“Yeah, yeah. I figured as much”, Blaine replied while scratching the back of his head. “I’ll be blunt, your mother and aunt have been driving me bonkers with their pissing war throughout the years. I swear that one day i will take both of them and bump their heads together or something.” Jayden merely smiled at his crazy family; he was confident that Belle would do fine and that his family would make it through just like they always did. He knew that Aunt Angela would intentionally put her unborn nephew in jeopardy even if she was made at his mother.

“Yeah, I suppose that now you mention it, the males seem more stockier by the females when it comes to my father’s side of the family.” Jay didn’t really think of it before, but then again he hadn’t thought of other wolves before. It was a strange concept since it only now came to mind. Blaine nodded as well as he stroked his wife’s hair lovingly. “You be on your best behavior until Sparrow’s out. After that, you can raise all the hell you want. But no dragons until you get your strength back, you hear?” His son went off to assist Belle.

“Don’t worry about it. I will help you anyway I can. Might not need it, but still feel better if I can make your job easier any way possible. “ He flashed a genuine smile her way as they finished tidying up. He heard his mother’s offer, glad that she was coming around. Blaine was happy with it as well. “Might as well. If it was your mother, then you can bet your aunt would be fighting tooth and nail to throw her out. If there’s anything you need, just ask. We’re family after all.”

“And I’ll help her then.” He looked to Toya with a wink, “Can’t stay in bed this time, love. I’ll make sure you get up all those stairs. Jayden, why don’t you go show Belle one of the vacant rooms?” Jay nodded and took any sort of bags that she might have had before accompanying her to the halls. “Plenty of rooms here, so you can pick the one you’d like. I’m still trying to get used to this place myself since I’m only here from time to time and is used to our little cottage in the woods.

Belle chuckled softly and nodded. “Uncle Blaine, I think Aunt Cathrine already tried that once upon a time.” She was amused lightly by it because she thought her siblings were way worse than this but she supposed if one didn’t live in chaos all day that they wouldn’t understand.

Toya groaned at her husband as he forbid her from dragons until she was healed. “Don’t worry Aunt Toya I’ll make sure you are back on your feet as fast as possible.” The smile from Belle actually made Toya stopped groaning and she was stared at her. “What?”

“You can’t be related to the bitch.” Toya crossed her arms and Belle chuckled again.

Belle nodded and bowed slightly to them all. “Thank you for your hospitality. I’ll make sure if I have any difficulty that I suck it up and ask for your help since you have been so generous. Despite the trouble that my mother has caused you all.” She came back up slowly and smiled at Jayden. She was getting a bit more comfortable with them now.

She was about to fight with Jayden about her bags when she just gave up before the fight could start. She knew that they were dead set on taking care of her while she was there. “I suppose… some place overlooking a garden maybe?” She tilted her head. “I like to look out the window when I work on my medical journal. Which I’ll be working on a lot if I’m going to be taking care of Aunt Toya.”

Tilting her head all her blonde curls fell to one side. “You all used to live in a cottage? Isn’t that a bit cramped for how many there are of you? Even without the youngest twins… That’s a lot of people in a little cottage.” She teased gently and waved her hand as they got to her room once they found one. “You can come in while I unpack…” She liked his company so far. She went about unpacking her bags and folding her clothes as they continued to talk.

“I’ve always been here in Sularia at the manor or in the temple. I suppose I really don’t know what its like to live in a small place. Not that I would want to with all of my siblings or even some of them. Though I guess I would have liked a taste of life without being doted on by all of the clergy members. I really don’t like being pointed out or anything like that… It’s hard being my mother’s student when people want to acknowledge how great a healer I’ll be because she is my teacher. Eventually, I just want to do something I will be known for but my mother is a legend here… It isn’t going to be that easy.” She offered a smile.

“Mother, don’t be too rude now”, Jay offered, scratching the back of his head. “You don’t want to receive anything else from Aunt Angela, do you? I think it can be safely bet that it won’t be as pleasant as having another child.” Blaine nodded and went over to his wife and patted her growing stomach. Jay followed his father’s request but would have done so anyway because of the type of person he was. He saw that Belle would have protested but then silenced herself. “Hm, yes, I think we have a room that fits that description.” One of them came to his mind though, and he lead her upstairs and after a bit of traveling, they arrived at one of the rooms that faced the gardens out back.

Making sure that her bags were placed carefully on the bed, he turned to face her. “Yes, one in the middle of the forest we used to live in…it was a quaint and modest one. It was nothing compared to the manor that your mother used to live in not too far from us. There was me and my sisters minus Rose, and my parents. It was a bit small, but it was cozy for them when us children were growing up and exploring the world.”

He did miss the subtle life they had fought so hard to live, and living in Sularia had been quite the change for them all. Well, maybe not Aurora since she was still young. Heaven knew that their mother did not like it one bit and maybe that’s why she was always getting into trouble, aside from being herself of course.

“I guess I can see that, seeing that you have a far lot more than I do”, he smiled as he moved over to the window and peeked outside. “Aye, it's hard to live in someone else’s shadow. I remember when I was younger that people were sure I would follow in my father’s footsteps as a mercenary. Instead I worked hard and followed my dream of being a knight. I’m sure that even now my mother’s scared to death of it or more so losing me like she had my older brother. I’m sure that you will do great and will find your own path. We learn from our parents, but we don’t become them… “

Toya could be heard mocking her son Blaine took care of her. Belle was laughing softly. “Your mother is a riot but I can see why my mother and yours do not get along.”

Belle listened to him intently once he placed her bags down and she gave a smile. “It’s never been that simple here… I would like simple. I’ve never had that before but I do wander around…” It was hard to try and find common ground with Jayden. They were cousins yet literally from two different worlds.

Belle chuckled for a minute. “You are the Dragon’s son too…. That’s nothing to sneeze at. People are generally shaking in their boots whenever your mother is even mentioned.” She had high hopes for Jayden and he was a good man compared to how volatile his mother could be.

Months could come and go leaving Jayden to help her out. Once Toya’s water had broke Belle sprung into action. She almost dragged Jayden with her into the den of the beast. “I knew there was a reason I wanted to stop at Aurora!” Toya was in a lot of pain as she wiggled around the bed with her big belly.

“You are a mighty dragon knight you must be able to deal with labor pains Aunt Toya.” Belle chuckled lightly. “Jay, can you fetch me a hot tub of water and towels, please? Uncle Blaine can you make sure your wife doesn’t utterly destroy this whole room.”

“FUCK YOU.” Toya cried as she took Blaine’s hand and almost broke it.

“Honestly, Aunt Toya…” She stared at the moment for a moment before getting concerned. A woman with this amount of experience having this much pain? This many problems? Something didn’t feel right to her… Something was off. Running over to Toya she put her hands on her belly and used her magic. “Shit…”

“What?” Toya almost flung up and Belle pushed her back.

“The baby is in trouble. This is going to be a long night. Mother is telling me what to do.” It was many long hours and even a surgery later to help Toya out with Sparrow. Belle was scared but it was Angela who had shown up to help get Sparrow out. By her side, Angela walked Belle through and helped perform the needed medical practice.

Angela was there mostly for her healing aura, something Belle couldn’t provide. Once Belle had Sparrow she was white with color as she washed him up. Angela was finishing providing her healing magic but Toya was in a deep sleep at that point. “I’m so sorry Uncle Blaine… I froze up.” Belle was almost in tears as she wrapped Sparrow in a blanket.

Turning her head Angela smiled a bit. “We all have our scares, it’s alright Belle. You did your best and you’ve never seen this before. It happens. You recognized there was a problem and you tried to do something about it, that’s the best a healer can do in these situations. It’s also why I showed up.” Belle nodded as she handed a crying Sparrow over to Blaine. “Toya needs a lot of sleep… We can wake her up for feedings but she is going to be out of commission for a while when it comes to everything else. Once she can walk we’re going to have to help her out just a bit. My magic is good but natural healing is better. Especially in her case.”

Belle looked at Jayden and frowned deeply. If she had only noticed sooner… Or could she have? "I'm so sorry Jay…"

When the time finally came for the baby to come, everyone were on their toes in anticipation. Well, everyone but Toya, who wanted Sparrow out of her. Blaine was holding onto his wife’s hand and kissed it. “It will be okay, love. You can do it. It’s just like the others…” Of course he regretted his words very quickly once he felt the crushing strength of the rosenite. “Ow! Ow! Ow! Toya, ow! Let me go! OW!” Jayden looked around and saw that Aurora was nowhere to be seen. Likely weathering out the storm from the safety of her room; the girl was clever, her brother would admit that.

At first, he found it a little odd that his mother was in so much pain for being in labor, but he didn’t think that it was too much of a problem. Maybe Sparrow was a much harder baby to get out than he or their siblings had. Blaine held onto her hand even as his own was being crushed. And then panic set in when Belle checked on him and said something was wrong. Blaine never left Toya’s side as he encouraged her as best as possible while Jayden did everything he could to help Belle. It wasn’t hard to see that the panic settled into her as well, and it made him worry for the safety of his baby brother. She hadn’t been through something like this before and it was scaring her. Eventually Angela had to come and assist in the birth.

By the time it was all over, Sparrow was finally out in the world and Blaine was comforting his recovering wife. He turned to Belle and shook his head, “For what? You delivered your cousin as best you could. He’s alive and well it looks and you should be proud. Don’t think I could handle that pressure as you had if I was in your shoes…” He reached for and took the little baby into his arms and kissed his head as he wept. Jay nodded and came over to her. “Don’t blame yourself for what happened…like father said, you did great. It was just a misfortune that no one saw coming…” He didn’t fault her for that situation- she did the best she could with the circumstances and the results gave them a new member to the growing family. The little guy was bawling his eyes out and had a pair of lungs Blaine was sure he got from his mama. 

Anyone else would have been horrified and angered with her. She saw the kindness that came with her family. As long as Sparrow was alright and Toya was alright they weren’t angry with her. Even her mother appeared pleased with her. Had she handled it that well? She hugged Jayden merely out of instinct as she buried her head in his chest for comfort.

“She’ll be alright. This is a thing most healers can’t deal with. The mortality rate on an injury like this is over eighty percent. I’m the twenty percent.” Angela gave a smile at everyone. “It’s very rare for a Rosenite… honestly I thought Toya was one of the lucky ones never to have to deal with it. Not much is known about it but Rosenites, in general, have trouble carrying boys. It’s hit or miss and Toya has been one of the lucky ones.”

Belle looked at her mother. “How do you fix it.”

“Internally… It has to do with the essence our bodies hold. There isn’t much a regular Rosenite or healer for that matter can do about it. Without our essence, we die.” Angela frowned. “It is the curse our race has I’m afraid. Sons are rare and this is rarer but still… very dangerous. It’s why Toya has got to rest.” Angela ordered.

There was a knock at the door and Angela slid it open with some magic. “I’m sorry to disturb you and your moment your highness but… I have orders from the frontline for Belle.” Belle’s face went white as she took the paper from the soldier. They left and she opened it.

“I’m supposed to leave tomorrow. They’ve been waiting for Sparrow’s birth to send me… Apparently the desert… It’s gotten worse and a group of healers got slaughtered out of nowhere.”

“Vultures the lot of them. Can’t even wait for their queen to even wake up,” Angela scoffed. “That is the nature of war but still…” Her eyes went to Belle. “Just be careful. I can’t just overrule them because you are my child. I’ll take care of Sparrow and Toya for you.”

Jayden looked onto the piece of parchment that Belle had but it was what the messenger had said that made him frown deeply. “What’s been going on at the desert?” Blaine looked to him and signed as he came over to Belle’s side, “Think it has to do with raiders. Been hearing things about them coming into Rosenite territory and doing gods knows what until now. You mother’s in no condition to help defend the frontlines and I need to be with her while she recovers.

Angela only confirmed some of it and Jay looked to his resting mother and then to his new baby brother. He thought for a while before his mind was made up. “Father…I need to have a word with you soon about something.” Blaine nodded and then offered Jay to hold his little brother. He accepted and carefully took Sparrow into his arms. The little baby started to tear up as he didn’t recogize his brother just yet but Jay was good in rocking him. “Hey there, little guy. No need to worry, I’m Jayden.”

Aurora decided to poke her in and see that the little bundle of joy was finally out. “Sparrow!”, she cried softly as she quickly approached the now youngest White Rose. “Auntie, he’s beautiful! And great job, Belle”

“And just where were you while your mother was in pain?”, her father asked, but the girl was completely enthralled with Sparrow that he just rolled his eyes and gestured for Jay to follow him while the women tended to the baby. As soon as they reached his study, he took out a decanter filled with bourbon and two glasses. Filling both up, he handed one to his son and lifted his glass. “To Sparrow!”

“To Sparrow!”, Jay returned, holding his glass up as well before they both downed their drinks.

“Father, I want to go to the battlefield. They need me and others to help defend them. I can’t in good conscious let more of the healers or anyone else get hurt or killed by these outsiders.”

Blaine filled up his glass again and gave him a whimsical look, “Is that all? Is that the only reason you are wanting to go out there and stick out your neck?”

“Yes, I am sure”, he replied, not knowing what his father was suggesting but the older lycan dropped it and drank. “Fine, you are a grown man and a man of the White Rose and your mother’s child for pete’s sake. War is in your blood, like mine. If you want to do it then you might wanna wait until after Belle leaves and let your brother know you for a few days longer.”

Jay nodded and Blaine lead him back to the Toya’s room. “Did we miss anything?”

“It’s worse than raiders I’m afraid. Not even the deities can figure out what’s going on. We can only wait to see what is happening. We know people are getting snatched and that in the evening in the desert the sky is green.” Angela murmured towards them. “It is going to be a rough few months.”

Belle gave Aurora a sad smile but nodded while Angela gave a more confident one. “Thank you, Aurora. Sparrow is quite the handsome one I will admit.” He had locks of blonde hair already.

Once Jayden was gone Angela gave Belle a look. “You should go pack… I know you hate it but you have to go.” It was somber as Belle nodded and took off. Once the men were back Angela smiled up at them. “Belle went to go pack her things since she has to leave immediately. However, look.”

Toya began to stir and a groan left her lips. “I feel like a dragon fell on me.” Her eyes were bloodshot and she was exhausted as she looked over at the crying bundle. Angela was swift to snatch the baby and give him to his mother. “Hello little Sparrow.” Toya was so weak that she didn’t even have the strength to hold him properly. Angela beckoned Blaine over to help her.

“He should be with his mother for a little bit. Only a little bit then back to sleep with you. You can’t even hold your arms up properly.” Angela was stern.

“Little Shit really took it out of me didn’t he?” Toya chuckled the best she could as she lulled back into a half sleep. Angela gently shook her.

“Just a little bit more Toya… Try to stay awake.”

“I just can’t Ang… I’m so tired,” the mother sounded so sad as her head lulled down so she could kiss Sparrow. “I… I don’t know.”

Angela frowned a bit and looked up at Blaine. “Get some sleep Toya… It will get better.”

“I don’t like being weak.”

“You have never been weak Sister. Never.” Angela took her hand and held it. “You are just tired right now from the little one.” Toya gave a smile and faintly squeezed back. “You should sleep now.” Angela made sure that Blaine got Sparrow and she tucked Toya back in. “She will probably be like this for a few days. We’ll have to wake her up to feed him… and probably help her hold him. Her mana veins have been severed and put back together… Sort of like a blood vessel but… invisible.” Angela stroked Toya’s sweat filled hair and looked at Belle who came back in with her bag.

“Is Aunt Toya alright?” Belle asked nervously.

“She will always be alright… We need her to be at her best though which she certainly is not. She will be fine though do not worry your pretty little heart over it.”