Athena (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
everlastingsoul) wrote2005-12-19 03:10 am
everlastingsoul) wrote2005-12-19 03:10 am
Entry tags:
And yet another drabble x_x
Title: One Child
Fandom: Suikoden III
Characters: Caesar Silverberg and his wife Julia (original character)
Prompt: Children
Word Count: 842
Rating: 13+
Author's Notes: Takes place eight years after Suikoden III; Caesar would be 25. The subject of children forces Caesar to share his feelings with his wife, particularly feelings concerning Albert.
Started: December 16, 2005
Finished: December 19, 2005 (3 AM)
One child, he had said. One child, and that was all.
There had been no compromises, no questions, no argument; her husband had immediately walked away after he had spoken on the matter, leaving her in stunned silence.
It was supposed to be a happy occasion. She had imagined her husband, laidback and happy on a daily basis, wrapping his arms around her and laughing joyfully at her news. Married for a month short of two years, she had been elated by the doctor’s declaration that she was pregnant; she had been losing hope that she would ever have children, though her husband had never shown much interest in the topic.
She let him be for a few hours, busying herself by caring for her garden. Brooding was not one of Caesar’s strong points, and she expected him to come to her when he was ready. Their fights usually worked in that way; Caesar would give in and seek her out, usually with an apology even when the fault was her own.
He was a sweet, wonderful man.
She was in the sitting room when he shuffled in, eyes focused on the book of baby names one of the maids had lent to her. His hands were stuffed in his pockets like a sulking teenager, and she could barely stifle a smile at the idea of her loving husband as such.
“I… I’m sorry. You deserve an explanation, Julia.”
“Dear, I know you’re sorry. You can forego the apologies.” She smiled encouragingly and patted the loveseat cushion next to her.
Caesar looked uncomfortable as he took his seat, sighing as his wife rested her hand on top of his own. “We’ve never talked about children before.”
“You would think so, but we were always quite busy with other things.” Julia’s cheeks flushed as she hinted at their insatiable appetites for each other. “But I was under the impression you wanted children, dear.”
“I do, I do!” He looked harried despite the innocence of the comment, his brows knitting together as he frowned. “I just… I’m afraid they’re going to fight, Julia. I don’t want that.”
“Fight?” She averted her eyes from their entwined hands to her husband’s emerald eyes. “All children will fight once in awhile, dear. The only thing we can do is teach them to get along and love each other.” Julia continued to watch Caesar, touching his hair when he was silent for a long moment. “Dear?”
“… Did I ever tell you about my brother, love?” When his only response was a confused blink, Caesar sighed wearily and shut his eyes. “He was older than me; seven years my senior. Eight years ago, there was a war in the Grasslands. We were on opposite sides, and we fought each other.”
“I didn’t know.” Julia was solemn as she clutched her lover’s hand, her eyes never leaving the pained expression on the other’s face. “I … didn’t even know you had a brother.”
There was another long stretch of silence as Caesar struggled to answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was strangled and weak. “I’m not surprised you hadn’t heard of him. He died four years ago. Assassinated.”
Assassinated. “I’m sorry.” She knew of the danger that the Silverberg family name carried, but she had not been prepared for such a blow so close to home. War was a sordid, frightening thing, and she could not imagine her husband out in the middle of a war zone.
“You didn’t know.” Caesar squeezed his wife’s hand comfortingly despite the sorrow apparent on his face. “I drove him away. We were fighting… I was angry that he wanted to leave home to go to Harmonia, and I told him not to come back… Two years later, I finally saw him on the battlefield. Four years after that, he was dead.” He bowed his head, and Julia extracted her hand to wrap her arms around his shaking shoulders. “That’s why… That’s why I don’t want more than one. I don’t want something like that to happen ever again. Because I was stupid enough to fight with him…”
They remained like that for several minutes, her arms securely wrapped around him with the intent to soothe. When Caesar finally surrendered to a few tears, Julia kissed his cheek. “You can’t let a tragedy like that limit your life, dear. This time around, you’re in a position to stop the fighting.”
“I can’t, Julia… How can I? How can I take the chance?”
She smiled bravely as she thumbed one of his tears away. This was one of the rare moments where she found herself loving her husband even more. “You need to forgive yourself, Caesar. You need to realize that you can’t keep blaming yourself for the choices your brother took. Maybe then you’ll be able to answer your own questions.”
Seven months later, their daughter was brought into the world.
They named her Apple, much to her godmother’s utter delight.
Five years later, their son was born.
They named him Albert.
Fandom: Suikoden III
Characters: Caesar Silverberg and his wife Julia (original character)
Prompt: Children
Word Count: 842
Rating: 13+
Author's Notes: Takes place eight years after Suikoden III; Caesar would be 25. The subject of children forces Caesar to share his feelings with his wife, particularly feelings concerning Albert.
Started: December 16, 2005
Finished: December 19, 2005 (3 AM)
One child, he had said. One child, and that was all.
There had been no compromises, no questions, no argument; her husband had immediately walked away after he had spoken on the matter, leaving her in stunned silence.
It was supposed to be a happy occasion. She had imagined her husband, laidback and happy on a daily basis, wrapping his arms around her and laughing joyfully at her news. Married for a month short of two years, she had been elated by the doctor’s declaration that she was pregnant; she had been losing hope that she would ever have children, though her husband had never shown much interest in the topic.
She let him be for a few hours, busying herself by caring for her garden. Brooding was not one of Caesar’s strong points, and she expected him to come to her when he was ready. Their fights usually worked in that way; Caesar would give in and seek her out, usually with an apology even when the fault was her own.
He was a sweet, wonderful man.
She was in the sitting room when he shuffled in, eyes focused on the book of baby names one of the maids had lent to her. His hands were stuffed in his pockets like a sulking teenager, and she could barely stifle a smile at the idea of her loving husband as such.
“I… I’m sorry. You deserve an explanation, Julia.”
“Dear, I know you’re sorry. You can forego the apologies.” She smiled encouragingly and patted the loveseat cushion next to her.
Caesar looked uncomfortable as he took his seat, sighing as his wife rested her hand on top of his own. “We’ve never talked about children before.”
“You would think so, but we were always quite busy with other things.” Julia’s cheeks flushed as she hinted at their insatiable appetites for each other. “But I was under the impression you wanted children, dear.”
“I do, I do!” He looked harried despite the innocence of the comment, his brows knitting together as he frowned. “I just… I’m afraid they’re going to fight, Julia. I don’t want that.”
“Fight?” She averted her eyes from their entwined hands to her husband’s emerald eyes. “All children will fight once in awhile, dear. The only thing we can do is teach them to get along and love each other.” Julia continued to watch Caesar, touching his hair when he was silent for a long moment. “Dear?”
“… Did I ever tell you about my brother, love?” When his only response was a confused blink, Caesar sighed wearily and shut his eyes. “He was older than me; seven years my senior. Eight years ago, there was a war in the Grasslands. We were on opposite sides, and we fought each other.”
“I didn’t know.” Julia was solemn as she clutched her lover’s hand, her eyes never leaving the pained expression on the other’s face. “I … didn’t even know you had a brother.”
There was another long stretch of silence as Caesar struggled to answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was strangled and weak. “I’m not surprised you hadn’t heard of him. He died four years ago. Assassinated.”
Assassinated. “I’m sorry.” She knew of the danger that the Silverberg family name carried, but she had not been prepared for such a blow so close to home. War was a sordid, frightening thing, and she could not imagine her husband out in the middle of a war zone.
“You didn’t know.” Caesar squeezed his wife’s hand comfortingly despite the sorrow apparent on his face. “I drove him away. We were fighting… I was angry that he wanted to leave home to go to Harmonia, and I told him not to come back… Two years later, I finally saw him on the battlefield. Four years after that, he was dead.” He bowed his head, and Julia extracted her hand to wrap her arms around his shaking shoulders. “That’s why… That’s why I don’t want more than one. I don’t want something like that to happen ever again. Because I was stupid enough to fight with him…”
They remained like that for several minutes, her arms securely wrapped around him with the intent to soothe. When Caesar finally surrendered to a few tears, Julia kissed his cheek. “You can’t let a tragedy like that limit your life, dear. This time around, you’re in a position to stop the fighting.”
“I can’t, Julia… How can I? How can I take the chance?”
She smiled bravely as she thumbed one of his tears away. This was one of the rare moments where she found herself loving her husband even more. “You need to forgive yourself, Caesar. You need to realize that you can’t keep blaming yourself for the choices your brother took. Maybe then you’ll be able to answer your own questions.”
Seven months later, their daughter was brought into the world.
They named her Apple, much to her godmother’s utter delight.
Five years later, their son was born.
They named him Albert.