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Kingdom War
Book of Prologues
Prologue 1 A Winters Tale, Part 2 One Too Many
1048 Winter
Sephiroth watched his father pace the halls. It was a common occurrence that his mother would be giving birth, he already had nine younger brothers, but this time was different.
His mother's screams were usually more muffled by the stone walls and oak doors. His father was usually less worried. The births were usually shorter.
At thirteen Sephiroth was old enough to know when something was wrong.
He heard his mother scream again, her voice practically crumbled the walls and shattered the windows. He watched his father pace faster clenching his fists so hard that they drew blood.
The next scream gave him goose bumps and made the hair stand up on the back of his neck.
His father ran to the door and began slamming into it with his fists. It was opened by the middle-aged midwife whose face was white but determined. He watched silently as the midwife told his father to stand back and a blood covered serving girl darted out of the door carrying a bowl pinky-red liquid. He looked back at the midwife and noticed that it was smudged over her hands and arms nearly up to the elbow.
She sent him a stern yet pitying look before slamming the door shut in his fathers face.
The birth lasted twelve hours.
Even as he heard her screaming he knew that his mother was dead. The blood had told him that, the blood and the look in the midwifes eyes…
His father had wailed like a dying animal when they'd finally been allowed in. So caught up in his grief that he didn't notice as Sephiroth slipped around him.
The bed was so soaked in blood that in places it looked like a red sponge. Sephiroth circled the bed and tried to understand the gore of the body before him. As if to echo his father's wails the baby in the midwife's arms began to cry.
Sephiroth scrunched up his face but the tears still refused to come. He turned from the pale frail old body of his mother towards the bloody crying child. It was a horrible contrast and a vision that would never leave his mind.
It felt so unfair. His mother had died bringing another child into the world…another child she did not need.
He stepped past the withering body of his father trying not to stare as the once proud king collapsed in on himself. He wanted to comfort the man who didn't seem like he would last the night but the smell of blood was too much, too foul…
His mother was dead. They would not celebrate this day. The midwife would be executed. The child would be forgotten.
Sorry that it is not long remember to check the years at the top of the chapters. This was Riku's birth.
