It was almost dawn; Tamina had labored for hours.
Ragaleon had been sleepless; for some reason, he felt restless. To comfort himself, he ordered a jar filled with wine, with a cup beside it.
He sat on a bench in the corridor, drinking cup after cup of wine. He was nearly drunk when a maid walked up to him.
"The child has been born." She announced it, but not with the excitement he had expected. Shouldn't the halls of the castle be in a state of reveling and celebration? Why was everywhere silent?
Ragaleon sobered up; rising to his feet, he began to make his way to Tamina's chamber.
The chamber held its breath as Tamina gathered the baby against her chest, her tears mingling with the sweat on her cheeks.
She rocked him gently, whispering words that only a mother's lips could shape.
Still, no cry pierced the air.
The midwives gazed at Tamina with empathy, filled with sorrow.
"My lady, it is stillborn." The eldest midwife said, and the sound of soft gasps filled the air.
Tamina's arms tightened around the small body, pressing it close to her chest. Her breath shuddered as she searched for warmth, for movement, for any sign of life. But there was none.
Her gaze fixed upon her child's face, so small, so perfect, yet no breath lifted in his tiny chest. A wail cut through the air as Tamina broke down slowly.
A soft murmur passed among the midwives, their eyes lowered.
The truth bled into Tamina's heart slowly, like poison sinking into her veins.
Her lips trembled. Her throat tightened until each breath burned. Stillborn. The word she dared not speak thundered in her skull.
"No…" Her voice was hoarse, breaking into a whisper as tears clouded her eyes.
"No… He is only slow… He will cry… he will." She rocked the child gently, as though the motion itself might coax life into him.
Her tears slipped free, stinging as they trailed down her cheeks and fell upon the baby's silent face.
It was at this moment Ragaleon walked in.
The chamber stayed hushed, heavy with sorrow. The servants dared not move; they exchanged glances but said nothing.
The middle-aged midwife took the initiative; she summoned courage and walked up to where Ragaleon stood.
She whispered words in a hushed tone; as she talked, Ragaleon's face darkened. It was as though the world had come to an end.
For some reason, the maid's words stabbed his heart. His child didn't come into this world alive.
He shut his eyes, pained by the situation at hand. He had prepared himself mentally for this, but this was almost unacceptable.
Ragaleon massaged his temples before fixing his gaze at Tamina, who was still holding the child to herself, refusing to let go.
Her tears soaking his swaddling linen.
"You are my son," she whispered, her words breaking into sobs. "You will wake."
Tamina didn't want to accept the fate that had befallen her, all those hours of screaming in pain…all for nothing? No way!
She cuddled the baby, and soon she began to sing a lullaby. Her voice was low, but she sang, smiling at the baby.
Still, the baby lay silent in her arms.
Once, the midwife tried to take the dead baby from her grip, but Tamina went mad with rage.
"Don't you know he is sleeping?!
"Do you want to wake him up?! She screamed, and the midwife staggered backwards in astonishment.
The queen is losing her mind. Was this her way of grieving?
Ragaleon simply couldn't look any longer.
"Get the preparations for the burial started; it will take place at the field." He said to one of the guards and then turned around. and walked out of the chamber.
When the news got to Jazell in her chamber, she was simply dazzled.
"Oh my, what a pleasant way to start the day." Her words were so cruel that even her handmaid, Linn, gazed at her horrified.
Selena wasn't left out; she didn't weep. Instead, she was disappointed. Her heart was heavy with sadness; when she heard Ragaleon had locked himself up in his chamber to mourn the child, she knew it was that bad.
But as the queen dowager and a mother too, she followed her instincts. She gave orders on the arrangements of the burial, then had the servants arrange a carriage.
She wanted to visit the temple and give offerings to the priest. Baskets of fruits, clothes, and loaves of bread were bundled into the carriage, and soon Selena was on her way to the temple.
Servants began to go around in hushed tones. They dreaded this day… the day the king's baby came into this world without the breath of life.
...…
The footsteps of Racheal walking along the hallways echoed. Her brown curly hair bouncing as she walked. She took a turn into another hallway, then halted when she got to Tamina's chamber.
"Mother!
Amilek suddenly calls out to her, making his way from the corridor opposite Tamina's chamber.
"Amilek, go and have your breakfast; I want to pay Queen Tamina a visit." Racheal said, turning to gaze at her son.
"There is no one at the dining hall; no food was prepared, Mother." Amilek said, and Racheal's brows creased.
"Are you sure of what you are saying?" She asked, and the little boy nodded.
Racheal sighed, then stretched out her hand. Amilek took it, and together both of them walked into Tamina's chamber.
Inside the chamber was dark. Although it was daytime, the curtains were closed with little or no sunlight piercing through the curtains.
Tamina looked deranged; she was still seated on her bed, her body rocking back and forth, the baby still in her hand.
Racheal gazed at her with pity; she inched closer, Amilek's hands still entwined in hers.
"Tamina?" She called out softly.
Tamina raised her gaze, and a soft gasp escaped Racheal's lips. Her eyes were red and swollen, her lips chapped, and her red hair disheveled; she was a shadow of her former self.
"Are you here to see the baby?"
Tamina questioned, a deranged laughter escaping her lips.
Racheal didn't know what to say, so she only nodded, then drew closer to the bed.
The first thing Racheal noticed was that the child was a male; her eyes twitched.
If the child had lived, Tamina would have quickly risen to favor. Her child would have been the heir to the throne of Decreash!
"It's a male." She didn't know when it escaped her lips.
"Sshh, he is asleep." Tamina said, placing her index finger on her lips.
It was now Racheal could finally understand the extent of the scar the baby had left in Tamina's heart. The queen of seduction has lost herself overnight.
Amilek peered at the baby, his green eyes scanning the baby with scrutiny. Then he slowly shifted his gaze to Tamina.
As if in a trance, he drew closer, then hesitantly touched the hem of Tamina's dress, and suddenly a bolt of electricity shot through him.
His eyes rolled to the back of his head, the black pupils disappearing, leaving only the white cornea. His spirit ventured into the realms of the past; like flashes, everything zoomed in… and he saw it.
Amilek saw who pushed Tamina, the face of the person filled with envy and scorn. This was the last thing he saw before his spirit returned back to his body; his eyes could now only see the physical realms.
All this while, Tamina had her eyes fixed on her son, and Racheal, although her eyes were fixed on the baby, was deep in her own thoughts.
After some minutes Racheal stepped out with Amilek in her hand. The boy was suddenly quiet, refusing to say a word.
"Amilek, are you alright?" Racheal asked, and he nodded, just to get her off his neck.
After asking around, Racheal found out that Selena had given orders that no food should be served until after the burial of the baby.
This was a way of paying respect to the king's child and a way of mourning with the king.
...….
The sun was beginning to set when Selena returned from the temple. She had gone there to pray and offer gifts to the priest.
She felt that one way or the other, her son might have offended the gods, thereby bringing this great calamity upon them.
Immediately Selena returned, she made her way to Tamina's chamber. Two knights escorted her from behind.
The door to Tamina's chamber was swung open by the knights, and Selena stepped in. Tamina was still rocking the baby in her hand; she was even smiling!
It was obvious that she was losing her mind.
"You had just one job, and that was to bear my son's unborn child…but you failed terribly."
Selena said with nothing but despair, she had no pity towards Tamina; instead, her anger burned hot against Tamina. She saw her as a failure! A queen who couldn't fulfill a common task.
"Take the baby from her grip." Selena ordered one of the knights mercilessly. Her gaze was distant.
The knight obeyed her command; he walked up to Timina and snatched the corpse of the baby out of her grip. Tamina went mad with rage.
She wanted to use everything she had to take her child back when the other knight pinned her down, and she could only groan in anguish, trying to wiggle out of the knight's grip.
Selena turned around without sparing Tamina a glare.
"Bring her to the field behind the castle walls… And if she is not in her right senses, if she refuses to comply, you are given permission to use violence and bring her to the field by any means possible. She should be present for the burial of the baby."
Selena said with finality before walking out of the chamber, the knight holding the corpse of the baby escorted her from behind.
The rays of the evening sun reflected on the grasses in the field. The royal family was already present, every one dressed in a black outfit.
A trench of sticks was already built on the field, and Priest Tailbon was the one leading the ritual.
Ragaleon stood erect, his golden brown eyes cold; the aura radiating from him suppressed the air. This was the scene Selena came to meet.
"Let's begin."
Selena said, without even giving thought to the fact that Tamina was not present.
"Where is Tamina?" Micah questioned, it was wrong of them to begin the ritual without her.
"She has been a little bit delayed. We must move with time." Selena snapped back.
Jazell was standing among them; she wore a long black gown with long sleeves. A black net veil pinned to her hair, falling over her face.
Priest Tailbon began the ritual. He started by murmuring words, then began to speak in a foreign language.
"Humans will always return to dust! I pray the perfect soul of this baby rests in peace."
Jazell snarled with mockery.
"Heart felt words for a baby that didn't even see this world."
"Yet here we stand, acknowledging that very soul." Jia, who was standing beside Jazell, chipped in.
,"Whisper has it that she was pushed down the stairs." Jia added, her eyes darkening as she glared at Jazell. Jazell was silent for a while, her piercing blue eyes peering from the black net veil covering her face.
"I do not care about that; the only thing bothering me is the fact that I have not eaten since the break of dawn. I do not want to die of starvation and join the king's baby."
It wasn't just Jazell; no one had anything to eat for the whole day.
Tamina was paraded into the field, dressed in black and escorted by a group of maids. She came just in time to see Ragaleon light up the pile of sticks where the corpse of the baby was laid.
The fire slowly circulated around the four corners of the trench before erupting in wild flames. Tamina's eyes widened, she broke free from the grip of the knight holding her down, and she started running towards the burning pile of wood.
"No…no! What are you doing? Her eyes clouded with unshed tears, her feet running as fast as they could. Her black gown swaying in the air, her red hair taking to the wind.
"Stop! He is alive… My baby is alive!
She screamed, still running, but suddenly a hand grips her wrist and pulls her away just before she makes it to the burning pile.
It was Ragaleon.
He wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her to himself. She struggled, trying to break free, but his grip tightened.
She finally gives up; she stops struggling and only watches, tears trickling down her cheeks.
The red flames of the fire reflecting in her grey eyes, the smoke dwindling in the air, the body of her baby… burning to ashes.