(Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim; just Xana)

-Two months later-

Despite Odahviing's dismay, Xana had been summoned to Whiterun at the request of Jarl Balgruuf. Reason why is because he was hosting an honorary feast within Dragonsreach to celebrate her victory over the World Eater, and to commemorate her achievements as the Dragonborn. In light of the occasion, she had traveled to Solitude nearly a month prior to commission the Radiant Raiment sisters for a custom dress, which she was now wearing.

Said dress was an elegant burgundy ball gown where the sleeves came down to her elbows and the back was securely laced up. It was low cut across her chest and exposed most of her cleavage, much to her surprise; however, she did love the way it complimented her hourglass figure. Along with her dress, Xana had her crimson hair woven into a stunning fishtail up-do and wore her Aetherial crown to complete the look. Yet, despite all her glamour, she couldn't help but feel like she was being constricted. Her dress, while custom fitted to her exact measurements, felt rather tight across her midsection, despite having been tailored just last month. This uncomfortable tightness wasn't too prominent while standing, but when seated, it was almost unbearable.

Personal discomforts aside, Xana was currently sitting across from Jarl Balgruuf and his court while they partook of the grand feast: there was a whole cow roasting on a giant spit over the large fire as well as an array of roasted chickens, pheasants and goats. Fresh fruits, sweets and pies lined various platters, and barrels of mead and wine were abundant. Among the guests that attended were some of the Jarls from the other holds, along with their Thane's and Housecarl's, as well as several of Xana's closest friends and comrades who had all received personal invitations from Jarl Balgruuf. There was music and laughter among the crowds, and the atmosphere was lively and warm.

As the feast carried on, the young Dunmer continued to feel the uncomfortable tightness around her midsection, while her head started to spin. She shook off the nauseating feeling and gently clutched her amulet of Talos as a means of mentally grounding herself. She was by no means a Stormcloak or an Imperial soldier, but she refused to allow the Thalmor dictate her beliefs, hence her defiance by wearing an amulet of Talos. If nothing else, said amulet also provided her with an additional damage increase to her shouts.

Once the nausea passed, Xana took a sip of wine before Farengaar's voice caught her attention: "So, Dragonborn, have you, by chance, encountered any other dragons since defeating Alduin? I would very much like it if you could obtain some scales for me the next time you slay one."

Suppressing the urge to slap him, Xana clenched her fist underneath the table as she glanced over at the Nord wizard and calmly answered, "Yes, Farengaar, I have encountered other dragons since Alduin's defeat; however, none of them have shown any sort of aggression towards me, nor have they attacked any of the citizens inhabiting the cities they pass over. Regardless, I have no desire to slay any of them unless I don't have a choice in the matter. The scales and bones that I do possess will be respectfully buried." She felt her cheeks burning up from the sudden anger she felt towards the Nord man, but thankfully, she kept her composure, "Now, I would greatly appreciate it if you would drop the subject and forget you asked me such an appalling request."

At her response, he raised a brow from underneath his hood, "But what about the dragon you captured? Surely you dealt with him after Alduin was defeated."

Again, she calmed herself and answered in a neutral yet annoyed tone, "His name is Odahviing and he is still very much alive and under my protection as I am under his protection. He has agreed to aide me should I need his assistance out in the field. All I need to do is call out his name and he will come to my assistance should I deem it necessary." Following her response, Xana suddenly felt another wave of nausea, but pushed it aside as she glanced over at the Jarl, "My Lord, may I please be excused for a few minutes? I shall return momentarily once I've cleared my head."

He gave her a nod, "Of course, Dragonborn. We shall be here when you return."

Standing up from her seat, Xana left the table, to which she then headed up the stairs and out towards the Grand Balcony where she stood by the edge and breathed in the fresh air. As she gazed up towards the Throat of the World, the young Dunmer felt an intense wave of nausea sweep over her frame, to which she braced herself against the stone railing and involuntarily purged her stomach of its contents until nothing remained. Afterwards, she shakily stumbled away from the ledge and made her way back towards the grand doors leading inside the palace; however, a sudden wave of dizziness overcame her, causing her to collapse upon the stone floor.

After several minutes of absence, Balgruuf discreetly sent a guard to search for the Dragonborn, to which upon entering the Grand Balcony, said guard found the missing woman lying motionless upon the floor. Kneeling beside her, he gently shook her, causing her to awaken with a slight gasp:

"What happened?"

*sigh* "Thank the Gods you're alright, miss. The Jarl was wondering where you had vanished to, so he sent me to find you, to which I found you lying here on the floor."

"How did I end up on the floor," she asked before starting to feel lightheaded once more. Seeing this, the guard realized what was happening: her dress was too tight! He moved behind her and unlaced her gown, allowing her to breathe easier.

"Here, maybe this'll help."

"Thank you." She then blushed at her current state, "Umm….Could you please lace my dress back up to where it's not too tight? I still need to wear it if I wish to return to the gathering."

"Oh, right. Pardon me, miss," he blushed as he gently laced her dress back up and helped her to her feet. "The Jarl will be relieved to know that you're alright. He was worried something happened to you."

"Well, I'm glad he sent someone to look for me. Thank you for your help," she suddenly felt lightheaded again and started to collapse, but the guard caught her before she could hit the ground. Picking her up bridal style, he brought her inside the palace and sat her down in a chair before momentarily leaving her side to inform the Jarl of the situation.

Within minutes, he returned with Danica Pure-Spring by his side, to which the healer quickly examined her and asked the man, "Can you carry her up to the bedchambers? I'd like to do a more thorough examination."

Hearing this, Xana raised a brow, "Why? Is something wrong with me?"

She gave her a reassuring smile and shook her head, "Not necessarily, but I'd like to be on the safe side in case there is."

*sigh* "I suppose that makes sense," she reasoned before allowing the guard to carry her up to the private quarters with Danica following behind.

Soon after, Xana was placed on Proventus Avenicci's bed (as it was the closest) and left alone with the healer, while the guard headed back down to the great hall to inform Jarl Balgruuf of the current situation. "So, aside from feeling lightheaded, have you also felt nauseous lately," Danica asked in a professional tone, to which the younger woman cast her eyes downward and gave a nod:

"..Yes. When I stepped onto the balcony for some fresh air, I got sick and purged over the ledge. In truth, I've actually been feeling nauseous off and on for nearly a month now, but it's never been to the point of physical illness." *sigh* "I don't know if this is related, but I've also been feeling really tired lately, which is unusual for me as I'm always moving about. Maybe it's just my body trying to adjust to a calmer lifestyle now that I no longer have to worry about facing Alduin."

"Hmm…Interesting." Danica then curiously asked, "When was your last menstrual cycle?"

*sigh* "I can't really say for sure. It's never been regular and when it does happen, it only lasts about three to four days."

"Hmm…And when was the last time you had intercourse?"

At that, her cheeks turned a bright shade of crimson, "Umm….well…that would've been almost two months ago."

"I see. Would you mind lying still for me while I run a quick spell over you?"

Xana curiously rose a brow but nodded at her request, to which she then laid perfectly still while Danica used her magic to run a detect life spell across her body. Bright tendrils of light covered the young Dunmer's prone form, but the one that stood out the most was a separate swirling ball of light within her lower abdomen: it was no bigger than a snowberry and pulsed with new life.

"Just as I suspected.."

"What is it? What's wrong?" Fear was laced in her voice, though she tried to keep calm, to which Danica gently placed a hand on her shoulder:

"Nothing is wrong, my child. The Gods have chosen to bless you with a precious gift: You're going to be a Mother."

At her words, Xana's ruby eyes widened almost comically, "I…I'm going to be. How is this possible?! I can't possibly be…." She then softly placed her hands over her lower abdomen, "What am I going to tell him…"

Danica rubbed her shoulder and sat beside her, "It's alright, my child. I'm sure your husband will be thrilled at the prospect of becoming a Father."

She donned a hopeful smile and emitted a sigh, "I pray that he will. If nothing else, he may be surprised, but…," her smile suddenly faded as she worried her lower lip, "I'm scared. What if my child is hunted down and killed because of who I am or who their Father is. What if they're ridiculed for how they might look or behave. What if no one accepts them into society and they're exiled. What if…," she stopped when Danica soothingly squeezed her shoulder:

"Xana, you shouldn't fall victim to fear and doubts. Why would you think such thoughts in the first place?"

She sat up and held her lower abdomen in a protective embrace as she looked upon the Nord priestess. "I will tell you, but ONLY if you promise to keep this conversation between the two of us. Please. I want to tell you the truth, but I need to be sure that I can trust you." Her ruby eyes were glistening with tears as she feared for her unborn child's safety as well as her mate's should this conversation be made public.

Holding up her right hand, Danica stated, "Upon my life and duty as a healer and a priestess, this conversation stays with the two of us."

*sigh* "Thank you." Xana then took a deep breath and spoke in a hushed tone, "The reason why I am fearful for my child's safety is because of who the Father is. You see, my 'husband' is actually a dragon…"

Her eyes widened as she responded in an equally soft tone, "A dragon?! How is that possible? And isn't this whole situation a bit hypocritical: The Dragonborn being romantically involved with a dragon?"

She softly smiled and shrugged, "You'd think so, yes, but it's true: my mate is, in fact, a dragon." *sigh* "I can't say for sure how it happened, but Odahviing and I fell in love with one another. He's kind and understanding towards me, and he's never tried to hurt me even though he's had plenty of opportunities. He's gentle and protective of me, and if it wasn't for him, I would have never been able to defeat Alduin."

Keeping her hands over her lower abdomen, she continued with her story: "It was after we realized our feelings for one another that we consummated our love with the help of a strange potion I had found within the depths of Skyhaven Temple. It was said to turn a dragon into a human, but only for a few days at a time. Odahviing could have ordered me to destroy the potion or just refused to drink it, but he didn't. He wanted to spend those few, precious days close to me without his size becoming an issue. During his time as a human, Odahviing experienced the struggles we mortals endure on a daily basis, but he also experienced a deeper understanding of love."

A smile appeared across her youthful face as she gently began to rub her abdomen, "Out of all the people I've met since coming to Skyrim, he's one of the few individuals who actually addresses me by my name instead of my title. I don't mind being called 'Dragonborn' or 'Dovahkiin', but I feel like that's all I am to people. They don't see me as a person with a name and a family, but rather a tool to magically solve all their problems and live up to their expectations. But Odahviing…he sees me for me. He sees me as someone who's afraid of letting everyone down. Someone who hates the taste of pheasant roast and alto wine. And someone who sees dragons as majestic and beautiful creatures who deserve to live among the mortal races."

Danica emitted a sigh as she processed all this information, to which she then offered a kind smile to the young Mother-to-be, "You really do love him, don't you?"

"Of course I do! I feel like I can be myself around him and tell him anything without ridicule. There's no one I'd rather spend my life with than him. He's my soul mate. My best friend. My closest ally and my dearest love."

"And the Father of your child."

At that, Xana blushed and smiled at the priestess, "Indeed. I'm sorry all this is a bit of a shock to you, but I hope in time, you will see Odahviing as I do."

"Well, the Gods tell us to love our neighbors, so considering he's your husband now, I suppose I'll have to get used to him."

"Thank you," the two of them then shared a hug before Xana asked, "May I request that you be my midwife? I don't think I can trust anybody else and you're the best healer I know."

Touched, she curtly nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Of course I'll be your midwife. Honestly, I can't wait to see what your little bundle of joy will look like."

"Me too. Oh Danica, I want to tell Odahviing the good news, but I can't just up and leave the party. Especially not when it's in my honor and the Jarl invited so many people to attend."

She gave her an understanding smile, "You'll have plenty of time to tell him later. For now, you should enjoy the celebration; however, I strongly suggest avoiding alcoholic beverages and refrain from ingesting overly rich foods as they may induce further bouts of nausea."

"Thanks for the advice."

"Of course."