Iris curled up in Char's bed that night, exhausted from the day. She was alone. Elera had fussed and fretted over her all day, and while she appreciated that, she half wished Char hadn't told her. Now, he was back in the barracks, and she was in his room at Elera's house. Elera wanted to take her dress shopping tomorrow, if she was feeling up to it. Char had to pick out rings. The priest wanted to meet with them before he performed the ceremony.

She touched the fingers of her right hand to her chest, where the amulet pulsed with her heartbeat.

"Mom?" she whispered into the night.

The bright blue eyes appeared as soon Iris shut hers, smiling and laughing, the dimple deepening on her cheek.

Look, Iris. It's snow. Isn't it pretty?

Iris reached out a tiny hand, trying to catch the snowflakes. Her mother's hands held her steady over her shoulder as she walked.

Your first snow, Iris.

Her mother laughed, a bubbly sound, like water rushing over stones in a little stream.

Everything is new when I see it through your eyes.

The cold bit at Iris' nose and cheeks, but she laughed, too, the rest of her warm and cozy in her mother's arms as she watched the white gradually blanketing the scenery. Her mother's youthful face was rosy from the chill.

Now, let's pray really hard that we find a place to sleep tonight, she said, her smile faltering as her eyes left Iris to scan her surroundings. Iris yawned and pillowed her head on her mother's shoulder. A gentle hand pulled her blanket up over her head.

Sleepy baby. You take a nap, and don't worry about a thing. God always provides.

Iris opened her eyes and took a deep breath, staring up at the darkened ceiling as the vision faded. Her heart ached for her mother. She wished she could have known her - really known her. Their time together was short and indescribably sweet. For Iris, anyway. It must have been incredibly hard for her mother, a teenage girl running from Micah's master while trying to care for a newborn she didn't ask for but loved with all of her heart.

Didn't she have any family? Anybody who would help her? Or did they reject her when she came back home, broken and afraid, and force her onto the streets to fend for herself?

Iris didn't know. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

God always provides.

Iris got out of bed and pulled on her slippers and robe. She padded into the hallway, thankful for the wooden doors in Elera's home. Iris hadn't tried to move one of the stone doors in the barracks, and she wasn't sure she could. She stopped in front of Elera's bedroom, hesitated, and raised her hand to knock, but the door opened before she got a chance.

"Iris?" Elera asked, her blue eyes widening momentarily with surprise. "Couldn't sleep either?" she asked sympathetically.

"Um, I..."

"Come with me, dear. I'll make us some hot tea."

Elera took Iris by the hand and led her to the kitchen. Iris sat at the table, watching as Elera puttered about.

"I've been worried about you, Iris. Even before Char told me what happened," Elera said. "You don't strike me as the kind of girl who wants all of this drama."

"Not really, no."

Elera sat down next to her as the kettle of water warmed up on the stove. "You look like you have something on your mind."

"I...I've been having dreams about my mother," Iris started hesitantly.

Elera nodded encouragingly.

"The first one wasn't very pleasant. She was..." Iris swallowed. "She was raped, too."

Elera's hand found Iris' and squeezed it gently.

"But all the dreams since then...I don't know if they're dreams, or visions, or maybe even memories. I see her face, and I hear her talking to me...crying when she left me at the church, smiling and laughing when she played with me. She was just a teenager, and she didn't ask for me at all, but she really loved me."

Elera nodded, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Motherhood is like that. I knew I loved my boys before they were even born."

"But she was...she was raped," Iris repeated. "And the dream tonight...she was alone. She was laughing and smiling at my reaction to seeing snow for the first time, but she was worried, too. She was looking for a place just to spend the night. And Micah said it took two years for his master to find her, so that means she was running and hiding for two years."

"Iris." Elera sighed and brushed her hair back. "I can't imagine what your mother went through. Maybe she didn't want you at first. I've known women who don't feel that automatic connection when they're pregnant, like I did, but as soon as the baby is born, as soon as they see them and hold them for the first time, they fall in love. It's not a choice. It just happens. Regardless of how she came to have you, she loved you, and that's okay."

The kettle started whistling. Elera rose to attend to it, and Iris sat still, repeating those words in her mind.

She loved you, and that's okay.

Iris took a deep breath and let it out. The comforting smell of tea filled the air. Elera returned to her seat, pouring a cup of tea for herself and another for Iris.

"Thank you," Iris said quietly.

"Oh, Iris," Elera murmured, and then she pulled her into a hug. "You're a wonderful girl, Iris, and you've been through far too much. It's okay for you to let it go and be happy. Enjoy those precious moments with your mother in your dreams. She loved you, and I love you, and Char loves you, and Rath loves you, too, in his own way. You're part of our family now, and whatever you need, we're here for you, so just ask, okay?"

"Okay," Iris replied, tears slipping down her cheeks.

They talked, hugged, and cried throughout that long night, drinking tea and, eventually, making cookies. Dawn broke, the moss on the ceiling brightened, and Elera stood up from the table, yawning.

"Well, this old woman needs to get some sleep," she announced.

"You're not old," Iris told her.

Elera smiled and patted Iris' head. "Thank you for that, but my body says otherwise. I think dress shopping will have to wait until this afternoon."

"That's fine. I should probably go to bed, too," Iris said.

Elera shook her head. "Stay here a little longer. I'm sure Char will be by to see you soon," Elera said, winking. "Good night, Iris. Or, rather, good morning, I guess."

Iris giggled. "Good morning, Elera."

Iris sat at the table alone, looking around the kitchen. She and Elera had washed and put the dishes away a long time ago, and now all that remained of their night was a plate of cookies on the table. The green and gold scales around the window shone in the gradually brightening light of the ceiling moss. Elera had talked about Jarth quite a lot over the past few hours. Iris wished she could have met him. She sighed and stood up, heading to the stove. If she didn't do something, she was going to fall asleep, and she may as well make breakfast before Char arrived.

Just thinking about him warmed her heart.

"Good morning, Iris."

She jumped and spun around, surprised at his voice directly in her ear, and his teasing green eyes were right behind her. He grabbed her about the waist and kissed her before she could respond.

"Ch-char, you startled me!" she protested when he broke the kiss.

He grinned, sliding his arms all the way around her and pulling her close. "That was the point."

She tried to scowl at him, but it didn't quite work when she was blushing all the way to her ears. "I still haven't gotten you back for the night before last."

His grin widened. "Whatever do you mean?" he asked innocently.

She shoved his shoulder playfully. "You know exactly what I mean. Why didn't you bring me a nightgown to wear?"

He answered with another kiss, and the hand that was shoving his shoulder clung to it instead.

"I see your point," she murmured before his lips were on hers again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fully giving in to his attention. He pulled back far too soon.

"You look tired," he murmured, brushing her hair back from her face.

She nodded. "Elera and I were up all night talking."

He frowned, and then he scooped her up with no warning.

"Char!"

He carried her back to her room - his room - and pressed her into the sheets, laying down beside her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" she asked.

"If you're having trouble sleeping, my mother won't mind you climbing into bed with her," he replied, his green eyes inches from hers on the pillow. "But she won't do this."

He kissed her again, starting in soft and deepening as she responded, until an involuntary moan escaped the back of her throat. His triumphant smirk and warm hands on her back simultaneously annoyed and enthralled her.

"No, she won't," she admitted breathlessly.

"Think you can sleep now?"

She nodded.

"Good, because I need to buy our rings and figure out where we're living next week," he said, but he didn't move.

She closed her eyes and nuzzled into his chest. He stroked her hair in silence, and he didn't leave until after she fell asleep.