World of Souls

New Beginnings

The groans of a Queen in labor echoed through the halls.

Leofrick, the King and husband of the Queen in the room he's currently standing outside of, leaned against the wall with his hands folded in front of him. Memories of hours, waiting for the birth of a child flashed in his mind, one memory even being the birth of his "grandfather", having been the father then. He remembered being a NewSoul decades ago, pacing outside while his firstborn was coming into the world, a little girl who held the soul of a village medic. He was so worried then. Now, he knew better than to panic for no reason.

The sound of an infant's wail cut through the air, a smile spreading across the man's face. There was shuffling, low speaking, muffled voices inside. He waited besides the door patiently until it opened, the midwife emerging with a bundle in her arms. The little blanket all the firstborns of the Faucon bloodline had from birth to age five.

"Here, My King. Your son."

The King took the infant into his arms, smiling at the big sea blue eyes that stared up at him. "Little Faucon.." He cooed, allowing his son's curious little hand to close around his large finger. "What a treasure.."

~~~~~~~~~~~

A boy with chestnut curls and ocean blue eyes slipped out of his room. His mother was first to greet him, carrying a year old little girl, his sister, on her hip. His mother grinned at him, earning a small grin in return.

The woman knelt down, holding her squirming toddler to her while her other arm soon wrapped around her son.

"Happy Birthday," She pulled back, kissing her son's cheek. "My little prince, you're growing so big.."

Standing up with her youngest still on her hip, Queen Juliana examined her only son with a soft smile. "My love.. What's your name?"

The boy shook his head. He knew the drill, how it worked with Souls and what to say depending on how you woke up the day of your fifth birthday. He wouldn't know how it felt to wake up with memories of past lives, because this current one was his first.

"I haven't been gifted with one yet, Mummy," his little voice and childish accent made the words sound strange coming off his tongue, but the sentence was clear. It was the line NewSouls stated once it was confirmed, on the morning of their fifth birthday, that they had no previous lives before then.

Juliana held her hand out to her son, walking with him down to the dining room where they'd wait for Leofrick to come join them for breakfast. Once he did, Juliana spoke proudly, "So, Love, what name should we gift our son?"

Gavin.

Gavin tested his new name on his tongue after breakfast, his sister shoving toys in his face as her older brother proudly tried to get her to repeat the name. The closest he got was a "Ga.. Ahhh~!", then a series of nonsense babbling, the small child obviously sure she was speaking a language her brother could understand.

But Gavin, no matter how much his sister tried to gain his attention, was in his own little world. He had a true name now. Something uniquely his. Something that separated him from the rest of his family. Something that truly proved he was getting older. Yet he was so used to responding to Little Faucon, or simply Faucon after his sister was born and had to claim the title of Little Faucon instead. He'll have to get used to having a grown up name now. Won't that be interesting..

~~~~~~~~~~~

The shrieks of a Queen in labor echoed the halls.

It was so late at night. Gavin was with his little sister Adelia, who huddled against his side as they both sat outside their mother's bedroom. It was two months after Adelia's fifth birthday.

She had apperently been born two times before, this life being her third. She remembered the first ended after only two years of life, a horrible sickness taking over her little body and her soul fleeing the weak host. It returned two years later, to the same parents who were beyond overjoyed to have their daughter back. She had lived a full life as a baker's daughter married to a blacksmith before she passed of old age. She claimed it's interesting to have been such a average person in her past lives, then to be reborn as royalty.

Their father was stood outside the door, glancing at the door every so often with an obvious worried air surrounding him. That worried Gavin, having known his father to be a calm and collected man. Seeing his near stressing was worrisome.

The cries from his mother melted into heavy silence. There was footsteps coming from inside the room, seeming hurried and fearful. The King stared at the door, stiff and quiet. He then spun and began knocking frantically on the door. The noise inside the room didn't stop, even as Gavin's father began to call out to the midwife, the healer, even his wife. But there was no answer. Then, after a long time, the midwife stepped out with a bundle in her arms.

"Here, My King.." Her voice was quiet, sounding solemn. Which was nothing like how she usually is. Gavin vaguely remembered the day of his sister's birth, the midwife's voice full of happiness. He, of course, didn't remember his own birth, but knew for a fact she didn't sound like this. Adelia rouse from her half-asleep state, staring intensely at the woman. She wasn't even meeting Leofrick's eyes. "Your daughter.."

Leofrick slowly took the babe into his arms, staring down at her before looking back at the midwife and mumbling, "And Juliana? My wife?"

The midwife put her face in her hands. Leofrick stiffened, his head turning to face his children like he was shocked they were still there. He took a shaky breath, walking over and setting the sleeping babe in Gavin's hesitant arms. He then rushed into the room, the door shutting behind him.

The two royal siblings stared down at their sister. She had wisps of blonde hair, like Adelia, like their mother. Yet unlike either of the siblings, her eyes opened to reveal a steel grey, which would soon turn into the minty green color of their mother.

"She looks just like Mum.." Adelia muttered, reaching her hand over and caressing her sister's cheek.

Gavin nodded, glancing and meeting eyes with the sister sitting at his side. Although his life was the first his soul had been through, he understood what had happened. Adelia's soft, matching ocean blue eyes held understanding as well. Their mother had given her life for their sister.

The next morning, Gavin stepped to the door of the nursery his sister was set up into. Juliana's burial would be soon. The children and Leofrick were already wearing black, mourning clothes. He was just about to check on his new sibling, wondering if a wet nurse was there feeding her. Instead he stood by the doorway, watching his father sit in a rocking chair while cradling the newborn in his arms.

"You look just like her," he muttered. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were her. Even if you aren't.."

A hint of a smile touched Gavin's face at the next words, something he knew from stories of his birth and from memory of Adelia's birth that his father said to welcome each of his children, apperently ever since he was first born as the heir to this throne decades ago.

"My dear little Faucon.. What a treasure.."