It wasn’t every day that someone like Eldora would send a message to her. The girl had been so sick lately that she hardly even left her room or ate. There was concern that she wasn’t eating enough and that she had been losing weight from the constant vomiting as it were. There was a light tsk that came from Angela’s lips as she got the message. “Should have called sooner.” Something like this had been killing off some people in the east and as it were Eldora had been traveling. It could have easily been the disease plaguing that part of Revaliir at the time.

She packed a light kit and made her way to the cradle. It would only be proper for her to greet the Lord of the cathedral as she walked through the cursed halls. The madness of the area didn’t seem to bother the goddess as she rubbed her pregnant belly and soothed the two little beings growing within her.

The healer’s pack she had was slung over her shoulder and she was dressed for comfort more so than show. This was an urgent matter going off of what was detailed in the letter. She made it into the throne room and bowed the best she could to the lord of the land. “Good afternoon Xunatar, I received a letter that Eldora might be sick. I do wish she had sent it earlier. As it were, there is an illness not far from the lands she was traveling in that could have made her very ill. I hope me being here isn’t distracting.” The goddess offered the man a smile.

“I’m sure it has made Steele very worried and the last thing I want is this to be that illness… Gods know how far it could travel.” For right now that was all she knew and it was something she was prepared to deal with.

Typically the Lord knew of when someone would come into his domain, so it came to no surprise that  he felt another that wished to venture into his lair. But it intrigued him when he felt the tug of divinity within them and it stirred his interest to investigate. Angela had been the first out of the other gods to visit the Cradle and it was strange that she was as he recognized the state she was in. Some would think that being children here, especially unborn ones at that to a place of discord and artifice wasn't a smart idea. Although he would spare nothing as far as the trials were concerned, they didn't seem to bother her in the least. Perhaps he would have to take note for the future to try harder in case the masses were to follow along.

When she reached the end, he motioned his hand to open the center doors and awaited from his throne. Her case was rather blunt and for a moment he had to think about the situation at hand. "Ah yes. She's been like that for weeks, if I recall correctly. Often she had reassured myself and Steele that she was fine though. Of course, she knows better than to lie to me." His voice didn't air it as a threat, more so it was because of his position that he could smell a lie a mile away. Apparently more so if she had sent for Angela to come without his awareness. But he mentally brushed it away and his eyes lingered onto the goddess' belly. "Especially in your condition too." Xunatar felt as though the pleasant talk was nigh over and he stood from his throne.

"But I suspect that whatever has ailed her goes beyond plaguing her physically." The Lord approached the Mother and allowed for a deep frown to come across his normally pleasant and smiling face. He started to walk pass her and flung the door back open. "Another side effect from this has been that the voices she hears have stopped reaching her." While it could be seen as a blessing, from what he understood, Eldora required them in order to make use of her power. And that simply couldn't do for him to have a seer that could not evoke her powers.

"This way."

He led Angela down the halls that served his followers and found Eldora's room. Steele was there by her bedside and stood immediately up when he saw his father and Eldora's aunt. "Angela. Father", he offered before looking to the seer. He was concerned over why this was happening to her. "Hopefully you can pinpoint what has been making her so sick."

Angela thought about it and smiled just a bit at the god. “I wouldn’t worry about me… I made Adraejen take me into the vault with him… not that he was thrilled about it. Also when someone powerful suddenly isn’t so powerful they lie. It’s a mortal thing to do and she might not even realize she is doing it. I see it all the time in the mortal realm after all.”

The goddess stopped dead only for a minute once he told her of another problem the girl was having. That didn’t sound like it came from vomiting at all. “I imagine that makes you rather sore to have something you can’t use.” She said it, as a matter of fact, she, after all, knew the god. It was more like she was in completely pondering mode as they walked. “Simply will not do to have Arri’s most powerful not be useful either…”

She followed the man and was not surprised to find Steele by the tiny woman’s side. Her ears were uncovered by the red hair for once. They were of elvish design and once she was in the room they twitched lightly as if hearing something. Thus the goddess came in and snapped her finger, a table appeared and she unloaded her sack. She had a complete medical kit with her as she delicately laid it out. “Have you felt tender in any locations?” This was just the start of her onslaught of questions.

Eldora looked bewildered towards the doctor goddess as she tried to answer the best of her abilities. “Can you fix me?” Was all she said as she finally gave in to admit there was something wrong.

The goddess had a horn-like object in her hand and she held it for only a few moments. “Well no, I can’t. There’s nothing wrong with you.” She looked back over at Eldora who had her mouth open ready to protest.

The situation with the Vault couldn't be helped; he knew that given enough attention, the other gods would be obliged to just an investigation about the place and the reason why a part of the world was caught in the crossfire. It didn't bother him if they were disproving of his actions, be them intentional or not. In the matter of Eldora, he knew her aunt to be correct in that she likely didn't even know that she was fooling herself into believing everything was alright. In any sense, it seemed that they would be closer to discovering her aliment.

At first he took her words as condescending towards his requirement for Eldora but he suppose that due to his lack of knowledge of her, though thoughts were hastily made on his account. "I don't like for my toys to be completely broken unless I do the breaking." In her niece's case, he would do no such thing seeing how much more valuable she was intact. Not to mention that he didn't wish to be bothered by Steele's complains and knew of his son's wicked temper.

Speaking of which, he returned to Eldora's side and watched with keen eyes as the goddess prepared her work. There were many questions asked, but he knew them to be important in this delicate matter and she as many as she could. He looked to his father who kept an aloof attitude but then met with a sharp look at Angela. "What do you mean there's nothing wrong with her?" He was doing his best to keep his voice calm. "She's been like this for some time now."

Xunatar himself looked vexed but shrugged it off and held up his hand towards Steele. His son immediately looked down and kept quiet. "Care to explain this situation then?", he asked as he approached the small group from the doorway.

“Most of us prefer our toys not to be broke unless we do it,” Angela said it as if in agreement and she didn’t really blink or act as if he had said something out of line. Eldora was more useful intact and she knew that so she hadn’t thought twice about it. That was just the type of person Xunatar was or so she was discovering.

Steele’s outburst at her answer just gave the goddess a smile as she got a tea kettle and began to boil the water in it as she waved her hand. “I will explain thoroughly that is why I am here after all.” She ground up some herbs and plopped them into the kettle before coming over to Steele and Eldora. “I knew that when Xunatar had told me the spirits weren’t letting her use her powers that it was no illness she had. Going from there I asked questions relevant to what it could be in case I was wrong.”

She had the horn with her and plopped it softly on Eldora’s belly as she rolled the girl onto her back. Eldora was staring up at Angela like she was mad. “What is a horn going to do?”

“For centuries healers have used mundane tools to figure out problems and solutions. I would explain if you would stop interrupting me.” Instead of putting her ear to it she waved her hand and the outer edge of the horn’s tip at the top glowed with wind magic. The sound began to come out. At first, it was the typical gurgling stomach noises and a slow normal heartbeat which was Eldora’s. However, as the magic progressed there was a second heartbeat much faster and closer to Steele’s.

“Nothing’s wrong with you because you are carrying Steele’s child.” Angela looked up at Xunatar. "Does this answer suffice? If I had my guesses without using my magic I would say she is over the two month period but closer to three. The spirits aren't touching her because if they were there's a chance they could kill the child on accident."

Steele didn't understand just why Angela said there was no problem with Eldora. She's been sick for a while now and this wasn't a normal thing in his head. What else could this possibly meant if it wasn't a bad thing? His father seemed unfazed by her declaration though was interested all the same in what was going on here. "So there's no ailment, but whatever is causing her to be like this is affecting her magic?" From there, he was even more confused and worried. Scratching his head, the lycanthrope watched on as she placed the summoned horn onto Eldora's belly. She asked the exact question that echoed in his mind, but soon they would have their answers.

His keen hearing helped a bit when the sounds echoed from her and into the air via the horn. He seeming heard nothing out of the ordinary right up to hearing a peculiar sound before the others had a chance to. It sounded to him like a heartbeat but it was of a different pace than the rosenite's. Hearing it for a bit brought out a puzzled look that his father picked up on and upon hearing it himself, the demonic king blinked before shaking his head with a sly smile. "Of course."

"Of course? Of course, what?"

Steele stared hard onto his father and then Angela. "What…?" He just stared as the words of his own child filled his head, becoming the only thought inside there. It was true that he volunteered himself to father a child with her to spare her a gruesome fate, but he hadn't been prepared for it to happen so soon. If at all really. Steele hardly thought of himself as the fatherly type and this was coming at him all at once as he remained speechless. "Yes, I suppose it makes sense now", Xunatar replied. "So for the remainder of the time, they will not have a grasp upon her. I suppose that's fair enough if it means the child will live."

Steele sat there and once he recovered enough, looked to Eldora. "I don't get it. I don't know how it got past me. I should have been able to tell."'

It didn’t long until the god figured out what all of this was about. The son and girl were still lost but they were young. It was to be expected that this was something that they weren’t counting on even with Eldora’s punishment at hand. “That is pretty much how they are being with her. It’s for the child after all. Eldora is family to them and this child is their family as well. What’s the saying? For the family?” She gave Xunatar a small smile. This concreted their ties together and ultimately made them family now.

Eldora sat there with her fingers grasping the bed sheets. She had lost color as she held the heart beat. Her own had sped up and she was freaking out on the inside. “Eldora calm yourself. You could hurt your child more if you don’t stop stressing out.” Angela was firm as she took the horn away and the sound the heartbeat went with it.

“BRING IT BACK I WASN’T DONE!” Eldora yelled out as she was now pressing her hands to her belly. It seemed like in that same time Eldora had come to become attached to the tiny being in her.

“All in good time Eldora. Before long they will move and you will feel it.” Angela moved once more when the kettle released the steam. She took it off and poured a cup just for Eldora. She blew on it gently and handed it over to the young one. “This will stop the vomiting. I’m going to leave the herbal mixture here with you… Steele if you make sure she drinks one cup at night and one cup in the morning it will stop the vomiting and nausea. In a few more weeks I can tell you what you are having if you wish. I could say right now but it will probably be better if we wait so you can get used to the idea first. For Eldora, I’m sure this is the first time she’s created something rather than destroyed. Which is why she is so attached to it.”

The girl had motherly instincts and Angela could feel it coming off of her. “This does mean that you have a set number of months to prepare for the arrival of your child. I would take time to do that, but also you should heed my warning. Right now with the Vault going on and people looking to blame someone… Should they find out that this is offspring related to Xunatar they could try to do something to harm a piece of the god. It would not be the first time I’ve laid to rest a young spirit just because of that. I would recommend that you stay here and not leave… and portal your way into my gardens if you want to be outside… With the spirits not bothering Eldora you can come and go from the Gardens as much as you like now. I would also say to come see me about once a week to make sure that the baby is alright. If that is alright with Xunatar?”

"Steele what do we do?" Eldora said innocently now as she caught up her emotions.

Angela giggled lightly, "I think you two have done enough."

Even with all his years, Steele hadn't been prepared for this situation. Mainly because he wasn't sure if he would ever reach this point of his life where he would have a child of his own. His father wouldn't be too much help in this department, knowing the sort of man he was. He wasn't completely heartless but he was far from being the best parent in the world. The God didn't seem to be as worried as either of them and only sighed a bit and closed his eyes. "Yes, that is indeed the saying. Individuality means little in such cases like this." Steele himself wasn't worked up about that as he was with grasping the concept of a little one that was formed by him and Eldora. The woman seemed to have been taking this even more hard than he had. She was completely in shock by the news. He felt for her seeing how they were similar in thought over how everything between them played out. They were both outcasts and didn't think for a moment that there would be someone they could be attached to.

All that seemed to change in her once Angela retrieved her horn. He hadn't seen her act like this before and was taken back.  But her aunt was right- she had to calm down. [b"Listen to her. We don't want anything happening to the baby, right?" His hand fell onto her back while eyes remained on her stomach. "I can hear them", he said after a bit, indeed listening to the heartbeat continuing on. He wished that he could at least share it with her. Steele nodded at the request, he would make sure that she took the tea whenever she needed it. His mind wondered about whether it was a boy or a girl, but decided that they had enough surprises for one day and agreed.

He hesitatingly  reached for her belly with his other hand, just out of reinsurance to make sure that this was all real. He couldn't allow for anything to hurt the two of them, especially after what his father pulled. To want to bring harm to them, who had nothing to do with the accursed Vault was more evil than the place itself in his eyes. Not only that, but they would risk angering a god for it too? The Vault, from what he had heard, was an accident as far as the weather issue went; just imagining what his father was capable of when he put his mind to it would make it seem like a vacation for them. But if he had his way, he would tear them apart with his own claws and fangs. He calmed himself down enough and nodded. "I'll be there to look after her as much as I can." She wasn't going to leave his sight with ease, that was for certain. Xunatar looked to Eldora and then to Angela, "Fair enough. It's fine with me."

Steele lowered himself to Eldora's level and despite Angela's smart remark, he was still recovering a bit from the sudden blow. "Well. Make sure that you and the baby will be alright, for starters. We can figure it more out from there."

Eldora calmed down and looked at Steele. “You can? Can you tell me if they get hurt?” She was depending on him and Angela chuckled just a bit. They would be just fine. Eldora put her hands over his and smiled up at him. She knew that Steele would protect her and the baby, he was after all wrath and you didn’t mess with wrath.

“Good, that makes you a better father than the majority of assholes who come through my temple on a day to day basis,” Angela praised Steele and Eldora’s blue eyes glimmered at the thought of Steele being a good father and it being confirmed.

Eldora nodded and leaned over to him kissing him softly. “I know, I trust in you completely.” The Oracle was happily in bliss.

For the next few months, it was odd getting used to being normal, getting larger, and the first few movements of their baby. Within this time they found out that they were to be, not shockingly, blessed with a little girl. Luckily they lived in the Cradle and all of Eldora’s physical needs such as new dresses were met. Her temper was a bit more on the short side since pregnancy did that, not to mention her true physical needs were being met by Steele.

They enjoyed feeling their baby and she was so strong. Angela commented that for not being gods they had a really truly powerful little being in her womb. Today they were relaxing in their bedroom as she snuggled up to him and kept her head on his chest. It had been rather quiet which was shocking since she was sure that Xunatar would have told the others by now and that meant Dante would have been shoved up their asses making fun of them.

To say that Steele was overprotective would have been an understatement. He wasn't going to allow any harm to befall Eldora or their unborn child. He didn't care who would raise their hand to them, even his own father would have to be careful. Perhaps that bit was more bark than bite but he was sure that, knowing Xunatar, he wouldn't. If anything it just played into his web of schemes somehow, some way. As long as his child was protected, he didn't really care what was behind his father's mind. It was a dangerous thing to threat a pup while the father was around, especially one filled with anger and rage. The black wolf would safeguard them even if it cost him his life.

Eldora knew it and trusted him greatly and he wouldn't fail her. Xunatar left silently, disappearing to his own devices since his presence wasn't required any further and Steele remained by her side, like nearly always.

As time went on, Eldora grew in size with their child who turned out to be a daughter. Heaven knows that he was worried and excited at the same time. Xunatar had heard this and was intrigued greatly, though he held his tongue and let them carry on. Dante was eventually reached and the smile that crept up his face was priceless as he grabbed Lotus and explained along the way of her soon to be new niece.

Steele had been resting on the bed, watching over Eldora as she was comfort against him. He enjoyed the quietness with the exception of hearing his daughter's heartbeat. Movement happened every now and then and when it did he would look up like a pup that got a new toy. Smiling at her, his bliss was soon interrupted by the door opening and soon he could see his brother, absolutely the last person he wanted to see come in. It didn't help matters that he had that goofy look on his face. He knew what it meant as the fool's eyes lingered on Eldora and her growing belly.

"Leave…now", he warned him with a edge of danger in his voice.

"Oh brother, now why would I do that?" Danter slinked over to Eldora's side with haste and started to softly poke at her belly. "So, when my niece due, sister of mine? Why we are practically family now!" Steele started to grow dangerously but he had to be careful since she was still laying over him.