All It Takes is a Tender Moment

Writers: Chelle, Eimi
Date Posted: 9th April 2013

Characters: Parale, Ioven, Syren, Venrys
Description: They introduce the baby to her sisters.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 12, day 4 of Turn 6
Notes: Mentioned: Parme

Once the afterbirth had come and everything had been cleaned up, mother and daughter rested for a bit. When she woke up, she realized she was quite hungry but sore enough to not try and get it herself. Listening for a bit, Parale looked around in the semi-gloom.

"How are you feeling?" Ioven asked softly, sitting beside the bed with their tiny daughter in his arms. She had been sleeping as soundly as her mother after being fed. Both of them had been through quite an ordeal today.

"Well...I'd be lying if I said things weren't a bit tender and I feel like I've been hit by a rock or two but I'll manage well enough." She was a tough mountain girl-she could handle it. And anyway, women had babies everyday somewhere, so why should she be different? "But...I'm a mother..." Being able to say that-to really say it-made all the difference in the world. She loved Syren and Venrys but it was different. Knowing this baby had been made with her blood and carried by her and she had known it from the moment it was created. This was something that Parale had wanted for so long and now she had it finally. "Where are the girls?"

Hearing the small breathing noises, she surmised where the newest one was and almost smiled. Ioven was a good father-regardless of how he was as a husband sometimes.

"They're still at their friend's. I didn't want to bring them back until you were ready to see them." They were a little young to know just how strenuous childbirth was, in his opinion. He didn't want to scare them with a tired and haggard step-mother. "If you think you can handle seeing them, I can pick them up along with dinner."

"That'll be fine. I want them to know I'm okay and that they have a baby sister." She hazarded a small glance to see if he was pleased or not with that result. Of course she had been hoping for a son, but a little girl was fine too.

"All right." He pulled a brush off of the nightstand next to him and reached it out for her. "You might want to run this through your hair once before I fill your arms with a baby again."

**Do I look that bad? Well I just had a baby for Faranth's sake** Frowning, she grabbed the brush and tried to get her mane under control. When she was satisfied, she put the brush aside and reached for the little bit of precious he held. Something inside her ached to see the little face again.

He willingly surrendered her over to her mother. It had been nice holding her for a while. Memories of holding Syren and
Venrys when they were so small had come flooding back to him. Seeing the slight, even if imagined, similarities made him feel like he was slowly falling in love with this child of Parale's. "By the way," he said, clearing his throat. "I have decided I will be moving back into this room with you. You will need help with the baby."

"Aye I will. Parme says..I have to stay in bed for a day or so." She knew they had already spoken about that before. As she gently grabbed the little girl, Parale bent up to kiss his chin. "Thank you for her." It was hard not to think of having more-even after all that work-when she looked into those little eyes.

It was the most tenderness the couple had shared in months, and to say that it had caught Ioven off guard was an understatement. "You're welcome," was his eloquent reply as he passed the girl over. After a moment he added, "She really is beautiful." It might not have been the boy he had hoped for, but maybe next time. For now, he needed
to introduce his girls to the newest member of their family. "I'll be back in a bit then."

Content for the moment, she watched him go and then looked down at her daughter. The babe had plenty of very dark hair but Parale hadn't seen much of her eyes. Most babies started out with blue eyes, though. Touching the little fingers, she whispered low, "You're going to meet your sisters. You have two of them. And they're going to help me take care of
you."

Ioven had stopped by the kitchens to pick up food for all four of them before stopping off to retrieve his older daughters. He had refused to tell them anything more than that the baby had come, that mother and child were both happy and healthy, and that they were to meet their new sibling. Syren ran ahead as Ioven and his oldest walked hand in
hand down the corridor.

"I'm counting on you to be a help to Parale, Venrys," he said gently as they neared their rooms. "I know things haven't
been easy lately, but they will get better. I promise you. Now I need you to be the wonderful big sister you've always been. Can you do that for me? Can you help take care of our little family?"

"Of course, Daddy," she said softly, still gripping his hand tight. Venrys had been very confused by all the changes in their family, feeling completely at a loss as to how to handle it all. It had lead her to lash out unpredictably, but she truly wanted to be a good girl. She would do anything for her father. "I will be good, and I will help. I promise."

"I love you, Venrys," he said, kissing the top of her head. "You will always be my _first_ girl."

"Hurry up! Hurry up!" Syren cried, her hand on the door of their quarters.

Hearing the noise, Parale guessed the rest of her family had arrived. Turning the baby around so that her back was resting on her mother's front, she carefully watched the small neck and head. "Here they come."

"Quietly, now, Syren," Ioven said in a low voice as he deposited the basket on the table. "Don't run, and _don't_ jump on the bed."

The little six-turn-old walked very subdued into Parale's bedroom, understanding the seriousness of the situation. Venrys followed her, curious despite her previous uncertainty about the new addition. Ioven followed them both in. "It's all right, girls. You can get closer."

Smiling, though she still looked a bit tired, Parale gestured for them to come near. Holding Parys carefully, she continued to lean back, facing the baby toward the rest of the family. "Renling, Venling, look. This is Parys." She purposefully avoided saying whether or not the child was a male, wanting them to guess and think about it.

"Like our name!" Syren said, getting a little excited before remembering that she was supposed to be quiet. Softening her voice she whispered loudly, "But in my name it's spelled backwards."

"Right, cause Parys is like you. See?" It was sort of hard to distinguish features so far on the little wrinkled body, but Parale liked to think there were some similarities. She let Syren look, wiggling Parys' left hand.

Venrys had stood behind her younger sister, staring at the baby's face. But her mind made a leap forward at Parale's words. "So you mean Parys is another girl?"

"Umhm. You have a little sister." Now she was carefully watching their reactions, wondering how that news was going to go. The baby's mouth opened just a bit as it yawned and wiggled, hearing the other voices around it.

"It's not the boy you wanted," Venrys said, looking up at her father.

"Neither were you, but I wouldn't have it any other way," he said, putting his arm around his eldest daughter to reassure her. "We'll just have to try again is all. But for now, look at that beautiful little girl." Looking at Parale
questioningly, he asked, "So, do you think Venrys could hold the baby?"

"Sure, might be good if she sat down, though." There was a chair near the bed and Parale prepared to hand Parys to Ioven to hand to Venrys. Trying to think whether or not Venrys had ever held a baby, she thought she maybe had-one of her friends' siblings...

Ioven carefully took the baby, sure to support her head. "You have to be careful because her neck isn't very strong yet. Now hold your arms out like you're going to carry a basket," he said, nodding as she did as he asked. Gently, he laid Parys in her arms, smiling as she instinctively cuddled the baby closer.

Venrys looked down into the little baby's face with a growing sense of wonder. "She's really tiny."

"What's wrong with her eyes. They look funny," Syren frowned, looking more closely at the baby now that she was more on her level.

"If you mean that she's not really looking at you, it's because she can't see very well yet. As she gets bigger, her eyes will get better." Parale smiled, listening to their questions and watching Venrys be the bigger sister she was. **It's going to be okay. We're going to be a family.**

Last updated on the April 11th 2013

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All It Takes is a Tender Moment