Fate [bxb] ✔

Marked as his

This is my first story on wattpad. Feedback and suggestions are most welcome.

. . .

Somewhere inside a small cottage in the far lands of the country of Marais, a small island ruled by a just and merciful monarch, a woman screamed in agony. Her sweaty bangs stuck to her forehead, her hands fisted into the sheets beneath her, her eyes wide open as she felt unimaginable pain. She whimpered pitifully as tears ran down her beautiful, youthful face. An older woman sat beside her, humming to her softly, shushing her cries as she wiped her sweaty face with a cloth. But she could not stifle her tears as wave after wave of pain crashed over her lower abdomen, leaving her breathless with mouth open in a silent scream. The older woman, a renowned local midwife, tried to calm her down and told her to try to take deep breaths but if only it were that easy. The woman sobbed as she writhed on her bed, trying to reduce her pain in vain.

Needless to say, it was her first time experiencing this. She had been so excited when she came to know that she was going to be a mother but had never expected such agonizing pain in the process. Who knew birth was this painful? She was still young, only nineteen but the women in her country were expected to married by the age of eighteen and to have a baby bump the next month. Everyone had told her it was the gift of being a woman, giving birth to a child and renewing the life process. And she had believed them, because babies were wonderful, they were lovely and she had always wanted a big family.

She screamed again as another contraction hit her, making her arch off the bed.

And what about men? What gift did they have? Sour thoughts entered her mind. Men were weak. Look at her husband, he couldn't even bear to be with her in the same room! He stood outside, probably drowning in worry, nibbling on his fingers but could not stand the sight of his wife in so much pain. Didn't he understand that she needed him here? She wished she had a girl, a strong, spirited, beautiful girl.

"My, my. Your child is sure a feisty one, refusing to come out." The midwife said somewhat fondly. She had helped birth just about half of the children of Marais and knew how painful the delivery procedures could get for the women. After all, you had to push out a whole human being from your body. And way too often, these poor women gave up, some unable to bear the pain, others having too weak of a body to withstand the pregnancy to begin with. She wished she could do something to relieve some of their pain but alas, as beautiful as life was, even the path to it could lead someone else to death.

The young woman, lying on the bed, her legs open, her core burning and chest heaving, prayed to all Gods above to lend her some strength, so she could push her baby out and give life to a little piece of her new family. Just some more pushes and it should be enough! Just some moments more and she would have her little baby cradled in her arms.

The little baby, after being grown up, would wish that it hadn't come out of it mother's womb at all.

. . .

In the great royal palace, the King rushed back and forth in his room. His Queen, his wife, the love of his life, watched him while being ridden by anxiety herself.

Tonight was the night the prophecy had spoken of. A legendary fortune-teller of France had made a prophecy that on this fated night, the fated queen of their currently two-year-old son would be born. He had said that if the prince was not married to the fated queen, he would die in his young age itself.

Prince Benjamin was the only heir of the Marais kingdom and neither the kingdom nor the king and the queen could even imagine losing their sole heir. They would never be able to bear the loss. And so, a decision had been made, right in the courtroom where the prophet had spoke his words. It was decided the girl born on this day would be marked as the queen and would be betrothed to their prince.