The Last Ruby Rose

Chapter 13, 1970 : The Poison Within

“You seem so sad, dear. What is wrong?”Alcina asked Melisande, placing her hands on her maiden's hips, bending down a bit. Since the little conversation she had with Donna, Melisande seemed very careful and worried. She did not use any of her magic powers, not even to do the simplest things as she normally did. She was afraid that evil spirits or other magic creatures would sense her baby. Of course she could defend herself, but there were reasons why she wanted to stay undercover. One witch knowing who she was - we are talking about Donna- was really enough. 

Melisande placed the towel down and turned around to face the Countess. "It is nothing.", she said and tried to pass her, but the Lady stopped her, her arm closing around her waist and belly. "You are lying, sweetheart.", she did not sound judgmental, but rather worried. Melisande never had lied to her, so she knew that something was up. Alcina had noticed the effort with which Melisande was looking after a certain rose in the greenhouse and she had indeed noticed that Melisande had become rather weak since Donna had sent her this specific rose nearly 2 Months ago. 

"Please talk to me. You look stressed and too much stress is not good for the baby and you know that for sure." The Countess sank down on her chair at the big table in the dining room. "Really. It is nothing.", Melisande said and forced herself to smile, but she did not convince Alcina. The lady sighted and pulled Melisande into a hug. "Listen. I want to help you. I want to protect you. There is no need to have secrets from me.", she whispered with a smooth voice that made Melisande tear up, but she forced the salty, hot tears to stay in her eyes as she turned away, showing her back to Alcina. Slight sobbing escaped her mouth, but before Alcina could react Melisande had already left the dining hall. She wanted to go after her, but Bela, who came in with her sisters, stopped her by placing her hand on her mothers shoulder. "I think she needs a bit of time.", Bela said lightly. 

Alcina did not eat or drink anything during breakfast. Her thoughts were only about the conversation Melisande had had with Donna a few months ago. Melisande had told her about the conversation, but she felt that she was still hiding something from her. 'What if she feels pain? ", Alcina asked herself, memorizing a scene happening a few days ago. 

Melisande had done her hair as always, brushing it when she suddenly gasped for air. The Countess turned around immediately, only to find Melisande breathing heavily and bent forward. After 2 minutes she straightened herself up like nothing happened. 

"She is suffering…", Alcina whispered and stood up. Her daughters looked at her in confusion. "I will go to my chambers and I do not want to be disdurbed.", she commanded and her daughters just nodded. Alcina gave them a stirn look and immediately they stood up, bowed and said in unison: "Yes of course, mother." 

Alcina did not go to her chambers. She searched for Melisande, her heart beating faster and faster whenever a room she assumed her in was empty. "Melisande?", she called when she went down the stairs in the entrance hall. She sensed that something was up and this made her more restless and more concerned. She stepped in the courtyard. The cold wind greeted her with its icy breath, the snow made a crushing sound when she stopped down the frozen stairs. By now the Countess was not able to control her feelings anymore. Where was she? Where?! 

With lips trembling from fear and the cold outside, she stepped back into the castle again. The east wing to be price, the wing where her private chambers where located. "Melisande?" She called again, her voice began to fill up with sorrow and when she looked up the stairs leading to the library, she stumbled backwards, her left hand covering her mouth. "Melisande?!" Her voice broke. There she was, lying on the stairs. Her eyes were closed and her red lips were opened, a dark substance was flowing out of it, dripping onto the stairs. Her hair fell loose around her pretty face, shining like silver satin in the moonlight. Melisande's hands were blue as well as her neck and some parts of her face. 

It took Alcina a moment before she was able to move again. Never in her life before she had been so startled by the sight of a… No, she was not dead! Or was she..? When Alcina had reached her and took her in her arms, she could still sense her heart beating, very slowly, but it meant she was alive. Her sight was blurry, because of the tears that were forming in her eyes, when she carefully carried her maiden bridal style up to her room. She felt so cold and stiff in her arms, nearly as icy as she was when Daniela had found her in the courtyard. 

Carefully the lady laid Melisande on her bed, enlightening the fireplace only seconds later, making sure that it was warm enough. When the fire was dancing around the dying wood she called for another maid, instructing her to fill her bathtub with hot water and she asked for the most soft towels she had. When everything was prepared, the lady carefully undressed Melisande, noticing the blue lines and spots on her upper body, her arms, her neck and her legs. It made her sad and she feared for the life of her loyal maiden and… lover? Could she call her that? She did not know and at this point she had other problems that were requiring her full attention. 

Carefully she placed her body onto the hot water, which was nearly too hot for her, but she knew that Melisande needed this temperature to gain back consciousness. A while Alcina was sitting at the tub, trying to relax, but there was no way she could just sit here. Her thoughts were restless, like a heavy storm. She was so cold, so stiff. What if she wasn't going to wake up? What if she dies? Her gaze wandered to her belly. What about her child? What about this little life growing within her? The rose's poison was able to petrify a fully grown human, what was it able to do with a 13 week old baby? "No worries, little one.", Alcina said slowly, stroking Melisande's belly with her hand, feeling how it raised and lowered slowly. "You will be alright, as well as your mother."
She asked herself how it felt, being pregnant. It has to be something special, feeling a little life growing in your own body. It was truly a gift God gave to women, being able to bear children. She knew it was a painful process, to give birth, but it could not be that bad, at least this was her fourth child. The feeling of being a mother was worth the pain, she guessed. Of course she loved her daughter's, but she wondered if it was a different kind of love, when you were the one to give birth…

"Bela!", she called and instantly a swarm of flies entered the bathroom transforming back into a woman. "What happened!?", she asked, looking into the tub with shock. "It is her disease.", Alcina explained, standing up. "Watch her and tell me immediately when she wakes up.", she commanded in a soft, but stirn voice. Bela nodded."Yes mother…", she sat down. "And what will you do mother?", Bela asked. "I have to call someone. I have questions."

And with that the Lady of the house left the room, a quiet tear flowed down her cheek. She was afraid to lose Melisande and she was afraid that she was about to lose her child. Her fourth child… Alcina wiped her tears away. No, there surely was a way… She entered the room with the phone, closed the door behind herself and bent forward, crying and placing a hand on her own belly. Maybe she was never pregnant herself, but the thought alone of how it must feel losing a life that was growing within you, that you had to protect made her tear up. "It has to live…", she cried. "Please, live…for your mother and for your new family…"