Chapter Text
Elincia smiled as she sat beside Lucia in a booth at one of Melior’s most esteemed taverns, her head resting on her shoulder.
Her eyelids drooped down slightly as she focused on listening to the friends and loved ones they had invited to their wedding enjoy the afterparty, one hand positioned to help support the weight of her pregnant stomach, and the other resting on Lucia’s thigh.
The fine fabric of Lucia’s suit was soft beneath Elincia’s palm, as well as her cheek and temple. It gladdened her that Lucia was still wearing that ravishing suit, even if she herself had changed out of her flowing wedding gown.
A white dress was hardly the garb to wear to a party such as this, even if Elincia was abstaining from drink due to her pregnancy, and Lucia had insisted that she change into a more comfortable dress.
Lucia… her newlywed wife.
It was still hard to believe that they were officially married, not just in their own eyes as they had been so long, but in the eyes of the entire nation of Crimea.
Elincia has been dreaming about this moment for years, and living in anticipation for the last six months after she and Lucia finally found a way to conceive an heir.
She couldn’t be happier, now that the moment had finally arrived. She let out a satisfied hum as her eyes fluttered closed, snuggling up against Lucia as the day’s festivities finally took their toll on her, alongside the large meal she had just finished.
“Elincia dear, you seem exhausted. I’m sure no one would blame you if you needed to lay down.” Sigrun said warmly from across the table, and Elincia felt Lucia shift slightly in order to check on her.
“No, I’m fine… I promise. There’s nowhere else I would rather be than at Lucia’s side. I just need to rest my eyes is all.” Elincia murmured, smirking as Lucia’s breath caught.
She felt Lucia tense slightly as Sigrun giggled, and then felt her relax, in all likelihood as Tanith shot her an understanding look.
“Of course, though so long as you’re still listening...” Sigrun purred, pausing briefly. “I thought that me and Tanith might be able to offer you both a spot of advice.”
“Advice on?” Elincia yawned, opening her eyes bruefly so she could glance at Sigrun’s face.
Her soft features were softened further by genuine care, radiating a sort of infectious warmth that was almost maternal in nature.
Proud… Elincia didn’t need to be a Heron to realize that Sigrun was proud of her and Lucia, and Tanith’s normally reserved expression… it was much the same.
Elincia smiled, her heart warming as she allowed her eyes to flutter closed once more.
“Why, rearing a child of course.” Sigrun chuckled warmly, the maternal weight of her tone suddenly making sense.
Had Elincia not been so exhausted she would have probably realized it sooner.
“I would like that. Truth be told now that such a thing is on the horizon I find myself wondering how my parents were able to handle it.” Lucia admitted, bearing herself in a way that meant Elincia would not have to admit her own stresses.
And knowing Lucia, that was almost certainly by design.
“We obviously can’t speak for the hormones involved, but we have… experience.” Tanith muttered, no doubt in reference to Sanaki.
Her delivery somewhere between blunt and awkward, charming in her usual taciturn way.
“I’ve guided many a member of the Holy Guard through these beautiful and trying times though. Even if they were on maternity leave, they were still my responsibility, and I still cared for them.” Sigrun pointed out. “I’m sure it’s obvious why me and Tanith never took such a leave, and I’m afraid my experience with the biological process is only secondhand, but it is experience nonetheless. There will come a time where you can no longer devote your every waking moment to the child, and though painful, that separation is essential. You’ll need to relearn to how take care of yourself and do things separately, despite the urge to spend every second connected.”
“That was one of my greatest struggles with Sanaki, it was no easy burden.” Tanith added, just a bit under her breath.
“I can imagine.” Lucia exhaled, obviously lost in thought, or rather fantasies about the future.
Elincia would have to do her best to keep those words in mind, despite the fact they would no doubt run against her instincts in the moment.
She trusted her dear friends more in this case, Sigrun and Tanith especially.
“For me the hardest part was not allowing myself to fix and do everything for Sanaki, even though had I it would have been doing her a great disservice.” Sigrun continued softly. “Your job as a parent is to care for your child of course, but it’s also to teach them how to be independent, not to fix everything for them.”
Elincia parted her lips to respond, before deciding she would rather shift her head slightly in order to nod. Despite her exhaustion, and perhaps in part due to her own stubbornness, she continued listening alongside Lucia, taking in Sigrun and Tanith’s wisdom.
Their advice was as calming as it was helpful, a beautiful reminder that herself and Lucia were far from alone.
It was quite the opposite in fact.
Elincia felt her cheeks heat as she stared at the gold wedding band adorning her finger, still in awe even though weeks had passed since she and Lucia had been married.
In a way it still didn’t feel real, as though she were somehow dreaming, and yet, the fact that she knew this was real only made her feel even better.
She leaned back against her pillows, and rested her hand against her bare, and heavily pregnant stomach.
The baby was to come any day now, and Elincia couldn’t be happier.
Lucia was at her side laying with her head propped up on one arm in a pose that would have been outright seductive if not for her incredibly casual nightclothes.
“Can you feel them moving?” She whispered, and Elincia chuckled as she felt the light impact of their child kicking her hand.
Elincia shifted the hand that wasn’t on her stomach, reaching out to gently grab Lucia’s free hand and guide it so that she could feel as well.
Her figure had changed so much over the last few months, growing to fit their rapidly developing child. Sometimes her navel even pushed outward a bit.
After a few moments the baby kicked again, and Lucia’s breath caught.
“I can already tell that they’ll be a handful, they seem to have inherited your resolve.” She murmured, her cheeks darkening slightly.
“Now now, I’m certainly not the only one to blame for that.” Elincia teased, scooting closer to Lucia.
She moved her hand to rest on top of Lucia’s own, and brushed her fingers over her matching wedding band.
“It looks nice on you.” Elincia continued, her tone lowering slightly. “Right.”
“As does yours.” Lucia murmured, a bit shakily.
Elincia glanced back up to her blushing face, and leaned in to press their lips together, pulling back after a few moments of bliss.
Her eyes darted back down to Lucia’s wedding band beneath her fingertips, and she couldn’t help but think back.
Their wedding had been a joyous affair, a day that Elincia never wanted to forget.
“Hey.” Elincia whispered, looking back to Lucia. “Do you remember when Ilyana almost ate the entire cake?”
Lucia’s eyes briefly widened, and then her expression softened.
“And then Mia nearly destroyed what was left of it trying to stop her.” She snorted, smiling.
“That laughter was more than worth us having to skip desert.” Elincia chuckled, gently squeezing Lucia’s hand. “Though I’m sure our child would have preferred I eaten more cake.”
“Micaiah seemed to think they were quite satisfied with what you had eaten.” Lucia teased.
That was right, Micaiah had said that after ‘divining’ their child’s health using Galdr or some other form of Heron magic.
It was an odd thing to think back to, it was almost similar to how if you imagined spicy food your mouth may begin to tingle, for when Elincia thought back to the moment she could practically feel Micaiah’s palm against her stomach all over again.
‘Your child is a healthy one, with great potential. You should be proud.’
That line had been as cryptic as ever, how Micaiah of her.
Elincia made an amused noise at her own internal joke, and then sighed as she leaned back.
She rested her head against the pillows behind her, and exhaled deeply.
Suddenly her stomach growled, and she huffed out a quick exhale in response.
“It sounds like the baby might want a late-night snack.” Lucia chuckled, snickering as Elincia rolled her eyes.
A second dinner was probably a more apt description, but then again.
“That’s rather convenient then, because I wouldn’t mind sharing a meal with you.” Elincia murmured, shooting Lucia a look that caused her cheeks to heat.
Lucia’s eyes darted away from Elincia’s own as her blush deepened, and Elincia smiled.
Elincia yawned as she rummaged around blindly in one of the Castle kitchen’s iceboxes, unwilling to squat down at a time where she probably wouldn’t be able to stand back up on her own.
Her nails tapped against a glass jar and she wrapped her fingers around it before carefully removing it from the icebox.
Lucia had insisted that Elincia wait in bed, but Elincia had been even more insistent that she accompany Lucia to the kitchen.
Elincia glanced back to where Lucia was sitting at one the counters the waitstaff used to prepare food, waiting for her with a bowl of ice cream in hand.
“Pickles again?” Lucia asked, raising an eyebrow.
She leaned back in her stool as Elincia closed the icebox and stepped closer, and chuckled as she forced herself to pout.
It wasn’t the pickles that Elincia craved per-say, but rather the salty brine that they carried, something about it just… appealed, to her pregnant sensibilities.
She placed the jar down on the counter, and sat on the stool beside Lucia.
“Gallian cucumbers are in season right now.” Elincia pointed out, parting her lips as Lucia held out a spoonful of her ice cream.
It tasted distinctly of vanilla, yet another import from Gallia.
Elincia would enjoy tasting it again on Lucia’s lips later, once they had both returned to bed.
Her hand fell away from the counter, and migrated to Lucia’s thigh.
Lucia tensed slightly as she brought the spoon back to her bowl, and then she reached out the open the jar of pickles for Elincia.
This could very well have been the last night they would share alone before the birth of their child, and it warmed Elincia’s heart to think that they were spending it on something so mundane.
A special occasion though it was, it was also part of their life all the same.
Their married life, together as they started a family.