Chapter Text
In Which Ban And Elaine Receive Some News (And Ban Is Not Sure What To Make Of It)
The sound of cheerful laughter and playful music echoed through the cold air and Elaine lifted her head as the scent of wine and ale drifted along with the gentle breeze. She resisted the urge to fly, tucking her wings behind her back as her feet crunched slightly on the frosty ground, barely making an impression on the pointed spikes of grass. Squeezing the warm hand that engulfed her own, Elaine smiled slightly, her heart filled with so much joy it could burst. The war was over, Ban was back from Purgatory safe and sound and her brother had been accepted as Faerie King by her people. And now she and Ban could enjoy a week’s leave from their duties at the bustling Boar Hat and gain a little respite from the atmosphere that was just as chill as the air now that Estarossa and Zeldris had taken up residence. Honestly, even though small, the middle brother still gave Elaine the creeps.
“What d’you wanna do first~” Ban enquired, his crimson eyes unusually soft as they gazed down at her. Elaine stretched her neck upwards to smile back, not minding the height difference. They were finally together and at peace and that’s all that mattered.
“I’ve not been to one of these before. What do you suggest?” she asked, running her thumb over the back of his hand. “It’s an odd time to have a festival isn’t it?”
“Yeah, this part of the world will use any excuse for a party,” Ban fluted as he started to walk forwards once more, Elaine trotting along at his side. “A way to ward off the evil spirits of winter they say. Whatever, it’s a good laugh.
“Tell you what, come on…” Ban trailed off as he gently pulled Elaine along beside him, heading for a large tent in the middle of the field. “This will show you what us humans call entertainment.” He added ryley, setting a fast pace. As they approached, they passed several stalls selling various crafts and food, the cacophony of smells overwhelming Elaine and making her feel slightly queasy. Faeries usually subsisted on fruit and nectar, and even after travelling with the Sins for so long she still found the sheer variety of food they ate difficult to handle. The way Hawk vacuumed up scraps was particularly disturbing and the thought made Elaine turn a pale green.
Reaching the large white tent ringed in yellow and blue bunting, Ban strode up to a small, round man standing at the entrance, a top hat adorning his brow and a jovial expression lighting up his flabby face.
“Welcome, welcome, welcome,” the man boomed heartily, “come and see the wonders of Passe’s circus. The acrobatic feats will leave you amazed!” Ban looked at the man stonily, one eyebrow raised. “Well... um… it’s two gold coins each,” the man continued, his voice wavering slightly. Without a word, Ban fished about in his pocket, pulling out the requisite currency before the man, equilibrium restored by the sight of the gold, ushered them inside.
“This circus doesn’t use animals,” Ban explained as he gestured to a pair of seats near the front row, Elaine taking one gingerly. It was hard and dusty, but Ban didn’t seem to mind, plonking himself down on the one next to her and wrapping his arms round her shoulders. Disgruntled murmurs sounded from the children located behind him at the sudden loss of view. Elaine could hear their parents consoling them, then shifting places so the children could once more see the stage in front, a large circular platform adorned with swinging ropes and other equipment. “You wouldn’t like that sort of thing, but this is worth seeing,” Ban added as he looked down at her, a grin on his face.
A few moments later, a young lad wove through the rows of seats, a basket filled with bottles of ale tied round his neck. Ban beckoned him over and bought two bottles of Vanya Ale, coins clinking in the pouch round the boy’s waist as he moved away. Passing a bottle over to Elaine, Ban gave a toothy grin, his canines shining in the light of the lanterns strewn round the tent before the space suddenly went dark. Elaine was more than glad for the cover the blackness provided; for some reason the familiar smell of the ale made her feel sick and she pushed the untasted bottle down into her lap.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Passe’s incredible, extraordinary, stupendous circus!” the man in the top hat yelled to the crowd. “Today you will be amazed, astounded, and perhaps even astonished by the apogee of entertainment we offer up for your delectation. So sit back, and enjoy the show. First up, the awesome acrobats!”
Elaine gasped audibly as a troupe of young men wearing extremely tight, sparkling clothing danced into the ring, tumbling and springing, bouncing over each other as if they were made of rubber while the audience clapped wildly. They bowed to the crowd before jumping up on top of one another to form an immense pyramid and Elaine hid her face in her hands, certain the young men would come tumbling down to the ground. But they did not. They stood there and grinned, before dissolving the structure of their own creation only to rebuild themselves in the shape of an elephant. Their proficiency evident, Elaine began to relax, gasping in wonder as the men climbed up ladders and started to perform cartwheels on a high wire hung above the stage, somehow remaining on the thin metal string without falling or bumping into each other.
“Next up, the miraculous magician!” the master of ceremonies shouted above the applause as the acrobats somersaulted away, and an old man with a long white beard which fell past this waist strode onto the stage, his lithe gait at odds with the spindly limbs and liver spots on his almost translucent skin. “This is always what I thought a mage would look like,” Ban whispered to Elaine in the darkness, “not some fierce woman.” Elaine giggled slightly at this description of Merlin, before putting her hand to her mouth. The magician had stopped his movements to stare hard at her, his amber eyes flashing with something Elaine could not quite put her finger on.
“For my first trick, I need a lady from the audience,” the magician intoned, his piercing eyes searching the arena as the lights of the lanterns suddenly sprang back into the life. The crowd gasped as they stared at the bobbing orbs of flame, wondering just how the trick had been managed. Elaine’s heart stopped in her chest as the magician held out a hand, his bony forefinger pointing straight at her.
“Young lady, please join me on stage,” the man said solemnly. Elaine looked up at Ban with a pleading face, but the immortal merely gave her a toothy grin before he pulled her to her feet and pressed his palm into the small of her back. Elaine stepped forward with hesitant movements, unwillingly spurred on by the hollering crowd, who gasped audibly as they saw her resplendent wings shimmering in the flickering light.
As she reached the stage, the magician held out his hand and Elaine reluctantly took it, feeling the thin skin beneath her fingertips. The man looked at her with an unsmiling face, before suddenly his brow creased in concern, his eyes trailing down to her stomach.
“I am sorry, I made a mistake. You are not a suitable candidate for this trick,” the magician said, and Elaine was surprised to see a kindly sparkly in the old man’s eyes. “You take care of yourself, my dear,” he added softly, almost in a whisper as he gently patted her hand. “I am good at this, but it is best not to take any risks with ladies in your condition.” Elaine floated back to her seat, wondering what it could all mean as another girl was pulled from the audience. The lass giggled heartily as the magician placed her in a painted coffin and then proceeded to saw her in half, to the crowd’s collective amazement, before miraculously rejoining the two halves of the contraption together. The girl, very much whole and alive, stepped lightly out of the coffin and curtsied prettily before skipping back to her place.
***
“What was that all about?” Ban asked as they left the tent a hour or so later, apparently bored but Elaine caught the edge to his tone.
“I don’t know,” she replied, her eyes seeking his. “Is that… is that normal?”
“No it is not…” Ban trailed off as he examined her carefully, his eyes searching her face. “Anyway let’s get something to eat. You must be hungry. You hardly had any breakfast.” At the mention of food, Elaine felt a churning in her stomach, and she pressed her palm into her upper abdomen in a failed attempt to sooth the feeling away. Ban laughed, mistaking her action, and pulled her gently towards the food stalls.
Immediately they were there Elaine recognised her mistake. The smells were back, overwhelming her, making the twisting of her stomach ever more urgent. She barely moved her feet as Ban guided her, swallowing hard, willing the nausea to go away. But leave it would not, and before Elaine could stop herself, she leaned over unceremoniously and vomited into the grass, spitting small splats of yellow bile onto the ground as her stomach continued to spasm. The pressure was just so much, and Elaine struggled to breathe, taking back some of the sick into her throat as she desperately gulped for air. Her stomach muscles contracted tightly and she felt them push down hard on her bladder, causing her acute embarrassment on top of the discomfort. It was lucky she had worn the panties Ban had bought for her all those months ago.
She barely registered as Ban carefully held her hair back from her face, running a warm hand in circles over her back until the spasms lessened. Still gasping for air, Elaine finally stood up, her head swimming with a slight dizziness from the ordeal as Ban pulled her into a gentle embrace.
“I’ve sin that look afore,” a buxsom woman said sagely as she moved towards Elaine, taking her hand and leading her away from the smells which had caused such problems in the first place. The faerie felt herself being guided carefully into a small, dimly-lit tent, the fabric at the doorway pulled closed as she and Ban entered. The old woman sat her down on a stool and, after the sound of clinking glasses filled the tiny space, the woman pushed a glass of water into Elaine’s hand.
“You’ll need that,” the woman said as she stood looking down at the still-shaken girl. “Drink plenty ‘o water. Will help with the sickness.”
“I don’t know what happened,” Elaine whispered, her voice broken and sore after the scouring of bile on her throat. “I… faeries don’t get sick.”
“I guess you do when you’re ‘specting, same as the rest o’ us,” the woman said caustically as she gave Elaine a piercing stare. “You do know you’re pregnant don’t ya?”
“What?” Ban sat down on an adjacent stool with a bump, as if his legs had given out from under him. His face was pale and his eyes wary, the sight causing Elaine’s heart to clench in her chest.
“No doubt ‘bout it,” the woman said, steadily returning his gaze. “I know what I say. I did midwifing before I got too old and started this,” she added as she gestured round the tent, and for the first time Elaine noticed that there were strange symbols and odd things in jars adoring the space. “No need to be so spry for fortune telling,” the woman said with some finality.
“But… it’s impossible,” Elaine said in wonder as she stared into the woman’s dark green eyes. “I… faeries don’t… you know… Our babies are born from the Sacred Tree,” she added, her voice pleading as her eyes drifted from the woman to Ban.
“D’you bleed? Down there?” the woman asked unceremoniously, her padded arms now folded across her chest.
“Well… yes, but… I just magic it away when that happens…” Elaine tailed off, her face on fire with her blush. These sorts of matters were not the sort of things one discussed, and the embarrassment was overwhelming.
“Lucky you,” the woman spat out, “Well, done that recently have you?”
“Well… no…” Elaine said slowly. Now that she thought about it, she was overdue by at least 3 weeks. What with the hubbub at the bar, and the diplomatic engagements she had added with King and Diane she had completely lost track of the days.
“That’s it then. The baby will come in late summer. The sickness should go in a couple ‘o months but it might not,” the woman said kindly, examining Elaine closely. “You have it early; ‘tis not a good sign. Take two drops o’ this daily in the morning - it’ll help.” The woman passed Elaine a small vial of clear liquid, the viscous fluid clinging to the sides of the tube.
“You could look happier ‘bout it!” the woman snapped as she turned to Ban. Elaine watched with some pain as his shoulders slumped, his eyes downcast, examining the tasseled edges to the orange tablecloth. “Or p’haps not…” the woman said more kindly as she looked at him more closely. “Can see ya had a hard life.
“Tell ya what, I’ll give your fortune, sure to set your mind at rest,” the woman said as she took her seat opposite Ban and Elaine, pulling the faery’s hand onto the table in front of her. She closely examined the palm for several minutes, carefully tracing a stubby finger over the faint lines.
“Will be a powerful one,” the woman exclaimed as her gaze snapped up to Elaine. “A handful. You won’t be having an easy time ‘o it with him. But you’ll manage,” she added bracingly before turning to Ban. Elaine saw the battle of wills in their eyes before finally, with a great show of reluctance, Ban also offered his hand up to the woman, laying it out on the table for her to examine.
“Was right, ‘ya did have a hard life,” the woman said softly, her finger carefully running over Ban’s palm. “But I see hope. Affore too long y’all know what good parents are like.” She looked up with a smile, the slight gesture of her hands showing the couple that they were dismissed.
“Send my greetings to that mage o’ yours,” they woman call out as they reached the opening of the tent. “And just ya remember that she’ll be doing ya both a good turn.” Elaine looked back to see the human grinning up at Ban, a smug look on her face. Without another word, the pair quickly fled out into the open sunshine, squinting slightly to shield their eyes against the sudden glare.
“Let’s get you home,” Ban murmured as he wrapped an arm around Elaine’s shoulder.
“But Ban…” Elaine began, stopping in her tracks to look up into the tall human’s face, taking in his set jaw and determined expression. “This is our holiday! You’ve been looking forward to it for ages. We should…”
“No. I’m going to be a better dad than my old man. Starting now,” Ban ground out, his hand squeezing her shoulder for a moment before loosening. “I’m going to make sure you are safe. I can see you still feel bad; you need to rest. Let’s get you back to Elizabeth. She’ll know what to do.”
“Thank you,” Elaine whispered, leaning into the tall man’s frame as they started to walk slowly back to The Boar Hat.