Adric stood right in front of the royal stable, and behind him was Malcolm. "If our men need supplies, it’ll be easier to get them from a trusted merchant. What do you think?"

Malcolm nodded in agreement. "That’s what I thought too, since the supplies are to be stored. We don’t need to rush into getting them; getting them cheaper would be better." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Mm," Adric hummed, gently touching his horse’s mane. "I should write a letter to my very good friend, Cortez. If he’s not busy with his wife, he should be able to get me what I require."

Malcolm smiled. He didn’t know who the king was talking about, but the casual tone suggested it was someone close to Adric.

Adric’s eyes shifted from his horse, now looking at the general. "What about you? When are you going to get busy with your wife?" He smiled, dimples appearing on his cheeks. "I mean, if you were married, we wouldn’t be discussing war supplies early in the morning."

Malcolm chuckled. "Your Majesty, I’m sorry for waking you up so early. I just thought about it last night and decided to let you know."

"That’s exactly my point," Adric nodded. "If you were married, you wouldn’t be thinking about war supplies at night," he added playfully, looking at the man who had dedicated his life to serving Avon, even though he originally came from Orion.

Adric clicked his tongue. "This won’t do; you should—"

"Your Majesty!!" Madame Rosalie’s voice rang out as she lifted her gown, trying to run as fast as she could. When she reached Adric and Malcolm, she paused to catch her breath.

Malcolm narrowed his eyes, looking at the woman. "Rosalie, did something happen?"

Madame Rosalie stood up straight, pressing her lips together before saying, "The Queen... she..."

"She what? What happened to my Queen?" Adric asked impatiently, even before Madame Rosalie could finish. He began running back toward the palace.

"The child is coming!" Madame Rosalie finally shouted, raising her voice so Adric could hear as he rushed away.

Malcolm’s eyes widened in shock, and he too took off running after Adric, leaving Madame Rosalie behind.

"Go ahead, don’t wait for me... I’ll be right behind you," Madame Rosalie muttered, rubbing her chest gently before she, too, hurried back into the palace.

Everyone in the palace waited outside the Queen’s room for good news, the birth of the kingdom’s first heir. Oriana’s loud screams and cries echoed through the halls.

Malcolm and Louis stood in a corner, worry etched on their faces. Because of Oriana’s condition, the two men hadn’t exchanged proper greetings.

Freya and Madame Rosalie held each other closely, praying for Oriana’s safe delivery. Every time a maid rushed out of the room, they held their breath, hoping to hear good news, only for the maid to hurry past them, returning with more towels or water.

This continued until late afternoon, when the sound of a child’s cry finally broke through the tense silence.

"Ha!" Freya gasped, turning to Madame Rosalie. "Did you hear that?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement.

Madame Rosalie nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. "I heard it. Shh..." she whispered. Moments later, the child’s cry echoed again, louder this time.

A maid rushed out with a bright smile on her face. "The Queen has given birth to a baby girl!"

"Yes!!" Freya shouted, hugging Madame Rosalie tightly. "She did it! She did it!" The two women jumped around, celebrating as the palace filled with joyful shouts from the servants.

"I’m going to be a godmother!" Freya exclaimed excitedly.

Madame Rosalie pulled away from the hug, frowning. "We haven’t officially accepted you as the godmother," she argued, folding her arms across her chest.

Freya chuckled. "You don’t want to lose, Madame Rosalie. Just back down now."

"I don’t want to—" Madame Rosalie scowled. "Freya, are you talking to me?"

Freya stuck out her tongue, and the next moment, they were running around the palace, still celebrating the birth of the first heir of Avon.

"Fine, let’s stop running. I’ll let you join in being her godmother," Freya panted, waving her hands in surrender.

Madame Rosalie cracked her knuckles. "Let’s put the godmother aside. What did you mean by ’I don’t want to lose’?" She ran after Freya as they both passed Louis and Malcolm, running down the hallway.

Louis smiled as he watched his daughter. He had tried everything earlier to lift her spirits, and now, after just a few minutes in Avon, she was already so happy. He was glad he’d decided to return with her.

"She must have really missed home," Malcolm remarked, breaking into the older man’s thoughts. "I didn’t know you’d finally returned."

Louis nodded. "Eridor was moving too fast for us. We returned, hoping to slow things down and get back on track," he said, referring to all the events that had transpired while they were in Eridor. He didn’t know what the future held for his daughter and Rowan, but he hoped they would stop running from their feelings and heal from whatever had been hurting them.

Adric stepped out of the room, his face filled with pride. Drenched in sweat but smiling brightly, he declared, "I am a father now. My daughter has my hair color... she’s the most beautiful sunshine..."

Louis and Malcolm clapped. "Congratulations, Your Majesty."

Adric nodded, then raised his hand. "Louis, I’m glad you’re back. I don’t need unmarried men around me anymore."

Malcolm clutched his chest dramatically, as if struck by an arrow. "Your Majesty, I’ve been with you all this time. Remember? We conquered Eridor together."

"Don’t talk about war when my daughter just arrived. This is why I need fathers around me, not generals who only know how to talk about—" Adric paused as he spotted Rowan walking into the palace. Clapping his hands dramatically, he exclaimed, "Here comes the Lord of the Unmarried! What were you doing back in Eridor that you couldn’t even write to me?"

Rowan’s low chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Look who’s going to be a father. When are we training the child to fight?"

Adric sneered, ignoring Rowan as he moved to stand beside Louis. He dragged the man away from the passage. "Louis, let’s leave these men. Please tell me, what do I do to be a great father to my daughter?"

"Oh, it’s a princess." Rowan pressed his lips together, trying to suppress a laugh. "Then she should start by learning how to sharpen arrowheads."

Adric glared at Rowan. "Stay away from my child with such violence in your heart."

Malcolm threw his head back in laughter, playfully patting Rowan on the shoulder. "Welcome back. Now we’re two unmarried men in the palace."

"You’re still not married?" Rowan moved away from Malcolm, eyeing him suspiciously. "I have no intention of being like you," he said, running after Adric and Louis.

Malcolm raised his hands. "Why? What’s wrong with being unmarried?" he muttered. "What do you mean by being like me? Wait, Rowan, are you also about to get married?" He left the passage, running after them.