Chapter 29: 29 - Anthology of Moments

“You don’t think we’re over-stepping here, do you?” Commander Vir fussed. “General Yudha asked us to keep the news of her pregnancy quiet, and, reading between the lines, I think she’d prefer we didn’t know at all yet.”

Commander Rapax sighed and shook his head. “We aren’t going against orders to talk to her husband about it. This is his news too, and I think he’d appreciate the limited peace of mind we can give him. The fact is, if I had a hard-ass wife who insisted on sword training during her pregnancy, I’d be freaking pissed too.”

“Vir, you haven’t gotten to know Rogue the way we have,” Commander Moro added. “He’s a chill guy, competent doctor, natural leader too under the right circumstances, and he’s a pretty private person. For him to get so worked up last week was kind of a big deal.”

The group fell quiet after that, and Rapax went back to studying the bookcases built into the front parlor of the Lion General’s estate. Apart from the section of old tomes that Commander Arum was perusing, the rest of the bookshelves were cluttered with antiquated relics, trophies, and treasures of previous Lion Generals. It felt like a museum more than a parlor, and the austere drapes blocking out much of the natural light of the windows married with the dark paint palette and stuffy furniture to add to that feeling. Rapax was poking at a peculiar retracting dagger when the parlor doors opened again.

“Hey, guys!” Rogue said cheerfully. “What brings you here? Have a seat.” Rapax joined his comrades in finding seats on cushioned couches, each adjusting their sword belts to keep their weapons from poking each other, and Rogue joined them. “Are you just here for a visit, or…? Actually, I don’t know that I know you,” Rogue said with a frown, indicating Commander Vir who introduced himself briefly. “Oh! You’re Callida’s father! Erm… little Callida’s father. You have two daughters, right? Callida and…?”

“Valeni, Val. Yeah. She’ll be two this June,” Vir said, nodding awkwardly.

“So, Rogue,” Rapax spared the group from groping for more small talk, “we’re actually here to let you know that we are aware of your concerns about your wife’s pregnancy, and we have collectively agreed to help protect the general from being an idiot.”

Rogue blinked in the face of Rapax’s bluntness. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“We intend to do what we can to prevent her from entering hazardous situations like sparring or taking potentially dangerous assignments. We also intend for at least one of us to observe her training every day to make sure she doesn’t overdo things,” Rapax explained.

“We’re going to do what we can without looking like we are trying to protect her,” Moro added.

“We know she doesn’t respond well to people interfering with her life choices,” Arum contributed with a laugh, “but we wanted to let you know that we’re watching out for her, and we’ve gotten all the commanding officers who know about her condition in on it.”

“She doesn’t know it, and we’ll all staunchly deny it if she asks, but we’re watching out for her,” Rapax concluded. “Hopefully knowing that will help you worry less.”

“I… I don’t know what to say,” Rogue stammered.

“Then don’t say anything,” Rapax said, rising to his feet, the rest of his comrades following his example. “Congratulations, by the way,” he added on his way out the door.

***

For the first time ever, Callida requested a chair to sit in during the morning council meeting. Of course that wasn’t a problem, but it set off alarm bells in Verum’s brain. Was she sick? Or injured? Just tired? Or…? He wasn’t really sure what other options there were, but none of them seemed very good. Verum found himself scrutinizing her every move throughout the meeting, looking for a tell. Her mobility seemed fine. She was perfectly attentive, and her mind seemed as sharp as ever. When called upon to deliver her brief “state of the military report” at the end of the meeting, she rose easily from her seat and moved about just fine, speaking clearly and confidently as always. And then it hit him all at once when she turned around to retake her seat.

Her new uniform hid it well, very well, in fact. Cleverly cut to give the illusion of a fitted waist, Callida’s lean, slender form was much rounder than normal, especially at the front. He had a guess. As Verum dismissed the council, he beckoned to Callida.

“Your Majesty?” She quirked a brow when the council had dissipated enough to carry a relatively private conversation.

Verum stood up smirking to approach her. “General, it’s been quite a while since we’ve caught up. How are you?”

“I’m… fine?” She shrugged. “How are you? How’s Flore and Optatio?”

“We’re all well. How’s Rogue?”

“He’s doing well? Verum, what’s this really about?” Her brows were pinched with suspicion and maybe a little concern, and Verum decided to be direct.

“How long were you planning on trying to hide that?” he asked, nodding at her belly. She sighed, long and drawn out with a slight growl of frustration added at the end. She looked up, biting her bottom lip — an indication of stress or annoyance or…. Hm. That wasn’t the response I was expecting. “Callida? Is everything ok?”

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“It’s fine. I guess I was waiting to get called out on it before I told people.”

“Before you told people what?” he prompted.

“I’m… I’m pregnant.” She was back to gnawing on her lip. “Yeah. I’m…. I haven’t told anyone else yet, though, my commanding officers know because… because reasons.”

“Well, congratulations,” Verum offered. Why did it feel like he was treading thin ice with such a comment? “Um, when are you due?”

“Mid-December.”

“So…” he ran the math, “five months?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

“You’re almost halfway!”

“I know. I finally started showing earlier this week. Rogue called it ‘popping’? Um… my belly finally popped? Something like that.”

“Yeah. I noticed,” Verum said, culling an urge to laugh. “And how has the pregnancy been so far?”

“It’s… it’s fine. I don’t love it, but it’s fine.”

Reading the signals, it seemed clear that Callida wasn’t enjoying this conversation, so Verum made the decision to end it. “Well, congratulations again. Um, let me know if you… need anything, any special accommodations or some time off or anything.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” She bowed out and exited the room, leaving Verum to wonder at her lackluster response to the conversation. Maybe she was just tired? But her response was so different from the first few times Flore had gotten pregnant. Flore was a radiantly glowing pregnant woman who was excited and happy about her pregnancies. Callida… Callida was not. Obviously.

Verum hummed to himself. Callida pregnant. Practically speaking, she’d probably need some time off after the baby was born to recover; that was something they could try to anticipate. It would be interesting seeing how motherhood affected her life and work as the Lion General. Verum returned to his throne and collected a small stack of documents on his way out the door to lunch.

Callida’s pregnant, he chuckled to himself quietly, internalizing that fact. That’s going to be interesting.

***

Callida was curled up on the couch across from him, her knees tucked as high as her growing belly would allow, and as uncomfortable as she looked, something about the image made Rogue unbelievably happy. He could sit there all day just watching her sleep, but Callida would kill him if he didn’t wake her now that her lunch break was over. He got up and walked the width of the parlor to take a knee next to the couch.

“M’lady, it’s time to get up.”

Her eyes fluttered open so readily, Rogue wasn’t certain she’d actually been sleeping, but, then again, Callida was a notoriously light sleeper barring exceptional circumstances. “How long was I out?” she mumbled while stretching her legs, and Rogue took advantage of her new position to set an affectionate hand against her belly.

“About an hour, as you instructed.”

“It feels like I barely blinked.”

He smiled and then registered movement beneath his palm, immediately becoming excited. “Primordials, did you feel that?!”

She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Of course I felt that. How could I not?” Her hand dropped to guide his to the epicenter of the baby’s activity, and Rogue gently prodded to provoke a reaction. He chuckled when the baby fluttered against his hand and set his other hand on the other side of his wife’s tummy to more fully feel the baby move. “You know, Callida, you’re measuring big for how far along you supposedly are.”

“Are you calling me fat?” she teased.

“I’m maybe calling the baby fat, but it’s more likely that you’re a little further along than we thought,” he said with a frown, his hands now registering something to give him pause.

“What is it?”

“It’s just….” He trailed off, now concentrating on what he was feeling. The baby’s spiritual energy was strange… spread out. Both hands were picking up an equal amount of energy, but he could only feel the baby kicking against his right hand. And then something beneath his left hand squirmed. “Primordials….”

“What? What is it?” Callida pestered impatiently.

“Hold on….” His hands tested both points of contact one more time; he got a reaction in both places — two separate reactions, two separate energies. “Callida….”

“What?! You’re making me nervous, Rogue!”

“There’s two of them.”

“Two of what?”

“Babies. Two babies. You’re carrying twins!” While his wife sat up scowling, Rogue started laughing joyfully.

“Rogue, stop it. What do you–? Twins?! Are you serious?! It’s not funny!”

But Rogue couldn’t stop laughing; he was fit to burst with happiness. So he kissed her, easily ignoring her offended protests until she grudgingly kissed him back.

“Rogue, I’m scared.”

“This is what scares you?” He forced back continued laughter, sobering more readily when her face dropped, her teeth gnawing on her lower lip. “M’lady, why are you scared?”

“I’m not ready for this,” she admitted quietly, and her chin tucked further.

“Hey. We’re in this together, alright? And what’s a baby or two compared to… fighting battles or being poisoned or…”

“It’s not the same thing. Out there, I know what I’m doing, and I know I’m good at it, and… and the only life I have to worry about is mine if I fail.”

“Then how is this so different from being a bodyguard?”

“Keeping someone alive is the bare minimum of being a parent. These babies are going to depend on us for more than just safety from being murdered.”

“Yeah,” Rogue nodded. “But it’s not like we have to have everything perfectly figured out all at once. I guess, we just start by loving them and being the best we know how to be, and then we take things one day at a time. Does that seem reasonable?”

He watched her blink back tears and put on her brave face, smiling despite an obvious urge to cry. “How’d you get so wise?”

He smirked — the answer seemed too obvious — and carefully met her eyes. “By watching you.” She burst into tears all at once, and Rogue chuckled gently as he pulled her into a hug. “You are going to be the most incredible mother, Callida. You never do anything half-way, and you always give your best self. And I love you.”

“I love you too.”