Hey all, here's the next installment. Thank you Squidchan for being a supermegafoxyawesomehot beta and getting this edited for me. I've gone in bit of a different direction for most of this chapter. I hope you like it! And for those of you who were interested, my interview went okay, but I didn't get a call back. So, I guess there's more time for writing! Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 13: Family History
December 25
Giselle was overjoyed with my gift to her this morning. She sighed over the pearl bracelet for an hour before carefully setting it aside to cook breakfast. Gemma, Louise, Melisande, Quincey, and Reine dressed for church without a fuss, all carefully donning their new dresses. Even though the gifts have set us back over eighty galleons, it is worth it to see my lovely daughters smiling.
Giselle's father brings a fat goose for dinner and while we all gather around the table, she announces that she is pregnant again. Achille gives us an unfathomable look as I kissed her cheek. I am happy and at the same time terrified. I love my daughters dearly, but at this point I am desperate for a male heir. I will be forced to sell the farm if I do not have an heir.
January 20
Giselle has cravings for pickles and honey. Though there is no way to tell for sure—even the healers' tests cannot be completely reliable—I fear that this craving, exactly as it was five times before, predicts another girl child. The healer Eudes claims that it is definitely a girl, but I will hold out until the day the child is born before I believe it. It is difficult to feed the seven of us, even with our padded vaults. I do not believe that we will be able to have another child after this one. It must be a male. It must be.
Achille and Everard, my father, took me aside over a mug of ale just the other evening and told me that I am running out of options. Even though they both produced sons, it is clear that either Giselle or myself carries only the ability to produce girls. It is frightening, especially with my father eyeing me with disapproval every time my girls swarm around me. Achille, too, has trouble speaking to me with the respect he used to use when I first married his daughter.
I have talked to Etienne in the village and he told me to speak to Félicité about what I may do to improve the likelihood of producing an heir. But he is only found out in the moor. It is dangerous getting there and would require me to leave Giselle by herself with the girls. Reine is old enough to help take care of the little ones; even Quincey and Melisande can generally take care of themselves. But it makes me anxious to leave Giselle. She has been very sick since Christmas, and I do not like to be away from her.
February 1
To my great surprise, Giselle told me to go. Eudes promised to look after her and has been administering potions to my poor, weak wife at least twice a week. I fear the fever has made her irrational.
"Go, Demetrius," she said softly to me during the night. "I hate seeing you so upset, so down all the time. If there is any way to ensure a boy, then we should take it." She smiled at me and linked our hands together. "I've always wanted a son. His name will be Gaspard."
I did not think so highly of her choice in name, but our argument was short and, if I succeed in finding this Félicité, then we can decide on a name then.
The next morning I pack my things and pack my horse. I eat a last meal with my family and then I leave, headed directly into the moor.
Date Unknown
I no longer know what day it is. It can only have been a few days, I think, but I've gotten turned around in the marsh. My compass points to a different north every time I look at it and the sky is a flat, uniform grey. I have not seen a sunrise or sunset since setting out on this venture, it is frightening and I have no idea what to do.
Bastian is nearly useless. He won't eat the grass in the marsh and he spooks at the tiniest of sounds. He's gotten stuck in the mud at least five times since the journey began, and has become such an inconvenience that I have considered leaving him or setting him free.
I am becoming paranoid. It is hard to sleep it's gotten so bad. I constantly feel as if I am being watched and there are animals that flit through the water and in the grass, making odd noises or hissing as I pass. I have yet to be attacked, but it is coming. I can feel it.
Date Unknown
Bastian is dead. An animal killed him in the night, and it nearly got me, too. A vicious, snake-like thing leaped from the bushes and tore out his throat. I lost much of my supplies. I am cold and hungry, and terribly lost. I hope that I find my way out of this soon.
Date Unknown
I came across the strangest thing today. A carnival. In the middle of the marsh. It was the smell of the food. Heady in the evening air, it smelled of turkey legs and fried bread dough. Colorful tents covered a huge field, and it was crowded with people
I had found it. The place where I would find Félicité and discover whether my bloodline could be saved. It took me quite a while to find her, however. Though I asked about, and was pointed to a small, inconspicuous tent in a back corner of the field, I was so taken by all of the activities that I couldn't ignore them. There were booths everywhere filled with craftsmen, their wares proudly on display. Pottery and clothing, bead work, leather products, and an array of metal works, along with their creators, called to me from every side.
But eventually I made it to Félicité's tent. A raging fire was burning in a circle made of braided grass. Children danced gracefully about, pulling at my clothes and offering me food. I reached for a tasty-looking fruit, but out of nowhere came a woman of inexplicable beauty. She grabbed my hand and warned me never to eat anything here, or else I would never make it home. This surprised me, because it just smelled so delicious, and there was nothing about it that seemed out of place. But the woman forced the food and children away, and then pulled me firmly into the tent.
"You have come a long way," she said in stilted French. It had a different sound than what we speak. Gravelly and ancient. "What brings you to Lightcourt Hill?"
"I am looking for someone named Félicité," I told her. She smiled wickedly, revealing tiny white, pointed teeth.
"I am Félicité," she said, bowing low before me. "Why do you seek my attention?"
I told her quickly of my woes, about how Giselle cannot produce a male heir, how she, Félicité, is our last hope. However, the longer I talked, the more grave she appeared.
"What you ask," she said. "Comes at a great price."
"I know," I told her. "My wife and I have agreed that this is our best option. If you can help us."
She sat at a table covered in colored scarves and tapped a piece of parchment with her finger. The paper immediately filled with writing and she slid it across the table to me.
"Perhaps you should realize the consequences of what you ask before you decide."
I glanced over the parchment with little care. Giselle and I had decided that this was the right thing to do. She wanted a boy more than anything, and I would do whatever it took to give her what she wanted. There was nothing the woman sitting across from me could do to make this not worthwhile.
The ceremony was quick and painless. Félicité and her children danced about, chanting in a wildly archaic language, most probably Latin. I felt the magic move over me—saw it mist from the woman and the children out into the air, through my blood, and through my very soul. Félicité pressed hands to my chest and once cupped my cock, then kissed me briefly, and that was the end of it. I was pushed to the edge of camp and told to sleep, and tomorrow to return to my family.
I am exhausted, and it has taken all of my energy to write this down so that I do not forget. Right now I can see Félicité pacing before the fire, still chanting in Latin. I do not know what she is saying, but I already feel better about my family's future.
ADDENDUM: I woke in the middle of the night to find the carnival gone. All traces of tents and people, fires and wares and food are gone. The stillness is frightening, but I am going to try to sleep and hopefully wake to find the absence of the carnival a dream.
March 10
I was in the marsh for over a month. I do not know how I survived for so long without my supplies, or why the time seems so off and wrong, but I am home safe now. I have never been so happy to see my women, and it is good to sleep in my bed.
Eudes came for dinner and I told them all at once about my travels. Still unbelieving of my confidence in the fertility spell that Félicité granted to my family, he performed the gender spell on Giselle's bulging stomach. His eyes nearly bulged from his head when the spell told him she would have a boy. We were so overjoyed that I could hardly speak, and my daughters scurried around the kitchen to prepare a sweet treat in celebration.
Giselle glowed all evening and I am looking forward to the time when my son will arrive into the world.
July 20
The summer is hot and dry, but with some careful irrigation techniques and my wife's support, the farm is flourishing. Gaston is a hard worker; a good replacement for Bastian. I think he actually likes the work. It is nice not to have to fight him.
Giselle is still ill and we have seen no signs of recovery. Her skin is pale and she cannot leave the house for long periods of time. The heat makes her faint, and she cannot eat more than a half portion full of food. Reine has been taking care of her while I work, but I believe that she may not be with us long.
A gentleman from Evruex named Gaël has come to ask for Reine's hand in marriage. My father is friends with his father, and we had supper yesterday evening. He is a handsome fellow with blue eyes and blond hair. His coloring is good with Reine's and he has a hard, strong body. I believe that their children will be very strong and healthy. Though the boy came on a little strong, I believe that Reine will come to accept his advances. His father, Jori, and I came to an agreement. The dowry will not be expensive, and she will be well taken care of in Evreux. All of the women are looking forward to the wedding.
September 15
My boy was born into the world in the middle of the afternoon. His name is Léandre, Giselle's last gift to me. She died soon after Léandre was born. All of us are grieving terribly, but I feel that there is something unnatural about her death. She did not bleed an unnatural amount, and even as I think on it, her sickness was something that I had never seen the likes of. I do not know what to think of it, but I feel that it has something to do with Léandre.
My girls are happy to now have a brother, but they are devastated about their mother. Honestly, so am I. Giselle was my heart and life. It is lonely without her, and I have no idea how to care for a baby. With Reine gone, Quincey has taken up the responsibility. But even I know that it is nothing like how it should be.
My only hope is that Léandre will live to be as great as he is meant to be.
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Hermione's heart raced fiercely as she set the book down on the table. It was insane! Demetrius Malfoy had made a deal with the devil—had forfeited his wife's life—just to have a son. And what—the sacrifice of Giselle had ensured that the rest of the Malfoy line would be males? How barbaric!
She'd searched the shelf for more information, but there were no other journals from Demetrius. She hunted through the other shelves for any mention of the rest of the story, but she had a hard time finding anything substantial. Discouraged, she almost overlooked the book on the first shelf she'd looked at when she had entered the library. It was covered in rich red leather and branded with Léandre on the spine and front cover.
This book filled in many of the gaps. Demetrius died when Léandre was sixteen, and he was already exhibiting signs of what was unmistakably the fae.
My cousins are like me. Father says that it is a side effect of some fertility spell and that there is no cure. I am already afraid. People know of us for miles around, and it is impossible to go anywhere without people staring. Men hide their women every time I go into town. I am not rabid like my sisters' sons, but no one seems to trust me.
Arlette still meets me in the stables, and we share kisses in the moonlight even though her father threatens to behead me if I do not leave her alone. Last night we pursued actions that left desire so strong in my veins that it was hard to control. And indeed, it was as if I was not myself. My skin glowed, and I remember almost forcing myself on her, though somehow I was able to resist.
Though she seemed quite scared, she agreed to help me find out what is happening to me. I will talk with my cousins, and then Arlette and I will find a way to stop it. I do not like not being in control of my own body.
Despite this illness plaguing me, Arlette told me she loves me. I said it back.
Hermione frowned and flipped forward a few pages. No one had told the young Léandre that he had -been born of fae magic? It was quite tragic.
I met with some of my eldest male cousins. Marceau, Pépin, and Rémi told me very disturbing things. It seems that we are cursed.
The glow I described when I was with Arlette is the side effect of an inhuman magic. Rémi described it best as a beast in your heart and mind driven by lust and desire. All three assured me that the magic would not consume me unless I was in a state of arousal. This did not make me feel better, because Arlette often causes me to become aroused.
Pépin, the oldest of us all, said that I may choose a mate at any time. Once the mate is chosen, I am to mount her and deliver the "mark" as he called it. This mark is given by the teeth to the neck or any other area of the body that has veins close to the surface of the skin. One sharp bite should do it, he said. I asked what he meant, what "it" was. Apparently, by biting this "mate" she becomes bonded to you absolutely. As in she is yours. She can only have children with you and she will only ever love you.
And the disgusting part? Marceau leaned across the table to me and told me not to worry, because if I tired of my first mate, I could easily leave her and choose another. To find that this magic only affects the mate made me inexplicably angry. It is appalling. Because the first mate will never stop loving you, and will never find happiness or satisfaction in another lover.
I do not know how I feel about this curse, but I do not like it. My cousins may have accepted that their sex lives have the ability to ruin people, but I have not. I find it awful and disgusting, and I would like to hurt whoever is responsible for this.
I stayed in Paris for several days, and everyone moved out of my way as if I were a King. Some bowed their heads respectfully—I decided it must be the blonde hair because my cousins rule this city but we all look alike—but there was a group of women standing outside of the clothing shop I was headed to. They called me "mal foi" in a scathing sneer. I have never heard anything so putrid and hateful.
She stared for a long moment at the words on the page. Mal foi. Bad faith. Because those Malfoy boys would mate with any woman who fell into their bed, and then they would leave and be hard-pressed to take responsibility for their actions. Bad faith.
She sighed, rubbing at her eyes. There was only a weak amount of sunlight filtering into the library now. The room was dark except for the candle she had, burned down to a pile of wax on the candleholder. She glanced at the piece of parchment next to her—still blank except for the words she'd written a week ago.
Her stomach growled loudly and she nodded to herself.
"Alright. Time for a break." She marked her place in Léandre's journal, blew out the sorry excuse for a candle, and returned to her room to nurse the headache brewing behind her eyes.
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Thank you all again for your continued support! You are amazing, and I write for you guys! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I know it was an introduction of a completely new character, but I had fun thinking in Demetrius' and Léandre's terms. Thank you again, and remember, if you review, I will read and review one of your stories!
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