Prue became more and more restless as Darius' son grew within her. She became short-tempered and impatient, and even her once warm, kind heart began to close until there was no trace of her former self left. She devoted herself entirely to her husband, following him when he allowed her to, and, when he was away, wandering the castle by herself.
This is what she'd been doing one night, when Darius had locked himself in his study. After pacing restlessly around the corridors for several hours, she finally went into one of the smaller private libraries reserved for Prue's own use and no one else's. Clarisse and Saira had been starting a fire there on Darius' orders, and looked up when she came in.
"Master Darius said you'd be in here, Miss," Saira said meekly. "Please, sit down. You know you shouldn't exert yourself."
Prue's eyes flashed for a second, and Saira shuddered, afraid she was about to be reprimanded for speaking out of line, but Prue just sighed. "You're probably right. I should rest." She moved slowly over to the big velvet couch across the room, and kneeled on it, resting her arms on the window sill. Arranging herself as close as she could get to the window as she could, with her protruding stomach, heavy with the baby due to be born any day, pressed up against the back of the couch, she stared outside, watching the rain come down. It been storming non-stop for a long time, in various degrees of severity, with no signs of letting up. Oddly, the weather seemed to be directly related to Prue's mood at any given time. Most people chalked it up to coincidence, but the servants continued to talk...
Prue herself was oblivious to any such connection. She just liked to sit and look at the raindrops collecting on the big stained-glass windows. It was comforting, almost familiar, although she had no idea what it could be reminding her of. Aside from the past few months, it had never rained here, not once since the night Darius had rescued her.
She was suddenly pulled from her thoughts by a flash of light and a shooting pain. It took her a second to figure out that the flash had been coming from a lightning bolt - the first one to ever strike in this world. The source of pain, however, was unmistakeable. Prue was going into labor.
"Get Darius," she said to Saira and Clarisse, who had been just about to leave the room when they'd heard Prue cry out. Saira ran off to find her master, while Clarisse knelt down beside her mistress.
"Just breathe, Miss," Clarisse said softly, taking Prue's hand comfortingly.
Prue whimpered. "It just started, why are the contractions already coming so fast?"
Clarisse looked away, not wanting to admit that she didn't have an answer. This would be the first child born in this world, and so nobody could really know what to expect. Clarisse sighed, trying to mask her apprehension as Prue let out a sob. Whatever happened, tonight would change everything...
The labor didn't take long. By the time Saira had located Darius and gotten him to the library, Prue was exhausted but smiling, holding a tiny baby boy in her arms.
"Come see your son," she told him.
He stepped further into the room, pulling a wing chair up beside the couch. "You're amazing," he told her. "And he is perfect."
"I want to call him Alaric," she said. "After his father. It means 'noble ruler'."
"Alaric," Darius repeated. "Noble ruler. I like it."
"I think he does, too," Prue replied. The baby yawned, and waved two tiny fists in the air.
Clarisse and Saira both lowered their heads and said a short blessing over baby Alaric. Darius looked up, noticing for the first time that they were still in the room.
"Leave us," he ordered when they'd finished. They exited quickly, and Darius closed the door behind them. "There," he said, "It's just the three of us."
Prue smiled, looking from her husband to her newborn son with a strange emotion in her eyes. It was a mix of pride, devotion, even caring - but not love. She was no longer capable of that.
This is what she'd been doing one night, when Darius had locked himself in his study. After pacing restlessly around the corridors for several hours, she finally went into one of the smaller private libraries reserved for Prue's own use and no one else's. Clarisse and Saira had been starting a fire there on Darius' orders, and looked up when she came in.
"Master Darius said you'd be in here, Miss," Saira said meekly. "Please, sit down. You know you shouldn't exert yourself."
Prue's eyes flashed for a second, and Saira shuddered, afraid she was about to be reprimanded for speaking out of line, but Prue just sighed. "You're probably right. I should rest." She moved slowly over to the big velvet couch across the room, and kneeled on it, resting her arms on the window sill. Arranging herself as close as she could get to the window as she could, with her protruding stomach, heavy with the baby due to be born any day, pressed up against the back of the couch, she stared outside, watching the rain come down. It been storming non-stop for a long time, in various degrees of severity, with no signs of letting up. Oddly, the weather seemed to be directly related to Prue's mood at any given time. Most people chalked it up to coincidence, but the servants continued to talk...
Prue herself was oblivious to any such connection. She just liked to sit and look at the raindrops collecting on the big stained-glass windows. It was comforting, almost familiar, although she had no idea what it could be reminding her of. Aside from the past few months, it had never rained here, not once since the night Darius had rescued her.
She was suddenly pulled from her thoughts by a flash of light and a shooting pain. It took her a second to figure out that the flash had been coming from a lightning bolt - the first one to ever strike in this world. The source of pain, however, was unmistakeable. Prue was going into labor.
"Get Darius," she said to Saira and Clarisse, who had been just about to leave the room when they'd heard Prue cry out. Saira ran off to find her master, while Clarisse knelt down beside her mistress.
"Just breathe, Miss," Clarisse said softly, taking Prue's hand comfortingly.
Prue whimpered. "It just started, why are the contractions already coming so fast?"
Clarisse looked away, not wanting to admit that she didn't have an answer. This would be the first child born in this world, and so nobody could really know what to expect. Clarisse sighed, trying to mask her apprehension as Prue let out a sob. Whatever happened, tonight would change everything...
The labor didn't take long. By the time Saira had located Darius and gotten him to the library, Prue was exhausted but smiling, holding a tiny baby boy in her arms.
"Come see your son," she told him.
He stepped further into the room, pulling a wing chair up beside the couch. "You're amazing," he told her. "And he is perfect."
"I want to call him Alaric," she said. "After his father. It means 'noble ruler'."
"Alaric," Darius repeated. "Noble ruler. I like it."
"I think he does, too," Prue replied. The baby yawned, and waved two tiny fists in the air.
Clarisse and Saira both lowered their heads and said a short blessing over baby Alaric. Darius looked up, noticing for the first time that they were still in the room.
"Leave us," he ordered when they'd finished. They exited quickly, and Darius closed the door behind them. "There," he said, "It's just the three of us."
Prue smiled, looking from her husband to her newborn son with a strange emotion in her eyes. It was a mix of pride, devotion, even caring - but not love. She was no longer capable of that.