Our House

[Elyna]

55th Ashan 717

The biggest decision was surprisingly between the location of the mid-city beside the crown and her parent’s manor, or in the low-town beside the barracks. The home that Elyna had lived in longest had been the Iron Hand Barracks. Being close to their place of work had appeal and the Skyrider felt safe with so many friends close at hand. But with the rebuilding of the low-town still underway, there were few properties available that were suitable for an active toddler and a soon-to be newborn baby. In the end, the choice was made for them.

It wasn’t an enormous house, but it was certainly bigger than their farm and more expensive. Never one to waste money, Elyna had gaped openly at the price and left Malcolm to negotiate. Then she’d managed to successfully insist that she contribute to the payment. Now it was theirs. A two story townhouse with a walled garden to the rear. She’d fallen in love with the carved wooden door, a typical Burhan. Inside a short corridor lead to a study on the left and an open plan living space on the right. The space stretched back to a kitchen and then the garden. Beneath the stairwell was a room to a bathroom, making it easier to run hot water in from the centre hearth.

Upstairs boasted three decently sized bedrooms. This time, Elsie had started off in her own room, a low bed set-up for her and all of her clothes packed away in a new dresser. Toys were stored in a wooden crate, though it didn’t seem to matter how many times Elyna put them away, they reappeared again almost instantly.

Elyna and Malcolm had taken the room towards the front of the house, over the front door and the study. Elsie’s room was warmest with the hearth chimney rising along onside. A small grate lit the study and then rose through their bedroom to keep them warm. At the back of the house was a small room for any visiting guest, filled for the time being, with the second single bed that had been taken from the barn.

Fresh flowers hung above the door, and the fire in the living space was stoked. Candles lined the windowsill as Elyna moved through the house, finishing the unpacking and finding places for their belongings. The back-bedroom had become a weapon and armour store of sorts. Until the new baby was born, she had little use for her bow, scalemail armour, and volareon harness. Malcolm had been worried about the narrow staircase, at first she’d thought he was concerned for Elsie, trying to climb down them - and then she’d realised he was worried that it would be hard work for her to climb up them.

[Malcolm]

There were a couple of things Malcolm looked for in a house, especially in the city. The first thing he noticed was how much light the windows let in, and that they were elevated enough from the front, topstory bedroom to see down the road and out to the land beyond the city walls. No doubt they had traded barking farm dogs for busy streets of a nighttime, something they would both lose sleep over for awhile, but unlike the house he had shared with Vanessa, this one had a big garden, big enough to land a Volareon in if Elyna had to.
He had done a lot of the heavy lifting with Ben, who had recently upgraded to a cottage two streets down, putting he and his family within walking range. His wife had promised to visit once Elyna’s newest baby was born, but Malcolm had extended an invitation for her to join them in a couple of days for a dinner. Malcolm had suggested Elyna too should invite some of her friends, and when Vakhanor’s name had come up, he nodded and made himself busy in the study for the rest of the evening, not resurfacing until it smelled like dinner was ready.
Malcolm, being a very traditional man, had made it very clear from the beginning that Elsie was never to share a bed with them, and that as soon as she was old enough, would have her own room. As he picked her up out of her crib in the warm upstairs bedroom, however, he was tempted to go back on his work and ask that she stay with them, “just until we are settled and know the neighbourhood,” he said at the dinner table.
He cut into the crust of his pie with the edge of his fork, one arm looped about Elsie, the girl content just to sit on his lap, and offered her a soft piece of the pastry after cooling it by blowing. Elsie opened her mouth and screwed up her face at the new taste she had experienced, before jerking back to close her hand over the offering and squeeze. She cut small pieces away with her tiny teeth and sucked, spitting the pastry out onto her top before wiping her mouth on Malcolm. Too busy with his own mouthful, the would-be-new-stain on his shirt had gone unnoticed.
“What about Emily?” he asked. “How many do you think we could fit for dinner?”

[Elyna]

”I’ve never known Emily turn down a meal,” Elyna tried to hide her smile behind her hand. Malcolm always seemed to think he was the enforcer of rules and discipline, yet one threat of tears and Elsie tended to have what she wanted. The young woman managed to straighten her face and looked up.
“Mal,” she warned, “Elsie has to stay in her own room. We have to try at least, this is a better time isn't it? A fresh start with new boundaries for her?” As she spoke the skyrider slid her hand beneath the table and surreptitiously dropped a chewy piece of gravy-covered meat beneath her chair.
Vara slithered forward on her belly and the morsel was devoured in a quick lick. How many people? Benjamin and his wife, Vakhanor and Emily. She had suggested the smith without thinking and was surprised by Malcolm's agreement. Guilt had burnt hot like lava in her stomach, and even now she could feel the loss of her appetite. Did Malcolm know about the kiss she had shared with the red-head? Her cheeks burnt and she circled her fork in the meal.
“With Emily that's six of us, we perhaps have room for one or two more? Is there anyone else you would invite?” Elyna lifted her gaze to Malcolm and quickly averted it again, trying not to laugh. Elsie had started pulling apart the flakes of pastry and dropped them in Malcolm's hair like confetti. She cleared her throat, “I think you'll both need a bath before bed tonight,” Elyna speared a piece of broccoli and bit off the end. Then she extended the vegetable across the table. Elsie lunged for it seizing her prize from the fork and stuffing it into her mouth with excited wriggles.
“She's a strange child,” Elyna propped her face in her hand, elbow on the table, “definitely takes after you…”

[Malcolm]

Malcolm didn't want to admit his weakness, to express the fear that still twisted his insides every time he thought of closing his eyes and taking his focus off the girls for even two minutes. He watched Elyna, though not directly, looking rather preoccupied with the meal in front of him. Elsie blew bubbles against her palm and opened her mouth wide, which always made it so surprising when she missed what she was trying to shovel in. Part of the pastry fell to the floor, and when the dog was not there to eat it up, Malcolm knew exactly why Elyna’s hand was out of sight.
“When you stop feeding the dog tidbits, I'll agree that Elsie should have her own space,” he smiled, not letting the woman get away with anything.
The conversation went back to the dinner, and Malcolm pondered how he should bring up the rather out of the ordinary invite he was willing to extend. “Well I was hoping to invite lady Warrick, a student from one of my classes, and Vaughn if he is well,” they hadn't spoken much about the boy, but Malcolm was willing to make an effort. “Maybe the two of them will get along,” Malcolm said, and took another spoonful of peas from his plate, offering them to Elsie first before he cleaned up the rest.
“A bath sounds like a good idea, what do you think princess? I think your mother is trying to imply that I am strange.”
Elsie looked up at the man, wearing a huge smile. It didn't seem to matter what he was talking about, as long as it was directed at her, Elsie was happy.

[Elyna]

“Deal,” Elyna grinned and lifted her hands in acceptance of the terms, “no more treats for Vara and Elsie sleeps in her own bed.” The Mortalborn had played straight into her hands and she sat back, smiling at her daughter, satisfied and more than a little pleased with herself. “You hear that darling? You get to sleep in your own room tonight, Elsie's very own bedroom! How exciting,” the young woman stood, leaving her unfinished meal and went to check the fire.
She made sure that fresh water heated, ready for the baby to have a bath. Then fetched a fresh mug of ginger tea and returned to press a kiss to Malcolm's cheek.
“Consider this,” she extended a hand to smooth their daughter's wayward auburn hair. “I might want to spend some nights alone with you, there isn't a lot of time left,” and who knew when he'd next be assigned a mission away from home?
Elyna sank into her chair, “it would be good to see Vaughn,” she agreed. Knowing how Malcolm worried for his son. Although she couldn’t say that she’d always seen eye to eye with the young man; she’d never wished him ill.
“Who is Lady Warrick?” She took a sip of tea and offered the man her plate incase he was hungry, “you've not mentioned her before?” There was something about the suggestion that raised alarm, but she put it down to her own guilty conscience. She needed to talk about Vakh and explain - again. She needed to apologise, again.

[Malcolm]

“Haven't I?” He wondered aloud, choosing not to argue about where Elsie slept. Malcolm scratched the back of his head, sure he had mentioned lady Warrick before. “Violet Warrick, she's probably about your age,” he told Elyna, not really sure. “Maybe a little younger. She's the daughter of the knight, Ser Victor Warrick,” he waved his hand, tempted to finish the sentence with the words ‘who nobody likes,’ but realised this didn't sound very political.
Malcolm couldn't eat another bite if he tried, and while he had made a good attempt at clearing his plate, he didn't have the appetite he once had. The man got to his feet and cut up the leftovers for Vara, making the dog sit before scooping them onto her plate. The ceilings in the new house weren't quite as high as the ones in the farmhouse, and Malcolm felt too large for the room, stood in the kitchen rinsing dishes while Elyna cleaned Elsie up and got her ready for bed. He must admit, he did like the idea of spending some more time with the woman without Elsie demanding attention from both parents as she often did.
Malcolm had a quick bath after Elsie and was dried and dressed just as the girl was going down for the first night in her own room. He wandered in wearing a loose bed-shirt and a pair of trousers, and bowed to kiss Elsie on her nose and cheek. She had looked so lively at dinner, but the power of a warm bath worked wonders on a child, and within minutes, he knew she would be asleep.
Malcolm did some reading by candlelight as he waited for Elyna to join him. This would be their first night in the new house, and already he had checked the front and backdoor twice to make sure the place was locked up tight. Malcolm had even gone to the trouble of hiding a sword under the bed, and a dagger in the top drawer of the bedside table. He wasn't going to take anymore chances with their safety, not after what had happened.
As Elyna crawled into bed, she was met with a kiss and pair of open arms, summoning her closer. “When the weather clears up we should make that trip to the beach,” he told her, “as a family.”

[Elyna]

For all her bravado and smugness for tricking Malcolm into an agreement, the woman was still worried. Once she’d kissed Elsie goodnight and let the child lie down, she’d snuck out the room and closed the door behind herself. Then she had waited. Stomach turning in knots as she slid down the wall and stretched her legs across the landing. She could hear Malcolm moving around in the bedroom, and then the rhythmic turn of pages. Elsie shuffled around in the low bed, muttering to herself and Elyna resisted the urge to peek inside. What if this was the wrong thing to do? What if Elsie wasn’t ready to sleep in her own room? What if she never slept again, or felt as though she was being forced out for the new baby?
Thinking back to their evening meal, had Malcolm simply given up the debate, was he right? Would it have been better to get used to the new house together before making any new changes? He’d raised children before, he knew more about them. She would have drawn up her knee to hug, but the bump prevented the movement. Instead she chewed on her thumbnail, ears pricked for every small sound within the room.
Finally, at risk of falling asleep on the landing, the woman rolled to her feet and satisfied that Elsie truly was asleep, dared to open the door just a crack, to peer inside the dim room. With the door open she could hear the babies soft breath and relaxed. The door was closed with extreme care before she went to Malcolm, unfastening the ties of her dress to shuffle out. Folding the fabric over the chair before pulling on a loose shirt.
Wrapped up against her lover, she cuddled against him, lips pressed to his collar, “I’d like that…” She was silent, content for a while before letting out a slow breath, “I didn’t know there were any nobles in your classes?” Elyna looked up at him, reaching out to push the hair back from his brows, “I...I’ve been thinking that maybe in the next semester I should sign up for something. Maybe a language class?” It was a vague niggle in the back of her mind, that the University was somewhere she could not reach the man. Not that she should want to all the time, but there, he was beyond her.

[Malcolm]

“It happens from time to time,” Malcolm admitted, tracing the length of Elyna’s arm with his fingers. “She is signing up this season officially I believe, before that I think she was just getting a taste to see if university was for her.”
Malcolm thought about the idea of Elyna attending some of his classes, he was the language and history teacher after all. He imagined himself finding it difficult to concentrate with the woman there in the crowd, his eyes finding her despite his attempts not to stare. Butterflies danced in his stomach, and he knew even now, after all this time they had spent together and everything they had been through, he was still highly attracted to Elyna.
“A language.” Malcolm smiled. “Perhaps you will let me teach you to write in common then?” He wasn't sure if Elyna could read his letters, but he knew she kept them. “It would be good for you to learn another language,” he encouraged.
Malcolm lowered his hand to his stomach and closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth at the strange sensation that turned in his belly. Perhaps it was not butterflies but some kind of sick feeling that had caught him off guard. He sat still for a while, trying to work out what the uneasy feeling was, and decided he had probably eaten too much. Either way, their first night in the new house without Elsie wouldn't be very eventful, not with him fighting to keep his food down.
“I feel terribly unwell all of the sudden.” He decided to speak up, there was no point suffering in silence.

[Elyna]

A frown pulled her dark brows together as she watched him. Malcolm didn’t think she could write? It wasn’t far from the truth but it still stung; after all she had written to him with the scroll and he’d once found her in the library taking notes. Granted, his interpretation of how time should be spent in the library had been more fun and less of a headache... The woman sat up, studying him as he admitted to feeling unwell. “I’ll get you a drink,” she pressed a kiss to his cheek and slipped from the covers before he could answer. The journey down the stairs was slow as she took her time on the unfamiliar terrain. Elyna fetched herself a glass of water and sipped it first, steadying herself against the counter before pouring a second and returning upstairs. She set the glass down on the bedside table and perched on the edge of the bed.
She cupped her glass between her hands, examining the pale green colour and the twists and spirals that the blower had added. It was a chunky vessel to prevent it smashing easily. Able to swallow a little of her pride Elyna considered her words carefully, “I’ve never been much good with letters,” she admitted, “I think at first, my Mother suspected it was on purpose, despite the tutors hired for Lorena and I. I always wanted to be a Skyrider, or in the Iron Hand, so I think she thought that I was trying to sabotage the schooling.”
The young woman lifted a shoulder in a shrug, “I think in some ways I was lucky, if I’d been able to write or read like the others, they never would have let me join the ‘Hand. As it turns out, she was just desperate enough to see if I could be good at something.”
Elyna swallowed, “I think she was relieved that I just wasn’t completely stupid,” she drew her fingers down the freckled bridge of her nose, “I’d like some help, yes. Thank you.”

[Malcolm]

Elyna made him laugh, and the man thought to himself that he couldn't be that sick after all. He sipped some of the water and felt a little better, at least for a while, but soon the water didn't help at all, and the urge to throw up returned.
“There wasn't much to eat in the mountains, I think it will take some time to adjust.”
Malcolm took Elyna's glass from her and stretched to put it down on her side table before pulling her closer so that he could lie with his arms around her. “Your letter wasn't so bad,” he told her, “don't be too hard on yourself, I've had a long time to work on mine,” he smiled, and moved his hand over her belly. “How are you feeling? How is our baby?”