(Disclaimer: I do not own Skyrim; just Xana and my other OC's)

(Authors Note: Hello dear readers, it seems like last year I updated this FF...oh wait :D Sorry for the horrible joke but I couldn't resist. Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying this story thus far because I certainly enjoy writing it for all of you. And yes, I'm fully aware that dragons in Skyrim are suppose to be gender-less, but that's the beauty of FF's: you can be free to use your imagination. Personally, I don't care to follow the lore all the time because I dare to be different and creative, but that's because I'm selfish here and there LOL. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Feel free to R&R but if you don't, that's fine. With that, I'll let you all enjoy this chapter and I look forward to posting new content in the future. In the meantime, stay safe, stay warm, stay sane and stay awesome!)

Xana spent the next three days crafting and adjusting a saddle to attach to Odahviing in hopes she could use it to better stabilize herself when riding him in her current condition. At the moment, she was strapping it onto his neck and adjusting it to where it wouldn't slide around or come loose in mid flight. Of course, her brothers and Renessie were there to offer assistance when needed, like now: Swims-To-Sea was currently adjusting the attachable harness to better fit him. It's design was similar to a vest, but instead of fabric, it was made out of durable leather and had an adjustable strap across the chest that resembled a belt. Once everything was secure, he hesitantly climbed on top of Odahviing and hooked the harness straps onto the saddle, before tightly gripping his horns.

"Are you sure this is the only way to test this thing?"

The crimson dragon emitted a rumbling laugh at his Argonian passenger, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were scared."

"S-Scared?! Me? That's just absurd," he guffawed. Before he could say another word, Odahviing took off, leaving his brother-in-law screaming out a colorful selection of profanities, while Xana, Shore and Renessie stood on the deck and watched as he did a series of turns, rolls and flips in the air, all while Swims-To-Sea hung on for dear life. From what they could see, the harness and saddle were working perfectly.

After several minutes, Odahviing landed and Sea was pried off the saddle by Shore and Renessie, seeing as how he was too petrified to move. Once he was off, he fell to his knees and dug his fingers into the ground. "Oh sweet, sweet land! I never want to part from you again."

"Don't you think you're overreacting a bit," Shore chuckled.

"Am I? Why don't you take this harness and strap yourself on for a ride, then tell me if you feel any different afterwards."

"Okay then," he shrugged and took the harness from his twin, to which he adorned it and climbed atop Odahviing where he strapped into the saddle and held on as he took off and did the same assortment of aerial maneuvers as before.

Watching her brother from the safety of the deck, Xana couldn't help but shake her head and softly laugh at his own display of profanities.

Upon landing, Shore was also shaking like a leaf and ended up being assisted off the saddle, where he then embraced the ground just as his brother had done. "Sea, you were right! Argonians are not meant to fly."

Renessie knelt beside her mates and asked, "Are you both alright?"

"We will be, love," Sea smiled and caressed her cheek. "Shore and I just need a few minutes to recover."

Meanwhile, Xana donned a set of fur armor over her outfit and approached her mate, "So, now that we know the harness works, can we travel to High Hrothgar and visit the Greybeards and Paarthurnax? Please?"

Odahviing tenderly nuzzled her cheek and gave a slight nod, "If that is your desire, dii brit fahliil."

"It is," she kissed his scaly maw before glancing over at her brothers and sister-in-law, "We're heading out for a bit. Just remember to not go outside after sunset and lock up when you head inside. We'll likely be home after dark, so I'll be sure to let myself in."

"Okay, sis. Have a good trip and stay safe," Sea replied.

"We'll see you when you get back," Shore stated as he removed and handed her the harness.

"Have fun," Renessie added.

"We will," she smiled before adorning the harness over herself, making sure to adjust it properly. She then climbed atop Odahviing and strapped herself in. Once she was securely seated, she grabbed a hold of his horns, to which he then took off from the ground and flew up towards the Throat of the World.

XXXXX

Upon reaching the monastery, Odahviing landed in the courtyard and lowered his head so Xana could dismount easier. Once she unstrapped herself from the saddle and slid off of his neck, she lovingly kissed his maw before approaching the monastery and entering. As she walked around the ancient structure, the young Dunmer warmly greeted Masters' Borri, Wulfgar and Einarth before entering the living quarters where Master Argnier was busy reading.

Upon glancing up from his book, he noticed the young woman approach, "Ah, greetings Dragonborn. What brings you all the way up here at this time of year?"

"What? Can't I come up for a spontaneous visit? I haven't seen any of you in months and I felt that I should check in. I missed you all."

At her reply, Argnier smiled, "You are always welcomed here, Dragonborn. Tell me, how have you been faring since last we spoke?"

"I'm doing well, thank you. Danica has been monitoring my condition and has assured me that my child is developing fine. Odahviing has been rather broody lately, but I know it's just because he's trying to look out for my well being and provide for us. Oh! I forgot to mention that he and I are officially married now! We went to visit my family several weeks ago and were wed a few days before we returned to Skyrim."

"I am glad to hear of your union, Dragonborn. Though, I am now curious to know if your family is aware of what Odahviing really is."

She nodded and sat across from him, "Oh, they know. The potion he takes to become human only lasts a few days, and afterwards, he usually takes a day or two to recover and stretch his wings. At first, I would tell my family that he was out hunting or exploring nearby ruins just to hide the truth. However, on one of those particular days, my family's farm was attacked by a flock of hackwings and if it wasn't for Odahviing, they would have likely killed someone or attacked the village." Xana emitted a sigh at the recollection, "Unfortunately, Odahviing was injured as a result, and I was forced to tell my family the truth about his appearance. Thankfully, they're an understanding bunch and weren't upset at the fact that he's actually a dragon rather than a man. Sure, they were surprised and a bit wary, but certainly not hostile towards him."

"It is rare for mortals to be so accepting of dragons, but I suppose because you are Dragonborn, your family is more understanding."

"My thoughts exactly. Although, I'm sure my family would have welcomed Odahviing regardless of whether or not I was Dragonborn. They're good people and aren't quick to judge based on appearances. I mean, they took me in and raised me as their own even though I'm a Dunmer and they're all Argonians."

"I see. They raised you well, Dragonborn."

She politely bowed her head and smiled, "Thank you, Master Argnier. By the way, you all haven't had any recent problems with the Blades have you?"

"No, thankfully, we have not. While we are more than capable of defending ourselves, we prefer to avoid conflict. However, if the Blades did try to set foot within this monastery again, they would not be met with a warm welcome."

Xana couldn't help but smirk at his statement, "I'm glad to hear that they've kept their distance. If they even tried to harm any of you or Paarthurnax, I would not hesitate to shout them off this mountain."

He just shook his head slightly before stating, "Do not let your dislike of the Blades cloud your mind, Dragonborn. Hatred can only lead to destruction."

*sigh* "I know. Thanks for speaking with me, Master Argnier. If you don't mind, I'm going to visit with Paarthurnax for a while before Odahviing and I have to return home. Even though I'm dressed in layers of warmth, he insists that I not be out in the cold for too long while in my current condition."

"A wise decision. Feel free to visit again anytime."

With a nod, Xana then got up from her seat and politely bowed before heading back outside where her mate was patiently waiting for her.

After a quick flight, they were now atop the summit where Paarthurnax was casually sitting atop of his Word Wall meditating. Upon seeing the two of them he spoke, "Drem yol lok, greetings, Dovahkiin and Odahviing. Zu'u lost ni prodah hi wah bo nau grik aan krah sul ol daar."

Xana pulled her fur hood off her head and replied, "I wanted to come up and visit you for a little while. I haven't seen you in months and I was beginning to miss you."

Touched, the older dovah gave her a smile, "Los daar ful?"

She nodded, "Of course! I consider you to be one of my dearest friends and mentors. As such, it wouldn't be very proper of me to not stop by for a visit every now and then. Besides, I know how much you enjoy our conversations."

He emitted a slight 'hmm' sound and stated, "That I do, Dovahkiin." He then glanced over at his fellow dovah, "And how do you fare, Odahviing?"

He fondly looked down at his mate before answering, "Zu'u los pruzah. However, I will admit that I am nervous and anxious for the upcoming birth of my kiir."

"Zu'u koraav. And how is the mal gein?"

"Rok uv rek los meyz mul naal fin sul," he gently nuzzled Xana's belly and emitted a soft purr-like sound when he felt a tiny kick.

Xana lovingly placed a mitten-covered hand on his snout before addressing the older dovah, "Danica says everything is developing normally, which is a relief. However, he or she has been kicking me more often and has been keeping me awake at night. For some reason, Odahviing is the only one who can calm them. All he has to do is touch my belly and speak. Personally, I think it's because he fascinates them."

At that, the crimson dragon smirked, "I should hope that our kiir finds me fascinating considering I'm their bormah."

"Indeed you are, my dear ahmul," she then glanced back at her mentor and said, "By the way, Odahviing and I officially married in the joor way when we were off visiting my family."

"Then congratulations are due."

"Thank you," she replied before a loud roar suddenly caught all of their attention. Xana and the two dovah's looked over to see a pair of frost trolls lumbering after a goat; however, upon spotting the young Dunmer, they quickly lost interest in the smaller prey and charged towards her.

Quickly nudging her aside, Odahviing emitted a torrent of flames at the beasts, which enraged them and caused them to focus on attacking him instead of his pregnant mate. This gave Xana an opportunity to unleash her thu'um:

"FUS RO DAH!"

She sent the trolls spiraling across the summit, to which Paarthurnax then got up from his perch and circled overhead before emitting his own flames at the stunned creatures. Both dragons continued to attack with fire before the trolls ceased to move and died upon the snow. Afterwards, they tore into their kills. while Xana looked on in disgust: she despised trolls and couldn't imagine consuming one. The very thought made her nauseous, but thankfully she resisted the urge to vomit.

XXXXX

-Morning Star-

Over the next several weeks, Xana and her family mostly kept to the homestead due to the harsh winter weather. Traveling back and forth to Whiterun every other week was becoming a challenge as the snows continued to fall and coat the roads in ice. Unless Xana were to rent out the room in the Bannered Mare or stay within Dragonsreach until spring, she'd have no choice but to continue making the journey back and forth. At one point she thought about purchasing Breezehome to avoid traveling all the time, but unfortunately, it had recently been purchased by a young Bosmer family from Valenwood.

No matter. She just made sure to melt some of the ice and snow with her flame spell whenever the wagon came to a rather icy patch of road.

At the moment, she was lying in her bed with Odahviing by her side. He had been the most attentive mate during the last few weeks and took it upon himself to prepare almost all of her meals. Teaching him to cook was certainly paying off, for now he practically took over the kitchen and made dinner every night while he was in his human form. Sure, Sea, Shore and Renessie cooked and baked whenever they had the opportunity, but they soon realized that the kitchen was Odahviing's domain whenever he was in there. He was very peculiar about what was being served to his mate, hence why he took it upon himself to make the majority of her meals. If he was in his true form, he would hunt and bring back meat for them to clean and preserve for a later time. With winter still present, game was scarce near the homestead, which often forced him to fly all the way to the plains of Whiterun to hunt.

Odahviing was also very gentle with Xana whenever they made love and had learned to work around her protruding belly, whereas many husbands would forego intercourse until after their child is born. Nope. Not Odahviing. Even in Xana's current condition, she was the most radiant and alluring creature he had ever seen. Whenever she questioned her appearance or criticized herself, he would always assure her that he loved her and that she was beautiful in his eyes. Which was true: she was very pretty and had a warm, motherly glow to her appearance.

As he rested his head upon her belly and felt his child gently kick at his fingertips, Odahviing looked up to see his mate with a pained expression on her face. "Xana, what's wrong?"

*sigh* "I'm fine, Odahviing. It's just a sharp pain in my lower back and midsection. Danica informed me that if it gets worse then I may be in labor, but that could take hours if not days before anything happens."

"I thought she said that our kiir would be born around early or mid First-Seed."

"Yes, but she also said that with this being my first pregnancy, it wouldn't be unusual for me to have an earlier delivery. Sun's Dawn starts in two days, so that's just a month earlier than expected." She gently caressed his cheek, "I'll be alright and our child will be fine. Danica informed me that at least half of the children she's delivered were early, but they were just as healthy as they would have been if they were born on time. She also assured me during my last appointment that everything appeared and sounded fine, so there's no need to worry."

His eyes softened at her assuring words, "While I am relieved to know this, I cannot help but worry for you both."

"Drem, Odahviing. Just breathe," she took a calming deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth, which he playfully rolled his eyes but complied with her suggestion. Xana took another calming breath as another sharp cramp stabbed at her insides, but she refused to show her discomfort. Instead, she focused on Odahviing and how he was gently rubbing circles over her lower abdomen. It was as if he knew exactly where she was hurting without having to ask.

"Does this help, dii brit fahliil?"

"Mmhmm. Thank you."

"Of course."

XXXXX

-Later that night-

Odahviing awoke to find Xana frantically tossing blankets and clothes onto the bed and organizing the nearby dressers, chests and cradle. Knowing she was nesting brought an amused smirk to his face for she had been displaying these maternal instincts for the last few months now. He knew better than to intervene with her particular system as he had unfortunately found out the hard way:

XX*flashback*XX

"Odahviing, where are the linens I had laid out on the bed?"

"I put them back in the drawer."

"Noooo...I specifically set those out because I was going to add them to the spring wardrobe. This is winter, which means I need the winter linens in the drawer: Not the spring linens! I have a very delicate system here and you've gone and messed it all up! Now I have to start all over again and I won't be finished until this evening."

He held his hands up in surrender, "I meant no offence. I was just trying to help."

"Okay, but please ask me next time."

"I'll be sure to do just that, dii brit fahliil."

She pouted and grabbed the linens off the bed, "Don't get cute with me, Odahviing. You're on thin ice at the moment."

XX*present*XX

"Nesting again are we?"

She began folding up an arrangement of blankets and nodded, "Yes. I need to make sure I have the proper blankets and linens out for when the baby arrives. I've been doing this for over an hour now because I'm pretty sure I'm in labor."

At that, his eyes widened, "Are you sure?"

A small nod was her response as she continued her folding, "I am. The pains in my lower back and abdomen have steadily gotten worse, and everything feels loose down there," she gestured to her womanhood. "However, this doesn't mean you should panic and fetch Danica, because as she said on my last appointment, "These things can take hours and even last for days." So, unless my contractions are closer together, then I should just go about my day as normally as possible."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, not right now. Maybe later though." She gave him a smile, "We're finally going to meet our baby soon. Can you believe it?"

He shook his head, "I can't. It seems like yesterday you told me that you were expecting and that I was going to be a Bormah."

"Well, you're going to be a Bormah in a matter of hours."

"And you're going to be a Monah. A very alluring Monah, if I might add."

She playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Now, now, I'm trying to nest here."

"So I see. And yet, I can't seem to take my eyes off of you, dii brit fahliil."

"Oh no, I'll have none of that from you right now, Snow Hunter Wing. I need to get this done before the baby arrives or else I'll be kicking myself about it later on."

He let out an amused chuckle as he continued to fondly watch her, "As you wish, my dearest Dovahkiin."

Xana just narrowed her eyes at him and playfully stuck out her tongue in a childish way. This only encouraged him further as he then winked at her while a smile lined his handsome face. Fuck, why did he have to be so charming? Damn that sexy dragon. But by the Gods, she loved his stupidly handsome face.