Chapter Text
"You're probably at about 12 weeks, then." Adean explained with a warm smile. "Congratulations to the both of you."
12 weeks. Then it had already happened before Captain Mahnya had shown up. Of course, there really wasn't any other time it could have happened. They'd been utilizing more... indirect methods to be intimate since they'd arrived in Silesse. Their relationship wasn't entirely public yet; Lachesis had told Ayra, and Dew had told Jamke, and they both agreed to keep it a secret. Dew suspected that Ethlyn knew, and he knew that Sigurd was suspicious. Azel had walked in on them, but they weren't sure if he'd seen them. Judging by Adean's lack of surprise, however, it was clear that he'd told his wife.
Adean excused herself, saying it was nearly time for her to feed Lester. For a moment after she left, Dew and Lachesis sat in silence. When it was finally broken, it was by both of them.
"You're gonna be a mom!"
"You're going to be a dad!"
They both turned red at their mutual outburst before laughing awkwardly.
"But it looks like you're really pregnant, huh?" Dew rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Who would have thought?"
"I certainly wouldn't." Lachesis sighed. "I swore that I'd never marry if I couldn't find anyone of the same caliber as my brother."
"And I've spent most of my life just trying to get enough money for my next meal. Even hanging around Sigurd's army was mostly 'cause I thought I'd find something good to steal, much as I like everybody."
"And yet here we are, expecting a child together."
Dew saw her narrow her eyes slightly.
"I certainly hope you plan to take responsibility for this." She declared in that haughty, princess-like tone that Dew recognized from the day she assured him he wasn't a killer. "After all, you did say you were turning over a new leaf to become a more respectable man, did you not? I imagine leaving a lady to raise your child alone would be quite dishonorable!"
Dew laughed, knowing she was joking.
"I did say that, didn't I?" Dew blushed as he touched her hand. "I'm not gonna lie: I'm terrified. I barely know a thing about babies, and I don't really know if I'll be a good father. I'm not even sure if I'd be a good husband. But I... I really want to make this work."
"And for now, that's enough." Lachesis took his hand and squeezed.
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Sigurd and Cuan both punched Dew in the face on Eldigan's behalf, then cheerfully offered their congratulations. The rest of the army reacted similarly (but thankfully not identically), and they decided to use the nearby chapel for the wedding.
"I guess it makes sense to get married as soon as possible." Ayra mused as she helped Lachesis get ready. "If you wait too much longer, you won't fit in the dress."
"Look who's talking!" Lachesis huffed. "You're starting to look a little big yourself. Are you sure there's nothing you want to tell Lex?"
"Very funny." Ayra scoffed. "I'm sure I've just... indulged myself in the pastries from the nearby bakery a bit too much is all."
"I think she's trying to pretend you aren't here." Lachesis leaned down to whisper to Ayra's stomach. "She's even trying to act like she just likes sweets too much."
Ayra rolled her eyes and told Lachesis that she was heading to the chapel to meet Lex. As Lachesis waited for Sigurd to arrive to escort her, she mused to herself that she'd been joking about Ayra looking bigger, but Ayra's almost defensive reaction made her wonder if she'd touched a nerve. Ayra had certainly been eating more sweets lately, but she hadn't cared all that much for them before. She and Lex had gotten married a month earlier, but Lachesis knew that they'd been having sex beforehand. It could be that it was a similar situation to Jamke and Sylvia, who had gotten married right after they arrived, but only recently learned that Sylvia was pregnant. And here Lachesis thought Dew had been joking about their relationship.
Ferry and Father Claud had gotten close at Orgahill, and they were all over each other after Claud had tried to contact King Azmur of Grannvale to explain what he'd seen at Blaggi Tower. She knew that they were at least trying to get pregnant. Ethlyn was also starting to show a baby bump. Adean had given birth to her son a short time ago. Tailto and Lewyn had just gotten married the week before, and it was just a matter of time before Holyn took the plunge to propose to Briggid.
It seemed almost ridiculous that they were having kids when they were living in exile, but Lachesis supposed that there really wasn't much else they could do but wait.
"It'd be nice if this all blew over before you got here, but..." Lachesis mumbled to her belly.
A knock at the door interrupted Lachesis's train of thought, and she quickly stood up to greet Sigurd and head off to meet her groom.
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"Have you thought about what you and Lachesis are going to do after you leave Silesse?" Jamke asked out of nowhere as they reentered Sailane after seeing Cuan, Ethlyn and Finn off.
"Eh?" Dew gave him a puzzled look.
"I trust Sigurd completely, and the last thing I want to do is abandon him when he still needs his friends, but I can't stay with his army forever."
Dew didn't say anything, but nodded in understanding. Jamke was the last remaining member of Verdane's royal family. At some point he needed to return and properly take the throne. Most of Sigurd's army planned to return to their duchies, with a few exceptions.
"From the sounds of it, Lex has a pretty bad relationship with his family." Dew noted. "He doesn't think he'll be able to return home after all that's happened."
"He can go to Isaach with Ayra." Jamke nodded. "And as the future Queen-Consort, Tailto is staying here. Is that your plan, too?"
Dew hesitated. It wasn't that the subject of leaving Silesse hadn't come up between him and Lachesis. He knew that she wanted to head to Leonster at one point to give her nephew the Mystletainn. When Dew suggested that they could settle there, Lachesis shot the idea down flat: She and her sister-in-law had never gotten along, and now that her brother was dead Grahnye didn't have much obligation to treat her as family. Agustria was still embroiled in war, so the chances of them returning to Nordion were slim to none. Eventually, they decided to table the subject for another time. After all, Lachesis still had a few months before she gave birth, and it wouldn't do for a heavily pregnant woman to travel into potentially hostile lands.
The elephant in the room began pointing out that it wasn't good for a newborn baby to be traveling to potentially hostile lands, either, but they both ignored it.
"It's a little hard to say." Dew finally answered. "It'd be one thing if it was just us, but we're going to have a baby here pretty soon. We have to think about where it's safe to take it, and even if it's safe now, there's no guarantee it'll stay that way. And if she gets pregnant again, then we'll really be in trouble."
"Sounds to me like you're already thinking like an adult." Jamke sounded surprisingly impressed. "It's a far cry from the little thief I only set free because his fellow prisoner begged me to. You're really growing up."
"That's another thing." Dew sighed. "Have you seen how much Lachesis has been eating lately? I'm already going to have to steal a lot in order to just feed the three of us. If she gets pregnant again, I'll have to rob a whole marketplace just to feed her!"
"I take back what I just said."
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Lachesis winced when Dew poked her belly. Dew asked if he'd accidentally hurt her somehow, but Lachesis said that it was merely the baby kicking a bit too hard. It had been doing that all day. Dew sighed dramatically (though Lachesis could tell he was relieved) and told the baby not to greet him so roughly.
"Is that what you were doing?" Lachesis let herself smile at him. "Greeting the baby?"
"Of course!" Dew laughed. "It would be rude not to, right?"
"My my, it seems my husband has picked up some manners after all." Lachesis sighed as she lay back on the bed, pausing before saying. "I think it might be for the best if we went to Leonster after all."
"With your sister-in-law?"
"No." Lachesis shook her head. "Even if she agrees to take us in, we'll just end up arguing. That's no environment for a baby to grow up in. But it doesn't look like Agustria's going to be stable any time soon, and there's no guarantee we'll be able to make it back to Silesse after we deliver the Mystletainn."
Dew nodded. It sounded like Grannvale's war with Isaach was still raging on, so Isaach wasn't an option either.
"After my brother died, Sigurd and Cuan both told me I would always be welcome in their homes, but I don't feel comfortable taking advantage of their kindness." Lachesis continued. "I would rather walk on my own two feet and work to support myself."
"Okay, who are you, and what have you done with my wife?" Dew raised a curious eyebrow. "The great Princess Lachesis of Nordion... working?! You're clearly an imposter of some sort!"
"You laugh, but I haven't sacrificed my pride as a Princess of Nordion." Lachesis scoffed, wincing again as she did. "I will do whatever I need to in order to survive. If I must work to earn money in another country, I'll do it. And it's not like I've given up on returning to Nordion. I know I'll go back someday, but for now, I need to take of myself and my family."
"You're so cool, Lachesis." Dew laughed again. "And here I thought I was the husband!"
"You will need to shape up as well, of course." Lachesis smirked. "Didn't you also hope to return to Verdane someday?"
That had been another destination they'd discussed, but given Verdane's current state, they both agreed that it would be best to wait until their child was older. Even if Jamke managed to stabilize it, the journey from Leonster to Verdane (after going from Silesse to Leonster, mind) was a bit much for a small child.
Eventually, Dew and Lachesis decided to lay down and take a nap together, as they often did when they found time together in the afternoon. No one in Sigurd's army liked waiting around doing nothing, so everyone agreed to help keep the castle clean, if only as a courtesy to the people of Sailane. The chores switched around every week, though Lachesis hadn't been able to do much as her due date approached, so Dew opted to step up and take care of what she couldn't. She appreciated it, but it didn't leave them with much time for each other, so she was happy for these afternoons together. Unfortunately, the baby was being very uncooperative today. At first, there was a lot of time between each instance she felt pain, but those instances were becoming more and more frequent. She must have groaned, because she heard Dew say,
"The baby still kicking?" He grinned at her, poking her belly a second time. "You should tell it to knock it off so that Mommy can sleep."
"Unfortunately, the baby is the one who decides when it stops moving." Lachesis groaned again. "And I think it's decided that it wants to move outside."
"Eh?"
"Get Adean. I think my water's breaking."
As if on cue, Lachesis felt something wet below her waist. She let out a painful moan, and Dew jumped off the bed swearing.
"Please hurry!" She shouted as he left, promising to return with Adean.
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Dew had known from Deirdre, Adean, and Sylvia that childbirth could take several hours, but when you were the expectant father, it felt a lot longer. He'd dragged Adean to their room, and she'd quickly gone to work, sending Dew to go get towels and warm water despite Lachesis's protests. Once Dew returned with the items, she refused to let Dew leave again, squeezing his hand as tightly as he could.
It was nearly midnight by the time the baby was out. Adean let out a sigh of relief as she informed Dew and Lachesis that they were now parents to a healthy baby boy. Dew helped Adean give the baby a bath and soon he was in his arms, wrapped in a blanket. It felt... weird. He'd held Lester for Adean before (and Jamke occasionally let Dew hold Leen), but this felt completely different. This wasn't just a friend's baby, this was his son. He was officially a father now.
The revelation hit him with a wave of several conflicting emotions, though fear and joy were tied for first place, with "awe at the miracle of life" coming in at a close second.
Adean suggested that Lachesis get some rest, but she stubbornly insisted that Dew get over there and let her see their son. Dew slowly walked over, as though the baby might break if made the slightest wrong movement. Plus, he was tearing up, making it harder for him to see. He wiped his tears away after handing Lachesis their son, but more just took their place.
"Sounds like Papa's a bit of a crybaby, huh Delmud?" Lachesis gently teased.
"Mama's crying, too!" Dew laughed as he finally let the tears fall.
"Delmud? Is that his name?" Adean asked curiously.
"Yeah." Dew nodded. "We decided to pick something with a "D" if it was a boy. If it had been a girl, we'd have picked something with an "L" instead."
Adean nodded in understanding, then left the room to both inform the others how it had gone, and to give the family (whose member count had officially gone up to three) some rest. She said she'd have a small cot for the baby sent up shortly.
"He keeps looking at me." Dew said excitedly. "Or at least I think he's looking."
"I heard that babies often recognize their parents' voices from when they were in the womb." Lachesis mused. "I guess it's true."
"So you think he knows who I am!?"
"I don't think he knows much of anything right now." Lachesis laughed. "He just got out."
"Sorry, it's just... I'm excited." Dew blushed in embarrassment. "I don't really remember my own parents. I don't know if they died or just abandoned me. Now that I'm a dad myself, I want to..."
"You want your own child to be able to pick you out of a crowd." Lachesis stopped laughing and smiled warmly. "Looks like I married a good man after all."
The couple fell silent for a moment, listening to the sounds of their son's breathing.
"I don't regret it, you know." Lachesis said quietly. "What we did at Orgahill. I'm happy you were my first, and that I was your first."
"Y-Yeah." Dew blushed again, remembering the night they spent together. "Me too. Like, I'd never been in love before, but after I met you, it just sorta made sense. Sure, I'd thought other girls were good looking, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had dirty thoughts about them before, but...
"But with you, I get all... giddy whenever we do that sort of stuff." He continued. "When we got married and started sharing a room, it took me hours to get to sleep for the first month because I liked listening to your breathing."
"That explains why you kept falling asleep in your breakfast." Lachesis chuckled, but gestured for him to continue.
"And every I time I looked at that belly of yours, I would think "That's my baby in there"." He fidgeted. ""I'm gonna be a dad and Lachesis is gonna be the mom". 'Cause it wouldn't have been enough if it was anyone else. What made me happy was knowing that I was having a baby with you."
He stared at her for a few seconds before looking away, apologizing for how mushy he sounded.
"Dummy." Lachesis sighed as she shook her head. "I feel the same. When I first realized that I was probably pregnant, I was only scared for a few seconds. I calmed down because I realized that you were the father. Then... I got happy. Happier than I'd ever been in my life. I think that was when I realized that I really had moved on."
She gave a small laugh.
"It's funny. I wanted to just start running around yelling that I was in love with you to everyone in Silesse. Shout that I was having your baby to whoever could hear me." She continued. "But I wanted you to know first. And you just kept making me happier.
"We got married, started living as a real couple without hiding it, made plans for what to do when we left Silesse..." Lachesis looked down at Delmud in her arms. "And now we have him."
"We really made a whole other person." Dew said in wonder. "I can still barely believe it."
The two gazed at each other for a moment before gently kissing, careful not to disturb their now sleeping son.
"I love you, Lachesis."
"I love you, too.
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It was the hardest decision they'd ever had to make.
Three months after the birth of their son, they found themselves in Dozel marching toward Belhalla. Sigurd ordered Oifey and Shanan to take his son, Seliph, and flee to Isaach. Adean, who had gotten pregnant with her second child shortly after Lachesis had with her first, was going with them and naturally, she was taking Lester with her. Azel wanted to go with her, but they both knew he was their only hope to reason with his brother. Sigurd asked Ayra to go with them, but Lachesis knew she wouldn't. Sylvia flat out refused to go with them, nor was she willing to leave Jamke when their daughter was still waiting for them back in Silesse. Lachesis merely laughed when Sigurd asked her to go to Isaach. She was strong. She knew she was strong. If they ended up having to fight at Belhalla, Lachesis knew her strength would be needed.
She held her son all night before they departed and gently placed him in the wagon with the other infants the following morning. She kissed his forehead and asked that he be patient with her. She promised that she would come for him no matter what. Dew reacted similarly, but he did one thing different: Before saying goodbye to his son, he handed his Wind Sword to Oifey and asked him to give it to Delmud when he was older.
"Y'know, just in case." He grinned at Oifey, but it seemed rather stiff. "I just... I want to make sure he grows up knowing his old man loved him."
After that, he gently bade his son farewell and cried in his wife's arms later that night.
Once they reached Phinora, Lachesis suggested that Dew follow the children to Isaach. It wasn't too late to catch up, she argued, and if both of them died, Delmud wouldn't have any family left. She went to bed early that night, afraid of seeing him leave in spite of her argument that he should. When she woke the next morning, however, he was still lying next to her.
After a brief argument about whether Dew could handle the upcoming fight, the two admitted that they enjoyed the time they spent together and reconciled, hugging a bit tighter than normal.
"I guess I'm just scared." Lachesis admitted. "It's only been about a year since I lost my brother and both of my parents are long dead. You and Delmud are the only family I have left."
"Yeah, I know the feeling." Dew acknowledged, stroking his wife's hair. "I don't remember my parents and I don't recall any siblings. I didn't know what having a family meant, but now that I do, I don't want to let go."
The two of them fell silent before Dew spoke again.
"We just need to stay positive!" He exclaimed. "We're gonna make it to Belhalla, sort this whole mess out, then head to Isaach and get Delmud! He won't even realize we were gone!"
"You sure are optimistic." Lachesis sighed, but she seemed to have cheered up slightly. "But I guess that's what I love about you."
"And hey!" Dew's grin turned mischievous. "Maybe we can even work on giving Delmud a sibling of his own."
Lachesis laughed and said that it was a little late in the month for that, but he was free to "practice" having another child with her later that night.
Dew graciously accepted.