Entering the estate, Eira trudged in with a thick coat of sweat hanging on her frame, further worsened by the loose and comfortable, yet heavy and hot robe she wore. She sighed, scuffing her shoes as she walked through the building, a feeling of idleness and loneliness marinating inside.
She remembered her words to her friend Ristiinna earlier that day. "I love my baby, but this pregnancy is holding me back. The orcs, bandits, are still out there. I should be fixing roof's and driving out the remaining orcs, not sitting around making blankets. I feel useless, can't you understand that?"
She looked over the the neatly folded piles of blankets and robes in the corner of one of the foyers, where she had sat in a rocking chair most of the day sewing. She placed one hand over her stomach, once again feeling that vacant idleness and despair of weakness. She should be helping Egfor, Demlemoth, and her beloved Nimraph in rebuilding Egfor's farm and inn, not sitting on her tuft! She felt like she was wasting away in her newfound vulnerability, a sitting duck as she carried her first child.
She turned and walked past through the halls full of maps, barely taking the time to look at them as she walked towards the bathing room, when...
"Mommy!"
Eira paused, hearing a familiar voice. She turned to see Nimraph's son, their son, Briar hobbling towards her. He was wearing a little robe identical to one of Nimraph's favorite red ones. He happily jumped, as toddlers do, as he looked up to her with those dazzling eyes, "I look just like daddy! I look just like daddy! Like daddy!"
Eira chuckled a bit. She had sewn that robe herself, once Briar started wearing robes as he inevitably won the Great Pants War. The rambunctious toddler gazed up at her, arms raised high as he jumped, "Up! Up!"
For all the troubles in her mind, Eira was flooded with joy. She reached down and scooped the boy up in her arms. She remembered the gifts she had in her pocket for Briar and his brother Dammon. She smiled, booping Briar's nose. The little boy giggled.
"Briar," Eira asked, "Were you good for Egfor's sisters while you were gone?"
Briar sucked on his thumb, giggling. "Yeah!"
Eira fondly rolled her eyes, "I hope you're not lying, boy."
She lowered the boy to the floor, "Hey, can you find Dammon for me? I have a treat for you both."
The word 'treat' coming from him adoptive mother was all it took for Briar to dash off after Dammon. Eira reached into her pocket and felt the maple candies Ristiinna had gifted her with.
Ristiinna's words echoed in her mind. "Your duty is to bring life to your clan. What Egfor, Demlemoth, and Nimraph do preserve the clan for one, maybe two generations. But your preserve the clan's life for ages. It is a brave task, perhaps even braver than theirs."
As Dammon and Brair came running to Eira, the young woman handed her treats to the boys. Watching them take them, Dammon thank her, and the both of them happily moan as they chewed the candies, Eira felt a piece of the puzzle come into place. She felt insignificant, yes, but the facts were clear. She was training Nimraph's previously motherless sons to grow into men. Hopefully good men, far greater than either of their parents. And Eira was carrying Nimraph's third child right now. The significance of this duty slapped her in the face, and a sense of grave responsibility came over her.
How could she think her new role was less than theirs? Her life was different now, yes, but her duties were just as important.
And her children brought her so much joy, all three of them. For the first time since returning to Bree, she felt a proper sense of fulfillment.
