A Mother's Gift

When Freya Sage was born, the small village of Aharin celebrated the birth of another healthy baby in the family that governed over them. The village elders bestowed only the finest of cloths to the mother, Imryll, for her to make clothes for her new baby girl. It was tradition for Imryll after she gave birth and had time to recover enough to stay her hands. Freya, the youngest of her now five children, would be no different.

She called her husband to come and meet his child, and Elrin was there immediately to take the crying baby from his wife's arms so that she could rest. A smile, a nod, and Elrin was leaving their room to present his child to the village. He cooed over her the entire way down the stairs to the front door before shushing the baby softly and opening the door.

A chorus of cheers greeted him as he stood outside in front of the home and held the child out for all to see. The baby stopped crying then, staring in wonder at the noise and all the people before her. She tucked herself in her father's chest, the warmth calling to her, and Elrin smiled down at the tiny thing hiding from the world. He was doomed, already smitten as he was with the rest of his children.

After the presentation, he brought Freya inside and to the dining area so that she could meet her siblings. Mathias, the firstborn of the children, was the first to notice the end of the Presentation. He looked at his father with hopeful eyes. "May I?"

"Don't keep her to yourself," Elrin replied lightly as he carefully handed Freya to her only brother. Said brother looked into the big brown eyes blinking up at him and then held her close. "I promise nothing, Father. Check on Mother and make sure she's resting and not trying to make clothes yet," he said. He knew how his mother hated to rest.

Elrin gave his son a look of fond exasperation, knowing all too well how much energy the woman he married tried to have all the time. He gave himself another moment of watching his oldest rock his youngest before tearing his misty eyes away to go upstairs and plead with Imryll to lie down and sleep.

Mathias had another two minutes with the child before the pitter-patter of little feet brought the rest of his siblings to the room.

"You heard Father! Don't hog her!" Sareena, the oldest of the girls, said. Her eyes shone with amusement. Mathias was always so easily attached to his younger siblings. She took the child and held her just as close as her brother had. "She's perfect," Sareena whispered. She'd been hoping for a boy to attempt to even the balance a little, but she looked at her baby sister and couldn't find a single complaint.

Mathias held the, until recently, youngest of them back. "Patience, Tali," he said. "You'll hold her soon enough. Stand with Imani for now."

Tali and Imani were twins, with the former born fifteen minutes after her sister. The two stood off to the side with matching pouts. Once Sareena had long enough, they started fussing a little. The two were only four years of age and had to sit side by side so that Sareena could sit and place the baby in their laps. The twins cooed and petted their new sister while Sareena and Mathias watched.

Freya endured being passed around for a fair amount of time before she grew tired of meeting people. There were luckily no more people to meet, and Mathias took the baby with promises to Tali and Imani that they would see Freya tomorrow. He took Freya to the nursery upstairs and laid her down in the bassinet. Mathias kissed her forehead and began to hum a soft tune. His eyes glowed a soft amber as the melody continued, and the baby was asleep within seconds. One more kiss, this time on her cheek, and Mathias left the nursery so Freya could sleep.

He stopped by Elrin and Imryll's room to see how his father fared in getting his mother to rest. A soft knock and softer "Enter" later, Mathias was opening the door. Sareena and the twins followed behind him, having waited by the door for Mathias to put Freya to sleep. His magic lied within songs and melodies. The words could persuade anyone to do anything they spoke. No one was better suited to help a fussy child slip peacefully into their dreams.

Imryll, unsurprisingly still awake, looked at her children, her four Little Gifts, and smiled. "And?"

Imani climbed into the bed with her mother and snuggled close. "I love her," she whispered, like a secret.

The rest of the Sage children nodded in agreement and followed Imani to the bed, though only Tali got in it. Sareena was sixteen years of age, and Mathias was nineteen years. They'd gotten too old to climb in the bed with their parents, but they stood at the side and reached their hands out to hold their parents' hands.

Elrin looked at Tali. "Do you think she'll like some flowers in her room?" He smiled as she lit up and nodded. He watched in adoration as Tali's eyes glowed green and a small bouquet of lilies appeared on the chair by the door, ready to take to the nursery in the morning. Tali's magic manifested in all plant life, and she loved conjuring flowers for the village people if she saw them looking even a little sad. With a yawn and a smile, she closed her eyes and slept.

Sareena's magic lied within the natural elements. She touched the logs in the fireplace with an orange glow in her eyes, and the logs caught fire immediately, warming the room for everyone. "I wonder what Freya's gift will be," she said, looking at Imani for an answer. She hoped the babe wouldn't show an affinity for any elements. She was still teased by her parents about all the accidents she'd caused as a young child just learning to control her powers. Though, training Freya herself could prove entertaining.

Imani yawned and blinked her glowing purple eyes a few times, trying to keep awake. "She'll be healing people without knowing it soon," she said and promptly fell asleep. Her magic let her see the future. She couldn't control it much, and it drained her to see a vision, but Elrin told her that she would be able to see the future on a whim someday. Today was not that day.

Mathias started to take Imani while Sareena reached for Tali so they could bring them to their room, but Imryll shook her head. "Leave them," she said. It wouldn't hurt to sleep with the twins tonight. Her eyes glowed silver, and she touched the twins' heads, manipulating their dreams so they could play with their new sister some more.

Imryll took Elrin's hand and kissed it before finally settling down. She looked at her oldest two and took their hands to do the same. "Get some rest," she said, ignoring Sareena's returning sentiment for a little while just to amuse them with her stubbornness, but as soon as the two left the room, she slumped against her husband with an exhausted sigh.

Elrin gazed fondly at Imryll and moved the twins more comfortably between them before putting his arms around all three. He never minded being the one in the family without magic, not when the rest of them could do such amazing things. He was too proud of them to feel left out. He kissed Imryll's head and chuckled, careful not to wake the twins. "I told you that you needed the rest."

Imryll responded with a hum, already mostly asleep. She got one more sentence out before succumbing to her own dreams.

"And miss my Little Gifts' first impression of their newest addition? Never."