Cold Hands, War[m] Heart [Namingtoohard & Fanatasia]

[Fanatasia]

She'd leaned towards her husband, most comfortable against his chest, when she heard the cry of their names. She chuckled quietly and shifted to accept the child into a hug, giggling softly.

Aine flushed, pulling the girl against her as she nodded slightly. "Possibly. Haven't made an appointment with the physician, yet." She'd always wanted a large family. "She was upset--and I'd been heading to make the appointment when I came across her... it seemed to cheer her up." She shrugged. "Made sure to explain that it wasn't definite knowledge, though." She couldn't fault the little girl for sharing news, and if it upset her, she certainly did not show it.

Instead she hugged Aspen and kissed the top of her head. "I've actually got the appointment tonight, before dinner. The physician offered to come here--turned down my offer to go to him," she shrugged again. She was used to that; it came with being royalty.

"You could come." She offered, as she rocked Aspen in her arms for a moment. "I'd like if you came."

[Namingtoohard]

Leith would not in simple acceptance of his wife's explanation, largely accepting of the answer that she offered him. It seemed a little strange that his younger sister would hear about such a thing before he himself, but Aine's explanation was more than acceptable. He certainly wasn't going to complain if it saved Aspen some measure of grief, at the very least. Regardless, he wasn't going to complain - he had known the possibility existed, and was more than aware of his wife's desire for a larger family.

"Mm. That's good to hear, because I would certainly like to be there" he offered, tightening his grip around the two of them. It would be silly to refuse such an opportunity, especially if he was openly invited, considering what such a meeting could potentially reveal.

"It'll give us something to do whilst Fiora tried to work the cooks to death" he added, an amused smile flickering across his features, before he laid his head down and closed his eyes.

"Until then, I could really use that nap right about now. It'll be nice to get some rest without having to worry about the council sneaking up on me" the man mused, earning something of a scowl from his little sister.

"You can't go to sleep yet - you only just got back, Leith!" The girl would chide him, smacking her brother gently. "You still need to go play with Leda and Yela. They've been waiting too" she offered. The king would let out a defeated groan, unable to help himself.

"I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do I?" He admitted, much to his chagrin

[Fanatasia]

Aine tsked softly, reaching to brush her fingers through Aspen's hair. "Love, let him rest. He can't play properly if he's tired. Go find Sorei and Fiora, and see if you can help plan their wedding." Giving the child tasks seemed to do the trick before. She was hoping it'd do the trick now.

"I'll make sure he's up in just a few hours, and you can show him all your favorite spots. Promise." She'd kiss the girl's cheek, smiling quietly. "Go on, shoo." She moved to release the child, waiting patiently for her to do as she was told.

Once she heard the patter of little feet, the shutting of the door, she grinned quietly, and settled beside of the man. "Now, take your rest." She crooned, moving to pull the blankets toward them, uncaring that they were in the middle of the bed instead of near the top of it.

"The children can wait. Every King deserves his rest--especially a retired one." She teased, nuzzling him.

[Namingtoohard]

Aspen was quick to pout at the explanation that followed, feeling somewhat disappointed given how her brother had seemed ready to give in to her wants. Still, she wasn't going to argue with the queen now - she had been brought up better than that. She would fumble her way back over to the edge of the bed, before slipping down and calling for her guide dog once more. As soon as she had a good grip on the animal's harness, another spoken command would lead to the animal quickly spiriting her away. With nothing better to do, she was off to find Yelena and Ledora once more. Her departure was marked by the sound of her puppy's footsteps, which quickly faded into silence.

"Thank you, dear" the king would announce simply once his little sister had disappeared into the depths of the castle, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth as he turned his attention back to his wife. A small chuckle would escape the man as she pulled the blankets up over the both of them, before he would give in to the luxuries that she seemed content to lavish upon him. He would lean across to plant a quick kiss on her lips, before relaxing and closing his eyes. From there, it was only a matter of time until the king drifted off into a light sleep.

[Fanatasia]

When he drifted off, so did she, curled on her side next to him. The woman slept peacefully--and would only wake when someone knocked at the door--the physician coming for his appointment three hours later. "Milady, may I enter?" The doctor entered the chambers, bowing slightly as he watched the woman untangle from her husband.

"It's great to have you home, sire." The physician stated, as he reached for the queen's hand. "Let me help you." The man led the redhead to a chair, and murmured, "Undress, please. Will the king be staying for the exam?" As the woman nodded, the doctor waited patiently.

"Leith?" Aine held out a hand for her husband to take, waiting patiently for him to indicate he was awake and nearby. By this point the doctor's hands were running along her midsection, and then along her breasts, humming to himself as he began to examine her.

[Namingtoohard]

Having drifted off into a realm of comfortable and otherwise peaceful sleep, Leith would also stir when the knock at the door finally came. As had become traditional by this point, he was much slower to wake than Aine, and did so only with a fair amount of grumbling and complaining. This was to be his first decent sleep in over a week, after all, and the man did not enjoy the prospect of having it interrupted. Still, as soon as his mind began to function, he recalled the importance of the disturbance, and the potential revelation that would come from it. Using that as motivation, he finally mustered the willpower to rise.

With no small amount of grumbling, he would slip from beneath the covers and climb to his feet. Bringing a hand up, he would take a brief moment to rub the sleep from his eyes, before finally moving to join his wife - who was both seated and undressed by the time he was composed enough to join her. He gripped her hand affectionately, but otherwise remained standing for the vast majority of the procedure. He eyed both the physician and his wife in turn, for different reasons, and was quick to suppress a twinge of jealousy. It was strange, really, how his view on such things had changed as he had grown more accustomed to Sindarian culture. Once upon a time he would have been rather defensive in this sort of situation, but now he was able to bear it without too much of a struggle.

"Just how many times have we gone through this now?" he would ask, a wry smile flickering across his features as he tried to break the silence that seemed to have fallen over the group. There was little else for him to do at this point, considering that at the moment everything hinged on the physician finishing his assessment and giving them both his verdict.

[Fanatasia]

Aine grinned up at her husband, musing, "A few times." She'd lean into the man, waiting patiently for the physician to stop poking and prodding. Eventually, he was done, and moved to step away.

"I'd say you're about twelve weeks."

The woman brightened--twelve weeks was far enough that it was safe to tell people; though she just beamed up at her husband. "Do you think it'll be a boy?" She inquired, excitedly. Despite the fact she'd had such bad luck in the past, she could not help being excited every time.

"I hope it's a boy." They had too many young princesses running around. The woman moved to begin dressing, as the doctor went on about her history, and giving them directions. She'd heard it all before. He set another appointment for a few months down the road, and was gone by the time she'd pulled her dress into place.

[Namingtoohard]

With little else to say, Leith was quick to fall into anticipatory silence, eagerly awaiting the verdict of the physician alongside his wife. When the moment of truth came, his eyes widened slightly, and the man quickly felt his chest swell with a mix of both surprise and excitement. He tightened his grip on Aine's hand, squeezing it gently, before giving her a bit of an encouraging nod as she stated that she hoped it was a boy. That was a sentiment he could agree with - as the solitary man in their family, he was already outnumbered enough...presuming one didn't count Oron, at the very least.

"Well, only one way to find out" he offered, a small smile flickering across his features. Still, the man would relent and withdraw his hand as Aine moved to rise, not wanting to impede her as she dressed. Instead he simply fell back into silence, waiting and listening as the physician finished his routine spiel about the care she would need to take. After the man finally took his leave, the king would throw a glance towards his wife. Once the door was firmly latched, he would immediately step towards her, pulling her into a tight embrace, and loosening it only for a fraction of a moment, so that he might plant an affectionate kiss on her lips.

"Congratulations, love" he would whisper softly, though it would prove loud enough given their close proximity. Only after a few moments would he loosen his grip enough so that he might draw back, just far enough so as to be able to meet her gaze good and proper. A hearty smile flickered across his features, before he would finally speak up again.

"I suppose we need to go and share the news with everyone...though I'd hate to take the spotlight away from Fiora and Sorei on their big day" he offered rather simplistically, a soft chuckle slipping from his lips.

[Fanatasia]

Aine giggled up at him, shaking her head. "It can wait, 'til I start to show." She didn't want to take any amount of spotlight from her sister. "Besides, I'd much rather go find the children, and settle in to play. They've missed you." She teased, raising to her feet to slip her arms around his neck.

"Possibly more than I've missed you." She quipped, as she pulled away to claim his hand and reach for the dog. "Saphire, find Aspen." She'd release the dog and pull the door to the room open, listening as the dogs claws tapped against the ground as she left.

"I hope this one's a boy." She murmured, as she dragged her fingers against her husband's chest. "I'd like a little boy." She smiled pleasantly, as she leaned into the man. "Will you keep it a secret? Let Fiora and Sorei have their moment... After all, Fiora's so far along now. Sorei's so excited." She'd grin up at the man.

"I wonder what kind of plans they have for after the baby..."

[Namingtoohard]

A simple nod was Leith's main response to his wife's first statement, before he would pause briefly to watch as she sent one of the dogs out into the house, with the goal of searching for his younger sister. The man fully believed the claims about the animals' intelligence, though it would be interesting to see proof of it with his own eyes. Still, he had plenty with which to occupy himself in the meantime. Such was the mindset he held as he turned his attention back to Aine, a small smile turning at the edges of his mouth.

"Aye, aye. We'll keep it a secret, just for another week or so. As for what they have planned...well, there's only one way to find out for sure" he offered rather simply, tightening his grip on the woman just a fraction as he cradled her close. He would lean in to brush his lips against hers, much more slowly and gently than before, before he would straighten up a little.

"I don't suppose there's much chance of me getting another nap in now, so we might as well go and find the kids. Aspen can catch up with us - I'm sure Saphire will be able to show her the way" he offered, taking his lover by the arm, before leading her a few steps towards the door gently.

"So, you said it was the second floor that the children were on, right?"