Legacy of love [Attn: Fawne]

[Kaylan]

A dull ache in her back had been bothering her all day. She'd been going about her business, quite tired from the kicking that the baby had been giving the inside of her belly all night, when she first noticed it. Gently rubbing her back as she toddled down the stairs, Elia greeted her foster-daughter and gathered some breakfast with a weary sigh.

 

Going about her usual routine, the backache was soon joined by cramps not unlike those that sometimes accompanied her moon-time. Elia did her very best to ignore them - since she hadn't had a moon-time in months and months.

 

It wasn't until the cramps got much stronger that she realised it. Elia's mother was dead, and had never gotten into the process of childbirth with her. Fayth Sedai had told her some about it, but she'd always thought that when the time came she'd magically know exactly what to do. Women had been having babies for so long that it seemed ridiculous for her to not know how.

 

And yet here she was, in the early stages of labour, feeling a moment of panic as she tried to remember what she was supposed to do.

 

"Fawne, sweetheart..."

 

Oh, dear Creator, how she wished Alex could be here.

 

"I think I'm going to need your help."

 

She hoped that the girl was around. She was young, still in her early teens, and had much better things to do with her time than stay at home.

 

"I think the baby is coming."

 

There was a note of panic in her voice.

 

~Elia Darnel

Tower Guard on leave

[Guest Celes]

A soft drizzle came down on the streets as Fawne walked down from the flowermarket to the Sirens Call. She wanted to thank the girls there for taking her and Elia in without so much as a second’s hesitance. She had bought small bouquets of yellow flowers to put around the inn. It might not be the kind of place that held flowers for long, but she knew that they could be dried later and then kept as ceiling decorations. Maggie Mae was practical and she would appreciate such a decoration over flowers that required a table cloth and vase to go with it.

 

Fawne picked up her pace and soon found herself in the common room where Elia stood next to a chair, huddled over. She heard the woman’s heavy breathing and then the words that Elia uttered “Fawne sweetheart,†she walked over to Elia and put the flowers on the table. The baby was coming, yes the baby was coming. Her father had loved Elia long before he had to take his daughter to Cairhien where he died and left both his child and his future wife to tend for themselves. They had found each other in grief and helped each other through the loss, maybe this baby was part of the bond the two of them had formed. Fawne needed the baby to be there, needed to know that her father was in some way still with her and she knew Elia felt something similar to that. She sometimes stared at Fawne and when their eyes locked, Elia’s were filled with uncried tears.

 

Fawne started to rub Elia’s back and heard a soft moan erupt from the woman’s lips, “Elia, I’m here, what can I do?†she had spoken with Fayth a few times about what her role would be when Elia would have her baby. But was this it? Was this the time when Fawne was expected to play the role of nurse? She ran into the kitchen and asked for towels and hot water to be brought up to Elia’s room and for the stable boy to go and get Fayth, the Yellow Sister to the inn. “This is it!†she called and ran back to help Elia back to her room. “We’ll be fine,†she whispered to Elia and started rubbing her back again. Fayth would be here soon and she would ask Fawne to wait outside, surely Fawne would not have to help with the delivery. She helped Elia on her bed and waited, what more could she do.

 

Fawne Namere

Daughter of Alexander & Matalina

[Kaylan]

At least she wasn't the only one who was nervous about it all - the whole inn seemed thrown into a state of nervous anticipation by the imminent birth of Elia and Alex's child. He had lived and worked there for many years, so it was a rather emotional moment for all of them.

 

Somehow, Fawne managed to get her back up the stairs and into her bed, though Elia had a feeling that Fayth would be unhappy about that. She wasn't going to deliver the child in the common room, though, and was having trouble imagining herself getting up to the White Tower successfully. Fayth would manage, surely.

 

They would all manage.

 

Rubbing her belly - which seemed far too big to be holding just one baby, though Fayth had assured her that she was only carrying one child, Elia tried to ignore her thin frame and think positive thoughts.

 

More waves of pain proved an effective distraction.

 

"Oh, Fawne. The baby is going to be alright, isn't it?"

 

Considering that she could usually face down a charge of warriors without flinching, Elia sounded absolutely terrified.

[Guest Celes]

Where was Fayth, why had that wretched stable boy not gotten her here yet? Fawne stated pacing the room as Elia was heaving deep breaths, she was probably in pain and Fawne had no idea how she could help her. She had always imagined to come home one afternoon to find Maggie Mae with a radiant smile on her face, ushering her up the stairs where Elia was lying in bed with a small baby in her arms, smiling as well. This was nothing like that, Elia’s face was torn and she looked nervous, Fawne brushed some strands of hair from her face and looked up when the door opened.

 

It was one of the kitchen maids who brought fresh towels and hot water, she ran off immediately, leaving Fawne to wonder what to do with the towels and water. She had spoken to Fayth and had heard what to do, but they had always assumed that Elia would have plenty of time and could be brought to the Infirmary. It seemed that the memories of the what Fayth had explained to her were pushed down by fear over Elia’s life and wellbeing. “You’ll be fine,†she said and patted down on Elia’s hand. This was such a hollow reply that Fawne wondered if Elia would trust her now.

 

Fawne held Elia’s hand and tried to help her breathe in deep, long heaves of air. “You’ll be fine,†she kept repeating and softly stroked the woman’s hand. “You’ll be fine…â€

 

Fawne

[Kaylan]

Was it supposed to hurt so much?

 

Surely it was supposed to take longer than this.

 

The pain she'd been feeling all day, once a dull ache, was now waves of agony that barely stopped for a moment before starting up again.

 

"Something's wrong."

 

It was little more than a whisper, but the words contained all her fear and pain and grief. She couldn't lose this baby, it had to arrive healthy - it was the only other bit of Alex left in the world, the one little piece of their love still there.

 

Squeezing Fawne's hand and crying out in pain, Elia had to do her very best not to hurt the young woman. It was a reflex, the strong grip, but Elia was trained in weaponry and her lanky frame was stronger than it appeared.

 

"Where is Fayth? Something's wrong."

 

The Yellow would know what to do, would know how to fix this and make sure that the baby was ok. It was odd, really, that Elia wasn't thinking of herself at all - but Fawne could hardly raise her half-sibling on her own. She knew, somewhere deep down, that her health was just as important as the baby's - but all Elia could think about was keeping hold of the last part of Alex that she had left. The last parts - she squeezed Fawne's hand again, softer this time, before her reassuring smile turned into another cry of pain.

[Guest Celes]

Time passed by quicker than Fawne had ever felt it did, she could feel Elia’s grip loosen on her hands and was not happy for it. Was her strength fading along with her grip? Was she willing to let go because of the pain, Fawne could not allow her to do so and held Elia’s hand tight in her own. The cry of pain rung in her ears and she squinted her eyes to try and push the image of Elia hurting away from her brain. As she opened her eyes again, she could see that Elia was sweating and she took one of the towels to dampen the woman’s forehead. Could she tell Elia again that all would be fine?

 

Fawne did not hear the door open, nor did she feel a soft hand push her aside as she was sitting there, holding Elia’s hand tight in her own. Fayth had come in and started her work right away and Fawne did not notice until she was two steps away from the bed, staring at the woman in the cream colored dress hovering over Elia. “She’s not well,†she heard the Aes Sedai say and hot tears burned behind her eyes. “Please stay close so you can help, I will try and help her, and her baby,†she heard Fayth say. Fawne’s lips shook and her voice came out in a quivering half crying tone, “Help her, help her please,†she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. She could not lose Elia, not now, not after everyone she had lost already.

 

Fayth moved around the bed and Fawne sat down on a chair near the end of the bed, she stared at Elia’s pale face and hated her for not going to the Infirmary when she knew this baby was coming. “We need to try and move her,†Fayth said and Elia was pushed up from the bed, but another howl of pain quickly ended that endeavor. Fawne put her hand on Fayth’s arm, “We can’t move her, can we?†Fayth nodded and turned to face Fawne, “She has to have this baby here and she will have to be strong and so will you, be strong for Elia, Fawne.†Then she went back to work and Fawne sat down on her chair again, watching with big terrified eyes as Elia became smaller on the white sheets and her big belly only seemed to get bigger. Fawne closed her eyes and started to prey for the Creator to take pity on them both, they had lost so much already and Elia deserved to live through this and to see her baby grow up. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she could do nothing but wait as time passed.

 

Fawne

[Kaylan]

It could have been a few minutes, or it could have been a few days for all Elia knew. Through the haze of pain she was dimly aware of worried faces and whispered words, snapped orders from the Aes Sedai and gentle encouragement from the stream of women that seemed to be coming through to see her.

 

She looked up at the person stroking her forehead to see her mother looking down at her, and she smiled through tears at the vision.

 

"You're going to be ok, Elia. The baby is going to be ok."

 

"I can't do it, I can't..." She sobbed the words, thinking of her father's sisters - both dead in childbirth, and posessing the same build as her. Not so fit, perhaps, but both tall and slim and neither had been able to deliver properly. She hoped that if her baby was a girl, she wouldn't have this same problem.

 

Her skin was slick with sweat and tears, the bed beneath her damp sweat and blood. She knew that it was going badly, knew that this baby shouldn't have been coming so fast, knew that her hips weren't wide enough to allow it passage even if it had taken days of coaxing her into readiness. She simply wasn't built for childbirth - perhaps that was why it had taken so many years for her to conceive. Nature did not intend for her to be giving life, it seemed, only defending it.

 

A voice was whispering in her ear, telling her that she had to push or the baby would die, but Elia didn't think she had the strength.

 

"You need the strength, Elia, or your baby will die." Another familiar voice - her mother's mother, long dead, married to a Tower Guard.

 

Tears, for pain both physical and emotional, were the last thing she remembered.

 

***

 

It was a nice feeling, actually - all her pain gone, floating on a bubble of warmth and knowing that soon she would be with the people she had loved and lost.

 

The bubble burst. Elia felt like she was falling for a long moment, before plunging into an icy cold river, and she jerked awake with a gasp to see Fayth standing with one hand to her forehead, and the baby crying in protest at being taken away.

 

Her pain was still gone, and Elia pushed a damp strand of hair back from her forehead to reach out for her child.

 

"It's a girl."

 

This time, her tears of were joy, and she took her daughter into her arms with a radiant smile.

 

Tiny hands grasped and tiny feet kicked and Elia looked down and felt it all worthwhile.

 

"What are you going to name her?"

 

She'd avoided thinking about that throughout the entire pregnancy, not wanting to contemplate what Alex would have wanted to call his second child.

 

"Alexis," she said, and she thought she could hear an echo of the voices.

 

"Alexis."

[Guest Celes]

Fawne had sat back in the chair, had sat on the ground leaning against the chair and had found herself pacing the room so many times she thought it would leave marks on the wooden floor. She was now leaning against the door, outside of the room where Elia was screaming and women were helping out Fayth, running in and out with blankets and towels. Fawne had not been sent off, but she could not stay either. Elia had to deliver a baby and anyone who was not there to help had to wait outside. Softly muttering words to send over to Elia, Fawne waited and started to pace again, down the corridor, staring out the small window and then back up the corridor again.

 

Time had passed so fast when they were just alone the two of them and Elia was in deep pain, time had slowed down since then and Fawne had no idea how long she had been pacing when she heard a soft crying sound. A high pitched scream and more soft crying, could it be? The door flung open and one of the inn’s neighbors came running out, her face red and sweaty as her eyes searched for Fawne. “They are both alright!†she screamed and flung her arms around the young girl. “Sarah, you mean it?†Fawne said, her voice soft and almost disbelieving. As if asking for a confirmation would let the truth out, the truth that said Elia had not made it and her baby had not either. But no, it was true Elia and her baby were healthy and safe.

 

She slowly walked into the room to find Elia with her baby on her chest, the little one looked shriveled up and small, the woman looked exhausted and yet restful. She was going over the tiny feet with the tip of her finger, counting the ten toes over and over again. “Elia,†she said and smiled as she approached the bed, a quick glance over at Fayth told her it was alright. The Yellow was already preparing to leave, she left herbs for Elia to take for the next ten days to recover and promised she would be back before nightfall to see how they were doing. “Get some rest, all three of you,†she said and then left. Fawne touched the tiny fingers and smiled, “What a beautiful baby, did you name it already?†she asked and smiled as the baby’s eyes seemed to lock onto hers, just for a moment she could swear it was her dad looking back at her, then it was gone again. But that moment meant more to Fawne than anything ever had and she kissed Elia on the cheek before the woman had a chance to say anything.

 

Fawne

[Kaylan]

She barely paid attention to the Yellow, so intent upon her daughter was Elia. She looked up as Fawne touched tiny fingers and smiled. The pair would look like full sisters, without a doubt.

 

Wearily kissing Fawne back, Elia held up the baby - swaddled in a clean blanket for the moment - so that Fawne could take a proper look.

 

"Meet your little sister, Alexis."

 

Saying the name brought fresh tears to her eyes, but she knew that it was what she wanted to do. Alex lived on only in their memories, now, but his daughter should have some part of him since she would never get to meet him.

 

[OOC: Bleh, sorry, it's just not happening for me tonight. Didn't want to hold things up though. Sorry love! *kiss*]

[Guest Celes]

Alexis, as Fawne heard the name and looked at the newborn child in Elia’s arms, a lump formed in her throat and she found it hard to breathe. She was happy and sad all at once, excited to have a sister and that they were both healthy. But she was also sad as this girl would carry the memory of their father her entire life, Fawne cried softly as she kissed the baby girl on the forehead and then smiled at Elia through her tears, “She is beautiful, her name is beautiful,†and then sat down on the side of the bed to take it all in. She could tell that Elia was tired and needed rest, so the time Fawne could spend there with the newborn was short. She did however, touch the little feet and counted the toes and fingers along with Elia. They shared this happy moment and both knew the memory of Alex would not be lost, his daughters would make sure of that.

 

Fawne

Big Sis'

 

OOC: I am a bit lost on how to continue, so it’s a bit of a … post. ;)

[Kaylan]

OOC: (as much as I hate to make a completely OOC post) Having read this again and tried to reply, I think it's actually a good end. So I vote we leave this thread here and pick up a new one another time. :) Email me if your vote goes the other way - have work tomorrow, probably won't be able to get on much. *hugs*