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Aramnd sat in his study in his Corus home, the house a rather nice two level townhouse with all the creature comforts most nobles enjoyed and stocked with a team of Tyran servants, mostly people his mother had met while back in Tyra for a vacation. It was an entire family that was homeless and starving so the Kennan's took them in, giving them food, clothing and a place to live in return for their service. So it was easy to say the household, noble and commoner alike ran in calm harmony.

The Lord of Kennan was working on the fief ledger, adding int he profits from the bountiful harvest this year and realizing that they had more than enough food stores to feed the household here in Corus and back home in Kennan. Hearing the gruff voice of hsi sister Gianna in the other room, Armand chuckled. She was playing chess with one of her personal servants and from the obvious curses in Tyran, she was losing miserably.

Hearing the front door being knocked at, Armand's personal servant Amano went to the door and opened it. " May I help you?"

Sarralyn was on her way home from work when the sky decided to open up and let it rain. She had doned her cloak but it was too little too late and the rain was a downpour. She was soaked through and through by the time she got to the door. She still wasn't used to actually living with Armand and her scatter-brained self knocked on the door, again. "Hello Amano." She said smiling as she took of her hood, so he could see her. "I forgot again.." She said apologetically,in explanation for why she had knocked, her cheeks turning pink.

Amano bowed his head. " Quite alright Lady Sarralyn. May I take your cloak? His lordship is in his study, going over the books and I would avoid the library if I were you.. Lady Gianna is in a sour mood.. she was beaten at chess again." He replied and it was a big joke around the house about how Gianna kept loosing chess.

Armand heard Sarra's voice and chuckled. It would obviously take some adjusting to before she might remember she was able to use the key he gave her to come in. Thankfully his mother had went back to Kennan for a while. Since the wedding a month ago, she was harping at them about grandkids. Armand wondered about it himself, the idea of children but he figured if it was meant to happen, then it would.

Sarra nodded as she listened to the man and took off her cloak. As she handed it to him, she rolled her eyes, a sly grin on her face. "When is that woman going to learn she is no chess master?" She asked no one in particular. "Thank you Amano." She said with a smile and waved a good bye before walking up to her husband's( oh that's so neat) study. She had yet to get used to having servants, but thankfully these people were nice and she didn't feel well...stupid.

When she got to the door of Armand's study, she took a deep breathe. So maybe Sarra had taken a little detour on the way home that day, and she was nervous about the news she had for Armand. She walked into his study, a shaky smile on her face. "Hello dear. I hear your sister is making a racket over the inevitable." She joked.

" Probably never but shh I didn't say that." The manservant replied with a chuckle then took teh cloaka nd went to go have it hung up to dry. Armand heard Gianna really lose it and started laughing, despite his normal attitude to just smile and let it go. He was in a fairly good mood today for some reason.

Perhaps it was he enjoyed waking up to Sarra every morning and seeing her every evening, even with all the smears and markings of her animal friends. He was freaking out over the germs from it at first but for the most part had gotten over it. " That's Gianna for you. As stubborn as mother.... is something the matter dear? You look a bit shaken." Armand replied, setting down the quill and rising from his chair to move over to his wife, giving her a concerned look.

Sometimes Sarra could swear Armand saw right through her. She bit her lip, trying to think of how to say, hot to put this. She didn't want to just blurt it out. "Well...I um..went to the healer's on my way home. You know? The one on the corner of our lane? " She was beginning to ramble and she knew it. "And uh...well our mothers are going to get their wishes!" She said with a shaky smile, a look of hope on her face.

This had all happened so fast. She was late for her monthlies so she figured it wouldn't hurt to check right? She had no clue that it would actually be true! She had no idea what to think, not yet. She had to know how Armand felt about it first.

Armand went through a range of emotions on his face in a flurry, shock, a bit of worry but then straight to happy. " Well isn't this great news!" he exclaimed and hugged her close. " That would explain why you felt so rotten these past few days.. wow.. kids.. I can't wait." he replied, as excited as a kid during Yule.

It felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. She knew Armand wanted kids, but for some reason stupid reason she wasn't sure how he was going to respond. But now that he was happy, she could be happy too. She hugged him back "Wow....a baby." She said excitedly as if it were the first time she had let it sink in. Then a thought hit her and made her cringe. "Your mother isn't going to want to stay with us for any real long period of time now is she?" She asked, for she got along with her mother-in-law as well as...well ,as well as can be expected in an in-law situation, barely.

Armand chuckled. " No she won't. She and Gianna can't stand to be living under the same roof at the same time anymore. Gianna hates mother's nagging about her lack of being a lady." The man replied, chuckling as he heard his sister down the hall curse again. " So needless to say as long as Gianna is here, mother will not be."

Sarra nodded at this, "Did I ever mention how much I love your sister?" She teased him before cuddling into him some more. "You know I think miracles must come in packages, first I got you and now the baby...don't think life could get any better."

" Not for us.. but I would like to see a young lady I know settle down happily... she's been tortured by sadness way to much." He replied, stroking Sarra's face with one hand, the other secured around her waist. " Have any friends of yours you think need to setlle down?" He asked, stirring up some conversation.

Sarra smiled as she leaned into his hand stroking her face. "Mmmm...oh wow, it would be a miracle if my brother actually settled, but I don't think he could ever settle on just one woman. It's just not his thing. And Leon...oh! Leon and Ruveila would make a wonderful pair, but Leon's...well its complicated." She said, not willing to give up such dark secrets of Leon's without his consent, even if it was her husband. "You know Ruveila don't you?" She asked, not realizing that she was the young woman he was speaking of.

" Yes indeed I do. She was the one I was mentioning. Poor girl deserves a bit of happiness. Very intelligent and shy young lady, that one." He replied, of Ruveila. Hearing Leon's name, the Librarian was not very familiar with him. " Leon? I'm sorry.. i don't beleive I have met him."

Sarra couldn't believe she hadn't mentioned Leon to Armand. "Leon is my brother's best friend, though he could not be more unlike my brother. He's actually a much better brother to me than Rik." She said with a conspiratorial smirk. "Ruveila is infatuated with him, she loves the man actually. And I know Leon feels the same, or atleast is beginning to. But he can't admit it yet. There are so many things standing in the way to him." She shook her head sadly, she just thought of it as a waste of love.

With a quick peck on the lips, just because she wanted to she smiled. "Are you sure I haven't mentioned Leon?"

Armand paused in thought for a moment as he racked his brain to place a face with the name then nodded a moment later. " I beleive you mentioned the man but I don't recall having met him formally, not unless he were to spend a lot of time in the University library... " The Lord of Kennan replied, a bit perplexed about the entire thing. He was attempting to get along with his brother in law but the man seemed determined to make his life a living hell so Armand just started to avoid him when he could. Besides that, his mother in law liked him as well as all his sister in laws so it was all good.

Sarra snorted at the thought of LEon in a library. "No, he'd much rather be off experimenting with spells or pranking with Rikash." She said, a smirk on her face. "You'll meet him sooner or later, trust me, its inevitable."

" I don't know if this is going to be a good thing.. if he is a friend of Rikash.. then I don't know that I want to.." Armand replied, still disgusted in his own way about the stupid little prank the brother had pulled. He could nto see why someone as gentle as Ruveila ever would assosiate with Rikash or this Leon friend of his. Plus the age difference made him a bit ill.

Sarra laughed understanding his concern. "Do not worry love. I promise, Leon is the total opposite of Rik..He's like Rik's better half." She said with a smile before kissing his cheek. "And remember, Rikash is my brother...you're going to have to get along with him sooner or later, for my sake." She teased.

" Sarra love, in case you have forgotten, I never wronged the man in the first place, he started the stupid shit." Armand replied, cursing for one of the few times in his life. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. " He's the one with the problem, love, and until he gets over it, then I don't think we'll get along. I am attempting to, really I am, but its a two way street."

Sarra was shocked by Armand's cursing. She hadn't realized how much it bothered him. Sarra walked over to him and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I know, my brother can be a bit...stubborn. It's not fair that he's judging you by your first meeting. I will talk to him, I promise." She said, with a smile, hating the tense mood that had settled over the conversation and wishing to brighten it up a bit.

Armand smiled shakingly. Oh what a pleasent conversation that would turn out to be. He so did not want to be present for it. Books were much safer and less likely to set you alblaze or whatever else Rik liked to do with his Gift. Armand was finding he liked wild magic better... no explosions or fire. he made a quiet noise as she sat on his lap, his book falling from his hands. " Have a seat won't you?" He replied teasingly, the smile more relaxed now.

Sarra giggled, she didn't understand how her brother could say Armand had no sense of humor. He made her laugh all the time.

She kissed his lips softly, before pulling away and smiling. "Thank you, oh favorite chair of mine."

Armand returned her kiss then smirked. " You are just full of energy today aren't you?" He said then chuckled at her comment. " I hope I am not always your chair.. makes cuddling a bit difficult, aye?" He replied, wrapping his arms around her.

Sarra smiled and nodded her head. It seemed to be the first day she didn't have morning sickness in a while. So of course she was going to enjoy that to its fullest. "No, your also my big teddy bear...makes cuddling very...cuddly." She teased, kissing his lips once again before pulling away, she could never get enough of his kisses. "Though I think one of these days I'm going to have to go into the forest, this whole not shifting thing is driving me insane. And I haven't been able to check up on my friends for awhile." She stated with a sigh, revealing the geeky wild mage side of her.

" Eh love... remember what happened to your ma when she shape-shifted with you inside her..." Armand replied cautiously, having heard the stories. He still was amused when he told his mother who he was marrying and the faint that followed. He knew Alma would love Sarra and she and Gianna were always welcome in the home.

Sarra chuckled, she knew well what kind of hell she had put her mother through. "I won't shape-shift,dear. I just want to chat with them. Animal gossip is so much more fun than humans'." She said nodding her head as if agreeing with herself. "Don't worry, I wouldn't freak you out that bad...unless you upset me." She teased, knowing the sight of her bottom half shifting would be a bit..scary.

" I much prefer Wild Magic over the Gift... its less explosive and volitile... somewhat." Armand replied after a moment's hesitation. He scratched his head for a moment as she spoke. " I can't say I have any clue under creation what animals have to say." He replied, laughing nervously.

Sarra laughed, she couldn't imagine life without knowing what was up with the animals around her. "Well, to give you a little preview, lorial calls you 'storkman'. That's what her ma used to call my da , and you remind her of him...height-wise."

Armand was not sure what to make about the nickname and scratched the back of his neck. " I can't help it.. us Tyrans are a tall lot... for the most part anyway." He replied, his serious expression sliding into the loving one he reserved only for Sarra.

Sarra wrapped her arms around Armand's neck. "It is actually a compliment. Lorial is so used to tall men that anyone who isn't tall, she thinks its weird. As if they are a women, in a male's costume or something." She said, giggling as she remembered that conversation with her horse. Sarra kissed Armand a bit out of the blue, just for the sake of kissing.

~!~

Sarra had been out with the horses, enjoying their company and the weather. She loved spring, it was her favorite time of year. Though also a rather muddy time, with all the rain. After spending time with them, Sarra then had to shoe them all. So not something a very pregnant woman should be doing and she realized she was going to be feeling that one in the morning as she walked up to the house, and walking in. She quickly took off her boots as they were all muddy and left them by the door. She tip-toed around the house, to the room, not wanting Armand to see her. For if she saw how muddy she was, he would throw a huff about her being fragile during the pregnancy. She didn't want him to worry uneccesarily.

As she ti toed past his study, the one place she could almost always guarantee him to be, the floor creaked under her weight. She cringed, holding absolutly still, hoping he hadn't heard...

Armand had been working on finances for the fief when he heard the floor creak and paused for a moment but then let it go, as he figured it was probably a servant or something. " Careful on the floor... need to get it looked at...." He muttered towards the sound before getting worked back into his books.

Sarra sighed audibly as it dawned on her that he wasn't going to look. She simply said "Yes dear, I keep forgetting to remind you.." Before slipping into their room, hurriedly trying to find some clean clothes and dress.

Armand snapped his eyes from the books in front of him towards Sarra's voice and then noticed the mud on the floor and sighed. " Sarra.. do you want to have the baby early? Because if you aren't careful..." He started but then froze as he heard Gianna say something about how the rash had come back, code between them that his mother was approaching. " Shit...." he cursed and got up with obvious reluctance. " Sarra.. the rash has come back."

Sarra simply ignored his first protest, wondering how in the world he had known. But as he announced their code for the witch is coming...she blanched. "Shit!...I...I'm not ready Armand!" She yelled back, waddling as fast as she could to the privy, trying to wash off as much dirt as she could from her skin and such.

" I knew today was going too smoothly.. oi... Sarra, please hurry..." Armand replied, being able to give her a few minutes at most at the cost of his sister and his remaining nerves. Armand deterred his mother, with the help of Gianna to the sitting room and insisted Sarra was taking a bath and she would be down later.

Sarra hurried to make herself presentable as she grumbled about mother-in-laws who nosed around in things and places they need not to. She wished she could change the woman into some gods awful animal mutant...thing. As she quickly took a comb to her hair, Sarra suddenly felt a horrible pain in her stomache,causing her to drop her comb to clutch her stomache, barely able to withhold an audible cry out of pain. She figured that she had overdone herself that day, so this was definitly a pain that Armand would not know about. If he had his way, she'd be in bed for her last month.

Sarra looked down at the comb, she couldn't bend over to get it, with that stomache in the way. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. That would have to do. She walked out of the room and down to the sitting room, an apoligetic smile on her face. "I'm sorry Ariadne ,I hadn't been expecting anyone."

Ariadne squeeked as she looked at Sarra then cuffed Armand hard on the back of the head. " How could you not tell me Sarralyn was pregnant?!" She exclaimed as she glared at Armand but then with the effiencienty of being bi-polar, she shifted to a smiling and happy mood. " Its fine dear.. come sit. So when are you do and have you picked out stuff for the nursury yet..." The woman rambled on, as Armand rubbed the back of his head.. that really hurt.

Sarra's eyes widened in shock/fear. She had totally forgotten that they had decided not to tell his mother. Though as the woman somehow, in her own freaky way became suddenly happy,she smiled, ignoring the first statement, only giving Armand a quick apologetic glance.

"Well...I'm due next month, and the nursery is fully loaded. I have actually already spoiled this child." She said, smiling as she blushed in embarrassment.