Gath had been rather relaxed, looking things up and watching documentaries about kids, but all of a sudden, they had gotten up, rushed to their office and grabbed their large tablet, the one Gath used for video calls. They rushed back downstairs, threw themselves on the sofa, beckoned Relkir over then immediately made a call.
It took a moment for someone to answer. As soon as they did, Gath turned the camera on.
“Mum, dad! I have wonderful news!” Gath didn’t even give the other end a chance to speak. “Can you get on video? I want to tell you, as close to face to face as possible!”
Shuffling could be heard. Eventually, Lesii tutted and clearly snatched the tablet from Kazim so they could turn on their camera. After a few moments, the connection finished and the tiny Lesii and the rather large Kazim appeared. Kazim wasn’t as large as Gath was, but Lesii was smaller than Relkir, a genuine dwarf of a Rethan.
“Hello, my little Gathy!” Lesii beamed. “What is up? Are you well? You seem stressed! Oh, hello, Relkir! Are you looking after my giant baby?”
“I… I am, yes…” Relkir stuttered.
“You seem rather unsure of that.”
“I think it would be best if Gath explained…”
Lesii and Kazim’s eyes both turned to Gath. Gath grinned.
“Kid, are you alright?” Kazim asked. “You seem… not right.”
“The opposite, in fact! Everything is right! Nothing could be better! A miracle has happened!”
“What happened?”
Gath continued grinning, but there was a nervous wobble in their voice. “I am egg-ridden!”
The parents didn’t respond at first. They had no idea how to respond.
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“Really, really?”
“Yes!”
“Really, really, really?”
“Yessss!”
“Really, really, rea-”
Relkir hid their snickering as Lesii playfully slapped Kazim for being overly silly.
“By the Light, congratulations!” Lesii went back to beaming. “But… how?”
Gath and Relkir glanced at each other, then shrugged.
“It was a happy accident!” Gath beamed back. “The plan was for me to get Relkir egg-ridden, but that… turned out to be harder than expected, and, somewhere down the line… things worked out for me, and I am egg-ridden now!”
“But… the doctors said…” Lesii stuttered.
“I know, mum, I know…” Gath sighed briefly. “Doctor Ekal was very surprised as well, but they said that time has healed a lot of my wounds and I am very lucky. They also said I need to stay as relaxed as possible, and that means I am signed off of work until I lay.”
“That is wonderful!” Lesii went back to smiling. “And you seem so happy! How long have you known for?”
“I got the confirmation a couple of days ago. Admittedly, we were not sure. I only realised something was up when we tested some pregnancy test strips to see if the ones Relkir bought were faulty or not. Unfortunately, Relkir was not egg-ridden, according to the strips, and I wondered if the strips were broken, got an unconfirmed positive, and we went to Doctor Ekal and they confirmed it. I should lay in two to four weeks.”
“Wonderful!” Lesii smiled, then paused briefly, glancing up at Kazim, before turning back to Gath. “Question though, how does this affect your visit to our place in Thresisa in three weeks?”
Gath went blank. “Oh. I… I had forgotten about that…”
Relkir seemed less bothered. If anything, they seemed almost relieved by their own idea. “Maybe it is worth staying with Lesii and Kazim and using a nursery in Thresisa?”
“Uh… why, my dear?”
“I have had a LOT of people asking me about you. We have not told many folks about Gath being egg-ridden yet, but people will soon find out, and they will start asking questions about both you and the egg, and they will want to know everything. If we pick a nursery here in Phos, people will want to see the egg. They cannot do that if you use a nursery in Thresisa, and also Lesii and Kazim get to be close both when you lay and when the egg hatches!”
“What about you though?” Gath was a little worried now. “What if you cannot make it to Thresisa? What if Litvir cannot get to Thresisa either?”
“Well, Litvir is not a problem, because Litvir can travel stupidly fast and can fly through space. And I am a Below One Hundred General, if I say I need to take time off because my partner is expecting to lay, I will get that time off. Also, worst case scenario, my sibling is literally the High General. I am not normally someone to use my incredibly powerful sibling as leverage, but when it comes to our family, I will do pretty much anything.”
“Even… even kill?” Gath asked.
Relkir nodded. “If it means protecting you, Litvir and our baby, then yes.”
“You are going to be such a good dad!” Lesii smiled oddly this time. So did Kazim.
“Gath, my kid, you married the perfect little goblin maniac!” Kazim joked.
“Indeed!” Lesii clearly agreed. “Also, if you want, we can check out the local nurseries here and send you some videos? We would LOVE to have you here, and we will do anything you need us to do, to make things easier for you and the egg.”
“Exactly! Also I want to see the egg hatching.”
Relkir turned back to Gath. “So, what do you think?”
“I actually think it is a good idea. We did just move into this place though.”
“That is fine. I can sort out the baby’s room and any other bits and pieces while you are in Thresisa anyway. And Kazim and Lesii know how to deal with babies better than I do, so you will be in safe hands no matter what.”
Gath frowned briefly, but after some thought, they cheered up. “I will need to speak to Doctor Ekal about flying while egg-ridden, but it all does sound like a good idea.”
“Wonderful!” Lesii went back to grinning. “We are going to have a celebratory pizza. You though, you make sure you rest up and have an early night!”
Relkir patted Gath on the shoulder. “Do not fret, Lesii, I am making sure that Gath remains as healthy and safe as possible!”
“Good. Otherwise there will be trouble!” Kazim laughed. “Call us whenever, alright?”
“Will do. Good night, mum and dad!”
“Good night, Gathy and little Relkir!”
The call ended, and Relkir turned to Gath.
“What is up, dear?” Gath asked.
“Oh, nothing. I am just reminded by how awesome your parents are.”
Gath grinned, then hugged Relkir tightly. “Hah! That is very true! And, fingers crossed, we will be awesome parents too.”
“Do not worry. We already are. We have taught Litvir well, and our kid will be happy too. Everything will be fine. I promise…”