Trigger warning for miscarriage, blood.
Examiners: This was titled 'even when you're far from me' in the assignment thread, but there was a whole mess and the titles got mixed up. This is the fic I submitted to the assignment thread, but I had to retitle it afterward. Sorry for any confusion.
Fate had blessed them three times, so why not try it again?
Misapiona, Arcturus, and Cygnus were all healthy children. Magenta was still young enough to bear children. She was a little thin, sure, but she hadn't felt like eating much after three consecutive births, and she had consented to carry another one.
Their fourth child was conceived during the summer, and Magenta was glowing. Her stomach swelled enormously, her eyes were bright, and her cheeks rosy. Carrying a child agreed with her.
But fate was not feeling kind for them this time.
Licorus woke one morning and instinctively reached for his wife, as he did each morning, to rest a hand on her stomach. Only she wasn't next to him, and his hand landed in something warm, wet, and sticky. Recoiling, he drew his hand back, and alarm besieged him as he looked at his fingers.
Blood. Glistening blood, ruby red on his pale fingers, and he lurched out of bed as nausea rose in his stomach. Drying blood on the blanket. Smeared on his white sheets where his wife slept.
"Magenta!" he cried. "My love, where are you?"
He heard a thump from the loo and rushed ahead, his feet sliding gracelessly on the black marble. He slammed into the door and hammered against it with his fists. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Please, just...just go. I–I don't want you here," he heard her murmur, just loud enough that he could decipher what she was saying, but her voice shook. "I'm fine."
She clearly wasn't fine; the blood and the quiver in her voice indicated otherwise. "Love, just open the door," he urged, adopting a gentler tone. He deliberately masked his paranoia; it wouldn't help anyone. "Whatever is wrong, we can fix it. I want to help you."
"No." Her voice took on a steely edge. "No, we can't fix it, Licorus." She hiccuped and Licorus renewed his efforts to break through the door — before realizing he was a wizard, and he had a wand.
He returned a minute later with his wand, which had been under his pillow, and with a quick Alohomora there was a click. He pushed open the door and stopped short, horrified by the sight before him.
For Magenta sat in a pool of blood, tears glimmering on her white cheeks. She looked up at her husband, who was frozen in the doorway with shock, with bloodshot eyes.
"I lost him, Licorus," she whispered, her body wracked with shivers and her eyes fixated numbly on the blood staining the floor. "I l-lost him."
432 words
Assignment 9 - Men's History: King Tut - Task #2: Write about losing a child.
