The wind howled through the bare
trees, creating an eerie whistling noise as it went. The sky was dark, not a star to be
found. Clouds hung low to the ground,
heavy with snow. The only light in the
forest came from the pale blue stone resting upon the Queen’s neck.
She walked slowly through the
woods, minding her feet and keeping a tight grip on the basket in her
arms. She knew that if she fell she’d
lose the basket and its precious contents.
Her shoulders were tense and her face, what was visible though the glow,
was a mixture of fear, worry, and determination.
For hours she moved through the
dark, wind-bitten woods, with only the stone around her neck to guide her.
At the darkest point of the night
she reached her destination.
At first glance the clearing was
nothing special. It was small and
covered in snow. The other side was just
barely visible through the pale blue light.
Only after studying the clearing for a moment could the oddness be
detected.
The clearing was a perfect
circle. Many would call it a Fairy
Circle, but the Queen knew better.
It was a Circle of Sacrifice.
Carefully the Queen slipped a pair
of enchanted slippers out of her basket.
She’d gotten the court magician to charm them for her. She couldn’t leave footprints in the circle
or any sacrifice she made would be in vain.
She slipped on the slippers and
carefully stepped onto the snow. Holding
her breath, the Queen took a step and then looked behind her.
There was no footprint.
She breathed a sigh of relief that
was inaudible over the howling wind.
Some of the worry left her face; making her appear much younger.
Carefully she walked to the center
of the circle. She began pulling small
lumps of coal out of her basket.
Methodically she placed them in the shape of a circle.
When the circle was complete she
looked over it carefully. Reaching down
every once in a while to adjust a piece by a centimeter or two.
Finally she seemed satisfied.
Once more reaching into her basket
she pulled out a ruby red apple. Gently
she set the apple in the direct center of the circle.
Next she pulled out a sharp silver
knife. It gleamed dangerously in the
light. The wind picked up as she placed
the tip of the knife against her palm.
As she sliced the palm of her pale hand the wind became an ungodly howl. It whipped around her, tearing the cloak from
her head and causing her pale hair to fly free.
She didn’t move to restrain her
hair. Instead she stared intently at her
hand. Her eyes gleaming like sapphires
in the light as her dark blood raced to the cut, sparkling and shining with an
almost as if it was not of this earth.
Raising her hand up over the apple,
she began to chant in her low, rich voice:
Grandmother,
I call on thee,
I give to thee my blood,
I give to thee the fruit of life,
I give to thee the rock of death,
I beseech thee to accept these gifts.
At this point she turned her hand
so that a single drop of blood fell from it and landed on the apple.
For an instant nothing happened,
and then the clearing erupted in an unearthly red light.
The Queen closed her eyes and
winced as the light blinded her, but she did not otherwise move.
After a minute the light dimmed and
the Queen opened her eyes to see a beautiful woman standing on the other side
of the circle of coal. The woman’s green
eyes were as hard and cold as emeralds and her red hair flowed around her like
a sea of flames.
When she spoke, her voice was high
and hard, completely at odds with the delicate Queen’s voice.
“I accept your gifts, I will hear
your plea, I may grant your wish, what do you want of me?”
The Queen took a deep breath,
trying hard to steady her nerves, but never looking away from the other woman.
“Grandmother, I come to make a
deal. I have been married to my love for
five years now. I have been unable to
bear a child. He will not consider
setting me aside for another, rather he maintains hope. I know that the hope is futile. I will not ever be able to give him a child
on my own. If there is no child then
this kingdom will fall apart upon my love’s death, our enemies will destroy us. Even now they hover around our borders,
growing bolder each year that I remain barren.
I cannot let Larisa fall.”
The Queen stopped to take another
deep breath. “I ask that you grant me a
child. In return I grant you my life to
do with as you wish. All I ask is that
you ensure that my child is safe until their sixteenth birthday. Then they will be old enough to care for
themselves.”
Grandmother considered this for a
few minutes. After what felt like eons
to the Queen she finally spoke. “I shall
grant your wish, a child you shall get, made from your gifts, then my
conditions must be met.”
The Queen smiled a little in
relief, “I shall meet all conditions you set, Grandmother. Thank you.”
Grandmother nodded, and then
reached forward to pick up the apple.
She stared at it for a moment before a small, almost evil smile appeared
on her face.
“A deal we have made, a bargain we
have set, in nine months you shall fade, no one will be in debt.”
With these words Grandmother
disappeared, taking the red light with her.
The Queen stared at the now empty
clearing. Her shoulders drooped as
tension left her body. Immediately her
fear and worry was replaced by a mixture of sadness and relief. Tears began to leak down her face as she made
her way out of the clearing.
She had done it.
She had saved her kingdom and her love.
It had only cost her everything.
XXX
Nine months later the Queen lay on
her soft bed. It was a bed worthy of a
queen. Draped in ruby red velvet
hangings and made of solid oak it dominated the room. She lay limply on her silk sheets, exhausted,
her body spent, but it had all been worth it.
Lying next to her was the most
beautiful baby girl she had ever seen.
Her hair was as black as coal, her lips as red as blood, and her skin as
pale as snow.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, a
smile of pure joy on his face, sat the King.
Tears were shimmering in his dark eyes as he looked at the young
princess.
The Queen smiled tiredly up at her
husband, “Do you have a name?”
He nodded, “Eira Miniver, after our
mothers.”
“I like that.” As she spoke she saw a flicker out of the
corner of her eye. Turning her head she
saw Grandmother beckoning to her.
Knowing she had only moments, the
Queen moved her hand so it was resting on the King’s. “Charles, take care of her, please.”
The King frowned, fear suddenly
creeping into his eyes, “Why? You’ll be here too. The midwife said it was an easy birth.”
Tears fell from the Queen’s eyes as
she felt Grandmother’s pull grow stronger.
She managed to utter one last sentence before life left her body.
“I love you.”
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