A Thorn in Their Sides (Lion)

[Anonymous]

(OOC: Corny title, I know, but still funny. ;))

Celine recovered fairly quickly from the birth. She was out of bed within a week and though she was still a little more tired than usual when they left the inn, it wore off quickly enough with the waves to rock her and the baby to sleep. By the time Elise was three months old, she was sleeping through the night. Although that was quicker than most babies did, Celine attributed it to her having been on the sea in the womb. While she still slept a lot, Elise was spending more and more time awake, and could usually be found cooing contentedly, whether it was in her little cradle, or nestled in the crook of Celine's arm, or on the lap of some smitten sailor.

And Celine thought no three men were ever more smitten with a baby than Barto, Fin, and Willem. Willem, being the father, was probably the most in love, but Barto and Fin likely tied for second. It was all as it should be, Celine thought. Shouldn't the three men who had helped her come into the world be the ones to love her most? Not that Celine didn't love her too, but she loved her daughter in a different way than the men did.

 Nothing could get her down in those days. She might as well have been queen of the world with all the joy she felt now that she and Willem had the most beautiful child in the world (or so she believed). And at night, Celine would curl up in the bed with the two loves of her life nearby and wonder how life could get any better than this.

She was sure it never could.

[Lion]

The bottom line was that he was pissed.  And not like a rash or "I've fallen and I can't get up" kind of pissed, but a real irritation that always seemed to come whenever he was suddenly strapped for cash.  And though he had funds hidden away all across the continent he wasn't really in any position to be going across the land just to get his money.  Besides, if he didn't know any better he would have thought that maybe somebody had dug them up by now.

Thorn grimaced beneath the hood of his overcoat, long hair braided backwards and shadowed face bearing only the frown of his clear displeasure.  He knew that he needed contract soon, something, anything! to clear his mind from his current bankrupt position.  The foam and froth from the rising sea around him splashed overboard and onto his boots as the flimsy schooner he was on taking him onto an island.  The truth of the matter was that he'd used the last of his funds to pay or his passage on board.  If things didn't come to pass soon, he was going to starve to death.
Willem kept his ship on course, having to take his load into port on one of the nearby island chains. Ever since the birth of his daughter, he'd been doing business with a small on his face and there was never a frown to grace him.  Everything was starting to look up, even business.  There had even been an increase in the crew's pay.  It seemed that Elise's birth had blessed them with an unbelievable amount of luck lately.

Willem kissed the forehead of his daughter as he held her on deck, showing her around the ship and displaying to her the vastness of the ocean that would be the majority of the beginning of her life.  "This is the world, love.  The ocean is where we belong."

[Anonymous]

Celine smiled as she walked below deck and watched Willem with their daughter. It was always adorable to watch them together. "Good morning, both of you. I've got breakfast ready if anyone's hungry!" She kissed Willem's cheek and then their daughter's in love and affection. Even after all this time, Celine still glowed in love whenever she saw Willem. A baby had only seemed to deepen their love for one another.

"I always knew she would like the sea," added Celine with a wink as she watched Elise try to point at it with her tiny arms. "But then again...since you found me...I've grown quite fond of it myself."

[Lion]

These waters though warm, was no place for the faint of heart.  They were serene when no sea storm threatened the shores.  And the boats that remained anchored in the harbor were as silent as the sea in the fading night, the dawn sun shining as it kept rising.  The waters graced the hulls of the ships, tip for tip and froth for froth.  The Eternal Rose, the one farthest to the left was perhaps the smoothest against the horizon, a quaint ship but structurally resilient.

Willem glanced at his wife and saw that she glowed.  "I knew you would.  Let's go eat.  I think Elise is hungry too.  Here take her and give her a feeding."  And with that he turned around and kissed her softly on the cheek before heading down below deck toward the galley.

[Anonymous]

It was rare that they got to eat together, so on the occasions that it happened, Celine treasured it. Usually, she was eating with the first or second shift of men because that was the only way she could keep an eye on the food still cooking.  But today, she had purposely finished everything a little early, because she especially enjoyed eating together now that they could do it as a family.

After she fed Elise, Celine fixed the contented baby in a sort of sling she'd made. This way, she could still hold her daughter while she fixed herself a plate. It was a sumptuous feast; scrambled eggs, bacon, oatmeal, and French toast. She quickly found Willem and smiled into his eyes. "I think this is the first time we've been able to eat together since Elise was born," she observed.

[Lion]

Willem had taken his food to a quiet place where he could eat it with his newfound family.  Though the crew had been his family for most of his life, Celine was his wife now and Elise was his daughter, his bloodkin and a precious jewel that had imbedded herself into his life.  He smiled back at his wife and reached for her hand.  "Indeed it is.  How is the baby?  Is she napping?"

[Anonymous]

"No," said Celine with a mischievous grin. "See, she's right here on my lap. I found an old length of material a few weeks back, last time we hit land. It makes a nice sling. It goes over my shoulder here," she said, showing him. "That way I can still...say...fix breakfast, but if she's fussy for any reason, I can still have her with me."

The baby gurgled at her father, and smiled a toothless smile. Celine's heart melted. "Look at that...isn't she just the sweetest thing?"

Elise's only noises while her parents ate were those of contentment. She loved being near both of her parents at once. Celine took Willem's hand and kissed him. "How's work going?"

[Lion]

"Oh!" Willem laughed and patted the little bundle that was in front of Celine.  "I almost didn't notice her there.  She looks so comfortable.  Perhaps she might sleep soon.  The cute little thing."  He ate a little more and glanced up at her again.  "It is going rather well, though I'm not sure if its slow pace is really a gift or a curse.  But it does allow me to spend more time with you and our daughter and I'll always appreciate that.  How are your duties?  I hope they're not too difficult for you."

[Anonymous]

Elise smiled again when Willem patted the sling. It was apparent that Willem and Elise probably had a bond that Celine had no part in, but that was OK with her.

"My duties are...well, maybe a bit tiring... after all, she does eat twelve times a day!  But I'm coping well. And I'm glad that you have the time off to spend with us. Look at her, she's taken with you! I hope business picks back up soon, but for now I think this is important. You and Elise need to bond with each other while she's still small, and it's always cute to watch you with her. See? All your fears about not being a good father were for nothing." Celine shook her head gently and smiled.

[Lion]

They certainly were not for nothing.  Though he would never tell her, Willem indeed felt that familiar churning of his stomach when he thought about having to take care of her.  It was not so much of what the child would think of him, but rather he had a feeling that he could never truly be good enough for such a gem as a baby of his own.  There was always the chance that he might drop her or forget to change her right or something of a mishap no matter how small.  The baby's opinion was but their opinion, but an accident, an accident could change their small world entirely.  Willem did not want to be an accident.

He cleared his throat nervously and tried to smile as if he knew what he was doing.  He glanced at the child once again and looked at it like an anxious dog of the family, wondering if he'd been replaced by something far more interesting and yet thrice as fragile.  Perhaps he was something of a dog in his eternal curiosity to better understand this tiny being that had come into his life.  It was strange how attached he felt to her, and yet it wasn't.  It seemed to be the most natural feeling in the world.

"I-I don't think business can get any better than this.  We're doing quite well.  We'll be coming into on an island a little to the north now.  We should be there in a few days.  Perhaps then we can get some new dresses for you and the baby."