2 Aramon

Trigger warning: graphic death

_Aramon_

Four years earlier, in the farthest kingdom there was north, another scene had unfolded. A woman stood at her fireplace, stirring a large iron pot of stew. Stew. stew. It was always stew.

He never had her make anything else but stew. How were her and her two children supposed to survive off of stew and stew alone? A meat stew. It was deep winter in the north and there were no crops. They had already burnt through their saved and frozen vegetables so now all that was left was bread and stew. Bread and stew. bread and stew.

The northern kingdom was nearly always cold but they managed to grow a few crops in the summer times. It was a smaller kingdom but the men and women here were strong. They fought hard and worked harder. The people were tough, but they were also mean, untrusting of outsiders and the unwanted.

Once, the woman had been a part of quite the social circle but it had been a long time since any of these people accepted her. Gone were her days of sneering at the outsiders. Her last two children had been stillborn, but her first two still lived. The people despised her because of two unfortunate events? Or at least, that is the only conclusion she could come to.

It seemed this cold kingdom held even colder subjects. Iceariyan was a dying kingdom. Many people found themselves dying as winters grew worse and the land seemed less fertile every year, still the strong pulled through. They made enough money with the mines and fur trade to buy outside crops and animals. Enough to live. There was only so much you could do in long winters, so many spent their time gossiping and gambling. A toxic environment had grown over this realm, and few were spared from ruthless persecution.

The woman often found herself victim of that persecution lately. But she was with child again. Her husband however, a high ranking soldier in the kings army, was less than enthusiastic.

He would often say things like "You've gone and killed the last two, this one won't be any different," so it seemed like he had no faith in her.

The woman stirred her stew, the fire keeping her warm from the cold outside. Her fingers tightened around the handle. This time would be different. This babe would be born in a harsh winter. He would be strong- stronger than all the other children. Not only did this child have to live, it had to be a boy. Her only other children were girls. She had to bring her husband a boy to atone for the past two babes who were not born alive.

Everything would be different if she birthed a living boy. Everyone would stop calling her a infertile woman, or a cursed woman- a sick woman. Her husband would finally accept and love her- he would finally respect and be kind to her.... all it took was a living boy.

Her grip on the wooden spoon loosened at the happy thought of a baby boy. She placed a hand over her swollen belly and smiled to herself, glancing over her shoulder to look at her two girls, one of 7 and one of 5. The two were playing with their little straw stuffed dolls. She wanted to smile at the sight for a split second before her face frowned. "I see you with those dolls girls. I know you are not done with your chores. What did I tell you?"

They both stood up from the stairs and looked at their mother with wide eyes. "You s-said..." the eldest trailed off.

"You said to sweep and to wash the linens-" the younger started to say before being interrupted.

"I said to sweep and wash the linens. I also told you to wash the floors and go fetch me more fire wood from outside. And guess what girls?"

The elder swallowed, and in unison they both said, "What?"

The mother narrowed her eyes. "The linens are unwashed, the floors are dirty and there is no wood for my fire." She announced in a low tone.

"We're sorry, mother," The elder sister said as the other sister looked at the floor.

"You are not. This is not the first time you have gone and played with dolls and neglected your chores. Get to it!" She raised her voice at the end, glaring at her children.

Disobedient children those two were. Didn't they know how lucky they were to live in this nice house? Their father was out working all day and she was pregnant, unable to do all the chores. She was carrying the future of their house. Her little boy. Her live little boy. Ungrateful brats! Her fingers once again tightened around her wooden spoon as the two girls rushed off to do their chores.

She wanted to wring their necks. She wanted to string them up and beat them so they would finally LISTEN. No one ever listened. No one ever talked to her, not really. Not to hear what she said. She glared into her stew hatefully until she felt a wetness run down her leg. She blinked before she felt the pain. Labor. But it was too soon! The medicine practitioner had said she wasn't due for another moon. She swallowed and grunted through the pain. Soon they would be worse.

"Leanna!" She called to the elder of the two. "Fetch the Midwife!" She shouted now.

And so the midwife was fetched.

_______

"I am so sorry my lady..." the midwife cooed, rubbing circles into her shoulder. But the woman pushed her away, looking at the pale and lifeless little body in her hands. It was a boy. Her bottom lip quivered as she stared at the motionless babe.

"Leave me." She commanded the midwife.

"But the babe-"

"LEAVE!" She shouted at the midwife, and the woman fled the room just as a large armored man stood in the doorway. His eyes were cold and disapproving, but he was not surprised.

"You failed again. Maybe you are cursed like they say. And to think- the only two children you gave me were girls. I wonder if they are as cursed as their mother." He spat at her.

Her eyes fell downwards to the baby in her arms. Now this had done it. She had really gained the hatred of not only her husband but soon the entire town. Another stillborn babe. She shook quietly as tears dripped down her cheeks.

"Maybe I should just take another wife. One who will give me the child I deserve." Aragon spat.

The woman's eyes snapped up at her husband and she shook her head frantically. "No- no please let me give you what you want! I can give you a boy I promise! A live one! I can- I-" he interrupted her.

"No! You cannot! This marks your third failure! I will not sit by and let you waste money on pointless midwives and babe's you murder before they can even draw air!"

"Murder?" She gasped out. "I would never harm any of my children! Not ever! I dare not even think such a thing!" She shouted at him and he gave her an ominous glare.

"Shut your mouth and clean up this mess. I have to return to duty now that this has been another false alarm. And get rid of that body. Disgusting." He muttered as he slammed the door and walked out, leaving a crying mother to her own thoughts.

She was no murderer, right? She wouldn't harm a pretty hair on any of her babe's heads. A whimper left her as she cradled the cold babe to her chest. He looked like his father. Dark hair and pale skin. If only he were to breath. To grow and walk and be the son that Aragon wanted. What more could she do? She wasn't so sure her body could take another stillborn babe- nor her mind.

She clutched the babe so hard to her chest she was sure it would have bruised any living child. She wasn't sure how long she lay there, babe in arms, holding it to her as if it might suddenly breath at any moment. But it was cold, and it never stirred or drew air.

I can wake him.

The voice that rang through her head had her jumping a bit. She looked around the room frantically for the person that deep rumbling belonged to, but all she saw was the shadow of a man in the candle light. She said nothing. Maybe she really had lost it now.

No. But I can wake your son.

The woman didn't have time to question the demon. She wanted him awake now. "Please, please can you wake my babe?" She asked with tears streaming down her face. She watched the shadow nod. "Please!" She said again.

The deep, rumbly voice of the shadow sent shivers down her spine. This felt very wrong. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end but she did not have time to question things. There was no time. No time.

There will be a cost.

"Yes, yes anything, " She mumbled with wide eyes, sitting up from the bed. Her body wasn't ready to move around so soon after childbirth but she didn't care. Three miscarriages had prepared her for suffering and now...

All you have to do is go into the forest. You'll need an axe. Your eldest- Leanna; bring her to help.

The woman narrowed her eyes at the shadow. "That girl won't keep her mouth shut. She'll tell everyone," She dismissed with the shake of her head.

She won't tell anyone.

"How do you know?"

The shadow hummed low, the rumbling sound similar to something of a growel. How am I talking in your head? Bring the axe and the girl to the woods. Do not forget the babe.

The shadow of a man in the candle light vanished, and left the woman looking around the room frantically. "Wait, wait come back," she called out nearly frantically, but there was no response. Now the woman found herself standing from her bed slowly. She cringed at the pain in her abdomen but stumbled to the door slowly. She opened the door slowly before making her slow way down the hallway. Her legs were weak, but the determination to bring life to her son drove her.

"Leanna, get your coat and your shoes," She commanded  in the doorway of her daughters room. The girl sat from her bed and set her book aside.

"What? why?" she asked with a small tilt of her head. "It's really late, you should be resti-"

"I said get your coat and your shoes, do not wake Anne." The woman snapped before walking to the door of their house.

The little girl of only 7 looked at her sister asleep in the small bed across from hers before obediently getting up from her own and reaching  for her thick coat. Once she had those acquired she went into the main room and slipped on her thick winter boots. Winters were cold here, almost all times of the year were spent in thick furs and coats. Most times, it felt awkward to wear very little, even indoors.

When the little girl stood, her eyes met her mother's cold and tired ones. Was this really alright? Something seemed wrong... but she didn't know just what it was that was wrong. Without question she followed her mother out the door quietly. She had plenty of questions spinning around in her little head but Leanna didn't dare ask her mother any for fear of being snapped at. The woman hadn't been kind in quite some time. Each miscarriage she developed a worse attitude.

The mother picked up an axe from the wood pile on the side of her house, and together they walked through the dark town. There was no set curfew for the people of this town, as no one wanted to be out in the cold at this hour. Even the thick fur coats both of them were wearing couldn't fight off the icy bite of the weather. It started to snow as they walked, nearing the edge of their town.

All they heard was the sound of the wind and the crunch of snow under their boots as they walked on, silent. Finally when they neared the gate little Leanna thought to ask a question... she hesitated before speaking. "M-mother... where are we going?" She asked as she hugged her arms to her body. "It's cold and I'm tired..."

The woman had been struggling to walk at a decent pace, her body sore and exhausted but she had to move on. She had to get her boy to live. She had to. Everything would be okay if he lived. Everything would be fixed. He was the only thing she needed to survive. The only thing. The only one who mattered.  Her living boy.

"You don't think I am cold and tired?" She shot back to her daughter, sending her a sharp look. "You will find out when we get there."

This shut her up as they snuck past the gates and into the woods. The weather seemed to get worse as the wind picked up and the snow fell harder, obscuring their vision. Trees and bushes couldn't be seen more than twenty feet away and as they dove deeper, the weather got worse. Soon, twenty feet became ten and the both of them, shivering, trudged through the growing snow. "Mother...." The little girl whined now, fearful of the backlash but cringing at her freezing feet.

The new snow on top of the previous layers of snow went higher than the short child's boots, spilling over the edge and inside with every step. Her lips were nearly purple at this point. Leanna sniffed her red nose and looked at her mother with teary eyes. It was so late. She was tired... her mother had never let her stay up this late before let alone taken her out at a time like this. "My feet hurt," She said now, voice trembling and teeth chattering.

"My entire body aches. You think this is a pleasant stroll?" The mother snapped, looking back at her daughter with scorn. She took the girls face in hand and squished it, forcing the girl to look her in the eyes. "We are out here for a reason. It is not easy. Nothing is ever easy."

"Why? Why are we out here?" Leanna cried now, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes caught sight of the bundle of blankets in the mother's free hand. "What is that?" She asked with a sniff, reaching out to touch it.

The woman stepped away from her crying child and cradled the blankets to her chest, glaring still at her child. "It's no concern of yours." She said before turning to face the direction they were heading in, but she made no move to walk further in. This was far enough wasn't it? She waited for a moment, looking around in the cold for any sign of whatever it was that she was out here looking for. Was the shadowed man going to be here? She hadn't heard him since she'd been in her room. Her grip on the lifeless babe tightened.

The longer she waited in silence, the colder and angrier she became. Had it all really been in her head? There was no time to question things. No time to think about if she was crazy or not. Her chattering teeth stopped their movement as she bit down hard, her jaw tightening. Now her shaking wasn't only because she was cold. The woman let out a breathy laugh.

Such a hurry, such a hurry. She didn't stop to think. She didn't stop to consider if it was all inside her head. Tears came to her eyes as she fell to her knees in the deep snow. She set the bundled babe down gently, making sure he was fully covered up so that Leanna wouldn't see. Her hands ran over the cloth slowly, stroking it. Her babe. Her baby boy... the one that was supposed to make everything okay. Supposed to make things happy again... She shook as a sob left her, her face reddening as she hunched over the lifeless babe.

"Mother... please, what are we doing out here?" The little girl asked as she set a hand on her mother's shoulder, her own tears running down her face. She'd never seen her mother cry before. No... she'd seen her cry one other time. The last time she'd had a babe and it hadn't lived. Realization came to the 7 year old and she reached to the blankets. "Mother is that?..."

The woman slapped her hand away, turned and pushed her so that she fell back into the snow with a cry. "Don't touch him!" she yelled now, grabbing the axe from her side. Blinded by grief and rage she stood to face Leanna. "This is your fault. Everyone's fault! I try so hard! I try! I do try!" She yelled as the weather grew worse. "If you had been born a boy this wouldn't matter! If you hadn't been born maybe the others would have lived!" She screamed, eyes wide and irrotic.

Leanna cried and pushed herself up out of the snow. She furiously wiped at her eyes with her cold little hands, unable to look her mother in the eyes. This made the mothers brows raise in a dawning realization before she knelt down in the snow and hugged the girl tightly to her. "I'm sorry baby, I'm sorry," She said now, her entire attitude shifting. Leanna continued on crying, however.

I'll strike a deal.

The woman's eyes widened as the voice returned. She looked out through the dark but saw nothing. She stood now, taking a step away from her weeping child to look around frantically in the snow. It was so hard to see through this weather however- especially at night. "A deal?" SHe repeated.

Yes, a deal. A life for a life. But not just any life. Yours would be too easy, you see.

The mother's first instinct was to give her life for her babe, but a frown fell across her face. "If not mine, then who?" She asked now, turning to look around her, searching for where the deep rumbling voice was coming from.

The child sniffed, looking around for whatever her mother was looking for. "Who are you talking to?" She asked, perplexed.

"You can't hear him?" She asked back. In fact, she could hear the voice clear as day, why her daughters and her own voices were muffled with the wind.

"Hear who?"

The mother narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "Don't lie to me girl. Now is not the time for silly games."

"B-but I don't hear anyone but you," Leanna said with trembling lips.

The deal.  The voice reminded me.

The woman's brows raised again and she nodded. "Yes," She said almost breathlessly, her eyes wondering again. "Yes, the deal. What is it you want? What life does it take?"

Who else is here that has a life to take? Not you, remember?

The woman's eyes landed on her daughters. Leanna was confused and scared. Something was definitely wrong with her mother. "C-can we go home now?" She asked timidly, holding her shivering arms close to herself.

"Hers." The mother answered the voice with a monotone voice.

That is the price.

"But she is a child," The mother said now, eyes glued to her daughter.

Aye.

The mother's grip on the axe handle tightened. This was the plan all along wasn't it? How was she supposed to kill her own child? How could a loving mother do that to her child? It wasn't right. "I cannot do it. I can't." She said, breaking her stare to look around again.

You must.

"I cannot!" She yelled back. "I can't! I can't! I can not do it!" She yelled back shaking her head.

Do it. There was a deal. You said anything. This is something. Do it.

"But I did not know..."

Do it. For your son. He would be much more grateful than her anyway. A child to truly be proud of. Strong and smart. A True heir for your husband. Think of how happy he would be... all at the cost of one small girl. You already have another girl anyway. Such a waste this one is... Think of this as a trade...

The woman's eyes came to land on her daughters confused eyes. "Yes," she said breathlessly. "A trade... a trade for something better..."

"Mother?"

You have the axe. Do it. Make the trade.

"Yes baby?" the woman answered, taking a step back to her daughter, who took a step back.

"Can we go home now?" Leanna asked as she glanced at the axe in her mother's hand.

"Not yet..." Was her answer as she came closer to her little girl.

"Mother..." She whined, growing fearful.

"Daughter..." She answered as the axe raised. "I'm making a trade first."

The girl's eyes widened and she turned to run, making it a few paces in the deep snow, but a tree root was hidden under it all, tripping her. She yelped in surprise and fear, scrambling to get up, but she was face first on her hands and knees in snow that was too deep to stand so quickly.

She was too slow and too small to get out of the ice before the axe came down on her back. The force of the swing bit through her clothes easily. She screamed trying to turn and face her mother, instinct driving her to stop the next blow. She only made it halfway before the bloody axe came down on her arm and she cried out again. "Stop! Stop please!" She cried out as blood rushed out of her back and arm, making a mess of her fur coat and the white snow around them.

"It's okay!" The mother yelled back. "It's all for good. It is for him. My baby boy!"

Another scream sounded as another blow came down on the girl's arm, this time effectively breaking it against her side and biting through her coat to reach her ribs. Her screams seemed to quiet as did the wind. The mother was in her own world now. She could hear nothing, see nothing... except for red.

She brought the axe down into the girls chest now, hard like she would to a log. Leanna choked now, blood immediately coming out of her mouth and spilling down her chin and neck. Her body slumped back, and her legs stopped kicking in the snow. She was fully facing her mother now, but not yet dead.

The mother cried out as she brought down another blow into the girls chest, and then another and another. She brought down the axe countless times, making a gory mess of the girl. The snow surrounding them was red with blood as was the mother's hands and face. She was wet with the stuff, her coat practically dripping but it was slowing, freezing in the cold.

She continued to swing through the pain of the frost, bringing the axe down countless times. Leanna was dead but the woman couldn't find it in her to stop. Not until she heard a noise. The sound of a cry. She froze now, then dropped the axe into the gore below, before turning around and following the sound.

A baby. A crying baby. A live one. It was as if all the cold and the pain of birth before hand had left her. She stumbled back to the bundle of cloth and fell to her knees in front of it. The crying baby pushed at the fabric, wanting air. Shakily, the mother lifted some blanket from its face, revealing violet eyes staring back at her. Fussy violet eyes that is. She drew in a big breath and picked the baby up from the ground. she frowned as more cloth fell away from its head,

The once dark brown little hair that sprouted from its head was now a bloody shade of red, and his little ears were pointed at the ends. His violet eyes sparkled in the low light and she found herself slowly starting to smile. He was a live boy. A little strange but he was alive. A live little boy. A breathing boy with big eyes. And... and he was warm, even in the cold like this, his pale cheeks were filled with warmth. She hugged the babe to her chest in glee, her bloodied face laughing in relief.

Finally things would be okay.