Hethurin’s Notes

• Things have been crazy at the school lately. At least, for me they are, and today was especially bad. I’m trying to keep things as normal as possible for the students. Lilithel had to go to the clinic in town last week, and she’s been staying there since. Tik has asked to leave early every day to go see her. He could have asked for the days off and I would have still said yes.
• He insists he needs to be here at least part of the time. I told him that was fine before the baby is born, but a new father needs some time off. Babies are a lot of work.
• Especially Galandil, and unfortunately, I can’t take time off. I’m kind of glad he isn’t twins. We would have taken twins if they had them, but I think we’ll have to talk about it more before adopting more in the future. Galandil’s first weeks were frustrating. I thought I was doing something wrong with him. He wouldn’t stop crying. I thought maybe he hated us for some reason. I guess it’s silly to think a baby would hate anyone, especially the people taking care of him. It wasn’t hard to believe at the time though. He cried every minute he was awake. Sometimes it was just constant screaming. I’ve never heard a baby cry like that before. Narise hardly ever cried when she was so little, and when she did, it was just a little cry to get our attention. She would stop crying when she got what she was looking for. Galandil didn’t, and it was so intense. I knew something was wrong.
• Lani and Esladra couldn’t find anything wrong with him at first. Finally, Terellion took him to see them again because I think they were getting tired of seeing me, and Lani suggested it could be his milk. He did lose a little more weight than what is normal before they start gaining. She also said it could be his mother was addicted to something and he got addicted too, before he was born. I hoped it wasn’t that, and I think it wasn’t. Lin has been giving us milk, and we’ve cut goat’s milk out of his diet for now. He seems to cry less now, but still more than Narise ever did.
• We do have a new hire, Irael’s mother has come from the city to work here. I’m very happy to be able to offer her a job, and I will make sure she has her own place built in the spring, which will be soon. Unfortunately, I think I would have to hire five people to do all the work that Tik and Lilithel both do. Terellion helps take care of the animals and I’m the one making sure the stable is clean. I’m also helping with supper, and washing the dishes afterwards. For now, Irael’s mother is doing the laundry. Tik was able to show her some of the other things that need to be done before today.
• Oh today, it was the worst of the worst.
• First thing this morning was a knock on our door. It was the Confessor, who had come to get Tik. Lilithel was in labor. So I offered both of them a portal back to the clinic.
• I stayed there for a bit. I guess not a lot was happening yet, so I talked to Lani for a while. I told her that Galandil was doing a bit better, and that Lilithel had already agreed to give us milk too, so we won’t have to worry about running out. We were discussing how much he still cries when there was a knock on her door.
• It was a messenger from Silvermoon. I thought it was just regular mail until after she opened it, gasped and started crying.
• The camp that our father was working at was hit by an infernal. As none of the structures were permanent, just tents and stuff, an infernal landing on them is a really bad thing. The message said that he was injured and had been taken to Dalaran. There, he was awaiting transfer to Silvermoon. It mentioned his condition was serious.
• So after I read the note, I looked at Lani and I knew. She didn’t have to ask or say anything. I just said, ‘I’ll go get him’ and then I teleported to Dalaran.
• I have to admit that going there after what happened a few years ago felt strange. I wasn’t there when it happened, but I have friends who were. But today I was on a mission. I had to find my father and get him transferred to the best care available, Lani’s clinic.
• I realized at some point that I had neglected to tell Terellion that I was running off to Dalaran, but I figured there wasn’t really time to go back and tell him, besides, who would take care of Malwen, Narise and Galandil if both of us came here? At least Lani knew where I was, so it wasn’t like I had completely disappeared without telling anyone. I kept looking for my father.
• I found him in one of the clinics. Things weren’t good. The healer taking care of him, I’m not even sure he was really a healer, maybe he was in training. Anyway, he was confused because I was there to get him. This was after I said I was Sanimir Lightmist and I was there to see my father, Isturon Lightmist. I didn’t want anyone giving me trouble over the fact our last names are different, so I just used my old name, just for him, and I still got questioned. I had to explain that he would get proper care, which was more than what they were doing, and that I was a mage and I didn’t have to wait days for one to show up and make a portal. Of course, my father was sedated, so I couldn’t just ask him to verify everything I was saying. Then they wanted paperwork done to prove a healer was there to care for him, but finally they let me make the portal and take him back to the clinic in the Ghostlands.
• It wasn’t until I stepped through my portal back to Tranquillien that I thought about Keyalenn. His mother had been working at the same camp as my father. I made note of it, and filed it away to deal with later as I had to deal with Lani first.
• She wanted to know what took me so long, then before I could even answer, she started asking me to get things. My father’s recipe for burn ointment is best made fresh and used right away. So when she started asking for the ingredients for it, I just got them. With that ointment and her healing, hopefully things will be okay.
• About five minutes later, as I was helping her mix the ointment, I heard a baby cry from the other room. Lani left the room to check if Esladra had everything under control, and I guess she did because she came back fairly quickly. She told me it was a baby boy.
• I finished helping her and left her to do her healing thing, while promising to come back later to visit and see how he was. Before I left, she asked me to let our siblings know. I said yes, but I wanted to scream no when it comes to one of them.
• I decided that I would tell Nessna first. She was upset, but I told her that he was in town and that Lani was taking care of him.
• Then I went to Vallindra’s place. I didn’t want to, but I did, for Lani and for my father. Vallindra invited me in, but there’s no way I’m going into her home. I told her what had happened while standing on her doorstep, ready to blink away at the slightest hint of trouble. She didn’t seem bothered by the news, but said she’d go visit the clinic because she hadn’t been feeling well lately anyways.
• And I don’t like the bear people, but then I teleported there. No one could find Ara and I couldn’t stand around and wait all day so I left a message for her to let her know that our father had been injured and was at the clinic in the Ghostlands. I also let her know she’s welcome to stay at the school, if she wants to visit.
• Then I teleported back to the estate, but not to the school. I was just outside of Keyalenn’s house. I knocked, and told him what had happened, but I didn’t know what happened with his mother. He just kind of looked at me and shook his head like he was in shock at the news. I told him he should check with his father to see if any messages about her arrived in Silvermoon, and that if she needed care, Lani is one of the best. Then when he still just stood there and shook his head, I made the portal for him and urged him to go find out for sure what had happened. He went. Loralinde followed.
• I did go back to the school after that. I let Terellion know what had happened, and that I wanted to come tell him, but everything kept happening, and then I finally cried. However, chores were waiting, so I wiped my eyes and got to work. It doesn’t matter what happens. The chickens still need to be fed, and the hawkstriders still need to be cared for. I’m just glad it’s a weekend. I would have felt bad dumping all my classes on Des for a day.
• After everything was done, I went back to the clinic to see how everything was. My father was still asleep. Lilithel’s baby is healthy. Oh, and Vallindra is pregnant, according to gossip I wasn’t supposed to hear and Lani will beat my ears if I say anything to anyone.
• Before going home to help make supper, I went to Silvermoon and knocked on the Goldbrand’s estate door. Their butler answered, and even he looked upset. He knew who I was though and told me that Keyalenn’s mother was one of the ones who didn’t make it. I thanked him for letting me know and asked him to pass on my condolences.
• Now I’m just sad and I want to cry again, but it’s time to cook.

The Clinic

Tik breathed a quiet sigh of relief when Esladra finally let him in to see Lilithel. He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened, and no one made any effort to explain anything while he was waiting. He didn’t even know Lilithel had gone to the clinic in town until Magister Fairsong had informed him that she had asked for a portal, and asked for a message to be passed on to Tik to join her there. The Magister had about as much clue as Tik did, and he was dealing with his own crying baby. Rather than make him wait, and ask more questions, Tik quickly explained the lunch he was making to Terellion and Menissa, and took the portal that the Magister offered.

Things weren’t any clearer in town when he arrived. Lilithel was nowhere to be seen. Lani, Esladra and Isandri all seemed busy. They told him to sit and wait. So he did. He hoped each time one of them passed that they would explain something. Was everything okay? Was she having the baby now? But no one said anything. Even when Esladra came to the waiting room and told him that he could come in to see Lilithel now, nothing was explained to say what had happened.

Looking around the room, Tik saw no baby yet, and Lilithel definitely looked like she was still very pregnant. She lay on her side in the bed and offered him a tired smile.
He sat in the chair next to the bed and took her hand. “I was worried. No one told me what happened. Is everything okay?”

Lilithel nodded. “It is now. I was mucking out the stalls in the stable and had some pain, along with some faintness. Esladra says I need to spend the rest of the pregnancy here at the clinic and in bed. But I’m also slightly overdue, so thankfully, I don’t think I’ll be stuck here long.”

Tik frowned slightly. He had asked her to let the Magister find someone else to do the work in the stable with the animals, but she had refused. He had even offered to do it himself, but she had resorted to threatening to kick his ass if he even tried. Of course, pointing that out now wouldn’t help anything. “I’m just glad you’re both okay. No one told me anything about what was going on.”

“I’m not sure they know.”

“Are you feeling okay now?”

Lilithel nodded again. “The pain is gone. Lani thinks it was gas, but that wouldn’t explain why I almost fainted. Esladra wants me here just in case. Isandri and Esladra are going to be taking care of me this evening while Lani naps. She’s going to be making sure everything is okay at night.”

Tik frowned again. He was tempted to ask if he could stay as well, but Lilithel would say no to that, wouldn’t she? He supposed there was only one sure way to know. “Perhaps I could stay as well.”

Lilithel raised a brow. “And who will take the Magister his tea in the morning?”

“I suppose Terellion can do that.”

“And I suppose he’s going to make breakfast for everyone, start making lunch, clean, restock the reagents in the practice rooms, do laundry, take care of the garden, feed the hawkstriders and dragonhawks, muck out the stalls that I didn’t finish, and do everything else that you and I both do as well as the things he normally does?”

Tik nodded. She was right. There was too much work to expect Terellion to do it all. In fact, he was already worried that there would be no supper, only cake, at the school tonight because he wasn’t there to make it.

“You’re already thinking about all the things that could go horribly wrong without you there, aren’t you?” Lilithel grinned.

“You know me too well.”

“Go home tonight. Take care of them tomorrow. I’ll be fine here. Lani, Esladra and Isandri will take care of me, and I know they’ll send someone for you if there’s anything. Come visit during the evening, after supper. Maybe you can get someone to help with the dishes to make it faster.” Lilithel smiled.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

She nodded.

“Okay, but I do insist on staying a while longer before I go back. I spent all afternoon worried that something was wrong.”

Lilithel smiled and reached over to take his hand. “I’ll allow it.”

Orledin’s Ranger Log

I asked for another night off. The Captain gave me a look like he wasn’t sure, but then he said yes. He didn’t ask why, which I guess is good, but I have a feeling that if I ask for another night too soon, he will. I don’t know if he’ll accept ‘Trying to get a boyfriend’ as a valid excuse for missing patrol.

That said, I might be asking for a night off again anyway. There’s something else I want to do depending how everything goes.

I got Leinath flowers. That weird night elf death knight with a living wife and kid said he killed orcs for for her. Four of them! I’m not sure I could take four orcs at once. I’m also not sure Leinath would like that, like ‘hey guy, I brought you some orc heads.’ I don’t think that’ll work. So anyway, I got him flowers.

They’re not just flowers. Well, some of them are, but they’re small and just to make the bouquet look really nice. They’re a special flower from the Broken Isles. They’re shaped a bit like tulips, but they’re orange with a bit of white sticking up out of the center, making them look like fox tails.

I hope he likes flowers, and isn’t allergic to flower pollen or anything.

None of this was recommended by the night elf. I spoke to his wife, or mate as he calls her, for a bit too. She seemed wary of me at first, and acted like I didn’t belong in the grove. I don’t know, if one death knight is there, why can’t another visit? Maybe it’s because I’m a blood elf, but then there were a bunch of tauren there, and sin’dorei are better than tauren. Elves don’t poop in bushes or snort through snouts.

It might have been because I wasn’t a druid, and they don’t allow bakers there, or something weird.
The one I went to see calls himself a druid, so I respected that. I think that might have been what convinced her to talk to me. She didn’t say to give Leinath flowers though, so I don’t know. I hope he’ll like them.

He’s been helping me in the kitchen with the baking lately. It’s really nice having him there. I’ll give him the flowers when he comes to help tonight.