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Spring had come to Katolis and with it the Spring Festival. In the past, the Spring Festival was to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of the warm weather. However, in the past eight years, things had changed. The Spring Festival had evolved into a celebration of peace between the Human Kingdoms and the lands of Xadia.
~*~
Princess Sari just loved the Spring Festival (had ever since she was three). But this year was different. In the past (or at least ever since she married Sari's father), her mother had planed the festival. But this year, Sari's Aunt Apolla had taken over. (Sari's Uncle Ezran had married the young sunfire princess the previous autumn.)
After the death of their mother, Apolla's older brother had taken the throne of the sunfire elves and Apolla had gone to live in Katolis with their Aunt Jania. She and Ezran had met on her first day at the palace and became fast friends. It hadn't surprised anyone when Ezran had approached the council with his plans to marry the elven princess. And he wasn't the only one. The young prince of Neolanda was betrothed to a sunfire elf while Queen Ayna had married a skywing elf, the young queen Del Bar had married an earthblood elf, and the young king of Evenir had married a startouched elf.
The people had accepted their new queen with open arms and had rejoiced when, barley a week ago, news had come from the palace that an heir was on the way. And the king and queen weren't the only ones expecting a child. Rayla was pregnant with her and Callum's second baby while Callum and Ezran's Aunt Amaya and Apolla's Aunt Jania (who had married not long after Rayla and Callum had announced Rayla's first pregnancy over five years ago) were both expecting a child (Queen Anaya having sent them a spell that would enable them to have children together (the same one her high mage had found in an old Xadian text back when her mothers ruled Durn)). If things went well all four cousins would be born on or around the same time.
And it wasn't just the four women of the royal family who were expecting. Opila (who had married Corvus not long after Amaya and Jania had announced their engagement) was due to give birth to her first child within the month. That meant that by the Harvest Festival there would be five babies in the palace (plus a five-year-old).
~*~
Sari pulled her parents towards the entrance to the fair grounds. She wanted to get something to eat, play some games, and go on the rides.
"Slow down, Sari," Callum said with a laugh.
"But daddy, I want to get some cotton candy and then go on the rides," the four-year-old said.
"How about we go on the rides first and then have something to eat?" Rayla said. "That way you won't get sick like you did last year."
"Okay, mommy."
The family continued on and soon came across some familiar faces.
"Artemis! Diana!" Sari called.
The princess ran up to her two friends. Artemis and Diana where Runaan and Ethari's daughters; half-sisters born from the same surrogate mother. Artamis was the oldest at five and Runaan's biological daughter while Diana was just a few weeks younger than Sari and Ethari's biological daughter. The three girls giggled and talked while Callum and Rayla came up to the group at a slower rate.
"Prince Callum," someone called.
Callum turned and smiled, waving at Commander Gren and his family. About a year after Callum and Rayla were married, Commander Gren had married Jaharana, the sunfire elf who had acted as translator for Jania and Amaya during Amaya's first "visit" to Lux Aurea. Nearly a week before Artemis was born, they had welcomed their own daughter into the world who Commander Gren had insisted on naming Amaya after his best friend. Little Amaya (as she was so often called) had her mother's horns, pointed ears, dark skin, and golden eyes and markings but her five fingers and red hair she inherited from her father (she also had a light dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks but only her family and friends knew about it).
"Glad to see all of you made it to the first day of the Spring Festival," the commander said.
"Like the girls would let us miss it," Runaan said.
"Are your parents here?" Jaharana asked Rayla who shook her head.
"They couldn't make it because Jonna isn't feeling well," Rayla said referring to her three-month-old brother.
Jonna had been a surprise for both Rayla and her parents. Tiadrin and Lain (now retired from the Dragon Guard) had talked about having a second child but hadn't made any decisions. Then Tiadrin had recognized the signs that she was pregnant again right around the Summer Fair.
"They're going to try to make it to make it in time for the Summer Fair and stay through Sari's birthday," Callum said.
The group walked through the festival until they came to the pony rides, which the girls insisted on riding.
"How are your aunts feeling?" Commander Gren asked Callum. "I know they took a leave of absents from the army until after their babies are born."
Callum smiled. He knew why Gren was asking. Amaya had been his best friend ever since they were kids; he had even learned sign language so they could talk without Callum's mother having to translate. As for Jania, Gren was the surrogate father of her baby. Jania and Amaya had decided that they wanted their babies to be half sunfire elf and half human. So Gren had agreed to be the surrogate father for Jania's baby while Jania's younger Phoebus brother was the surrogate father for Amaya's baby (that way both children would share the same bloodline).
"They're both doing fine," Callum said. "Aunt Amaya wants to name her baby after you if she has a son."
"Daddy!" Sarai called.
Laughing, the four-year-old waved as the pony was lead passed. Callum smiled and waved back. He and Rayla were going to have to get her riding lessons soon. Fortunately, there two shadowpaws (Luna and Sombra) had a four-year-old pup named Dusk who would be perfect for Sarai.
~*~
"So where are you four staying during the festival?" Callum asked as he, Rayla, Runaan, and Ethari walked towards the entrance/exit with their daughters in tow.
"The inn most likely," Runaan said lifting Artemis higher up so she could rest her head on his shoulder while holding tightly on to her new stuffed banther.
All three girls were exhausted after such an active day and their fathers were carrying them. Diana was practically falling asleep against Ethari's back while her new stuffed dragon gently hit against his chest while Sari was cuddling with her new stuffed shadowpaw while Callum held her close.
"The inn?" Rayal said. "No. You can stay with us. It's not like we don't have the room."
It was true. The house Callum had built for Rayla as a Valentine's Day present five years ago had ten bedrooms. One (the master suite) was Callum and Rayla's, another was Sari's, and a third Rayla was re-decorating as a nursery for the new baby. The seven others were guest rooms.
~*~
"Mommy! Daddy! Wake up!" Sari said early the next morning. "Uncle Ezran and Aunt Apolla will be here soon."
"Sari," Callum said rolling back over in an attempt to go back to sleep. "It's Sunday and it's early. Your aunt and uncle won't be here for a few more hours. Now go back to bed."
Huffing, Sari did as she was told but an hour later she was back. Down the hall, Rayla and Callum could hear Artemis and Diana waking up Runaan and Ethari. There was no sleeping now. Getting up, both families got ready for the day and then made their way downstairs for breakfast. They were just finishing when there was a knock at the front door.
"They're here!" Sari said excitedly.
Getting up, she ran to the front door with Artemis and Diana right behind her. The four-year-old pulled open the door letting her aunt and uncle in. Callum had often said that Ezran looked a lot like King Harrow only without the beard. Apolla looked just like her Aunt Jania. Much like Rayla, Jania, and Amaya, she was starting to get a small bump in her stomach from the baby she was caring but didn't look pregnant just yet. Her red and gold dress, identical to the one Queen Sari used to wear, still fit her and hid the bump.
"Girls, go finish your breakfast," Rayla said.
The girls ran back to the kitchen while the three adults followed at a slower pace. While the girls finished their breakfast, the six adults talked.
"What's new from the palace?" Ethari asked.
"We received an invitation to a wedding in Nealonda," Ezran said.
"And Opila had her baby last night," Apolla said.
"She did?" Rayla said.
"A little boy," Ezran replied. "She and Corvus named him after Dad."
Spring in Katolis was a season of rebirth. And this spring (and summer) looked like it wasn't going to be any different.