A mother screams, drowning out the roar of thunder as a storm rages outside the castle's stone walls. The silk sheets she grips, almost ripping apart, are soaked in her sweat and blood and tears. She crouches over her stomach as two frightened handmaids restrain her just enough to keep her body in place as the old nurse feels for the baby's head. The mother weeps from pain she tries to relax her body, her naked chest rises and falls rapidly as she tries to catch her breath. She tore her clothes off hours ago because they where just getting in the way. Her stomach contracts and she's forced back into her straining crouch. It feels like her body's trying to rip itself apart. There really is no dignity in this process.
"PUSH! PUSH!" The Nurse screams over the mother's wails. The baby's head is out all that is left are the shoulders and then this grueling experience will be over.
Outside the door a man dressed in expensive clothes paces back and forth, his face ashy. His companions try to reassure him that everything is fine, but even they aren't sure and grow pale.
The mother struggles to roll up into a crouching position on her feet.
"LET GO OF ME!" She snarls to the young girls trying to force her on her back. Her dark eyes are sharp and promis violence. Her blue black curly hair, drenched in sweat, sticks to her face and neck.
"DO AS SHE SAYS!" Commands the nurse and the young girls let go.
The mother, angry and just wanting the pain to end, howls. And she howls and the wind howls with her, the twos voices swirling together threatening to break all the windows and rip trees from their roots out of the earth. Lightening explodes the sky followed by a babes cry.
The mother collapses exhausted, he child's cry barely hitting her ears. The nurse sweeps the screaming child into her arms cleaning it off.
"What is it?" The mother's voice is hoarse. Her eyes roll in her head unable to focus.
"A girl," the nurse whispers.
The mother wails in grief and the baby cries harder.
"Sh, shhh," the nurse bounce the child in her arms and comes over to pet the mother's head, whipping away her dirty hair. "Stop, child, you're scaring your daughter."
"Let me hold her."
The nurse places the baby in her mother's open arms.
"Hello my little one. Shh, shhh, it will be okay." Tears roll down the mother's face as she rests her baby on her chest. The little girl quiets down, nuzzling her mother's breast looking for the nipple. She finds it latching on and begins feeding. The mother rocks her back and fourth, and wipes away the tears that land on her daughters little head, covered in black hair.
The father no knocks on the door outside. "May I come in? I want to see my child."
The mother and the nurse's gaze connect. A young maid moves to open the door.
"No!" The mother says. The older nurse. "Stop her!" One of the older maids grabs the girl pulling her away from the door. "No one is to leave this room until I say so."
The Nurse leans close to the mother speaking quietly. "How are you going to resolve this?"
"Bring me my priest, Father Triston."
The nurse nods then looks to the still scared and confused young maids who are all hugging the walls, cautious of the lady mother's wrath.
"Kristina," the Nurse calls. A young woman with well kept dark hair and a uniform that has a few speaks of blood from when she cut the baby's umbilical cord steps forward. Her eyes are sharp and weary. "Fetch Father Triston, he should be in the east wing of the castle, near the chapel. Tell him that the Lady of the Castle needs to see him. If anyone asks you what's going on, say you can't tell them, but that you must go find the Lady's priest."
YOU ARE READING
Sins Of My Father
RomansaIn a place where humans fight against magic, Lena was raised in a monestary by a kind monk who found her as a baby, Father Triston. He taught her to read and write, of morality and compassion. As much as she loved life in the tower, and the beautifu...
