One Dark Prospect

Chapter 1: The Black Cottage

The wind billowed against the soaked panes of the Black Cottage as night grew around the house like a untended vine. Inside the walls, Queen Pernelle groaned and panted as her labour intensified as the midwife, a young yet well-trained naturalist, scurried to and from the counter of herbal remedies to the sweating queen in the pangs of childbirth. In the doorway, Pernelle's king-consort Isaac stood just before the door frame as to ensure he was not in the room as the adamant naturalist had insisted, but could check on his queen should anything happen and be there when the baby queens arrived that were and also were not his.

"Cora, I don't think I can wait for her much longer!" strained Pernelle through gritted teeth.

"I apologise my queen, but I can only make Gina come as fast as she can, and in this weather she may be some time with the herbs."

After no more than a few moments, a thud was heard at the front door of the Black Cottage where Isaac turned to face.

"That's her! Open the door!" Cora bellowed as Isaac dashed to the door and flung it open, sprinkling himself in blots of rain that landed in the front floor and on his coat. He wiped the water from his sleeves disgusted as a rat bearing a brown herb strapped to the back and a daffodil head scurried across the floor into the prepared bed chamber until she halted at Cora's feet.

"Excellent, Gina." Cora bent down to quickly stroke the drenched white rat with one wipe of her finger, as she delicately yet hastily removed the herbs from Gina's back and mouth and placed them in a pestle and mortar before crushing them together and then pouring a few drops into the green vial. When she finished she stared at the glass in awe.

"It's finished." Cora murmured as she clutched the green bottle in her hands. The concoction Cora had mixed up was to alleviate the queen's birth pain so she could deliver the triplets, knowing beforehand that her physiology was not built for bearing a child, let alone triplets. As such Cora had tried to get her hands on as many of the ingredients as she could when she noticed this in the queen. She swiftly turned to Pernelle and eased the drink through her lips.

"Very, minty" Pernelle commented as she dealt with the disgusting bitter after taste. Even as a reigning poisoner queen, there were still some venom she could stomach better than most tastes. During the following contraction she gritted her teeth, but later relaxed as the brew took effect, her mouth opening as painless bliss overcame her as she reclined on the bed.

"My queen, now is not the time to rest, I need you to keep on pushing." Cora implored as she positioned herself at Pernelle's spread legs and giving them a gentle hit to bring the queen back in the room. Cora had no issue with treating the queen like so, she had proved to be an exceptional doctor in Wolf Spring and had been summoned to the Volroy as Queen Pernelle's personal physician before she volunteered herself at the Black Cottage. That time and experience with her proved priceless as she prepared the queen for the birth of her triplets.

With a powerful push, Pernelle delivered the first one. Crying as she left the queen's womb, Cora held the baby up for Pernelle to clearly see.

"Helena, a Warrior" Pernelle panted in between gasps.

"Helena, Warrior" Cora parroted to herself as she placed the baby in the red bassinet. Helena continued to cry as she was hurriedly wrapped in the scarlet cloth of the warriors, as Cora had to return when her next sister was about to arrive. This time with a coat of blood as Cora held up the next queen to be seen by the elder of the three queens in the room.

"Maudeline, a Poisoner." she said as a grin sprouted on her lips. Another poisoner like herself, Henrietta would be proud when she arrived.

"Maudeline, Poisoner." Cora repeated as she placed the young poisoner in the purple velvet of the appropriate bassinet. Isaac couldn't help but beam at his queen and the queens before him. But before Maudeline could close her infant eyes to rest, a sudden and gradual scream escaped from Pernelle as a wave of blood gushed from inside of her. Cora rushed to her side immediately.