Chapter: 412 Bonus - A New Family (Patreon)

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Brandon and Kedva sat in the storeroom that had been rented beside Kit’s entry location for the duration of their wedding ceremony and celebration.

That celebration had included their debut as a couple to their aquaintances.

It was effectively a final feast to which everyone even marginally known to them was invited, though no one who had attended any part of the wedding itself would generally come.

It had been rented for a singular purpose: To hold the wedding gifts, notes, and tokens of congratulations from the attendees and other well wishers.

“By the stars,” Brandon breathed out in surprise, his eyes playing over the various parcels, packages, and sheet covered furniture, “we made out like bandits!”

Kedva laughed, even as she smacked him on the shoulder. Her tone carried reprimand, but her eyes showed mirth. “Brandon, that’s hardly appropriate.”

He was surprised that the smack didn’t hurt in the least, but that just showed that she really had improved in her control over the last weeks. Regardless, he gestured toward the bounty around them. “But it’s accurate.”

“True…” She laughed again. “Come on. We need to record who gave us what, so that we can thank them properly.”

“Sure thing, love.” He took the time to admire his wife for a moment, basking in her beauty. She’s all mine, and I am all hers.

It was a heady feeling… but not the point of their current venture.

Many of the smaller gifts had come from that final get-together, including one book that was clearly a custom item meant as a gag gift.

‘Why Your Friends Deserve Magic Too’

Specific gifts aside, they really did need to start going through the storage room, as Brandon didn’t really want to maintain it longer than necessary.

Thus, what followed was a rather exciting sort of treasure hunt.

Each thing opened was an exercise first in trying to guess what it was, then trying to guess why it had been purchased for them.

All told, though, the gifts would be a collective, immense blessing to them starting out.

Sure, they didn’t actually need six earthenware dish sets, nor was he exactly sure what they’d do with no fewer than three mattresses, ready to be stuffed, but he supposed they might want a guest room or two in their home… eventually.

There was also handmade furniture of various kinds, which was all incredibly beautiful but also mostly in the craftsmens’ own styles. So, the various aesthetics were not exactly very unified.

A few people—whom Brandon found himself blessing to the highest degree—simply gave either funds or certificates of credit for various merchants or for various items, for them to choose the exact styles of for themselves.

To those people, he’d write longer thank you notes.

True, he was aware that those were considered ‘lazy’ gifts, as the giver didn’t have to take much time or put in much thought, but they were just so, so much more useful than the majority of ‘thoughtful’ gifts.

He would only say majority because there were one or two spectacular gifts that showed a lot of thought and wisdom behind them.

One was a massive Archive slate that was specifically made as a receiver and display of information, rather than a fully interactive connection, which was likely why it had been within the budget of the giver.

The magics required to display text, images, or even effectively moving pictures were far, far simpler than even the most basic forms of interactive scripts. One step higher were those that actually could update information within the Archive.

This was the simplest of those constructs.

Regardless, it could be used for all sorts of things from a family calendar to a message center that helped ensure they could leave notes that the other would see, and so on.

It was something that they would likely end up using every day, yet it was something that they’d not even considered as something they might want.

Rust, they’d not even known such a thing existed if they were being honest.

All in all, their new home would be somewhat ridiculously well outfitted and maybe a bit overstuffed…

We’ll never maintain this level of opulence, even with our employment under Mistress Tala.

Now, they just needed to find a place to live. They had been talking about it around all the wedding planning, and a small place in Alefast should work just fine, so long as they didn’t get pregnant too soon.

* * *

Brandon and Kedva sat nervously in the Healer’s office. It was a sterile, warm, off-white room that looked to have been constructed and outfitted to marry medical need with patient comfort.

The older of the two Healers who were in the room with them didn’t actually look much older than them, but they knew that she was a Refined.

The woman also had a mageling that they’d interacted with a few times previously. Though, it had mainly been when their families got together, and Brandon and Kedva hadn’t talked with her too often, specifically.

To clear up some of the nervousness before the appointment truly started, Brandon asked, “So, it’s Anna, right?”

“That’s right!” The woman beamed. “You’re Brandon and Kedva Feshua.”

“We are.” He nodded, feeling a bit proud of himself for having remembered her name.

Anna’s smile widened even further… somehow, but it still looked entirely human, just expressing an inhuman level of exuberance. “We’re siblings-in-vocation.”

Brandon did not understand that, not immediately. “What?”

“You and your dad work with my dad, and you,” she smiled toward Kedva, “work with my mom. That makes us siblings.” A mischievous light sparked behind her eyes. “Siblings by dint of vocational connections. Just like siblings-in-law are due to law, through marriage.”

Brandon found himself huffing a laugh. “Yeah, I understood the parallels there at the end.”

“Of course you did, I explained it to you.” Then, Anna winked, making it obvious that she was messing with him a bit.

The elder Healer cleared her throat. “Now, Anna, since you’ve obviously made a social connection and helped the patient feel more comfortable, what is the procedure from here?”

Anna stiffened slightly, though not in a way that seemed to denote fear or concern. It was more that she was shifting mindsets away from being social and into a more professional capacity. “Well, Mistress Vanga, first…”

What followed was a relatively standard check-up, even if it was from a much higher level Mage than would usually be involved.

The final step involved the Mage and mageling putting their hands on Kedva’s lower abdomen, sending flickers of magic through to scan deeply, and talking in low voices back and forth as the master guided and taught her mageling.

Finally, Mistress Vanga pulled back smiling. “Well, the soul was not an untethered manifestation.”

Kedva relaxed, clearly knowing what the Healer meant, but Brandon frowned, not quite understanding.

He felt grateful that the baby was okay, but he still didn’t really know what they’d been checking for.

Seeing his confusion, the Refined clarified, “Very occasionally if a new soul is created during a marriage, no fertilization occurs, in which case the soul will pass on peacefully, never having a physical form. This is exceedingly rare, and not what happened with you. Honestly, it is more common for a fertilization to occur that is non-viable. In those cases, there is no soul to inhabit the non-viable zygote, but that did not happen either. Your baby is a healthy growing pre-embryo at this point. Implantation seems to have occurred, and it went well.”

At that point, Mistress Vanga seemed to pause and take in Brandon and Kedva’s stricken expressions.

The Refined frowned for a moment before deflating slightly. “My apologies to both of you. I am not generally brought in unless there is something amiss. So, I am used to assuaging fears first, before giving the good news.”

That helped Brandon relax, and he squeezed Kedva’s hand reassuringly. His wife took a bit more to calm, and she sought stability in a couple of questions, “So… nothing’s wrong?”

“Absolutely nothing that we can see is outside of expectation.”

“My… magic isn’t harming the pregnancy?”

“Not in the least.” Mistress Vanga paused for a brief moment before smiling and asking, “Do you wish to know the sex of your baby?”

Brandon rocked back just a bit. “How… I mean, I didn’t realize you could tell so soon?”

Mistress Vanga smiled. “Magic is a wonderful thing. The most important things are the soul’s presence and the proper fertilization, but we can check almost every aspect of development, including features of the soul and genetics. Either of those will give us the sex with ease.” There was a sparkle in the woman’s eyes as she jovially said, “You seem to have effective swimmers, young man, if you aren’t careful you just might have a massive cadre of children far sooner than you expect.”

Brandon felt himself redden, even as Kedva smiled happily and let out a little laugh before leaning over and saying, “I’ve had to get checkups like this quite often… well, without the pregnancy, and not by such an advanced Mage, obviously, but such observations are common. Welcome to the routine, husband.”

Brandon felt his flush fade a bit. He did remember Kedva telling him of the ways of healers and such check-ups, but he’d not really given them much thought. He… didn’t get in for his own check-ups as often as he really should.

But I’ve a baby coming now… and I’m married. I should probably take a bit better care of myself.

Kedva leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Mistress Vanga smiled broadly. “To answer your question more fully, I am a bit more capable than the Healer you would normally see. This is nothing against her, she simply has not advanced as far as I have, so her magic doesn’t have quite the same level of sensitivity. Generally speaking, you wouldn’t have a Refined checking in on you, but Mistress Tala noticed the soul and asked that I find a way of making sure everything was going well, given your somewhat unique magical natures at the moment.”

He paled slightly, “Is the baby going to be okay?”

“Yes, Brandon. Your baby will be just fine. You’ll want heavy consultation throughout the pregnancy, but for now, you are both fine as you are.” She said the last to Kedva with a smile and a gentle squeeze of the shoulder.

Kedva and Brandon shared a look. She then smiled. “Do you want to know?”

He hesitated, knowing intuitively what she was asking. After a brief moment to consider, he nodded. “It might make it easier to have what we need, though I suppose it’s not that specialized for newborns.”

Kedva’s smile grew. “It’d be fun to be able to start picking names.”

He nodded again. “Yeah, let’s hear it so we can start chewing on our options.”

* * *

Brandon was still in a bit of a daze as he led his wife to a nearby restaurant.

The greeter at the door gave them a shallow bow. “Will it be a table for just you and your wife?”

That made him smile and drew him from his internal ruminations, even if just a bit. “Yes, please.”

Kedva was beside him, smiling her pleased smile.

He knew that they were a bit… much at the moment. They didn’t quite have that newly married glow about them, but they were quite obviously newly-weds for those who knew what to look for.

The two of them sat, and now that they had another moment to sit and consider, they both had the same thought at the same time.

They expressed it as three words of surprise and hesitant excitement, “It’s a boy.”

They looked up at each other, having spoken basically as one. They grinned and shared a quiet laugh.

Their soulbond was new, and the bleed through of feelings and intents was a yet unexplored thing. Though, they had been testing out the edges of it.

It wasn’t, and would never be, actual mental communication, but it definitely helped them sense the other’s intent and mood fairly easily.

When their mirth passed, they leaned forward almost as one, but it was Kedva who spoke first, “So, a boy?”

Brandon could only nod. “So it seems, yeah.”

Their server came, and they took a few minutes to look over the options and select some celebratory food.

Once the kind young man had departed, Kedva leaned forward once again, “How do you feel about it?”

He shrugged. “Honestly? I’m a bit terrified.”

She gave a half smile at that. “Oh? Why’s that?”

He shrugged again. “I… I don’t really feel like I know how to be that great of a dad… unless he’s like me, I mean. My dad and I only really ever investigated and played with magic… what if he doesn’t want to do that? What am I supposed to do with him? What if he doesn’t want to read? What if he wants to hit everyone and everything with a stick or something?”

Her smile turned soft. “Why can’t he do both? But really, why, beloved, wouldn’t he be like you?”

Brandon placed his hand on the table, and Kedva immediately placed hers in his.

“He is your son, and he will be raised in one of the most magical places this side of the encircling forests. Who wouldn’t be fascinated by magic in those circumstances?” Her eyes were practically sparkling.

Brandon knew she was likely right, but he still thought it might be a heavy lift for him to be comfortable with the idea of being a father.

* * *

Brandon tried not to grump as he strained to carry a large piece of furniture with his father. “I still don’t understand why we couldn’t hire help to move, Kedva.”

His wife, bless her, was carrying massive parcels under each arm. Either one of the two would have been too heavy for Brandon to lift alone.

She did look beautiful doing it, though.

She just gave him a teasing smile, clearly having noticed his gaze, before answering his question, “Why would we spend the coin when it’s so easy to do ourselves?”

Brandon’s dad chuckled and spoke under his breath. “She’s got you there, son. Besides, I’m here to help too. I’m sure the two of us are worth…” He paused in thought for just a moment before continuing, “half of her in this move.”

Brandon smiled at that. He was still vaguely uncomfortable with her doing so much when pregnant. He obviously didn’t know very much about the whole… everything. In thinking back on it, he thought that he’d always been told that women should take it easy when pregnant.

He supposed that things were different for Kedva, but even so…

Regardless, she was doing more work than he and his dad combined, and it was all seemingly in line with what the Healers had cleared her to do. So, he wouldn’t complain or naysay her.

As to where they were moving? They were taking everything inside of Kit, to their new home.

Mistress Tala had been kind enough to move Kit’s external entrance to near where their stuff was, and the internal entrance to within their new home in Irondale, but she was busy with other things, and so hadn’t offered to do more.

I still wish we’d just let people bring our stuff into Kit for the wedding, rather than putting it outside in a storage room.

True, at the time, they hadn’t really considered that they’d move into Irondale right away, but with little Talax on the way…

Brandon felt himself smile at the thought of the name.

He’d been named after Brand, who had helped his parents so much leading up to his own birth. It only felt right to carry on the tradition and name their little boy after Mistress Tala.

They hadn’t told her—or really anyone—yet, but it was decided.

In fact, they’d decided that before Mistress Tala had given them their pick of the houses built within Irondale.

They’d chosen a nice little place on the outskirts of the still-vacant town.

It was a simple little home with two bedrooms, a simple kitchen, and a common space all on one level.

There was even a porch out front from which they could see the lake and the mountains beyond.

It was still so odd to Brandon that there were literal mountains within this expanded space.

True, they weren’t like the ten-thousand-foot monoliths that existed near the gated human cities, but they were still beautiful to behold.

Brandon and Kedva had also biased their selection toward the edge of the area so that—even when there were other residents—they’d have some privacy and wouldn’t disturb anyone with baby Talax’s crying…

Brandon was a bit worried about that.

When he’d helped watch babies in the past they tended to cry a lot. He could generally keep them happy and contented for a short while, but not forever.

They’d have this baby forever.

He shook off the thought before he could ruminate too long, deciding instead to focus once again on how excited he was to welcome little Talax into the world.

He did hope that Mistress Tala appreciated the gesture.

Even if she were to kick them out and cut all ties with them, they would still owe her a greater debt than he felt they could ever repay.

* * *

Brandon felt himself lose all color. “What do you mean we need to leave?”

Mistress Tala sighed, gesturing toward the open portal out of Kit. “I’m going to help with a really nasty prisoner, and I don’t want to risk you all unnecessarily. The Zuccat kids are already out, with a minder in Alefast. Though Mistress Petra and Master Simon have decided to stay.”

Brandon set his stance, “We’ll stay, too.”

She sighed again. “Kedva’s pregnant, Brandon. I don’t want to risk the three of you.”

Kedva stepped up beside her husband, placing an arm around his waist even as he draped his own across her back so his hand could rest on her waist in turn. Kedva’s voice was firm as his had been, “We’re staying, Mistress Tala.”

Mistress Tala turned to Kedva. “Be reasonable Kedva, we—”

Kedva shook her head. “Are you taking Kit into battle?”

“Well… no, not this time. It would simply be too great a risk and liability as things stand.”

“So, you’ll leave your dimensional storage outside the cell?”

“Yes.”

“Surrounded by your unit and a Paragon?”

Tala grimaced. “Yes.”

Kedva smiled placatingly, “Then, we will stay. This is our home, Mistress Tala, and it sounds like you’re being more careful than you even have to be. We will be safe here.”

The Refined Defender of humanity regarded them for a long moment before shaking her head. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.” They both said as one.

“And you’re in agreement, obviously.”

They grinned back at her, and Tala was clearly holding back a rueful laugh.

“Alright. I won’t make you go.”

Brandon and Kedva each gave a grateful bow. “Thank you, Mistress Tala. Best of luck to you on your mission.”

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