Orange #9, Screaming Green #10

[kay_brooke]

Name: kay_brooke
Story: The Myrrosta
Colors: Orange #9 (orange juice), Screaming Green #10 (sex is god's joke on human beings)
Styles/Supplies: Miniature Collection, Canvas (sections 1, 3, 6), Seed Bead (sections 3, 4), Charcoal (section 2), Eraser (section 7)
Word Count: 657
Rating/Warnings: PG-13; talk of miscarriage, kidnapping, and rape
Summary: Children are a blessing.
Notes: Constructive criticism is welcome, either through comments or PM.


The first time it happened, Martyn sat by his wife's bedside for two nights, waiting for the tears to stop streaking down her face.

"She'll be fine in time," said the midwife, the one who had just saved

Degance's life, but not the the baby's. "The child wasn't meant to be. It's a sadness whenever it happens, but happen it does."

Besides, Degance was young and strong and there was plenty of time for another try.

The fifth time it happened, Martyn stayed in his own quarters, unable to face his failure.

#

"No!" Mynlai screamed. The blanket slipped from her fingers as her grandfather tore the wailing bundle away.

"Did you think I would never find you?" He held the bundle close to his chest, an ugly look on his face.

"My mate will stop you," Mynlai sobbed.

"Your mate is gone," Prettor told her, and she knew he had killed him.

"Please don’t hurt the baby," she whispered, holding her arms out. "Let me have him."

Prettor scowled. "Of course I will not hurt the baby. But neither will I give him to you. This is your punishment for running away."

#

After the attacks, after the deaths, Denya discovered that the most terrible night of her life wasn't over.

"We can do something about it," her mate told her.

She shook her head. "I can't."

"They'll come for it. They always come for their own."

"I killed the one who touched me."

Her mate sighed. "They will still come."

The only thing to do was move far away from their home. Denya felt terrible, to uproot her mate because of her own selfishness. But she couldn't kill the baby inside her, no matter where it had come from.

#

Allia spent many days in bed after she had her son. She didn't even look at him.

Her mother brought the baby to her, holding him up for her to see. "He needs his mother."

Allia turned away. "He's not even salkiy." She was so ashamed.

"He looks just like you," said her mother. "Nothing like him. He's enough salkiy to count."

Allia merely shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Soon you will want to see him," said her mother. "Don't worry, the sadness will pass."

Allia doubted it.

#

Atro and Hopina were married for four years before she had her first child.

Atro had been worried; thoughts of his own father's difficulties in producing an heir often chased each other around his dreams at night.

So when Hopina finally did get with child, Atro coddled her as best he could. It made Hopina angry to be treated so delicately, but Atro couldn't risk losing the child it had taken them so long to conceive

He tried his best to swallow past his disappointment when the midwife announced Hopina had given birth to a daughter.

#

"You'd better be careful."

"What's that?" asked Edward, glancing up at his mentor.

Selo frowned at him. "I know you went upstairs with the pretty blond serving girl last night. Take care you don't end up with bastard get running around."

Edward shrugged and smiled. "I'm careful."

Selo eyed him, clearly not convinced. "If that girl tracks us down in a year and tries to shove a baby at us, I ain't feeding it nor giving it shelter."

Edward never broke eye contact. "I'm careful."

#

"Do you ever think of it?" Jay and Merrus laid side by side on the bed, not touching. They had just settled into a new home on the Mastonian coast, and they were trying to remember what it was like to stay in one place. "Having another child." He didn't want one. He loved Ava with his whole being, but he didn't think he was a very good father.

Jay was silent for a long time. Then she said, "Do you want another child?"

Merrus answered honestly. "Not really."

"Good," said Jay.

They found each other's hands in the dark.

Comments

[leia_solo]

This was a really great look at the different reactions to having babies people have. Good job!

[kay_brooke]

Thank you!

[ysonesse]

Interesting look at the spectrum of reactions people have when it comes to babies in their personal lives.

[kay_brooke]

Thank you. :)

[settecorvi]

I really enjoyed the hints of cultural norms and characterization at work in each scene.

[kay_brooke]

Thank you.

[isana]

I love the irony of the summary compared with the story itself--how each section is marked with absence of some sort, either through the child not being there or the parents not having affection for them (or just for parenthood itself).

Mynlai and Denya's stories are especially sad, I think, but they're all very heartwrenching. Good job.

[kay_brooke]

Thank you! It came about because I realized geez, there's a lot of unhappiness surrounding children/families in this story.

[bookblather]

Oh man, the bite of the summary here. Just. Ouch, with all the unhappiness woven around children here. Is that Atro in the second piece, or another child?

[kay_brooke]

That's another child--Railohn, Mynlai's second son.

Thank you for reading!

[clare_dragonfly]

Aww. So many different babies! But I'm awwing over Jay and Merrus. I'm glad you ended on a happy note, after all the bad stuff, especially in the beginning.

[kay_brooke]

Thank you!