Later, in the chambers, the weight of the day lifted a little when I closed the door behind us.
The children were waiting on the furs, the nursery women having brought them up early. Lila ran to me the moment I stepped inside, her small arms wrapping around my legs.
Thorne and Elara crawled across the furs toward me, their knees and elbows working in determined little circles. They were more active every day, their babbles turning into strings of sounds that almost sounded like words. Lila pointed at them and said, "They try to stand. Like me."
I knelt and pulled all three of them into my lap. Lila climbed higher, resting her head against my shoulder. Thorne pushed himself up on wobbly legs, hands gripping the edge of a low bench. He looked at me, eyes wide with surprise, and took one unsteady step. Then another. Elara saw him and pushed up beside him, her tiny feet finding the floor. She took three steps before dropping back to her knees with a delighted squeal.
