Every Step of the Way

{It's that momentous occasion- the moment when you reach your thirtieth chapter within three or four days of getting seven hundred views. Well, technically, this is the thirty-first chapter if you count the prologue, but still. This is pretty big, people! I am so proud to be this far in my book, and I am so happy that you guys are there, reading it and enjoying it. Thank you so very much, everyone! This means a lot to me.}

~-~

Varian stood on the castle's main balcony, watching the kids from the village play, running through the streets down below.

Wishing he could run around and play, too.

He used to be able to, used to have the option. But he never took it. He was too busy doing science and alchemy for the heck of it.

And now...

Now he just couldn't.

He had work to do. Cassandrium to make. Cassandra to love.

Now more than ever, he felt as if his childhood had been robbed by nobody but himself.

~-~

Cass could not get to sleep.

Try as she might, sleep was fleeting. And it concerned her.

Not that she wasn't used to sleeplessness.

She was concerned (this time, at least) because everything was perfect. Varian had gone and made sure that everything- yes, absolutely everything- was up to Cassandra's code. Everything was done absolutely perfect to fit her needs, yet she could not get to sleep.

And it sucked.

Each and every single way that she turned, thinking it might help her get more comfortable... nothing worked.

This was so unfair.

But, then again, wasn't life itself? Especially her life?

There.

A dull throb.

It disappeared only to come again, stronger this time.

She sat up quickly before running to go get Varian.

~-~

"Varian?"

Varian looked up from his papers to find a nurse standing there, smiling at him kindly.

"Yeah?" he replied, obviously exhausted, "what's up?"

"Lady Cassandra thought that you'd like to meet the little one."

Boy, would he. He grinned, hopping up from his seat and following the nurse back to where Cass was.

~-~

Cassandra smiled down at her baby girl.

She was here.

Her little daughter was here.

And she was gorgeous.

She shared her mother's looks- which came as a relief to Cass- but on a much tinier scale.

A timid knock came at the door. Cassandra knew it was Varian.

"Come on in."

He opened the door. The moment that he saw the little girl in Cass's arms, though, he froze.

"Hey, there," Cass said, smiling.

He shut the door and slowly made his way towards her. "Hey."

"Meet Trystan. Trystan Elyzabeth."

Varian nodded and smiled before taking a seat.

They sat in silence for a little while before Varian spoke again.

"Umm... may I..."

Cass laughed, carefully handing Trystan to Varian.

"She's so tiny... so precious..."

Trystan opened her eyes- just a little bit, but still- and cooed.

Varian immediately started tearing up, looking down at the tiny little girl.

Already, he loved this little girl, little Trystan, so very much. And he would always be there for her and Cassandra.

Nothing could change that.

~-~

{I am so sorry for the fact that it took some time to update. I was trying to figure out what to do with this chapter, and then when I finally decided on what to do, I didn't know how to go about writing it. I mean, I've never had a kid before. And that's not something I can just Google search or ask my mom. I mean, like, "hey, Mom... can you describe to me how it feels to have a kid? It's for this story I'm writing." Yeah, no. So... I decided to kind of skip over it... Still, it's tough. But... the story is almost done. Just the epilogue left. The sequel is almost ready. So... just hang in there!}