Chapter 10

I smiled happily at Ryos as we walked throughout the palace gardens glancing occasionally up at the second prince, er king, of SaberTooth who seemed preoccupied with looking at the joy in the flowers. A soft look enveloping his eyes as he checked on each one. It wasn't a hobby most people would suspect him for. Honestly it wasn't his either. I had managed to drag him out here to look at the garden I was ever so slightly always messing with trying my best to turn it into a garden. One day while I had been talking to my cousin Artemis we came up with the brilliant idea of a yellow and black rose bush hedge maze for the garden. Although most people were against having a maze in the garden I was slowly working my way into having it anyway. Ryos smiled seeming as if he enjoyed that I was messing with the guards, or at least pushing threw to have my way for once. "This time i'm going to have my way you know." I smiled as he nodded. Maybe the reason he had actually taken an interest in the first place was because they were right under his mother's original window but the reason none the less it had made me happy that he had taken interest in something that I was working upon. "I can't wait!" I smiled.

"Are you going to have a map of this maze?" He asked as I sighed.

"Well I thought it would be fun to not know, but then I realized it was also a danger." I mumbled handing the maze over as he glanced away. "I'll be your guinea pig, don't let me see it." He explained as I felt a smile brim to my face. He was actually excited about seeing the garden.

"Okay. But you better not be trying to figure your way out right now, that's cheating!" I replied quickly as he rolled his eyes. "I'm just looking at the other flowers you've planted here right now." He explained, it was my turn to roll my eyes. He was obviously getting a heads start in the hedge mage I was forging. "Don't you think I know my wife well enough to make it out of the hedge maze my wife built without even cheating?" He smiled as I nodded feeling the warmth of his kiss placed upon my forehead.

"We'll talk to Sting soon about you two competing, but we've got to make sure he knows it's not okay to kill the bushes."

"Of course."

"Have you decided on any names yet?"

"..."

"Have you?"

"I've had my eye on a few, I'm not sure they'd exactly please you too."

"I have my mind open."

I was smiling up at him waiting for him to tell me what he had in mind so he sighed and told me, the slightest smile of pride and excitement coming upon his face.

"Fine...Itzal, Senka, Dee, Rafa."

I felt a smile brim to my face that was kind of cute. Each of the names meant shadow, each of the names had a meaning to it. Even though they all translated into "shadow" they had other types of meaning further once taken apart. "I have o-others that don't mean that...I mean I have other names that I like I'm especially attached to Rio, Riku, and Maru." He explained as I nodded. Rio meant River, while Riku meant shore. Co-existing names that would wind up together. It was actually quite adorable. "Do you have any names?" He asked in reply as I felt my heart give a thud it wasn't something I was actually thinking about with my hands full of preparations, that's why I had asked him in the first place. I felt heat rise to my face he already had a huge list of names and I hadn't even thought of any. "Not exactly.." I whispered as he nodded. "I actually like the names of Rio and Riku. I couldn't tell you which one though they're both cute." I smiled towards him as a piece of pride brimmed in the back of his eyes as he nodded. "We may not have to decide, one's a girl's name and the other is a guy's name." He explained, I nodded once again feeling the smile still brimming on his face. It had been a while since everything had happened in our lives.

The beginning of it where we had met over two very large robbers that were actually sent to kill me, discovering my magic, talking about his family, learning about my family, meeting his, meeting mine, it was so much not to mention all of the bumps along the road such as when PhantomLord had discovered I found my powers from the previous generation and wanted me back. There was so much and now we were here finally figuring it all out for ourselves. Even in nearly the end of the memories that I had captured that were still growing there were few words that I felt brim close to my heart such as treacherous chains which I would've described as how the chain or bond between my mother and I was a treacherous one although only on my part which those words were quickly beginning to mean the other "chain" or bond between Minerva and her father that was treacherous. Familial bonds. Things that could be stable and unnatural. And beautiful.

"We'll figure it out." He smiled kissing my forehead once again as I finished planting another flower. I was covered in dirt, I wondered why he would want to kiss someone that filthy and covered in dirt. I smiled feeling a giggle rise to my throat as Sting ran out screaming and covered in baby puke. Two months ago Peyton, Sting and Artemis's child, had been born, approximately a month after that Ryos and I had an "official" marriage as he had promised. And when he promised a large wedding? He meant a LARGE wedding. He had invited so many people that I hadn't even known, all of the kingdom's royal families were invited, several guards in PhantomLord, even some of the more decent people, the people from SaberTooth were invited, there were so many people I turned to Sting who was laughing hysterically. "He meant it when he keeps promises! You never thought a guy like that would throw something this huge!" Sting was laughing hysterically that night.

I pulled my mind back towards where we actually were now. Sting was running around covered in baby puke, Artemis was following him with Peyton in her arms, laughing, while Ryos and I were in the garden, Ryos grabbed my hand as we walked towards the castle smiling as we walked. "Actually I just had an idea." I smiled looking up at him as we walked forwards.

"And what would that idea be?"

"If it's a girl let's make her middle name Skaidrum!"

Ryos's foot to a sudden turn stopping us just in time before he twisted an ankle. I felt a feeling brim in my chest wondering if it was something wrong or that he didn't wanted to be reminded. "Actually, I really like that idea." His voice came out in a soft hesitant whisper as if he was thinking it over for a second. I felt a giggle rise to my throat remembering each day together, even the more hectic ones. Such as when the child kicked for the first time and Ryos freaked that their was an intruder in the house banging things in the next hall. I remember letting a laugh bubble to my throat at his reaction. As suddenly my hand tightened around Ryos's causing him to glance back. "We need to go to the hospital...now." I demanded as he gave me a peculiar look than glanced around. "No one's bleeding. No one's even fighting." Ryos instructed as I bit my lip glaring at him as he suddenly looked like he wanted to fade into one of his shadows and hide. "Right. Hospital. Now." He stuttered spinning towards the castle to get the messaging lacrima and run back out. I felt a sigh of relief when he didn't accidentally fade into a shadow over his panic and finally begun moving his hands again.

Several hours later we were in the hospital with not one-but two brand new children. A boy and a girl, each named Rio and Riku. River and Shore. I smiled looking towards them as he ruffled my hair. "Their just precious." He smiled towards them as the doctors suddenly started screaming causing my heart to lurch. "She's not breathing!" One of the people screamed while holding Rio. I felt my heart quicken as I looked towards the blurry movements, my hand tightening around Ryos's where I could suddenly feel his heartbeat quicken. He had explained it before, he was afraid of losing the females in his life since they always disappeared. I glanced up towards the glowing blue blur. Juvia. Juvia picked her up, placing a quick kiss on her head before smiling and placing her...or her spirit or something down again, with another quick kiss on her head again. "She's breathing! Quick get the defibrillators in here!" One of the doctors shouted. The blue spirit walked over towards where I was laying and leaned towards my ear before disappearing as if she was never there into a ball of mist:

"The only gift I can give a dear friend."

~End~