Finally Found

Chapter 43 - Emilia

It seems like only yesterday that I was in labour with Nazeph yet today he's six months old and he's recently begun trying to crawl. At the moment he's not actually managed to crawl instead lunging forward but it shouldn't be long until he figures it out and starts crawling all over the palace. We've also started introducing him to solid foods and he's definitely inherited Kor's appetite as so far he's liked all the food he's tried but at the moment banana is his favourite.

There's still no sign of the war ending soon so we've been sending Kor and Bel as many letters and drawings as we can, the latest one being Nazeph happily eating bits of banana. They're grateful for what we send but at the same time it's clear from their own letters that they want to be home and to meet our son for themselves.

Lilas and I have begun telling Nazeph stories of them at night when we've been putting him to bed so that he might know them although we have had to work out what he'll call them all. It'll make it easier on him to differentiate between the three of them, at least while he's still young after all they can't all be father. It took exchanging many letters but eventually we settled on Dada for Lilas, Papa for Bel and father for Kor although that might not happen until Nazeph is older.

"I think you're ready your Majesty." Talindra states drawing me out of my thoughts. We're holding a small celebration for Nazeph's half year anniversary something that families in Stowu often did if the baby managed to live that long. It's one tradition that I'm glad to bring from Stowu and celebrate with my own child although he has better food and healers than those children so his survival for this long wasn't really doubted.

With Talindra's seal of approval over my appearance I head downstairs where our family and friends will soon be gathered to celebrate Nazeph with us. In truth it's just an excuse for them all to be here and spend more time with him than usual while also eating cake. Already a much bigger celebration is being planned for his first birthday which the Council are hoping will boost not just the city's moral but the whole kingdom's.

As much as we'd tried to keep this party small it may have spiralled out of control slightly. It had started out with just my ladies and family in the form of Magor and Sliske but soon enough it grown to include the rest of the Council, Sliske's current fling and some of my ladies soulmates or in Holcene's case her son instead. Still it's nice knowing how loved my son is, something that I'd never had growing up myself.

Downstairs the maids are just laying out the last of the cake and biscuits before all the guests arrive and Lilas is sitting out of their way holding Nazeph. Smiling I join them on the settee happily taking my son when Lilas holds him out to me, with getting everything prepared for today I've not been able to spend as much time with him as I've wanted to. Even when I've thought that I have time to spare something has come up to make me busy again preventing me from spending quality time with Nazeph.

"Hello baby. I've missed you." I greet him as he settles into my arms happily babbling away although he's still not quite there with actual words. Sitting him down properly in my lap he manages to grab hold of my necklace which he's taken great interest in playing with lately whenever he gets within reaching distance of it.

"Think he missed your necklace more." Lilas laughs watching Nazeph attempt to fit the pendant in his mouth. Gently I pry it away from him before he can possibly choke on it, not that it's likely as the pendant itself is too big for him to fit in his mouth at the moment but I don't want to take the risk.

"Possibly, he's fascinated with it at the moment." I reply grabbing a nearby napkin I wipe the drool off my necklace before tucking it into my dress and out of Nazeph's reach. The sudden denial of his favourite toy Nazeph's face starts to scrunch up a clear indicator of an imminent tantrum that Lilas quickly heads off by waving his favourite stuffed toy, a replica of Kor's dragon form, in front of his face.