The Dance (Closed for moonlightlilly and I)

[Ravenloft]

Mouse's vanity was getting the better of him, as he was invited back to the underground coven once more. "Who am I to refuse?" He reasoned, smirking a little. It wasn't very often that he was fanned and fed fresh grapes by a slew of pretty women after all. It felt pretty nice actually. Until the shit hit the fan, that is. There was a sudden wave of energy that washed over, in and through the very land, all the magic that the bastard king had stolen came back in a snap. "Fuck! Izzy?! A little warning would have been nice!" The sudden shock of all that power going back to where it belonged so forcefully and so fast knocked every one of the women on their asses, literally. "Rebecca, Julianne, Lillianna, Maeridd, Tilda, are you all okay?" Mouse asked, having learned the five younger devotee's names. The all got up, helping each other, as they did, except Tilda, who naturally seemed to always keep her distance from the others.

They had once had their own individual gifts, much like the children that Izzy was discovering, they all were somehow just drawn to her, to Haven, it would seem. But in this land, because of the Kings greed for magic, all of that had been suppressed for years now. So when the wave of magic hit, their powers manifested far too wildly and they all started shedding years of energy that had not been allowed to be made manifest. Chaos ensued and Mouse was stuck in the middle of it. His hair got singed by Lilly, Becca put it out with her water, Julie tried to soak up the water with sand and Mae blew away the earth with her give. At least they had some fun with it, but Mouse was left looking a mess. Tilda just stood there, arms folded and glaring at him, or through him, disapprovingly. He had no idea what her gift was, and based on that look, he didn't want to.

The four elemental sisters all had a good laugh, but Tilda stormed out of the room. Mouse was the only one that seemed to have noticed how upset she appeared, so followed her. There was one other devotee, Phoebe, who was holding Tilda by her shoulders and trying to talk to her, seemingly to comfort her, just as Mouse was going to. "Matilda, please, don't go, you mustn't, you belong here, with us, we are your sisters and we love you, we do!" Phoebe pleaded with her, tears in her eyes."

"DON'T call me that! It's Tilda! I refuse to be addressed any other way!" Tilda shrieked, shaking Phoebe off of her, openly trembling. "You and YOUR sisters have never accepted me! Never!" Tilda advanced on Phoebe and pushed her against the cavern wall, it looked like she would claw at Phoebe's face. "No..." Phoebe pleaded again, her face streaked with tears.

Mouse rushed up to the two of them and grabbed Tilda's wrist with both hands. "Why don't we just all try to relax here? I have no idea what's... Ow! Hey!" Mouse's well intentioned intervention only served to draw Tilda's fury down upon him. He got scratched across his cheek for having come to assist Phoebe and calm Tilda. Phoebe gasped in horror and Tilda, once she realized what she had done took a step back in shock. They apparently still thought of him as some sort of godsend. "What have you done?!" Phoebe wailed between sobs, at her sister, trying desperately to throw herself upon Tilda before she could flee.

But it was too late, Tilda used her powers of the void to open the earthy wall behind her, creating a space out of time and this reality, into which she threw herself, to escape from them, and from judgement. Mouse was very confused, he didn't understand why Tilda had become so bitter so quickly, she had been quiet, but he had mistook that for shyness, which he understood all too well. Left with only a weeping Phoebe at his feet and more than just a little confusion, Mouse sat himself down next to her and offered Phoebe some comfort. "I'm really not sure what just happened, but I think we need to talk with the others, like now?" Mouse whispered, rubbing poor Phoebe's back as she continues to sob, accepting his comfort. Mouse reached up to touch his cheek and winced, the scratches burned, like, more than they should. "Izzy?" He sent to her. "I think we have a problem down here... In the coven... the shit just really hit the fan. We need you as soon as possible. I think we might need your help."

"Come on, hun, its going to be okay, lets just go back with your sisters, and figure this all out, okay?" Mouse urged Phoebe to get to her feet, and she did, but she clung to him tightly, a little too tightly. It agitated him a little bit, he had nothing against any of them, but ever since he'd fallen in love with Izabelle, there was a distinct line of comfort he was not prepared to cross any longer. "Okay... Lets... Just... Walk..." If it wasn't one confusion, it was another, she just needed someone to comfort her, something Mouse thought he could do for anyone, but this... It felt wrong. Then it struck him, realization. Her gift was like his, she was in her heart, like he had always been in his, and the anguish she felt in losing one of her sisters was a heavy burden to bear. His empathy for her was literally at war with his love for Izzy! Understanding that, he relaxed a little, just a little, not much, enough to get her to her sisters so that THEY could bring her into the circle of their love.

Through his link to Izzy, Mouse explained everything that had just happened in a flash. "All of a sudden, all of the Devotees just got all of their powers back and they really went overboard, I'm a bit of a mess, I got caught in the crossfire of all of their elemental powers, fire, water, earth, air as well as nothingness and love... Ugh! It's been one hell of a day for me, love, I hope it wasn't as bad for you... How soon can you get down here? I really need to hold you for a minute... I'm a little... Shaken. There's more, but I really think you need to hear it from them, not me..."

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Izzy was overwhelmed. She had her voice, and she could speak out loud. It was something she had always dreamed of being able to do, and now she could. “Thank you, my Lord. You honour me”. Where any other person might had expressed open feelings of joy, Izzy outwardly showed very little emotion.

“The honour is mine. Now, there is much to be done. If you will excuse me Lady Isabella, I am desperately in need of a bath”. King Pollard left the room followed by an army of councillors, servants and soldiers. King Alfred was rolled up in the rug he was laying on and carried unceremoniously out into the corridor.

Left to her own devises for a moment, Izzy sat on the edge of her bed and tried to catch her breath. Ordinarily the days adventures would have had no effect on her physically, but being so pregnant was starting to take its toll.

It was then she heard Mouse’s distress call. He sounded very flustered. The death of Alfred lifted the spell that had been draining other magical beings from their power, and with that lifted, there was a wave of renewed energy that swept across the land. People who were unaware of their magic suddenly had powers and those who had not touched their magic in decades had their magic restored. It was a huge change but one most would adapt to, with the help of their peers.

She told Mouse to meet her at the same tavern as last time, then grabbed her cloak and headed off. It seemed today’s adventures were not over after all.

“Oh Izzy, thank the goddess you are here, you must come at once, I don’t know how to deal with this”. Mouse was quite flustered, grabbing her hand and trying to drag her along.

Izzy puller her arm free. No one dragged her anywhere, no matter who they were. She put her hand out in front of her. “Mouse STOP. I am not budging until I have more information, now, take a breath and start at the beginning. What happened to your face? And your clothing? And your eyebrows?”.

Mouse was a little startled by her abruptness, taking a step back before it dawned on him. “You spoke. Out loud, not to my mind. You can talk! Izzy that amazing. How? When?”

“A gift from a grateful king, we can talk about it later. Now, show me where these women are. I will kill the one who hurt you first, or I can just kill them all together and get it over and done with”. Izzy was tired but she tried not to let it show.

“You don’t need to hurt them, they are good people, truly”.

The underground coven was joined to a system of catacombs that ran beneath the city. It was positioned at the pinnacle point where several lay lines crossed which explained why magic still worked there, albeit in a reduced capacity.

Mouse introduced Izzy to the sisters who where there and explained how the other sister had run off. The remaining women were bowing to Izzy, calling her goddess and offering all kinds of praise. Izzy had no tolerance for such behaviour, mostly because she wasn’t a goddess, and the other was because her feet were swelling, and her patience was running out.

“STOP!” the power of her voice shook trails of dirt loose from the walls. “I am not a goddess, and you will NOT worship me. You should fear me”.

She turned to Mouse and spoke with their minds. “You sure you don’t want me to kill them?”

“Hell no, I want you to help them”.

“Mouse, I am not the right person for this. Ask me to kill them, no problem, consider it done, but you are asking me to what? Give advice? To a bunch of women, I know nothing about”.

“You can help them Izzy, I know you can”.

“Where is the other one?”

“She was upset and took off. We are not sure where she went”. The sisters had finally calmed down and were waiting for some sage advise from her. She found a place to sit and look the sisters over. Each sister told her what their power was, and what happened when the spell was suddenly lifted. They also portrayed their concern for Tilda, the sister that ran off.

Izzy had always used her magic as a mater of instinct, very rarely had she consciously call upon it. She had no idea how to give advice here.

“Ok, let’s do this, find your missing sister and get ready to travel. Cassandra is the best one to help them. This kind of magic is out of my scope”.

“I was hoping you could help them, like you do with the kids back home”.

Izzy’s heart ached with the concern in his voice. He wanted to help everyone, but sometimes it wasn’t that simple. “This isn’t the same thing my love. The children at home already knew their powers. These are grown women, not children. I have seen their kind of magic before, but they have a lot of questions, and I don’t have the answers. Do you know if the other girl is coming back?”

One of the women stood before addressing Izzy, “She always comes back, but this time she was truly upset. And she has her full powers now. We don’t know what she will do. She is our sister and we love her dearly, but she has..umm..issues”.

Releasing a heavy sigh Izzy addressed them, “My advice, you make ready to sail with us back to Hallowgrave at noon tomorrow. There is a woman there who can help you much better than I can. I will find Tilda. Any ideas where she is likely to have gone?”

The women gave her a few suggestions, places Tilda liked to go sometimes, so Izzy thought it best to start there.

Turning to Mouse she wrapped her arms around him and clung tightly to him, just for a moment. “Get them ready to leave tomorrow. I have a few things I need to finish up at the palace, and find your runaway witch before she hurts herself, or someone else. I am sure the king wont mind loaning us a ship and some supplies. You have a big heart my love”. She kissed him gently then headed out of the tunnels.

Above ground didn’t smell any better than underground. That was something she would never miss. Through the stench and chaos, Lock was still able to follow Tilda’s scent, following it to a rocky outcrop at the far end of the city that overlooked the sea. She watched her for a moment before making her presence known. This young woman wasn’t just angry, she was hurting. There were times when Izzy was grateful that she didn’t share the same intense emotions that most people did. It made life a lot less complicated.

“I think you found the only corner of the city that isn’t basted in manure”. Izzy found a rock close by and took a seat.

The young woman glanced at her over her shoulder, “The sea always calms me, makes me see how small we are in such a big world”.

“It is a big world, but it would be a great deal smaller if we weren’t a part of it. I plan to take your sisters with me when we leave tomorrow. I would very much like it if you would come as well”.

“My sisters?” this time she turned completely and looked at Izzy. “My Lady, I am sorry I didn’t recognize you. I was…”

 

[Moonlightlilly]

“Deep in your own thoughts? I get that. I also get that you feel out of place in this world and have no idea what your part to play is. If only life came with instructions. Fortunately, where I live, there is a woman who has answers and can help you find your path, but you and your sisters must come together. You are part of one magic, and it will take all of you to learn how to use it without causing harm to yourselves or others”.

Tilda turned away, hurt and anger still threatening to spill from her eyes. “Why would you want to help me? I’m no body. Even my sisters don’t like me”.

Izzy sighed. She really wasn’t very good with people and their emotions. “Actually, it was your sisters that told me where to find you. They are quite concerned about you. I understand the feelings of being an outsider and not fitting in, I have been there my whole life, but sometimes you still need to be there anyway. If it helps, I can teach you how to keep your emotions in check rather then letting them dominate your actions. Running away upset never solved anything”. She stood and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Your sisters are packing to leave. Will you join them?”

Tilda wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “I will go and gather my things shortly”.

“Very well, I have matters I need to attend to before we go, please tell Mouse I will return in the morning and meet him at the ship”.

With Alfred dead and King Pollard back on the throne, magic and life began seeping back into the land. By the time Izzy returned to the palace the celebrations were well underway.

“So, this whole time you were a prince and you never told me. Kind of a big secret to keep?” Izzy stepped up beside Draven.

“It was a secret I had to keep. If Alfred knew he would have made a spectacle of killing me. No one knew. At first, I came here to look for my farther, but when I couldn’t find him, I started looking for ways to destroy Alfred. In the end, the greatest weapon I could find was you”.

Izzy knew the importance of keeping some secrets and could understand his reasoning.

“Now that I have completed my task, I need to be going home. I hate being away from my children at Haven. I am going to need a ship and supplies, and of cause there is the matter of payment”.

“You sure you don’t want to stick around for a while? There is a lot of work to do and your help would be appreciated”.

“There will always be a lot to do, but I want to be home before spring and i have things prepared for the birth. You have a lot of good people here; this is a new beginning for all of you. I think you will do just fine”.

King Pollard made his way over to Izzy and Draven.

“My Lord, I hardly recognized you. You look much recovered”. The king, now dressed in fine green silks and silver brocade, took Izzy’s hand and kissed it gently.

“Thanks to you, I am much restored. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you came Lady Isabella. We all owe you, our lives. I know you are keen to return home so I have taken the liberty to have a ship made ready to sail on the tide tomorrow around noon, though I would be honored if you decided to stay a while longer”.

Izzy removed her veil and slipped it into her pocket, not feeling as though she needed it anymore. These were times of change, and she was changing along with them. She gave the king a genuine smile. “Thank you for your kind offer my Lord, but as I was telling Draven, I have a family I want to get back to and it is my intention to have my baby at home. There is one thing I wish to mention before I go my Lord. There are many in the city and beyond who have just discovered they have magic and have no idea what to do with it, and no one to guide them”.

“Yes yes, I know, and steps will be made to help them in due course, I can assure you. I am sorry that I can’t convince you to stay, but I will wish you good winds and a safe journey”.

Izzy returned to her room and collected her belongings along with the lead box containing the blades. A blacksmith down near the wharf was waiting for her. The box was placed inside a mold and more molten lead was poured over it, encapsulating it in six inches of solid metal. No one was ever going to set hands upon those blades ever again, and the hold Cassius had on Mouse, would be severed permanently.

The first rays of light were breaching the horizon before Izzy found her way to the ship, ‘Wavelength’ which was being loaded with the provisions they would need for the journey home. Loading would take time and Mouse hadn’t arrived with the coven women yet, so Izzy thought it was the right time to put her feet up and have a short nap. She had no idea she could be so tired.

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Izzy sat alone on the deck of the Wavelength watching the sun rise over a seemingly endless horizon. Land had disappeared so quickly behind them. She loved moments like this, moments of silence where she can contemplate her thoughts and make her plans. It was unusual for a dancer to make plans, but there was much about her that was unusual.

The life within her moved constantly. She wondered if it would ever rest, but there was something about the sensation she never wanted to end. She had taken so many lives over the years and never given them another thought, but this life inside her, there was noting she wouldn’t do to preserve it. She was responsible for its existence, and its survival.

Mouse came to sit beside her, wrapping them both in a blanket to shield her from the chill sea air. She leaned in against him, enjoying his warmth. “There is something I need to tell you before we can move forward in any kind of life together. Something I need to explain about who and what I am and I don’t want you to stop me until I tell you everything I need to say. I am a dancer. I bring justice for those who can not seek it for themselves and protect those who cannot protect themselves. I destroy evil where and when I find it, and sometimes I receive payment for it, but that’s not why I do it. Anyway, for the women of my order, were have many restrictions placed upon us. One is that we can’t speak aloud without doing harm to those who hear us, another is we only do our sacred dance for those marked for death, then there is the one about conceiving a child. For a dancer to become pregnant, she must find a man who is marked for death, enchant him with her dance but not end him, then speak aloud to him while taking his seed. He will die, and a child will be created, renewing life. This is just how it is and how it has always been. The child is always a girl who will grow and be trained by her mother to be a dancer. As the child grows, she absorbs her mother’s power, her strength, her animal spirit and eventually, her life. Just as I absorbed my mother’s life force, in time, my child will take mine. It’s not something we have control over, it’s just what we are. Mouse, I love you, and I never thought I could ever do such a thing, I didn’t even know it was possible, but I can’t imagine life without you. You didn’t sire the life inside me, but I was hoping you might want to be for this child the thing I never had, a farther. I can understand if you don’t want any part of this, and I will respect your wishes, but with all my heart, I hope you can think of us as your family. I didn’t have a family, it was just me and my mother, always traveling, never making a home, but I want that with you. A home and a family, if you will have us”.

Izzy had never felt so vulnerable. Life, since meeting Mouse, was a constant journey of discovery, of emotions, and feelings, giving thought to people around her and wanting to protect and guide them. Building something stable and permanent. These things would never have crossed her mothers mind, and yet to her, they seemed essential. She wanted more than just being a dancer, she wanted a family, a community, and a future. Was she even a dancer anymore? Or was she becoming something else? Something new? So many things to ponder.

 

[Ravenloft]

Mouse remained silent all through Izabelle's explanation and confession, but he never stopped holding her. When she was done, Mouse wasted nary a second longer to kiss her deeply and true, pouring all the love in his heart into that one, soul-baring expression. It lingered on, for no telling how long, it felt like an eternity in the stars to him and he only hoped it had moved Izzy even a fraction as much as it had him. Finding his voice, Mouse spoke. "I knew the child was not of me, but that does not matter one bit, she is of you, and that is the only thing I need to know to love her as a father, for I love you with my whole heart, Izzy. Who you are and what you represent, I am in awe of you. You are a force of nature, and I believe a force for good in this miserable world, but, so am I. I may not possess as much lonesome power as you, but, where you can clearly see what presides in people, hanging over them, like a shadow, I see the potential in such darkness, we all have miseries, Izzy, even me, even you, its in all of us, the potential for darkness, the possibility of light... You do what you see as right, and I will never stand in your way, unless there is some glimmer of hope for someone... When all you see is black, I will trust you, if you can find it in your heart to trust me, when I say there is something worth saving? I will be honest with you from here on, as you have been so honest with me. I thank you, my love, my heart."

Mouse stopped and pondered the rest and what it all meant, for her, for him, for them and the baby stirring within her. He noticed her belly and how the unborn child was constantly moving. It made him smile and settled his fears even as they tried to rise to consume him. "You say you are bound by these restrictions placed upon you from birth... But look at what you have already overcome? You have a voice now, a home, and a family in me and this feisty little girl, dancing within you! All the people back in Hallowgrove who love and respect you, all the women and children that look up to you at Haven. The Devotees here aboard the Wavelength as well... Look at all you have done, look at everyone who will do for you! Not a one of us will ever abandon you, Izzy! Least of all, me. I don't believe for a second that this child will consume you, as you say. You have already broken free of so much of what you claim as bound you and every Dancer before you, there must be a way to preserve your life, your animal spirits life and still give your child its own life and spirit as well. I don't know what it is, but I will NOT let you die, while I live, even if it means my very life! That is my vow to you and you cannot take that away from me." Mouse held Izzy tight as he spoke with a rare and passionate fire in his voice, heart and eyes.

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Izzy felt greatly relieved that she had shared her heart with Mouse. sometimes she felt he trusted to easily.

Gathering the six elemental witches on the deck of the Wavelength, Izzy felt it was time to do some training. Tilda was still having some issues with trust and acceptance, but more than that, there was something dark there. She had been touched by something, but Izzy didn’t know enough to identify it.

Seated in a circle, the six took it in turns to draw on their powers in small amounts and control the energy. It was one thing to possess magic, it was another to control it, and although Cassandra was the best person to conduct this training, Izzy would do what she could in the meantime.

As they worked their way around the circle, Izzy watched them closely. Moving her sight as she did when she drew on the wind when they were trapped in the fog and found she could see their magic. She watched the threads of power move, combine and create, making something from nothing.

The more the six practised, the better they became and their faith in themselves rose as well. As Izzy instructed them, she instructed them, “Control over your magic, your emotions, your actions and your strength will assure your outcome. Loose control and loose yourself”.

A few days out from Vasel they entered the area of ocean that was previously coated by a thick, deadly fog. With the false king dead, the fog was lifted and the ships, devoid of crew or direction, drifted aimlessly on the ocean without direction.

Mouse leaned against the railing, looking out over the stricken vessels. “We should check them out. There may still be survivors out there”.

The captain assured him that nothing could have survived all this time without provisions, even if they managed to survive the melancholy. It was at that moment that Mouse noticed movement on one of the ships. “Na lad, it’s just ya eyes playin’ tricks on ya. Nothin’ livin’ out there”.

“There. There it is again. I saw something. Someone is alive on that ship. We have to help them, Izzy we can’t just leave someone out here”. Mouse was so sure of what he had seen that Izzy had no cause to doubt him.

“Captain, would you be so kind as to lower a rowboat. If Mouse said he saw something, then we should check it out”. She gave Mouse a smile. “Let’s go, shall we?”

As they grew closer to the ship ‘Seawitch’ Izzy caught a glimpse of the movement Mouse had seen, but she doubted it was human. It would also explain why it was still alive. Many magical beings were immune to such human frailties as hunger and exposure. Mouse was the first out of the boat and onto the Seawitch.

“Hello. We are here to help. Don’t fear us. Where are you? Hello?”

Izzy shook her head. That man’s trusting nature was going to be his downfall someday. Good thing she would always be there to save his trusting ass.

The group split up to search the ship, but it was Mouse who discovered the sauce of the movement. Huddled behind a stack of boxes was creature, curled up and shaking with fear. It was an unusual being, a combination of a number of different magical creatures all mixed together to create a unique hybrid. It was probably on its way to Alfred when the ship became trapped in his own trap.

Its face was mostly human with short horns protruding from its head and fur instead of hair. The body resembled a primate, its arms covered in scales and webbed hands, legs much like a goat with hooves instead of feet, and a tail much like a lizard. It was a truly bizarre combination. It was also very young and childlike.

Izzy placed her hand on Mouses shoulder. “My Love. This is not something that should be saved, it’s an abomination. Such a creature would never live in nature, it has no place in the world. Come away and let me put it out of its misery”.

Mouse was horrified. “Just because it’s different, doesn’t mean it has no place in the world. We are all different in some way. It’s a good creature, it won’t hurt anyone, I know it. We have to take it with us. We can’t leave it here alone. See how scared it is? Izzy please, trust me on this. There is nothing evil here”.

Izzy had to admit there was no obvious sign of darkness which was probably why it was destined for Alfred. He would have fed on it for it’s magic. She could see that Mouse was very determined to save this mish-mash of magical beings and she could deny him nothing. She had promised to trust his intuition after all.

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Kneeling before the creature Izzy held out her hand and beckoned it to come closer. Mouse was right, there was no malice there, just fear and confusion. Stepping back, Izzy left Mouse to deal with the it.

On closer inspection of the ships cargo, Izzy made another discovery. Within the crates were bolts of cloth, threads, ribbons, buttons and other haberdashery. There were also sheets and blankets, boxes of tea, herbs, soaps and other items Haven could sorely use. The Wavelength could easily carry this and more. While Mouse worked on charming his new friend, everyone else set to work transferring the cargo to the Wavelength.

“Izzy, we must take it with us. I will take full responsibility for it”.

“For ‘him’. And you certainly will. I just hope he’s potty trained”. She tried to make light of the situation but inwardly she still had reservations. Food was brought back from the Wavelength and that was the key to getting Mouse’s new friend out from behind the boxes, onto a boat, and back to the Wavelength. Transferring the cargo took a few hours but they took everything of use. They thought it a shame to leave the vessel adrift but there was not enough of them to sail it. All the ships maps, logs, and journals were bundled up along with any other items of interest. The ship may be lost, but it would not be forgotten.

The captain asked Izzy if while they were there, they checked the other ships for useful cargo. Anything that could be used at Haven, or traded, would be lost in the first storm that hit this region and there was no harm in salvaging what they could.

Back on the Wavelength the new member of the crew was creating quite a stir. At the sight of so many people, it became terrified and climbed the mast to the very top. Mouse had gone after it but even food was doing very little to calm the creature.

It was then that it occurred to Izzy that Tilda could help using her abilities. She could reach the creatures heart and help him calm. Izzy looked at her and smiled, “What are you like with heights?” Tilda wasn’t thrilled with the idea of climbing the mast, but the six still revered Izzy as a higher being, and would do anything for her, even climb the mast. It was a slow process, but between them, they brought the hybrid back down to the deck and into Izzy and Mouse’s cabin, where it took up residence in a cupboard. It was enough for the moment. With it down from the mast, they could hoist the sails and get moving again. Izzy praised Tilda for her good work and bravery, the young woman smiled at the praise she received, her confidence lifted.

Mouse spent the rest of the day in the cabin with his new friend while Izzy worked with the six, using their powers to calm the water and direct the wind, making up some of the distance lost by stopping to investigate the Seawitch. The cargo they found was a bonus no one expected.

 

[Ravenloft]

"Um, Lad, hello in there. Aren't you hungry? I've brought you as many things to try as I could find from the stores below deck... Please come out and give them a taste..." Mouse called out to the creature hiding in the cupboard of his shared room with Izzy. He only hoped that their new friend hadn't pooped in there... He was NOT looking forward to cleaning up such a mess. "I've got dried beef, its good, but salty." Mouse came to sit beside the cupboard and held out each offering in turn, to which the magical being reached out for and drew into his hiding space, for examination. The salted beef was not returned, but neither was it consumed. "Huh... Okay... How about fruit? An orange?" Mouse held up a whole orange and it was snatched up even more quickly than the beef. This time there was the distinct sound of teeth sinking into the peel of the fruit. "Wait, no!" But it was too late, the being made a sound of disgust as it got a mouth full of bitter orange peel before getting to the sweetness within. He chucked the orange out of the cabinet, across the room in revulsion. Mouse chuckled a little, retrieving the fruit with a chunk of peel bitten out. "Ptoo!" and out came the piece of peel as well. "Hold on, my friend, you got the outer skin, that's got its uses too, but its not the good part, here..." Mouse pealed the orange and broke it up into pieces as the beings eye peeked out to see what sort of strange magic he was up to. "There, the inside is best, see?" Mouse took a piece for himself and ate for his friend to see. "Mmmm, so sweet! Here, you can try, I promise, its good."

The being's eye sunk away and his hand came out slowly and poked at a piece, then took one to try. "That's it, and you just bite down and it will burst with sweet flavor. Mmmm!" The being mimicked Mouse, even making an odd sort of humming sound. "mmmm?" It was more of a trill than a hum and it made Mouse happy to hear. "Okay, well, you've tried a bit of meat and a bit of fruit, I think you've earned yourself a real treat now..." Mouse pulled out a thin strip of taffy he had found. "This is candy, its delicious, but you have to eat the kind of stuff that is good for you before you can have some of this, that is why we save this kind of thing for the end of a meal... Hey!" Mouse couldn't finish his instructions before the bit of taffy was snatched from his hand. "Knew what that was, didn't you? No wonder there wasn't any left over on the Seawitch! Well, you better not eat it all here, mister..."

Of course the magical being stuck its hand out for more. "Nu uh! Not until you eat another bit of orange or the dried beef, you have to be good, just like the rest of us." That was all it took, his other hand popped out and took the rest of the peeled orange and shoved them all into his mouth at once, chewed and swallowed within seconds. "Woah, that was easy, okay, well, you did as you were asked, I guess, here, its called Taffy." Mouse pulled out one last piece of the sugary goodness and the being snatched it up, quickly, but gently, showing a sort of manner, if not much. "Tah-Fee!" It exclaimed, twisting and stretching it to break it into pieces, apparently understanding that this was the last he would get for a while, so he was clearly going to savor it. "You sure are something else..." Mouse was at a loss for what to call him. "Tah-Fee!!!" He actually had broken off a piece for Mouse and was offering it to him. "Oh! Why, thank you!" Mouse took the little piece and playfully worked it into the shape of a ball and popped it in his mouth. "Taffy is a nice treat." Mouse said, with his mouth full, chewing the sticky sweet mess. "Tah-Fee! Tah-Fee! Tah-Fee!" The being exclaimed, overjoyed with their shared experience, bursting from the cabinet and taking Mouse by his hands, to do an excited, if goofy little dance. Which, of course won Mouse over completely. "Well, hahahah! You clearly like your taffy, don't you? My my! Don't let Izzy catch you in the taffy barrels, she would give me a stern talking to if she thought I was spoiling you..."

The being paused and fixed his eyes upon Mouse's, placing one hand to his chest and one to his own. "Tah-Fee." He said, as if making some sort of pact. "Tah-Fee." Mouse replied, rolling with it, he had no idea how, or why communication was becoming so clear between them, but he just felt this strange sort of bond with his new friend. It was almost like the telepathic bond he shared with Izzy, but just different enough to cause him a bit of confusion. He would have to ponder this strange connection for a while... "You look a bit too excited... Er... Taffy." Yeah, that was apparently what his friend wanted to be called because hearing himself being called Taffy just lit him up in a way that felt right. "Boy, are people going to have a field day with that one... You're in for a Rough ride, my friend, sorry, Taffy. I thought it was bad being called Mouse when I was a kid... Birds of a feather, I suppose, huh, buddy?"

"Tah-Fee." Taffy corrected him with a friendly shove that accidentally set Mouse on his butt with an "ooph!" To which Taffy covered his mouth and pointed, trying not to laugh. Mouse wrinkled his nose and stifled a laugh of his own as he snatched Taffy's wrist with both hands and yanked him down next to him. They both had a good laugh over the whole thing. "You're like the brother I never had..." Mouse said through joyous laughter.

Later on, with Taffy worn out and curled up in his spot, Mouse left him to sleep, and went out on deck to see what Izzy and the others were up to. The captain met him just outside the cabin door. "Ho there, Lad, I gots a question fer you. Do you think ye could talk the lil ladies into using their powers fer something useful? Wind in the sails is good an all, but with all these elementals aboard, there must be some better use fer them than just firing off bolts and what not... Yer lady don't seem too keen on the idea, I think, she be a fiesty*" "I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you Captain..." Mouse said with a smirk. "Wut?" Mouse shook his head and pointed behind him. "She's right b'hind me, ain't she?" Mouse nodded vehemently.

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Izzy heard the captains comments waited for him to stick his foot just far enough into his own mouth before making her presence known. “Seriously Captain, feisty is the best you could come up with? You think the six should be doing what? Dancing a jig, or turning water into rum? Tell me, what could they do that is more impressive then cutting out travel time by a third? You don’t seem to be doing much, perhaps you could dance us a jig, or sing us a jolly sea shanty?”

The captain quickly backed away, “I am sorry ma’ Lady. I meant no offense. These long voyages can get a little tedious and I was thinking they could help keep moral up, that’s all. Of cause it was a terrible idea”.

With the setting of the sun came a chill wind blowing from the west. Izzy could tell this was not a good sign, she could feel the tension in the air and a shiver ran down her back.

“We have some bad weather comin’ our way Ma’ Lady. Time to start lashin’ things down and making ready. It’s gonna be a long day”.

It wasn’t long before all hands were making ready for the coming storm. As they pulled down the sails, the wind began to get stronger, whipping the rigging in powerful gusts. The rain began to fall, the waves grew larger, and the power of the sea was ready to show it superiority. Lightning and thunder split the skies, as if the very gods themselves were lashing out. A look of dread passed between the sailors but none said a word.

Everyone fought to hang on as wave after wave crashed over the ship’s bough, every wave bigger than the last. Izzy knew she had to do something, and it had to happen fast. She called the six together, forming the circle and doing what they could to calm the sea and buffer against the wind, but it had little effect. The storm was just too angry to be appeased by their efforts.

It was then something unforeseen happened. Taffy stumbled across the deck, holding onto what ever he could in order to reach the circle of six. He moved to position himself in the center of the circle and beckoned Izzy to join him there. Izzy struggled to make her way across the deck, the wind and rain stinging her eyes and blurring her vision. In her mind she could hear a melody, a sound that was soft and calming, lending the vision to find her place in the center of the circle of six. Had it been Taffy who guided her? She settled in place and Taffy took her hands, time was running out for the Wavelength.

Once again, the six began to merge their magic, only this time, Taffy made a connection, uniting his power with Izzy and linking that with the power of the circle. Instead of trying to calm the sea, the ship lifted out of the water to rise above it. Waves that had been sent to rip the ship apart now passed beneath it. Wind and rain still lashed at their flesh, chilling them to the bone and whistling through the rigging, but they held on, fighting for their very lives.

Every minute seemed like hours as they held the Wavelength aloft, out of reach of the furious ocean. Daylight had begun to illuminate the world, and the storm finally began to subside. Izzy, Taffy and the six, slowly released the magic that saved Wavelength and all its hands, allowing the ship to settle back into the water.

Everyone was exhausted, wet and cold, but happy to be alive. Mouse gathered Izzy into his arms and ushered her to their cabin for dry clothing and rest. The six also trudged off to the beds, and the warmth of their blankets. Mouse no sooner got Izzy into bed when Taffy came in looking just as washed out as everyone else. He changed into dry clothing and curled up in his blankets as well.

Mouse leaned over Izzy and kissed her tenderly on her forehead. “What would we do without you my amazing Lady?”

She placed her hand gently on his cheek, “I wasn’t the one who saved the day. I believe that credit goes to your little friend over there”. She nodded towards Taffy.

Mouse looked over at his strange looking little friend. “It seems I owe you a great deal. You should be rewarded. Have some rest and I will what I can do about finding you some more taffy”.

Taffy was clearly exhausted, but his face lit up with a he smile at the mention of the sweet treat, and the praise he had received. “I will leave you to rest”. Mouse left Izzy to rest and went to help where he could. Taffy, rolled up in his blanket, shivered terribly. “Taffy, come share my blankets, we can keep each other warm”. He didn’t need to be asked twice. Climbing out of his blanket, he curled up beside Izzy and sleep was quick to find them both.

When Izzy woke, Taffy had been replaced by a sleeping Mouse, and Taffy was back in his own bed. She couldn’t help but smile. Children came is all shapes and sizes it seemed.

 

[Ravenloft]

Izzy's stirring roused Mouse partially from his sleep, he was still muzzy from exhaustion, but he cuddled in against her, wrapping his arms around her lovingly. Natural desire filled him and he kissed at her neck softly and found the tender swell of her breast to caress in his half wakeful state. His body responded like lovers do, since time immemorable and he nudged against her slightly, grinning slowly, his eyes still closed as he breathed softly against her skin.

What no one noticed was that a small hole was opened in the wall of the room near to the floor and a pair of feminine hands reached through to grasp the lead coated box that contained the soul sword, trapped within. Slowly, the box was being drawn through the hole. Mouse drew closer to Izzy and caused a rustle of blankets, which made the thieving hands freeze, but not before causing a slight jerk of the box, which made a soft scraping sound loud enough for Izzy to notice in from bed.

Taffy was alerted too and lifted his head with a yawn, just as the hands slipped away through the hole. He noticed the hole close and sat up with a start. "Umlad?" He whispered inquisitively to no one in particular, no sure what had been going on, but noticed that that box had been moved a few inches since last he saw it. "Ishy?" He tried saying Izabelle's name as best he could without practice. "Mush?" And Mouses as best he could as well.

Mouse blushed, giving Izzy one last quick kiss on her shoulder before laying flat on his back, drawing one leg up into a bend so as to hide all evidence of his arousal and play it cool. "Yes Taffy?" He asked, looking to Izzy for her help. He wasn't ABOUT to get up out of bed in his condition! No way!

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Izzy wasn’t wholly appreciative of being disrupted when she and Mouse had finally found a moment together, but her disapproval was quickly abated. The box had definitely been moved. She had placed a small piece of string on one corner of the box she so would know if it was moved, and it had.

She gave Mouse a grave look. “Seems Cassius isn’t done with us yet”.

Reaching down she gave Taffy a fond touch on his head. “And it seems you, our little friend, just interrupted a would-be thief. Well done. We shall have to find a more secure location while we figure out who is being manipulated by Cassius”.

Slipping into her cloths and smiled sweetly at Mouse. “Why don’t you sleep in for a bit, till your, umm, love for me, becomes a little less obvious”, she giggled and he actually blushed and threw a cushion at her.

Ducking the pillow, she ducked out the door, leaving him to ponder his condition. Thinking of him laying in their bed in his current state caused her to blush a little herself, but no one was there to notice. She looked for the space that had given the light-fingered intruder access to their cabin and found it without being noticed. She didn’t want who ever it was to know they had been discovered. Also, she wanted them to try again, but next time they would get more than they bargained for.

In the days that followed, Izzy, Mouse, Taffy and the six worked on controlling their skills as a group, and as individuals. Izzy was vigilant when it came to the lead box, but as yet, no further attempts had been made to steal it.

The captain tried to keep a distance between himself and the group, still more than a little embarrassed about his earlier encounter with Izzy, and magic in general made him nervous. The rest of the crew seemed happy to be about their normal duties. If any of them had issue, they never made mention of it. With good winds and calm seas, every day brought them so much closer to home. It felt like things were finally working in their favour. They were wrong.

The ships cook came on deck with a very solum look on his face. Rats had somehow found their way into the dried meat stores and rendered them uneatable. He thought it was off that he had never seen a rat in the gally before that day, and they didn’t go after anything else, just the meat. Without it, they would get pretty hungry before journeys end.

Izzy and the six worked together making small metal rods and fastening them into hooks, the hooks were then fastened along a length of rope and the spoiled meat and dead rats were used as bait. The rope was then dragged behind the ship. It didn’t take long to see results and upon pulling in the line, five out of the eight hooks supported an impressive catch. More than enough to feed everyone for dinner. After rebaiting the hooks and towing the line a bit longer, the ocean yielded a similar catch, this time thought it was a race to pull the line in before the sharks could steal tomorrow’s dinner.

Fishing had solved their immediate problem, but Izzy found the circumstances of their predicament strange. There was dried fruit and biscuits in the gally, as well as a bag of taffy, but the rats didn’t touch any of them, and no one recalled seeing any vermin before that day. Eventually they concluded that they must have come aboard in the cargo they salvaged from the drifting ships. For Izzy though, it just didn’t feel right.

The next day brought a new dilemma. A pod of massive whales appeared on both sides of the Wavelength. The sight of the mighty beasts longer than the ship, breaching and splashing was a wonder to see, until the whales began breaching and smashing into the ship. It appeared they were deliberately trying to destroy the vessel. It didn’t make sense. Why were these gentle giants trying to sink them?

Izzy knew this could not be a coincidence. Someone was manipulating these creatures in an attempt to bring about their demise. She hastily brought the six together, Taffy and herself in the centre of the circle, they began seeking the right kind of power to redirect the whales. They could feel the magic clouding the minds of their destroyers and fought to push it back, releasing the giant beasts from their manipulation. It was no easy battle. Whom ever was responsible for this, was very powerful, but worse, they were unknown to them. Just who was trying to kill them, and why? It couldn’t be Cassius, he was contained. It had to be someone else.

The group set the whales free, but it came at a cost. The six were exhausted and Izzy felt drained once again. Mouse helped them all to their beds and this time, Izzy did not object to staying in bed for the remainder of the day and getting some sleep.

As Izzy fell asleep the identity of their tormenter was forefront on her mind. How could she keep everyone safe if she didn’t know who or what she was fighting?

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Any notions that things were getting better was lost while Izzy slept. A strong wind had swept up, filling the sails and propelling the Wavelength forward at a monumental pace. The captain commented that at that speed they would have us home in a few days, but to wasn’t to be. It was mid-morning the following day before he realized they had been going the wrong way. Heavy clouds hid the sky from view and the wild dropped away to nothing, becalming them. They were officially lost at sea.

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Izzy leaned against the railing of the Wavelength, the weight of her advancing pregnancy beginning to take its toll on her. Mouse came to stand beside her placing his hand on the small of her back. He had a knack for knowing just where she was aching. “We need to discover the sauce of this magic, or we will never get home”.

She leaned in against him, “I know my love, but without knowing what we are fighting, I am just unsure on how to proceed. It’s like someone is playing with us like bugs in a bottle. I feel as though we could be crushed at any moment but instead we are being played with and tormented. Who did we piss off enough for this?”

Mouse pulled her closer, “I think it would be easier to ask who we haven’t pissed off. We upset a few people back there and the balance of magic is always shifting. Maybe we need to be looking closer to home for our mysterious maleficence?”

“You think it could be someone on the ship?”

“Anything is possible, right? We should consider the possibilities”

She leaned closer and kissed him softly “When did you become so wise my Love?”

“Oh I have always been wise, I was just keeping it to myself until the right moment to reveal my great wise powers”.

She snuggled in against him, his presence somehow relieving the constant ache in her back. Together they looked out over a glassy ocean and a windless sky hidden by clouds.



“My Lady, we have another problem. All of the drinking water is gone. Every barrel is dry. They were half full this morning when I checked, and now nothing”. The sailor the delivered the news was visibly upset. Fresh water was key to survival at sea. They would not last long without it.

“Oh, for fuck sake!” Izzy exclaimed. “What next?”

She set the six to distilling sea water and separating the salt. It was drinkable and would keep the crew from perishing from dehydration, but it was taxing on the six and would not sustain them for long. Something had to give.

Izzy found a quiet place to sit and clear her head. She thought about what Mouse had said, about looking for the cause closer to home. The storms, the rats, the food, the whales and now the water, all could be called upon and controlled by different members of the six. None of them had ever shown anything by gratitude and loyalty, so how could any of them subject themselves to this? Then she remembered that someone had tried to take the box. That had to be it. Cassius. There was only one thing to do. it was time to go fishing.

She collected the lead cased box from her cabin and made her way on deck. Standing beside the side railing, balancing the box precariously on the edge, she pretended to make ready to throw the box overboard.

Mouse called out to her, “Izzy, what are you doing? We have to take it back to Cassandra”.

“No sweet Mouse, this has caused nothing but trouble, I shall throw it into the sea and let it sink to the cold depths where it will never be found again. It’s the only way we can be free of it”. She was quite proud of her impromptu performance, now to see if it provokes a reaction.

It was Tilda who lunged forward, desperately trying to save the box from a watery grave. “No, you can’t, He won’t let you. He will never release me. Please, I beg of you”. She fell to her knees and began to sob.

Izzy handed the box to Mouse. “It seems you were right my Love. It’s very close to home indeed”. She knelled beside Tilda, “Now, let’s start at the beginning she we?”

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Tilda wept as she told of that brief instant back in Vasal, when the magic returned, she felt them and somehow, they had made their way onto her dreams and would not let her rest until she did their bidding. they showed her how to tap into the magic of the six and control the individual powers of her sisters without them knowing it. She never wanted to hurt anyone but Cassius and Alfred tormented her dreams and gave her no respite.

Izzy could tell the girl was in great distress and if what she said was true, and she had no reason to doubt otherwise, then Cassius and Alfred had teamed up and somehow created a link to Tilda, just as Cassius had done to Mouse back at Haven Orphanage. What would it take to be rid of this menace for good?

Bringing the remaining five together they were able to place Tilda in a protective bubble that shielded her from any outside influence. This broke the magic that had been holding the Wavelength and her crew hostage. The sky cleared and the wind began to blow. Finally, they were headed for home. She had quite enough of ocean voyages for now.

 

[Moonlightlilly]

Izzy was so very glad to be home, surrounded by the people she loved and called family. Everyone wanted to tell her their stories all at once, and questions about the trip were coming thick and fast. It was Alice who stepped in and managed to get the children to settle. Izzy told them that there certainly was a story to tell, but she wasn’t the best one to tell it, and Mouse would be along soon, and he had some new friends for them to meet. In the meantime, she needed to hear all about the workings of Haven and if there had been in problems. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Lady Tusk and Cassandra to keep their word, it was just this was her family and she worried about them.

In the time they had been away another fourteen children and seven pregnant unwed women had come to live at Haven as well as four more babies being dropped at the front door. Then there was the additional six that came home with them, and Taffy. The warehouse was just about at capacity and if more children and babies came to their doors, they were going to have to look for another location. Izzy knew that the number of orphaned and displaced children, as well as the young unwed mothers currently in Haven was just a drop in the ocean compared to how many were out there in need of help. But just how many could she help? Certainly not all, but if every child she helped went on to help another child, then just maybe the world would be a little more forgiving.

Winter was almost over, the first melt only days away, and it was time to get to work on her plans for the town. She met with the builder, and he had the plans she commissioned finished, the blacksmith had her order completed, and the councilman had selected a group of men to start work when ever they were needed. The store had ordered in large quantities of tools for building and farming along with boots, gloves and sturdy hats. The lumber yard had already begun cutting the timber she needed, but the most important thing was the package she had sent for at the beginning of winter. This package was the key to everything.

Izzy knew she only had a few weeks to go before it was her time to give berth. Lady Tusk was due a week before her. Both were extremely uncomfortable. “I feel like one of those poor whales they hunt for fat” Lady Tusk stated, and Izzy had to agree with her. She felt huge.

Izzy received a message from one of the children the Mr McFee wanted to see her and she rushed off quite excited. She had commissioned him to create a work of art for her and she had been eagerly awaiting it’s completion. She was not disappointed. It was magnificent. Wrapping it carefully in her shawl, she hurried back to Haven as fast as her big belly would let her. She thought about waiting for the perfect moment then decided that the right moment was right now.

She found Mouse and Taffy sitting on the edge of the platform sharing some bread and jam. She hid her gift behind her back and instructed Mouse to go and wash his sticky fingers and be smart about it. Upon his return she handed him the bundle still wrapped in her shawl. The puller the covering away. It was her favorite, and he didn’t want to damage it, but when he realized what he held he whooped with joy.

“A loot! You had this made for me? My very own loot. I never dared dream I would have one of my own, it’s so beautiful. Izzy you are so wonderful. Oh my. I shall have to learn to play of cause, but I will write you the most wondrous songs, and sing to out baby, and of cause the children. Thank you so much. Oh my god, my own loot”.

Izzy knew that he would like the gift but she had understated how much. “A bard should always have his music with him wherever he goes, and you my darling bard, will go far”. She laughed at his enthusiasm. A boy with a new toy. Once again, he made her smile.

Finally, it was time to start work on her farms. She had the fencing that ran between the two farms removed and joined them together and called them “Fairview”. The first day was spent marking out lines and positions, gathering tools and assessing the work that needed to be done first.

The builder had his own crew of preferred laborers that he trusted to do a good job, and Izzy hired a foreman who knew the right and wrong way to plant a field. First of cause, there was a lot of clearing to be done, the fields hadn't been touched in years and the saplings and brush had grown back tick and strong. Fortunately there was no shortage of townsfolk keen to earn some coin. Soil was broken, weeds pulled, and saplings removed, everyone working together.

As much as Izzy wanted to be there for every step of the building process, her pregnancy made it impossible. “It feels like all I do now is rest, and pee”. She told Mouse in a moment of self-pity. She didn’t like feeling so restrained in her own body. Mouse was shadowed by Taffy everywhere he went, and Izzy found herself feeling a bit envious of the little misshapen creature. The children adored him and his funny ways, but for the most part, he was glued to Mouse.

When her package finally arrived, she felt such relief. Now she could reveal what she was building.

“It’s a hemp farm. Not the kind of hemp that some people use as medicine, the kind that can be used to make rope, string and paper. It can also be used in building, and fencing, the leaves can be stored for stock feed, and the seeds can be crushed to extract oil. It has so many uses. With this we can create jobs, and manufacture goods that are always in high demand. Once things are up and running, I want to be able to bind paper into books to be used for keeping ledgers and journals, and even write stories and print them. There are so many possibilities. I also want to plant a variety of vegetables so come next winter, there will be more food available for everyone”. Izzy knew she was the one who now sounded like an excited child, but she was excited, and didn’t care what others were thinking. This was going to work.

 

[Moonlightlilly]

As each day passed Izzy became more delighted with the progress. Two buildings were being constructed, a long one for rope making, and a smaller one for the paper press. There was also a large barn being built and a storage room designed to stay dry no matter the weather.

The fields on the first farm were cleared and the plows Izzy had asked the blacksmith to make, made ripping the ground much faster and easier then ever before. It only took a few weeks before the ground was ready to plant.

The seed Izzy received was only enough to plant half the first farm. Izzy had expected this, anticipating keeping the seed from the first harvest to plant the next crop. In the meantime, she had the remainder of the field planted with a variety of food.

Then came the next part of her plan. Fern and her siblings agreed months ago, when Izzy first learned of their powers, to restore life to the dead land, filling the soil with the nutrition it needed to produce healthy crops. Once complete, it was time to start clearing the second farm. She wanted to keep as many people employed for as long as she could, even paying some housewives to deliver lunch to the workers each day, and others to collect anything pulled from the fields that could be used as firewood and store it for winter. With everyone working together, the work was completed ahead of schedule.

Then came the news that lady Tusk had born a healthy son. Mouse was excited, telling Izzy all about the birth and how bright and healthy the baby was. At this point in Izzy’s pregnancy, she really didn’t care to hear the details of Lady Tusk’s delivery, she wanted hers to be over and done with, but she smiled, if only to humor him. When he told her it would be perfect if they had a girl and Lady Tusk’s son could marry their daughter and it would be such a good match. The idea thrilled him, breaking out into a song that was yet to be finished. This was the point when Izzy sent him out before she could no longer resist the urge to punch him in the face.

It was only a few days later that her own water broke, and contractions came hard and fast. Mouse was visiting Lady Tusk and her new son when Izzy’s labor began. Alice offered to send for him, but Izzy declined. Labor could last hours and if Mouse was there fussing for that length of time, she might not be able to fight the urge to kill him. Alice and the other widows completely understood, and they were all she needed.

The labor progressed much faster than expected, the pain ripping through Izzy’s body in wave after endless wave. Izzy wondered how women survived such hardship, and moreover, why the hell did they do it more than once?

“Oh Lord” Alice gasped, “I can see the head already. Ok Izzy, when I tell you, I want you to push”.

It was at that point that Mouse arrived. “Oh no, why didn’t some one come for me? Izzy, I wanted to be here for you”.

Izzy gave him a look that warned him to back off. Now was not the time for his overbearing sentiment. No matter how much she loved him.

“Ok, now push Izzy, with all you have, push”

She did as she was bade and was rewarded by the wailing of a new life. Alice lifted the child up onto Izzy’s chest, “You have a daughter. And she had all her fingers and toes”.

Izzy handed her straight back. “Take her”.

“What?” Alice was very confused.

“Take her NOW”.

Another wave of pain ripped through her body and Maddy grabbed the baby, wrapped her in a shawl and handing her to Mouse.

“There’s another one. Twins. How did we miss that?”

With all the strength she had left, Izzy pushed, and her second daughter was born. Two girls, identical in every way bar one. The first born had a birth mark on her right foot, the second born had an identical mark, but on her left foot.

Izzy had known all along that she carried twins, that was why she would not let anyone examine her or feel for her child’s life force. They would have known right away, and she could not trust anyone to keep such an important secret. Twins had never been born to a dancer before and Izzy was not prepared for the news of their existence to reach the order before they were safely delivered. Once alive and witnessed by the world, nothing could be done to them by her own kind. It was not so much that twins had never happened before, but rather it was something new and unknown, and that made it dangerous.

She reached for her first born and held both her tiny daughters in her arms. The oldest she named Dianna, the younger she called Tamara. She did not know it was possible to love something so much as she did for these new little people.

Mouse sat by her side, smiling fit to burst. He has not one daughter as he thought he would have, but two. He was so overwhelmed; he was without words, something Izzy thought she would never witness. He had written a ballad for one daughter, not two. He would have to wright another, words already forming in his mind.

Alice and Maddy collected the girls so Izzy could rest. “We’ll get them all cleaned up and dressed for you pet, have a rest for a bit. You earned it”. As much as she didn’t want to be separated from her girls for even a second, she did appreciate it.

“Izzy, my love, we have two babies, two girls, can you believe it? Twins. Wow. I never imagined having twins. I’m the father of twins. Girls. Identical girls. How amazing is that?”. Mouse had found his voice again. Izzy tried to be patient with him, but she was to exhausted.

“I know, I was right here when it happened”. She knew she was being sarcastic but couldn’t help herself. Grace knew it was time for Mouse to be elsewhere.

“Mouse dear, why don’t you go down to the tavern and spread the good news. I know lots of folks will be keen to learn Izzy and the babies are well”.

“Yes, yes of course. I need to tell Mamma Tusk, and Cassandra, and the women at the Tusk. Will you be ok for a spell my Love? I won’t be gone long, I swear”.

“I will be fine, take as long as you need”. She sank into a shallow restless sleep that lasted for what seemed like moments. It was the cries of Tamara that woke her. “Ah, so you are the hungry one” taking the babe to her breast, she fed her second child, for the first time.

News of the twin’s berth traveled fast and every soul in the surrounding town and villages wanted to pay their respects. Gifts of all kinds were received, clothing, blankets, toys and trinkets. Twins were rare and the people of the town saw them as good omen for the coming seasons.

Work continued on Fairview at a steady pace. The buildings were coming together, and the mill would be close to completion around the same time the first crop of hemp was ready to be harvested. The wonderful thing about this particular variety of hemp was it grew big and fast, allowing it to be harvested twice a year. If planted at the right time, they would have enough fibre and pulp to continue making rope and paper right through the winter. They could also start making string to be woven into the sacks they needed to store stock feed, coal, and numerous other things.

The money Izzy had received from Draven for her aid in freeing his land and people from the dark grip of evil, was more than enough to pay wages, construct more buildings, and build a new orphanage, which would include berthing rooms and a nursery to accommodate those in need. Within a few years the mills would be making enough rope and paper to turn over a tidy profit.

Once the first farm was up and running, Izzy would set her mind to the second. No longer a division between them, she planned to have both fields joined in the middle, adding a significant area for crops. It would already be late in the season, but if they took the risk and planted crops that would last through the winter months, such as pumpkin, turnips, beets, carrots, potatoes and other such vegetables, they could get them to grow in abundance. With a little help from some little forest folk of cause.