They told Vael first, the next morning, in the small sitting room where so many of the kingdom's quiet decisions had been made over six years, the same room where Aria had once decided to send aid south to Blackmoon, the same room where Vael had once handed over a silver chain and asked if she could possibly hold a kingdom alone.
Vael's reaction was immediate and entirely undignified for a regent of her standing. She let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, clapped both hands over her mouth as though to physically contain it, and then crossed the room in three quick strides to embrace them both at once, nearly knocking over the tea service in her haste.
"An heir," she said, pulling back just far enough to look between them, her silver eyes bright with unshed tears. "Ashenveil
