Junailijia -ON HOLD-

Prologue

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHGGGGGGHHH!!!" the deafening screams echoed through the early hours of the morning.

"Please I cannot deliver this child; the pain is too much to bear." Evangeline cried to her husband. Cederick held her hand in his and stroked her hair that was wet with sweat, he glanced over her and thought to himself that she was such a strong woman and such a good loving wife; she will be a perfect mother.

"My darling do not let the pain consume your thoughts, rather let your mind be filled with images of our beautiful child; if it is to be a boy, think of how brave and strong he will be and the name he will make for our family; think of the handsome man he will turn into; the good manners he will charm the ladies with." Evangeline gave a weak smile at the thought of this.

"And if this child is a girl, then she will wear the same beauty as her mother, with the same dark waves for hair and the eyes that speaks kindness without words needed. The good daughter that she will be and the moments we will be proud of her." As these calming thought swirled through Evangeline's mind, she knew she had to be strong for the sake of their child. She gathered her strengths and with another scream that traveled through the darkness their beautiful daughter was born.

Cederick helped his wife clean the blood off the baby and wrapped her in a cloak, they shared a stare of amazement, and smiled upon their baby.

"What shall we name her?" Evangeline asked tiredly, almost in a whisper. Cederick looked up, and through the window the moon still shone bright, as the sun was approaching the other side of the mountains, he smiled and looked at his wife with more love than he knew he had in him, "Cynthia, I think she should be known as Cynthia."

"Cynthia. Cynthia sounds beautiful, and when the moon is lit she will always know how much she is loved." Said the new mother as she laid back and closed her eyes.

"Rest now my love, for our new life has just begun." Cederick kissed his wife softly on her forehead, and kissed the plump soft cheek of the baby that lay tucked in her arms.

As the world brightened slowly, Cederick and Evangeline were wakened by a loud knock on the door. Cederick told his wife to stay in the room with their daughter, she took the baby in her arms and nodded her head, she watched as he left the room and tried to listen to whom it could be this early in the morning.

"Good morning, can I help you Sir, what is the reason for your visit?" Cederick asked politely.

"Good Moring Sir, the villagers say that they heard screams in the night, it sounded like a woman. Your wife perhaps; and some of them mentioned that she is with child?" an unfamiliar voice of a man stated.

Cederick looked onto the man's face and said slowly, "yes she was with child; the baby was born early this morning while it was still dark." he looked into the man's cold but wise eyes and said "but they are both healthy, my wife is still tired from the birth and she is resting." "I apologies sir but I am required to see both mother and child, you understand do you not, It is merely to hush the whispers of town." The older man said.

"Of course, this way if you please, but alone, my wife will be shamed if there are to be so many men in our home and in our sleeping courters." Cederick explained, motioning the gentlemen inside.

The house was small, a simple village house, and it took but two turns to get to the sleeping courters where Evangeline and Cynthia was still in bed. A sudden freight overtook Evangeline when the door opened and a stranger walked in, her racing heartbeat only being relieved as her husband walked in a few steps behind the man.

"Good morning Mrs."...

"Kaån" Evangeline said softly but clearly audible.

"Mrs. Kaån" the man said, bowing his head in respect. Evangeline nodded in response, not sure what this man's visit meant. She rather stayed silent and observed as the grey haired man looked back to her husband in a questioning manner, Cederick nodded a yes and the older gentlemen walked closer to the bed. Evangeline tightened her grip protectively around Cynthia.

"I mean no harm, I was sent to do an inspection, to see if you and the baby were safe."

"She is fine!" said Evangeline, as the man took another step closer.

"I will not harm her, but I need to inspect her."

"Inspect? What on earth for?" She wanted to know.

"I need to see if she is a Junailijia." He remarked ever so simply, as though this was his everyday routine.

"But she is just a baby! She is still so small!" Evangeline sobbed.

"I am only here to see; I will not hurt her, or even touch her. You are to lay her down on the bed and move a few inches away from her, otherwise your energy will influence the result." said the man, with kindness and reassurance in his voice. Evangeline looked pleadingly at her husband as he walked over to the bed and said.

"Do as the man says, it will take but a moment and then he will be done."

She clung to the child not wanting to witness this.

"What if she is a Junailijia; what happens then?" she asked with tears staining her cheeks. She did not need an answer; she knew all too well what would happen.

Her youngest brother was a Junailijia, he was born thirteen years behind her, and she saw what they did to him, they did not listen to her pleading mother, nor did they care for the screams of the siblings. They surrounded the house with their horses and men in armor and took the small helpless child straight from her own mother's arms. They told her that it was an honor to have a Junailijia in their family and that their child will be well taken care off. It went pass; the time of mourning for the little brother; he was never even named by his own family. Never heard of again and never mentioned again, it was tormenting, and the family tried to keep the mothers well being intact.

Evangeline often wondered if her little brother was still alive.

"Evangeline, she will be safe, this is just a quick test, and then it's over, I have no Junailijians in my family and neither do you, the odds is in our favor of Cynthia being a Junailijia." Cederick said soothingly to his wife. He was oblivious to Cynthia's uncle being a Junailijia Warrior, but Evangeline never spoke of it, she was scared that he never would have wanted children if he knew the truth.

Cederick took Cynthia from her sobbing mother, and laid her on the bed, he moved the cloak so that it only covered her stomach and legs, her chest, face and arms were still bare. The stranger came closer and observed the baby, he never once touched her. He took a small pouch from his coat and placed it on the bed, from it he withdrew a few items; one looked like a small vile filled with water; another resembled the look of burned out coal. There was also a rock and a feather. Slowly he took each item and held it above the little head, the first to be the water, he did not open the vile but on the babies forehead appeared a small droplet of water, barely visible. He then took the rock and held it between his thumb and pointing finger, just slightly above her head. He paused for a moment and nothing was changing. He thought it strange because the water was a clear sign, if she is to be Junailijia all four elements are to respond to her energy. But still nothing happened with the piece of earth in his hand. He replaced the rock with the coal, and he did so for only but a second as the coal began to heat in his hand. Strong, he thought to himself. The feather laid on the bed next to Cynthia, and when the man reached for it to do the same test the feather blew away. He did not think it possible for a small baby to have such a range of energy; he simply nodded his head to the mother signaling that the test was done.

Evangeline sighed with relieve and did not notice anything strange.

"I noticed, you called her Cynthia." Said the man, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Cynthia is her name" Cederick replied with a smile.

"Her name will not be changed." Said the stranger.