Titel: Like of my life

Autor: Merlin

Summary: Rumina und Turok sind gar nicht glücklich über die Geburt von Elora

Maeve slowly opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling.  Her small cabin was filled with an early morning light from the rising sun.  She turned slowly onto her side, and smiled as she saw her tiny baby next to her.  Maeve could hardly believe Elora was born already.  Everything in her life was finally coming together.

Elora looked like her, Maeve was sure of that.  She had little sprouts of fiery hair, and deep brown eyes.  She was adorable, and Maeve was extremely proud to be her mother.  Maeve sat up, and winced from the pain in her stomach.  But, as she looked at her tiny infant, she knew that it was well worth it.  She looked over at Sinbad, who was sleeping peacefully on the other side of Elora.

Sinbad looked just like a child, young and vulnerable, when he was asleep.  Maeve reached over and pushed a stray hair off of his forehead, thinking that maybe if she touched him, that the fact that he was back would actually sink in.  She still couldn't believe he was really here.  He had been dead for the past few months, and Maeve had barely even talked to him since he had returned.  Sinbad's eyes slowly opened, and Maeve watched his beautiful dimples appear as he focused on her.

"Good morning, Maeve."  he said sleepily, a smile lighting his warm blue eyes.

Maeve's eyes filled with happy tears.  She had missed him so much.  It was good to hear his beautiful voice once again.

"I've missed you, Sinbad."  she said, joyful tears welling in her eyes.

He reached over and wiped a tear off her cheek.  Her hand shook as she touched his hand, she was still in shock from him suddenly coming back.  He clasped her hand in his own, almost as if to make her believe that it was him.

"I'll never leave you again, my love."  he promised.

She smiled and carefully lifted up her sleeping child, so that she could cradle the baby in her arms.  Sinbad carefully sat up and moved closer to Maeve, trying desperately hard not to shake the bed in the least.  He smiled and gently rubbed his finger against Elora's soft and tiny cheek.

"She looks like me, doesn't she?"  she said in a voice full of motherly pride.

Sinbad nodded.  "Aye.  She's as beautiful as you."

Maeve smiled at Sinbad's gentle flirtation and brushed a gentle kiss against his soft lips.  She then leaned back against him, and snuggled against his warm body.  Elora opened her tiny eyes and let out a little sigh.  Sinbad looked down at Maeve and beamed proudly.  He was so proud to be part of this family, and he wished that the three of them could stay like this forever.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Up on the deck of the Nomad, the crew was bustling around with excitement.  Not only did their beloved captain return to them, but a new little person had just arrived.  The tranquil blue sky filled everyone with a sense of happiness, and the calm waves fit the atmosphere perfectly.  Firouz spotted Doubar standing at the helm, holding the tiller.  He ran over to him.

"Where's Sinbad?"  Firouz eagerly asked, anxious to see his friend again.

"Firouz, have some patience.  Sinbad just came back from the dead!  I think he deserves some time alone with Maeve and Elora."  Doubar said good naturedly.

Doubar's eyes were twinkling with the joy of being an uncle.  Although he hadn't even held the baby yet, he knew that he would make a great uncle.  He was thrilled that his brother had returned, and this day was the best one that he could ever remember having.

Rongar came up behind them and nodded in agreement of Doubar's comment.

"But-"  Firouz started, his voice tinged with impatience, "It's already past noon!"

"Firouz!  He'll be up soon!"  Doubar said with a smile, enjoying Firouz's antics.

Firouz didn't want to give up so easily, but he decided to just change the subject anyway.  "I delivered Elora, you know."  he boasted.

"Obviously."  Doubar laughed.

Firouz smiled faded.  Doubar smiled and clapped his friend on the back.  He was just as anxious to see the baby as Firouz, but he wanted to appear in control, since he was filling in for Sinbad for now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sinbad smiled at Maeve.  "I'm going to bring Elora topside.  Want to come?"

Maeve raised her eyebrows.  "Are you kidding me?  I'll be lucky if I can stand at all today."

Sinbad quickly kissed her on her cheek before lifting their child out of her arms.  He was almost afraid to move her, she seemed so fragile.  Maeve smiled encouragingly and handed him a blanket.  Sinbad bundled the infant in it and headed updeck.  As soon as he opened the door, the crew all ran over to greet him.

"Morning Little Brother!"  Doubar greeted as he hurried over to Sinbad.

Doubar had to almost physically restrain himself from giving his brother a bone-crunching hug.  He wanted to more than anything, but he didn't want to squash his new niece.  He walked over to him and gave him and hugged him ever so gently.

Firouz and Rongar quickly followed, each taking a turn to embrace their captain.  After admiring Elora, Firouz headed below deck to check on Maeve, just to make sure everything was going well since the delivery.  Rongar held out his arms, and Sinbad smiled.  He then handed his child to Rongar, who's smile grew wider as he gently cradled her.

The other crew members shook hands with their captain and huddled around Rongar, each wanting a turn to hold the newborn.  Elora, although she wasn't even a day old yet, seemed to love all the attention.

Doubar gently squeezed Sinbad's shoulder.  "How are you feeling, Little Brother?"  he asked him.

"I feel very lucky."  Sinbad said, as he watched the waves quietly lapping against the side of the ship.

"I do too."  Doubar replied happily,  "I have you back, everyone is in a great mood, and I have an adorable new niece."

Sinbad leaned forward and hugged his brother.  Elora started fussing, so Rongar handed her over to her father.  Sinbad nodded his thanks before turning to go below deck.

"Where are you going?"  Doubar questioned, for he wanted to talk to his brother a little more.

"Down below.  I haven't had anything to eat in such a long time!"  Sinbad said with a smile.

Doubar chuckled and watched his younger brother head below deck.  He couldn't even express his happiness at the return of his brother, and he felt overwhelmed with joy.  As he watched Sinbad go below deck, he knew that everything would now be all right.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sinbad opened up the door to Maeve's cabin and walked in.  She was sitting up in bed reading one of her magic books.  He had Elora in one arm and a plate of muffins in the other.  Maeve smiled as she noticed how careful he was being with the infant.  He set the muffins down on her night stand before joining her on the bed.

"How are you feeling, Maeve?"  Sinbad asked as he laid Elora down in between them.

She smiled.  "I feel fine, but Firouz is making me stay in bed a little while longer."

"Well, we'll stay with you, right Elora?"  he said as he tickled his daughter's tiny foot.

Elora balled up her hands into tiny fists and yawned sleepily.  Maeve pulled her into her arms, and gently played with her daughter's fiery curls.  Sinbad smiled at her.  She was so sure of herself with the infant, he knew that she was going to make a wonderful mother.  He just hoped he could make just as good a father.

"Sinbad, you don't know how glad I am to have you back."  Maeve said as she leaned next to him, lost in her own thoughts.

Sinbad put his arm around her and smiled.  "Yes I do.  I feel the same way to have you back."

Maeve turned to face him.  She brushed her lips against his for a soft kiss.  He pulled her closer to him, and deepened the kiss, passion rising inside of him.  They both reluctantly pulled apart as someone knocked on the cabin door.

"Come in."  Sinbad called, a bit miffed at being interrupted.

Doubar walked into the cabin and sat down on the edge of the bed.  He reached over and played with Elora's small hand.  He then looked up at Sinbad.  "We're almost in port.  We need to buy some supplies and provisions."

Sinbad nodded, once again slipping into 'captain mode'.  "Okay, prepare the longboats.  We'll leave in a few hours."

Doubar smiled at the happy couple and left the cabin.

"Okay, where were we?"  Sinbad asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Maeve smiled.  "You don't know how strange it is to be here like this."

"Like what?"  Sinbad asked.

"I mean, before you died, we never even said that we loved each other, and now here we are, we have a daughter and are going to be married!"  she explained.

"Well, I'm not complaining!"  Sinbad said with a smile.

"Me neither."  she said as she shifted Elora into a sitting position.

She cuddled the infant in her arms and slowly rocked her back and forth.  Sinbad smiled as Elora yawned again.  She was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on.  He couldn't believe that he could actually call her his daughter.

Maeve smiled at him.  "Isn't she perfect?"

He nodded.  "I'm the luckiest man alive."

Elora opened her eyes and focused on her parents.  Sinbad could have sworn that she smiled.  Then her eyes filled with tears and she let out a small whimper.  Sinbad's smile vanished.

"What's wrong with her?"  he asked hesitantly.

Maeve smiled.  "It's okay, Sinbad, she's probably just hungry."

"Oh."  Sinbad said, feeling a little foolish.  "I'll leave you two alone then.  I'll let you know when we're leaving."

He grabbed a muffin off the plate before heading out into the galley.  He bit into it slowly, savoring every bite.  Once updeck, Sinbad walked over to Doubar, who was lowering the anchor into the sea.  He took a deep breath, relishing the scent of the fresh air.  He was so glad to be alive again, he thought he could just burst open with happiness.

"A drachma for your thoughts, Sinbad?"  Doubar asked.

"Oh, I'm just thinking about how wonderful it is to be back."  he replied with a smile.

Sinbad looked up at the orange sun as it began to sink below the horizon.  The sky was a lovely shade of pink.  Sinbad thought it had never looked prettier.

"It's great to have you back, Little Brother."  Doubar said as he put his arm around his brother's shoulders.  "Where's Maeve?"

"She's below deck nursing Elora right now."  Sinbad said.

"Oh."  he was a little disappointed, for he wanted to see the baby.  "Oh well.  Do you want to play cards?"

Sinbad smiled.  "You name the game!"

Doubar happily squeezed his brother's shoulder, and they both headed below deck.  Firouz and Rongar were already seated at the table, involved in a game that Rongar was obviously winning.

"Rongar, how do you do it?"  Firouz beseeched as he slammed his cards down on the table.

Rongar smiled and shrugged.

"Don't feel too bad, Firouz."  Sinbad said,  "I've never won a game against Rongar either.  He definitely has a knack for cards."

"You wouldn't mind if we joined your game, would you?"  Doubar asked them.

Rongar shook his head and motioned to the chairs next to him, inviting them to sit down.

Firouz picked up the deck of cards and began to shuffle them.  "So Sinbad, who's cabin are you and your family taking?"  he asked curiously.

Sinbad loved how that sounded, 'your family.'  "I haven't talked to Maeve about it yet, but I was thinking that she could move into my cabin, since it's a little bit bigger."

"Where's Elora going to go?"  Doubar asked.

"I guess she could stay with me and Maeve until she's a little older.  Then maybe she could take Maeve's old cabin."  he decided.

"Sounds good."  Doubar said.

Firouz delt the cards out to each of his friends.  Sinbad smiled, ready to play a nice game of cards, and maybe even come in second.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sinbad picked up Elora out of Maeve's arms and stepped out of the longboat.  The Nomad needed some supplies, so they had decided to stay in an inn that night and buy the provisions in the morning before heading out.  The dark sky looked like an ocean filled with glittering stars.

Maeve walked up to Sinbad and pulled her cloak around herself tightly.  Sinbad handed her the infant, which whom she shared her cloak with.  Elora already had a blanket on, but it was pretty chilly out that night.

Sinbad looked out into the town.  Although it was dark out, he could still tell that it was a nice little town.  Firouz walked up to him.

"I asked that villager where the inn is.  He said that there's only a boarding house that rents out rooms.  It's a few streets down."  Firouz explained.

Sinbad smiled.  "Good.  Let's go, shall we?"

Doubar put his arm around Sinbad's shoulders before setting out on their way.

"This is just like old times, Little Brother."  he said happily.

"But with one special addition, Elora."  Sinbad added.

Doubar smiled.  "How could I ever forget her?"

Sinbad chuckled quietly.  He was so happy, nothing could ruin this day.  Everything had gone so well, better than he could have even imagined.  He had thought that Doubar wouldn't want to sail with a baby, for it would slow down their adventures, and a ship is a dangerous place for a child.  So, needless to say, he was thrilled to know that everyone was okay with the idea of sailing with Elora.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Sinbad and the crew entered the boarding house, they were welcomed by a comforting warmth.  A small fire burned in an elaborate fireplace on the side wall.  The house looked a lot like an inn, for it had wooden tables filling up the entryway.  Beautiful paintings adorned the walls, and the wooden floor shone from a recent cleaning.

"Sinbad!"  a voice called excitedly.

Sinbad swung around to see who called his name.  He saw Serindib standing with her arms outstretched to greet them.

"Serindib!"  Firouz exclaimed.

He hurried over to her, and they shared a friendly hug.  Sinbad noticed that Serindib looked a lot older than when he last saw her.  She had her long, dark curly hair pulled back in a loose braid, and she was wearing a long sleeved white dress with a dark green shawl.

"Come and sit down."  she offered as she sat down at one of the tables.

The crew took her up on her offer and sat around the table with her.

"Do you work here?"  Sinbad asked.

"I own this boarding house.  This is the City of Mist, don't you recognize it?"  she asked.

Sinbad smiled.  Everyone had been so preoccupied, that they hadn't even noticed that they had sailed to the City of Mist.  It didn't look anything the same, and it had shops, homes, and people.

"It looks wonderful."  Maeve commented.

"Thank you.  I tried my best."  Serindib smiled.

"How did you restore the city so quickly?"  Firouz asked.

"It's been three years,"  she said.  "I used my magic to make it look nicer, but it was the people who moved here that really made the difference.  Everyone here is really great."

She looked over to the child in Maeve's arms.  "Oh by Allah!"  she exclaimed.  "I knew you two were meant for each other!"

Maeve smiled.  "Her name is Elora."

Rongar took the baby gently from Maeve's arms and handed her to Serindib.  She gently rocked her back and forth.  Sinbad looked at Firouz.  He was clearly smitten with Serindib.

"She's beautiful!"  Serindib breathed.  "We have so much to catch up on!  But let me get you all rooms first!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sinbad opened his eyes slowly.  It took him a second to realize where he was.  He sat up and looked around the room.  He hadn't seen it very well last night, since it had been so dark.  He now saw how beautiful the room actually was.

The room was small and cozy, with a fireplace in the corner.  A dying fire was still warming up the room.  There were a few hand painted tapestries that hung on the wall, and comfortable quilts adorned the two beds.

Sinbad leaned over and whispered in Maeve's ear.  "It's time to get up, Love."

Maeve groaned and pulled the covers over her head.  Sinbad looked over to Doubar, who was in the bed next to theirs.  He was still sound asleep.  Elora was sleeping in a small cradle on the floor next to Maeve.

Serindib had insisted that they stay for free, but Sinbad wouldn't think of it.  They had rented two rooms, Sinbad and his family in one, Firouz and Rongar in the other.  He hopped out of bed, now knowing how important every day really was.  He walked over to the window and pulled the curtains aside, letting the bright sunshine enter the room.

"Time to get up!"  he announced.