Aedan Cousland strode through the gates of Denerim, having just recently returned from Orzammar in the Frostback Mountains. It has been a long, exhausting week and the Warden-Commander was looking forward to settling down and rest. The nearby stable boy approached him and took his horse for the scheduled grooming, allowing Aedan time to scout the marketplace. On the way he bumped into Brother Genitivi again and the two traded banter about the Chantry's reaction to the rediscovery of the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Efforts to refurbish the holy site have already begun with an expected completion date to be about a year or two.
King Alistair and Queen Anora were seen approaching the downtown market, accompanied by Teyrn Fergus Cousland of Highever, where upon noticing the return of the nation's hero they summoned him over for discussions.
"So it seems things in Bannorn are beginning to settle down…" Aedan mused.
"Albeit slowly, but yes," Alistair nodded. "Bann Sighard and Arl Bryland have already sent word that their lands are showing signs of recovery from the Blight."
Anora soon pitched in. "We have also received word that with the darkspawn incursion in Amaranthine quelled, several nations have sent a generous donation of coin and imported goods well ahead of scheduled trade negotiations."
"From whom?" Aedan asked.
"Antiva, Starkhaven, even Orlais," Fergus answered. "From what we know the donation appears to be largely symbolic, if not out of mere sympathy. Ferelden suffered greatly during the Blight and when word spread of the dire situation in Amaranthine, our trading partners were decent enough to lend us a considerable sum."
"I assume that necessary precautions were taken, considering Ferelden's current state of affairs?"
"We have had our own honor guard and several volunteers inspect the supplies for harmful contaminants if that's what you mean, Warden," Anora replied reassuringly. "So far, nothing appears to pose a significant problem."
"Not yet, anyway," Alistair added. "I'm mostly relieved that we haven't seen any stinky cheeses."
Anora rolled her eyes and shrugged. Although Alistair had learned much on how to govern a kingdom from Anora, it didn't stop the King of Ferelden and former Grey Warden from cracking a few jokes – even if it annoyed Anora and the court. Aedan, though he had his moments with Alistair during the Blight, merely gave a small smile as he watched the monarchs going at it again.
'Try and reform him to your image completely if you must, Your Majesty,' thought Aedan sentimentally. 'But in the end you will have to eventually come to terms as I have and understand that Alistair will always be Alistair. It's just how he is.'
The talks were soon interrupted when Erlina, Queen Anora's elven handmaiden Aedan had met prior to the Landsmeet during the Blight, came running into the room. Her hair was messy and covered parts of her face which were covered with beads of sweat.
"Your Majesties, Lord Chancellor," she panted, clearly exhausted. "My apologies for the sudden intrusion, but I was told to seek you out immediately should you return."
"And what has you so worked up that you had to come all this way?" Fergus questioned.
Erlina took a moment to catch her breath. As soon as she did, the elf slowly inhaled and exhaled as calmly as she could, steadily calming herself so her words were as clear as the morning sky.
"Forgive me, Your Lordship, but I'm advised to deliver a message directly to Lord Chancellor Cousland himself. No one else."
Fergus narrowed his eyes at the elf, but Aedan waived him off. "I see," he said in a calm and composed tone. "Please excuse me, King Alistair. Queen Anora. But I'm afraid I must take my leave."
Anora and Alistair looked at each other, their eyebrows slightly raised in confusion as to what was going on; but in the end, they chose not to make such a fuss. Fergus, on the other hand, remained somewhat suspicious. What could warrant his brother's attention when there was much to discuss once their meeting with the king and queen concluded?
Once Aedan was in the main hall with Erlina, they got straight to business.
"What's going on?"
"It's your wife, my lord."
Aedan's shoulders stiffed. "What about her?"
"I'm afraid the babe has come early, so Lady Leliana has gone into labor. The healer mage, um… mistress Wynne, I believe, has asked that you 'march straight into the estate at post haste.'"
Aedan's eyes went wide at the stunning revelation and momentarily went silent. 'Leli!' he murmured quietly. "I-I see…" he tried to compose himself. "Tell her I'll be— You know what? Never mind. I must personally see to this immediately!" he replied and didn't even bother to wait for Erlina to reply as he instinctively ran down the hallways and out the front door, determined to make it to his residence in time for the birth.
Unbeknownst to him, Fergus had been listening. He slowly got up (mostly to stretch his stiff and sore muscles) during the talks and leaned in close enough to eavesdrop but remained at distance to avoid detection.
'You can do this, my little brother…' Fergus quietly encouraged. 'I know you can.'
##########
It took some time, but Aedan burst through the front doors of his estate – the servants tending to their duties turned to look at him. He inquired as to where his wife was delivering the baby, and one of them pointed upstairs.
"I believe they're in the main bedchambers, my lord."
Aedan quietly thanked them and ran up the stairs, occasionally losing his footing and tripping over each flight of steps. Eventually he made it to the entrance that led to the room he and Leliana shared. He could hear the cries and howls of pain emanating from the other side, knowing that Leliana must be giving birth at this very moment.
He tried to reach for the doorknob, but one of the maidens stopped him.
"Please refrain from complicating such delicate matters, Lord Chancellor," she politely addressed him. "Mistress Wynne is at this very moment helping us deliver your and your wife's heir and has asked that you remain here until we call you."
Aedan felt himself tense up. "You dare deny me the right to tell me what I can and cannot do, especially in my home?" he gritted through his teeth.
"Of course not, my lord," she calmly replied. "All we ask is that we are given space so we can perform our duties without any complications."
"But… My wife, my child—" Aedan pleaded with worry, his composure beginning to falter.
"I understand your concern for their safety and well-being, my lord, but I assure you that we will do everything we can to ensure that the deliver goes as smoothly as possible. All we ask is that you remain here until we call you."
Aedan had wanted to argue against such a notion, but could not bring himself to do such a thing or rather anything else at this moment. Slowly he began to release his grip on the door and escorted himself to the nearest seat, brushing his hands in his dark shoulder-length hair as anxiety became more intense as he heard another long and loud howling of pain from the room.
'Leli…' Aedan whispered quietly. 'Maker preserve me, but please let her be alright.'
As the hours passed by, Aedan remained seated; exhausting creeping up on him, he fought to keep himself awake. The sun had already begun setting in the distance behind him, yet the sound of screams and loud moans continued. To keep his nerves steady, some of the servants had brought Aedan herbal tea. He mostly preferred Rivaini spice tea, but at this point he'd prefer the aroma of any supplement if it is meant to keep him steady with the ongoing and grueling progress.
"You're doing good, Leliana!" he vaguely heard Wynne shout. "I can see the head. Just keep pushing!"
The mere sound of it almost caused Aedan to shatter the cup he was holding in his hand. 'I take it that means it won't be long now,' he thought.
A minute felt like an hour, and an hour felt like a day. Some feelings were rather normal for first-time fathers to experience when the arrival of their first offspring was imminent. For Aedan, however, it seemed that he was getting too anxious at such anticipation. He had taken breathing exercises to steadily slow down his heart rate so it doesn't cause him to inadvertently threaten his own health. As the sun vanished and the moon and stars began illuminating the night sky, weariness crept up again. Suddenly, the moans got louder and more regular before everything went completely silent. And without warning, a tiny cry pierced the air. The female midwives assisting Wynne came out of the room and helped Aedan to his feet after he fell back in anticipation. When asked of Leliana's condition, they assured him she was doing just fine and was very tired after the delivery.
"And what of the child?" he asked, seeming rather anxious.
"The babe is just fine, my lord. Do not worry," they smiled before pointing to the room. "Would you like to see him?"
"'Him'?" Aedan said quietly as he realized what they were implying.
"Congratulations, my lord," they quietly praised. "It's a boy."
Aedan felt his chest tighten, a smile slowly forming across his cheeks and his eyes watering.
"C-can I…?" he asked, almost pleadingly.
"Of course," they smiled.
The midwives opened the door and allowed Aedan inside where he found Leliana drenched in sweat and resting her head on the pillow. In her arms laid a bundle of silk sheets, wrapped around a small figure visibly asleep. The only thing noticeable about that child was the few strands of red hair, likely inherited from his mother. The infant then made a small noise, puckering its lips in the process. That in turn woke up Leliana, as she noticed Aedan had just entered and was leaning over her to look at the newborn.
"How are you feeling, love?" Aedan asked.
"A little sore, dearest, but I'll be fine. No thanks to you," Leliana jokingly replied, giving a playful punch to Aedan's shoulder. "You put me through this again, and I'll kill you where you stand."
"Promises, promises," he chuckled.
The mood then changed as they both turned to look at the baby.
"Look at him, Leliana," Aedan said quietly. "We have a son. Our son…"
"Our little baby…" Leliana whispered, tears pouring down her cheeks. This caught the baby's attention as he turned to look up at its parents. "Bonjour, mon petit," Leliana cooed in Orlesian. "Salut. Je suis votre maman."
"Hey, don't forget me!" Aedan playfully pouted, causing Leliana to laugh. "Hi there, pup. I'm your father. Welcome to the world."
It was a perfect moment for the new parents. Although both knew that it would be difficult for a Grey Warden to be capable of reproducing, the birth of their son was a miracle. It brought them even closer together, and neither wanted it to end. As the infant fell back to sleep, the fateful question was asked:
"What do you think we should name him?" Leliana asked.
"You gave birth to him, Leli. I think it's only fair that you get to name him," Aedan answered, but Leliana persisted.
"I believe it should be the father who names his son, no?"
"If you insist," Aedan conceded to Leliana's opinion. As he turns to his sleeping son, after thinking long and hard, he found one. "Adrian." He then turned to Leliana for a reply. All he got was a nod, basically earning her approval.
"Then from this moment forth, little one, your name shall be Adrian, a son of Ferelden's noble House Cousland and my heir. As long as this body continues to draw breath, my boy, no harm shall ever fall upon you. The chaos of the world will never come to you. I swear to you, as your father, your mother and I will protect you."
##########
For the rest of the night, Aedan was still awake at the start of a new beginning in his life. Beside him was his wife Leliana, who remained asleep after giving birth. She often shifted position in her sleep and only ceased when Aedan wrapped his arms around her. Next to their bed was a crib that contained their new bundle of joy.
Adrian Bryce Cousland of Ferelden, born on 26 Kingsway 9:31 Dragon via natural childbirth, weighed an approximately 7 pounds 12 ounces.
Surely word of what transpired will no doubt spread across the world like wildfire, but for now, for the new parents – that can wait. Let them have their own precious moment. Aedan slowly crawled out of bed, and quietly made his way towards the crib. Gently picking up his newborn son without waking, Adrian stirred in his sleep a bit, though Aedan held him close as he looked out the window into the Denerim marketplace.
"You see that?" he whispered quietly to his son. "One day, my son, you will forge a legacy greater than any in Thedas would ever dream of. I know you're too young to understand, but know that your mother and I will always be there for you. Whatever you need, whatever you ask, you shall have it. You are our cherished son. We love you, and thank the Maker for delivering you to us."
As he continued to gaze into the night sky, Leliana was watching them. Smiling lovingly at the sight of her husband and their newborn child, Leliana felt tears streaming down her face.
'Oh, Aedan,' she mused. 'My dearest one, thank you… thank you both so much, for giving me everything.'
She wanted to join them, but decided not to ruin the moment and continued to watch them until she feel back to sleep.
Tomorrow is going to be a brand new day. But what will they expect in the near future? We'll never know for sure. Only fate and perhaps even the Maker can even truly decide.
A/N: Well, this is it! Aedan's and Leliana's first child was born and a new adventure will begin in the near future for them and their new family. Thank you guys for sending positive feedback and encouraging me to do more. It really gives me the motivation to keep on going (even though school often demands most of my time).
Also, just be sure that just because the baby has been born doesn't necessarily mean that it's now the end of the chapter; I'm still trying to come up with new ideas on how to proceed. Again, this is not the end of the story – the story will indeed continue. If you haven't read the prequel "We've Been Through A Lot, Haven't We?" please be sure to do so. Be sure to let me know what you think of the story so far in the reviews and I'll see you guys in the next chapter.
Translation(s): "Bonjour, mon petit. Salut. Je suis votre maman,"in French means "Hello, little one. Hi. I am your mother."