Both Liz_Danly and LittleMissyMolly requested a Tyra/Farkas story, so here it is. As the title states, this is only the first part, and there will be a part two eventually. Hope you enjoy!

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19th of Sun's Height, 4E 204

In the past week, Jorrvaskr had gone through quite the change. Ylva's Harbinger duties had been put on hold as she took on another, far more important, mantle: the mantle of motherhood.

Well, she really had not been mothering yet. Since giving birth, she had been bedridden; even though she was a very strong woman, childbirth had weakened her, and she had yet to regain her strength. Still, she was doing all she could to take care of her twins, and Vilkas was doing all he could to keep her comfortable.

It was hard to see Ylva in that state. I hated to see her so vulnerable, so tired. Vilkas, Farkas, and I were doing all that we could to keep her from lapsing into a nasty depression which, as Danica had informed us, was a very real possibility. Bedridden mothers were more likely to become depressed, since they could do nothing to distract themselves.

To prevent this from happening, my husband and I assisted in any way we could. While I would hold one of the fussy twins, Farkas would recount the events of his recent quests all around Whiterun Hold. I fetched things from the marketplace, like fruits Ylva craved, or medicine to dull the ache she had been feeling since giving birth. Farkas and I were trying to take the load off Vilkas's shoulders so he could spend his time comforting Ylva when she was down on herself. When he would ask why we were being so generous with our time, we would smile and say, "Because that's what family does."

But over the course of the past few days, I had been finding it harder and harder to get out of bed to help. My eyelids were constantly heavy, my arms and legs were fatigued, and my mind was fuzzy. Stranger still, I was tired even after sleeping from dusk until well past dawn.

"You should go to the healer," said Farkas on the third morning I had awoken with my strange fatigue. "Please."

"Farkas, I'm sure it's just from staying up with Ylva," I said, stretching my arms over my head. "It'll pass."

I neglected to tell him about how sick my stomach felt this morning. Best not give him more reason to worry about me.

"You and I both know that's not it. Go see Danica."

I huffed and put my hands on my hips. "Was that an order?"

I expected him to scowl at me, but he instead grinned. Walking to the bed, he sat down beside me and pressed his chapped lips to my cheek. His beard tickled my cheek when he kissed me, and I could not help but giggle a little.

"Please go see Danica?" he asked, giving me a pleading look that reminded me of a little lost puppy.

It was a look I could not resist. "All right, I'll go. Sooner rather than later."

His grin widened, and he kissed me on the lips this time. "Good. Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, you should stay here. Help your brother while I'm gone."

He nodded, standing up. "Fair enough." Then, with another smile aimed my way, he left our room, undoubtedly going to help Ylva and Vilkas.

I got up shortly after he left, intending to get dressed, but I instead found myself stumbling to the bar that occupied part of our room's space. I staggered behind it, grabbed a wooden bucket off the nearest shelf, and emptied last night's meal into it. Thankfully, my retching was not very loud, which meant that Farkas had hopefully not heard me.

Once I finished throwing up, I stood on shaky legs and picked the bucket up. I set it on top of the bar, then moved towards my dresser. I pulled out the first tunic I could find, then a pair of leggings to match. I hardly bothered to cinch my belt around my waist before moving to put my boots on. After doing that, I combed my fingers through my hair and made myself at least halfway presentable.

Who cares what I look like? It doesn't matter. It's not like I'm going to present myself to the bloody Jarl.

I was going to take the bucket of vomit with me when I left, but—thank the gods—Tilma had been walking by my room as I was leaving, and when I explained what happened, she agreed to clean up after me and keep it a secret.

"I owe you, Tilma," I said with a grateful smile on my face.

"Not hardly, dear," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Now go on."

It amazed me how wonderful the weather was this morning, considering it was the middle of the hottest month of the year. A gentle summer breeze wafted through the Cloud District, rustling the boughs of the Gildergreen and tousling my hair around my face. It was laced with the soft fragrance of lavender, as well as mountain flowers and dragon's tongue.

I made my way slowly down the steps of Jorrvaskr; my legs were still so tired, and I was still shaky from throwing up. I thought I was doing a good job of covering it up, but when Amren asked if I needed help, I realized I was not being subtle enough. I took him up on his offer, and he led me gently by the arm to the Temple. I let him go at the door, thanking him for his kindness, then stepped inside.

I did not have to go searching for Danica; she found me. She gave me a concerned look, then led me into her private room and sat me down on her bed. "What's wrong, child?" she asked, pulling up a chair and sitting opposite of me. "Is Ylva all right?"

"Yes, she's fine. I'm here for myself, actually."

She gave a slow nod. "I thought as much. You don't look very well. What seems to be ailing you?"

"I thought it was just fatigue from helping Ylva, but this morning... I threw up."

"What sort of fatigue?"

"My whole body just feels tired. I find it so easy to fall asleep at night now, and so hard to wake up in the morning."

"Was this morning the first time you threw up?"

I nodded.

Danica leaned back in her chair, stroking her chin gently. "Well, let's see if we can't find out what this is. Take off your belt and lift up your tunic."

Brow knitting in confusion, I did as she said. I let my belt fall to my sides and lifted the hem of my tunic a few inches, exposing my navel and a few inches of skin above it.

A soft yellow light stretched across Danica's right palm as she lifted her hand and pressed it to my belly. Gentle warmth spread over my skin as she slid her hand over my abdomen, her eyes closed and face concentrated.

"What are you doing?" I asked after she had been quiet for some time.

Instead of giving an answer, she shushed me. "This requires much concentration. Please do not distract me."

Feeling like a reprimanded child, I closed my mouth and obeyed.

After what seemed like forever, Danica opened her eyes and pulled her hand back. She gave me a smile as I dropped my tunic. "Congratulations," she said, hand resting on my leg now.

"Congratulations? For what?"

"Oh, young one, you're carrying a child in your womb. You're pregnant."

I sat there with a confused look on my face. She did not just tell me I was pregnant. "You're joking."

"I would never joke about this, Tyra. You're pregnant."

"But that's impossible. Farkas and I married less than two months ago. We weren't planning on having a child so soon."

"Sometimes it just happens when you least expect it."

Dumbfounded, I leaned back and stared at a crack in the wall behind Danica. I was... pregnant? So soon? No, there had to be some mistake. Danica had to be wrong. But she had never been wrong before. I somehow doubted she would start being wrong now.

I startled when the hand on my leg squeezed gently. My focus was back on Danica, and the soft look she had on her weathered face.

"Listen, child, everything will be all right. I know this is a lot to take in right now, and it's all a bit of a shock, but when it has time to fully sink in, you'll realize just how wonderful this is." She smiled, removing her hand from my leg and placing it in her own lap. "I am so happy for you and your family. Your brother and sister just had twins, and now you and Farkas are having a baby of your own."

Farkas. Oh, gods, what was he going to say? He and I both agreed we were not ready to be parents, and it would be best to wait a few months before trying to have a child. Would he be angry when he found out? Shocked? Confused? I was not exactly eager to find out.

Gods, what am I to do?

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So I got this idea a week or two ago, and started to work on it then. Well, college life caught up with me and began to consume all of my time, and I had to put my work on hold. When I got back to working on it, it went a totally different direction than what I had originally planned. I'm not saying I'm dissatisfied with it; I actually like where it went, because now I have a reason to write a second part. Writing is funny like that sometimes. We writers may be in control, but sometimes our characters take the reins and lead us down paths we never expected. It's one of my favorite things about writing, really.

Okay, I'll stop rambling now.

See you again for the second part of this story! Love and sweetrolls!
~WG 💙