In lieu of reaching 700 followers, I finally wrote this down. This little image had been floating in my head ever since I finished Tower of Dawn and I’m glad I wrote it down at last. Sorry if the writing isn’t too great, it was a quick drabble.
The glimmering rays of the brazen sun streamed through the billowing curtains that concealed the windows, illuminating Josefin’s gold-bronze eyes. Yrene watched her 10 month old daughter crawl across the living room, occasionally stopping to pick up a toy or two and start playing. Chaol was holed up in the kitchen, cooking up lunch as Yrene kept an eye their child and went through some old books and scrolls on healing herbs. These days, she was too preoccupied taking care of baby Josie to get any reading and research done; the only thing she read in the past year were bedtime stories. Not that she minded, of course. She loved their little girl with everything she had.
Josie wasn’t really a part of their plan-at least not when they had her. A couple years after the war when Yrene and Chaol moved out of the Palace and into their own house nearby. During the housewarming, Yrene found out she was with child. She noticed symptoms for a few weeks beforehand but she knew for sure at the party. Needless to say she was surprised, given she thought she had been taking her tonic, but some careful reminiscing alerted her that she missed her dose a couple of times, resulting in an accidental pregnancy. Regardless, she was delighted for she believed they were ready and when she told Chaol of the news that night, her husband was ecstatic and in tears.
When she gave birth and saw the face of her little girl-tan skin, brown hair like her father’s and an eye colour that was a blend of both her parents, she burst into tears of happiness. She knew she’d never love anyone or anything more than this bundle in her arms. They decided to name her after Yrene’s mother and what she represented for them-Josefin Hope Westfall. The baby was well loved with doting parents and a King and Queen as her godparents. Dorian and Aelin didn’t even waste a single breath to say yes when they had asked and were overjoyed and honored at the prospect.
Watching her now brought all those memories back to the surface and as Yrene glanced at her daughter, she saw Josie was standing, her tiny hands placed on the golden couch for support and movement-the couch Chaol was insistent on bringing back from Antica. She had been doing this a lot recently, as was normal for a child her age but what Yrene didn’t expect was for her daughter to let go. She was about to rush towards her baby when she halted and noticed her balancing on her own and looking up at her mother with big, wide eyes and a slightly parted mouth.
And then she took a step towards her momma.
“CHAOL!” Yrene screamed for her husband. “CHAOL GET IN HERE. NOW!” she shrieked as she laughed in delight. Hearing loud footsteps, she heard Chaol rush towards her, concern masking his features. “What happened? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” he asked, worry filling his eyes and voice. “Yes”, she cried in joy, her eyes never leaving her baby. “Look! She’s walking. Chaol our baby is walking!”
At that, he turned around and looked at his precious daughter, shock and love filling his features as he also broke into a grin.
Noticing her euphoric parents, Josefin cracked a smile and took another step. And another, and as Yrene kept walking back and cooing, “Come here, darling. Come to mama. YES! Good girl”, the tiny human kept following her mother, with her father in tow.
“Yes, sweetheart. You’re doing wonderful”, Chaol called out to his daughter, encouraging her to go on.
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At long last, Josie finally trotted over to her parents and jumped to Chaol’s lap, flailing her arms around his neck and screaming “Papa!” as she burst into a fit of excited giggles. He kissed the top of her head over and over, eyes brimming with held-back tears. He felt Yrene fall to her knees beside him and hug them both, squealing in delight and smothering their daughter in kisses.
Amidst the laughter and tears, his baby’s first step took Chaol down memory lane and back to a time years before where he learned to walk again; to the day where it all began and he had kissed his wife after a long wait. Seemed like forever ago, that afternoon. And now here they were, with their own home and family and everything he could have ever wished for and more. He looked at his wife and caught her staring at him as if she was recalling the same thing. Chaol smiled at her, at the woman who had surpassed oceans and mountains and forests, who had healed him-body and soul; the woman who had the strongest will and heart and the woman who had stolen his own. He smiled wistfully at her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her close, placing a kiss on her forehead.
“Thank you, Yrene Towers.” he whispered. She raised her head from where it was resting on the crook of his neck and looked up, confusion lining her gaze. “For what?” she asked. Chaol placed his hand on the side of her face, tracing his thumb along her cheekbone and brought it to his own, kissing her lovingly. He broke the kiss to look into those eyes which at first glance made him think of sunshine-the eyes he’d never get tired of getting lost into. “For everything.”
#thanksvember 30! I really really love this fic. @runesandfaes did such a great job in so few words to show a really sweet moment between Chaol, Yrene and their daughter learning to walk. I love the parallel back to when Chaol was learning to walk and the cameo of the golden couch. So sweet.
