timeandtides_backup | [Thread; Open] Baby Visiting!

Characters: Rasler and Ashe, open to well-wishers!
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: Almost a week after the birth, the royal couple are ready for visitors to see them and coo over their baby boy :3
Location: Alexandria
Date: January, 1804
Warnings: n/a, please!

It was a crisp winter morning in Alexandria, the peace within that particular bedroom at the inn being a microcosm of the state of the little country itself, now the fiends attacked no longer. Ashe, still very sore and recovering from the strain of childbirth, sat atop the bed as comfortably as possible against stacked pillows. Within her arms, she cradled a tiny bundle - hers and Rasler's newborn son, Shain; next in the Dynast-King's royal line. The Dalmascan princess watched her baby with maternal admiration and a little amazement as he lay peacefully, quiet save for soft, endearing sounds of contentment. In all honesty, Ashe was still in partial disbelief that the infant was truly theirs; to nurture and raise, entirely innocent and dependent on their care. Somehow, it felt surreal, wondrous and dream-like, exactly how she felt those months ago upon reuniting with Rasler after two years of mourning.

"He has your nose," Ashe spoke quietly to her husband, smiling at the blatant likeness between father and son. Whether Rasler would be granted his wish and the baby would have inherited Ashe's eyes... such would remain unknown for some weeks yet. Unexpectedly, their musings over the new heir were disturbed by a sudden knock at the door.

"...You may come in," announced the princess, quietly still, not wanting to disturb their son's slumber.

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In the end, Garnet's attempts to visit the family of Dalmasca had gone to waste. The amount of time she could spend under cover was very limited, and after helping Halim around town, and the stares she'd received at the Inn, she'd quite suddenly had Somewhere Else to Be, and dashed off. No doubt she'd left a strange impression on the Marquis, who apparently had also come to bestow his well-wishes upon the newly expanded family.

So it came to pass that when Garnet came the Inn again, it was a day later than she had planned, though once again under cover of white-mage cloak and deliberately understated clothing. It did not stop the stares from the innkeeper likely wondering why this girl kept coming back around, and so she'd ascended the stairs rather quickly, knocking on a door and hoping, in hindsight, that she'd selected the right room.

The sound of Ashe's voice from the other side of the wall immediately soothed her anxieties, and without haste, she eased the door open.

"Good Afternoon," she said softly, summoning up every ounce of her royal bearing. "I hope I'm not intruding."

Had Ashe only known the latest visitor as Queen Garnet, it might have taken a little thought to recognise her beneath the necessary disguise. As it was, 'Dagger' was a familiar sight prior to Ashe's discovery of the other royal's true identity, leaving the Dalmascan Princess without confusion.

That Garnet had made the effort to seek she and Rasler out, to see their son, had Ashe smiling genuinely; as a monarch, trying to avoid being recognised by one's people was no mean feat.

"Not at all," she replied, nodding in respectful greeting as the newborn snuffled softly in her arms. "We welcome your visit."

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Slipping inside, Garnet quietly shut the door behind her. She moved as a sneaking child, though with much more skill and grace. With the door closed, the young queen reached up and drew back her hood.

"It is I who am honored," she whispered, dark eyes drifting from new mother, to new father, and then finally, back to the smallest of the rooms inhabitants; the bundle in Ashe's arms.

And the queen stilled, two steps from the doorway.

Be not afriad, he said. She wasn't afraid... She was in awe.

Certainly, Garnet had seen mothers and their children before, but it was not the same. It had never been anyone she had known. There had been no other children in her family, no cousins, certainly no nieces or nephews. But this child... so small, so soft... she'd known of him before he'd taken his first breath. She dared to call his mother... a friend. Someone her own age. Someone like her.

Finally, she moved forward, towards the bed, eyes softening in awe and adoration.

"Oh... look at him..." she breathed, daring to bend closer.

It seemed that Ashe and Garnet had found another common trait - reverence of the newborn prince.

Choosing to say nothing at first, Ashe allowed the young Queen of Alexandria her indulgence as she studied the Dynast-King's newest legacy where he lay. When she did make to speak, Ashelia's words were halted, her son beginning to wake fully, watching him intently with softness of her own while he took another look upon his new world and the faces before him.

"He sleeps for much of the day," she finally explained, weary yet with a gentle smile. "...It is night when he often chooses to be active."

"Perhaps we should keep him awake then," Garnet suggested good-naturedly, unable to help the smile that was slowly blooming on her face. "Or else you may find yourself with a tiny night-owl, and much less sleep for yourself."

Her focus never drifting from the child, the young queen found herself transfixed on his eyes. What was it about babies, that their eyes seemed so big... as if they couldn't possibly take in the world with ones any smaller. As if moving with a mind of it's own, her hand raised, fingers curled gently, and then reaching, wanting so much to touch that skin, see if it felt as soft as it looked, "Oh, Ashe, he's just beautiful," she murmured.

She stopped short, as if realizing her actions, and drew back her hand. Shain was so small, so fragile, she dared not touch him without permission. But even as she held herself back, the desire persisted.

At that, Garnet pulled her gaze from the infant. Instead, she turned to Rasler, surprise evident in her dark eyes. Then, she turned to Ashe,so quickly, her eyes so wide.

"Oh, I-- I didn't mean to..." she glanced down again; she couldn't help herself. Who was she kidding? she wanted exactly that, but had been too in awe, too scared to ask.

"...May I?" finally, her voice soft and uncertain.

Enlightening, how a baby could have such an effect on those around it. Ashe offered a gentle smile coupled with one nod of confirmation.

"Of course," she reaffirmed, shifting her arms until she held her son in such a position as to transfer him into Garnet's arms. She did so with the utmost caution as Shain continued to make soft sounds, eyes flicking between them all, delicate hands grasping at the air.

Unsure of how instructed Garnet was on the care of newborns (goodness knows she was no expert herself) Ashe chose to share a few quiet words of advice. "Place one arm behind his neck; his head requires support."

Garnet just nodded mutely, gently taking the baby from his mother's arms. She listened to every word, her hands seeming to move of their own free will, obediently supporting the child. Gingerly, she shifted the bundle in her arms. So warm, and soft... The queen stared down at Shain, noting the reflections of his fathers image, shadowed by features belonging to his mother. Amazing, that one person could so resemble two others.

She could not help herself; she cooed softly, took one of his little hands in her fingers, and nearly felt her heart melt. Garnet's expression turned a shade of melancholy then, and she looked up at Ashe.

"You are so lucky," she said, and then threw a glance to Rasler. "Both of you. Even in these circumstances, so far from home, you share such a strong love for each other.... Have been blessed with a healthy child..."

Her eyes fell once more, and there was no mistaking the look in them; longing.

[Thread; Open] Baby Visiting!

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I fail. So much. >..>

<3

Re: <3