Helper: Ok, so Elemental and I have decided to make a prequel to The Art Of Breaking, telling about Ar and Ferthyra, but she wants to focus more on the original thing, so, she put me in COMPLETE (conditional) control of this. Um, I hope you all enjoy it, I'm going to try and make this really consistent in style, and yeah. Oh! All this takes place in old Wales, so the names are old Welsh and, they are speaking in Welsh, just translated into English. Some words will be in Welsh though. Anyway, hope you like it!
The wind was howling and snow danced and fought madly in the air as it rained down upon the earth in a white-grey frenzy. The clouds blackened the night sky even more, blocking out the crescent moon and the stars, blocking out all light. Leaving only the darkness. No one is fond of darkness, it is not in humans true nature to be kept out of the light and shrouded in dark. Those who say that they do enjoy the blackness of the unknown are fools and do not understand what true darkness is. But on this night, there was no light, and against the brut force of nature, there was no chance of having light.
Even in the huts there was no shelter from the wind that found every unprotected hole and gape in their walls, blowing out the candles and lanterns that had hung around. No protection from the shadows that crept through the quiet, respectful slumber that the villagers that were in. All were sleeping, or pretending to, all huts silenced by the wind, darkness, and coldness. Even the animals slept soundlessly.
Only one hut contained only awake members, only this hut, forged from rocks and stones, had noises inside of it. Noises of pain, and of joy, screaming, and soft voices. In this hut, a women lay on a sheet less cot, despite the cold air her head was draped in sweat, her long-ragged brown hair hanging wetly around her head like a mane. She screamed and panted, blood pooling around her legs in a fearful manner. Sitting by her head was a young girl with bright blond hair and blue eyes dabbed a cool cloth onto the woman's head, though it did nothing to cool her down. By her feet was an elderly lady, wrinkled and bent with age, frail as a falling leaf on the outside, but as strong as an ox on the inside. Her hair was completely white with age and her once bright brown eyes were now filmed over and nearly blind. One more accompanied the three women, a man of great stature stood over the older women's shoulder, his dark black eyes wide with fright.
"He's almost here, Aerona, keep going." The women at her legs said, motioning for the young girl to stop dabbing her head with the cold cloth and to instead us a dry. The birthing women-Aerona-gave a hoarse wail as a reply, her tears leaving two trails down her dirty face.
The man, who had long black hair and a longer beard, noted all the blood, "Will she be ok Gladys?" He asked the old woman quietly. Gladys looked up at him, looked straight up at his face. It was to dark to see the worn, concerned look on his face, but Gladys could guess what his expression was. Gwyn had loved Aerona since he was a child, and now she was finally having his child. When Gladys didn't respond, the man closed his eyes and pressed against his temple, child birth was always dangerous, and he couldn't stand to lose both his wife and his would be child.
Aerona gave a sudden gasp and a spasm went through her, the man bit the bottom of his lip, and closed his eyes tighter, thinking that was the end, she was gone. But then she gave a soft cough, and a sudden high pitched wail filled the hut, flicking his eyes open just in time to see Gladys catch a small boy in her arms and wrap him in the cloth she had prepared long before.
Gwyn felt his heart leap, and took the baby from the healer, fitting the little crying thing in his arms. The young girl dropped the bowl onto the floor to see the baby, letting her mentor take care of Aerona. Taking a knife from the table, she quickly cut the abilical cord and then peered through the darkness to try and see the infant, whose crying was beginning to subdue. "He's so little." The girl remarked quietly, watching as the baby flailed its blood arms and opened his mouth soundlessly.
"You were the same way when you came out Hefina." Gwyn said softly, placing his hand lightly on his nieces head. She looked up at him with wide blue eyes and a large smile. "Aerona, look." The man said, moving over to the woman who was beginning to sit up. Sitting down beside her, he placed the little baby into her arms.
The mother looked down at him, chocking out a few tears and kissing his head, "He'll be a fine fighter, just like his father." Aerona said, smiling as the childs wide light blue eyes gazed over them in confusion, his motions animated. Suddenly, Aerona's arms dropped, the new-born left in his fathers arms now. She suddenly cried out and went through a spasm, grabbing at the corners of the cot and crying, kicking her legs. The father jumped back in surprise, clutching the once again howling child to his chest and watching wide eyed at the women.
Moving surprisingly fast for her age, Gladys pressed a wrinkled hand to the womans' stomach, her eyes went wide and she put her head onto the stomach, listening, before jumping up and going back to her legs. Holding them down. "Go melt more snow, Hefina, hurry!" Gladys ordered, and her young assistant did as she was told, grabbing the wood bowl and pulling the door open, going into the blizzard and scooping up some snow that was building itself up against the door. When Gwyn asked what was happening Gladys didn't spare a moment, "There's another, I can't believe I didn't see this coming!" The blood was flowing faster than before, and Aerona's screams of pain and agony were sharper.
It took a few moments for Gwyn to realize what that would mean. Aerona had already lost nearly a fatal amount of blood, and the energy had been drained out of her after pushing for seven hours straight for the first one. The first baby was screaming, kicking against Gwyn with abnormal strength, and it took everything the man had to hold the baby, more to shock than the kicks though.
"He's coming!" Gladys said after a minute. As soon as she said it, another wailing voice was added. The healer sighed as she picked up this one, "Another boy." She said finally. Having cornered himself at the back of the hunt, Gwyn hurried forward to look at the twin. As he did, Aerona emitted a soft sigh and smiled from the cot, her breathing slowly going down, and her heart rate decreasing as her eye lids dropped in exhaustion. Gwyn was in hysteria when Gladys snipped the cord, two sons, both strong and healthy, he had prayed to God for this, for a healthy child, and here he had two!
Turning to the bed he exclaimed, to what he figured to be the exhausted mother, "We have twin boys, twins! Good luck..." There was no reply, no motion to show that he heard. "Aerona?" The man asked, everything seemed to melt in slow motion for Gwyn as Gladys rushed to the forward of the bed. She placed a hand on the womans chest, then her head, before slowly standing, her head flicking over to meet both Hefina and Gwins' gaze.
She shook her head.