Ava Estaline
It's been rather a long time since I had last gotten another child in my belly, after so many tries we finally succeeded.
They made a pretty big fuss of it, I mean it's not that big of a deal is it? I'm still pretty young in terms of ratio, right now I should be around forty years old, right? That's not even a quarter of my lifespan, I mean I was kind of scared before that I couldn't reproduce anymore…
I was surprised how many people came back, I guess it made quite the buzz… First Iris came to help out, it was a surprise thinking back on how cold she always was, I guess we still do have years of bonds and travelling shared, it makes sense… Then came Julian, he's the father so that also made sense. Lastly, Von came back, it was unexpected, he never loved the mansion, a lot of the time when he was young he would find ways to sneak out and play with whatever… The Von that came back was different, more mature, he wasn't that cocky brat who is also a genius anymore.
The next months went by pretty easy for me, I didn't feel any pain, my mood didn't shift too much, one person stood out from the rest, Gryne helped me a lot, he casted Painkiller whenever I looked ever so slightly hurt… I was craving sex a little though… I guess I can't really do it when I still have a baby inside me.
//
And then she was born into the world…
I wasn't expecting her to be born so early, it was what they call a 'premature birth', the process was painful, much more than when I gave birth to my two other children, I guess sometimes being an elf is really working against me…
It's common knowledge that it's harder to give birth as an elf, not much to talk about here, because of our longer lifespan less reproduction is needed causing our reproductive evolution to be weaker, it's harder to fertilise the egg and a common theme is that we have less sex drive, I'm quite the exception…
The maids called in a midwife on a fast horse to assist in the birth, she played her part, she handled it well I'd assume. The birth took some time, in the end it was successful… Thankfully.
All of my children were very helpful on the side. Gryne had casted Painkiller on me before the birth which made it much less painful, that might be one of the reasons this birth was successful in the end. Von and Claire prepared the bath and towels to wrap their newborn sibling in.
Julian on the side was really the most useless of the bunch… This is your third child already, surely you remember what to do… Julian sat next to me throughout the whole process. I guess it gave me some relief when I'm able to clutch his hand.
"She'll be just fine, just let her rest more throughout the next months, it seems that her body isn't used to this even though it has already been through this three times." The midwife said as she looked over at where my children stood.
Gryne stood out from the rest, he didn't have the same features as the other two, he wasn't any less cute but there's just something different, I mean his genes are different from all of us so it makes sense.
Gryne clenched his hands into small rolled up fists, I had never seen him so nervous before, maybe it's because he's going to be a brother now.
"Ahhh—" I moaned as I felt something push against my womb.
"Ahhh!"
Thank you everyone for everything…
//
I recovered reasonably quickly with all the healing magic Gryne was using on me, sometimes he would bring his friend along to help out, I think her name was Rias… She was quite the capable healer, she was using Advanced level healing magic…
"Hey… Rias," I waved my hand, beckoning her to come close. Rias was a sweet girl, she was caring and nice, and on top of that it was clear that she had developed herself a crush of sorts on Gryne… I don't think Gryne realises it yet.
Rias bends down low next to my bed, her face close by…
"Did Gryne teach you magic?" I asked.
Surprised Rias opened her eyes wide, "You figured?"
"Both of you cast your magic similarly, and how many people in this world can really teach you how to use magic without incantations…"
"Gryne is really incredible, isn't he?" I heard Rias whisper under her breath.
"Yes he is… Say now, do you want to do it with him?"
"Hah?" She stuttered before getting taken aback, her face flushed bright red, fidgeting with her hands, "Is it not too soon?" She muttered softly.
"Hahahaha." I laughed looking at her flustered expression, "You are quite the womanizer, aren't you Gryne?" I mumbled before putting my back back onto the soft mattress.
"Blawh! Waa, baa—-"
"She's crying again…" I muttered as I looked towards the baby crib next to my bed, "Aren't you as much of a hassle as Claire…"
"Does the baby have a name yet?" Rias asked curiously.
"No, not yet, we still can't decide what the name is…"
"Mrs. Farion, may I give a suggestion?"
"Oh? Feel free, what do you have in mind…"
"I was thinking something elvish to match with her strong elven genetics, she's basically a direct copy of you, how about Eva? Evalyn… Evalyn Notros-Farion."
"Oh—" Something resonated inside me as I heard the name, "Eva… Eva… Evalyn…" I muttered, "I like it! Thank you Rias, that's a beautiful name, I'll discuss with the others later at the dinner table."
A flood of happiness washed over Rias' face as she carried Evalyn in her arms over to me.
//
Her name is Evalyn, Evalyn Notros-Farion… The second daughter of the Farion family main branch.
By now two weeks have passed since the birth, my body has already healed ninety percent, at least all the spots that were hurting, aren't hurt anymore. Being an elf sometimes does bring along some pretty good perks you see, we tend to heal much faster than humans and we also tend to remain the same even after births, meaning my body wouldn't be getting out of shape any time soon.
The maids began to serve dinner as we chatted about.
"That's a beautiful name!" Julian exclaimed, his voice filled with surprise and happiness, "It somewhat seems weird that you could have thought of a name like this, given your previous suggestions."
{Julian looked up to the ceiling thinking back on Ava's previous names, "How about Dragonoid, Dragonoid Notros-Farion? That's a cool name, right?"
"..."
"What about Gorilla Cyclops Notros-Farion? That's a great name for a girl!"
"..."
"Oh I know, Minced Meat Notros-Farion."
"..."
So scary—}
"Oh," I replied, "I didn't make the name up, Gryne's friend suggested it."
"The little beastmen girl that came by this morning?" Julian asked.
"Yeah her, uhhh—"
"Mother, her name is Rias." Gryne corrected me.
"Ah yes Rias, she suggested the name"
So it's decided.
//
About a month has passed now, my body has fully recovered, at least I think I have. The midwife from last time is still telling me to stay in bed for a little longer before starting to wander around again…
I really hate it like this, getting fed like a baby by Iris and people asking me am I fine whenever I even move the slightest bit… I would say that Iris was being unusually caring towards me, that's a plus at least…
I guess I have to oblige because she's the experienced one after all. Nothing truly noteworthy happened, if I had to name one it would be Gryne's behaviour, he changed the most amongst everyone in the household.
Both Von and Claire didn't seem to have much differ, it might be that they have already experienced this before, those two are grown up already… I still remember when those two were just little babies like it was yesterday.
Gryne has become quite the older brother, haven't he? I said in my mind as I looked over to Gryne who was hunched over Evalyn's crib…
His expression was serious as if he was pretending to be Julian, a flat face with minimal emotions— It's really similar.
His eyes gazing into little Eva's.
"Ahh— Blah!"
Eva started to make a fuss as their eyes met, Gryne's expression stiffened further fully looking like Julian now.
"..."
"Bwah!"
His expression changed, shooting his tongue out as he made a silly face.
I chuckled.
"Hahaa— Waablah—"
Looking back up in satisfaction, he turned to me. Eva moved around the crib gurgling happily. Gryne walked over to me, "How are you feeling today, mother?"
"You are getting more considerate by the day, aren't you Gryne?" I said.
"..."
"It's really getting a little annoying when everyone does this." I fakely smiled.
Eva piped up again out of nowhere, "Blah—Bwahha—"
Gryne walked over to the crib again, leaning his face close to Eva's, he stared dead into her eyes, a murderous expression to most. A few seconds of silence passed, pressing his palms against his cheeks and rubbing them around, Gryne made another face as he mumbled a sentence without meaning.
Happily kicking out her feet, Eva kicks Gryne right in the face…
Gryne flies toward the floor for dramatic effect.
Eva let out a little, "Nhah— Hahanah!" clearly amused by Gryne's over the top performance.
Once again, Gryne nodded to himself, his face warping into a grin of pure pleasure, he kept playing around with his sister for a quiet before walking away and settling next to my bed.
I haven't seen this smile in a long time, at the sight of his satisfactory look I can't help myself but let out a little chuckle of my own.
It wasn't something I ever saw, after all. Gryne always had the most serious expression on his face at all times, no matter if things were going good or bad, when he was at sword practice with Iris or when he was practicing magic… He never had a particularly happy smile, sometimes he might show a satisfied look as he finally masters a spell or a move. His seriousness was maybe even exceeds Von's who although was an outgoing person, always stood on his serious face… He still sometimes shows smiles and chuckles when he's drunk mostly.
But now, he changed, he was making silly faces to put on a performance for his little sister, smiling with real and genuine pleasure whenever his sister gurgled or laughed. Looking at his change put me in a pretty good mood myself.
We have come a long way haven't we? You sure have grown quite the bit Gryne… From picking you up in the side alley in the city of Feris to now…
I sighed to myself, not in frustration but happiness, recalling how he never cried as a baby, how he never laughed even when I tried to amuse him. How when I discovered his talent for magic, I felt a sense of overwhelming joy… But since then I have been wondering if he ever truly enjoyed our company. I knew that he thought of us as family but has he ever truly loved us… He was never attached to me, whenever Julian left for work after staying in the mansion for a while, his goodbye was short and cold. I remember how when he met his first friend, he came back in a great mood, which died down the next few days when he didn't go out.
I guess I got it all mistaken…
Gryne was one who secretly protected us behind our backs, even when he never showed it, he cared… He never put on a show because it would make him a hassle, he never looked satisfied because there was always someone better than him, no matter if that was Claire, Rena, Iris, or Von… He would never say his goodbyes because it might cause him to break down…
I knew deep inside all this time, he cared.
And now, it just proves it further, even if he isn't my own… I love him with all my heart, he is the second son of the Notro-Farion branch after all.
He's such a mature boy.
Gryne put his finger atop Eva's tiny hands, smiling happily as she held his finger in her little hands… Something about seeing my all too serious son playing with his sister, and trying to communicate through silly baby talk.
That said, the house has been pretty hectic recently, since everyone came back, the mansion actually seemed cramped for once. Having to sleep next to my newborn daughter, or rather not sleep… A lot of the time she would either scream at night for milk and would later puke out all of it on the bed. It has been quite some time since I have ever experienced this much, I knew it was perfectly natural… But still, I was utterly exhausted by the end of it… I was sure if we didn't have like twenty maids I would be dead from overworking by now.
Sigh— Taking care of Von and Gryne was so much easier…
"Grahhh! Ahhh!"
Eva started crying loudly again as Gryne sat down next to me for a minute or two. Gryne's stood up on instinct, before walking over to make more silly faces and over the top performances.
"Mother, I think it's time for her milk." Gryne turned to me saying as Eva never stopped crying.
Come to think of it, it was about that time of day, wasn't it? The hours really did fly when I watched Gryne playing with his sister.
I slowly picked myself up to a sitting position, sighing as I went. Gryne came over to help me get up better.
"Here, have a seat." I told Gryne patting an open spot on my bed, as he gave me Eva.
I lowered myself into a position where Eva could suck out the milk, opened up my blouse, and took my bawling baby into my arms.
Eva had clearly been quite hungry, just as Rudy thought. She immediately stopped crying and pressed her little mouth to my nipple and began to suckle greedily. The sensation always made me intensely conscious of my own motherhood.
"Hmm?" I muttered looking at Gryne.
After a moment, I realized that Gryne was watching.
Whenever I breastfed Eva, he… tended to gaze or rather hit me with a dead stare in the breast. It wasn't just a curious, innocent gaze, which people exposed to new things tend to do either. There was an element of interest you wouldn't expect from someone like him…
I guess he's much like an older guy instead of someone his age, this applies to every aspect of him, except his looks and body. I recalled that when he was a baby when I breastfed him he would sometimes grope my breast before gurgling and then choking on the milk.
"What's the matter, Gryne? Do you want some too?" I jokingly said
"Huh?!"
Startled by my little joke, Gryne jerked his head away before, softly muttering, "It's not funny when you make jokes like this…" His face flushed in an almost toromato like red.
//
Later in the month I was able to get out of bed, my body was in good shape thanks to all the different healing and maintenance spells Gryne and his friend Rias casted on me.
I was still getting treated like someone bedridden or someone who can't take care of herself by Iris and the others.
Sigh—
This was all the same the last time around when I had Claire, that time I had it even worse, since Julian hired a midwife to take care of me… Iris was already the better option, that really told how bad the situation was.
Of course back then Iris came to help out also… Back then, she recently moved to Feris, looking for a calm place to retire as an adventurer, I mean she wasn't even hurt or had any sort of aging going on, to be honest she was in a better condition then than when I was still adventuring. I guess she did kind of have a rather weird way of life…
Iris was the one to deliver my first child Von, she left after though, as after the birth me and Julian headed back to Feris to retire, while she decided to continue adventuring. We didn't even get to say our goodbyes as she left so early in the morning.
//
I never bore him as a son, yet he's truly the one who understands me the most.
I can never fully know what goes on in the genius brain of his, can I? A dependable son is really everything I can ever ask for… He was much of a nag also, but while he nags me for moving around too much I could feel that he's just saying that… He knew that my body was already way past that weak stage.
He would still help out around the house most of the time, he would handle most things with his skill in magic, even when no one asked him…
One thing that I observed, he was strangely skillful at handling babies. I might hate to admit it but he might even be better at handling my own daughter than myself… Seeing him be better at that sometimes gets me a little jealous… But even after saying that, I have been impressed with his ever growing maturity, he was an enormous help throughout this whole thing.
He was reliable and helpful. Honestly I don't think I have ever seen someone be such a capable person overall, sure I have seen incredible people throughout my life, from genius talent for swordplay like Von and Iris, to incredible work horses like Julian… I could say that I know plenty of incredible people, many I'm close to.
Gryne was really one of a kind, from a young age he had the maturity of a thirty or maybe even forty year old, talent in magic which even surpasses my own if I was to take away my bias and ego, now he can even care for and look after babies.
"You want some, don't you?" I said teasingly as I reposition my breast to allow Eva to suck on it more easily.
With a small gulp, his face flushed red, he replied, "Yes mother, your milk was delicious…"
"Hahah."
I chuckled, it was rather cute seeing this side of him, I would really want to see more of this. I couldn't stop myself from laughing a little. Maybe I'll tease him a little more, it's rare I get to see this side of him, maybe I won't ever get the chance again in the future.
"Well…"
Gryne took a step back, before muttering, "For real?"
"Sorry, sorry, I might have gotten a little too far with that joke. Maybe I'll let you if Eva has any remains, don't be greedy, okay? You already had your turn when you were a baby."
"Of course…" Gryne agreed, looking down at his hands, I sensed the slightest tinge of regret and disappointment in his mana.
"If you really do want milk… Well… When you get yourself a wife, why don't you ask her if she's willing to give you some, when your brother was born, Julian sure drank up a lot from me, it was like he was more hungry than Von."
Gryne crouched down low
Gryne
Father… You lucky bastard… If Mother didn't tell me this, I would have never known this vulgar side of you.
I clenched my fists as a determination rose inside me. I would have to try this someday, maybe I would get as lucky as him…
Sigh— I calmed myself down standing back up and replied to mother.
Ava
"Good Idea. I'll try that someday, maybe I'll get lucky like father."
Well… That wasn't the reaction I was looking for, I was expecting a more flustered or defensive response, but instead he was calm and collected, I guess he got it all sorted out when he crouched down for that timeout back there. I supposed that he figured out that I was just messing with him. I suppose that was much like him.
After a moment of silence, I broke it, "Remember to not go forcing her, okay?"
"Yes, I understand… I'm a gentleman after all."
It always surprises me whenever he talks like this, all mature and grown up…
Eva soon stopped sucking on me nipple, I turned my attention back at her, patting on her back until she lets out a little burp, this time it was rather loud, I gave her back to Gryne who carried her back to her baby cage, as he did that I wiped Eva's saliva off my breast with a small handkerchief.
Before I knew it, Gryne was staring again, he just really likes boobs don't he?
My first thought was that his future wife's going to have a pretty tough time, if he continues to be so 'interested'... I thought about who was the leading candidate for this nightmare, I mean it's not really a nightmare considering how thoughtful he is other than at times like this… Only one name flashed in my mind, it seems like Rias would be the leading candidate at this time, that girl tends to admire Gryne like if he was her hero, in this chance that was actually the case. If I really thought about it deeply, she might not be able to say no to it, even if she doesn't want to, I'm sure that the hero or idol aspect of Gryne's current image would mix up in that thought process.
If it really comes to that, I'll just have to step in and set this matter straight… He might be a womanizer but I can't let him treat them like slaves or animals, right? I'm his mother after all this talk.
//
A few more months have passed, it's official today, Evalyn is three months old now… The house returned to normal again… Iris left to tend her house and garden, while Julian started working again, although this time he's working at home, constantly writing letters back and forth…
The guy just doesn't know when to stop doesn't he… Von also decided to stay, he got an offer from the Royal Knight to serve as the leader of the third baton, which lost their old leader due to an assassination, he declined, because of that he and Julian got in a pretty big argument that lasted a few days…
Thinking about it is actually pretty scary, being assassinated in their sleep while being a high class noble, who supposedly has a group of strong guards around them at all times… It just further proves how dangerous the world really is… Hopefully I don't jinx it and I get assassinated next— Hahahah.
"Mother… That's not a funny matter." Gryne said looking up at me, his face serious as ever.
Rubbing his head, I spoke in a soft tone, I didn't know why I did this but I did and it felt right, "I know I would be fine when you are being attentive and wandering around the house, and on top of you I also have Von and your dad."
Gryne continued to stare at me with full seriousness, before letting out a long sigh.
"... I guess you are right, how many assassins can get past your mana armor and Von's relentless attacks."
"Hmm?" I was surprised, really, I was shocked, throughout the years of adventuring and living with others no one has ever noticed…
It was a family spell, folk magic, one that generates a shield around the body at all times using a tiny amount of mana to melt anything hard in contact, in the beginning it did interfere with some things but later I learned to control when to use it and which part of my body to apply it to.
This spell was passed down along the lines of my elvish family, for generations it was deemed an useless spell due to its high requirements for mana and mana control…
Back then I was still young, I was interested in magic, I was the daughter of the village's chief, to put it in perspective, it's like the daughter of the mayor of the town, if that explains it better. What I'm trying to say is that I had access to quite the collection of things, including the hidden library.
According to father, every elvish village had one of these, in these contained knowledge passed down for millennias, some even dating back to the prehistoric era of the world… That said, most of them were useless, most were just basic knowledge they taught in school nowadays. I still was stuck there reading every book available, one caught my eye in particular when I was about fourteen years old…
The book was without a title, there weren't many pages inside, about a hundred if I had to guess. The cover was rimmed with aged gold and plated a metal frame which rusted throughout the years. I grabbed the dusty book off the shelf which was etched in the tree…
The spell was thought to be lost for years. The last person who pulled off this spell's true capabilities was over five thousand years ago, so I can't really blame anyone. The spell was classified as an Imperial one… Back when I first practiced the spell I never knew its capabilities, I just thought it felt kind of good when I did it, the spell would wrap my whole body in a sea of mana which was warm by nature. You could say it was like an addictive drug if you wanted to go that far to say that
For a long time I practiced the spell and one time I was in the woods when I got attacked by a monster, a Burrow Shrew to be exact, they weren't particularly strong, if I remember correctly they should be classified into the elementary group… Pretty weak. The beast pounced at me, hurling its body at a young fragile me. When it dived to bite me, I closed my eyes— I thought I was dead, I was probably fine but still I was scared… Somehow I didn't feel any sort of pain, it was definitely biting onto my arm but for some reason there isn't any sharp pain from the fangs… I reopened my eyes to see the monster laying there, as if it was in pain, looking closer it's fangs disappeared, or rather melted away.
I figured it was something to do with me, but I didn't know what, what was it?
That was until sometime later, when I was adventuring I brought the book with me as a manual for the addictive practice… There wasn't much of a story I just realised, but I never told anyone…
"You know that I have the mana armor?" I asked looking down at Gryne, whose eyes gazed up at me innocently, it was another rare expression I unlocked in the last half a year.
"Yeah, I always see the fluctuating mana get padded around your body, I could see that mine doesn't do that, nor does Rena's… Mother! It's really incredible, if you have the chance in the future, would you be so kind as to teach me that spell?"
"Sure, Gryne…" I replied, I was still shocked…
Somehow this shock turned into even more respect for Gryne, something not even Von or Julian noticed, this little boy was able to see… It's really incredible, to the point that it's even scaring me.
The little details he noticed shows how much attention he pays to each and everyone of us, some others might find it creepy, but I'm not one of those people, although it was kind of scaring me, all that fear is overridden by this feeling of sweetness.
This child never meant any harm, it was warm…
"Thank you for being a part of this family… Gryne… No, Gryne Notros-Farion, third child of the Notros Farion family… My son… I love you—"
I muttered under my breath as Gryne walked away to do whatever he does by himself, if I had to guess it was to practice some more magic or swordplay.
I chuckled at just the thought.
"You really don't change even after the deepest of conversations, don't you?