by Tiya Rayne
I feel as if I’m being dropped from up high. I close my eyes and hold on tight to his neck. His scent of sandalwood and musk seem to beckon me to relax. A cold wind rushes over me that makes me shiver and then the motion stops. I don’t have time to survey my new surroundings. I’m hit with another contraction and this one is even more powerful than the last.
“Place her here.” I hear a female’s voice demand.
I crack my eyes and bright lights surround me. I have to turn my head away from the blinding light. When my eyes finally adjust I find myself in a glass room. The walls look like ice. I’m lying on something hard and unyielding, like a table or a floor.
“Cut that filthy dress off of her.” The same female voice says.
I panic.
Is this a repeat of the horrors that Medina told me about.
“No!!” I try to fight the hands that are grabbing at the bodice of my dress. “Please don’t hurt me.” I try pleading.
“I will never hurt you, little human.”
That calming voice soothes some of my fears. Those comforting silver eyes look down at me as he rips open the front of my dress exposing my belly to the cool air of the room. Just as soon as he opens the dress a blanket is placed over my bare chest giving me some modesty.
“There you go, Lilly.” Another female voice.
This one belongs to a heart shaped face girl with pointed ears and sparkly brown eyes.
Another contraction hits and I scream again.
“Avalia, do something.” The one named Assassin shouts.
He is at my side. One hand placed protectively over my belly and the other tugging at the strands of his dark wavy hair.
“Move!” The first female’s voice demands. The assassin’s hand is replaced by two pale small female hands.
“Miriam, grab those black candles. Lydell, I need that bowl and that jar over there.” The female voice says.
I finally get my first sight of her and it is the snow haired woman from my dreams. Does this mean I will see the mixed matched eyed man as well? Are they all friends? Is that why they took turns visiting my dreams?
Suddenly the room rumbles. The ground shakes so violently that everyone falls to the floor and I’m almost thrown off the table. The quake is followed by screams coming from outside.
As soon as the earth stops shaking, I’m rocked by another powerful contraction.
“What the fuck was that?” The one called Assassin yells.
The Snow haired woman they call Avalia doesn’t respond. The look of horror on her face is answer enough. Something bad is definitely happening. Another commotion comes from outside. It sounds as if people were screaming and slamming against the castle door.
“Augustus, go see what is going on?”
The tall elf that met me in the woods walks out of sight. I guess his name was Augustus.
Another quake hits, and this time a large chunk of the crystal hits the ground near me. Before I could flinch away, the Assassin is covering me. Half of his body is over mine. I can’t thank him, because immediately a contraction hits. This one is followed by a gush of liquid between my legs.
“Dammit!” Avalia shouts as she glances down between my legs. “Her water broke.”
“You said she couldn’t have those boys in the woods. She isn’t in the woods now.”
“Yes, I know, but I can’t see her future to determine if anything has changed. I can’t guarantee the outcome won’t be the same.”
“Godsdammit, Avalia do something. Stop this.”
“I can’t, Assassin…..” She shouts and then gives a surrendering sigh. “The fates have already decided. The boys are coming now.”
“Please,” I plead to the beautiful woman. “Can you save them?”
She shakes her head. “It is not them I fear losing.” Her eyes give away more than her words ever could.
What connection do I have to this woman, other than her visiting my dreams? Why would here be so much fear in her eyes at the mention of losing me?
“My Queen, the kingdom is in tumult.” Augustus announces. “They are trying to get into the castle. Your guards are holding them for now.”
I cry out as another contraction hits.
For a moment everyone seems to be stuck at what to do. The kingdom is going crazy. The earth is threatening to split in half, and I am in the midst of having babies that I may not live long enough to meet. It seems that everything that could go wrong does seem to be going wrong.
I look at the faces surrounding me. I do not know these people, not really, but something inside me seems to trust them. Something deep down says that I am with friends.
“Are you with me, Tipper?” I ask, needing at least someone I know to be with me.
“Yes, Girl, always.”
I grab the queen’s hand and squeeze, giving her my strength. I don’t know what the outcome of tonight will be. But I have learned something during my two months with Medina. Fear keeps you more a prisoner than the actual walls holding you. I refuse to waste any more time being fearful. My boys needed me to fight. They needed me to be strong and to survive this night. And I will do anything for them. So I squeeze the Queen’s hand because as long as she is willing to do this, I will fight. The Queen seems to understand what I am telling her because she smiles, and it lightens her dazzling eyes. When she turns to the others she looks as strong and regal as her title.
“We need a midwife. One that we can trust.”
Immediately the Assassin speaks. “Miriam,” He calls to the brown eyed elf. “Go to the Briarsfield village and get Rose. Hurry!” he demands, and the pretty brunette elf disappears right away.
Avalia then turns to the man with the long salt and pepper hair and pointed ears.
“Augustus, I need you and the others to guard that door with your life. Nothing or no one gets in those doors. We will need all the time and concentration we can get.”
“You have my word, Queen.” Augutus and the other men from the forest immediately leave.
Another contraction hits and I release my hold of the queen’s hands to clutch my belly.
“Tipper!” I call out to the Familiar.
“Still here.”
“Who the hell is Tipper?” Avalia asks, her words directed towards Assassin.
“I do not know. She called this name earlier.” Assassin replies.
He seems bothered by this.
“Who are these people, Girl?” Tipper asks annoyed.
“I don’t know.”
“Should we trust them?”
Good question.
“I have no choice.” I really didn’t.
One part of me feels a connection to them. Especially the one they call Assassin, but then there is this part deep inside, that says caution. A part of me that says, there is pain and hurt there. However, I don’t have time to study that pain. I need these people to bring my boys into this world.
“I will stay hidden for now, if you must need me, I’ll be ready to attack.”
Internally I nod at my little bodyguard.
The ground erupts again and this time more of the crystal that seems to surround us falls around me.
The female elf appears and she brought with her a petite black woman and a little girl.
The woman looks me over and smiles before directing the little girl.
“Gidget, hand me my bags. I’m also going to need clean linen and warm water.”
People rush to do her bidding. I guess this woman knew what she was doing.
“Lilly, I need you to focus on me. No matter what happens around us, you stay focused on me.” The lady, Rose, shouts over the noise. “With your next contraction I want you to push.”
“What do you need me to do?” Assassin asks.
I don’t know what came over me, but the moment he asked that question I knew where I wanted him to be. I clutch at the hand that rest on my shoulder and pull it towards my chest.
“Stay!” I croak out.
His eyes so
ften and his body relaxes as he looks down at the frantic plea in my eyes. It’s as if my words were exactly what he needed.
When the next contraction hits, so does another earth quake, but I ignore it just as Rose said and I push down. I can only do it to the count of ten, but I do it. When the count is over I breathe out relaxing. I was clutching Assassin’s hand so tight that my fingers cramp up. Yet he doesn’t complain, he just leans closer to me and push the sweaty curls back off my face.
“You’re doing well, Lilly. So good.” he encourages.
A loud noise outside the door to the room I am in catches our attention.
“Queen Avalia, what is going on?” A faintly familiar voice calls out.
“You cannot go in, Prince Rykan.” Augustus explains.
“How dare you tell my son what he cannot do? I demand to see the Queen.” Another gruffer voice shouts.
“My Queen does not want anyone to disturb her, she gives us the right to kill anyone that tries.” There seems to be joy in that voice.
I don’t get to hear anything else that goes on outside the door. Another contraction hits and I have to push. I feel a sudden heaviness and slight burn between my legs.
“That’s it Lilly, I see the top of the head.” Rose is smiling as she gazes at—what I suspect—is the top of my first son’s head.
I can’t take the time to enjoy this moment with her. I’m exhausted, and having a baby sitting half way out of your vagina is not the most comfortable.
The next contraction brings on another one of those earth quakes. This one seems to shake the ground directly beneath me. I cry out as the jostle seems to make the contraction even more painful.
“Was that Lilly?” I hear that familiar voice at the door question. “Lilly!” the voice shouts and then is followed by what sounds like tussling.
“Do not worry about that, PUSH LILLY!”
I grit my teeth and push with all my might. I feel him as he slips out of me, my first born.
He’s huge. Rose places the baby on my chest and I place a hand over him. He squeals like a stuck pig. And I laugh. I laugh and cry as I hold my son in my hands. He’s covered in gunk, but I don’t care. His complexion is lighter than mine, but his hair is much darker. I place a kiss on his head while Miriam and a colorful creature with sheer covering wipe him off.
“Cut the cord, Assassin.” Avalia says.
Assassin looks down at me as if seeking permission. I’m immediately blown away by the look on his face. There are unshed tears in his eyes and love on his face. Even with my shaky memory, I don’t think anyone has ever looked at me that way. I nod. I don’t care who does what at the moment, but even so, I knew from the look on his face he was the right man for the job. He lets go of my hand and supplies a blade from somewhere and then slices through the umbilical cord.
He turns back to me and strokes a hand down my damp cheek and whispers, “I’ve never…..” he swallows and tries again. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than you are right now.”
My face heats up like I stuck it in an oven.
I want to tell him Thank You, but a contraction hits and it is a rough one. This one seems to shake the earth itself. I can immediately tell something is wrong.
Rose’s face goes whiter than Avalia’s hair. And for someone that is chocolate brown that is hard.
“Should there be that much blood?” The heart faced girl asks.
“Stop pushing, Lilly.” Rose demands.
“What is it?” Avalia asks alarmed.
She is standing behind Rose’s left shoulder. “Something is wrong.”
I whimper at the pain that is twisting my stomach. Something is very wrong.
“Take the baby.” Rose directs.
The heart faced elf immediately picks up my eldest and wraps the squealing baby in a blanket.
Another earth quake hits and it’s violent. A larger chunk of the ceiling breaks off.
“My baby!” I shout. “Where is she taking him?”
“He’s ok.” Avalia soothes. “She’s only holding him, see.” She points to where the elf stands with my eldest swaddled in her arms.
“We have a bigger problem,” Rose’s voice brings our attention back to her. “It seems that little king number two has decided to come out feet first. I will need to turn him.”
That doesn’t sound good.
“It will be painful,” I bet. “I need you to bear with me.”
I nod, not knowing if I could do this. I grip the hand that Assassin has out for me.
“Gidget, when I tell you, I want you to start turning.”
The little girl with the full cheeks climb up on the table with me and kneels beside me. Her small hands come to rest on my belly.
“Now Gidget.” Rose demands. With one hand inside me and one on my knee, she directs the little girl as she starts to twist my belly. With each push and twist to my belly I scream out. I have never known a pain like this before. It’s as if the baby has a firm hold on my internal organs while he is being shoved around my belly.
“Lilly!!!” More shouts and banging from the other side of that door.
The distraction causes me to lose focus and I start to fight against the twisting of my belly.
“Calm down!” Assassin’s silver dazzling eyes meet mine.
Both his hands are holding my face as he stares down at me. He is so close our noses touch.
“You can do this, little human.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but just looking into those beautiful eyes gave me the encouragement to try. I focus back on what I’m supposed to do and relax into the twisting.
“That’s it, Beautiful. That’s what I want to see.”
I crack a smile at his encouraging words. I place my hand over his and squeeze as I fight through the pain of the little girl turning my belly. I never take my eyes from Assassin’s and he never takes his from mine. For a moment it is easy to block out the world around us. It feels as if it is just the two of us.
“Good, Lilly! Now I need you to push. Push Lilly!”
I push as the world around me seems to shake off its hinges. I hear the cracking of the walls, the crashing of furniture as the debris hits the ground. The screams outside grow louder and the floor begins to crack into, but I continue to push. With a loud scream from me, my youngest child comes into the world, and at this point I vow to never do this shit again.
“You did it, Lilly. You did it!” Avalia cheers.
With his forehead placed to mine the Assassin whispers praises to me.
“Well done, little human. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“Would you like to see your youngest trouble maker?” I hear Rose asks, but it sounds as if she is talking far away.
I try to tell her yes but I can’t get my mouth to move.
“Lilly?” Assassin’s bright smile turns into a frown.
“Something’s wrong!” Assassin shouts.
My head is still clasped between his hands.
Their voices still sound far away and now my vision seems to be tunneling.
A thunderous crack sounds outside like lightening erupting across the sky. The blood on the moon seems to deepen and the earth roars to life around us.
“Where losing her.” Rose shouts.
Avalia appears at my side, her smile moments ago wiped from her face.
“Quick, give me that jar and light those black candles.” Demands Avalia.
Another one of those colorful and naked females hands Avalia a jar with a large hairy black spider. This female has bright blue hair and pale blue skin.
Avalia takes a blade and cuts into her hand. Blood pools in her palm. She then drips the blood in the bowl she asked for earlier. My body starts to feel heavy as if a weight is sitting on top of all my limbs. Avalia takes one of the black candles that was just lit and place it in the middle of the bowl. The candle wax seems to absorb the blood in the bowl. The flame on the candle, that was once burning bright red, turns a beautiful blue. A
valia picks up the jar with the spider and pours the spider out onto her hand. The massive arachnid covers the entire palm of her hand. She closes her eyes and starts to mumble words. A wind picks up in the room tossing my wild curls around my head. A clenching so strong comes over my body and finally I am able to speak, only it is a scream that comes out.
“Avalia, what the fuck are you doing?” Assassin yells over the loud sound of the wind. He still has my face between his massive hands.
Just as I thought the pain couldn’t get any stronger she places the spider onto my no longer swollen belly. Its soft hairy legs tickles my skin. Avalia drips the wax from the black candle onto the back of the spider. Three hot drops. The spider starts to squeal in pain. The sound of the lightening cracking across the sky grows louder. The earth quakes harder, threatening to topple the glass surrounding us. Then the spider stops and falls onto its back, its legs curl towards its body. Immediately the world goes silent. The earth ceases to move. Even the moon clears of its red tint. That’s when I realize, I am no longer in any pain. The room doesn’t seem so far away anymore and everyone seems to be talking normal.
“Whatever you did, it worked.” Rose announces.
Avalia only nods at this. Her snow white hair is in wet sheets in her face. She looks drained but at least some of the color has returned back to her face.
The moment she gives the go ahead, Assassin crushes me to his chest in a hug so tight that it is almost painful. When he finally releases me, I feel shy.
When I was in pain and thought I was dying, it felt ok to have this complete stranger near me. But now that I’m out of harm’s way and thinking clearer, it’s weird.
I don’t have to worry about that long, because the heart faced girl and the blue beauty place my boys in my arms.
They are beautiful.
Having them with me, near me is soothing to my soul. I didn’t care that I can still hear people shouting outside. And I wasn’t bothered that the one called Augustus is battling a Prince Rykan outside this room. All that matters now is that my boys are in my arms.
The eldest—also the biggest—has darker skin than his smaller brother. They both have dark brown straight hair that lies flat on their head. The hair only slightly curls at the ends. They have my nose, both of them, and my full lips as well. My eldest has a dimple in his chubby chin and his eyes are dark brown. He’s staring back at me with the most inquisitive eyes.
