30 December, Tenth Pass, Turn 31
"Salanalay! Come give Mom a hand!" Alana calls as she cradles her newest born son. An accident, once again. Poor timing, just as she had been grounded for a leg injury, she had gotten pregnant. Again.
"Kay Mom," the tiny toddler mumbled. He was almost three, and had a little brother now. He would be expected to help around a lot more now. "Wutcha wan'?" he asked with a wide yawn, tiny voice loud and clear over the soft sobs of his new brother.
"Go get S'ban," she said simply.
"Howw?" Salanalay asked, eyes wide. He couldn't leave their weyr!
"Oh that's right, you're incompetent," Alana said, rolling her eyes. "Avenuth! Call Terath!" she bellowed. The newborn began to cry. "And the Archivist, and the Healer," she said, dismissing the drudge she had called up.
I don't see why you didn't call them before. What about Feyrth? she asked.
"No, I do not want T'graynn here today," she said, rolling her eyes again. The baby had been out of the womb for hours by the time she had decided to call anyone, and it was showing effect by the utter exhaustion of everyone connected to the birthing. The drudge practically crawled out, and Salanalay slumped on a chair like a miniature S'ban, and Avenuth said without much feeling: Terath, Mine wants yours to come and see her newest son.
S'ban arrived shortly afterwards.
"The child isn't mine, why did you call me?" S'ban asked, rather weary himself. He had endured a busy morning with his weyrmate, and would rather not deal with Alana.
"Because T'graynn is as incompetent as your son, so you're trading," she said, handing the baby over.
"What?" S'ban managed as the baby nearly dropped. The child started to wail.
"You heard me. Salanalay is T'graynn's child, and Galanaven is your child," she said simply, waddling to the rest room to relieve herself. "Shards I'm still going all the time! Every two hours!" Alana called back.
She's damned insane, Terath, the bluerider said with a polite cough to indicate that Alana had provided more information than he'd like to know. "I need to get back to my Weyrmate, I'll call T'graynn..."
"Oh, no, please don't!" Alana said, running out anxiously and clinging to S'ban.
"Too late, Alana. Don't you understand what a child is? A child is not to be 'traded' for a 'better' one. I don't see why you hate Salanalay so much, but there is nothing I can do but treat him as if he were not mine. The same goes for children who truly are not my own flesh and blood, Alana," S'ban responded sharply. He turned on heel, and returned to F'ren.
Feyrth comes, Avenuth announced happily.
I am well aware of that, you fool, Alana responds sharply. Avenuth sighs from the ledge and curls up, exhausted from Alana's behaviour. She drops Galanaven onto Salanalay's two and 11/12ths turn old lap, and waddles out to meet him.
"Your son is with the other kid," she said off handedly. T'graynn embraced her, but she pulled away. "His name is Galanaven, as if you care," she said. "Salanalay!" she bellows. The kid barely manages to bring the newborn out.
Alana plucked the infant from Salanalay's tired arms and handed him to T'graynn suddenly, who nearly dropped him with surprise. She gestured for Salanalay to leave, and he did, humming absently in his high treble. T'graynn jiggled the baby boy in a worrisom fashion as he watched Salanalay leave.
"Will you ever treat that boy right?" the brownrider asked.
"I treat him better than I should," responded simply. "This boy will be better than that thing. This one isn't so stubborn," she said. "He won't have brain damage from Between."