Rejoice, Rejoice

A bright moon hung overhead, its lustre casting the land below in a silvery sheen. There was nary a cloud in the sky to block any of the light. The fortress of Vigil's Keep stood tall and proud in the lunar glow.

The horse carrying Aedan Cousland whinnied wearily. For many hours he had been carrying the Prince-Consort at his master's urging. Aedan patted the poor beasts flank and murmured his thanks as they finally reached the Keep's gates. The guards on station hurried to open the way for their Commander and Prince, revealing the familiar sight of the fortress beyond.

Inside the exterior defences, Aedan wasted little time in dismounting and palmed the reigns of his horse off to the first soldier that approached him. He marched with purpose up towards the Keep proper. Before he reached the grand doors leading inside, he spotted a familiar figure, leaning against the side of a storehouse. The Prince was seemingly expected.

"Aedan." Nathaniel nodded stoutly to his Commander as he pushed himself off of the wall.

"Nathaniel, I …" Aedan began before trailing off. Where on earth to begin? "What happened?"

The archer sighed with a weary shake of his head. "I wish I knew. None of us saw this coming."

"Did they say anything? Leave a note at least?"

"Nothing." Nathaniel half grimaced, half scowled. "Sorry Commander, I wish I had more insight to offer, but we've all been taken by surprise here. We've been thinking it all over the last few days, trying to figure out why for ourselves."

"What's the mood like?" Aedan nodded ahead to the Keep before them, indicating his remaining Grey Wardens inside.

"Could be better." Nathaniel let out a ghost of a chuckle, tinted by a macabre humour. "I'm sure they'll be glad to see their Commander here, for once."

Aedan stopped walking immediately, scowl set on his face. Nathaniel only made another few steps before he too paused and turned back to face the Commander of the Grey. The archer breathed deep a sigh through his nose.

"You think I'm responsible for this?" Aedan asked quietly, though he wasn't sure himself if it was really a question.

"I wasn't casting blame." Nathaniel shook his head softly, his tone even. "I was merely giving you a heads up on what you're likely to find in there." He jerked his chin towards the Warden's fortress.

Aedan held his second's gaze with a long, hard stare. "My wife is the Queen. I have to be by her side, to support her."

"You don't have to justify yourself to me, Aedan." Nathaniel matched the Prince-Consort's glare with a cool stare of his own. "I don't hold you responsible for this."

"Then do they?" Aedan jerked his head towards the Keep.

The archer considered for a long, drawn out moment. "No, I don't think they do. Though I don't doubt they don't wonder if things might be different right know if you had been here." Nathaniel shook his head with a sigh. "Regardless, it would surely benefit them to see their Commander in the flesh, maybe if they got a rousing speech or two."

Aedan let out a bitter chuckle. "A shame I don't know what to say to them." He admitted. He knew he shouldn't show any form of weakness, he was here to embolden his Wardens, not give them anymore reason to doubt, but with Nathaniel at least he had always been honest.

"I'm sure something will come to you." The archer seemed sure of it. "It usually does."

Aedan quirked a small smile but didn't respond.

"Isn't the Queen nearly due?" Nathaniel asked suddenly with a raised brow as they walked.

"She is." Aedan murmured. "I wouldn't be here right now if the situation wasn't so … well."

Nathaniel murmured under his breath and patted his Commander on the back of the shoulder. "Well, maybe leave it at just the one speech then."

The two wardens entered the Keep side by side. It was never the busiest place in all of Ferelden, but it seemed to Aedan to be quieter than usual. They strode over towards the main hall. Even from a fair way away, Aedan felt his comrades' familiar presence, collected together in the hall. A gift from the darkspawn's taint, his sixth sense had been honed throughout the Blight and beyond. Now, he could detect and identify each of his individual wardens through it. It was just a pity that he couldn't gauge their thoughts and feelings the same way.

Nathaniel strode forward and pushed the hall's great doors open with a familiar groaning creak. Aedan followed his second over the threshold and into the room, immediately well aware of the eyes that found their way to him. It suddenly struck him how few of them there were left. Aside from himself and Nathaniel at his side, there were only three other wardens left to defend Ferelden. The elf Velanna, and the two dwarves, Oghren and Sigrun made up the rest of their number.

Oghren appeared to have been in the middle of regaling the ladies with some tale or other. Sigrun had clearly been paying him attention only to be polite, as one might do with a notoriously opinionated family member. For her part, Velanna leant back against one of the hall's pillars, arms folded in her typical display of casual churlishness.

"Hey, Commander." Sigrun smiled by way of greeting.

"Finally showed yourself then, have yer?" Oghren grunted, the tinge of reproachfulness in his voice unmistakable.

"Hello everyone." Aedan replied with a thin smile. "I've heard what's happened."

"Should hope so, the Howe blighter over there couldn't wait to send a letter your way." Oghren huffed.

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes slightly at the dwarf in a silent reproach but said nothing.

"I'm sorry." Aedan sighed. Perhaps simple honesty wasn't the best approach for a Warden-Commander to take in such a situation, but he felt he owed that at the very least to his wardens. "Perhaps I could have stopped them from leaving if I'd been here. I don't know, but I should be by your sides far more than I have been. In that, I've failed you as your leader and can only apologise and promise to do better going forward."

"It's not your fault, Commander." Sigrun offered, a slight sad smile to her lips. "None of us saw this coming."

None of the others said anything, but Oghren nodded slightly. Perhaps the berserker was satisfied with the admission. Velanna merely listened to Aedan's words quietly and kept her expression neutral, which was probably a good sign in and of itself. The elf was never one to hide her displeasure from being known.

"So do any of you have any idea why they'd do this?" Aedan asked his wardens.

They all looked to each other, Aedan could tell from their looks that they'd been thinking on this question a lot, and had so far come up with little to show for it.

"Not a clue." Oghren shook his head a tad gravely. "Like Sigrun says, this took us all by surprise. Could be that sparkle fingers just decided to do a runner, just like old times."

"You mean like he did when he was locked up in the Tower of Magi?" Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. "That makes no sense. He's enjoyed so much more freedom as a warden. I'd say he'd been the most enthusiastic out of all of us to be one."

"Some would say too much." Velanna muttered a tad snidely.

"It doesn't really add up. Why would he just throw that all away?" Aedan asked Oghren.

The dwarf shrugged. "Maybe he just hasn't kicked the habit? Maybe he wants us to go track him down again, like the templars used to do. He probably gets a kick out of having people run after him."

"It's been years since he was in the Circle." Aedan shook his head, frowning slightly in thought. "If this was simply a force of habit, he'd have tried to run long before now. It also doesn't explain why Justice would have one with him."

"Perhaps Justice went after him himself, to stop Anders?" Sigrun suggested, but it was clear she didn't really believe it herself.

"Alone? Without telling any of us?" Velanna murmured with a shake of her head. "Justice would have at least told Nathaniel first." The elf turned her gaze to the archer. "Maybe he'd even have asked you to track him down."

"Maybe, though I can't see how we could track them down anyway." Nathaniel scratched his chin with a sigh. "We'd considered going out and searching for them before you arrived, Commander, but we've no leads as to where they might have gone, no tracks or trail to follow, nothing. It's almost as if they've just vanished."

"It does seem like they don't want to be found." Sigrun inputted softly, a slight grimace on her face. "There's no note, no map saying 'runaway wardens found here, bring cake'."

"There's truly nothing? No trail whatsoever?" Aedan asked. He had a hard time believing that there was no trace of the wardens.

"Not a thing." Nathaniel shook his head. "Remember, this is Anders we're talking about. The man's pretty much perfected the art of not getting caught."

Aedan sighed. Thinking about it, he could well believe it. Anders had escaped so many times from the Circle of Magi after all. It was only because the templars had his phylactery to lead them straight to the mage that he kept getting caught time after time.

"We even thought about sending notices to Amaranthine and the surrounding area." Nathaniel continued. "In case someone's seen them pass through, but given the delicate nature of the situation, we thought it might be better to keep this quiet."

"No, no, you did the right thing." Aedan murmured. "The last thing the people need to hear is that two of their wardens have mysteriously vanished."

"Must be some way of tracking 'em down." Oghren grunted. "Not like a sparkling mage and a walking corpse don't stick out none."

"If they don't want to be found, then they'll surely have taken steps to hide themselves, cover their tracks." Velanna shook her head a tad disdainfully. "Magic is useful for more than just throwing lightning about, after all. We won't stumble upon them walking down Amaranthine's high street."

Nathaniel rubbed at his chin lightly in thought. "We could perceivably track Anders down if we could detect the taint in him, however …"

"That would require us to already be close enough to spot him in the first place." Aedan finished the thought with a sigh.

Nathaniel nodded. "Exactly. I'm afraid we're looking for a pair of needles in a Ferelden sized haystack here."

"That's assuming they're even still in Ferelden." Oghren huffed. "Coulda gone West, or maybe got a boat North by now."

Nathaniel nodded with a grim expression.

"So … is that it?" Sigrun asked, head cocked slightly. "We're just letting them go?"

Aedan glanced around at the others. The other wardens wore varied expressions, but he could see that each was at as much of a loss as he was.

"I'm not sure what else we can do, Sigrun." Aedan said softly. "Believe me, if I knew where they might have gone to, I'd be headed there right now."

"Well, I for one don't think Anders' is much of a loss anyway." Velanna huffed. "It'll be quieter around without his incessant prattling all the time."

"Velanna …" Nathaniel warned.

The elf merely sighed with a shrug as if to say 'well it's true'.

"They're still our comrades." Aedan spoke up. "Regardless of what they've done and why. They've shed blood with us in battle against the darkspawn. They've fought side by side with us. We owe it them to at least try to see them home safe."

"Not sure that Justice even could shed blood." Oghren murmured as an aside to Sigrun.

Aedan ignored him. "We don't know where they've gone, but we can still look for them. Search all the towns and villages in the area. Leave no hamlet or farmstead unchecked."

"Do you really think we'll come across anything searching around the countryside blindly?" Velanna asked with a pointed raised eyebrow.

Aedan sighed. "Maybe not, but we have to at least try."

Velanna held Aedan's gaze for a long moment. Aedan belatedly remembered what had happened to the elf's younger sister, only shortly before he'd first met the mage. He wondered if Velanna was thinking of her fruitless search for Seranni as he was in that moment. Then, she looked away with a sigh and a slight nod.

Sigrun nodded stoutly, the most visibly convinced of any of them. Oghren shook his head a little and Aedan could tell that the dwarf thought the idea to be a complete waste of time like Velanna did, but he didn't argue.

Aedan glanced over to Nathaniel at his side. The archer nodded, eyes hooded in thought. "Alright, it's already been a few days, but if someone has seen something, we can find out what."

"Go out in pairs." Aedan told them. "I know you're all perfectly capable on your own, but just in case." He didn't really think there was anything to be really worried about, but he couldn't completely discount the possibility that Anders and Justice had been attacked or abducted in some way.

"Bagsy not Oghren!" Sigrun shot her hand up with a smirk.

"Hey!" Oghren growled before waving a dismissive hand in her direction. "Bah, your loss. You don't know what yer missing out on."

Velanna rolled her eyes. "I'll go with you, Sigrun."

"Heh, heh, heh, oh I bet you will." Oghren chuckled lecherously. "I bet you'll go all the way."

The elf's ears flitted slick against the side of her head, cheeks exploded into red. "Enough with your filthy insolence dwarf!" Velanna glowered dangerously.

"Enough." Aedan muttered, more exasperated than annoyed. He aimed a pointed glare at Oghren to stop. "This isn't helping anything."

"We might not be able to find them, but the Commander's right, we have to try." Nathaniel declared.

"Just don't get your hopes up too high." Velanna muttered, not unkindly.

"At least we won't be missing much if don't find Anders. Skirts' wasn't much of a warden to begin with." Oghren smirked a little.

Aedan and Nathaniel both sent an identical glare the dwarf's way.

"What?" Oghren held his hands up with feigned innocence.

"And Justice, well …" Sigrun began, something of an awkward smile on her face. "Well, let's be honest, he was hardly smelling of posies now, was he?"

There was a general murmur of agreement from all the wardens.

"I'm just saying, yeah it sucks he's gone, but look on the bright side, you know? We won't have to deal with that anymore." The dwarf finished with a smile.

Aedan could certainly agree with that point well enough. Justice had long since passed the point where his physical form was in peak condition.

"Alright, let's get a good night's rest everyone. Then get to searching in the morning." Aedan clapped his hands together, stirring his warden's to motion.

The wardens picked themselves up from their various perches and began meandering away. Aedan lingered in place for a while in thought. In truth, he fully expected that their efforts would turn out to be a complete waste of time. He just hoped they might be able to find something, some sort of clue maybe as to why Anders and Justice had left if not where to.

"Will you be returning to Denerim?" Nathaniel asked his Commander from the side, bringing Aedan out of his ruminations.

"Yes. Tomorrow at dawn, I doubt my horse could make the trip back now." Aedan quipped, a small smirk taking his lips for a moment. "I'm sorry. I wish I could stay and help the search, but I-"

"No need." Nathaniel shook his head. "Your wife needs you, go and be with her." Then he let out a small smirk of his own. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to shoot a few arrows in the back of anyone else who tries to run off."

"As if you could ever actually hit anyone." A sarcastic drawl entered the conversation. Aedan and Nathaniel turned to see Velanna saunter up to them, her slender arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Well, I could hardly miss you, could I?" Nathaniel began to the elf, his smirk widening. "That chip on your shoulder alone makes for the perfect target, my lady."

Velanna responded with a particularly piercing sounding elven curse and a smack to the archer's chest. Nathaniel merely responded with a chuckle before throwing an arm around the elf's shoulders and pulling her in for a kiss to her temple. Velanna cheeks reddened like a sunset but she didn't try to remove herself from his grasp.

"So when did you two …" Aedan began with a curious look to the pair.

"Ah, forgive us for not making a proper announcement. We've only just gotten used to everyone else knowing." Nathaniel smiled. "It's been only a few months I think."

"Well, congratulations to you both." Aedan smiled. "And are you alright with this, Velanna?" Aedan asked the elf with a hint of a smirk.

The mage's ears slicked back against her temple a little in indignation. "What do you mean? Of course I am. I wouldn't enter into a … a relationship against my will." The word seemed almost foreign coming from her lips.

"I think what the Commander means, is how have you have reconciled being a proud Dalish woman while having a relationship with a shemlen?" Nathaniel smirked. "Or with a noble even?"

If anything, the blush on Velanna's cheeks only grew further. "I- I am not some drooling, bigoted cur!" She protested with a scowl. "I am perfectly capable of distinguishing between you as an individual and the vile, detestable groups you belong to!"

"So in other news, she still hates shemlen." Nathaniel smirked at Aedan.

"Urgh, perhaps I am wrong to make that distinction with you!" Velanna snapped at the archer before turning and striding away.

Nathaniel made no move to go after her. In fact, he simply gazed after the elf with a fond smile and a shake of his head.

"Will she be alright?" Aedan asked cautiously.

"Oh, don't worry, this is progress for her."

Aedan shook his head vaguely with a smile. He looked over towards his wardens as they chatted amongst themselves. "I've missed a lot, haven't I?"

"Not that much, truth be told. The Keep is just the same as it's always been. Herren and Wade are still about, bickering as usual. The weather's still miserable most days." Nathaniel supplied with a smile. "And don't worry. I'll let you know if Oghren has any luck trying to get through to Sigrun."

Aedan chuckled. "I wouldn't bet against anything crazy happening these days." He murmured, not at all joking.

xxx

The morning came all too quickly yet not quick enough for Aedan's tastes. Although he was loath to leave his wardens so soon after joining them again, he worried about Anora even more so. His dreams had been plagued by visions of his wife, calling to him in pain. He was glad to have woken in a cold sweat when morning finally came.

"I'll be back soon." Aedan swore to all of his wardens that morning. Like him, they were preparing for travel, but their destinations were to take them all over the Terynir whereas he was bound for the capital. "I promise."

"Go, be with your pregnant wife!" Oghren near pushed his Commander out of the front gates. "That's not the kind of thing you'll want to miss, trust me."

"Good luck!" Sigrun waved happily.

"Give her Majesty our regards." Nathaniel smiled, his arm around Velanna again.

"Take care." Even Velanna smiled at him encouragingly as Aedan mounted his horse and made off at pace.

The Prince-Consort's steed made quick work of the eating away the miles, though it was still a long ride. Aedan shot through villages and hamlets he'd normally have stopped at to rest at. More than once he had to shout a quick apology over his shoulder as he nearly ran over someone, but still he would not slow down. The only rest he took was at night when he camped by the side of the road to let his poor horse recover from the day's ride. Aedan hated driving his steed so hard, but he knew in his gut that Anora needed him.

At last, the familiar walls of Denerim rose up over the horizon. Aedan urged his tired steed onwards. The horse complied to his master's wishes with a determined whinny. The sun was nearly setting behind him, its shadows looming long in the wake of hills and trees. The guards were already setting the evening torches when the Prince-Consort raced through the city gates. Then, in the cramped, busy streets, Aedan was forced to slow his pace.

He breathed a long series of choice curses as he found himself stuck behind an accident involving two colliding wagons, both loaded high with goods, both sporting signs of collision damage. Their owners were arguing at length in the middle of the mess, more interested in remonstrating angrily than in clearing the way. One was a thin, rat like fellow, the other his complete opposite, a large man with a thick walrus moustache.

With a grunt of anger his wife would have been proud of, Aedan deftly dismounted his horse and pushed his way through the crowd. He received more than a few offended looks and surprised yelps, that is, until the townsfolk recognised the Hero of Ferelden walking amongst them.

"It- It's him!"

"The Hero, here?"

"What an honour!"

"Move yourselves!" Aedan bellowed at the quarrelling merchants, causing both them and several onlookers to jump in shock.

"Now hang on just a minute!" The thinner of the offenders turned a rat like glare at the Prince-Consort. "Just who do you think you …" He trailed off as he too finally realised just who he was attempting to shout at. The rat man visibly recoiled.

Aedan pace right up to the men and glowered fiercely at them both. It was only his rapidly thinning sense of common decency that kept him from throttling them both. That and it would probably take him too much time to strangle them both.

"Get out of the way, now!" Aedan snarled. "Or else I'll give you, and everyone else here, a very personal demonstration of what I did to the Archdemon!"

Both merchants blanched.

"Of- Of course, my Lord!" The rat man stammered.

"Yes, anything for the Hero!" The walrus man sweated.

"Now!" Aedan barked, jumping both men into action.

The merchants scrambled to their wagons, pulling their horses' reigns to try and get them moving, even with the damaged wheels they each bore. Impatient, Aedan strode up to the rear of one of the wagons and pushed to help get it moving. Perhaps spurred on by his example, some other men from nearby soon moved in to help get both wagons moving. Yet it still took an agonising amount of time to clear the way. Eventually, both wagons were ushered over to opposite sides of the thoroughfare, leaving a gap in the middle.

"The crown thanks you for your service." Aedan muttered out loud, not really caring if anyone heard him. He whistled for his horse who trotted up towards him through the crowd. Quickly remounting, Aedan sped off once more, leaving the stunned townsfolk behind.

xxx

Thankfully, there were no more delays en route to the palace, and soon enough Aedan had passed through the gates of the palace. He slid off the saddle and trusted the guards to see to his horse. The Prince-Consort ran up the steps into the palace, ignoring the surprised looks he received from servants and guards alike.

He ran through the palace, he wasn't even sure whether he needed such urgency, but something told him that he had to get to Anora's side as soon as possible. Aedan soon found himself entering the solar he shared with his wife. He turned the last corner leading to their bedroom to find Ser Cauthrien standing guard outside.

"My Lord." Cauthrien wore a relieved expression as she looked up to see the Prince-Consort. "You're here, good, the Queen will be pleased."

"Anora, is she …?" Aedan began, panting a little.

A sudden cry from beyond the door, more of a growl really, and then muffled murmurs of encouragement followed.

"I think you're just in time." Cauthrien glanced at the door a little apprehensively.

Nodding, Aedan gulped clumsily before reaching out for the door handle. He idly noticed that his hand was shaking for some reason. He turned the handle and edged inside.

There she was, Anora was lying back in bed, head thrown back as she panted fast and hard. Her knees were up and apart, yet covered by their fine linens. A small crowd of midwives worked about the room, chatting to each other and the Queen in soothing tones.

One of the midwives turned to glare at the newcomer, probably about to demand that he leave them to their work before realising just who it was. "Oh, your Grace." She nodded in greeting before indicating that the Prince-Consort move around towards the Queen's head.

Aedan moved forward, doing his best not to look in the direction the midwives were working. He reached a hand to grasp his wife's hand in a show of comfort. "Anora? Anora, I'm here!"

Anora whipped her gaze to him so quickly it made him jump. Her eyes were hooded in what must have been as much fatigue as the efforts of labour.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I came as quick as I could." Aedan smiled in reassurance as much as apology. "It's alright, you're in safe hands, Anora." He pressed a kiss to her knuckle.

Suddenly, her hand was crushing his.

"You!" Anora ground out in a vicious snarl.

Aedan couldn't help but gulp nervously.

"This is your doing!" The Queen would surely have cast an accusing finger at him had they not been clenching the bedsheets and his hand so tightly. "You did this to me! If you so much as come near me again with that cock of yours, I'll have it cut off and fed to the dogs!"

Even the midwives looked nervous at that one. Their eyes darted between Queen and Prince-Consort anxiously.

"… Alright." Aedan attempted a smile he didn't at all feel, a few beads of sweat running down his temple. He made to shuffle back a little, not to leave her side, but just to give her some clear air. Maker knows she didn't need him looming over her at a time like this. Anora however gripped down on his fingers, hard as a vice, telling him not to.

"Where do you think you're going?" Anora demanded, still fierce as a dragon enraged in spite of the heavy breathing.

"I- I was just giving you a little space?" Aedan responded meekly.

"No!" Anora snarled. "You're going to stay here, and- and-" She broke off into a series of rapid pants for a long moment. "- and you're going to suffer with me!"

Aedan could only nod. He swallowed thickly. "I'm not leaving you, Anora." He swore.

Anora only responded with more panting, though her glare faltered a fraction. Then, she was groaning in agony.

"Anora? Anora!" Aedan's heart leapt into his mouth. He turned to the midwives. "What's happening?"

"Everything's perfectly normal." One of them responded with such a casual calmness that Aedan couldn't possibly believe anyone was capable of in the situation. "Just Baby's way of letting us know they're getting ready."

"Can't Baby hurry up!" Anora snarled.

"Baby will come when Baby's all nice and ready." The midwife patted Anora's knee comfortingly.

Anora rolled her eyes with something resembling both a growl and a whimper. Her head flopped back onto the small mountain of plush pillows behind her.

"It's alright, it won't be much longer, Anora." Aedan soothed. I hope, he thought to himself.

For what felt like an eternity, Anora went in and out of bouts of heavy breathing and agonising groaning. Aedan offered what support he could in the form of encouraging murmurings and wiping his wife's brow, but it was probably negligible compared to all the work Anora and the midwives were doing. Finally, the lead midwife gave the signal, it was time.

"Your Majesty, you need to push." The midwife urged soft yet firmly.

"Don't tell me what to do." Anora scowled dangerously.

Aedan licked his lips nervously. "Anora, listen to them." He urged, trying not to flinch at the venomous scowl his wife sent his way. "They'll get you through this, I promise you."

For all the world, it looked as though Anora wanted to hurl some horrid obscenities at him, her midwives and anyone else in the city limits. Maybe it was the pleading look in Aedan's eyes, maybe it was just the Queen's own senses coming back to her, but she finally relented on the scowl a little.

Anora nodded. She shut her eyes, still panting heavily. Aedan could see her straining as the tendons and muscles in her neck tensed.

"That's it! The head's coming through now!"

"Just the head?" Anora growled the question, equal parts livid and exasperated.

"We need you to make another big effort." The midwife didn't lift her head from her work. "Again, your Grace."

Anora moaned, throwing her head back against the pillows.

"Come on Anora, don't give in now." Aedan murmured soothingly by her ear.

"Can't- Can't you just … pull them the rest of the way?" Anora gasped through heavy breaths.

Aedan almost wanted to laugh. "It doesn't work like that, my love."

"Don't tell me how it works!" Anora snarled once more, though the venom she mustered was dampened by her gasps.

"We need you to push." The midwife asserted once again. "One more big effort."

Anora picked her head up, scowling in her aggravation. Aedan saw that familiar spark of determination in her eyes. The Queen's face morphed into a grimace and she growled wordlessly. Veins were popping in her neck, her face red with the effort.

"That's it, keep going!" The midwife urged.

"You've got this, keep going Anora!" Aedan urged.

Anora clenched her teeth and eyes shut. The bed was nearly shaking beneath her through the struggle.

"Push!"

Then, Anora was screaming. Her fingers crushing Aedan's so hard that he thought he might soon join her in making such a caterwauling.

xxx

There was calmness in the air. Birds fluttered past the open window, trilling happily with their songs. The door to the room eased shut quietly as the last of the midwives left the room to grant a bit of privacy.

The Queen lay in bed still, breathing a little deeply still in spite of the time she'd had to rest. Her Prince-Consort sat on the bed at her side, his arm hooked lovingly around his wife as the two of them looked down upon the still sleeping form of their new born child.

A Princess. A daughter. A little girl was there, cradled in Anora's arms.

Aedan could hardly believe it. He gazed down on his daughter – His daughter – he had a daughter now. He and Anora had a daughter. No matter how many times he thought the words, he still couldn't quite believe it.

The Prince-Consort somehow dragged his gaze away from his beautiful daughter to look at his beloved wife. Anora was distinctly dishevelled, her face was still a tad flushed and her hair clung to her sweaty skin in a general mess. She'd never been so stunning.

"We have a child." Anora murmured softly into the quiet, almost as though she couldn't believe it herself.

"I know." Aedan smiled.

"We have a daughter." Anora cooed, shaking her head slightly.

"Are you alright?"

"I've never been better." Anora raised her gaze from her daughter to her husband. "I'm just not sure I believe this really happened."

"It's real." Aedan smiled. "Look, that's our little daughter there, in your arms."

"She really is real, isn't she?" Anora turned her loving gaze back to the slumbering baby. "Maker, she's so beautiful."

"She's the most beautiful thing ever." Aedan agreed. He'd never been so certain about anything.

Anora trilled softly in her throat, sounding tired but oh so happy at the same time. They both relaxed into a comfortable silence for a time, both Queen and Prince-Consort gazing down lovingly at their daughter.

"What I said about cutting your, ahem, cock off …" Anora began slowly after a time.

"It's alright, think nothing of it." Aedan smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

"I didn't mean it, you know?"

"I know."

"We could have another one you know, one day. Well, we could at least try for one."

Aedan hesitated.

"What is it?"

Aedan licked his lips nervously. "You are terrifying when you're in labour." He experimentally flexed his still sore fingers down the side of the bed, out of Anora's sight. He reckoned that it would take at least a week or so for them to regain full functionality again.

Anora chuckled. "Sorry."

"I'm sure I'll forgive you in time." Aedan smirked. "Not sure about your midwives though."

"Oh Maker." Anora sighed. "I made a real fool of myself in front of them, didn't I?"

Aedan resisted the urge to chuckle. "I'm sure they'll understand, you are their Queen after all."

"Still, I should apologise, and thank them." Anora smiled once more, gazing back down at their daughter lovingly. "They did deliver our beautiful little Princess here after all."

Aedan's smile grew wider and wider. "That they did."

"Our beautiful little Eleanor." Anora's smile was everything. "Eleanor Celia Mac Tir."

Aedan gazed at their princess for a long moment. "It suits her perfectly."

Eleanor mumbled incoherently, but she did not wake. She started flailing her arms about weakly. Aedan reached out his hand to try and soothe his daughter by stroking her cheek oh so gently. The Princess' tiny little hand landed onto one of her father's fingers and those precious little digits closed around his.

Aedan knew right then and there that he'd gotten everything he'd ever wanted.