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It was the middle of the night. The moon illuminated everything with a brilliant splash of blue. Dorian was in his child’s room, rocking the eight month old infant in his arms. He was singing gently to the boy wrapped in blankets. Tears littered the mage’s face as he stood in front of the window to view his sleeping child.
“Sleep, sleep,” he sang quietly and lowly. It was a song that his own mother used to sing to him when he was but a child. “Still the night, sleep, sleep,” he whispered. His tears continued and fell onto the child’s face but it did not wake him. “Still the night, still the moon so bright, sleep, sleep,” he sang. He heard the door open. He sensed his mate returning from the council meeting he had to attend. The war was over but the Inquisition remained to clean up the broken pieces of Thedas. Dorian continued to study magic as he stayed home with his child.
“Dorian?” Cullen’s voice was soothing to hear again. Cullen had been summoned in the worst of times for the mated pair. “Darling?” he asked as he came forward.
“Sleep under the moon so bright, still the night. Sleep, sleep,” Dorian continued his song as if he hadn’t heard his husband entered and walk towards them.
“Dorian,” Cullen said again as he reached his hand out to comfort his mate. Dorian bowed his head before he began to shake it and cry in earnest. “Darling, the baby—“ he came closer to look down at their son. “Is…is…” he couldn’t find the words for the sleeping child.
“He’s only sleeping,” Dorian turned to look at him. His eyes burned red with the tears stinging after crying so long. The baby’s blankets stained with the droplets that fell from his eyes.
“Dorian, he’s…he’s cold,” Cullen was alarmed when he touched his baby boy’s cheek.
“That’s why he has more blankets, I’ve kept him warm,” Dorian was clearly delirious.
“Dorian, no…no, he’s not…oh Maker,” Cullen began to cry his own tears as he took his infant from Dorian’s arms gently to hold him one last time. Cullen had left just when their child came down with sickness. Dorian had promised to take him to the healers while he was away for the few days to journey out to Orlais.
“I took him Cullen, I promise I brought him to the healers,” Dorian started his story as they sobbed together. “They…they said to keep him warm and to feed him the potions and I did! I did! But…but,” he sputtered out. He quickly covered his face with his hands to burst into fresh tears over the death of his child. Cullen gently kissed the baby’s forehead before he laid him down into the crib. He grabbed his mate and brought him into a crushing hug as they both lowered themselves to the floor to weep in the other’s hold.
The full moon bathed the pair in sad blue light. It wept along with them and their cold child. It had been a long journey for them in the first place. From courting during the war and taking a full year to conceive the child without Dorian’s father’s blessing over the couple. Cullen had protected his mate best he could without the blessings of his own family. Mia and his mother had attempted to be supportive but even they did not condone the male omega. Cullen however, wouldn’t have married another once he found Dorian and he were so compatible.
Cullen held Dorian close to him as they lie on the floor near their child’s crib and still body. They wept the night away. Dorian was sullen and disheartened come morning. The two buried their own child on their property in Tevinter. Cullen never would have believed that he would have to bury another soul, let alone his own child and especially not in Tevinter. The pair mourned for the rest of the day and told no one of what had happened. Dorian heavily blamed himself for allowing his child to slip away but Cullen assured him that it was the Maker’s will, whatever that will was. Dorian fought with him as he slipped away from the faith to blame the Maker for taking his child so prematurely. Cullen was able to contain the mage’s anger before they settled in to attempt to sleep.
“Sleep, sleep,” Dorian sang quietly as he sat in his favorite rocking chair holding his child. “Still the night, sleep, sleep,” he smiled down at the baby girl in his arms. “Still the night, still the moon so bright, sleep, sleep,” he looked up to the door when a deeper voice joined his. He slowed his rocking to smile at his mate. Cullen pushed off the frame and smiled at the pair as he bent to give Dorian a kiss to the lips. He lingered for a second kiss before he pulled away to look down at their daughter. The little girl was still awake yet and quickly giggled up to her father. “Amatus, you aren’t helping her fall asleep,” Dorian warned him when Cullen let her play with his finger.
“Nonsense, look at her,” Cullen smiled at the girl who yawned; it was such a tiny yawn. “May I?” Cullen asked. Dorian nodded and handed their child to him. Cullen stood up to cuddle the girl close to his chest. The little one sighed contently and began to close her eyes in her father’s hold as Dorian stood to look at them.
“You always look so natural with her in your arms,” Dorian told him with a smile. His stomach was already starting to grow with his third child stirring within. He rubbed at it while he cuddled against Cullen and watched his baby drift into sleep.
“As do you,” Cullen commented. “It’s hard to believe it’s been three years,” he sighed with discontent as he looked to the baby hand prints pressed in clay that hung on their wall and Conner’s name carved into it. Dorian said nothing but rubbed his forehead into Cullen’s shoulder. Dorian still had a hard time accepting the death of their first child. Since then, he’d become very protective over children, not just his. Cullen often had to rein his mage in when Dorian would attempt to help someone else’s kid who’d fallen down or would scold them for running around too quickly. It had been cute for a little while but Cullen saw just how broken his mate was. He suggested they try for another. At first, Dorian was tentative and dismissive of it but with time, he came to realize that they needed a child to care for and grow. Julia was their second born and healthy as a druffalo. But Dorian still hovered around Cullen when he held her, as if he’d drop her or infect her. Cullen had talked about it on occasion and Dorian would do his best to keep his distance but would slowly creep back up on them after a few days. Cullen knew it was going to be a long run but with his little family, he knew anything would be possible.
“Still the night, shining are the stars bright, sleep, sleep.”