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It had taken months, but their home was complete. Situated midway between the caves and the village it was a quick trip to either, easily made within a day in good weather. The house itself was large enough for the two of them, and their family. A family that would have a new addition in the coming year.
It wasn’t exactly what they had planned, they hadn’t even discussed having children yet. Life had other plans it seemed.
Shortly after the Time War and dealing with Ganondorf, Volga and Silva pledged themselves to each other; exchanging vows and the mating bite in private, from there on referring to themselves as mates. Silva drank the Elixir of Life, extending her life to match his, and they settled into their new life.
Three months later they discovered Silva was pregnant.
It threw them for a loop, to be sure, and was the catalyst for the building of their home. With no way of knowing how much the baby would take after either of them, it was decided that living in the caves themselves was too risky.
Silva had adapted to life there, but there was no way to make a cave filled with lakes of magma safe for an infant who may or may not be able to survive contact with it.
So a house between the caves and village was the solution; close to the village for the doctor and midwives for during pregnancy and birth and supplies, and close to the caves to be near his kin.
Now it was winter, snow coated the ground and trees, animals hibernated underground. Travel to either place was a bit more difficult, so before the snow really hit the pair had stocked up on food and other necessities.
The stable was gone over to make sure it had no need for repairs, and was warm and stocked for the cow and Silva’s horse. The fences were checked, and Volga even checked the roofing again to make sure it would hold against the snow, though Volga reassured Silva that it was strong enough to hold him in dragon form.
Volga supposed he could understand her paranoia: it was the first year in their new house, she was with child, and the house itself was just built. It made sense, in a way, that Silva would be so concerned. She didn’t personally know the builders that had helped Volga build the house, they had commissioned them from another town.
Of course, they said nothing to them of Volga’s being a dragon, until it came to testing the roof. It had surprised them immensely and they had nearly quit, but a promise of quite a few more rupees had kept them on. Silva still wasn’t sure just why Volga was so insistent that the roof could hold him, but she conceded.
In that first year when Silva had come to live in the caves, she told Volga and his kin about the humans' winter holiday, Yule. She had not asked to celebrate it then, or even the year after, but had asked this year. She told him, however, that she would not force it on him. If he insisted that their children did not celebrate it, if it truly meant that much to him, then she would never speak of it again.
Volga had been surprised at this. Normally humans were set in their ways, uninterested in change. Silva was willing to throw away something that meant so much to humans if it meant pleasing him. The thought didn’t sit well with him.
“I have never asked such a thing from you. You’ve never wanted to celebrate it before, or so it seemed. You never asked.” Volga sat down with her at that. “Why would you just...give up on it so quickly?”
“Well, my mother never cared for things like holidays and birthdays. I know the traditions and all that, but...I’ve never actually celebrated it before.”
The more Volga learned about her mother, the less he liked her. They had already agreed that Silva’s mother should not be allowed anywhere near their children.
“So you just had to watch as others celebrated? You were never allowed to join in?”
“Never. It would make mother upset if she saw me doing anything like that.”
“If you want to celebrate it, if you want our children to know your people's holidays and traditions, I won’t object. Just as I hope you wouldn’t object to celebrating my people's holidays and traditions.” Volga reached out to put his hand over hers.
Silva just looked at him for a moment, eyes filling with tears.
“We can compromise. That’s what mates do.”
She looked down, reaching up to wipe away her tears. Volga got up, moving to sit on the couch next to her so that he could comfort her.
“It’s always been what someone else, what my mother, wanted. I’m so used to not having a say in the matter that...that I never thought of compromising.”
“This year, why don’t we celebrate Yule? If you want to continue celebrating it each year, we can. You said you’ve never done it before. Let’s see how this year goes.” He pulled her close, kissing her forehead.
“Alright. Let’s see.”
They set up decorations, cut down a tree, and brought it inside, placing it in the living room; out of the way but not fully in a corner. Silva had gone to the village and bought some things to put on the tree, telling him they could make their own decorations later if they kept celebrating.
Silva brought in plants like holly, ivy, and mistletoe and placed them around the living room. She set candles around as well, lighting them each night.
They planned for a big meal, not quite a feast, and a small exchange of gifts.
It took only a moment for Volga to decide on what to give Silva. It took a bit longer for Silva to decide on what to get him.
Cards were given to a few of the villagers; the doctor, the general store owner, and the kind farmer who had given them a good deal on the cow.
Volga drew the line at caroling.
As the day drew nearer another box joined the one already under the tree after Silva sent out a letter.
On the night before Yule, Silva lit the candles, grabbed a warm blanket, and settled near the fireplace. She waved Volga over, opening the blanket encouragingly. He playfully rolled his eyes before joining her, slipping under the unneeded blanket and wrapping his arms around her.
She leaned against him with a soft sigh, looking at their tree.
“I love you.” She whispered, just for him.
“I love you, too.” He planted a kiss on her head, gently squeezing her.
They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the tree and each other's company.
When they finally went to bed, after the candles were blown out and the downstairs fire extinguished, Silva found herself hoping Volga would like his gift, fingering the pendant he’d given her when they’d first started courting.
Morning arrived with fresh snowfall, glimmering in the sunlight. They stayed in bed for a while, holding each other, too comfortable to get up just yet.
When they did finally get out of bed it was midmorning. They ate a light breakfast before starting preparations for the meal that night. They spent the better part of the day cooking, deciding to exchange gifts after dinner.
Volga tended the animals to occupy his time, joining Silva in cooking when he felt he was still too idle. As they waited for the cooking to be done they watched the snowfall through the window.
When they finally ate it was close to sunset, though it was only five-thirty. It was no surprise to Silva that Volga finished off most of the meal, leaving little leftovers. He had a big appetite after all.
When dinner was cleaned up, and what was left was put in storage, they settled by the fire to trade gifts.
Volga handed Silva hers first. It was a small box, unwrapped but with a little bow. She pulled off the ribbon and took off the lid. Inside were beautiful sapphire earrings, the same color as her pendant.
“Oh! They’re lovely!” She kissed Volga before changing her current earrings out for the new ones.
“Here, open yours!” She excitedly handed him his gift.
It was only slightly larger than the box she’d been given, similarly unwrapped but with a bow on top. Volga opened it to find a ruby pendant, in a style much like Silva’s.
“It’s enchanted, like the one you gave me. Protective spells, to keep you safe.” Silva looked down, feeling suddenly shy.
Volga took it out of the box, putting it on. He drew Silva in for a kiss, then pulled her close to his chest, resting his chin on her forehead.
“Thank you.”
Silva hummed happily and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of her mate’s embrace.
They stayed like that for a while, holding each other, watching as the snow fell quietly outside.