🌺Fayer🌺

🔱 Prologue 🔱

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Castle of Torden

"Push! Come on." It was the dead of midnight.

"Aahhh. I can't, it hurts too much." Sweat was running down her brow, her face contorted in pain.

"You're almost there, just make one big push now." She gripped the sheets and took in a deep breath. She had been in labor for the past three hours and she was dying for her child to come out.

Her husband was behind her, he wished he could take away the pain or even ease it a little, but he couldn't. She held his hand in a death grip until it began to tremble from the loss of blood but he didn't care. As long as it helped her he would be alright.

He took a towel and wiped her brow then gave her a reassuring kiss on the side of her head. He was worried. His son had been in there too long and he was afraid something bad was going to happen. This was his first child and he was both nervous and excited.

Beyond the doors of their bed chamber where the midwife helped with the delivery, in the many rooms, halls and towers of the castle, the servants, the guards and everyone in the household was excited for the birth of their soon to be new king.

Their queen was in pain they all knew it, but when the little bundle of joy arrived it would be all worth it.
Their king, they also knew would be worried sick, but he would stand firm and be strong for his queen.

Not long after a shrill scream of a baby's cry could be heard throughout the halls of the castle. He was finally here, the new prince.

He was placed in his mother's arms wrapped in a small white blanket, fists in the air and his mouth wide open letting out screams of annoyance.

She was crying. Tears of joy running down her face as she stared at her baby boy. His father looked at him with pride, tears glistening in his eyes but they did not fall.

His wife placed a nipple into his son's mouth and he watched as he sucked greedily from it making small slurping noises.

"What will we name him, my love?" He asked.

The queen ran a hand through the thick mop of raven black hair on her newborn son's head and smiled knowingly.

"His name...will be Aide Adamanteus Corvus.

Queen Zahra Kaline Corvus looked up at her husband and smiled. "After your father."

King Fredron Marius Corvus looked at his new family with pride. Tears fell from his eyes as he smiled back at his wife. "Thank you."

She rubbed his cheek with the palm of her hand. "No, thank you for giving me such a wonderful son. My love."

"I love you." He kissed his wife and for the rest of the night he never left her side or his newborn child.

---"---

Deep underground, in the depths of the castle dungeons a baby girl had been born.

Her mother was huddled in a corner and with the aid of the other inmates the birth was successful but not in the mother's case.

Being too weak from the lack of food her body couldn't handle the pressure. She was going to die and she knew it.

With the last of her strength she held her child close to her bosom in order to quiet her wailing. A guard had decided to help the mother in taking her baby to safety and away from the cruelties of the dungeons.

She kissed her baby one last time then handed her over to the man and said: "For my last wishes, teach her the ways of our clan, raise her right. She will be our saviour. Do you understand?"

"Yes, milady." Said the guard. "What will you name her?"

The woman gave a weak smile.

"Call her Abidah, Abidah Valora Kresant."

"Hm. Yes milady." He turned to leave.

"Soren.....

"Yes milady?"

...give me h-her hand."

Soren knelt down and placed the baby back into her mother's arms and she did the one thing she knew would help and protect her baby girl.

"Abidah my child, I-I bestow upon y-you the power of-f the Kresant clan."

A strong gust of wind swirled around the dungeon, then a bright light began to glow from the woman's chest. She began to chant in Latin:

Quapropter suscipe benedictionem hanc dabo tibi munera
Transierunt ex antiquis temporibus
Uti et bene uti sapientis
Ab aeterno ordita
Qua aedificaverunt eam super tristitiam haberem
Liber esto fili mi
Et melius cras
Maneas et vivet anima tua
Sequimini quod iustum est et cor tuum.

When she uttered the last word her body erupted in beams of light. The baby began to cry due to her discomfort from the light, Soren hid his eyes from the brightness and the inmates huddled together to get away from it.

Then in the blink of an eye the light vanished and so did the woman, leaving the baby wrapped in tattered cloth on the cold floor.

Her life essence along with those from years past was now sealed into this one child that will one day be beyond great.

Soren grabbed the bundled baby and quickly made his way through a secret passageway out of the castle with only two things on his mind.
I must keep her safe even if it means my own life.
The king must never find out about this or it would be the end for him and the child.

He finally reached the door leading to the outside, he held the baby closer to him as he climbed on to the back of the horse that was waiting for him.

He needed to go somewhere the king would never think to look for them.

So, he rode east, heading to the high mountains of Pétra, leaving the night behind and going towards the sun.

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Translation for the Latin chant:

Accept this gift I give to you
Passed down from ancient times
Use it wise and use it well
From the ages past
It was built on sorrow
Be free my child
And make a better tomorrow
Stay true and live your life
Follow your heart and do what's right.