A/N: Hello! So, this particular Inkblots story details the birth of Dustfinger and thus primarily stars new characters. To avoid confusion, we'all explain these characters here.
Luca and Elettra/Lettie are Dustfinger's parents; Luca being a juggler with the strolling players. Juliana and Rowan, who you'll meet later on in the chapter, are the Black Prince's parents. They'll be heavily featured in the next few stories as we play through the early lives of Dustfinger and the Prince and may be mentioned or referred to later on in other stories. Another character that will show up in later stories is Marco, a personal friend of both boy's parents.
This is in no way cannon and we only own Marco, Luca, Lettie, Juliana, and Rowan. All other characters belong to Cornelia Funke.
Also, writing updates and a few little extras can be found on our Twitter and Instagram pages! :) Links for those can be found on our profile page.
The Dawn After the Fading Light
(The story of Dustfinger's birth)
"Luc, my love," came the soft voice of Luca's wife. Even through sleep, he could hear the way she had to struggle to get the words out as she wrapped her thin fingers around his hand. Adrenaline coursed through his veins before he even had a chance to open his eyes and he woke with a start, jumping up to turn and face her.
"The baby?" he breathed as he sat up, taking in the pain in her expression. He brushed his hair out of his face with his free hand as panic rose up in him. There was no midwife with them. With the threat of the gallows hanging over the strolling players' heads, he and Lettie could not stay in one place for very long and no midwife was willing to drop everything to travel along with a strolling player and his wife, but one had taught him how to deliver the child should they be too far away from a village to get there, as they were now. Both of them had thought they had a bit more time to get there.
Elettra didn't respond at first, taking a shaky breath as the pain in her expression subsided for a moment only to quickly return barely a moment later. A small moan escaped her lips as she tightened her grip on his hand, her other hand moving to rest on her stomach.
"I don't think our little one is teasing us this time," came her voice at last, though the answer was now obvious. Luca could not hide the concern in his expression. Having a baby was a risk when you had proper care and a good home in which to do this, but all Lettie had now was his feeble knowledge of how to deliver the child and the forest floor to lay on. If anything went wrong, anything at all, there would be nothing he could do to help her or their child. Still, there was no changing anything now.
"Then it's time to meet our baby," he replied, forcing the glimmer of a smile to his lips. They had waited so long to meet their child, but his fear for his wife and child outweighed his excitement in this moment. "I'll be with you the whole time. It'll be okay."
Elettra gave a nod, struggling to take a deep breath between the stabs of pain, though she seemed to relax some at her husband's words. As time passed, however, and the pain came more and more and with shorter periods of time in between, her worry seemed to grow again and the fact that Luca could do nothing but sit by her side, hand in hers as he whispered quiet assurances in her ear, did not calm his nerves either. She was in so much pain, pain that only increased with each contraction, and if what he was told was correct, she would be in this much pain for awhile yet.
He watched as she ran her hand over her stomach, a small moan escaping her lips when the contractions got too bad. Using his free hand, he stroked her light blonde hair back away from her face as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. They were told Elettra would know when it was time to truly bring their baby into this world and until then, there wasn't much he could do. He'd long since decided to spend this time waiting by her side, comforting her as best he could.
Luca could not say how long they sat like that, only noticing the passing time when light began to shine through the canopy of leaves surrounding them. It was a beautiful sunrise, though Luca only looked at it for a second, full of brilliant oranges and pinks. Not a bad sunrise for their child to be born under.
"I think it's time, my love," came Lettie's quiet voice, strained by the pain that now came near relentlessly with little to no break in between. Suddenly, panic rose up in Luca's heart and mind. He had been instructed on how to deliver their child, but that had been so long ago and only once. When he thought back to the instructions, he found they didn't seem to want to make their way back into his mind through the fog fear had put there; a fog that dulled his thoughts and senses making the world seem muffled and blurry.
What did he do? If anything at all went wrong, he would lose both her and the baby. He couldn't afford to forget like this! Hadn't he just been reciting this information earlier that prior evening like he did every single day so that this didn't happen. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment and brought each step into his mind one by one, executing each as he did, starting with the first. He found the thoughts were clearer now when he forced himself to keep his head and soon, he was holding his baby in his arms.
"It's a boy, Lettie," grinned Luca proudly as he swaddled him in a spare blanket they had managed to get their hands on. Now that he held the infant in his arms, heard his cries, strong and healthy, his fear dissipated entirely, replaced only by a love so strong and so different than any other he had felt, but just as unconditional, if not even more so. "Our baby boy."
Elettra closed her eyes, a tired smile gracing her lips as she took in the sound of her baby's cries.
"He looks perfectly healthy too, Lettie," Luca absolutely beamed as he moved closer to show off the tiny infant in his arms. "I think he's going to be okay."
As he moved to sit beside her so she could see their son in full, he held the baby close as though he feared to drop him, but his grip was also light. He felt so fragile and small in his arms and the irrational fear of breaking the child rose up in his mind for a moment. The baby's cries began to soften now as Elettra blinked open her eyes to take in the little bundle, more blanket than baby now.
Thin rays of the rising sunlight gleamed across the bright red hair, so like his father's, that sat delicate and wispy atop his head. He was perfect in the eyes of the young couple. Beautiful and perfect in every way and he was theirs to love and raise and get to know.
"Barely born and already so like his father," Lettie said softly, the intensity of her emotions bringing tears to her eyes as she glanced up at her husband. She took another breath at only the short sentence, feeling so tired, though she suspected that giving birth was always such tiring work, especially when it woke you so early in the night. She didn't know how long she was able to sleep, but she figured it wasn't long. Even with the pain and fatigue, she would have changed nothing. It had been worth it to see such a small miracle add just a bit more light to this dark world.
A soft laugh escaped Luca at the comparison. The child had most definitely inherited his bright red hair, as red as a flame, and perhaps a few other features as well, but there was still so much of Lettie in that small face.
"Yes," his gaze dropped back down to his son, taking in each and every one of his tiny features; from his hair to his eyes, a dark baby blue still, to even the roundness of his little cheeks. "Our little fire elf, it seems, but I do think he has your nose."
"Then let us hope he's happy being cursed with such a thing," she teased, giving a weak laugh. The sight of her husband so happy as he cradled their baby in his arms kept a small smile on her lips though she felt so tired. It had been a rare thing to see him so genuinely happy lately, between his concern for her and the baby, the lack of food, and the usual worries of being a strolling player in Argenta.
"Your nose, my Lettie, is the farthest thing from a curse," he told her as he leaned down to kiss that beautiful nose.
Elettra gave another small smile and lifted her hand to brush her fingers across the baby's small cheek, feel his soft hair. But after only a moment, she had to let her hand fall back to her side. She really was very tired.
"Our little fire elf," she said under her breath. "I like that."
Though it was hard to quell the sheer joy their child brought him, a little more concern came into his expression when he saw how tired she was. Was that normal? He knew she was going to be quite tired after that, but this seemed like a lot. She had barely been able to hold her own hand up that long.
"Do you want to hold him?" He asked as he glanced over her for any signs that something was wrong. That was when he saw the blood, much more blood than had been described to him. His face paled at the sight of it. He was told a little bleeding would be healthy, but this - this looked excessive. "Lettie, are you sure you feel alright?"
The question came before she could even respond to the first. Part of him still hoped this was normal, but at the same time, he knew it couldn't be. It had already exceeded the rags he had placed to handle what little he expected. It was then he remembered something he had been told: if she bled too much, there would be nothing he could do to save her. Nothing at all.
"I'm just a bit tired, my love," she told him, trying to keep her tone reassuring, though the panic on his face sent fear coursing through her as well. She took a deep breath to try and calm how rapidly her heart beat in her chest, even before the scare. She felt a little cold too, but she was sure it was just the cool autumn air that made her feel this way. The days had been steadily growing colder as time went on. There was nothing strange about being a little cold.
Her eyes drifted back to her son and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to finally hold him close to her for the first time. "Can I hold him?" She asked quietly, gaze filled with the love she held for both her husband and her baby.
"Of course," came Luca's voice, soft and distracted. He could not shake the worry he felt for her from his mind and heart. Gently, very gently, he laid the child in her arms before looking back at the blood, deciding at the very least, he should get something to clean it up. While his heart wanted to believe that this was normal, his mind told him it was not. No one could lose this much blood and still be healthy, after giving birth or not, but Lettie said she felt fine; just a little tired and he was sure everyone felt tired after such a thing. In all honesty, he wasn't sure what to do or to believe and that seemed to make his anxiety over the situation worse.
"My sweet fire elf," came her voice, a small smile growing on her lips as she looked at the face of her baby. Luca was right; it did look like he would have her nose. The rest, though, was almost entirely Luca, his eyes, his hair, the way his mouth curved down at the corners. "We've waited a long time for you, my little love."
Elettra raised her hand again to run her finger along his cheek, struggling for a moment to raise her head enough to kiss his. She moved slightly so that he was beside her, his head in the crook of her arm. As she went to lean her head against his, just that small movement made her head spin slightly. She gave a quick gasp, closing her eyes for a moment.
"Lettie?" Luca asked, his voice carrying a tone of urgency. Something was definitely wrong. He knew hardly anything about this, but anyone could tell that at this point. Suddenly, it hit him as he looked over at his wife and the baby she held in her arms that he could actually lose her. If this was what he suspected, he couldn't help her.
His heart beat so rapidly as he waited for a response he could practically feel it pounding against his chest. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Not after they just got to meet their baby.
They were supposed to raise him together. She was going to be such a wonderful mother and he had waited so long for this moment only to have all of the joy snatched away at the realization that he very well may be sitting there, watching her life, her light, fade away as the light of the sun rose higher in the sky above them, the clouds still painted in marvelous colors. Not a bad sky to be born under, but an unfitting one for a death.
"Something's wrong," came Lettie's voice as her eyes, her beautiful eyes, opened to gaze over at him once more. "Isn't it, my love?"
The panic he felt was evident in his gaze, though he tried to stay so calm, as he looked back at Lettie. She could tell now too and if she could tell something was wrong, then it was, but how could he answer her question? How could he tell the love of his life, his everything, that she was dying; dying to bring their son into this world? His tongue refused to even form the words, to acknowledge it, as though that alone could keep Death from taking her. When at last he spoke, his words were not answers, yet they made the answers so painfully clear.
"I don't know. I don't know what to do, Lettie," he said, the fear he felt for her making his voice tight and strangled. Tears rose into his eyes and he had to blink a few times to keep them back. He was so scared for her, but he had to be strong now. She couldn't just die like this. He needed her. Their son needed her. "I don't know what to do."
Fear shot through Elettra as she fought back tears of her own even though she had already suspected as much. Her gaze moved down to the baby nestled in her arms. He hadn't yet eaten, but there was no way she could move him or hold him up long enough for that when she wasn't even strong enough to lift up her own head. She didn't want to leave her loves. Luca was all she had for a long time and they had just brought their first child into the world. They had made so many plans for the future, including more children than just their son.
"It's okay, my love," she said softly before taking a shaky breath. "You've done what you were supposed to do."
Lettie's eyes met his again as she slowly moved to hold her free hand out to him, wanting to be with him as long as she could. Even if just this one action took up so much energy…But Luca only shook his head at her words as he took her hand, holding on as though he could hold her here. There had to be more he could do - he couldn't just sit here and watch her die - but try as he might, he could think of nothing to help in this situation and he'd tried; he'd tried so hard.
'There has to be something more I can do, Lettie," he murmured under his breath, voice breaking with the desperation he felt as tears once more filled his eyes. This should have been a day they were celebrate for the rest of their lives… but now he could find no joy in it…not without his love, his light, his Lettie. "I can't…I can't lose you…"
Elettra shut her eyes against the desperation in his voice, a single tear sliding down her cheek before she could stop it. The last thing she wanted to do was leave them. She wanted to watch her son grow, to grow old with the boy she loved. They always referred to this baby as their first born - always assumed they'd have more.
But she voiced none of these things, instead, opening her eyes once more and curling her fingers around his hand. She had always made sure to comfort or reassure him when he was upset and that wasn't going to stop, even now.
"You'll be okay, my love," she whispered. "You have our son, and he has you. You'll be an amazing father. And he will light up your world just as you have lit up mine from the moment I met you. This may not be what we planned, but you'll be okay."
She had to close her eyes once more, catching her breath after speaking for so long. It was so hard to open her eyes again, she was so tired, but she had to. She had to see the faces of her loves for as long as she could. It would be their faces that she saw last; the love she felt for them being the last thing she wanted to think of, the last thing she wanted to feel.
"But I won't. Not without you," he told her, voice too quiet but it was all he could manage. Tears filled his eyes and blurred his vision for a moment before they finally spilled over to slip down his cheeks. This was really happening. He was really losing her. The pain he felt at that thought was so strong it almost felt like it were strangling him, taking the breath from his lungs. "You are my love, my life, my light, Elettra. You are my Lettie and I could never even imagine my life without you and your beautiful smile,"
His words seemed to come without thought from the deepest parts of his heart, filled to the brim with his love for her.
"Nevertheless, my love," he began again, meeting her eyes. These words held a more serious tone. They were not a statement, they were a promise to her. "This child is our world and I vow, as I vowed on the day we found out about him, that I will love him more dearly than anything - I already do - and that I will protect him to my dying breath."
They had both heard too many stories of children abandoned because their fathers could not handle the pain, could not bring himself to keep the child near. After all, especially in the country of Argenta where people could not usually afford the level of care those in Lombrica could, deaths during childbirth were no rare occurrence. If this was happening right now, if he was losing his Lettie like this, he vowed never to be one of those fathers. He had only known the child a few moments and even in his sorrow and pain the love he held for that tiny child was still too strong to fathom such a thing, even if he did have Lettie's nose to remind him of her and no doubt her beauty and kindness and light too.
The corners of Elettra's mouth turned up into a weak smile as his words sent relief flooding through her. They truly would be okay, even after she left them. It wasn't a question of if she left now, just a question of when; a question that was answered when her eyes met the pale white forms of the White Women approaching from behind Luca. Three of Death's daughters slowly approaching, her name on their lips, beckoning her to them. For a moment, longing filled her, longing for them and their world and the peace it promised. It was Luca who brought her back to her senses, his grip on her hand tightening and sending fear jolting through her, fear of leaving her loves, her whole world, behind.
Lettie turned her gaze away from the White Women to her husband, letting it linger there for only a moment, before her eyes found the baby she held in her arms. Slowly, she turned to press a kiss to the child's forehead, placing her free hand over him as she held him close to her. Her eyes trailed over his face, taking in each and every tiny detail and committing it to memory as though she were afraid to forget it in death before she looked back at Luca again.
"I love you, Luca," she said softly. The White Women were so close to her now, reaching their hands out to her though Luca tried to keep them back, pressing his hands over her ears in a desperate attempt to keep their words from reaching her heart, but still they did, filling her with a longing for them so strong it filled her with a pain she never even knew. "So, so much."
As she finished speaking, her eyes closed. She could feel their cold fingers around her heart, hear their words in her head, calling. Calling her to them and drowning out all other emotions until there was nothing else.
Luca's eyes widened as the White Woman plunged their hands into her heart despite the way he pleaded with them to leave, to let him have his Lettie, at least a little longer, but still her breaths slowed until they came no more, and the sound of her heart beating ceased to exist. They had called her to the realm of Death herself. His love was gone.
Pain. So much pain, filling his mind and his heart, smothering all other thoughts and emotions until only it existed in him. Pain so strong it brought tears falling down his cheeks in streams, desperate sobs rising from deep inside him, and taking the breath from his lungs so each came as a short burst between his cries. He wrapped his fingers around her hand as tightly as though it could hold her with him, but she was already gone and nothing could bring her back.
"Lettie," he called, his voice but a breath when he could finally spare one. "Lettie, please."
But her voice did not answer his, her eyes did not gaze back up at him, her fingers did not lace themselves through his again. She was lost to him. His love was gone, taken from him far too soon. She would never get to watch their son grow and he would never get to know his mother; the sound of her voice, the feel of her embrace, her bright smile as she laughed.
Their son. He was the only thing that drew Luca from the pain, his small cry resounding in the air. Luca raised his head to gaze at the tiny bundle still held so carefully. Suddenly, it dawned on him. Without Lettie, there would be no milk with which to feed their son. A new wave of panic washed over the young man as he instinctively glanced around as though he might find help just among the trees, but there was nothing and no one to be found.
"Shhh. It's going to be okay," whispered Luca as he leaned forward to lift the crying infant in his arms. He had to fight back more tears as he was forced to remove the child from Elettra's embrace for the first and last time. "I promise you, my little fire elf, it'll be alright. Daddy's here and I won't let anything at all happen to you. I swear it."
As the child's cries quieted, he blinked up at Luca with eyes so like his own and suddenly everything came into focus at once. This tiny baby he held here in his arms would be his priority now, no matter how badly his heart wanted to just sit here and mourn the girl he loved and lost. But the child would need to nurse first and foremost, something that could not be done with Luca just sitting here. He would have to find another infant's mother who would be willing to help a poor strolling player such as himself. It would not be as easy as it sounded and suddenly worry reemerged in his heart for yet another time. What if he couldn't? What if he lost his baby as he had Lettie?
No. He pushed away these thoughts as well, burying his worry and sorrow and pain deep in his heart as best he could with the emotions being so intense and new. He had to do this for his baby… and for his Lettie, too. Sheer determination moved into his heart, taking the place of his pain as he continued to gaze down at the baby wrapped so gently in his arms; determination not to lose this child, to protect him and care for him, to raise him to be a man his mother would be proud of, and to be a father Lettie would be proud of too.
This would be his driving force when nothing else could be or when the pain got too strong and he felt as though he made not be able to go on. His son would be his life, his whole world. He already was and he had been since the day he learned he was coming and he would not let Death, or anything else for the matter, take him as they took his mother. He would not lose this baby if he could do anything, anything at all, to help him.
Luca wandered through the Wayless Wood, traveling in the direction of the next village. Someone there had to help. They had to. It had been two whole days since the baby he carried in his arms had been born and not once had he been able to eat. They'd only come across one other village and no one there had been willing to help no matter much Luca begged.
He stumbled slightly, tightening his grip on his child as he almost tripped on the uneven ground. Sleep had been elusive since he'd lost Lettie and rest had rarely been an option, not wanting to waste even one precious moment that could be spent trying to save his son. He'd spent as long as long as he could walking to where he knew there would be people or begging some new mother to help care for his baby and when he finally did collapse under the under the nearest tree to rest, the child's starving wails or his own thoughts and nightmares about his son or the wife he had lost kept him up. Shifting the baby to lay in one arm, he passed a hand over his face, silently pleading to find someone soon. He had grown desperate long ago and each step he took only made it worse.
At the sudden lurching movement, the baby startled in his arms and a loud cry filled the air around them, the intense hunger he felt being joined with the panic. Luca looked down at the child, expression both pained and apologetic. The guilt at not being able to get him something as simple as some food felt as though it were eating him alive. His baby had only been in this world for two days and already he was failing as a father. What would Lettie think of him now?
"I'm so sorry, my little fire elf," said Luca as he continued on, occasionally looking up at where he was going as he brushed his finger back and forth across his son's small cheek. "I promise it'll be okay soon."
The baby's cries quieted some as he turned his head towards Luca's hand, mouth open in search of the food he so desperately needed. The action broke Luca's heart, though he thought it had already been broken beyond repair mere days ago. He could not help the child and no one else was willing to either. For a moment, he thought his emotions would take over and force tears from his eyes yet again, but it was anger that affected him now.
Anger for the White Women who took his Lettie away and stranded their son, anger for a country so cruel it couldn't even offer a little care to a poor performer and his family, anger towards the women who had turned him away even though he begged them to help while the newborn baby screamed in his arms, unused to the pain of hunger. The poor child should have never had to feel that. But he quickly quelled those emotions too so he could speak softly to his son without the anger changing the tone of his voice. The child needed comfort at least and his feelings alone would not bring him sustenance.
"I know," he told him. "I know and I am so, so sorry. I'm doing the best I can, I swear it. I will not stop until I find you food."
Luca's eyes scanned the trees around him over and over as he continued on, searching desperately for signs of life. Villages were not the only place in which he could find people, just the only stationary ones. Small groups and families of strolling players were scattered throughout these woods, hiding among the trees from the Adderhead. Perhaps he could find a new mother among them, though it was unlikely he'd stumble across people out here that easily and even if he did, there may not even be a mother with them.
The child still turned his head towards the body against his cheek, mouth open in hopes of food, but when he found none, his cries returned and he began to squirm in the blankets surrounding his tiny form. This time, Luca did feel the urge to cry. He couldn't help but fixate on the fact that his son, the one he should have been able to protect and provide for, was literally starving here in his arms mere days after coming into this world and with each passing moment, each hopeless step, it seemed more and more as though he would lose him too.
Silently, he pleaded someone, anyone really, to show up here willing to help him, but no one did. Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime of the pitiful sound and the pain it caused him, the baby's crying quieted into whimpers. He tired so quickly without the energy food was supposed to provide and he'd already cried so much today alone.
Luca's heart skipped a few beats, however, when one small hand escaped the blankets and wrapped itself around the fabric of his father's shirt. Involuntarily, he quickened his pace. He had to find help and soon before the unthinkable happened to this sweet baby boy.
Suddenly, the sound of an infant's cries reached his ears once again. His gaze automatically moved down to the child he held in his arms, but found he was sound asleep, little eyelashes cradling his cheeks and fingers still wrapped around his shirt. The noise was distant, too. His heart pounded in his chest as his eyes darted around in search of any sign of the source of the crying, but still he could not see anyone. There was someone there, though - someone with an infant of their own - and that only filled him with a renewed energy he hadn't expected.
Quickening his pace even further until he was almost jogging through the trees, he hurried in the direction of the cries, hope rising as the sound grew louder and louder, closer and closer. Perhaps his son really would be saved. If they were this deep in the Wayless Wood, they were not the ordinary townsfolk that turned away the poor and ignored the starving. No, they must be strolling players and strolling players tended to help each other because they knew all too well what it was like to be all they had in this world.
At last, he finally laid eyes on the young couple, indeed dressed in strolling player's clothes, and the tiny infant in his mother's arms. He could not help the tears that rose to his eyes as he silent begged anyone who would listen that this be it; the moment he had been waiting far too long for, the help they so desperately needed.
"Please," he pleaded, voice tight with the emotion he could not keep out of it if he tried. He didn't even bother with formalities. They no longer held any importance in his mind - not now. "Please, my son… he's starving. His mother is no longer with us. It's been two days and he hasn't eaten even once. Please, I know it's a lot, but can you help him? I'll do anything. Anything, I swear. Just please….please do not let him starve like this. I'm begging you. He's all I have left."
As he spoke, words coming in a torrent of desperation and fear, he noticed how startled the woman looked, holding her own baby closer to her chest, but as his words came to a close and she realized what was going on, she seemed to relax. Slowly, she stood, glancing at her husband. He could just barely hear the words she spoke to him.
"I should be able to feed him, Rowan. Our little one never takes everything and his child hasn't eaten at all."
The man - Rowan - looked Luca over, obvious distrust in his gaze, but something about him must have convinced the other man he meant no harm to them; his only wish to save his baby from the fate he faced.
"If our son can spare some," he said with a quick nod, gaze moving down to the red headed bundle in Luca's arms. "His son should be able to eat too."
For a moment, Luca honestly felt as though he were in a dream, heart fluttering wildly in his chest as he realized his son really would be alright. These people would actually help him. He wouldn't starve. He could form no words to express his gratitude - could any even compare? - yet still, he spoke.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. I could never repay you for the kindness you've shown," he said, voice breaking as he fought back the full extent of his emotions. The young man felt as though he could laugh and cry all at once, but he kept his composure, only glancing down at his son, a true genuine smile on his face for the first time in days as he walked closer to the people before him.
Carefully, the woman put her own son in her husband's arms, running a finger along his cheek for a second before turning and slowly walking towards the other strolling player. As they met there in the middle, she reached out to brush a hand over the infant's soft red hair, a smile adorning her own expression as she looked back up at Luca.
"He's perfect," she said. "He's completely healthy?"
"As far as I can tell," answered Luca, his own gaze moving to meet hers. Without a midwife, his son's health had only been judged by what Luca had seen and his best judgement, but he seemed healthy enough to him; ten little fingers and ten little toes, good color when he was born, and a strong, healthy cry. The only other thing he could think to check was that he could eat properly, but he hadn't been able to eat at all. "I didn't see anything wrong with him."
Giving a nod, the woman held out her hands to take the tiny child from Luca's arms. Suddenly, it felt strange to not have the weight of his child in his embrace, having carried him so far and so long, even holding him as they slept. Two days in which he had rarely put the child down.
"I'll take him and feed him," she said as she gave another small smile. "Our son just finished. And you can feel free to rest for a bit."
Almost as an afterthought, she paused before adding, "I'm Juliana, by the way, and that's my husband, Rowan, with our son."
"My name is Luca," he told her, almost going to introduce the baby too until he remembered the child still had no name. He and Lettie had several possible names picked out for not only this baby, but the others they were supposed to have together as well, however, they had never decided before she had died. She had wanted to meet the child before they picked one, thinking it would be quite unfortunate if he were given a name that just didn't fit him, and Luca had been too caught up trying to get the child fed to pick a name.
Despite these thoughts, a bright smile lit up the young man's face as he watched Juliana gently wake the baby, waiting until he had blinked his eyes open before allowing him to eat for the first time since he'd entered this world. At the first taste of food, the infant suddenly did not look so tired anymore, eating so quickly and so heartily he made little noises with each mouthful. The sight brought Luca an unexplainable amount of joy and relief, especially after having to worry so much and for so long that he would lose his baby too. But now he was eating and he ate well too; a perfectly happy, healthy little boy now that his belly would be full.
When the baby had finished, Juliana ran her thumb along his small cheek and for the first time, he didn't turn his head or cry from hunger or frustration. No, the only reason he had stopped eating then was because the sweet newborn had fallen asleep in the middle of it. After a moment, she turned her gaze up to meet Luca's and he saw something like compassion in her dark eyes.
"He certainly is a good eater," she said with a kind smile. "And he's very sweet."
"Thank you," said Luca with something almost like pride for the little bundle in the woman's arms. "He is, isn't he?"
She stood slowly and carefully as though she were afraid to wake him from such a deep sleep, probably the first good sleep he had gotten since he had been born. Just as gently, she transferred him back into his father's arms.
"Here," she said softly. "I'm sure he would prefer you to anyone else. You've taken very good care of him."
At her words, Luca's gaze moved back to Juliana, something like surprise in his expression. He would never have considered letting his own son starve for two days taking good care of him and yet here she was… complimenting him. He found it hard to imagine why she might think that.
"What happened wasn't your fault," she said as she offered a sad smile at the look on his face. "You couldn't have changed anything. Some men wouldn't have even bothered to work this hard to find someone who could save his son, but you did and even though you couldn't feed him, you kept him clean and warm and safe. It's obvious you love him. That's just as important as making sure he's fed."
The young strolling player returned her smile as a swell of new emotions rose in him. Juliana probably didn't even realize just how much her praise meant to him. When he wasn't focused on how to find him food or on the wife he had so recently lost, he was dwelling on such things, a part of him blaming himself. His own mind accused him of being a terrible father, of being unable to care for the child on his own. It brought forth thoughts of Lettie and the disappointment she must feel when she looked down on their son and his completely helpless father.
"Thank you," he told her with a small nod. "You're very kind."
"I'm just saying what any other parent would." She gave a small shake of her head as she moved to take her own baby from her husband's arms. "Or what they should, at least."
Juliana looked down at her own son, a baby maybe only a few weeks older than Luca's little one, and took his small hand in hers, kissing those tiny fingers before she spoke again.
"He should be able to sleep for at least a few hours now that he's had something to eat," she said, looking back up at Luca after a moment. "And I'll feed him again when he gets hungry. Don't worry. He won't starve."
Luca gave a quick nod, gratitude in every aspect of his expression. This woman didn't just feed his baby once, she was willing to continue to do so and she assured him so willingly that his baby would be okay now.
"Thank you again," he told her, emotions making his voice tight yet again. "I don't know what I would do if I hadn't found you. You've saved my son's life."
"You're very welcome," came her reply as she glanced back down at her son, running a hand over his black hair. "I know I would want someone to do the same for my son if anything happened to me."
Luca gave yet another nod. Any parent would. Only most parents here still weren't willing to do the same for another. Motherless babies so often went unfed and orphaned children died alone, dehydrated and starved in the streets. No one would dare take in another man's child, even if that child had no one in the world to care for them. No one bothered to even try and help. It was so rare to find someone like Juliana.
The country they lived in was one of darkness and people turned pitiless by the selfishness of their own king. Why should they care what happened to others, after all, if no one cared what happened to them? Strolling players were hanged so often you could almost always find one still strung up in the gallows, the poor were left to die with the orphans, and widows were left to starve as well when their feeble stores of money ran out - that or find work, but work was hard to come by when you were little more than a beggar woman.
Such acts of cruelty made no sense to him. The strolling players, however scattered as they were, seemed to believe in unity between people, a kindness and affinity to caring for those who could not care for themselves, keeping them safe and warm and fed. No player went hungry if one could spare even a little food, though like anything there were a few exceptions. He sincerely hoped his son grew up with such a kindhearted mentality. He simply refused to allow him to be yet another heartless member of this wretched country.
"I'll make sure to help him as long as I can, though," said Juliana, her voice cutting through his thoughts. "Your son deserves a chance at life as much as anyone else."
It was true. There was not a child on this earth who deserved to live more than any other, whether that child was a rich merchant's son or the child of a poor strolling player. None of that mattered to Death so why should it matter to them?
"Thank you so much," he said for what felt like the millionth time and yet it still didn't seem to be enough. "If there is anything at all I could do for you, do not hesitate to let me know."
He was sure now, as he slipped his finger into one of his baby's tiny hands and watching as his fingers, so small in comparison, wrapped around his, that he could never fully repay this woman's kindness, but still he would try as hard as he could. Luca couldn't just sit around and do nothing for them in return. She saved his baby's life and there was nothing more priceless than that.