Family Bonds -STORY UNDER REVISION!

It's a...

While Caspian had been through the pregnancy of his first wife, he had not been at her side when she gave birth, as she had not wished it. Susan, however, wanted him there and he knew he could not, nay, would not, deny her this. He had to admit, it was quite a feat to bring a child into the world. Though he had tried his best to mentally prepare himself, Caspian couldn't help but feel a mixture of awe and disbelief. The concept of witnessing the birth of his own child was a profound experience that he had never imagined possible, especially with Susan.

A deep sense of gratitude and responsibility settled upon Caspian's shoulders. Amidst his contemplations, Caspian's thoughts naturally gravitated towards Susan, his best friend, lover, and partner in this journey. He marveled at her strength and resilience, the very qualities that had brought them to this point. Her willingness to invite him into the sacred space of childbirth filled him with awe. It was a testament to the bond and trust they shared, a testament to the love that flowed between them. He had not shared this with Liliandith, and it was something that was theirs and theirs alone. It was a first for him to share with Susan, and he knew how much that meant to her.

With a mixture of excitement and nervousness coursing through his veins, Caspian took a deep breath as Susan clutched his hand as the midwife, an older dwarven woman, told her to lie down so she could begin her check of Susan. They were still in the dark about the gender of the child, though Susan had confided in him that she believed they were having twins, as she had felt movement that she could not tie to one child. Caspian had to agree, simply because Susan looked like she was carrying more than one child, though he had learned not to speak those thoughts out loud. Instead, they had spent many quiet moments discussing possible names of their children. While Susan had loved the name Arthur, he had disagreed. And while he had loved the name Katia, Susan had shot that one down. However, they had picked out two names for either gender that they both felt would be right for their children.

Lucy too was at Susan's side, seeming to not mind that her wedding had ended in the birth of her future niece or nephew, though Caspian suspected she had yet to realize quite what she was missing out on.

"Alright, your majesty," the midwife spoke softly, "I can feel two infants that are ready to make their way into the world."

"Two!" Lucy turned toward Caspian. "Did you know it was twins this whole time?"

Caspian smiled as Susan beat him to the answer. "We had a hunch, but we didn't check in with Aslan or know for sure. And don't you DARE tell Edmund or the others. If they're going to bet on my baby, this is payback for that."

Caspian pressed a kiss to her forehead to smother a laugh. This woman, this beautiful woman, could hold a grudge quietly and still joke about it later. He held her hand and continued to speak softly to Susan as her labor intensified.

"Just a little longer, your majesty and your first little one should be making a welcome appearance." The midwife gave Susan a glass of ice water, which Susan drank deeply. Caspian took his hand from hers for just a moment, to go and refill her glass.

As the slight lull consumed the room, Lucy hesitantly interjected with an unexpected question. "Su... this might be a really awkward time to ask but... Well, Peter gave us the talk during our first reign but..." Her face flushed with embarrassment, causing Caspian to instinctively make himself as inconspicuous as possible to put Lucy at ease. Sensing the importance of her inquiry, he wanted to make sure that she felt comfortable voicing her question to her sister so he remained near the water pitcher. "What should I really expect in my first night with my husband?" she finally managed to articulate, her voice filled with both curiosity and trepidation.

"Well, that you might get pregnant, for one thing." Susan offered with a small laugh as she tried not to groan from the pressure of a contraction. However, she continued to explain in detail what Lucy could expect, while the midwife and Caspian both focused on anything but the intimate conversation that the sisters were having.