bottom of the deep blue sea; ivar

[Ivar]

I V A R i'll use you as a makeshift gauge of how much to give and how much to take Though she coos his name, there is nothing adoring in her stance or expression, and Ivar is suddenly grateful for that moment of hesitation. Her attitude seems to the very opposite if his own, though Lothbrok had certainly been excited to see his father again. An attempt at flattery dies before it even reaches his lips, and Ivar is silence through her accusations. The kelpie glances up when she wobbles, his amber eyes flicking across her broad figure but finding no indication of injury or damage. She must be gritting her teeth against him then, he surmises, holding back her fury out of regard for Lothbrok’s nearness. The boy slips away, wise to his mother’s moods, and Ivar braces himself for the verbal onslaught. When it comes, it is far breathier than he images, and Ivar looks up from the earth at her feet to meet her gaze. He does so just in time to see her fall to her knees, and to watch a contraction ripple down her sides. The baby is coming, he realizes. Ivar’s experience with childbirth is limited to Lothbrok’s birth, but he is still quite certain that Isobell is too small for the child she carries. Surely it is twice the size that Lothbrok had been, and he remembers in a flash the sight of two foals trailing their mother. Twins? He wonders, as he step forward and runs his pale muzzle along her distended sides. “Take deep breaths”, he tells her, “It doesn’t really hurt.” The verbal sentiment would be laughable - possibly even insulting - but as he says it aloud he demands it of her as well. Hypnosis functions in the subconscious mind, and perhaps he can use that to make her forget the pain. He knows better than to try and quell it all. It’s probably beyond the scope of his gift anyway, and she still needs some awareness of the process so she knows when to push. “I’m here now,” Ivar breathes against her neck. “You can be mad at me later, but I’m here now. You have bigger concerns, anyway.” At that last, he smiles, taking his eyes away from her face and glances for a moment at her belly. making those promises that i could not keep in my dark times, baby this is all i could be