March 29th, 1615

Spring had come to Merengia at last, loosing the hold of the long winter with all the promise of a fertile year ahead. As the sun shone down on the fields of Lonnare, proof of that fertility was ripe within the ducal seat of Arindale. The castle bustled with cheerful servants, excited at the news that their duchess was laboring to bring forth her firstborn child right there in their beloved duke's castle home. It had begun early in the morning, with a few surprises for those closest to the duke and his wife.

As soon as the news had reached Juliana, she had abandoned her own husband to fend for himself, taking over in the birthing room with sharp words for the physicians who would have kept Alys a-bed throughout her labor from the moment her pains had begun. With no one to assist but Juliana, Justine, and her own much-loved Bess, Alys was forced up and out of bed, made to walk about, to give her baby as much help as possible before the time came when she could begin to push.

And as her birthing cries echoed through the castle, word came to Lord Bryce and Sir Joslin to keep Charles occupied a while longer. None of the women wanted the worried father interfering as they went about their business into the long afternoon.

To say Charles was a nervously expectant first-time father was a bit of an understatement. The man was, simply put, a nervous wreck, and no amount of consoling was making him feel better. "Why can't I see her?" he asked, pacing the floors of the hall so many times he was in danger of wearing a hole in the carpet. The child had clearly been born, though he did not yet know whether it was a son or a daughter, and still he was being told to stay away. What could they possibly be doing that was taking so long" Had something gone wrong" Was Alys in some kind of danger" He wondered if he should go to the chapel and pray, but he didn't want to be there if he was needed here. "What is taking so long?" he asked no one in particular as he paced back and forth.

Leaning against the wall, Bryce watched the duke pace, his own arms crossed comfortably at his chest, one foot resting over the other ankle. "The birthing room is a woman's place," he offered with a faint shrug. "And a woman who has just labored long and hard deserves to be allowed to feel a wee bit cleaner and prettier before she shows her prize to her husband, does she not?"

"Wait until it is Justine who is in the birthing room and tell me what you think then," Charles replied, just a little snappishly, which was out of character for him, but spoke volumes of his nerves.

"If there was anything wrong, they would have called for you, non"" Joslin pointed out, thinking that if the duchess were in any real danger, they would have come to fetch her husband, rather than put him off.

"Aye, I can't see Justine or Jules keeping you away if there were any danger," Bryce pointed out, for once keeping his own opinions to himself. He knew he'd be going through this himself in just a few months, and no doubt without much support but his own father in the waiting. He snorted faintly. "Knowing my sister, she'd have lashed you to the bed post to keep you there if there was any danger to your wife."

"She would not have to lash me to anything," Charles pointed out, though he had to admit it was probably best to leave this to the women and stay out of their way. What did he know about childbirthing, after all. He frowned a little, sorry he'd been harsh in his retort. Bryce and Joslin had become friends, and they were there to help, not hinder. "I apologize, my friends. It is just hard to wait without knowing what?s going on in there."

Joslin exchanged glances with Bryce, knowing they'd both be in the duke's position someday, though Bryce would be first, as he and Juliana had not been so lucky to be with child, just yet. "At least, we know your son or daughter has strong lungs," Joslin pointed out with a reassuring smile.

Catching Joslin's glance, Bryce bit his lip to keep his thoughts inside and attempted to be reassuring. "There's no need for apologies," he told Charles. "Just as I'll not apologize for my wife if she slaps you for bursting in before you're invited."

Under any other circumstances, Charles might have found the humor in that and laughed heartily, but not now. Now, he was too concerned about his lady love to see the humor in any of it. "Blast it, man, I have been to battle. I have seen more than my fair share of blood. I have tended to wounds that would sour the strongest of stomachs, and I am not allowed to see my own wife. It worries me that something is wrong. That is all," he said, in half an attempt at an explanation.

"Aye, we all have," Bryce pointed out. "Men go to war. The birthing bed is a woman's battleground - just as we do not let them see the worst of us, they do not let us see the worst of them. You can hear your child, strong and healthy. Listen harder, man, and you'll hear laughter in there. Would anyone be laughing if your duchess was lost?"

Joslin said nothing, allowing Bryce to make his point. Charles, too, said nothing for a long moment, but stopped his pacing to take Bryce's advice and perk an ear toward the birthing room. There was indeed the sound of a newborn squalling in indignation, but beneath that was the sound of feminine laughter. "No, I suppose they would not," he admitted, breathing a sigh of relief. "I wonder if this is how they feel when we go off to war," he mused aloud.

Bryce smirked faintly, glancing at Joslin once again. He'd already experienced the back of Justine's hand for not telling her he was riding out to chase off raiders in the thaw - it was not a mistake he'd make again. "I still say you should have taken Jos up on the offer to spar."

Charles grunted, though he was smiling now and feeling a little relieved. He clapped a hand atop the shoulder of each of his friends. Though he missed William dearly and no one could ever replace him, it was good to know he had loyal friends he could depend on. "And risk the wrath of both his wife and sister when I best him' I think not."

It was Joslin's turn to look slightly insulted, though the young knight's eyes were clearly dancing with amusement. "Were you a knight, I would challenge you to a tournament."

Charles grinned back at him, "And I would win."

Bryce rolled his eyes at the pair of them, shaking his head as he grinned. "Aye, and while you're both waving long sticks at each other, I'd knock you both off your fine horses with my cudgel," he informed his brother-in-law and friend cheerfully, glancing to the door as it opened.

Bess ducked out, flushed and smiling, her arms full of linen. She curtsied to Charles, beaming delightedly, but scurried away without saying a word as Juliana stood in the doorway. "If you can keep calm and quiet and not let her get too excited," she told Charles, "you can come in and meet your son. First sign she's wearying, and I'll put my own boot to your backside if Justine doesn't get there first."

Joslin laughed at his wife's warning, but Charles only smiled.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. "I will consider myself warned." He offered a wink to the young woman, before starting toward the door. "I have a son," he beamed a grin at the other two men, obviously proud that the Goddess had chosen to give him a son for his firstborn child. He hoped William and Christian would be pleased. A son to carry on the line of Beauforte and to inherit all he and Alys were building here in Lonnare.

"He may arrive before his answer to your letter does," Alys laughed softly. She did know her brother, after all; Will was almost as excited about the new baby as they were. "His letters have been full of complaints about the fact that we chose to stay here for the winter and not in Martel. Apparently court is boring without us."

"Perhaps he should visit more often. Lonnare is quiet without him, as well," Charles said, clearly missing their friend. There had been a time when they'd been inseparable, but times changed, and they had their separate duties to tend to now that they were men.

"Perhaps the king will appoint a new chancellor this summer," she suggested thoughtfully. "That would take some of the pressure off Will - he would never accept the position himself." But, of course, after the disaster that had been Bereth as chancellor, it might well be some time before Christian trusted anyone with so much power again.

"Perhaps," Charles agreed, uncertainly. He thought William, too, deserved some sort of recognition, though he knew Christian trusted him implicitly and needed him there. Then again, bringing William here would entail his wife and children, and Ursula was unlikely to want to abandon the king's court for the ducal court at Arindale.

Nestled close against his side, Alys stifled a yawn, her eyes still on their dozing son in his father's arms. "Bess has found a wetnurse from the village," she told her husband. Though it was not, strictly speaking, his place to know these things about the raising of his son, he knew his wife well enough to know that she would keep him informed no matter what.

"A wetnurse?" Charles echoed, arching his brows at her. "Whatever for?" As informed as he might be, he was a soldier at heart and knew very little about the birthing or raising of babies.

"To care for him, love," she told him softly. "As much as we might want to provide everything for him, we have duties we must attend to that we cannot neglect. The girl is young - a widow, and her own child was stillborn not three days ago. She'll be able to feed him when I cannot." She smiled at Charles fondly. "I was very attached to my wetnurse as I recall. She was my constant companion until I was five years old and given to a governess."

Charles did not quite share Alys' good breeding or raising, having been orphaned at a young age and taken in by his grandmother, who insisted on raising him as her own, though it was made clear early on that she held no affection or fondness for the boy. He said nothing about any of this, as Alys already knew most of his history, having been part of it. "But he is our son, Alys. I do not like the idea of another raising him as theirs," he complained, wishing he'd known his mother and father better. Perhaps his early years would have been less lonely.

"He will not be raised by someone else," she assured him gently. "We will not be my parents, or your grandmother. But we will not always be able to care for him directly, and a child needs someone who is a constant presence. There will be times when we are away at court and cannot take him with us; times when you are at war, and I will have to take over the running of the duchy in your absence. That does not mean that he will not know us or our love. It simply means that we can give him everything in our power, including ourselves. And we can give a young woman who has lost everything something to hold onto for a few years."

"I will want to meet this girl," he said. Though he trusted Alys' judgment in all things, in this, he had to insist, if only to alleviate his own worries and misgivings. But not today. This wasn't something they needed to worry about today. Today was a day of celebration and a day to welcome their young son into the world.

"As will I," she nodded. "I trust Bess, but I will happier to have met the girl myself. I would not keep you from that meeting, love." Her fingers stroked his cheek tenderly. "It is the way of things, my darling. If you were a king, I would not even be allowed to feed him from my own breast - he would be taken from us and placed in his own household before he reached even a year. We will have him with us, as much as we can, but we cannot neglect our king and what he needs from us; our people, and what they need."

"I know you're right," Charles admitted with a serious frown, as he turned his gaze back to their young son, who was still clinging with an iron grip to his father's finger. "We will keep him close whenever we can," he said, remembering something she'd said a few months earlier. "Do you remember when you said there would be three of us in bed?" he asked, blue eyes suspiciously wet.

She smiled, nodding. It had been a sweet afternoon for them both. "I remember," she promised him gently, "and I don't take it back. He will always be welcome to join us, love. You know me better than to think I would deny my son his parents' love simply to abide by rules set down in more rigid company."

"I did not think it would be so hard," he said, sniffling suspiciously and keeping his gaze fixed on the boy in his arms. "I did not think I could love anyone as much as I love you and our son. The thought of parting from either of you, for even a little while, grieves me."

Her brow rose, though she kept to herself the understanding that her current weariness would be magnified tenfold if he insisted upon keeping their newborn son with them throughout the long nights to come. She'd suffer it, if only to show her Charles how necessary some help was in raising a child. "I will never ask you to give him up, love," she said softly. "He is ours, and no one else can take our place with him."

It wouldn't take long before Charles saw the necessity and wisdom of it, but for now, it was hard to think of letting his son go, knowing his own father had cared little enough for him when he'd been born. "I'm sorry. I know I'm being ridiculous," he said, wondering how much of this was merely nerves and weariness. Perhaps in the morning, his mind would be clearer.

"It has been a long day," she conceded with a weary smile. And it will be a longer night, but needs must. "I will ask Bess to bring the crib closer to the bed. She'll make a fuss, but I'm sure we can manage our own son."

"Just for one night, love. We will meet with the girl tomorrow and she can start caring for our boy." He knew it was a lot to ask. Maybe Bryce was right. What did he know of the birthing and raising of children, after all"

"Don't worry so much, Beau," she told him, kissing his cheek fondly. "You are a father. You have a son. And in time, you will have other sons, and daughters, to enjoy as well. I promise you that." In time, though. She wasn't going to go through all this again for at least two years, she had already decided.

That got a smile out of him at last. "I do worry too much, don't I?" he asked, knowing it was true, but he had so much more to worry about now than ever before. "Can you blame me?" he added. "I have a wife and son to take care of now." Not to mention an entire duchy, full of lords and serfs and commoners alike, all counting on him to keep them safe and prosperous.

"You should let us take care of you sometimes, too," she pointed out affectionately, nuzzling gently to his neck. "But before everything else, my lord duke, I really do think I have earned a good meal, don't you? No fancy dining room - I'll eat out of a bucket in bed if I have to."

"A good meal and a good night's rest," he said, his smile fading as he realized that the latter might not be possible with a small mouth to feed. Maybe he shouldn't have been so hasty about the wetnurse, but he wanted their first night as a family to be about them. Tomorrow the wetnurse could have little William, but not before that. He'd stay awake all night if he had to, though he couldn't help much as far as feeding was concerned.

Squeezing Justine's hand gently, Juliana smiled, adept now at hiding her quiet envy of her sister and their friend's good fortune in beginning their families. "When it is meant to happen, it will," she said softly. "Go, make sure Alys doesn't get forgotten in all that male pride over there."

"You are her lady. You go. I will tend to the food and drink," Justine said, wondering if Juliana was trying to avoid the baby, for some reason. She knew her friend must be hurting a little, though she was doing a find job of hiding it. She made a mental note to ask her brother about it later, but for now, her concern was for Alys and Juliana.

"And you are the friend she has not had by her side for some months now," Juliana objected, shooing her friend away with a plate of food and a smile. "You know you want to, so go. I'll feed the men, you look after her."

"And who will look after you?" Justine whispered back, though she already knew the answer to that was Joslin. She sighed softly, knowing there was no point in arguing. "We will talk later," she whispered, patting the other's hand before taking the plate of food and starting toward the trio of roosters circling the hen. "Excuse moi!" she told them as she made her way near, the circle of men opening to admit her. She gave Joslin a pointed look, which caused him to glance at his wife curiously before making his way toward her. "Mon amour," she started, addressing her own lord and husband. "Give Her Grace room to breathe before you suffocate her!"

"Och, but he's so wee!" Bryce protested, reluctantly backing exactly one step with an apologetic look to his wife. "You said I wasnae allowed to hold him, so how else do I get a look at the lad?"

Beside Charles, Alys erupted into warm laughter that startled the baby in her husband's arms, shaking her head as she smiled at Justine. "And you thought you would never find your place as lady of Darroch," she teased her friend affectionately.

"It will not be long before I have two children to look after," Justine remarked, with a sharp look this time at her husband, who seemed as excited as a child over the "wee bairn", as he called the duke and duchess' young son.

"Of course, he's wee!" Charles exclaimed with a laugh. "Were you expecting a giant?"

Justine laid the tray near Alys so that she could eat something after all her hours of labor. She would need plenty of rest and nourishment over the next few days to regain her strength.

"I'll always be your favorite, love," was Bryce's more than cheeky answer to his wife. He blew her a kiss to try and soften her up a little, but Charles drew his attention back to the baby boy quickly enough. "Och, well, you're a big fellow, and I always forget how small your redhead truly is. In mind, she's at least ten feet tall, you ken."

"I hope you are not expecting a giant from me!" Justine broke in, hands on her hips as she looked up at her husband with narrowed eyes. It was hardly likely considering she was just a tiny thing herself, in comparison to the men around her.

"In mind, she is taller than all of us!" Charles agreed with a grin, jiggling the small bundle in his arms to keep him happy a bit longer.

"No, love, you'll be bearing a wee bonny beauty just like her mother," Bryce told his wife fondly, somehow managing to save himself another scolding by laying on the charm for Justine tenderly. He tore himself away from the duke and his son, wrapping his arms about Justine from behind to lay his hand protectively over her womb. "Unless you want to have a giant, o'course."

Alys smirked, exchanging a look with Charles as she began to eat, famished from her days' exertion.

Charles smiled back at Alys, happy to hold their son while she ate to her heart's content.

"I am hoping to have a bebe!" Justine scolded again, though her expression softened as she leaned back against Bryce and covered his hand with hers. "But I will not promise if we are having a lad or a lass," she added, his way of speech having rubbed off on her a smidge during her time in the borderlands.

"Wise woman," Bryce smiled, kissing Justine's temple. "Feed yourself, pet. You've been hovering and helpful all day. Time to look after your own self and your bairn. Better yet, you sit and I'll feed you."

"How can I refuse such a kind offer?" she asked, a twinkle of mischief lighting her eyes. The pair seemed very well matched in heart and spirit. She took hold of his arm, allowing him to steer her back to the table, where Joslin and Juliana were hovering with heads close together.

"There now, that's how you should be talking to me after I've spent a long day walking around looking pretty," Alys teased her husband, swallowing before she went on. "You may be wearing full plate mail, you may be covered in the blood of your enemies and the mud of the battlefield, but looking pretty is absolutely exhausting, you know." She flashed him a warm grin, taking another mouthful from her plate as she winked.

"Excuse moi, Your Grace," Justine said, as she steered her child of a husband toward the table bearing foodstuffs and the other couple nearby, leaving the duke and duchess alone once again.

Charles laughed. "I will try to keep that in mind," he replied with an amused grin. He hadn't eaten in some hours himself, but he had also not given birth. "Careful, love, or you will become a pudgy princess," he teased, though she was a duchess now, in her own right.

Alys pouted at him, chuckling as she took a sip from her glass. She immediately made a face - it wasn't wine, as she had expected, but cooled boiled water. Evidently Juliana had been involved in the raid on the kitchens. "You should eat, my darling duke," she pointed out to Charles. "Otherwise you will be skinny and I will be fat, and our children will be very confused."

"Bah, women shouldn't be skinny either. A woman should have curves," Charles said, dismissing her remark. He would have waved a hand at her, if his arms were not already occupied. He looked around for one of their friends to take his son off his hands so that he could eat, but they were all presently engaged in doing the same thing. There was a cradle nearby, but he was reluctant still to lay the boy down, and perhaps for the first time in his life, Charles looked like he wasn't quite sure what to do.

Luckily for him, Bryce was paying close attention, hurriedly putting down his plate and wiping his hands as he lurched up from his seat with his arms extended toward the new baby. "You eat, I'll hold the wee lad," he offered. Given that he was a few years older than his little sister, the young laird's excitement over the Beauforte son gave rise to interesting speculation about what he and his elder brother had been like when they had been presented with a little sister.

Justine only smirked and exchanged knowing glances with Juliana over her brother's behavior, but made no attempt to scold him or discourage him. It was, after all, the decision of the duke and duchess who they would entrust their son to, and Bryce seemed the most eager of the bunch. Then again, he was next in line to be a father and had made no secret of his excitement in that regard. Charles looked to Alys for permission, not feeling quite confident enough to decide on his own.

Catching her husband's eye, Alys smiled. "Get him a plate of food, and then you can hold the baby," she told Bryce, snorting with laughter at the sight of a fully grown man almost running back to the table to pile a plate high. If Juliana hadn't pushed the cup toward him too, Charles wouldn't have had any wine to wash it down with.

Much to the amusement of everyone else in the room, Bryce stood hopefully in front of Charles when he'd set the plate and cup down beside the duke. "May I?"

Charles and Alys had grown quiet as they finished up their meal, and Charles gathered up plates and cups and brought them back over to the table. "My lady needs to rest," he told the small group, knowing that while Alys enjoyed the company of friends, she needed her rest.

Bryce glanced up as Charles rose, rising to his own feet to hand little William back to his father. "Aye, and you should rest too," he advised. "Congratulations, m'lord. He's a bonny lad."

That would be a trick now that Charles had demanded the wetnurse wait until tomorrow, though that could be remedied easily enough. He was the lord of his own domain, after all, and there were plenty of people available to help, if they so desired. "Thank you, Bryce," Charles replied with a smile. "I trust you all will be staying with us a few days before you return to your homes." It was not really a question, so much as a statement of fact.

"Try and make us leave, I dare you," was the border man's response as he grinned and stepped away, bowing to the weary duchess where she sat in the bed. He gently touched Justine's shoulder. "Go and bid her a goodnight, love, I'll see to the mess here." Him and his sister, it seemed, as Juliana was already tidying up in the hope that no servant would disturb the noble pair once the room was quiet once more.

Justine rose to her feet, while Bryce and Juliana cleaned up, and Joslin took a better look at the boy in Charles' arms and exchanged a few pleasantries with the man. There would be time to talk later about politics and strategy, but today a day for quiet celebration.

Justine touched a kiss to the duchess' cheek, a soft fond smile on her face. "He is tres beau, mon ami. I am so happy for you."

Alys smiled, reaching up to embrace her friend warmly. "We'll talk more tomorrow," she promised Justine, one hand gently touching the little bump beneath her friend's gown. "I have missed you, Justine."

"As I have missed you," Justine replied, meaning it with all her heart. Though she had made a home for herself in Darroch and was well-loved by the people there, she missed both Alys and Juliana and hoped to see more of them now that winter was over.

"We will come and visit you," Alys promised her friend with a smile. "When we have survived the season at court, we will come to Darroch. I want to see your new home for myself." She kissed Justine's cheek softly. "You are happy?"

"Oui," Justine assured her with a soft smile. "I miss my brother and my friends, but I am happy." She glanced over at Bryce a moment and her smile deepened - evidence of the reason for her happiness right there. "He is everything to me, my lady. He makes me very happy," she said turning back.

"Then that is all I could ever have wished for, for you," Alys smiled at her, finally letting her go. "It is obvious that he loves you even more now than he did the day you were married. I am happy for you."

"It is Juliana who worries me," Justine confided, dropping her voice to a whisper, though she could not say much more than that now, not with the others in such close proximity. While she didn't want to worry her friend, she wanted her to be aware of the situation.

Alys glanced to the table, where Juliana was teaching her brother the finer points of stacking empty plates so they wouldn't all fall to the floor the moment anyone moved them. She squeezed Justine's hand gently. "And I," she admitted softly, returning her gaze to meet Justine's worried eyes. "We will talk," she promised her friend. "Perhaps we will be able to help."

Justine nodded, saying nothing more about it, for now. She did not want to burden her friend with any more problems when she needed to focus on taking care of herself and her new son. "You will send for me, non"" she asked, not wanting to make any assumptions about when Alys would be ready for another visitation from her friends.

The redheaded duchess nodded with a smile. "I will, don't fear for it," she promised affectionately. "It may not be until after the noon meal, certainly not early in the day. Enjoy the leisure to explore Arindale without those awful nobles gawping at your every move."

Justine knew Arindale like the back of her hand, but Bryce did not. Perhaps she would take the time to show him around. It was the most beautiful of all the capitals in Francia, after all. "Rest, my lady, and enjoy votre petit." She touched another kiss to her cheek and back away a step with a small respectful curtsy, though Alys had never demanded one.

"Good evening to you, Justine," Alys bid her fondly, relaxing back against the pillows behind her with a smile for the bow and curtsy offered by Bryce and Juliana at Justine's back, their hands filled with dirtied dishes and cups. "Rest well, all of you," she told them. "And be ready to be entertaining tomorrow. We may need distracting from being tired and snappish."

Charles escorted the small group out, closing the door behind them before returning to his wife's side, the son resting peacefully in his arms, though they both knew that wouldn't last. "Perhaps I shouldn't have been so hasty about the wetnurse," he admitted, wishing he could do more to help, but the care of babies and small children was women's work.

Stretching, Alys laughed softly at his admission. "We'll be better for a night with him," she admitted herself. "It may well be hard, but we'll have a better idea of what she will do with him in these early months, and appreciate her better for it, no doubt."

"I know nothing about children or babies, Alys," Charles lamented, though she knew this already. "Bryce will make a far better father than me," he said with a frown, though it was not quite true. Christian's children were quite fond of Charles and he had known them and been like an uncle to them all their lives.

"Don't be silly, love," she chuckled, reaching out to draw him back to the bed to cuddle with him and their son a while longer. "He will be a different father to you, that is all. You will be a wonderful father, I am sure of it. You should not compare yourself to others. You are wonderful as you are."

"Perhaps," Charles admitted reluctantly. "We will see." He relaxed against the pillows, their boy cradled in his arms, feeling the weight of responsibility for wife and son, as well as the entire duchy, but also a swell of pride for these same accomplishments. "We will learn together," he added, after a moment's contemplation.

"Yes, we will," she promised him, nestling close once again. "And little William here will do most of the teaching, I have no doubt." Their son stretched in the confines of his blankets, smacking his lips before settling down to sleep once again. Alys smiled, touching a kiss to her husband's cheek. "Thank you, Beau. None of this could ever have been mine if you had not loved me."

"I am the one who should be thanking you, love," he admitted quietly, knowing it was true. He wasn't sure what would have become of him if she hadn't loved him, but then the same could likely be said for her. "We are meant to be together, 'Lys," he told her, his voice soft with emotion, not that they were alone once again.

"We are," she agreed, her tone as soft as his as her smile touched his lips briefly. "And we will stay together, for as long as life endures and beyond, if the Goddess wills it." She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, weary after the long day behind them. "I need to sleep," she admitted reluctantly. "You won't go far, will you?"

He smiled at her wishes, knowing he had much to be thankful for, and it started with her. He would have to take a moment to visit the chapel and thank the Goddess for all her blessings when he had the chance. "No, love. I'll be right here," he said, touching a kiss to her forehead.

"Good," she murmured, her smile sweetly fond as she looked up at him. "I do not sleep well without you close by." Her knuckles touched his cheek, her hand slipping down to gently brush their son's forehead withe her fingertips. "My boys ..."

He smiled, amused that she'd referred to him as a boy and not a man. If it had been anyone else, he might have been insulted, but Alys had known him nearly all his life, since they were children, and he knew she had said it in fondness. "Rest, 'Lys, and know that I love you."

"As my lord commands," she teased him softly, easing down between the sheets to relax as her body rushed to demand the rest it felt was due after the long labor of the day. It would be some days yet before she was truly strong enough to leave these rooms, but for now, that restlessness was far from her mind. The last sight she saw before closing her eyes was her husband cradling their son, sending her to sleep secure in the knowledge that she had done her duty.

And now it was time for him to do his, watching over both mother and son as they rested. Today marked his first day as a father. From now on, his loyalties, duties, and responsibilities extended beyond that of king and country, and even duchy, to that of family. For Charles, today was the second most important day in his life, only eclipsed by the day he was wed to his beloved Alys.

Tomorrow, the bells would ring out across Arindale, announcing the news of the duke's son's birth. But tonight, there was no duke or duchess, no title, and no nobility. Just Charles, and Alys, and the wonder that was their little William.

((Aww, ain't they sweet' Huge thanks to my partner in crime!))