In Which Falidor Will Make It Work

January 13, 1194

Raia usually made a point to keep busy when the university wasn't in session. In all the years Falidor had known her, she'd never been one for idleness. Once Alina and Sev had grown old enough to not require her attention, she'd needed that toy-making business. Then, when she'd decided she'd prefer to make toys as a hobby, she'd needed the university. When the university was closed for breaks...

...well, she certainly didn't spend those breaks alone on the couch in their bedroom, staring at the empty hearth.

"You all right?" Falidor asked as he sat down beside her. Only one thing that might have been bothering her occurred to him. He'd been there himself once, longer ago now than he cared to admit. He'd felt so damn old.

But Raia had never complained about feeling old. She was the sort who was well aware that time marched forward and felt no need to deny it. If anything, she found comfort in her own mounting adult experience.

But this was a milestone. A big one.

"It's... it's not as daunting as it seems, you know. Being a grandparent."

Raia stirred. Nothing like the first grandchild to prove that time was, indeed, moving forward. And the grandchildren would just keep coming. Alina was happily married and would have many more children after this one. Sev planned on proposing to Rennie on her next birthday. Falidor wasn't sure if he himself would live to see his grandchildren from the younger three, but Raia almost certainly would.

"I mean--it is, I guess. But it's a good thing, really, once you get over the strangeness of it. There's no need get all pensive just because Alina's pregnant."

"It's not that Alina's pregnant."

Falidor frowned. Not much else had changed for the family in the past while. Well, maybe Raia's nephew Dalston was becoming more and more of an anxious wreck, but that boy had been an anxious wreck since infancy. Something with Riona and Isidro and their grandson, perhaps? "Then what--?"

"It's that..." She inhaled with some labor and let it out in a sigh. "...I'm also pregnant."

"Oh." Had she not wanted another baby? Privately, Falidor had entertained fantasies of one day surpassing his father-in-law in the area... but, as Raia was the one who had to bear those children, he didn't think it right to pester her. But she'd never said she didn't want any more children... "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I called on Ardyath while you were at the keep. She confirmed it. I'm due the week after Alina."

"So our grandchild will have a little aunt or uncle."

"They will." Raia slumped. At least she didn't have the discomfort of the baby's girth yet. "I guess I'll get over it. I just didn't think this would all happen at once, you know? I didn't think my children would be having babies while I'm still having them myself."

"It is pretty odd to think about. But, it does happen. Happened to me, happened to your father, happened to Florian and Thetis and a ton of other people we know." He reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We'll make it work. We always do."

"Yes, we do." She rubbed at the side of his hand with her thumb. "Guess I'd better make the most of these months when it comes to getting used to it."

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