Chapter 21.
Rifiuto: Non Miriena
Elements in 20? Nor cleaning up her mother's room, and then spreading the rose petals
Based on? Hanna cleaning Beth's room and then spreading the rose petals
Book and Author? Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Elements in 21?
"Yero... Yero, my love... Yero..."
His eyes snapped open, and he sat up. He was sitting beneath the cherry tree in the garden; spring had come to Kiamo Ko. Slowly, he looked around, searching for the source of the voice, and coming up empty-handed.
"Yero... Come to me, love. Come to me..."
He climbed to his feet, getting his bearings, before slowly making his way through the garden, searching for the source of the voice. Finally, he came upon the swing. His breath caught, at the figure sitting beneath the blossoms, the skirt of her dress brushing against the ground. She raised her head, her aquamarine eyes meeting his, and she held a hand out to him.
"Come to me, Yero."
Not daring to breathe, he went to her, dropping to his knees next to his wife. He buried his face in her lap, breathing in her scent, before standing and sitting next to her. He cradled her face in his hands, staring into her eyes, drinking in the fact that his wife was by his side. "Fae." He kissed her deeply, drinking in her taste, forcing himself to admit that she was here, alive and healthy in his arms. When he pulled away, he brushed a strand of hair off her face and asked,
"Where's Pippa?"
She smiled at him softly, before pressing a hand gently to her belly.
"She's right here, my darling. With us."
It was then that his eyes traveled down to his wife's belly; it was round, full. She was heavy with child, very heavy, and Fiyero quickly did the math in his head. She was only days away from birth, which meant their child would enter the world very soon. After a moment, he gently laid his hand over hers, but she pulled hers away. It was then that he felt the kick against his palm, followed several minutes later by another one. And then, he removed his hand and looked down, seeing their baby kick against her mother. Slowly, he returned his hand to her belly, and relaxed at the familiar feel of his daughter moving within her mother. After a moment, he raised his head, meeting his wife's eyes.
"Our little Pippa." She nodded, covering his hand with hers. "She looks just like you, Fae."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"I know."
He sat on the swing with her, as the blossoms floated to the ground around them, the breeze gently ruffling her skirt. When their child finally tired of moving, she stopped, and Fiyero removed his hand, wrapping his wife in his arms. He pulled her close, his hands resting on her belly. He held her in his arms, breathing in her familiar scent.
He was with his family, his wife was in his arms, and their child- their daughter- was cradled protectively within her womb. Eventually, she looked up at him, staring deeply into his eyes.
"I love you, Yero-"
His eyes snapped open and he sat up, quickly scanning for any sign of his wife.
But he was alone, and as he got up and pulled on his robe, everything came rushing back to him.
He was a widower, he'd just buried his wife two weeks ago, and his daughter- their precious child- was asleep down the hall in her room. Taking a candle, he left the room, making his way to Pippa's. Soflty, he pushed the door open, and went to her. She was sound asleep, her beautiful features content in dreams. Gently, he reached out and brushed the raven locks away from her face.
"Pippa... I'm so sorry, sweetheart..."
She whimpered softly in her sleep and turned; he pulled away. Quietly, he slipped out of the room and continued down the hall before going down the stairs and slipping out of the house through the kitchen.
There was someone he needed to talk to.
His feet carried him into the cemetery, and towards the grave that he'd spent the last few days at. When he was close, he dropped to his knees and set the candle down. His eyes moved over the stone, drinking in everything that he hadn't seen on the day of the funeral. Eventually, he said,
"I dreamt about you, Dove. It... it wasn't... wasn't so much... a dream as... a... a memory." He took a deep breath, swallowing his tears, determined not to cry. "Of... of when... when you were pregnant with Pippa. We... we were... we were in... in the garden... at the swing. It was a few days before her birth..." He glanced down at his wedding ring, the metal winked in the candlelight. "You were heavy... it was... three days before she was born, remember? We'd gone out to the garden and... and I'd fallen asleep under the cherry tree by the pond... and when I woke up, you were gone..."
He sniffled, choking out a sob.
"And when I found you... you were sitting on the swing. She kicked and moved against our hands... and then she stopped... we... we didn't know that... that she was getting ready to... to come into this world... And then... and then you went into labor two hours after we returned to Kiamo Ko... you labored for..." He took a deep breath, tears sliding down his cheeks. "For two days... and then... and then you gave birth... and she was here... and she was beautiful... she is beautiful... like you."