When the first light of a new day brought an invasion of brightness into the bedchambers, Cassandra stirred in bed, awake but unwilling to open her eyes. She was not yet ready to leave the comfort of her large bed with its goose feather pillows and the most comfortable mattress she had ever slept upon. Swathed in the covers, she gently shifted from her back to her side to turn away from the window from which the light had entered her sanctuary. As she shifted, she felt the heaviness and the immensity of her swollen belly. She gently pressed a hand to the roundness and could feel the gentle movements of the two lives within. She imagined they were also sleeping, warm and comfortable as she was, and safe within her.
Although Cassandra had only been pregnant for a handful of days, there was something telling her that it wouldn't be much longer before it was time for her to give birth. And although she was still young and this was all happening so fast, she was not afraid. Even when she first awoke to find her stomach greatly swollen, she didn't feel afraid. She felt like she had something that she had always been missing in the past. A purpose. She had been given a great gift by the dragon, but there had also been a great responsibility laid on her shoulders. He had entrusted her with his only remaining offspring. And she was determined not to let him down.
Listening to the heartbeats of the two tiny lives she carried, Cassandra remained in bed for a few minutes longer before a knock on her door caused her eyes to flutter open at last. She lifted her head and silently stared at the door for a moment before she asked in a groggy voice, "Who's there?"
"It's Lyla, M'lady. I have brought you your breakfast."
With a soft groan of exertion, Cassandra rolled back over onto her back and then sat up in bed. She brushed her long, black hair back behind her shoulders and cleared her throat before she spoke up again in a voice more fitting for a noblewoman as she addressed her maid again. "You may enter."
Lyla opened the door and brought the tray of fresh food from the kitchen over to the bed. Cassandra had hired dozens of people to staff Lothric Manor. Cooks, chambermaids, groundskeepers, guards, a stablemaster, and more. She paid them substantially more than they were likely to make elsewhere doing the same work, but that was of no concern to her since she could afford to pay them more due to her vast wealth.
Excusing Lyla, Cassandra began to eat her breakfast as she looked out her window to watch the sun rise over the mountains in the distance. The sky was clear, the birds were singing, and Cassandra was filled with warmth as she nourished herself and the dragon's offspring. She soon felt a fluttering kick in her stomach, which teased her pert lips into a warm smile. "Good morning, you two."