Succession: Rebellion

C.C.

"Oh come now, it isn't as if you had the harder time. I might be able to go through long periods of chastity, myself, but once I break out of that....well, let's just say if I were able to, no doubt I'd...." C.C. stopped herself, and a mournful expression came over her face. Though within a minute she shook it off, and gave Nebi a semi-happy smile.

"It's...it's really good to see you again, Nebi."

Caesar

"A good question," Caesar stated with a smile. "And all in good time, my dear. For now, rest up. We have an important appointment tomorrow."

Rein

As Atiya continued to insist she was a big girl, Rein looked over at Alain. She felt her maternal instincts kick in, as she smiled at the little lad and bent down to scoop the child into her arms. Rein smiled at him again, and gentlly kissed his forehead.

"What about you, Alain, honey? Do you want to share a room with Atiya and myself? We'd be glad to have you!""

Nebi spotted C.C.'s expression, but ignored it. She'd tell him what was bothering to when she was ready. For now, he cupped her cheek, "It's really good to see you, too, C.C. I haven't forgotten my promise. When I become Emperor, I will free you and, if you want, make you mortal if I can."

He knew that immortality must be a difficult burden to bear. Watching the ones you loved leave you would be terrible.

C.C.

"Thank you," C.C. replied, giving Nebi a smile. She sighed a moment later, and the smile soon vanished.

"While I hate to break up the joy we're both feeling right now, there is something we....do need to talk about..."

Nebi raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What is it? I'm not in trouble, am I?"

C.C.

"No, no. Far from it." C.C. assured with a slight smile. She led Nebi over to her bed, and the Mage was silent for a few minutes as she gathered her thoughts. Finally, she spoke.

"Nebi....I'm....I'm not sure how to say this...hm. Wel....before he was forced to flee, Kegan and Rein had only been together....that way a few times, but it didn't take her long to get pregnant. And I'm sure the spell Gaborious casted on his descendants to ensure a royal bloodline helped, as well. But....well, we were together just as long as Rein and Kegan were, and...well....I'm not..."

C.C. closed her mouth, unable to continue for a moment. Then, she spoke softly.

"I...can you see where I'm going with this, Nebi?"

Magus1108 wrote:

Caesar

"A good question," Caesar stated with a smile. "And all in good time, my dear. For now, rest up. We have an important appointment tomorrow."

Garnet

Garnet nodded and crashed down onto her stiff mattress. It didn't matter. She was exhausted. All she wanted was to escape this day in sleep, dreamlessly, or at least free of nightmares.

"You're scared you're infertile," Nebi finished, a dawning of realization entering his tone as he sat beside her. He took her hand. He spoke, "I'm sure Kegan Rein were just unlucky or lucky, depending on how you look at it. I mean, you've had kids before, right? And if you really are...

He took a breath and smiled at her, "If you are, then I suppose it's for the best. We're not exactly responsible adults, are we? We could always name Atiya the heir if worse comes to worse. I still have eyes for no one else."

C.C.

"....You're half right, Nebi." C.C. shook her head lightly. "I don't think I'm infertile. But....Nebi, it's hard for me to get pregnant. Very hard. I don't quite understand the mechanics of it, but the spell placed upon me has frozen my body in time, in a way. My organs and blood and other bodily functions still work fine, as they tie in to my immortality, but they never change, like everyone else does. I never grow older. I never change in the slightest, unless it is via temporary magic. If I were to cut my hair, for example, it would never grow again unless I used a spell. Believe me, I've experimented so I have a good idea how this works."

C.C. paused a moment, and collected herself as she went forward. "And...whatever it is that allows a woman to carry a child....I have a limited supply of it. No doubt, the bodies of females produce....whatever it is that creates a child in our womb, but since I am ageless, and certain functions of my body no longer replenish themselves..."

The Mage sighed. "I had my last child eighty years ago, Nebi. And before that, two hundred. And believe me, it's not due to my lack of trying, even before we met up. I....it's hard, but the few times I have allowed myself to experience it, I've enjoyed motherhood. And....I, I'd like to raise a child with you, someday, Nebi..."

Nebi looked at her gently. C.C. was truly beautiful and different than what people imagined her to be. She was no tool of the Emperor/Empress. She was a fun person with feelings of her own, someone who his heart ached for. He smiled and took her hand.

"I'd like to raise a child with you too. Whatever we need to do, we'll do it. There are lots of fertility potions and such. Maybe we just need to make love at the right time or something. In the meantime, I guess we will just have to have lots and lots of sex."

He grinned at her, trying to lighten things up, "And maybe, if I break the spell and your body is back to normal, we won't have that problem."

C.C.

"Maybe," C.C. allowed, giving Nebi a small smile in return. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Perhaps, then, we ought to get started now..." C.C. suggested, giving Nebi a knowing wink.

"Oh, C.C., I'm starting to realize why I love you so much in the first place," Nebi teased, gripping her waist and kissing her gently as he pulled her towards the bed.

Alain blinked up at Rein, surprised to suddenly find himself in her arms. But it felt good and he snuggled closer to her, giving a nod of his head as he did so. He would like that very much, to be with Atiya and her family. Then maybe he wouldn't feel so awkward and alone.

Rein

"Good." Rein beamed at Alain and kissed his forehead. Well, it looked like both Atiya and Alain would be sleeping with them tonight, if just for the single night. Rein did want to look into getting the kids their own rooms, but in the meantime they'd just have to make do.

"It is getting late, and the Tribe will likely meet with us tomorrow." Brighe spoke up. "Kegan, Rein, get some sleep. You'll need the rest. If anything needs to be discussed now, Syrien and I will do the talking."

"Alright. Good night," Kegan told Brighe with a slight smile as he headed for his and Rein's room. The bed might be a little crowded with Atiya and Alain, but he didn't mind. It was far more pleasant than dealing with elves.

((Timeskip, then?))

(Sounds good.)

Nebi yawned, stetching his arms behind him as he sat up in his bed. It was a second before he felt the warmth of someone's arms around him and he grinned, remembering the night before. He laid down and kissed C.C.'s neck.

"Of all your centuries of knowledge, I think I appreciate your sexual knowledge the most," he said with a grin.

*

Kegan grunted as he woke up. His bed felt particularly hard. Did they camp last night? He opened his eyes, finding that he was laying upon the floor, Atiya and Alain taking up his spot in the bed.

"She's as forceful as her mother," he murmured, standing up to dress himself.

Dawnlight played gently over his sleeping face and instinctively Ashura opened his eyes to greet the new dawn. Life assailed him from the cloudless sky. Undiluted life beaming down in a flurry of bright promises. And in that fleeting moment of absentmindedness Ulqora saw them all. The promise of green leaves and budding blossoms. The promise of new seeds and a future for the old. The promise of a bright spring and a warm summer. A thousand times a thousand promises all streaming from the sun and funneling into his eye.

He gave off an undignified yelp and tumbled from his perch in the crown of the great tree, clenching his eyes closed. The first branch hit him squarely in the gut and drove all air from him. The next hooked a leg and flipped him over so the third could thump into his shoulder. He managed to grab onto the fourth and slow his descent. He landed smoothly on the fifth.

"Gaea's loins," swore the elf nursing his bruised shoulder.

He glanced around himself before sighing and jumping off the branch, sailing down through the open skylight of the inn, landing lightly in the salon.

"Nice of you to drop in," he heard smartly from behind him and Ulqora turned to greet the tavern keep with a curt 'good morning'. Aldra, owner of the Wayward's Vantage , was perhaps the fattest elf in the world. At least the fattest Ulqora had ever seen. By human standards she was robustly built, but to an elf, she was obese.

"Just a good morning, Mr. Guardian? 'Ain't I worth more than that?" She said it in the grutal tongue of the Gaborian Empire to goad him. She did like to push buttons. So in retaliation, Ulqora responded in High Elven and with an aristocratic accent.

"I'll have a glass of mulled wine and a proper breakfast if one can get one here..."

Rein

Rein slowly rose from her slumber, and looked around blearily for Kegan after she noticed he wasn't in bed, Alain and Atiya taking up his spot. She then spotted him nearby, in the process of getting dressed. The young woman giggled a little, but lowered her voice as to not wake the two toddlers.

"Kicked out of bed, huh?"

C.C.

"Why thank you, my brave Knight." C.C. replied, smiling softly at him as she woke herself.

"I think Atiya's getting to be too big a girl to sleep with us anymore," Kegan teased slightly, though he didn't mean it. He never minded his little girl sleeping between him and Rein, even if he was kicked in the middle of the night.

*

"You're welcome, my noble Mage," he told her. Pity. He'd have liked to remain in bed with her for the rest of the day, but he had a mission to complete. He supposed there would be plenty of leisure time for when Tsuba was defeated.

Rein

"Oh, you're horrible, Kegan." Rein whispered back, giggling lightly. After a moment she carefully exited the bed, and made sure not to wake the children by accident.

"Need any help getting dressed?" Rein asked with a teasing grin.

C.C.

"Well, we'd best be getting up. Katie will want her half of the room back, and you have a mission to do." C.C. reminded, giving Nebi a slightly sad smile.

Ana had slept lightly, and not much. Sleep was hard to come by, when she trusted these elves so little. And so it was, after spending some time on basic exercises, she headed out of her room and, after a quick check on Regan and his family (just a quick pressing of her ear against the door, for who knew what they were doing), she headed down for some breakfast.

She paused as she caught sight of the elf from before, Ulqora, but then continued forward. "A small breakfast, please," she said, ignoring the other elf.

"There's children here, Rein," Kegan told her with a grin. He didn't want to scar his daughter or her friend at such a young age.

*

"Yeah. Well, the sooner we get this quest done, the sooner we can take Tsuba down and I can announce a re-population week to replenish the Empire's numbers. War creates so many casualties," Nebi noted with a slight smile before kissing C.C. gently and reluctantly standing up to get dressed.

C.C.

"Ah, I can already see you're going to be popular," C.C. replied with a giggle.

Rein


"I was kidding, Kegan!" Rein whispered, before breaking out into a light laugh. "Though I wouldn't mind actually helping you get dressed. If you could help me, too. With my big, fat stomach, getting my old clothes to fit me is getting harder and harder. I really hope the babies come soon. I can't take much more of this!"

"What can I say? I shall govern by the people, for the people. And that means debauchery," Nebi exclaimed.

*

Kegan laughed a bit and proceeded to help his wife pull on a shirt, "We should really find a way to prevent this, at least for awhile. I think four children is enough for any family in peacetime, let alone wartime."

His expression sobered. He really didn't want to bring kids into a time like this. He wanted to raise his kids somewhere safe without the Hazuki or Tsuba breathing down their necks.

C.C.

"My hero," C.C. rolled her eyes and kissed Nebi's check. "Well, goodbye, Nebi. Have a fun time with that Mion girl. And good luck finding Carlisle. I'll miss you."

Rein

"Oh yes, I agree. If we don't find a way for you to stop knocking me up after the Twins are born, I will neuter you." Rein half-joked, giving her Husband a kiss. She gave him a reassuring pat and struggled to get her pants on, now.

"Hm. Do you think I'm fat, Kegan?" Rein asked, rather hoping his answer wouldn't be the least bit truthful.

((Hehe. Run Kegan, run! You could get slapped if you answer poorly. XD))