May 30, 2010

In Which Alina Vows to Rest

February 18, 1167

"You know, I have to say," Honora sighed as she lowered her heavily pregnant form into the chair, "it seems to me that each time is a little more comfortable than the last. I was practically confined to bed for most of the time I was pregnant with Evaleith, and even with Had I was housebound, but this one's given me no trouble at all."

Of course, seeing as she was ready to burst any minute, Honora was certainly housebound now, but Alina chose not to point that out. "I think mine were a little more random. Searle was probably the worst; Jadin and Riona were both much more docile in the womb than they ever have been out."

"And what about this little one, hmmm?"

Well, so much for keeping that suspicion to herself until she started showing. After those two miscarriages, Alina didn't care to spread any news before she could be reasonably sure that the baby would make it, and she might not have even been late enough to ponder in the first place... but she couldn't deny that the way she'd been feeling for the past few weeks was pleasantly familiar. "And what little one might this be?"

"Oh, don't be coy with me!" her friend scolded with a laugh. "My God, Alina, if anyone can tell when she's pregnant, you can! Besides, I know it too--you're always so nauseatingly happy when you've got one on the way."

Was it really so obvious? No one had ever mentioned it before; with any luck, Honora alone had made this observation. Alina decided to pretend that she herself had not. "Am I?"

Honora nodded. "Seems to me, at any rate, even if you do seem a little wary this time. Besides, I was your maid for long enough to know that you have the most predictable of monthlies; if you think you might be pregnant, you probably are."

She was right; for almost twenty years now, it had come every twenty-four days to the precise hour in times when her womb rested empty. Still, she thought it might be wise to keep it between herself and Honora for the time being. Her friends and family had suffered a somber spell when they'd learned of the first miscarriage; she'd told only Severin, Raia, and Honora of the second pregnancy, and when she had lost that baby as well, the burden of secrecy had worn heavily on each of them.

"Well, could you keep it to yourself? The last thing I need is for the whole damn kingdom to know my business."

Honora sent her a smile that Alina supposed was meant to be reassuring. "It comes with the territory, your ladyship. Besides, you have to think positive; if you just relax and enjoy the next few months like you did with your last seven, I'm sure everything will be just fine."

Maybe she had a point; Alina's anxiety had certainly been much higher during the pregnancies she'd miscarried. Perhaps a little rest was all this baby needed. "You know, you could be right."

"Have you not learned by now? I'm always right."

Alina smirked; leave it to Honora to put a smile on her face. "Humble, aren't you?"

"Oh, enough about me!" her friend dismissed, attempting to bounce in her chair but held back by the mass of her bulge. "Since we're both in this state, we might as well talk about names. What are you thinking for yours?"

Names. Yes, there would be a baby to name--at least, providing this whole positive thinking thing worked. "Well... we're out of parents, so I suppose we have to finish up the grandparents now. I guess that leaves either Roderick, Conant, or Ovrean for a boy, and then Celina, Ramona, or Lileina for a girl."

Running a hand over her swollen stomach, Honora rolled her eyes. "Why do you nobles insist on milking the same twenty or so names for all they're worth? Have all the Searles taught you nothing?"

"The fact is that we're all horribly lazy," Alina admitted, prompting a grin from her friend. "Now, tell me--what are you going to be calling this one? It seems to me that you and Adonis have run out of parents as well."

Honora shook her head, her cinnamon hair flipping over her shoulder. "It's a surprise."

Unamused, Alina pouted. "I told you what I might name mine."

"Yes, but you gave me six possible names instead of just two," laughed Honora. "I have a pair names in mind, one for a boy and one for a girl--and, actually, Arydath thinks this one will be a boy, and we both know she's always right."

"If my memory serves correctly, this one feels more like a boy too," Alina stated, her eyes resting on her friend's stomach. "Perhaps they'll be playmates."

"That would be nice, although truth be told I'm still hoping that one of mine marries one of yours--you must admit that we'd have exceptionally pretty grandchildren."

A slight bit of nausea welling within her, Alina grimaced. "Honora, please! I'm still having babies; grandchildren are about the last thing I care to think about right now."

NEXT CHAPTER:

10 comments:

Van said...

Okay, I seriously have to get an Ashelia up tomorrow. I reeeeally don't want that damn sidebar to forever read that I only had one post in May 2010 :S Ugh, and I work tomorrow too... >:(

thewynd said...

Although I think Alina needs to give baby making a rest, I am actually hoping this one is ok. There is nothing like a friend to help you see things differently is there?

Don't feel bad about posting if you can't. At least it hasn't been 3-4 months...

*looks in mirror*

Van said...

Yeah, I think Alina needed this little chat. Sometimes, things make more sense when someone else says them, especially if it's someone you happen to care about.

Thanks Gayl :) I should manage to post it late tonight, though, since it's a very short chapter.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Alina, rest! Rest and stop worrying. Worrying will do you no good, and it probably won't help the baby either.

I like Honora, she always has very sensible advice. :) And like Gayl says, sometimes you just need a friend's point of view to help you straighten your head out. Good luck to Honora and her baby, too.

And don't worry about Ashelia. Everyone needs a break from time to time -- especially when they have lots of other stuff on their plate. :)

Penelope said...

You know, there has been a lot of focus on Alina and what is best for her (and Severin as well) as far as having more children is concerned but after a certain point, how good is it for the children? They are all probably competing for their parents' attention, for personal space, even for small things like the last dinner biscuit. It can get to be pretty cutthroat growing up with that number of siblings. And then, Alina's body ain't exactly what it used to be. This can (and probably will) be detrimental to the health of her subsequent children.

Heh, I don't know. Maybe I'm starting to project Siren onto Alina. There is nary a moment when Siren is at home that she doesn't hear, "Mom! Mom! MOOOMMMMYYYYYY!!!!" It's enough to drive anyone half crazy.

Van said...

Morgaine: Yeah, the worrying ain't about to do any good :(

Honora does have a good head on her shoulders (er, the whole fiasco with Evaleith aside), and it does help to get a friend's opinion on things--it can be rather inspiring :)

Heheh... I'm already worried about Ashelia :P (an hour and a half left in May! Holy shit!). But fortunately, I have a week off now :D

Pen: Yeah, it's not so great for the kids either, especially since most of those kids aren't exactly models of good behavior. Fortunately, they seem to be managing okay. None of the kids seems to have any real abandonment issues or space issues at this point. Raia and Jadin and even Searle are old enough so that they can leave on their own if they please, and Riona and Vera play well together. Viridis is the quiet one, but the others are usually pretty good about leaving her alone. Probably the only two who get into actual fights that require parental intervention are Lonriad and Searle, but I think even they're growing up a bit.

Alina's only thirty-one, but you're right, she's getting older (she had Raia when she was nineteen, and then little Vera was born when she was twenty-five). If she's having children at say, forty-seven... :S

So yeah, they're okay for now... but if the babies keep coming, I doubt it'll stay that way :S

Phoenix said...

Maybe it's just me but Alina's getting on my nerves. Reading about her and yet another baby makes me want to remove her ovaries. Constantly being pregnant and having little disregard for your husband's feelings on the subject just...yeah! Doesn't make me like her very much!

On the other hand...I hope that everything goes well with Honora and her pregnancy!:) It's good that she had someone to talk to though!

Van said...

Yeah, I can see how she might be getting a little tiresome, but I do feel for her. Pregnancy and postpartum hormones can wreak havoc on a woman's body and mind, and poor Alina's stuck in a time period where mental ailments are all dismissed as madness or hysteria. She's been under quite a bit of pressure to keep her cool in public, and I don't blame her for wanting the chance to make it a reality.

I will tell you that we are nearing the end of this storyline, but it might prove to be one of those "be careful what you wish for" sort of deals.

I can't say much about Honora and her pregnancy at this point, but we'll find out soon enough.

S.B. said...

I honestly feel for Alina. Everyone grabbing at her and demanding attention, there's no space for her to breathe. Too many little bits of her being swallowed by too many babies.

Van said...

Alina could definitely benefit from some alone time, I think. On the other hand, her thought patterns probably aren't the best sort to just be left alone with. Hmmm...