Author's Note: This is a lot longer than I intended it to be, plus I opened it up to be the opening for a probable sequel. I'm not sure whether I will actually write one or not, but I will eventually write another Tamora Pierce fic. I think I need a break from my usual stuff, so I'm going to try my hand at Harry Potter. Thanks for all your reviews. Here's the final entry for my fanfic, SECRETS.
Secrets
Epilogue
Daine played with the ring on the fourth finger of her left hand and watched Numair as he slept. They had been married for almost three months now, and she had never been happier. They had honeymooned in the Divine Realms, followed by a trip to Carthak to visit Emperor Kaddar. Zek had stayed behind, happy to be home in the warm weather. He immediately settled into the forest with a female marmoset that he said, "Had a REALLY nice tail…" She laughed as he ran off at the call of his new love.
"Hmmm…. You should still be sleeping," Numair said from under the quilt that Mistress Cooper had made for them as a wedding present. "You'll catch your death in that flimsy night gown." He pointed outside to the blanket of snow that had fallen over night.
"Then why don't you warm me up?" She got up slowly, her stomach getting in the way. She crawled into the bed with him, and let him wrap his large arms around her. His fingers just barely brushed as he encircled her in an embrace. This was depressing to her, even though she was seven months pregnant. "Numair, do you still love me, even though I'm fat and ugly?"
He looked at her in alarm. "Daine! I will always love you, no matter what you look like. And besides, I happen to think that pregnant women are very sexy…" He snuggled against her and kissed her neck greedily. Fear took over her senses for a moment and she pulled away from him.
"What? What did I do?" Numair sat up in bed, his bare chest glistening in the sunlight.
"It-it's not you…I…I ….. I don't know anymore, Numair. I just don't like to have my neck touched." She thought back to the mountains, to Tristan, to everything that had happened to her. She had never told Numair that she had been raped. He would have gone insane, knowing she had been violated like that. He probably would have brought Tristan back from the dead just to kill him again. So he could never know.
"It's all right, Daine. I understand," he hugged her tightly as she sat back down. He didn't really understand, but she liked to pretend he did, so she lay back down and let him hold her as she fell back to sleep.
***
She woke up to an unfamiliar pain in her abdomen that caught her off guard. She cried out in surprise, and gripped the sheets to ease the twinge. "Numair? Something's wrong…"
He sat up right, and helped her to her feet. A sudden pain caused her to cringe and fall back down. "I can't, I can't. Go get help. I think it's time…"
Numair nodded, his face pale. She lay back on the pillows, her legs brought up as far as she could bring them. She closed her eyes, hoping to drown the pain out in sleep, only to be shaken awake by a blinding light that nearly penetrated her eyelids. She opened her eyes again, and looked at what was standing in front of her.
Her mother, dressed all in sparkling green, smiled at her from the middle of the room. "I heard you cry out. I wanted to help."
Daine managed a half grin before she grimaced in pain. "It's too early, ma. The baby, it's coming to early."
Sarra nodded sadly, as she walked over to her daughter and sat next to her on the bed. "I know, sweetling. I know. It'll be all right, I promise. I'm here now." She took Daine's hand in her own, and touched her stomach gently. The pain she felt dissolved instantly and she sat back comfortably.
"Why are you here at all, ma? I thought you had to stay in the Divine Realms for a century before you could leave." Daine laid her head back and sighed, hoping to have Numair back with her soon. Her mother was a great comfort, but Numair was the father of her child, and she needed him there with her.
"Your father petitioned to let me come a few months ago, when you and Numair were married. Mithros and the Graveyard Hag persuaded the rest of the gods to let me be here when your time came. Looks like you're going to need me more than I thought you would." Sarra stroked her cheek, wiped a lock of hair off of her face. She got up and went to the dresser, where a basin of water sat, cold from the morning before. She took a small towel and soaked it in the water. Taking it back to the bed, she laid it on Daine's forehead. "My baby, my only child. You'll be okay." She let a silent tear slip down one cheek before she vanished, going back to the Divine Realms.
***
Numair searched for someone, specifically a healer, to help Daine. Unfortunately, there were few people around his Tower, and the Swoop was nearly a half a day's ride away. Angry with himself for having brought her there in the first place, he rushed back to the Tower, where he found Daine propped up on the bed, biting hard into a piece of leather. She let a low growl escape her throat as she glared at him evilly. He ran over to sit down next to her, but she pushed him away.
"Daine, I'm sorry! I couldn't find anyone! There isn't anyone around for miles, oh gods, are you all right?" Numair stepped closer, but far enough away so that she couldn't hit him.
She spit out the piece of leather she had been using as a relief from her pain. "Numair, I HATE YOU!" She stopped to cry out, and he went and took her hand. She tried to push him back. "Oh, go away….AUGH! No, wait, come back! Don't leave me, gods, don't leave me!" She grabbed his hand back and pulled him close to her, gripping his robes tightly. He hugged her, and then let her go, rewetting the towel on her forehead. He was too worried about her to think about where it came from.
Daine went on swearing and cursing, mostly at Numair, but she seemed to be getting weaker as the contractions came closer together. Numair was beginning to panic. The palace was completely empty, all the knights off on patrol, or with Jonathan and Thayet in the desert. He paced the room when Daine wasn't making his ears ring with screaming, and when she was, he held her hand and talked her through it. She was growing pale, her creamy skin looking more grayish in color. He began to get worried.
Numair had no idea what he was doing. He remembered his mother had been a midwife until she died when he was about five. His father….he didn't remember his father. Right then, that made no difference to him, but what his mother had done, he struggled to recall what she had taught him. Wait until the contractions are about two minutes apart…A voice rang in his head. He remembered.
Wait until the contractions are about two minutes apart, then tell her to push down. Always down…Her voice soothed him, and he automatically took over the situation. When you can see the head, guide it out with your hands. Don't pull! Not until the shoulders are out, and then do it slowly. Clear out the child's airways then clamp off the cord it two places, and then cut between the two clamps. Wrap the baby up quickly, so it doesn't get sick…Numair followed the voice in his head, doing exactly as he remembered. He could see her face, her full lips, her dark hair, and brown eyes. She told him what to do, how to help. He felt the life he held in his hands as it shivered a moment before letting out a blessed wail. A girl, his little girl.
"Daine, Daine, are you okay?" He picked up a blanket from the floor where he had thrown a few before everything had just… happened. He wrapped his crying daughter up in it and sat down next to his wife. Daine was sweating profusely, her hair matted down to her head. Numair whispered in her ear, stroking her face with one hand while holding his child in the other. Daine reached out for the baby, whose cries had diminished to soft whimperings. All the color was gone from her cheeks, and she could barely keep her eyes open, let alone support the child. Numair laid her down in the wooden cradle they had been given at their wedding, and went back to take care of Daine.
***
Daine felt like her head weighed a hundred pounds. She could hear crying. All she wanted was to hold her baby. Numair wiped her forehead with a wet towel, held her hand, and watched the child all at the same time. She struggled to focus on his face, to see his reactions to their baby, the life they had created. But all she saw was a blur. The blur faded into darkness as she closed her eyes…
***
Numair watched as Daine closed her eyes and stopped breathing. He panicked, screaming out the door for anyone who happened to have come back. He checked her pulse at her neck. A shallow beat came every few seconds, reassuring him temporarily. He gave her one quick breath that made her cough harshly. Her eyes didn't open, but she continued to breathe on her own, which helped him calm down for the rest of the night, that he spent bathing his daughter.
Daine let her eyes flutter open, the dim light not bothering her. She focused after a few seconds and watched Numair as he attempted to feed a wriggling form in his arms. She giggled softly, but loud enough to make him look at her. His eyes lit up and he walked over to her proudly.
"Hey, Mommy," he said in an adorable baby-talk voice. "Look who's here to see you." She sat up in bed, allowing Numair to place the baby in her arms. She nearly cried when she saw the tiny body cooing at her. The black hair, gray-blue eyes, stubborn chin. "My baby. My little Anatolia."
Numair looked at her oddly, since they had never before discussed names, but nodded in contented agreement. Anatolia it was. He took the child from Daine's weary arms and held her for a few moments before placing the sleeping baby back in her cradle. He began cleaning up the sheets, disposing of the bloody ones and replacing them with cleanly pressed cotton cloths. He helped Daine over to the washbasin where fresh water waited or her so she could clean up. The room wasn't back in livable order until some time later, when Daine had already fallen back asleep.
Numair sat about idly, basking in the glow of the midsummer's sunshine. It had been dawn, he remembered, when Anatolia was born. Ana. I like that, he smiled to himself as he considered this simple nickname. Ana, his little ray of light. He watched her breathing in her cradle, her tiny chest moving up and down. He let his eye lids droop and fell asleep, dreaming peacefully.
***
Daine woke with a start as a piercing cry shattered her sound slumber. She got up, surprised at the amount of strength she had gained back while she had slept, and lifted the baby from her crib. She continued to cry, unappeased by the soothing coos that Daine whispered in her ear. She's probably hungry, she thought. She felt afraid that she would not know what to do. Silently, she went behind the changing curtain and lowered the neckline of her loose nightdress. She let the child feed hungrily on her milk, wincing as she gummed fervently.
Taking a towel, Daine placed it over her shoulder as she had seen so many mothers do back in Snowsdale. She lifted Ana up and patted her back lightly, and she was rewarded with a soft burp. Happily, she laid the tired baby back into the cradle. Yawning herself, Daine slipped back into bed, calling softly to Numair. He wandered over in a daze, stumbling on a crease in the rug. He mumbled something about the king before curling up beside her to sleep.
In the morning, Ana was up at daybreak, calling to be fed again. Numair handed her to Daine, who obliged willingly. Forced by Numair to stay in bed, Daine studied all of her daughter's features, hoping to see more of a resemblance to her and Numair than was visible externally. She soon found that Ana was had her stubborn nature and Numair's curiosity. She boasted Weiryn's fiery temper, and Sarra's good-natured spirit. Daine often wondered whether her child would also retain the gift of Wild Magic, which she had hoped to pass down to the next generation.
The next few days passed by in a blur, with Daine confined to her room and Numair off in the library reading books on childcare. Ana showed no signs of having any magic at all, but Numair reassured her that it really was a bit soon to hope.
The following week, the King and Queen arrived for their usual inspection of Numair's Tower. It wasn't really an inspection, since they didn't care what condition the Tower was in, as long as it remained standing. They just came because it gave them an excuse to get out of the palace. Numair greeted them warmly at the door, while Daine watched from the window above.
"Jon, Thayet!" he hugged each of them in turn. "What are you two doing here? That silly inspection really isn't that important, is it?"
King Jonathan laughed lightly. "Numair, you know we never actually inspect this place. We just came on a whim, hoping to visit you before we set out on a trip to the desert with Alanna. Speaking of which, we invited her to come down with us, so she should be along shortly. She wanted to make a stop at the Swoop to see George…" he trailed off, smiling.
Thayet nodded in agreement. "She was eager to come and see Daine, since she's getting near her time now. How is she, by the way? Excited, I expect."
Numair shrugged. "More tired, than excited, I think. Maybe you should ask her." He led them into the back room, where he cleared out all of his mess to make a nursery. They gasped in unison when they saw Daine, sitting up with Ana asleep in her arms. Thayet rushed over crying out in surprise and joy. She sat down on the bed next to Daine, who handed the baby to her friend.
"Her name is Anatolia," Daine said quietly, watching as Thayet made faces at the oblivious newborn.
"Ana for short," Numair added, as Jonathan clapped him heartily on the back. "I think it's perfect."
Thayet motioned for her husband to come closer, careful not to wake the sleeping child. He moved up next to her and smiled. "She reminds me of Kally when she was born. Perfect in every way, only I think a bit larger than Ana… that's a beautiful name. Where on earth did you come up with it?"
Daine smiled meekly and shook her head. "I don't know. It just fits." She took back her daughter, who was now awake and squirming to be fed. She excused herself to go behind the changing curtain, while the other three stayed behind to talk. She took her time feeding Ana, who seemed content only when she was eating or sleeping. Her blue-gray eyes had only been seen once or twice, since she was still only a week and a half old and was not used to the light from the outside world. Once she was finished, she meandered back to the sitting room, where Numair, Jon, and Thayet had settled after she had left. Jon and Numair stood formally as she entered the room. She blushed and sat down on the couch next to Numair.
The evening continued on with talk of the peace treaties with the Scanran guerrillas, the king's upcoming birthday ball, and finally, Ana's scheduled introduction at the Royal Court.
"You should have a formal baptism," Jonathan said, sitting up straighter in his chair. "She'd be the new beauty at court, with boys fawning all over her." He leaned forward and tickled Ana under her chin. She grunted affectionately in reply, then began to whine as a sudden rap at the door disturbed her quiet tranquility.
"That's probably Alanna, and about time, too," Jonathan stood and went for the door, but Numair got there before him and descended the spiral staircase. He was back moments later, with the Lioness trailing behind. Her hair was a mess from the howling wind that had sprung up the hour before, and her face showed her obvious agitation. She immediately flopped into Jon's chair, while he had gone to fix himself a drink. Not bothering to look up she nodded a quick hello and closed her eyes as if to take a nap. Numair cleared his throat loudly and shook her awake.
"What?! What in gods name do you want? Let me sleep, in all Goddess-" she stopped when Jon took the back of her head and turned it himself to stare at Daine and the bundle she held in her arms. The glare on Alanna's face vanished an instant later as she stood and walked over to the other side of the room to sit next to Daine. "Well I'll be gods-damned."
She took Ana in her arms and looked her over suspiciously. "Hmm. Looks real-" Ana mumbled in baby talk. "Sounds real…." The Lioness smiled genuinely at the child's mother. "I guess I was wrong Daine. I'm sorry. I guess I was wrong…"
Author's Note: It's over. Ah, ses la vi. I had so much fun writing this and hearing all of your replies. I genuinely hope that all of you are satisfied with the epilogue, because I had so many reviews asking for more about the wedding and the baby. Since I am losing sleep over this ending (it's nearly two 'o' clock in the morning) because I wanted to have it out to you before I went back to school and had no time to put it up, I think I'll wrap it up here. :: breaks into song :: So long, farewell…..
P.S. Thanks especially to Sirena who helped me with all of my musings and ideas. Don't worry, I won't continue that piece of s*** that I started a few weeks ago. I agree, it's not worth the trouble.