Drae lay back on the bed exhaling happily as he looked around at the combined architecture of his and Angela's new private rooms. Her apothecary bench and hotspring, combined with his fresh new fur-covered bed. A cross between Angela's grotto and his own original rooms, the walls were still the dark stone covered with ivy, hanging plants and flowers, but there was more now. Angela's fireflies and floating candles lit floated about the room. Tapestries detailing their life together hung where the moss was thin. He looked over at his beautiful red-headed wife and stood up, looking over the changes they had made. 

"I don't know why it has taken us five years to do this," he said as he walked up to her and gently lay his hands on her swollen pregnant belly. "But we definitely should have done it a lot sooner." He heaved a contented sigh. 

"It seems everything in here is working out just splendidly,"  he smiled. "But we should go check on Iris and the rest of the areas we merged." 

“It’s been forever since we could actually lie down in a bed together and not worry about warping between the temples. This is our martial bed after all.” She teased him softly as she watched him from where she was standing. Angela was restless like she had been with Rohan. She was constantly roaming around.

“Probably because were under the bliss of not thinking about it… Twins really put it into perspective.” She chuckled a bit and kissed him softly. “They are so active today… They need names though and I know we had a hard time picking Rohan’s name out… and I would like to not repeat any names I already have.” That was a pain in the ass itself.

“Aye, we should. I have Nathaniel working overtime to make sure everything is going well too. He is a good boy you know.” Boy? He was a man of seventy now. Her handsome little man. She chuckled softly as she looped her arm with him. Even with her light dress, it was clear she was due any time now as she patted her large belly.

“They kick worse than Ro did when he was in here.” The children were the ones most excited about the new babies and the temple merge.

"Hmmm, I guess you are right," Drae chuckled as he kissed her quickly as he pressed his hands over her belly. His eyes lit up and he let out a light laugh as he felt their twins kicking against their mother. "They are strong," he smiled. "Yeah, we did have a tough time with Rohan… now we have to try and name two…I'm assuming you know what you are having by this time," he said as he looked at her. He took her arm and they walked through the door to the shrine and headed towards one of the other spots where they had combined their realms. 

"Nathaniel is a little more than a boy now. Technically he's older than me," he said. "I do hope he's making good on his reparations," he said. "I know that was a long time ago, but it seems to me that the Rosenites have a very long racial memory."

He chuckled. "Their ready to meet the world," he smiled. "Now… names?"

“They don’t have his bardic powers. He has little girls swooning everywhere.” She chuckled a bit.

Angela tilted her head and looked at him. “I’m fifteen hundred years old… He is still my little boy!” She chuckled a bit. Though it turned serious and she nodded. “Yes, Cyprus has caused a major stain on his life. I do hope he is at least doing better.”

She had an interesting face as she stared at her husband. “Adraejen. YOU DID NOT FORGET THE GENDERS OF OUR BABIES ALREADY DID YOU?!” She took her hand and smacked him upside his head. “Have you been that busy that you forgot about us?” She did a pretend disappointed face at him and chuckled. “You are hopeless.” She kissed his face.

“I sort of like Poppy for a name… but it’s the boy’s name I am struggling on…”

Drae raised an eyebrow when Angela gave him the look. He knew it was coming, and he didn't try to duck when she smacked him upside the head. "Ow, ok yeah, I deserved that," he chuckled. "No of course I didn't forget. You were in the middle of eating pears and cottage cheese when we found out," he laughed as he rubbed his head. He gave her an almost goofy grin as she kissed him. "Only hopelessly in love with you," he smiled. 

He contemplated the name she had suggested. "Poppy. It's cute. I sense a red head with that name," he chuckled. "You are right, this is hard. Especially since you almost have every other flower covered, and there are not a lot of Masculine plant names you haven't burned through…" he mused. "Though, I notice that you don't necessarily follow that to the letter… but if we stick to nature… maybe we can come up with something still within nature's bounds. A bird, perhaps… like…" he looked around as they walked and he noticed a bird sitting on the sill of an open nearby window. He pointed at the bird. 

"What about Lark? Like that skylark?" he asked, pointing at the bird. "Poppy and Lark," he said and looked at Angela. "What do you think?"

The goddess’s harsh look fell from her face as he gave her that lovable goofy grin. She kissed his chin and smiled a bit. “You better be for all the trouble we go through. Hell, I better be hopelessly in love with you more so.” She smiled a bit and rubbed her nose lovingly against his.

Angela gave him a grin and laughed. “I think so too… I’ve had that name on the tip of my tongue for the last few days so I’m pretty sure that our baby will indeed be a little red head.” She kissed his cheek once more and smiled as they thought up names for their little boy now. “Yes, we don’t always follow the rule completely as long as the name comes back to their natural meaning… Lucian and Nerezza meaning Light and Darkness for example.. or Belle has the shortening for Snowbelle.” She nodded as she thought.

She moved her green eyes to the bird and smiled as her husband finally thought of a name. “Or like that of Larkspur… I like Lark… Poppy and Lark… It’s perfect Drae.” Her green eyes with vivid with happiness as she snuggled into him and tilted her head. “Speaking of which Nathaniel has been helping me with setting up the temples. Think him and Iris have run into each other yet? He isn’t that hard to miss with that group of ladies following him everywhere… I’ll give him credit his patience is much grander than mine… I would have sent them away by now if I didn’t like it and he surely does not.” She chuckled a bit.

“I’m sure he just thinks he’s doing his duty to Sularia by just letting them entertain the thought. He is a good boy now that he is back on the wagon…” She frowned for a minute as she thought about how lost he had been. “He’ll be alright now… He’s slowly finding his own sense of redemption. It just might take a while.” It was more to reassure herself.

"Larkspur, I didn't even think of that one," Drae chuckled. "It's decided then. Poppy and Larkspur, Lark for short." He smiled at his wife, proving that he could actually be useful every once in a while, other than being an arm jewel. He was ok with that, of course. 

He shrugged. "If they have, I wouldn't be surprised if Iris hasn't noticed yet. She's so focused on making sure that this merger is perfect… I think it is because she is enamored with the beauty of the Gardens. I've spotted her once or twice just staring at all the flowers. It's so much more than she's seen just in Tar Eisalae," he mused. "Come on, you have the patience of well… I would say a goddess, but that wouldn't be saying anything would it? The point is you put up with me, and before that your equally clingy harem, did you not?" he laughed. "In any case, if the boy is anything like you, he'll shoo them off if they really start to bother him," he chuckled. He patted her arm reassuringly. "Hey, with a mother like you, I think anyone could keep to the path of redemption. He'll show the world eventually that he is worthy of your trust, and theirs."


Now, Drae wasn't wrong about Iris's state of mind. When she had first heard that they were going to merge the Awakening Gardens with Tar Eisalae, she had been unable to contain her excitement. The few visits she had made to the Gardens she had been unable to pull herself away from the myriads of flowers and plants. They were so much prettier in real life than in books. She was trying to remain focused in that moment, making sure the alignment with the temples was correct and seamless. So far she had tested every spot that the merge was to take place in save one, and that was the master suit. Master Drae had of course taken care of that. one. She passed through the Exotic Animal Conservatory Garden out into the Gardens for the final check and was satisfied that everything was correct. She made a note of it and sent the scroll she had been scribbling on off to Drae by way of a small wyvern that had been riding on her shoulder, a souvenir of sorts from their escapade to Gifre's Vault. 

Content that for the moment there was nothing being demanded of her time, Iris began exploring the gardens, similar to a tourist, mouth ajar, and eyes full of wonder and beauty. She paused at one of the many rose bushes and knelt beside it, inhaling the sweet fragrance deeply. 

The quiet and solitude of the garden was disrupted by the approach from the opposite direction of a gaggle of Rosenite females following after a red-haired Rosenite male. She almost rolled her eyes but paused as her constantly shifting silver-blue-green gaze fell on the man. He bore a remarkable resemblance to Angela, and Iris found it hard to tear her eyes away. So she appeared more to be an out of place lurker, dressed in her dark outfit, on the other side of the roses from him. 

“Larkspur and Poppy… two very great names for our new little ones.” She took her hands and felt them moving. “That is so wonderful. They are beautiful in every way and I can’t wait until we meet their little personalities. Hopefully they listen better than Rohan and Iva.” It was a simple wish that probably would elude them but they would deal with it as time progressed.

“I’m just glad that Iris is fairing alright since her creation. Sometimes it is a little hard to get used to living when you don’t even know who you really are. You are giving a purpose and a name but that hardly helps when everything is new and sort of overwhelming.” Angela was a little concerned for the girl but she knew that her husband would do well and hopefully help her along the way. “I’ve been alive for how long? Patience comes with the territory. At least I would think it would.” She tilted her head and chuckled a bit. “Put up with you is such a hard phrasing of our relationship.” There was a smirk on her lips but at least Adraejen was no longer hiding underneath beds away from the troubles of the temple.

“Maybe, but he might think he at least owes them something and that might be why he hasn’t shooed them off. I really do hope he starts to stand up for himself a bit more because of that. He doesn’t owe the world… He just owes his family.” She snuggled into him when he patted her arm and nodded.

Nathaniel was doing his own thing and wandering about trying to fix all the seams for his mother that he could find. He wasn’t skilled particularly in offensive means both magical and physical but he knew enough. The arcane fabric of the stitching that his mother and stepfather had created was almost perfect so there wasn’t much for him to do. However, to keep his mind off the women following him around he acted as if things were wrong.

He was in the gardens now as he worked on things there that even if they didn’t need it he spent time admiring. The fragrances within the bounds of the garden reminded him of their childhood home. It brought a gentle smile to his face as he held a rose between his fingers. He wasn’t scared of the thorns nor did he mind if they scratched him. This garden reminded him all too well of what he had lost back in the other world. He was determined not to let it happen again.

His long red hair had been elegantly pulled back and he was dressed in finely tailored clothes from Sularia. He had a slightly lighter complexion than that of his mother but his eyes and hair were all the same as hers. His eyes lifted up from the flower and met with Iris’s for a split moment. He gave her a smile and finally took a deep sigh as he figured out who she was.

“Ladies, I will have to ask you to return to Sularia. While it does break my heart to see you leave, it would hurt me even more to see you get hurt. The seams are still unstable here in the Gardens so if you would leave for the time being until we are done… Drae’s assistant and I can begin work on make sure everything is fine,” he had a feeling it was her but it didn’t matter as he motioned to her. There was a gaggle of angry sighs as they left him and Iris alone. They found the portals and when he knew they were gone he plopped onto the ground and let out an agitated sigh.

“Sorry if you really aren’t with Drae. I’ve been trying to get rid of them for a week now.” His voice sounded tired as he scratched at the back of his neck. “Saw it as a way out really. I don’t like having them all around me like that. I’m not really used to it.” Though he should have at least expected it. He had his mother’s beauty and grace while he had his father’s presence. “My name is Nathaniel, I’m one of Angela’s sons.”

Green and red met the undulating exchange of silver, blue and green, and for a moment Iris was frozen by his gaze. His smile… was quirky, a sort of sideways thing. She just stared, eyes intent on him as he turned and outright lied to the gaggle of Sularian females who flocked behind him. Nothing was wrong with the seams of magic in this area, she had just checked them all herself, and her eyes were one with Master Adraejen's. If there had been a flaw, he would have dictated to her how to fix it. She stared at him, unable to voice this opinion as they were both overwhelmed with the disappointed and almost angry sighs of the other women who turned to take their leave. One of them stuck Iris was a particularly icy glare that made the Avatar quirk her head in confusion. Why would she take offense? Iris had said and done nothing to the woman. It was almost as if it was merely her presence that offended, and that was plain ridiculous. Who would be that petty and jealous?

Iris watched the beautiful man as he plopped down on the grass on the tier below her on the other side if the roses and heave out a sigh that suggested he had been far more agitated with his followers than he had originally let on. With the other women out of sight, Iris straightened back up, and placed her hands on her hips. 
"You are a liar." she said bluntly. Drae had yet to get around to teaching her when things should or shouldn't be said. "There is nothing wrong with the seams here. If you really were so tired of them, surely you could have told them to leave at any time," she said flatly. She walked around the hedge of roses down the short steps and stopped a couple of feet from Nathaniel. 

"Why do you not like their company. I thought all men enjoyed the attentions of women. Rosenite men especially." 

She sat down on the grass and mimicked his pose, watching him intently. "I know you are of her. You are like her. Could almost be her in appearance if you had been female I think. You look more like her than the others."

Nathaniel’s odd gaze moved back to Iris as he chuckled. “I lied in that moment… but I am not typically a liar. That would mean I make a habit out of it.” He tilted his head as he thought about her words and shook his head. “No, I couldn’t. I feel like it would bring dishonor to my mother if I were to leave them broken hearted. It is far better for them to be mad at me for a time than for them to be ill-willed with my mother.”

She sounded odd but he gave her a smile the same. “I don’t like their company because I am not that type of man. I am a scholar, an artist, a dancer… Artisan is the proper term. However, while many of my kind tend to use their fancy words to get women… My life belongs to her until she sees it fit to release me from her claws. I deserve no woman until that time.”

He watched as Iris mimicked him and he chuckled a bit. She was truly an odd one after all. “I am her oldest from the other world. The Draconis first born, the once crowned prince of the Red Court, her son Nathaniel Rose-Draconis. I’ve always looked like her and acted like her. Fate would have it that I would turn on her and my siblings, try to kill all of them. A dreadful disease placed in my blood by Cyprus of the Black Court. My sister had to kill me, but it would appear that life has yet to be done with me just yet… And who would you be?”