The Deck of Destiny - A Caraval Oneshot Collection

a new dawn

A/N: I know I have a few requests to write rn, but I just thought of this and had to write it immediately
Setting: pre-caraval

       Paradise rubbed her swollen stomach, looking at the sea from her balcony. Her baby was due very soon, and she couldn't have been more happy to be blessed with a child. Paradise just wished that Gavriel hadn't been the monster she denied he was. She wished he could see his daughter being born.

     "Paloma," Marcello murmured, walking into her rooms with a smile.

     Paradise always felt a twinge of unease around Marcello, but she was sure it would pass. Marrying him and having sex with him felt like a betrayal, not only to Gavriel but to herself, as this was the type of man she vowed she'd never marry. But Paradise would do anything to protect the ones she loved, and she loved this baby more than anything.

     "Hello, love," she responded, turning back to the water. As the waves crashed, she almost laughed.

     Gavriel hated the water. Although he seemed like a fearless man, everyone, including him, had their fears. Paradise knew they were limited, but it was hilarious how such a dangerous man was afraid of something like water. She knew it had to do with his magic and ability to control fire. Gavriel would have felt powerless when water doused fire.

      Oh, how she missed him.

     "Soon ready for bed? I have a meeting early tomorrow so I'm heading in soon," Marcello told her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

     Something icy shot through Paradise. Sometimes, when being this intimate with Marcello got too much to bear, she would try and imagine it was Gavriel. But they were so different.

     Gavriel was so gentle with his touch. Another fear of his was hurting her. Anytime he held Paradise, it was the softest and most loving touch she had ever felt. Like he wanted to protect her from the world, and create somewhere only the two of them existed.

     Marcello was almost rough with his touch; possessive. As if he believed he owned her and wanted to make that fact known.

     How different things could have been if Gavriel hadn't wanted the power he did.

     "I think I'll-" Paradise cut herself off as a flash of pain shot through her. Then, the sensation of fluid running down her body made her widen her eyes. "Marcello, the baby's coming. Now."

~~~

      Paradise screamed in agony. As much as she already loved this baby, it was causing her a hell of a lot of pain.

     "Deep breaths, Paloma," the doctor instructed her, and she was about to snap.

     Paradise tried taking deep breaths, trying to focus on them instead of the pain. It was increasingly difficult. Someone grabbed her hand, and for a moment she thought it was Gavriel, here to comfort her while she gave birth to their child.

     But no. It was just a handmaiden. It wasn't even Marcello, who was at a business meeting that he couldn't miss. She knew Gavriel would have dropped everything to be with her when she gave birth. But Paradise tried not to think about that.

     "You're almost there, Paloma! Push one final time, with all your might."

     Paradise took a deep breath. She was strong. She was a thief. She was about to be a mother. She didn't need Gavriel here. And she most certainly did not need Marcello.

     With another scream of pain, Paradise pushed.

     Her baby cried, and it was a bloody mess as Paradise floated in and out of consciousness. The next thing she knew the doctor handed Paradise her baby, wrapped in a pale pink blanket.