The one where Nesta adopts an abandoned Illyrian baby
*Just an idea that came to me while I was listening to the Little women musical, I thought I'd try my hand writing it
She found her in the woods wrapped in a thin gray blanket barely big enough to cover her small feet. Fury swept through her at the memory. She was tiny, far smaller than any child she had seen thus far. Her face was so pale she could have sworn the baby wasn't breathing. Her heart clenched, still feeling the terror twist in her gut.
She had swiftly lifted the baby into her arms, cradling her like she did when Feyre was born. A very long time ago, long before their lives turned upside down. She hadn't let go of the little girl once before she reached the healer, only taking time to glance at her and adjust for comfort. The baby needed warmth and Nesta had a well of fire inside her. She would keep her safe and snug.
Cassian had showed her where a healer lived when they first started working together training Illyrians.
"Just in case." He had said when she gave him an incredulous look.
"We both know battles come with wounds."
She had never needed the healer beforehand and with fae magic she had never found it necessary. Any major injuries she sustained had long been healed since the war and any new injury could be healed with time and magic, two things she had an infinite supply of.
Once at the small cottage, the healer had taken one look at her and, with a grim look on his face, beckoned her inside. He had not commented on her haggard appearance, did not question the likelihood of her finding a baby during her training in the wilderness. He had just held the door open and told her to set the baby down on the padded table.
Nesta hesitated. A tug in her heart said that this baby would be taken care of and to let the man do his job, but she was reluctant to let go. This baby had already seen too much neglect and she wasn't about to let it happen again.
When she finally caught her breath, she could see that the child had tufts of black hair curled at the end. She had big, bright blue eyes, like the sky she had almost not been able to see. She's beautiful Nesta had thought. When cries began to make their way out of the little girl's mouth, Nesta's eyes shimmered. She has strong lungs too.
The healer had examined the little girl with the utmost care and an inkling of guilt formed in Nesta for thinking he would harm her. It was quickly smothered before she could dwell on it. Warriors never trusted someone they just met.
"Well, looks like she'll be okay. She's small that's for certain, but she'll live."
Relief washed over Nesta and before she could express how grateful she was, he spoke again.
"If you plan on keeping her, she's going to need a lot of attention. She needs to be fed at least four times a day, though I'd recommend a little more till her weight is up."
She blanked at this. Now that the initial panic was over, Nesta hadn't thought about what to do after the baby was okay. She wasn't ready to take care of a baby. It had only been a few years since she learned how to take care of herself, and even that could still use improvements.
"Also, her wings are crooked which is why I suspect they left her out in the woods. Illyrians and their precious wings." Eyes rolling and disdain coating his voice.
"She probably won't be able to fly anytime soon, maybe not at all. Only time will tell. But perhaps by some miracle she'll be able to. After all, she did find you today."
Everything had rushed into Nesta's head and all she could do was nod. Grabbing the newly swaddled baby out of his arms, she had just given the man her thanks and bid him farewell. Her mind in a daze and her vision slightly hazy. She now had a baby.
She remembered the fear, the fear of not being good enough for this child, not being able to take care of her the way a baby needed to be taken care of. Nesta had never been good at expressing her affections, not good enough for a child who would need more love than she knew how to give.
Nevertheless, she would not leave the baby to squander out in the woods. The little girl would have not survived what lurked in the night.
Yet the thought of leaving the baby at all, made her heart clench and her stomach turn. No, no, that is not an option. Nesta had always been headstrong, if she was going to keep this baby, she was going to commit and be the best care taker anyone could have ever had. This baby would yearn for nothing. She would try her best and she'd be damned if any harm came to this tiny child she carried in her arms.
When her decision cemented itself in her mind, there was no turning back. She could only hope, and with her head held high above her, she made her way to someone who knew what to do when a crisis came upon him. Cauldron knows he'd been in enough of them.
When Cassian saw Nesta make her way to him, his beating heart betrayed him. With Nesta, he always felt like he was on an unsteady sea that would not cease its violent and chaotic nature. Which is to say that his stomach always felt queasy. Not that he would tell anyone.
His relationship with her, although heavily improved, was still rocky. She was mostly comfortable with him and occasionally she would ask him for his help, something she rarely did for anyone else. He considered that a success in itself. He made her smile on more than one occasion, and although laughter was harder to come by, he brought that out of her too.
The pulling in his gut only got stronger as time passed and their relationship progressed, but he knew Nesta was Nesta and she would come along when she was ready. He'd wait for her forever if he had too. He thought maybe their relationship would progress a little faster after the war was over, but no such luck. He couldn't blame her, she needed to heal and so did he.
As Nesta got closer to him, he could see that she was carrying something. Or someone. He titled his head. Is that a baby?
"I found this baby in the woods and I've decided to take care of her. End of story. Goodbye."
Cassian barely had time to blink before she was heading out. He ran to catch up with her.
"Wait, wait, wait. What? A baby? In the woods?" Nesta merely rolled her eyes.
"That's precisely what I said two seconds ago. Anymore questions?"
He was taken back.
"Yes. Now sit down and tell me what happened." He said motioning for her to sit beside him.
She sighed as she always seemed to do when she was talking to him.
"I was training in the woods, you know, like I always do." Cassian nodded.
"and I see this bundle laying on the floor near a tree. I look to scout what it is, and there she was, half covered in blankets. I took her to the healer, he said she'd be okay and he told me that if I planned on taking care of her I'd better learn how."
Cassian was at a loss for words. For once. He noticed how Nesta seemed to grasp the little bundle tighter.
"Cassian, I thought about giving her to someone but I can't. She's too small and she has no one. I don't trust anyone to take care of her, not after I found her in the woods all alone. Her wings aren't good, no Illyrian's going to want her. And I can't…"
Cassian placed his hands on her shoulders, he could feel them trembling beneath. She was overwhelmed that much he could sense through the bond they both chose to ignore for now. She was going to take care of this child, some part of the bastard in him swelled with pride at the women before him. People like her made good warriors, people like her would make good mothers.
"Shh. It's okay. I understand. You do what you have to do. I'll talk to Rhys about letting you take a leave for a while. First things first, though, I'd like to meet this little tyke."
A small but warm smile bloomed on Nesta's face. He loved that look, especially when it was directed at him. One day.
She held out her arms and parted the blankets wrapping the child. Before he even saw her, he knew that baby had to be strong. To survive in these conditions as an unprotected child, even for a while, was asking for a death sentence. Nesta had arrived just in time. The cauldron had blessed this little girl. She was beautiful was the first thing he noticed, then her eyes. They were a shade bluer than Nesta's.
He glanced at the wings she mentioned, tightly woven to the little girl's body. He immediately knew why someone had given their daughter to the unforgiving mountain side. Rage fitted itself in the pit of his stomach. Her small wings were not in the alignment stable enough for flight, but she could grow out of it. Hopefully, and if not well, there were other ways of being an Illyrian.
He remembered when his wings were shredded and a hollow sort of feeling permeated his body. This little girl might never feel the shifts of wind underneath her, may never taste the freedom that comes from kissing the sky. Nesta looked at him, probably could sense the shift of moods.
"I don't care if she can't fly, if she never can. Her worth is not designated by how strong her wings are, I don't care if she an Illyrian."
The conviction in her voice was one he knew well. She always knew what to say and when to say it. It was one of the things he loved most about her.
"Well, if you're going to keep her, she should probably have a name. Unless you want all of us to call her kid for the rest of her life."
Nesta rolled her eyes, and the side of her mouth tilted upwards. She moved to stand up, grasping the baby firmly in her arms. She looked at me then, before she started up again.
"Nina. Her name is Nina." And with that she walked away.
Cassian continued to stare in the direction she left in, utterly transfixed by this woman and now her child. Nina and Nesta. Strength and fire. World get ready you have not seen the last of them. With that Cassian moved to start up training again and then to find Rhys, he never once thought of anything else but them.