A tall man paced the hallway, black magic spilling out of his pores and permeating the room with fear and guilt. He shouldn't have done this. It was all his fault! If he'd just made that stupid potion…
A giant hand clapped down on his shoulder, startling him. Hazel eyes that were more green seemed to twinkle into his. "Easy, lad," George Cooper said in his lilting voice. "There's nothin' to worry over. She'll be fine. Plenty o' lasses have had babes before, and this one's no different. Well, aside the fact that she's your lass, and it's your babe," he chuckled. "Relax. Daine's a tough little thing. She'll pull through, cursing you the whole way." This made his other companion laugh.
Jonathan of Conté stepped forward and planted himself in front of Numair to stop the incessant pacing that was wearing a path in the mage's floor. "Numair, Alanna and Thayet are in there helping her. They've both had children and both are fine."
"Speak for yourself," George muttered. "When Alanna had Thom she nearly died." At Jon's glare and the paleness sweeping through Numair's face, he bit his tongue. "But that's different. And she pulled through."
"What George is trying to say," Jon couldn't contain the chuckle, "is that Daine will be fine. You just need to sit down and have some tea, and know that should any complications arise, which I doubt they will, Alanna is an extremely powerful healer and can deal with any problem that could come to pass. Numair," his hand came to the mage's arm and gripped in reassurance, "Daine will be fine. Alanna cares about her too much to let anything happen to your wife, and our Wildmage is too stubborn to let anything get in her way."
Numair smiled at this and sank into a chair, and a grinning Evin pressed a glass into his hands. "Drink up, mage. I have a feeling that we're about to get an earful about how your parents were never married, if she's anything like my sister. Oh, that woman had a foul mouth when her first was born!" Evin kept Numair distracted while the women and healers were busy with Daine, telling him stories about how his sister cursed his brother-in-law during labor, then how the baby turned out to be a hellion by age two, and how Evin now had to submit himself to becoming a pack horse for a squealing five year old whenever he visited. Numair laughed and relaxed against the wall while George and Jonathan put in some stories as well, putting him at enough ease that he took a deep swallow of the liquid in the glass—and choked. Fire burned down his throat and watered his eyes.
"Mithros, Mynoss and Shakith what did the Graveyard Hag promise you to make you put that in there?" he wheezed as George's hand came to pound heartily on his back.
Evin grinned unrepentantly. "Trust me, when she gets to the hard part, you'll need it."
"I will not, and kindly take this… this… foul concoction away before it kills me. I'd like to see my child, thank you very much!" He glared at the man, who just laughed and gave it to a passing maid.
A shout echoed in the air and Numair's blood went cold. He heard voices speaking on the other side of the door in low, soothing voices. The only thing he paid attention for was Daine, and he leapt to his feet as her cry of pain ripped through him again. George and Jonathan caught him before he could reach the door. "Let me go! I've got to get to her!" The gaunt man struggled quite well against two heavier ones, but finally Evin managed to get his attention.
"Listen to me. She's going to need you after her labor. Right now, she'll just take the part of you that produced the kid and," he made a gesture with his hand, fisting it, twisting and pulling in a fashion that made all three of the older men wince and shudder in horror, "that will happen. Trust me, you'll be able to coddle her much better after the baby is born." With his help, the three men were able to pin the thinner one to a seat and keep him there.
Numair listened, imagining horrible situations going on the other side of the wall at his back. The labor was fine, but she was in pain—no, the babe was stillborn—no, the babe hadn't turned right and the babe and Daine were dying! The mage's body shook each time Daine's scream of pain tore through the air. As time stretched on the two older men looked at each other over Numair's head, starting to become worried. Even Evin couldn't contain his angst when the time came and passed when the babe should have been born and Numair let into the room.
It was hours later that the door finally opened, and Numair lurched to his feet and ran to Alanna in an instant, eyes wide. "She's fine," the Lioness said heartily. "The babe needed a little… persuasion, that's all. As stubborn as her mother, no doubt." She grinned at the mage's relief and let him in. George came over and put his hands on her chin, tilting it up to meet his kiss.
"I love you, lass. Tell me the truth, is she well?"
Alanna nodded, resting against her husband's much larger bulk. "She's fine. Honestly, she pulled through amazingly well. The babe actually hadn't turned, but everything went well, with the magic of the healer's and with a little of my help. Truthfully, Daine did extraordinarily well. Never even cursed Numair, sweet girl." She grinned up at George, and they were both remembering how the entire room had heard curses that would make a sailor blush when the twins were born, while George had been praying to every deity he knew to keep her safe. George grinned back and kissed her again.
Numair rushed forward, looking at his glowing wife and new mother. "Daine! Are you alright?" His long hands took her face between them and he looked for the slightest sign of pain.
"Numair, I'm wonderful! Look, look at our baby! Look at Sarralyn. Sarralyn Arra Salmalin." She laughed. "I couldn't figure out any other name other than Marra that would be part of your family, too, so she's Arra, without the M in Arram." Her eyes shone with love as she held up their baby girl, wrapped tightly in a green bundle. The infant opened her eyes—and sneezed. The baby was gone, and in its place was a kitten, a calico with bright blue eyes. Numair laughed and took the blanket-swathed newborn, his eyes burning as an enormous emotion spread through him and he looked at his daughter, now in cat form, but his baby all the same.
"Darling, she's perfect." He looked to Daine and saw that she had the same look in her eyes. The two grinned and Numair kissed the kitten's adorable nose before handing her back to her mother, who laughed and used her wild magic to make their baby a baby once more. Now he could see that she had his cheeks, the blackness of his hair, and a combination of his eyes and Daine's, a dark blue that was almost black with grey flecks here and there. The tiny girl obviously had her mother's nose, mouth, coloring and the curling of her hair. Numair had only seen one thing more beautiful; Daine.
Leaning close, he brushed his lips against hers and looked into her eyes. "I love you, Veralidaine Salmalin. Even when our bed is invaded by migrating duck-moles and hedgehogs and even the occasional squirrel. Even when I wake up to find my wife has disappeared and in her place a wolf or a horse or an utterly unique beast rests. I love you, Magelet, and I love our daughter."
Daine's eyes filled with tears of happiness at everything her life had brought about. She'd been hunted and exiled from her home, only to be taken in by those who truly were her family. From there she'd gone on adventures that few could ever dream of, but the greatest of all still lay ahead of her, in raising her family with the one person she knew she could give her entire heart to, and find on in return. Her ocean eyes were misted over when they raised to his and she kissed him joyfully, mindful of their little girl between them. Daine drew back and looked him square on, smiling with a radiance that promised happiness for all of their years together. "I love you too, Numair. I promise you'll always know exactly how much I love you, and that you'll never have any reason to doubt me." She kissed him softly, lovingly, and received everything she gave to him, and more. "But for now," she whispered, resting her head against his shoulder, "I would very much appreciate it if you blew the candles out so I could rest."
Laughing, he lifted his hands, and snuffed the flames out—along with every other fire within the surrounding miles. As protests sounded all around them, they laughed, and knew that everyone else knew exactly who was behind the darkness. For them, everything was at perfect, everything was exactly where it was supposed to be. And that is the magic of life.
A/N: That's all for Daine and Numair! Okay, so it got a lot fluffy at the end, but I think those two need fluff without the life/death situations every now and then! Alrighty, next up: Jon and Thayet! (Don't worry GiantKilleress, Raoul and Buri are after them, I promise!)