Ayvriel
sighed, allowing a whisper of air to escape from between her lips. Perched on her lap with a pudgy hand tangled in the bodice of her dress, the cause of her distress gurgled in a merry manner, evidently amused by the allusion of her exasperation.
But–
Ow.
But as the predicament they found themselves in were neither of their making, the elven maiden merely wrinkled her nose at the babe and began to coo at him, her hand rising to gently remove the lock of argent caught in his little fist.
“Such a little tyrant.â€
◇◆◇
Her first meeting with little Nathan took place during dawn, when the sun was only beginning to paint the horizon with delicate shades of lavender and rose. As per her ritual for the past few days, the elven maiden has opened the door to bring in the bottle of milk and groceries that were left on the porch of the cottage she shared with her brother, only to find an unfamiliar crate hindering her path.
More curious than she was wary, Ayvriel made to move aside the cloth and was greeted by the quicksilver gaze of a human babe. The claws and fangs of dread began to bury themselves into her soul even as the spellsinger glanced around in faint hopes of catching a glimpse of the person who left a child on their porch… but whomever they were, they were most likely to be long gone by now.
Without the heart to leave an innocent babe alone, the elven maiden had taken him inside and set him by the heart to chase the chills from his tiny form. And it was as though the child was a sproutling, for he flourished in the warm glow of the flickering flames. Before long, Ayvriel learned what an inquisitive little creature he was when the babe crawled from the pile of cushions after her and tugged on her skirts.
Charmed by the peal of giggles when her eyes fell on him, Ayvriel leaned over to pick up the child, only to notice the scrap of paper left on the pile of cushions where she left him. It was crumpled and stained, with barely legible letters of his name. “
Well, I suppose since you seem none worse for the wear, we should ask around and see if anyone know of your origins.â€
Swaddling the babe in a warm blanket and draping a shawl over her shoulders, the elven maiden journeyed to the nearby cottages, but none seemed to know anyone whom might be missing a child. And with her numerous delicate alchemical undertakings that needed her to stay close, Ayvriel was unable to visit the town proper to make any further enquiries… not until her brother has returned and could help her to watch over them.
“Looks like we will both be together for a few more days, little Nathan.â€
◇◆◇
The time in between passed her by in a haze, more so for one who was accustomed to the world moving at her pace. And Little Nathan was a terror who threw it into a disarray with his needs and antics.
The babe was curious and precocious and knew not of the fear of being hurt. He was either crawling after the many cats that called the cottage home and mussing their fur when he caught up to one, or trying to stand up to grab at the gems that was part of the alchemical studies, or tumbling over the varied volumes of tomes found on their low table. When he is
not, the child with the raven tuft and quicksilver eyes was either demanding food, or babbling at her in hopes of drawing her into a game…
And the bodily functions.
The absolute horrors of it!
Bathing him felt very much like what the elven maiden imagined to be wrestling against an octopus would be like, and by the end of it, she looked like a drowned wraith! Not to mention that while little Nathan was fair-natured for most of the time, when he had one of his rare tantrums, it felt like a banshee was wailing right in her face.
By the time Mikael returned home, she was cantankerous and
done.
Worse yet, her brother was unsympathetic to her plight, even as he reminded her of the physiological differences between elves and humans and how she should not commit herself to a life that was akin to a candle burning on both ends. In the end, Mikael merely let her know that he would watch over of her projects while she went to town.
‘
So go and quickly find that human travelling group and have them find its’ parents.’
Mikael’s words echoed in her mind even as she stepped into the mercenary guild with Little Nathan nestled in the cradle of her arms. But even as the people within began to turn their gaze upon them, Ayvriel found herself unable to bear the thought of giving up the babe.
“Can we help you?â€
After all, his parents abandoned him…
“… No, I’m fine. I merely mistook the building for the post office,†the spellsinger lied glibly as she retraced her steps.
I will just have to try and convince Mika somehow.