Chapter 5:
With Angron returned to the Emperors Secret placed in his crib dressed in a simple nappy Erda found herself barely getting to her living room before falling into her rocking chair moving from mother to crone in exhaustion, only the dancing light of the fireplace lit the room in an orange glow provided her with any sort of light.
Gallius walked out from a shadowy corner getting a groan from Erda "i thought you were an inquisitor i didn't know you moonlit as an actor" Erda said raspily forcing herself to sit up, picking up on her humour Gallius grinned like a Cheshire cat "dramatic entrences are inquisitor 101 my Empress" he says giving a overly exaggerated bow before dragging over a large arm chair to sit in across from Erda.
Erda shifted herself to her maiden form to communicate without straining her throat with Gallius looking at her curiously "you stink of sulpher and blood, no offence empress but i think you may need a bath and a change of clothes" he said with Erda letting out a slight laugh, "just call me Erda for thrones sake," Erda said as she curled up on the chair "i have pointed a pistol at your head i think we are past titles" she added giving a tired smile the bags under her eyes becoming obvious.
"Yet you say nothing about me saying you need a bath?" Gallius says with Erda starring him down "and? I am getting to that in a minute" she says unimpressed, "right now it just looks like you're sitting there, we have located the daemon Fulgrim by the way just waiting to go after him on your word" Gallius says with Erda shaking her head. "Give me some like a day or two to recover my strength i may be... Actually you don't need to know that just know i-" she said with Gallius interrupting "a perpetual? We already know."
"Of course you do" Erda sighed getting to her feet and stretching, "before i go off and run myself a bath how would you like to proceed with going after Fulgrim? Since she who thirsts has him i suspect this one will be quite difficult" Erda asked with Gallius taking a moment to ponder. "Well from what i have seen from the evidence surrounding lord Guilliman there are certain parties involved with him that we can contact for assistance" he says with Erda nodding, "then do so, also i am not to be disturbed whilst i am having my bath is that understood?" she asks and Gallius nods "noted any soldiers caught peeping will be shot" he replies as Erda walks off.
Having most of this entire deck of the ship to her disposal she had ordered many luxuries many of which were for the primarchs things like playgrounds just like the ones in the Sanctuary, but the bathing room was an oversized pool like bath that filled with warm water from statues of various imperial hero's hold golden jugs in their marble grip.
Erda stripped her clothes and split into her 3 forms but paradoxically left only 1 set of clothes by the side of the bath, her maiden form skipped off grabbing some luxury bubble bath as she let herself start to relax. Her mother form tested the raising water with the crone adjusting the water controls as the maiden dumped in a whole bottle smiling to herselves as the bubbles ploomed across the surface of the water.
Despite the scent of lavender in the air when her maiden eyes lined up on the crone she frowned to herself, she really hadn't seen herself naked in quite some time always wearing simple robes and shawl. The mother form stared at the crones wound that grinned across her throat like Erebus's foul smile, "I think il just sit this one on the side" she thought to herself letting the crone just sit at the side of bath her legs drooped into the water as not to get water in the cut having already made the mistake of getting an infection in it and attempting to bathe in water infested with a wide array of toxic chemicals.
The mother and maiden forms moved into the water leaning back against the edge of the pool like bathtub the warm water lapping against her skins it felt like respite from the battle with khorne's demons, images floated into her mind of what life would be like with all 21 sons back under her protection with scenes like late night story time with all of them snuggled up to her on her bed to even to a moment that was about to happen.
A knock came at the door faint but she heard it and with a curl of her finger she pulled the door open without even touching it letting in a shrill noise of crying that made all 3 of her forms whip their heads towards it faster than a space wolf to a bar, in the doorway stood perturabo hands clasped over his ears "mother I can't sleep with all this BY THE GODS YOU ARE NAKED!" he exclaimed doubling over as if to puke but nothing coming out.
"Perty sweety I have seen you naked enough times" Erda said with her maiden form getting out of the water to pick up Perturabo as the mother form rushed past the door taking the crying Angron from the golden servitor, "THAT IS DIFFERENT!" Perturabo exclaimed only to be silenced by the maiden form putting a finger over his lips. "Sshh it's ok" Erda said as she shushed Pertuabo and Angron as he tried clutching at the non-existent nails wailing at the top of his lungs, "you did the right thing bringing him to me" Erda said to Perturabo walking him away from the mother form that rested the world eaters primarch against her chest the beat of her heart seemingly comforting him.
With each thump of her heart Angron's cries muffled down into sniffles as Perturabo tried to hide a flush of embarrassment, "i-i-i am so sorry" Angron said gone was the guttural roar of the demon but instead the muffled high pitch voice of a child with his fist in his own mouth chewing at his knuckles anxiously. "Angron look at me," Erda's mother form cooed gently getting the primarch to look up at her "none of that was you honey, that was those damned nails i ripped out you were missing a whole chunk of brain there is no way anyone should blame you for anything you did whilst under their sway and thats not even mentioning what HE did to you" Erda added on the destain for the blood god.
With Perturabo he silently protested as he was stripped before the maiden sat into the water an odd feeling of satisfaction on her face and if looks could kill the one Perturabo gave her would have been considered a fleet killing weapon. Angron looked up at Erda "i-i don't think I can sleep tonight" he stuttered with the mother form rocking him a bit "then how about a bath?" she offers getting a nod from him, she stripped him down too and sat in the water both babies resting against their mothers forms to prevent them from slipping into the water.
With the crying Angron now relaxed and perturabo with his usual annoyed scowl looked up at Erda "I just want some sleep" he said sounding more tired than his face portrayed, "then just sleep against me" Erda cooed to him gently resting his head on her shoulder and with nothing else to do and probably so he wasn't conscious to keep seeing his mother naked Perturabo fell asleep.
"Perturabo was always angry with me wasn't he?" Angron asked through a blush and feelings of guilt "well.. from what I understand he was angry at everyone so don't beat yourself up over it," Erda say scooping up some of the bubbles before putting it on Angrons bald head "instead just be the little cutie you are."
Angron couldn't help himself for the first time he ever remembered in his entire life giggled a sound that plucked at Erda's heart strings.
Erda made her crone form stride away from the bath when she heard a pair of muffled yelps, she stared out into the dark corridor only seeing the faint blue glow of Vigil's eyes and sighing gestures for the servitors holding the 2nd and 11th primarchs to bring them forward. "And what are you two doing out of bed?" Erda rasps out her hand around her throat covering the cut something the lord of the thunder dragoons Aurelius didn't let go unnoticed but it's the way he said it that sounded so innocent Erda actually felt bad, "mama are you hurt?" he asked despite not imploring any telepathic powers it still felt like someone had reached a ethereal hand inside of her and gripped her heart.
"I was sweety but please tell me why are you out of bed?" she asked again with Vigil going wide eyed "and why are you naked?" Vigil asked getting an eye roll from Erda, with the servitors following her Vigil and Aurelius saw the sleeping Perturabo on the maiden along side Angron happily babbling and playing with bubbles with the mother.
The crone scooped up her shawl and wrapped it around her once again pulling up part of it like a headscarf but most importantly held her throat together enough to be understood whilst talking, "much better" she said the rasp still present but lessened as she took Vigil and Aurelius into her arms.
"Now what to do with you two? You did sneak out of bed" Erda questions looking down at the pair with Vigil pointing at Aurelius "it was his idea" he said quickly getting an offended look from him, "you wanted to see what was wrong! Plus if you didn't open your eyes we would have been able to see" Aurelius said getting a raspy giggle from Erda. "Will you two stop," Erda said taking a seat on a water proof lounging chair "Angron just had a bad dream so he and Perty are going to have to sleep with mama tonight" she explains with Aurelius and Vigil both holding back laughs but also blushing to themselves.
"You want to sleep with mama too don't you?" she asks with both primarchs nodding with their moment being interrupted by one of the golden servitors called Two he held out a simple white cloth, giving him permission the servitor removed her shawl revealing the deep cut and having to readjust her hold so she didn't drop her babies as they freaked out. "Throne above… who?" Vigil said eyes seemingly to glow brighter in shock only silenced by Erda planting a kiss on his head, with the white cloth tied around her throat by the servitor she smiled down at her babies as the maiden stepped out of the bath and Angron began to yawn as the mother stepped out.
Erda on this ship didn't have a normal sized bed instead she had made a large bed big enough for her to have her forms and her children sleep on, it didn't take long for the demi-gods to drift to sleep something that for most of humanity would of kicked off entire religions was just another night for Erda.