The sun shone cheerily above the mountains on the morning of a joyous day. A new child slept soundly in the arms of his doting mother. It was her second born, easier than the first but no less special. The mother, exhausted from the night's effort, leaned over and squeezed the hand of her most attentive helper.
“Thank you, Morwyn. I couldn't ask for a better sister. Don't tell Elaine I said that though!”
She chuckled and laid back in the pool of sunlight filtering through the wavy glass of the window. Morwyn stifled a giggle and grinned from ear to ear at her younger sister, glowing with pride.
“You've grown up so fast, Anna. I'm so proud of you, and your little ones,” she said, positively bouncing with energy in her chair despite having little sleep for the last two days as she and their mother aided the birth.
“And you haven't grown up at all,” Anna teased, but her mirth faded when she saw Morwyn grow suddenly serious. There was a long moment of awkward silence. Three heartbeats passed. Five. Ten. Then Morwyn yelped as Anna tickled her side, and the tense moment passed as laughter once again filled the humble cabin.
“So, what are you going to name him?” Morwyn asked once she regained her breath. “Eddard, after his father? Or perhaps Kormyr, a Knight of the Iron Sea, the great chief of Skeldrûn who united the kingdom?” Anna giggled and smiled warmly at her sister.
“You've had those suggestions ready to go for a while now, haven't you?”
“Months!” Morwyn replied happily. She grinned and reached into her satchel, producing a well-worn book, one of many that she buried herself in when she wasn't doing chores or practicing her sword-work with their brothers. “Oh, please, Anna! I would love nothing more than to read the story to him. Maybe if he likes it, you'd consider-”
“Morwyn,” Anna managed between fits of laughter, “We've seen you writing names in your journal for weeks now. You aren't as sneaky as you think! And yes, we also considered naming the child Eilsef should it be a girl, another of the Knights of the Iron Sea you're so taken with. You've found some wonderful names.”
Morwyn blushed deeply at the mention of her her not-so-secret, secret mission and slid her boot back and forth across the smooth pine boards of her sister's home in embarrassment.
“To answer your question, sister... Yes. We've already decided to take your suggestion, and I think baby Kormyr would love nothing more than for his Auntie Morwyn to read him a story.”
Morwyn's face lit up as she shuffled in her chair, sitting up straight and settling the book on her lap. It fell open to a cloth bookmark, right at the beginning of The Legend of Kormyr the Bold. It was apparent that this story had been revisited many, many times in recent days. Morwyn cleared her throat several times and began to narrate in her most serious tone.
“Years ago, in the midst of a tragic war of fractured tribes fighting desperately against an invasion of outlanders, there rose a mighty hero...”