This particular piece is about Leo’s mother Anne. She shows up on and off in Pathway of the Moon and will be mentioned in the following books in the series. Today’s piece is about the first time she ever saw her son.
~~~
Anne pressed her head back against the pillow with a ragged scream. The midwife pressed a cool palm against her hot thigh and told her to push harder. She could tell the baby was almost here, and she wondered, briefly, if it would be a boy or a girl. The midwife here didn’t have the ability to tell like some did. She was only able to tell that the baby was happy and healthy. Many times, Anne had conjectured on the baby’s gender.
If it was a boy, Caladhor would be happy. He’d likely ruin the boy though. Just like every father in this cursed place, he’d warp her son’s view of women and teach him to treat her and the rest of her sex as if they were worthless. That part she hated. But what could she do? Cal had the right to raise any child of theirs how he saw fit. That was the law in this commune, and it wasn’t as if she could take the baby and run. With the woods on every side, she would never make it. Not without help, and no one here would help.
She pushed again with a breathless wail of pain.
If it was a girl, though, she couldn’t be sure how Caladhor would take it. He’d probably knock their daughter around once she was older too. Gods only knew who he’d sell her off to once she was of marriagable age. But he’d promised her that they’d keep her children, whether they were boys or girls. Caladhor kept his promises, though he made very few of them.
There was one last cramping pain that shuddered through her, and then with a final push, she felt the baby leave her body to enter the world for the first time since conception. She lifted her head with a groan. “Is it a girl or a boy, Ardhia?”
“A boy.” Ardhia hurried to a tiny basin of water and began washing the tiny, wrinkled figure off.
The baby let loose a loud scream and began to cry. Anne slumped back against the pillows with a smile. “Well, he sounds healthy, at least.”
“Caladhor will be pleased, I’m sure. Your firstborn, and it was a son. Ishtral certainly smiled on you both.” Ardhia bustled over and placed a swaddled bundle in her arms. “There, see? He’s healthy as can be. Bright red hair just like his mama, too.”
Anne laughed and brushed her fingertips through the baby’s thatch of thin hair. “Maybe he’ll take after me in other ways too.”
“Who knows?” Ardhia winked. “Pray hard enough, and he might. Spoil him a bit when Caladhor isn’t paying attention. Make sure his father’s rod and harsh voice isn’t all he ever hears. Then maybe there’s hope yet.” The old woman’s tone was light, but her eyes carried a heavy weight.
Anne stared down at the sleepy baby with his bright, blue-green eyes. They reminded her of a tranquil ocean. She smiled at the baby and was rewarded with a coo and a gurgling laugh. Maybe, just maybe, she would be able to change things. Maybe this baby would grow up into a man she could be proud of despite the environment. She pressed a soft kiss to the baby’s wrinkly forehead.
“What’s his name going to be?”
“Leorithdhil.”
“That’s a mouthful. What’s it mean?”
“In my people’s tongue, it means Defiance from the Shadows. I’ll call him Leo for short.” Her tiny smile grew. “Because I hope that’s what he’ll be in this dark place. A bit of defiance from the shadow that covers this commune.”
Ardhia patted her shoulder and began to clean up the birthing room. “Just you keep hoping. One day, maybe, he’ll live up to that name.”
~~~
That’s it for this week, everyone! If you’ve got a suggestion for what you’d like to see in future Flash Fiction Fridays, feel free to drop me a comment here or shoot me an email! I’m always open to suggestions.
