, which threw up red flags within her sister's brain. Astra sat down in one of the visitor's seats with caution, keeping an eye on Lena, for this was not a good sign. The room remained silent, the only noise coming in from the outside corridor.

"Did you put them up to it?" Lena finally asked. She turned in her seat and stared Astra down.

"Put whom up to what?"

"Did you put them up to it?" she repeated.

"I put no one up to anything," Astra frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about a conversation that Mama and Papa had with the rest of us over breakfast," the elder sister said. She straightened some papers on her desk compulsively in order to stay calm. "Are you sure you have no idea as to what that could be?"

"Fairly; what happened?"

"What happened, dearest sister, is that our parents have taken back their promise." It was an effort to stay calm despite the fact she knew she had to in order to have a fruitful conversation. "They wish to give up their coronets next month in order to take care of your son full-time."

"I thought they were going to wait until you were married before having you created Marchioness…"

"Now that they have their grandstarlet, that seems to not matter anymore."

"…you surely don't think…!" Astra gasped.

"I'm not entirely sure what to think," Lena snapped back. "Last night at dinner they were perfectly content to let things go as we all had planned—no word as to otherwise—and now this morning they're talking retirement! I could need only one more year, maybe five or ten, but you know how difficult it is for a woman to find a suitable marriage partner once they've gained a title! By this time next month you will be the Earlessa, with a loving husband and newborn child, while I'm the Crone Marchioness, withering away until I can hand over my title to my nephew instead of my own child!"

"You aren't seriously blaming me for this, are you?!"

"Who am I going to blame? Jasper? He is not old enough to be blamed for more than smells wafting up from his nappy. Olly? It is his presence that means that you have married before I have, let alone given birth, but he is also only simple as all men are when they are truly in love…"

"How about: Mama and Papa?" Astra deadpanned.

"Oh, they are definitely in the blame, but I know there is more to all of this than a simple matter of them changing their minds at a whim!"

"Maybe it is! Did you talk to them about it?!"

"No, I…"

Lena stopped her tirade, all her nerves and emotions finally catching up to her. She stared at her sister from across her desk—the very last person with whom she knew she should ever quarrel with—and her eyes began to well with tears. Averting her red-rimmed eyes towards the edge of the desk, she pursed her lips and attempted to not cry. She felt horrid, and there was no way to get around that.

Before she could grasp what was happening, Lena found herself being hugged by Astra, her sister having come around the desk and hunching over the chair in order to reach her. Lena stood and the sisters were able to embrace properly, with the elder sobbing into the younger's shoulder.

"Lena… please… you're a wreck…"

"I—I'm sorry; please forgive me."

"You did nothing a wee bit of tea won't fix," Astra assured. She led Lena over to a sofa along the wall and ordered tea for them both, asking the attending servant to be discreet about their earlessa's state. After making sure Lena had a cup in her system, she held her hand and squeezed it tightly. "Is that at least a little better?"

"Yeah," Lena sniffled. She felt a fool, sitting there as they were: the over-emotional earlessa and her even-headed heir. "I don't know how you put up with me."

"The same way I put up with Tara: carefully," Astra chuckled. She let go of her sister's hand and began to fix them both more tea. It was comforting to be able to keep her hands busy, a trait she knew came from their father and his inability to sit still. "Have you had a suitor lately? There was nothing about one in your letters while Olly and I were in Rhylls."

"No," she admitted quietly. "Although I understand it is distinctly part of my position as Papa and Mama's heir to marry and produce an heir of my own, whose education in governance I am expressly responsible for in order to responsibly continue the line, the closest I've gotten has been sizing up serdars and lesser lords from afar." She took back her cup and drank more tea, letting the warmth steel her. "Whomever I choose has to be intelligent and respectful, without eyes for power, and needs to understand what sort of position I'm in… what we're in, as a family, before I even think about approaching him. I know how dangerous love is and I need to calculate my risks accordingly."

"You're an idiot, just like our Papa," Astra sighed. "I thought we had long ago agreed that you would threaten people with my children as your heirs in case you didn't find someone. What happened?"

"I guess… seeing you get married and being happy with Olly, seeing Jasper now that he's born, seeing that life truly was going towards that and… it scares me," Lena muttered. "You're so happy, and while I'm glad you are—don't misunderstand—the thought that I may never have that is now a very real thing and not simply some jest. I know that I don't need it for myself, yet what would it be like if I age into barrenness without producing an heir? Could the people think poorly of it? See me as selfish?"

"If you worry about it too much for too long, it'll only drive you to make poor decisions," Astra warned. "Mama told me that when Olly and I were engaged. I guess it's a good thing I know that, considering the circumstances. Of all the things, don't make poor decisions about who you want to meet on the wedding platform."

"I'll do my best; thank you."

The sisters hugged, both teary-eyed and a bit sniffly, glad to know that they were going to be fine.

A few weeks later and Kasterborous and Gallifrey were sent into a tizzy. After fifty-four years of being their liege Marquis and Doctor, Lord Johan Lonan was ready to step down and hand the coronet to his eldest child. The ceremony was to be held on the anniversary of his marriage to Lady Clara Oswald, an event now thirty years in the past; it was to be an occasion that would not only celebrate the past, but usher in the march's future. Few people had thought the day would ever arrive back when he had accepted his late father's duty, while fewer yet believed it possible to have the celebration without going into mourning first. Instead, things were stable, no fuss was made over who was to rise to the former lord's place, and nothing had to be rushed—it was more ideal than anyone imagined.

As it happened, the day of the ceremony was just as fair and breathtakingly gorgeous as it had been three decades prior. Before a hall packed with lesser lords and ladies, the Lady Lena Anthea strode into view, taking her spot atop the governance dais, her parents following not long after. His Royal Majesty did the honors of removing the coronet first from the bowing Lord Johan's brow, then from Lady Clara's, before finally bestowing Lady Lena with the Marchioness's coronet. His swore his new keeper of the borderlands in at that moment, granting her nearly all his power for the good of the Earldom and City of Gallifrey, the March of Kasterborous, and the entire kingdom's safety and security. She was now his first line of defense against belligerent invaders… and with any luck, the only defense they required.

What followed was two straight days of celebrating, with little being done far as governance and protocols while festivities went late into the night and begun again early the following day. Though there was a ceremony on the second day where the Lady Mrs. Astra Peladon-Lakertya was officially created the new Earlessa of Gallifrey, few were actually able to recall the fact due to hungover heads and weary bodies. Not a soul blamed them—sober or not—and the passing of the highest Gallifreyan duty stayed on the lips of locals and kingdom subjects alike for years and years to come.