The tears I had been holding back for so long spilled over, and I let them fall, feeling the full weight of everything that had been asked of us... the moment crashed over me, each word from Elder MoonChild striking harder than the last. My hands cradled our daughter, the child that had just been born—our daughter—her small, perfect form nestled against me, her skin still warm from the birth. But as I looked down at her, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, that the world had shifted in ways I couldn't understand.
"I…" I whispered, my voice trembling as I stroked her soft cheek, feeling the rapid beating of her heart against my palm. "I didn't know, Fen. I swear to the Moon Goddess, I didn't know that's what she meant."
