A Celebration to Remember

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 31st January 2020

Characters: Erivana, K'yne, Jadirah, Tarley
Description: Turns End celebrations are interrupted when Erivana goes into labor.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 13, day 28 of Turn 9

K'yne

**********

Erivana hadn't minded when K'yne said he was going to visit family for Turn's End and Beginning celebrations. She had reassured him that she was happy to attend the Dragonsfall ones on her own. After all, their baby wasn't due for a few more sevendays, and her mother was here at the Weyr, while K'yne's family was farther away. He ought to have the chance to go spend it with them.

Her plans for the evening had been to attend the feast and then sit around socializing. She felt far too ungainly and off-balance to dance, she knew she wasn't to drink alcohol. But drinking juice and catching up with friends and clutchmates, especially any friends visiting from other Weyrs, sounded like an amazing way to spend the night.

The feast had been delicious, even if she'd felt a pressure in her belly that had stopped her from eating too much. She had fun watching others whirl by as the dancing began, laughing and joyous. Her mouth was dry, so she'd just left a table with Tarley and her siblings and was making her way to the drinks when a sudden pang struck her. She had to stop, press a hand against her back, and whimper.

It seemed to take forever to make it to the table, and there were more feelings of cramping. She got there and took a glass of water, not juice. Then she had to lean against the wall as she felt a more intense pressure.

}:Mine?:{ Seryth asked her, concern radiating in her mindvoice.

**Just a twinge,** Erivana tried to reassure her lifemate. But then, as she was halfway through her glass, she felt another one, strong enough to make her gasp and press both hands to her belly.

}:Arinoth? My rider is unwell!:{ Seryth called, reaching out for the brown dragon who she lived with. His rider was with her rider. Surely he could help. But she couldn't reach him.

The glass dropped from Erivana's hand and hit the ground, shattering and spraying water. Some hit her legs, joining another trickle. But she didn't notice, her mind occupied by the sensation and Seryth's overwhelming spike of concern at her rider's pain and not being able to reach the brown.

This agitated the green, who lifted her head, lashing her tail, her eyes beginning to whirl a rapid yellow. }:Arinoth? ARINOTH!:{ she yelled louder, her agitation palpable to any dragon or rider who could see her, her mindvoice frantic.

Chioneth's attention was immediately caught by the distress of the young green. }:Seryth,:{ the senior queen used the calming force of her authority as she spoke. }:What is the matter? Arinoth is at Far Island.:{

The gold dragon's mindvoice helped calm Seryth enough she could explain. }:My rider is in pain and she needs Arinoth's rider.:{

}:I will contact Arinoth and a healer from the infirmary.:{ Chioneth told her, even as she directed her attention toward Far Island Weyr.

Inside the Dining Cavern, Tarley was at Erivana's side. "Are you okay? Is the baby coming?" she asked, grabbing her friends arm to support her.

"I don't know. I don't know," she wailed aloud to Tarley. "There's cramping, and. Oh, I dropped the glass." She looked embarrassed.

"Don't worry about the glass. Come on, let's get you to the infirmary." Tarley assured her, even as some drudges were already making their way over to work on the mess in the floor.

"Okay," she murmured, clinging on. "I need Master Jadirah, she said she'd be here for me when the babe comes."

--

}:K'yne.:{ Arinoth's voice rang in his voice. The brownrider was sitting in the midst of his family, Kaibren playing with the cousins he so rarely got to see, but all of the laughter and talked died away the moment he felt the summons from his dragon.

**What is it?** he asked.

}:Chioneth is calling us back to Dragonsfall. Seryth's is going to the infirmary.:{

K'yne had risen to his feet in the middle of Arinoth talking. Conversation died away as they all looked up at his sudden movement.

"What's the matter?" Emyai asked.

"It's Erivana. Arinoth says they're taking her to the infirmary." K'yne looked down at Kaibren.

"Don't worry about him, I'll take him back to Saibra once we're done here." K'yne's sister assured him, waving her hand at him. "Go see to Erivana."

K'yne looked at his sister with gratitude before clapping his dad on the shoulder and then dropping a kiss to his mother's forehead. The brownrider jogged out to Arinoth, vaulted to his neckridge and was still shoving his fingers into gloves as Arinoth leaped to the skies.

--

Tarley had helped Erivana to the infirmary. Within a few minutes, Jadirah appeared from behind them, clearly having been rounded up from the festivities. She smiled at Tarley. "Thank you for bringing her in, dear. Do you want to go back to the feast and dancing? She'll be fine with me, I promise."

She turned to Erivana. "I'm going to change in the back and get you examined. It's a bit early for your labor, but sometimes these things happen. I know there's pressure from the contractions. How's Seryth holding up? Are you telling her you're okay?"

Erivana nodded meekly, reaching out to her green, who was still being leaned on by Chioneth. "She wants Arinoth but Chioneth is listening too."

"A very good sign," the Master Healer promised, before sweeping her back to an exam room.

Tarley felt horrible just leaving Erivana, and stayed with her until K'yne showed up, his cheeks flushed from the wind, blond hair slightly askew.

"I came as soon as I heard," K'yne said as he came into the room and straight to Erivana's side. "Is everything okay?"

Jadirah had left Erivana and Tarley to changed into Healer clothes from the back. She had been off shift tonight to enjoy herself for Turn's End but she'd also promised to be Erivana's personal Healer for this, so duty came before fun for her.

Erivana had swallowed her pride and let Tarley change her. "I'm having our baby," she said to K'yne, looking paler and nervous. "It's early."

"It's not bad," Jadirah told them both, keeping a calm tone.

The baby? Already? K'yne thought with panic. He hadn't even convinced Erivana to stay with him, permanently, what if she left after the six seven days it took to heal?

"You heard Jadirah, the babe will be fine. You can do this, Erivana," K'yne said, taking her hand.

Erivana breathed in and out and squeezed his hands. "Walk me through this," she begged to him and Jadirah both.

Time passed. She got water. They were both checked. The contractions became closer. Jadirah encouraged K'yne to walk her back and forth for a bit, and Erivana agreed.

It was during that that she squeezed his hand after a bad one, and went back to names. "So Keriv for a boy? Do you still like that?"

"I think that it sounds perfect." It was a complimentary blend of both their names, he thought. The brownrider's shirt was unbuttoned at the throat, his sleeves rolled back as he walked with her, supporting her when she needed to endure another contraction.

"I just want to be _done_," she whined after a little longer, breathing in again and out again. "It hurts, it." She clung to his hand. "Tell me something. About your family. What you were doing at Turn's End."

"Well, we had just eaten and were sitting around, catching up, swapping stories. Kaibren and the other kids were playing. My parents asked about you. I think they would like to meet you." K'yne said as he massage a hand over her lower back.

"As long as you don't mind them coming here. I don't think - ah," stopped to breathe again. "I don't think I'm good to travel for a bit."

More time passed. She insisted on sitting down. Then she stood back up and began pacing again, clinging to K'yne. Occasionally she reflexively mumbled out, "I'm sorry," as she squeezed his hand extra hard.

Seryth pressed up against Arinoth on the ledge. She felt her rider's stress and pain, and her tail lashed. It helped that her mate was here. But she didn't like this at all. }:I never want my rider to have a hatchling again.:{

}:My rider and the healer are with her. I'm sure she will be fine.:{ After all, golds laid all kinds of eggs, didn't they? And his rider thought about Seryth's enough to be like a gold, so surely she could do it?

K'yne wrapped his arms around her as she stood. "Hold on to me," he said.

She clung to him for a bit until she became overwhelmed, asking a couple more questions about his family, greedy for anything he could tell her about his past and their history.

Then the pressure to push began to become unbearable. Jadirah had them go back and lie down while she checked the progress. "Erivana, you're almost there," she encouraged, walking her through.

The greenrider wailed, and breathed when she was gold, and pushed when she was told. She felt pain, pressure, overwhelming. She was dimly aware of grabbing K'yne's hand and squeezing. Of Seryth reaching out, clinging to her rider's mind, panicked but present all in one.

Jadirah took the baby, cleaned him off and patted until he screamed with good, solid lungs. "You have a boy," she told them both, offering the child to K'yne.

Later K'yne would never be able to describe the exact feelings that overcame him as the child was cleaned, wrapped, and then placed into his arms. **A son.** The words reverberated through his mind. A child was something he had wanted for Turns now, and to not only have one, but to have a boy to pass things down to... It was beyond words.

"You did it, Erivana," he said, bringing her the child and pressing a kiss to her sweat dampened forehead. The baby, who had been crying, quieted as he was settled close to his mother, taking in her calming scent that the baby inherently recognized. "And he knows his mama," K'yne smiled.

"Our son..." she reached out a hand to touch the head and blinked at him. "Ours."

Last updated on the February 2nd 2020

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A Celebration to Remember