SNIPPET SUNDAY / WIP WHENEVER
Thank you for the tag @spillingteanotpermitted 🤗
Sorry for the delay ✨😤💖 I've been hosting a bg3 event on Instagram and it's been taking up a lot of my free time.
Visiting the enchanted creatures did make me feel much better and I pretty much pushed the magic mirror trauma to the back of my mind. Now, it’s time to head home and get to our little ones, so we all board the carriage and prepare for a fun journey back to the castle. As we get inside, the elf Knighton from the food stand waves at Fanden with a flirtatious smile painted on his face. Kairon, Therran, and I shift our eyes back and forth between the two, completely confused about what’s happening right now.
“Uh, Fanden? What’s that all about?” Therran asks with a raised eyebrow and a voice raised with suspicion. Fanden chuckles and leans back into the seat.
“I literally can’t tell you, I’m just as confused as you. He seemed to want to talk to me for quite a while, but I told him I’m spending time with my family.”
“And that you have a husband and baby at home, right?” I ask my brother with the intent of jesting, and in response Fanden rolls his eyes and nods. Okay, okay, he’s telling the truth. “Just checking.”
I curl tight against Kairon, burying my face into the crook of his shoulder as a wave of absolute exhaustion takes hold. Without my permission, my eyelids grow impossibly heavy, sliding shut as I’m instantly pulled under into a deep, dreamless sleep. Ah, sleep—you unexpected little visitor. Despite that one chaotic little mishap in the mirror halls, it had been a brilliant day, and I had savored every single second of it. Yet beneath the joy, a familiar ache tugs at me; I miss my babies deeply, and my chest is becoming ridiculously, painfully engorged. We easily could have stayed out longer, but the primal need to nurse before I completely explode has cut our excursion short.
After what feels like mere minutes, the sensation of a gentle hand shaking my shoulder coaxes me back to consciousness, accompanied by a low, amused chuckle vibrating nearby. I drag my head up from Kairon’s cozy shoulder, blinking blearily, only to realize a thin, traitorous string of drool has snuck its way out the corner of my mouth. Ewwww.
"Honey, wake up. We made it home," Kairon murmurs softly. His thumb brushes a few stray strands of hair away from my face while my sleepy eyes try to make sense of our surroundings.
Across the carriage, Fanden and Therran are grinning. I can practically feel the vibrant urge radiating off one of them to poke fun at me for looking like a creature risen from the dead.
"Mmm..." I groan, still half-asleep.
Therran rolls his eyes with affectionate exasperation. Before I can protest, he swoops in and gathers me up into his arms, lifting me effortlessly from the seat. He proceeds to carry me out of the carriage as if I were a delicate princess. It’s at that exact moment, suspended in the cool evening air, that reality finally clicks into place: my father is now a King. I really am the princess I always dreamed of being. Holy shit. "Thank you, big brother," I mumble, resting my head against him.
Fanden and Kairon follow closely on our heels. The moment Therran gently sets me back down on my feet, the heavy castle doors groan open, and my parents step out into the courtyard. My mother is holding Jenevelle, whose little face lights up with sheer excitement the second she spots me. Beside her stands my father, holding Aelric securely in a soft baby wrap strapped tight against his torso. It is still the most surreal, mind-boggling sight to see Lord Enver Gortash—yes, I can actually call him a Lord now—rocking a tiny newborn.
Before I can step forward, Fanden leans in, pressing a tender, lingering kiss to the side of my head. "Thank you for hanging out with us, baby sister," he says softly.
I watch with a warm heart as he trots eagerly across the manicured lawn toward the large white garden swing. Halsin is seated there, cradling baby Onyx with an overwhelming amount of delicacy and loving care. Fanden slides onto the swing beside his husband, letting out a contented sigh as he rests his head heavily on the elf’s broad shoulder.
“Emmy, Kairon! I hope you all had fun at the festival?” My mother asks with such a loving voice, her honey eyes shimmering as the sun greets her face. Jenevelle kicks her feet as she hands her over to me, and she begins to nuzzle her face towards my chest as if she’s dying for milk. My father unwraps Aelric and gently hands him over to my husband. I decided not to mention the magic mirror room, for I’d rather not live that traumatizing experience within the last mirror, though the other ones before it were a lot of fun.
“We did! I actually played on my lute…which I just realized I left at the festival. Damn it.” I sigh as I lean my head back, until I remember I have plans to go back tomorrow. “I’m sure the man will hold onto it for me. And how were the babies?”
“Wonderful as always, though I bet you can tell Jenevelle is wanting your milk, darling. Aelric just had his bottle. Your father and I are going to start cooking a wonderful dinner here shortly, so you just go inside and take it easy. Oh, Ther-bear, Karlach has been viciously vomiting. You may want to go check on her, that morning sickness is rough on her.” I notice Therran’s eyes widen with worry, and in response to our mother’s words, he nods and quickly bolts inside without saying another word. Ah, his fatherly instincts are already kicking in, and it’s rather adorable. Kairon and I exchange a kind look with one another, one filled with warmth and love.
“Shall we go inside and lie down with one another, my love? A nice moment of relaxation before we indulge in the most delicious dinner? Also, our Jennie girl is getting a little impatient for some milk,” Kairon suggests sweetly, his arm holding Aelric securely against his chest. Without skipping a beat, I bounce up and down on my toes, then eagerly proceed to skip ahead with Jenevelle close to my chest. A light laugh escaping Kairon’s lips can be heard behind me.
It isn’t long before Kairon and I find ourselves in our bedroom, lying cozily on the bed with our babies in our arms. It’s so quiet, yet I wouldn’t exchange this moment for anything else in the world. I lift my shirt so Jenevelle can feed, her feet kicking from excitement as she nurses. The sound of her suckling milk breaks the silence. Aelric, still cradled in Kairon’s arm, yawns and begins to suck on his fist just a little, his little tail flickering and tapping his daddy’s arm.
“Whoa Jenevelle, you really were hungry,” I tease, watching her with pure amusement in my eyes. Kairon is trying to contain his laughs, clearly entertained by our daughter’s eagerness. Jenevelle continues to kick her tiny legs as she feeds, and for a moment she unlatches, looking up at me with her mismatched eyes.
“GA!” she coos energetically, then latches back on without a second of hesitation. I lean my head back, laughing hysterically at her adorable antics.
“She reminds me so much of you,” Kairon tells me, his voice soft as he continues to watch us. “Her energy…she’s just so funny. And beautiful like you too, of course.”
“You’re going to make me blush, Kai,” I whisper, shifting my gaze down at our only son who appears to be asleep. “I’ll put him down in the bassinet, if you want to hold your rascal of a daughter. I think she missed you.” I remove Jenevelle from my breast and hand her over to Kairon, while he hands Aelric over to me. My son still smells so new. I tenderly stroke his icy pale cheek with my thumb and admire his sweet face for just a moment longer, taking in every second before a rapid growth that I’m sure is just right around the corner.
I gingerly lower Aelric into the bassinet resting right beside our bed, leaning back just a smidge to watch the gentle, rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. He doesn’t move a single muscle; the poor, sweet baby boy is entirely exhausted from the day's excitement.
Turning around, I find Kairon lying next to me with Jenevelle sprawled across his chest. She is in full wiggle-mode, determinedly scooting her way upward to plant her tiny bottom directly in his face. The ridiculous sight coaxes a bright, breathless laugh out of him; but when I say it's brief, I mean it lasts for only a fraction of a second.
Suddenly, Jenevelle lets out a strained, heavy grunt. Before my husband can even react to relocate her, she soils her diaper with such sudden, echoing intensity that we both freeze in sheer terror. The intense force of it practically rattles the headboard. Kairon’s face immediately scrunches up in a mixture of disgust and defeat. He lifts her up at arm's length, staring at our immortal, forever-four-month-old infant with a look of pure, unadulterated horror.
“I think it’s safe to say she needs changed,” Kairon mutters, clearing his throat as the unmistakable aroma hits the air. He glances over at me, his expression softening despite the biological hazard in his hands. “Honey, you stay in bed and rest. I’ll be right back with a fresh, clean little tiefling girl. When I’m finished, we can finally enjoy some quiet time under the blankets.”
I snuggle under the comforter, left alone with my own thoughts temporarily; and, unfortunately, all I can think about are the horrors of the magic mirror room. I want to think about the funny moments, where I watched Fanden and Therran in their baby form, or the seven-year-old version of me picking flowers with Kairon. No, I’m visualizing the version of myself if I was still mortal… Old, outliving my brothers, my husband, and my own children. Thinking about which flowers I’d be placing on their graves.
“No, no, no,” I murmur, wiping a tear escaping my eye with my sleeve. “Stop it, Emmy.” I plop my head on the pillow, trying to block out the images that are playing over and over in my head. Was it Therran that liked the chrysanthemums? Or was it Fanden? I can still hear the voice in my head. I leverage myself out of bed and open the door to the hallway, smelling the delicious scent of roast coming from the kitchen all the way downstairs. Karlach comes walking towards me from around the corner of the hallway, with Therran on her flank, and she immediately notices the look on my face that I tried to hide.
“Whoa, Emmy. Is everything alright?”
“I should be asking you that,” I reply playfully, flashing her a smirk. “Mother mentioned you were throwing up violently.”
“Yeah, pregnancy is most certainly not a walk in the park, but I’ll be fine. Tomorrow we start decorating the nursery, and it’s just feeling way too real!” Therran wraps his left arm around her waist, while his right hand touches her belly. “Though your brother won’t let me help because he doesn’t want me getting hurt. Nerd.”
I wipe a tear from my eye with my sleeve while I manage to smile at the sweetness being shown off in front of me. Therran doesn’t believe for a second I’m alright. His expression quickly shifts from overly-excited and glowing with joy, to very concerned as he moves his gaze from his unborn baby to my own facial expression.
“Therran, I’m alright. Don’t worry about me.” He leans back against the wall and crosses his arms, studying me in silence as he waits for me to say another word. “Ther.”
“The mirror situation is bothering you, isn’t it?”
“I’d rather relive the embarrassment of when Neeve turned me into a baby.”
“That bad, huh?” Therran opens his arms, encouraging me to lean in for a hug; one of those that make you feel safe, where every racing thought fades into dust. I take a step forward and fall directly into his embrace, where he holds me so close that it would take more than a metal crowbar to tear us apart. He rubs my back gently as he places his head on my own. “Shhh, baby. It’s okay.”
“I know. I keep telling myself it wasn’t real. Kairon went to change Jenevelle, and of course being alone with my thoughts was very dangerous.”
“Well, Emmy, you’re stuck with us until the end of time. And I will not apologize for being here with you as long as it allows,” Karlach mentions, placing a hand on my head and scruffing up my thick brown hair. I smile, still snuggled in Therran’s hold. The door to Jenevelle’s bedroom door creaks open, and out comes Kairon with our giggly infant in his arms. He must have heard every word, because he looks…a little sad.
“Honey, I didn’t realize it was still bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?” With a smile, I shake my head and release myself from my brother’s hold.
“No. I just want to spend time with all of you. That’s all. Shall we go downstairs? It smells like dinner is almost finished.” Karlach links her arm with mine, and with a smile painted on her face, she chants enthusiastically, “To the dinner table! Let’s get STUFFED.”
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