Trebond Tragedy

A/N: Response to Prompt 23: Accident's Happen on the Tammy Drabbles site

May 419 HE

The Lady of Trebond struggled through the pangs of childbirth, her purple eyes fraught with pain and hope. Pain, because of the pangs that shot through her body and hope for the little babe's she carried. Healers swarmed around her and tried to keep both mother and children alive with their Gifts as the woman labored.

The lady felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and a voice telling her to relax, "Maude?" she whispered, voice so quiet, as the familiar woman appeared beside her.

The healing woman turned to the healers and quickly told them to gather supplies. Turning back, she smoothed the hair from the lady's face, "Don't worry," Maude crooned, "Stress has done this to you and your babes." "Just relax now, and breathe deeply. Inhale and exhale." "Inhale and exhale…"

The lady did as she was told and suddenly she cried out, the pain so intense she gripped the edges of the bed with white-knuckled hands.

Maude knew what to do, having delivered many babies before, and quickly gathered a few towels and two bowls, one of them filled with warm water and the other with cold water.

"Just breathe." Maude ordered as more healers scurried around the lady. One of them took charge as Maude organized towels.

The healer, an elderly woman, told the others to get towels and other supplies while she stood by the lady, giving support.

Maude heard the younger woman's gasps of shock and stifled screams, it hurt her that she couldn't stop the pain of childbirth.

The lady then groaned in pain, and she felt as if her limbs were on fire as a squeezing pain entered her lower body. She bit back a scream as the pain only intensified, and she bit back another scream as sudden stabs of pain jolted through her frail body.

"Help me…please" The lady called out pitifully, her voice barely audible, her eyes frightened.

"Just lie down my daughter, and let me help you…" a voice whispered in her mind. It was the Great Mother, come to aid in another birth.

"Great Mother, please, I am in pain…"The lady whispered, wretchedly.

The lady found herself obeying and she saw a woman appear by the bed, her green eyes comforting as she held the woman's hand.

0o0

Alan paced outside the room, his face was full of concern and worry as he heard his wife's screams of pain and gasps of shock, but he couldn't enter the room until the healer's allowed him.

Coram stood, watching the man, "The lady is 'lright. She has a strong will!"

"She's in pain Coram, my wife is in pain" Alan replied, facing the guard.

Seeing the pain in his eyes, Coram nodded and replied, "Sometimes, Alan, all ye can do is wait."

"I cannot bear to lose her, or see her in this pain" Alan sighed.

"You love her don't ya?" the other man whispered, eyes gazing absently at the walls.

"With all my heart" the lord replied.

Before the guardsman could reply, Alan held up a hand, "Please don't make it any harder…" Alan whispered his voice choked with tears.

Coram nodded again, silent.

0o0

The Lady of Trebond emitted a shrill scream of distress, unable to suppress the pain. Her body was on fire and she knew death was near by the black at the edges of her vision. She was dying and it scared her.

She screamed again in torture and lay against the bed in exhaustion, gasping for air. Maude wrapped a blanket round a wailing babe, while soothing the weeping baby she faced the new mother with joy in her eyes, "It's a girl…"

Another healer went to wash the girl while Maude delivered another baby: A newborn son.

The lady smiled weakly, "Twins…a daughter and a son…" "May I hold them?"

Maude nodded and settled the babies in the lady's arms. The new mother felt tears well up in her eyes and a sting in her chest as memories flooded back to her.

Maude smiled as she let Alan inside and he gasped softly as his wife held two healthy bundles. Alan kissed his wife's forehead and stroked the tufts of hair on each of the twins' heads, "I'm proud of you." He whispered his eyes alight.

His wife smiled and Maude took the little babe's from her to a bassinette beside the bed. Alan glanced at the two infants' and back at his wife and chuckled, "I'm proud of you, love."

His wife smiled and lay back in the bed, suddenly weak. Even too weak to muster the strength to smile, she whispered. "Take care of them, Alan…take care of yourself…" She drew a trembling breath to speak again, but the Black God slowly took her before she could say another word.

Alan swallowed hard, shocked and angry that his wife was dead and that he had caused it. Gazing over her still, stubborn features and dull purple eyes, he bowed his head, tears welling up in his eyes. Maude ushered the rest of the healers outside and paused before shutting the door, "Alan?"

He did not look up, only blinked in numb response.

Maude quietly sighed and decided to explain: "The gods wanted this to happen, Lord Alan, you could not stop it."

Alan whirled around, "Damn the gods, damn the world. You could have saved her!" he cried, his eyes wild with rage. "You didn't and now what?"

Maude placed a hand on the man's arm, "They have very strong Gifts, if we could teach them—"

"You will not." Alan's voice dropped to a dangerous tone, "I forbid it."

"But—"

"I forbid it!" he hissed.

Maude bowed her head, shaking it, "Gifts were meant to be used, my Lord." She quickly walked over to the fussing twins and picked them up. "The gods willed it."

Alan glared at Maude and he stormed out of the room, tears on his cheeks. The healer looked down at the babe and back at the woman's body on the bed. "Hush now, you poor things. We'll get your ma fixed up, your da's just upset…" Maude suddenly smiled and tears came to her eyes as she saw the familiar purple shade in their eyes.

The girl, Maude decided, was named Alanna, and the boy she named Thom. "Accident's do happen little ones." She whispered, carrying them to the nursery where wet nurses would take over. The healing woman closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself, "This is just one you'll never remember." She murmured sadly.