For the remainder of the night the new parents stretched on the bed with a bassinet in the center of the bed between them. They alternated between resting and chatting while Aidan nursed their newborn. She was already giving evidence of taking after her mother in looks and temperament. She never cried but cooed and looked around with her large brown eyes when awake.
It took until the dawning of the next day before Aidan convinced Arthur he would not break their daughter by holding her in his arms. Stiff, but gently he held the sleeping baby as the Duke and Duchess debated the merits of names they each liked.
They had quickly agreed to choose a name from the Sterram language since she was born in Beatusterram and would one day reside as the duchess of this country. But Aidan either did not like the way the names looked written out, their meanings, or she struggled to pronounce them with the brogue of her accent.
She kept coming back to the name Aretisia, she thought it was lovely written out and adored the meaning, perfect. She loved her child. Every time she looked at her infant Aidan's heart would skip a beat and sing 'perfect.' How could she name her anything else?
However, Aidan's tongue would always stumble on the "e" sending Arthur into chuckles. He could be so infuriating!
Returning the sleeping bundle to her mother, Arthur went to the writing desk on the side of the room. Aidan was so tired and on the verge of pouting when her husbanded returned handing her the paper he had written on. "Try saying this," he said.
"Ar..ti..si..a" She carefully said each syllable. Then with more confidence she clearly pronounced the name a few more times. "Artisia, Artisia." She thought the name sounded nice and felt good to say. "What does it mean?"
Arthur stretched and yawned as he made himself comfortable on the bed again. With a self-satisfied grin he told his wife "It means our daughter is one letter shy of perfection."
The sleeping baby in her arms was the only thing that prevented Aidan from using a pillow to smack at her husband's arrogantly handsome face. She decided to ignore him and focused her gaze on her baby. "Artisia… my sweet Artisia." She murmured. It seemed to her that her daughter snuggled more comfortably against her chest and decided to take it as a sign of acceptance.
"Artisia Aibhlin Saber," she announced their daughter's full name for the first time. From the peripheral of her vision, she saw Arthur nod his head in agreement.
Traditionally a first-born Daughter's middle name would be her mother's maiden name. But Aidan had alienated herself from her father and family in order to marry the man she loved and follow him to his own country. Using the name of her home country seemed like a proper substitute under the circumstances. She was relieved to have his unquestioning consent.
Arthur hugged a spare pillow and drifted off to sleep muttering, "Artisia has completed our family."
While it was legal and socially acceptable for women to inherit titles and lands, it was common practice in Beatusterram to wait until the oldest child was at least ten years old before declaring them heir. This way if the eldest is a daughter or sickly there is time to try to have a healthy son.
Arthur had been determined his firstborn would be his heir regardless of gender. Boy or girl, if the child took after Aidan, they would be excellent in Arthur's eyes. Having made up his mind when Aidan first told him of her pregnancy, he had wasted no time in making updated surveys of his lands and listing his wealth and all the vessels under his domain. Papers were drawn up to make official the future heir of the Duchy. All that had been waiting was the child's full name and birth date to complete the documents.
In the afternoon Aidan woke to see her husband sitting at her writing desk. He was only partially dressed, and his golden curly hair had yet to be combed. Bent over the papers he looked more like an unruly boy rather than the dignified Duke he tried to be most of the time. His youthful face and the joyful exuberance he did almost everything in made stiff dignity an impossibility outside of the most serious situations. Even when he did manage a stoic facial expression his bouncy curls would give away his try personality.
Aidan was relieved to see her husbanded more of himself. She knew part of his hurry had been his worry on her behalf. Once Artisia was recognized as the future Duchess of Saber if anything were to happen to Arthur his wife and her rights would be protected. Aidan had no fear of anyone being foolish enough to physically harm her and she was confident her husband did not have those concerns either.
Arthur was always so grateful when she agreed to leave behind her home and inheritance as a princess, the daughter of a king, in order to marry him. The crazy fool had fell in love with her at first sight and spent over a year wooing her with poems and songs. Arthur had strove to always see to her every need and make her secure in her new home. The documents listing Artisia as heir and her mother as legal guardian gave Aidan protection against anyone trying to remove the foreign woman from the castle if anything were to ever happen to Arthur.
For all of his boyish charm and sentimentality he was an excellent husband. Aidan kissed her daughter and confessed softly. "He's made me fall in love with him all over again. You should follow my example and only marry the man that will work to capture your heart every day."
Within a few days word spread from Saber Castle and throughout the Dukedom of Artisia Aibhlin Saber's birth and status as heir. The proclamation was met by much rejoicing and a fresh layer of snow.
Arthur made good use of the cold and being snowed in to snuggle his wife and thank her once more for the perfect anniversary present. "Happy 4th year, may we have many more."
"Many more…?" Aidan gave a sassy smile. "Anniversaries, or presents?"
Arthur blinked as he considered her question. "If we start now you'll miss my birthday by a month, I think that's acceptable."
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