Lareth's room

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia found herself still shaking as Lareth lead her to his room. Thankfully, for his plans, she was clueless as to what the Baron's had meant by their words in the throne room. She was still a bit distracted from feeling Goh's presence. That was the one person she feared, for good reason.

She barely noticed it when he sat her on the edge of the bed but held tightly to his hand when he tried to move away. She didn't know why he was moving away but it took her a moment to realize that she was clutching at him like a needy ninny and let go of him.

She put her hands in her lap and worked at slowing her shaking, her eyes on her hands, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have interrupted your meeting like that... I'm sorry, Lareth..." she said softly.

Of course, Lareth's pride should have soaring over that tiny fact. When she'd felt Goh's presence, she hadn't hesitated one bit. She'd run to Lareth instantly instead of trying to set up her own defenses. She'd gone straight to him for protection and comfort. That one fact boded very good news for his plans...  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Bit of a timeskip to help move things along...

Hal appeared in the sitting room portion of the towered suite and yelled at the servants, "Stop ringing your hands, Mae, and go see if you can find Lareth!" "Carlie! Go tell the chef that I need hot water and quit pacing around like an idiot!" and on it went until he'd cleared out the entire tower of everyone but himself and his assistant as well as the midwife.

He moved into the room and watched Cynthia trying to breathe through the contractions with a small frown before he started issuing orders again, "Kameron, get out the tea I had you prepare and get some ready for Cynthia, she'll be needing it in a bit. Sara, let's get her on her feet to walk just a bit. She's nowhere ready to deliver yet," he stated calmly as he moved over to the chair that had been set up for him by Kameron beside the king's desk with his bag on it.

Thankfully, Lareth had gotten Cynthia to marry him. Though the surprise wedding had been a really big surprise since so few had known about it. But it had worked out. Cynthia was the queen now and was going to be delivering his twins in short order. He only hoped that the king got here in time... He also hoped that Cynthia would forgive them for not telling her that she was going to have twins...

Cynthia gritted her teeth as Sara got her to her feet and helped her stay steady as she started walking slowly around the room, pausing only to breathe with the contractions. In truth, she was more than grateful that Hal had shown up when he had. She'd been about ready to turn the maids into piles of ash if they'd continued with their panicking that had erupted when her water broke.  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Lareth had been busy these last few months since his surprise wedding to Cynthia. It had taken many by surprise as many simply assumed he would be the "Bachelor King" forever, but he proved many wrong when he married the one woman who could stand toe to toe with him in arguments and in strength of character.
Much of the realm celebrated having a new Queen but there were some pockets of demons whom had issues, because Cynthia was not a demon.
In order to get those who opposed the queen to change their minds, It took a bit of diplomacy and a bit of crushing prideful demons under his boot that Lareth was able to get most of his kingdom to accept his Queen.

Today was like any other day as he sat in the throne room listening to the sound of two leaders from different sand demon tribes barking like feral dogs at each other over hunting boundaries. It was in Lareths mind to incinerate them both, assign new leaders and move on with things, but he promised Cynthia not to destroy his subjects unless it was really warranted.
As he yawned, a fretful looking maid came stumbling into the throne room and curtsied before she ran up to him and whispered hurriedly in his ear.
At her news, Lareth was awake and hopping up from his chair.

"You elders are both in the wrong. There are no hunting boundaries set aside for either of your tribes. you both share the same two areas. Its first come first serve. But since you are acting like children, I will have to designate areas now and neither one of you will be happy how small the area will be. Leave now and I will send a messenger with the new areas written for you both by sundown. If either one of you two cross paths and fight over food again, I will wipe both your tribes out of existence. Now scram."


The elders huffed but at hearing his threat they bowed their heads and left. Once they were gone Lareth wrapped himself in flames and took himself from his throne room to just outside his room where his Queen was going to deliver his child.

Knowing Hal would be with her he knocked before entering.

"What can I do to help?"  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Hal motioned him over to Cynthia, who was walking a bit, "You can help by helping her walk a bit more, then you get to hold her hand and listen to her swear at you for getting her into this condition as she gives birth to your heirs," he told him simply then motioned the maid away from Cynthia to help prepare the bed.

While he wasn't as active on this one as he used to be, he was still directing everything from his stool. Even the midwife didn't escape the older demon's orders as the bed was prepared for the arrival of the twins. Although, now that he thought about it, now was probably a good time to tell Cynthia that she was having twins. Lareth hadn't wanted her to get more mad at him over having two babes instead of just one and they'd all gone with it, but considering that she was about to push two of them out...

When the bed was ready, Hal sent one of the maids to bring in the bassinets for the babies and set them over by the window to keep them out of the way for the moment. Then he had the midwife check Cynthia to see how far along she was.

The labor was progressing faster than a normal Demon's would be, but that didn't surprise Hal. He simply motioned for Lareth to help Cynthia onto the bed, "It's almost time now. Might as well get as comfortable as you can. Lareth, rub her lower back between contractions, that'll help her out in the long run. And don't stop that breathing Cynthia. We don't need you passing out because you hyperventilated," he continued.

Cynthia just glared at Hal but did as she was told and worked on the breathing she'd been taught as Lareth helped her onto the bed. In the process, she caught sight of the bassinets and frowned all the way through one contraction, gripping Lareth's hand hard enough that if he'd been human she'd have broken bones. When the contraction ended and Lareth started massaging her lower back, she gave a sigh then focused on Hal and Lareth, "Why are there two bassinets? I'm only having one baby, you know," was what she said over it, though this was the first time she'd asked outright.

Hal looked at Lareth very pointedly. They were his children, she was his wife; so he had to be the one to tell her. And that pointed look told him that he didn't dare chicken out on it...  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

red gypsy

Lareth had felt the pressure of coming clean about the twins from a certain older demon across the room, who thought staring pointedly at him would make it easier.

The stare made it hard to concentrate as he massaged his wife's back.

But how was he to tell her, without her whipping back around and breaking his hands or face?
Oh gods, not the face. He needed his handsome face.
He massaged a knot as he continued to think of a good way to tell her that he had jumped her bones so hard he made two heirs instead of one.

As he whispered encouragement to her as he massaged her back he realized that over the many years in his life, he had fear of no one...that was until he met Cynthia...and now, he feared her retaliation for making her have all this pain.

Lareth licked his lips and spoke nonchalantly.

"You know how the old saying goes about how "two heads are better than one?" Well my sweet, beautiful, and very forgiving wife...surprise! We are having twins! You're having twins!"

Lareth wondered if she would break his face first or break his "Man muscle"  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia was shocked, to say the least. But he told her the news during a contraction so when the contraction ended, she was busy with breathing. But she did have the perfect reaction to the news.

She simply set him on fire. Admittedly, he was behind her and the bed was under them both. But with his control over fire, he was able to keep it from becoming a disaster.

When she had a chance between breathing, she gave him the glare he deserved, "And that was the best way you could come up with to tell me?" she growled out at him, then squeezed his hand as another contraction hit.

With twins, her labor would go a bit faster, though it would be longer. This contraction heralded her 'need to push' than they'd been waiting on. Thankfully, Hal and the midwife were both on hand to help. And Lareth helped keep Cynthia's powers in check as best as he could during the whole thing.

Once the first baby was born, Cynthia had a few moments where she could rest while the midwife cut the cord and cleaned the little girl and wrapped her in a blanket. From there, Lareth had to be encouraging to Cynthia as the contractions started up again for the birth of their son. That one wasn't as easy and took a few more hours longer until the boy finally made his entrance into the world with a scream that pulled a shocked look from the midwife.

Cynthia seemed to collapse back against Lareth as she gasped for air. By now she was a mess: covered in sweat, exhausted, needing a few stitches, sore as hell... Oh, wait... That was fairly normal... Except for the stitches... And the soreness...

Hal took care of the boy as the midwife took care of the stitches Cynthia needed. Once the boy was cleaned up and wrapped in his blanket, Hal lifted them both in his arms and carried them over to Lareth and Cynthia, "Meet your children, Lareth, Cynthia... They're beautiful and you both have every right to be proud of them," he said in a hushed voice that showed how emotional he was of this moment.

It had taken the rest of one day and all of the night for the twins to be born, a long time for demon children. But it was worth it in the end, in his opinion. He'd been waiting for over three hundred years for this day, to present these two people with their children. And it was more than worth it for him...  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

red gypsy

Lareth was not expecting THAT reaction, but at least it wasn't as bad as he thought and had imagined. Thankfully by the end of it all he only had a fractured hand and two beautiful children.

Two eyes, arms, legs, all fingers and toes. Normal looking children.

He was hoping for some cute little horns, but this was wonderful.

As the children were being cleaned up and swaddled, Lareth wiped Cynthia's brow with a clean dry cloth and kissed her forehead.

"You did wonderful my love. Our children are perfect."

As Hal brought the children over, Lareth beamed proudly and cleared his throat.

"Hal, Cynthia and I spoke about to one another about what I'm about to tell you and I do hope you accept what I am about to say.
Hal, you have been a very faithful and loyal man who is family and we would be honored if you would be our little ones 'grandfather'. I know we are not blood family, but Hal, you are family, our family, and over the years you have been more than a companion. You have been like a father to me over these many years and I want you to help me guide them as you guided me and you can spoil them to your hearts content.
Will you accept this Hal?"

Lareth hoped Hal would, as the demon was family.  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia gave Lareth a tired smile and nodded to Hal as well, "He's right. We both talked about it. Without you, they wouldn't be here. I know we all discussed names, but I want you to name them, Hal. Would you mind?" she asked softly.

All she wanted in this moment was to go to sleep for about a week. But she knew that they needed this conversation with Hal and she needed to give the children their first meal. Hal and Lareth helped her get the children into place so that she could feed them at the same time.

Meanwhile, Hal was tearing up over their requests but wondered if he had the strength to carry on for much longer. But he said nothing of that for now, knowing that now was not the time for such subjects.

He looked up at Lareth, who gave him a nod, "Very well... The boy will be Merrick, after Lareth's great-grandfather; an honorable king. The girl will be Brianna, after one of our sweetest goddesses. I hope to see them grow into strong young demons, and worthy heirs," he said in a shaking voice before he simply left the room so that they wouldn't see him break down.

Cynthia put a hand on Lareth's arm briefly, "Let him go for now. As soon as they're fed, you can help me into the bathroom to clean up so that the bedding can be changed. Hal will come back to us in his own time," she told him softly, wondering if he knew exactly how old Hal was...  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Red Gypsy

Lareth had watched Hal the entire time the elder demon spoke and behaved and wondered if anything was the matter.
Was it too much to ask him to help raise the children? He had no clue about Hals age as the demon never spoke of it and Lareth could not find out from anyone how old Hal was.
All Lareth knew was that Hal was old. Probably older than dirt as sometimes the way Hal spoke, the man had been here since...almost forever.

After Hals departure, Lareth turned his attention to his wife who touched his arm.

"You're right. I just think this all took him by surprise and he wasn't really sure how to react."

Lareth helped Cynthia the best way he possibly could in getting their children fed. Once they were fed and handed off to the mid wife to be put in their bed, Lareth carefully collected up his wife and took her into their bathroom to help her wash and clean up while the room was being quickly cleaned and furniture replaced.

About an hour later, Cynthia was in bed asleep as Lareth sat near his childrens bassinets in a chair.
There was much to do soon and he began to think about things of the upcoming future.  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Several hours later, Cynthia blinked her eyes open to see Lareth sitting with the bassinets and had to give a small smile at the sight. Then she remembered Lareth's confusion over Hal and knew she'd have to come clean somehow. She just had to work around a very old promise...

"He's older than you think, you know... He made me give him my word a long time ago... But I can say that he was old when he served your great-grandfather..." she hoped he'd understand what she was getting at so that she wouldn't actually break her word...

Right now, only Ash was as old, though he'd aged better than Hal had. There was something about the Incubus lines...

Still, for those that actually aged, among the demons, there was another price to pay for that age. It was almost a curse, though magic could do nothing for it. It was a condition that was almost a legend among the demons, almost forgotten by now.

But she hoped that Lareth would understand and could put the pieces together for himself... After all, she'd given her word...  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Red Gypsy

Lareth had caught onto what his wife was saying and he simply nodded in acknowledgement.

It was just a bit hard to really grasp how old Hal really was because to Lareth, Hal had seemed immortal and invincible. A man of many secrets, skills, and stories yet untold.
Stroking his sons cheek and smiling as the child sighed, Lareth probably knew all along Hal was coming to his end of days but refused to accept it as Lareth really saw Hal as more of a father, a hero, and a friend, whom he was unwilling to let go of yet.

Lareth kissed both of his childrens heads before he stood up and stretched before going over to his wife and kissing her brow as well.

"I'm not ready to let him go into his twilight...but I know he will be going whether I want him to or not. Do not worry love, you didn't break your word."

Lareth was about to say something else but a small knock at the door and maid popped her head in to let Lareth know that Aeriolous was awaiting his presence in the front room.

"If you will excuse me my dear, I must attend out visitor."

Lareth kissed her lips softly before he left but not before telling the maid to take care of his wife and children or else.  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

It almost killed something in Cynthia to force Lareth to figure that one out on his own like that but she knew that he needed to know, that keeping it from him was the worst thing that could be done. Better that he prepare himself now than begin to wonder as Hal's mind continued to slip, then to have the blow hit him like a ton of bricks when the time finally came.

As he left, she got the maid to help her feed the twins then get them settled down as she got cleaned up and dressed. Thankfully, the seamstress'd had experience with maternity wear. So she could feed the twins at any time in any one of her new outfits that had been arranged for her.

She knew Aeriolous would desperately want to see the twins, so she prepared accordingly. She was still reeling from the fact that she had twins, but she thought she was managing well. So, while the maid took care of the bed and cleaned up the room, Cynthia worked on getting the twins cleaned up and dressed.

She had to move tenderly, though, since she was still very tender from the birth. She was also supremely grateful that the demons were so very good at healing, which meant that she'd be moving well enough tomorrow that they could take the twins into the garden.

By the time she and the maid were finished with those preparations, Cynthia sat on a cushioned stool while the maid brushed and braided her hair then put it up for her.

Unfortunately, she still had her back to the door when it opened, she assumed that it was Lareth and Aeriolous and hoped that she had it right this time...  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Red Gypsy

In through the door speaking in excited hushed whispers, came her husband and Aeriolous. Aeriolous looked around excitedly and smiled when his look landed on Cynthia.

He shooed Lareth away from him before he walked over to her and gave a bow befitting her station. He held two boxes. One was for the children and the other was for her as they were marked with small tags, that his sister had insisted on putting on the boxes.

After his bow, he kneeled in front of her and took her hand and brushed a kiss on the top of her hand.

"My lady, you are looking radiant as ever. Today I bring you gifts from my home in celebration of the new heirs to the throne being born."

He offered up both boxes to her.

Lareth stood next to where the children were sleeping and preened like the wild majestic peacock he was.  

[Red Gypsy]

Hot Champion_of_justice

Cynthia smiled and accepted the gifts gladly, "Aeriolous, you don't need to bow to me. You are a king in your own right. But I thank you for your sweet words and your gifts. You are as eloquent as your father was. Now go admire the children before Lareth's big head gets any bigger," she finished with a bit of laughter.

Honestly, though, the two kings were unexpected friends and as different as they could be. But their steady friendship still managed to surprise her from time to time. Like now, for instance. While Lareth would preen over the examples of his sexual prowess, Aeriolous would likely bask in the quiet awe of such a small piece of heaven come to life. Both men saw something different in each part of life and ruled just as differently.

Then again, they ruled over different types of people: Lareth ruled over the elemental race of demons that needed a hand that wielded the flame as much as the heart; Aeriolous ruled over a people that stayed in the shadows and needed the heart more than the sword. Each so very different, but still such good friends...

While he moved over to look at the twins, she opened the gifts and had to show off the outfits for the twins. They were just as adorable as he'd likely intended and would even suit the personalities of the twins, if they advanced as she thought they would.

She was distracted from the gift for her as he looked at the children, "The boy is Merrick and the girl is Brianna. We asked Hal to name them," she told him softly, knowing that he'd understand why she said the last part as softly as she did. The drow king caught subtlety better than Lareth did, after all.

She had to smile at the look on his face as he looked at the children, knowing that children were more precious to him and his people than even Lareth knew. He was admiring of them but she knew that he wouldn't hold one of them unless Lareth handed one of them to him. When Aeriolous wasn't looking, she motioned to Lareth that he should let the drow king hold Merrick first. Their son was a bit more sturdy and seemed to demand attention first, much like his father...

She'd managed to start to open the gift intended for herself, but hadn't looked at it yet.  

[Hot Champion_of_justice]

Red Gypsy

blue

The drow king smiled as he slowly got to his feet.
"I am in your home and realm dear Cynthia. I will always be gracious to you as you have done me quite a service."
When she looked at him confused and lareth narrowed his eyes at him as neither knew what he was going to say, he smiled and chuckled.
"You have done me the service of getting Lareth off the playing field. Now the rest of us gentlemen in this realm have a chance to actually date without fear of being tossed into the dungeon because we looked at a beautiful woman wrong if she was tied to Lareth."
Aeriolous smirked as he walked to Lareth who was smiling back at him.

Lareth shrugged his shoulders and looked to the drow whom when they first met, it was under not so a joyful occasion.
"Wasn't my fault you slow guys had no confidence in your sexual prowess. Nor was it my fault those who lost to me in a battle of wits and physical strength were tossed into the dungeons. Many shouldn't have made such dire bets that they didn't think I would punish stupidity so harshly."

As the drow king came walking over and was admiring his children, Lareth saw the motion from Cynthia to let the other king hold one of the children. As Cynthia spoke the names of the children out to Aeriolous, Lareth missed the small spark in the drow kings eyes.

Lareth picked up his son whom was awake and burbling, while Brianna simply continued to sleep. Lareth carefully handed his son over to Aeriolous whom was nervous, but looked natural holding the boy.

Aeriolous smiled as he held the boy and cooed at Merrick as the boy gave him a baby smile.
"Oh! Look! he likes me!

Then he sniffed and made a face before he laughed.
"His farts are as bad as yours Lareth!"

Lareth made a face and shook his head.
"I'm a king and kings don't fart."
Lareth looked over to his wife and saw her paused at her gift and he turned to Aeriolous.
"Did...did you give my wife lingerie? That gift looks lacy...and so help me, if it is underwear, you are dead."

Aeriolous simply smiled.
"Oh but it is underwear. For new mothers. The women back home made this nice little night shift for Cynthia that, will allow her to breast feed more easily and still feel comfortable and beautiful.

The woman hardly get a chance to show off their clothes making skills to anyone Lareth. It has been years since the woman had a gathering and excitedly made this for a new mother to be. Don't be cross."