Hmm…not sure what to write next…maybe I'll finish up Ensnared…
Not that anyone remembers that one exists, lol.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
She desperately tried to coo the child, attempting to comfort the wailing infant. It was the dead of night, but he still wouldn't sleep- but of course he wouldn't, he was hungry… He wouldn't drink the formula her father had made for him, or even plain milk, the child was too young to have anything else, but…
"Please, Kratos," she begged the child, her ears drooped down with her desperation. "Drink, it's okay, it's milk…"
The baby continued to wail and she groaned, plopping her head against the wall, looking at the old crib before her. It had been hers when she had been young, as it had belonged to her older siblings, and while it was certainly old it was durable, and would last for another decade or so- and he would outgrow it by then, since humans usually hit puberty only a couple years after that. They grew fast, so that should be some solace to her…
She took a deep breath, trying to gather her wits around her, closing her eyes for just a moment- or at least she had intended it to be half a moment, but she fell fast asleep.
She dreamt, but of exactly what it was she wasn't quite…sure. It was at the Sacred Ground, she was certain, but the rest was so hazy. Arms wrapped around her, her back against the forest floor, soft kisses…blue eyes…four arms-
Four?
Her dream erupted in a chaotic blur of shapes and colors, of sensations of touch and heat, like an explosion in her head, all at once, and then vanished. There was darkness and she felt her stomach swell up, then pain, the wailing of a child, then the four-armed figure with the blue eyes, looking at her-
"Ah-!" She jolted upright, panting, her body trembling as her eyes darted around the room.
The baby was still crying as she panted, trying to regain control of her breathing. She groaned and leaned back in the chair, rubbing her face. This was going to drive her insane, or perhaps she was already insane, if that dream meant anyth-
Wait…something was…different…
Elma frowned, her brow furrowing as she slowly looked down, spotting the dark stains on her chest. The elven maiden's eyes snapped open, her ears jolting up in shock. She staggered up quickly to the mirror, staring at herself. Her chest had swollen, pushing tightly against the fabric of her dress, the stains-
She was lactating.
She gasped and staggered back, knocking into her bedpost and nearly falling right over it. Her eyes stared, unseeing at nothing, her pulse pounding in her ears. What was-? Was she still dreaming? What was going on? How could she be- she wasn't pregnant-
Was she?
No, of course not, she couldn't be, she had never- she was pure. How could…
She swallowed and quickly put her hand to her mid-section, straining her senses to detect the mana in her body, to see if there was a new life inside her- …no. there was nothing.
A sharp cry from the infant drew her attention, staring over at him in his crib. She hesitated, confused and afraid, but- …he was hungry. The babe was hungry and now she could feed him…
Four arms...the Shrine…
She swallowed.
Origin….Origin had to have something to do with this, she was certain…
Elma bit her lip, then hurried over to the baby, gathering him in her arms. She hesitated, glancing around her room before slowly, awkwardly slipping down her dress, pressing the baby to her chest. For a moment nothing happened, and then she yelped, her body stiffening as the infant human began to nurse. Little Kratos nuzzled up closely to her chest, suckling, his cries reduced to small sniffs and hiccups. Elma stared into the abyss, shaking just a bit as she slowly sat down into her chair. What was going on? How was this…?
She hesitated, glancing down at the baby who nursed noisily, calming now that he was being fed. She was nursing him; she was feeding him, like a mother, like his real mother would…
"Elma-"
She jerked, whipping her head around as her father slipped into her room. The old elf and his daughter met each other's eyes, staring at each other in silence as the baby fed.
"…Elma?"
There was no getting out of it at that point; besides, she wouldn't have been able to hide it that long anyway. She explain what had happened, how Kratos wouldn't eat, how she had fallen asleep and woken like…that. Elma told her father the truth, told her that she didn't understand and she didn't know, hoping her father would believe her. It seemed, to her fortune, that he did, but she didn't exactly like having to tell him the details of what he asked…
"That's all you remember from that dream?" He asked again.
She looked away, frowning as her cheeks flushed.
"Yes, I told you, I told you everything in it, and I didn't even want to tell you that!" she shivered a bit, recalling the embarrassment of having to explain the…personal, even if very vague dream.
"Well then…it's obvious," her father frowned, resting his hands on his cane. "There is little question that the babe has been sent to us by the Spirits, and what's more…"
He eyed her and she looked away again, trying to hide the anxiety and self-consciousness she felt.
"Origin is this child's father and you are his mother," he said flatly.
Elma jerked, her eyes darting to her father, widening in shock.
"W- What? Father don't be-"
"Calm yourself, child, I do not mean literally." He raised a hand, shaking his head. "It is merely a symbolic relationship, is what the dream means… In your dream Origin gave you the child, and you birthed it, and you found the babe at the same spot your dream took place in…whoever the child's real parents are is not what is being expressed. The symbolism of it indicates that, whatever the child's true parentage, Origin has taken him as to being of his own, and has shouldered you with the task of being his mother."
She paled, starting at her father a good minute and then looking down at the babe in her arms.
"Origin has provided for you that you may provide for the babe, this boy is of interest to the spirits, and thus of importance to our world," the elder continued, looking at the little Kratos.
Elma said nothing, holding the child closer to her chest, protectively, looking down at his little auburn locks.
"But…Father, he's just a baby."
"Children grow quickly," he chuckled softly, a weak smile coming to his lips. "Especially humans…"
"Wh...What is mother going to say?" She bit her lip, her cheeks pink as she imagined how her mother would react to this ...change.
"Do not worry about that, Elma, I shall speak with her," the man replied with just a bit of exasperation. "I shall have to inform the village as well…after all, there is no longer any doubt that this child has been given to us by the spirits. They must all realize the responsibility we all have as a village to the rearing of this babe."
"…I- …yes, Father." She nodded, cuddling the child. "I…I will do as the Spirits wish, I will…I will be his mother."
"My child, did you not already agree to that earlier this day?" The old elf chuckled lightly, a crinkle of a smile in his eyes. "Do not think of it as a task or a burden, dear, think of it as you did earlier. As giving an orphan child a home, as giving him a mother and a family."
She watched as her father rose to his feet slowly, smiling at her still as he headed for the door.
"Try to get some rest after he goes back to sleep, Elma…and he'll probably spit up after, just to let you know."
"Wh- what?" she stared. "You mean vomit-?"
"Yes, infants do that," he said with a little smirk, a glint in his eyes. "You'll be fine."
With that he left, and Elma slowly glanced back down at her son-…her son.
Yes…she liked how that sounded. Her son, her little boy…
And then the baby threw up.
…Well, she knew it wasn't going to be THAT easy after all…
Lol, little baby Kratos is already giving his momma a hard time :P Just wait until next chapter when he's crawling.
Review if you'd like