Chapter Text
Lilia caught the egg, which weighed heavy in his arms like a bad omen. “Don’t just throw it so carelessly!” he reprimanded on instinct. The instincts of a war general wouldn’t fail, and the dragon egg would not have been harmed if it hit the floor anyway, but Maleanor's carelessness was due to a secret third reason that she had zero hesitation in believing: Lilia will always be there to catch it.
Lilia adjusted his grip on the giant egg, wrapping both his arms around it to hold it securely to his chest. Sevens, judging by egg alone, Malleus was going to grow to be as big as his mother one day.
Maleanor strode over to Lilia and her egg, then fingered a strand of his hair, wrapping it around her finger with a smile and not a word. Lilia would have found it patronising, had he not sensed the somber mood and Maleanor’s low hum of contemplation. Maleanor, with the hand wrapped in Lilia’s hair, gently touched her egg, running her nails over the veins as red and black framed dark purple.
In her low voice, Maleanor told Lilia, “Take care of Malleus. I want you to hatch him.”
Lilia hummed back, almost lulled into a sense of safety, before snapping back to reality. “Wait, what?” he demanded.
Maleanor was just as stubborn as Lilia was, but unfortunately, she was stronger. As always, Lilia had no choice in the matter, and thus embarked on the longest night of his life.