Elen lay, clutching her stomach, tears pouring down her cheeks, until eventually she began to slip into a state of unconsciousness. The last thing she heard, before darkness took her, was Lugrak’s running feet, the sensation of being carried in his arms, and his voice, gently calling her name.

She woke, some hours later, to Lugrak sitting by the fire, watching her, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Eldra’s been.” He said, without any preamble. His face was wooden, expressionless. “She told me. Revelled in it too.”

“Lugrak…” Elen reached out to him, and in two steps he had her wrapped in his arms, tears flowing down his face, and into her hair.

“Elen.. I can’t lose you. But there isn’t another way - Dammit, she’s right. And I never saw this coming. It’s my fault, it’s all my fault…”

“No, Lugrak, no it’s not. Please. Listen to me. I’m carrying your child. Do you know how happy that makes me?”

“Happy?”

“Yes, my love, happy. I don’t care what happens to me. When this child is born, then part of us will live in him forever. Part of me, and part of you. The best part.” She smiled sadly. “Promise me this, my love. No matter what, let nature take its course. And when he is born, take him outside and show him the stars. I will be watching you both.”

“Elen, my star. You will be the brightest star in the sky.”

“All the brighter for knowing your love, my darling.” Elen arched her back in pain, a scream pounding in her ears. Lugrak gripped her hand, tears flowing down his face. She smiled, through the pain. “I will bear it for you, my love.” Another spasm, another scream. “Name him…. Name him Lork.” The sheets underneath her turned red with blood. Her grasp tightened in Lugrak’s, her face pale and her hair clinging to her through the sweat. She screamed again, bloodcurdling, her pelvic bones splitting as the child forced its way through. “He’s coming. Our child. Our Lork.” Another push, another scream, and more blood as flesh and matter came flooding out of her. She locked eyes with Lugrak. “Love him. As I love you.” Lugrak, weeping, kissed the top of her head. With one last, shuddering breath, she smiled, and closed her eyes. Lugrak screamed in grief and pain. He held her to him, rocking back and forth. He screamed until his throat was raw, and his eyes couldn’t squeeze out any more tears, then laid her gently down. He lay beside her, he didn’t know how long for, consumed with grief.

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The child yelled. Lugrak looked at Elen, peaceful now, then picked up the screaming baby. In his rage, his pain and his grief, he meant to take the baby outside and drown it in the stream. But something stopped him. “Part of us both. The best part.” Elen’s words came back to him, breaking through the pain. He looked at the child in his arms and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. The child was smiling - her smile. And his eyes - her eyes. “Lork,” he whispered. “Hope-bringer.” He looked back at Elen, one last time. “I swear it.” He promised her. Turning back to Lork, he smiled at his son. “Come, little one. Your mother wanted me to show you something.” Taking Lork outside, he looked up at the stars, just beginning to appear. A new star had appeared on the horizon, brighter than the others. Seeing it, Lugrak fell to his knees and pointed it out to Lork. “See there, my boy? There is your mother. She is watching over you from that star. As I will, always. I promised your mother. But I don’t have a choice. I feel it coming, my boy. I fear one day, you will too. The darkness that drives us. Your mother was a pure soul, never touched by it. But we, we are driven to the dark. You must always fight it, my son, you have your mother’s goodness in you to do that. But without her, I am lost. I cannot fight it. Hope-bringer, she named you. Live up to that. Live well, my son. Fight well. And if it comes to it, die well, in the goodness that she has given you, and in the strength I have lost.” He picked Lork up, carried him to the edge of the village, and wrapped him in his cloak, carefully tucking a piece of paper into it, on which was written a single word. “Bagra will be along soon. He’s not so bad. He’ll take care of you. I’ll say hello to your mother for you.” With that, Lugrak turned away. His eyes grew dark as the madness descended onto him, and he ran. His body was found, three days later, impaled on the spikes in his own forge.

After Lugrak left Lork, Eldra stepped out into the light, and approached the child. “Well done, little one.” She whispered. “And now, for you.” She touched Lork on the forehead, and he began to cry. “A little gift, my sweet. You will remember everything that happened to your parents this night. Everything, for the rest of your life. You will know that it was your fault that they died. May the madness take your useless mind as it did your father.” A footstep broke a twig nearby, and Eldra quickly stepped back into the darkness. “I’ll be watching, little one. Watching with great interest….”