2231 Silverwing's Palace (Part 1)
"I might not be that good with diapers either and neither is Solus." Kamila lowered her gaze in embarrassment.
"It's really kind of you to help them, Solus." Rena said. "If you stretch the table and make another doll, I can teach you."
"Really? Thanks." Solus did as instructed and Rena stood behind her, guiding her hands step-by-step. "By the way, we were thinking about naming the baby after you, Mom. Lith and I suck at names and Kami has no ideas so we could use some help for that too."
"Really? It would be my honor!" Elina jumped with joy, forcing Kamila to turn around before hugging her.
"We were thinking about keeping the El- root and changing the rest, to avoid confusion when you two are in the same room." Kamila said.
"Asking for help was a smart move." Tista sighed. "Red Demon. How can someone be so unimaginative? The only worst thing that comes to mind is She-Tiamat."
She clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"If you don't like it, why didn't you pick another name?" Solus asked.
"Because I suck at names too! I was thinking about something Phoenix related, but everything that came to my mind sounded either childish or cringe. Gods, I wish Mogar had picked my name for me as well.
"This way, worse case scenario, I'd know who to blame."
Everyone laughed, wishing that all their misfortunes would be like that.
After a few tries, Kamila had gotten the hang of it enough to allow Elina to step back and just watch.
After they were done with that, the tour of the house continued. Some tapestries depicted Lith's and Solus' life together while others recounted the story of his relationship with Kamila.
Family paintings depicting Menadion, Threin, and the Verhens decorated the rooms along with many of Lith's crafts. There was the first dimensional pebble he and Solus had made together framed above the fireplace, right in the middle of their first Forgemastering hammers.
The Camellia rested in a vase at the centerpiece of the dining table while the Tuner had been placed in the living room along with bookshelves filled with tomes about magic.
The sight of the lives of the three of them woven together jogged Elina's memory about a few things that she had earlier dismissed as irrelevant.
"Wait a second. How come Solus is involved in the choice of the name of the baby and why is there so much of her stuff in your dream house?" She asked.
"Even if they wanted to, Lith and Solus can't stay away from each other for long without endangering the tower and her life force." Kamila shrugged. "She's going to live with us so it's her house as well.
"On top of that, once I resume working as a Constable, Lith will conduct most of his research in the tower. He's going to take care of the baby and Solus is going to spend a lot of time with them.
"That's why I asked her to be our child's second mother and help us with everything."
"Are you serious?" Elina said with a voice too flabbergasted to her own liking, hurting Solus. "No offense, Solus, but this is a huge commitment. Mom is more than a word, it will mean everything to the baby
"Kamila, are you sure you want to share it with another woman?"
"I know that it may sound odd of me, but if you think about it, it's not." Kamila replied. "Solus has always been and still is an important part of Lith's life and once our daughter is born, Solus will be an important part of her life as well.
"Solus is going to teach her magic, protect her, help us raise her properly, and babysit her whenever we work or need to take a short vacation for ourselves. On top of that, thanks to the tower Solus can come to us whenever we miss our sweetie pie and leave just as quickly."
"Hey! That wasn't part of our pact." Solus snarled.
"No, that was THE pact." Kamila shook her head. "As Elina said, Mom is a word that holds great weight and responsibility. I'm just asking you to do your part. I won't allow you to be the cool aunt who just spoils her.
"You'll get to be the bad guy as well, especially about magic. The baby needs discipline or the gods know what might happen in case Baba Yaga's prediction turns out to be true."
"It makes sense." Solus grumbled while Elina still looked unconvinced.
"Also, Elina, put yourself in my shoes. How are we going to explain to a baby girl the bond between Dad and Auntie? What can we possibly say to help her understand why Solus lives under our roof and spends as much time with her as I do?
"That their eyes glow in unison, that she comes out from Daddy's ring, and all the creepy stuff that is their bread and butter? I'm not going to make my baby's life complicated from the start by introducing concepts like mage towers, cursed artifacts, and death early in her life.
"If Solus is also her Mom, instead, everything will be perfectly normal for the child, even things that are not. On top of that, I'll have a good helper and I'll avoid a stroke once the baby starts to call Solus 'Mom'.
"Because you and I both know it's going to happen. My only hope is at least the first time she says it is to me." Kamila sighed.
"It makes sense." Elina remembered all too well how Trion and Tista had called Rena "Mom" instead of her for a long time due to the fact that their older sister took care of them while their mother worked in the fields.
Kamila's case was even worse since Solus was an adult, not a child, and she and Lith would take care of the baby whenever it was entrusted to them.
"No fair!" Solus pouted as she realized that her responsibilities would be more than cuddling the baby and changing the occasional diaper.
"Don't worry, Solus, I'm certain that you'll make an excellent mother." Elina hugged her. "Consider it practice for when you'll get free from the tower and will have a kid of your own.
"Then, you'd have the opportunity to ask Lith and Kamila to return you the favor."
At those words, Solus blushed a little. Then the reality of her situation hit her and she frowned.
"If I get free from the tower, Mom." She said with a sigh.
"When." Elina held her tighter. "You have already gone from a voice in Lith's head to a beautiful young lady. I have faith in your mother and so should you. Menadion wouldn't have endangered her own life chasing Bytra if she wasn't certain that you'd live.
"I know it because that's what I would have done. You just have to be patient and trust your legacy. Maybe, when you go visit Silverwing, she might give you a better insight into your condition.
"She was your mother's friend and your godmother. If there's someone that knows what's happening, that's her."
"Thank you, Mom." Solus returned the embrace, losing herself in Elina's gentle warmth.
