A Few Steps Forward

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The Hylian sun was fierce with nary a breeze to break the standing heat that hung over the small farmstead like a haze. A shadow cast onto the sky as a metal object was raised high in the air, brought down with all of its weight guiding it toward its target. The hoe struck ground and raked back the dirt to create a narrow valley in the otherwise flat ground. Amir let out a sigh of relief as he wiped the sweat from his brow, a quite bray coming from beside him as a small foal danced around his legs. "You know, once you're big enough and we can afford one, you'll be pulling a plow. No more having to do this by hand..." He spoke to the baby Donkey who responded by looking up at him as though understanding his words. "Now, Cupcake Three, don't look at me like that. You knew the deal, I feed you and you work your butt off. I've got a baby on the way and that'll be handful enough without you crying too." He continued to speak to the foal.
He spat into his calloused hands, wiping the dirt off on his poncho. Both his and Cupcake's ears twitching at the sound of a whistle. Looking up from his conversation with the donkey, he followed the direction the whistle had come from to see his beautiful wife standing in the doorway of their modest home. He couldn't help but smile, not only at her but the baby bump already beginning to form under her dress. "Must be lunchtime, I'll be sure to feed you afterward. Okay?" He spoke to the foal before sitting down the hoe and walking back toward the house.
Reaching the doorstep, he pulled his wife into his arms. First only a soft hug, but then he planted a few chaste kisses on her lips and cheeks. "Oh! Sorry, your dress. I'm still dirty..." A dorky smile on his face as he apologized.
Isis waved it off as nothing. "Its just fabric." She said as she dusted off her sundress. Their baby was growing steadily and well, Isis being in her third and a half month into her pregnancy, her belly showing off the results of it, more than what should be normal. "I didn't want to disturb you when you were working, you are actually kind of hot when you do, but I came back from the doctor a while back. Our suspicions were correct. I am expecting twins, babe!" She said with overjoyous excitement. "Come inside now, we've got food to chow down and things to talk about! I prepared some roastbeef together with some potatoes and a thick, fine gravy." She said as he kissed her fingers with a loud and proper "mwua" sound. She had gotten quite good at cooking as of late, feeling it was something of her duty to do so when she was unable to do traditional work alongside her love. Besides, getting to make something delicious for the man of her life could never be a downside.
"Twins?! Jeez, I wonder how mom and dad felt when he found me and Alysa were being born?" He thought to himself as he followed her inside. He wasn't unhappy, the opposite in fact, but two babies at the same time would be quite the handful for two first time parents. He'd have to ask his parents for advice, maybe borrow some of Amara's old baby things if his parents still had them. "Twins? That's great news. Do you think it'll be two boys? Two girls? Maybe they'll be like me and Alysa and be one of each?" He said as he sat down at their table. The house had been a bit of a fixer-upper when they'd arrived but the two had worked hard together and it had paid off. His father had offered to help them get a more upscale place, but ultimately Amir had declined. He knew part of settling down as providing, and getting a home was one of the most important things to provide. "We'll have to come up with some names once we find out the genders, maybe something from your home country?"
Isis started to prepare everything to be set up on the dining room table. She was starting to feel the weight of her baby bump, feeling that she had to dedicate more strength to simply keep herself straight. As the two of them sat down to eat, Isis spoke up; "I don't know... I wanted to keep it a surprise for myself, or at least until we both could be there to hear it together. But yes, starting to think up names would probably be a good idea. A while back I almost considered Amen for a baby boy name, but then I thought; 'You know what? He did leave the name behind to pick something new, and he kind of messed us up, so... No.'" She joked a bit. "I am thinking maybe Hecem for a boy. My best officer and friend from my Templar Order was called that. Maybe we could honor his memory if we are going for Hetepian names? Maybe Marcine for a girl? Not really Hetepian, but I like that name. Or maybe Loa? Another Ashvatthan name, I think. I think it could fit since they are expected coming spring. The name means roughly: She who came with spring." She said as she rubbed her swelling belly.
"I agree, I like the guy, but naming our kid after him? Maybe if the bastard had really bit the dust for good that day. But as far as I know, he's still kicking somewhere along the river." Amir said, showing his now playful distaste for Amen. "Anyway, they all sound wonderful, Lah'mi. We'll have to work on narrowing it down once we get closer to the due date. But Loa does sound very pretty..." He said before blowing on his food. He had been taking some cooking lessons from his father but it was clear the Isis was the better between them. He kinda regretted not taking Alysa up on her lessons when they were teens but he would learn now and it was better late than never. "I'll be sure to go with you for your next appointment. As fun as it would be to have it be a complete surprise, it would really help in figuring out what to paint the nursery." He chuckled, "Buying baby things would also be quite the hassle. I mean, I guess the babies wouldn't really know but they might not be too happy when they got older and our little baby boy saw a picture of himself wearing an onesie that said Mommies little princess on it. That said, they might make fun pictures to show off to their significant other someday." He said before catching himself. 
He took a bite of his meal, enjoying his wife's cooking after the long morning working. Washing it down with a cold swig of water, he let out a sigh of pleasure. "Look at me, thinking way too far ahead for my own good. I should just focus on making sure we've got everything we need for them before I worry about who they're going to be dating or things like that." He said, laughing at himself a bit. He moved his chair over a bit, placing his hand gently onto her stomach, "Boys, girls, one of each. I won't say I don't care, but I know I'll love them all with as much heart as I love you."
"Nothing wrong with looking forward to what can be. We wouldn't be here if we didn't do the same." She suggested, putting a hand over his own. "And I know for a fact that you will make a great father. I know you won't disappoint in living up to the love you've shown me and showing it in turn to our little ones. I'll beat you up if you don't" She joked. "But don't think it is over with just these little bundles. You promised me many kids, and I will hold you to that." She once more half-joked as she bit down on a bit of her beef and potatoes. "Damn, I am eating so much these days. I know they are responsible for it, but I can't help but feel fat over it. The good kind though, as I know something really great will come of this swelling stomach of mine eventually. I know I keep asking but, I am not getting ugly for this, right?"
"Indeed I did promise, hopefully, the fields will be full of crops by then and we'll be a bit better off." He responded to her remark about having lots of children. At her final question, he raised an eyebrow and then playfully rolled his eyes. "Isis, you worry too much. You're beautiful, there isn't a single man or woman capable of seeing that could say otherwise in good conscience." He said, feeling the babies kick as he ran his hand over her stomach. "Besides, even if that was the case don't you think you've got more than enough to make up for it? I don't think there are many women who can say they were a badass templar warrior priestess who helped save her entire continent before settling down and having a family. I certainly haven't met anyone else who can say that. Certainly none who can also boast their looks on top of all that." He said with a chuckle, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her baby bump. "Yesh, mommy was a stong wawier church lady wasn't she?" He spoke in baby talk to her stomach. He laughed before raising himself back up to sit upright. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, you're still as beautiful as the first time I saw you in that church when I was still a student at the academy."
Isis became very happy to be hearing his praises once more, even more so when he began to speak baby-talk to her growing belly. She smiled widely as he looked back up at her. Ignoring their food she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, delving deeper into their shared kiss, feeling herself getting a bit too excited by the his wonderful words she eventually parts from him. "Sorry... Hormones. Either way, I am very happy to hear you say that love. I know that you wouldn't change your opinion of me for this, but it is still nice to have it confirmed. Besides..." She trailed off as she leaned against the wall. "I've heard that to some a baby bump can be considered sexy." She said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
"I think I can understand why that might be." He said, coming down from their shared kiss. He turned back to his lunch and took another bite of his food, knowing he was hungry even if he didn't feel it. Besides that, he wouldn't want to waste it after Isis went through the trouble of making it after getting home from her appointment. After chewing and swallowing he turned his attention back to her, "To be honest, I think I'd say you're even more beautiful now. Sure, I really fell hard for you back when I first saw you. But it was working for you after I graduated that really got me head over heels. You were kind and caring, yet truly passionate and strong-willed. While I don't think I was going down a bad road or anything like that, I really feel like you made me a better person. Better than I would have been otherwise." He said, not at all embarrassed to talk about how much she means to him, a big change how things had been when they'd first met and even when they first got together. "I know you'll do the same for our kids, our little bundles of joy. We both will."
She leaned her head against his shoulder as she popped another bit of food into her mouth. Or, not so much a bit as it was a true mouthfull. Chewing it down properly she continued. "And I am equally certain of that... Speaking of the little bundles, we should call your parents soon to tell them the news. Maybe ask some suggestions from them?"
"Oh, yeah. They'd probably be pretty ecstatic to find out too, maybe we can invite them over to dinner another night? I think they'd prefer to hear this kinda news in person." He said, kissing her on the cheek.
Triss sat on the dock, her feet splashing a bit in the water as she looked out over the river. Clean water, cool and crystal clear. She enjoyed living by the river, and it was clear the Dreadmares did too. She looked down into the clear river to see many of them, several smaller ones that they hadn't had when they'd first arrived, swimming beneath the water. One breached the surface a few feet away from her and nuzzled itself against her leg. "You all are lucky to be able to stay down in that cool water. It's blazing up here." She said as she adjusted her sun hat to keep the sun from her eyes. The sound of footsteps caught her attention, turning around she could see her beloved approaching. He raised her hands and waved at him excitedly, as though not having seen him in forever, though they'd woken up beside one another just earlier that same day.
Amen shook off the last of his tiredness from his body, having overslept by quite the margin. He had been working for hours on end last night to prepare the final steps to expanding the enclosure for the Dreadmares. With the way they were growing in numbers and size, it was innevitable. Even so, he knew he would have to either sell a few or at the very least set a couple of them free into the oceans. He approached her with a nod, and as he got close he was but a second away from cooing from the adorable sight of a teeny tiny dreamare clinging to and rubbing its snout against her feet. "Seems like you've made another bond. I am so fascinated by how clingy they tend to be with you." He said before sititng himself down beside her, planting a kiss to her cheek. He wrapped an arm gently around her, wanting to feel her close to him. "Sorry that I kept you waiting. Still... Seems like I caught you at a golden opportunity." He said, refering to the way her skin glistened in the mid day sunlight. "You are a beauty unlike any other."
She playfully waved him off, "Oh stop it..." She said, acting embarrassed by his affection before a goofy smile appeared on her face. "Or don't, either is fine by me," She said before letting out a dorky laugh. Calming herself down she let out a pleasant sigh, "I like them and they like me. I guess they aren't what most people would call cute but they've got a certain charm to them. Not unlike someone else I know." She teased, leaning her head against his chest. "Don't worry about it, you're here now and that's all that matters. So, how is the expansion going? There are a lot more of them now than we came here with, I want them to have the room to grow and be happy. But I know that we can't keep all of them." She draped an arm across his chest, keeping them close. "Maybe we can see if Isis and Amir will take one in? I'd say we should see if Gwen would want one but... I'd worry she'd cook it up and eat it. She doesn't really seem to care much for animals..."
He couldn't help but laugh, for more than one reason. "You really do know how to make your sister sound cruel sometimes... But yes, I wouldn't put it beneath her." He said with a chuckle. He let his arm around her waist fall down to her hip, gripping her and pulling her even closer, as if the mere inches left between them would somehow expand otherwise. "The expansion is going well. Almost ready for them to be settled into it." he said soflty as he looked into their little end of this pond/river and their little adorably savage family. He planted a kiss to the top of his beloved's head. "Have I told you how much you've blessed me and my life? To wake up to you beside me every morning? To see your wonderful smile and see the way your eyes glimmer in the soft light? How your very being brightens my day whenever I see you...?" He said sweetly before a more devious idea creeped into his mind. His hand stroked her up and down, settling her into his touch before trailing further down before giving a slight pinch to her behind. "Not to mention the body is as much a wonder as the woman."
Triss' was blushing warmly at his compliments, letting out a surprised yelp as he pinched her and scaring away the young Dreadmare from her feet as it dove down into the water. She looked up at him with puffed cheeks as though angered but instead, she let out a sigh and her face softened. "Yes, Amen, you have. Almost every day since we left Hetep. Not that I get tired of hearing it or anything. But it seems you forget that you told me in a slightly different way just the other day and the day before that." She said, playfully reaching up and poking him in the forehead.
"Well, I can't let my affections get entirely stale, now can I?" He said playfully as his head reeled from the poke. He raised his lower hand up to her shoulder, stroking her there, enjoying the feeling of her smooth, soft skin beneath the palm of his hand. He felt the smooth strands of her hair move across the back of his hand, a tickling and soothing sensation. One he never got tired of. "Triss... What would you like out of life?" He asked, not stopping himself before it was too late. "What I mean is... You said we would go on adventures when we got back, but really, we haven't really done much of that. I am living my own dream right now. I have a simple home. I have a simple life, one without the responsibility of the crown. I also have you in my life, despite it all. I can hardly have it better than that." He explained before gathering his courage once more. He could face down a soul eating monster, no problem, but voicing his worries to his beloved was somehow quite a bit more difficult. "But I am more than aware of how young you are in comparison to me. What I want may not be reflected in you. I would frankly be surprised if it was." He said with a chuckle, trying to hide his concern. "Shortly said: What would you want to do before 'settling down'?"
Triss leaned her head back and forth as she spoke, as though not paying attention but that wasn't the case. "I think you worry too much, Amen. I mean, are you saying you wouldn't call this an adventure? What we're doing now? Getting a home to ourselves, raising these Dreadmare, expanding their habitat. Sure, we're not running around to travel as we did before, but there will be plenty of time for travel once we've made sure we've got a place we can both come back to. You know what I mean?" She explained, looking up at him. "Besides, I only really want to travel to spend time with you...though, the pretty sights and the yummy food we normally find along the way are nice too."
Chuckling to himself, Amen realized for the umpteenth time that he did indeed blow things out of proportions, as usual. "Sorry, love. I suppose that I am still used to the bombastic nature of my former life. Not to mention that I can barely understand that I am finally free of everything. I just expect things to crash back down on me." He explained before taking hold of her hand. "I wouldn't mind a bit of an adventure though. Surely there will be someone who can tend to things while we are gone. Even if for no other reason than to escape and just be us two." He said softly, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. The Dreadmares looked back at him from the water, to which he returned a look, as if understanding what they were thinking he replied: "Yes, even from you."
She nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that. Maybe we can visit Skaedi? Or maybe we can go back to that small town we stayed in a few years ago? When me and the others were supposed to escort you, remember? We haven't been back there since then, and it isn't too far from here if we use a Bifrost." She said, using her feet to create little whirlpools in the water. "I mean, it would be nice to visit as a vacation rather than part of work. You know?"
"Oh, I agree. Especially without certain 'attempts' and the such. Still, work or not, it wasn't all bad. The 'exploration' was quite something." He said jokingly, referring to a certain something that happend. "All the same, yes, I think it would be wonderful to go back there. I do remember you girls telling me that there was more to be seen that we didn't get the opportunity to due to, as you said, it being basically work hours."
Triss agreed, looking out over the river. "Yeah, besides it would be nice to have you for myself. I doubt there would be any other incidents like last time..." She said, her words cheery though her overall tone was a bit harsher than that. However, she cleared her throat. "Anyhow, what do you say we head into town? I know its a bit of a walk but I think it would be fun to wander around a bit, maybe pick up some things for dinner while we're there?" She asked, moving out of his grip and standing up on the dock. "Maybe we can try inviting mother and father over? It shouldn't be too much trouble for them."
Amen nodded in agreement until she mentioned her parents. His expression faltered for just a second, though luckily Triss didn't get the chance to see it. He felt a bit nervous by the prospect. After having found 'certain' things out, mostly from the words of a certain sister of Triss', their mother had gone so far as to refer to the word "regicide". She was certainly a wonderful woman, but he did not make the impression he had wanted, nor has Carwen yet to forgive him as far as he knows. Swallowing his worry he put on a brave smile for his beloved as he stood up to follow her. "It couldn't possibly get better."