They had been sleeping through daylight together in Tidus’ plush bed with his silken sheets and furs. It kept her warm now that she was prone to the chill of the weather unlike her vampiric lover. The blue diamond glinted on her finger. She was lightly dreaming of what she was unsure when she awoke with a stark pain in her belly. It was close to time for her son to finish his growing and come out. She could only guess it was labor pains she was feeling. Tidus had awoken when she bolted up and asked her what was wrong. 

“The baby. He’s coming.” She offered a pained smile. Tidus looked worried. “It will be some time yet, my love. Take care of your duties. I will send someone for you when it’s closer to time.” Zora kissed him softly and he dressed and went on his way. Louise came in. She had already sent for one of the Bastion midwives. “Let’s get you cleaned before it gets too bad.”

While Zora was bathing and breathing through the pain, Louise changed the bedding and cleaned up. She helped Zora dry off and brushed her hair and helped her into a loose white gown. By the time Louise helped her back into the bed, the Bastion midwife was here. They set her up and the midwife checked her progress. 

“Still a ways to go my Lady.” Zora leaned back against the plush pillows. The pain wasn’t so bad. Yet. As each contraction came she had to refrain from pushing and the midwife coached her through the pain. Louise mopped her forehead with a cold wet cloth and eased her sweating. 

As the time passed, Tidus checking on her now and again, it was nearing twenty four hours. The midwife came and checked her again. “My lady, it is time to push.” Zora nodded. “Louise go and get Tidus. Hurry.” 

Other midwives arrived in a hurry. She had two pulling back on sheets wrapped around her feet. The other was between her legs. She could not see the baby’s head yet, but was quite certain with a few good pushes she would be able to. 

When Tidus arrived, the midwives pulled back on the sheets as she bore down and pushed. She took a short few breaths of rest before bearing down and pushing again. “I can see the head, my Lady. You’re almost there. Push!” 

Zora panted heavily and strained again. Her hair was stringy with sweat. Stray pieces of hair clung to her face. She bore down and as the shoulders passed through the midwife gave a good pull and the baby slipped out and into her arms. Quickly the midwife started cleaning and wrapping the baby who was now crying loudly. 

Tears welled in Zora’s eyes as they cut the cord and laid the baby boy on her chest which had been made partially bare for the infant. Her arms came to him gently and protectively. “Matteo,” she said softly, tears dripping down her cheeks. “My love, come see your son.” She grasped his hand and pulled him closer to the bed. 

When he had heard the words that his ears have been aching for for months, Tidus still found himself overly excited as their boy was to ascend into this world soon. While he didn’t want to leave, he was still in charge of his small kingdom and they needed to be guided and so he took his departure, but not before kissing her head and promising to come back once he was aware of the labor.

It had been in the middle of the night when he was informed by one of the stewards that the midwives had arrived and Zora was being tended to. He had been speaking to the council over concerns about overseeing the new caverns discovered not too far from their mining sites. He was able to excuse himself while letting one of his trusted people represent him while he rushed back to the castle. From the time of his arrival to the excoriating hours afterwards, the lord was waiting frantically, anticipating when he would see their son.

Eventually he was let inside to witness the birth firsthand. His eyes were but virgins to what was going on as Zora made the efforts necessary to push the child out from her body but he was quick enough to get his composure and try to encourage her throughout the process. It felt like an eternality had passed by him all at once before it was over and the room was filled with deafening cries of a little one as they took him to get cleaned up and Tidus took hold of Zora’s hand and kissed it. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes.

“Don’t speak, rest”, he spoke as the baby was brought into her awaiting arms. He was a beautiful boy with a set of strong lungs as he continued to cry. Slowly as if he was getting aware of his surroundings, Matteo calmed himself down and fell quiet as his little eyes looked about. Tidus moved towards the bed and sat onto, not wanting her to use up all her strength, and kissed the child. “The greatest gift you gave to me…thank you, Zora.” He was beaming with pride and joy as their child, against all odds, made it to this world safe and sound.

It was a whirlwind of action as soon as Matteo was born. Half of the midwives were seeing the baby’s wellness and the other half were helping Zora deliver her placenta, repair anything that tore, and being sure that her bleeding stopped in a timely manner. They helped her into a fresh pair of knickers with several cotton pads that could easily be moved for changing. Every time she heard their son cry, her heart sped up and emotions welled up inside her. After Matteo was as properly cleaned as he could be, they laid him on Zora’s chest which she had exposed. His crying settled and he looked curiously around them.

The midwives, Louise, and any other who might have helped gathered for a moment around the bed. Everyone knew Louise was well known to the couple and on the most friendly terms, so they looked to her as she stepped foreward. “May the Kaiser bless you both Lord and Lady Amadei. We congratulate you both. Long live the prince!” The servants echoed the last phrase three times before disbursing.

Louise hung back a moment and let Zora know where she was keeping the extra pads and towels and that a midwife was always available to her. “I don’t think we will need one, at least I hope we don’t. I know most of my milk shouldn’t come in until tomorrow but they’re already tender.” Louise smiled and clapped “Very good, my Lady. You let us know if you need anything. We want you three to spend time together.” She smiled and patted on Zora’s hand and Zora smiled back at he’s. 

Matteo easily settled at the sound of his father’s voice and the feel of his cold skin. He would occasionally try to suckle his father’s fingertips Zora cooed at him and ran a thumb along his forehead. She smiled down at something so precious. What little hair he had was platinum but his eyes were as red as his mother’s. His skin was smooth and pale like both but an odd mix of warm living a living being and chilly like the undead. 

When he was settled well, Zora swaddled him in red velvet and wrapped a thin black fur over the outside. She slowly sat up and placed the bundle in his arms. She ran a hand from Tidus’ hair. “You gave me this gift too, Tidus. He will forever be our little one.” She leaned down and pressed her lips gently against the soft skin of his forehead. 

Her mind wandered to the future. Was Matteo really a prince like the servants said? Tidus had never been on to call himself King, even if that was what he was. “I assume we will have a grand affair where he is introduced to the kingdom and it’s nobility. Perhaps we should introduce him as Prince Matteao. And ourselves as King and Queen of Graylhope.” 

She hoped it wasn’t too much of a plan for him. 

The child was simply beautiful, even more so than Tidus had originally prepared for. He was often told back in the past that his children would be exceptional, but for him to witness a little one with his own blood was surreal. He felt like eons had taken place in that one day for Matteo to arrive, but now neither he nor Zora would have to worry anymore. His birth meant that they could move forward with the tradition and they would soon be wed. But for the moment, he was lost in thought with his son as he resembled his parents, taking the best of both worlds.

“He’s healthy and well. Even after the hell, you had to endure, my love. He will grow up strong”, he spoke with a faint smile. Although he loathed hating to think about the state she was in and what violence she had to suffer through, he cherished the fact that she survived, that they both did. “I think Reaver had said that he’d be arriving in a couple of days once the excitement settled down to baptize Matteo.” The strange details behind it were foreign to him, but to argue against the Head Priest of Lord Volkov seemed foolish at the very least. “There’s going to be a lot of news passed around Graylhope in a short amount of time.” He has handled the baby and he did his best to hold him the way the servants had taught him, minding his tiny head against his arm and rocking him gently. He seemed so dainty, so fragile like a doll that came to life.

He nuzzled his cool face against the much warmer one of his son. He could hear the strong heartbeat coming from the smaller Amadei and looked at Zora with a smile. “Yes, yes. We will reveal our son to them all. Many had been waiting for me to produce an heir and take a wife. I suppose I kept them waiting too long.” He chuckled a bit before he happily sighed, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to. Normally I don’t really care for such titles- when I think of kings, especially those with huge kingdoms, I think of fat cats that are too lazy to move their ass to do for their kingdom. I consider myself more of a leader, leading from the front. I suppose that’s why I don’t really care what I’m called. All that matters is you, Matteo, and me preserving our home.”

He was genuinely content as long as those three things were safe and sound.

The peace was momentarily broken by the sound of tapping against the glass. Tidus turned and saw a raven at the window, pecking at it. His brows knitted together, unsure of its purpose. Was it looking for something? Or was it an omen for things to come? He handed Matteo back to Zora and went to the window to open and scare the bird away. But as soon as he opened it, the raven swooped past him and its form shifted before his eyes.

Once he was done, Maalik shuddered a bit. “Can’t wait for Terra to take place. Too bloody cold.”

“Lord Maalik?”

“Yes, and I see congratulations are truly in order. I was thinking that she had a few more days, but here we are.”

He moved swiftly over to her position and leaned in close to the child. “I was sent by Nemesis to observe the birth and record anything out of the usual. The child’s case…”

“Matteo.”

“Yes, Matteo’s case is a peculiar one. Up to now, any offspring have been produced between vaewolves or at least another partner that was living. Since you, Lord Amadei, am a vampire, this is a rare situation.” Maalik felt at the cooling skin of his neck and tilted his head. “Hm, has a heartbeat, but yet not completely warm. Well, give it time. The vaewolf blood is more dominant as we had learned with Lady Angela’s case.”

He looked at Zora and then Tidus. “Her rosenite blood usually overrides many other races’. Human, vampire, wolf…It’s truly an interesting case, but when it came to the Volkov triplets, Nemesis’ was more dominant. All things given, Matteo is full-blooded vaewolf, so a few days should correct the cold you feel from him.

“And will Nemesis be gracing our home anytime soon?”, Tidus asked as he moved towards his family.

“Yes, he will. Sometime after the baptism, I believe. Between his duties and family ties, he’s been burning the candle on both ends. But he will arrive to give his own blessing for your son.”

Zora was nearly in tears watching Tidus cradle little Matteo so carefully. You could tell he was concentrating on not hurting the baby. She had known the maids had practiced with him but seeing it was an entirely different thing. The redhead leaned over and offered a pinky to the baby. Tiny hands reached and curled around her finger as he latched on and started to suckle at it like a breast. Matteo truly took the best of them. He would be a stunner for certain when he got older. The vaewolf imagined having to beat the women off of him. 

“Yes, he seems very healthy. Pink skin with a strong cry and good suckling instinct.” She nodded towards her pinky which he was still sucking on, though his brow creased more and more with frustration that no milk was coming out. “Yes, he must be baptized in the faith. Not just because of me. I want him protected always by whatever divine means I can win. As it has become clear that we do have enemies whether we like it or not.” She hated the memory being brought forth. They had been lucky to survive those days. 

Matteo squealed happily when his father nuzzled against his tiny warm face. The coldness must have felt weird. “Yes, I know my love. There are many kings and queens who are positively worthless but we aren’t and will never be that.” She paused and her warm hand caressed his cold cheek. “The titles are deserved. Perhaps the fact that they have been forgotten is what gave my captor his boldness. We will never be the kind that do not rise for their kingdom. We will show them that. We will show them that we are more than willing to fight for what is rightfully ours.” 

Zora turned when there was a pecking on the window. It was a raven but not behaving a normal raven would. Tidus opened the window and the bird barreled in and quickly changed shapes to who she recognized as Maalik. He explained why he was there and came close to Matteo to observe him. “We thank you for the congratulations.” Matteo reached his small hands up and tried grabbing for Maalik’s hair and face. She motioned for Tidus to bring him back to her. She cradled him against her partially exposed chest. 

She nodded in response to Maalik’s assessment. Nothing was wrong it seemed. Only a little coolness to the skin that would correct itself in a few days. When Tidus turned to ask about Nemesis’ expected presence and was shielding her from view, she let the side of her very loose white gown down. Matteo latched on almost instantly and started to feed on her milk. She was interested to see if he would need blood or if he could survive on whichever. If he was a full blooded vaewolf he should have a choice.

“Thank you for coming, Maalik. Apologies for not alerting you sooner. These things unfortunately can’t be timed.” She smiled down at Matteo and ran a finger through the soft tuft of platinum hair he had. 

The child's reaction wasn't one that completely shocked Maalik; apparently, he had a way with children despite not being the sort that even tried to bond with them. Angela and Nemesis' little brood, even the extended family ones, thought many things about the Avatar- mainly that he was either a canvas for their finger paints or a special guest for tea parties. Not wasting any specific details on the matter, Maalik let it slip by as he continued to watch the little one until his father brought him over to Zora. Whether it was a move to protect what was his instinctively or not, Maalik shifted his sights appropriately and shrugged. Matteo was too busy playing the game of "where was the food" with Zora as she tended to him until he won. 

Tidus was quite smart enough to hold his tongue at times when he wanted to tell him off; the man held power and position over him and the worst part was Maalik didn't even need to do anything more than just exist. What made the matter worse was that he wasn't sure whether the God was looking through his eyes and ears or not. Tidus remained calm and as long as no further harm came to his family, he would stomach just about anything. He had agreed with Zora prior to the baptism, even if it meant that he would have to acknowledge their lord fully. Their enemies may grow in numbers as the years pass by; a prospect that he didn't enjoy thinking about but one he couldn't also ignore. 

Sitting by Zora, he watched as Maalik moved towards the window. "No need for thanks or apologies, Zora. There is no master of time or circumstances. I just needed to report on Matteo's current status as well as the progress of your recovery." Opening the window, he lifted a foot on the windowsill and was about to move to jump before he looked back at the trio. "Just make sure not to die. Nemesis should be pleased with everything I've learned." He gave a casual wave towards them before moving to jump outside and shifted midair into his raven form and flying off. 

Tidus sighed and shifted himself onto the bed to lay up against Zora as he stroked at their son's head. Despite it all, he never regretted letting her into his house and heart. Through their love, came their dearest, precious son. 

"You know that I'd do anything to protect you both. No one within or outside these walls will take either of you away from me again. If announcing ourselves as the king and queen here is the first step to prove that, then so be it. I'd rather die than have you suffer again."