The sound of crackling fire came to lure Adalya back into consciousness. She sat up, palms pressing firmly into the straw filled cot she had somehow ended up on. Her wrist came to rub her weary eyes, her vision blurred from a long and much needed sleep. Her chest came heave a sigh, pain seemed to ripple through her in a dull dance of torture.
"I must have been dreaming again." She thought to herself.
Besides the light of the fire, the small cottage she had come to recover in was dark, and held many odd and unfamiliar scents to it. They were pungent in their various aromas and unlike anything the Princess had come to smell before. A growing pain came to settle in her abdomen and suddenly she felt sick. The new smells seemed to churn her stomach, so much so, that she came to gag. Frantically, she searched the small home for anything able to catch what she knew was to come. Gathering a large bowl, she came to squat beside the bed and empty her stomach. Just as she was near to done with the horrid task, the strange woman who had saved her life came to swing open the door.
"None of it was a nightmare..." She shuttered aloud, setting the bowl down wiping her mouth.
"I am afraid not young girl, things would be much cleaner if you had been dreaming." The woman moved to her setting down the basket of wild berries she had come to collect upon a nearby table. She shook her head and couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's weak stomach.
"You poor dear, I assume essence of Sunglave is not common in your home. Do not fear the longer you stay, the more immune you shall become to its potent odor."
She gathered the bowl and made way outside to discard of it and the contents within. Making her way back in, she helped Adalaya back to the bed placing a soft palm upon her forehead. She was feverish, and the wise woman began to connect the dots as to why she yet suffered. During the pursuit and travel back to her humble home, she took note of only a few scratches and harsh bruises. This had to be something more, an illness perhaps.
"How does your vision fare you girl?" She asked moving to gather a poultice to apply to the larger cuts upon her arms and legs. "Fine I suppose. I have so many questions for you.... how did you know me? You claim you are my aunt yet, my mother had no siblings. My father never once came to mention you or your relation to our family."
The woman came to rub the dressing softly into the Princess's wounds, her hands soothing and caring. "I have many questions to ask of you as well Princess. The first, how did you come to venture into these forbidden woods? The second, how one as young as you, has the wrath of Drathell hunting her as if a rabbit in the spring? As for your curiosity and weariness of my honesty, your father made sure you and your two brothers never knew of me. Truthfully, I cannot hold resentment towards him for such laws. Like most, your father fears what he does not understand, or what is foreign to him. If you truly wish to know the truth, you should ask him."
Adalaya pulled away growling a bit in frustration. "If he has lied to me all this time, kept my eyes from seeing the true light, what makes you think he will tell me now? I am here with you, you saved my life, now please explain to me why." There was a large amount of pleading to her words and the woman gave a nod. She saw her hands cleaned and took a seat by the fire. "Come girl let me explain things to you." Adalaya moved to kneel upon the floor before her host, ears eager to hear the story to come.
"I was once promised to your father, I was the eldest of my family. During King Paraxious' visits to our homeland my sister fell for him, found him charming and well spoken. He was rich and had so many smaller cities under his control even at that age. I told my sister that if her heart truly desired the man that I would step aside and allow her to wed him but she refused. Unlike others in our family who bore Tyliquin blood, I feel into a deep obsession with the dark arts. Much like Soria the first witch of Hailotia. I never used my skill for evil, but instead found it important to know of everything to be ready for anything. Back then, my sister and I were the closest in our clan. We shared everything, so of course when I came to be able to wield such gifts I showed her. She seemed captivated just as I had been, and we vowed to hide each other's secrets. We knew such practices were forbidden. Yet, love is a dangerous and wild thing. When the day of my wedding came to draw near, your mothers mind seemed to change. It at last came to strike her heart that the man of her dreams would forever be out of reach."
The woman leaned forward to stoke the fire, sadness upon her face. She sighed taking her nieces hand softly into her grasp.
"I am sorry if this pains you, but I beg of you M'lady, please tell me more. I know so little of my mother." Her aunt gave a nod and continued.
"Three days before my wedding, your mother snuck off to my private study, gathering many of my dark talismans, she presented them to our father and within a moment I was banished here to these woods. I was only the young age of seventeen, a woman in the eye of the crown, but a child in all reality. I was left with no food, weapons, or coin to fill my purse. I was sent here alone with only the clothing I currently had on my back. As I am sure you know, my debt to the Paraxious clan had to be paid somehow. Your mother got her wish, and so she and your father came to be married. When she came to bare his first son, she set forth to seek me out. Our meeting did not go well, even still, she had the royal constructors build me this cottage, and gave me a few moons earning of gold crowns. She came to visit me often after that, the last time I saw her was just before your birth. After that, I heard of her demise and even after so many years had come to pass, I was not allowed to attend her burial."
Adalaya came to shed a few tears for her aunt, she could not believe that a man had come between such a close sibling bond. For several long moments, she came to wonder what had been so wonderful about her father, that her mother would turn upon her blood. For years, nobles and subjects alike had come to paint the image and life of her mother to that of a saint, when she was a traitor and an envious being. She rose slowly hugging her aunt, arms trembling. Deep down, somewhere in her unsettled spirit, the Princess wished she had split this woman's womb.
"I am so sorry, for all that my mother put you through. I am proud to call you my family knowing how strong you must have been to survive out here, alone. Might I ask your name?" With a smile, her elder came to speak. "Reia the Portentous." She replied softly. The young woman came to wince slightly in pain. Her right hand moved to her stomach as another wave of cramping came to rush through her abdomen. "Ahh!" She cried out, moving away from her embraces.
"What is the matter child? Have the scents gotten to you again?" "No...my stomach, it hurts incredibly." Reia stood taking hold of her niece's forearms standing her up. "Come now to the bed with you. Let me have a look." Doing as told Adalaya came to lie back the pain growing worse. "It feels as if something is ripping me!" Those words came to give the knowledge of her true condition. Reia came to place a hand gently onto her stomach, then moved to examine her breasts. "When have you last bled girl?" "I..I..don't remember, so much has been going on I've lost track." The dark sorceress rose at once, gathering a small cup and setting a kettle to boil over the fire. "Try to relax and breathe, do not fret it will only cause the pain to grow worse."
Moving to a window seal, the tall witch gathered several oat flower petals, a few partridgeberries as well as a few stalks of cramp bark. She saw all items into the cup, soon after pouring the hot water over them. "I am making you a tea, it will stop the pain, and with the gods help save your child." Adalaya came to shoot her vision onto her caretaker, eyes now wide with disbelief. "Child?! What..what do you mean child? I .. I..?" She lost her words, each of them now catching in her throat choking the air from her lungs. She felt faint, she was near to passing out when she remembered who the child would come to belong too. That fact came to settle her somewhat, a hand now moving to her stomach. "Oh please aunt Reia! Please save my baby! I had no idea! I cannot lose it. Raxseis, he will be so disappointed in me if I do."
The witch let the herbs and berries stew a while before passing her the cup. "Shh hush now and drink or all will be lost." She had been so concentrated upon aiding her pain that her niece's words had slipped into one ear and out the other. Then it hit her. "Raxseis, your brother Raxseis...so it is true?" The Princess drank the tea quickly, nodding. She felt both shame and pride, then the fear of the truth coming to light came to strike her face like the back hand of a master. "Oh please...do not tell my father...I beseech you." Reia came to chuckle placing a caring hand onto the girls. "No need to worry about that, he would never share words with me, and even if he did no one would believe me over you. Have no fear, I am not your mother. I understand the power of love, and as many things as I may dabble in, destroying love and its power is certainly not one of them."
"I swear to you, this child you say I carry was conceived in love. I wish this baby now more than anything, but however shall I hide it? I will come to grow, I stand without a husband, father will see me hung, or beheaded." "Shh, shh do not think of such harsh things, we will figure something out. Has the pain come to subside at all?" The young woman gave a nod, setting the empty cup onto the floor. "Thank you, so much, for everything. How can I ever repay your kindness?" "You do not have to pay me anything, this is what family does for one another, true family. You stay in bed, I am going to go and gather us some supper. You are eating for two now, it is important that you keep yourself well fed." A soft kiss came to linger about the girl's forehead and she smiled. At last she felt in such a short time that she had a mother. "Please do not stay away too long, what if that thing comes back to kill me?"
"Worry not your pretty head Adalaya, it shall never return. I saw it slain, how I will tell you another time. For now, lean back close your eyes and sleep. I will wake you when supper is ready." Reia gathered her cloak, bow and quiver and set off closing the door snugly behind her.395Please respect copyright.PENANAC7AaNKptyL