She recovered quickly from the birth, and soon was anxious to take their new daughter out to show her off to the neighbors. They were the last of the couples married, and had been the last of the couples to produce offspring. How Estrella had longed for a baby of her own when her friends would bring their little one's over to visit, it seemed hardly believable that her little girl was here.
Kyla grew fast, before Estrella knew it she was walking all over the place, and talking up a storm. She was as inquisitive about life as her mother had been, and as ornery as her father. The days of Estrella and Trae being inseparable were over now, Estrella frequently had to stay home with their little girl while Trae hunted, but she didn't mind, she loved every moment of being Kyla's mom.
Estrella was shocked when the news reached her, Kern was a widower, with two tiny babies left to raise alone. Duray had died a few days after giving Kern a daughter. Estrella traveled over to visit her brother as soon as she heard the news. He was devastated, he had loved Duray with his whole heart, and her sudden departure from life had left him shattered. Estrella stayed with him for a few days, helping with the baby and just giving her brother a shoulder to lean on.
Trae was amused by his Shelan's new love for visiting, of course her extended visit to Kern was completely understandable, but it seemed she was off visiting one of their neighbors now at least once a week. He couldn't blame her really though, he loved showing their little girl off as much as she did. It seemed the older Kyla got the more charming she became. He had seen that little girl turn the most macho of the warriors into babbling fools with her smiles and giggles. Any of the warriors would do just about anything to protect her and keep her happy.
"They found the Coven, but failed to eliminate any of them, they seem to be growing stronger, Torek was injured pretty bad in the fight, and we almost lost Gideon." Jareth sat with his wife over breakfast, he had returned home less then an hour before, and was exhausted from the journey and the battle, but he knew Celia anxiously awaited any news he had to share. "Maybe the old timers should retire and leave the battles to the young men. Marrok's youngest is growing into a fine warrior and soon it will be time to start training our own children."
Celia looked over at her husband, so primitive in so many ways, he still clung to many of his old customs, but for her he had gentled a lot. She remembered her wedding day now with just a shade of embarrassment, how doomed she had felt. That changed, not immediately, their wedding night had been brutal, and she was left feeling even more terrified of her husband after the event.
Time changed it though, when she gave him their son, then she saw how gentle he could be. Finally she gave him the chance her mother had begged her to give. They started talking really talking after that and he explained to her that he was only keeping with their ways, and she accepted a bit of roughness as she knew it pleased him, and though reluctant to admit it, she found she enjoyed just a bit of pain, but he never took it so far again. Watching him with their little daughter, melted her heart completely towards him, when he looked at her and held her, well as far as Celia was concerned he could walk on water!
"Perhaps we should call another meeting, before things get worse, is there any sign of them multiplying?" She knew he could smell how frightened she was, his nose was good for that, he knew how she was feeling often before she even knew.
"Nay my wife, as far as we could tell, and from Estrella's reports of her time in there, there are only males, so they can't multiply, not unless Moldak has a new trick up his sleeve. Not even Moldar himself can reproduce without a female!" It was their greatest fear, they would acquire a female and breed more of them, more of them when they weren't able to get a handle on the few that already plagued their island. "Seems they aren't doing much right now, which makes us all a bit jumpy, they are up to something, we just don't know what it is!"
" Estrella, are you sure Jareth shouldn't escort you home, it is awfully late." Estrella smiled at her friend, "Nay I have Moldar to protect us, we shall be just fine!"
He watched them from afar, her carrying the girl child..the child held their future in her and he had been given the privilege of making sure she fulfilled the destiny his master had planned for her. His master wouldn't be kept weak for long, already his feeding from their time with the child's mother had strengthened him, now it was just a matter of time before he would be as strong as he was in the before and as he strengthened so would they. The shadowy figured passed quickly out of sight, for now he had other matters he had to attend to immediately.
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