Fic: Midsummer Day
Title:Midsummer Day
Author: aella_irene
Warnings: Incest.
Summary: It is Midsummer's Day, and all Narnia celebrates
Disclaimer: The Chronicles of Narnia and its characters, settings, situations, etc., belong to C.S. Lewis. Some characters, settings, situations, etc., belong to Walden Media.
It is Midsummer's Day, and all Narnia celebrates. Helen is forbidden to dance, she is barely two days out of childbed, and so she is lounging on a bed of cushions over a blanket, Marcellus in her arms. She is surrounded by babies. Tahmoh and Valentine's Cosetta, who has mastered crawling and standing, and has now moved on to walking, alternating terrifying bursts of speed with ungraceful tumbles. Her own Susanna, fourteen months, who has mastered walking, but has not quite become used to not being able to breastfeed as and when she wishes, and who despises the mashed food her nurses are attempting to give her, has decided that there are far more interesting things being kept from her, and keeps making breaks for freedom, while Cosetta's older brother, Pauli, has tired himself out and fallen asleep on her legs. The elder children have gone off into the fair, accompanied by the Royal Guard, but she quite clearly heard Alambil say to five year old Piotr, "Now hold my hand and stay close, because I'm in charge," a statement not quibbled by thirteen year old Saida, who has almost certainly ditched them to go and talk to the naiads and the nixes. In the last year, since her courses began, she has gone to them more and more, to learn about her heritage and abilities. She can shapeshift now, very well, and Helen has often heard the sound of her violin drifting through the night air.
There is a childish scream of pleasure, and Eddard races past, followed by Cottia, and then by Val, who swerves off and collapses next to her, panting.
"Tired out by infants," he says, and sighs.
"Everyone's tired out by infants," she responds, shifting Marcellus, and sitting up, "I'm tired out by infants."
"Could that be because you keep producing them?"
Val grins, and hauls Pauli over onto his legs. He doesn't wake up. Helen sneaks a gaze at him from under her eyelashes. He looks paler than normal, tireder, but Cosetta should be sleeping through the night by now, and besides, she's been in the nurseries since Tahmoh brought her home. A toddling baby is a liability on a ship.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine," he says quickly, "Just, tired."
"Of?"
"Arguing," he says shortly, "Every time I see Tahmoh and Cressida, it seems like they're arguing, or I'm arguing with one of them, or we're all three arguing. We can't even fuck without arguing, and I'm just so damn tired of it. I just want one meal, or afternoon, or hour when we're not fighting, over the stupidest things. I love them, I do, but sometimes I think they're going to drive me mad."
There's nothing Helen can say to that. She and Richard and Jack argue, yes, but its different, not the prolonged viciousness that seems to charicterise Val and Tahmoh and Cressida's relationship, and yes, she sees it now, how every time she sees them they're sniping at each other, digging little remarks, and the twins are the worst, because they know each other inside out.
"I'm sorry," Val says, "I shouldn't whine. You're busy enough as it is-"
"I'm your cousin, Val. That's what I'm here for."
"I suppose so," he says and flops back.
"I come!" Richard carols a few moments later, "See how I come, bearing sangria for my lady, and faun wine for everyone else. Here you are, my darling, and you Val."
Helen takes the sangria, and drinks, revelling in the taste of oranges and lemons and good red wine. At her breast, Marcellus shifts, with what she is coming to recognise as his hunger noises, so she passes her cup to Val, and undoes her shirt with her free hand, rubs her nipple against his top lip, and slips it in. He sucks, vigorously, and she rubs at his back.
"Where's Jack," she asks, once he's gotten going.
"Had to go over to the orchard," Richard says, "A baby faun fell out of a tree and cut its head open, and he was needed to sew it back together."
There is the sound of pounding feet, and Saida joins them, throwing herself down onto the rug, only narrowly missing Cosetta.
"Watch out for the babies," Val says mildly.
"I'm not sure you should call them that," Saida says seriously, "I mean, look at Victoria, she's nineteen, and last night, when she came into the feast, I heard the Archenlander Ambassador say, 'Oh look, its the baby'."
"Your point is noted," Richard says, "Where's your mother?"
Saida looks down, and fiddles with her skirt for a second before saying, "My father turned up, and they went off together-"
"Oh, sweetheart-"
"I don't mind. Its not like I haven't always known that my mother was married to Corin Thunderfist when I was born-"
"For a value of marriage that includes regular threats of murder on both sides," Val interjects.
"I just wish, that, well, she wouldn't be so obvious about it. 'S kinda embarassing."
"That's not embarassing," Richard says, "Embarassing is coming into the Council room to find your parents-"
He is cut off by cries of protest from Val, Saida, and Helen, and turns away to pick up Susannah, who was making a break for the river, and the talk turns to less contentious subjects- what everyone is planning to wear to the Midsummer Ball, mostly.
About half an hour later, Cressida wanders over, and, not saying a word, collapses down by Val, puts her head on his shoulder, and goes to sleep. Val presses his lips to her hair, and leaves her to it, and they are soon joined by Tahmoh, who has been swimming in the river, and who is apparently also not in the mood for an argument.
Then comes Jack, with more drinks, and then the children begin to reappear, tired and mucky, and quite obviously stuffed full of unsuitable food. Alambil even has a wine mark around her mouth. Piotr and Cottia flank Helen, Piotr falling asleep almost immediately, and Eddard begins to plait Alambil's hair as he does his horse's. Saiet ambles over, skirts wet, and bodice water marked, and plants herself by Saida, and Victoria appears with, amazingly, enough pastries for all of them- and the others. Neris and Nerissa appear out of the bushes, Nerissa cartwheeling, and Kitay and his wife Carulata arrive, surrounded by their own children, a bouncing four year old, a toddling girl, and a baby in a sling at Carulata's breast. Meisel follows, and that is it. All of them there, for once, and none of them arguing.
Marcellus has finished feeding, and Jack takes him, allowing Helen to lean against Richard. The sun is, as it has been all day, warm on her face, and she can hear the familiar hum of quiet conversation.
"Wake me when we need to change for dinner," she says, shuts her eyes, and goes to sleep.
Author: aella_irene
Warnings: Incest.
Summary: It is Midsummer's Day, and all Narnia celebrates
Disclaimer: The Chronicles of Narnia and its characters, settings, situations, etc., belong to C.S. Lewis. Some characters, settings, situations, etc., belong to Walden Media.
It is Midsummer's Day, and all Narnia celebrates. Helen is forbidden to dance, she is barely two days out of childbed, and so she is lounging on a bed of cushions over a blanket, Marcellus in her arms. She is surrounded by babies. Tahmoh and Valentine's Cosetta, who has mastered crawling and standing, and has now moved on to walking, alternating terrifying bursts of speed with ungraceful tumbles. Her own Susanna, fourteen months, who has mastered walking, but has not quite become used to not being able to breastfeed as and when she wishes, and who despises the mashed food her nurses are attempting to give her, has decided that there are far more interesting things being kept from her, and keeps making breaks for freedom, while Cosetta's older brother, Pauli, has tired himself out and fallen asleep on her legs. The elder children have gone off into the fair, accompanied by the Royal Guard, but she quite clearly heard Alambil say to five year old Piotr, "Now hold my hand and stay close, because I'm in charge," a statement not quibbled by thirteen year old Saida, who has almost certainly ditched them to go and talk to the naiads and the nixes. In the last year, since her courses began, she has gone to them more and more, to learn about her heritage and abilities. She can shapeshift now, very well, and Helen has often heard the sound of her violin drifting through the night air.
There is a childish scream of pleasure, and Eddard races past, followed by Cottia, and then by Val, who swerves off and collapses next to her, panting.
"Tired out by infants," he says, and sighs.
"Everyone's tired out by infants," she responds, shifting Marcellus, and sitting up, "I'm tired out by infants."
"Could that be because you keep producing them?"
Val grins, and hauls Pauli over onto his legs. He doesn't wake up. Helen sneaks a gaze at him from under her eyelashes. He looks paler than normal, tireder, but Cosetta should be sleeping through the night by now, and besides, she's been in the nurseries since Tahmoh brought her home. A toddling baby is a liability on a ship.
"Are you alright?"
"Fine," he says quickly, "Just, tired."
"Of?"
"Arguing," he says shortly, "Every time I see Tahmoh and Cressida, it seems like they're arguing, or I'm arguing with one of them, or we're all three arguing. We can't even fuck without arguing, and I'm just so damn tired of it. I just want one meal, or afternoon, or hour when we're not fighting, over the stupidest things. I love them, I do, but sometimes I think they're going to drive me mad."
There's nothing Helen can say to that. She and Richard and Jack argue, yes, but its different, not the prolonged viciousness that seems to charicterise Val and Tahmoh and Cressida's relationship, and yes, she sees it now, how every time she sees them they're sniping at each other, digging little remarks, and the twins are the worst, because they know each other inside out.
"I'm sorry," Val says, "I shouldn't whine. You're busy enough as it is-"
"I'm your cousin, Val. That's what I'm here for."
"I suppose so," he says and flops back.
"I come!" Richard carols a few moments later, "See how I come, bearing sangria for my lady, and faun wine for everyone else. Here you are, my darling, and you Val."
Helen takes the sangria, and drinks, revelling in the taste of oranges and lemons and good red wine. At her breast, Marcellus shifts, with what she is coming to recognise as his hunger noises, so she passes her cup to Val, and undoes her shirt with her free hand, rubs her nipple against his top lip, and slips it in. He sucks, vigorously, and she rubs at his back.
"Where's Jack," she asks, once he's gotten going.
"Had to go over to the orchard," Richard says, "A baby faun fell out of a tree and cut its head open, and he was needed to sew it back together."
There is the sound of pounding feet, and Saida joins them, throwing herself down onto the rug, only narrowly missing Cosetta.
"Watch out for the babies," Val says mildly.
"I'm not sure you should call them that," Saida says seriously, "I mean, look at Victoria, she's nineteen, and last night, when she came into the feast, I heard the Archenlander Ambassador say, 'Oh look, its the baby'."
"Your point is noted," Richard says, "Where's your mother?"
Saida looks down, and fiddles with her skirt for a second before saying, "My father turned up, and they went off together-"
"Oh, sweetheart-"
"I don't mind. Its not like I haven't always known that my mother was married to Corin Thunderfist when I was born-"
"For a value of marriage that includes regular threats of murder on both sides," Val interjects.
"I just wish, that, well, she wouldn't be so obvious about it. 'S kinda embarassing."
"That's not embarassing," Richard says, "Embarassing is coming into the Council room to find your parents-"
He is cut off by cries of protest from Val, Saida, and Helen, and turns away to pick up Susannah, who was making a break for the river, and the talk turns to less contentious subjects- what everyone is planning to wear to the Midsummer Ball, mostly.
About half an hour later, Cressida wanders over, and, not saying a word, collapses down by Val, puts her head on his shoulder, and goes to sleep. Val presses his lips to her hair, and leaves her to it, and they are soon joined by Tahmoh, who has been swimming in the river, and who is apparently also not in the mood for an argument.
Then comes Jack, with more drinks, and then the children begin to reappear, tired and mucky, and quite obviously stuffed full of unsuitable food. Alambil even has a wine mark around her mouth. Piotr and Cottia flank Helen, Piotr falling asleep almost immediately, and Eddard begins to plait Alambil's hair as he does his horse's. Saiet ambles over, skirts wet, and bodice water marked, and plants herself by Saida, and Victoria appears with, amazingly, enough pastries for all of them- and the others. Neris and Nerissa appear out of the bushes, Nerissa cartwheeling, and Kitay and his wife Carulata arrive, surrounded by their own children, a bouncing four year old, a toddling girl, and a baby in a sling at Carulata's breast. Meisel follows, and that is it. All of them there, for once, and none of them arguing.
Marcellus has finished feeding, and Jack takes him, allowing Helen to lean against Richard. The sun is, as it has been all day, warm on her face, and she can hear the familiar hum of quiet conversation.
"Wake me when we need to change for dinner," she says, shuts her eyes, and goes to sleep.