The past fifteen weeks had been… difficult. There was no denying that Nelanna was excited by the fact that she and Cecil were going to be parents. They had begun making the nursery in one of the empty bedrooms, and by now it was already half done. She drowned herself in the work, helping Cecil with any building and painting until he made her do something that required less physical labor. And so she decided to put her sewing skills to good use. She had Kohaku help pick out the best colors and fabrics to use, deciding on fleece and silk and neutral designs since their child’s gender is unknown. She made many blankets and toys, even little animals to hang from the crib mobile. And to help with inspiration Nelanna would sit in a comfortable rocking chair in the nursery. Soon she will be rocking her baby in that chair, nursing them and singing them to sleep. There was still so much work to be done, and it was all Nelanna could do to keep her mother out of her mind.

The elf knew Iselora was up to something; she always was. And the involvement of her magic was worrying. Her mother had always been a master of curses and used them to get what she wanted. But her habit of wording the curse in a language so few knew made breaking it, and understating it, near impossible. Nelanna was fearful. What kind of curse did her mother place on her? Her mother and father wanted her back home with them, so she did not believe the curse would bring her much harm. Physically, anyway. Perhaps it would brainwash her whenever her mother was ready, send her sleepwalking to their new house where she would forever live as their mindless marionette daughter. She couldn’t allow that. If only she had learned their ancient language then she would be able to find a way to break the curse without giving her mother what she wanted.

This is what had been bothering her. Even though it often lingered at the front of her mind, Nelanna knew that she needed to stay focused on her unborn child. Stress was the last thing she needed when she was pregnant. Today she was back in the nursery, rocking slowly in the chair while her dainty hands sewed silk to fleece. She was keeping her hands and mind busy, thinking about the designs of another blanket and clothes that would match either gender, even possible names. Nelanna had no preference on gender, only that the child will be healthy and strong. But if she were to choose a name, she would like something feminine and soft for a girl, and something handsome and strong for a boy. Nothing that anyone could poke fun at, yet held special meaning in her and Cecil’s hearts. A unique name that sounded pleasant, and had an even more pleasant story behind it. And although she already had a list of names picked out, Nelanna knew deep down that the perfect name would not come along until they first lay their eyes on their baby. For now, she hummed a song to herself as she relaxed, thinking about her and Cecil and their child.

Cecil's preparations did not disappoint. As he had planned the house before he even asked for her hand, Cecil had already made some plans for the nursery. After all, it was to be the room where her dreams would sleep and play as they grow into beautiful adults. A carpenter friend helped him with much of it and had been staying in a guest room as everything was coming together. The first thing was Nelanna's rocking chair. Where Cecil and Nelanna helped with the initial build, it was Joffery that made it hers with engravings of flowers across the headrest which Cecil painted and sealed.

There was so much he had planned for this room, down to the exact mural he wanted to paint on the walls. Of course, as Nelanna was throwing herself into the work, Cecil knew that Iselora was always on her mind. What exactly did that elf say, what magic did she weave around his precious wife? The wait was killing him, with the mounting uncertainty. With Nelanna being halfway through her pregnancy, all thoughts of Iselora became more weighted and urgent. It was all he could do to try and keep Nelanna distracted and reassure her that all would be fine. But he didn't believe it… Not with Iselora's unknown involvement. And Nelanna knew it.

The elf was taking a short break, discussing the progress of the armoire and toy chest with Joffery as he made a pot of tea. Joffery promised the armoire would be a perfect addition to the mural theme. A sharp whistle announced the water had reached the point of boiling, ready to steep the leaves. Cecil made a tray of shortbread cookies, the cups of tea and a thin vase with a single rose. He brought it to the nursery where Nelanna was taking it easy in her rocker. Seeing her brought a smile to his lips. "Hey, beautiful." The tray was set down and a warm cup handed to her. Rose and mint tea with a drizzle of honey. It wasn't his favorite, but it smelled delightful with the odd mix. "How are the loves of my life?"

A beautiful forest green blanket is what Nelanna chose to go with this time. The silk side was a slightly lighter shade with elvish tree designs across the edges of the fleece. She aimed to make it match the paint Cecil was adding to the walls: a forest theme that was enchanted. The work was not done yet, but Cecil had given her a very clear and beautiful image in her mind to imagine. Magic will make dragons and faeries run and fly through the painting, with water streams glistening during the day and glowing in the dark. At night, fireflies and night creatures will frolic and dance in the moonlight. It was such a beautiful thing her dear husband had planned out, which brought a soft and loving smile to her face. He had an amazing imagination that she could never compare to. At the most she’d be able to write a story to read to her children. Art, architecture, decoration. Only Cecil had a talent for that. Nelanna was only good at mending and designing clothes, which, Cecil could also do. She wasn’t even a very good cook. She used to take pride in her culinary skills, until she tasted Kohaku’s dishes. He puts her to shame.

But she didn’t let any of that get her down. She was slowly progressing, and so she believed that one day she would develop a real talent she could truly take pride in. It was all she could cling to in order to keep herself from feeling useless, unnecessary, and unneeded. She knew what that felt like, and she did not wish to experience that ever again. Especially when she is going to have a child. Nelanna needed to set an example for them, teach them to keep their chins and hopes high during tough times so that they would never be brought down. Not by themselves nor anyone else.

Cecil sudden entered the room and brought along a thoughtful treat. She beamed and perked up, putting her sewing on hold. It wasn’t until she had started the break that she realized how worn down she had become. Her back was aching, as well as in her lower abdomen. She assumed it had been from working so much lately, but the aches seemed to come even when she was resting. And they only manage to get worse. Her flow had changed as well. Spotting was normal during the early stages of pregnancy, but as far as she knew it was not meant to happen this late, and it wasn’t supposed to get heavier, either. But she had ignored it, assuming it was just her inexperience that made her wonder. It was likely normal, or just a harmless possibility that happened with a smaller number of women. Other possibilities never came to mind, and so she was not worried. This is why she never spoke to Raziel about it, or Cecil.

“Hello, love,” she greeted happily, taking the cup of tea obligingly. The lovely scent made her hum happily. “We are perfect,” Nelanna replied. She blew on the tea to cool it a little then took a small sip before looking back up at Cecil, “How are the plans going?”

He could hear the fatigue in her voice, but her happiness was evident as if it oozed from her. Cecil kissed her, having caught her hands as she reached for the cup. The fae then took a seat on a crate as he blew on his own tea, eyes glued to his beautiful wife. She was beginning to show, her belly slightly rounded. There was absolutely no better sight than to see a product of their love that was shaping into life within her.

Nelanna changed the topic to the plans of the nursery, something that she knew would make him either clam up with secrecy or become widely animated with excitement. He smiled mischievously at her. "The armoire is half-built and he's got a clear design as to the carved design. Joffery said that it'll be vines up the bark of a tree with bees and butterflies fluttering around. Well, more like resting upon a leaf or something. The chest will be designed to look like a hollowed-out tree trunk. He says he has a way to make the sides of the bed removable so that it may grow with the child. I'm guessing it means as the child grows more independent?" Cecil took a sip of his tea, barely tasting it as he swallowed.

"As for the painting, I'm still waiting for the batch of fresh paint to come in. It should be here tomorrow. When that happens, I'll start adding in the details. Can you imagine it, Nelanna? The shading and lighting, contouring just perfectly for the best picture. A music player in the corner softly playing, you and baby in the chair, rocking softly as you hum it to sleep…" He wondered if his mother was this excited for Jade's arrival to the world. Was Oberon as enthusiastic as he is? Whatever had happened to the man, it had no effect on Cecil and his hopeful anticipation of the near future.

As Cecil moved to take a seat on a crate, Nelanna took another sip from her tea and waited for him to reply. He began with a mischievous smile she knew all too well, and she grinned softly at the sight. It was a brief and welcoming reminder of their past, of all the times he made her heart flutter and knees weak with that smirk of his. And after all of this time, they are married and having a child, and it still had that same affect on her. He explained what their helper had in mind for their child’s furniture and, as usual, his words expertly painted a beautiful picture in her mind. She hummed in response and sipped from her tea once again, taking a moment afterwards to stare down at the dark liquid. “It sounds wonderful,” she whispered, half to herself, half to Cecil. A sudden cramp made her reply softer than usual in this sort of situation. But she raised her head and gave him a bright smile so that she would not make any face indicating she was in any pain.

Cecil went on. A brief update was given on the paint before he started giving her another image to imagine. She tried to think on it, glancing around the room to mentally picture everything as he described it. Her smile softened, eyes glinting with excitement for the future. She could see it all. The days she holds their baby in her arms and rocks them to sleep, and the nights when she remain by their crib so that they would be comforted by her and Cecil’s presence. The thing that warmed her heart the most was imagining their baby lying next to her and Cecil in their bed while they read them a bedtime story, before singing them a lullaby. Tears welled in her eyes as her emotions grew too strong to contain. Her dreams really were coming true. Every last one of them. But, as she tried to blink them away and take a deep breath, an intense pain suddenly struck her.

Nelanna screamed out and doubled over. Her cup of tea fell from her hands and shattered on the floor, the sound ringing through her ears. She wrapped her arms around her waist where the pain was the strongest, her face cringing tightly. The pain was piercing. She knew something wasn’t right, and considering its location…she began to fear the worst. “Cecil,” she groaned painfully, unable to even look up at him. “I need to see Raziel…now.”

Raziel answered her summons without hesitation, closing the portal behind her. The half-angel made her way into the home of the elf and her fae husband, Cecil pacing back and forth at the entrance waiting for her arrival. "Raziel!" He took her by the elbow and hastily dragged her through the house. His words were rushed and worried, the healer barely able to catch Nelanna screamed in pain. Upon entering the bedroom, Raziel stopped at the door. "Cecil, out." Despite his protests, she firmly pointed out the door, leaving no room for discussion.

When he left, Raziel firmly closed the door behind her and locked it. She turned to Nelanna with a gentle smile and began the examination of the crying mother to be. Raziel knew all too well what these symptoms meant and fought hard to save the fetus inside. No matter her efforts, the angel was unable to even reach the baby with her magic, as if there was some sort of magic ward blocking her. The angel wiped the sweat off her brow as she sat back in her chair, exhausted from her attempts as she was pressed for answers. "Nelanna… I'm sorry…" Before she could even finish the thought, Nelanna let out an anguished scream as her worst fears were realized. The baby would not survive.

She comforted Nelanna as best as she could before sedating the woman. Nelanna was too distraught and needed to calm down and rest while her body worked itself out. After making sure Nelanna was comfortable, Raziel slowly made her way to the door and opened it, knowing Cecil was already at the door which was closed behind her. "I'm not sure why, but I couldn't reach the child to save it. Something was blocking me. Cecil… I'm so sorry for your loss." She kept to herself that she believed the child was already dead within the mother's womb, that the pain was from the body trying to expel the remains.

Over the next week, Raziel stayed near the family, helping them with any moral support and aid she could provide. She personally saw to much of the mess. They held a very sad ceremony to bury the very small remains. To Raziel, knowing that this was their child, their grief was ten times worse than when she lost her mother. It was a loss she was still having difficulties accepting. This was going to be even harder for the Elindi's.