Past mistakes and present regrets

[Backabuth]

Zak smiled down at Amry. "Let's go see if they're done." He gently patted Cortell's back and repositioned the baby. He stepped out into the hallway, gesturing to Amry. "Come on."

[linea]

Amry followed Zak, holding lightly to his hand. "Mommy mommy mommy," she sang softly, looking at all the artowrk they passed as they walked through the mansion.

***********************

Marian sipped at her drink, looking out the window at the chilly autumn sky. "I wonder what Amry is up to," she wondered with a smile. Then she turned to Marola. "Thank you so much for bringing her back to me, and for letting me come. I feel, somehow, a little refreshed."

[Tismri]

Marola smiled, a truly happy smile as she found herself doing more and more these days.
"I'm glad I could help," she said, "I think I feel a bit better, too." She opened the door and looked down the hall, thinking she heard Amry out there. She saw Zak carrying Cortell and Amry following. She smiled and turned to Marian.
"Well, here's the answer to your question," she said, opening the door wider to let Zak and the children come in.

[linea]

Amry aw the door open, and she let go of Zak's hand. "I had fun, Mommy!" she declared, skipping forward. She grabbed onto Marian's hand and smiled up at Marola. "Hi friend!"

[Tismri]

Marola smiled down at Amry, nearly laughing as she called her "friend."
"Hi there, Amry. You don't have to call me 'friend' all the time, you know. My name is Marola." She smiled and took Cortell from Zak. The boy looked at her with bright eyes. She held him close, loving him with more tender love than she ever thought she was capable of feeling before. She glanced back at Zak.
"Thanks for watching them," she told him.

[Backabuth]

Zak nodded slightly and gave her a small smile. He looked over at Amry and his smile grew. The girl made him want to have kids.
OCC: lol

[linea]

"Rola?" Amry asked, tilting her curly-haired head to one side.

Marian smiled at Zak. "Thank you for keeping her safe, She can be trouble once in a while, though it's a cute trouble." Then she turned to Marola and said, "Well, perhaps we ought to be going now. Thank you Marola for talking with me, and for returning Amry. Wait, I said that before." She laughed. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

[Tismri]

Marola nodded to Marian with a smile.
"The pleasure was all mine, I assure you," she said. She turned and knelt before Amry.
"Thank you for coming, Amry. I hope you had fun today." To them both she said, "Please, feel free to come by any time. I may not be here from time to time, but Hannah will let you it, and I think it would to Cortell good to see some friends besides the servants."

[linea]

"Then we will go." Marian took Amry's hand and started turning her to the door. "Say good-bye, Amry."

"Bye!" Then the two left, meandered back through Gil'ead to home.

[Backabuth]

Zak watched the two leave, then turned to Marola, who held Cortell gently in her arms. "Kids...such wondrous things, don't you think?"

[Tismri]

Marola glanced down at Cortell, gently kissing his forhead.
"Yes, they are the most wonderful things in the world," she agreed. She smiled at Zak, then said, "Okay, get outta here now. I have to feed him, and I'd much rather be alone when that's done." Her smile turned into a grinn as she shooed him away.

[Backabuth]

Zak grinned and left the room, meandering aimlessly through the halls. He had nowhere to go; no place to be. His thoughts wandered and he stepped out of the large house, into an even larger courtyard. A fountain in the middle sprouted twinkly water that made Zak smile. He walked forward until he reached it, then gently twirled around the water with his finger. It twinkled with every glint of the sun. He glanced up at the sun and his vision filled with colorful spots. He blinked and looked away. He sat down on a nearby bench and laid down, closing his eyes. His thoughts thinned until he drifted into a light sleep.

[Tismri]

Marola smiled down at Cortell as she fed him. Her son was so beautiful in her eyes and she loved him more than she felt she could love anyone else. She stroked his tiny face, fingers grazing his cheek ever so lightly.
"I love you," she whispered to him, feeling a thrill at the words she had never before imagined herself saying.
~~~~~
Rauthr lazily lifted himself from behind the big-human-wood-rock-cave to the hard-rock-shiny-water-courtyard. He looked at Marola-protection-Zak, who appeared asleep and nearly let out a laugh. He softly touched the man's mind, making himself as unnoticeable as he possibly could, then roared in his mind.
YOU SHOULDN'T BE SLEEPING, YOU USELESS HUMAN! YOU NEED TO BE PROTECTING MY RIDER!!! As soon as he finished the mental shout, he let his amusment be known so Zak would know he was only kidding.

[Backabuth]

Zak jumped up, falling to the ground. His head throbbed at the sudden loudness. He looked over at Rauthr and grinned painfully, pounding in his ears. "Ah, but she asked me to step out for a moment so she could nurse Cortell." He grinned sheepishly, then blinked, his head heavy with sleep. "Where have you been?"

[Tismri]

Rauthr let out a slight chuckle as he watched Zak jump.
Marola had asked me to stay hidden so I wouldn't frighten her guests. He laid his head against his front paws and clicked his eyelids shut. All day he had been recieving mixed feelings from his Rider. She had recently been feeling sorrow for mistakes she had made in the past, including one that had to do with the woman and the child who had come over today. It had gone back long before he had hatched. He mentally sighed, wishing he could help earse Marola's past mistakes and lessen her present regrets.