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aldersprigFor Friendly Anon's prompt.
It was, as fairy gifts went, rather strange.
As wedding gifts go, it was even odder.
Neither Marcus nor Hope could remember who had invited the strange woman to their wedding, although both admitted they thought she was from the other's side of the family. When consulted, later, neither of their mothers, nor any of their grandmothers, could place her, and they began to suspect she'd crashed wedding and reception for some unknown purpose.
But by then, the plants were already in the ground.
"This rosebush," "Aunt Edith" had told them, "will produce one bloom for each daughter you will have. And this one will produce a bloom for every son you will have. On their sixteenth birthday, but not before, have each of your children cut one rose, and place it in a vase to root it."
"Will it tell them how many children they will have?" Marcus had asked, mildly fascinated and on his fifth glass of wine. "Aunt Edith" had looked at him very oddly.
"No. No, it will give them a real gift."
It was beyond odd, but it wasn't the only odd gift they received, both families being more than a bit fae around the edges, and they did need something around the front door, so they planted the roses, and waited.
The rose on the left bloomed pink roses, bright pink roses, twelve blooms, twelve strong blooms that never faded and never died; the rose on the right bloomed one white rose that shone bright and lasted perpetually, just as its sister-roses did.
They laughed about it, then, Marcus and Hope. Twelve daughters, one son? They weren't going to have that many kids. Two of each, tops, and only that many if they started with two of one or the other.
Of course, nobody was surprised when Hope came up pregnant not that long after the wedding, and, chances being just about 50-50, noone was surprised that it was a girl. One rose on the pink bush seemed just a bit bigger, but that could have been their imaginations.
Brandy followed Alicia the next year, which was a bit sooner than Hope and Marcus had planned, but every child was a blessing, and they welcomed her - and the second rose growing bigger and brighter - with love and warmth.
When Celia and Darla came the next year, they started to get a little uncomfortable.
"Twelve?" Hope asked uncomfortably. "I'm not sure I can handle twelve."
"It... it might not be real?" Marcus offered, but he started negotiating for a raise, and asked some of his more fae relatives to start throwing some good luck his way.
Edith, Francine, Gemma came in their time, but by the time Gemma was born, Alicia was old enough to change diapers and Brandy was old enough for everything else. The pink rosebush was looking bright and beautiful, Marcus' career was skyrocketing, and the white rosebush glowed with one lonely rose.
"One son," Hope said firmly, "and then we're stopping."
Three pregnancy-free years later, they were beginning to think they were safe, but when Hope came up pregnant, they were almost relived. That white rose looked so lonely.
Harold was born into a family of girls, beloved, pampered, and spoiled. "Done," Hope said, and for two years, they both believed it.
Believed it, and yet weren't surprised when Ida came along just after Harold's third birthday, or Joanna another year afterwards.
But they began to get worried, really worried, when Karen and Laura were born... two weeks before Alicia's sixteenth birthday.
"A real gift," Hope murmured. "A real gift."
It was, as fairy gifts went, rather strange.
As wedding gifts go, it was even odder.
Neither Marcus nor Hope could remember who had invited the strange woman to their wedding, although both admitted they thought she was from the other's side of the family. When consulted, later, neither of their mothers, nor any of their grandmothers, could place her, and they began to suspect she'd crashed wedding and reception for some unknown purpose.
But by then, the plants were already in the ground.
"This rosebush," "Aunt Edith" had told them, "will produce one bloom for each daughter you will have. And this one will produce a bloom for every son you will have. On their sixteenth birthday, but not before, have each of your children cut one rose, and place it in a vase to root it."
"Will it tell them how many children they will have?" Marcus had asked, mildly fascinated and on his fifth glass of wine. "Aunt Edith" had looked at him very oddly.
"No. No, it will give them a real gift."
It was beyond odd, but it wasn't the only odd gift they received, both families being more than a bit fae around the edges, and they did need something around the front door, so they planted the roses, and waited.
The rose on the left bloomed pink roses, bright pink roses, twelve blooms, twelve strong blooms that never faded and never died; the rose on the right bloomed one white rose that shone bright and lasted perpetually, just as its sister-roses did.
They laughed about it, then, Marcus and Hope. Twelve daughters, one son? They weren't going to have that many kids. Two of each, tops, and only that many if they started with two of one or the other.
Of course, nobody was surprised when Hope came up pregnant not that long after the wedding, and, chances being just about 50-50, noone was surprised that it was a girl. One rose on the pink bush seemed just a bit bigger, but that could have been their imaginations.
Brandy followed Alicia the next year, which was a bit sooner than Hope and Marcus had planned, but every child was a blessing, and they welcomed her - and the second rose growing bigger and brighter - with love and warmth.
When Celia and Darla came the next year, they started to get a little uncomfortable.
"Twelve?" Hope asked uncomfortably. "I'm not sure I can handle twelve."
"It... it might not be real?" Marcus offered, but he started negotiating for a raise, and asked some of his more fae relatives to start throwing some good luck his way.
Edith, Francine, Gemma came in their time, but by the time Gemma was born, Alicia was old enough to change diapers and Brandy was old enough for everything else. The pink rosebush was looking bright and beautiful, Marcus' career was skyrocketing, and the white rosebush glowed with one lonely rose.
"One son," Hope said firmly, "and then we're stopping."
Three pregnancy-free years later, they were beginning to think they were safe, but when Hope came up pregnant, they were almost relived. That white rose looked so lonely.
Harold was born into a family of girls, beloved, pampered, and spoiled. "Done," Hope said, and for two years, they both believed it.
Believed it, and yet weren't surprised when Ida came along just after Harold's third birthday, or Joanna another year afterwards.
But they began to get worried, really worried, when Karen and Laura were born... two weeks before Alicia's sixteenth birthday.
"A real gift," Hope murmured. "A real gift."
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 01:49 am (UTC)I totally laughed out loud at the ending though, because now I'm going to need to figure out how to get answers soon!
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 12:47 am (UTC)Hee hee, alphabetical order, like in Ten Kids, No Pets?
Ooh, wow, I really want to know what Alicia's real gift is.
Typos: "noone was surprised" "almost relived"
no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 01:11 am (UTC)I do have a friend whose family is named alphabetically - Adam B. (C-last name), Sister is, I think, C-D-C, and so on.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 02:30 am (UTC)