Her Eyes Burn Red (INCOMPLETE PROJECT)

Chapter 8

Solin

When night fell I had endured hours upon hours of pain. I refused to return to the chambers but regardless of how I fought with Vlad he was relentless in getting what he wanted. I had paced the length of the room more than fifty times before it was enough to drive the nursemaids mad. All I wanted was for the pain to subside and to have Vlad here to calm my nerves. Why couldn't he be here with me? Why were my prayers going unanswered? Was this God's way of telling me I am not worthy to bear the child of a vampire? Or king?

"Your majesty, wouldn't you find it a lot easier if you laid down? I'm certain rest will do you good." A young girl, maybe no more than fifteen or sixteen was helping make the bed while I continued walking around.

"Please let me be." I said, through my own exhaustion.

"Ma'am, forgive me, but your brothers have arrived." Constanza was by the doors, using most of her might to keep it partially closed. "They very much would like to see you."

"Let them in, please." I could have cried as they came in through the doors, all smiles and laughter, at once coming to me for a hug or kiss on the cheek. Velken and Jarek took my hands.

"Have you eaten?" 

"Where's Vlad?"

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Alright, calm down." Kristoff grumbled as I took a seat by the unlit fire. I was too hot for an excess source to be alive. "I'm sure your bombarding of questions can wait just a moment. Solin, what can we do for you?"

"Don't leave me, please. I need conversation and the only topic anyone wants to speak of is me laying down in that bed and staying there." I looked to my brothers as they gathered around.

"I saw Vlad in the courtyard earlier in the evening, when we arrived." Jarek muttered.

"As did I." Velken sat on the floor by my chair and took my hand softly. "He was pacing."

"He looked miserable." Damek leaned up against the hearth and crossed his arms. "Apparently it's not proper for a husband to be in the same chambers as the wife during a birth."

"Father was there for all of us, regardless of circumstances." Kristoff chimed it. "I can tell he wants to be with you right now. I think you both need each other at this moment. I will go get him and bring him straight here."

"But-" I couldn't get a word in as Jarek, Damek and Kristoff leapt to their feet and dashed off from the chambers.

My body suddenly snapped over in a burst of troubling pain. Velken stood quickly and massaged my shoulders, saying something quietly, but my mind was elsewhere and I could not focus. My lungs ached as I forgot to breathe. I cried out, sobbing in not only pain but fear, and Velken wrapped his arms around me tightly. "It's okay, I'm here." He said, pulling my hair back from my neck and then wiping away my tears. "Don't cry, please."

"How could mother endure the five of us so easily?" I whimpered. "This is near torture."

He laughed and went to massaging my shoulders again. "Well I think she took her pain out on father, he was practically her meat sack to beat."

"If that were true then I think father had it easy compared to mother." It was a moment but it finally subsided enough to let me breathe. Velken kissed the top of my head and sighed in what I thought was relief. 

Through all the pain this body had endured, childbirth by far was the easiest to bare. My back had been torn throw like paper with infections to follow suit, I had been sick with pain no man could ever imagine and yet this one was the most important. Soon this child would be pushed into this wretched world, hopefully giving it some light.