The Return (Open)

[Roland]

A carriage softly creaks through the streets of the city slowly plodding towards the Walker residence. Roland looks across at his wife Aveline. They had gone through some fairly long and "interesting" experiences during his sabbatical. The captain looks at the window and towards the castle and finds himself wondering if they even remembered him at this point. Three and a half months was not that long'a time, but leaving with only a letter that he was never sure was received and disappearing with Aveline could cause all sorts of...interesting situations.

Can't say I regret it though. He admits to himself, smiling as he turn to look at Aveline and her slightly swollen belly. She was not fully showing yet, but for the last three months Roland had found himself in a situation he had never expected to experience. He was content, he reached out and stroked Aveline's cheek.

Roland was dressed in his usual black coat, cut into strips at the bottom. As the carriage came to a stop he told the house staff he had brought with him from the Walker lands to help Aveline settle in, and to clean the damned place. He meanwhile stepped out and walked to the gate gazing out at the city he had devoted his life too and that he had been away from for so long.

"Well time for something unpleasant to happen." He muses darkly as he thinks about his mother in law or one of the dozens of enemies he had made before his departure from the city. He reaches up to touch the collar around his neck and grimaces, it was time to return to reality.

"And reality is shitty." He announces to no one in particular.

[Deleted]

Aveline’s gaze had been fixed out of the window for what had felt like hours on their trip back, her hands knotted tightly in her cloak over her stomach. Nova. Home again, at last. She felt like she might be sick in the lurching carriage, but it had nothing to do with the spells of faintness and sickness that her newfound pregnancy was causing. Their brief time together had been spoiled in part, she believed, by the bouts of weakness and sickness that wracked her body.

A Goddess’s grandchild would take it’s toll on a frail human, she thought bitterly. Perhaps it would kill her, and that fate would be deserved. It had kept her from fulfilling her duties that she needed to do. She couldn’t be a proper wife when she was spending hours ashen and sweating as this new life leeched her strength.

It felt like poison. If it were poison, she would know how to deal with it.

Roland’s touch to her cheek brought her back to earth and she turned to him with a small smile, cleanly shedding the bitterness within her. Her poor, damned husband still appeared to love her. Her bid for her own freedom and happiness had been crushed under her own heel- she’d only enslaved her husband instead. At least he was easy to please and warm she realized as she leaned against him, daring to close her eyes for a second.

When the carriage stopped Aveline opened her eyes again, sitting upright and looking back out of the window. “Don’t be so defeatist, dear.” she murmurs in response- that was her job. “It’s been a long trip, you’re just tired.”

[Roland]

Roland grunted at Aveline's chiding. He reached up to adjust his hat before realizing that it was not there and letting out a sigh. So much has changed. He mused to himself as he turns to help his wife out of the carriage.

"Well I suppose that might be somewhat true, but to be honest, even with what has happened I feel a lot better then before we left." He admits, though his neutral expression softens and saddens as he sees her expressions. Over the last few months Roland had come to understand Aveline's nature a bit more and he found she was often prone to these moments of pessimism, not that he could really blame her.

"You are thinking something horribly negative again aren't you?" He asks, his gruff voice making a failed attempt to sound wry. "Well I have been told that your condition makes one moody. Come on, let's go inside." He gestures towards the mansion as he leads her towards it.

The mansion was the Walker estate in the city, his brother had given it to him as a wedding gift along with one of the most galling smiles. I respect the man, but he can be such an ass. Roland grumbles to himself as they enter the now exquisitely decorated home.

"Well, welcome to your new home." Roland looked left then right. "Well once we find the library I suppose it will truly be home." He amends given both of their reading habits.

[Deleted]

“I’m only moody because of your son, husband.” Aveline took his arm so she could get outside, her legs shaking now that she was standing. She pauses for a moment, leaning her forehead against his arm, letting out a weak sigh. A wave of nausea hit her again and she pushed her delicate hand to her mouth, holding back vomit.

“I’m sorry.” she’s finally able to say after a moment, lowering her hand from her face as the nausea ebbs. A weak smile grew on her face as she looked back up at Roland, heart skipping suddenly. When she allowed herself to feel it, her husband was handsome when he softened. “He’s-” he caught his hand and brought it over her stomach, burying her face in his arm again. “He’ll be strong, like you. Stronger than me, at least. Maybe it’s the magic, if we’re blessed.” she sways, clutching to his arm tighter, laughing weakly. “You’ll have to carry me to the library, dearest. Your son is determined to keep me on my back.”

[Roland]

Or daughter Was Roland's first thought in response to Aveline's comment. As he was considering bringing up the topic of conversation again he stops himself. He waits for Aveline to recompose herself and recover from her nausea with a slightly helpless expression. Seeing her sick like this always made him worry especially since he was limited in terms of healing magic.

He shifts slightly as she begins to move with him until they make it to the door. As Aveline brings his hand over her stomach Roland's eye mist slightly as he smiles. "They'll be strong alright, and tactful, the best parts of both of us." He replies in an almost dreamy voice as he bends down to scoop her up.

"And most importantly, no matter the gender, no matter the ability, this child will know family." He says softly as he begins to walk around the mansion looking for the library. "I want to give this child a better chance than what I had." He says honestly, in an almost choked tone.

[Deleted]

Aveline bursts into a loud laugh, her head tilting back. “Tactful!” That was the best he could come up with for her, tactful? She shook her head as Roland scooped her up, another brief wave of nausea washing over her. Her hands clutched to his cloak, leaning her head against his arm and shoulder as he walked.

Fatalism washed through her again like a douse of cold water at the mention of family, half wondering once more if she would survive birthing this child that had already weakened her this much. She turned her head, nuzzling the side of her face against his shoulder to hide her face. “He will, because you’re his father.”

[Roland]

Roland strode down the hall with Aveline in his arms,she was not appreciably heavier yet as she was only in her third month on pregnancy, but Roland could see that is was taking its told on her. As Aveline laughed he smiled, though it was tinged with worry. Aveline was prone to self deprecation, and he could tell that his words had somehow made it worse.

As they arrived in the library Roland blinked and took moment to marvel at the large number of books present. The room was lined in bookshelves most of which were full, while this room was not quite the palace library there were far more books here than he would have even hoped to see.

Roland sets Aveline down on one of the cushioned chairs and then looks around for something plainer to use himself. "I'm going to need a firmer chair." he says as he turns back to Aveline. He wanted to heal her, but he was worried what his spells would heal and remove the source of her sickness, the child, so he had refrained. Instead he simply reach down and took her hand, squeezing it softly to try and comfort her.

"Can I get you anything?" He asks.

[Deleted]

Aveline tilted her head back when they walked into the library, eyes going wide at the sight. She’s silent until she’s placed on the chair, turning her hand in Roland’s. “Ah- no. I think- I think I’ll be okay. I just need to…” her voice trails off, pressing her free hand firmly to the cushions of the chair and righting herself. “I need a moment… not moving.”

“I never realized you were… that you had this much.” she pauses, then swallows to reformulate her words. “I mean- I know you told me, but I didn’t think that…” she had been trained to run a home, preferably the castle itself in her mother’s eyes but in light of that, this house would do. Part of her new wifely duties. She had somehow been expecting a smaller home that she would perhaps have to clean herself. Aveline glances to Roland, a small smile coming over her face. “It’s beautiful, darling.”