Archives: Search for Azala
Chapter 14: Blade
The small caravan arrived in the city of Blade, but many of the group had left their hearts back on the road. Air was missing and there was no telling if she was safe or not. They could only wait for Kitsa, Orion, and Lanir to return with or without her, and they would stay in the city until then. Seri and her guards took up residence for the night in a fine inn—Mirael had left Seri with extra money so they could find the best of accommodations—the Inn of the Conjuress. The innkeeper was a middle-aged woman who fancied herself a mage, but she had very little ability for magic. Her magic was little more than parlor tricks, which she entertained her guests with.
After arriving at the inn, they realized that the other half of the party wouldn’t know where to find them in the large city. It was decided that one person would wait at the city gates for their return, then take them to the inn. Phaeton volunteered for the job. He would wait until morning, and if they did not return by, Luria would replace him and wait for another shift. It was the hope of the group that Air would be returned soon. How far could she have gone in the desert, after all?
Rooms were rented, even for the missing members of their party, and the party sat through a quiet and nervous dinner, waiting for news.
Y’ezela hardly touched her meal. The half-elf bard debated going to bed early, but she didn’t think she would be able to sleep. Concern over her sister, and now her brother too, was tying her stomach into knots. Solemn and dejected, the half-elf hung her head over her plate while carefully trying to stab her peas with the tines of her fork.
Sairina wasn’t nearly as worried about Air as Y’ezela, but concern for Y’ezela’s feelings kept Sairina quiet. Air had caused problems, but Seri chose to keep her in the group, and Air hadn’t directly insulted Sairina. She couldn’t stand the current state of depression the group was in, though.
Luria wasn’t usually one to keep her mouth shut, but she was managing today. She hadn’t even spoken to the girl that was taken much that she could remember, but it was in her good nature to worry about anyone who was in trouble. She hoped that the others would return soon for another reason too, and that was that she wasn’t looking forward to a shift at the gate.
Depression had never kept Luria from a meal, though. She devoured everything that was set in front of her as if she had been starving for days.
Sairina sighed. The mood at the table was oppressive and someone had to break it. The priestess hatched an idea and looked to the half-elf bard. “Y’ezela, could you perhaps play a song?” she asked.
“Oh...alright,” Y’ezela replied, distantly. It wasn’t like she was actually eating her dinner anyway. The bard left the table to fetch her lute, then returned downstairs. After speaking to the innkeeper, a stool was set up in front of the hearth for her, and Y’ezela set off into a well-known tune about the contemporary heroes, Parn and Deedlit. She wasn’t in the mood for originality tonight.
Luria never got tired of listening to these songs, but she felt kind of bad for making Y’ezela play. She sounded unemotional like her heart wasn’t into it. “Ah,” Luria said once the song was over, attempting to perhaps start a conversation. “So where do you learn to play an instrument like that?”
“Oh...my mother hired a tutor for me when I was young,” Y’ezela replied. “There was a bard who joined our caravan for awhile, and I fell in love with music while he was with us. After he left, my mother hired the tutor.”
“Oh, I see,” Luria nodded, then began a bombardment of questions. “How long did you have to practice it? Do you know where I could find a tutor? How much did it cost?”
Y’ezela was blindsided by Luria’s questions, but she managed to sort them out. “Well, I started learning when I was fifteen. I could teach you, if you’d like.”
Through dinner, Seri had been feeling tightening contractions, but she had said nothing. Painless contractions were common for her, and though these seemed to be coming quite often, they weren’t painful. After Y’ezela had finished her performance, Seri suddenly had a painful contraction. With a whimper, the high elf leaned forward, hugging her stomach. “Oh Marfa, it can’t be tonight,” she whispered.
With Seri’s sudden distress, Estas leaned over to check on her. “Is something wrong?” he asked softly.
“I...I don’t know,” Seri replied. The chance that she could be going into labor stunned her. “I think I may be going into labor!” The pain had subsided and Seri sat up again, rubbing her belly in shock. Would it actually be tonight? Would she finally see her baby? And would she have to deliver in some inn in the desert?
“Sairina,” Estas said, looking to the priestess. “If Seri is going into labor, can you deliver the child?”
Sairina, who had been focusing on Luria and Y’ezela’s conversation, hadn’t heard the whispered conversation between the high elves. Hearing Estas speak her name suddenly made her heart leap, but as she heard his question, it sunk to the pit of her stomach.
“I...don’t know...I’ve never done it before,” she replied. She came on this trip to act as the healer for Seri, but now when the moment of truth came, she was terrified that she couldn’t do it. Luria asked what was happening, and Sairina gave the ranger a sidelong look.
At this point Luria was out of her seat and and hopping in alarm. For being a woman herself, she had an extremely vague idea of how children were born. “Maybe there’s a doctor not too far away!” she exclaimed. “M-maybe I should go look, or do you need me to do something else? Should I get some hot water? W-what do you even do with hot water?”
Seri was hit by another contraction and again buckled over. It took nearly a minute to pass, and the high elf breathed a sigh of relief. “Sairina, if you feel you are not ready, we can find a midwife,” the high elf replied. Now, she realized, she should have at least asked Lien to travel with her instead of just running off with Estas.
“Luria, just relax,” Seri assured the excited young half-elf. “From what I know, it will be some time before...” Seri was interrupted by another contraction, and she suddenly looked at Estas, wide-eyed. “Lien said they wouldn’t come that close together yet!” she said, almost whimpering.
Estas frowned. “Sairina, we need to get a midwife,” he said to the priestess. “I will go with you. Luria, Y’ezela, stay here. I want Y’ezela to talk to the innkeeper and tell her what’s going on. Luria, help Seri upstairs for now,” the high elf began barking out orders.
“Yes, my lord!” Luria responded, giving a salute. Though she tried to calm down as instructed, her hands were shaking as she knelt to help Lady Seri. “Can you move?” she asked, wrapping an arm under Seri’s to help her.
Seri nodded; “Yes, I can for now.” On shaky legs, the high elf stood from her chair, but she wrapped her arm around Luria’s. She was suddenly struck with terror at the impending arrival of her baby, or the possible risks to her child’s health. With Luria’s support, Seri walked to the stairs.
“You’re going to be just fine,” Luria said, trying to comfort the lady elf as she assisted her up the stairs. She was trying to reassure herself just as much. “Just take it slow, let’s get you into a bed... Sir Estas will take care of everything else, don’t worry.”
Seri nodded as she climbed up the stairs. She was worried that another contraction would hit her on the stairs, but it didn’t come. In fact, Seri made it to her room with no problems. Once inside, the high elf quickly stripped off her overcoat and tossed it aside. As she prepared to sit on the bed, the contraction she was fearing finally came. The high elf doubled over, then turned and plopped down on the bed. She gave a groan, gritting her teeth, and it passed. When it was over, she kicked off her boots, then awkwardly moved into the center of the bed.
Seeking any kind of support, Seri reached her hand out for Luria to hold.
Luria hated that she could do nothing more to help. She sat on the bed next to Seri and held the hand offered to her. Seri was a normal person who needed help just like anyone else would after all, not some untouchable high elf. “It’s bad now, but just think, when this is all over, you’ll have a pretty little baby.”
Seri looked back and Luria and smiled at her sweet comment. The high elf was filled with mixed emotions about her baby; both excitement and fear. She could adjust to motherhood, that she knew, but she felt that she had made a horrible mistake in going to find Azala, or at least in not deciding to go home sooner. No high elf child had been born outside the forest before, what effect could that have on her baby? Not only was her baby being born outside the Forest of No Return, but in a desert, the most opposite environment.
Another contraction seized Seri, and the high elf clenched Luria’s hand slightly and sat up to try and alleviate the pressure. It passed momentarily, and Seri tried to think how long it had been since her last contraction. Lien told her that when they came, they would be at regular intervals, but these were so random! “I’m sorry,” she said to Luria and loosened her grip on the half-elf’s hand, then laid back down again.
* * *
“Let’s go, Sairina,” Estas said, and without wasting any time, the high elf quickly left his seat and walked toward the door, expecting Sairina to follow. He wasn’t looking forward to spending time alone with a girl he knew was attracted to him, but his true concerns were for Seri’s welfare. He had no knowledge of delivering babies. In his entire lifetime of over a thousand years, only one child had been born to his people. His reason for bringing Sairina was for her fortune. As a priestess of Cha Za, more people were willing to bend over backwards just for a blessing. Beyond that, if the midwife required money for her services, Sairina could pay. The high elves’ coffers were running a little dry by now.
The high elf stopped before he reached the door, realizing he needed at least some direction. He suddenly turned to a nearby barmaid. “You,” he said, almost threateningly, “Do you know where I could find a midwife?”
Suddenly struck by the beauty of the high elf, and fear for her safety, the barmaid gave a start. “Umm...I believe one lives a few blocks away, in the residential area. Sandstone road. M-my sister went to her when she was pregnant,” the barmaid sputtered out.
“Thank you,” Estas said, then turned away, heading back out the door.
Sairina hopped out of her seat and followed Estas. After he spoke to the barmaid rather harshly, Sairina took a moment aside to apologize after hurrying out with him. Even with the possibility of Seri having her baby tonight, Sairina was light hearted with the thought of spending time alone with Estas. She would take any chance she could get.
* * *
At Estas’s command, Y’ezela spoke to the innkeeper. It was awkward for the half-elf, who knew so little of delivering babies, but she had explained it to the best of her ability. The innkeeper would allow the baby to be born here, and she was eager to jump into action. Y’ezela wasn’t sure how serious the situation was, but it seemed like Seri wasn’t very close to giving birth yet. The innkeeper agreed to wait for the midwife Estas and Sairina were supposed to fetch before doing anything. After speaking to the innkeeper, Y’ezela went upstairs to Seri’s room.
With a light knock on the door, Y’ezela decided to step inside instead of waiting for a response. Seri and Luria were on the bed, but Seri didn’t seem to be suffering much. The bard sat down on the side opposite of Luria and took Seri’s other hand. “Is everything alright?” she asked.
“For the moment,” Seri replied. “I’m not sure if this is the way it is supposed to be. My midwife said that the contractions have a steady rhythm. I can’t make any sort judgment on if these are coming at the right intervals.”
Y’ezela only frowned. She didn’t know much about birth, and what was normal or not. They would have to wait for the midwife to show up. Until then, she would help Luria support Seri.
* * *
Sairina followed Estas out onto the streets of Blade. “Now just where is this Sandstone road anyway?” she wondered aloud. Looking back at the high elf she was now alone with, the priestess couldn’t help but hope to try and find a way to get his attention. Oh Cha Za, grant me a little luck here, she prayed to herself.
Estas spotted the street sign for Sandstone Road almost immediately, his keen elven sight able to see a lot better than Sairina’s eyes obviously did. “This way,” he stated curtly, moving off towards Sandstone Road.
Sairina hurried after him, and moments later, saw the sign for the street they were looking for. Elves were better at so many things, and for some reason, that made her even more attracted to Estas. “The maid said it was only a few blocks, right?” she confirmed as they walked up the street. Suddenly, a snap, and she was thrown off balance. Cha Za had granted her wish, and it cost her a pair of shoes. The stiletto heel on one of her shoes had snapped and Sairina tripped and fell into Estas.
The high elf agilely side-stepped the falling priestess and caught her before she hit the ground. Due to her awkward falling angle one of his hands was squarely on her breast. Estas couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the situation. Here he was trying to keep from giving her the wrong impression, one where he was interested in her, and then he catches her in an awkward and compromising position. Regardless of the indecent catch, Estas straightened Sairina and dusted off her robes. “Do try to be careful. You almost hit me,” he said, regaining his haughty composure.
Sairina’s heart fluttered as she felt his hands on her, and she couldn’t have asked for a better accident. For a moment, she enjoyed the warmth of his body against hers, his scent, his hands brushing over her. However, even if her fall had been orchestrated by her phenomenal luck, it couldn’t change Estas’s feelings. As Sairina looked back at Estas, she was disappointed to see that he showed no outward emotion; not even a blush. Suddenly, she felt like a fool. She had prayed for an opportunity like this, and her prayer brought nothing but shame. Now all she had to show for it was a busted shoe.
With a sigh of disappointment, Sairina tried to maintain her balance on one and a half-feet. “My damn shoe broke,” she groaned, then put her hand on Estas’s sleeve to maintain her balance. “Just help me for a moment so I can get this off,” she grumbled. After his previous reaction, she didn’t expect leaning on him would do anything, but he was there. Putting her weight against the tall high elf, she untied the straps of her broken sandal and took it off. Once it was off, she let go of Estas and took off the other one now that she had balance. “Sorry,” she muttered, then continued walking up the street, barefoot.
While it wasn’t his concern if Sairina walked barefoot or not, the fact that she was going to slow him down was a concern. He moved into her path and knelt down offering his back. “Shut up and get on,” he growled. He was flustered at the fact it was such an indignant act he was committing but he begrudgingly needed her help in getting the midwife, and he’d be damned if he had to talk to that human butcher-woman himself.
Sairina gave Estas a sidelong glance, considering that he probably didn’t want to do this. However, it was preferable to walking barefoot on her soft soles. In a combination of eagerness and reluctance, Sairina hopped onto Estas’s back.
Estas sighed, shifted her weight on his back so he was comfortable and walked the rest of the way to the midwife’s place. The walk was already strained due to the circumstances and feelings that Sairina had for Estas. The high elf could smell the intoxicating perfume of a woman hover around him due to her close proximity, but he chose to ignore it. “Knock for me,” he said, getting to the door. “My hands are otherwise occupied carrying your burdensome weight.”
Sairina was stung by the comment about her weight, but she didn’t have the will to respond to it. “Then put me down,” she said, pushing off his back. Sairina hopped to the ground and stepped up to the door to knock. A few taps, and she waited. He was pushing her away, and she thought she had a chance for closeness when he carried her, but it was apparent there was nothing behind it.
Suddenly, the door opening snapped Sairina out of her thoughts. “Can I help you?” an older woman asked, looking the pair up and down. “Are you two perhaps...expecting and in need of a midwife?” A gleeful smile turned her thin, painted lips up.
Sairina turned her head away from Estas, hiding the blush on her cheeks. “No,” she said. Not twenty minutes ago, she may have imagined herself in that situation, but now it was not amusing. A lump was forming in her throat, and she feared that if she tried to speak further, she would cry. Instead, she tried to hide her face behind her hair, and let Estas talk.
“Well, what is it?” the midwife asked, looking up at the high elf, her smile turning to a frown.
Estas waited for Sairina to continue, he didn’t want to bother talking to this woman, but it was apparent that she was going to speak no more. With disgust in his voice he spoke to the midwife. “I’m not with this woman. However, we are in need of your services as a midwife for one of our companions. If you’d please follow us we’ll take you to the woman in question who seems to be in some amount of grief during the child birthing process,” he said awkwardly. This was the exact reason he wanted Sairina to speak for him on this matter.
“Oh, very well, let me get my kit,” the midwife said, then stepped back inside her house.
Sairina was biting her lip to keep from crying, and Estas’s barb didn’t help at all. However, the silence between them while the midwife went to fetch her tools helped Sairina regain her composure. When the midwife returned, Sairina lifted her head and took a deep breath. Her eyes were rimmed in red, and she prayed no one commented. The midwife gave her a curious look, but said nothing.
“Lead on,” the midwife said to the pair.
Estas gave a nod of acknowledgement to the midwife, then turned his back on Sairina. Kneeling reluctantly, he offered for her to ride on his back again.
Sairina stomped away on her bare feet, tossing her broken sandals over her shoulder by the ties. With her nose in the air, she spat back at Estas, “Since I’m such a burden to you, I’ll just walk, thank you.”
The midwife stared a the priestess in confusion, but she was at a loss for what to say in this unfamiliar situation. She merely followed along behind Sairina.
Sairina’s anger didn’t bother Estas, in fact, he hoped that this was the last of her flirtations. They had the midwife now, and Estas followed behind, grateful to be free of the lusty little priestess for now. There was only one woman for him, and it was not be that one.
The midwife stepped a little faster to catch up with the priestess. “So, what is your name, young lady?” she asked the young woman.
“Sairina,” the priestess replied softly. “I’m sorry, we’re in a bit of a hurry...and he’s just an ass. His name is Estas.”
“I am Mona,” the midwife replied. “Who is our patient?”
“Seri, she’s a high elf.”
“A high elf you say? Well, I’ve never delivered an elf child before... I can’t imagine it’ll be much different than a human child... ” Mona mused. “Is Estas the father?”
“No,” Sairina replied. “He’s just her guardian.”
“Ah...I see...” Mona said, then paused for a moment. “Are you a priestess, Sairina?”
“Yes, of Cha Za.”
“Ohh... a Cha Za priestess! What brings you here with a pair of high elves?”
“Well, they were looking for some mercenaries in Raiden, my home city, and I was invited to come along because of my healing ability. I thought I would help Seri through her pregnancy, but it turns out my minimal knowledge of childbearing didn’t hold up in real life,” Sairina explained.
“Hmph...I wonder why she didn’t hire a real midwife,” Mona grunted.
Sairina shrugged. “Damned if I know.”
* * *
Sairina and Estas returned with Mona, the midwife, in tow. The Cha Za priestess was obviously frustrated, and carrying her sandals. Her mascara seemed to be a little smeared, and since she hadn’t been wearing shoes, her delicate feet bare and dirty. Estas was ever his cool and aloof self, standing in the doorway.
“Seri, this is Mona, she’s a local midwife. Mona, Seri,“ Sairina said, handling the introductions.
“Hello dear,” Mona said, smiling warmly to Seri as she sat next to the high elf on the bed. The midwife glanced to Luria and Y’ezela. “If you ladies don’t mind, I’m going to have to ask everyone but the priestess to leave, but please have someone bring up a bucket of hot water and some towels, alright?”
Both relieved and disappointed, Y’ezela gave Seri’s hand a squeeze and obeyed the midwife. “Come on Luria,” she said to the other half-elf, then headed out of the room.
“I will get the water,” Estas said as Luria and and Y’ezela passed by him, then he shut the door. It wasn’t until now that the anxiety of the birth hit him. Though the baby wasn’t his, it was one of his people, and as equally unique as if it was his own. The only other high elven baby he had seen was Deedlit.
As he followed the two half-elven girls downstairs, his mind wandered to Deedlit. Though she loved someone else now, he would only live so long. One day, long after Parn was only a memory to her, he hoped that he and Deedlit could one day have a child with her too. That was far from this place though...
Estas went back to the kitchen and quickly fetched the requested water. The innkeeper had it boiled ahead of time, thanks to Y’ezela. Dutifully, he began to arduous task of hauling the heavy bucket upstairs. He was stronger than Y’ezela and Luria, but it didn’t make it much easier. When he reached Seri’s room, he set the bucket in front of the door and knocked, then returned downstairs to wait.
Luria sat next to Y’ezela, once again at the table, feeling that it was strange to be right back here where they had just been. She scooted her chair towards the bard, trying not to attract the attention of Estas. Though it seemed as if the very sight of them was painful to him at times, she knew that he was probably listening even if he wasn’t looking. Elven ears could hear quite a ways.
Expecting that he would hear her either way, she tried to sound casual as she spoke to Y’ezela. “Sairina seemed upset when she came back, didn’t she?” she asked. “And she wasn’t wearing any shoes.” Quickly, her eyes flitted up to Estas and back down again before he was able to catch her. He was the same as always. She wondered how someone so beautiful could be so cold to everyone around him. It wasn’t just high elves in general, since Seri was actually very warm when she opened up.
“I know...” Y’ezela replied. She noticed Sairina’s state upstairs; the ruined shoes, bare feet, and smeared make-up. What could have possibly happened? “Maybe some tried to mug her, you know, since she wears so many nice things,” she suggested, but it didn’t seem right. “Or maybe she tripped and broke her sandals and he made her walk instead of carrying her.” She didn’t doubt Estas’s ability to be a jerk, but she hoped he could at least be some sort of gentleman.
Estas overheard the conversation, but he didn’t care to defend himself against Y’ezela’s theories. He didn’t need to justify his actions to anyone. If anything, he helped Sairina. He was not the man for her, and by pushing her away, her life would be better for it. Though he didn’t want to talk to Luria and Y’ezela about it, he didn’t want to listen to their speculations either. The high elf stood and walked out of the inn without a comment.
Judging from Estas’s reaction, the second theory was more likely. Luria scratched her head wondering if he knew how obvious he was being if even she could read him.
