BIG update so that tomorrow I can gift you with romance and a little bit more trouble...
Soul kept his hood up. Stein was still offering him cold and slightly sour looks each time he let his eyes leave the trail ahead, but Soul was pleasantly settling back into the idea of anonymity. He could barely remember what it was like to be able to travel since the last time he was conscious for it was his first trip to Marie's, but even with the idea that Free had just his iron grip and irons to keep the little girl in his clutches, Soul couldn't help but feel the small squeal of exhilaration.
That lasted for the first few days until the lack of sleep caught up with him and the group slowed their press. The rush had bought them a few days worth of a head start, but they were still a week away. He'd split Kilik and Ox, leaving Ox at home to solely stand-in for Black Star and had Kilik pick only a handful of veteran soldiers so the campsite was small, cozy, but still filled with a buzz of tension that made eyes dart often to Free and his clutch on the girl. Soul settled next to him amidst all the stares. "Let me take her tonight."
Free chuckled, "I don't need to sleep yet, prince."
"I'd rather you sleep before you have to," Soul smiled as he offered his arms. "So let me."
"Fine," Free huffed but not without a whiff of happiness as he moved the chained little girl into Soul's arms. "But you'll stay right here, next to me."
"Sure," Soul shrugged. "But it's me and Stein awake tonight, so I doubt anything'll happen."
Free grumbled as he settled back and his mind mulled over that statement, finding it holding little water in his head. As he eased his hands behind his head he waited for the inevitable.
The other men didn't seem to ascribe to Free's paranoia, most settling down here and there as they became black blobs behind the glow of the fire. Soul met eyes with Stein across the way who simply nodded as his glare continued along the crowd. The little girl had ceased to fuss but while Soul wanted to believe it was because she'd fallen asleep he tried to remind himself of the sick smile, the evil eyes that shone back from what should be an innocent face.
Even with the fear tugging at him, the idea that this little thing in his arms had plans to murder everything he held dear and technically he was taking it right to them, Soul let his mind wander to Maka. If he was going to stay awake, wasn't the best medicine the sweet plump of her bottom lip or that glowing smile that she hid until night, between the covers and between his kisses? And how would she look now? Even though there'd still be time before the babies were born, she would most likely be showing, especially since there was not just one but two she was carrying. He wondered how the curve of her body would change, how following it with his hand would feel.
After a few hours and a few wistful sighs from Soul, Stein stood, his head turning from side to side to look out into the darkness. Soul was about to open his mouth and call to him when Stein held up a hand to preempt the noise before slinking out into the darkness. Soul juggled the little thing in his lap but made sure his one arm was still secure around her as he readied a hand for trouble. Listening only brought him the buzz of insects, the crackling of the wood in flames, and a few random snores.
A cold, creeping undulation in his skin started at his neck and just as he was about to turn to Free the twine hit his neck, pulling his head back and cutting the air from his mouth. Willing his blood seemed to do nothing, the pressure of it completely different than piercing of the sword he'd been able to stop and Soul could only grunt with the loss of air. His arm stayed tight but that little face was turning to him, the murderous delight dancing in its eyes as he gaped. Soul let three useless revolutions of his lips pass with hands working uselessly before he relaxed and let the rope pull him further into the darkness.
As the gray started to pull at the corners of his vision, Soul opened his mouth and bit down as hard as he could, springing fresh blood into his mouth from the new rip in his tongue. With the last of his strength, he pressed his head back against his attacker, getting enough of an angle that he could spit the blood into the air. Instantly, they became floating needles, striking Stein in the face and forcing his grip from strangling to attempting to clear the injurious blood from his face.
"Free!" Soul shouted just when he'd suck in enough breath. Free was up in a second, watching the black ooze from between Soul's lips as he desperately clutched at the little thing in his arms. "Grab Stein!"
Free wasn't much for orders but this looked to be a necessity, Stein just starting to recover even though the pinpricks of blood had started all over his face like pox marks. He lunged for Stein, striking him in the chest and knocking the air from his lungs with a sick gasp. "Knock him out?" Free offered as he smashed another hit behind Stein's bent over body, sending him to the ground.
"Then bind him," Soul barely breathed out. At this point, the soldiers were moving, hands aplenty arriving to hold Stein to the ground as he was bound much in the way the little one was. Soul sat and spit out the rest of the blood, waiting until his saliva ran clean. "You little bitch," he murmured as he shook the girl still tight under his arm.
The pleased face was still looking up at him, those eyes calling for his blood. "Your friends aren't your friends," it whispered.
"Yeah, not when you poison them," Soul muttered. "Just shut the fuck up." He motioned Kilik over, handing the little monster to him firmly before stomping over to the crowd of bodies. Free still had a firm knee to the middle of Stein's back even though his arms were properly bound. "How is he?"
"Mad," Free answered easily. "Should have guessed."
Soul kneeled so he could peer at Stein's face, "Stein?"
The answer he received was a string of sick cackles along with a smile that split the corner of his lips, adding to the blood that was already on his face.
"Bind him more," Soul warned with a sigh. "Iron if we can get it."
Maka dragged herself out of bed early without the tea, forcing her feet straight to the stable and the horses. Just as she had gotten through saddling the second she heard the footsteps and tried to ignore them. That only earned her a few more minutes of silence before her mother's voice came sharply behind her, "What are you doing?"
"We're leaving early," Maka tried to deliver with as much emotion as a food request.
"Maka, if it's because of what I said-"
"No," she interjected quickly as she moved to the next horse. "It has nothing to do with you. I'm tired of sitting here and waiting. I want to help Soul and the babies are far enough along now that… they should be fine no matter what." That earned her silence, not even the shifting of feet and Maka forced her eyes from shooting to her periphery to check if she was even still there. Instead, she offered another short burst of words, "If you're going to follow us, you might want to go and get ready."
The silence still settled for another moment before her mother's voice came quietly. "Do you expect me to?"
"I don't know." She finished with the last horse before she turned back and crossed her arms uncomfortably over the curve of her stomach. "But all of us are leaving, so take it or leave it." A brittle sigh broke across her lips. "But I meant what I said, so don't come if you expect to do anything to Soul or the babies."
"Maka, what I said about the babies…" Yaara paused for the interjection but Maka remained silent, her eyes boring into her mother. "I worry about how you'll be happy with that kind of man, with that kind of life. A common girl was what you were born as, a fighter, and now you have to understand that this means other expectations for you. That after this interruption, your life will go back to pomp and boredom."
"He asked me to take care of our children," Maka let drop honestly but held the words up with a smile, "but he promised to do the same. He's promised that when we rule, we rule equally-"
"Promises," Yaara started. "All of them words that can be taken back as soon as you're under his rule again."
Maka shook her head slowly with a disappointed sigh. "Mama, you just don't know anything."
"Maka," Black Star called from the backdoor, breaking the conversation.
"Excuse me," Maka said quickly as she pushed past her mother and came to Black Star's side. "What is it?"
"Crona just needs a little encouragement." Black Star smirked as he waved her in, watching her get far enough in the hallway before shutting the door and starting out onto the lawn. He was halfway to Yaara when she started to turn towards the woods. "Hold up."
"What?" Yaara asked impatiently over her shoulder, not bothering to turn around.
"Are you going to follow us or no?"
"What business is it of yours?"
Black Star crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. "I'll offer you the same thing as your used-to-be husband." This perked her interest, Yaara's head turning quickly over her shoulder to look at him with appraising eyes. He wondered if his shit-eating grin gave it away before he started. "If you want, I'll kill you. I don't have a problem with it and something tells me you might be a challenge that I'll appreciate."
Yaara sucked her teeth as she threw her head back over her shoulder.
"Just giving you a fair warning," Black Star called after her, making Yaara's feet slow again. "Follow us and just be a good little spectator to the journey, then, well, the end result is up to Maka. But follow us and fuck with us, and you'll earn it. I don't hesitate."
There was a pause and Black Star was sure her feet were about to catapult her forward when her voice came interested over her shoulder. "You're the captain of his guard?"
"Have been since we were kids," Black Star answered easily. "Will be until I die which'll be never."
Yaara let a rueful laugh come from her mouth, "If you're the kind of man he trusts…"
Black Star snorted a laugh, "Why am I not surprised you have a problem with people who tell it like it is? Soul likes that I don't bullshit, I don't keep things to myself. So does your daughter, for that matter, though it took her some time to warm up to me. Maybe you should take a page out of my book and try being honest every now and then."
"What should I be honest about?" She offered playfully.
"Oh, plenty," Black Star laughed. "I could give you a laundry list of shit you could say to your daughter but all I care about right now is whether or not that bullshit about being stuck as a mom is the real reason you want Maka to lose the babies."
Yaara's eyes narrowed and she took a step closer to him, her attempt to intimidate instantly backfiring as he leaned closer to her in anticipation. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."
"You know what, I hope I don't," Black Star shrugged. "Bottom line, those babies survive. Maka made it clear that she'd die for them and let me make it clearer: so would I. And trust me, I'm not dying, ever, so it's a losing game to get in the way." He was surprised at the way this derailed her, all of the rage falling from her face for a wrinkled brow and slight gape to her mouth.
"You're not the father," she said dumbly.
"Obviously," Black Star added a genuine laugh at the idea. "But I have this thing, it's called loyalty and it's something both Maka and Soul actually deserve."
"It's time to go." The opening of the backdoor let Maka's voice drift between them and Black Star dropped the conversation as easily as he started it, walking back towards the sound. Maka was urging Crona forward and while their face was still frozen in fear their feet were not. "I would say you can ride with me but I'm not sure there's much room with the babies," Maka joked softly, getting the corner of a smile from Crona.
"We all ride by ourselves," Black Star instantly cut in. "Crona's grown, they'll be fine." He added a clap to Crona's shoulder that didn't kill the tiny start of the grin but did jostle their body forward a few steps.
Maka let out a forlorn sigh as she steadied Crona's steps with her hands on their shoulders. "When are you going to be gentle?"
"When you stop being stubborn," Black Star tossed back with a grin, getting exactly the scowl he wanted in return. He shouldn't have been surprised but as he turned back to the horses Yaara was nowhere in sight. That brought a slowness to his step, letting Maka come shoulder to shoulder with him before he made a quick grasp of her elbow. "You sure you feel well enough for this?"
"It's nice of you to ask," Maka said with a withering sigh, "but it doesn't matter. We have to go. And waiting another week would just make it harder."
"Well, don't slow us down." He gave her elbow one more squeeze before releasing it, the few hissing words she offered back not hitting his ears. Everything was blocked by that one thought in his head, Soul, be there when we get there.
Stein in shackles had already sent the castle into a tizzy but as soon as Soul took down his hood the flutter of people turned into a frenzy. It would be amusing, all the instant hemming and hawing over him if everything didn't feel so dire. Stein hadn't improved, completely adrift in Madness that seemed to encourage their little ogre of a charge who had been wearing that grotesque smile for every day since. All of it unsettled Soul especially as he now walked through the hallways in search of Marie. And telling her that her husband is Mad, tried to murder me… He heaved a sigh.
When he turned what he thought to be the final corner he was trapped by a short, stout woman. "My prince, it's so nice of you to visit and to bring Lord Stein home but Lady Marie is still unwell, so visiting-"
"Tell her it's me," Soul urged back, trying to keep the flat authority to his voice but still finding that boyish panic biting at the back of his words.
"She made express wishes that no one was to see her in her current state," the woman gave back the well-practiced response.
Frustration was starting to thicken in his throat and Soul barely squeezed out the words. "Please, tell the lady it's me. I think she'll make an exception."
The pale blue eyes looked him over for another moment before disappearing behind the door. Soul leaned into the stone, barely keeping in another withering sigh, leaving it just as a truncated breath. It was only a moment before the door swung open again and the petite woman was beckoning him closer with a smile that still held worry around the edge.
"Soul," it was a gentle but still lively greeting, pulling him into the room and into Marie's sight. She was sitting up in bed, the tiny bundle cradled in her arms while Ben lounged at her feet, his hands busy with paper and charcoal. "I'm sorry, I would have warned Auntie if I knew you were coming." Marie nodded at the woman behind him. "Auntie, would you take Ben to lunch, please?"
"Come along, Benjamin," Auntie cooed. Ben only hesitated long enough to peek into the folds of the blanket to take another look at his brother before offering a smile to Marie.
Soul took the moment to stare at Ben, his eyes growing wider as the boy passed. "He looks just like Stein."
Marie let out a short laugh as she smiled warmly, "He does, but our second boy takes after me." She uncovered the baby enough that Soul could see the wisps of blond hair. "Speaking of, where is their father?" that came with a singular tremble, a twitch in her lip that barely held.
"He's here," Soul's answer came tentatively and suddenly his hands had no right place to go. They evolved from fists to an awkward clench at the side of his arms as he crossed them protectively around himself. "But he's not well, Marie."
"He was injured?" Marie sat up straighter as if preparing for the blow.
"Well, he had been, on his way to the castle, weeks ago, but…" Soul was withering and he loathed the cowardly turn to his stomach with each word but the words still drifted weakly, "It's the Madness. He's…"
A huge release of breath came from her and she eased back into the bed. "Have him brought up here."
"We had to shackle him," Soul tried to add, amend because all the knots in Marie had eased away. "He tried to kill me."
That brought a sigh to her lips, "I'm sorry about that. I know with the potions he's usually well enough, but he's been away from me for so long this time…"
"And he had a little help," Soul grumbled. "That witch poisoned him."
"So it'll be worse this time…" Marie shook that off like a chill. "Tell the guards in the hall to bring him here."
Soul did as ordered even though it made his gut feel like it was grinding glass. The calm on Marie's face, only slightly tainted by a hint of a wrinkle of worry between her eyebrows, made the urge worse and Soul had to swallow the queasiness. "Marie…"
"Come here, Soul," she motioned him closer and he made hesitant steps to the bedside. "Sit down." Again, as ordered he let his knees buckle, sending him to a hard seat on the bed. "Now, hold your arms out, get your palm open on your right."
"What?" He had believed his worry to be dizzying just a moment ago but as Marie's stretched her arms between them, moving the baby to his open hands and delivering the weight there, he was sure that his heart would explode.
"You've never held one before, have you?" There was a cute, teasing lilt to her voice that brought a blush to his cheeks. "And soon you'll have one to hold of your own, so maybe some practice is in order."
"Two," Soul croaked as he brought the tiny bundle closer to his chest to steady it. "There's… two babies, Marie. Maka's carrying two."
A glow came to her face, her smile stretching from serenity to joy. "Then you'll need double the practice."
Soul's eyes fell from the warmth on her face to the small one in his arms. As the baby sunk into his elbow, the tiny eyes opened, blinking up slowly and sleepily at Soul. For a breathless moment he could see it, the green eyes and blond curls that could be a perfect replica of Maka, maybe only marred by the inheritance of his toothy grin or the scraggly nature of his hair. He could have lost his mind in the daydream if it hadn't been for the commotion at the door, Marie's guards dragging in an obviously straining Stein.
"Oh, Franken." It was as if she were chiding a child and she rushed to him just as quickly as a mother would to a little one up to no good. Soul turned, careful not to jostle the baby, but sat frozen at the edge of the bed as the soldiers deposited him on the floor. Stein was already struggling to his knees when Marie got to him, her hands gently cupping his cheeks.
Before Maka, mysticism and magic had only been things Soul had read about, and as a child, had been mostly sheltered from. If his parents had allowed it, Wes would have told him stories about witches, about healers, and the millions of other special powers that popped up in pockets of people, but they'd insisted that their younger son be sheltered. So seeing the dim glow come off of Marie's fingers, the shine to her skin that while ethereal seemed utterly natural to her, Soul was dumbstruck. A few minutes of this passed in utter silence, just Marie leaving a brilliant gleam of healing to permeate the room. Even Soul couldn't hold onto the knot of worry in his chest, only left with the buzz of tranquility as she finally let her hands glide from Stein's cheeks to his chest.
"Marie…" Stein whispered out in relief.
"I should kill you, Franken," Marie murmured playfully. "Letting yourself get that bad."
"I'd like to blame some of it on the witch," he offered back breathlessly. While his eyes never left Marie's, Stein's voice drifted past her. "Soul, are you alright?"
"Nothing permanent," Soul tried to sigh but the afterglow pushed any glumness away.
"And Free and that thing?"
"Downstairs and fine."
Marie clutched a hand into his shirt and gave his chest a soft knock. "Would you please ask about the most important thing?"
Stein lowered his voice, letting his face creep closer to let the words run from his mouth to only her ears. "How are you, my love?"
"Not me, Franken," Marie sighed but it was saturated in relief and longing.
"But you are the most important thing."
Even in front of her future King, Marie closed the gap, trapping those sweet words to Stein's lips with her own. It was chaste, short, and only gave a modicum of relief before she jumped to her feet. "Soul, please, I'll take the baby if you'll unfetter him."
Soul didn't have to offer her the bundle before she was taking it from him, the baby starting soft little coos at the sight of his mother. "He's alright?" But even without the answer Soul was starting to move towards Stein at Marie's bidding, his hands instantly working at the mechanisms.
"While Maka can counteract demon and witch powers," Stein began to explain in that tutorial sort of way of his, dry and learned as if he hadn't just been in a touching moment with his wife. "Marie has the ability to combat any amount of Madness. She can calm any soul and heal it."
"That's what the glow was?" Soul asked as he freed one of Stein's hands. While it relaxed against him there were no sudden movements and Soul let a small corner of his worry wither away.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Stein brought his eyes back to Marie for that, seeing her beam with pride just for the moment.
"It is," but Soul realized his agreement was unnecessary as he turned his eyes between the two of them after he'd loosened the rest of the confines. It no longer seemed to matter if he was there or not, Stein and Marie staring at each other patiently. "I'm going to… if you're alright that is, I'm going to check on Free, get everyone else settled."
"You do that," Stein assured him as he tested his balance on his heels before pushing to standing.
Soul was slowly amending the history in his head, the idea that other than that flower-filled day courting seemed out of Stein's grasp because the look in his eye at that moment was nothing but. He didn't offer any more words, just backed out of the room with the start of a smirk on his face.
"I hate that you were right," Marie started as soon as Soul had left the room. "Another boy. And he has your eyes again."
"But he'll have your power," Stein came back quickly as he eased towards her. Marie didn't hesitate and held the bundle out to him, placing their perfect second son in his arms. "What did you name him?"
Marie took a step closer, trapping the baby between the two of them. "I didn't. I was waiting for you."
"You didn't wait with Benjamin," he smirked.
"That was easy, my father's name, but your father," Marie shook her head.
Stein followed that with a bitter laugh, "Definitely not. What about Joseph?"
"For Joe?" Marie's eyes went wide, "Franken…"
"You loved him," Stein offered without tainting the words. "And we both know you would have married him if it hadn't been for-"
Marie planted tender fingers over Stein's lips. "If I were going to name our son after a man I love it would be Franken. From the start to the finish, from the moment we met, it was you. But I think that would be a little hurtful to Benjamin. He is your son, too. Let's not make him ever feel like just because this boy was born when we could marry that he's not just as important to us."
"Then he's nameless," Stein snorted a laugh.
Marie leaned closer, resting her head on his shoulder and coaxing his arm around her, pulling her closer to his side. "You said he'd have my touch, didn't you?"
Stein let out a thoughtful hum, "That's what his soul looks like."
"Then Jason," Marie answered with a surety that made Stein's eyebrows raise. "It means healer."
"And since when have you had the time to search through ancient meanings like that?" he smirked but not without softness in his eyes.
"Since you've been gone," she murmured back. "Especially since…" her hand clutched tighter and she pressed her face into his shirt to let the words get half lost in the fabric, "Tell me we can announce it all. The marriage, the baby, because you're definitely a lord now, right? I didn't dream all of this and it's still real and you're actually here not dead on the roadside and-"
Stein dipped his head, catching the words on her lips and stopping the mad rush of her mind just as she'd done the same for him moments ago. "Tomorrow if you'd like. Soul probably won't mind falsely officiating the record that we've been married since the conception, Jason is legitimate and Benjamin, while unfortunately recorded as my bastard, will be formally adopted to the house as heir, first son. Then we can get to work on that daughter you've asked for."
"Franken," Marie chided but just barely as she allowed him to capture her lips again, this time with a fervor that told her that last sentence wasn't in jest.