Maka tried not to give away her studying, only sending sideways glances at Soul from her spot on the bed. He was intently listening to his mother's sweet chatter as she held Crona but his eyebrows were tempting to furrow leaving Maka dissecting the moment. Her mind only drifted off it momentarily as Wes detached from her breast, letting out a soft mewling that spoke to Maka that he was much more interested in play now. "Would you take him?" Maka had started to interrupt but Soul was already on his feet from the call of the tiny voice that was continuing to coo in her arms.

"He's a noisy one," the queen laughed happily. "Much like your brother. You named him quite right."

"Really?" Soul's voice warbled as he sat back down with his son, staring at the tiny face that was speaking that sing-song language of sweet nonsense noises.

The queen nodded with glowing surety as she leaned forward, examining the other boy before starting another story giddy with a rush of long obscured happiness. Maka finished fixing her blouse just as the door popped open, Black Star's steps hesitating just at the threshold of the scene. "Oh, the captain finally shows his face," Maka teased as she edged out of the bed. "Come, meet the boys."

Black Star only offered a casual glance at the glowing Queen and Soul before focusing on Maka. "We have some business that can't be put off. That lord, Kid."

"You were supposed to be taking today off," Soul chided before standing, bringing the still chatty infant to Black Star. "Here, take Wes."

"Take him?" Black Star balked. "I'm just here to get you and then-"

"Maka and I will talk to Kid. You'll stay here with the Queen."

With the fucking Queen? Black Star just barely bit the words on his tongue as he blundered through Soul handing off the small bundle into his arms. Oh, his mind screamed as he looked at Wes, watching the little face that looked so much like Soul smile up at him. There it was, that strange, undulating feeling that had a life of its own, a bird trapped in his chest that was fluttering from throat to gut. This is why I didn't want to come, see these things, because that feeling-

Maka put a hand on his shoulder as she leaned in. "Don't drop him, please."

"I'm not an idiot," he hissed out in a whisper. "But why the hell am I staying here?"

"Consider it your rest," Soul answered with a smirk as he took Maka by the elbow. "Don't worry, we'll make it quick."

Don't worry? Black Star almost barked back but the two of them were already with their back to him and the Queen would be the only one brunt of his anger, something he knew was entirely out of the question. Black Star cleared his throat, "Your majesty."

"It's alright, captain, come sit. I have to say I can't get enough of seeing both of my grandsons, even if they're identical." Black Star followed orders, easing into the chair next to the Queen. Against his better judgment, he narrowed his eyes at the tiny face before looking at the other in the Queen's arms. "Crona has a mark," he muttered.

"What?" the Queen's voice fluttered back.

"Looks like a scar, right side of his jaw," Black Star looked back at Wes in his arms, "and his hair's a shade darker. Just barely."

The Queen scoffed lightly but as she looked between the two infants, all she could do was nod. "Always observant, captain. Your praise is well-deserved."

"Crona's got Maka's face, too, the nose," his voice was barely more than a murmur now. "Wes looks like Prince Wes, though. He's… named right."

"I agree," the Queen's tone matched his as her fingertips ran over the peach-fuzz hair. "And this one? Crona? Who was he named for?"

"A friend," Black Star answered quickly. "Died recently because of that bu-" he barely caught himself from cursing, "business with the witches."

That only received a weak, warbling sigh.

"Majesty," Black Star's eyes moved without hesitation to the Queen's face. "Your son died because of witches. Your other son almost died to them as well. Now your grandbabies. I think it's time to admit now that you were wrong."

Those eyes that were the closest to Soul's with their deep rosy chestnut hue widened.

"And I know you could have me killed for that," he added with a half-hearted chuckle, "but I won't take it back. I loved Prince Wes just as much as Prince Soul did and I'll never let what happened to him happen to the rest of your family but you have to meet me halfway. We both know that you're in the King's ear, so the next thing you whisper better be that we're going to take care of the kingdom, protect it like Prince Soul wants."

"That almost sounds like a threat," the Queen murmured.

"Could be," Black Star shrugged. "But would you blame me? When you look at them…" he jutted a chin out at the baby in her arms, "... and your son and his wife, you look at all of them and you tell me that you're not going to do anything you can to protect them." That's what it is, isn't it? The feeling, the only thing I'm scared of in this whole damn world.

"And what do you suggest, then?"

Black Star pulled in as much air as he could before letting his callous fingers touch the smoothest cheek. "Let 'em rule."

Maka settled a few steps ahead of Soul as they made their way into the meeting hall, Kid standing at the wall arranging candlesticks just as Soul had left him before. He started to absently wonder if Kid had actually spent the entire time there but he didn't have a moment to even draw breath before Kid turned excitedly towards them, "Ah, Maka! It's so wonderful to meet you."

"Princess Maka," Soul noted sharply.

Kid chuckled in reply, "Princess Maka. I'm surprised to see you so very quickly recovered."

"Well, if I'm such a powerful common-girl then shouldn't I be instantly back at work after giving birth?" Maka quirked her head to the side quizzically.

Soul grunted a laugh.

Kid smiled dryly, "Then I assume the birth went well? The babies are normal?"

"They were always going to be normal," Maka snapped back impatiently, "and who told you about them in the first place?"

"Stein," Soul answered for him.

"And your mother," Kid added calmly. "I've also had trickles of information from Mira as well."

Maka's hands started into fists but as soon as Soul's hand touched the small of her back the nails relaxed from the skin. "And for what purpose?"

"As I tried to tell your husband, as a witch-hunter you're part of the organization, beholden to the Great Old Ones, just like the rest."

"I'm beholden to no one," Maka shook her head with a laugh, "and I've never been informed that my birth made me part of some club."

"Organization," Kid corrected as he started to leaf through the inside of his vest pocket. "And your mother advised me I might need proof, so she penned this letter-"

Maka took it from Kid's hands and proceeded to rip it to shreds, tossing the wayward debris to the wind. Soul practically choked on a laugh. "I don't care what my mother says," Maka grumbled. "None of it will make me trust you. You say Stein knew and I'm sure you'll say Marie and my father did as well. They're all on their way here I'm sure so you'll wait for them to corroborate your story before I even humor any request."

"Fair enough," Kid nodded.

Maka threw her head over her shoulder to Soul, watching as he raised his eyebrows in reply. "Where do you want him?" Soul leaned closer to her. "You trust this enough to leave him to his own devices?"

"Well, is Free busy?" Maka batted charming eyelashes at Soul.

Soul scoffed, "Free is not going to want to watch him."

"No," Maka smiled with surety, "but he will protect the babies. He wants his favors, after all, doesn't he?"

Black Star shot into the room without knocking, making Maka jump from her spot at the desk. "I thought I made it clear that as soon as the two of you were married, I wasn't going to be your servant boy anymore."

"All I did was call for you," Maka sighed exasperatedly as she let her eyes drift back to her letter, finishing the line.

"Which means you want something, so what is it, princess?" But the urgency and annoyance that should have saturated every last bit of that sentence was gone, Black Star kneeling carefully between the two cribs, alternating back and forth between the two sets of red eyes staring at him. "You'll learn that your mother is impossible but let me be the first one to tell you that she can be a real-"

"I wanted to ask you about something," Maka cut in, saving her delicate babies' ears from his ridiculousness.

"Spit it out." He sat back on his haunches, turning sharp eyes towards her.

"Soul said you loved me once."

He was frozen for a moment, not a cornered animal but more a statue without thought. A disgusted groan left his lips, "Why that idiot ever told you that, I'll never know. That was all him, got it? It's not like I fell in love with you on that stupid trip."

"No," Maka shook her head as her eyebrows crinkled. "But when we were younger."

"What? You want some kind of compliment from me?" He grimaced.

Maka rolled her eyes, "No, that's not it, I-"

"There's no point," he muttered. "No point for him to bring it up and not for you, either, other than to annoy the fuck out of me." His eyes fell away from hers and looked back towards the tiny faces, reaching a hand out and finding tiny fingers grasping for it.

"He was right, though," Maka continued with a sigh. "You and I made more sense together, didn't we? Commoner with a commoner. I'm sure if you had tried-"

"If I had tried?" Black Star scoffed. "You only had eyes for him and I've never been stupid."

"But-"

"You saying you wanted it a different way?" There was a playful lilt but Maka felt a strange rage bubbling, the edges of his soul blaring out with heat. Suddenly, before she could even intake breath to create words, it fizzled and she realized it was because his other hand had come to her second son, now both of Black Star's hands becoming playthings for them. "Like I said, I'm not stupid. You and I wouldn't have made sense, whether we're common or not, because you're just as much a pain in the ass as I am. Neither of us would have done the other any good, not the way he does for you. He keeps you in check, the same way you do to him. You and I would have just… well, we're both just too reckless. End of story. And again, it's not like any of that's leftover. I let it die with that punch years ago." Black Star let the babies get a few more coos out into the silence before he stood, gently unraveling his fingers from their holds. "Look, if that's all-"

"It's not."

"Of course," Black Star groaned.

"You've barely even looked at her since you got back."

He snapped on his heels to face her, a finger pointing accusingly under her nose. "It's none of your business what I do. I'm going to-" Her smile fizzled the rest of that sentence, not an ounce of annoyance but simply a kind of reined in joy.

Maka raised her eyebrows, waiting for the rest of his admonishment before she laughed. "You're nervous, and that's OK."

"Nervous?" he scoffed as he let his finger drop away. "First you think I love you, now you think I love her, and me, of all people, nervous? Birthing these babies has sucked the brain right out of your head."

It was as if his lips never erupted the sound because Maka continued without hesitation, "But it's important that you don't miss your chance. She's seen the change in you, but the secondary change of not giving her any attention is a little of a mixed message."

"It's none of your business," he grumbled again.

"Especially because I've offered her, well, all the girls, a ladyship."

"You what?" That came with fire but the feeling of heavy coals in his belly to stoke it.

"I offered them all what I thought would be the biggest reward," Maka shrugged easily in the face of his horror. "Not to mention the fact that Soul's all about giving everyone equal footing so it was a logical choice."

"Tsubaki, a lady?" he uttered uselessly. "I mean, all the girls, those kitchen girls, ladies in your court?"

"Yes," Maka nodded with a pleased surety, "and I guess that was the other reason I invited you here, my own curiosity and then your reward. I remember two deals, one about getting me home in time and you came through for that and another as repayment for not telling you about Crona." The name gave her pause for a moment and Black Star let her have it. "And I remember two wants, godfather and a lordship."

She watched his eyebrows flick, threatening to warble just like his lips before he snapped at her, "I don't want shit, I was doing my job, what Soul asked-"

"Soul's already said you're godfather to the boys," Maka cut in with a quick lightness untarnished by his tone. "And I guess I'll agree. You're going to be the one they always want to go to anyway when they have a disagreement with one of us, I'm sure."

"I…" He stammered that out, red coming to his neck that wasn't entirely anger anymore.

"And the whole city is talking about how the captain of the guard brought the princess home safe to her husband," Maka added a sing-song tone just to watch him bristle further. "I think it'd be a shock if you didn't get lorded, or even put on the war council right next to Stein."

"I don't need it," he slipped through a tight jaw. "I don't need you to tell me I'm the best and give me all this bullshit. I've got the fame, the attention, so I don't need your handouts."

Maka sighed as she let his words trickle over in her mind again before carefully letting loose a soft whisper. "You were right, about Soul and I. I need him. He keeps me grounded and I suppose I do the same for him. I wonder if you think Tsubaki's done that for you, or if she could do that for you if you let her. If you stopped being the best for just long enough to realize that maybe someone else could make you better. Because I don't know if you noticed it, but when you came home, the way you looked at her-"

"Wasn't the way she looked at me," he said with cold finality. "So mind your business."

She stared at the grizzly wall he'd put up, his features stony and dull that she would have expected was the one on his face when he tossed her father in the dust. He didn't have the nerve to heave her over in her chair but she was sure he had at least considered it, probably envisioned the entire moment in his mind. "I won't."

Black Star blinked slowly, absorbing it before giving up, turning away from her quickly and starting for the door. He had just reached it, just pulled it open to find that raven-haired beauty staring back at him, expressive indigo eyes lighting up as they reached his face. He could hear Marie's little etiquette lessons from years ago resounding in his mind, excuse me sitting on his lips and he knew it should come but he bit into it, throwing his head over his shoulder back to Maka. "Don't call for me again."