Had a bit of posting trouble. Sorry everyone!
A bit of a carefree chapter this one before shit hits the fan. :p
Loki's dreamer: I know it wasn't meant as a challenge but 100 chapters? Challenge accepted and met. 20 more chapter to go after tomorrow. Woot woot!
Doctor Loki love: I'm glad that little part I put in bout the children keeping Loki together put your crazy, wonderful brain in overdrive. I have been enjoying writing Loki as a father and I'm glad you enjoy daddy Loki.
Guest: you that's what's going on with Cally :p
Sorceress of the trees: everyone seemed t have forgotten about him, but it did happen like early on. Lol as for Cally there will be more upcoming answers.
Poodle warriors: yeah poor Cally...or is it? And Celo? So many questions.
Chapter 79: Having fun?
Cephera woke up to a loud crash. She buried her head under her pillows and groaned. Whenever something sounded strange it was usually her children. Pulling herself from bed at this very early hour she opened her room doors.
Scattered along the floor was pieces of a large vase that had once sat on the table in the hallway. Neither of her children were nearby. Cephera sighed and began to pick up the pieces.
"Cephera." Kat called from down the hall. "Have you seen the kids?" She asked looking about.
"No but I think they broke this." Cephera said. "What are you doing at this hour?" Cephera asked sleepily.
"They woke me early and wanted to play hide and seek. Anywhere in the palace is fair game but I think Diana's cheating and teleporting." Cephera laughed.
"Probably." She said. Her daughter was a sneaky one. Kat frowned.
"Teleporting is something I never really caught on too. I mean I can but it just takes a lot of concentration for me." Kat sighed and turned to continue her search. Cephera didn't bother to follow. As long as they were all safe it didn't matter what game they played right now.
She walked back into her room and fell onto her bad against the soft silky sheets. Her belly was nicely rounding out now. Loki had come to visit a handful of times but insisted he still had work to do and left again. They were in Mechanova for over two months now and she was four months along. Her belly was nothing compared to the size the twins were at this stage so she wasn't worried for the birthing.
The birthing in her home realm was different from Asgards. The palace would all wait in silence until the child was born and then a celebration would take place for the new life. Cephera hadn't offered Loki to come into the room with her yet. He hadn't been with her long enough. She had enough time to enjoy some well needed sex, some catch up of what he's been up to, some time with the kids and then he was gone again.
In Asgard it was considered disturbing for a man to be in the room while a child was born but on Mechanova there was no such thoughts. She wanted loki to have a chance to experience it just once. She hoped he would say yes.
Cephera fell back to sleep.
"Mother." She woke slowly hearing Diana saying her name. Diana had a hand on her growing belly and Devian had his ear to it. She smiled at the two of them.
"Having fun?" Cephera asked. They nodded.
"Auntie Seraphina brought us swimming, and Kat played hide and seek with us, grandpa showed us the crystal forest and you slept half the day away." Diana told her excitedly until the end.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sleep so long." Cephera apologized placing a loving hand on her daughters head.
"It's ok mother. You need to rest for the baby." Devian told her. "I think I hear her breathing." Devian said smiling.
"Her?" Cephera asked amused.
"Me and Devian decided it must be a girl." Diana announced. "Your way to tiny for a boy." Devian nodded his head in agreement.
Cephera laughed. "You know size doesn't count for such things right?" She told them sitting up and putting an arm around the two of them on either side of her.
"I still say a girl." Devian hugged his mother back.
"I'm hungry." Cephera slid from the bed and her children followed. She quickly used magic to dress and left to find something to eat.
Every where she passed servants and other nobles would stop her to tell her how big she's getting and how beautiful she looked with her pregnancy glow. This was a common thing. Babies were very well recieved in Mechanova and highly celebrated. Especially for the royals.
Cephera was led to the games room after she ate where they found Kat and Seraphina who were not talking but they were having an intense game of go fish. Instead of speaking they would wave a hand at the other to pick from the pile and hold up fingers for card numbers. Cephera wondered how they did it for kings, queens and jacks.
Seraphina seemed to hold onto her card tightly when she had to pass it over. "What are you doing?" Diana asked sitting down to watch.
"Shush!" Seraphina told her peering intensely at Kat.
"This is ridiculous." Cephera said shaking her head.
"It's a challenge. She wouldn't shut up so I challenged her to get through a game of this without one word." Seraphina explained smiling wickedly. Cephera could only be glad they hadn't killed each other yet.
The first day they had gotten into a verbal disagreement regarding the kids and that was the beginning of a very long first week home. It was nice to see them having fun...well a strange form of fun but they were at least getting along.
Cephera sat down and watched. "Can we play snakes and ladders after this?" Devian asked his mother.
"Sure." Cephera smiled. Watching the two clashing females play a silent game was more entertaining then one would think. Facial expressions were the key element to the whole thing. Seraphina would glare while giving over a card while Kat would just give a soundless sigh as she gave up hers.
Cephera realized half way in that the king, queens and jacks had been removed altogether and Kat was winning which was only annoying her sister. Sometimes Cephera wished Seraphina would make a better effort where other people were involved. She spent her whole life concentrating on Cephera's well being that she had left little time for her own. Aside from the occasional man she would discreetly bring home at night she hardly spent time with others.
Cephera worried for her elder twin sister. Sometimes she was afraid she would never settle down and have a family of her own or at least have someone to hold her and comfort her through the rest of her years. Seraphina adored Cephera's children but she didn't seem keen on having any of her own.
The game ended with Kat victorious and Seraphina glaring daggers. "Challenge won." Kat said finally free to speak.
"Whatever." Seraphina huffed crossing her arms across her chest.
"Next game we play will be my choice." Kat said to her. Seraphina looked to be contemplating the thought.
"Fine." The princess agreed.
It was late when Cephera finally combined into bed alone. She curled up with her pillow clutched to her chest. She missed her husband. She hoped he would be back soon.
Having to break the latest attack news to her family was difficult. Her father was furious and half tempted to join Loki in his search and Seraphina had threw a fit. Dramatic was the perfect word for her family. Over dramatic would be the amount of vigour they used to express their concerns. Seraphina hitting the table in front of her hard enough to made it splinter, she had to watch that super human strength of hers in such situations. Her father immediately making to leave and join Loki but Cephera had stopped him.
She needed her family here. She needed the feeling of love and support around her when Loki was not there to provide it to her. She didn't show it lately but she was terrified. Terrified not for herself but for her family and friends. She would die to save them but it's hard fighting an invisible opponent.
Having her family and friends right now had proven to be a great distraction. Everyday was actually pretty fun. No worries, no duties just everyday of games and lounging about. But the novelty of it would wear off. Soon Cephera would miss going to Midgard regularly, or spending time with Frigga. But she only had to endure until the baby was born safely.