"He's… well, adorable." Fakir smiled and rested his cheek on his wife's forehead.
"Yes." She smiled tenderly and shifted the bundle of blanket in her arms. "The most adorable baby boy in the world, aren't you? Aren't you?"
The infant within the cocoon of blankets didn't reply. His luxurious black eyelashes fluttered, and his lips twitched. He was dreaming in flashes and subtle shapes, a wonderful kaleidoscope of nothing.
"It's almost time for Lilie to arrive, right?" Fakir asked at last.
"Oh, I guess it must be…" She turned to look at the grandfather clock upon the wall. "A quarter to five, that's what she said, right?"
"If that's so, I'll go tell the maids to be looking out for her."
"Alright. We'll be down in a moment."
Fakir disappeared through the doorway, and Duck went to look for a bottle. "Hm… Why is it that we can never seem to find your bottles? Are you moving them, Fabel?"
The baby didn't answer, just yawned sleepily and turned in her arms. She smiled.
"Let's see… Not here…" She closed the drawer and went over to the crib. "We didn't forget it in here, did we? No…" She sighed and shifted Fabel to the other arm. "Did the maids misplace it? Oh, well. We'll get you a new one downstairs."
She carried him over to the changing table and set him on it. "Hm… What outfit shall we dress you in?" She skillfully unwrapped the swath of quilts and reached for the baby powder in the upper shelf. Taking it down and about to unbutton the baby's onesie, she halted.
Her heart almost stopped as she took in the baby's newly sprouted hair. Her fingertips hovered gently over the fine whisps. She parted the small strands to confirm what she'd seen…
A lock of silver glinted in the sunlight.
Duck withdrew her hands, her shock reflected in her eyes. She stared at her son with an unfathomable expression.
It was with shaking hands that she finished changing the baby into a clean outfit. Picking him up gently, she went to her and Fakir's bedroom and searched the dressing table. On Fakir's end was a bottle of hair grease. She sat Fabel on top of it and poured some of the black grease onto her palms. She reached towards the strands and paused.
Her son, now wide awake, reached for her with splayed hands and gurgled. He smiled as Duck lowered a blackened hand to his. He pressed his palm to hers and glibbered with satisfaction. His wide blue eyes wandered up to meet hers. His eyelashes were oh-so-very black and long, much unlike Duck's… His other tiny hand reached for her as well.
Her mouth quivering, Duck knelt until their gaze was even and rose her other hand to his. His fingers touched hers and grasped her index finger.
A feeling that Duck did not know how to cope with rose in her chest. It was both an icy anguish and a burning joy. Swallowing, she raised her hand and stroked her son's cheek.
"Duck?"
Startled, Duck wiped the rest of the grease off her hands onto her arpon and scooped up Fabel. She spun to face the speaker.
A young lady with blond hair and a prim dress was standing in the doorway. She smiled. "Fakir said you were up here, so I decided to come look for you… I'm sorry if I startled you."
Duck took a moment to catch her breath. "It's alright." She took a corner of her apron and tenderly cleaned off the grease from Fabel's cheek. "Say hi to Aunt Lilie, Fabel!"
Fabel stared at Lilie with those indiscernible wide eyes.
"I was just about to get some tea going. Would you like some?" Duck forced a smile and headed for the hall.
The icy strands of Fabel's hair caught the light. The sight reminded Duck of why she'd came into the bedroom in the first place, and she stopped. Behind her, Lilie's silence rang out. She turned around – Lilie was staring at Fabel in awe.
Duck didn't know what to say. She was frozen to the spot, her face pale. Lilie's eyes darted between Fabel and Duck, who held her son tightly. Finally, she spoke.
"Did you know?"
Duck choked out a reply. "I wasn't sure."
The two stood there in silence for several moments. Duck realized that her friend wasn't going to judge or accuse her, and her stance relaxed. Lilie smiled tentatively before asking, "Does he know?"
The reminder tore through Duck's chest with the same sensation as before – except now the ice was winning. "N-no."
Lilie was quiet for another moment. Her eyes went to the hair grease on Duck's apron, then back to Duck. "Well, um, I'll just give you a moment, then."
Duck nodded and managed to smile. Lilie came hesitantly forward and lightly touched Fabel's silver hair. Awe crossed her features once more, and then she hurried out.
Duck exhaled. Cradling Fabel, she went back to the dressing table, paused, then continued on to the window. She pulled back the curtains to let in more sunlight. The warm beams danced off the baby's hair in a dazzle of white.
Duck stared at the sight, mesmerized. She ruffled his hair, as if expecting it to be a trick. But there was none to be found – each strand was white from the root to the tip.
Duck's hand flew to her cheek. A giggle of disbelief escaped her lips, and she clapped her palm over her mouth. She was completely in shock. She'd known it was possible, but she'd been so certain…
She hugged Fabel tight to her chest. Now she had to decide what to do. So many possible outcomes… She was afraid.
Fabel's hand grasped at her hair, and she gently closed it into a tiny fist and held it to her cheek. She would be brave for him, her son.
Their son. The sunlight continued to jump across the infant's hair and eyes, making him shine. The sparkle in his eyes reminded Duck of…
Tears sprang to her eyes and began to flow before she could stop them. Hot and itchy, they ran down her cheeks and neck. She buried her face in the baby's hair. Before she could stop herself, she was crying out –
"I wish you knew!"