Theodore was to Emily what both light and water were to plants – the very essence of life. Hell, he was like the air she breathed – a most basic need – and she couldn’t possibly fathom life without him. And it was good that she didn’t have to.
She was two weeks shy of her due date when they decided it would be better for her to deliver the baby in the palace. Sure, the royal court was poisonous, but it was also the safest place for her, provided all siblings assembled for the occasion.
And it was almost no surprise that Liam, Serena, and Tatiana had every intention to be there for her for such an important event.
She’d be at her weakest and her most vulnerable state. And although Theodore would be more than happy to eliminate any threat should one arise, she truly believed that there could never be enough precautions.
Admittedly, since the former queen had perished at the hands of her own son, his reputation as the ruthless and revered god of war grew, and no noble was daring enough or suicidal enough to want to oppose Liam’s rule or Theodore’s word.
Nevertheless, peace was such a fickle thing, and war was never too far away.
The siblings hadn’t met for a few months, ever since the trial and execution of their mother. And the reunion was so sweet, it brought Emily to tears.
“What are you crying about, dorogaya?” Theodore asked in a teasing tone while hugging Serena who had come to meet them in the gardens.
Emily shook her head negatively and kept mum.
“Is it time already?” He then said, his voice almost panicky. “What happened? I thought we had more time…”
“No, silly,” she laughed through her tears. “It is not time yet.”
He heaved a sigh. “You had me worried there.”
“I never thought I’d come to see the day where someone would call brother silly and not get killed for it,” Liam observed in a joking manner as he appeared at the entrance of the palace.
“Haha, really funny,” Theodore told him sarcastically before bumping fists with him.
It was almost disturbing how much they got along, how similar they were in their thinking, and yet how different they were in their demeanors. They were all quick witted and observant no matter how nonchalant they appeared to be. They could act somewhat cold to one another, but there was no denying that their love for one another knew no bounds.
Tatiana smiled at them and welcomed them in with a sweet, “How pleasant it is to have you all here.”
Emily nodded at her, a smile stretching her lips as well.
And it wasn’t long before they entered the palace, exchanging pleasantries, all in all having a merry time – their reunion being most enjoyable.
The former king lived as a recluse at the old palace he chose to stay at. Even though he was no longer mourning his mate per se, he claimed he didn’t feel the need to interact with his children – murderers, he said. It was true that they conspired to take down their own mother, but she was the one constantly plotting against her own blood and flesh.
Were they really to blame?
Nevertheless, Emily truly believed that should his children reach out to him, he’d be in a more lenient mood. But since the siblings were not in the wrong, and were rather prideful, they too didn’t feel the need to interact with a cold-hearted parent who never took the time to hear them out.
“A penny for your thoughts, dearie?” Serena asked softly from beside her. “You’ve been awfully silent,” she commented.
“I am just really thankful,” Emily smiled at her. “A year ago, I lost my parents in a tragic accident. I thought I wouldn’t survive the loss, the pain, the loneliness. And then, Theodore came into my life – more like barged in really – and since then, I was no longer alone. Now, I have an amazing mate, two sweet sisters, and an annoyingly protective brother.”
“Hey, why am I deemed annoying?” Liam pursed his lips slightly. “I take offense to that.”
“So do I,” Tatiana agreed with a nod. “My mate is not annoying.”
Emily giggled and rolled her eyes at their antics.
They were such a lovely couple. Sure, they had gone through their fair share of fights and problems, but there they stood, together, united, in love.
That was the beauty of the mate bond. She could only hope Serena would get her happily ever after as well.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
“Push, your highness,” the midwife was urging Emily softly. “Push.”
“I am pushing, woman!” Emily angrily retorted, her eyes flashing crimson.
Theodore almost wanted to retract his hand from Emily’s painful hold, but he couldn’t possibly do that. There was only so much support he could give her. And admittedly, that gesture and his words of encouragement were it.
“Another push, dorogaya. You’re almost there,” he told her as he kissed her hand softly.
“You’re never touching me again, Theodore King,” she threatened, her voice a mix of anger and dejection. “You hear me? Never again!”
“Harsh,” Liam observed from where he was leaning against the wall behind them.
“Your turn will come, brother,” Theodore told him as he narrowed his eyes on him. “Soon.”
Liam had the decency to pale at that.
“For sure,” Tatiana said as she caressed her belly which had yet to start showing. She was pregnant but wouldn’t be in the same tight spot as Emily for a few more months.
And then, Emily screamed and squeezed his hand again, and Theodore was rendered mum. When did she become so strong?
“You can do it, dearie,” Serena said softly.
“One last push, your highness,” the midwife said encouragingly. “I can see the head.”
Emily inhaled deeply and then made one ultimate effort. She even straightened up as she screamed.
A cry ensued. She had delivered the baby at long last, after five long hours of labor. Five hours in which no one had moved an inch from the room, in which no one drank or ate, in sympathy with Emily’s pain, in sweet torturous anticipation of the baby’s arrival.
Theodore was then given the task of cutting the umbilical cord. He looked at his mate and then at the baby, conflict probably evident on his face.
“It won’t hurt either one of them,” Serena told him with a sweet smile.
He gulped down his dread and said, “I know. I know.”
He was repeating himself… and that spoke louder than any words could about his distress.
Then, Liam put his hand on his shoulder and said, “You can do it, brother.”
And with that, he inhaled deeply and then cut the damned cord at long last.
“It’s a girl, your highness,” the midwife announced. After a quick examination, she said, “It’s a beautiful healthy little girl.”
And then, Emily, who had tears in her eyes, said, “I want to see my baby.”
The midwife who had the baby in her arms went to her, uncaring of the curious and cautious looks Theodore was shooting the baby.
“What a beautiful baby,” she cooed. “You were well worth the effort and the pain, my lovely, my sweet, sweet child.”
“What are you going to call her?” Serena, who was peeking at the baby, asked curiously.
Theodore had thought everything through… everything save for a name. He was at a loss for words.
Emily, on the other hand, wasn’t.
“Let’s call her Andrea,” she said. “So that she’ll grow to be strong and brave like her dad.”
Theodore could only smile at that. “Andrea it is.”
The little girl rested against her mother, seemingly content from the mere contact.
Theodore wanted to hold his little girl as well, but he didn’t dare voice out his desire.
“Aren’t you going to hold her, Theo?” Emily flashed him an uncertain smile. And he started to feel her insecurities. What were her insecurities about now?
And most importantly, could he hold the little girl without hurting her? Dare he?
“I… I…” he stammered like a little teenage girl – which he most definitely wasn’t.
“Did you wish for a boy perhaps?” She asked timidly, tears in her eyes. “Is that why you don’t wish to hold her?”
He shook his head negatively with vehemence. “I don’t care about gender, as long as the baby is fine and healthy.”
“Then?” She worried her bottom lip.
“I think he’s afraid of holding her,” Liam supplied for him.
“Shut up,” he told him tersely.
“You’re not denying it,” Serena added with a small smile.
He sighed at that. “What if I drop her?”
“You won’t,” Serena assured him.
“Just hold her like you would something precious,” Liam advised.
Theodore nodded at that, and then closed the distance that separated him from his mate. He kissed her forehead lovingly and said, “I love you.”
“I love you more,” she told him cheekily.
“Debatable,” he retorted.
And then, he was holding his little girl cautiously with Serena’s hands outstretched under his own – just in case, she said.
For the first time in his life, Theodore, the shrewd businessman, the revered god of war, Theos, felt helpless in front of such a little being.
He could already picture his little girl driving him and his sweet Emily crazy. He could see himself wrapped around her little finger much like he was around her mother’s.
Life was good. The three of them would surely live happily. He knew it and could feel it in his veins.