Free Web NovelChapter 787: Chapter 788: Name one after me
After the babies settled again, Isabella turned to Glimora who was still quite.
The first boy moved in his wrap and made a tiny noise.
Glimora leaned closer, sniffed him, then drew back with deep suspicion.
Isabella smiled. "That one is your little brother."
Glimora looked at her.
"The second one too."
Glimora looked like this information was not pleasing.
"And the girl is your little sister."
At that, Glimora slowly turned toward the baby girl.
The little girl moved her head slightly and made a quiet sound. It was not loud like the boys. It was small and thin, but somehow it caught Glimora’s attention. The white beast lowered her nose closer and sniffed the edge of the cloth.
The baby girl quieted.
Glimora froze. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Everyone watched without speaking.
Then Glimora gently placed her chin near the baby girl’s wrap. She did not touch her fully. She only stayed close, as if guarding her.
Isabella’s eyes immediately filled with tears again.
"Oh," Ophelia whispered.
Shelia’s face softened.
Valen’s hand rested calmly on Ophelia’s shoulder as he watched the scene.
Even Osiris kept quiet.
Luca looked at Glimora and the baby girl for a long moment, then said very softly, "She accepted that one first."
Isabella sniffed. "Because girls understand each other."
Zyran looked at the two baby boys. "The boys are already being judged."
"They deserve it," Isabella said.
Cyrus looked at his sons and then at Isabella, and although he knew she was joking, his heart felt too full to answer properly.
After a while, Isabella turned toward the two experienced women. They had stayed in the room quietly, checking things when needed and making sure she and the babies were stable. Their hands were tired. Their faces were worn out. They had been there through blood, pain, fear, strange magic, and the sound of war outside the door. Without them, Isabella did not want to imagine what would have happened.
She looked at them seriously. "Thank you."
The older woman immediately lowered her head. "Lady Isabella, there is no need."
"There is," Isabella said. "You helped me. You helped my babies. I won’t forget that."
The younger woman’s eyes became wet. "It was an honor. Truly. We would do it again a thousand times."
The older woman nodded, and her voice became thicker. "You changed our lives first. Before you came, many of us did not think this village could become what it is now. You gave us warm homes, food, clean water, safer paths, and a place where females can speak without being ignored. Helping you today was not a burden."
The younger woman wiped her eyes quickly. "We were scared, but we were proud too."
Isabella did not know what to say for a moment.
So she only nodded.
That was enough.
After that, the plates were taken away. The room became calmer. The babies were sleeping now, except the girl, whose tiny body still moved from time to time in her wrap. Glimora stayed near her like she had accepted a new personal duty. The boys slept harder, their mouths slightly open, looking much less angry now that they had eaten.
Isabella looked at Cyrus.
He was sitting close, watching her and the babies with a soft expression that made her chest feel warm.
"We should name them," she said.
The room became quiet in a different way.
Cyrus’s eyes lowered to the three babies.
He looked almost afraid to touch the moment too roughly.
"Yes," he said softly.
Zyran immediately leaned forward. "Name one after me."
Isabella looked at him.
He looked completely serious.
"No," she said.
"What about the girl?"
"Absolutely not."
"She will have my personality."
"That is exactly why the answer is no. One Zyran is already enough punishment for this world."
Zyran looked offended. "She would be charming."
"She would run me into madness before she learns to crawl."
Osiris nodded. "That is true."
Zyran looked at him. "Do not agree when no one asked you."
Osiris lifted both hands. "I was supporting Isabella."
"Support her silently."
Isabella ignored them and looked down at the first baby boy.
He had been the first to come out. His cry had reached the people outside and given them hope while everything was still terrible. He had fought to live, loud and angry, even though he was so small.
Cyrus touched the edge of the boy’s wrap. "He came first."
Isabella nodded. "He did."
"He cried like he was calling the room to listen," Cyrus said.
"He cried like he was angry at everyone," Isabella replied.
Cyrus smiled faintly. "Maybe he was."
Isabella looked at the tiny horns on his head and then at his small curled body. "I want his name to mean something strong. But not too heavy."
Cyrus thought for a moment. "Riven."
Isabella repeated it softly. "Riven."
The baby’s mouth moved slightly in his sleep.
Isabella’s heart melted.
"Riven," she said again. "I like it."
Cyrus’s eyes softened.
Then they looked at the second boy.
This one had been louder after birth. He had fought harder on the way out and cried like he had a complaint against the whole world.
Zyran leaned closer. "That one should be named after me. Look at him. He already has attitude."
Isabella turned to him. "Get away from my son."
"He has taste." freewebnovel.cσ๓
"He is asleep."
"He is dreaming of being like me."
"Then I will wake him up."
Cyrus gently touched the second boy’s small head. The baby shifted slightly but did not cry.
"He was hard to bring out," Cyrus said quietly.
Isabella gave him a look. "I remember."
"I know."
"He was very rude."
Cyrus’s smile became both guilty and fond. "Then maybe his name should mean stubborn life."
Isabella stared at the baby.
Stubborn life.
Yes.
That suited him.
"What name means that?" she asked.
Cyrus thought, then said, "Taren."
"Taren," Isabella repeated.
The second boy made a tiny sound in his sleep.
Ophelia immediately whispered, "He likes it."
Shelia smiled. "Or he is complaining."
Isabella nodded. "Both are possible."
Then they all looked at the girl.
The room softened at once.
She was awake. Her tiny head moved a little, and her small horned head rested near Glimora’s chin. The white beast was still watching her with quiet focus. The girl did not cry. She only made small sounds from time to time, as if she had already decided she would observe everyone before choosing who deserved her noise.
Isabella smiled.
"This one gave me mercy," she said.
Cyrus touched the baby girl’s wrap with the back of one finger. His face was full of a gentleness so deep it almost hurt to see. "She came last."
"She came easiest."
"She is quiet."
"For now," Isabella said. "Let us not trust that too much."
Zyran sighed. "Give her a beautiful name. Since you refused mine."
Isabella ignored him.
She looked at the baby girl for a long time.
A daughter.
She had a daughter.
After everything, after pain that felt endless, after the attack, after fear, after blood, this tiny girl had arrived. Small, horned, strange, and perfect.
"Liora," Isabella said softly.
Cyrus looked at her. "Liora."
"It feels warm," Isabella said. "Like light. Like something that survived the night."
Cyrus’s eyes stayed on her face for a moment, then he nodded. "Liora."
Glimora made a quiet sound.
The baby girl moved slightly.
Isabella smiled through sudden tears. "Then it is settled."
Cyrus looked at the babies one by one. "Riven. Taren. Liora."
The names filled the room gently.
No one spoke for a few breaths.
Even Zyran stayed quiet.
Even Osiris did not ruin it.
Isabella leaned back against the furs, exhausted but happy in a way she did not know how to explain. Her body hurt. Her heart was too full. The village outside was wounded. There were things being hidden from her, and some part of her knew it. She could feel it in the way people avoided certain words. She could see it in the way Cyrus sometimes looked toward the door.
But for this moment, her babies had names.
Her friends were near.
Glimora was guarding Liora like a tiny jealous older sister.
Cyrus was beside her.
And for one small morning after a night full of blood and fear, Isabella allowed herself to be happy.
