21. Family Time on the Isle

Around that same time, just before Brom turned one, Arya began to feel a desperate longing to fly alone with Fírnen. After confessing her feelings, she said to Eragon, "I truly think the last time I did was when we flew here to the city after I arrived on the Isle. How long has that been? Nearly eighteen months? All the time we flew in Alagaёsia, we rode together. Before I came here, I could barely fly at all because of how cold I always was. And ever since Brom was born, I haven't wanted to leave for long, knowing he would soon want to nurse again. Would you mind if I left for a brief time? Less than an hour?"

"Of course not, my love," Eragon replied. "Brom and I will have a wonderful time, won't we sweetheart?" he said to Brom as his son walked over to him. Eragon picked him up and tossed him above his head, which earned him a delighted squeal.

"Let me nurse him before I go, then I'll get back just in time for his nap," Arya suggested.

Eragon handed Brom to Arya, and she snuggled him close as she went to the sofa. Brom curled around her, resting his head on her shoulder. The closer he got to one year, the more verbal he became, and his communication skills were now superior to the twins'.

"Have mama's miwk," Brom hopefully requested.

"Of course, darling," Arya lovingly replied. "Mama loves you so much."

"I wuv you, mama," Brom said. Arya smiled at him and kissed his cheek, which seemed to shimmer faintly, as if filled to bursting with energy.

Eragon joined them on the sofa. "Watching Brom interact with you while you nurse him is one of my favorite times," he told Arya.

Arya smiled as Brom looked over, giving Eragon a proud grin, which revealed four, tiny white teeth. "Bwom dwink mama's miwk!" he declared, patting her breasts.

Eragon grinned. "Yes, sweetheart. You most certainly will. Mama is the most beautiful woman in the world. Can you say 'pretty'? Mama is pretty?"

Brom dutifully attempted, "Mama is pwetty."

"Exactly, my boy," Eragon approved, chuckling as Brom turned his attention back to Arya and began his meal. "I understand. That's what I always do when presented with such a temptation."

Arya laughed, and Eragon then asked, "Do his teeth hurt you, my love? I've sometimes noticed indentations in your skin when he finishes."

"No, Eragon," Arya replied. "When he nurses, his tongue covers his bottom gums. Or teeth now, I suppose. So he holds my nipple between his tongue and upper teeth, but it's not like biting because he isn't bringing his teeth together. When his teeth were coming in, he sometimes clenched down because his gums ached but never with the intention of hurting me, though it certainly does hurt."

"I can imagine," Eragon said, watching Brom stroke Arya's cheek before reaching his hand under her shirt and stroking her other breast. "Why does he do that?" Eragon asked.

"Do you mean pat my other breast?" Arya clarified, and Eragon nodded. "It helps my milk let down faster so he doesn't have to wait as long."

"Clever," Eragon said. "I can't believe he's almost one. He's talking amazingly these days. Does that have something to do with the magic of the elves? I worried somewhat when it seemed the twins were passing him up with speech, but now he's far ahead of them. I remember something Rhunön once told me that elven children have special gifts of grace and power. I wondered if our children would, or if their human inheritance would interfere with that."

"He's getting more graceful every day," Arya said. "And I've already seen instances where he almost unintentionally used magic to improve his surroundings. He once healed a small flower he accidentally crushed while walking with me through the forest. He used no words but simply bent over and held his hand over it. When he moved his hand, the flower was whole. I was stunned."

"That's amazing," Eragon agreed. "Where was I?"

"Overseeing training," Arya replied, returning her attention to Brom and gently running her fingers through his hair. "Isn't it funny how his hair went blond? It's so light that it almost looks white. I wonder where that came from."

"Did Evandar have silver hair?" Eragon wondered.

"Yes," Arya replied. "Perhaps that's where. I wonder if it will stay this way or go dark again. Was your hair ever lighter?"

"I'm not sure," Eragon said. "If it was, Garrow never mentioned it. Maybe it was. Brom's has also taken on some of my hair's curliness."

"I love that," Arya said, smiling as she continued stroking Brom's silky blond curls. "He looks like an angel with his fair hair, green eyes, and faintly shimmering skin. He's so exquisite." She looked right at Brom's eyes. "You're so precious, my darling."

Brom pulled away to give his mother a milky grin. "Mama is pwetty."

Arya laughed softly. "Thank you, sweetheart. Would you like more?"

"Yes, mama," Brom politely said. "Mowe pwease."

Arya lifted him so she could lay him across her body in the other direction. As he latched himself on, Brom lifted his small hand to her face, and she raised her hand, holding his to her cheek.

"Myrintuk was perfectly right when she warned us how quickly time would pass," Arya wistfully said. "We'll soon be leaving to journey back to Ilirea so we can be present for the Games. We should probably give ourselves at least six weeks, if not more, with how active the babies are."

"That means we would need to leave in just over two months, doesn't it?" Eragon said.

"Yes, but it seems like we only just got back, though Maehrí's baby is now three months old. It's going so quickly," she despaired. "Already Brom is walking and talking so well. He seemed so huge compared to Nefin after he was born."

"And we'll soon have two new babies join the Riders' children," Eragon commented. "Breetuk and Greta are both due this summer, and then the number of cousins will increase to seven. But you seem sad, my love."

"Brom's not a baby anymore," Arya explained. "I mean, in a way he is, but he's also getting so big and changing so much. I love each new phase he enters, and he's so much fun, but I just wonder if he's the only baby I'll ever be able to enjoy. When our lives are so long, a few months at the very beginning is but the blink of an eye."

"We'll have more, Arya," Eragon firmly said. "I'm sure of it. You once promised you would explain how we can increase our odds of having a daughter next. Would you now?"

"If you would like," Arya said. "It all has to do with the sperm that fertilizes the female reproductive cell. So it's actually up to you, Eragon. There are two different types of sperm. One carries the information, which, when joined with the egg, will grow into a male child. The other would create a female. There are certain differences in each type of sperm. The sperm that would result in a male are smaller and therefore faster, but they're also weaker and can't survive as long inside the female's body. The other sperm—those that would create a daughter—are larger and heavier but also heartier, which allows them to survive longer. The theory suggests that if you desire a son, you time intercourse as close to the time the woman expects to ovulate, thereby allowing the faster, male-producing sperm to reach their destination first."

Eragon quickly caught on. "So to improve our chances of having a daughter, we would time intercourse further away from the time you expected to ovulate, allowing the female-producing sperm a chance to arrive and giving the male-producing sperm a chance to die off. Is that right?"

"Exactly," Arya approved. "The trouble is, I've never had a menstrual cycle and conceiving Brom was such a surprise that I never even noticed the signs indicating my fertility. If I did notice such changes, how would I know how long they would persist before the moment of ovulation? Not knowing these details would make it more difficult to get the timing right. A human or Urgralgra female might have a perfect knowledge of how many days she is fertile and would therefore know the best times to try for either sex. We don't have that luxury. It probably doesn't help that your semen is so often inside of me that even if I did begin to ripen in fertility, I might not be able to distinguish my own fluid from yours. They're similar for very good reason. But that won't soon change."

"Then we'll just have to hope for the best," Eragon said. "But I feel certain we'll have more children, Arya. And if we did have another son next, then Brom would have a brother right next to him and that would also be wonderful."

"I won't lose faith, Eragon," Arya promised. "We've gained so much by trusting that things will work out for the best. I know it will continue working for us."

"Good," Eragon said, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "Have I told you recently how beautiful you are?"

"Wasn't it only a few minutes ago?"

"So long!" he cried. "Arya, you're the most beautiful woman in existence."

"Thank you, darling," she said with a tender smile. "I'm glad you think so."

"I know so, Arya," Eragon replied. "My belief has solidified into certain, unwavering knowledge."

"Varhog would disagree," Arya reminded him. "And Hanin. And Grintuk. And Knilf."

"True, I suppose," Eragon allowed.

"But your opinion is the only I care about when it comes to that topic."

Eragon grinned. "You know, I seem to also remember that we were going to either precede or follow that lesson you just gave me with a demonstration. Is that what your memory recollects?"

"Whether it does or not, I'm certainly not opposed," Arya assured him. "I think Brom is done, and he'll happily play for a time while I go fly with Fírnen. When I get back and he's asleep, I'll be your willing prisoner."

Eragon's grin broadened. "What a promise. Well then, don't take too long."

"I won't," Arya vowed. To Brom she said, "All done?"

"Yes, mama," Brom said. "Bwom pway dada!"

"That's right, darling," Arya replied. "Dada's so excited to play with you. Mama will be gone with Fírnen for a time, but I'll soon return."

"Sa-feewa go bye-bye too?" Brom worried.

"No, my boy," Eragon said with a laugh. "Saphira will stay with us. We can play with her right away if you'd like. She'd love to see you!" He accepted Brom from Arya, and she gave him a quick kiss.

"I'll be back soon," she promised, going to Fírnen where he and Saphira were snuggled in their groove on the floor. Brom clapped as the green dragon jumped into the air and flew to the high ceilings far above them.

-:-:-

Once the strongest gusts from Fírnen's wings subsided, Eragon set Brom down, and he dashed over to Saphira. Brom greeted Saphira with a happy hug around her large snout, and she lifted her head as he determinedly hung on, craning her neck to set him down on her shoulders. Eragon climbed up behind his small son and held onto him.

"Fwy, Sa-feewa!" Brom cried.

Saphira did what she knew Brom wanted by stretching her wings out. Then she walked around as much as she could in the spacious quarters, pretending to fly with Brom. Brom whooped in delight, spreading his arms wide as he also pretended to fly. Brom loved each of his parents' dragons and played with them as much as he could. He also frequently flew with both of them and already loved the exhilaration of flight, just as Will and Var did.

Brom did amazingly well, and Eragon had a wonderful time with him. They played their favorite games, went potty, ate a snack, read some books, and built towers from blocks. But as the time for Arya's return neared, Brom began to miss her.

"Mama back soon?" he asked, looking above them toward the high ceilings.

"Soon, my boy," Eragon promised, sweeping Brom up to hold high above his head. Brom squealed and reached down toward Eragon's face, so his father lowered him enough that he could grab his beard.

"Ow," Eragon muttered. "Guess it's time for a trim, isn't it, Brom? When it gets longer like this, you can get a better grip. I should probably do that while mother gets you down for your nap. She likes it best shorter, and she promised we would do some interesting things when she returned."

Saphira then said to him, Arya is actually on her way back, little one. But she asked Fírnen to land some distance from the Great Hall so she could run.

Thank you, Saphira, Eragon said. To pass the time while they waited, he suggested playing one of their favorite games with Brom. "Shall we tell each other secrets?"

"Secwets!" Brom eagerly agreed, putting his wet lips right in Eragon's ear and whispering gibberish.

Eragon laughed at the ticklish feel and took his turn, whispering next to Brom's small pointed ear, "Brom's the handsomest boy in the world."

Brom giggled and had another turn. Grasping Eragon's beard in either of his hands, he returned his mouth to his father's ear and whispered, "Dada Bwom's favwit."

"I'm your favorite!" Eragon exclaimed. "We really should keep that a secret! What would mama think?"

Brom told another secret before Eragon could. "Mama Bwom's favwit too!"

"Oh good!" Eragon said in pretended relief. "Well then, we just need to keep it a secret from Saphira and Fírnen."

Brom looked concerned. "Bwom wuv Sa-feewa and Fee-nen too."

Eragon laughed, reassuringly stroking Brom's back. He whispered his next words as a secret, "I know, sweetheart. And we all love Brom so much. Brom is our favorite."

Brom rested his head against Eragon's shoulder. "Bwom miss mama. Mama back soon?"

-:-:-

Arya was back, but she remained in the doorway to their quarters, transfixed by Eragon and Brom's tender exchange. She had overheard their secrets game and guessed Eragon hadn't noticed her because of his intent focus on Brom. Eragon's back was to her as he snuggled Brom to him and began singing. Brom's eyelids drooped sleepily, and he asked for mama again. Arya felt her milk starting to let down and waited no longer. She made her way over and wrapped her arms around Eragon's waist from behind.

"I have returned," Arya whispered.

Eragon startled slightly at her touch. "I didn't even notice," he sheepishly admitted. "Not being very attentive, am I? I was so preoccupied with Brom. I'm glad you're here. He's ready for you, my love." To his son he added, "Mama's back, Brom!"

"Mama!" Brom cried, reaching for her.

"Has he been potty?" Arya wondered, taking Brom from Eragon.

"Just a moment ago," Eragon said. "He wants you, Arya. That makes two of us."

Arya smiled. "I'm not surprised you're his favorite. You're an amazing father, Eragon. I'll be quick." She took Brom to their bed and lay down to nurse him to sleep, which she knew wouldn't take long.

-:-:-

While he waited, Eragon went to the washroom, removed his shirt, and groomed his beard. He was aware when Arya next approached, but he didn't expect to feel her naked torso press against his bare back.

"Hello," he greeted. "I wasn't expecting that. I'm still all hairy."

"Are you otherwise finished?" Arya asked, breathing deeply against his skin and kissing his back.

"You tell me," Eragon replied. "Is this how you like it?"

Arya stretched onto her toes, and Eragon relished how her silky-soft, warm skin slid against his. She peered over his shoulder into the mirror to regard his face. "It's perfect," she informed him. "You're as heart-breakingly handsome as ever."

Eragon smiled. "I'm glad you think so, my love."

Arya teasingly echoed his words back to him. "I know so, Eragon. My belief had solidified into certain, unwavering knowledge."

"Willow would disagree," he played along. "And Maehrí. And Breetuk. And Greta."

"No, they wouldn't," Arya insisted. "They might not think you the handsomest male of their acquaintance, as do I, but they would agree that you're heart-breakingly handsome. Because you are." She murmured a spell to remove all of the loose hair from his chest and shoulders.

Eragon kept his eyes on hers in the mirror. "That was useful. Thank you. How did it go again?"

Arya repeated the words without infusing them with power, and Eragon also said them, a questioning look in his eyes.

"That's right," Arya assured him, maintaining eye contact as she began to run her hands up and down, trailing her fingernails through his chest hair and massaging over his muscles. He smiled again at her obvious enjoyment then turned around to face her.

"Even after a hundred years of being with you, Arya, I doubt I'll ever stop feeling so wildly desperate for you. I'll never stop being surprised by how much you delight in my body, nor will I ever stop delighting equally as much in yours, perfect woman."

Arya brought her hands around so she could continue to caress his torso. "I'm so glad, Eragon. You still fill me with insatiable hunger. What are you in the mood for right now? Strong and wild? Slow and easy?"

Eragon chuckled. "All of the above? I'll be anything you want me to be, Arya. I'll do anything for you. Say anything. Go anywhere. Fight any foe."

"How sweet," she murmured. "Well, don't go anywhere right now. Don't fight anyone. But do touch me." He immediately obeyed, and her voice raised. "Do kiss me." He leaned down to comply, but she put a finger on his lips so she could finish, "Say you want me. And above all, make love to me, Eragon. However you want." She removed her finger.

After whispering in a fierce voice, "I want you so desperately, Arya," Eragon fulfilled her second command, starting out slow and easy but quickly moving to strong and wild. She was so irresistible and made him so hungry that he couldn't help it. Arya eagerly returned his every caress and kiss, undeniably savoring every second with him.

They remained right where they were, ending on the floor with Eragon leaning against the cabinet and Arya wrapped around his body in every way she could be. Her face was pressed against the top of his head and his was pushed into her upper chest.

"Brom must have fallen asleep quickly," Eragon nonchalantly observed after quieting his breathing. "I got several mouthfuls of milk that time." He smiled against her skin.

"Are you still enjoying it, darling?" Arya wondered.

"Absolutely. Are you?"

"Without a doubt," she replied. "I'm so grateful you'll continue to do that for me, though you unavoidably must swallow some milk. And I'm also very grateful you've never once griped that your son continues to nurse as determinedly as ever. Do you have a problem if he continues for some time, as the Urgralgra children often do?"

"Of course not, Arya," Eragon reassured before assuming a teasing tone. "He must if he's ever to stand a chance against Will and Var, as huge as they're getting. He won't ever match their size, but we must continue to give him whatever advantages we can. At least he'll always be able to outdistance them. And besides all that, it will only mean I get to continue enjoying our intimate exchanges with this unique element. Even if we have ten children, there will come a time when you'll be done nursing the last and the milk will eventually go away."

"True," Arya agreed with a laugh, running her fingers along the floor and ruefully observing, "I suppose my spell didn't do much good since we ended up sitting down right where all of that loose hair landed."

Eragon grinned, abruptly standing and murmuring the spell so the hair would fall off. He also used magic to sweep it all together and deposit it in the waste basket.

"There we go," he said, walking out of the washroom. "Now we needn't worry again. But you usually have some hair on your chest from mine after this, don't you?" Arya giggled and nodded.

Eragon smiled at the beloved sound of her laugh and asked, "How about a dance, my love? I haven't forgotten my duty to you, and it has now been some months since I made the promise to do better than before."

"I'd love to dance," Arya murmured, beginning to slide her legs down.

But Eragon shook his head, holding her in place as he began to waltz around the open area next to their bed. "I know this still feels exciting to you," he explained. "And I love holding you next to me like this. Do you object?"

"Of course not." Arya rested her cheek on her own shoulder—since her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck—and participated in the dance not with her legs and feet but with her hands and mouth. She busied them in a playful exploration of his hair, beard, ear, jaw, neck, and everywhere else she could reach. She even favored him with a few secrets, just as he had with Brom. He laughed more than a few times as her attentions tickled, eventually dancing her to the bed, where they carried on as they had in the washroom.

Once they were content to rest, Eragon scooted them over beside Brom, whose angelic face looked even more precious in sleep. Arya snuggled next to Eragon's chest, reaching her hand nearest Brom over to rest on his back. They napped with their baby, attempting to do as Myrintuk had counseled by enjoying their time together as a young family.

-:-:-:-