To Love, Once Again

""Your majesty!?""

The maids all gasp when they see Sera and Lucien returning together, Sera in a princess carry. With the bucket of honey cradled atop her stomach, Sera hides her smile at the small question mark at the end.

"Why are you all surprised? The King already said he was coming to have dinner with us tonight."

""Yes, Your Majesties.""

The maids curtsey, standing in a neat row on either side of the cottage door.

Sera excuses their curtseys with a small wave, patting at Lucien's hard chest. She'd learned the hard way before that the maids would be forced to bow forever if they weren't dismissed.

"Lucien, you can let me down now."

"A little longer, Sera? Let me carry you inside the cottage at least."

Lucien's quiet voice was firm, casually stroking her hair with his eyes faced forward.

Sera doesn't miss the small quiver that goes through Lucien's arms. Instead of letting her go, he walks faster, boots clicking against the cobblestone path.

"Mama! Mama hwurt!?"

Seeing that his parents were back, Leo hops off the tree stump, dragging his soft velveteen rabbit behind him.

"She's not hurt."

Lucien responds, his serious tone making him sound as if he were reminding himself at time same time. He jumps up with both hands reached upward. The young boy was fully ready to receive his mother from his father's arms.

He stomps on the ground when his father continues to walk right by him, motioning for him to follow behind with his chin.

"Sleepy? Hungry?" Trotting alongside them, Leo hops along, jumping on the path from one inlaid stone to another. If his mother was not hurt, than the only other reasons she would be carried this way must be one of the two.

"Maybe a little hungry? How about you Leo?" Reaching out her hand to grasp Leo's much smaller one, Sera gives it a reassuring squeeze. It was quite an awkward position, holding hands with her much shorter son while being held in Lucien's thick arms.

"Your Majesty, we will collect the goods."

Two maids naturally step in to take the wheelbarrow that Lucien had been dragging behind him. This allowed Lucien to readjust his cradle of Sera's body, holding her oh so carefully as to not accidentally hurt her.

"Leo a wittle hungwy too!"

And he wanted a welcome-back hug from Sera. That was hard to do when Lucien continued to carry his mother. Inquisitive round eyes glance at their position, trying to figure out how he could fit himself into position.

Using the pause in Lucien's pace, smart Leo was quick to come up with a solution.

"Fwather! Up!"

This time, he reaches up both arms to Lucien, waiting for him to pick him up.

"Up?"

Lucien hesitates. He glances between Leo and the door of the cottage a few steps in front of him. To him it didn't appear logical to go out of his way to pick up a child, when he was going to put them back down the moment they got inside.

But he still allows Leo to pull at his trousers, lowering his body so that their eyes were at the same level.

"Up!" Leo cries again, jumping up and down. Leo shows Lucien how it's done. With the soft rabbit toy, he hugs it close to his body like a baby, rubbing his face in it's soft pink ears.

Lucien stares at Leo's demonstration, considering. He barely knew how to hold a child, let alone hold his woman and child at the same time. Sera quickly comes to the rescue, patting at his shoulder so that he would crouch closer to the ground.

"Here Lucien, put Leo on my stomach. We'll hold the honey together."

As soon as Lucien crouches, the little boy wedges himself aboard, wiggling his butt with a helpful push from Sera until he sat on top of her stomach. His small body wobbles, and young arms rest on Lucien's thick neck. It was the natural thing.

Sera smiles, ignoring the slight pain when a small knee wedges it's way into her ribcage. This reminded her of the times her father would carry her at the fair, up high where she could see everything.

Except her father would never be able to carry her mother and young Sera at the same time.

And naturally, to steady the boy, Lucien adjusts his grip so that Sera was held in one arm while the other holds a large hand on the young boy's back to keep him in place.

Once Leo had a firm grip on his father's neck, Lucien stands up once again and finishes the rest of the trip into the cottage.

Leo peers over his father's shoulder, noticing the maids' formation folding neatly inward as they enter the cottage, following the trio inside. Their attitudes towards this man was so different from anything he'd ever seen. Once inside, they stand ready at attention to the side, while others disperse within the cottage to their other duties.

As Lucien predicted, they had arrived in a matter of seconds. But he never says a word regarding the subject. A man true to his word, he lets Sera down after entering the cottage, eyes glancing about as he inspects the cottage.

After patting down her skirts so she doesn't get the inside of the cottage dirty with grass everywhere, Sera crouches beside Leo, who was quick to place his soft, small hand in hers once again.

The sun was beginning to set, the heat of day softly swept away is breaths of cool evening air

"We have some time before supper. Let's make some delicious sweets that we can eat after the meal!"

Leo claps his hands in delight.

-------------------------------

Crackle. Scritch. Scratch.

Warm afternoon sunlight lazily shines through the kitchen window, painting the walls of the kitchen, the kitchen itself, in a hazy orange glow. Leo yawned like a lazy cat while Sera tied the large handkerchief around his body as a makeshift apron. The warmth of the sun in the cottage kitchen was comforting. Sera had to catch herself from yawning several times already, drawn by her own son's yawns.

"There, now you're ready." Sera smiles down at her son, checking the handkerchief knot at the back of his neck while ignoring the furious scribbling and paper-ruffling noises happening in the background.

Using a table he'd dragged in from somewhere in the cottage, Lucien was furiously working through his stack of papers, glaring at the rows and rows of words before him through his glasses. A deep frown was wedged between his brows while he worked, handing off each finished sheaf of paper to the waiting page beside him. Ralph was among the pages that came and went, shuttling missives between parties. Though he did disappear as soon as he came by.

He'd given Sera a small wave, which earned Lucien's jealous ire. Poor Ralph was now stuck sending instructions to the furthest rooms in the castle.

Even without Ralph, there was a steady stream of pages ready to support the King as he worked. They all moved quickly to match Lucien's pace, in stark contrast to the other side of the kitchen where Sera, Leo 

Setting Leo on the stool beside her, Sera checks over her ingredients. Everything except the honey, which she'd harvested herself, sat neatly on the kitchen countertop.

Honeycomb. Milk. Eggs. Salt. Heavy Cream.

The milk and heavy cream was kept in a warm orange-colored terracotta pot to keep from spoiling, while the other items sat at room temperature.

Taking a deep breath, Sera touches each ingredient once again with one finger, Leo emulating her movements as he watches for her next move with sparkling eyes. 

"Remember, we want to keep our hands clean."

Sera gently pulls away his pudgy fingers when they try to dip into the honey.

She didn't want to appear hesitant in front of her son. But it was difficult. Honey ice cream was her mother's specialty, not hers...

"Here, gently now."

Leo cradles the brown egg Sera hands him in both hands.

'Ma, I wish you were here right now..." Sera whispers under her breath while she begins by cracking the eggs into the bowl.