Strength in Differences

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There was something off about Nikolaus when Kauluwehi hugged him, but it wasn't.... it was not necessarily a bad thing. She assumed it was from the Elements' presence within him, and it was then that she realized she had forgotten about their own excitement. Why would they not be excited? Here they were, in their willing vessel, basically free to do anything as long as it was directed by Nik.

And so, when she felt those teasing brushes of kisses and heard his request for her to move away, she only laughed, the sound light. "I love you, too," she promised, still smiling. "Now do what you need to do," she took a step back, eyes roaming from her husband's lips to meet his eyes instead, "before their impatient excitement implodes." It was a tease, and she gave Nik a wink and a grin before allowing him room as she did earlier that day. And then she watched.

It was incredible. Purely astonishing and by the time the Sidhe was finished with his mending, a large crowd had gathered. It consisted of the citizens whose homes had been lost, but also of the townspeople who had gotten word from the rumbling of the sands beneath their feet. The royal family was there, mixed within the crowd, and had slowly but surely made their way forward, closer to their daughter and sister - closer to the stunning show before them.

Not only had the Elements and Nik worked together, but they worked together well. In harmony. And it had taken most of the rest of the day, yes, but all homes were rebuilt, and with stone. Not stone just picked from the earth, but stone created by Nik himself.

It turned everybody speechless.

For what felt like a long while, everybody was silent. Astonished. Some perhaps even dumbfounded.

But it wasn't too long before cheers and hands thrown up filled the desert air. Yes, they had lost so much, some things irreplaceable. But the man who had wronged them had done so right, and it wasn't in a Chaktawe's nature to hold such a large grudge - which was part of the reason why they had been willing to treaty with the Sidhe in the first place.

And, oh, Kaulu... Kaulu was so proud.
 
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Nik had flinched at the first eruption of noise, too on edge, too nervous for there to be any other reaction from him, especially when his experience with loud sounds had usually been negative. But the fear that coiled tight within him soon dissipated just as fast and the Sidhe found himself blushing, pale complexion giving away the red that swept over his face completely.

The praise, the acceptance, the happiness felt...good, warm, inviting and he liked it greatly.

He just wasn't sure what to do with it or how to react to it, a bit overwhelmed. For once, though, it wasn't a bad overwhelmed and slowly, almost hesitantly, the white-haired male moved to stand before Kaulu, before her family. He was much closer to the crowd now, something that still made the Sidhe jittery, but he had eyes only for his wife.

The pride he saw in her clear, black gaze caused more red to stain his cheek-bones, but there was a glow of happiness in his pale eyes that could rival the brightness of the sun. He'd done something right and if he never did anything right again, Nik would remember this moment and the look Kaulu was giving him now and he'd be satisfied with it.
 
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Kaulu, as much as her legs wanted to carry her over, stayed put. Even though it had been such a loud eruption of noise, there was only positivity to be absorbed from it and she wanted Nik to soak up as much as he could. She would let him decide when enough was enough, when he needed some support, or if he just wanted to share the moment.

She had never let his sight get away from her, or vice-versa, and when he did come to her side, she only gazed up at him more. She had long since noticed the blush, but she could only smile wider (if that was even possible). Slowly her hands found his cheeks and brought his face closer to hers, still never losing his sight, before she tenderly and lovingly kissed him. She kissed him well and good, and when she was finished, she pulled away slowly and released his cheeks before standing back at his side, looking out to her family and the crowd before them.

The servants who had their homes lost and rebuilt stepped forward first, each of them wanting to personally thank Nik for what he had done, to let him know that all was well, that they were grateful. Some showed it through genuine handshakes, others through hugs if Nik allowed it. But all of them were thankful and one could see that in just the way they held themselves. Then other people, the ones who couldn't help but just express their gratitude, did the same before it was just the Suli family.
 
By the time Kaulu pulled back, Nik was warm for an entirely different reason - and how could he not be after she kissed him like that! - but the situation at hand hardly gave him opportunity to act on the desire she'd stirred up and the Sidhe controlled it a bit reluctantly. He really did wish the blush would fade from his face, though, but at every word of thanks, every handshake and hug, he only found it coming back anew.

He just wasn't USED to it. Wasn't accustomed to being appreciated and while Nik had learned to accept it under Kaulu's careful guidance, he still couldn't fathom that he might deserve it and therefore he was shy, embarrassed about receiving praise.

The Sidhe was grateful when it was over and people finally started to disperse, most to check out the houses, the trees and the wheat. Bread truly was a treat to the Chaktawe and figs were coveted. They were absolutely thrilled by the sight of them now. Nik was glad for the distraction they provided as he finally felt he could relax with just his family around him now. And he truly was starting to view them as such and nothing less. Even Kapa'ajili and Ha'upa no longer made him so nervous and both Chenoa and Japikoa had endeared themselves to him completely. They were his family and Nik knew he could be anything around them; weak, strong, vulnerable, guarded and they'd still love him.

It still amazed the Sidhe and he never wanted to take it for granted. After seven hundred years of abuse, he didn't think he would be for a very long time.

Now he smiled at them, the blush fading from his face - finally - and the Sidhe wrapped an arm around Kaulu's waist, pressing a soft kiss to her head even as he chuckled, suddenly feeling the exhaustion the Elements had kept at bay now sweeping over him.

"I know everyone will want to celebrate, but is there any chance I could just...curl up in the corner and sleep, and pretend I am involved?" He was only partly jesting.
 
Kaulu and Nik's family watched as the pair received and returned grateful thanks, though their eyes were more glued on the Sidhe they came to love and accept. For lack of a better word, he was absolutely adorable, and the Suli family could not help the feeling of elation that grew within each one of them. They didn't think he had ever received such appreciation, but anyone who was anyone knew that he deserved this. That he needed it, even if it stemmed some overwhelmed feelings.

As everyone dispersed, Chenoa and Ha'upu chuckled at Nik's comment, with Japikoa grinning and Kapa'ajili smiling.

"You did us a great, many things today, Niklomaus," Ha'upu said with a smile. "There's no need for you to do any more." Kaulu smiled and rubbed her husband's back. This celebration was sure to last all night.
 
---

Nik had slept for nearly two days after that first joining with the Elements. He was able to be half-roused by worried werewolves and healers alike, but never seemed to be in any distress. He merely wanted to sleep and so that was what he was let to do. The third day saw him rising and happy, famished of course and a bit surprised he'd slept so long, but there had been no nightmares and he was eager to once again see just what it was he could do with the Elements backing him up.

Having had one accomplishment and having received glowing praise for it - and that right there was ultimately the Sidhe's tipping point between apprehension and excited joy over his new abilities - Nik was far more confident about trying again, learning more and the Elements were more than willing to help a vessel so willing to listen. He practiced for weeks with them, growing stronger, better and far happier for it - oftentimes bringing that back to Kaulu, spoiling her with small gifts he'd been able to make, with kisses and loving caresses, and with a crooning words of adoration as his hands found her stomach and his lips the skin there, whispering things to their child not even Kaulu could hear.

It brought a new kind of life into the Sidhe, a glow of happiness to his pale blue eyes that impending war should have snuffed out but seemed unable to touch now. And the Prince's hope and assurance, his smile and laughter and his general willingness to help everyone with anything were contagious. Wherever he went, Nik left calmer minds, buoyed spirits and willing hands in his wake. He hardly seemed aware of it, hardly seemed to note how such a thing as having the trust of those he considered to be his people had stirred something amazing up within him, something dormant until now, but instinctive.

Leadership.

On two branches of his three-branched ancestry, he'd been born into a bloodline of leaders, but had never given a chance to expand those wings. Neglected, abused, convinced he was worthless, unwanted, Nik had technically known all the customary actions of a leader, but had never imagined he could be one. Who would want to follow someone like him, someone no better than a slave?

Despite all efforts from his new family, from his wife, from the werewolves, Nik had never believed he could lead. Having some self-worth was one thing, a good step that had taken time, but having the confidence and emotional stability it took to be a good leader was quite something else. But Nik had found it...without even being aware that he had, nor the influence he had on others.

Perhaps that was one of the reasons people followed him so willingly.
 
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And for those two days Kaulu tended to her husband as she always had and always would. There wasn't much to do, really, though. She checked in from time to time, and it was actually her and Kafta that first realized Nik was not in any tension when he slept. Still, those concerned woke him from sleep to check in and make sure he was fine.

When she had free time, Kaulu spent time with her family whether that meant helping with the impending war or just having simple, good family time. She also spent some time alone, seeing as everybody needed their alone time.

But when Nik did wake, his wife could spot the change from a mile away. For the next few weeks, he trained with the Elements and no longer did he have any nightmares or troubles. The gifts he had brought her were all placed in various parts of their room and the palace, a sense of her pride wanting to show them off. It left him with changes that the eldest Suli princess silently observed over the passing days. He was... hopeful. Happy. Peaceful. Something had sparked in him, something incredible that caught flame quickly and grew into something Kaulu didn't think she'd see so soon.

With his joy brought others joy and with his leadership brought even more blossoming relationships everywhere he went. And it amazed his wife even further that he wasn't even aware of it.

But that was her Nik, and it made her heart warm with laughter and love and happiness that finally, finally Nik was in a better, more permanent place than he had ever been.
 
"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

The Sidhe's ear had been pressed to Kaulu's growing stomach, just now visible, swelling gently at only two or so months, but he looked up at his own question, pale blue eyes a heady mixture of solemn and curious. White hair brushed at his lashes, giving testament to the fact that it needed to be trimmed again and Nik took a fleeting moment to wonder if their child would favor the Chaktawe or the Sidhe in looks and build. Of course, that led to other questions as well.

Such as; would their child inherit the powers of an Elemental? Perhaps the powers of a Sidhe? Would he have a mixture of gifts both from the Chaktawe and Nik's mixed line? Kaulu's power was indeed a contender in its own right. Perhaps their child would be able to perform a Transference. Would be child want to be Chaktawe or feel callings elsewhere due to mixed blood?

What were they going to name the baby?

The last thought made Nik's eyes widen a bit of their own accord, but he tried to stay on topic; gender. "I think a girl would be nice. One just like you." There was a smile in his voice, but genuine truthfulness as well. Nik would love a son just as much as a daughter, but having a boy...it scared him somewhat.

He didn't want any child of his, especially a son, to end up like him and logical or not, that was his greatest fear for this baby.
 
"A boy or a girl...." Kaulu repeated in thought, voice light as she stared up at the ceiling with a hand in Nik's long hair, gently caressing the white locks. She smiled then, not sure which she preferred or if she even had one. She was along two months now and her stomach barely showed the bulge, but it was growing gradually with the baby.

Now that she thought about it, neither of them had spoken about the possibilities for their child because they had been so busy with everything going on. But now, in this moment, it was brought up and she was glad that it was. At Nik's desire of gender and comment, she smiled and shook her head bashfully as she looked down to him, meeting his bright gaze. "A daughter... or a son just like you," she smiled again as her free hand took to his face, caressing his cheek lovingly. "I'll be happy with either." Her own tone held genuineness. Whichever gender, she knew that their child would be unique.

"What about names? We haven't really spoken about anything..."
 
The Sidhe leaned into Kaulu's touch without hesitation, a contentment sweeping through his pale blue eyes to rival the tranquility her skillful fingers in his hair had already created. If there was one thing that could calm Nik almost immediately, could bring him back from any state of panic, could make his heart leap in pleasure and joy, it was his wife's touch. Whether sensual or comforting, he responded positively without fail and one might wonder if he was part feline he liked having fingers running through his hair so much.

Nik gave the Suli a smile now, warm and languid, as his fingers traced gentle patterns on her belly, his chin resting on his other arm, which rested across her body, just below her stomach. He took great care in causing the life within no harm and his wife no discomfort. They'd already lost one baby and Nik would not risk losing this one, no matter how overprotective some of his actions might seem to others.

It would only get worse as Kaulu started showing more.

"Hmm..." The whited haired male hummed low in his throat at his wife's query, head tilting just a little, expression slightly clouded, but merely in thought. Finally his pale eyes caught her marbleized black and Niklomaus smiled quite suddenly, but the expression was soft, gentle. Happy.

"I would like to name our child in the custom of the Chaktawe. Whether boy or girl, our baby's name should come from the desert and from the traditional ways of the people who have become all the family our child will ever need."
 
It was such a blessing to see Nikolaus so at peace, so happy. They had had moments like this before, both in private and with their friends and family, but this... this just felt so right. Like things were really starting to get better. All those steps Nik had taken had led to this, and Kaulu genuinely felt in her heart that he would only continue to grow better. He was capable of so many things and he was starting to catch sight of that now.

With his suggestion, she smiled and nodded understandingly. "Well, we can always take the route of tradition and name him or her after a relative... but if not, then there's plenty of other good names, too." There was many to pick from and they would probably have to take a few days to think on it. "For girls, there is Apikalia, (ah-pee-kah-lee-yah) which means ' my father's delight'," she smiled, thinking it cute. "Or there's Kahea..." She let out a soft sigh. "Or we can just wait till they are born, and see what comes to us then," she giggled a little bit.
 
They?

Nik blinked and then blinked again, looking down at Kaulu's stomach for a moment with his head slightly tilted, expression almost comically quizzical. Could there be two in there? Or more? He hoped it wasn't more than two. Most women did not survive those births and he didn't want to risk losing Kaulu anymore than he already did with the pregnancy itself - the birth process - and the impending war.

But two?

That was an interesting, terrifying idea and even if Kaulu had not meant for his mind to go on that track with her words, it now was and the Prince looked back up at his wife with eyes still rounded, appearing for all the world like a startled owl, more hair than before threatening said eyes. "Do..do you think there might be...more than one?"

Didn't women have some kind of intuition about these things? Maybe he should get Kafta. She would know, right? Or did it not work that way? He didn't know! Why didn't he know? These were things he should know! How in the world was he going to be a good father to a child, much less two, if he didn't even know something about the pack he'd been with for years?!

It was safe to say that while Nik was not panicking - at least not in a negative, alarming way - he WAS growing deeper into thoughts he really should not have been worrying about, even if it was for the purpose of keeping his family safe and happy.
 
Oh, Kaulu had certainly not meant "they" as in more than one child. She simply meant it as an easy way to call their child since they still didn't know the gender, and she always thought it a rude thing to call a baby "it".

But, Nik did have a point... was there a chance that she might actually have twins? She honestly had no idea. It wasn't like she could feel multiple kicks - she wasn't quite that far along yet. And even if she could feel the kicks, would she be able to tell if there was one more residing in her womb?

"Uhh, I... I don't... know," she finally answered, furrowing her brows in thought as a hand came to her stomach. "There really is... no way to tell. Unless perhaps a healer can. Or... Kafta?" she shook her head, the thought astounding her a little. "Would you... be okay with twins?" she asked, looking up at her husband.
 
Nik didn't answer his wife for a long moment, long enough that he was vaguely aware he might start to worry her, that he was simply staring at the Suli with the most intense and yet unreadable expression he'd probably given her in quite a long while. Still, the silence didn't break - not when he moved from his position with his head by her stomach, not when he crawled over her and his face came to hover over her own, white hair brushing against her face, mingling with her raven-black locks, such complete opposites.

The Sidhe said nothing at all.

He simply kissed Kaulu, using neither hands nor body, but the kiss itself tilting her head back, deepening, drawn out and just as loving as it was sensual before Nik pulled back, far more slowly than he'd claimed her mouth with his own. His pale blue eyes met her obsidian then, forehead brushing Kaulu's own as the male finally spoke.

"I will love any child you give me, whether it be one or ten." Now his palm found her cheek and the kiss this time was lighter, a caress. "You are a gift to me, a treasure I never could have hoped for, never dreamed of and any child you give me is a miracle as far as I am concerned. I love you and I will love our children, whether they come alone or in pairs."

He couldn't have been more sincere and the panic was suddenly gone in the face of Kaulu's own uncertainty, replaced by an assurance he knew she needed. He would do or say or be anything for his wife.
 
No child could ever replace the first one they had lost. Whether she had twins or not, there would always be a faint ache in her heart where their baby should have been. Whether she had ten kids or one, there would always be another spot where an eleventh or second should have been. But that was okay. Kaulu had long since accepted the death of her baby and it didn't hurt as much anymore, though some days were better than others.

As Nik left her stomach and traveled up to meet her lips, Kaulu felt a rush rise to her throat and into her jaw as she was kissed, the feeling washing further into her head and leaving her feeling blissful, the loving and sensuality of the kiss making her heart rate pick up. She opened her jet black eyes when it was over and stared into her husband's incredible blue, letting his words sink in.

"You are a tremendous man, Nikolaus." She continued to stare into his eyes a little longer before she raised her chin and head just enough for their lips to brush against each other. "And I love you so much that sometimes I'm not sure how to handle it," she smiled warmly. "I don't know how I got so lucky." She let those words linger before she leaned in completely to kiss him again, always wanting more of the Sidhe that belonged to her. He was just as important to her as she was to him, and she always enjoyed reminding him of that fact.
 
------

For nearly two weeks now they'd been warning, trying to be kind, to make him ready. The Elements HAD been trying and he'd been listening. Still, no amount of foreshadowing could have prepared Niklomaus for the dream when it came. Nothing could have made him ready for the terror it brought and the abject horror of its nature. Nothing could have prepared him for it at all.

Nik woke, for the first time in nearly three months, shaking and fighting for air, damp with sweat and paler than his complexion already made him. The dream was still vivid in his head in a way; the red of blood-soaked sand, a seething mass of darkness without clear form or shape, screams and wails of the dying, the deafening silence that had followed such cries and a barren, scorched earth, the very sky painted in colors of carnage. Such images would have been enough to make anyone wake, terrified, but what had made Nik cry out as he woke, looking like he'd seen death was an image carved so deeply into his mind, into his soul, an image that touched so deeply on the dark fear inside him that there would be no shaking it off.

It was the sight of his wife, his beloved Kaulu, maimed and broken, dead among the hundreds of thousands of bodies that had littered the sand, and with her their child.

The Sidhe woke looking for her and when she woke - for when had she not woken? - when her touch came, his hands found her, too, pulling the Suli close into his arms. Losing her was his greatest fear and it had come to life before him in a dream vivid enough to nearly convince him he wasn't dreaming at all.

Still, amid the whirling fear was the knowledge that he HAD been warned about this; about the Call that would come. He was the Chosen Child, the Three-Blood Child, the Child of Prophecy. The Naishsck une Vailae knew of him just as he knew of it, and it had just put forth its summons to the one who would wield it next, for good or for ill, it didn't care. It only demanded that it be taken up once again.

When Nik felt he could speak again, when he felt he could finally breathe, once he felt that Kaulu was safe enough in his arms, had reassured himself that she was here, alive and whole against him, the Sidhe finally said the words he'd been dreading, the words Kaulu would know were coming eventually.

"It's time."
 
Kauluwehi had woken quickly. It had been a long time, it felt like, since Nik had last had a nightmare. Or at least one this bad. She spoke to him, calling his name, but he wasn't hearing her. Just what had he dreamed?? He looked absolutely awful. Paler skin than ever with a sweat broken out across it that it had her worried incredibly so.

And then it seemed... he was looking for... her. Frantically. But she found him first, and as her hands cupped his cheeks, she was pulled into his embrace in a way that she could only imagined what he had dreamed about.

It had to mean something, though. It had to be a message.

And it was.

"It's time."

Those words had her black eyes close in dread. She knew exactly what that meant, and though it was urgent, she just took the moment to hold Nik and be held by him.

And after that was over, she stood from the bed silently and held out her hand for him. "Come. We must tell my father."
 
--

In the end, Nik knew he wouldn't be going alone. He knew it would have been wiser if he had, but he didn't even suggest it. Not when Marsin gave him that LOOK and the other werewolves backed it up tenfold. Not when his wife stayed so close as if she feared he'd just disappear. Not when Aja, Jahidi and Lafa'la looked so expected, ready to go already. They had all been there in the beginning of everything, why not the end? No, he'd known he'd not be going alone and somehow...that made it all so much less scary, easier to bear and while Nik couldn't say it accurately, couldn't put it into words; he couldn't have been more grateful to all of them.

It was a mottled, but close-knit group that left the Chaktawe city a week later. In that time, the army had been readying itself to move, like a giant beast finally shaking the sand from its body, stretching muscles long lying in the sun, ridding itself of the lazy dredges of sleep in anticipation of a good run. As the small group of ten left for the Grove, the army of thousands both Chaktawe and Werewolves, moved off across the desert to meet a foe who'd been amassing against them for months.

The war had truly begun and no one person could accurately predict how it would play our or just who would survive it. But every war was like that, wasn't it?

Pale blue eyes watched the mass of bodies and banners start out and felt the massive weight that had left him for just a time, just a few weeks, settle once more, heavier than before. But his shoulders had gotten stronger for that break and Nik kept his head up, his expression steady as he turned his mount in the opposite direction.

To the Grove and the Naishsck une Vailae waiting there.

The Sidhe's gaze met that of his wife and he gave a slight nod. He would follow her lead. It was the Suli, the Chaktawe that Aura had chosen to watch over the Grove and what it contained. It was a Chaktawe who knew its location and Nik respected that, hadn't asked to know the way.
 
Oh, Kaulu was sure that everyone knew, including herself, that it was most likely best for Nik to travel by himself to the Keerdash Grove. They all knew it and even though it kept itself known as an itching nag in the back of their minds, they all ignored it. They would not allow for their beloved friend, husband, etc. to the predicted center of the war.

A week after the Sidhe dreamed that telling vision, the Chaktawe nation's army left its home after preparing last bits for the impending war. It hardly hit anybody, especially the new warriors, until the day they were leaving, and the same went for Kauluwehi. Her, the three other Chaktawe, Nik, and the werewolves were leaving for the Grove, but a sinking feeling kept to her stomach, the one that always pitted in times of war. But, as her husband, she kept her head high.

When given the nod, she looked to the others and let them lead. She may be their princess, but for the same reason they were going to protect her. More-so because she was with child. And it wasn't spoken of or made obvious, but they were in a better position to protect Niklomaus more than Kauluwehi because they all knew he was the key to ending this war, possibly before it even started.

And so they would sacrifice their princess if need be. They sure as hell probably didn't want to, but... they had to. With her silent but clear permission, agreement, and the same from the higher-ups.
 
It was painfully clear the longer they traveled and the closer they got to the Grove that Nik was suffering.

He'd stopped sleeping except in small spurts, the sound of his screams waking everyone in the camp at least once during the night for the last week. It was nothing the Elements could help, nothing they were causing and the Sidhe was quick to defend them if they were questioned. It was by their lent strength alone that he was still on his feet and he knew it keenly. The Call was growing stronger, more persistent, more demanding the closer he got to the source and Nik heard it nearly constantly now, the dreams the most powerful aspect, but not the only part of the messages he was receiving. He'd begun to have waking visions as well, images and scenes of the most unimaginable chaos and carnage.

What the white-haired Prince could not decide, however, was whether these things were supposed to be a warning or encouragement. Did the Naishsck une Vailae WANT this or was it cautioning against it? It was Life and Death by name, but all he was seeing was death. No life. Was there an underlying message in that? Was the name false or was it that the weapon preferred death?

Or was it something else entirely? Perhaps every choice made in the past by a Vessel had been death?

Nik didn't know, but he did understand that he was nearing a breaking point between the lack of sleep, the constant images that assaulted him at random making him incredibly jumpy and nervous - much like he'd been when Kaulu had first met him - and the presence of the four Elements nearly-constantly in his head, needed there for his own benefit, but exhausting nonetheless. His only salvation was Kaulu and the others. If not for them, Nik knew he would have been a far different mindset and physical condition than he was now.

They talked to him, distracted and reminded him to eat. His wife coaxed him into sleep even when he feared it and Nik was sure that it was her presence alone that kept the Call at bay sometimes, allowing him even a few hours of sporadic rest. The Elements had called Kauluwehi Meneia meaning 'Guardian'. Nik was beginning to understand what they'd meant by that and more than once, Aura had quietly praised Kaulu for what she was doing to the Suli herself.

Many forgot, so focused were they on the Vessel, that without the Guardian, the Vessel often did not survive the trial and stressed placed upon them. Aura did not forget.
 
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