Chapter 12

Months passed and the season changed from the warmth of summer to the growing chill that would lead them into winter. Elle spent her mornings curled beside her husband, talking about the many ways they would spoil their son. Aedan had made sure to spread his duties amongst his trusted men and his brother. With his wife so close to giving birth, he wanted to be nearby when the moment came. Though most men would rather drink with his comrades during labor, Aedan wanted to be in the room when his son came into the world. He wanted to be the first to hold him and proclaim him heir. When he spoke of this to Elle, she seemed hesitant. He assured her that he would not get in the way of the women who would be there to help her. He just wanted to be present.

On this particular day, Aedan was out by the stables, getting fresh air. He loved the time he had been spending with Elle, but he was not used to being cooped up in the castle for so long. Elle could barely move around. When she did, she tired easily. The horses whined at a noise behind him. Turning, he spotted his wife bobbing her way down the path. He smiled and hurried to her side. "Yer should'n be out 'ere, me love. 'Tis ter much fer yer." He placed his hand on the small of her back to steady her as she continued towards the stables. "I need fresh air just as much as you do. Besides, you will keep me safe. Won't you, husband?" She beamed her beautiful eyes at him and he melted. " 'course Oi will." He led her to a small bench near the stable door and helped her to sit. Kissing her on the top of her head, he went back to what he had been doing before she arrived. One of the horses had twisted its leg the day before. Aedan began to inspect the bandages, while rubbing his hand along the horse's mane to keep it calm. He could tell it was still uneasy with him so close."Shhh…" he soothed as he touched the injury gently. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the tail flicking nervously. He saw something else coming up behind the horse. "What happened to him?" The sudden voice startled the uneasy horse. Before Aedan could blink, it lashed out and kicked Elle in her belly. "NO!" The stable boys came rushing in as Aedan ran to his wife. Taking in the sight, they ran to the horse and pulled it away from the couple and back to its stall. Aedan kneeled down next to Elle's still body. "Elle…Eleanor…open yer eyes….come on, me love. Look at me." He touched her face as he tried to wake her. His hand glided down over her stomach as he searched for any signs that something was wrong with their baby. His eyes landed on a slowly growing pool of blood beneath her legs. "No….no….no." He lifted her into his arms and dashed for the castle. As he ran, he called out for help. Men came running from different directions and reached out to help carry Elle, but Aedan refused to let them. "Git da doc." He said shortly. They did as told and ran ahead of him.

Once inside, Elle was placed in a room and surrounded by maids and the doctor. They all worked quickly and quietly to stop her bleeding. The doctor whispered into the ear of a young woman next to him. Her eyes widened at what he said, but she nodded and turned back to Elle. She started to press down on her belly. Aedan stepped forward, "Don't 'urt them." He tried to get next to her. Hands pulled him back. Without looking up, the doctor spoke. "Yer babe is dead. We 'ave ter get it out an' stop da bleedin' ter save the lady." Aedan lost all feelings in his legs and dropped to the floor. His son was dead. In one quick moment, he had lost his first child. All sounds and feelings left him, it was as if the entire world was muted. He heard nothing but his own heart pounding in his chest.

It was as if all time had stopped for him. He couldn't handle to pain that began to creep into his chest. He felt as if the walls were closing in to crush and consume him. He leapt up from the floor and dashed for the door. He had to get out. He headed for the stables, grabbing his sword on his way out. He would kill the beast that did this to his son. He didn't need to wait for the doctor to pull his dead child out to know that it was a boy. His looming form was greeted with wide eyed looks of terror from the stable boys. They ran and cowered in fear that he was coming for them. He ignored them and walked straight up to the dreaded horse. In one swift motion, he slit its throat and watched as the blood pooled at its feet in silence. The feeling of satisfaction he was expecting never came. His anger grew inside of him, searching for someone or something to blame. The person his heart settled on was lying back in that bed, birthing is dead child.

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Elle's eyelids fluttered open as she groaned in pain. Her stomach ached in a way she had never felt. Her entire lower body felt numb. What had happened? She remembered the horse kicking her and then blackness. Am I paralyzed? She panicked when she could not move her numb legs. She tried to sit up, but only rolled back in agony. Her belly was on fire from the inside. Her eyes shot back open. "My babe." She felt for her swollen stomach, only to find a significantly smaller bump in its place. "Where is my baby?!" She yelled out into the darkened room. A crack of light shone out as Rose stepped into the room. "Mi'lady." She half bowed and walked slowly to her side.

Elle waited for her to respond. When she didn't right away, she yelled again impatiently. "Where is my baby?!? Tell me!" Rose jumped at the volume of her voice and looked down at the floor. "Oi'm so sorry, mi'lady." Panic set in again. "Why Rose? Why are you sorry? What happened to my baby?" She pleaded with the girl to tell her something. Rose straightened her back and looked into her mistress's eyes solemnly, with tears in her own. "The babe died." Her bottom lip trembled slightly, but Rose bit it quickly to stop it. "The horse kicked yer in da belly an' kilt yer son." She twisted her hands in front of her body. "He won't be any more trouble. Mi'lord returned da favor an' kilt 'im ter." Elle remained silent as she spoke nervously. Her baby was dead before she could even hold him. Him. Son. Rose had said her son. "It-it was a boy?" she managed to croak out. "Ay, mi'lady." She nodded. Elle turned away from her maid and stared into the darkness. She had gotten her wish. She'd had a son for Aedan.