His Royal Majesty

Dorian Ellington-Aragona

The King of Italy

Dorian could hardly deny, in any sense, that Samantha seemed nothing if not thrilled with her pregnancy and too, with the man who had contributed to her condition. It was not, Dorian supposed, so terribly fair of him to judge that very situation when the world had changed so much as it had. In his own time, life for an unmarried mother was difficult- if not nearly impossible. The judgements of others were harsh and so often expanded to the child himself. Bastard sons and daughters were rarely seen with favour even despite their very existence so hardly having been a manner of choice on their own parts. Even those few sons who had managed to achieve greatness upon the battlefield or glory within war were still forever labelled lesser than their pedigreed companions. A bastard daughter so often struggled to find a suitable husband. So many, many years of such stigma was difficult for the Monarch to let go and yet, Samantha was right. The world was different. People did not judge as they once had, or at least, not about the things they once had. Samantha's age, apparently, was the cause for concern in this modern time! Still, Dorian's very insistence that, despite it all, Samantha looked happy readily seemed to prompt that bright grin to the girls features again as she insisted that, truly, she was. Especially after all she believed she had lost when she was turned. A warm simper so readily found the Fae Kings own lips then as he nodded.

"It is not terribly easy for Fae to reproduce. It is a great blessing. Your child will be a wonderful addition to your family."

How readily he meant those very words! Samantha paused then to consider those three requests, of sorts, she had come to discuss with him. Her mention that her child was to be a girl, however, so managed to capture the Monarch's attention as Dorian queried whether or not they had chosen a name for their child yet. Names, after all, were a matter of great importance. Indeed, within his own family those names were chosen long before a child was even born. Samantha seemed near contemplative a moment before insisting she had not settled on any name yet. Once one was chosen however, Dorian himself would be one of the first to know. A soft chuckle rose within the Monarch's throat.

"I look very forward to hearing it."

That conversation settled easily then as Dorian was content to insist that, even despite the time that had passed, the pair might surely always remain good friends. It was difficult, he knew, to so find time he might spend with his companion when there was a country to run and yet there was always time to be made for tea, he was certain. Samantha, in turn, appeared nothing short of relieved. It was the young woman's request for a job, however, that prompted the Monarch's features to fall. There were surely a multitude of jobs to be had at his Palace within Italy. The likelihood of Samantha desiring to move her young family to another country however was surely slim. His household staff within this city was notably small beyond guards, his and Sebastian's personal assistants and their household attendants. A staff Sebastian employed and Dorian had merely integrated as his own. There was, so unfortunately, no position within his household left unfilled. The Fae King too was rather...unwilling to employee a woman so about to have a child! How terribly unkind it would be to expect an expectant mother to wait upon Sebastian and himself. It was Samantha's insistence however that she strove to simply spend time with the Monarch that prompted a simper to return to Dorians features once more.

"To be fair darling, I think most television is bad and I cannot see why we cannot find time to watch some together. I am far more busy than i used to be, as you said, but there will always be time for you."

Dorian's head nodded readily as he offered that promise. That conversation shifted again to the manner of Samantha's child and too, her willingness to do anything to assist Dorian himself in his own endeavours. It was that very promise that prompted a decidedly rare impish grin to the Monarch's features. Dorian, for the first time, content to tease Samantha in a fashion he never had before by so requesting the woman's first born son. How terribly priceless that look upon her face was! That laughter spilled readily from his own lips then. The relief upon Smanatha's features was nothing short of palpable. The young woman's suggestion he babysit however was met with another soft chuckle from the Monarch.

"Indeed, I have learned this fashion of joke making. I am still perfecting it but that one was quite pleasing. I fear however that I know so little about infants that I should be a terrible choice to babysit. I will, however, gladly visit with her when she arrives. I have a splendid gift for her in mind already."

Raven had not been terribly....understanding of his gifting efforts to her son. Perhaps Samantha would be far more open to the idea. That very request to become a godparent to that unborn child however was one Dorian was more than willing to take up. Spirituality, Dorian was certain, was lacking terribly in the modern world. The Monarch found himself more then willing to take up that role within the life of Samantha's daughter. Samantha's own features readily brightened then at that mention of a baptism, the young mother insisting that she planned on such an event as Dorian's own head nodded.

"I should be pleased to offer you some assistance in it's planning. There are a number of churches I should like to rule out already. I find their art unpleasant to look at and I should not like the child to have her first experience of a church tainted by displeasing art. You are baptising her Catholic aren't you?"

That an infant would be unlikely to recall the artworks of a church had hardly occurred to the Fae King as Dorian features frowned ever so slightly in contemplation of the idea. Surely Samantha did not intend to baptise the child as some sort of...offshoot of Christainty did she? It was that very notion that Samantha sought to have Sebastian take up that role in turn however that coaxed a look of uncertainty to the Monarch's own features. Sebastian, several times, had made his thoughts upon Samantha clear. Whether or not that relationship was repairable so remained to be seen and yet, in the very least, Dorian was wholly willing to speak with his husband about it on her behalf. Samantha seemed near nervous then as she continued. The young woman suggested that, in modern times, the role of godparent took on another meaning. That were some tragedy to befall Kit and herself, their daughter would fall to Dorian and Sebastian's care. How readily that look of bafflement seemed to find the Monarch's features! Dorian assured he had never yet been asked something so profound as his gaze seemed to widened. To entrust the care of her child to him was so terribly significant and too a responsibility unlike anything Dorian was assured had ever truly been asked of him before.

"Samantha, I...."

Those very words seemed to catch within his throat once more. Dorian, for several moments, so left near struggling to decide just which words might best convey that plethora of emotions and too, concerns such a request caused within himself.

"I am terribly honoured to be considered for such a thing so profound as that, this too I must discuss with Sebastian. Though, it is so that I must ask, would not Troy and Amelia be your first choice? Your daughter will be their own niece. Surely you would sooner have her be with family if something happened to yourself and Kit?"

Troy and Amelia too would surely....desire to raise that child. How terribly complex such a situation might become! How very much Sebastian and himself so had to discuss in the wake of this very meeting. That conversation, however, shifted once more. Samantha, it seemed, was eager to turn that talk from herself and towards Dorian as a simer found the Monarch's features in response to her insistence he was a good king. How very debatable such a thing was within the news and yet, how pleasing it was to hear all the same.

"Married life remains entirely pleasing to me. Sebastian and I have recently renovated our Palace in Naples, we have purchased property in Sweden and we spent time in Finland over christmas. The entire family lived with us for some time during the Covid outbreak. My Father, I am certain, has sampled every wine in my liquor cabinet, Tetradore and his girlfriend took up my entire front lawn with their car collection, my grandfather has been teaching me a rather splendid array of horsemanship skills and I have been learning to swim. I have rather adored having my family live with me although I cannot say I do not miss the peace and quiet. The pandemic has been an utter nightmare, truthfully. Italy is the world's largest vaccine maker and that alone has put endless pressure upon my country. It gives me a headache to think of it. Disease is not....like it used to be back in my day. It got, I don't know, more difficult."