Chapter Twenty Two- Why Deny It

Achillae sat up in her cradle, the sun just starting to rise. She pulled at her blonde locks, the curls bouncing back when released. She looked around her room for someone to be there to pick her up. Upon seeing no one, she decided to get out herself. Grabbing to the edge of the cradle, she pulled herself up into a standing position. The sun light hit her soft skin, warming her completely. She stood for a while, mesmerized by the shifting light between the curtains.

A step on the floor caused her to turn her head. At the entrance to her room was Achilles, watching her watch him. His face was unreadable, but so was her ownby default. The identical blues met and held for a while. She turned back to the sunlight, knowing he would come to get her once she looked away. She plopped down in her cradle waiting for him.

She was right.

He crossed the room in a few swift steps. He knelt beside his daughter's cradle, hiding his head behind the edge. He raised up to where his eyes just came over the edge. She leaned over on her fours and held herself in the same position. They sat for the longest while without movement or sound.

Finally, she broke a beautiful smile, giggling sweetly and reaching her arms out to him. Achilles lifted her tiny form into his arms. She layed her head against his shoulder, arms spread wide and pressed against his skin. He smiled down as she looked up to him. He planted a firm kiss on her forehead and headed out of the room.

The high grass was wonderful cover for a baby. Achillae crawled through it with determination, smiling happily as it tickled her chest and neck. She lost her balance and rolled onto her back. Her eyes focused on the puffy white clouds above her. The birds flew overhead, rising and falling with the wind currents.

She rolled back over and up onto her hands, continuing her marching crawl. A few paces ahead, she came to the break in the grass. She slipped out of the grasses stopping after a few paces. She rolled back onto a sitting position, clapping her hands together to get the tiny leaves and dirt off her skin. She smiled and turned to her father for approval.

Achilles lay on his side, twisting a few blades of the pale grass in his hands. He smiled gently at his daughter, watching her the entire time she was on her journey. He watched as she rolled into her hands and knees, quickly closing the space between him. She turned and leaned against his chest, snuggling into the warm material of his shirt.

"Having fun," he asked her, gently stroking her curls. She turned her head and smiled again, giggling as he tickled behind her ear. He let his head drop off his hand and to the ground. Achillae crawled up to his face, putting a tiny hand on it. She touched his tanned skin, little fingers soft on his weather-worn hide.

She layed down on her side, facing him. He could see the tired in her face, eyes drooping slightly. He put a hand on her waist, covering from herunderarm to her hips. She smiled again, yawning half way through. He pulled her into his arms, sitting up to face the ocean. She leaned her face against his, looking out onto the sparkling water.

"You know, I brought your momma here," he explained to his baby girl. "She saw it at night and fell in love with it. I thought it only right I bring my new princess here as well." He felt her head tuck into the side of his neck, signalling she was going to drift off. Rocking back and forth, Achilles waited until the breaths on his neck were even to move.

Achillae lay in her mother's arms, comfortably feeding from her. Briseis watched her daughter with gentle eyes, tracing a line up and down the baby's arm. She spent the day with her boys playing and chasing them up and down the beach. Now she wanted time with her baby girl.

Once Achillae finished and was burped, she nestled into her mother's chest again. Briseis moved out onto the balcony of their room, overlooking the sunset sky. Achillae wriggled in her arms and she was sat down on the sofa next to her mother. She looked around, grabbing part of Briseis' skirt in her tiny fists.

Briseis marvelled at her daughter's strength. She grew so fast, sitting up and moving around independantly sooner than both of the boys. She smiled as she thought of her maturity and what this all meant. The sooner she grew up, the sooner Achilles would have to give his daughter away.

Achillae laid on the couch, pulling the extra skirt material over her head and giggling. Briseis leaned over her, pulling it down in a game of peek-a-boo. The warm laughter that rose from the babe carried into the room behind them.

"You are going to be such a tease," Briseis said as her daughter curled up in her arms, still giggling sweetly. "You'll drive men wild and leave them to suffer."

"Exactly what she should do." She turned her head to see Achilles come out onto the balcony. He sat on the table in front of them, stroking Achillae's curls lightly. "With the exception of the teasing."

"But she's so beautiful," Briseis challenged with a coy tone. "How will anyone resist her smile?" She held her up over her head and wiggled her fingers on the child's sides, causing more laughter. Achilles lifted Achillae out of her grasp, turning her into his chest and holding her possesively.

"They will resist, or face me." Briseis hid her laughter behind her hand. His uber-parental instinct kicked in as his infant daughter started to tug lightly at the ties on his shirt. He smiled down at her and placed a quick kiss on her forehead.

"We don't have to worry for a while about that," she said, running her fingers through his blonde locks. "She's still young."

"Very young," he added, turning Achillae in his lap so she faced her mother. Leaning against his chest, she now busied herself with the fingers on his and her hands. He spread his hand wide, letting her do the same in his palm.

"She's trying to speak now, Achilles," Briseis said, letting Achillae grab hold of her finger in a little fist.

"The boys didn't start talking this soon did they?"

"No, that's why I wanted to tell you."

"Great. Talking leads to arguing and soon she'll be old enough to say she knows everything."

"Oh, so Kyte's started that with you too?"

"He's been doing it to me for about three weeks now. He thinks he's all-knowing."

"All children are at one point or another. Pat did the same thing but he kicked out of it in a few days."

Achilles went to say something when Achillae started to babble. Her little voice was soft and sweet to the ear, little children's words strung together. Her parents smiled at this, causing her to continue. She patted her father's hands a few times with her own, then looked up into his face.

"Dada dada," she babbled out slowly, trying to make sure it was right. Achilles laughed lightly.

"If that's what you want to call me," he jested, putting himself nose to nose with her. She smiled and repeated the little phrase a few times for her own assurance.

A/N: yes, this was just about as fluffy as a freshly bathed poodle. (don't ask about the analogy...it just popped into my head) I'm giving you all fair warning, this is going up to Twenty Five chapters. I have all of them written, but I must first do some editing before they are ready for public viewing. What do you like better: fluff or gore?

-til next chapter

Anthestria