My contribution to our 14th drabble challenge: "The Voices Unheard"

Category: Gen (Canon)
Characters/Pairings: Unidentified
Rating/Warnings: K+
Word Count: 300 (100 for each)
Author's Note: This drabble response was inspired by the song "Three Queens" by Heather Dale, which is based on the significant roles women play in every stage of the lives of men. I chose three minor characters to represent "Maiden, Mother and Crone."

~ Maiden ~

Her eyes were as bright as the fresh morning dew, positively shining with eagerness as they fell upon the handsome young prince. How noble he was, so fine and strong as he faced his opponent on the tournament grounds. She studied the slight pout of his lower lip, cheeks turning scarlet with pleasure as she remembered the intoxicating sensation of his mouth covering hers only the night before.

Seeming oblivious to the cheering crowd, he caught her eye and gave her a warm, tender smile that spoke of their shared infatuation.

And in that moment, she loved him.

~ Mother ~

Her eyes were dull with pain as she wearily struggled through the final stages of a long and difficult labor.

It wasn't thought of the unborn child that made her so determined to bring him into the world before relinquishing her grip on life. No, she could only think about the man who'd fathered him, consumed by the need to fulfill her promise to bear him a son.

But when the infant finally slipped from her body, she gently whispered his name before closing her eyes for a final time.

And in that moment, she loved him.

~ Crone ~

Her eyes held a sad, ageless wisdom, having borne witness to the demise of countless unknown souls throughout the eons.

Some went willingly – weary old men who no longer felt any purpose in the land of mortals. Others came to her with piteous screams, not ready to surrender their fragile human existence to the darkness beyond.

But none had been quite like the handsome young man in the prime of his life, who smiled and extended his arms for her embrace as he walked into her gaping black chasm.

And in that moment, she loved him.