"Hungry already?" he mused, looking at the new little princess as they went back to their room. The way his daughter wriggled and moved her tiny, tiny limbs in that helpless manner, not anywhere near the age where she could control them, made his heart burn in warmth. His paternal feelings had been strong from the beginning, but seeing her now, there, in his wife’s arms… well, it was a feeling that was stronger than the waves that crashed upon the castle walls.
"You know," he said as they neared the chambers, "You could have had someone fetch me. I worry for you, you know, with you walking around like this. Are you not tired?"
Speaking of fetching someone, he looked around for a guard. There was the matter of doubling guard duty.
"Mm-hm,” the Queen murmured, offering her finger to the baby once more, to keep her occupied until they were in private again.
Most royalty would have a wet nurse for such matters; not many queens chose to feed their children themselves. But again, Idun had insisted, despite what several people had said about it being improper. How could it be improper for a mother to feed her child?
“That I could,” she replied, waiting for him to open the doors to their chambers. “But I wanted to tell you myself. Besides, no one else would have believed me. And I’m fine, truly. I’ve spent what feels like far too much time in bed already.”
There was still that worry about the snow in the back of her mind. About where it had come from. About her baby. But right now, there were more pressing matters, like the hungry child in her arms.