Marth simply smiled at Dalanesca as she scolded him for his theatrics, knowing full well he was making her a little uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Martin’s men looked at Dalanesca with various expressions: Some with disbelieving disdain, others with awe - but the most prevailing expression by far was sceptical apprehension. Martin himself looked shocked - in part because he couldn’t comprehend why Marth was lying, in part because he thought that he did lie - and as such was guilty of blasphemy. Marth decided to chime in before his stunt alienated their noble friend.

“It’s difficult to believe, I know,” Marth began, approaching Martin carefully. “I, too, was doubtful at first - being Wyllmochvarian, I never put much stock in gods,” he continued, looking at the young noble with an understanding expression. “But make no mistake, you are addressing the Justiciar, and I am her Redeemer and Destroyer, her high priest.”

Martin looked long and hard at Marth and Dalanesca in turn. After a brief silence, he waved his men away. “Leave us in private. I wish to speak with them alone.” The men grumpily complied, putting some hundred metres between themselves and Martin, Dalanesca, Marth, and the magisters. Martin rode up to Marth, with a stern expression. “You claim Dalanesca has undergone apotheosis and become divine. When did this supposedly happen?”

Marth sighed at Martin’s behaviour, clearly disappointed. “I have no reason to lie to you, Martin. You could at least do us the courtesy of giving us the benefit of the doubt - and keep in mind that, if we are lying, such a tone might incur disapproval by a goddess.” The cold, formal, threatening way Marth replied to Martin gave the young cavalier pause, for while powerful and, in his own way wise, he knew that Marth was more formidable still - he had seen that firsthand when Marth’s hand slew his father and uncle. Marth dropped the threatening tone as he continued, however, elaborating in a more amicable fashion. “Like I said, I too was sceptical at first. Dalanesca told me while we were staying in your home the last time, when we were hunting Borza.” Marth began to pace back and forth. “To convince me, she took me to her divine temple-realm, the Blinded Scales.” Marth looked up at Martin again. “I am well-versed in magic - that place is no illusion. You, too, can go there - both Dalanesca and I can move in and out of the realm at will,” he explained. The young lord still looked sceptical, but nodded, as if to urge Marth to continue. “During my time there, I have met the Earth Mother a number of times - Angela. She and Dalanesca have become fast friends.” Martin immediately looked at Dalanesca, surprised. Marth just kept talking. “If you still do not believe us, we can take you to the Blinded Scales - right now. If Angela can find the time, she may even appear to confirm Dalanesca’s ascension, though I believe the Blinded Scales will be enough.” Marth offered Martin a hand, smiling. “On your word, we can go. And we can give you the rest of the news once you’ve accepted what is going on.”

Martin looked at Marth, somehow awestruck at the gravity of what the warrior-mage said. He was still skeptical - even doubtful - but he had never known Marth to be a liar, and saw no reason for neither the mage nor assassin to be lying. He tentatively took Marth’s offered hand, giving his reply in a steely voice. “I will see what you have to show me, and then choose whether or not to believe you,” he said, his gaze stern despite the awe he was feeling. “But so help me, Marth, if you are lying… Your words would be a terrible crime,” he said.

Marth, in turn, simply grinned. “I’m shaking in my greaves,” he said, and took Martin to the Blinded Scales.

Dalanesca furrowed her eyebrows momentarily.  She could understand why Martin would not be quick to accept what Marth was explaining to him, but it did catch her off guard that he was so quick to dismiss them.  She could see the skepticism on Martin’s face as well as the faces of his men, and she felt a bit put off by the entire situation.  As a deity she resonated a certain aura, but it was something that could easily be shrouded by disbelief if she was not purposely exerting her power.  She supposed that Martin’s disbelief at the situation would have been more than enough to do such.

She let Marth continue to speak, knowing full well that Martin would more than likely believe what he had to say before he would believe her.  When the nobleman had dismissed his men, she sent her magisters away, to hang back for the time being.  If Martin wanted privacy to discuss the matter at hand in, then she would do everything to facilitate it that she was capable of.  

Instead of interjecting with some elaborate gesture to prove her divinity, she let Marth have his discussion with Martin.  She did feel displeasure at the lack of trust in the two - she would have wholly understood if she had been the one telling Martin the information, as she had not known him for very long, but he had a history with Marth - and the two had been through a lot.  Marth would gain absolutely nothing by lying to Martin - especially such a ridiculous lie that could very easily be unearthed.  In her opinion, her lover did a wonderful job of explaining how things had happened to Martin - so much so that the young man had agreed to allow them to show him the Blinded Scales.

Dalanesca felt a smile creep over her lips as Martin agreed to travel with them, and she gestured to the magisters that had fallen back a ways for them to return to the Blinded Scales, each of them disappearing without so much as a sound as they understood her signal.  After Martin and Marth had disappeared from the moral plane, she too disappeared silently.  

When she had reappeared back in her own realm, she immediately dismissed the magisters that had travelled with them, and sent them off to take care of other duties.  “Myself or Master Coralax will call on you when we are ready to travel once more,” she said stiffly, and the magisters hurried off to take care of different things.  She had appeared a few meters away from Marth and Martin, so she walked over to the pair, taking in the expression on Martin’s face.  

“I can let Marth show you around without me, if you would be more comfortable,,” she said to Martin, trying to sound as casual as she could.  She remembered how difficult it had been for Marth to accept at first, so she was understanding as to why he would be skeptical- but there was no limit to what she could show him if necessary.  “I am happy to accompany, however, if that would help more,” she added.

Martin looked at the Blinded Scales, eyes wide open in awe. As a demon-hunter, he also had witch-hunting talents, and so he could, with confidence, say “This is no illusion. This place is real.” Marth grinned and gave the lordling a pat on the back. “Indeed it is. Welcome to the Blinded Scales.”

Marth spent some time pointing out the landmarks and explaining to Martin how the realm worked. “… and that’s the courthouse, where Dalanesca has her quarters.” Martin was still awestruck, but his expression soon receded into light skepticism. “Okay, Marth, you have my attention now. All of this is… Fairly compelling.” He turned to Marth again, his expression troubled. “But I am afraid I must ask for more confirmation. Not for myself, I believe you, but to present to the fraternity. With a secondhand account from a person of enough influence, I can assure both of you get high-ranking positions and privileges in the fraternity. Especially you, Da - eh. My lady.” Martin made an awkward bow, and Marth thought on it for a moment. “You have a portrait of the Earth Mother in your hall. Am I correct in assuming you’ve met her?” Martin looked up at Marth with a shocked expression, like Marth had just asked the queen of Adeluna for an audience so she could measure his penis. “Are you saying what I think you are? Triune deities arn’t people you just summon, Marth!” In reply, Marth smirked. “Like I said, she and Dalanesca are fast friends. Besides, Dalanesca is now a triune goddess herself. Furthermore, lady Angela just gave birth - and with Dalanesca as the godmother, I do believe it is time we met,” he said, to Martin’s horror.

Marth closed his eyes and focused on his connection to the Blinded Scales. “Blinded Scales, obey your Redeemer and Destroyer. Let a message resonate to the divine temple-realm of the Sundering Gardens.” A glow appeared in the sky - the realm tapping into Dalanesca’s connection with the other gods, and Marth in turn tapping into the realm. “Lady Angela, I apologise for calling you at this early hour. Dalanesca and I have news, and we have a friend we need you to meet. If you have time, please - meet us in Dalanesca’s quarters. And bring Rohan, I’d like to meet him. Oh, and I finished Iva’s dress.” The call started very formal, much to Martin’s relief, and proceeded to become more casual and personal, to his horror. Marth then grinned, and grabbed Martin’s hand once more. “Scales, do teleport us to Dalanesca’s quarters, please.” The realm immediately obeyed, and Marth, Dalanesca, and Martin found themselves in Dalanesca’s suite.

Angela was in Rohan’s nursery when she got the message from Marth. She hummed a bit and picked up her little ball of joy. He was fussing at her. “Please Love, we’ve been at this all morning.” She chuckled a bit and held him to her. He calmed his fuss and kissed Rohan’s little nose. “There we go.” She didn’t want him to be all snotty when he met Marth for the first time. She decided to keep him in his night clothes and wrapped him up in a silky soft blanket just for him.

She peeked in on Iva who was still asleep and sighed a bit. “I’ll get her dress then.” She closed the door and her nightgown shifted into a beautiful ruby robe set. It matched her hair. Her hair was pulled back and it was obvious she just didn’t think she had the time to look completely glamorous. 

Bouncing Rohan, she appeared in Dalanesca’s room with a smile on her face. She looked to Marth, Dalanesca, and finally made a face at Martin. “I know your family from somewhere.” She couldn’t put her finger on it but she shrugged. The magic from the shifting realms made Rohan start to fuss and cry lightly. “Easy kid, it was just a gate spell.” She began to shush him. “He is so in tune with magic. It’s incredible.” She smiled at Dalanesca. “Marth this is Rohan.”

Angela gave another smile and kissed Rohan’s little nose again. “He’s been upset for hours. He just can’t figure out what he wants. That is the worst kind of crying. First, he wanted music… and then he wanted food… And he was tired so I let him nap and he wasn’t pleased with all that I picked him up to bring him here.  Maybe he just misses you, Dal.”  

Dalaneseca immediately walked over to her bed where she sat down on the edge when the three had been transported to her quarters.  It was very odd for her to be in her room with Marth and the two of them not be alone - usually they had the place to themselves.  She did not dwell on said thought very long, however, as within moments of their arrival, Angela had also appeared in her quarters, holding Rohan.

Dalanesca beamed at her fellow Triune goddess, getting up and walking towards Angela and Rohan.  The babe seemed a bit on the fussy side, and Dalanesca frowned, reaching out to take the infant from Angela.  “I think maybe you’re right,” she said, smiling sweetly down at Rohan and holding him close to her.  She glanced up at Marth, a smile on her face, and walked over to him, forgetting momentarily why they had summoned Angela.  “Here he is,” she said, using her free hand to stroke a finger down Rohan’s cheek.  “Look at him… pure perfection in his little face,” she said, her voice nearly swooning.

After a moment, she returned her attention to the other parties present in the room.  “My apologies, but I was distracted by my godson.”  She gave Angela one more smiling glance, and turned back to Martin.  “Martin… I know this is a lot to grasp.  Last you saw me, you were still under the impression that I was nothing more than a human, aiding Marth in his quest.  Now, I stand before you claiming to be a Goddess.  You are not a daft man - you are intelligent, and it is this intelligence that breeds your skepticism.  I understand that.”  She turned to Angela for a moment, now addressing her.

“Angela, Marth has brought you here to assist us in showing Martin here that I am, in fact, divine - not just divine, but a third of Triune, as well.”  She glanced to Marth and Martin, then back to Angela.  “Of course, getting to see Rohan is an added bonus,” she said, grinning.  Her smile faded quickly.  She took pause once more, and it was clear that she was at a slight loss for words.  “Marth?” she said, inviting him to take over the conversation.

Marth went over to Martin, who by now seemed to have somehow shorted. His awe, even his surprise, was replaced by something more reminiscent of muted acceptance of the scene unfolding before him. All his intellect, the way he was raised - the scene before him defied reason. And yet, in this realm, he could not help but feel the power resonating from the two women, who up close seemed so very human. Marth gave him a slight push to jog his senses and snap him back to reality. “You alright, Martin?”

The armoured knight rubbed his neck. “I’m fine. It’s just… It’s a tough nut to swallow,” he said, looking at Angela. “Without a doubt, that is the Earth Mother.” The young man walked over to Angela and Dalanesca, his apprehension gone. By his deep bow as he approached, he was still being respectful, but there was no longer any fear. Awe had given way to friendliness. The lordling looked at Rohan, and found himself smiling. Since it was Dalanesca holding him, he felt comfortable enough to step close enough to have a proper look. “All these years worshipping the Earth Mother, goddess of fertility, and never once did I even contemplate how very… motherly you are,” he said, looking at Angela with a smile. “I am Martin du Reolar, a nobleman of Adeluna. My father took me to your temple-realm on a pilgrimage some years ago.” He looked at Rohan again, chuckling. “I did not believe Dalanesca had become a deity, I must admit,” he said, and took a step back, kneeling before Dalanesca. “I know you’re not a formal person, so let me just say that I am at your service, as friend and devout believer.” He stood up, smiling. “Naturally, the Fellhunter Fraternity is at the beck and call of our gods, and as your high priest, Marth will immediately be nominated for a seat in the Fellhunter Council.” He then turned to Marth, remembering. “Speaking of which, you had something else to say?”

Marth went over to Dalanesca, smiling. He looked slightly embarrassed at the whole situation, but he took his time to look at Rohan properly. He wasn’t experienced with children, however, and with the child so sensitive to magic, it must have picked up on the draconic forces in Marth body, for it began to wail. Lucky for Marth, his voice was a relatively soothing and pleasant one, if not necessarily friendly in tone. “Shhhh… Like your rosenite kin will tell you, child, not all dragons are evil,” he said, stroking the babe’s forehead until it settled down. It was not before then that Marth put his hand around Dalanesca. “Well. As Angela most certainly know, and you probably have deduced by now, Martin, Dalanesca and I are, as you Adeluni say, ‘an item’. We’ve been together for a while - since we recovered that first shard,” he said. He took a sharp breath, half expecting an inhumanly loud whine of excitement from Angela. “Last night, I asked for her hand.” He looked at Dalanesca with a smile, before returning his gaze to Angela and Martin. “And she said yes.”

Martin just shrugged. “Wyllmochvarian mage, who I thought was an atheist until ten minutes ago, is marrying the goddess for which he is high priest - both of which I consider friends. It’s official. Never again will anything surprise me.”

Angela gave Martin a smile and was in love with the way Dalanesca was holding onto Rohan. “Isn’t he though? He looks much like his father, for that I am glad. I have many daughters running around who look like myself.” She chuckled towards Dal and Marth before giving Martin a smile. “Motherly is a used many use for me yes. I have a new title as well. My domain has expanded but Dalanesca can tell you of that later.”

Listening to Martin she just nodded. “I remember your family name and crest. It is the least I can offer up since I have many families who pilgrimage to my temple over the decades. Please do not be offended by that. I can assure you that Dalanesca has taken Mendean’s place as Triune with Moliira and myself. This is our way. When one falls another much rise.”

Angela gave Marth a wary smile as he announce that Marth and Dalanesca were a couple. She was more amused with how Rohan was playing with Marth now that he had calmed down. “He sings you know. If you are patient with him, he sings a song only a skilled bard would know. Very talented for a baby.” She let Martin finished speaking.

“Is that a challenge?” She looked at Martin and smirked a bit. “I must say, congratulations are in order. Dalanesca… Marth… Congratulations on your baby.” 

Dalanesca felt a small wave of relief as Martin expressed his understanding.  She was grateful that Angela had come to assist her and Marth with getting Martin to understand.  She gave Martin a quick smile when he stepped closer to her, intent on getting a closer look at Rohan.  The words of fealty that Martin spoke were quite welcome.  “Balance is lucky to have someone like you on its side, Martin,” she said, her voice taking on a fairly official air.  “And it would be only fitting for Marth to take a place at that council - unless it will retract from his duties as my Redeemer and Destroyer,” she said, her voice filled with playful warning.

She smiled warmly at Marth as he came to join her, laughing softly at his awkwardness with Rohan.  When the baby began to fuss from the magic resonating from her companion, Dalanesca gently bounced him as Marth stroked his forehead.  When Rohan had calmed, she smiled and held him for a moment longer.  As Marth wrapped his arm around her, she passed Rohan back to his mother and pressed into Marth, smiling warmly as he presented the news of their relationship to Martin, as well as the news of their engagement to both Martin and Angela.   

Martin’s reaction was about what she had expected, and she could not help but laugh as he said that nothing would surprise him anymore.  It was at this time that Angela chimed in, congratulating the two of them on something completely different than what they had been discussing.  “…What?” Dalanesca said, staring at Angela in complete and utter confusion, her mouth staying slightly parted.  She had heard the words spoken by her fellow goddess, but they were not making sense in her mind.  “I think you misheard Marth, Angela,” she said, her voice wavering slightly.  “We’re getting married, not having a b- oh,” she said, her voice becoming quite small.  She stood still for a moment, before opening her mouth to speak again.

“Are… are you telling me that I’m pregnant?” she asked Angela, her voice shaking slightly.  She looked at Marth out of the corner of her eye, for any sort of response to the information that had just been revealed to the pair.  The two of them had not really discussed the prospect of having a family together, and she had not put much thought into the matter herself.  In all honesty, there was no lack of opportunity for her to have become pregnant, but it had been the furthest from her mind.  She was not necessarily afraid, but more worried about what Marth’s reaction to the news would be.  She cast him another glance, pleading with him to say something - anything - to clue her in on his thoughts.  

Marth looked a little dumbfounded by Angela’s statement, his mouth open but not forming any words. Martin, on the other hand, rolled his eyes in exasperation. “And of course Marth has knocked her up, to boot. Would be silly of me to expect less.” The young lord just meandered over to a table, and began picking at the snack fruit present, apparently intent on locking the world out for a moment just to process all this new information.

But after a brief while, Marth looked at Dalanesca, and exhaled sharply, still surprised. He collected himself, however, and with a stoic expression, walked over to her, and picked up Rohan, handing him back to his mother. Once the baby was out of harm’s way, the mage virtually threw himself at Dalanesca, embracing her tightly, and laughing. In short, he took the news with enthusiasm, and quite a lot of it. He calmed down after a few seconds, but still held her tight. He was silent for a few moments more, not quite able to find the right words. Finally, he managed to find a few he figured Dalanesca might want to hear. “I’m ready if you are.”

Dalanesca stood rooted to the spot momentarily as Marth embraced her, still in shock from the news which Angela had delivered to the pair.  She was not necessarily upset by the information, but mostly taken aback by how suddenly Angela had just brought it to their attention.  Had she told the pair that there was something important she must tell them and softened the delivery a bit, she may not have been so shocked - but that was not the case. After a moment, her body lost some of its tension and she let herself melt against Marth, taking in the comfort of his arms wrapped around her.

The laughter that came from Marth set her at ease somewhat - he seemed downright thrilled with the prospect of becoming a father.  Motherhood was not something that she had ever planned on going through, but with the idea of it planted in her brain now, she could not help but smile a bit at the thought - and besides, she could not think of a better person to start a family with than the man she had now pledged to marry.  

She could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes, and quickly snuck a hand up to wipe them away.  Marth finally spoke to her, the tone of his voice and his words assuaging any worry that she was feeling.  She nodded weakly at his words.  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, a strong smile creasing her lips.  “With you by my side, I can be ready for anything,” she added, well aware of how absolutely sappy she sounded - but it was true.  Had she found out this information when Marth had not been with her, she was unsure of how she would have been able to handle it.

She glanced to Angela again.  “Well, now that you’ve dropped that bombshell on us… how long have I been pregnant?” she asked.  She was curious as to when their many consummations had resulted in her impregnation.  “And can you give me some idea of what to expect?  You’ve birthed about seventy million children,” she said with a laugh, exaggerating slightly.  “What’s it like?”  She pressed back into Marth for support, drawing his arms in closer around her as she waited for Angela to respond.