We Are Obsessed with Babies.
Title: To Arms ( 30. aux armes)
Genre: General
Characters: Ciaran O'Liathain, Aina O'Liathain, Helena Ravenclaw [-O'Liathain], others mentioned
Rating: GP, though implied violence contained within
Word Count: 1123 words
Summary: Ciaran and Helena face battles together.
A tense murmur ran through the village. There was yet another challenger who had come to try and defeat their leader. While the entire village had much faith in their current ceannard, but the new challenger was also undefeated. He was ruthless and cruel and rumor had it he had defeated the entire council of the O'Malleys one after the other. Suffice to say, they were not looking forward to the match.
Helena threw the paintbrush aside when she was done. She cursed loudly in her dialect as she got up to throw the ink away. Ciaran grabbed her hand. "Must you be so angry?"
"I cannot help it!" she declared. "You said no more. You said no more for a while until you were completely healed!"
"Helena, this man threatens the safety of our clan. I have to fight. You must understand," Ciaran whispered as he stood up.
"I do understand," she muttered, shaking her hand free. "However, I do not have to like it."
"Helena," Ciaran's voice was more firm this time.
"No," she raised a hand. "You are the clan leader. It is your duty to fight and and protect your clan. Your heart tells you to make noble decisions. I am the clan leader's wife. It is my duty to take care of you. My heart was designed to be selfish and want you safe."
Ciaran brought her close. "I am almost healed from the fight with Banagher. I will be fine."
"I believe you because I trust you," she answered as she tiptoed to receive his kiss.
Helena sat on the windowsill and looked at the circle of spectators down below. She was supposed to be down there, supporting Ciaran, but stray curses were not impossible and while she probably could survive the curse, the little one couldn't. She hadn't even told Ciaran yet.
She stood up and looked in a mirror, flattening her hands on her belly, wondering if it was obvious. She stood for a long time but she saw nothing. She began to question if she was really carrying. Maybe Aina had been wrong. She turned to the other side and inspected her belly from there. "What are you doing?"
Helena dropped her hands and turned around. "Nothing," she answered as she picked up a paintbrush and painted one last symbol on both his palms. Ciaran looked down and frowned. They were familiar, but not Irish. He opened his mouth to ask when Helena showed him her own.
"It should connect us," she said. She pressed her hand against his chest and placed his against hers. "My strength shall be your strength and your pain shall be mine."
"Helena, no," Ciaran tried to pull his hand back, but Helena returned it to where it had been.
"I promised you the day I married you that I'd share in everything you did. This is something you do and I'm here to share it. I cannot be down there with you, but we will be here to strengthen you."
"We?"
There was a loud commotion from outside. Aina came in. "He's here."
Helena gave Ciaran a quick kiss before allowing his sister to lead him out. Helena tucked her hair behind her ears and sat on the windowsill. He looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back. She saw Aina ask about the symbols on his hands. She saw him explain. Aina looked up at her with a look on her face that was both grateful and scolding at the same time.
Helena turned away as she felt a sharp pain stab her back. She got off the windowsill lest she fall and staggered towards her bed. There was another pain, lower down this time. She started chanting the words in Gaelic and fell against the pillows. The pain in her lower back doubled, but she knew that would reduce whatever plagued Ciaran. She dug her nails into the mattress and she screamed against the pillows. There was the shuffling of feet and Brogan, one of Ciaran's distant cousins and a warrior of the clan barged in with a female Helena knew she should recognize but didn't. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she whispered before returning to her Gaelic spells. Brogan whispered something to the girl beside him and she disappeared. Brogan stood in the doorway.
There was a pain in her left side like someone had kicked her and her hands immediately ran to her belly. She had to protect both, but which needed her more? She curled up into a ball and stayed like that for what seemed like hours.
Eventually, the pain ebbed away and she suddenly felt like laughing. She sat up and hobbled to the window. Brogan, who had not left the room since he arrived, came up beside her. "It's over."
Helena leaned her head against the stone and sighed. There was a moment of silence before the door swung open angrily. "You idiot!"
Aina marched up to Helena and made wild gestures in her face. She pointed at Brogan to get out before hissing, "That's my niece or nephew you're carrying!" Aina pointed for Helena to sit down on the bed as she crouched down and touched Helena's belly gently, checking for anything wrong. Helena felt a soft current of magic pass through her.
"What of Ciaran?" Helena asked.
"Shush," Aina replied, frowning. "You could have endangered his or her life, too, you know. You have to start thinking about people other than yourself now. You're doing everything for two people."
"Aina, what are you doing?" Ciaran asked from the doorway. He had a few marks on his body that might soon turn into bruises, but he looked far from seriously injured.
"Tickle, tickle!" Aina declared, tickling Helena, who laughed.
"You have been spending far too much time with your boyfriend," Ciaran said, leaning against the door frame. "We could never lie to each other, Aina."
Aina looked at Helena, who looked at the ceiling. "Aina? Helena? Will someone please tell me what is going on?"
Helena pressed her belly softly. "We are on the edge of facing a different kind of battle," she answered.
"Do you...? Are you...?" for quite possibly the first time in his life, Ciaran stuttered.
Helena and Aina grinned. "I am." "She is."
Ciaran whooped happily as he rushed to his wife's side and hugged her tightly.
"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE BABY?!" Aina declared, separating them. "And you! Didn't I tell you to wait in my tent? Those injuries need to be looked after!"
Ciaran let Aina direct him out the door as Helena turned around and fell on the bed. She sighed. A new battle, indeed. To arms, then.
Genre: General
Characters: Ciaran O'Liathain, Aina O'Liathain, Helena Ravenclaw [-O'Liathain], others mentioned
Rating: GP, though implied violence contained within
Word Count: 1123 words
Summary: Ciaran and Helena face battles together.
A tense murmur ran through the village. There was yet another challenger who had come to try and defeat their leader. While the entire village had much faith in their current ceannard, but the new challenger was also undefeated. He was ruthless and cruel and rumor had it he had defeated the entire council of the O'Malleys one after the other. Suffice to say, they were not looking forward to the match.
Helena threw the paintbrush aside when she was done. She cursed loudly in her dialect as she got up to throw the ink away. Ciaran grabbed her hand. "Must you be so angry?"
"I cannot help it!" she declared. "You said no more. You said no more for a while until you were completely healed!"
"Helena, this man threatens the safety of our clan. I have to fight. You must understand," Ciaran whispered as he stood up.
"I do understand," she muttered, shaking her hand free. "However, I do not have to like it."
"Helena," Ciaran's voice was more firm this time.
"No," she raised a hand. "You are the clan leader. It is your duty to fight and and protect your clan. Your heart tells you to make noble decisions. I am the clan leader's wife. It is my duty to take care of you. My heart was designed to be selfish and want you safe."
Ciaran brought her close. "I am almost healed from the fight with Banagher. I will be fine."
"I believe you because I trust you," she answered as she tiptoed to receive his kiss.
Helena sat on the windowsill and looked at the circle of spectators down below. She was supposed to be down there, supporting Ciaran, but stray curses were not impossible and while she probably could survive the curse, the little one couldn't. She hadn't even told Ciaran yet.
She stood up and looked in a mirror, flattening her hands on her belly, wondering if it was obvious. She stood for a long time but she saw nothing. She began to question if she was really carrying. Maybe Aina had been wrong. She turned to the other side and inspected her belly from there. "What are you doing?"
Helena dropped her hands and turned around. "Nothing," she answered as she picked up a paintbrush and painted one last symbol on both his palms. Ciaran looked down and frowned. They were familiar, but not Irish. He opened his mouth to ask when Helena showed him her own.
"It should connect us," she said. She pressed her hand against his chest and placed his against hers. "My strength shall be your strength and your pain shall be mine."
"Helena, no," Ciaran tried to pull his hand back, but Helena returned it to where it had been.
"I promised you the day I married you that I'd share in everything you did. This is something you do and I'm here to share it. I cannot be down there with you, but we will be here to strengthen you."
"We?"
There was a loud commotion from outside. Aina came in. "He's here."
Helena gave Ciaran a quick kiss before allowing his sister to lead him out. Helena tucked her hair behind her ears and sat on the windowsill. He looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back. She saw Aina ask about the symbols on his hands. She saw him explain. Aina looked up at her with a look on her face that was both grateful and scolding at the same time.
Helena turned away as she felt a sharp pain stab her back. She got off the windowsill lest she fall and staggered towards her bed. There was another pain, lower down this time. She started chanting the words in Gaelic and fell against the pillows. The pain in her lower back doubled, but she knew that would reduce whatever plagued Ciaran. She dug her nails into the mattress and she screamed against the pillows. There was the shuffling of feet and Brogan, one of Ciaran's distant cousins and a warrior of the clan barged in with a female Helena knew she should recognize but didn't. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she whispered before returning to her Gaelic spells. Brogan whispered something to the girl beside him and she disappeared. Brogan stood in the doorway.
There was a pain in her left side like someone had kicked her and her hands immediately ran to her belly. She had to protect both, but which needed her more? She curled up into a ball and stayed like that for what seemed like hours.
Eventually, the pain ebbed away and she suddenly felt like laughing. She sat up and hobbled to the window. Brogan, who had not left the room since he arrived, came up beside her. "It's over."
Helena leaned her head against the stone and sighed. There was a moment of silence before the door swung open angrily. "You idiot!"
Aina marched up to Helena and made wild gestures in her face. She pointed at Brogan to get out before hissing, "That's my niece or nephew you're carrying!" Aina pointed for Helena to sit down on the bed as she crouched down and touched Helena's belly gently, checking for anything wrong. Helena felt a soft current of magic pass through her.
"What of Ciaran?" Helena asked.
"Shush," Aina replied, frowning. "You could have endangered his or her life, too, you know. You have to start thinking about people other than yourself now. You're doing everything for two people."
"Aina, what are you doing?" Ciaran asked from the doorway. He had a few marks on his body that might soon turn into bruises, but he looked far from seriously injured.
"Tickle, tickle!" Aina declared, tickling Helena, who laughed.
"You have been spending far too much time with your boyfriend," Ciaran said, leaning against the door frame. "We could never lie to each other, Aina."
Aina looked at Helena, who looked at the ceiling. "Aina? Helena? Will someone please tell me what is going on?"
Helena pressed her belly softly. "We are on the edge of facing a different kind of battle," she answered.
"Do you...? Are you...?" for quite possibly the first time in his life, Ciaran stuttered.
Helena and Aina grinned. "I am." "She is."
Ciaran whooped happily as he rushed to his wife's side and hugged her tightly.
"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE BABY?!" Aina declared, separating them. "And you! Didn't I tell you to wait in my tent? Those injuries need to be looked after!"
Ciaran let Aina direct him out the door as Helena turned around and fell on the bed. She sighed. A new battle, indeed. To arms, then.