"In a child's eyes, a mother is a goddess. She can be glorious or terrible, benevolent or filled with wrath, but she commands love either way. I am convinced that this is the greatest power in the universe."
― N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
August 9:29 Dragon
The trees in the Southron hills whipped back and forth violently, wind rushing around them with a terrible force. Thunder rolled in the skies, overshadowing a travelling caravan of elves.
Lightning flashed, illuminating the elves that scurried about the small camp. They hurried about, trying to secure their tents to the ground, but each time they did the wind would rip them back up. Rain pounded upon the tired faces of the Dalish clan, and they worked their fingers to the bone to try and secure themselves for the night.
A crack of thunder and lightning masked the shrieking screams coming from inside a secured aravel.
At the far back of the aravel, Melia was reclined onto Thackery who was holding her from behind. He swept Melia's hair back from her sweating face. Larka laid down in a corner, whining each time Melia let out a shriek in agony.
Intense pain shot through Melia's pelvis and up through her stomach. She screamed again, Thackery tried consoling her with gentle words but it did nothing to ease the pain.
Melia's legs had been spread, her doeskin dress pulled up past her hips.
Ashalle put her hand on Melia's swollen belly.
"I can't stop the baby, Melia'nain, you will have to push." She said adamantly.
"It is too early!" Melia cried out, her sobs masked by the rolling thunder.
"Melia, you have to." Ashalle urged her, "This baby has to come out."
Melia screamed again, her muscles painfully contracting once more. Her legs wobbled and seized. Ashalle looked up at Thackery.
"You'll have to hold her still!"
"I'm trying." Thackery called over Melia's screaming. He repositioned himself to comfortably hold his cousin.
Melia shrieked again, her body coming up off the floor to the aravel. Thackery tried consoling her again but his words fell on deaf ears. Melia kept shaking her head.
"Thackery, I cannot do this…" She fell into a sob.
"Yes you can, old mum, yes you can," Thackery pulled her hair back once more, "You are the strongest person I know..." He said to her.
Melia shook her head, "I-I..." She screamed again, a searing pain ripped through her.
"Alright, Melia'nain. Please try again, I can see the child's head…" Ashalle said calmly, "Please, you have to."
Melia braced herself, trying to focus on getting her baby out into the world. She let out another shriek of pain as she pushed with all of her might.
"Good, good," Ashalle let the tears fall from her eyes, "I need you to do it again, Melia'nain…"
"You're doing so well." Thackery held onto his cousin, "Just one more."
Larka let out a low howl, the wolves outside joining in. A crack of thunder and lightning sounded as Melia pushed once more. The roaring masked her blood curdling screaming as she pushed out her baby.
Ashalle let out a cry of joy when she held up the tiny body that was covered in blood. She cleaned its eyes and nose. With a warm wet cloth she did as best as she could to get the blood off of its tiny body.
The baby began to cry and Ashalle set the it in a basket and went back to Melia.
"Alright, Melia'nain, are you ready?"
"For what?" Thackery asked with a slight crack in his voice.
Melia jolted forward, letting out a sharp yelp when she pushed out the afterbirth. Thackery's face went white when he saw Ashalle put the lump to the side.
Ashalle took up the baby once more. She looked at Melia.
"Let's get her onto the bed, da'len." Ashelle said to Thackery, "We'll clamp the cord once Melia'nain is settled."
Ashalle made sure Melia had clean blankets to lay on, adding extra pillows to keep her propped up. Thackery helped Melia to her feet, and she wobbled as she laid on her bed. Ashalle took the baby so Melia could get herself comfortable. She brought him over to the soft cloth on the table. Thackery came over and helped cut the umbilical cord.
"You have a son." He said, his throat going dry.
Weakly, Melia held out her arms so she could take her child. He opened his eyes to look up at his mother, and his crying subsided.
"Ar lath ma, da'len." Melia smiled at him, taking his small hands and placing gentle kisses on his fingers.
Thackery wiped away his tears, looking down at the baby and feeling his chest swell.
"He's so small." he said, needing to sit down, "I never thought...well...there he is…" He grinned.
"Here he is." Melia smiled.
Ashalle glanced up at Melia while she cleaned, "And what will Mythal know him as?"
Melia looked down at her baby, "He will be called Ivor. Ivor Thackery Mahariel."
Thackery shot his head up, tears welling in his eyes, "Thackery?"
Melia looked at her cousin, "Of course." She gave a weak smile.
Ivor started to fuss, and Melia strained to pull out her milk-swollen breast to feed her son. He latched onto her nipple. Melia shifted in discomfort when her uterus contracted.
From the corner, Larka lowered her head as she gently got up on Melia's bed to rest by her swollen feet.
When Ivor finished feeding, Melia put him over her shoulder to burp him, gently patting his back. Then she returned to cradling him in her arms. Her eyes welled up with the love she held for her baby, and she felt the bond only a mother could ever know.
She felt an overwhelming fatigue not long after. Ashalle noticed her drooping eyelids and spoke up.
"Melia'nain, hamin…" She insisted.
Melia sighed, "Oh mamae...I just cannot seem to close my eyes knowing that something so fragile and good has just come into the world…" She looked up at Thackery with her blurred eyes, her face hardened, "Lethallin, you must promise me now that Ivor never learns who his babae really is."
"Anything you wish, old mum…" Thackery said, straightening out at the mention of his nephews father.
A wave of relief fell over Melia, accompanied by exhaustion. When her eyes fluttered, Thackery took Ivor. He kissed Melia's forehead.
"Hamin, lethallan." He told her, sitting on his bed once more, his back against the wall. Melia was already asleep.
Ashalle gave a sigh, "Da'len," She looked at Thackery, "I'm going to see the Keeper."
"Why?" Thackery's body tensed. Ivor could sense his reaction and let out a cry. Thackery's eyes widened and he gently rocked the baby, listening to the storm outside.
"Don't wake your cousin…" Ashalle said sternly, "I just...I need to tell her." She lowered her head, "I'll be back in a while."
Ashalle slipped out into the rain.
Melia woke with a start. Her whole body was agonizingly sore, but she sat up. She was alone in the aravel.
Her eyes widened, a panic setting over her. She jumped up, her body wobbling and shaking as she made her way out of the aravel.
A wave of humidity hit her sweating face as she climbed down to the muddy ground. The sun dimly lit in the grey clouded sky. Her ears fluttered when she heard the snarling of a wolf, followed by a commotion at the center of camp.
Melia stumbled over to a large group of her clan members. She pushed her way to the center, her people stepping aside in shock when they saw her. A wave of gasps and guffaws as she weakly fought through.
The crowd was centered around the Keeper's aravel. Melia saw Thackery being held back by some of the hunters. Ashalle was pushed by an elder who told her to stay away. The wolf snarl had been from Revas, who was muzzled and being held in a makeshift cage.
Melia didn't see Ivor.
"Where is my son!" Melia shouted, a rage crawling through her exhausted body.
There was a hush that fell around her.
The hunters holding Thackery let go, and he raced over to his cousin.
"Ivor is inside, the Keeper won't let us have him." He said breathlessly, his nose was bleeding, dirt smudged over his face.
A bright fire lit in Melia's eyes, she balled her fists.
"Marethari, you bring my son out right now!"
There was a long silence before the Keeper came out of her tent, Ivor crying in her arms. Melia tried her best not to show her pains as she proudly walked forward to take her son away.
"What is the meaning of this?" Melia demanded, "How dare you steal my child away from me!"
"Da'len...I…"
"I am not a child anymore!" Melia yelled, holding Ivor close to her, "For days I have bore the pains of labor, I think I deserve the recognition."
Ashalle pushed away the elders keeping her back, "I can't believe you allow this treatment of our beloved daughter, Marethari. Shame to you."
Marethari lowered her gaze, "The elders wished to come to a decision about the boy."
"There is no decision to make, he is our own!" Thackery screamed at her.
"Was Feynriel?" One of the crowd members called out.
"What about Arianni?"
"Was it fair to them?"
"Curse these half breeds!"
The crowd grew restless. Tamlen fought his way forward, dressed in his hunter's attire. His eyes fell on Melia and Ivor.
"I return to camp and I see this?" His face grew red, "Here, a mother having just bore her child, ridiculed by the people who are supposed to love her!" He looked at the Keeper, "Know this. If the elders decide to exile Melia, I go with her. As would most of your hunters. Am I wrong?"
There was a rush of agreement over the returning scouts, and a few dispersed in the crowd. Fenarel spoke up.
"Melia has done nothing but provide for the clan, and you return her efforts with talk of mutiny and abandonment?"
He walked over and held Thackery's hand.
Thackery gave a weak smile, then he looked at Melia.
"My cousin is the best of us. Sole daughter to Keeper Osiris Mahariel. Creator's curse whoever spits at this child, and may my blade meet your throats. If anyone seeks harm for my nephew, I swear on all that I hold dear that you will be torn apart by wolves." He clenched his jaw, eyeing the few that had held him back from entering the tent.
As if rehearsed, Revas struggled from her cage, her pups behind her. Thackery let her out and took off her muzzle.
Marethari sighed, "It is not my intention to lose half of my clan for the sake of a child." She looked at Melia with sad eyes, "You will have no troubles from me, or the elders, about keeping yourself and your child with your people."
There was more relief than contempt from the crowd. A few people audibly voiced their discontent, but Thackery gave them one look and it quickly shut them up.
"I'm taking her to rest," Ashalle spat at the Keeper, "And if any of you object, I'll have your head." She took Melia and a wailing Ivor away.
Tamlen and Thackery followed with the wolves.
Marethari looked around at her people, she threw her hands up.
"Isn't there work to be done?" She shouted.
The crowd dispersed, a few groans of protest issued. Marethari shook her head and went into her tent in a huff.
Melia laid back down in her bed, freshly washed but exhausted. She held onto Ivor like her life had depended on it. Thackery had been outside with Fenarel and Tamlen, explaining that Melia needed to rest.
He came back inside, Revas and Larka sitting by Melia's bed to watch her sleep.
Gently, Thackery took up Ivor and set him in the small cradle Tamlen had made. He wiped the tears from his eyes, overwhelmed by what might have happened to Melia and her son.
His mind raced with thoughts of Melia being kicked to some shemlen village where she was reviled for being an elven woman. Thackery shuddered to think at what could have been.
Thackery looked down at Ivor. The child was so small, so delicate. Thackery had seen babies around the camp before, but Ivor was by far the smallest.
Ivor stirred.
"Hey, da'assan…" Thackery whispered when Ivor grabbed his finger, "You're proving to be quite the lucky little thing…"
Ivor looked up at Thackery, his large bright blue eyes staring up at his uncle. He seemed to be taking in everything Thackery was saying.
"Smart kid." He grinned, "You'll be more like your mamae then...good. I guess it's too bad you got her unfortunate nose then." He cackled to himself.
He continued to rock Ivor in his arms, feeling the compulsion to sing the baby to sleep. His voice was quiet and soothing, seemingly cooling the warm air around them.
"Elgara vallas, da'len,
Melava somniar,
Mala taren aravas,
Ara ma'desen melar,
Iras ma ghilas, da'len,
Ara ma'nedan ashir,
Dirthara lothlenan'as,
Bal emma mala dir,
Tel'enfenim, da'len,
Irassal ma ghilas,
Ma garas mir renan,
Ara ma'athlan vhenas,
Ara ma'athlan vhenas..."