Wings of Fury 2

Rozenn stared - first in wonder, then anxiety, and finally in horror. Coarse as Terzi was, birth was something of a miracle -- a miracle that was suddenly becoming much realer than it had been an hour before. It was a miracle that was not just a story she was telling in her head, but rather an overwhelming, all consuming reality which she would now have to reckon with. It was a miracle they'd robbed a mother of -- and while that mother was a scourge the world was better without, there was still no small tragedy to the fact that these children would never know her. They would be raised by the hands soaked in her blood. They would be raised by--

Before her thoughts could overwhelm her, Rozenn forced her eyes shut. She focused on a little song her mothers sang to her when she was overwhelmed. It had no words, just a tune, and it always had helped her gather her thoughts.

What was done was done, and she'd only done what she'd best been able to with the little information she had. She needed to remember that. Hindsight provided insights, but nothing could justify the many lives Naissyri took. Hindsight left her with regrets, but no one could change the past. No one could give these little ones their mother's embrace; no one could shield them from the shadow of the great dragon's corpse. All they could do was protect them from a world that would see them harmed.

And so with a gentle, sad sigh, she knelt and proffered a sad, pitying smile to the little creatures. Welcome to the world, babies; what a world it is.