Title: Swatches and Swathing

Author: Jade_Max

Timeframe: Post The Girl Who Would be Queen - The Diary of Layne Djo-Solo - Major NJO AU

Characters: Layne, Tana, Kayla (OCs)

Summary: Knowing how to forgive and when to forgive are precious gifts...

Swatches and Swathing

Layne Djo-Solo, the Chume'Da of Hapes, pulled another swatch of fabric from the pile on the floor and shook her head. "This will never do. Is there not one decent color on all of Hapes?"

"Perhaps you're too picky, Layne," Tana told her good naturedly from across the room. "What color are you looking for?"

"I will know when I find it."

"Ah." Tana rolled her eyes. "How about emerald green?"

"Cyris has seen me in it."

"So? Did he like it?"

Layne settled back on the floor to stare at her twin. "There is little I own that Cyris does not like. He is not very helpful in establishing his tastes."

"Beyond you, you mean?"

Layne, the eldest of the Djo-Solo triplets, nodded. "Does... Gidden do the same?"

Tana shrugged, hauling another swatch of fabric from the pile and tossing it away in one motion. Layne had already said no to traditional white - she wanted something unique. "Sometimes. He has a favorite cut more than a favorite color - and ever since Kayla was born, he's only come to like it more."

"And which cut is this?"

"A low cut neckline." Tana forged ahead. "Does Cyris have a similar preference?"

"He is Hapan and male." Layne told her with disgust. "His opinions, even when I seek them, are often ways to placate me. I get more cooperation from father!"

Tana laughed. "I bet - and dad thinks you should wear a chastity belt and armor, right?"

"He suggested mother's wedding gown."

Tana whistled, "That's not a bad-" a cry from the direction of the sofa a few yards away drew her attention, cutting her off. "-idea. Just a second."

Layne waited as Tana moved to the sofa and collected the squirming bundle that was her niece. The baby quieted the moment her mother came into view, reaching out with tiny fists. Facinated, Layne focused on their interactions as Tana checked Kayla for wetness and then scooped the baby from the plush surface with a smile and a coo.

"Who's my big girl? You look just like your daddy with those blonde curls, Kay my sweet."

"She also looks like you, sister."

The smile on Tana's face was all maternal pride. "Do you think so?"

"I know so." Layne shifted backwards to lean against the base of one of the chairs as Tana settled on the couch where Kayla had been and began to breast feed. "Do you not think so?"

Tana gently caressed the blonde curls on the top of the baby's head and shrugged, adjusting her slightly and pulling a light blanket down for modesty. "She's a daddy's girl. I'm only used for feeding."

"Do you wish another?"

Tana laughed. "As many as Gidden will allow me. He swore we weren't going to have any more after he saw what labor was like."

"Was it worth it?"

"Every second."

Layne fell silent, mulling over it for a moment and then asked, "Did you feel it was your duty?"

"Duty?" Tana echoed the question surprised. "Why would we think that?"

"Should something happen to me, you and Jarid and your offspring are the next in line for succession."

"Never. Kayla is a blessing, Layne. Someone to be cherished and cared for; a combination of the best of Gidden and I. She was born out of love; our legacy - not our duty."

"I apologize sister; I did not mean to imply she was unwanted."

"I know." Tana sighed. The fences between sisters were still newly mended. "It's just who you are."

Kayla, finished her meal, squirmed and hiccupped. Tana closed her shirt and placed the baby to her shoulder, gently rubbing her back and rocking back and forth. "Would you like to hold her?"

Layne straightened. "You would allow it?"

"I'll insist on it! She's your niece, Layne, not a doll or a toy to be admired at a distance. Besides, you'll have a duty to provide and heir of your own. A little practice might come in handy."

"What do I do?"

Tana stood. "First of all, sit in the chair, not in front of it."

Layne did as instructed, seeing a side of her sister she hadn't known existed. But then, the Tana who'd returned to Hapes was not the same Tana she'd known growing up. Marriage had given her confidence and poise, a knowledge of what she could and couldn't do and the support base to achieve it. For someone who had once regarded her sister as a nuisance, Layne was having difficulty reconciling the two individuals into the confident young mother before her.

"Now put your arms at waist high. Good. Now when I place her in your arms, you need to support her head or she could hurt her neck, understand?"

Layne nodded, waiting, and then froze as Tana placed Kayla in her arms. The sensation was completely foreign to someone who had never considered babies beyond the necessity of providing an heir. Hapan nobles, despite her own mother's example, were more inclined to pass their children off to nannies and wet nurses than to raise them themselves. Of course the demands on the Queen Mother's time was enormous, but most children grew up in the palace without seeing much of their parents.

The Djo-Solo clan had been the exception - not the rule.

Shifting uncomfortably, Layne was sure she was going to drop her niece. "Take her."

"You're doing fine, Layne," Tana assured her. Reaching out, the youngest triplet adjusted her older sister's grip on the baby and then smiled. "There; try rocking her a little. She likes it."

Layne hesitantly did as instructed and was rewarded with a gurgle and a toothless smile. Unable to help herself, she smiled back, drawing a knowing chuckle from Tana. "She has that effect. See? It's not so hard."

"If one only has to hold the infant." Layne looked to her sister. "I have seen you walk with her in your arms. Are you not afraid to drop her?"

"Never. I'd do anything for her - and anything to prevent her harm. It did take some getting used to initially, but we're good now."

"You always had a knack with vulnerable creatures."

"And you always ignored them. Don't worry, sister, when the time comes, your mothering instincts will appear."

"If I have any."

Tana laughed, and scooped her daughter from Layne's grasp, rising to her feet in one motion. "You do. They're just buried under layers of protocol."

"We should return to our task," Layne told her reluctantly. "My wedding dress will not choose its own colors."

"True." Tana stepped gingerly through the maze and placed the baby in the play pen nearby, squeaking one of the toys to draw her attention before straightening. "I say midnight blue."

"With my coloring?" Layne's eyebrows almost hit her hairline. "Mother cannot wear it."

"But you can." Tana dug through the pile until she found the color she was looking for. Almost black, it shimmered with blue undertones in the light. She turned and handed it to Layne with a challenging glint in her eyes. "Try it - you'll see."

"I have mother's coloring, sister; it will not work."

"Then you don't have anything to lose, do you?"

Layne regarded her sister in surprise and then - to the amazement of both - burst out laughing. "You have changed sister, and for the better. Very well, I shall try your color recommendation. With one condition."

Tana's lips twitched. "And what would that be?"

Layne rose to her feet and accepted the fabric swatch. "If I wear the color you choose, you stand with me as my Matron of honor."

Tana's face went slack, her wide eyes staring at her sister in complete shock. "Me?"

The squeak in her sisters voice made Layne grin. She nodded, and moved around the sofa to the floor to ceiling mirror. "You. There is no one else I would rather have at my side on my wedding day."

"But..."

"Do you not wish the job?"

"No! I mean, I do, but with our history... we haven't exactly been friends Layne."

Layne held the fabric up to compare the tones and colors with her skin and hair. "Perhaps not before Kayla was born, sister, but consider this a promise. A new beginning in more ways than one. For Cyris and I - and for you and I. I should not like us to continue being at odds."

Tana jumped the sofa and engulfed Layne in a tight, spontaneous hug. Layne, to her sister's surprise returned it, a silent promise, the swatch tightly in hand. Tana had been right and she'd found her dress color and her Matron of honor in one sitting. With those in place, her wedding - and her future - was looking brighter all ready.

fin