Two people were sitting in silence in front of a dark wooden door. The younger of the two men was staring coldly into nothing, while the older almost fell off his seat from nervousness.
"Stay calm. Everything is going to be fine. Your wife has survived more dangerous situations with ease," the younger of the two said in an almost complete monotone. Despite the icy tone of his voice, his words made it clear he was trying to set his brother at ease.
The older brother stood up and started pacing in a circle without responding. The younger brother almost rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Suddenly, a cry pierced the silence. The older brother stumbled, almost falling, before quickly righting himself and staring intently at the door.
A few moments later, a middle-aged woman in servant's clothes opened the door and bowed, first to the younger man and then to the older man.
With a lowered head, she said, "Lord Tekiel, Lord Andrus, Lady Aria is ready to receive you now." She quickly stepped to the side, holding the door open.
Andrus quickly rushed inside without another word, while Lord Tekiel leisurely stood up and followed his brother inside.
The room was mostly empty except for a large bed where a woman lay, cradling a small bundle in her embrace. Andrus had already embraced Aria with one arm and was beaming at the baby in his wife's embrace.
The other two female servants in the room, upon seeing Lord Tekiel, quickly bowed and left to stand outside the door.
"Congratulations are in order. A new member of Clan Tekiel is always worth celebrating, even if a bit later than expected," he said in his typical cold voice. The latter half of his sentence pointedly at his brother.
The words startled Aria and she quickly looked up and responded hesitantly, " ...Lord Father, thank you for your kind words."
He looked at Aria, her blood-red hair clinging to her forehead, and was secretly impressed she didn't make a single noise the entire time. Though considering both she and her husband were Martial Kings, it made sense, he mused internally. "Have you decided on a name so I can officially record it in the Family Chronicle?"
"Sana," Andrus said, "Her name is Sana Tekiel, Daughter of Andrus and Aria. My daughter... our child." he petered out, kissing his wife on the temple.
Looking on at this harmonious scene, a hint of warmth entered Lord Tekiel's eyes. He couldn't help but be reminded of his own experiences with his wife and children. "Then I will leave you alone now with little Sana," he said.
Both Andrus and Aria bowed their heads and watched Lord Tekiel leave at the same leisurely pace he had entered. The servants, after Andrus commanded them to leave, closed the door behind them, leaving the new family alone.
After basking in his wife's embrace for a while longer, Andrus eventually walked to the window and looked outside, feeling an indescribable warmth in his chest. Finally, he closed the wooden blinds and joined his wife in bed to sleep.
Outside, the warm yellow of the ever-present sun on the horizon cast the sky into a beautiful burnt orange while many people slowly went to bed to retire for the "night".