The Blood in Our Veins

Chapter Seven - A New Life

- Eight Months Later -

The sun hammered the village as I continued to sew yet another blanked for the coming winter. I longed to shed my heavy skirts and replace them with thin trousers. "May!" Tara yelled. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I slowly stood and turned to the small girl. It had taken me a while to get used to my new name. She ran and hid behind me. "Bryn is trying to eat me again!" It was then that her brother emerged from around the corner of the building. He made various grunting noises as he stomped over with wide, exaggerated footsteps. I placed my hands on my hips and smiled, then quickly hardened my expression.

"Bryn!" I scolded him. "Aren't you a little too old to be playing Troll?" For a moment, he looked ashamed, and believed I would punish him, but the amused twinkle in my eye gave me away. He brightened immediately. Nodding vigorously, he tried to run around me to his sister. She squealed as I brought him to a hault inches away from her. He playfully scowled at me.

"May! We're just playing!" Bryn pouted. I turned him toward the house and gently guided him to the house. He peered over his shoulder and put out his lip in an exaggerated manner. I winked and he grinned deviously. Running inside, he slammed the door. I rolled my eyes and moved back to the garden.

Tara was sitting in the grass playing with the butterfly flittering around the crown of her head. The golden wings seemed to flash in the sunlight as it glided along the smooth currents of the breeze. I watched in horror as she clapped her hands around it, no doubt crushing the elegant creature. She opened her hands. I smiled slowly as the butterfly spread its wings once more and took flight. Looking down at my extended midsection, I sighed softly. My son or daughter could be born any day now. Memories of my past life paraded through my mind, but I quickly shook them off. That girl was no longer me. I was a new person now. 

The small girl looked to me in awe, but a sudden crash shook us from our trance. "Come on Tara. Let's go see what Bryn did." She took my hand and together walked to the house. Just as my hand was about to push open the door, a scream came from inside. Eyes widened, I threw open the enterance. Dimitri, Bryn and Tara's father, held his son's arm in the air. From the boy's hand dangeled a sliver chain.  On its end, swung an emerald leaf.

The former palace guard glared at me with fury clear in his eyes. "May, do you mind explaining how you aquired this?" he asked. There was a reason that Grace and I never told her husband about my true identity. He always reported anything of importance to the commanding officer of his old squadron. If he knew about me, I would have been returned to that palace prison before I even had time to protest.

"I can't say." I stated simply. The man cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed.

"I believe you can. You better start explaining, 'May', or I will dissmiss you from my household and have you placed in prison with the charges of thievery!" he shouted. 

"You dare call me a thief, when it is you who not only rob people of their freedom, but their very lives?" I yelled. Dimitri was known for fighting in many, many battles. Today, he placed dozens behind bars for pitiful acts such as street fighting. He had always disgusted me. He shoved his son behind him. Bryn scrambled away from us. How dare he accuse me of such an honorless act?

It was then that Grace came in from the front of the house. When she took in our clenched fists and tense manner, her eyes widened. "Blood of Maldein! What on earth happened?" she cried. Never taking his eyes off me, he responded.

"It seems that we have a thief in our midst." Dimitri spat. Grace's brows knitted together in confusion.

"May? She is no criminal." the kind woman said.

"Then how would you explain this?" he yelled. He shook his fist. The precious metals chimed softly as they connected with eachother. Grace walked forward and placed a hand on her husband's shoulder and he fisibly relaxed. Dimitri's shoulders fell and his furious facial expression was lost entirely. At first I was puzzled, then realization hit me. That was her power; calming those around her with a touch. She guided him to the armchair and sat him down gently.

Bryn and Tara let go of their fear and edged closer to us. I took my usual place in the rocking chair by the fireplace and began to wonder what to do next. What would Grace tell him? Would she reveal my secret? I immediately dismissed the thought. She knew what that meant for me. 

"Dimitri." she began hesitantly. "This may be hard for you to believe, but May once lived in the palace." I began to rise and protest, but Grace held up a hand to stop me. "She was a personal servant of Princess Sindri." I let out a huff of air. She wasn't giving me away. The children's eyes widened as they stared at me. Their father's face seemed impassive, but his eyes betrayed his excitement. Why he felt the need to hide his emotions I did not know.

"I knew that this would be valuable information to you, considering your current... committment against the King." Though this was news to me, I couldn't help but feel my blood begin to boil. A month after I had left, Lord Gallahein had taken over. Since then, whispers of a resistance camp had been quietly spread around all of Arkenon. There was quite a bounty on a freedom fighter's head. I couldn't help but laugh at the look that would have been on Uncle Gallahein's face when he was told of such rebellion against him.

Dimitri sprung to his feet and grabbed my arm. Grace stood casually, as if she knew this would happen. I  scowled at her, but allowed the man to lead me away. Once we were outside the back door, he roughly pinned me to the wall.

"Where is she?" he demanded. Although he said no name, I knew he was talking about the princess. I frowned as I recalled all I had given up. I brushed away a single tear.

"She is long gone." I stated simply. Dimitri's anger returned.

"Tell me where she is!" he shouted, his last grasp  of control flying out of the window.

"I told you, she isn't coming back!" I retorted. He began to yell once again, but the words seemed meaningless as they drowned in my fury and sorrow. I shoved the man backwards and took a menacing step towards him.

"Give it up! The old me is gone! I am not going back to him!" I screamed. With this as a final word, I stormed off into the house. Sitting down on my cot in the corner, I placed my head in my hands and cried.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! WRITER'S BLOCK!! It has taken me all week to wring the last drops of ideas for this chapter out of the dry, lifeless, frustrated towel that is my mind. GRRRRR!! I hope you all enjoyed reading! Mason's POV next! Until next chapter, VOTE! COMMENT!! FAN!! CHEESE!!