"It would be my honor to do so," he says. "Thank you."

Once the midwife has left them, Skellig resettles on the bed - listening as her footsteps grow softer and fade as she travels back to her place within the village walls, ensuring that she too makes it safely back to her 'nest' - and his primary focus is on Kreyu's breathing against him, her heartrate.

It is not long before he allows sleep to take hold again for the hours that remain before daylight threatens the horizon, and the world outside begins to stir in the pre-dawn.

He is awake again before she is, but he does not rouse her, choosing instead to bask in her presence.