Dreams Beneath a Starfilled Sky
A talk
Chapter 24: A Talk
A day passed before Stumpet declared Drizzt well enough to leave bed, and though he still had to lean on Catti-brie for support while walking, he was clearly glad to be able to move out of the confinements of his bed.
It seemed as if every trace of the poison had been purged from him, and the drow was recovering at a surprise speed, his strength gaining every moment he was resting, though it was drained pretty quickly the moment he moved.
And, as the pair entered the dining hall, the applause that met them caused the dark elf to blush madly, though, thankfully, it could barely se seen through his pitch-black skin. The dinner turned out to consist of Drizzt’s favourite foods, and it did not require much thinking to conclude that it was yet another attempt to get him to eat something, to speed his recovery even more.
The meal took long, turning out to consist of four different dishes (Catti-brie had a strong suspicion that Regis had had a finger in the planning), and all enjoyed to see that Drizzt’s appetite had returned, and it was clearly with regrets that he had to decline a third helping of his favourite cheese.
At end, Bruenor let them go, commenting that they should go to bed, though he looked straight at Catti-brie while mentioning that Drizzt had to rest.
“Ain’t none o’ his business..,” the human muttered as they left the hall, Drizzt with an arm around her shoulders, though it seemed to be more for the sake of being close than for support.
“Well.. I suspect that our accomplishments haven’t always gone on quietly.. ,” the drow replied with a soft chuckle. “And you can be proud that you are the reason for why I’ve missed several sunrises.”
“Aye.. An’ if me plan works, ye’ll probably be missin’ the one tamorrow, too,” she said, laughing softly, and prodded his ribs.
He sniggered.
“I can’t wait.”
Grinning, they entered their room, their lips meeting in a tender kiss. Smiling, Catti-brie gently took his hand and led him to the bed, making him sit, before she squatted down on his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat thusly for quite some time, both merely enjoying the feeling of the other’s closeness.
“Have you ever given any thought to having children?” Drizzt asked at length, his chin resting on top of Catti-brie’s head.
She sighed, burrowing her face into the crook of his shoulder and neck.
“Aye… ‘Specially with Wulfgar, though. I wondered what’t be like ta be havin’ kids. Ta see ‘em grow an’ that,” she softly replied, then sighed again. “But now.. I just ain’t be knowin’.. Can we at all..?”
The question hung between them for a long time, both thinking.
“Would you want to?” he finally asked.
She pulled back, sitting straight up so she could see his eyes, though not replying. Yet, his lavender orbs – those eyes she had grown to love so much through the years – held the same fears as her own. True, she wished for a child of her own, and true, she wished that she could bear her Drizzt a child. But it would be a half-drow. A child that would neither be welcome among its dark kin, nor among humans. Yet, unlike othalf-alf-drow – who were most commonly the result of a rape – this child would be born out of love, and, perhaps, would be able to overcome the fear that people held for the drow.
She smiled, then, and gently cupped his cheek with a hand, sliding her thumb over the skin. No further words were spoken, but their eyes gave away their feelings – they both wished for a child. Together.
Mimicking her smile, the drow pulled her into another hug, and turned both of them so that he could lie down on the bed. Catti-brie shifted, and settled down beside him instead, her arms still around his shoulders. They lay thusly for a long time, each dwelling in the feeling of holding the other, until sleep showed itself, and their eyes slowly slid close.