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imagin8 · 3 years

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Ship headcanons for the holidays! 🎅❄☃🎁

Stonegrot (Rian x Deet)

- after Deet was saved, they didn't get into a relationship right away, in fact it took them a while to become "official"

- With the sudden appearance of the garthim, the resistance just being formed and everything they've been through, it took a little while for them to straighten out their emotions.

- I feel like when the resistance comes to a hiatus of sorts is when they finally share their feelings for each other

- Deet initiates their first ever kiss, that is my stand until a season two says otherwise

- With what we've seen of Rian's flirting skills so far I just feel like Deet would be the one to do it

- Rian was a blushing stuttering mess lol

- They like to tease each other sometimes, Deet likes calling him all the day lighter names in the book

- Since this will take place during the Garthim war, free time is scarce. Any time they spend together is precious, whether it's something simple like a hug or the rare occasions that they actually get to go on dates

- Which might consist of small picnics or maybe some late night walks. Or just laying in a field talking about nothing in particular

- Rian is big spoon. That's it. He might be little spoon but only once or twice and no more

- They also sleep in the "sweetheart cradle" position a lot too

- Deet would wake up much earlier than Rian but sometimes she won't get up until Rian does and she might just lay there for an extra hour or so until he wakes up

- Rian loves kisses, giving and receiving. All kinds of kisses too forehead kisses, cheek kisses, deep long ones, playful pecks on the lips you name it. Like he would just be standing there doing his thing and then Deet would just walk up and kiss him and he wouldn't be able to stop himself from blushing or smiling.

- And then one hour later he will walk up to Deet and give her some kisses too

- Speaking of Deet she also loves kisses, she's more of a giver than a receiver but she loves getting them nonetheless

- I feel like whenever Rian gets hurt or is just reckless with his safety in general Deet would be the kind of person to be genuinely worried and then when finding out he's okay give him an hour long scolding on how he should be more careful

RoyalMelody (Brea x Kylan)

- Okay Rian and Deet took a little while to get together, but these guys are literally the biggest slow burn you'll ever see

- Like Kylan would just be literally staring at her with the biggest lovey doe eyes you'll ever see, and she would just either not notice or brush it off as something else

- This ship won't be as obvious as stonegrot either. It will be small doses of pining until we get to the big stuff so hold your horses.

- But eventually the mutual flirting will become way more obvious as time passes

- The first kiss will be random and maybe a little awkward (these babies have no experience, so be easy on them 😞)

- Kylan is just the sweetest thing, he will always ask her if she needs anything or if she is doing okay if she seems upset or under a lot of pressure.

- Sometimes Brea will try to say she is okay when she isn't so that way Kylan doesn't have to worry, he sees through her lies sometimes

- Kylan is a blanket hog during cold nights but Brea lets him have them, since she's is used to cold weather

- Kylan. Is. The. Little. Spoon.

- Actually Brea can be the little spoon sometimes…

- At first they were kinda weary about letting their relationship go out to anyone other than their friends, Brea was especially anxious about letting Seladon know, but as the days went on they started doing more PDA

- SPEAKING OF PDA..!!!

- Brea had to be the one to initiate it at the start

- Kylan would always get kinda nervous about overstepping boundaries and his face would turn red every time

- But eventually he got confident enough to hold her hand in public, he still needs to get used to other stuff

- Brea likes his songs and stories, sometimes he'll sing to her when she finds it hard to fall asleep, she'll memorize every new story he tells or comes up with

- Since Brea was raised in the life of royalty I don't think she has a whole lot of experience with cooking

- Luckily there's Kylan to help change that! Kind of… . It was a bit of a mess the first time

Royalhimbo (Seladon x Gurjin)

- these guys…

- It wasn't romantic at first

- More like some sort of friendship

- Both being kids of a Maudra I would assume they at least kinda knew each other? Maybe..?

- The fact that she said his name when they hugged indicates much since I don't think she would know or remember his name from their brief meet in the dream space (if you even call that a meeting)

- But if they didn't know each other beforehand then I suppose they got to know each other after the second battle of Stone in the Wood

- Seladon's first thoughts on Gurjin was that he was funny, but also a little obnoxious at times and she would never think in a million years that she would fall in love with a guy like him

- Boy was she wrong

- Gurjin kinda dropped hints that he liked her

- Dropping her random compliments in their conversations, finds excuses to try to be with her

- And she didn't think much of these little details, but she wasn't completely oblivious either.

- She didn't mind though, in fact she thought it was nice to have someone other than her sisters to just casually talk with

- However she didn't quite realize that she liked him back until she caught herself thinking about him, giggling over something funny he said earlier that day. That's when she was like "oh shit, I think I might like this guy"

- Okay so let's get one thing straight, Gurjin is way better at this flirting stuff than Seladon alright. She did not know any of this stuff and it was kinda cringey and awkward when she tried lol

- Gurjin likes to tease her sometimes,and he helps lighten her up when she feels too stressed or when she starts to doubt her capability of being all-Maudra

- They don't do spooning, however Seladon will just simple snuggle into Gurjin's shoulder as he pets her hair

- They secretly hold hands under the table

Drenchgrot (Naia x Amri)

- This isn't necessarily a headcanon but more of a thought, but didn't they technically have their first kiss in Tides where they had to save the tree in the Crystal Desert? Or are we just gonna write that off?? I'm just wondering

- Anyway, to the actual headcanons

- Amri would get along well with Pemma and Eliona, however Gurjin would act like he didn't really care and he kinda put on a little bit of that "protective brother" persona around him

- But we all know he liked him, he just didn't want to show it

- With Naia's healing vliyaya and Amri's concoctions, these guys were the medics of the resistance

- Doctor couple 💕

- Naia is the big spoon, Amri just snuggles up against her and it is the cutest thing

*this one seemed really short, sorry I kinda couldn't think of much.

Anyways thats all, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, love you all!

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the-experimental-writer · 2 years

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The palace of Ha’rar was shrouded in complete, sepulchral silence, the constant rambling and political rants amongst the many nobles and elders had ceased as the first brother had begun its descent behind the crystalline and etched windows of the citadel. In the eastern wing of the castle, sitting upon a marble-etched bench, sat a young Spriton, head back down to the ground, allowing his long, ebony hair to fall around, concealing the morose, worried look on his face. He reached out for the Firca around his neck, sliding his fingers down the single new crafted rune upon it, finding a semblance of comfort in its feel. The marked carvings upon the bone, the golden, dried ink lining the runic patterns; it was a symbol his love had made for him, a comfort in this dark time. The sound of steps over the finely polished stone and marble floor echoed through the room, yet the young man did not tear away from his thoughts, too embedded in the texture of the rune to do so.

“Kylan?” a voice uttered gently over him, the Spriton held tightly to the Firca for a moment, as if letting go of it would bring his most dire fear to life, that the banishment of the thought could bring a much darker fate upon him. “Kylan…” the voice said again, just before the Song-Teller felt a hand slowly reaching down to his shoulder. The trembling Spriton slowly lifted his gaze to meet his friends’ faces. Gurjin’s alert, intense yellow eyes and Rian’s gentle, azure eyes looked at him with matched concern. The well-built Drenchen gave him a calm, gentle smile, yet despite his own efforts the Song-Teller could not return it, the same barren, fretful expression on his face, concealed between the strands of loosened and mussed ebony hair. “How are you holding up?” the broad-shouldered Gelfling questioned amicably, clearly trying to cheer up his friend. The dark-haired Spriton let out a sigh. There were no words needed to express his feeling, a cruel irony of fate, one that he and his friends could see. It had been the grief of loss that had made him become a Song-Teller, the need to express through the music of instruments and the stories of old, and yet it had been the same feeling that had rendered him speechless now, mute and unable to even respond to the simple question. He had been as such ever since the pain began a few hours back, when Brea had awakened in the middle of the early-morning, seized by a sharp pain. He had helped her get to the medic wing before being pushed out by Naia and the rest of the attending healers. The rest of the Castle had been awakened by the commotion, all attending and awaiting the moment.

“Kylan, I know what you think, but you know Naia is a capable healer; this isn’t the first birth she has tended to,” Gurjin reminded him, “She’s in the most capable hands…” “She had to attend many refugees during the war,” Rian agreed with a nod, “Honestly, this should be a breeze for her after so much conflict…”

Kylan nodded somberly, trying to take in the words of his friends and swallow away all the dread. They…they’re right , he thought, trying to reassure himself, reminding himself of the time he had spent at the many camps, accompanying the Drenchen healer to treat the injured refugees, the many times she had been called upon to tend to a birth. At times he had been forced to help, with the number of healers stretched thin, remembering as Naia talked him through a complicated birth, patiently and calmly navigating the blood, internal fluids, and soothing elixirs while he tried his best not to faint or vomit. Despite her young age, she had delivered more of them during the entire trine and half that the war had lasted. And yet…she was not infallible, no one was, the war itself had taught them as much, that even beings of supposed great power like the Skeksis and the horrid constructs of flesh and metal their twisted wills had brought to life were not flawless, and so the Gelfling themselves were not, and the young Song-Teller could remember despite her best efforts one of the expecting mothers, a young Stonewood woman, barely reaching her twentieth trine. She had been too tired and weakened, and no matter how much Naia tried…they had lost her, and the child had died within the healer’s own arms. The feeble, withered, bloody form of the infant had haunted the young Song-Teller’s mind. A sudden, painful scream reverberated within the high, vaulted walls, wrenching Kylan away from his thoughts. Unlike the first time, he did not turn his eyes, not even to look back into the worried faces of his friends. He did not gasp, he stood in complete, utter, silence, waiting for it to pass, holding onto the native instrument, onto the one semblance of peace and tranquility he carried. Please…please be safe, my love , was all he could think, slightly turning his head, looking to the closed door by his side, not wishing to imagine the horrors that lay within. My Brea…

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Brea let out a sudden sigh as the pain dimmed, the Princess breathing in quick, short breaths, trying to regain air as the stinging feeling ebbed, her throbbing muscles slowly returning to calmness. Her clasped hands slowly let go of the ragged, bloodied unamoth silk underneath, leaving behind a few dented marks of her nails in the fine textile. She tried to raise her head, the tensed muscles of her neck and even the thin strands of messy hair that fell behind her like a waterfall of tainted silver seeming like a weight of lead, and her elbows struggled to even lift her weakened form. “I….” she tried to speak through the exhaustion, struggling to pull herself up against the headboard. She didn’t know how long she had been doing this, her mind had been too focused on the slowly growing pain inside of her, on the sensations that had taken over her petite frame. No amount of knowledge within the medical books, no talk with specialized physicians or even soothsayers and shamans of all clans who had come as envoys upon the news that she was with child could have prepared her for what was to come, not even the pain she had lived through her time at war could have prepared her for what was to come. “My lady, here!” a young Vapran nurse said, quickly rushing to her side, helping her sit up against the soft, cotton, unamoth-silk pillows. The Princess breathed deeply, feeling the air uncharacteristically cold, brushing sharply against her nose and her lips as she slumped back, head barely gracing the pillow behind her, one of her hand reaching down to caress the rounded, protruding womb, hard to believe it had only been three months since the midwives and healers had told her she was with child, hard to believe how much she ha changed at that time, her movement becoming to constrained, as if tied down, her own wings unable to lift her weight into the air. She had felt helpless, drained, prone…much like the ancient ceremonial stories had said. “We are almost there, Brea!”, a voice said from the far end of the bed, the young Vapran rose her eyes away from her form to see Naia rising up, she had to force her sight to completely make out her form. “My…my baby…”, the Princess uttered upon her exhaustion, in this state even attempting to articulate words tired her out, it had been an extremely frustrating process, to slowly lose the will and strength to do sometimes even the simplest task, reading by candlelight or creating murals on her journal and helping at the library had turned nearly herculean, and it had only gotten worse over the trine. The amount of activity she had seen during the war had not calmed her enough, the help she had lent in her efforts to rebuild the lost towns and vestiges of their culture had to cease upon the news, while she had been overjoyed to know the effect of seeing her become more and more dependable and unable to perform frustrated her to no end. “I know it hurts…”, the Drenchen healer said, the tone was the kindest she could muster in her voice, her own trine of experience had not prepared her for the task of tending to the pregnancy of her own friend, most of her own patients and charges had women from far villages and towns, none she had known too personally, the love that extended to them the same as was expected from a Maudra, the profundity of what this meant was wounding, to think that the possibility of losing the two or delivering the withered body sent shivers down her spine. “I know it hurts, but we are so close!”, she repeated, stiffing her tone, “You gotta push, your child is almost here!” The Princess took a moment to take in her words, her exhausted mind processing her words slowly, time had lost all meaning the moment she had been taken into labor and the dim sunlight penetrating through the upper, gold and purple stained glass window was barely, the eyelids feeling like weights of lead and the bags beneath her eyes bloated and profound.

Almost there… , the Vapra thought to herself, caressing the prone skin of her exposed stomach, she couldn’t tell if the feeling of the child insane was real or her own mind playing illusions from the long hours of toil, her small hands clasped together, lifting herself up and lying back against the pillows, “Al…alright…” Naia nodded, giving her friend a comforting smile before re-aligning herself in front of Brea’s birth canal, “Now push…we are almost there…” The Vapran nodded, placing her hands at the side and itching herself slightly towards her Drenchen friend. Remaining quiet for a few moments, the Princess took a deep breath, slowly feeling the pain filling again, her lips curling at the sudden contraction of her muscles, it was unbearable, as if she was being rent asunder, her lips parted to let out a scream.

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In the courtyard, Seladon phased back and forth, her elegant, azure robe flowing down, dragging through the thick, snow-covered grounds, her eyes open and unease as they turned to look through the windows that peered into the Citadel and her hands , hidden beneath the long sleeves of the ceremonial dress she had received from the Maudren as a sign of their new unity upon the end of the war and the healing of the heart of Thra trembled intensely. She opened her lips, attempting to let out a sound, but the air rasped against her sore, throbbing throat, causing the young All-Maudra to grasp her throat. She had entered a panic attack mere moments after Brea had gone into labor, the screams of pain reverberating within her mind had awakened the dreadful memories of her mother’s and Tavra’s deaths, both ran through by the wicked blades of the Skeksis before her very eyes, the fear of losing her sister, the last of her family, of her blood was too much to bear, she had already feared what would happen if Brea followed them to Thra…much as it was improper for a leader, Seladon wouldn’t know if she would have the courage to continue walking amongst the living. “You should sit, All-Maudra”, A voice said from the right, causing the Vapran woman to let out a sudden gasp, a plume of smoke escaping her lips before she turned back.

Behind her and a few meters, sitting close to the flowing but cold, small garden river was a sight that would have confused many, a Skeksis, a strange appearance indeed, the Great Conjunction had occurred little more than a trine back, reuniting all the Skeksis who did not fall on the war, with only The Mariner and the Scroll-Keeper being granted amnesty for siding with them in the war, but the former patron of the Sifa had long departed Skarith, too guilty of her failure to the sailor clan, seeking islands beyond, whereas the former court scholar had remained in Ha’rar to run the local library but had been sent on a program to educate the still many illiterate Gelfling and the news would take time to reach him in the borders of the Endless Forest and close to Sog, where a cabal of Vapran scholars and Spriton Songtellers had joined him. The creature itself didn’t resembled the withered and broken reptilian beasts that had taken the heart of Thra, no, this being stood tall and proud, in a way that not even the still elegant and fresh Mariner could not hope emulate from the prime of their youth, when they had been birthed by the Crystal, a muscular, well built form towering like a massive statue above the All-Maudra, clad in what seemed a relatively simple apron of Gelfling design, a few sprinkled of dried oil and charcoal staining it and the naked, four arms showed a collection of crimson and orange feathers. “The healers got it under control, everything is gonna be fine…”, the Skeksis continued, If a stranger had heard the rich, profound and slightly rasped tone of the voice one would not have been able it was a female, “Besides, your own issues with your back and wings due to overworking haven’t been solved yet…” “And she still refuses to use that wheelchair we designed for her…”, pointed out the Mystic by her side, a long yet bent creature holding into an intricately decorated staff, but unlike many of the wooden canes used by the Mystics she had dealt with, this one was metallic and heavily decorated with sigils. The All-Maudra curled her lips, clenching her fingers as if she wanted to immediately retort but she could not, it had been an entire trine since she had formally taken the position of All-Maudra, being forged, hardened by the former war and the rough politics of the now independent Gelfling, yet the re-establishment of order, creation of a new system of laws and negotiations to avoid infighting, plus the fear of losing her sister had worsened her already frail health overtime, Nothing I can’t handle , she had thought to herself, Mayrin hadn’t allowed for special measures to be taken to help her crippling scoliosis and despite the council the court healers and the Engineers the idea was still hard to come by.

“We agreed I would only use it outside court appearances and only when in extreme cases!”, Seladon finally managed to retort, her voice barely above a whisper but she knew well the Skeksis and her mystic counterpart heard, “Not like I need it here or can use it anyway…”, she muttered. “Still think you can fool us, All-Maudra?”, the lumbering creature questioned with a chuckle, raising a feathered eyebrow, “We know full well how you feel about this, or have you forgotten we have been leaving with the clans longer than any other?”. The young Vapran woman let out a sigh, placing her hands on her head and rubbing her temples, “No…no I did not”, she recognized, suppressing a shudder as another wave of pain shot down her form, the woman hugging her arms around herself. “Trying to suppress the pain with another pain will not help, All-Maudra”, the Mystic insisted, slowly walking over to the woman’s side, deciding against placing a hand over her shoulder, aware of the zones that most ached when she tensed, “You should not be this cruel to yourself…” The All-Maudra nodded weakly, “I…I just don’t wanna lose her, urMyr”, she confessed with a hoarse voice, gently turning, the wings on her back feeling like they were made of pure, carved stone, threatening to drag her into the snow, “She’s all I really got in life…”. skekOr and urMyr shared a glance and nodded somberly, in a way they knew it was not true, the All-Maudra had found love in the arms of the Prince of the Drenchen during the war, finding his humor refreshing, but hearing all she had lost in her family and how much the relation between the two had grown in the war, how much Seladon struggled to protect her, they could only agree with her. “She’s all I have…”, Seladon repeated, holding her chest, her voice breaking slightly and her words barely audible, thoughts of her sister perishing flooding her mind, of her from slowly closing her eyes as They claimed her, like it had claimed all her family before her, “No…”, she said, trying to hold back the memories, tears beginning to slide down her pale cheeks. “All-Maudra…”, skekOr said, noting the sudden shift and sudden distress, “All-Maudra you gotta calm down, the healers said…” “No…”, Seladon interrupted but she hadn’t even heard him, too focused on her thoughts, on the pain of her, “No, no, no, she’s going to die…”, the Vapran noble exclaimed, holding the sides of her head and collapsing on the snow-covered ground, “Brea, Brea, no, no…”, she said. “Seladon, you gotta calm down!”, skekOr said, “She’s gonna be alright, please, remember the diagnosis…” “She’s going to die!”Seladon shouted, clasping her hands and burying her fingers under the platinum strands of her, “She is going to die!”, she yelled, “No, no, no…you can’t leave me, Brea, not after father, not after mother, not after Tavra!”. At the sudden sight, the Skeksis woman couldn’t keep away anymore, she scooped the All-Maudra up and hugged her, careful not to excel much pressure and avoiding the particularly tense shoulders of the woman, where she had read nearly all of her pain concentrated, “Seladon, it’s alright…it’s going to be alright”, she reassured her, the rasped profound voice still filled with tenderness, she held the suddenly silent woman against her chest, the only sound being her muffled cries. “There, there, let it all out”, skekOr continued, reaching out to gently pass her hand along the cascade of silver hair, she had seen the All-Maudra grow during the time they had served together in the war, watching the insecure girl become a true leader, rising above all adversity and standing for her people, still the subject of family was dear to her, she could understand what, losing them all and not being able to truly express how she felt about them her entire life, not able to show her affection as often as she would like wounded her, “Deep breaths…deep breaths…”, she indicated, pulling away the young woman and slowly placing her back on the ground, looking as she let out harsh breaths. “Slowly…”, the Skeksis woman indicated, raising a taloned hand, beckoning her to stop, the Gelfling woman sniffling and stopping to cry, “There you go, take it slow and easy…”, the engineer beckoned, “Slow breath…”. The Gelfling woman inhaled, feeling the cold air brush the insides of her nose, almost cutting painful but she followed, trying to follow the instructions she had been given, “There you go”, the creature said with a smile on her short beak, “Exhale now, slowly…”, she beckoned with a gesture that looked strange from her massive, muscular hand, the Vapran however, followed her instructions, exhaling, “Again…”, she followed almost as she let out, trying to prevent Seladon from shuddering again. After a few deep breathing exercises that felt like an hour to Seladon, the young Vapran noble lowered her head, all the anguish and fear slowly dissipating from her mind but clarity would take a while before fully manifesting in her, leaving her to still worry. “I am sorry, skekOr…”, Seladon apologized, still too hurt, too worried to care about protocol again and still knowing that the woman prefered to be called by her name, “I…I shouldn’t have reacted like that again…I…I lost control”, she admitted with a polite nod of recognition, “It was immature, it was unworthy of the All-Maudra…” “It was a perfectly normal thing, Seladon, no need to apologize…”, the Engineer dismissed with a comforting smile, “You love your sister more than anything in this world and that is enough, your worry is understandable…”, she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean you should hurt yourself”, the Mystic behind added, “You should take care of yourself and trust in the ability of the healers and the strength of your sister, she has always been strong…”, she insisted, gently brushing the Gelfling’s robe on the arm, “Come now, sit…we should order one of the cooks to bring you some relaxing Ta” Seladon nodded, allowing the two halves too escort her to a polished bench, the Skeksis and Mystic brushing the snow with their talons before allowing the woman to sit, her sight losing itself in the single mosaic window that allowed her to into the citadel, hoping her sister would be well.

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Brea screamed as she pushed once more, her hands clasping the sides of the bed and her wings flapping franatically, feeling every nerve, every muscle contracting and parting, she stopped, letting out brief, choked breaths and swallowing bitterly, her forehead was drenched in a layer of sweat from the sheer efforts, she couldn’t keep it much longer, the pain was just too much for her, “I can’t…I…I can’t…”, she uttered. “Brea, we are almost there, you just gotta push a little bit more!”Naia said at the edge of the bed, raising her head and giving the woman a look, “Come on, you gotta do it, you can’t stop now!” The Princess licked her lips, a bitter, salty taste briefly before trying to mouth something, “I…I can’t…Na-Naia…”, she said through her exhaustion, “It’s…it’s…” “Brea, I can see the head, you are almost there!”, the Drenchen healer interrupted her friend, the voice deviating from the calm, collected attitude she had presented, even in her tired state Brea could notice she was more frantic, “You can’t stop, just a little more and your child will be here but you gotta go on!” At the sudden news the scholar felt a sudden warmness washing over her, a gentle caress, a feeling of renewed strength and purpose on the current situation, My child…our child is here, it has come… , she realized, a part of her feeling strange for doing so, after all the time she had spent educating herself with book in the library and talking with Seladon over her observation of Mayrin while pregnant with Tavra and her and helping raise them that she was giving birth now, that her child was no longer just a concept that she carried but a very real life that had been growing inside her womb and was ready to come into Thra, into their arms. “Brea, please!”, Naia yelled, raising her voice, “No time to stop!” The Princess raised her head, a determined look upon her face as she turned to the Drenchen healer and beginning to push again, the feeling of pain, of her body being rent asunder that was slowly dissipating now rising again, invading every nerve, it was unbearable, a part of herself begging her to simple give in, to abandon, it was too much. No, I can’t give in , Brea told herself, opening her lips to let out another groan of pain, her thoughts being harder to keep in proper order through the feelings invading her, I cannot give in now, our child is almost here and I have to deliver her, have to bring her, she insisted pushing harshly. From the border, Naia’s eyes remained firm on the young Vapra’s bird canal, her hands, protected by thick but soft and flexible Nebrie leather gloves struggling not to tremble in the sudden knowledge of what was to come, the small head of the newborn slowly emerging, a moment later a cry filled the room, almost causing the young but experienced healer to doubt herself, Nearly there , she thought. “Come on, Brea, push!”, she insisted, “Push!”, she commanded, trying to speak over the newborn’s cries. Brea nodded, just when she felt that even with her renewed feel the pain was going to kill her she let out a final push, her lips parting to release a massive squeal of pain that reverberated across the Citadel, the feeling of all her form parting, making way for the new form becoming unbearable, she felt her blood run at an extreme level to her lower half , gushing out down. And then, as soon as it had began, it ended, Brea allowed herself to fall into the pillow as the pain subsides, her lips trembling as she suddenly could hear, interrupted by her own pain, by her own yells, the cries, she slowly tried to rise her head again, feeling her bones aching at the slightest move. “Careful, milady…”, the nurse said, gently helping her rise and placing the pillow in a way she could lie against it, “You have been through a lot, better not to force yourself”, she warned, gently caressing the messy strands of hair. “M-my child…”, Brea stuttered, “Is…is it…” “All is well now, Brea…”, Naia said, slowly approaching her friend, holding a bundle in her arms, a gentle expression on her face, “Your child is fine, everything went well, thank Thra…”, she said with a sigh, reaching down to hand over the newborn to her mother, “It’s a girl…” Brea gently stretched her arms, grabbing the baby wrapped in a blanket, her eyes looking down to see her child, incredulous, the child had a tanned complexion, akin to those of a Spriton, with lightly freckled cheeks and a thin layer of orange hair with a small strand of graying blue. The baby’s eyes opened, they were a deep bronze like her own and she smiled. “She’s…she’s so beautiful…”, Brea uttered in disbelief, gently reaching down and caressing the child’s cheek, a single tear streaming down her face, “So perfect…”, she said before breaking down into tears of joy. “I shall notify the others of the situation”, Naia said with a polite bow before leaving the room, giving the young Vapran nurse by her side a look to accompany her, leaving the Princess alone with her daughter in her arms.

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Kylan and the rest remained silent for the reminder of the time, muffled as Brea’s screams were they were still heard along the long passages of the Citadel, the young Songteller hugged his arms around his form, trying to suppress the feeling of dread and loss, of the pain that his lover must have been going to bring their own child to the world, he was going to be a father, that and the illusion of seeing his love again and forming a family where the only things keeping them at bay, the rest of the group around them could not do much more, their own powers of persuasion and attempts to relieve him of his fear had only done so much. The sudden door opening caused Kylan to snap out of his thoughts, startled at the sudden sound, his head quickly turning to the side and seeing the Drenchen healer emerge, hands behind her back. “Naia…”, the Spriton hurried to say, rising up from his seat and limping, “What happened, is she alright? Please, tell me she is alright!” The young heir to the Drenchen nodded, “She is fine, Kylan”, she declared, placing her arms around his shoulder and patting him, “She is fine and has given birth to a healthy little girl…” The dark thoughts inside his mind seemed to slowly banish at the sudden knews, the tormenting melody inside of his heart replaced with the dawn of peace, of love at the knowledge of his beloved and his daughter being well, the young man immediately threw his arms around his friend. “Thank you, Naia!”he thanked through a sob, “Thank you!” “Hey, just doing my job”, the Drenchen said with a chuckle, “You better come inside and see the two of them…”, she continued before turning to the her brother, “Gurjin, be so kind to fetch Seladon, the Engineer and the Artificer!” “Sure thing!”, her twin said with a nod, “Sure Selly will be pleased to hear of her sister but the two stooges are gonna have a hard time fitting inside again…”, he said with a chuckle. —------------------------------------------------------------- Kylan walked into the healer’s room with a heavy heart and a heavy mind, he wasn’t sure what to think or feel, even with the joy he had experimented upon hearing the good news the idea of being a father, that his own child was here now, his life had taken a strange turn, from being the son of two social outcasts merchants, rejected from their clans for simply loving each other to being one of the heroes of the Resistance and the husband of the young Princess of Ha’rar and helper at the newly formed scholar program, it was hard to process it all now, seeing how much things had changed. He raised his head, seeing Brea lying on the mattress, holding a bundle of blankets in her arms, her face was pale and tired, with heavy bags under her eyes but a wide smile on her face as she looked down at it with loving eyes. “Brea…”, the Spriton uttered, causing the Princess to tear away her gaze from the child and to him. “Kylan!”, she exclaimed, her voice weak but filled with happiness. “How are you feeling?” the young Songteller questioned with a gentle voice, walking to his lover’s side and gently caressed her face The Vapra chuckled before kissing his on the palm, “Tired, more than I have ever been before but happier than ever too…”, she described, holding the little girl close to him, “Come, meet our girl…”, the young scholar said, passing the bundle to Kylan, the Spriton looked down upon the child as she squirmed in his arms, he was mesmerized at the sigh, mouth hanging agape and trembling, as if he was attempting to form words but the situation wouldn’t just let him.

This is our child… he realized, it had been strange to think about the idea of being a father, of being that which he knew so little about, barely having known his own before he was taken from him when he was but a few trine old and yet it was even stranger looking upon their own daughter, their own blood, what it all meant.

“Hello, little one…”, he said shily and gently rocking the baby in his arms, “It’s me your..your…”, he struggled to say, feeling tears beginning to slide down his face and his voice breaking down into sobs

Brea’s eyes widened at the sight of her lover’s sudden reaction, “Kylan…are you ok?”, she asked warily, sliding gently to the side of the mattress.

“She is so beautiful, Brea!”, the Spriton practically wailed, turning back to his lover and leaning down to her side, his eyes and face reddened from his cries, “So beautiful…our little girl”, he uttered, gently caressing the childling’s face with his thumb, careful not harm her, “I…I never thought we would…” “I know, Kylan…”, Brea complimented, gently placing a hand on her lover’s shoulder and massaging it, her own eyes still filled with tears, they had both lost so much, nearly their entire families taken in the bloodied conflict with the former lords, the thought of having a child, of a better tomorrow seemed strange, impossible amidst the despair, even after their victory at the Castle of the Crystal.

He handed over the baby back to her mother as the two gazed upon their newborn girl as she squirmed between their arms, snuggling against her mother’s chest, her small hands grasping for the warm blanket wrapped around her form, as if frightened it could be taken away. “What should we call her?”, Brea suddenly questioned, gently rocking her. “Oh, I thought you would have a name for her”, the Spriton said gently, “You spent so much time looking into the old times with the specific purpose of finding a name…”, he reminded his wife with a sly smile, “Even went to Onica for answers and to see her scrolls on numerology and star reading”. Brea chuckled sheepishly at his reminder of the search they had entailed, while her lover had agreed that they wanted a name to hold a certain meaning for their child they didn’t wanted to make her after some historical figure, something that had suppressed many when revealed but the fact that the royal family had to deal with carrying a questionable name after Mayrin had named her eldest child after her own mother. The young Vapra pondered for a few moments, gazing down over the sleeping baby girl, searching her mind over the many names she had found in the months, “Hmmm, perhaps…”, she began, reaching with one of her hands to click against the side of her face, still pondering, Something that can encompass her without putting pressure…names have power, after all . “Anekka?”Kylan questioned, despite his earlier assertion he wanted to participate, knowing his beloved might have been too tired, “It stands for an ancient warrior bard in Stonewood myth, a companion to Jarra Jen…” Before the Vapran woman could answer, the infant shifted with slight discomfort over, emitting a groan, “Oh…don’t think she likes it…”, she said, as sweetly as she could, Kylan simply shrugging and emitting a chuckle, “How about…Wynne?”, she proposed then, “Name of an old Scroll-Keeper who wrote many of the Crystal Scrolls we used for magic and research”. The crimson-haired girl wiggled inside, an uncomfortable look on her face at the mention of the name. “Hmmm, she didn’t liked that one either…”, Brea said with a weak smile and a chuckle before falling silent and starting to think of more names, gazing down into the face of her daughter, at how her bronze eyes studied her mother with curiosity and then…it came to her. “Ariya…”, she uttered almost as soon as the idea germinated within her mind, sounding softly as she escaped her lips, and in that moment the world seemed to stop around her but the child opened her eyes, “Ariya…”, she uttered again. “Ariya?”, Kylan questioned with slight confusion, “I…I think I heard it once from you but I don’t remember what it means”. “It’s an old Gelfling word…”, the scholar explained with as much passion as she could muster in her weary voice, “It was used for traveling scholars who were also trained as bards in Vapra culture, back before the clan was propelly established”, she explained, “They were inspired by the Spriton songtellers to bring the knowledge in a way the ones who could not read could understand…they were named the Ariya”. At his lover’s explanation Kylan smiled, “That’s a nice name…”, he admitted with a shrug, leaning over the Vapra and placing a kiss on her forehead, “I like it, really exalts the smart she inherited from you”. “Oh, hush now, Kylan”, the Princess said with a chuckle, “She inherited those from you!”, she declared, placing a kiss on his lips and pulling him close. The two lovers remained in embrace together and close to their newborn daughter, holding her close to their chest warmly, not wanting to part for that moment, wishing it would remain forever. —---------------------------------------- “So, that’s the babe then?”, a profound, raspy voice said from the door, wrenching the two new parents from the moment, their eyes opening and the child in their arms turning as best as her mother’s gentle but firm grip allowed her to see the massive form of skekOr and urMyr struggling to enter the room, “Just…just a minute!”, the creature said in a loud and growling voice, “Can never fit here!” “Remember to pull yourself against the sides!”, the Mystic behind him said, “And hurry up, others are waiting to see her and you’re taking up all the view…literally”. The Skeksis growled, reaching out to the sides and clasping the finely sculpted marble wall, “Alright…like something struck between two engrained or cogs…”, she reminded herself of the process they had devised to get through the less-than-ideally sized Gelfling doors. “urMyr, I’m gonna need you to push from behind!”, the Skeksis woman ordered, “Same for you, Seladon, Gurjin and Rian…”, she said, the muttering behind letting her know they were less than thrilled with needing to do so. “Oh, come now!”, the Engineer said with exasperated sarcasm, “Next time I won’t attempt to come in first…I am sorry…”, she added, scratching the back of her head and rustling the large, black and orange feathers, “Help me out and push!”, the Skeksis then ordered, clapsing the sides tightly and comenzing to push. She felt the many hands on her back, pressing against her muscular form and pushing forwards, both the small Gelfling ones, and the ones of her Mystic other, gnarled as if they were more stronger than ever her own, the natural strength of her Urru heritage. “Come on…almost there!”, she said, clenching her teeth and feeling the short and sharp ends of her beak gnashing together, slowly feeling the sides of her body sliding out of the cramped passage into the room. In a moment, there was a loud groan as the Skeksis was pushed inside, her entire body trying to balance out and waving her four, thick as beams of steel arms before she reached to clasp for a table and tripped to the ground. “Oh, dear Thra!”, the voice of urMyr said from the entrance, the Mystic quickly entering to help out her other half, her blunt teeth clenching at the feeling of the cold groan struck the Skeksis, “skekOr, you ok?”, she questioned. The feathered creature lifted an arm and raised her taloned and curved thumb before mumbling something. The azure colored Artificer huffed, a mixture of relief and annoyance, “She’s alright!” “What I don’t understand is why don`t you, girls, just invent some sort of shrinking device or look for a spell?”, Gurjin posed, shrugging his shoulders and walking into the room. “I’ve told, Prince of the Sog…”, urMyr said, crossing her arms, “Magic and inventions don’t work like that and we are still developing that rod of concentrated Crystal Magic to carve out larger doors…” “Yep…gotta focus the beams into a more focused one…”, the Skeksis said, rising from the ground and dusting off her armor encrusted and oily robes. The couple couldn’t help but chuckle at the moment happening before their eyes, the Vapran woman in bed taking one of her hands to mask her smile. “Brea…”, Seladon finally said, causing the young Princess to turn to the entrance, her sister slowly walking to her side, her pale-golden skin reddened and her eyes hugged by thick, bloodshot veins, “You…you are alright”, the All-Maudra uttered, approaching the bed. “I…I thought I was gonna lose you…”, the older Vapran confessed, almost feeling herself about to break into tears once more, “Like mother…like Tavra”. “Seladon, I am well…”, Brea reassured her with a smile, “I wasn’t gonna abandon you or Kylan…”, she said, slowly raising the childling, “Come, come meet your niece…” As the eldest sister approached she slowly took in the look of the girl, her tan skin and red hair, the small, almost unnoticeable freckled that lined her cheeks and upper nose, her jaw dropped down at the recognition, “Oh, Brea…”, she said as tears began falling down from her cheeks, she gently reached down to grab the childling. “She…she looks so much like father!”, she said, unable to contain the feeling that the awakened memories stirred within her, the thoughts of her long forgotten father being too much for her, “I…I…” “It’s alright, Seladon…”, Brea said, slowly incorporating and embracing her sister, “I miss him too…” “He would be so happy to see her grandchild…”, Seladon moaned, “It’s…it’s just sad that neither he or mother are here…” Kylan, who had managed to overhear the conversation lowered his head in slight pain, “Yes…I too wish my parents could have been here to see us”, he pondered, much as he loved his adoptive mother, Mera, there was always a longing for what could have been, “But you are here, Seladon and this childling will grow to meet you…” Seladon nodded, gently handing the child back to Brea. “Well, well, let us see the little one…”, skekOr said, her entire form towering above the bed, shadowing the three Gelfling, “Hmmm, red hair…like your father, you said?” “Kinda…”, Brea admitted with a shrug, “Father wasn’t completely red-haired, he had Spriton and Stonewood ancestry and his hair was dark…there is no precise way to understand how the pure Sifa gene manifests yet, given the high concentration of mixed-blood individuals in the clan”. At this the Skeksis raised her eyebrow with, “Interesting…skekSa never told me how that one worked…”, she said with slight confusion, “The way Gelfling adapt is a fascinating process and yet one I can’t fully understand”. “Whoah, Engineer, I hope you’re not expecting to do any experiments to find out”, Gurjin chuckled, gently punching the woman on the shoulder. At the suggestion, the feathered creature smirked, her glistening, sharp teeth showing threateningly, “Maybe I will…care to help me out?” “Uh…”, Gurjin said, turning his eyes to the side with discomfort, “Uh…no thanks!” “Thought so…”. skekOr chuckled, winking an eye. A sudden cough interrupted the moment, the entire group turned to see Naia and the Vapra healer behind them, a stern look on her face, “I am sorry to interrupt the moment but the patient needs time to rest…so everyone except Kylan, out!”, she ordered, not afraid to even bark orders and instructions to the All-Maudra and the Skeksis and Mystic pair, they might have had authority over her but in Sog and in the medical wing they all answered to her. As the room was emptied, Brea and Kylan remained together, both looking with love upon their child, the one being they loved most.