[A/N] Hey! How's everyone doing? **evil grin** My muses thought that
something should happen during . . . Well . . . I'll leave it to you to
figure that out! Anyway, here's another chapter! You'll find out what's
happening to Delly. **attempts to look innocent** What? Don't trust me?
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Anguish
Catti-brie quickly followed the servant through the crowd of people. She knew that Drizzt hadn't followed, but she was too worried about Delly to think anything of it. The servant girl led her through a door leading into the ballroom, and a short ways down the hall where she found Delly leaning heavily against the wall, her face a mask if pain, with one hand clutching her large belly.
Catti-brie bent to look into her light brown eyes, trying to get her attention. Delly's breaths were short and uneven. The young woman placed a hand lightly on her face, turning wide eyes to look into hers. She had no idea what was going on, but she needed to find out if they would need any help.
"Delly, what's wrong?" Catti-brie asked quietly, holding onto her hand as another spasm of pain shot through the woman. The servant girl, looking worried, stood off to the side. "Ye need t' tell me if anythin' is wrong."
Delly moaned softly in pain. It had happened so suddenly when she was sitting near the dance floor, watching other people dance and regretting that she couldn't, that she had been caught completely unawares by the pain. She looked into Catti-brie's worried eyes and knew that she had to tell her, but she was still afraid. She hadn't wanted this to happen this early.
"Cat," she said softly, trying to hide the pain in her voice and failing miserably. "The babe's comin' early," she fell heavily against her close friend, eyes wide and scared tears falling down her face. "The babe's comin' early and I not be knowin' what to do about it."
Catti-brie looked into those eyes and though quickly. Delly had every right to be scared. The baby wasn't supposed to be born for another month, and yet, the child was already bigger than a normal human child, and would likely have become larger during the following month. Getting an idea, Catti-brie spoke quietly to the servant girl.
"Find the Lady Serenity," she said softly. "We'll be needin' her help."
Nodding vigorously, the young girl headed off, back into the ballroom. Catti-brie slowly turned her attention back to her struggling friend. She needed to find a way to calm her down before she hyperventilated.
* * * * *
About ten minutes later, Serenity came rushing from the ballroom, closely following the serving girl. Being so tall, (only a foot shorter than her husband) she had to kneel in order to look into Delly's eyes, to see what was wrong. Closing her emerald green eyes, she gently placed a hand on the struggling woman's belly, her sensitive fingers seeking out the life beneath her touch.
Serenity could feel the pain and fear radiating off the young mother, since the feeling was familiar to her. She had felt the same thing a month ago when her son was born, and the same thing years ago when she had had the little girl. Even though she had known that there had been nothing to worry about, it was still terrifying to know that the baby was coming early.
She turned her gaze to Catti-brie, worry in her own gaze. "We'll need to get her to a room," her voice was soft as she talked with the young woman. "It'll be safer and far less embarrassing for her than if she had the child here in the hallway." Catti-brie nodded and slowly helped Delly down the hall and into the room she shared with her husband. Serenity quickly turned to the serving girl.
"Find her husband," she said quietly, "and all their friends and family. Surely that was what would be happening in a month if this wasn't happening now."
With another nod, the servant again ran off. She was still exhausted from running all over before, but she would do it anyway. After the serving girl had gone back into the ballroom, Serenity followed where Catti-brie and Delly had gone, knowing exactly why Catti-brie had asked specifically for her help.
* * * * *
Half an hour later, Wulfgar, Regis, Bruenor, and Drizzt, had all gathered outside of the bedroom door. They could hear soft moans of pain coming from inside the room, and were all clearly worried. Serenity had just come out of the room, having finally gotten Delly settled until she actually began to deliver the child.
The minute that Serenity stepped from the door, Wulfgar was already up and talking to her in low tones. She sighed at one of the questions, shaking her head. With that, she walked over to the friends, the tall barbarian following behind her.
"Is she going to be alright?" Regis asked, looking up, up, into her green eyes. The others looked at the Luchiélt Lady, eyes all asking the same question. She smiled slightly, looking at each of them in turn.
"Yes, she'll be fine." She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "It'll be a long time, probably hours, before her body is actually ready to have the baby. And from the size of the child, it'll be a very difficult birth." She smiled slightly. "Catti-brie actually had the idea to ask me for help. Considering I have had a child larger than my body could support, it was logical."
Drizzt smiled. He already knew the tale, and the story behind it. He remembered Gabriel telling him just how difficult the birth had been. Serenity herself had barely survived with her life. He knew that everyone was worried about the young woman, since, at five feet, the fact that she was carrying a child with barbarian blood, made the pregnancy itself very difficult.
It would be a long time before anything happened, before the baby would be born, but likely, they would all be out here.
It would be a long night.
* * * * *
It was nearly noon the next day when Delly was finally ready to have the baby. Serenity had periodically come in to check on her during the day. Serenity had only come in periodically because she needed to care for her infant son, and get much needed rest. She was still weak from all that had happened to her during those long months in captivity. Now that she was going to help Delly deliver the baby, Gabriel would be caring for their little one.
The rest of the small group of friends had remained sitting outside the door, still wearing the formal clothing that they had worn the night before to the banquet. Colson, who had been fetched by another servant, lay curled into Drizzt's side, sleeping uneasily.
Drizzt watched Wulfgar, who looked incredibly stressed that he hadn't been allowed in the room. The large barbarian winced every time one of Delly's pain-filled screams came from the room, echoed by the sound of Serenity's gentle words to encourage the strained human woman. Catti-brie, of course, was still in there, staying by her friend's side. Serenity had warned them all, especially Wulfgar, that it was possible that the woman wouldn't live through the birth.
They were all tired, Regis was sleeping on Drizzt's other side, though not very easily. After a while, Colson walked over and curled up in her father's arms, just staying close. It seemed like do long ago, he had been itching to finally ask Catti-brie the question that had been nagging him for weeks . . . and yet, it had only been . . . he couldn't even remember how long it had been.
Looking out the window, the drow noticed that the sun was already beginning to set. He hadn't even realized that that much time had already passed since the banquet. All of those people standing up and saying those things . . . it had been incredibly strange hearing it all from another person's point of view. A lot of those things he hadn't thought about in a long time; probably not since they had happened, or rather, for a while since after they happened.
* * * * *
Delly moaned, lying back against Catti-brie, sweat pouring down her face. It had been nearly twenty hours since her water broke. Serenity had come in eight hours ago, saying that it was finally time for the baby to come. It just hurt so much; she had never been in so much pain.
"Its alright Del," Serenity's soft voice was soothing to the young mother. "Everything is going to be alright."
"Just make it stop!" She begged, a gasping moan escaping her lips as she struggled through another contraction.
"Don't worry." Serenity's green eyes smiled at her. "I can already see the head, Del; I can already see the head. Not much longer, alright? Only a couple of pushes . . . "
* * * * *
The ranger jumped suddenly as a small hand was placed on his knee.
"Drizzt?" Large, twilight blue eyes looked into his curiously. He smiled slightly down at the elfling looking up at him curiously. The little one spoke quietly in the elven tongue. "What's happening, I heard all this happening and I was afraid that something was wrong."
Drizzt smiled slightly, looking down into those wide, almost frightened eyes. "No, Mikhail." He responded quietly. "Nothing's wrong. Delly's baby has decided to come this night, so Lady Serenity and Lady Catti-brie are in their, helping her, since it hurts her a lot to have the baby."
Mikhail nodded, blowing at the strands of long, white blonde hair in his face. "I 'member my Ada telling me that when Ame had me, it had hurt her a lot and said that he'd almost lost her, though I don't know what he meant by that." He looked down, tears springing to the corners of those beautiful eyes. "And when I asked Ame 'bout it, she said that she didn't care how much it hurt, she still loved me and always would."
Drizzt scooped the small blonde elfling into his arms, seeing that Mikhail was still having trouble looking back on the good memories with his deceased parents without seeing them decapitated in front of him. He couldn't blame the little one, especially after having seen what the small elf had seen, even though he hadn't watched them being killed, like Mikhail had. The elfling curled up in the drow's arms, resting his head on his shoulder and sniffling quietly.
Drizzt whispered soft, soothing words in the child's native tongue, wrapping his arms tightly around the slender frame. After a while, Mikhail fell asleep, one hand curled around a lock of Drizzt's stark white hair. Smiling slightly, Drizzt looked out the window and saw that the sun had set. He looked over at the rest of the companions. He knew that none of them had changed from their formal attire, and were all waiting for news.
* * * * *
Delly fell back against the stacks of pillows, gasping for breath. The keeling wails of a newborn child filled her ears and she smiled. Serenity smiled at the young mother, handing her a bundle of blankets.
"Congratulations Delly, it's a boy."
* * * * *
An hour later, Catti-brie walked out of the room, looking around the hall. Wulfgar and Colson were now in the room with Delly, along with Bruenor and Regis. She had been quite surprised when she had noticed that Drizzt hadn't come into the room to see the baby at all. What she did see, however, made her smile.
Drizzt was fast asleep in the corner of the hall. Mikhail was fast asleep in his arms, one fist curled around a lock of Drizzt's hair, head resting on the drow's shoulder. If they hadn't been different races, then she would've said that they were father and son. She saw that he was still wearing his formal attire from the banquet. She would've expected him to be the first person to change.
Trying not to awaken them, Catti-brie moved around them quietly, moving into her bedroom. Fetching a blanket, she went back into the hall to place it around them, only to find the drow stirring, but Mikhail remaining fast asleep in his arms. Noticing Catti-brie, Drizzt smiled up at her, then looked down at the blonde elfling asleep in his arms.
"Well, I have no idea how I'm going to put him to bed." He smiled at the young woman, taking the blanket gratefully from her and wrapping it around the sleeping elfling. "I don't think he's slept this peacefully since before his clan was killed by the drow."
"Here, I'll take him and let ye stand." Catti-brie smiled as she took the smaller than average five-year-old in her arms. After Drizzt stood up. He once again took the elfling in his arms. "He looks so peaceful when he's sleepin'." She reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from Mikhail's face. "I'm glad that he's sleeping peacefully."
Drizzt smiled as they walked down the hall to his room. It felt sort of strange, though it also semmed right, to be able to hold this little one in his arms. Catti-brie watched from the doorway as the drow tucked the little one into bed, kissing him lightly on the forehead. She knew that Delly had been right, and that he would make a good father, if they ever . . . well. He seemed to shine around Mikhail, and recently had sort of seemed like a father to the orphaned elfling.
"Do you want to stand on the balcony?" He asked her quietly when he had come back from inside of Mikhail's room. Catti-brie smiled slightly when she saw the tinge of pink in his cheeks. The ranger also seemed more interested in looking at his booted feet than into her eyes. "I still wanted to ask you that question."
Smiling, Catti-brie took his offered arm and allowed herself to be led onto a nearby balcony. She looked up into the stars as they were exposed to the cool, autumn air. She shivered slightly as the cold wind bit her bare neck and shoulders. Catti-brie was startled when she felt him place the black cloak he had been wearing around her shoulders. Catti-brie smiled at him before they both looked up at the stars. Drizzt slowly reached inside his pocket, withdrawing the small velvet box from his pocket and taking a deep breath. He still couldn't believe that he was so nervous! He had been able to garner his nerve the night before, but now . . .
Little known to the drow, Catti-brie was watching him closely. She could see that he was nervous about something; sweat was beading in miniscule droplets on his upper lip. She smiled when he turned to look at her, a smile crept up onto his face. She had been curious about what he had been wanting to ask her since the night before, though she had been helping Delly with the birth of their child. She had suspected something really important, but really had had only a small idea, since she hadn't seen what was in that bow he had pulled from his pocket.
She was surprised when he again pulled out the velvet box, but her sapphire eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand, tears threatening to fall when he dropped to one knee in front of her, one hand gently taking on of hers, the other slowly opening the box, revealing a beautfil ring. Tears fell from her eyes as Catti-brie listened to his soft, hesitant question.
"Cat, will you allow me to take your hand in marriage?"
* * * * *
[A/N] How do you like that? **evil grin** Muses told me that I needed something to disturb their first little *private* moment. **grins and pats self on back** I am SO proud of myself. ^-^. Hope everyone had a Hoppy Easter, and please, review! It helps feed the plot bunnies! **smirk** Thx!
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Anguish
Catti-brie quickly followed the servant through the crowd of people. She knew that Drizzt hadn't followed, but she was too worried about Delly to think anything of it. The servant girl led her through a door leading into the ballroom, and a short ways down the hall where she found Delly leaning heavily against the wall, her face a mask if pain, with one hand clutching her large belly.
Catti-brie bent to look into her light brown eyes, trying to get her attention. Delly's breaths were short and uneven. The young woman placed a hand lightly on her face, turning wide eyes to look into hers. She had no idea what was going on, but she needed to find out if they would need any help.
"Delly, what's wrong?" Catti-brie asked quietly, holding onto her hand as another spasm of pain shot through the woman. The servant girl, looking worried, stood off to the side. "Ye need t' tell me if anythin' is wrong."
Delly moaned softly in pain. It had happened so suddenly when she was sitting near the dance floor, watching other people dance and regretting that she couldn't, that she had been caught completely unawares by the pain. She looked into Catti-brie's worried eyes and knew that she had to tell her, but she was still afraid. She hadn't wanted this to happen this early.
"Cat," she said softly, trying to hide the pain in her voice and failing miserably. "The babe's comin' early," she fell heavily against her close friend, eyes wide and scared tears falling down her face. "The babe's comin' early and I not be knowin' what to do about it."
Catti-brie looked into those eyes and though quickly. Delly had every right to be scared. The baby wasn't supposed to be born for another month, and yet, the child was already bigger than a normal human child, and would likely have become larger during the following month. Getting an idea, Catti-brie spoke quietly to the servant girl.
"Find the Lady Serenity," she said softly. "We'll be needin' her help."
Nodding vigorously, the young girl headed off, back into the ballroom. Catti-brie slowly turned her attention back to her struggling friend. She needed to find a way to calm her down before she hyperventilated.
* * * * *
About ten minutes later, Serenity came rushing from the ballroom, closely following the serving girl. Being so tall, (only a foot shorter than her husband) she had to kneel in order to look into Delly's eyes, to see what was wrong. Closing her emerald green eyes, she gently placed a hand on the struggling woman's belly, her sensitive fingers seeking out the life beneath her touch.
Serenity could feel the pain and fear radiating off the young mother, since the feeling was familiar to her. She had felt the same thing a month ago when her son was born, and the same thing years ago when she had had the little girl. Even though she had known that there had been nothing to worry about, it was still terrifying to know that the baby was coming early.
She turned her gaze to Catti-brie, worry in her own gaze. "We'll need to get her to a room," her voice was soft as she talked with the young woman. "It'll be safer and far less embarrassing for her than if she had the child here in the hallway." Catti-brie nodded and slowly helped Delly down the hall and into the room she shared with her husband. Serenity quickly turned to the serving girl.
"Find her husband," she said quietly, "and all their friends and family. Surely that was what would be happening in a month if this wasn't happening now."
With another nod, the servant again ran off. She was still exhausted from running all over before, but she would do it anyway. After the serving girl had gone back into the ballroom, Serenity followed where Catti-brie and Delly had gone, knowing exactly why Catti-brie had asked specifically for her help.
* * * * *
Half an hour later, Wulfgar, Regis, Bruenor, and Drizzt, had all gathered outside of the bedroom door. They could hear soft moans of pain coming from inside the room, and were all clearly worried. Serenity had just come out of the room, having finally gotten Delly settled until she actually began to deliver the child.
The minute that Serenity stepped from the door, Wulfgar was already up and talking to her in low tones. She sighed at one of the questions, shaking her head. With that, she walked over to the friends, the tall barbarian following behind her.
"Is she going to be alright?" Regis asked, looking up, up, into her green eyes. The others looked at the Luchiélt Lady, eyes all asking the same question. She smiled slightly, looking at each of them in turn.
"Yes, she'll be fine." She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "It'll be a long time, probably hours, before her body is actually ready to have the baby. And from the size of the child, it'll be a very difficult birth." She smiled slightly. "Catti-brie actually had the idea to ask me for help. Considering I have had a child larger than my body could support, it was logical."
Drizzt smiled. He already knew the tale, and the story behind it. He remembered Gabriel telling him just how difficult the birth had been. Serenity herself had barely survived with her life. He knew that everyone was worried about the young woman, since, at five feet, the fact that she was carrying a child with barbarian blood, made the pregnancy itself very difficult.
It would be a long time before anything happened, before the baby would be born, but likely, they would all be out here.
It would be a long night.
* * * * *
It was nearly noon the next day when Delly was finally ready to have the baby. Serenity had periodically come in to check on her during the day. Serenity had only come in periodically because she needed to care for her infant son, and get much needed rest. She was still weak from all that had happened to her during those long months in captivity. Now that she was going to help Delly deliver the baby, Gabriel would be caring for their little one.
The rest of the small group of friends had remained sitting outside the door, still wearing the formal clothing that they had worn the night before to the banquet. Colson, who had been fetched by another servant, lay curled into Drizzt's side, sleeping uneasily.
Drizzt watched Wulfgar, who looked incredibly stressed that he hadn't been allowed in the room. The large barbarian winced every time one of Delly's pain-filled screams came from the room, echoed by the sound of Serenity's gentle words to encourage the strained human woman. Catti-brie, of course, was still in there, staying by her friend's side. Serenity had warned them all, especially Wulfgar, that it was possible that the woman wouldn't live through the birth.
They were all tired, Regis was sleeping on Drizzt's other side, though not very easily. After a while, Colson walked over and curled up in her father's arms, just staying close. It seemed like do long ago, he had been itching to finally ask Catti-brie the question that had been nagging him for weeks . . . and yet, it had only been . . . he couldn't even remember how long it had been.
Looking out the window, the drow noticed that the sun was already beginning to set. He hadn't even realized that that much time had already passed since the banquet. All of those people standing up and saying those things . . . it had been incredibly strange hearing it all from another person's point of view. A lot of those things he hadn't thought about in a long time; probably not since they had happened, or rather, for a while since after they happened.
* * * * *
Delly moaned, lying back against Catti-brie, sweat pouring down her face. It had been nearly twenty hours since her water broke. Serenity had come in eight hours ago, saying that it was finally time for the baby to come. It just hurt so much; she had never been in so much pain.
"Its alright Del," Serenity's soft voice was soothing to the young mother. "Everything is going to be alright."
"Just make it stop!" She begged, a gasping moan escaping her lips as she struggled through another contraction.
"Don't worry." Serenity's green eyes smiled at her. "I can already see the head, Del; I can already see the head. Not much longer, alright? Only a couple of pushes . . . "
* * * * *
The ranger jumped suddenly as a small hand was placed on his knee.
"Drizzt?" Large, twilight blue eyes looked into his curiously. He smiled slightly down at the elfling looking up at him curiously. The little one spoke quietly in the elven tongue. "What's happening, I heard all this happening and I was afraid that something was wrong."
Drizzt smiled slightly, looking down into those wide, almost frightened eyes. "No, Mikhail." He responded quietly. "Nothing's wrong. Delly's baby has decided to come this night, so Lady Serenity and Lady Catti-brie are in their, helping her, since it hurts her a lot to have the baby."
Mikhail nodded, blowing at the strands of long, white blonde hair in his face. "I 'member my Ada telling me that when Ame had me, it had hurt her a lot and said that he'd almost lost her, though I don't know what he meant by that." He looked down, tears springing to the corners of those beautiful eyes. "And when I asked Ame 'bout it, she said that she didn't care how much it hurt, she still loved me and always would."
Drizzt scooped the small blonde elfling into his arms, seeing that Mikhail was still having trouble looking back on the good memories with his deceased parents without seeing them decapitated in front of him. He couldn't blame the little one, especially after having seen what the small elf had seen, even though he hadn't watched them being killed, like Mikhail had. The elfling curled up in the drow's arms, resting his head on his shoulder and sniffling quietly.
Drizzt whispered soft, soothing words in the child's native tongue, wrapping his arms tightly around the slender frame. After a while, Mikhail fell asleep, one hand curled around a lock of Drizzt's stark white hair. Smiling slightly, Drizzt looked out the window and saw that the sun had set. He looked over at the rest of the companions. He knew that none of them had changed from their formal attire, and were all waiting for news.
* * * * *
Delly fell back against the stacks of pillows, gasping for breath. The keeling wails of a newborn child filled her ears and she smiled. Serenity smiled at the young mother, handing her a bundle of blankets.
"Congratulations Delly, it's a boy."
* * * * *
An hour later, Catti-brie walked out of the room, looking around the hall. Wulfgar and Colson were now in the room with Delly, along with Bruenor and Regis. She had been quite surprised when she had noticed that Drizzt hadn't come into the room to see the baby at all. What she did see, however, made her smile.
Drizzt was fast asleep in the corner of the hall. Mikhail was fast asleep in his arms, one fist curled around a lock of Drizzt's hair, head resting on the drow's shoulder. If they hadn't been different races, then she would've said that they were father and son. She saw that he was still wearing his formal attire from the banquet. She would've expected him to be the first person to change.
Trying not to awaken them, Catti-brie moved around them quietly, moving into her bedroom. Fetching a blanket, she went back into the hall to place it around them, only to find the drow stirring, but Mikhail remaining fast asleep in his arms. Noticing Catti-brie, Drizzt smiled up at her, then looked down at the blonde elfling asleep in his arms.
"Well, I have no idea how I'm going to put him to bed." He smiled at the young woman, taking the blanket gratefully from her and wrapping it around the sleeping elfling. "I don't think he's slept this peacefully since before his clan was killed by the drow."
"Here, I'll take him and let ye stand." Catti-brie smiled as she took the smaller than average five-year-old in her arms. After Drizzt stood up. He once again took the elfling in his arms. "He looks so peaceful when he's sleepin'." She reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from Mikhail's face. "I'm glad that he's sleeping peacefully."
Drizzt smiled as they walked down the hall to his room. It felt sort of strange, though it also semmed right, to be able to hold this little one in his arms. Catti-brie watched from the doorway as the drow tucked the little one into bed, kissing him lightly on the forehead. She knew that Delly had been right, and that he would make a good father, if they ever . . . well. He seemed to shine around Mikhail, and recently had sort of seemed like a father to the orphaned elfling.
"Do you want to stand on the balcony?" He asked her quietly when he had come back from inside of Mikhail's room. Catti-brie smiled slightly when she saw the tinge of pink in his cheeks. The ranger also seemed more interested in looking at his booted feet than into her eyes. "I still wanted to ask you that question."
Smiling, Catti-brie took his offered arm and allowed herself to be led onto a nearby balcony. She looked up into the stars as they were exposed to the cool, autumn air. She shivered slightly as the cold wind bit her bare neck and shoulders. Catti-brie was startled when she felt him place the black cloak he had been wearing around her shoulders. Catti-brie smiled at him before they both looked up at the stars. Drizzt slowly reached inside his pocket, withdrawing the small velvet box from his pocket and taking a deep breath. He still couldn't believe that he was so nervous! He had been able to garner his nerve the night before, but now . . .
Little known to the drow, Catti-brie was watching him closely. She could see that he was nervous about something; sweat was beading in miniscule droplets on his upper lip. She smiled when he turned to look at her, a smile crept up onto his face. She had been curious about what he had been wanting to ask her since the night before, though she had been helping Delly with the birth of their child. She had suspected something really important, but really had had only a small idea, since she hadn't seen what was in that bow he had pulled from his pocket.
She was surprised when he again pulled out the velvet box, but her sapphire eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand, tears threatening to fall when he dropped to one knee in front of her, one hand gently taking on of hers, the other slowly opening the box, revealing a beautfil ring. Tears fell from her eyes as Catti-brie listened to his soft, hesitant question.
"Cat, will you allow me to take your hand in marriage?"
* * * * *
[A/N] How do you like that? **evil grin** Muses told me that I needed something to disturb their first little *private* moment. **grins and pats self on back** I am SO proud of myself. ^-^. Hope everyone had a Hoppy Easter, and please, review! It helps feed the plot bunnies! **smirk** Thx!