HEY EVERYONE! Thanks for waiting so patiently~! I've been fussing over this chapter for so long, mostly because we are soon going to be entering the second half of the story, which means I want the first half- and it's ending- to be PERFECT. Which means I have to make you love Tamar...Which probably won't be too hard, because who doesn't love cute little babies/children? Have fun reading!

Catharsis

By Gold Sparrow

Chapter 14: Tamar

The world is bright, and it burns her eyes.

Slowly, she opens them once more, watching the light soften. The room comes into perspective, and she curiously stares up at the ceiling, blinking away sleep. She tries to lift her head, but it's too heavy, and her arms flail awkwardly in the air as she looks for something to grasp. She wiggles, as if the movement will the catch the eye of one of her parents, before resigning herself to stillness.

A bird lands on the edge of her crib.

In awe, she tries to grab it, concentrating on reaching out for the fluttering, brilliant creature. Someone laughs, a sound that echoes around her, confusing her. The bird lifts off from it's perch, circling her, before settling down on her belly. She watches it with awe, using her hand to try and touch it. The bird avoids her palm, nimbly fluttering between her fingers to rest atop one.

She giggles.

"Are you having a good morning, Tamar?" Tamar looks up, and sees the source of the voice. Above her, looking into the crib, is her mother. Her hair, long and straight, falls into the crib, and Tamar abandons the bird to grasp the blue locks. She gurgles and sputters to her mother, pointing to the bird, but Bathsheba doesn't understand her, laughing.

"I hope you slept well. The first time sleeping through the night! What a good girl." Bathsheba's hands swoop down, lifting her infant from the crib. "My little girl, such a sweetheart."

Bathsheba cooes sweetly down at Tamar, her lovely face glowing with pride and happiness. Tamar feels incredibly warm, her belly filling with a comforting heat. She curls into her mother, pulling on her hair and pointing to the bird now perched again on the rim of the crib. She stuffs blue hair into her mouth, watching her mother's face to see her reaction.

But Bathsheba still doesn't notice it.

Or rather...She doesn't see it.

"Da...Da…" Tamar crinkles her nose in concentration, staring up into her father's face. David sits cross-legged before her, staring down at her with calm blue eyes. His eyes and Bathsheba's are both blue, but very different. Bathsheba's are vibrant and enticing, mesmerizing her with the stories they whisper silently. David's, on the other hand, are concealed by a powder-blue wall. She cannot see what her father thinks on the other side of his eyes. The only emotion he allows for her to see is curiosity.

Tamar picks herself up onto her knees, pressing her palms onto the carpet. Then she crawls closer to David, watching her little hands to keep her balance. She wobbles, losing focus, and goes down, her head landing atop her father's leg. David is silent, staring at her.

"Dada." She mumbles into his leg, before pulling herself up. She smiles at him, goofily, and opens her arms. "Dada!"

David watches her curiously.

And he smiles.

"You are quite fascinating. Just like Bathsheba."

Tamar touches her nose, reassuring herself that it's still there after her fall. Then she looks up at David, smiling herself.

"Dada," She repeats wisely, nodding her head. "Da."

"Mhm." David does something strange with his eyes, making them do a circle. "Do you know when your mother is coming back? I have work."

The word "mother" gets through to her, and she perks up, recognizing the woman who comes along with that title.

"Mama!" Tamar launches forward, landing in his lap. She grabs his clothes, holding tight and giggling. "Mama!"

"...Why do you say "Mama" better than "Dada"?"

Tamar laughs happily, pulling on his robes and his long black hair as she squirms in his lap.

"Your mother slapped me when I told her I wanted a son," He says, pulling her up from under her arms. He holds her to his chest, staring down at her with a slight grin. "Of course, I was upset. I understand why she would do that. But you are so wonderful, little Tamar. I showed you to Illah, and his Rukh embraced you."

She snuggles into her father, yawning. Then she curls into his arms, closing her little eyes.

"You have inherited your mother's brilliance, Tamar. I will keep you in this world, close to me."

Tamar runs down the hallway, gently constrained by her mother's hand. Bathsheba's palm flattens atop her head, before drifting down as if caught in the strands of her hair. Someone rounds the corner of hallway, and Tamar freezes. She sneaks into the folds of her mother's dress, hiding amongst the blue and red fabric. She giggles, thinking that she's being clever, awaiting Bath's signal.

A gentle tap on her forehead, and she's springing forward, arms wide open.

"Daddy!" She calls, arms wrapping around the man's legs. A deep chuckle vibrates through her father's chest, rattling her little body.

"Hello, my Princess. How has your day been?"

"Good! Mommy 'n I went to pick flowers!" In a moment, she's delicately pried off of David's legs and swooped up into the air, meeting a blue gaze. She's held close to her father's body, her cheek squishing against his shoulder.

"Did you pick me any?"

"Mhm. Mommy 'n I made a vase fer your room"

"I see. How lucky I am." Her father bounces her. She curls into him, absorbing his warmth through their hug. There is a pressure against her side, causing her to peek up and see her mother smiling at David.

"How was the meeting, darling?"

"Bath," He wraps an arm around Bathsheba's waist, and presses his forehead to hers. Tamar watches curiously at the exchange, studies how David looks at Bath. "If you were there, I may have actually paid attention."

Bathsheba laughs lightly, which makes Tamar giggle. Tuning out the rest of her parent's conversation, she plays with her father's earring, grasping it with both hands. The earring is as large as her hand, and she can fit three fingers through the hole. It's cool as the winter breeze, and very lightly Tamar pulls it like she's seen Bathsheba do.

"Ah- oh. I see your mother taught you a bad habit." Bathsheba glares at David, punching his arm. He rears back, frowning at his wife.

Tamar giggles innocently, holding tight to her parents.

My Tamar and my Bathsheba have grown close to my heart.

I'm afraid to say that I've grown irreversibly enamored with my wife. Her smiles light my days, like candles set in the darkest hallway. And I know I've grown on her to; she no longer shies away from my touch, or restrains her laughter with simpers of disdain. She's swayed my judgement many times since the birth of our child, a fact that I'm not proud of. And yet, whenever I follow Bathsheba's path, I find myself enjoying life more. I find myself seeing something righteous and brilliant that I had never seen before.

I find myself not wanting a son.

Perhaps Joab is right. Maybe my judgement is being clouded [the writing stops, and picks up again with a lighter stroke] My Tamar is here. I must entertain her.

"Mommy, can I see Daddy today?"

"I'm afraid not, sweetness. He's working." Tamar pouts, leaning back against her mother. Bathsheba sits at her desk, her hand moving smoothly over papers. Her eyes are trained on it, never lifting from the words she forms on the page. Fascinated, Tamar lifts herself up, watching as the words form sentences. They add up to create paragraphs, which look so neat and orderly and sensible. She can't read most of the words, they're too long and complicated. But she likes looking, and seeing her mother so enraptured with what she's sculpting.

"Waz this, Mommy?"

"..." Bathsheba blinks, clouds leaving her sky-like eyes. She looks down at her, as if surprised to find her daughter perched on her lap. "It is my new book."

"Do you like w'iting, Mommy?"

"Very much so. I enjoy writing theses on magic, but…" Bathsheba laughs a little, the sound striking in its awkwardness. "Ah, well, this one is more on philosophies."

"Phil-aw-so-f-ies…?" Tamar repeats, tilting her head. "Waz that?"

"It's a belief on how the world works...Or should work." Her mother cups her face, looking into her face. "And you, my dove, are my greatest inspiration."

"Why?"

"..." Bathsheba chuckles, holding her tight. "Because you are the most wonderful thing I've ever created, Tamar."

Ester pushes Falan and Tamar together, her eyes loving and sweet.

"Falan, meet Tamar, aru. And Tamar, like, meet my daughter, Falan."

Tamar blinks. In front of her is a girl with carrot-colored hair and eyes like the precious green stones her father once showed her. Jade, he had called them. Her lips are drawn together in a pout, but it's her eyes that look up at her from under thick lashes that give away her shyness. She looks a lot like Ester, who is beautiful and kind. Many a day Tamar has begged the handmaid to introduce her to Falan, but it's been difficult to carve out a good time. Remembering all the times she spent pestering Ester while she was trying to braid her young mistress's hair causes Tamar to giggle. Tamar's lips slowly form a smile, and she eagerly takes a step towards Falan.

"Nice to meet you, Falan!" She warmly greets, her lips perking upwards. Falan seems surprised, but then begins to smile as well, holding out a hand. The two join their hands together and turn to the gardens, neither noticing a beaming Ester behind them.

When Tamar is five, she meets a mysterious man. He looks down at her with cold eyes, his lips forming an icy smile. It makes her back shiver, but she doesn't like judging and sticks to her spot in front of him, holding her skirt.

"Hello there, little one."

"...Hi." She says, her voice small. She wants her mother suddenly, but doesn't know why.

"You're the infamous Tamar, hm? What a joy to meet you." They are polite words covered in a film of sarcasm and jutting out with sharp edges. Her eyebrows knit together, and she tilts her head slightly.

"Um, nice to meet you, mister."

"Joab," He introduces himself, his canines pronounced as he smiles wider. "Call me Joab, your highness."

"...Joab..." She steps away, hitting someone. It's her mother, Bathsheba, who glares at Joab unabashedly. Bathsheba sets a reassuring hand on Tamar's shoulder, as if telling the girl that she's not alone. Tamar hugs her mother's leg, hiding slightly.

"Elder Joab," Bathsheba greets, her smile made of hard clay.

"Your majesty," He returns, his smile harder. Tamar has the strangest desire to protect her mother from his man, to grab her hand and take her away. But her mother is a strong woman, and she doesn't react to Joab, ushering Tamar away without another word.

A ways down the road...

"...Bath?"

"..."

"...It's time. We have to go."

"..."

"Bathsheba, please…"

"..."

"You have to come. We can't ignore this."

"I-I can't."

"I know. But we failed, Bathsheba."

Oh man, that ominous ending! I wonder what happen...? Five virtual hugs for whoever can guess it right! Oh, but trust me, Tamar will still be around next chapter. Next chapter is...Fluffy. And sweet. Anyway, thanks for reading the chapter and being so patient! I'm sorry I've left you all waiting for so long. Unfortunately, I've been working on a few other projects, and it's been tough to catch up. Luckily my Beta has proof-read chapters 10-12, which I will soon be posting with the edits. Thanks for sticking with me, and keep enjoying!

Tamar: Someone asked me how I picked the name Tamar, and here is my answer: FROM THE BIBLE~! In the Bible, King David's only daughter (at least only daughter mentioned by name) was named Tamar, thus, this Tamar is named...Tamar. She is an adorable child whom even David has grown to love, a being of sweetness and purity. You're probably wondering how she's going to fit into the story and my answer is: in ways you shall not expect.

Joab: He is a psycho. And his name is taken from the Bible as well! David made his nephew Joab captain of the army, who was actually quite a brilliant captain and then General. Joab was known to give advice and admonish David. However, Joab often went against David's orders as well, resulting in the deaths of two of David's sons.

Got any questions or suggestions? Something wrong about the chapter? Grammatical errors, something you didn't like? PM me or leave it in the reviews, I will reply and see what I can do to make the story better/clearer for y'all to understand. ILY MY DARLING READERS!

BYE~~~~~~~