Unlikely Pair: Dark Elven Princess and Her Bird [Lailah x Qrow]

Chapter 19: Lailah and Qrow's Journey part II

Chapter 19: Lailah and Qrow's Journey part II

"I swore to protect her when we married," Qrow declared, his silver eyes meeting each of his friends' gazes in turn. His hand found Lailah's, their fingers intertwining naturally. "That vow means even more now that we're expecting." His usual sardonic demeanor softened as he looked at his wife, her lavender hair gleaming in the light as she smiled back at him. The depth of their connection, forged through their time at Beacon and strengthened by their recent marriage, was evident in that simple exchange.

Lailah leaned into her husband's shoulder, her orange eyes twinkling. "Besides, if anyone can handle both a pregnancy and a kingdom's worth of diplomatic duties, it's a dark elf who survived four years of Beacon Academy's combat training."

The tension in the group began to ease, replaced by warm smiles and relieved chuckles. However, it was Raptaryn who suddenly shifted the conversation's direction, a mischievous glint in his orange eyes as he casually mentioned, "Well, your little one won't be without playmates for long, considering... certain recent developments." His meaningful glance toward Summer Rose left little doubt about his implications.

Summer's reaction was immediate and spectacular. Her face flooded with color until it matched the deepest shade of her namesake roses, and she began fanning herself frantically with her hand. "Whew, i-is it j-just m-me or is it suddenly hot here?" she stammered, looking everywhere except at Raptaryn, while what appeared to be actual steam seemed to rise from her thoroughly flustered face.

Taiyang burst out laughing, while Raven's usual stoic expression cracked into a knowing smirk. Lailah covered her mouth to hide her giggle, but her orange eyes danced with delight at her friend's predicament. Qrow couldn't resist joining in, his earlier protective seriousness dissolving into amusement at Summer's reaction.

The dark elven scholar-soldier looked thoroughly pleased with himself, watching Summer's flustered response with undisguised affection. His subtle hint about future plans had achieved exactly the response he'd hoped for, and the way he looked at the silver-eyed warrior made it clear that her endearingly awkward reaction only made her more precious to him.

"You know," Raven drawled, deciding to pile on, "Vale does have some lovely wedding venues. Maybe we should start looking into reservations while we're handling the migration logistics."

"Raven!" Summer squeaked, if possible turning even redder, while the rest of the group dissolved into fresh laughter.

As Summer continued to fan her flushed face, her white hood slightly askew, Lailah exchanged knowing looks with Raven. They'd both witnessed the gradual but inevitable development of Summer and Raptaryn's relationship over the past months. What had started as intellectual discussions about silver-eyed warrior legends and dark elven history had blossomed into something far deeper.

"You know," Lailah mused, her orange eyes twinkling with mischief, "I seem to remember a certain scholar spending an awful lot of time in the library 'researching' silver-eyed warriors. Though I noticed more staring at a particular silver-eyed warrior than at any actual books."

Raptaryn's dark skin couldn't hide his own slight blush, though he maintained his composed demeanor. "The subject required... thorough observation," he defended, his orange eyes soft as they found Summer's silver ones. Summer tugged her white hood further over her face, though it did little to hide her deepening blush.

"Oh yes," Qrow chimed in, grinning, "very thorough. Like that time you needed to 'document battle techniques' during Summer's training sessions. For academic purposes, of course."

Taiyang snickered. "Or when you insisted on accompanying Summer on her solo missions to 'study the practical applications of silver-eyed powers in the field.' Never seen a scholar so eager to face Grimm before."

"The academic pursuit of knowledge requires dedication," Raptaryn stated with mock solemnity, though his lips twitched with barely suppressed amusement. "And if that pursuit happened to involve spending time with the most captivating warrior in Vale, well..." He let the statement hang, causing Summer to make a small squeaking sound from beneath her hood.

Raven leaned against a nearby tree, a rare soft smile playing on her lips. "Don't forget the 'cultural exchange' dinners. Funny how they always seemed to end up being just the two of you."

"The intimate setting allowed for more... detailed discussions," Raptaryn defended, though his gentle smile at Summer betrayed his true intentions.

Summer finally peaked out from beneath her hood, her silver eyes meeting Raptaryn's orange ones. "You weren't exactly subtle with all those dark elven courtship customs you kept 'accidentally' performing," she managed to say, finding her voice despite her blush. "The moonflower bouquets, the starlight walks, the traditional poetry readings..."

"Ah, but they worked, didn't they?" Raptaryn's scholarly facade melted into pure affection as he stepped closer to Summer, reaching out to adjust her slightly crooked hood with tender care. "Though I must admit, your human customs of sharing cookies and weapon maintenance tips were equally charming."

Their friends watched the interaction with warm smiles, particularly Lailah, who remembered her own courtship with Qrow. The way Raptaryn's official demeanor softened around Summer, how his orange eyes lit up whenever she entered a room, the careful way he treasured every moment with her – it all spoke of a love that transcended their different backgrounds.

"You should have seen him in the faculty lounge," Lailah added, her voice gentle with understanding. "Every time someone mentioned Summer's name, he'd practically trip over himself to join the conversation. Professor Ozpin started deliberately bringing up Summer's mission reports just to watch Raptaryn's reaction."

Summer's fingers played with the edge of her white cape, a small smile finally breaking through her embarrassment. "Well, you weren't much better," she countered, looking at Raptaryn. "Remember when you spent three weeks researching human wedding traditions? And tried to pretend it was for a 'comparative cultural analysis' paper?"

The group burst into fresh laughter as Raptaryn's scholarly composure finally cracked completely, his dark skin darkening further with his own blush. But the way his hand found Summer's, their fingers intertwining naturally, showed that neither of them really minded their friends' teasing. After all, their romance, brewing between study sessions and blooming during shared adventures, had become something beautiful – a bridge between cultures as meaningful as Lailah and Qrow's union, built on shared values, mutual respect, and a love that grew stronger with each passing day.

To be continued in Chapter 20: Side story- Summer and Raptaryn; the journey together