"What in the hells are you doing, woman?! Get down from there!"
Val found it extremely difficult not to laugh at her husband's truly panicked command. She was only stood on a small wooden stool, but from the utter fear in his voice as he came back into their chambers, one would've thought she was up a fifty foot ladder.
"I'm nearly done, Varian, just hold on," she replied, hooking the end of the flower garland she was hanging onto the end of the mantelpiece.
"We have servantsfor these kinds of things! Now I won't tell you again- get down!" Varian barked, holding a demanding hand out once he was next to her. With a loud, exaggerated sigh, Val did as she was told, and held onto him while she felt her way back down to the floor.
"Every other woman would be resting herself as much as she could at this stage. But no, not Val…she's too busy rehearsing her fucking balancing act," Varian muttered in annoyance. He only let go once he was certainthat she was steady on her feet, and even then, he hovered like a bee circling a fresh tulip.
"Oh shut up, you worrying Wendy," Val teased, and Varian's look only grew stormier.
"You're at a crucial point, Sweetheart. I just don't want anything unnecessary happening after we've worked so damn hard to get this far," Varian admitted, and while Val was growing weary of his mithering, she could completely understand where he was coming from.
At eight and a half months, she was the furthest along than she'd ever been, and while that brought a strong sense of joy to both Wrynns…it also came with a fresh worry. They were now wandering in the dark in terms of what happened next, and for two people who thrived on controlling every little detail of their lives…that was terrifying.
So it only made sense that Varian was anxious- in truth, Val was the same, but she was simply better at masking it…for the most part.
For the past five or so months, she'd continued to be the same nervous wreck that she had been when she'd first discovered her pregnancy. It'd only been when she'd reached her third trimester that she'd started to let go of those fears and allowed a little trickle of optimism to seep in.
She still had days where she wanted to curl up and shut the world out, but they were waning as time went on. It made things alot easier on both her, and Varian, who (Light bless him) had rode Val's emotional waves with impressive patience.
"I know, love. But I can't just sit in bed all day. I'll end up going absolutely mad," Val argued, refusing his offer of slippers and choosing instead to enjoy the cold coming from the stone floor.
"I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, so there's no soddin' point," she huffed, and concern was written all over Varian's face as he purposely put the stool back underneath her vanity.
"Is the little one still keeping you up?" he asked, and Val couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face with how affectionately he used their baby's temporary moniker.
It had come about after Val had continued to put the kibosh on typical pregnancy staples, such as finding out the gender, and choosing a name for the infant. From minute one, he'd refused to call the baby 'it' simply because they didn't know what it was. So instead, he'd chosen 'little one', and used it every time he'd mentioned the child.
"They are, but it's not really their fault, so I cant be that angry," Val affirmed, still hating how she resembled an overweight penguin as she waddled over to the water flagon. "We're both just getting too bloody big."
"Well, you've not got long to go, Sweetheart, so 'hang in there' would be my best advice," Varian said, and although he was being sincere, Val couldn't help but snort in amusement.
"That's very easy to say when you're not the one being booted in the ribs and arse every two minutes," she retorted, taking a long sip.
"Did you have the baskets taken through to Anduin's rooms?" Val asked, wiping the corners of her mouth.
"Aye, I did- so expect a stampede of children to come through here in a few minutes," Varian affirmed with a grin. He then reached into his pocket and threw something over. Val only just caught it, and her eyes lit up as she realised what the foil covered treat was.
"Varian Wrynn, literal stealer of sweeties from children. Tsk, tsk," Val playfully chided as she unwrapped the chocolate egg and broke into it with her thumbnail.
"Oh please, withholding one or two eggs is hardlygoing to prevent those little monkeys from achieving their annual sugar-high," Varian scoffed, snapping his own clean in half.
"I shouldn't be eating this- my ankles are big enough as it is," Val moaned, staring at the chocolate like it held all of life's answers.
Varian fought the urge to roll his eyes, and refrained from simply scoffing his egg so that he could, once again, reassure her that she wasn't about to spontaneously polymorph into a walrus.
"It's a tiny morsel of chocolate, Val. The worst that could happen is that the baby is born with a sweet tooth," he said, coming over and putting his hand on her shoulder. "Besides, your ankles have never looked better."
"Your honeyed words won't work on me again, you sly git," Val muttered, but her resolve instantly broke with a few strategically placed kisses along her jawbone.
"Ah, they're working a little bit. Come now, admit it," Varian goaded, and Val playfully shoved his face away.
"Haven't you got a speech to memorise?" she asked, trying to distract herself from how such a simple touch from him had nearly lit the fuse leading to the very large, overstuffed powder keg that was her libido nowadays.
"If I look at it any more than I already have, my eyes will start to cross. So no, I haven't," Varian informed her, watching her belly with a whimsical fascination as it contorted and relaxed with every move his child made.
"Are you sure that you'll be alright today?" he asked in all seriousness, and Val empathised with his concern, so she didn't mock him for it, as she had done so many other times during her pregnancy.
"I should be. I'm not due for another two weeks, so I don't think there's any risk of me going into labour during the egg and spoon race," she told him- and while she'd been actively trying not to agitate him, by the look on his face, she'd succeeded in doing so anyway.
"That's not in the least bit funny, woman," Varian growled.
"For once, I wasn't trying to be!" Val protested, lightly nudging him in the ribs. "This baby has made absolutely noindication that it wants to come yet, so I'm fairly certain that I can enjoy what's to be my last engagement for a while." Varian still didn't seem convinced, but really, that was no surprise.
"I feel as if I should be telling you to rest yourself instead," he grumbled, earning a haughty snort from his wife.
"What the fuck do you mean, 'should be'? You've been doing that exact thing since the minute you opened your eyes, Varian!"
"Yes, well, at least I bloody care!" Varian weakly argued, cracking a grin as he realised that he'd been both rumbled, and outmatched. Val beckoned him down and kissed his cheek with a warm smile.
"Aye, you do, and I absolutely love you for it," she said, and Varian couldn't help but raise a suspicious eyebrow.
"I'm anticipating a 'but'," Varian replied, and Val's gentle laugh only affirmed his assumption.
"But…relax, just for today," Val pleaded, poking his doublet covered chest. Her nose began to wrinkle, and Varian felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up- which was never a good sign.
"I think we can both admit that we've not really let ourselves enjoy this pregnancy," Val pointed out, and Varian's sullen expression told her that he completely agreed.
"I doubt anyone blames us for that, love," Varian soothed, and thankfully, Val didn't seem half as upset as he'd expected her to be.
"Oh, I know they don't. But it's not the adults that I'm worried about this time. Think about it, Varian; this could potentially be Anduin's last Noblegarden as an only child. I don't want him to look back and say 'oh, well, my parents were so wound up about the baby, that they didn't really have any fun with me', you know?" Val reasoned, and Varian's fingers started drumming against the chair that he was leaning on.
"I absolutely cannotimagine Anduin saying such a thing…but I get your point," Varian replied, and Val seemed glad to hear it.
"Good. So I propose, that for just one day, we completely leave all of our worries in here, and have a jolly ol' time for once," Val suggested with a grin, and Varian's chest rumbled with another chuckle.
"A fair proposal," Varian acknowledged, clearly mulling it over more than Val had ever expected him to. "One that I'm inclined to agree to."
However, he held a stern looking finger up.
"On onecondition."
That was when Val's stomach shrivelled, and she felt the rest of her wither.
"Am I going to like this condition?" she asked cautiously, and Varian pulled a face that told her absolutely nothing in terms of what his answer would be.
"Probably not, but I'm putting it forward anyway," he said matter-of-factly, and there was just the right amount of smugness to his voice to make Val dread what he would suggest next.
She waved a hand and tried not to let her disdain seem too obvious.
"Go on then," she said plainly, and Varian couldn't help but find her chagrin rather amusing.
"Don't say it like that, Sweetheart- in the end, you reap the benefits more than I do," he assured her, but she was apparently unswayed by his soothing words.
"Fine- my condition is that you sit down and not move until the children arrive. Iwill take care of everything you need," Varian suggested, and Val's eyebrow arched.
"So what, you're going to carry me to the lav every five minutes, are you?" she asked, even though she knew deep down what his answer was going to be.
"If I damn well have to, yes. You're going to be on your feet alot today, so resting now is quite the sensible idea…in my personal opinion," Varian rebutted, and he gave her a light nudge as he realised her face hadn't moved.
"Ah come on, how many people get an offer like that from the High King, eh? I reckon there's people who would kill to have my complete servitude."
And there was the laugh he'd been hoping for. An exasperated sigh left her lips, but not two seconds later, she flashed him a grin that he knew was genuine simply by how bright it was.
"Oh well, when you put it like that, how can I possibly say 'no'?" she conceded.
"I'm glad you see it my way, love," Varian retorted, offering his arm and feeling rather glad when she took it straight away.
"Just promise me that you won't try and dress me later, and we'll be absolutely grand," Val moaned, and Varian couldn't help an amused snort.
"I'll remind you of that when you're standing there crying because you can't put your shoes on," he teased, fully expecting the glare that he received from his vexed wife.
"That was onetime, you arsehole," she grumbled, and Varian kissed her forehead once she was sitting comfortably in her armchair.
"Of course it was, darling," he said, taking a knee so that he wasn't looming over her. "All joking aside- you've handled all of this fantastically, and I honestly couldn't be prouder of you." Val's cheeks reddened, and instead of accepting the compliment graciously -as most would-, her instinct to completely disbelieve it kicked in.
"Don't start the soppy bit again, Varian, otherwise you'll have to explain to the kids why there's a fat, sobbing mess sitting in this chair," she warned, and despite his heavy disapproval of how she referred to superficial things like her weight nowadays, Varian found himself chuckling.
"Duly noted, Sweetheart," he said, kissing her temple. "Now, before I get this last little bit of paperwork done, is there anything-"
"Father! Mum! The Noble Bunny's been!"
"Auntie Val, Uncle Varian, there's chocolate fecking EVERYWHERE!"
Val sputtered into her hand at the king's look of pure indignation at the boisterous shouts that came from beyond the door.
"Five minutes. That hasto be a new bloody record," Varian grumbled, and he rose to his full height with a few more grunts than he would've liked.
"I'm starting to wonder if they were even asleep," Val assumed, and Varian answered with a huff.
"I wouldn't put it past those sneaky little gits," he agreed. He crossed to the door, and found himself quite impressed with how every single child had chosen to actually waitfor him, instead of barging their way in.
"Good morning, Father! Lookit!" Anduin screeched, holding up a small wicker basket that was overflowing with garish, brightly-coloured treats.
"Good morning, children. Now then, instead of standing there and clogging up my hallway, why don't you all come in and show Auntie Val what you've got, eh?" Varian suggested, and not a second later, six pairs of feet barrelled past him quick enough to nearly knock the High King backwards.
His annoyance at their early arrival notwithstanding, Varian couldn't help but smile as the group gathered around his wife, with happy chirps filling the air and various bits of coloured tissue being flung across the floor.
The idea that next year, there would be another little face joining them filled his heart more than he would ever care to admit. And now that they were so close to the main event, he didn't feel guilty for allowing his mind to wander towards the beacon that was the future. If anything, he felt an overwhelming happiness.
"Father! Can you help me open this, please?" Anduin cried, snapping Varian out of his mild trance. The elder Wrynn let go of the door that he was still holding, and with a fresh spring in his step, he happily obliged the little blonde that was eagerly awaiting him.
"On your marks….get set…."
There was a titter from the gathered crowd at Varian's very long, very deliberate pause.
"Father! Hurry up!" Anduin yelled impatiently, turning the titters into full blown laughter.
Varian had a tight lipped grin on his face as he finally lowered his arm.
"Go!"
No sooner had he said it, than the sea of children eagerly waiting at the top end of the Keep's Grounds surged forward, ready to hunt down and collect all of the hundred eggs that were stuffed within its nooks and crannies.
"That boy is growing far too bold for my liking," Varian jokingly grumbled once the adults were the only ones left scattered about the patio area. Val tapped her folded fan against her palm with a amused smile on her face as she watched Anduin and his cousins scurry about.
"You say that as if we weren't the same at his age," she teased, and a throaty chuckle bubbled at Varian's smirking lips.
"How are you faring?" he asked for the hundredth time that hour, but once again, Val couldn't find it in her to grow vexed with him, for it meant that he cared, which was more than could be said for some of the men surrounding them.
"I'm faring perfectly fine, thank you- it's your child that's pining for more bloody food," Val moaned, and Varian looked more amused than concerned, which was rather refreshing.
"You know…according to an old superstition, an overzealous appetite means that it's a boy," Varian pointed out, putting his hands behind his back. Val's eyebrow sceptically rose.
"Who the hells told you that?" she questioned, and Varian's smirk widened.
"Bessie did- she was always eager to chastise me for making my mother resemble an inflated elekk during her last few months," he explained, pulling a face.
"It's probably why I ended up so damn big, come to think of it."
That's when his Queen, who had admittedly been grazing like a horse throughout her pregnancy, turned a rather amusing shade of pale.
"Just a quick, completely random question- can I elect to be cut open before I even go into labour?" Val said, clearly horrified at the very ideaof naturally birthing a child matching Varian's size.
She'd read his post-natal notes for comparison when she'd been expecting Elliot (the safe they'd been in had miraculously survived the war), and ever since, she'd completely understood why Taria had elected not to have any more children afterwards.
"No you can't, you cheeky mare," Varian muttered, and a quick glance sideways confirmed his theory that the giggles he could hear were indeed coming from his wife's painted lips.
"Your Majesties- Matron Adriana Nightingale," Lee announced from behind them, and both Wrynns turned to find the middle-aged priestess in a low, respectful bow.
"Ah, sister- we're mightily glad to see that you accepted our invitation," Varian said cheerfully, letting Val slide her arm into his.
"It would've been impossible not to, Your Majesty. I don't think the children would've ever forgiven me had I even thought aboutrefusing," Nightingale replied, linking her thin fingers together in front of her.
"They're an absolute credit to you, Sister- their behaviour has been impeccable thus far," Val praised, and Varian immediately recognised the twinkle nestled within the matron's eye.
"I fear it may be the promise of sweets that's keeping them in line, Your Majesty- normally, the dormitories resemble quite the menagerie," Nightingale joked, and the two Wrynns gave her a knowing laugh.
"If it's any consolation, we could say the same for the Prince's chambers," Val said with that perfect mix of both warmth and exasperation that only a mother could perfect.
"I don't doubt it- he always seems as lively as a firecracker when he comes to play with the children," Nightingale said, widening her smile.
"Our son is always eager to mingle with those of his own age…unfortunately, he doesn't really get that chance very often," Varian lamented, looking over and immediately finding his son hanging on to Thomas' neck as the older boy sprinted with him across the gravel path.
"Which is exactly why we fully encourage his visits to the orphanage," Val added, giving Varian's arm a reassuring squeeze.
"As do I, Your Majesty," Nightingale agreed. "And rest assured, we will find a way to repay him for donating his toys and clothes. I simply haven't quite decided what that will be yet."
"Ah, there's no need. I fear Anduin will be quite offended if you tried to repay him at this point, Sister," Varian gently argued, and Val made a soft noise of affirmation.
"He's more than happy to simply know that they're getting some use, instead of being stored away in a box somewhere," she added.
"Oh I can guarantee that we've found a home for every garment he's sent, Your Majesty. Children grow so quickly, and we've so many in our care, that it would've been foolish of us to think we wouldn't," Nightingale said, and there was a slight forlorn tone to her voice that both monarchs could sympathise with.
"If there's anything you need, Sister- be it more beds, clothes or even food, please, don't hesitate to ask for them," Varian told the elder woman, whose lips began to thin.
"I did petition your council for a grant to install shutters on the orphanage windows…it gets incredibly hot there, and the thick curtains only make it worse. But I never heard back," Nightingale confessed, throwing Varian completely off-guard.
"Odd…they've not said anything about it in our meetings," he murmured, looking to his wife, who was the orphanage's official patron. "Did they mention it to you?"
"No, they didn't, but I'll chase it up as soon as possible," Val said stonily, glaring over at the woman that she was certain was the culprit. "Who did you speak to, if I might ask?"
"Lady Prestor, Your Majesty," Nightingale answered, and Varian firmly squeezed the hand that was nestled in the crook of his arm as he noticed his wife's teeth grit.
"Not today," he hissed, knowing full well that Val was contemplating whether to smack his advisor or not. There was an awkward pause as Val calmed herself down, and it was only broken with a soft clearing of Adriana's throat.
"I'll let Your Majesties get on- I should really be keeping a close eye on the children," she said hurriedly, and with rushed farewells, she separated herself from the Wrynns.
"What the fuck is that bitch playing at? That's the fourth petition she's not told us about in as many weeks," Val seethed, and Varian's quiet shush only made her mood worse.
"Sweetheart, please- don't get yourself worked up over something so trivial," Varian pleaded, but Val wasn't having it.
"It's nottrivial though, Varian. This is our kingdom we're talking about, and she is deliberately sabotaging our efforts to make it the best it can be," she bemoaned, and Varian's gloved palms cupped both of her cheeks.
"For today at least, it isn't our concern. We have much more important things to be worrying about then a few misplaced bits of paperwork," Varian reasoned, sealing his point with a kiss to her forehead.
"But Varian-"
"No, no buts. You said it yourself, love; we need to enjoy today, and fretting about the troubles of the world won't help us do that," Varian interjected, and eventually, Val came to terms with the fact that she wasn't going to win this argument.
"Alright, alright, fine. I won't pursue it today," she conceded, but a warning finger was pointed at the relieved High King. "But as soon as my maternity respite is over, I'm finding out what that hag is up to, understand?"
She knew that his salute was purely mean to make her laugh, and Light help her, it worked perfectly. "Understood, Ma'am. Permission to now take wife for something to eat," Varian said, earning a half-hearted swat from her.
"Permission granted, you glutton," Val replied, arching her arm across his back to keep herself balanced.
"The best way to a Wrynn man's heart is through his stomach, Val- and you'll learn that lesson as soon as the baby's born, mark my words."
