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Rahlei of Her Own Destiny
Chapter Two
Tears
"Get up girl!"
She felt a sharp pain in her ribs and she sat up quickly.
"Do you expect to be able to sleep all day while there are still chores to be done?" her father demanded.
Rahlei got stiffly to her feet, and glanced to the east. The very top of the sun could be seen peeking above the horizon.
"Inside! You're mother needs help!"
She ran out of the barn, picking straw out of her hair. She glanced back at her father and glared. He hadn't seen it, though; he was already pitching hay to the horses. She almost wished he had seen.
She quietly opened the door and looked inside. Her mother sat at the spinning wheel, looking pale and wan. She glanced up from her wool and looked at Rahlei. Her mouth opened slightly and she stood up.
"Oh Rahlei…" she trailed off.
Rahlei knew she must look terrible. Yelda tenderly touched her cheek.
"You're father is leaving for Corus as soon as he's done feeding the horses. Why don't you go down to the lake and wash up then, all right?" She gave Rahlei a weak smile.
Rahlei nodded mutely and went to the kitchen to get the pail for milking the cows.
Back in the barn, she worked up a rhythm to which she milked. She laid her head against the cow's warm side and fought back tears. When she was done, she chanced a glance at her reflection in the metal bucket.
She was a mess. The whole side of her face was bruised and her hair was matted with blood.
She brought the milk to the house and carefully poured it into bottles that she then took to set in the well to chill. After making sure her mother was still faring well, she fetched a towel from the linen closet and grabbed a clean dress and a bar of soap.
Rahlei stripped off her dress and examined her reflection in the water. Her legs were covered in dried blood, as were her arms. Gritting her teeth, she eased into the chilly water, leaping back out with a cry almost at once. She had forgotten how much water hurt freshly whipped legs. Setting her face with determination, she strode back into the water, ignoring the pain as best she could.
Scrubbing herself vigorously, she fought back tears and washed her legs and arms. Deeming herself clean, she climbed out of the lake and carefully patted herself dry, gingerly pressing the towel to her raw legs. She tugged on the ugly dress made of brown cotton and trotted up the path that led back to the house.
"GIRL!!!"
She froze as she came into the clearing. Her father was already home.
For the briefest moment Rahlei considered turning tail and running back to the lake, but then she heard a cry of pain from her mother.
"RAHLEI!!!" he yelled again, sounding more frantic than angry this time.
She ran to the house, throwing down the soap, towel and dirty dress outside the door.
"Where the hell have you been!?" her father shouted before she had even closed the door.
"I was--"
"None of your excuses! The baby's coming, run and get Miss Lena!"
There was another cry from the bedroom and Rahlei took a hesitant step forward.
"GET!"
She flung open the door and ran outside, rushing to the stable as she grabbed a bridle on her way in. She put it on the nearest horse and using the gate as a step, clambered onto his back. She set out at a full gallop to Miss Lena's house.
Miss Lena was their closest neighbor and midwife to the nearby village. She was an older lady, but not so old that she couldn't saddle her own horse when the need arose. She had enlisted the help of one of the village boys, however, to help her with the task of tending her animals and garden.
"Miss Lena!" Rahlei screamed, leaping off the horse before he had come to a full stop.
She ran up to the door of the small cottage whose porch was hung with drying herbs and banged on the door.
"What is it, Rahlei?" Miss Lena asked, opening the door on the third knock.
"It's my mother," Rahlei said frantically. "The baby's coming."
"I'll be right there, dear, now don't you worry."
"Phillip, run out and saddle the horse like a good lad," she called into the house.
"Yessum."
Phillip came out and trotted to the stable to do her bidding.
Lena went into the house and reappeared a moment later with an old bag with her birthing supplies.
Rahlei grabbed the reins on her horse when Miss Lena put a hand on her shoulder.
"Rahlei, remember that whatever happens was going to happen no matter what. There was never anything you could have done to change it, do you understand?"
Rahlei bit her lip and nodded, knowing what Miss Lena was talking about.
They arrived at Rahlei's house some minutes later. Rahlei tied the two horses to the fence before following the midwife into the house.
"Help her Miss Lena!" Matthew cried desperately as they entered the house.
"I'll try, Matthew, but you know what I told you last time," Lena said severely.
"I know, I'm sorry, it won't happen again, just help her!"
"Indeed, I doubt it will," she murmured quietly, "But I'll do my best."
Matthew watched Lena disappear into the bedroom and close the door. He rounded on Rahlei.
"You, girl. Get out there and feed the horses!"
"But you--"
"Don't argue with me, just do it!"
She looked desperately towards the closed bedroom where she could hear her mother's cries and the midwife's encouraging words, before leaving the house as slowly as she dared.
The horses had been fed not more than two hours ago. There was no need to feed them again. Instead, she scrounged for a brush in the stable and began grooming the two horses that were tied to the fence.
After she had groomed the horses so much she was afraid they would get bald spots, she put the brush away and searched for something else to occupy her time. She wanted to go into the house so much, but knew her father would just yell or hit her if she did.
She walked down to the lake then cut across the woods to the sheep pasture. She watched the lambs frolic and play under the watchful eyes of their mothers before going back to the house. Then, she waited outside on the doorstep until dusk came.
The door opened. Rahlei stood up quickly and turned around.
"How is she?" Rahlei whispered, terrified to hear the answer.
Miss Lena sat down on the step and leaned her head against the door. Rahlei perched next to her.
"Your mother is - alive. For how much longer I do not know. You're baby brother is not so fortunate. He was born dead and it took me hours to stop the bleeding." She turned to look Rahlei square in the eye. "You remember what I told your father last time, don't
you?"
Rahlei nodded, her lip quavering.
Lena dug around in her pocket and handed Rahlei a small bag of herbs.
"Put this in your father's tea tonight. It will put him to sleep for a while. Then say goodbye to your mother in peace."
She patted Rahlei's cheek and left the step to retrieve her horse.
Rahlei watched her leave the yard before quietly going into the house.
She peeked inside the bedroom on her way to the kitchen. Her father sat in a chair holding her mother's hand, his head bowed over a small bundle. She looked at Yelda. She was deathly pale and her chest rose and fell in short shuddering gasps.
Rahlei steeped the herbs Lena had given her along with a few others to make her father some tea.
She stood next to him with the cup and saucer but he didn't notice her. After hesitantly clearing her throat, his head snapped up. She handed him the cup wordlessly. He stared at it a moment before realizing what it was, and then took it. Almost as though he was a lifeless puppet, he drank the tea, taking gulps without hardly tasting it.
Rahlei left to feed the horses. When she returned, Matthew was sound asleep, the saucer still in his lap along with her little brother, the cup shattered on the floor.
She crept to the other side of the room and crawled carefully onto the bed. She sat next to her mother and took her white hand, stroking it gently.
Yelda's eyes fluttered open and focused blearily at her daughter. She gave a weak smile.
"Rahlei," she whispered softly, squeezing her hand gently.
"How do you feel, mama?" Rahlei asked.
"Tired," came the quiet reply.
Rahlei swallowed hard.
"Rahlei darling, I want you to know how much I love you."
"I love you too, mama."
"I know you think your father is unfair to you, but he really does love you."
At any other time Rahlei would have argued this point with all she had in her. But this wasn't the time.
"I know," she whispered, kissing her mother's hand.
"Be a good girl, find a husband of your own, settle down and have your own children...love you." Yelda closed her eyes.
Rahlei wiped away her tears with the back of her mother's hand. The hand slipped from her grasp and fell limply to the down filled quilt.
Rahlei gasped, shutting her eyes tight, willing it to all to be a very, very bad dream. She opened them. Her mother lay peacefully against the pillow, her skin as white as the pillowcase. He chest did not rise and fall as it should. It was perfectly still.
Rahlei buried her face in the pillow beside her mother and cried her heart out.
~*Kayden~Eidyak*~