Damien did his best ignoring his sickness, but it still refused to go away. And then Anna fell ill as well and he grew even more worried.

They had barely established any kind of domestic routine and Damien would never describe either of them as housebuilding types, but now everything was falling apart. Anna was so exhausted she nearly burned the whole house when cooking dinner and Damien was not strong enough to let her stay in bed all day.

Still, when Alysanne came for a visit, Damien did his best to summon up his cheerful self.
"I see your family's going to grow again. Or at least you are. Anyway, congratulations, dear sister!"
"Thanks?" Alysanne smiled, but she could see something was off about Damien.

Still, she let him lead her to his pregnant wife and did her best to try to find a topic for conversation. All her efforts however failed. Anna didn't care to dream about their babies, talk about books or art, or anything else Alysanne could think of.
After a few more tried she gave up and settled for listening to the other woman complain about her pregnancy. "If I knew I would feel tired all the time, I would have done something. And my feet hurt and I can't even sleep with my husband!"
"It will pass... I speak from experience." Alysanne didn't add that taking care of a newborn didn't generally make one less tired. In her mind having a child was worth every worry and every moment of broken sleep.

Anna was still talking when they entered Damien's house, but suddenly Alysanne's attention was turned away from her list of woes.
She had previously thought Damien had looked rather pale and tired, but the coughing fit she saw looked much worse than she had imagined. There was something about it that brought before her eyes the image of her mother she barely remembered and for a few moments Alysanne could only stare in shock.
But this was not then. She was not a helpless baby any more. She forced herself to breathe in and out, to swallow the panic building up in her, and think clearly.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
On a second thought, they had both looked pale and tired. Anna had been so lively and shining at her wedding that Alysanne couldn't imagine pregnancy alone could change her so much.
But what was more important, she remembered an old recipe that might help.

"A soup?" Damien repeated. "How would that help?"
"It is supposed to give people strength needed to recover. Something about the herbs in it, I never really understood that part, but according to my grandmother it should work. It could help you." Alysanne tried to not really listen to herself. She knew how stupid it would sound, but she couldn't lose her enthusiasm now.
"Grandmother? I didn't know you had a grandmother..."
This threw Alysanne of her track and she stared at Damien for a few seconds. "Of course I... I mean... I found some notes written by our father's mother. She was supposed to be quite a healer. And there was this recipe..."

Alysanne's voice trailed off and left a silent question hanging in the air. But by then Damien had caught up with his own mouth.
"We'll try anything that has a chance of working. Me and Anna."
He glanced at his wife, who was by then lying in bed, her breathing rather strained. He didn't care if this mythical grandmother was supposed to be a magician or half-dragon, if her recipe was a soup or an amulet. Any chance was better than what he had and he would be a fool to refuse the offer.
"Thank you." He said and embraced his sister.

They came the next day, Damien grim but holding tight to the hope, Anna just trusting her husband and not caring for much else.

Alysanne was more worried than she tried to let on. For all her pretended faith, she had never tried the recipe before. She didn't know for sure it would do anything, or even if she was preparing it correctly.
Still, she did her best to smile.
"What was this grandmother of yours like?"
Delia had been glued to her mother and full of questions ever since Alysanne came up with the idea. She had grown up with the knowledge that her only relations in the world were the Lorimers and that it would be best not to mention this to them. She had heard hints of the history between her grandfather and Liam Lorimer, but she had no idea where her grandfather had originally come from. Any hope that there might actually be more family fascinated her.
Alysanne shrugged her shoulders. "There wasn't much in the notes. Quite a lot of it was about magic and some mental exercises I don't understand. And the rest was about politics and hideouts."

She was spared more questions when Damien and Anna arrived.
The family meal was mostly silent. Alysanne was still trying not to appear too nervous, Anna wolfed down the soup as if she was starving and even Delia was looking down into her bowl, swallowing most of her questions. The two men tried to keep some conversation going, but the air was too full of tension and expectation for it to last.

"Do you feel any better?" As her brother was preparing to leave, Alysanne could no longer hold the question.
Damien hesitated for a moment. He didn't feel any change as yet, but at the same time he didn't want to give up his hope just yet.
"It was delicious, anyway." Anna said and Damien added a smile and hugged his sister.
"Thank you." He said instead of any other answer.

The next few days proved his hope had not been misplaced.
The illness vanished and Damien was delighted to watch how Anna begun to bloom again. Her growing belly might have slowed her down and sapped her energy, but it was great to see her smile again.
Life was once again turning good.

It didn't take long and Anna went into labour.
Damien could only watch as she shrieked in pain and all his calming words sounded completely lame when confronted with reality. Anna was cursing all men and their uselessness, screaming for Damien to bring help, but he didn't really know where to find it or dare leave her alone.

And then it was over. The whole affair only lasted a few hours, but to Damien it felt like forever. Still, what was important was that Anna was safe, if exhausted, and holding a healthy baby boy.
"Who's my big man?" Anna cooed to the baby, still filled with whatever it was that helped her through her ordeal. "Will you grow up as handsome as your daddy?"
The mention of the baby's father reminded Damien of the dilemma that surrounded their wedding. The baby boy was tiny and Damien couldn't distinguish any features that would point to either him or Adrian, but he showed promise to have fair hair. Did that mean Adrian had been right?
Damien bit his lip, surprised at his own disappointment. It wasn't like he ever wanted a child.

Before he could sort out his thoughts, however, Anna's expression changed. Her giddiness drained away from her face and then she looked simply exhausted, holding the little baby as something foreign and awfully heavy.
There would be time to understand everything later. For now the baby was washed and placed in a crib and his parents returned to their bed to catch at least some sleep.

Delia's next birthday was completely different from the last one. There was a cake again, but this time both of her parents' smiles were genuine and the air joyful rather than tense. When she blew out the candles, she wished it would stay so forever.
There were more reasons to be excited, however. Delia has been looking forward to her birthday for weeks, making elaborate plans for what she would do with her new independence. She couldn't wait to walk into the big word without one of her parents to protect her like a baby.

When she asked permission to go to the village, Tomas was more than happy to give it to her. Alysanne tried to say something about safety, but then she was reminded of her own independence at Delia's age and could say nothing more.
"At least we have more time for each other" Tomas smiled as he pulled Alysanne towards him for a kiss.

They ended up in bed, both excited and nervous like when they were children. "Aren't we...?" Alysanne tried to say but her husband silenced her with another kiss.
They embraced and for a moment forgot about everything else.

Delia meanwhile was looking for romance of her own.
"So you live in the woods? There are all kinds of creatures when you go deep enough, have you ever seen any? Because I'm sure I've glimpsed a centaur a few times."
"Really?" Delia couldn't believe her luck. Here there was someone who not only didn't ridicule her for where she came from, but was willing to share stories with her. And was he telling the truth?

"Could you show me the place?" She asked. "I mean, if you do, I can show you my secret spots and... wouldn't it be fun?"
"I don't know. Wouldn't you be afraid? I'm sure it was deeper than you have ever been in your life." The boy frowned, but Delia could see hints of a smile underneath. Still, was he making fun of her?
"Why should I, with you as my guide and protector" She stopped short of "Or are you afraid you couldn't protect me?" and instead tried a smile. She was doing her best to look and act grown up and desperately hoped she was pretty enough.

"Why not. If you aren't asking only to run off with one of the centaurs?" He grinned.
"I'm..." Delia blushed and struggled for words, before he put his hands on her shoulders.
"I'm just joking, kid."
As she was looking into his eyes, Delia couldn't believe her luck.

"You have grown!" Father Alvin was beaming at her like a proud uncle - which Delia supposed he was. Kind of. When he and mother were allowed to meet. It was the rumours from many years ago that made her unsure what to reply, despite seeing him all the time during her lessons.
"Thank you?" She tried eventually.

It didn't take long until most of her unease was lost, though, and soon the two were lost in conversation. Lost so much, that they didn't notice other visitors walking up to the house.

Father Lorentz had originally just been nearby, checking in on his flock together with Sister Miriel from the convent and discreetly checking for information about Kaella and her expected child, when he noticed which house he was passing by. Just the place that he ought to check thoroughly, to make sure nothing untoward was happening there...
Alysanne greeted them as respectfully as he could have expected, apologising that her husband was working and inviting them inside. Lorentz noticed a hint of fear in her face and smiled.
And then he saw her lover, talking animatedly with the child.
He didn't know whether it was the proof that she had not changed, despite all the time and all her promises, or the lingering image of Kaella that sent him to blind rage. He only knew that suddenly he was on top of her, yelling accusations and slapping the surprised woman violently.
Sister Miriel gasped and covered her eyes, too shocked to do anything or even cry for help.

Lorentz woke up only when Alysanne wrestled him down, her face triumphant for a few seconds before fear returned to it.
"It's... not true." She gasped. "I'm innocent, I haven't even spoken to Alvin today, in Watcher's name!"

"She hasn't. Leave her alone. Leave both of us alone!" Alvin added, suddenly right next to Lorentz and looking read to launch himself at him. The priest involuntarily drew back. They were sinners and liars, both of them, but was losing his will to fight. At least with his fists.

He looked around, saw Miriel gone and was just trying to think of a way to retreat with honour, when Tomas, the husband who had until now been "working", approached him.
"Please forgive us. I am sure this has been a great misunderstanding. I assure you I have been watching my wife carefully to make sure her offence is not repeated."
Alysanne frowned from behind his back, but she bit her lip. She knew how close she was to punishment for assaulting a priest, as well as that her husband was only trying to help. She silently cursed both Lorentz and herself for fighting back.
"You continue watching her. Remind her who's in change here." The priest spoke with an ugly smirk, but retreated fast enough for everyone else to collectively breathe out in relief.

"This is all your fault!"
Alvin's relief was shattered when Tomas exploded at him.
"Haven't we been through enough? My family deserves some peace, some good fortune for a change, and you turn up and stir everything up again. Leave us alone!"
"I..." Alvin wanted to say he was only passing by and wanted to say hello, but the other man's glare made think again. Tomas looked angry enough to attack him on the spot. "...I will."
He left quickly, hoping Alysanne would be safe.

A few quiet days passed. Alysanne kept jumping at every shadow, expecting her punishment any given moment. But when the news finally came, it was surprisingly good.
Father Lorentz was called away to reflect on his faith, and Alvin told her that it actually meant long penance without any of the comfort he was so used to.

Alvin took obvious pleasure in describing his and Miriel's testimony and how shocked and outraged Lorentz had been and imagining all the hardships awaiting him now.
His enthusiasm was making Alysanne feel a little guilty and mumbled something about being sorry for Lorentz, but she couldn't deny she was relieved - relieved she might not be punished after all and maybe even not have to see Lorentz glaring at her for some time.

Still, the nagging feeling of guilt didn't completely disappear. She couldn't stop replaying her latest interactions with Lorentz as well as her original transgressions, at the same time trying to assure herself she had done nothing to provoke the fight and feeling she did deserve at least some punishment.
When she found out she was pregnant again, she couldn't take it anymore. What if it was her fault and her unborn child would suffer for it? She donated as much money as her family could spare to the poor and prayed hard for the Watcher to forgive both her and Lorentz and to bring them all the much needed peace.