Nyx | Carpe Noctem ✓

Bonus III

∙ Nyx POV ∙

My throat burned when I let myself fall onto the grass, my fingers brushing the grave stone. "Well, can you believe it?" Tears rolled down my cheeks, tasting sour on my lips. The grass was cool underneath me, the sun warming my skin though.

"I am going to be a father," I said, my voice hoarse and my throat burning. More tears started to fall out of my eyes and onto the ground beneath me.

"Madis is expecting a child. I wish you were here and I could have told you that face-to-face. I would have loved to see the look on your faces. What you said, how you reacted."

I was crying freely then, sobbing until I could finally find my voice again. I swallowed around the lump in my throat. "I am only a little over three hundred, you think I can do it, father?" I wished so badly that he was here right now, just for him to pull me to his chest, ruffle through my hair and say, "Yes, Nyx, you can. I know you can do it."

A light breeze started and suddenly...waved my hair around. I gasped and lifted my head, a few clouds had dimmed the sun, but it still peeked over the edges. More tears brimmed my eyes when I kept my gaze trained on the sky and suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Madis kissed the top of my head and crouched down beside me. "Did you tell them?"

I lowered my chin, turned a little to look at my beautiful mate. "I did. And now we can show them as well."

Madis parted her coat a little and brushed one hand over her round belly. "The healer, Gloria, said it will be a boy. The Cauldron protect us if he will be like your son," Madis chuckled, still holding her belly. I folded my hand over hers and looked at her face. "He will have wings as well."

Madis then turned to me and inhaled deeply, her belly moving under both our hands. We had to get that all checked out later. We had to see if everything was still in order and nothing was off about our babies development. Madis could give birth to a child with wings but some precautions needed to be taken. We found out when she got pregnant that apparently the Cauldron had given her a wider pelvis, had adjusted her womb so she can carry out a child with wings. I was impressed by the hindsight, but it was also the Cauldron that had made us mates, so it was obvious.

"Before we return back home to have the baby checked, we need to tell you something else." Another breeze blew over my head, waving through my hair and I knew they were listening. I shudder coursed through me and I smiled at Madis, then looked back to the grave stone.

"Aunt Elain had a vision. Our son...he will do great." I paused and closed my eyes for a moment. "She saw him as High King of Prythian."

A little sob parted Madis' lips, she flipped her hand and squeezed mine. "He will be the one to truly unite the realms," she breathed through tears. When we had found out we had been caught in a stupor, not believing what Elain had seen. It was absolutely insane, but at the same time made us proud. Our son would be the one to do this.

We stayed for a moment longer, in silence, just listening to the wind blowing through the trees and the sound of the Sidra flowing below us through the city. It was when I straightened up and tugged at Madis' wrist to go back home. I came to the grave at least once a week, sometimes more often. There was still so much I had to talk to father about, that I wanted to share with my parents. They had passed 72 years after our coronation so my father handing down the power to me had given us a great amount of time together. Time we savoured and enjoyed to the fullest. My father died at the 713 which was a good age for a High Lord and he had said it was the right time to go. For me it was not the right time, there is never a right time, but I had accepted it, had spent the most wonderful time with my parents. I was still now more than thankful for them, for what they had done to me, for the life they had given me.

Gloria arrived an hour after we returned home. Madis lay down on our bed and the healer started with her checks. Our son was doing well, the wings were intact and so was Madis' womb and her health. We were always relieved after those checks and immediately told our friends during family dinner later on. Loran, Arkon, Brilla, Eve, Balthazar, Catrin, Noora and Breea. Everyone was here for dinner and later on for discussion and talks about politics and diplomacy. There was a lot to discuss and only a bunch of people Madis and I felt comfortable with discussing those things. With our own personal Inner Circle, people who we could fully rely on and who were our family.

Once again I was reminded how beautiful my home was. These people were our home. Madis was my home. Our new family would be. The Night Court was.