Chapter 1: THE TIME IS NEARING FAST!
The dark clouds obstructed the way of moonlight with their woolly composition so much so that one wondered if the moon got upset with them and decided to retire early tonight.
The winds blew to their threshold speed, slowly picking up the pace with whistling sounds and occasional roars.
The sea around Warthford Island was angry. The waves crashed the shores only with the intent to attack. The people of the island were frightened, worried about what wrong they might have done to anger mother nature.
They were safe inside their houses- closed windows and doors- praying and hoping for mother nature to forgive her children.
Lightning struck in the dark sky that made people jolt in fright. Now only God could save them!
To the south of the island were mighty hills. And on one of those hills was a beautiful palace, an excellent marvel of architecture standing tall and proud, taking the violent wind on its chest like a brave warrior.
"My Lord, the time is slipping from our hands." A young maid, nearly twenty-four years old, came rushing to the man who was in his late forties.
He sat leaning back in the large chair with a frown decorating his face.
He did not answer the maid and dismissed her with a flick of his wrist. The poor woman, powerless and humble, scrambled out of the chamber. Worry had not left her features even for a moment.
As soon as the maid exited the chamber, he heard the worried yet annoyed voice of his wife.
"Ralph, at least see where they have reached. The time is indeed slipping from our hands." Cordelia Longhurst was pacing in the chamber from here to there.
Her heart and mind both ran at a fast pace she thought if the situation did not change for the better, she would faint right then and there.
On the other hand, her husband- Ralph Longhurst- sat in his favourite chair with a cigarette in his mouth. She was tired of watching him inhaling the smoke in his body only to exhale it in circles or sometimes in random shapes.
It was not like she could not understand his state of mind. She did. She definitely did!
She was his wife, after all, married to him for the last twenty-five years. Twenty-five years... that was a long time enough for one to understand their partner inside out.
Ralph's silence, though bothered her, she knew that it was his defence mechanism. Hence, she could not blame him.
Ralph was looking out of the large window that was twice the height of an average human. The scene was intimidating with the sky, wind, light and the sea roaring and throwing tantrums together.
The only natural energy that was calm yet was mother earth! And he prayed to her to let them reach the palace as soon as possible.
Another heart-wrenching scream shook the sturdy, thick and dark walls of the century-old palace. The handful of people who were allowed to be present there felt the vibrations of the sound of the scream shaking their souls- painfully and perturb.
Cordelia's head snapped towards the room from which the scream came. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest. She again looked at her husband, almost pleadingly, but he sat unaffected.
At least, that was what he wanted the world to see. However, his beloved wife saw through him. It was not that hard to read the man who hid behind the face of a dictator of the island.
Only two people bothered themselves with efforts to understand Ralph, and thus read through him- his wife and his only daughter.
His only daughter was wailing in pain, with tears as her constant companions. Her screams filled with anguish permeated the air in the palace with tension.
The apple of their eye was withering in pain like a fish taken out of the water, and yet they could do nothing more than keep waiting helplessly.
Cordelia's and maybe Ralph's prayers were answered as they saw through the window, that a carriage was approaching fast. The lantern that hung to the front side beside the coachman swayed like a pendulum.
"They are here!" Cordelia exclaimed, a new ray of hope brightening her world covered by fear.
Ralph crushed the lit tip of the cigarette and stood up from his chair. His square-shaped face and platinum blonde hair shone under the flickering light of the lamps in the room.
Five minutes later, they heard footsteps hurried towards them and no later, an old woman and a man, older than them, appeared through the door.
They both bowed in respect in front of Ralph and Cordelia. The maid who was constantly peeking through the door for the last hour stepped out of the other room in relief at seeing the elderly woman.
She came to stand beside the two guests, waiting for the orders from her master.
"Thank you for coming at short notice and in such awful weather! The Longhurst family welcomes you." Ralph said in courtesy, his voice hard yet genuine.
The woman did not want to waste time in exchanging pleasantries as her eyes kept darting to the room from where the screams were coming.
"Mother..." Ralph said earnestly.
Although the elderly woman was not his relative, he called her mother. In fact, all the people on Warthford Island called her mother. That was who she was to everyone.
A mother who had helped many new lives to enter this mortal world.
"Please... do something! I do not want to lose her!" Finally, Ralph's facade of toughness cracked like glass.
His face remained the same, serious. But his hazel eyes begged the elderly woman. She did not see the Lord of Warthford Island, the richest man on the island in front of her. Instead, she saw a helpless father begging her like the poorest person on the face of the earth.
"I will do my best, My Lord." The woman replied. That was all she could do.
She knew that her experience of a lifetime was going to be tested tonight. She did not know what to expect and what could go wrong, or what she and the family should be prepared for.
So she did not promise him anything directly. She chose her words wisely.
Ralph only nodded in response and then ordered the young maid. "Take her inside and assist her in whatever she needs help with."
"Yes, My Lord!" The maid took the elderly woman towards the room.
Before that, the woman paused for a moment and turned to Cordelia, who stood silently with moistened eyes.
"God will have the mercy. The creator will take care of everything, My Lady!"
The dam Cordelia was building for months, finally broke. She clenched her eyes shut, letting the tears roll down her face.
It was too much! It was too much for her to take! She or anyone had never expected this moment to turn out the way it did.
Only destiny knew what she had planned for each of them.
When she opened her eyes, Ralph had her hand in his. The elderly woman had disappeared behind the shut doors along with the maid.
"Please, have a seat, Father." Ralph showed the old man a chair.
He offered him some water, but the man shook his head. His wrinkled face and calm eyes were intimidating. His white hair and long beard gave him a saint-like image.
Cordelia wiped her tears and looked hopefully at the man.
"Father, please do something. Our daughter... she is in pain. And-"
There was a loud rumble of thunder outside, and the wind picked up its pace.
The priest, who was silent till now, opened his mouth to say, "The time is nearing fast, My Lord."
Ralph sensed the warning in the priest's voice. "What timing, father?"
The priest did not answer right away. He closed his eyes, his face serious and focused. Ralph and Cordelia waited in anticipation but did not dare to urge the man to elaborate on his words.
The elderly woman rushed to the bed where a young girl of age twenty-one was wailing in pain. Her body and dress were soaked in sweat, and her nut-brown hair stuck to her sweaty face. She thrashed her limbs in the air as the pain became unbearable with every passing moment.
"I am here... please do not cry, my child."
"Please, Mother do something. She is in this state since the evening."
"Why did not you inform me sooner then?" The elderly woman reprimanded her with a glare.
The maid fidgeted nervously, then said in a low voice, "My Lord was not sure about... about letting the child see the world."
"Oh, God!" The woman chanted an apology on behalf of Ralph Longhurst. 'Forgive the foolish man for thinking about such a sin', she prayed.
"Aaaahhhh...."
The girl screamed again when she felt a cramp in her right leg.
"Go get me a round vessel full of water and some clothes." The elderly woman ordered, and the maid rushed to get those said things.
The woman ran her shaky hand on the girl's sweaty forehead. Her face morphed in worry at the state of the woman.
"May God forgive you for your mistakes and not punish the innocent soul in your womb." She said softly.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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Chapter 2: THE PRIEST FROM THE OLD CHURCH
The dirty and damp walls and floor smelled pungent till it stirred a person's insides to make them gag. The rats and lizards roamed cohabiting with the inmates of the dark place.
Only a small window allowed the fresh air from outside to enter this hell. The noises of the whirling wind and the crying clouds could be clearly heard even from this underground place.
The guards kept pacing in the hallway while glaring now and then at a man who sat on the said dirty floor in minimal clothes. The chillness in the air increased, and now, the guards also took refuge near the brightly burning torches to gain some warmth.
But he sat on the dirty and cold floor with his legs folded in the knees. His ankles and wrists were chained tight enough yet allowed him to move them.
His golden-brown hair was sticky and covered with blood sweat, and something else that kept the floor and the stone walls always damp. They smelled awful, and so did his body.
His tan skin was covered with black and purple bruises. Some of them bleed, while some were more painful only without blood oozing out of them. He was covered in sweat even on this chilly night.
It was not because he felt hot, but because he was burning in the fire of vengeance. The wounds on his body did not pain him as much as the scars of betrayal did.
His brown hair covered his face partially, giving him that lethal appearance. And his big green eyes... they were trying to murder someone with just a look.
A bolt of lightning struck loudly in the dark sky that sent goosebumps down his matted skin. His exterior was calm, but his insides churned and twisted in turbulence painfully and helplessly.
A pair of legs stopped outside his cell. Then, he heard the sound of the opening of the metal door that was covered in bars. The brown shoes came into his vision.
"Gerald, it is time!" The man informed.
Gerald did not move his head. He sat still. "I know."
His voice came raspy after days of torture and silence. The only time he opened his mouth was to beg or scream after a punishment.
Punishment for what he thought was his right as a human and a crime in the world's eyes.
"The situation is very delicate, Gerald. Lord Longhurst is very tensed. We can not predict what he is planning to do. They have summoned old mother and a priest." The man who worked for Ralph Longhurst and had developed sympathy for Gerald filled him with whatever information he had.
"The priest?" Gerald finally lifted his head to look at the man in the uniform.
"Yes. I do not know why but I do not get a good feeling about it." The man confessed.
Gerald paused for a brief moment, then asked, "Is he the priest from the old church?"
"Yes."
Gerald sucked a deep breath, for he realised for what reason Lord Ralph might have summoned the priest. If he was worried before, then he was restless now.
"Be strong, Gerald. You know what is written in your destiny and I hope that you have accepted it by now." The man said, only to continue with an apologetic tone.
"I wish I could do something for you!"
With that said, the man went out of the cell, leaving Gerald alone in the middle of nowhere. Gerald scoffed at the man's last words.
He could not do anything. Gerald could not do anything to save himself or change the course of events. He tried, and yes he did.
But now that he looked back at his choices, he contemplated if they were right or wrong. The arrival of the priest did not settle well with him.
The time had slipped from his hands, and now all he was left with was regret and rage. Only God could change the things for better!
*
*
*
The old woman wiped the wailing woman's body with a dampened cloth. She was chanting prayers and ordering the maid to assist her.
"Mother, My Lady is having fever. What should we do now?" The maid was on the verge of breaking into tears.
"This fever is not a good sign. If it continued to rise then she can pass out and then it will complicate the situation. We need her awake till she delivers the baby." The old woman changed the cloth with the colder one on the woman's forehead.
"The labor has started for hours now. How long it will take for the baby to come out?" The maid was frustrated seeing her mistress withering in pain.
"It is not in our hands child. Only the almighty, decides when a soul enters this mortal world and when it should leave for the further journey in another realm. We are only expected to play our roles wisely in his world."
The maid wished that the almighty show some mercy on her mistress and do some miracle. But mother nature has never changed her rules for anyone, and she will not change them no matter what!
"Listen my child, you have to be awake. If you sleep then the baby's life will be in a critical situation." The old woman said to the wailing young woman.
Her eyes fought back against the force that pressed her eyelids closed. Her foggy vision turned blurry, with dark patches dancing in front of her eyes. The pain in her abdomen had increased ten folds, and she thought it might be the last night of her life.
"Do you understand me?" The old woman asked.
The young woman only made some grunting sound between her screams that the old woman took as a sign of affirmation.
The time was passing fast and nature outside became as impatient as the people gathered in the one secluded corner of the palace.
The old priest finally opened his eyes, his pupils hard and focused on nothingness.
"Father?" Ralph tried to gain his attention.
The priest slowly looked towards the room in which Ralph's daughter was. Her screams filled with agony cut through her parents' hearts.
"The time has come, My Lord."
Another thunder shook Warthford Island, and they heard the sound of collapsing of a large tree somewhere not too far away.
"Father!" Cordelia was on the verge of losing her mind. As a mother, she was expected to be by her daughter's side, when she needed her the most.
But Cordelia's misfortune did not allow her. Her daughter, angry at her parents, had told them not to come anywhere near her. She wanted to bore it all alone. Yet, she was not the only one miserable in the palace.
Gerald counted the numbers in his head, waiting desperately for the right time. His ears were eager to hear the news.
"Come here. Do as I show." The old woman called the maid. She showed her what to do, and the maid breathed in before doing the same.
The old lady wiped the sweat from the young woman's face.
"Do you hear me, child?" She asked.
The woman moved her head in a yes.
"Can you put some pressure downwards?"
Ralph's daughter was exhausted. However, she kept her efforts. If she failed, then she would fail two more lives.
She grunted loudly, as she applied some pressure downwards. The old woman pressed her hands on the woman's swollen belly.
"Good... good. Do it again." She urged.
"Mother... mother... I can see something." The maid exclaimed in partial excitement and partial panic.
The old woman looked down in between the young woman's legs to see a small round peeking out of the entrance of the woman.
"It is baby's head!"
"The almighty has begun his game, My Lord." The priest said, still looking at the room.
Cordelia clutched her husband's hands in worry.
"Push some more, child. Push with all your energy." The old woman encouraged.
Ralph's daughter screamed at the top of her lungs. The maid smiled when the baby's head peeked out some more. But the young woman was tired. Her efforts came short, and she cried in frustration.
"I... I can not!" She breathed out.
"No child. You can... please do not stop. Keep pushing. Come on." The old woman tried her best to keep Ralph's daughter awake.
"This is not a bad weather. This is the sign of what the future holds." The priest then looked out at the storm through the window.
Ralph and Cordelia shared a worried look.
"This is the sign of her arrival. She has begun her journey in this mortal world." The priest announced.
After prompting for more minutes, the young woman gathered all her courage and pushed for one more time.
"Mother... the head is out!" The maid shrieked in excitement.
Taking charge from the maid, the old woman adjusted herself. With her well-experienced hands, she held onto the head, and after applying enough force, she slowly pulled the baby out as the young woman kept pushing with her eyes clenched tightly.
The last scream mixed with a gasp left the woman's widely opened mouth. Her eyes bulged out of the eye sockets. The old woman raised holding a bundle of muscles that was covered in blood in her wrinkly hands, its umbilical cord still attached to the mother.
The old woman heaved a sigh of relief, and the maid could not control her tears when the woman revealed that it was a GIRL!
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
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