Beloved

32

Gaia's grip on Dante's hand tightened each time she felt a twinge in her belly as they tread carefully through the cavern that led to the Fey lands where the gates stood. She and he followed the flickering torches held by their fey guides, through the twisting formations that changed and moved when gazed upon too long. They'd been warned to keep their eyes ahead and not gaze overly long on the cavern walls.
Her other hand held the weight of her swollen belly, protecting her pups in case her step faltered on the uneven terrain. So far, Dante had kept her steady, but the chance of tripping grew greater as the twinges in her belly grew stronger.
The few days of rest had been very welcome and helpful for Gaia. A few fey had joined the camp, arriving for the purpose of guiding the young couple to the land of the gates, what they called the 'wylding'. The fey regaled the campers with tales of the place, and warnings of the passage they would be taking.
Earlier that morning she had woken feeling rested and energetic, with Dante's hand gently massaging her belly. Most of the morning had them walking further into the hills, and they'd broken for a midday meal at the base of a waterfall. After their repast the fey had led them up steep rocks to a path that led behind the waterfall, where there was a cave they were now hiking through. To Gaia it felt as though they'd been walking this cave for days, though it had only been a bit more than two hours.
Just ahead they could see a bright light beyond the torches, and fresher air than what they'd been breathing for the past couple of hours.
Gaia hissed through her teeth, barely managing to stay upright, as a sharper twinge pulsed through her abdomen. She could see they were nearly through the cave, but the pups had chosen at that moment to reposition themselves. A few steps further and Gaia's legs gave out, and she sank to a rocky outcropping.
"Are you okay, little mate," Dante murmured at her ear. His concern grew when she gave a small shake of her head in answer and he realized she was breathing in gasps.
"We're almost there," a male fey said, turning to see what was keeping the shifters. As the healer of the group, it was up to him to keep an eye on everyone and give assistance to any who might require it. Seeing the pregnant female on obvious distress, he handed his torch to his companion and walked back to the were couple.
The fey knelt beside Gaia, asking, "What's the problem?"
"She needs a few minutes," Dante answered, brushing a sweat dampened curl off Gaia's forehead.
The fey glanced at Dante for permission before setting a hand on Gaia's belly. His eyes popped wide open, "She doesn't have a few minutes!"
Dante asked, "What do you mean?"
"We need to get her to the isle of the gates, now!" The fey barked for Dante to pick up Gaia and follow quickly. Dante cradled Gaia in his arms and stood, confused, "What-"
The healer urged everyone in the group to hurry. "It's begun! She's going into labor!"
Dante pursed his lips and followed the fey out of the cave and down into the valley where they hurried along the shore of a lake to where a rowboat awaited them at a small dock. Dante stepped into the small craft and knelt, settling Gaia on his lap as the fey kept it steady, his panic rising with her every groan.
He peppered kisses to her temple and whispered encouragement in her ear while the fey rowed the boat toward an overgrown island positioned in the middle of the large lake.
The roughly almond shaped body of water was surrounded by walls of sheer rock on all sides but the far side, where the rock parted, allowing lake and ocean to merge. Both faces of the wall at the mouth of the lake were crumbling, but when Dante narrowed his eyes and looked closely, he could just make out obvious signs of purposeful manipulation or carving, what appeared to be a human and an animal shapes hewn on either side into the rock.
"Dante-"
"I'm here little mate," he whispered in her ear, wincing when she cried out, her little body convulsing in pain.
"Remember, we can't step foot on the island with you. When we get to the island you will be on your own. You will have to get her to the west side, we're approaching from the east. She needs to be in the water and facing the gates when she births," one of the fey spoke, making eye contact with Dante while Michal was again checking Gaia's progress.
"She's going to birth in this boat if we don't reach the island in the next few minutes," Michal said.
"We're almost there."
"West side, in the water, facing the gates," Dante repeated as he adjusted the bag slung over his shoulder and Gaia in his arms. The rowers announced they'd reached land, and Michal gave him a curt nod.
"We'll return for you at daybreak."
Dante quickly checked the sun's position, noting it was setting. Then he stood, carefully balancing Gaia in his arms, and stepped off the boat and into the shallow water. Once he was on dry land he made his way west through the trees.
"Dante-"
"I've got you, little mate, I've got you."
A piercing scream tore from Gaia's throat and she convulsed, clutching her belly as a contraction ripped through her. She panted, "I don't think I can-"
"You can do this, baby, you've got to do this. I'm here, I'll hold your hand, I'll do whatever you need me to do, but you're the only one can do this, babygirl."
She sobbed, clutching his shirt in answer.
"We're almost there," he panted as he broke through the trees, stumbling a bit as his foot hit the sand at the same time a contraction caused her to shift in his arms. He dropped the bag before reaching the shore, then he waded out into the water and knelt, lowering her into the water between his thighs.
As soon as she was in the water Gaia was pushed to the back of her mind as Gray-star surged forward. Gray-star calmly rode the next contraction, then repositioned herself into a squat, leaning against her mate's chest, lacing their hands together. Then she fixed her gaze on a point beyond the crevice, and rode the ebbs and flows of her womb.
Dante continued to murmur encouragement in his mate's ear and kiss her head.
As the sun dipped, the full moon rose. When the two were balanced in the sky Gray-star tilted her head back, calling upon all the magics of all the worlds to converge within her.
Her womb heaved and she gathered the collected energy into two balls of swirling light. Her womb heaved again and she embraced the birthing pup within the warmth of light, and with a third contraction the tiny creature was settled in her place, waiting for her sister to join her.
Another three contractions and both gates were newly erected.
The sun was fully set and the moon was at its zenith.
Gaia's body slumped against Dante's chest as Gray-star retreated.
Dante remained where he was for several moments, staring at the fresh carvings in the cliff walls. Tears pricked his eyes taking in the changed details, two beautiful women facing each other with their wolves, attentive, at their feet. His firstborn daughters.
He had witnessed the brilliant light that had surrounded him and his mate, and felt the raw power she had channeled, and watched the towering carvings take shape as his pups took their place in the rock.
Tears carving tracks down his cheeks, he gingerly gathered Gaia in his arms and carried her out of the water. He laid her on the ground at the tree line and headed back to retrieve the bag of essential supplies and spare clothes. With the drop in temperature at night this far north, he and Gaia wouldn't last long in wet clothes.
He brought the bag to Gaia's side and quickly peeled her wet dress and sweater off her shivering body, clothing her in a clean dress and hoodie he found in the bag for her, and wrapped her in a blanket, tucking the ends around her feet. Then he did the same for himself, feeling warmer as soon as the wet clothes were off his body. Once dressed in a long sleeve tee and sweats he wrapped a second blanket around himself and curled next to Gaia, tucking her against him for added warmth.
***
Gaia woke slowly, first feeling the softness of fabric and the mattress cushioning her body. She knew it was day by the warmth on her face, and the window letting in light was on her left. She could hear voices, muffled by the barriers of walls and doors. By her memory, she'd last been half submerged in icy water. She slowly opened her eyes to get a sense of where she was.
A room. A white room with white furnishings. No machines, so this wasn't a hospital.
She tried moving her limbs. They felt weighed down and stiff as her arm instinctively swept to her belly. Her brow furrowed when her hand wasn't met with the swollen arc she'd grown accustomed to.
Then the events leading up to waking in this room flashed in her mind. She gasped and keened the enveloping grief in a wail, turning on her side and clutching her knees to her chest.
Within moments she was being pulled into strong arms, and settled upon a comforting lap, held against a strong chest she knew well. Large hands stroked her hair and back, and soft lips pressed firmly against her head, whispering sweet nothings. The scent and touch of her mate slowly calmed her sobs to soft hiccups.
"Ho-ow long?"
"You've been asleep for two days," Dante murmured. "I've missed you."
Fresh tears escaped her eyes. "Did-did it work?"
"It worked perfectly. You were amazing." Dante's lips curved into a soft smile, but his voice cracked when he whispered, "Our pups are beautiful."
"I want to see them."
"You will see them."
Her stomach chose that moment to rumble.
Dante pulled away to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Let's get a little food in you." When she nodded, he set her back on the bed with a kiss to her forehead. Then he stood to go to the door and got the attention of someone.
Gaia hugged her knees to her chest and turned her attention to the window. She felt the bed dip as Dante sat beside her, and she let him pull her onto his lap again.
"They'll bring a meal for you. Probably oatmeal and berries, since that's what was served for breakfast, and its a few hours until lunch. After you eat you should clean up and get dressed. We'll pack a lunch and I'll take you where we can see our pups."
Gaia nodded, "I'd like that."
Within a few minutes a young girl came into the room with a tray she settled on the bed within Gaia's reach.
***
Walking up a hillock, hand entwined with Dante's, Gaia asked, "We'll be able to see them from here?"
No one was allowed to approach too close to the gates, or walk the ridges they were carved into. Even the dragons, who could get the closest to them in flight, had created perches on the sparse crag spires rising from the water where they could rest their wings.
"I've come up here every day to spend a few hours with them. Today I get to bring their mother."
At the top of the hill Dante plopped down on the grass and drew Gaia to sit between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek against her head. She clutched his arms and let him rock her as she wept.
From here they could see their firstborn were each a perfect mixture of both of them. The twin on the rights had the shape of his eyes and mouth, but her nose and cheekbones, the twin on the left had her curls and eyes, but his brows and chin.
"Did you ever pick out names," Gaia asked.
"I tried not to, but I couldn't help but think Willow might suit one of them."
"I like Willow, that's a pretty name. I thought River might be a lovely name to give a daughter."
"River is a beautiful name for a daughter. Our beautiful daughters Willow and River."
"Mama and papa love you, our beautiful pups."
They stayed until the sun was well into its descent behind their twins, and both of their stomachs were growling.
"Can we come back tomorrow?"
"We have another three days we can visit them, then we must return to the territory."
Gaia stopped and turned, looking back wistfully. Dante sighed and held her close for a long moment.
"I know, babygirl. Leaving our daughters is going to be so very hard, but our pack needs us."
"Can we come back to visit?"
"We will, little mate. I promise we will."

***
10 years later...

"Not so far ahead Demetri, wait for us," Dante called to his son. He kept an eye on the boy as he and Gaia walked with their daughter toddling between them. "Demetri, stop where you are."
"He takes after you, you know," Gaia said, smiling at her mate.
Dante shook his head, "That stubbornness is all you."
"Dem tree top runnin'," Fiorè called out.
"But I wanna see the statues," Demetri said, bouncing on his toes.
After completing their quest, Dante and Gaia returned home and took a personal month to grieve and process before fully stepping back into their roles and returning to their studies. But every year, without fail, they returned to Scotland for a week to visit their firstborn on their birthday.
When they were ready to discuss the possibility for children, they agreed to wait until they'd graduated before attempting to grow their family. However, the best laid plans often bear a few snags, and their son was born seven weeks before graduation. Four years later little Fiorè was born.
"They've been there every time we've visited, and they'll be there when we get there, young man. Listen to your father."
"Lissen papa and mama, Dem tree!"
Demetri huffed and groaned swinging his body back and forth, before crossing his arms and stomping his foot. "Then hurry!"
"Patience Demetri," Dante said. "A good leader ensures the safety and wellbeing of every member of the pack." Reaching their young son, Dante and Gaia looked down at the boy with love and amusement. Dante continued, "including pregnant mothers and little sisters who are still learning how to walk."
"But-"
"Son, you know my rules," Gaia said, taking her son's hand. "What are they?"
Demetri slumped and groaned, "But we've been here before! We know the fey and Wicca, and even some dragons! There's no danger!"
"You know that makes no difference to me."
Demetri huffed. "Stay within thirty feet, and eye sight, and no running off without telling you where I'm going." He kicked a stray stone. "But I don't understand why."
"And I pray to the goddess you never have to learn the hard way, my lovely boy. And look, here we are."
At the top of the hill Dante and Gaia looked out at their firstborn, wishing them a happy birthday before taking in the minor changes the fey and Wicca had implemented the past year.
Their first visit back a garden of indigenous perineal plants, many of them flowering, had been started at the site where Dante and Gaia preferred to spend their days. Over the years the garden had grown in size with the plants in beds shaped into a triquetra with a couple of tree log benches in the center. Now there was a fence of manipulated vines at the far side where the hill ended in a cliff on the downslope.
"Look Fifi, look" Demetri exclaimed, taking his little sister by the hand, he led her through the flowers to the benches, and helped her climb up and stand on a bench and pointed towards the cliffs, "those statues are our sisters!"
"Stisters? We has stisters? Can we pays wiss dem?"
"They can't move, but we can pretend play."
The little girl turned and shouted, "Mama, papa we has stisters and we'se gonna petend pay wiss dem!" Fiorè turned back to her brother to ask how they would play. He helped her down from the bench, explaining their sisters were guardians, and they would help them and the dragons guard and protect against threats.
Walking through the garden toward the benches, Dante and Gaia held each other watching their children play. Making certain his mate was comfortable, Dante kissed her swelling belly, then turned and joined his children, taking the role of a monster for them to slay.
A small smile played on Gaia's lips as she watched her mate play with their pups.
My beautiful firstborn, is it selfish that I wish I'd been able to see you play and watch you grow? Is it selfish I wish I could hold you? Hear you laugh, calm your fears. Do you know how immensely I love you? And I'm so proud of you, so incredibly proud that you stand guard and keep us all safe from a threat I can't ever begin to comprehend. We visit just a short time, but we will return. We'll always return.

***

This brings us to the end of Gaia and Dante's story. I'm considering revisiting this world through the stories of the other elemental blesseds, though it will take awhile, as I'm a slow writer with a full-time career.

Thank you