Hope Falls

"Then we will have to work our charm as best we can to ensure it is only Isolde and Aodhän that hear of it. If you are so scared then we will not broadcast it to the world, not until we know any baby we have will arrive safely. Does that sound okay? Or.. or would you rather declare it to the world? You have to say what you want. You have to tell me."

---

"You learned that earlier today already, didn't you?" Devika grinned, letting go of his hand and rolling onto her back then instead. "I feel like I have bared my soul to you tonight. Will you give me something I don't already know about you?"

"You are doing wonderfully at avoiding answering my questions. Stop saying what the species normally does, stop saying what Isolde will do or want. What about you? There is no wrong answer, just... tell me what this is saying..." Florence whispered, resting her palm over his heart.

---

"Something I don't know yet, anything. Tiny, big. I don't care."

"You have never pushed me into offering any infomation, so why would I do it to you? I would like to know, the one thing you have always wished to share with someone but never have."

---

"Should I ask you again - should we have this discussion on what to do when we find out if it is a baby we are dealing with?"

"I want to know something about you that even they don't know. No one tells the same two people everything. We all have things that have never left our minds, don't we? Silly things, deeper things. Both are the same."

---

"If my instincts are right, and this is our baby then I am... scared." Florence answered carefully, tracing patterns against his chest to try and soothe herself. "It used to be in my life plan, before Fae and Angel's, before wars. It was in my dreams, that I never knew were visions. I had the same acceptance as you. Now it has changed, now there is the possibility; I am scared that being pregnant and losing the baby will be enough to break this crazy thing the universe has done, so you won't love me anymore. I am scared I won't know how to be a mother. I am concerned that the only person who ever listens to how I feel, is you. I think my choices being taken away from me as soon as they all find out is a realistic thing. That's why, if we are having a baby - I want as little people to know as possible until I wrap my head around it. A healer, Isolde and Aodhän, whoever you would need to have for support but..  not the whole kingdom."

"'We have to involve a healer to know if it is true though, and if it is in your nature then... then is a fuss what you want?" Florence asked, swallowing thickly. "'We need to be a team in this. You can't pander to me."

---

"'I have nothing to ask." Devika answered, letting out a small sigh as tiredness began to overwhelm her. "I don't like pushing. If you have nothing you want to share, that's fine. I have no problems with that."

(( Night night ))

"We need to go to a healer, to make sure the baby is well. I - we can't do any of this without a healer, and I agree with you that they will be obliged to tell Isolde. Do you think you could work your magic with her, to convince her to keep it to herself?" Florence questioned quietly. "We'll tag team it. I saved her life, and you - you're the best she has. She has to at least hear us out."

---

"I don't want a nugget of gold, I want the bits of sand in the bottom that no one cares to look at. The things so ordinary that no one bats an eyelid at it. It's the sand that matters, not the treasure." Devika laughed quietly then. "Your funny, of course a man of the sea would use a treasure chest reference."

"All - all of it aside we - we need to know if this is a baby or if something else is going on, don't we?" Florence swallowed thickly, reaching her hand up once more to rest her palm against his cheek. "If the world has to know, they have to know. I'll put up with it. I don't want to take any celebrations away from you."

---

"No! That is a travesty." Devika gasped, pushing herself up to sit on her elbow. Gazing down at him. "Isn't that the whole point of it all?"

"This isn't about me, if it is a baby - it is about the life I am carrying." Florence whispered, brushing her thumb against his cheek. "They'll come first, and for them to come first then a healer has to know. So - so shall we stop speculating and just dive right in? Let's go to a healer, love.

---

"Mext you will tell me there are no X's marking any spots on maps, no great serpent beasts you have to defeat to get there. No swashbuckling heroes."

"Are you sure that if - if this is a baby then you want it? What your species excepts of you and what you want are allowed to be different things, and we are a team... no matter what."

---

Devika giggled girlishly, pushing him against the mattress with a hand planted on his chest. Swinging her leg around to straddle his waist and leaning down - freezing a breathe away from his lips as she realised what she was doing.

"You are Captain of a ship, a Prince." Devika responded breathlessly. "An- And I... Fuck it." Succumbing to her wants, she pressed the palm of her hand down his chest - her fingertips following a featherstoke afterwards as she closed the gap. Lips finding his and eyes closing.

---

"Well then," slowly she pulled herself away from him, squeezing his fingers as she let go of his hand and headed towards the door. "Lets go, and see what Fate has in store for us now."

Devika hungrily set to work, undoing the buttons of his top when she wasn't pressing her weight into him. Kiss deepening as her breathing stammered with excitement.

---

Florence stayed a step ahead of him,  a change from her usual comfort of being in step. Only holding her head normally to not arouse suspicion, despite her quick step towards the healing quarters. Her skin wrinkled just in the centre of her forehead from worry.

Devika's breathing caught in her throat as her head was pulled back, fingers reaching to touch his bareskin as soon as it was available to her.

---

"I'm sorry. This is going to be the worst part for me, just.. the walk to find out and the wait. I've liked how certain things have been recently, I've like that you are mine and I am yours. I've liked having a stable home. This is an uncertainty though, right now - it - we just need to find out." Florence whispered, hand reaching out to knock lightly on the healers quarters.

(( Night night))