With the exception of Mirabella Plunkett in the 1800s, the idea of merfolk and wizarding kind mingling together was unheard of, and otherwise, considered to be taboo. Born to a mermaid and wizard, Nixie Dover is believed to be the first of her kind...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THE MORNING BROKE WITH A SCREAM. What had only been an hour or so felt like it had turned into days and Meri was sure, the task of childbirth was nowhere near finished. Beside her, the expression on her lover's face could only be read as fear. With no guidance from an experienced midwife, it was left on the two nineteen-year-olds to get through the intensive labour to welcome their first child. Every so often, he would clear the sweat away from her brow and offering the encouraging words that it was almost over. In the beginning, Meri had appreciated his enthusiasm and sweet whispers, but as the pains of labour sharpened, the intrusive thoughts of throwing him out the nearest window had crossed her mind several times.
Henry Dover was doing his best to remain calm, but it was easier said than done. It had started off with Meri complaining about increasing back pain during the middle of the night. He had attempted to soothe her pain then by massaging her gently, but as time progressed all his efforts didn't seem to be working. Soon after, she was practically panting, gasping for air in between the strong cramping sensation that surrounded each contraction. She would let out a cry or a scream every so often, sometimes apologising shortly afterwards, but Henry told her not to be silly.
He couldn't imagine the pain she was in and if she needed to scream to get through the process, he told her to scream as much as she possible.
And perhaps his advice had worked for better as Meri let out several harsh cries while she pushed with all of her might, and finally, only minutes later, the young parents were greeted by the sound of a little cry.
With Meri's state weak from delivering, resting back, Henry was given the opportunity to be the first to hold their newborn child. He lifted the baby in his arms, the sleeves of his shirt quickly becoming stained with blood, but he paid no mind to such details. Instead, the young father had suddenly become so enraptured that squirmed slightly in his hold. Thinking back to how panicked he had been when Meri initially announced she was pregnant, all sense of fear had vanished so suddenly in those moments.
"You were right," he whispered to Meri, glancing up for a second, "it's a girl. She looks just like you too."
Meri could only laugh, knowing that it was too early for them to tell who their daughter really took after in appearance. Nonetheless, she reached out her arms to motion that she wished to hold her. Henry grabbed his wand from where it had been resting on the nightstand, and with a quick wave, made sure to cut the umbilical cord. He summoned a fresh blanket, attempting to swaddle the baby before gently passing her over to Meri.
However, Meri removed the blanket promptly, placing the baby against the bare skin of her chest and draping the blanket over them.
A minute or so later, the child was already breastfeeding.
Nixie had been the name the couple had agreed on if they had been blessed with a girl; arriving in the world, only twenty minutes past six in the morning on the twenty-seventh of February.
