Tears I Have Shed

Aria The Prisma

The child was more well behaved than others. She liked the movement of the horse as they rode on for a few more hours. Ophelia however was feeling weak, she hadn't eaten anything, and the leather strap of her vest was starting to make her mouth water. The baby kept reaching up towards her face, her little fingers grasping for her cheeks, trying to catch her attention. Ophelia finally looked down at the baby and she giggled.

"I should give you a name shouldn't I little one?" She smiled softly

"Don't name her." The monk warned and the girl looked up at him curiously.

"Why not? She's a baby, babies need names." He glared at her harshly and she looked back down at the baby ignoring his terrifying gaze.

"Let's see... a good name for you..." Ophelia thought about it for a moment and pursed her lips.

"What about, Cornflower? No that's silly, no pretty girl was ever named Cornflower..." she teased and the baby giggled a bit, gurgling with delight.

"Loria is a good name... my mother's name..." the monk took notice of her reverence to the name, she sounded in pain at that moment, a deep pain that couldn't be healed.

"A bit regal for you I think, you're playful, happy, like a sweet melody on a summer breeze. Melody is too simple... whats another name that sounds like a song..." Ophelia thought for a moment and the monk cleared his throat a little.

"Aria." He said simply and Ophelia looked up at him curiously.

"I thought you said don't name her?" He glared down at her in annoyance.

"I was answering your question. Not naming her." He huffed and Ophelia shrugged smiling down at the little girl in her arms.

"Aria..." she let the name roll of her tongue and smiled at the little baby brightly.

"Yes, I think Aria is a perfect name for you sweetling..." she hugged the baby to her and felt her stomach ache against her ribs. Hunger was something she hadn't quite known yet and she hoped that the little one wrapped to her chest would never know the feeling.

As the sun sank into the hills the monk pulled his horse off of the main road finding a secluded place behind a large outcropping of stone to set up camp. Ophelia got down from Goliath with some difficulty, her body was weak, and she had the extra weight of the child attached to her chest. The monk took notice of her wobbly stance as she grabbed for something to support her, the stone outcrop was a good enough substitute.

"How many days since you've eaten?" He asked cautiously and Ophelia looked at him with curiosity, her eyes shining with a dull orange color.

"Three days..." she admitted sheepishly and he opened one of the saddle bags on Goliath, throwing a piece of bread and dried meat at her. She fumbled a bit before she caught them and started to tear at the dried meat hungrily as she sat down, her back to the natural stone wall.

"I'll gather some wood for a fire, the child shouldn't be exposed to cold for long." He started to gather bits of dried grass and twigs for tinder as Ophelia ate some of the bread he had given her. She watched him gather wood and dead branches as the baby stared around the place with a woeful expression.

"I think it would be a miracle if he happened to have some milk for you Little Bird..." Ophelia hummed and looked up to see if the monk was watching, she unwrapped the baby from her chest and set her down in her lap, little Aria looked up at Ophelia with her big blue eyes staring up into the ever changing colors of her eyes fascinated by the changes. The monk came back and set the wood down in front of the girls. The baby looked up at the big grey cloaked figure and grinned, he glared at her until his eyes softened and he frowned. Her bright smile seemed to have won their little, silent contest. He set about starting a fire  while Ophelia looked down at Aria holding her gently.