Jude and Cardan Fanfiction

Chapter 7

Cardan had stepped out for only a moment. His queen had requested a drink of water and the other women had been too busy to bring her such. So he had gone. It was only out into the sitting room, where water had been sat for exactly that situation. He had only taken a step back into the room when the piercing cry of an infant reached his ears.

Jude laid back on her pillows, breathing hard as she reached a hand out blindly. "Water."

Shaking himself from his stupor, Cardan crossed the room in two strides before setting the glass in his wife's hand. "I missed it.." His gaze moved to Tatterfell and the human midwife, the latter of which was busy with the infant.

Before he could ask, Tatterfell answered his question. "She's alive and well, your Majesty. Cease your worry." She draped a blanket over the queen and went over to assist the midwife. As though it were nothing other than another day in the royals' employ.

Jude emptied the glass and Cardan gently took it from her before sitting beside her on the bed. He went about brushing the hair away from her face, his other hand holding hers once more. "My marvelous queen. I am truly in awe of you."

Jude let out a grunt. "Yeah I'm so marvelous. I hurt." She pushed herself up into a more sitting position. "Tatterfell, hand over my daughter would you?"

"Yes, yes." Tatterfell bundled the infant in her arms before walking over and setting the girl carefully in her mother's arms.

Jude took her hand away from Cardan and cradled the baby in her arms, running a finger down the side of her face, noting each feature as she did so. The dark eyes with the golden rims, identical to her father's, and whisps of chestnut hair. "Certainly had to make an entrance, didn't you? You're going to be your father's child."

Cardan watched her with their child, not even bothering with a retort back. It had been said with such fondness that he found he had nothing to say in return. He moved closer to them both, wrapping one arm around his wife and beneath the baby. "Magnificent..."

A few moments passed in comfortable silence, both the king and queen simply marveling over their new daughter. Then Jude raised her head. "I suppose we must allow my sisters and brother to meet their niece. You may admit them, Tatterfell."

Oak came running in ahead of his sisters, hesitating beside the bed. "Is that her?"

Cardan grinned. "Indeed. A mighty one already. Would you like to hold her?"

Jude glared at him even as Oak nodded excitedly. She sighed and gestured to a chair across the room. "Sit. Be patient. Cardan will bring her to you."

As Cardan took the baby into his arms and crossed the room to allow Oak to hold her, Vivi and Taryn entered the room. The former moved to stand beside Oak's chair, nodding approvingly. "She's cute. Nice job."

Jude snorted. "Yes thank you. She gets her beauty from her father."

Cardan smirked and moved back to kiss her cheek. "You jest but I believe it comes from us both."

The Queen shook her head and tugged him down to sit beside her once more. "Yes, yes. You're very pretty, Cardan."

The High King only smiled, his smirk having transformed into a significantly happier expression.

"How about her name?" Taryn looked over to her sister, smiling. "We can't just call her our niece forever."

Jude rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Aurelia. Is her name. Princess Aurelia Eva Greenbriar."

Oak giggled, still holding the infant, and looked down at his baby niece. "Hi, Aurelia."

As the three continued to fawn over the baby, Jude sat back against her husband with a groan. "I'm tired."

Cardan rubbed her back before pulling her close. "You will have as much time to rest as you require. As the High Queen, you are entitled to it."

Jude glanced back at him to find his expression hadn't changed in the least. The smile having never left his face. Excitement, elation, fear...all mixed into one distinctly faerie expression that Jude couldn't quite describe. But she knew that it looked lovely on her husband. She knew that fatherhood looked lovely on him. And with her family around her, Jude's fears for the future slowly ebbed away.

A/N
I actually updated in the timeframe I promised, I say that's a success. I hope you all like her name!! It took a hot minute to properly decide (despite the fact that I wrote this whole chapter in like...an hour). But enjoy!! If you want content about their journey as parents let me know ✨️