#is thomas superstitious please discuss

[carolmaclaine]

sometimes I think about that little speech about fate thomas gives at the clocktower and I've yet to really dissect all that

[emy-loves-you]

Sanders Sides AU-gust Day 1: Fantasy

Fae!Patton x Knight!Roman

Patton POV, Royality with background Analogical

Masterlist | Day 2

In the Kingdom of Brillare, it was not uncommon to hear stories of the fae. Some believed them to be just that: stories. Little tales to tell children before bedtime. Some did not believe in them, but still followed the tradition of deterring bad fae. It was not strange to see St John’s Wort or Yarrow growing in the windowsill of a family with a newborn. Or to see iron runes around a doorway, even decades after humans lose the ability to read them. The more superstitious would leave offerings in their yard and carry daisy petals in their pockets.

The small village of Fiore was not superstitious in the slightest. With a population of less than 60, Fiore didn’t have much access to Fae tales. They planted whatever flowers they pleased, regardless of whether or not it attracted or deterred Fae. They stayed clear of mushroom circles and flower fields, not because they feared of fae hiding there, but because they were too busy working to keep their village afloat. There were far more dangerous things hiding in the woods.

But if you were to walk past the village and into the fields, you would notice things. Like how some of the mushrooms were pulled out of the ground, preventing them from forming full fairy circles. How the flowers were sparse in all but one area. How at night the fireflies would stay away from that area of the field, yet there would always be a pale blue light somewhere in the field. If someone with knowledge of the unknown were to see the light, they would recognize it for what it was: magic.

Because living in the field of flowers was a tiny fairy named Patton. Patton was a tiny fae, only a few inches tall. But that didn’t mean that he was weak. What Patton lacked in size, he gained in magic. Patton considered himself the silent protector of Fiore. Or, one of the protectors of Fiore. Sure, the other protector knew nothing of Patton’s existence, but it was okay. After all, it was considered wrong for Fae to interact with humans as equals. Fae were superior in terms of magic and cunning, so it was seen as obscene to be friends with humans, much less want to protect them. But Patton wasn’t like most Fae.

That’s why Patton lived alone, in his own tulip on the outskirts of a human village. That’s why Patton destroyed the other Fairy circles. Sure, Patton was alone- an extremely uncommon thing for Fae- but the humans were his to protect. And Patton would lay down his life for every single human in this village.

Patton was extremely grateful that the village did not believe in fairies. That meant that every night Patton could wander the village as he pleased. He blessed the plants to have a fruitful harvest. He soothed the children who were suffering through nightmares. He blessed the newborns with gifts of strength and wit and heart.

(Sometimes, a traveler or two would visit for the night. They would always warn the village of the nasty fae who cursed innocents and stole children. The villagers would always respond in disbelief. Patton would always be sure to hide in his home for a few nights, just in case.)

Now, Patton promised himself that he would not develop attachments to the humans. He lived much longer than any of them could ever dream of living; it would only break his heart to grow attached. But Patton could not lie. He did have a few humans that had wormed their way into his heart. Three, in fact. It didn’t help that they were the only three that dared to wander into Patton’s flower field.

The first one was Logan. Logan was only 10 summers old. Logan was the son of a farmer and a carpenter, but all he wished to do was read and watch the stars. Every morning, Logan would be found reading a book under the old Hawthorn tree between the village and the field. Patton wished he could read the odd human language, if only so he could know what Logan found so fascinating. Sometimes, a village elder would come by and discuss things with Logan. Logan liked to use words that Patton didn’t understand, but it still made Patton happy to listen in. Some nights, Logan would sneak out of the village and into the flower field. He would lie there for hours, talking to himself about the different constellations in the night sky. Some even had stories behind them, which Logan would tell as one might speak about a deity. Patton would be in awe for the whole night, watching as the fireflies lit up the emotions on Logan’s face. Sometimes, he imagined that Logan was telling him those stories. And every sunrise that Logan went to leave, Patton fought the urge to speak out. Patton sometimes wished that he could compel the stars themselves, if only so Logan could stay and tell him more about them.

Next was Virgil. Virgil was not born in the village. He was found 5 winters ago on a hunting trip through the forest. Patton was surprised to learn that the child was 7 summers old at the time. He was smaller than Logan, and he was only 5! Speaking of Logan, Patton was pretty sure that the two had a crush on each other. It was so sweet to see the two of them interact, blushing the entire time. Virgil sometimes journeyed with Logan to the flower field. Sometimes Virgil would come on his own, voicing his concerns to the wind. About how he wasn’t good enough, and that the villagers shouldn’t waste their resources taking care of him. Patton made sure to use whatever magic he could to comfort Virgil on those nights. Sometimes he would control a frog or rabbit to go and cheer Virgil up.

Virgil preferred to wear larger clothing, even during the summer months. He was still small after years of living in the village, but he still helped in any way that he could. Virgil proved to be an excellent climber, able to get in places that others couldn’t reach. He would help set traps in the winter and pick fruit in the summer. He also had a knack for finding things (Patton may have helped in that department). If anything (or anyone) was lost, Virgil could find it. Virgil was actually the one to find Roman.

Roman was the third human to worm their way into Patton’s heart. It was odd, simply because it was different when compared to Logan or Virgil. Patton assumed that if he were to have any young, he would love them as he loved Logan and Virgil. Roman, however, was different. For one, he was older than Virgil. He looked similar in age to Thomas, one of the farmers, who Patton knew was 28 summers old. Virgil had brought Roman to the village one day, an arrow lodged into his shoulder. Apparently, Roman was a knight from Rosso, the capital of Brillare. Roman was sent to scout the trading route between Brillare and Giallo (Brillare’s neighboring country and ally) when he was attacked by bandits. The villagers quickly patched Roman up and he stayed for a week before leaving back for Russo. Apparently Roman had grown attached to Fiore because he would always travel there whenever possible. It was not uncommon to see people tidying up the village for the knight’s return. Every time Roman visited, he would bring gifts and tell stories of his adventures throughout the kingdom. He would also tell stories of myths and legends. Patton was surprised that none of Roman’s stories contained fae. Perhaps humanity’s knowledge of Fae has dwindled since the last time Patton left this village.

It wasn’t until Roman’s most recent trip to Fiore that Patton realized why his feelings for Roman were so odd. Roman had visited the flower field just before sunset, just as he did every time he visited Fiore. Roman sat in the middle of the field, just a few feet from Patton’s home. Roman liked to sit there until well after the sunset and sing. It was apparently a tradition he had with his mother that he wanted to continue.

Roman had the most beautiful voice. In Patton’s opinion, at least. Patton could lie there forever, just listening to Roman’s voice. Sometimes he sang happy, joyful tunes. Other times the night was filled with tales of sorrow. Every time, Patton would try and commit every song to memory, so that he could quietly hum along the next time Roman sang it. In Roman’s most recent visit, however, he didn’t sing about joy or sorrow. Instead, he sang about something else. It wasn’t until well after Roman left that Patton realized what Roman was singing about: Love.

Patton hadn’t thought about love in a LONG time. Sure, he had a mate many years ago, but they disagreed on how humans should be treated, so they separated pretty quickly. And Patton had seen the love blossom between humans, but he never thought about Roman loving another human.

It hurt. The thought of Roman loving someone hurt Patton in a way he didn’t expect. Humans were supposed to love other humans, while fairies loved other fairies. It was an extremely simple concept, but it still made Patton wince in pain at the thought. Patton didn’t realize how attached he was to Roman until now.

Patton was in love with Roman. It was the truth, plain and simple. And Roman was in love with someone else. Roman would eventually get married and never come back. Logan and Virgil would grow old and die. And Patton would be alone. Again. Like he always was.

So, Patton made a plan. He gathered ingredients and made himself a potion. It wouldn’t be a permanent potion (the ingredients to make that were much more difficult to come by) but it would allow Patton to fulfill his dreams before being subjected to heartache. Once the potion was fully brewed, Patton waited until the day Roman was expected to arrive.

Patton panted as he headed towards the road that led to the village. He was carrying the potion in a rose petal to keep it fresh, but it put a lot of strain on his arms and wings. Once he reached the road, Patton searched for a suitable place to hide. He eventually found a boulder along down the road. Patton made sure that he wouldn’t be spotted by any travelers before downing the potion. It was extremely bitter and made Patton’s insides twist uncomfortably, but Patton made sure that he downed the entire potion.

Patton bit back a scream. His insides felt like they were on fire and his skin felt like it was tearing itself apart. Patton layed there for several hours, unsure of if the potion was working or if he was dying. Eventually, the fire died down to a dull ache and Patton was able to open his eyes. The first thing he realized was that his vision was too blurry to see. Patton thought back to the glass contraptions that Logan wore and did his best to replicate them through magic. Once Patton had the contraption on (“glasses,” if his memory was correct) he then noticed that the potion had worked. Gone were his blue skin and wings. Instead, Patton’s skin was pale and his back was bare. He appeared to be just a few inches shorter than he remembered Roman being, instead of the few inches that he normally stood at.

For all intents and purposes, Patton looked like a human. Patton giggled, doing a small shimmy before realizing that he wasn’t wearing any human clothes. He felt himself blush as he conjured some new clothes. The pants were a little tight and the shirt almost showed off his navel, but it was good for Patton’s first summoning attempt. Besides, the clothes (along with Patton’s human form) would only last for three days, which was plenty of time for Patton to get over his feelings for the humans. His plan was simple: interact with the humans that he considered his family, convince Logan and Virgil to get together, find out who Roman’s love is, get over his crush on Roman and parental attachment to Logan and Virgil, convince the other villagers to install anti-fairy measurements, then leave and never return.

Patton stood up on shaky feet. It was a weird feeling to walk. Usually, at least half of Patton’s weight was supported by his wings. He hadn’t fully realized how much easier that made walking until now. Patton kept tripping and stumbling every few feet. It reminded him of when Logan was just learning to walk.

Patton shook his head, easily dismissing the thought. Today was not the day to reminisce. He could do that after sunset on the third day, when he would be long gone.

Patton suddenly felt arms around him and something near his neck. For humans, the metal would be cold but even without touching him Patton could feel the heat of the blade. Iron.

“Well, well, well.” The man purred, dragging Patton down the road, away from the village. “Look what we have here.” Patton didn’t recognize the man’s voice, so he wasn’t from the village. Didn’t Roman say there were bandits along this trail? God, this was a terrible idea. “You’ll pay quite nicely.”

Patton shuddered at the man’s breath against his neck. Pay? “I-I don’t have any money.” Patton said. He wasn’t really shocked to feel the magic in his voice. Without a name to work with, the magic wouldn’t do much other than preventing Patton from lying.

The man laughed. “Oh sweety, I wasn’t talkin’ about money.” Patton chose to say silent, not really wanting to know what the man was talking about.

The man dragged him off the road towards a small campsite. There were two other men there. One of them looked at Patton in a way that made him uncomfortable. Another whistled. “Damn, Rodger. Got yourself a real gem there, didn’t ya?” Patton shivered as the man’s name washed across his skin. It wasn’t enough to control the man, but it could prove useful.

Rodger laughed. “I was thinking he could get us a good amount at the next trade. If not, we could always have some fun with him.” The men laughed, and Patton wished that he hadn’t gone through with this.

Suddenly one of the men fell over, a dagger in their side. The others quickly tensed up, searching their surroundings. Patton felt the blade touch his skin and barely stopped himself from gasping at the pain. The man who whistled yelled out. “Who’s there? Show yourself!” A man walked through the treeline, shocking Patton. Roman!

Roman tsked as he walked towards the fire. Patton whimpered as the iron blade dug a little deeper into his neck. Roman stopped moving forward, but continued to tsk. “I was wondering where the three of you had ran off to. Now, if you let go of that poor gentleman there, I’ll make sure that your cell is nice and cozy.”

The man that wasn’t holding Patton charged at Roman, pulling out his dagger. Roman quickly pulled out his sword and began to duel. The fight didn’t last long (it was a dagger against a sword, what did you think would happen?) and soon the man was on the ground, bleeding out from the gash in his side. Roman approached Patton and Rodger, his sword tinted red. Patton felt the blade dig a little deeper and did the first thing that came to mind.

“RODGER!” Since the name wasn’t given to him by Rodger, the magic did little more than make him freeze up. But that was enough. Patton quickly elbowed the man in the gut, ignoring the way the iron blade cut across his skin. He quickly grabbed Rodger’s hand and used it to plunge the knife into his own neck. Rodger let out a silent scream before slumping over, lifeless.

Patton panted a little before his actions caught up with him. Patton just killed a human, something that he swore he would never do. Patton was suddenly on his knees, vomiting in the bushes next to him. His human-looking body had almost nothing in it, so Patton was mainly dry-heaving.

There was suddenly a hand on Patton’s back as he heaved. “It’s alright,” Roman said, rubbing small circles between Patton’s shoulder blades. “It’s not your fault. It was self-defense.”

Eventually, Patton stopped heaving. And he slumped forward. Roman quickly caught him. “Woah there, friend. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

Patton felt his cheeks warm up and his stomach lurch as Roman picked him up bridal style. They were both silent as Roman carried Patton to the giant creature he liked to ride on. Patton couldn’t remember the species name at the moment, but it was still just as majestic as always. Roman carefully positioned both of them on the creature before slowly heading towards Fiore.

Around halfway there, Patton convinced himself to speak. “Thank you. For saving me.”

“It was no issue. Did they do anything to you.”

Patton shook his head. “Other than the cut on my neck, no. They had just found me before you showed up.”

Roman was silent for a moment before he asked another question. “Why did you yell ‘Rodger’?”

Patton worded his response carefully, not wanting the truth magic to give away that he was fae. “That was the man’s name. I heard one of the other men call him it. I was hoping that yelling it would distract him.”

Roman chuckled. “That must have taken a lot of courage. I’m impressed.”

Patton blushed. “Thank you, Sir Knight.”

Roman was silent for a moment before responding. “My name is Roman.”

Patton barely fought back the gasp at being given Roman’s name. His skin felt like it was on fire again, but this time it was extremely pleasurable. It had been many years since Patton was last given a human name. “P-Patton.” He eventually stuttered out.

Roman’s hands gripped the reins tightly. “Patton.” He said, testing the name on his tongue. Patton had to resist the urge to shudder at the sound. Only in Patton’s wildest fantasies did he imagine Roman using his name. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Patton,” Roman said softly, his voice lower than normal.

Patton felt his blush return tenfold. Getting over his crush would be a lot harder than he initially thought.

[frizz22]

Hi, I was wondering if you could write a fic where Hilda is very pregnant and her water breaks during an important coven meeting at the church of night and Zelda is helping her as the midwife and Faustus is somehow magically nice because it’s a boy. Lol thanks.

Thanks for the prompt, sorry for the wait. Enjoy! Read on ao3

She’d had some light cramping throughout the day. Nothing severe, just, uncomfortable. Hilda had been a midwife long enough to know Braxton Hicks contractions when they happened. Besides, she still had another two weeks until she was due, this was just the little darling getting settled.

Placing a hand on her stomach, Hilda looked down at the babe. “You need to calm down, love, mum’s got an important coven meeting she’s going to and she can’t have you causing these cramps, you understand?” Something hit her hand, whether it was a knee or elbow Hilda wasn’t sure, but she grunted softly at the jab. “Oh, so you’re going to be a little heaven raiser like your aunt and cousins, is that it?” 

Just then Zelda popped her head into the room. “Hilda are you ready? We need to leave now if we’re driving.”

Rubbing a hand over her swollen stomach, Hilda nodded. “Coming, Zelds. Little Edward is just feeling especially feisty this afternoon.”

The mention of her nephew brought a smile to Zelda’s face. “Ahh, well he must realize it’s almost time to join us. But right now, it is time for us to join the coven meeting. We’re discussing the celebrations for Witch Epiphany, come.”

Nodding, Hilda followed her sister out of the house, grimacing every once in a while at the cramps.

~~~~~~~~~~

Halfway through the meeting Hilda was seriously beginning to doubt her previous notion that these were Braxton Hicks contractions. Shifting to try and get more comfortable in her seat, when she felt a slight pop and suddenly her skirt was sodden as was the cushion of the chair underneath her.

“Oh. Oh my…” Zelda glanced at her, brow furrowing at her soft exclamation. Turning as calmly as she could, Hilda licked her lips. “I, Zelds, my water just broke.” She informed her sister with a whisper.

Eyes going wide, Zelda lifted the table cloth partially hiding Hilda’s lap and her quiet gasp was an additional confirmation to what Hilda already knew… the baby was coming now.

Standing, Zelda started to assist Hilda up, everyone’s eyes turning to them.

Father Blackwood petered off, unsure what was happening. “Sister Zelda and Sister Hilda, may I ask why you are disturbing—"

“Her water just broke, Faustus.” Zelda cut in, already ushering Hilda into one of the adjoining rooms.

“Oh, oh, well,” he adjusted his collar, like most warlocks he was uncomfortable with the notion of childbirth, finding it messy, loud and a bit of a mystery. “Take her to the academy then, the infernal infirmary will have all the supplies you need.”

Thankfully, Zelda answered for her, Hilda too focused on breathing through a contraction to form words. “Too late, if her water’s broken, I can’t teleport her. Once a witch’s water breaks the babe comes within the hour if not sooner. The magical stress of a teleportation could cause her to give birth right then, between destinations. The results would be disastrous and tragic.”

Taken aback, Faustus blinked and cleared his throat. “Alright. Then take the car, you surely don’t need to deliver the child in one of the rooms here…”

A groan pain escaped Hilda, and it was all she could do not to double over as the stronger contraction hit.

Checking her watch to see how closely this contraction was to the last, Zelda shook her head. “And have the child be born in the back seat of a car on the side of the road far from any assistance? I think not.” Zelda huffed and finished leading Hilda into one of the side rooms. “Besides, do you really want a child of the Path of Night to be born in the middle of nowhere?” She arched a brow and Faustus swallowed hard.

“No, of course not.” He finally rounded the table to help escort Hilda into one of the side rooms. “Who can I send in to help?” He asked, agitatedly smoothing his robes, once they were out of the main conference room.

Zelda couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, you’re not staying?” He blanched at the suggestion. “I’m kidding, Faustus. Send Mildred in if you can spare her.”

“Mildred?” He repeated skeptically.

Arching a brow at his doubt of her judgement, Zelda transformed one of the chairs in the room into a bed and helped her sister lay down. “Yes. She’s levelheaded year-round except when the Feast of Feast occurs. I’ll need her steady hands.” Placing her fingers on Hilda’s wrist to check her pulse, Zelda timed it. Pressing her lips together, she turned back to Faustus. “Get me towels and hot water, as well.” She instructed, Faustus nodded and practically ran away—apparently being in the same room as a witch giving birth was one of the few things that frightened their high priest.  

Another groan escaped Hilda recapturing Zelda’s attention. Gently wiping her sister’s brow, Zelda ran a few diagnostic spells. “Won’t be long, will it?” Hilda asked, fists unclenching as the contraction passed.

“No,” Zelda soothed, urging Hilda to lay back so she could check her sister’s progress. “Little Edward will be with us soon.” Just then Mildred came in, sleeved already rolled up and looking at Zelda expectantly. Not wasting time with niceties, Zelda turned to the witch. “Teleport to my house and get my medical kit, it’s just inside the front door.” Mildred nodded and winked out of sight. “I should have brought it with me, so stupid when you’re this close. I’m sorry Hildie.”

Between pants, Hilda shook her head. “Little demon wasn’t supposed to come for two weeks, Zelds, not your fault.”

Faustus came back then with the other supplies. And though Zelda had angled the newly transformed bed away from the door to preserve her sister’s modesty, Faustus averted his eyes—looking everywhere but at them. “I’m just, going to,” he set the supplies down and waved a hand, magic filtering into air; Zelda recognizing a silencing spell. “Just in case, so the sound doesn’t, doesn’t filter down the hall and—"

“Yes, yes, very good Faustus. You can leave.” Zelda dismissed him with barely a glance; though from the glimpse she had caught confirmed that she’d never seen the high priest move so fast. Huffing in amusement, Zelda lifted her gaze to Hilda’s face from her place at the end of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Before Hilda could reply, Mildred reappeared. “Here’s the kit. And your nephew also gave me this to bring.” She handed over a chain of charms.

Hilda grabbed it, more relaxed now than she’d been before. “Praise Satan,” she grunted, eyes squeezing shut at another contraction. “I worked on this for months, would hate for all the work to have been for nothing.”

A soft smile touched Zelda’s lips as Hilda ran the chain through her hands. It contained everything from good luck charms, wards against evil spirits to overall protection charms. A bit superstitious, but each expecting mother had her own coping methods, so Zelda said nothing when it came to her sister’s.

Instead, she beckoned Mildred over and the two of them got to work mixing potions to make the labor shorter, more bearable and to ease the process of the babe coming out. Once these potions were administered the labor went relatively smooth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twenty minutes later a baby’s cries filled the room.

“A boy. Just as your spells predicted Sister Zelda.” Mildred murmured, carefully wrapping the babe in a blanket and handing him to Hilda for skin-to-skin contact while Zelda finished up below. “Congratulations, Sister Hilda, what will you name him?”

Voice thick with emotion, Hilda beamed. “Eddie. Well,” she chuckled and ran a finger lightly across the boy’s head, “Edward Paul Thornton. One name after my brother and one after Cerb’s father.” She lifted her eyes from the boy to look at Zelda who was trying to blink back her tears when suddenly Hilda’s eyes went wide. “Zelda… we have to tell Cee! I can’t, I can’t believe, I didn’t think—"

Huffing in tired amusement, Zelda cast a few spells to get rid of the afterbirth and all the dirty towels and turned to wash her hands and forearms in the sink. “Mildred,” she turned to the witch, though she was still scrubbing her hands, “I have one more favor to ask of you.” When the witch nodded, Zelda shifted to rest her hip on the sink, shutting off the water and drying her hands. “Will you kindly, and discreetly, go get the mortal-demon hybrid Cerberus in town? He’s at the store called Dr. Cerberus’ Books.”

Mildred eyed them a moment and then nodded, teleporting away once more.

She started to pack her medical kit back up, one eye on the babe and Hilda, ensuring they were alright. “Well, you can say one thing about Mildred, she knows how to hold her tongue.” Zelda remarked, screwing lids back onto the jars with the potions and stowing them away.

Ignoring her observation, Hilda shook her head. “Why do you always emphasize that Cerberus is possessed by a demon?” She groused, eyes still on the babe in her arms.

Zelda rounded the table and smoothed her sister’s hair back. “Because it makes it easier for the coven to accept him than if he were just mortal.” She informed her, gently tracing a finger across the babe’s brow.

Unable to argue, Hilda muttered something under her breath and then lifted her eyes to Zelda. “Thank you, Zelds. For being my midwife. I don’t know how I’d have done this without you.”

Waving a hand, Zelda squeezed her sister’s shoulder. “Nonsense. You would have just as excellently regardless of my involvement. Though I am pleased that you asked me to help.” She hesitated a moment and then sniffled. “I’m proud of you. Mom, Dad, Thomas and Edward would be proud of you too, Hildegard. I wish they could see this, you being a mother.”

Tears sprang to Hilda’s eyes and she covered Zelda’s hand with hers. “Me too. But you’re here and—” Before Hilda could say something that would have likely had Zelda sobbing, Mildred reappeared with a clearly disoriented Cerberus clinging to her arm.

Smiling, Zelda led him to a chair next to the bed, knowing teleportation was still difficult on mortal bodies even with a demon inside. “Congratulations, Cerberus, your and Hilda’s son is perfectly healthy.” The man didn’t sit right away, as Zelda expected, instead he turned and engulfed Zelda in a bear hug, thanking her for keeping his loved ones safe before turning to his wife and child.

Taken off guard, Zelda cleared her throat and directed Mildred out of the room, wanting to give the new family some time to themselves. Shutting the door behind her, Zelda thanked the witch for her assistance.

As Mildred walked off, Faustus appeared around the corner. Surprised, Zelda leaned against the wall next to the door. “You still here? The coven meeting must have ended soon after we made our exit.”

Absently nodded, Faustus came to a stop in front of her. “It did. With the three of you missing and most of the details ironed it, it made no sense to continue. How is everyone doing?” He asked, indicating to the door behind her.

“Very well, mother and babe are perfectly healthy. The hybrid my sister married is in there now.” She added to deter Faustus from asking to see the babe, though he didn’t seem to have much of an inclination to do so.

Rubbing his chin, Faustus leaned on the wall next to her. “You ever think about doing it?”

Confused, Zelda furrowed her brow. “Doing what?”

A small smile appeared on his lips. “Marriage, kids.”

Now her eyebrows went up, along with her pulse. “Faustus, what are you…”

His hand brushed hers, the spark the touch elicited skittering along her skin and up her arm, making her shudder—a response that didn’t go unnoticed by Faustus. “Just, just testing the waters.” He murmured evasively, smiling at her more fully now. “Congratulations, Zelda. Another babe born safely, and so your record of never losing a child remains intact.”

And before she could turn the conversation back to what he called ‘testing the waters’, Faustus disappeared. Biting her lip to contain a smile and to try and temper the excitement his words had caused; Zelda shook herself and went to find a mirror so she could call Ambrose and Sabrina and tell them they had a new cousin.