Sunday, September 23, 2012

Chapter 18: Changes Will Come

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Tania had been angry at being put under a spell, but that wrath became as nothing when she learned that Auberon had got his mortal lover with child.

"I hadn't even considered the possibility," he tries to explain, "I've never fathered a child before..."


"You think I am not aware of that?" Tania shrieks, then collapses into tears, "Why...why would you give her a child and not me?"

"I have never purposefully withheld a child from you, you know that Tania," Auberon sighs, "Whether  you conceive or not is not in my control."


"So it's my fault?" Tania sobs.

Auberon sits beside her on the fountain's edge. "There is no blame, either way, for what we are, Summerdream. The mortals are just more fertile than fae. If I had known..." he cannot finish the sentence because he doesn't know what he would have done differently if he had considered the possibility of a child resulting from his union with Uvie. Very possibly, quite probably, he would have done everything the same. "I am sorry, Tania," he says, "I never wanted for there to be this discord between us."


"No, I suppose that cannot be helped either..it is not in the nature of the fae to consider the consequences of our actions, is it?" Tania asks as she rises to leave him.


"I am worried; my people are worried," Uvie tells him as she lays back in his arms, "It goes much faster than normal."

"What is normal, for you kind?"

"Nine turnings of the moon."

Auberon rests his hand over her expanding belly. "She is fae, at least in part," he says, "And she grows inside you at the speed of a fae."


"She?" Uvie asks, laying back as Auberon rests his head on her belly.

"Yes, you carry a daughter," Auberon answers, wishing that he could see more than that, feel more than just the spark of magic the girl inherits. He's seen Shayeleigh's son with her dragon, and shares their worry over the boy's strangeness, not just for the fate of little Ametair, but for what it could mean for his own daughter. Uvie is no dragon, but she's not fae either, and who can say what their child will be.


"The people are talking," Ardax says as they gather herbs together in the forest.

"The people are always talking," Uvie sighs.

"You haven't named the father of your child. And since you keep mostly to yourself, because we are so often together..."



"They think you are the father," Uvie finishes for him, "I know. And I have told them you are not."

"If you do not name another, they will not believe you."

"I can heal wounds with a touch, summon fire from the air, and yet they will not believe I can bear a child without a father," Uvie sighs, "Even though the pregnancy goes unnaturally fast, they won't believe the spirits gave me a child because I asked for it..."

"Maybe if it were the truth, you could convince them," Ardax says, "but your child does have a father..."


"Ardax, you know I cannot tell them who the father is," Uvie says, her eyes pleading.

"I don't like being seen as a man who would abandon the mother of his child, Uvie."

"I am sorry for that," Uvie says, "But I beg you not to reveal the truth..."


"I have kept your secret, and will continue to keep it," Ardax promises, rubbing her belly affectionately, "Let me be a father to your child."

"You want me to take you as a mate to stop the gossip about you?" Uvie asks, a bit disappointed that he would be so swayed by wagging tongues.


"Your child should have a father in the tribe, Uvie. You should have a man that will stand by you, be there for you. I am not asking for the love you've given to this...fae...who fathered your child. I know that a heart cannot be told who it will be given to. My heart died along with my Thari, and yours lives for one who is not of the tribe, who will not be with you to raise your child. Let me stand in his place, for your child's sake."

"You have been a better friend to me than I have deserved," Uvie says, feeling ashamed of the way she had treated him when he came to her tribe, and of the way she had just moments ago thought of him. He had kept her secret even though it meant being the subject of gossip himself, and now he was offering her not just cover for her lies to the people, but to act as a true parent for her child, "My daughter could ask for no better father," she says, with just the slightest hint of bitterness at the thought of her child's real father, who would not be there for her in the way a parent should. 


Riain and Shayeleigh watch their son, scratching in the dirt, sniffing the air as though for prey.

"It's not a dragon thing?" Shayeleigh asks again, desperate for an explanation, "You are hunters, are you not?"



"We hunt," Riain says, "We have a keen sense of smell, But this...He is not a dragon, my love."


"Does it not upset you that Aymeri has refused you what Shayeleigh's dragon has given her?" Tania asks.

"Are you trying to set me against him?" Ico laughs, "It won't work. Aymeri hasn't 'refused' me anything. In truth, I have no great desire for a child and am quite happy to have so far not conceived one."

Tania sighs, "I have long desired a child, Auberon's child. But it is his mortal lover who is favored."

"She is mortal," Ico points out, "You will still be here long after she passes, and you may yet conceive a child. Don't be so impatient."

"That's easy for you to say; you prefer to wait. I want a child now, I have wanted one for such a very long time. And yet it seems everyone else is given what is denied me."


Aymeri sweeps Ico off her feet and carries her off before she can tell Tania that not everything is about her.


Left alone, Tania's gaze falls on Tegan, seated by himself at the water's edge. The frisson of desire that tingles in her spine when she looks on him is just the lingering effects of the spell Auberon put on her, she tells herself, and with a blush that no one sees, she turns away and leaves the camp.


Uvie screams as the pain becomes unbearable. It should be far too early for her to start labor, but nothing about this pregnancy has gone as normal. 


"The birthing chamber is no place for the chief," Ardax says when Tor joins them.

"I am here for my people," Tor says simply, "She should not be giving birth so soon. They will want to know what happens here."


Though painful, the birth goes quickly, and soon Uvie holds her daughter in her arms.

"Her skin...it's not right," Tor observes.

"She is healthy and alive, that is what matters," Ardax says firmly, knowing that this won't be the end of it.

"I will call her Evenfall," Uvie says.


"I suppose the gossip now will be that you are not her father, after all," Uvie says. "I am sorry, Perhaps it would have been better for you not be my mate now. I would understand if you chose to disown me publicly..."

"Truly, I don't care what the people say," Ardax answers, "Evenfall may not be my child by blood, but I will raise her with you just the same. That was always my intent, and no gossip will turn me from that."


Auberon could not attend his daughter's birth in person, wishing to remain unknown and unseen by her people. But in the dark of night while they all sleep, he appears to look on his child.


He holds the girl in his arms, feels the spark of her magic as she nestles close to him, and he worries. It is too early to tell what she is, human, fae, or like Shayeleigh's Ametair, something new.


Gently, he lays his daughter back with her mother. If the child is fae, she might be better raised amongst his own kind. But he hasn't the heart to take her from her mother, no matter what she is.


For just a moment, he lies beside Uvie, resting his arm over her sleeping body. She dreams, and he could be with her in those dreams, but tonight, he leaves her to dream alone. It is not very fae to think about the consequences of one's actions, but Auberon cannot help but worry about what changes will come to the world from his giving his heart to a mortal girl, and creating a child with her. 



Long before the sun begins to rise, Auberon leaves the hut.


33 comments:

  1. "Aymeri sweeps Ico off her feet and carries her off before she can tell Tania that not everything is about her."

    I lol'd.

    And aw, Ardax. =( Such a great guy.

    ...Tania.

    What are you doing.

    Tania.

    Stahp.

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  2. When it comes to Uvie, Tania always make bad choices, and it always bites her in her rear end every time. All I'm saying is she better not touch that baby, or I could only picture what Auberon will do to her. I hate it when people mess with babies and their mothers.

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    1. Yeah, Tania is becoming the queen of bad choices, lol. She certainly doesn't think anything through.

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  3. Ooo, Tania... If you take the baby I will... These fae don't have wings.... You win this round... But I will hurt you... Aww Evenfall.... I will kill you Tania.... I wonder if Ico and her dragon will have a little one.... You will die painfully Tania..... Were's are the conception with a dragon and fae, if young Ametair is... I hate when people mess with babies and moms... Hmmm, Tania is feeling something for Tegan.... Hmm in my head, Tania will get a child but not from Auberon...but Tegan.... I'm not holding my breath on it though.

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    1. Thank, Bambi,
      Ametair is a werewolf, by the game standards, though I'm going to redefine what the SN states are in this story. And, it's not really a matter of dragon + fae = were. Although EA fairies are all identical in what they are and can do, I'm working with different kinds of fairies who have different powers.
      Shayeleigh's thing is she can take the form of any animal. And dragons, like weres, are two natured creatures with two states they can transform into. So, in this case, this combination of parents seems to have produced a fae who is a two natured creature, fae/wolf. It wouldn't work that way for the children of every fae/dragon pairing.

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    2. Oh cool! I was wondering about the kid, but waiting patiently for an in-story explanation. xD

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    3. At the rate things are moving, you might learn more about Ametair in the Brannon legacy before this story, lol.

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  4. I love the picture of them all laying together but I know that this cannot have a happy ending for everyone involved. And the beginning of the chapter with Tania and Auberon sitting together, sharing those intimate thoughts and moments; it made me understand and sympathize with Tania even if I think she's an impatient, selfish twat most of the time.

    I fear that Tania is going to kidnap Evenfall to raise as her own. And I fear that Auberon may secretly agree, knowing that his daughter is likely fae and being raised mortal. He believes that Evenfall would be better raised by fae but didn't have the heart to take her himself. Maybe he would welcome someone else doing the dirty work for him and feel relieved not to be responsible himself.

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    1. Thanks, heaven,
      Tania is a selfish, impatient twat, lol, I love that description of her. And I love that you can have even a shred of sympathy for. Her selfishness, especially as she's so willing to hurt people to get whatever she's after, makes her very hard to like. I expect people to hate her right now, but I'm really glad to hear you say you understand her a little. =D

      I think what you say about is very true, he would be relieved to let others do his dirty work. That may not be what happens here, but that is certainly his MO.

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  5. Don't you dare steal that baby, Tania!!!!! *strings long epithets filled with curse words her way* Fairy stealing a baby is nothing new. GRRRRRR.

    Ugh, my heart just aches for all of them. Even Tania the tiniest bit. I remember the feeling of wanting a baby and not having one. Now, I wonder if I was insane since my three can drive me to insanity.

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    1. I really love weaving actual fairy lore into my story about fairies. Baby stealing is classic fairy behavior, so I'm really happy I had a story where I could use that. Especially since I could use Tania's own desire for a child and her jealousy over Auberon's lover having his child as the impetus for her theft, rather than just fairy mischief. Not that I don't love fairy mischief. =D

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  6. "...it is not in the nature of the fae to consider the consequences of our actions, is it?" she's going to do something bad, I can feel it.

    *Reads on*

    Yep, of course she is. But really I can't think of a happy ending for Uvie and Evenfall D: I mean just look at Tania first of all and second of all if she did stay with her mother then well...People have a tendency to be afraid of what they don't understand.

    Quickly update!

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    1. Of course she is, she wouldn't be Tania if she didn't, lol.
      It's true, Uvie and Evenfall will have a difficult road no matter what happens. People will have a hard time accepting Evenfall because she's so obviously different from them. But I'm sure Uvie doesn't want to lose her baby, either.

      I'll update as soon as I can!

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  7. Auberon's legs aren't green. I hope Uvie wakes up, or Ardax comes in. :(
    It might be best that Auberon takes the baby. I am worried Uvie's tribe will ostracize the baby as it grows since it is different. Humans don't do well with beings different from them. Stuck up humans anyway. heh ^_^
    The little dragon-fairy is adorable.

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    1. Yes, it is very true that humans have a hard time accepting difference, and it won't be easy for Evenfall to be raised in her mother's tribe. But she'd have Uvie, and Ardax too, who will stand by them. Whereas with the fae, she'd have Tania....oh, what an influence she would be on a child, lol.

      Thanks so much, Fae!

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  8. Love Uvie & Auberon! Love Ardax for standing up!

    GREEN FEET! BROWN CASKET! DIRT! 6 FEET UNDER! TANIA!!!

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    1. Jem, you win the prize for most hilarious put down of Tania today.

      I love Ardax, too. He's been a real support for Uvie through all this, even while grieving for his own family.

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  9. The plot thickens! Poor little baby. While Auberon may let someone else do his dirty work, I wonder if Uvie would forgive him if she loses her daughter to the fae?

    *loves Ardax* he's such a great guy!

    I hope Ico and Aymeri have kids! Aymeri has excellent genes---they ought to be passed on. lol To a happier ending I hope, then the one written about in the other Legacy. I know you said these stories don't connect--but there is still a possible war on the horizon!

    :)

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    1. Well, if Auberon were to let Tania take and keep the baby, it would take a lot of explaining to make that okay with Uvie. And it might never work, because I'm quite sure Uvie wants to raise her child no matter the difficulties.

      Ardax really is a great guy.

      LOL Aymeri genes have passed down all over my legacy stories. I haven't decided how much of what was talked about in my legacies as part of Aymeri's history will actually happen in this story.

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  10. I didn't even notice the green feet on my first read through. I'm so unobservant it's scary sometimes. Luckily I read it twice, and then read the comments, and then went back and read the chapter again, and then saw the green feet. Haha.

    ANYWAY, I read the last eight chapters in one sitting the other day, but I forgot to comment. (Which is why I read through this chapter again!) Uvie is my favorite character so far. I admire her determination and courage, and I love her relationship with Auberon. I just find the whole thing so romantic. (How they create dream worlds together, how she has his heart, etc.) You always did write the best romances. =)

    But I'm worried about them. About what Tania's influence will do to them. While I think Uvie and Auberon make an amazingly sweet couple, Uvie is not fae, and I think Tania may be a better match for Auberon in the long run. Also, same for their baby. Tania may be manipulative and jealous, but I'm not convinced that she would make a bad mother. It might be safer for everyone involved for her to raise Uvie's child, even if it does drive Auberon and Uvie apart.

    Ardax is also a favorite. The devotion he shows to his wife and family and to Uvie makes me swoon. I mean, why can't I meet guys like that in real life?! *sigh*

    Great chapter. Love this story. <3

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    1. Thanks, Colleen!
      I think you are right to worry, Tania isn't the type to just let things alone.

      Ardax is one of my favorites, too. I was originally going to have him be antagonist for Uvie, not quite as psycho as her mother, but out for power. But, he just turned out to be a very reasonable guy, and someone who strives to serve his people rather than being about the power of his position. Guys like him are pretty rare, but there are a few out there.

      Thank for reading.

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  11. Tania really needs to learn everything is not about her and fast before she does something she'll really regret. I kind of see her as a small child mentally, no idea of consequences and completely self-centred.

    Ardax on the other hand is such a decent decent guy. Willing to raise someone else's child for no other reason than that the child will need a father figure even though he's still mourning his own wife and family.

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    1. That's it exactly, Ali, Tania has the mentality of a spoiled child.

      I'm happy to see Ardax getting so much love. =D

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  12. LOL, edenz, I know how you feel. Tania is a little out of control. Okay, a lot. =P

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  13. So... Ametair is a werewolf, I presume? I'm wondering if that could mean that Auberon's daughter is a vampire; that somehow these two unions between differing species have created the origins of both vamps and werewolves? I'm... just taking an incredibly (probably incorrect) stab in the dark. Lol.

    Anyway - Tania, STOP EFFIN' MEDDLING YOU CRAZY MEDDLER!

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    1. Yeah, Ametair is a werewolf, more or less. I do have a vampire origin story planned, but it won't be Auberon and Uvie's daughter. With Ametair, his mother is a fairy that can take any animal form, and his father is a dragon, which in this story is a two natured creature not that different from a werewolf in that they take both a human and animal type form. So that combination resulted in a werewolf.

      Tania will never stop meddling because she is a crazy meddler.

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    2. Ah - that makes perfect sense then. :)

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  14. Oh NO!!!!!!!!! Please let Evenfall be safe from Tania. This was a great chapter, I can't believe I worked on wedding poses and missed this. Man.......

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    1. Thanks, Paula!

      Your wedding poses are totally worth it!

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  15. GREEN FEET?!?! *boils in anger, tackles Tania with superhuman strength and puts up a good fight, even though Tania uses fae magic to knock me down in the end*
    Ok, so I get it just a little that Tania may be an unhappy fairy because she wanted some Auberon love and a kid with him. Fine. *throws pixie dust sized piece of sympathy at Tania, you better have caught that bitch cause that's all you're getting* But going into Uvie's hut and do what I think you're going to do is NOT right.
    *bear hugs Ardax* You are such a perfect man. I heart Ardax. <3

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    1. Yeah, Tania's jealousy has tipped her over the edge.
      Ardax really is a gem, and has really come through for Uvie.

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