Nuntio

Latin

Announce

-

to show that in love's wound,

so deep and terrible,

a sweetness may be found

that makes life bearable?

-

"Why can't you-"

"Your siblings."

"But-"

"YOUR siblings."

"But I don't want to-"

"YOUR SIBLINGS!"

Edmund pouted as his wife repeated her words again and again, louder each time.

"Fine." He scowled at her, seeming more Jem's age than his actual now twenty-three years. "What are you going to do?"

"Spar- and I will continue to do so until my baby bump is too big for me to see my feet so no point telling me off, husband." Sanya said bluntly, knowing he would try to dissuade her, for her own sake. And the baby's as well. Their baby's. "Might start teaching Jem- he's playing in the Gardens now- the basics of how to hold a sword, at least."

"Ah, so you've got over your 'no sword fighting till he's seven' thing-"

"Stop trying to avoid, birthday boy." She rolled her eyes at him, understanding what her husband was playing at- she was, after all, equally fond of procrastination and avoidance.
Before Edmund could even open his mouth to protest, Sanya shoved him hard enough that he barrelled through the doorway and into the room his siblings waited in.

With a satisfied look on her face, the Queen turned around and grinned down at the twin tigers in front of her. "Come on, Tolland and Salland, to the Training Grounds."

"You're expecting?" Tolland asked her, taken aback.

"Uh-" She should really start mentally preparing for such questions- she was High Queen, she would be bombarded with communication regarding this, as soon as she began to show. "A little."

"My heartiest congratulations, and well wishes, Your Majesty." Salland bowed his great head at her.

"Thank you." And Sanya should try not feeling so awkward and uncomfortable about things. Oh, like that would happen. It hadn't happened in twenty-one years, and she doubted it would ever happen. "Shall we?"

-

"You're having a baby?"

"Well, Sanya's technically the one having the baby-"

"You're having a baby?!" His elder sister echoed his younger's confounded query.

"Yes-"

"You're having a baby?!" Peter asked loudly, cutting off his reply.

Now he was starting to lose patience.

"That is what I just said, you know. Yes-" Edmund said quickly before anyone could ask again, "Sanya and I are having a baby."

"But-"

"If you ask how, Peter, I will behead you."

"But I thought you two had decided not to have children of your own?" Susan asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"You two did look like you'd seen multiple frightening ghosts when Jem asked why he didn't have a sibling last year." Lucy pointed out, internally upset that her sister-in-law hadn't confided in her.

"Well, that was last year..."

"It was unplanned, wasn't it?" Peter asked, rolling his eyes.

"Yes." Edmund answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, better for the alliance, of course. And not to mention, timing's not awful, relationship-wise-" they were happy now- and close, so close that neither of them would have believed it a few years ago, "oh, Susan, we're planning on renewing our vows in December."
They'd been talking about it between themselves for a while, Sanya and Edmund, but they had completely forgotten to inform the person who would actually be planning their renewal.
Well, in their defence, they just usually did not think of others whilst together.

"WHAT-"

"Small ceremony, I promise, Su, don't worry."

"Ed-" Peter spoke again, ignoring his now-hyperventilating sister. "Will this child also be-"

"All our children can rule Narnia, just like we four are ruling it at the same time." Edmund said at once, knowing what his brother's question would be. "Not just mine, of course, all of us four's children- if you three ever settle down."

The last six words were said in such a way- like an old priggish, obsessed-with-social-propriety aunt- it instantly drew the other three to raucous laughter.

"Who knew one day Edmund Pevensie would be counselling us on settling down?" Susan teased, wiping away a tear of mirth.

"Oh, don't, Susan, my stomach is aching." Lucy had nearly fallen off her chair laughing, but she straightened up enough to say, "And I don't ever want to get married, no matter how many princes and lords come to ask for my hand, so it'll be only you three's children on the Thrones after us."

"Us three's only if my faith in men can be regained." Susan said in a hard voice, the humour disappearing. "After Rabadash and that downright conceited Earl from Archenland and that sexist pig of a General from the Lone Islands-"

"I probably will have to marry." Peter shrugged unenthusiastically, cutting off her recitation. "As High King and all. But it'll be Jem who'll be High King next, not any of my children, as he's eldest- no doubt your High Queen wife will be pleased to hear that."

"Oh, get over yourself, Pete." Edmund rebuked half-heartedly, before asking, "So is everything- ah!"

The last exclamation was because his wife had suddenly burst in, her sword in one hand and their son's hand in the other, two irate tigers behind her, with a very panicked expression on her face.

"My parents!" She yelled.

"They're in Rihaaya." Edmund reminded her, and slumped into a chair. "I think I just had a minor heart attack."

"No, my parents could be in danger too! One of them have the blood the Dark creatures are looking for- and my brother definitely does- I can't believe it took me so long to realise-" She hit her head in frustration with her sword hand and almost decapitated Lucy.

"Mumma, sword." Jem reminded her, not keen on his favourite aunt being murdered.

"Oh. Right, sorry." She sheathed her sword sheepishly, but her panic didn't waver as she looked at the siblings again. "Well?!"

"Dark creatures can't enter non-magical lands, and Rihaaya is one." Peter told her, hoping his tone was comforting and not uncaring. "They're safe there."

"So they can't come here? Amma said they would visit- soon-" Her heart was slowly dropping at the thought that her family would never see her at Cair again.

"None of the Witch's followers would dare attack Cair." Susan said dismissively. "If they can be protected on the journey to, there needn't be any worry for their safety once they reach here. Oh, and Sanya?"

"Yes?"

She and Lucy rang out in unison, "Congratulations on the pregnancy!"

"Oh." She blushed and her hand- now sword free- moved to her invisible baby bump. "Thank you."

"I offer the same sentiments, and I apologise in advance for how my sisters and brother will mollycoddle you awfully in the next few months." Was what Peter had to say.

"Me mollycoddle? Confusing me with yourself, are you, Pete?" Edmund snorted, before looking at his son, "Why aren't you wearing a cap, Jemmy? You know your ears get cold when- what? Why are you laughing?" He asked confusedly, turning to his chortling sisters.

"I always hate to say this- not that I usually have reason to- but Pete is right, Ed." Susan said, stifling her laughter to explain things to her brother.

"You're as much of a mollycoddle-r as we are." Lucy giggled and looked to Sanya, who looked disconcerted by everything. "You have a pretty annoying time of it ahead, you know."

She looked at Edmund, who was blushing as he realised his siblings might just have a point, and deadpanned, "Is labour pain not enough of a punishment for fucking you?"

Her husband blushed harder, and Sanya kissed him on the cheek.

Susan and Lucy may have let out identical noises of shock and scandalisation- Lucy actually clamped her hands over an oblivious Jem's ears- but Peter actually did fall off his chair laughing at this.

--

Edmund was being an idiot.

And Peter was on Sanya's side.

Susan was being uncommonly harsh with a very troublesome Jem.

Had the sun risen from the west that morning, Lucy wondered blithely.

"Susan-" The Valiant tried, but was cut by Jem yelling and snatching his dolphin toy, Dolphy, from his eldest aunt.

"You not take Dolphy away!"

"I will if you don't finish your alphabets!" Susan was trying to be patient, quite honestly, as she was a motherly and gentle person, but the five year old was getting on the last of her fraying nerves.

"No study!"

"Susan-" Lucy tried again- she actually had something important to say, but apparently she would never get the chance to say it.

"Later, Lu-" Susan turned frustrated eyes towards her younger sister, "his tutor is absent today, and Edmund and Sanya are with Peter, so I have to teach him-"

"Hark who, you hate studies."

"Exactly. You're so lucky to be the baby and never have such responsibility thrust upon you." The Gentle rolled her eyes, before turning back to the defiant child.

Lucy was about to say that she wasn't a baby- she wasn't even the youngest Pevensie anymore- but she decided against it, clearly not wanting to anger her sister further.

Well, perhaps she should go and talk to her brothers first.

"Alright then, Su, best of luck." She kissed her sister on the cheek, and Jem on the forehead in a soothing manner, and exited the room.

It was only as she was striding down the hallway that she realised that she should've asked her sister where exactly the others were, since she didn't have a clue.

Damn.

But when she found them about an hour later- in Peter's bedroom, of all places- she wished she hadn't.

"I AM NOT GOING OUT ONTO THE BALCONY AND TELLING AN ENTIRE LAND THAT I HAD SEX WITH ONE OF ITS KINGS-"

"ANNOUNCING YOU'RE CARRYING AN HEIR TO THE THRONE DOESN'T MEAN-"

"ANNOUNCING THAT SHE'S PREGNANT MIGHT PUT EVEN MORE OF A TARGET ON HER BACK-"

"YES, EXACTLY THAT-"

"OH, YOU SHUSH, MOONSHINE, YOU DON'T WANT TO TELL ANYONE BECAUSE YOU'RE SOCIALLY AWKWARD-"

"SO WHAT-"

"YOU CALL HER MOONSHINE? HOLY ASLAN, YOU'RE WHIPPED, ED- AND YOU KNOW THAT MEANS HOMEMADE ALCOHOL, RIGHT-"

"PETER, WHY DON'T YOU JUST FU-"

"PEOPLE!" Lucy screamed louder than all of them- no mean feat, considering Sanya's voice was very loud- and the three froze and shut up and looked at her.

"Lucy?" Peter looked surprised. "When did you come in? I love you, sister, but you should knock."

"I did. Seven times." She gave him a look. "You all were shouting too loud to hear. And you should lock your door."

"I do lock my door! Not my fault an annoying ass of a brother barged in-"

"Oh, says the pugnacious prat-"

"Oh, stop fighting, you're giving me a headache." Sanya slumped down on the bed- her ankles were swollen and she couldn't stand in one place for too long.

Edmund's annoyed look immediately flashed to one of concern, "Darling, do you need to go to Dr. Asherii- is the baby-"

"I'm only about six or seven months pregnant, Edmund, my husband, the baby won't be coming for a while yet." Albeit with difficulty, she managed to bite down on the irritated impatience she felt at his cute but so exasperating paranoia and worry. As each month of her pregnancy went on, his concern for her health got more and more intense. She didn't know whether that was more intense, or her steadfast refusal to announce the pregnancy to the world was.
Her parents had told her to announce it, ages ago. Her siblings-in-law had, too, even Lucy. They all considered a child something so joyful that it simply had to be told to everyone- plus, she was a High Queen, and a Queen Consort. Legitimate royal pregnancies were not often hushed up. Edmund had asked her about it, as well, but had not brought it up again after she had refused- not until today.
Only Sameer had supported her decision to keep the pregnancy hidden. And Peter, too, now.
Well, not hidden, exactly- it wasn't like she wore fur coats to cover her baby bump, or walked around carrying baskets to conceal it- but she didn't want to go and tell everyone she and her husband were going to have a child, that they'd be parents again. Yes, she knew Edmund was right as well, that they were royal, and the news of a future heir was always supposed to be known to the populace- but the child was also their baby. Only the family deserved to know.
And, yes, yes, Edmund was also very right in what he said about her not wanting to tell people because she was socially anxious. Of course she didn't want to tell the people she was pregnant! She didn't ever even want to talk to any people.

"I will stab you all with my dagger if you don't listen to me right now." Lucy announced flatly. "I don't care if you're my family."

"You really are becoming like Susan." The Magnificent said, joining his sister-in-law on the bed.

"Only in personality." She retorted, before looking at Edmund pointedly until he too took a seat on a chair.

"Orieus is ill."

"No!"

"NO."

The High Queen of Rihaaya did not lose her composure, unlike her husband and her brother-in-law. She was far too tired to be feeling anything extreme.
"What's wrong with him?"

"It's not too serious, but his brother, Peleus, was just here to inform us- but he couldn't find any of you, so he told me and left."

"That settles it, we can't get married next month."

"That's what I've been saying!" Sanya said, her arms crossed over her baby bump. "You think I want to look like the overstuffed turkey you people have at Christmas at my real wedding?"

Edmund gave her a look that was half-fond and half-frustrated, "I don't care what you look like, your appearance won't change my feelings, Sanya-"

"Not Moonshine?" Peter sniggered, and Lucy smacked him on the arm, despite fighting a smile herself.

The Just ignored his brother, "I just don't want to get married without Orieus-"

"I'm sure he'll be well enough in a MONTH-"

He ignored his sister as well, "Besides, neither of us like winter. We'll renew our vows in spring or summer, how about?"

"And the baby can be flower boy- or girl!"

"A newborn can't be a flower person." Peter rolled his eyes.

"For that comment, Peter, you're flower boy."

Peter squawked in protest as Sanya laughed at her husband's words, before she got to her feet again.

"Then we are agreed," She spoke purposefully, "no announcement to the public that Ed and I are having a child."

"That's right." The High King agreed firmly. "There can be a reveal when the child is born in a couple of months, but until then, the news about the pregnancy shall be confined to the castle walls."

"I was just wishing to announce it to improve morale- you know everyone gets titchy in winter here, not that I blame them." Edmund said, but nodded. His wife's decision was right, and his brother was right to agree. "And because I'm quite overjoyed about our baby."

Sanya blushed.

"That's adorable, it really is." Lucy sighed happily, watching the married couple. "OH- you two probably should come with me, I'm quite sure Susan and Jem are about to have a duel."

"WHAT?"

--

"Orieus still isn't getting well." Peter muttered in a low voice to his brother as they walked down one of the hallways. "And it's been three weeks."

"Well, what is wrong with him?" Edmund asked back, quite worried. Centaurs didn't usually get sick.

"He's just- frighteningly feverish, and he says it feels like he's burning all over." He answered back, just as worried. Orieus had been- gosh, Orieus had been like a father figure to him- to them all.

"Is it a natural malady, do we know?" The younger brother asked back- he couldn't help his anxiety- he didn't think he would be able to keep himself reined in if anything happened to the centaur. "And not something concocted from magic?"

Peter shook his head, "I have no idea what it is, but it's definitely serious now. Serious enough for Lucy's cordial, I think. Can it even be used for diseases, though?"

"For once, I agree with you- and I don't know." Edmund sighed, and turned the corridor. "Come on, I think Sanya's in bed with Jem, let's go and visit him."

"Now?"

"Unless you'd like to wait till his funeral?"

"That's not funny, Ed." Peter ran his hands through his hair in an aggravated manner. "Fine then, come on, let's visit him."

-

"You getting fat, Mumma."

"Blame your sibling for that." Sanya grumbled, throwing over the blanket over Jem- excused from his lessons as a result of a headache, which his mother could tell was exaggerated- with mild difficulty. As for her, being seven-and-a-half months pregnant meant she couldn't see her feet and thus was mostly confined to bed. She did get restless sometimes, but she didn't mind having to rest all the time too much- especially considering she had frequent leg cramps, and that her backpain was worse than ever, that she had never before got tired so easily and that her skin was itching as much as it was stretching. Also, the baby was moving less, which worried her- but apparently, it was just because he was finally getting comfortable in her womb.

Well, she'd thought when Asherii had told her so, it's about damn time.

"But it not just your stomach." Jem argued, happily snuggling up to his warm mother- her feet and hands may be cold, but the rest of her was as comfortable as an incubator. "Your feet are fat- your fingers- even your pillows."

She gave him a weird look, though she was trying not to cry- she hated this change, hated feeling like she had no control over her body, but she knew it was all for the greater good, so she was trying to rein in the emotions.
"My- pillows?"

He looked at her, wondering why she didn't understand, and gestured wildly to her upper torso. "Pillows. Daddy says they're soft."

Murder wasn't an emotion, so she didn't need to curb her urge to kill Edmund right then. First werewolves and now her breasts. What exactly did they talk about when they were together?

“They’re not-” She was about to roll her eyes- when she thought that it was easier to let him think breasts were pillows rather than explaining that they produced milk for babies, and also part of sexual pleasure- and so, her eyes remained unrolled for once, and she held her tongue. This was likely exactly why Edmund had called them pillows- their son was a curious boy, and must have asked questions.
“When did Daddy say they were soft?”

"You were sleeping." Jem answered candidly, climbing over to the bedside table. "Wearing Daddy's shirt. Daddy was smiling, and telling me about what he love about you. After his birthday day."

Love? She couldn't have heard the young boy right.

“He was?” Sanya felt rather taken aback- she’d never thought Edmund would be having conversations about her with their five-year-old.
Then again, she did have conversations about him with her horse…
“What was he saying?”

But the little Prince had found another interest now- he had picked up his favourite book of fairytales.
“Nuh-uh, later! Now read, please!”

"But-" She wanted to know. Edmund loved things about her? Her?

"Mumma, please!"

The Queen’s guilt that she wouldn’t have much time for him in less than two months came back, and she acquiesced, taking the book from him.

"Which one, Jem?" She asked, sighing.

"ALL!"

Joy.

----

"This is till as much as we can take you, Your Majesties." Philip spoke, stopping at the edge of the centaurs' forest land. "Most centaurs are mistrustful of Talking Horses."

Moonlight, whom Peter was riding- his own Unicorn could hardly have been ridden for such common exploits- neighed.

Philip continued, "And they think of normal horses as common mules, and beneath them."

Moonlight neighed again, sounding very angry, and stamped her hoof hard, and the High King immediately got down.

"Why so temperamental?" He queried after the horse, and she tossed her head, flicking her mane in Peter's face.

"I think you just have that effect on females." Edmund shrugged, disembarking himself, but without any bodily harm.

"There's a ring braided into her hair." His brother complained, rubbing at where the ornament had struck him. "WHY is there a-"

"Oh, Sanya did it when we were leaving to find Jem, to leave something to remember her by." He spoke distractedly, peering into the thick amalgamation of trees and shrubs and leaves and plants, beyond which the living areas of the centaurs lay. "I'd given her the ring for her birthday."

"And she gave it to her horse?"

"She loves her horse." Edmund defended, only just allowing himself to feel how dismayed he was that she'd given her gift away so callously. "And we're NOT here to banter about my relationship, or about your lack of flirting skills, we-"

"Are here to see Orieus." Peter ended, sighing, but knowing his brother was right. "Come on, then."

"See you soon, old boy." His brother patted Philip clumsily, before the two took the brambly path to the encampment.

"Ow." Peter glowered at a branch which had smacked him in the head. "I'm beginning to think of trimming these overgrown forests."

Edmund, whose clothes were already scratched due to the thorns, told him hotly, "The Woods are my territory, Peter, if you- Tempesta!"

The Kings bowed as Tempesta, Orieus' wife, cantered up to them, her two eldest children following after her.

"Your Majesties." She bowed as well, her brown locks falling over her dark brown skin. "I assume you are here to visit my spouse?"

"How is he?" Peter asked worriedly after they had nodded and she had started to lead him to the potrero where the General was.

"You will see for yourself." The eldest, Chyler, said, her tone grave. She was immensely worried for his father- but she was naturally suspicious of humans, even if it was the Pevensies.

"Any better?" Edmund asked hopefully before he could elaborate.

"If by 'better', you mean pale as death and vomiting constantly and feeling like he is burning in hellfire, then yes, he is better." Tempesta had lost soldiers before- every centaur was a warrior, so she was used to it. But she wasn't losing her husband in battle, but to a disease.

"Maa, calm yourself, please." Rydram, her second child, spoke urgently. It wouldn't do for his mother to start worrying herself to fever either.

Edmund winced, but Peter asked, "Have you any idea what-"

"No." She cut across him, ducking under a low bough. "Centaurs rarely, if ever, get sick."

Before either of the brothers could ask more, a low voice called from inside a tent, "Tempesta? Is that you?"

"Yes." She called to the voice, before turning to the Kings. "He wished to stay in solitary confinement, lest this malady is infectious and he infect someone else. I am his only visitor, because I was the only one stubborn enough not to listen to him. Even his brothers and our children won't go against his word, none of them."

Edmund grinned at the hidden tone in her voice. It wasn't stubbornness or obstinacy which made her visit- it was love.

The two children had looked vaguely ashamed at what they'd heard but before they could say anything, Tempesta spoke to them, "Go, bring some more herbs for him, and tell your siblings that they have trained enough for today, they must rest."

Chyler and Rydram simply nodded, and the Kings felt that they were secretly pleased to get an easy way out, instead of incurring their mother's wrath.

"My- my Kings!" Orieus struggled to stand up and move away from the soft bed-ish box he'd been leaning against. "Why are you- Tempesta, why did you let them in?"

"Because they wished to see you." She rolled her eyes, and exited the tent before he could explode.

"You should not be here." The centaur grumbled as the men moved closer to him. "I do not know if this disease is communicable to man!"

"Oh, stop your worrying, Orieus, I've no doubt that's why you're even sicker than you should be." The Just shook his head at them.

"Orieus." Peter crouched beside him. "Have you any idea what's the matter with you?"

"None, Your Majesty." He shook his head, and then winced at the pain it wrought. "It feels like my innards, my guts, my throat and lungs and every organ- even my soul- is on fire. It feels like the flames which are said to consume sinners who are sent to Hell."

"Yes, Tempesta said- hellfire..." Edmund trailed off, thinking. What could they do? Should he ask the Faerie Queen for that favour now? He couldn't have Orieus die, he couldn't-

"Sanya!" The Magnificent suddenly exclaimed, and his brother spun around, nearly falling over.

"What- where?"

"No, you idiot." He shook his head. "If this truly is- well, hellfire disease-"

"That's not even a thing-"

"We used to think practically everything in Narnia wasn't a thing." Peter shot back. "Come on, Ed- what if this turns out to become an epidemic in Narnia? We'd need some way to heal."

"But how is my wife- oh." Edmund realised. "A child of the Gods- the most divine of all, and that too of the Sea God, which means water. Hellfire- and holy water."

"Exactly." He nodded, utterly ignoring the confused Orieus. "We just need her to come and- I don't know, conjure up holy water for Orieus to drink, and then done."

"She's going to give birth in less than two months, she shouldn't even leave her chambers, let alone come here!" He went instantly protective.

"For Aslan's sake, Ed, this is Orieus' life-"

And that was his wife and child's life.

"Sanya can't control her powers anyway. It could be fruitless to bring her here." He said instead, before looking at the weak centaur- he'd never thought, in the almost ten years that he'd known Orieus, that weak was a word which would ever be used to describe him.

"Then she'd bloody learn to control them-"

"Enough." Orieus said- his voice was not loud but it was commanding. "I do not wish to cause harm to your Queen, or your coming babe, no matter if it means the betterment of my own health-"

Peter was horrified, "Of course I didn't mean that-"

"I shall get better if it is Aslan's decree, and if it is not, I shall not. It is as simple as that." Orieus gave them a brave smile. "Not to worry."

"I will ask Sanya if there's anything she can do, without coming here." Edmund said at once. "If not, we will find a way, Orieus."

Peter added, "You can count on us. To the death, remember."

Centaurs were not emotional creatures, and Orieus was probably the least emotional centaur ever, but he couldn't help tearing up a little.

"Thank you, my Kings."

-
Angela Basset as Tempesta

-

-✧･: °*✧*°:･✧-
-

I love them so much :'))
Orieus is very underrated.
Also I love Tempesta, and I need a fancast for her 👀

If you're seeing this, I humbly and unashamedly beg you to vote on the chapters, please (and comment what you thought, hopefully?).