"Elryn: Chapter 5" by Brian D. Saul

Tyra paced nervously around the room as she had been for the past two days now.  There was still no sign of Adel anywhere, and neither Elryn nor Eryk showed any signs of waking up.  Everyone in town by now knew there was something wrong with them but luckily so far Adel had not been linked to it, that was a rumor she and the Elders managed to keep from public knowledge.  After all, it wasn’t entirely unusual for the people in town to not see Adel for a day or so, even when visiting her house.  Which they did often these past few days.  The town tended to work like one large family all things considered.  When one person took up so extremely ill it wasn’t uncommon for a lot of people to show their concern.
                
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told Eryk the other day Tyra, stop your worrying, you’re going to make yourself sick.  When was the last time you’ve slept anyways?  You look as pale as they do.”  Asked Jura as she walked out of the kitchen, a small cup of tea in each hand.  “Here, have some tea and at least stop that incessant pacing.”

“I haven’t...I can’t, what if Adel comes home and I’m sleeping?  Or something happens to one of them and I’m not awake to do anything about it?”  Tyra eyed the cup suspiciously. “That the same kind you gave Eryk?”

“Tyra, I’m shocked!  You seriously think I’d slip something into your tea just to make you get the sleep you so obviously require?”  She hmphed and placed Tyra’s cup down on the table, Tyra meanwhile just sort of glared at her.  “.....You’re right, but you’ve got my word as an Elder I didn’t this time.  Besides, their condition hasn’t really changed, they’re not suddenly going to need you.  And Adel...Oh that girl, I’ll give her a piece of my mind myself when she returns, worrying you like this...”

“Now Jura, I don’t think its entirely her fault....she’s been around Elryn a lot lately, and you know how she gets with strong emotions.  And Elryn’s as of late have been unusually so.”

“Yes, and they’ll remain like that for quite some time in her condition...”  She looked up from her tea as Tyra glanced at her oddly. “Or, so I’m guessing....”  She quickly added with a cough.  Tyra continued to look at her oddly for a moment but just took her tea as well and had a few sips.  Apparently she was a little too out of it from lack of sleep to really contemplate Jura’s slip up too closely.  “I doubt Elryn’s emotions involve hiding out somewhere.”

Tyra sipped her tea quietly a moment as she paced over to a window.  “....  Elryn has been unusually shut in lately.  I think that may be effecting her somehow.”

Jura sighed and made her way back into to the kitchen.  Try as she might she just couldn’t get Tyra to accept that Adel might not be hiding merely because of errant emotions.  That girl was up to something but she had no way of knowing what and wasn’t about to just blurt out her suspicions in front of Tyr without some kind of proof.

***

“One mistake...” A voice whispered from the darkness.  I again found myself in my ritual chamber, yet this time it wasn’t coming down on my head.  It was quiet and dark, the air unnaturally still.  I was alone, yet the whisper had to come from somewhere.  “One mistake of so many...”

“Yet you, little M’len...”  I heard something else say from the darkness, more clearly this time.  “Hold the solution to one such mistake...”  It said again this time from somewhere behind me.  I wheeled about in time to see everything around me fade to black.  Gradually a room faded back to view as I opened my eyes.  Damn dreams, as if watching myself nearly die wasn’t bad enough, this one was just plain creepy.  Maybe Valen could tell me more, he dealt with dreams and strange sorts like that.

I immediately recognized where I was, not that it was hard after all.  The distinct smell of a dozen varieties of herbs filled the air, only one place in town it could be. (Aside from a kitchen perhaps, but I was definitely not in a kitchen.)  For having collapsed from exhaustion I felt surprisingly good today, nauseous, tired, ached all over...but not as drained at least.  One out of four wasn’t too bad I guess.  I groaned as I pulled myself into a sitting position.  Gods I bet Cai carried me all the way back here too, I owed him more thanks then I knew how to put to words.  Eryk, poor Eryk, I likely worried him out of his mind again.

“Elryn!”  I jumped as I heard a voice shriek from behind.  I barely had time to turn my head before Tyra wrapped her arms around me.  Nearly strangling me in the loving embrace.

“Tyra....can’t breath...”

“Oh, oh sorry.”  She said quietly as she unwrapped her arms and moved around to the front of the sofa.

“Tyra?  What’s wrong?”  I couldn’t help but ask when I saw the tears running down her face.  Memories of the day I woke after my spell came flooding back as I remembered how Eryk reacted to seeing me awake.  I held my stomach as it grumbled loudly at the thought I may have again done more then just worked myself to exhaustion.

“I hope nothing.”  She said quietly through the tears.  “You’ve been out for two days Elryn....  Elryn, did...did Adel do anything to you the night before?”

No wonder I felt so rested, two days sleep would certainly do that nicely.  Guess I really did push myself far too hard, but why was she asking about Adel?  “Do anything?  No, we just talked for a little.  Well, she did cast something on me before she came back to town, just something to help me sleep.  I’ll have to thank her, I don’t think I’d have gotten much sleep otherwise.”

Her face went pale and the tears only flowed more freely now.  “Oh gods...gods Adel, what have you done...” She muttered to herself as she paced around, nearly hysterical and obviously nervous.  I wanted to say something to try and calm her down, but I was at a complete loss as to what was wrong, I didn’t even know where to begin.  After all she had done for me it hurt to see Tyra so worried about something and being unable to do anything for her.  “E..Elryn I’m sorry.  Sorry for what Adel did to you, for all the worry she’s forced on everyone, fo...”

“What are you talking about Tyra?”  I grabbed her arm as she paced by trying to apologize for everything under the sun.  “Adel didn’t do anything to me, she only tried to help.”

She shook her head as she looked down at me.  “Sh..she cast something on you..  She doesn’t know any sleep spells.  Whatever it was drained you, nearly killed you.  Could have killed Eryk too if it had continued, it’s because of him you’re still alive.”

I sat completely dumbfounded for a moment.  Adel may have been a strange girl, but this?  No, there had to be some kind of mistake, Adel would never do such a thing.  “Eryk...how?”  I found myself trying to fight back tears, for what reason I did not know though.  The urge just hit me suddenly, maybe it was out of concern for Eryk, or the news that for the second time in under a few months I had nearly died.

“A spell Cai knew, gave some of his energy to you.  The spell ended earlier today after it was apparently no longer needed, he awoke shortly afterwards.  He’s back at town now, hopefully getting something to eat.  That reminds me...”  She slowly regained her composure and wandered into the kitchen a moment.  I took a few moments myself to take it all in and rest a bit to regain my own composure.  The news hit me hard, but why the hells was I on the verge of bawling my eyes out?  It wasn’t like anyone was seriously hurt, we both recovered fine.  Tyra walked out a minute later and handed me a small cup.  “Jura helped me with the recipe, it should help stave off your nausea...it’s gotten worse, hasn’t it?”

I gave a small nod as I took a sniff of the slightly green concoction. “Mint tea?”  I asked as I took a sip of it, certainly had a heavy mint flavor to it but also something else not nearly as pleasant.  Luckily that particular flavor was pretty much drowned out by the mint, something told me it would have been truly vile stuff without it.

“Close, but judging by how you wrinkled your nose I’m sure you can tell it’s just to make it drinkable.”  She chuckled slightly.  “Really is a vile concoction otherwise.  But Jura all but guaranteed it’d work. A cup should last a good portion of the day.”

I smiled as I took another sip of the stuff, figured it best I not ask what was in it. “So what’s all this about Adel?”  I asked after several minutes, having mostly finished off what she gave me.  She had calmed down a lot from her previous state, hopefully she’d be able to tell me a bit more.  As usual her herbs did their job well, already I could feel my stomach settle considerably.  Still a little nagging, but definitely wouldn’t have any trouble just ignoring it now.  Maybe now I’d actually be able to cast something without it interrupting.

Tyra’s smile quickly melted into a frown at the mention of Adel, and while she managed to hold back tears this time her voice still had a noticeable pang of worry to it.  “You didn’t pass out from exhaustion...  It was a spell, something was draining your strength.  It would have killed you had Cai not gotten you here as fast as he did and Eryk not offer to give of himself to keep you alive....”  Her voice trailed off and she took a minute to drink some of the tea she brought out for herself.

At least this time it wasn’t my own doing, that would have been vaguely comforting were it not for the fact that it meant someone else did it to me instead.  Judging from her reaction I feared they thought it was Adel’s doing.

“I felt something about the spell when I examined you, a faint mental image that couldn’t be anyone except Adel.  We still don’t know what kind of spell it was, but it...”  Again she trailed off, she seemed to be forcing the words by this point.  As she was about to continue there was a knock at her door, followed by several smaller, faster ones.  How odd.  We both looked at each other in confusion before she got to her feet and made her way to the door.  “You stay there and rest Elryn, I’ll see who it is.”  I of course didn’t listen and followed behind her curious who’d be pounding so enthusiastically to get in.

Tyra stood breathlessly in the doorway a moment, before she laughed happily and hugged the figure that was standing there.  It obviously wasn’t too hard to tell who it was, although I wondered why she had knocked.  Tyra prepared to say something when she glanced over to her right at something I couldn’t see from my vantage point. She stammered something unintelligible and fainted dead away in Adel’s arms.  Adel lowered her slowly to the ground as I ran over to her side, momentarily forgetting about whatever it was she had seen.

“Oh dear, I knew she’d be surprised, but I didn’t expect this...”  Adel said worriedly as she fanned Tyra’s face.

I started to speak when I heard something run up behind me.  I turned around and let out a startled gasp as a small form leapt on top of me and knocked me onto my back.  “Mommy!”  It shouted as it did so.  I stared up in shock at the little form that now sat on my chest, then over at Adel equally as shocked.  She however just giggled and gave me the largest smile I had ever seen on her face before.  What I saw when I looked up was a little girl, no more then six I’d guess.  She was dressed in a dark blue dress and had long dark brown hair running down her back.  She just sat there a bit giggling, her eyes closed and a happy childish smile across her face.  “Adel...is this...?”

If it were possible I’d swear her grin would have gotten even bigger.  “My daughter, she liked the name Violet because it fit her eyes so that’s what I’ve decided to name her, okay?”

“You’re daughter?!  Who...?  And it’s a lovely name, but why would I....” Violet opened her eyes and stared down at me giggling.  Were I not already on the ground I think I’d have collapsed right then and there too.  My curiosity alone at this overly strange situation was likely the only thing that kept me from joining Tyra.  The eyes were unmistakable, my mother once told me they were a unique trait present in all the M’len women.  This little girls eyes indeed were like my own, the same almost glowing iridescent purple.  With one slight flaw, she seemed to be blind in her right eye.  There was no visible pupil, the iris was a bright purple but it completely covered where a pupil should have been.  Much like Adel’s really, except Adel lack both pupil and iris.

“Lovely little thing isn’t she.”  Adel stated with a giggle and a smile as she tended to Tyra.  “It only seemed fair you have a say in naming her.  You’re a part of her too you know, though she insisted on keeping your last name.”

I knew it was true when I saw the eyes, but to actually hear it said aloud still struck me hard. Dammit!  How could not have recognized the spell, the one spell everyone knew and everyone could cast, and I couldn’t recognize her casting part of it.  Nor did I recognize the way the sphere she handed me was behaving.  The Sphere itself should have been a dead give away, the only time they ever reacted like that was before they became something else....or were being used by someone to create a child.

The creation spell was powerful, yet could be cast by anyone no matter what their magical aptitude.  It was strange but it seemed to be an integral part of all humans in a way unlike any other spells.  After all, how else would new human life be created if the spell couldn’t be used by most people?  The Ancients apparently had a non magical means of creating children, I’ve done a fair amount of research into it, curious really.  Although that method has apparently been impossible since even before their collapse.  All that existed now was the spell.

The requirements for the spell were fairly simple.  The parents needed a Life Sphere, easy enough to come by, and a few days to cast the spell.  The spell didn’t even care for the sex of the parents, (and in general, nor did most people.) male, female, it was no matter.  Both were only needed for a small portion of the spell, the binding of both them to the Sphere which would become their child.  Afterwards the spell could be finished by only one of them.  It also allowed the parents to control the look of their child to some extent, sex and age.  A child could be created anywhere from newborn (A term left over from the Ancients, linked to their other form of child creation.) to about eight years old.

The child as well would retain some of the knowledge of the parents, making learning a rather easy task in most cases.  There were limitations to that apparently but that was a part of the spell no one really quite understands the workings of.  Adel and myself met all those requirements, yet there was still one major ingredient missing...desire.  Both parents had to have a strong desire to actually want a child, and I didn’t, I couldn’t even understand how Adel possibly got the spell to work.  Yet the girl that was staring down at me was proof it had.

The girl’s smile disappeared and here eyes welled up with tears.  She quickly got off of me and ran over to Adel sobbing.  “She doesn’t like me!” The little girl cried as she clung to Adel and buried her head in her arms.  I should have realized that along with various traits picked up from both of us, she had also inherited Adel’s abilities.  Of everything, why did she have to gain those too?

Adel hugged the girl tightly and stared at me with a surprised, an overly hurt look on her face which shone slightly even in those normally emotionless eyes of hers.  Tyra let out a small groan as she slowly came to.  “I’ll take Violet inside...”  She said quietly as she gave the girl a kiss on the forehead and ran her hand over Tyra’s head.  “Please watch Tyra till she wakes...”  Her voice was almost a whisper as she gathered Violet into her arms and slowly walked into the house, both of them avoided even glancing at me on the way past.

“Ohhh....  Adel?”  Tyra groaned as I crawled over to her.  

“It’s only me, Adel’s inside.”

“Oh, Elryn.  I think Jura was right, I really should get some sleep.  You wouldn’t believe what I thought I just saw.”  She chuckled to herself as she sat up next to me.

I sat down next to her a moment and just chuckled along with her, perhaps glad that she was already sitting down.  “Actually Tyra, I think I would...”

She looked at me blankly a moment as the realization hit her again.  “You mean...Oh Adel..  I never even knew she wanted one, she’s never said anything to me before.”  She shook her head slowly as she considered this before laughing over the whole matter.  “I can’t very well hold it against her, that girl does so little for herself and has been through so much, she deserves something to make her really happy.  And I’m sure that little girl will make things interesting around here, it’s been so long since I’ve had a child around.  Oh she probably thinks I’m horrible for fainting like that...do you know what name Adel gave her, or who the father is?”

“Her names Violet, Adel thought it matched her eyes perfectly...and she apparently agreed.  As for the father....”  My voice trailed off as I tried to think how to put it.  I scarcely believed it myself, I mean, how could I?  I didn’t want to be a mother yet...I simply was not cut out for it.  I felt a slight twinge run through suddenly at that thought for some reason.

“That is a cute name, sounds like something Adel would think up.”  She snickered a bit as she continued.  “At least her eyes have some color, I love Adel with all my heart but those eyes really are eerie to look at and I feel bad thinking so when I’m around her.  So come on, who’s the father, I’m anxious to know.”

“Not father, mother actually....  And you’ll be pleased to know her eyes do indeed have color, a beautiful purple...though her right eye is like Adel’s, no pupil, just color instead.  Probably about seven or eight I’d guess Adel created her, though she’s short for her age like I was.”  I continued to give her more details about the little girl as I tried to avoid directly mentioning that I was the other parent.   Instead I hinted casually at details about myself that showed up in her.  Gods, me, a parent.  My...daughter, now sat within and I still couldn’t bring myself to actually say it.  I didn’t even know what to think of the whole thing.  I was not sure whether I should be happy, or angry at Adel for what she did.

“Well Adel is a fairly tall girl, maybe she wanted a daughter not quite so.  Mother though...I can’t think of any other girls she’s friends enough with to ask such a thing.  And purple eyes you say?  How’s that, you’re the only one I’ve ever seen...with....purple.....”  Her eyes widened as her mind finally pieced together the hints.  She was practically beaming by time she threw her arms around me again.  “Oh Elryn!  Thank you so much, I’m sure you’ve made my little Adel so happy.”  I lowered my head slightly and looked away.  It wasn’t at all unusual for close friends to do something like this but how could I tell Tyra I didn’t do this willingly?  I’d have gladly helped Adel in any way I could, though I didn’t figure she had any interest in creating a child.  Even if I had it wasn’t something I think I could have brought myself to do.  The smile slowly faded from her face as she looked at me and noted my reaction.  She loosened her hug and sat back again, holding my hand in hers.  “You’re...not happy Elryn?”

I could feel tears well up again as the full brunt of what was going on finally hit me.  It was true, I had not wanted a child, I never planned on.  It was this lifestyle, the researching, the striving for magic, that got my parents killed...murdered, by a mage afraid they’d surpass him.  How could I care for a child knowing the same could possibly happen to me one day, leaving the poor thing in the state I was left after they died?  Hells, when Merick found me he could have told me I’d have been sacrificed to some demon lord and I’d still have come with him.  Just as long as it meant I had the chance to live with a caring family for even a day.  A child, no, no one, deserved that.  Even if Adel chose to raise Violet on her own, as I expect she may, the whole idea just....I was happy for her, yet I found it hard to find any real joy in it myself.

“It’s...  Tyra, it’s just that...”  I wiped off an errant tear as it rolled down my cheek.  “I’m happy for Adel, it’s just that I didn’t know she was going to do this.  I don’t....didn’t, want a child.  I don’t know how Adel did it though, but I know that girl is partially mine...the eyes give it away.”  My voice shook noticeably as I continued and tried to control myself long enough to finish what I had to say.  “It wasn’t even that I know it could have killed me...”  An extremely strange detail in itself.  The creation spell took energy from both parents but never enough to do harm.  Except in my families case, and just like the eyes it only happened to the women.  The spell drew more energy than usual from us for some reason, my mother nearly died in my creation, her mother before that unfortunately had, and so on down the line for as long as anyone could remember.  I turned my head and looked up at Tyra, her face a mixture of sadness and disbelief.  “...I just...I don’t want to risk leaving another child the way I was.”  I said quietly as I lowered my gaze, tears flowed freely now.  I had not told Tyra all the details of how I lived before this and why but she hopefully knew enough to understand.

She sighed and raised a hand to my cheek, rubbing away a few tears. “Oh Elryn...  Don’t worry yourself so over such things...you’re safe here, you know that.”  She pulled me closer to herself, her voice quiet and comforting.  “You will always have a home here, as will that little girl in there.”

“I know, it’s just...  I can’t get those thoughts out of my head.  Adel must think I’m horrible after how I reacted to Violet, probably crushed that poor girls feelings...”

“No I don’t Elryn...”  Called a quiet voice from behind us.  “I can’t speak for Violet though.  I...I thought you’d be happy, I’m sorry.  If you don’t want to...I..I can take care of her myself, if that is what you want.  I promise no harm will come to her, on or off this island.”

I had not intended for Adel to hear all of that, yet something told me she knew what I spoke of with Tyra and even more.  She was usually present when I’d talk to Tyra, so she knew what I said and what was really on my mind.  I may have been more leery about her being there had I known about her abilities beforehand but it was too late by time I finally figured it out.  She had never said anything to anyone though, never even hinted to me if she knew anything, so I had little reason to not trust her.  “No Adel, I...  I just don’t know what to make of it all right now.  Why me though...and how?  I’m sure Eryk would have agreed had you asked him.”

She smiled a bit as she walked over and sat with us.  “I’m sure he would have too, but I had thought you had wanted a child...  It’s the feeling I’ve gotten from you since you awoke.  Do you not feel it too?  It’s loud, extremely so.”

A slight twinge of emotion washed over me, it was a strange feeling that for some reason I couldn’t quite place.  I wouldn’t know a motherly feeling if it hit me, I could place it in others but couldn’t think what such a thing would actually feel like.  My minds been so occupied with everything else perhaps I just didn’t have time to think about some of these things careening through my mind.  Even so, that didn’t begin to explain why the feeling would be so strong.  I had blamed everything else on this illness so far, but this...how the hells could I explain this?  If the feeling was that strong, I wondered if maybe it had effected Adel enough to carry out the desire.

She gave me an odd look at that last thought, clearly she had heard it, but she made no immediate comment on it.  “There’s another reason I chose you Elryn...your willpower, I’ve always admired you for it.  I knew she’d have my abilities and I didn’t want her to suffer the way I have.  I lack the willpower to shut out the unwanted noise, you can’t imagine what it’s like to hear everyone in your head like that.  She however, she already can, she’s a very fast learner.”  Adel added with a large proud smile.  Even if I had not intended any of this, nor necessarily wanted it, I couldn’t help but feel a little pride as well at hearing that.  It made sense I guess, it wasn’t too unusual for a child to get some of their parents personality.  My dad once (well, several times) said I got my stubborn streak from my mother.  Of course if Violet was stubborn as I was, Adel would certainly have her hands full.

“Come on you two then, lets go inside and get something to eat.  Elryn can meet Violet properly this time.”  Tyra finally spoke up as she stood to her feet, she had been relatively quiet until now just listening to the two of us.

I peered over at the door as I got to my feet and saw a small form quickly duck back into the house.  “Um...shouldn’t I at least go tell Eryk I’m okay?  Get cleaned up too, I’ve been wearing this thing for three days now and would really like to at least bathe and get something clean on.”  I hoped to stall for a little bit, I still wasn’t sure if I was ready for that quite yet.

Adel gave me a slightly disappointed look and shook her head a little before walking in.  ‘Sorry Violet, I hope you understand...’  I thought to myself, knowing full well she and likely Adel were listening in.  “I’ll be back later Tyra, I promise.”  

“Oh Elryn, I almost forgot.  If anyone asks, you’re feeling much better now and that Eryk’s recovered nicely from his spell.  It was part of the excuse we gave the townsfolk to hide what really happened.”  With a wave she walked in as well.  So they had blamed me being out as part of my illness...and Eryk hurting himself somehow?  The ever careful Eryk taking a silly chance with a spell, I couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image that popped into my head.  I saw a small head peak out from the door before I turned around, she waved and had a small smile on her face.  Something told me she perhaps understood at least a little what was on my mind, and apparently forgave me to some extent.

The trip back was luckily uneventful, I don’t think I could handle another shock like that today.  There of course was the usual greeting from people glad to see me okay, today though I wasn’t in the mood to protest.  Come to think of it my mind was so occupied on the way home I hardly payed them any mind at all.  I wandered into the house and flopped onto my bed, taking a few moments to glance around the room I’ve seen so little of the past few days.  “Gods it’s a mess in here...”  A mess, hmm, if my nausea was the only thing keeping me from casting earlier, maybe now I’d be able to.  That concoction of Tyra's had worked wonders.  Now if she could get rid of this soreness in my chest and the occasional dizziness I’d be even better off still.  One out of three wasn’t bad though, and it was still the worst of them after all.  I let out a long yawn as I was about to prepare the spell.  On second thought maybe I best skip that experiment for now.  Strange as my bodies been lately I was too tired right now to want to risk it any more.

I gathered up a change of clothing, and a new robe...one burnt, and one left down with the pump, I only had one more of my special robes left.  I’d have to go back down there eventually and retrieve the other before something happened to this one too.  I made my way into the bathroom and prepared a nice hot bath.  It felt good to just lay in the warm water for a while, was rather hard to keep myself from dozing off several times.  Afterwards I got myself dressed and took a quick jaunt over to the inn for something to eat, and to hopefully see Eryk.  If he was half as hungry as I felt right now he’d definitely still be there, maybe I’d get lucky and he’d cook something for us tonight.

To my dismay Aruc wouldn’t give me the drink I wanted when I arrived.  All I wanted was something strong, numb the mind a little, maybe I’d be able to accept all this a little easier.  Turns out Jura had given him strict orders not to though, something about it being very bad for me in my condition.  Much as I hated to admit it Jura was probably right.  She usually was.  The evening went so much better afterwards though, even if Aruc did get me to blurt out something else I had been denying to myself for far too long now.  There was still Eryk though in that thought, I doubt he felt the same way and I wouldn’t want to risk anything if he didn’t.  Last thing I wanted was to humiliate myself bearing my heart to him only to learn he really meant it every time he says we’re simply friends.  Not that I haven’t insisted on the same thing, but deep down inside...Maybe, just maybe one of these days.  Dinner luckily went great though and as I had hoped Eryk had something ready for when I arrived, how sweet of him.

He took the news when I finally managed to break it to him, bluntly as I had (he was angry about Adel, it was the best way I could think to change subjects and get the point across.) about as I had expected him to though.  Not as badly as me of course.  He wasn’t the one that just found out he had a child after all, one he wasn’t sure why he had to begin with no less.  That alone still nagged at me, if something in my mind wanted a child that badly, why didn’t I notice it?  Of course he was angry when he heard Adel had actually done something to me, but calmed down quickly when I told him more detail.  As for Violet though, bah, need a manual my arse, I could care for a....  What was I saying, I wouldn’t know the first thing about caring for a child.  Overall he seemed as shocked as I was, just in a slightly different way.  Guess he had seen Adel earlier that day, just not Violet.  How you miss a little girl dressed in blue (It was blue right?  My mind was so occupied I was not even sure I remember what she was dressed in.) scampering about is beyond me though.

He did bring up a very good point, the Elders were still looking for her.  Apparently he was the only one that saw Adel today aside from myself and Tyra.  First thing tomorrow, it was too late tonight, I’d have to talk to them and straighten things out.  I doubted any of them truly thought Adel would do anything to intentionally harm me or anyone else, but I guess technically she had.  It was best I let them know that as odd a reaction as it was...it was normal for me.

After dinner I, well we, returned to Tyra’s as I had promised.  Eryk of course followed, he wanted to see my...daughter, for himself.  I had calmed down considerably since earlier, but I still felt uneasy admitting to it.  Something inside still just hoped I’d wake up and find out this was some really strange dream.  Yet, something else seemed to nag at me, wanted me to watch over the girl.  Adel answered the door with a smile on her face and without a word motioned us in.  I could hear a little girl giggling from the living room and the sound of Tyra’s voice.

“Hi mommy!”  Violet shouted with an enthusiastic wave as I walked into the room.  Eryk stood with a look of shock on his face and just glanced back and forth between the two of us for a moment.  Would have thought that was out of his system after telling him.  Hearing her greet me so energetically sent an over all warm feeling through me.  I dare say I was actually happy to hear her voice, so nice, innocent, and forgiving.

“Wow...”  His voiced trailed off in surprise.  Adel walked past and sat down next to Tyra and Violet, giggling slightly under her breath.  “Amazing how much she looks like you Elryn, even the eyes.”

“Except her hairs brown, mines black.  Really think she looks more like Adel.  Besides, those eyes run in the family, all M’len women have em.”  Again that sounded strange actually coming from my mouth.  By this point though I was giving into the idea, she was indeed real and this wasn’t just some strange dream.

“But it’s still a rather dark brown, certainly leaning more towards your color then Adel’s.  Maybe more of a mix between you two then looks wise.  She is short though, like you.”

Violet motioned quickly at Adel.  “I’ll grow up to be as tall as mommy though!”  She then proceeded to stick her tongue out at him.  I giggled slightly at the thought, if Eryk was right that wasn’t very likely but couldn’t blame a girl for keeping her hopes up.

“Certainly takes after your side of the personality.”  Eryk ruffled my hair and laughed before he took a seat with the others.  Were Violet not in the room I’d have had to hit him for that.  To my surprise she hopped down from her spot next to Adel and did it for me, giving Eryk a small kick in the leg.  We all of course all got a good laugh out of that before I took my own seat near them.  Eryk rubbed his leg a little, muttering something about both mother and daughter beating up on him.

“Sorry..”  Violet responded apologetically as she hugged him.  “Mommy wanted to but didn’t want to so I did it for her.”  Afterwards she walked over and climbed up into my lap, staring up at me with those bright eyes of hers. (Well, ours.)

Tyra stood up and gathered up a few errant cups.  “Come on you two, lets leave them in peace.”  She motioned for Eryk and Adel to follow her as she walked into the kitchen.

“Hey wait, Adel, she...what, I mean...”  Actually I didn’t know what I meant, I was just fumbling for some way to get them to stay.

“She’s your daughter too Elryn, I’ve spent all day with her, it’s your turn now.”  She tugged on Eryk’s arm and he reluctantly followed her out.

I just looked down at her again, completely unsure what to do next.  Violet however seemed perfectly ready to make the first move.  “Why don’t you want to be my mom?”  The little girl asked as she stared up at me, a spark of innocence in those iridescent eyes.  Of all the ways to start out, that was probably the worst I could have thought of.

I wasn’t even sure how to answer her.  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, I just never expected any of this.  Here I sat with my daughter in my lap, and I didn’t even know how to talk to her.  Just how could I explain all this too her and not make myself sound horribly selfish?  Maybe I really was being selfish...  “I just....please understand, this was all just so sudden.”  With a sigh I looked down at her again and ran my hand through her hair.  “I...I do want to be your mom...”  I finally got myself to say it, admit to that strange nagging I’ve had since I first saw her.  A strange twinge of, something, washed over me as I spoke the words.  It was an odd feeling of recognition, as though something about me was glad to hear me finally give into that motherly feeling I had been trying to ignore all day.

Violet stared up at me with a huge smile on her face.  “I knew it, I knew you’d do it!”  She wrapped her arms tightly around me with that last word.  She probably did know it too, likely before even I did.  Something about the look on her face told me she did understand what I meant at first, there was an intelligence that sparkled in her eyes beyond that of most children.  “I love you mommy...”  She said in a quiet tone after a few minutes, giving a small yawn as she laid her head against me.

I quietly wrapped my arm around her and kissed her on the top of the head.  “I...love you too Violet.”   She was asleep in a matter of minutes, curled up on my lap and in my arm.  Such an innocent little thing, she looked so peaceful as she slept.  With all that has happened to me it was hard to imagine myself like that at her age.  If I had any say in the matter I’d see she maintain that innocence for as long as possible.  Even if the memories of what I went through were in that little head of hers, there was no reason she ever had to experience them.  I sat quietly with her wrapped tightly in my arm for an unknown amount of time, time was not something that seemed to matter at the moment.  Before long I slowly joined her in her slumber, we both were apparently exhausted after the events of today.

***

I could see Elryn standing in the ritual chamber.  A strange whispering voice floated across the air, although I was unable to make out what it said.  Yet she seemed to be able to, as if it was speaking something to her I was not meant to hear.  I tried to approach but found I couldn’t move, tried to speak yet no words would come out.  I felt detached from the whole thing, as though I shouldn’t have been here to begin with.  She wheeled around quickly as if startled by something, then slowly faded away a moment later.  The room faded shortly after, leaving me alone in the darkness.  “And you...”  A voice whispered from seemingly all sides at once, shattering the otherwise eerie silence of this place.  “Are linked to that girl in a way you cannot imagine...” I blinked, in the time it took my eyes to open again the darkness was replaced with Tyra’s living room.  A dream?  Yes it had to be a dream, as strange as the past few days had been, they had not been that strange.

Concerned I looked over towards Elryn.  She was still sound asleep but looked better now, the color had returned to her and she stirred lightly in her sleep.  I tried to stand and walk over to her but found moving hard.  I was still rather weak from the spell it seemed.  It was then I noticed Tyra pacing back and forth in front of a window.  She looked like hell, a worried expression on her face and dark circles under her eyes.  Poor woman looked like she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep in days.  She turned her attention away from the window a moment and glanced back over at us, looking both of us over before going back to looking out the window.  She came to a stop a second later and looked back over at me with a confused look, as though she didn’t expect to see what she saw.  Her eyes lit up and she ran over to my side and gave me a big hug, a broad smile on her tired face.

“I was beginning to think you two would never wake up.”  Her voice was low and shaky as she tightened her hug on me.

“Didn’t think we’d give up that easily, did you?”  I chuckled slightly as I returned her hug.  Glad at this point to know Elryn would be okay.  “How long have we been out?”

She laughed quietly.  “Ah of course not, though you did have me worried either way.  You’ve both been out about two days.”  She slowly let go and stood to her feet again.  “Here let me get you something, Cai said you’d likely be weak when you awoke.  I have something around here which will help a bit.”  She anxiously hurried from the room and off into the kitchen where I could hear her digging around in something.

No wonder I had felt so drained, two days of lending myself to Elryn like that.  At least it had worked, she was all right now and that was all that truly mattered.  I tried to recall what happened in the dream as I waited for Tyra to return but found it was quickly fading from my mind.  All I could recall anymore was those last few words the voice said, something about being linked to her now.  It was probably nothing, just a strange after effect of the spell I’d bet.

“Here we go...”  Tyra said as she walked from the kitchen, a small cup in hand.  “Drink this, it should help you get back on your feet.  You’re probably starving after so long.”  She sat on the edge of the sofa Elryn was laying on and ran her hand slowly over her head.  “She should be awake shortly.”

I nodded as I took a sip of whatever she had given me.  It had a rather sweet flavor to it, strong too.  “That’s good, just glad she’s going to be ok.  Has there been any word from Adel yet?”

She lowered her head a bit and sighed, a look of worry again fell across her face.  “No...no one has seen her yet.  Th..the Elders are beginning to get more suspicious by the day.  With you awake though...”  Her voice was shaking noticeably and I could see the tears forming in her eyes.  “It means Elryn will be awake soon.  She should be able to clear all this up.”  Saddened as she was by it her voice sounded hopeful.  “But I shouldn’t hold you up here with my worries.  Why don’t you go get something to eat?  I’m sure she’ll will be awake by then and hungry herself.”
That did sound like a good idea at this point now that I thought about it.  I could prepare something for myself and Elryn, she’d probably love that after all this trouble.

“Maybe I should wait though, I don’t want to just leave you here alone like this.  You look like you haven’t slept for days.”

She smiled and took a sip from her cup.  “I haven’t, but I’ll be fine.  I’ve watched over you both for two days now, another hour or so won’t do me any harm.  Other people have been stopping by now and then too, Jura for instance just left a short bit ago.”

“Well... If you insist.”

“I do.”

“In that case tell Elryn were I’ll be then when she wakes up please.  Just, don’t tell her what I’ve got planned.”  Slowly I got off the chair, still a bit weak from the spell but nothing a bit of fresh air wouldn’t cure.

“My lips are sealed.”  With a small yawn she waved to me as I left the house.  I still felt a bit guilty just leaving her alone like that though but I knew she wouldn’t take no for an answer.  Were Adel around I wouldn’t feel quite so bad about leaving her there.  Then again were Adel here, this whole ordeal likely would not have happened at all.  Quickly I shook the thought from my head.  What was I thinking?  Adel would never intentionally do something like that, especially to Elryn.

As I walked through the trees towards town my thoughts were all a mess.  Jumping from concern about Elryn, to Tyra, to Adel and even lingering thoughts on the dream.  A small giggle floated across the wind.  For a moment I thought I was simply imagining things until I heard it again, this time I also caught a glance of something out the corner of my eye.  “Who’s there?”  I called out as I peered around the area.

‘Shh...’ I heard someone say quietly.  As I started over to investigate where I thought it came from, someone walked out from behind a large tree.  Adel waved to me as she walked over quickly, there was a slight bounce to her step and a large smile on her face.  “Hi Eryk.”

“Adel?  Where have you been, Tyra’s been worried sick about you.”

“She has?  Oh my...I guess perhaps I should have told her, shouldn’t I have.  But then it wouldn’t be as good a surprise.”

“A surprise for Tyra?  Ooh, can I see?”  I was understandably curious about it.  She disappears for days and comes back with a surprise of some sort, who wouldn’t be curious?

She giggled and shook her head.  “Nope!  Tyra and Elryn have to see first.”

“Oh....  Wait, Elryn?”

“Aww don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll share.”  She giggled again and winked at me, for a moment I’d have sworn I heard another voice giggling as well.  Adel glanced behind her quick then turned back to me with a small, almost nervous laugh.  “But you were on your way home, get cleaned up, and cook dinner for Elryn weren’t you?”  She grabbed my arm, turned me around, and started dragging me slowly towards town.

“Yes, but...”  I looked behind me curiously, though of course didn’t see anything of note, wonder what she was hiding back there.  “What’s...”

“It’s just a surprise remember?  Now go on, you’re hearing things...wouldn’t want to make Elryn wait now would you?”  Again she managed to push my thoughts just far enough off track that I quickly forgot about what I thought I had heard.  Or at least long enough for her to get away before I could ask again.

“Wait Adel, but..”  I turned around to ask her about it again curiously but she was already out of sight, a small magical word echoed softly in the air.  Damn, that girl really knew how to run away fast when she wanted to.  Wait, I didn’t think Adel knew any invisibility spells...?  I completely forgot to tell her what happened to Elryn or myself too, though how she wouldn’t know would be beyond me.  If she didn’t know how upset Tyra was however, it was very possible she had not heard yet.  I certainly hoped this wasn’t going to be another one of those days, I was too tired for any degree of strangeness.

The rest of the walk to town was uneventful with the exception of the occasional person stopping me to say they were glad to see I was up and about.  Several made comments that they thought Elryn was supposed to be the accident one in our relationship.  It was worth a decent laugh at least even though did get on the nerves eventually.  Now I knew how Elryn felt when this happened to her.  Sounded like Tyra and them made it out as some kind of accident, my half of it that is.  They told the others Elryn’s illness was the reason for her condition, something about it effecting her worse then it should of because of her weakened state.  Also not to panic as she wasn’t contagious at this point anymore.  I however was the one lucky, or unlucky enough, to hurt himself casting a spell.  Apparently they thought it was my turn to do something silly instead of Elryn for a change.

With a yawn I wandered into my house and gradually made myself more presentable for later.  The warm shower had been the highlight of my day.  Easily the most relaxing thing about this entire day thus far.  Slowly I got myself dressed, wondering the whole time what I’d cook for us.  Maybe Aruc knew of something good to make, I knew he had some rather good recipes hidden around somewhere.

The Inn was fairly empty when I arrived, most people were out at the fields and such, or classes by this time in the day.  Aruc was of course there, not immediately in view but I knew he was here...he was always here.  A small handful of other people as well were there for a late lunch by the looks of it.  We exchanged greetings before I walked back into the kitchen.

A few minutes after I started gathering cooking supplies Aruc barged in, his arms raised enthusiastically in greeting.  “Eryk my boy!  I knew I wasn’t hearing things when I heard someone say they had talked to you.  Glad to see you up and about.  And where’s your one armed love?”

“Friend Aruc, one armed friend.”  I dug around one of the lower cabinets for a pan when I heard him start to say something that sounded vaguely familiar.  I turned my head and pointed a spoon at him menacingly.  “And you old man!  Not a word from you about your ‘friends’ on the mainland.”

“Spoilsport...”  He milled around the kitchen a minute with a thoughtful look on his face.   I didn’t pay him too much mind as I went about getting things ready.  “You know what though?”

“Hm?”  I gathered a few vegetables from one of the ice cabinets, only partially listening to him as I had come accustomed to.  I’d get nothing done if I just stood here giving him my full attention, he didn’t particularly mind though since he knew it was true too.  He knew I at least heard him, even if I didn’t acknowledge it, that was good enough for him.  He got joy out of just rambling with people for hours on end, who was I to deny him that?

“Perhaps you two should take a boat trip somewhere some time...”  He finally said after a few minutes.  I was already in the middle of cooking up dinner by that point.

“Mm..hmm...  And why would that be?”  Not taking into account the fact that I hated sailing.

“Women on ships tend to be just as lively and friendly as those on the mainland.”  I smacked my forehead and sighed, stifling a laugh as well.  I had to give him credit, didn’t know how to drop a subject, but knew how to change it well enough so as not to see it coming.  He meanwhile just let out a rather loud hearty laugh.

“You crazy old pervert, go, before I decide to add you to the menu!”

He looked out the door of the kitchen as he laughed.  “Ahh I have another customer anyway.  You shouldn’t talk so much boy, she’s already here.”  I peered out as he left the kitchen and could see Elryn walk towards the counter.  Darn, I wasn’t expecting her so soon.  “Ahh Elryn my dear!”  Aruc shouted as he left the kitchen.

I walked over to the door so I could better hear their conversation, looking back at the stove now and then to make sure it didn’t need tending.  It’d last a few minutes before I’d need to do anything again.  I stayed out of sight though, if I started talking with her I was liable to forget and burn dinner.

She took a seat at the bar, hung her head, and let out a long sigh.  “Ugh...today has been the strangest, most stressful day I’ve had since...well heck, since I lost this.”  She rubbed her shoulder where once her arm had been.  “Just...give me something strong, okay?”  Wow it must have been bad, she hardly ever drank, said she couldn’t generally stand the flavor.

“Sorry Elryn, no can do, Jura’s orders.  Something about it not being good for you in your condition.  Here, have some juice...my own special blend, on the house.”

“On the house?  Aruc...it’s all on the house, we don’t pay you.”

“Aye, and it’s about time you started!”  She and everyone else here jumped as he shouted and slammed his fist loudly on the bar.  A hush fell over the room as all eyes turned to him.  Elryn stared at him wide eyed a moment before a small smirk appeared on her face, he let out a loud laugh a second later.  Everyone else in the room laughed a bit before returning to what they were doing.  “Now come on, tell uncle Aruc what’s wrong.”  He leaned on the bar and said in a lower tone, much like the kind you’d use to talk to a kid.

“Uncle Aruc?  Gods, my life is strange enough as it is, thinking of you even slightly related to me I think would be too much.”  She calmly took a sip of the juice he gave her, the smirk on her face betraying the attitude she was trying to fake.  She failed outright a few seconds later and broke out into a laugh. Aruc always did have a strange way of cheering people up.

“Ahh now that’s the Elryn I like seeing.”  I couldn’t have agreed with him more.
“Okay, okay, so maybe I haven’t been myself lately.  I’m getting better though, honestly.  But much as I’d like to stay and chat, have you seen Eryk about?”

“Aw, leaving me already?  What, you love Eryk more then me?”  ‘Crazy old man’ I thought to myself.

“Well of course I love him mor...” She quickly covered her mouth and blushed very noticeably, her gaze falling to the glass in front of her.  “That’s not what I meant, I mean I....you...darn you old man, you know what I mean!”  I meanwhile nearly lost my grip on the door frame I was leaning on and nearly stumbled into the dining room when I heard her say that.  Had...I just heard her right?

“Sure I do Elryn, sure I do.  As for Eryk, he’s in the back.”  I quickly ducked behind the door before she had a chance to see me.  She’d kill me if she knew I was listening in, more so if she knew I heard ‘that’.  It was probably nothing but a slip up, Aruc had a knack of getting people to say things they didn’t mean....yet, what if it wasn’t?  I walked back over to the stove in sort of a daze as my mind tried processing it all.  I’ve never said anything to her because I never thought she felt anything as well, but now...now I wasn’t sure...  Ugh..not tonight, today was too strange, apparently for the both of us, to bring such a thing up tonight.

Aruc walked in a while later as I was putting the finishing touches on things.  “Go on out Eryk, I can finish up here.  You two love birds should spend some time together.”  Before I could protest Aruc shooed me out of the kitchen.  He could be awfully pushy when he wanted to, especially when it came to us.  I’d swear he and half the town was trying to get us together, more so then just friendship that was.

Elryn had a distant look as I walked over to the table she was seated at.  She was slowly nursing a small cup of whatever it was Aruc gave her and didn’t notice me until I had actually sat down.  Her mood seemed to brighten immediately when she saw me.  “Hi Eryk.”  She smiled and sat her cup down, continuing in a softer voice.  “I...um, thank you for everything.”

“It’s no problem Elryn, you know I’d do anything to help you.”

“But this time....you risked your life for me, I..”  She shook her head a moment and took a sip from her cup.  “Just, thank you Eryk.”  I couldn’t help but snicker just a little.  Thanks was definitely not something she was necessarily good at.  “Oh shush, I’m trying to thank you here you know.  So where’s dinner, Aruc said you were making something?”  There was a rather warm looking smile on her face as she thought about it.  I knew she’d like the idea.

“And again don’t worry about it Elryn, I’m just glad to see you okay.  As for dinner, he kicked me out of the kitchen and said he’d finish up, should be out shortly.”

“Perfect!  I’m starving, I hope you made enough.”

“...So do I, you eat like there’s no tomorrow.  Speaking of, you should go talk to Jura or one of the Elders if you haven’t yet, they may still be looking for Adel.  And now that she’s home...she is back at Tyra’s, right?”

“Oh yes, I’ll do that first thing in the morning....So, you saw her today?  Both of them?”

“Well I saw Adel on my way back to down, but not Jura or any of the Elders, no.”

She gave me a blank stare for a moment, confused I’d say actually.  “Wh...Nonono, not one of the Elders, I mean who Adel had with her.”

“Hm no, she was alone when I saw her.”  I started to wonder what Elryn was talking about.  No one had seen Adel today except me, I was fairly sure of that.

“Oh, um...well Eryk...”  She was playing with her robe nervously as she spoke.  “About what Adel did to me...”

“You...you mean that really was her?!”  I couldn’t believe what I heard, she really had done it after all!  “Dammit and I trusted her...”  I had put my faith in Adel, never thought her even capable of a violent thought let alone carrying one out.  To nearly kill Elryn the way she did, that more then crossed the line.

Elryn looked at me wide eyed a moment, she so rarely saw my angry about anything, and never to this extent before.  She gently took my hand in hers after I hit it against the table.  “Gods no Eryk, she...well she meant to do it, but not what happened, she didn’t know I’d react as I did.”

“So she just casts some spell to drain you and it goes wrong, nearly killing you instead?  If it weren’t too late to talk to the Elders...”  I don’t think I had felt this angry in years.  The trouble Elryn always got in was her own doing, mistakes on her part.  Now though, she had nearly died because of someone else.  How could she expect me not to do something?

“Eryk, listen!”  She squeezed my hand tighter to get my attention better.  “The spell she used....it...  M’len women always react badly to it...”  She seemed to be fumbling around for something to say, or some way to say it correctly.  Adel nearly killed her, why was she defending her just because of bad choice of magic?  She clearly did not do it with Elryn’s permission.  She locked eyes with me, a more serious expression on her face then I had seen in ages.  “Dammit Eryk listen to me!  The spell Adel used, it...  I mean I’m...I...”  She seemed to be trying to force the words, with much difficulty given how she was stumbling around with them.  She paused a moment and took a deep breath, taking a few seconds to compose herself before finally blurting out what she had been trying to say.  “Her names Violet, she’s my daughter.  Adel’s spell, it was the creation spell.”

I slumped back into my seat in shocked silence for a minute, now at a complete loss at what to say.  I no longer felt angry about the situation, it was hard to be angry when one doesn’t even know what to make of a situation.  Had she just said what I think she did, that she was now a mother?  Completely embarrassed explained how I felt right now perfectly.

She raised her hand and wiped away a small tear as it rolled from her eye.  “W..well not going to say anything?”

“I...erm, what am I supposed to say?  This isn’t what I had expected to hear, that you’re now...  Well it does explain why she was acting so strange earlier, and seemed so happy.  But then why...”

“Oh don’t sit there all shocked like, I’m supposed to be the surprised one here.  Now about the spell, as I tried telling you, that is a normal reaction....for me at least.”

“Normal?  There’s nothing normal about that.”  I thought a moment on the first part of what she said.  Surprised?  Heh I bet so, try as I might I just couldn’t see Elryn as the motherly type.  “You...a mother of all things....”  She looked up at me with a small, unsure looking, smile on her face and nodded slowly.  “Hahaha, now that is an interesting thought.”

“Really now...and what’s so funny?”

I chuckled a bit more to myself.  “Oh I’m just trying to imagine you caring for a child...and it’s not working.  Face it Elryn, you could have a manual and you still wouldn’t know what to do.”

Elryn gasped slightly, intentionally or out of actual surprise I couldn’t tell which.  “Hmph, I think I’d make a great m...”  She stopped mid sentence and lowered her gaze.  “Darn it where’s Aruc, I’m starving.”  She went quiet after that and just stared into her cup.  Poor thing really did seem to be in shock over this.  Though I guess I would be too if I just woke up one day to find out I was now a parent.  Surely she had to at least expect it though, the spell wouldn’t have worked for Adel otherwise.

As if on cue, I personally think he was actually watching us for the right moment, he walked out with the finished results of dinner.  He placed the plates in front of us, lit a small candle in the of the table, and spoke a small word which lowered the lighting off the inn.  “A nice romantic dinner for the towns resident love birds.”  He quickly skittered away before either of us had a chance to get anything in edgewise.  The other people in the inn who had looked over curiously also quickly returned to what they were doing as we looked around.

“Crazy old man.”  We both said in unison.  We looked up at each other before she quickly averted her eyes and concentrated on the food.

“Wow this really is something, more then enough even for me.”  Enough yes, doubtful it was too much though, she could probably eat that whole plate even if she hadn’t been without real food for two days.  “Great as ever, what’s in it?”

“Ahh, ancient family secret passed down for generations, that I cannot tell you.”  It wasn’t exactly ancient, family, nor passed down through generations.  Just something small I picked up from an inn on my way to the island.  It really was very good though.

“Yeah sure Eryk...but, thanks.”

The rest of dinner went by peacefully.  She of course finished every bit of it, then again so did I and here I thought I had made too much.  We hadn’t spoke much through the rest of it though, both of us seemed a bit unsure just what to say about the events of today so far.  At the end though we both made our way to Tyra’s, I was quite curious to just how much like Elryn and Adel their daughter turned out to be.

Adel let us in when we arrived and immediately we made our way into the living room.  I was simply shocked by what I saw, even after what Elryn had told me it was still surprising to actually stand there and look at her daughter.  She was a cute little thing and looked amazingly like I imagine Elryn to have at that age, right down to the nearly glowing eyes.  Then again she looked a fair amount like Adel too, it was rather hard to tell who she resembled more actually.  We spent a little while in the living room with her, just long enough to be assaulted by the little girl for a comment about Elryn’s personality.  Like mother like daughter, at least Violet apologized for it.  Elryn seemed reluctant to let us leave her alone with Violet but at Adel’s insistence I did.  Not before getting a look at both Elryn and her together though, they both looked so cute with Violet curled up on her lap the way she was.

I learned as I talked to Adel and Tyra out in the kitchen how Elryn first reacted.  It confused me (and both of them) how Adel could have used the spell without Elryn’s full consent but the fact of the matter was that it had.  It had explained why she seemed so unable to tell me during dinner though, seems she herself was still having a hard time grasping the reality of the situation.  As I pondered the image of both Elryn and Violet sitting in that chair though it seemed she was finally beginning to accept it.  Admittedly Elryn was certainly not what I’d consider the motherly type, especially in a situation like this.  Yet something told me that no matter what happened now Elryn would be there for that little girl.

As we talked, and my thoughts kept returning to Elryn and that little girl out there I found myself unable to keep thoughts of what I overheard back at the inn from my mind.  Adel waited until Tyra wasn’t in the room to point them out to me in her usual blunt manner.  Just came right out of nowhere and told me I should tell Elryn, it took me a moment to realize what it was she meant.  Pity she couldn’t tell me if Elryn felt the same, or just plain wouldn’t, it was always hard to tell with her.  For as quiet as I had always thought Adel was, she was awfully nosey.  Heh, made me wish I had gotten to know her better years ago.

I sighed as I walked over to the kitchen door.  Maybe Adel was right and I should, if Elryn did it was likely she was having the same fears I was.  I looked out at Elryn, sleeping peacefully in the chair with Violet curled up and asleep as well in her lap.  Perhaps some day I would...just not now, she had enough things going on without me complicating matters more.

“They look so cute together, don’t they.”  Said Tyra as she walked up behind me and looked into the room.

“Very.  It’s hard to imagine Elryn as a parent though.”

Tyra snickered a bit and rested a hand on my shoulder.  “That it is.  But at the same time I believe she’ll make a great mother.  It’s all there, she just has to realize it.”

“What about Adel?  Or your feelings on this?”

“I’ve never doubted Adel would, she’s caring enough for a dozen people.  If it weren’t for her abilities I doubt she’d have a violent thought in her head.  She says she chose Elryn because of her willpower but she has more then enough herself, she just uses it for something else.  It takes a strong mind to go through what she does and remain as innocent as she has.”  She looked back into the kitchen a moment where Adel was organizing one of her spice cabinets, humming tunelessly to herself.  “And me..”  Her voice took on a happier tone.  “I couldn’t be happier, for the both of them.  What of you?  You looked troubled about something just now.”

“Oh it’s nothing, just been a strange, tiring day.”  Tyra eyed me skeptically but if she had suspicions I was lying she didn’t say them aloud.  “...I guess, I’m not quite sure what to think of it all.  I haven’t really known Adel too long but she seems like she’ll do just fine.  Elryn I never would have thought could, looking at her now like this though...  What about Elryn’s illness, what if Violet catches it?”

“Now don’t you go worrying about her too, you’ve got your hands full with just Elryn.”  Tyra laughed softly as she walked over to the both of them.  “Elryn still hadn’t fully recovered from her spell, it was easier for her to get sick.  Violet is still young and strong, there shouldn’t be any need to worry about her health.”  The little girl stirred softly as Tyra ran her hand over her head.  “You know I think we should both follow their lead and get some sleep, you look like you need it...and I certainly know I do.  They will be fine here for tonight.”

I nodded and walked over to her as well.  “Thank you again Tyra, I’ll probably see you in the morning then.  Goodnight.”  She waved tiredly as I walked out of the house and towards home.  I laid in bed for a while before finally falling asleep, a dozen thoughts at once running through my head, most of them relating to Elryn and the past days events.