After her daughter was born, the first living thing outside the birthing chamber that Ember saw was a duck. A duck. She had insisted on coming out to one of the stone houses for the birth, and insisted, too, that windows be made in its circular walls. Martine had pulled aside the curtains and set the door wide so she could see out as soon as the afterbirth had been delivered and the cord cut, and there above was a flight of migrating ducks, coming north to breed for the spring. They were flying low, coming in to land on the lake which had formed to the north of Mountainside now the ice was gone. Flashes of green and blue came from some of their heads as they angled into the setting sun.
Duck, she thought drowsily as she brushed her lips back and forth across the baby’s downy brown hair. Not a good name for a princess. Her mind seemed to be working very slowly, and all she was conscious of was a deep joy and relief that the pain was over. Can’t call her that, but they have another name… Teal, that’s it.
“Teal,” she said aloud.
Martine wiped her sweaty face with a cool cloth and smiled down at her. Ember had wanted no one with her during the labor except the two grandmothers. Halda had already gone to spread the good news to the men waiting outside.
“Nice,” Martine said. “I’ll tell Nyr. I’ll bet Ari’s already congratulating himself on the bargain he made with your father.”
Ember smiled wryly. “Because he agreed the first child could rule the Last Domain and she’s a girl?”
Martine laughed and looked out the window toward the fire pit, where Ember could hear the men were celebrating with drums and drink, near the saplings which had sprung up around the lake. There were trees again in the mountains. Ember wondered, not for the first time, if that was why the Forest had let them through.
“He’s slapping Nyr on the back and poking fun at Arvid,” Martine said.
“Da won’t mind,” Ember said sleepily. She gazed with adoration down at Teal, who was sucking on her tiny fist. “She looks like her father, doesn’t she?”
Martine slid a finger down Teal’s soft cheek and the baby opened her eyes and blinked at them. Although she had the dark blue eyes of all newborns, Ember could tell that they would turn even darker. Hazel, although she might take a touch of real green from her mother.
“Yes, she does,” Martine agreed, “though it wouldn’t be wise to say it aloud too often. Where is he?”
Ember rested her head back on the pillow, and sighed.
“In Starkling,” she said. “Learning to fly.”