Ana's day had been pretty mundane. Going over important paper work and having her day filled with meetings that just seemed to droll on and on. The days were long and her pregnancy has made her too impatient and temperamental.
So when Draconian strolls in to check on her she can't help but snap at him.
"I'm certain I locked that door." She grumbles focused on her paperwork.
"I'm certain I just unlocked that door." He counters.
"Draconian. You're getting on my nerves."
"It's so easy to do these days." He smirks irritatingly.
She cuts her glare towards him. "I'm tired. I'm swollen with a giant in my tummy who love's to kick my bladder every five minutes. All the while, I have deadlines that are due. Paper work that's mounting and I'm fucking exhausted. Just the slightest movement makes me want to fall asleep but if I do, I know I will be woken up to your child constant jumping on my fucking uterus!"
Draconian purses his lips in thought. "You're getting increasingly close. The healers say it'll be any day now."
"I know that!" She hisses.
He sharpens his gaze but bites his tongue knowing she cannot help the irritation that seems to follow her these days.
With a sharp cry Ana grabs her desk, eyes wide with pain.
She shares a panicked look with Draconian.
"I think that's a contraction."
With ease he sweeps her up into his arms and glides them to their room. Ordering almost every healer in the palace to make haste to their rooms.
Mia and Ellie had been sent out to handle the civilian and worker situation while Joan was holed up with veil and Kitsch in the prisons, interrogating the surviving soldiers of the wayward General.
The castle should be utterly empty save for servants and the queen and her baby daddy.
"Alright your grace, it's almost time to push." A young healer instructs while she parts her queens legs preparing for the birth of her prince or princess.
Draconian lays behind his little female her shaking hands gripping his for dear life.
"Give me something- anything for the pain!" She screams as the little beast almost seems to try and claw its way out.
"I'm sorry your grace. It's too late for that. We have to deliver now. General, we need you to calm her while she pushes."
He quirks an eyebrow at the impossible job laid out before him.
"Come on brave girl. You have faced worse things. This will be another accomplishment I'm honored to be apart of." He whispers lovingly into her sweat stained skin.
She screams and screams for what seems like hours but nothing comes. The baby is refusing to leave almost daring them to make it do so.
"Please, please, please." She sobs desperately begging the baby to get out of her.
That's when she feels the cold featherlight touch on her head. She opens her eyes sobs even louder as Sophie caresses her head.
"You've got this my queen. My sister- you've got this." She whispers encouragingly not sharing a look with a too quiet draconian.
Ana screams again in anguish and stares at Sophie or the new version of her at least. Some dainty fangs glint in the sunlight and singular crimson eye watches her every breath. Staring into her it seems.
"S-Sophie?" She cries.
"Focus on breathing, focus on pushing. I can wait; it's the babes turn right now."
With her best friend and her lover by her side she pushes and pushes and the pressure is relieved and she can seem to breath again. A gush of water soon exiting her.
She looks up at the ceiling with a sigh; happy the pain is gone. But it's too quiet.
"Your grace..." the young healer hands a quiet pale babe over to Ana.
Ana gasps at her beautiful child begging him to open his eyes.
"Please my love. Open those beautiful eyes." She whimpers as she tries to coax him to live.
His grayish skin is cold against her hot body. He's large for a baby. Nearly thirteen pounds. No horns, no hair, just a quiet little thing who seems so perfect in her eyes.
"Won't you cry for me little one?" A sob wracks through her body, "please!" She whisper shouts at him. Demanding whatever gods or fates that exist to save her from the pain that's breaking her fragile heart at this very moment.
Without a sound Draconian places his hands over hers and peers at their babe. This heartbreak so foreign to him. This vulnerability so painful.
Ana feels drops on her shoulder and peers over her shoulder to her lover. His eyes are wide and unseeing for anything but his child.
"Awake." He demands- no, begs. "Please." He gasps as if he's choking for air.
There in the silence of their rooms they hold their angel, too soft and sweet for this world. They cry together for a life made together and lost together.
—————————————————————————————
Days have passed. Ana keeps herself locked in her room, Sophie the only one allowed entry. She hold's her best friend and they cry. Constantly and consistently.
Draconian stands guard at the door desperately wishing she'd let him in. Raphael doesn't dare come close only too aware of how unstable his general is.
But when he hears the heartbreaking sound of his female crying for the twelfth day in a row he can't keep his distance and so he stops at the large doors only cracked open a little and the his disheveled brother with his head hung sitting at the foot of the door.
His glare slices him like a razor when their eyes clash. Draconian stands his whole body shaking.
"I warned you. You preformed that ritual knowing what it would cost." He withdraws his dagger. "I'll kill you." He gives Raphael that only warning before he lunge's at him.
Raphael feels the guilt hit him almost as hard as Draconian does. With a grunt he throws him off.
"I won't fight you brother." He mumbles sorrowful.
Draconian screams, "Who are you to call me brother!"
The commotion draws everyone out into the hallway. Their other brothers watch with concerned faces and the door cracks a little wider revealing a puffy faced Ana and Sophie hugging her close.
"Kitsch is my brother!" He swipes the dagger at him.
"Veil is my brother!" He swipes again getting closer to him.
"Mart is my brother!" He cuts the point of his dagger into Raphael's shoulder making him hiss. "You are a traitor." He whispers dangerously.
When he goes to land again Ana steps in his way making him drop the dagger instantly.
"Stop this." She whispers. "I've had enough bloodshed within these walls."
Draconian's fury continues to build, "He caused the death of our son!"
"No he didn't." Ana smiles sadly grasping his hand.
His face twists in anguish as he tries his best to keep his tears at bay in front of his warriors.
"Sophie explained everything. And so did the healers, Raphael is not at fault for what has happened to our babe." She sucks in a deep breath. "He was born with a small heart." Her tears spill onto her cheeks. "It simply wasn't big enough to support him. His h-heart was just too tiny."
Draconian's face twists into helplessness sorrow as he falls to his knees. Crying for the son he'll never get to know. Ana drops and grips him to her.
"Leave us." She whispers to their followers. A quiet request to leave this moment between the two souls.
Both too broken; for the first time in days they hold each other in their grief.