On the coldest morning, in the darkest hour of the night, when not even the lowest of creatures stirred, when not a sound permeated the night air, Aurore Courtwell was born. Her birth was the ultimate deliverance of joy to her mother and father, who had lost their 6 previous children at birth. Indeed, it had seemed as if Ella was to follow in her siblings footsteps, as her mother's pregnancy and labour had been a hard time. Nevertheless, she lived, and as her mother held her, she opened her eyes. They were startling green, like that of a forest in the middle of spring, when the flowers cover the forest floor and the trees are covered in greenery. Already there was a small tuft of black hair on her head. Her mother, Adele, held her, looking into her eyes with only the love a mother could possess. And as the doctor and the two midwives left the room to tell Adele's husband and Aurore's father that the pregnancy had gone well, something terrible happened. Adele's heartbeat started to slow. Her breath came in ragged gasps, she tried to scream for help, but she could not. Aurore's eyes moved in confusion as her mother slowly died, her lungs struggling to take in the air in the small room. Her pulse slowed, until it stopped. Adele was dead, by some complication or strange occurrence of the pregnancy, or perhaps even the devil's workings. Who could know, for there had been no one to witness her death apart from her child, who was now bawling in her arms. Her screams drew the attention of the doctor, who came into the room, followed by Adele's husband. As they doctor saw her unmoving body, he rushed to check her pulse. There was none.
"I am sorry, for she is with the angels in heaven." whispered the doctor, slowly touching his head, chest, left shoulder and right shoulder in rapid succession.
"You mean she is dead?" whispered her husband, Benedict, as if unwilling to believe it.
"i am afraid so." muttered the doctor, sighing.
Benedict gripped the bed post, trying to support himself as he cried and sobbed. His wife. His beautiful wife he had married not two years before was dead. Gone. He would never see her alive again. One of the midwives timidly came up behind Benedict and tapped his shoulder. He turned around, his eyes blurred with tears.
"Would you like to hold your child sir?" she said gently rocking the child in her arms.
"That I would." he said in a hoarse voice.
The midwife handed him his child. Their child. That child was all he had left of Adele now, the only offspring that would ever come of her. He gently moved the baby in his arms until she stopping wailing, and began to sleep.
A month later, Benedict sat under a willow tree in the grounds of the house. It was winter, so the flowing branches of the tree were bare, and white snow covered the ground completely. Benedict held his daughter in his arms, his back against the cold, hard bark of the tree. He could feel the individual knots, depressions and protrusions in his back. His daughter was asleep, wrapped in a thick wool blanket to protect her from the cold. Benedict stared forward blankly, still trying to cope with the loss of his wife. He doubted he would ever fully recover. He got up from his position on the ground, his pants had become soaked and he would soon catch some sort of disease if he did not get inside. Before he did head inside, he walked to his wife's grave. It was in her favourite part of the garden, where the roses grew. When he reached the grave, Benedict silently placed his hand on the tombstone, tears yet again filling his eyes. Her tombstone had an inscription in latin, which when translate, read:
"In remembrance of Adele, bringer of joy and love. May she rest in peace.
A tear swelled from his eye and rolled down his cheek. It seemed to signify everything, his lost love, his broken heart. He looked up to the night sky to see that one star burned brighter than all the others. He blew a kiss to the star “Goodnight Adele" he whispered as he took his daughter back into the house.
YOU ARE READING
Aurore le soleil: A Cinderella story.
Historical Fiction*Note: I am halfway through editing, so some names may be different, and some bit may not make sense. And the description sucks. Chapters that have been edited are the Prolouge and Chapter 1.* When Adele Courtwell has her baby, Aurore, it is her ult...
