About 18 years earlier.....
"It's a girl!" Screams the nursemaid, quickly folding the small bundle in soft cloth.
She quickly hands the baby to the mother and begins to clean up the mess. There comes a loud knock at the door and the father comes rushing in. His face is flushed with worry. The mother looks up from her baby and smiles at her husband.
"Come see our baby girl James".
He quickly but quietly rushes to her side where he looks at their small bundle, his face lit up in pure joy. Then just as quickly it changes from joy to worry again.
"Ellen," he says signaling the nursemaid back.
"Why is she so quiet? Correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't the baby be crying?" Ellen smiles at him and then looks at the baby.
"I can perform a diagnosis with permission sir."
James nods.
She walks over and places her hand on the baby's forehead, mumbling something incoherent and her eyes rolled back in her head, looking white with blindness. After a moment her face turns back to normal. She quickly places her hand to her heart as though she may faint. The mother is now in panic.
"What's wrong with her? What's going on? Ellen, please talk to me!" She looks her baby over and sees nothing wrong on the surface.
"Please ma'am, if I may" Ellen reaches for the baby and her mother hands her gently over.
The nursemaid then takes her over to a small table where she fully examines the child.
"She is still breathing and alive for now, but something is wrong and I have no knowledge of how to cure her, she is growing colder by the second. If I could guess I'd say she may not live through the night..."
She quickly wraps the baby back in the cloth and adds another before handing her back to her mother.
"I'm so sorry ma'am" Ellen then, covering her quivering lip, exits the bedchamber quickly.
"J-j-james" the mother stutters over his name, holding her baby and crying.
He holds her hand and gently brushes back a small soft lock of blonde hair from their child's head.
"We will enjoy the time we have with her, until then why don't we get you cleaned and dressed and we all go downstairs for dinner hmm?" At first she doesn't respond until he says softly,
"Victoria?"
She quickly looks up and nods then hands him the baby while she gets dressed. All the while she hears in her head a soft voice making her feel safe.... It whispers
She will live
She will grow
A beauty
Forever
The mother is so happy she doesn't hear the other words being whispered....
But will you pay
The cost to live
The difference
Destiny is hers
Once she's dressed she heads downstairs, more happy than she was before and with an energy unlike a woman who just gave birth. She kisses her husband's cheek and holds her precious child. They begin their meal, not knowing what awaits them later that night.
YOU ARE READING
To Love A Monster
RomanceMany hundreds of years ago magic did exist. For Raven she knows all too well about magic, without it, she'd be dead. As a newborn she was touched by disease, until a stranger came to town and offered assistance, but at what price? Her parents paid t...
