19th Cylus, 717
Tei'serin tried to keep her mind on her work. The spelling tests for the first year students, math tests for the fourth year students, and history papers for the students who would be graduating at the end of the school arc weren't going to grade themselves, after all. But the bitter cold made it difficult to concentrate on anything other than how cold she was. And the small fire burning brightly in the fire place along the back wall did little to ward off the chill. Still, the sooner she got the papers graded, the sooner she could make her way to Sorin's house. The couple he was living with had insisted that she stay with them as long as the snow lasted rather than make the long ride back to her small farm. Arrangements had been made for one of her neighbors to house the few animals she had with his own at his insistence. His daughter was one of her students, and like the others in the village, had no desire to risk losing their teacher when it could be easily avoided.
She looked down to see that one of her youngest students had spelled the word snow "snoo" instead of the correct way. She chuckled at the mistake for a few trills before marking it wrong, and writing the correct spelling next to the misspelled word. Perhaps she would have to go over the vocabulary with her younger students again. Snow seemed to be a word that a lot of the younger kids had had trouble with this time around.
Snow, huh? What a fitting word for this season.
Tei'serin had picked words that were fitting for the season that she felt her students should be able to spell. Snow, ice, and the like. Making her lessons relevant to the season, or to particular events and holidays when possible seemed to make them more interesting for her students, and as such, easier for them to remember.
After finishing grading the test she was currently grading, she paused to look out the window. It was snowing heavily, as it had been for the past few trials.
It was snowing that trial, too. Tei'serin thought.
Not like this, though. The falling snow was beautiful, then. she mused.
Her thoughts drifted back to the trial she had met Ziell, and the wonderful journey he had taken her on. She blushed as she remembered what had happened at the end of that journey. Without realizing she was doing so, she placed a hand over her abdomen protectively. It was too soon to tell for certain, of course. And it would be for some time to come. But her menstrual cycle was several trials late now. Normally, it was quite regular. And while stress could affect it, and had in the past, this was Cylus. With travel as difficult as it was, she was safer from...unexpected "visitors" now than she was at any other time in the arc.
There's this to consider, as well. Ziell is the Immortal of Prophecy. Something about me had to have drawn his attention. I live on a small farm, in a small, out of the way place. Nothing about me as a person stands out in any way, and aside from getting dragged into the war among the Immortals last Vhalar, I haven't done anything to warrant the attention of an Immortal. Even then, I didn't stand out. I was one healer among many, and not even a very good one, since most of what I know about herbs was useless there. It isn't much of a stretch to believe that it wasn't me that attracted his attention at all. Or, it was...but it was because of a child I will bear in the future rather than anything about me specifically. If I am to bear a child...
Tei'serin's eyes widened as she remembered the note Ziell had left for her to find when she woke up. It wasn't an if; it was a certainty. She was going to bear Ziell's child. What would it be like to be a mother? To have a child of her own? In some ways, it wouldn't be all that different than it was now. Her students were her children in a very real way. But in other ways, it would be very different. To have someone to love as fiercely as a mother loves her child. To have that kind of special bond with someone...a part of Tei'serin longed to have that for herself.
A child of my own...well, only time will tell. Dwelling on it now isn't going to do any good. And it certainly isn't going to get these papers graded any faster. Tei'serin told herself firmly as she focused on her task once more.
Tei'serin tried to keep her mind on her work. The spelling tests for the first year students, math tests for the fourth year students, and history papers for the students who would be graduating at the end of the school arc weren't going to grade themselves, after all. But the bitter cold made it difficult to concentrate on anything other than how cold she was. And the small fire burning brightly in the fire place along the back wall did little to ward off the chill. Still, the sooner she got the papers graded, the sooner she could make her way to Sorin's house. The couple he was living with had insisted that she stay with them as long as the snow lasted rather than make the long ride back to her small farm. Arrangements had been made for one of her neighbors to house the few animals she had with his own at his insistence. His daughter was one of her students, and like the others in the village, had no desire to risk losing their teacher when it could be easily avoided.
She looked down to see that one of her youngest students had spelled the word snow "snoo" instead of the correct way. She chuckled at the mistake for a few trills before marking it wrong, and writing the correct spelling next to the misspelled word. Perhaps she would have to go over the vocabulary with her younger students again. Snow seemed to be a word that a lot of the younger kids had had trouble with this time around.
Snow, huh? What a fitting word for this season.
Tei'serin had picked words that were fitting for the season that she felt her students should be able to spell. Snow, ice, and the like. Making her lessons relevant to the season, or to particular events and holidays when possible seemed to make them more interesting for her students, and as such, easier for them to remember.
After finishing grading the test she was currently grading, she paused to look out the window. It was snowing heavily, as it had been for the past few trials.
It was snowing that trial, too. Tei'serin thought.
Not like this, though. The falling snow was beautiful, then. she mused.
Her thoughts drifted back to the trial she had met Ziell, and the wonderful journey he had taken her on. She blushed as she remembered what had happened at the end of that journey. Without realizing she was doing so, she placed a hand over her abdomen protectively. It was too soon to tell for certain, of course. And it would be for some time to come. But her menstrual cycle was several trials late now. Normally, it was quite regular. And while stress could affect it, and had in the past, this was Cylus. With travel as difficult as it was, she was safer from...unexpected "visitors" now than she was at any other time in the arc.
There's this to consider, as well. Ziell is the Immortal of Prophecy. Something about me had to have drawn his attention. I live on a small farm, in a small, out of the way place. Nothing about me as a person stands out in any way, and aside from getting dragged into the war among the Immortals last Vhalar, I haven't done anything to warrant the attention of an Immortal. Even then, I didn't stand out. I was one healer among many, and not even a very good one, since most of what I know about herbs was useless there. It isn't much of a stretch to believe that it wasn't me that attracted his attention at all. Or, it was...but it was because of a child I will bear in the future rather than anything about me specifically. If I am to bear a child...
Tei'serin's eyes widened as she remembered the note Ziell had left for her to find when she woke up. It wasn't an if; it was a certainty. She was going to bear Ziell's child. What would it be like to be a mother? To have a child of her own? In some ways, it wouldn't be all that different than it was now. Her students were her children in a very real way. But in other ways, it would be very different. To have someone to love as fiercely as a mother loves her child. To have that kind of special bond with someone...a part of Tei'serin longed to have that for herself.
A child of my own...well, only time will tell. Dwelling on it now isn't going to do any good. And it certainly isn't going to get these papers graded any faster. Tei'serin told herself firmly as she focused on her task once more.
