2.
Several monthes passed and Llyssia's stomach swelled with Zulgan's child.
Llyssia's time as the great prize quickly passed into the role of a
servant-slave. She was forced to labor in the fields, serve food in the halls,
and pleasure Zulgan's closiest men. Even as the signs of a child had became
apparent she recieved the worse duties that could be assigned. Nareel, the Lady
of the Hall and wife to Zulgan, had hated the Brettonian girl sence the first
day when she was displayed on the Hall's dias as a trophey. Nareel knew that
Llyssia carried Zulgan's child which was a threat to her own child, Korvus. She
wanted Korvus's future to not be hampered by the claims of Zulgan's bastard
child, so she tried her best to overwork the slave-girl. To the point of either
Llyssia's death, or the death of the unborn child. She made her clean the pens
of horses to make her sick with disease, she made her feed the Werekin in hopes
that they would kill her instead. She interested the drunken comrades of Zulgan
to take her into the back rooms, this would hurt the bastard child's claim to
the thorne. As the months wore on Nareel's toture took it's toll on the servant
girl. Llyssia dropped wieght, she slowly walked about her chores as if lifted
with little strings that could break at any moment. She stopped speaking as her
wits dull to the pain. The life in her eyes died.
Dispite Nareel's best efforts, the child was born. The goodwives who had come
to help with the delievery had been frightened at the condition of the child.
They told tales among the other villagers that Llyssia had given birth not to a
baby, but a living skeleton for it had been so undernurished. But the child
lived to the astonishment of everyone. Then as tradition demanded, they brought
the child to the Yargar's elder. The same old and decripid man whom had visited
Llyssia nine months ago. The village elder, Horian, made his same gasping
chuckle as the baby-skeleton was placed before him. He called for his bones to
descry the child's future for the Yargars. He looked down onto the scattered
pieces of bone and coughed repeatedly in fits of mirth. The villagers asked for
his visions, but Horian only told them that the child would live.
That night in the main hall, Nareel and Zulgan argued about the new child. Nareel
demanded that the child be killed, and Zulgan refused quoting tribal tradition.
Llyssia, whom had been attending the arguement, stood in silence seemily
unaware of even the small infant in her arms. The fire in her life had gone
out, she had done the last thing required of her by nature and her body began
to give in to nature's final call. The arguing brought the other servants of
the Hall, whom took the child from Llyssia and begged her to sit and rest. If
she understood what the servants were saying she gave no notice of it, she
stood there...waiting. All other things in her life vanished, she only waited
to die. The arguement now turned to Llyssia, Nareel pointed accusing fingers in
frustration and jealousy. Drinking from a heavy tankard, Zulgan pounded his
fist barking slurred commands at his wife. Nareel shouted back in defiance,
Zulgan rose from his chair and threw the emptied tankard away. He shouted into
Nareel's face, only to have her shout back pointing at the baby and at Llyssia.
In a rage, Zulgan spun around grabbing a great axe from the table. Nareel
screamed in fear until Zulgan turned away and cleft Llyssia, shoulder to
crotch. Llyssia did not die instantly, instead she convulsed several times in
agony. Her internal organs spilling onto the floor with an ever expanding
amount of fluid. Falling limb, Llyssia slipped into death.
Zulgan stood shocked for a moment at what he had done. It was against the
tribal traditions to take the life of anthor tribesman or a servant. He looked
around at the rest of the servants and they all coward in fear. Zulgan turned
to his wife, she looked down at what was left of Llyssia with a contented smile
on her face. Nareel then pointed to the child and insisted that Zulgan kill it
as well. He turned to the child, then turned back to Nareel. He struck her
across the cheekbone with the back of his hand, the force of which drove her
into a table. Nareel would remain unconscious until the next day for Zulgan
forbid any of the servants to attend to her. After dismissing the servants,
there came a gasping chuckle from the halls entrance. Horian had entered,
assisted by the same boy. He laughed until his lungs ceased forcing Horian into
a coughing fit. He recovered, then pointed to the child, demanding that Zulgan
care for it in punishiment for breaking the traditions. Zulgan agreed, he
picked up the skeleton-child and rose him into the air. He named that
skeleton-child, Marig.