Time seemed to be a funny thing; in one moment, Xunatar had found himself at the top of the world as a deity and the next? He had been humbled by the Voice and was likely seen as too…chaotic to be controlled and thus dropped from grace. While many that fell went to disappear into nothingness (likely due to being unable to cope with the fact they were mortal again), the demon king indeed fell, but he would not fade into the night like them. No, there was plenty of work to do still and now that he was unchained again, he wouldn’t have to worry about being governed by another entity.

With his temple gone, he had since stayed in Sularia with the Black Rose Court. At least there, he was able to oversee three of his seven special children as well as govern over the most rebellious one. He didn’t need Sol to have any breathing room to try and do something stupid. Besides that, he held a steady presence in his grandchildren’s lives unlike he had been when he was a parent. Perhaps that would make him seem softer, but Xunatar was still every bit as dangerous. Perhaps even more so than before.

But there had been something gnawing at his mind; his beloved Scarlett hadn’t been seen in a good deal of time. It caused him some worry, but he trusted her strength enough to know that nothing ominous happened to her. Should anything had…well, may the gods have mercy on their souls if he ever found out. He had sent word to her at her workshop some time ago to come to seek him out in the desert city.

Xunatar waited among the gardens, perched on a bench as he watched the afternoon drift by. The former god pondered what inventions that his queen have came with since when he had introduced her to the darklite metal that Discordia had once produced. In general, he had missed seeing and feeling her against his touch.

The wind tossed the long red curls that spilled from her messy bun, and a fine-boned, but strong and calloused hand rested upon her rather swollen belly, the red stone ring catching the light of the sun. It glinted with an inner fire that reflected her soul as she spun it back and forth on her finger. How long had it been? Four months? She had never lost so much time before. After she had left Discordia to seek Angela's aide, she had returned to Zujiutsu to create something absolutely stunning. She had worked tirelessly for some weeks, sleeping on her cot, eating rations and working. It had not been uncommon for her to be gone for weeks at a time before, but months? Surely Xunatar had begun to worry. Imagine her surprise, when upon completing her newest work, that the door that would have taken her home no longer worked. That was then she finally registered the fall of her love from Godhood. 

Honestly, she couldn't say she was surprised. He was too wild, to chaotic to be controlled. It was what she loved most about him. But now, perhaps he would be able to turn his focus to something better. She had learned that Xunatar had taken up residence in the Black Court of Sularia, and again she was not surprised. It was the closest to his children, and if she didn't say so, it was the most likely place she would have gone looking for him if he *hadn't* been there.

A smile split across the Artificer's face as the call was made for the airship to start its landing procedure as they broke through the cloud cover. Sularia glittered in the hot sunlight, and Scarlett smiled. This would be her home now. It would be their home now. 

The airship landed at the docks, and Scarlett made arrangements for her forge, tools and everything else to be delivered to the Black Court the next day. She shouldered her travel pack and stepped down onto the bustling wharf. She felt movement inside her belly and she rubbed the spot reassuringly as she strode off in the direction of the Courts of Arri. 

She was greeted quite warmly by the family at the Black Court, and at the sight of her pregnant belly had immediately told to sit down and put her feet up after such a long trip from Parvpora. Naturally, the Genasi had refused, mostly at not wanting to be pampered, and insisted on knowing Xunatar's location. 

So, she walked again, not tired in the least, to the gardens. She walked through the rows of roses and other flowers, and trees, the sweet scent of lavender wafting on the breeze from the lavender fields. 

She spotted him, sitting looking just like his old self, but just out in daylight. Her heart pounded at seeing the Kitsune again after so many months apart. Quietly, she walked up behind him and the bench and leaned against it casually. Lightly she brushed the back of her hand against his cheek, the coolness of the stone in her ring lightly pressing against his jaw. 

"Hello, my Fox."

He knew that she would still be alive- his queen was not one that could be dismissed so easily. Still, he had been concerned over not hearing from her for months, and it was likely known that his place, for now, would be in Arri alongside his children. He had busied himself with tasks of his own- shifting from Arri to the demon plane known as The Inferno Reach where he originated. Still, he was ever patient since she was an artist at heart and poured much of her energy and time into her crafts.

In a sense, they were both free from the burden of his godhood. The damned Voice wanted someone that was going to be left in check and Xunatar certainly didn’t fit the bill. He could only think of the poor sap that it had elected to take his place. So much power, but to be regulated heavily, it was more of a curse than a blessing. And Xunatar had no intention of just wasting away in the shadows as so many had.

But having just about everything wasn’t worth it if he hadn’t had Scarlett with him to revel in it. His hand played around with locket that hung from his neck, that whose twin was around hers. Dante would have been waiting for her, per instructions and let her know his whereabouts. As the day drew closer to closure, he sat there, closed-eyed and taking in the breeze of the serene garden. With the scent of many florae about, he couldn’t have told that his love’s was among them. It was a fair play that worked in her favor as he was caught off guard- a rare feat to accomplish. He felt her warm skin against his cheek and he turned ever so slightly to face her.

“And to you, my que…”

He started in just before he noticed her growing belly. Another feat was done; the former god and demon king was left speechless. His icy eyes left staring onto her as he turned fully to confirm what he was seeing. After a bit, he looked into her eyes before he left the bench to come down onto his knees and felt her belly with his hand.

“Of all the creations you have shown me…this is my favorite yet, Scarlett.” His fingers stroked her tenderly. He was no stranger to pregnancy, but unlike many of the children he sired, he had no love for their mothers. It was done out of a need but in their case, the child that was inside her was proof of their love. He buried his face into her and wrapped his hand behind her back. “My lovely Scarlett, how I wished I would have sought you out sooner…”

The Fire Genasi smiled and a light laugh left her lips at his shock at both her sudden appearance and his first gaze upon her swollen belly. It made the discomfort of the last months worth it by leaps and bounds. She was hungry for his tender touch, her amethyst eyes soft as he knelt before her and pressed his hand to her belly, feeling the tiny life inside. Her own hand fell over his firmly, almost as though afraid he would flit away on the breeze. He did not wish her to vanish either it seemed as he buried his face in her belly and held her tight with his other arm. His words made her shake her head and she knelt down to join him in the grass, a hand lifting to caress his cheek as she pressed her forehead to his. 

"Do not fret about it, my love. Our situation changed so rapidly that there was little we could do about it. And I believe the time away actually helped me a little bit," she admitted as she rubbed his nose with hers. "I wasn't feeling like myself, and allowed myself to sink into a bit of a despair before I sought out Angela's help. After that it was more of a… coming to terms with myself than anything else. This all has been quite a humbling experience for me. And I am happy to be once again in your arms," she explained. 

"It will only be a few more months before they get here. And they have been growing strong, just like their father, " she smiled. She moved his hand to one side of her swollen belly so that Xunatar would be able to feel movement of the child there. His other hand she took and positioned on the opposite side, to feel the kicking of the second little one inside her. 
"Though, they likely will be the only ones I will ever carry…"

To say that he was a good father was a complete lie. True, he hadn’t spilled any blood when a majority of his children turned against him and tried to usurper him, but Xunatar locked them away until he felt they had learned their lesson. It had been eons and still, most of them remained in their tombs. For the others, they were useful to his plans and were seen as nothing more than extensions to his plans. It was only due to being around his grandchildren did he start to appreciate how fragile and beautiful the life of young ones could be. After all, he hardly had any interaction with how his children were raised, leaving them to their own devices.

But as he cradled the woman he loved and felt the life inside of her that they had created, he showed another side of himself that seemed hardly possible. He wasn’t known to being gentle except to a few- which included Scarlett as he felt her hand taking his own. Their embrace only grew stronger and before he knew it, she took the lead. “Angela?” He looked upon her stomach again before he met up with her eyes. It wouldn’t take him long to guess why she sought out the goddess. “I take it it was supposed to be a surprise, my sweet?” He remembered that she wanted to bear him children from the other side, a subject that hadn’t been discussed really over on this realm. Given everything, it would only make sense that they would though. He couldn’t imagine how much it might have pained her- Scarlett was a proud and strong woman; traits above many that he loved her for. And she did it for him…no, them.

He smiled tenderly as she guided his hand so that he could feel where the baby was. He felt a slight jolt which made him feel comfortable that the child was growing well but he looked puzzled for a moment when she pulled his other hand around and towards the opposite side of her where he felt something similar but not quite the same. The play on words suddenly caught up to him and he leaned forward to kiss her. “Twins?”

“If so, then they are your greatest gift indeed. They will be treasured forever, I give that vow to you.” Xunatar couldn’t believe that she had been carrying two children without his presence for this long. It did make him more guilty as he did wish that he had been with her through that time. “We will share the news with the others soon enough, but for the moment, I simply wish to enjoy the rest of the day with you. Tell me of what you have been up to aside from taking care of yourself and our precious bundles of cargo.”

"Not so much a surprise… but I discovered that without her help I would be unable to conceive at all. And I didn't want to tell you until I was absolutely certain that I was going to be able to carry them to term," she admitted softly. 

She enjoyed the puzzled look on his face in the small amount of time it took him to realize that she was carrying twins. She nodded, her eyes bright, and the smile on her face serene. She nuzzled his face and laughed softly. 

"I ask for nothing more," she responded to his vow, and she shifted her position so that she was sitting close to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. 
"I've been working on a contraption that would serve me as both a mode of transportation and a portable forge," she explained. From her pocket she pulled a mechanical elephant that was about as large as her hand. It was weighty, made of several different types of metal, including the strange black metal that had once been found on the Isle of Night. "I am still working on it, but when I utter the activation word, it will grow to the size of a real elephant and move. A second activation word will allow it to open up into a thirty foot tower with a fully functional forge attached to it," she told him. 

For a moment, Xunatar looked at her slightly stunned. This was the first time that he'd heard of her being barren. Why, he couldn't imagine the pain that she must have dealt with, the stress that pressured her as she kept it from him. Even if he was to learn of the truth sooner, he wouldn't have blamed her. His love for her was undisputed. "Darling, you needn't worry about that. But I understand why I haven't learned of this until now…" Like him, she was prideful, and to be unable to bear a gift of their union had to be disheartening, to say the least. 

But they not only were given a chance for a child of their own but had the blessing of two of them that slumbered within their awaiting mother.

He petted her head gently as she rested against him, her warmth felt good against the breeze that would lead the way to colder weather soon enough. Just being in her company made him feel at ease. It was something only she was capable of doing to the demon king. Stroker her locks, Xunatar listened and peeked over to see the creation she had built and noticed that among the materials, it carried the substance that he had gifted to her back when he was a deity. How he couldn't help but carry a Cheshire cat's grin when he made the connection. "Ever the visionary, Scarlett. You never cease to amaze me with your ideas being brought to life."

He tucked a few locks behind her ear, "I have been more watchful of the family since my falling. We have some more rugrats to look after, but I think you will fall in love with them all as you had with Estelle. Angelette is adorable, but she has quite the mouth on her." Her days were certainly spent getting into arguments with her Uncle Dante or being spoiled rotten by all (including himself).

"These days, the family is more important than ever, and once they learn of the news, they will be more than excited to make sure the three of you are safe and sound, my sweet."