"Push, My lady."
The frightened brunette demanded urgently, her hands were shaking, her eyes burning with all the unshed tears of despair. she was known as one of the best midwives in the royal palace but this delivery was the hardest she ever assisted, the lady in labor didn't have the healthiest nor happiest pregnancy to begin with, and because of the unfortunate circumstances, the lady accompanied by the young midwife had to bare the trouble of moving from one residence to the other until they finally settled in that small shack near the dark forest.
The girl cursed under her breath, her brown bangs sticking to her sweaty forehead, she wished there was someone near to help save the lady she cherished. Unfortunately, there was no one else but her, the dying lady and the monstrous howls of the night creatures.
"I know...", The lady whispered shakily, her few words consuming all the bits of energy she had left.
"I know I will not make it, Fae, But that is alright, I've lived my life to the fullest, Now it is my daughter's time.", she stopped to catch her breath, her eyes looking lost as tears made their way down her temples. it was the very first time she cried and it felt somehow alleviating, especially after living so long as the mighty woman she was.
"You have to promise me, Fae."
"Anything, My lady." The girl who finally allowed herself to cry, wanted to reassure the woman in labor, and herself, that everything was going to be just fine, that she will survive and live to hold her baby in her arms, raise her to be not just a dignified lady like her mother, but also a princess by birth. However, Fae knew that it was only a sweet lie she wished to believe while the bitter merciless truth was the opposite as it was merely a matter of time, hours at best, before the good lady is gone for good.
"Promise me, that you will take care of my daughter. She...already has so many enemies, and will have more. Please Fae, keep her safe, and when it is time, tell her about me, tell her everything and I am sure she will make the right choices.", The lady stopped, swallowing a sob that threatened to crack her thin resolution. "As for Edard, tell him I forgave him, tell him that what was meant to happen, happened. I never understood the choices he made. I... expected so much and asked for so much. It was unfair of me. Tell him that I hold myself equally responsible for how things ended, for me that is, for him life is still ahead, and he must take care of her, of our Sara."
"I will, my lady.", The lady smiled at the girl named Fae, wishing she can wipe away her tears but she had no power left in her to move. death was already there with them and she knew it. Nevertheless, dying wasn't a matter that can be easily accepted, even for someone who lived as long as she did, there was still that wish, for just a little more time, to see her daughter, to hold her in her arms and kiss her, to call her by her name, for the first and last time.
"Do it, Fae.", a load hiccup escaped the girl's lips once she heard the words, her tremulous hand tightened on the silver blade. Murmuring many barely audible ''sorry'', she ran the sharp metal all along the lady's swollen belly.
....
Fae hummed a sad tune while her swollen eyes stared at the wooden roof. the baby, who was indeed a girl just like her lady predicted was peacefully sleeping on her lap, unaware of her surroundings nor the tragic way she came to life. Fae's heart clenched when her eyes landed on the gory sight of her lady's lifeless body, laying on the bloodied sheets with her long vertical cut on her belly. how unfair, she thought to herself as she remembered the time she spent with the kind lady. for her to die in such a lonely place, in such a painful way. how unfair.
Fae sighed, getting up from the armchair when she noticed the sun light seeping from under the door, the shack wasn't the fanciest residence they had but was still considered descent, with only one flaw, it didn't have any windows, something her lady personally asked for. According to her, the night was full of evils that needed to remain unseen once the sun sets. for Fae, it was but another puzzle from her lady as she rarely said anything which wasn't equally confusing, the woman was an enigma herself, starting by her unique appearance and ending by her powerful presence.
Taking out the clean swaddles, Fae carefully wrapped the little baby in their softness, all while admiring her unique features, even for a newborn, she was very beautiful, with silver hair and fair skin, just like her mother, However, she had a very peculiar brownish birthmark on her lower back, the one only those of the Yoren dynasty possessed, proving that baby Sara was none other than King Edard Yoren's daughter.
Once the baby was properly swaddled , Fae changed her bloodied dress into a plain grey one, the plainest she owned as she couldn't afford to look expensive nor eye catching, not out of poverty, but because she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention and risk the girl's safety, throwing a dark cloak on top of it, she kissed her lady's forehead before leaving the shack, promising to watch after the baby girl and protect her even if it cost her life...
After few hours of nonstop riding, she made it to the Castle's back gate. Unexpectedly though, she was directly permitted an access to the royal courts once her identity was checked. Strange, she thought as two guards asked her to follow them, for the king was waiting for her...
"Time to meet your Father, I hope you Won't hate him as much as I do." Fae whispered to the sleeping baby while pacing the golden corridors behind the guards toward the King's private study, she was indeed exhausted and emotionally drained. however, a strong determination was fueling her to keep walking, for she had made a promise and she intended to keep it.
As she entered the dimly lightened room, the doors were directly closed behind her, a strong alcoholic smell made her grimace immediately. Searching the room with her eyes, she spotted the King's sad face, sitting inelegantly near on a large chair near the window with a glass in his hand, he only took one glimpse at her and his eyes were filled with guilty tears.
"She died? "
"Yes", Fae answered sadly, without adding any titles. She was too tired and hurt to bother with pleasantries with the man she blamed for her lady’s death, and too bitter to care about his status or hers.
"I saw her in a dream yesterday... " the king gulped, trying to swallow his guilt and bitterness, "Was it painful? "
"Very."
"What is it?"
"It is a girl. She named her Sara, she looks like My Lady, but she has your birthmark. Your Majesty, I beg you to look at it." Fae's voice was desperate, placing her own opinion aside, she tried to get through the king's thick skull as it was in Sara's best interest to be recognized by her father.
"I don’t need that mark to know she is mine; I never doubted Historia.", The king sighed in defeat while his heart mourned the death of his lover.
Fae was dumbfounded for few seconds before her eyes lit up with anger that she tried to contain and conceal. Never doubted her? Then why did he accuse her of betraying him? Why didn't he bother to keep her safe? To keep her close? Fae only spent few months with the silver haired lady but she came to love and respect her dearly, and to think there wasn't even a reason behind her lady’s suffering only filled her with more anger and loath towards the selfish excuse of a king sitting in front of her.
The King stood up, slowly advancing toward the young midwife, each step felt like a heavy chore, he kindly took his baby in his arms, the tears he was holding broke free, falling down his handsome face as he noticed the shocking resemblance between her and her mother, Historia, the only woman he ever loved.
Seeing the king's state and the loving way he was looking at his daughter, Fae's troubled mind slightly relaxed, holding on to the tiny hope that the king, despite all his flaws, had some good left in him to acknowledge the daughter her lady died for, love her and look after her, But before she could wake up from her warm daydream, a blade stabbed her from the back while a hand was muffling her pained screams as many other stabs followed, she was unable to turn and look at the one holding the blade, not that she tried to as she knew the killer, the real killer, was standing right in front of her, with the baby in his arms, and a guilty look on his face.
Disturbed by the constant tapping on her window, Sara opened her sleepy eyes and stared at the darkness around her. she did try to ignore the annoying sound and go back to sleep but it was futile as it only grew louder, dragging her forcefully and completely out of her sweet dreams' land.Sitting up with an annoyed sigh, Sara wrapped the covers around her body before walking to her window, the room was dark but she was perfectly able to find the right footing without stumbling or bumping into any furniture. she knew the place like her own palm, every flagstone and every brick. It was her own beautiful, personal, comfortable cell where she had spent the last twelve years.Standing by the window, Sara stared at the colored glass and the beautiful l
Hearing the unlocking of the door, Sara -properly dressed this time- stood up from her chair and headed toward the door to take her breakfast. opening the door, she was met with Patrick's friendly face, the mid aged priest in the long hooded grey robe wasn't one of the twelve high priests that formed the holy council, but still had quite the reputability due to his amiable character and friendly behavior, even towards her. he didn't act as repulsive and disturbed by her presence like the other priests, but rather polite and patient all while keeping his distance.''Good morning, Young Lady. Here is your breakfast.'', Sara stared at the stuffed plate with barely any interest. Even though it contained all her favorites, the scrambled eggs, the fruit salad with heavy cream, the red tea and the buttered bun. she just didn't have any
Sara breathed calmly, careful not to made any sounds that might alarm anyone. the corridors were actually deserted, but their silent emptiness only amplified the sound of her breaths and steps. she, who chose to go barefoot for the mission in order to minimize the noise she might make, wondered if it wasn't just her fear of being caught that was playing tricks on her mind for she knew she was not supposed nor allowed to be in that section of the tower. blood was rushing in her veins with both eeriness and excitement. she never did anything like this before, and a big part, the sane rational part of her mind told her to stop this nonsense and go back to her room before it was too late, while a smaller part, a rebellious one she didn't even know about until now, was telling her that if she wanted answers, then she better look out for them herself.
Sara felt her blood freeze inside her veins. she couldn't decide whether her heart was beating way too fast or beating at all. she stared at the man carefully as her knees shivered under her robe, wanting to believe that this was just a bad joke, a prank the priests were pulling to punish her for trespassing. but an inside voice told her it was all real, the man whom she thought was her friend was looking at her in a way that screamed danger, he reeked of evil and malignity, and she knew he meant his words, but there was also something else.''You look surprised.'', Patrick asked innocently while approaching her, his steps, unlike how they appeared, were not random nor careless, but perfectly studied, the girl in front of him looked as frail as a feather and knew nothing about the place she was in nor had any basic skills o
Not having anywhere to resort to as the red eyes surrounded her from each corner, Sara crouched into a protective position and closed her own, she squeezed them shut so hard all while covering her ears with her hands, She cried and shivered, feeling the stares on her like wicked touches, sickening and filthy, she felt herself being violated, as the touches kept on crawling on her naked self, each withholding a part of her while she crouched helplessly, she recited every single prayer she knew, begging the Gods to save her as she had no idea how to save herself, However, the Gods didn't respond, they never did to any of her former prayers, when she wished to see her mother, or when she wished to have friends, the Gods seemed to have forsaken her, yet here she was still begging them, hoping this one time they might listen...Too engrossed in her mind wrecking struggle, Sara was surprised by the sudden painful pair of grips that clutched at her shoulders like nippers, making her
''Your Majesty...'', A beautiful woman in her early forties approached the king who was standing next to a large mirror, busy dressing himself in casual clothes. He, however, didn't acknowledge her presence at all as he finished buttoning up his shirt...''It is late, Your Majesty, it is not a good idea to leave now as the sun...''''And whose fault is that? That I have to go out this late and risk being attacked by the night creatures?'' The king didn't turn to face his wife as he interrupted her sharply, ''Weren't you the one who refused to live with her under the same roof?''''Edard, I can't...'', The redheaded queen's voice quivered as she looked at him with
Sara stared at her leaving father with a bright smile, waving at him happily, while the early sun rays illuminated his body. The sight was truly majestic to the eye. The king waved at her as well, promising to come visit her sooner than expected, with plenty of gifts and savories. Sara was grateful for her father who couldn't bear to leave her upset. Those few extra minutes he spent with her, just hugging her and telling her how much he loved her. It brightened her morning and lifted the weight off her heart for a while, but once he took off and was out of sight, her smile fell off her face only to be replaced by a sour expression.Sara wished she could muster enough courage to tell her father she didn't want any gifts nor savories. That she was grateful for all his love and time and care but it wasn't enough. She, just like any
Surrounded by a white glow, Sara felt her numb body being pulled to the bottom of what seemed like a bottomless pit. Where an inhumanely beautiful woman stood with her arms stretched forward, as if waiting for Sara to fall into her embrace. She stared at her with heavy eyelids, noticing the familiar silver locks and pure eyes, The ones she saw every single day in her mirror. But unlike her soft features, the woman had rather sharper ones that that spoke volumes about her status and strength.The woman was saying something, Sara noted from her moving lips. However, the drowning girl wasn't able to hear a thing beside a dull whir in her ears. The burn in her lungs seemed to increase the closer she got to the woman who seemed aware of everything happening to her...''...Within...You...Trust...No...'', Sara wasn't able to distinguished any of the words as a painful pressure hit her chest repeatedly as if it was being hammered mercilessly. An excruciating pain erupted in he