Above All

-Sixty-Six-

Baby crawls in light

Little griefs beyond this world

Scents drift with relief

Layton:

"Happy birthday the ying to my yang!" I said on my cellphone to my brother. I was video chatting him, opting to call him bright and early in the morning to give him a celebratory cheer on the day of our birth. His face remained rather calm after I had wished him a one, though a slight smirk emitted from the corner of his lips at the extra twist I had put on it this year.

"Yes, happy twenty-seventh to the twin I kicked needlessly in the womb for months." He teased. Amory was always a dull joke-deliverer, his face always remained rather stale whenever he teased, but I knew somewhere deep inside him he was smiling with happiness.

Very deep down.

"Says who? I never known to be kicked last time I checked!" I said to him in outrage.

Amory scoffed, "Our mother. You ask her when you come over here later." He stated.

I furrowed my brow, "Later? Is there something happening?" I inquired.

My brother shook his head, "No... she just wants to cook us a birthday dinner that we can share with the family... I told her it wasn't necessary, that we preferred not to celebrate, but she insisted.... you should know her temperament by now, she's trying to make it up to us the best she can." He explained to me.

I agreed with him. "I see." I thought for a moment if I would be able to step out of the palace, as of right now, Cairo and some of her group had not returned. I was a bit worried for them but I knew there was nothing I could do about it. I turned my head over to the side of the window in my suite and realized it was still downpouring, even in the morning the rain had refused to let up; although it wasn't as heavy as it was originally last night, the sky still remained a frosty gray that dulled the entire atmosphere of the city.

Oh, what I'd do for a little sunlight.

"I'm bringing Amani." I stated bringing my attention back to our video conversation.

I watched as my brother rolled his eyes on the screen, "I would be surprised if you didn't bring her, honestly." He stated. I smirked, "She was really sweet to me last night, set up an entire romantic escape for the—." Amory put up his hand to cut me off.

"Please spare me the details of your sex-addictions with the future Empress, I beg of you." He said dramatically as she made a face. I busted into a fit of laughter at his response to Amani and I. Amory was one of the few people who knew about us in the beginning, catching on to us pretty early as expected of someone I had shared a womb and entire life with now for twenty-seven years.

"How's everything going over there so far, especially with my favorite nephew?" I was so excited I was going to be able to see him again today, a lovely birthday gift if I do say so myself. Holding Ime in my hands only one time, was not enough in my opinion; I swear every time I saw that kid, I got a rush of fever to have my own. But I knew I had to calm down, the only woman I wanted to share a child with right now was going through an entire process where she was going to become the Empress of an entire country; the head of stated and I needed to be patient before deciding to get down on one knee and ask her to be my wife.

Empress Mother was watching me very closely.

"Alright for the most part, Ime is keeping his mother and I up most nights... I'm learning quite a lot about infants, but those books you did gift me prepared me in the sense, mentally for these things to occur." He replied to me.