Born of fire

Aurelia

“What’s happening?” Kairios asked both of us or no one. I had no answers, my shock as real as his.

My mind registered the pain from my abdomen and between my legs, but the beauty of the little face before me distracted all thoughts of it. He was breathing and his heart was beating. These things told me he was alive. But his eyes remained closed and still didn’t make a sound. Fear laced its way into every fiber of my being.

I wrapped my hand around the green egg that his little arms and hands were clutching so tightly. It was hot but didn’t burn. I marveled at the beauty of the scales, each one a slight variation of green. It looked like a gem stone that had fire within each scale. I cupped my hand under the bottom with the intension to pull it away.

His arms tightened around it and held it tighter to his chest. He had an awareness of the egg but wasn’t able to open his eyes? “Has anything ever happened like this before?” I asked Saira as she had moved into my field of vision with her crystal in hand.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing. A dragon egg born of a human body. And in the arms of the human child no less.” She said as she placed a hand on my knee to heal my ravaged body. Her eyes seemed to glow brighter silver as she healed me.

“He is Elf-kind. Look at his ears. I can feel the pull of nature around him.”

Kairios came to sit next to me and placed his hand on the side of our son's face. “What shall we call him?” He asked me so softly that my heart melted.

“I don’t want to name him until he wakes up.” I wanted to see his eyes and hear his cries before he was named.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

I knew when my body was healed, could feel the change in the pain between my legs and the weight that was lifted from my belly. I knew that If I looked down it would look as it had weeks ago. I wasn't aware of when we moved from the round room, only of Mana’s shadow cast over the child as we walked.

I thought no child would ever be as protected as this one was. When we made it back to my room, I noted some of the changes that had been made. A bassinet was next to our larger bed, a table was piled high with blankets and cloths for washing. The fire was hotter than it had been before, the maids were worried about the baby. The low table had been filled with plates of small things that were easy to nibble on.

I sat in a chair as near to the fire as I could and Kairios came to stand at my back, his hand rested on my shoulder. He was as entranced by the beauty in my arms as I was. I should let him hold him, but my arms couldn’t let him go, not until I heard those cries. I don’t know how long we stayed like that. I rocked the little bundle counting each breath and heartbeat. They remained in a steady rhythm.

No one came to see us, or at least if they did, Mana stopped them on the other side of the door. Nothing else mattered to me, not until my son awoke. I touched a finger to the top of the egg again. It felt ike it had gotten warmer...

“Kairios, touch the egg.” He had yet to touch it.

His finger came to rest next to mine and the egg heated up so much that I began to panic about the small arms clutching it. It grew hotter and hotter, and the heart beats and the breathing increased. I stared at the egg in amazement. Inside I could see the movements of the baby within.

A crack, so loud that I jumped in my chair. The egg had a large crack all the way down, from top to bottom. A flutter of tiny eye lids had me speechless. Another crack in the egg and little white claws sneaked out, clawing at the green scales.

I loved them deeply and immediately. My cheeks began to hurt from the massive smile on my lips. Another crack and a piece of the egg shell fell to my lap. Then the moment I had been agonizing over happened.

A high-pitched wailing filled the room. Tears dripped onto the top of my head and when I looked up at Kairios, I saw that he was crying. Tears filled my own eyes and rolled down my cheeks. The shell of the egg filled my lap. Curled up in the arms that once held the egg, was a red and green dragon.

Two legs with ten clawed toes, two arms with matching claws and two wings. The membrane so thin that the light of the fire was visible through it. The little tale flipped from side to side. I wondered if one day it would grow spikes to match my own.

They both slumbered together. They had a connection that I couldn’t see but could feel. “He needs a name.” Saira said, pulling me from a haze as I stared at my children.

“They both do.” I said in return.

“Inigo. That’s our son's name. You should name the dragon.”

Inigo. It felt perfect. “Vesta. I want to name the dragon Vesta.” They both felt perfect.

Kairios came to kneel in front of us. “Can I hold them?”

He asked so softly that I felt guilty that I hadn't given him the chance to hold them yet. His arms were strong and sure as he cradled Inigo to his own chest. He sat back on the floor and crossed his legs in front of him. The smile he beamed down at the sleeping babes warmed my heart. I leaned forward in my chair, rested my arms on my legs and clasped my hands together.

I sat there and watched as one of the strongest men in the kingdom turned to soft butter while wrapped in the warmth of our children. The hours passed as we learned what it was like to be new parents. Inigo and Vesta woke at the same time, mewling the same sound. I fed them both, side by side.

It was odd to feed a dragon at my breast, but it felt as natural as with Inigo. They slept and lazed peacefully, until they were separated for a moment. To pass between our arms or to change the clothing Inigo soiled.

Mana knocked at the door and spoke through the wood, “Will you have guests?”

“Send them in.”

Saira was sitting silently in her chair going through book after book. She was consumed by the need to know everything she could about their birth. Had it been because of her spell, a blight of nature or even a consequence of our mother's spells. I found that I didn’t care. They were here and that's all that mattered. Answers would come eventually.

And I only had a limited amount of time left with them before I had to leave. The door opened and Lyanna, Miranda and Jaxson all walked through. Lyanna and Jaxson stayed a few steps back as they took in the sight of the baby and dragon. No one had told them what had happened. They had come in here expecting a human child only.

Miranda walked right up to Kairios, who was now on the small couch, and sat next to him and poked her finger right onto Inigo’s cheek. Both the eyes of Inigo and Vesta shot open and took her in. She smiled at them and they stared back at her.

Vesta stood on her two legs, lifted her head as high as she could and sniffed at Miranda’s arm. She reached her clawed hands out to touch Miranda and got so excited that her little wings flapped and she fell over. We all laughed at the adorable sight. Inigo only gave a little squirm.

Miranda took her hand and laid it palm open next to Vesta, and to all of our surprise climbed into her awaiting hand. I braced myself for the screech that Inigo would give, but only saw his eyes completely focused on Miranda now cradling Vesta to her cheek and cooing sweet nothings.

Jaxson cleared his throat behind me. “What happened?” His voice laced with understandable confusion.

“They were born together. Inigo was clutching the egg when he came out; we don’t know what it means or why it happened. Only that he didn’t cry until Vesta hatched.”

Lyanna asked “How do we care for them?”

“I have fed them both, they should be fine to feed the same way from a wet nurse. Eventually Vesta will want more. You will have to start building a stock pile of flesh for her.”

I had never told them of the hunger I felt when in my dragon form. The one time I had given into the hunger, it had been the best meal I could remember.

“Can I help care for them?” Miranda asked.

“They seem to trust you, maybe it will be easier for them while I am away.”

Kairios and I looked at each other. The same pain flashed in his eyes that I felt in my heart. We had no choice. If we wanted to have a future with them, we needed to leave to end this fight. All I could hope for was it wouldn’t be years before I saw them again.

It was late, the sun had gone down hours ago and the moon was at its apex. Lyanna and Jaxson had left a while ago, in search of their own beds. It was hours before we would leave, the preparations were already being made, I could hear them through the open windows.

Miranda had fallen asleep on the couch, Saira had placed a small blanket over her before she left for her own room. She would return in the morning to check on me and the babies. Mana still stood at the door; I was amazed that he hadn't fallen asleep while standing there.

Kairios and I walked over to our bed, placed the babies in the middle of us, and for the first time in days we kissed. His lips were warm on mine. “I love you.” I said onto his lips. I meant every word of it. I would love him till the end of my days, maybe even longer than that.

We wrapped our hands around each other and fell asleep to the sounds of sleeping babies. Our family was whole, if only for this moment the world didn’t matter. I would do anything in my power to return to them soon.