26. Forever and a day
27. Lost and found
28. Light
29. Dark
30. Faith
"I love you," Cecilia said, her face pressed onto the top of Theodor's head. She inhaled, nostalgic for that newborn smell his hair had once carried. She adored the boy he'd become, of course, but missed his baby sweetness.
"How long will you love me?" Theodor asked quietly.
She leaned back, peering down at him; Theodor watched her with a tender vulnerability that made her heart ache. "For forever and a day," she promised.
Theodor leaned against her, head pressed to her belly. "And my brother?"
Cecilia smiled. "Like the Blue Planet and her twin moons, I love you both."
Without Kluya, Cecilia was lost.
Drowning under the weight of her grief, Cecilia could barely get out of bed. The idea of a world without Kluya was impossible, and she could not imagine her life without him.
Then, she felt a tiny hand in hers, a small voice asking, "Are you okay, Mama?"
Peering out from the blankets, she saw Theodor watching her with worried eyes, so much like his father's. He squeezed her hand, and that small gesture grounded her back to reality. She squeezed back; somehow, Theodor had found her.
"I'm okay," she said, hoping it was true.
"Whenever you feel lonely," Cecilia told Theodor, "Then look to the light of the moons. Your father's love still lives on, despite the darkness."
Theodor, bathed in the moon's glow, watched the night sky. "What if there's no moon? No light?" he asked, clinging tight to his mother.
"Keep looking," Cecilia answered, ruffling his hair affectionately. "The moons may wax and wane, but they are always there, watching and protecting us."
"And you?" Theodor pressed. "Will you always be there?"
Before she could answer him, Cecilia's belly seized with a familiar cramp. "It's time," she said instead, through clenched teeth.
"Breathe," the midwife said, voice calm. Despite her words, Cecilia saw the worry in the woman's eyes.
"What's wrong?" Cecilia asked, trying not to panic.
"Focus on your breathing," the midwife ignored the question. She pulled away, and Cecilia saw something dark and dripping on her hands.
It's blood, Cecilia realized, the thought fuzzy and distant. Why is it so dark? she wondered.
It seemed to spread, all around her, engulfing her with its coppery smell, looking black as it leaked out on her nightgown and bed sheets.
I will drown in his darkness, Cecilia thought, Kluya, please save me.
"It's a boy!" Theodor exclaimed, "I have a brother!"
His voice roused Cecilia. "Please," she pleaded, weakly. "Let… me hold him."
"You mustn't strain yourself, Cecilia," the midwife warned.
"Please," Cecilia repeated. She pushed herself up to sit and held her arms out for the baby. The midwife hesitated, then put the baby into Cecilia's embrace.
Holding the baby, Cecilia looked at Theodor, whose eyes shined with joy. It would be Theodor, she realized, who would protect him, she just had to have faith in Theodor's love and devotion to his baby brother.
It was Cecilia's last thought before darkness.