Prince of the Broken Banner [Frerard]

Prologue

Hi there frens. I hope you like this new book.

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The night was cold, the broken beams of moonlight adding to the effect, highlighting the moisture gathered on rooftops and sidewalks.

Somewhere far off, a dog barked a few times, making a small bundle emit a soft cry.

The bundle was the newest addition to the city, an infant born mere minutes prior. It was snuggled into the body of it's mother, but the mother did not rouse. Her body drained of heat slowly, leaving the child to fend off the cold himself.

When his mother showed no reaction, the baby let out a slightly louder cry, one that caught the ears of a passing maid.

She looked around skittishly for the source, spotting a patch of dark huddled in a doorway that could have been a human figure.

When the baby cried again, she cautiously approached.

 "Ma'am?" She said timidly to the still figure. It was a  woman, her eyes closed, her hair unbound and dress ragged and patched. No blanket or coat adorned her thin frame. The maid looked closer and saw a small bundle of fabric resting on the woman's lap.

 "Ma'am, are you alright?"

 There was no answer.

The maid reached into her small purse and brought out a match, scraping it to life on the wall beside the door, letting its warm glow slowly light up the frigid scene. The girl gasped in fright when she caught sight of the woman's face. Her hair was wet and frost was gathering on the strands, spreading slowly to her skin. No puff of fog marked the passage of breath over her lips.

She looked down to the bundle, which had no opening visible. Of course, if the woman was dead, there must be something living in there to have made the sound.

She tentatively pinched the fabric and pulled it back, revealing two bright hazel orbs reflecting the light. The baby looked healthy enough, besides still being filthy from the birthing process.

The maid pushed the blanket back to fully see his face.

 "Oh, a child," she murmurred. "I'll take care of you, small one."

 She lifted the surprisingly silent newborn from the body of it's mother. She wished she could do something for her, but the police would only find the body in the morning anyway.

The maid stood straight and looked down at the child in her arms. He stared back with wide eyes, the widest she had ever seen on an infant. A glimmer caught her eye, and in the light of the still-burning match she held far from her body, she could see a ring strung on a leather cord around the dead mother's neck. She reached out cautiously and lifted it from her chest, studying it in the dying light.

It was made of an orangeish metal, possibly bronze, inlaid around the band with ornate black designs. It seemed too large for the corpse's finger, perhaps made for her husband.

The maid unstrung it from the woman's neck, and slipped it into her dress pocket. 

Looking again to the child, she saw his eyes closed, soft clouds of mist rising with his breath. She planted a small kiss on his rosy nose, and continued her journey to the palace.

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Mkay, you get this stuff bc I'm leaving for to the next few days, so there's only a small chance I'll be able to post.

Okay, bye!

- Brightside