Chapter Eight
Back in the ravaged Marinia, Nella's anguished cries echoed through the desolate streets. Her husband, Regent Cormac, lay motionless in a pool of his own blood, a victim of the brutal attack that had torn their family apart. Nella's tears fell like rain as she shook Cormac's lifeless body, pleading with him to awaken.
"Cormac, dear husband, wake up! Our daughters, they have taken them! Oh, wake up and rescue them, I beg of you! Do not leave me to suffer, alone and forsaken!" Nella's voice cracked with despair as she collapsed beside Cormac's body, overcome with grief.
As she sat there, she felt a sudden, unsettling sensation in her abdomen. Her stomach tightened, and a wave of discomfort washed over her. She brushed it off as mere anxiety, but the sensation persisted, growing in intensity as the hours passed. A dull ache spread to her lower back, and she knew she could no longer ignore the signs.
With great effort, Nella rose to her feet, determined to seek help. She stumbled out of the house, her vision blurring with tears. The pain grew more unbearable with each step, until she could no longer stand. With a faint cry, she collapsed onto the ground, her body wracked with agony.
In a nearby house, Ailsa had been hiding, her ears still ringing from the screams and clashes of the attack. As she peeked out of her window, she heard Nella's cries and mistook them for the return of the soldiers. But as she listened more closely, she recognized Nella's voice, and her heart went out to her friend.
Ailsa rushed to Nella's side, calling out to her in alarm. "Nella! Oh, dear Nella!" As she reached her friend, she saw the anguish etched on Nella's face, her eyes sunken, her skin pale.
"Nella!" Ailsa called, her voice trembling with concern.
Nella's eyes fluttered open, and she gazed up at her. "Ailsa...the baby...it comes," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Ailsa's eyes widened in surprise. "Good heavens! What are you saying, Nella?"
Nella's face contorted in a pain. "The baby...it's coming...now..."
Ailsa's gaze fell upon the ground near Nella's legs, where a crimson stain was spreading rapidly. Her eyes snapped back to Nella's face, and she knew she had to act swiftly.
"Breathe, Nella, breathe! You shall be fine, I promise!" She exclaimed, her voice reassuring. She checked Nella's pulse, her fingers moving quickly and surely. "I shall be back soon, I must fetch some things to aid you."
With that, Ailsa rushed back into the house, leaving Nella alone, her body wracked with pain, her mind consumed by fear for her unborn child and her missing daughters.
Ailsa returned and find Nella's face contorted in agony, was vomiting violently, her body trembling with each convulsive heave.
Ailsa's hands moved with a gentle urgency, her touch a soothing balm to Nella's frazzled nerves. "There, dear one, steady yourself," she cooed, her voice a soft melody amidst the turmoil. "The baby will come soon, and all shall be well."
But Nella's cries grew more anguished, her words tumbling forth in a despairing jumble. "I cannot...it hurts so...oh, dear heavens, have mercy!" Her breath came in ragged gasps, each one a testament to her ebbing strength.
Ailsa's face set in a determined mask, her voice ringing out with a calm authority. "You are doing great, Nella! Focus on your breath, dear – in and out, nice and steady. The babe will be here anon, and all your suffering will be forgot."
Nella's response was a barely audible whimper, her body wracked by another intense contraction. Ailsa's hands moved with a gentle firmness, guiding Nella through the ordeal with a soothing litany of encouragement.
And then, in a moment of pure, unadulterated joy, the baby was born. Ailsa's face split into a wide, beaming smile as she held the tiny, squirming form aloft. "It's a girl, Nella! You've done it, dear one! She's a perfect, she's beautiful"
Nella's eyes, sunken and exhausted, yet shone with a faint, triumphant light as she gazed upon her newborn daughter. "Seraphina," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Her name...is Seraphina..."
Ailsa's heart swelled with emotion as she placed the babe upon Nella's chest. But, alas, their joy was short-lived. Nella's eyes fluttered closed, her chest rising and falling with a slow, labored cadence.
Ailsa's world narrowed to a single, terrifying point: Nella was slipping away. Panic set in, her voice trembling like a leaf in an autumn gale. "Stay with me, dear one! You're so strong, so brave! I need you here, Nella – your children need you! Oh, please, dear heavens, do not take her from me!"
But it was too late. Nella's chest stilled, her eyes frozen in a permanent, sightless stare. Ailsa's world shattered into a thousand, jagged pieces as she realized her dear friend was gone.
With a heavy heart, Ailsa closed Nella's eyes, her lips brushing against the cold, still forehead in a final, tender farewell. "Goodbye, dear Nella," she whispered, her voice cracking with grief. "May you watch over your children from afar, and may they ever remember the love you bore them."
As she stood there, frozen in a sea of sorrow, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the stillness. Ailsa's head jerked up, her eyes darting wildly about the room. She knew she had to act swiftly, to protect the tiny, helpless babe now dependent on her for survival.
With great care, she tiptoed toward the back of the house, glancing nervously over her shoulder. As the footsteps grew louder, she slipped out into the night, her mind fixed on the path ahead. She reached the shore, where a small canoe waited for her. The waves of the sea lapped gently against the shore, the moonlight reflecting off the water, casting an eerie glow.
Ailsa stepped into the boat, the baby nestled close to her chest. As she pushed the canoe away from the shore, the last remnants of Marinia—once a thriving kingdom—faded into the distance. She could hear the distant sounds of destruction behind her, but she did not look back. The ruins of the kingdom were nothing more than memories now.
The boat drifted silently, carrying her and the child away from the wreckage of their lives. The future was unpredictable,but one thing was clear: she would protect Seraphina, as long as she lived. And though she might not have the strength of youth, Ailsa would care for this child as her own, for she had no one else. And perhaps, in time, the child would bring some hope to the shattered world.
With a steady breath, Ailsa looked down at the tiny, innocent face in her arms. "We will survive, Seraphina," she whispered softly. "We shall endure, together."