"Will you confess?" Judge Hathorne asked the young woman who stood bravely before them shackled and dressed in rags.
"Never! I will never damn my soul!" She screamed at them and then she felt one of the guards slap her across the face before he shouted, "You shall be put to death tomorrow! Witch!"
She let out a scream as she was carried away and then Judge Hathorne shouted, "Another!"
As they threw her into her confinement, she glared at them before sitting down and laying back against the wall, feeling hopeless.
That was…until she felt a stirring inside her. Her child, her own flesh and blood. She looked down at her stomach and that was when she realized she may never see her child nor will this child see the real world.
"I will not let them hurt you." She whispered to her belly comforting her child and she felt her child's movements from inside which were enough to keep her alive and strong for her child.
She knew what must be done; she would not let this child suffer the same fate as her and so…be done this deed was by dawn. Her blood pooled around her body and the babe cut from her belly, swaddled in the warmth of its mother's cloak, crying out for its mother.
A single warlock heard this and he knew… he knew this child was cursed to a damned life. He knew this child would never be safe from the horrid people in this world.
He knew what he had to do... he had to protect her from the people of this village. His mind was whirling as he swaddled the child up and took the babe away from its horrid place of birth. As he carried the child back to his estate, he knew that he was putting his family at risk to protect her.
But that was fine... his family was used to living on the edge of the knife.
He opened the door to his house, soundlessly closing the door and then sitting beside the cold fireplace with the babe in his lap. His hood slipped from his head and his once ebony black hair now shone in the candlelight. He stared down at the baby with no words to say until he heard the words, "Bernard...? What's happened?" looking over to his left, there stood his wife.
"...Rebekka... Lilliana is dead." he stated in a cold, saddened voice and that was when his wife stepped forward from the shadows, her long, pale blonde hair falling to her hips and her pale skin cold against the candlelight.
"We've lost another witch... but gained one more." He stated gently to her before unveiling the little baby girl in his lap.
"A little girl..." Rebekka's lips quivered as she knelt before her husband and looked at the baby in his lap. "But... did... I mean..."
"Did Judge Hathorne presume he was only executing Lilliana... no. I do not think so." Bernard sighed looking at the baby and then speaking again, "But there is nothing we can do about it now. Rebekka. We need to keep her safe."
Rebekka nodded her head and she looks down at the little girl along with her husband before smiling. "I see her mother in that face of hers."
Bernard smiled before staring down into the baby's face. "Indeed... she does." he continued to stare down at the baby and that was when she started to wake. Rebekka couldn't help but smile as she watched this but her face was soon extinguished when they saw the colour of her eyes.
"G-grey eyes? Pale grey eyes?" She gasped looking at Bernard. His face had drained of colour but he still didn't speak. "What should we name her Rebekka?"
"Oh... I don't know. What seems like a good name for her love?" She asked him instead.
"... Ebony. Skin as pale as ivory... but locks of hair as dark as ebony." He said almost in a trance and the baby in his lap stared back into his eyes before her face started to light up hearing the name.
"And I think she agrees." he stated quietly before he lifted her up and kissed her forehead. "We'll protect you Ebony... just trust in us." he whispered quietly and Rebekka gently took her hand and kissed it softly. "We will protect you."
"Together."