*POV Jorgen Thrane*

I embraced my heartbroken wife for what turned out to be hour's and then I heard a ripping sound. I looked down to the blood dampened sheets thinking they accidentally tore only to feel a light tap on my shoulders. Em, pointed towards the end of the bed and my gaze followed. I couldn't believe my eye's, standing at the end of the bed was a goddess of absolute beauty...no I mean a faerie. Jeez Jorgen think with your brain.... you're brain. 'Ahem', yes it was a faerie from the legends and scriptures, a race no human had seen for centuries. She had those ears that pointed at their tip, those translucent wings and that childish face, all features of a faerie. Except she was rather small even for a faeries standard. She abruptly wiped her eye's clear of tears with the sleeve of her white nightgown.

"...Who are you and why are you here?" I said slowly standing up from the bed, inching my way towards my sword propped against the nightstand.

"Jorgen, Emily.... I have watched you too struggle with your hardships for quite a while, as well I have seen how destiny plagues you." She said her voice soothing like the falling rain outside.

"What do you..." I was cut off from finishing.

"There is little time." She glanced back at the tear she'd appeared from.

"Time for what?" I asked rather annoyed at the vague answers coming from a stranger in our home.

"... For now know that I come here not to harm you more then you have been already."

Already? What did she mean? If she was talking about what we’ve been through today then that would make sense, after-all we're both tired beyond compare. But she made it seem like someone intentionally harmed us, though I can't recall that ever happening.

"I've come here to ask a favor from the both of you, doing this will also fulfill the one thing you both desire."

"What are you getting at?" I said rather pessimistically.

"The both of you have been dealt an unfortunate hand by fate. But I also believe this is fate in and of itself."

As she said that she slowly approached the other side of the bed. A shadow emerged from the from the floor as it formed a hand that gently took our daughter from Emily's arms. At the same time the faerie slowly lowered her own baby into my wife's arms.

Emily throughout the whole exchange was oddly quiet, as if captivated by her presence.

"You were not able to conceive and safety give birth on your own for various reasons. However, that does not mean you two should be deprived of a child." She gave one last longing look at the baby in my wife's arms as she took our daughter from the hand made of shadows, then bundled her in a blanket of darkness.

"Do not worry, I will give this child a proper send off. Though you must promise me that you will look after my... no you're daughter that I’ve just passed to you. She needs the both of you as much as you need her." She then took out some paper strapped to her waist and proceeded to write something, she then handed the letter to me while looking me straight in the eye.

"I know I may be inconveniencing you, but before this void closes a man will also come through, looking for me. I can't tell you who I am but I can tell you that this child does not deserve to suffer from the sins of her parents." Her words were full of sorrow.

"You two will be fine parents."

She cast a warming smile our way as she clutched the gem around her neck. It shone a bright violet as another tear appeared where she stood. "Raise her well."

Those were her last parting words as she stepped in the void our daughter along with her . As i looked out the window by chance I saw that as she left she took with her a darkness that we didn't notice. It was cast around the outside of our house, forming what seemed to be a barrier concealing her presence from the outside world.

We both stayed in silence for moment, processing what had just happened, until the bundle my wife was holding onto seemed to spring to life in a shrill of cries. I was startled for moment until i realized we indeed did have a baby among us. I glanced toward my wife who was at a loss of what to do for a moment. Poking out from the bundle were two pale chubby arms that were clawing at the air towards Em. Emily then seemed to regain her sense as she started to soothe the baby, cradling her in her arms. Immediately she started to calm down, only to start crying a moment later.

"She might be hungry." I thoughtlessly blurted out, I then in turn received a glare from her.

"All of a sudden you've developed motherly instincts?" She said in as harsh a tone as she could without startling the baby.

I just waved my arms in a sign of defeat as the cries got louder and louder. She then reluctantly took out her breasts as she eased the baby closer. The baby then immediately latched on as she started to suckle my wife's breast's. I broke out into a wide grin and forgot to hide my gloating face as pillow abruptly hit it.

"Put that stupid mug away, you'll scare the baby." As she said that a smile appeared on both our faces, we were both giddy at the sudden turn events, at the conflicting emotions in our hearts. We had a baby, we had a daughter, breathing and every bit alive as she helped herself to her meal. I sat down on the chair, saying yet another thing that I wish I hadn't.

"I guess my parental instincts are just a tad more refined than yours." A wide grin plastered itself on my face again, earning me yet another slap with a pillow. The pillow of which i had to reluctantly give back as she did need it.

"So what do we do Emily?"

She looked at me like I'd said the sky wouldn't be blue the next day. "What do you mean...you can't actually think we should hand her over to that man."

I swiftly brought us back from our temporary escapism.

"We just have to be prepared if he want's to take her--"

"No!" She yelled as she looked down at the baby bound to her breast. "Jorgen... I can't lose two children in one night, you can't expect me to go along with that." Her voice cracked as if just remembering that hours earlier she had failed a child birth.

"I know Em... I just had to make sure... make sure that you understood that we'll have to fight if he wants to take her."

"I understand." She nodded toward me. "I won't let him take her, not as long as this body of mine still breaths."

We sat in silence until the tear started to close and on cue a hooded figure appeared.

*POV Emily Thrane / Moments Earlier*

It all happened so fast, if you welcome that darkness that lies deep within your heart and then someone suddenly pried you away from it, certainly there is a moment where absolutely nothing is going through your mind. And in this agonizing time I sat snuggled in my husband's strong beefy arms as he comforted me. This is the man I love, and I regret not of the choices that brought us together. He always seemed to know the right thing to do, the right things to say to me in my moments of need. I'll love him in this life and every life after this, that I knew. We sat in each other's embrace for a long, long time until something caught my eye. A small violet ripple appeared just off the foot of the bed, it steadily grew larger and larger until it produced a tearing sound. Walking calmly out of the tear was a faerie goddess, that's the only way I know how to describe her. I tapped my husband's shoulder and pointed to the foot of the bed as time itself seemed to stop for me.

"... I have seen you're hardships as well as what plagues you."

Was all my ears caught her say as her soothing voice echoed through my head. A serene calmness overtook me, all the pain that I... we'd gone through today seem to be in the background. Was she truly a goddess? She even had the wings of one. I didn't even notice as a shadowy figure pried the cold rigid baby from my hands. All my eyes caught were a ball of bundled warmth edging closer to me and finally landing in my arms. My heart nearly leaped from my chest, it was the first ‘live’ baby I'd held since we got married and I'd nearly forgotten the feeling of it. I glanced down at the swaddled baby and on reflex I gently peaked underneath the blanket. My mouth was left agape, she was stunning, a true bundle of joy sleeping soundly. She had rare platinum hair that matched the goddess in-front of me, pale pink lips, chubby rosy cheeks and long eyelashes. I nearly wept at the sight of her, remembering the child that I could've had.

As I strengthened my grip ever so gently on the small baby in my arms I looked for where 'my' child had gone. I caught the goddess's gaze as she took my lifeless baby in her arms. A black blanket seemed to wrap itself around her completely. Unlike usual swaddling the blanket also covered the baby's face. Tears welled up in my eye's as the cruel realization dawned on me yet again. That was until I heard the Goddess's next words.

"... look after my... no you're daughter..."

Those were the words that my ears caught as I looked down once more. This was our baby? Questions started rising one after another in my head. What did she mean? Would she come back for her when she's grown? Was she truly a goddess come to fulfill our deepest wishes? Could we truly be happy? All those thoughts rattled around my head until as I looked down at 'my' daughter I watched as she slowly opened her radiant amber eye's. At first she blinked erratically getting used to the light, then moments later she quietly stared at me, not making a sound. She was as fixated on me as I was on her, she was the most adorable thing I'd ever seen and she was ours.

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I barely caught one last glance at the goddess before she stepped into yet another violet void, disappearing as fast as she'd come. As if knowing on cue that her 'mother' had left, ‘my’ daughter began to cry for the first time. Thinking that because her mother had just left that she was crying I began to swaddle her. Only to her my husbands voice moments later sharing more of his ‘mystic’ wisdom with me.

"She might be hungry."

Those were his first words to me after his conversation with the goddess earlier. Seriously why did he have to be such an ass sometimes. Parenting is a bunch of trial and error and I was going to try feeding her later thank you very much! After voicing a more reasonable argument in my head I ended up saying something in a bit more of a harsher tone than I intended.

"All of a sudden you've developed motherly instincts?"

Sometimes my words can be like venom to those around me, luckily Jorgen know's exactly how I can be at times and chose to ignore my 'rude' reply by putting his arms up in defeat. A little much if i say so myself, it was just said a bit harsher than I'd like to, not like I was going to rip him a new one... unless he gave another smart ass reply.

After going against his words to spite him I reluctantly gave in attempting to soothe her and tried my next course of action, feeding her. To my unfortunate surprise she latched on right away. Don't have a smug look on your face... don't have a that stupid smug look on your face. I chanted in my head as I turned my gaze to him. 

*Wham!*

The pillow left my hands before I knew it. He can be such an ass sometimes, you know the proper thing to do is try to keep a straight face or even look away, not present that stupid mug with that pretentious grin you always put on.

"Put that stupid mug away, you'll scare the baby."

Again some 'venom' seemed to leak out as I said that, I'll just attest that to him trying to drive me crazy constantly. But to my surprise he had another smart ass comment to throw in.

"I guess my parental instincts are just a tad more refined than yours."

*Wham*

He's pushing it today. I motion for him to toss the pillow back to me, which he reluctantly does. Jeez if you think I'm going to throw it at you again, then I really will just out of sheer annoyance.

As we looked at each other a wide grin appeared on my face, today was a an emotional carriage ride but I have him here to experience everything with me. I started to giggle like a little school-girl trying hard to to bust a gut as to rose my daughter. He on the other hand almost went with his full blown hearty laugh, seriously this guy knows not where he is and who is among us.

"So what do we do Emily?"

It felt like he cast a pail of cold water upon me waking me up from my hopeful dream. My train of thought seemed to speed up for a second, going over what he'd just said until it hit me.

"We just have to be prepared if that man want's to take her--"

“NO!” I yelled, fortunately not rousing the baby.

"Jorgen... I can't lose two children in one night, you can't expect me to go along with that."

My voice cracked as those words parted my lips. I looked back down ‘my’ daughter in my arms, there’s absolutely no way I can let her go.

"I know Em... I just had to make sure... make sure that you understood that we'll have to fight if he wants to take her."

‘Jorgen… you don’t always have to be the voice of reason among the two of us’ I thought to myself. However our past proved otherwise… a person easily swayed by their emotions (me) and the pragmatic voice of reason (Jorgen). That’s what people saw of us as we walked through town.

"I understand." I nodded towards him. "I won't let him take her, not as long as this body of mine still breaths."

I meant everyone of these words, I would readily die before this momentary happiness this child brought us was stripped away. We both sat there in a tense silence as we waited for this mystery man to show up. I had a feeling deep in my heart that something dangerous would appear through that void… and I was right.

The void started to close and just as I thought that he wasn’t going to show up, he appeared.

Coming through the violet tare was a tall husk of a man, standing even taller then my husband who was stood at 1.95 meters. He wore a black robe, covering his fitting clothing underneath, he was by no means as hulking as my husband but one could tell he was fit. His clothing was intimating along with his weapon which contrasted with the calming aura he emitted. His black mask dripped blood onto his rod while his weapon was stained crimson.

A huge man standing in the middle of a small room, wearing clothing no doubt meant for 'special missions' can speak wonders in the way of danger. However all that immediately left as soon as he spoke.

“Where is she?”

Unlike the menacing tone that I'd expected, a soft and caring tone came from within that blank mask. I’ll just play the part of a doting parent and her newborn for now, unless Jorgen can’t handle him.

“She… she left some time ago.” I hear him say, gauging his opponents interest in the goddess.

He then glanced in my direction, his gaze briefly piercing right through me as it settled on the bundle of joy in my hands. This man was dangerous, very dangerous.

“... Do you know who it is your wife holds in her hands?” He said with a certain edge to his voice.

“We do… however we beg you… ‘she’ would beg you to let this child go. She is but a blank slate that should not be tainted by the guilt and sorrow of her parents.”

Jorgen added a tiny lie hidden within the truth of that statement, as calculating as ever I see. He then stood up and walked towards the robbed man, letter in tow. To my surprise the masked man put his sword away before taking the letter... He know's proper manners for a ‘self’ dubbed assassin.

“The lady from before wanted the one who passed through that tear to have this. She didn’t tell us much about herself, only that she was royalty and her husband was dethroned for some vile acts he committed.”

Jorgen took a shot in the dark as he noticed the subtle nuances in the masked man's behavior and tried for information. No reaction... so we can't rule out royalty just yet.

After reading the letter he mumbled something under his breath as the last visage of suspicion left me. To my surprise he proceeded to take off his mask and cowl revealing... a draconian! A race only the king can request an audience with and even then they can only supposedly come in contact with his underlings.

His skin looked gray... though on upon closer inspection the outlines of the scales tightly packed together told otherwise. His cat-like amber... no dark amber eyes glowed radiantly in the dimly lit room. Two black horns curved backwards over his head, blending nicely with his ash gray hair. So this is a draconian...

He then started to take a deep bow towards us. Something incomprehensible really, given the superior race he was. Seriously seeing two different races no one has seen for centuries in one day, fate is at work here right?

“My name is Tabor Sentius, chief of war to the Great Dragon Emperor Rahim de Salicosa Vena. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

My husband getting flustered brought him back up from his bow.

“Please such formalities don’t suit us and it is rather unbecoming of a graceful draconian such as yourself.”

I mean seriously we were the losers of the legendary war and rightly so got our deserved punishment of isolation.

“My name is Jorgen and this is my wife Emily, we hail from the house of Thrane.”

Jorgen then introduced both of us.

*

As Sir Sentius left he did so while saying that he'll be in touch with us soon as he walked out the front door. Yes! No grand exit like the faerie goddess, he just walked right out the front door. Apparently he didn't have one of the those void gems, after all there something only close friends of the demons can gather. Because of that he said it would take about a month and a half before he could contact us again. He gathered that amount of time when we told him we were in the Kramn prefecture, ruled by Jorgen's family, the Thrane's.

All and all we conversed with sir Sentius about the dangers of leaking the information and the events that happened here today are. So as made known to the public tomorrow, I successfully gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

*

"Jorgen, do you want to hold and finally see your daughter?" I asked him, finally willing to separate a maximum of five paces from her. He reluctantly eased his way closer to us as he ever so gently picked our daughter up.

With his massive size he looked like a giant as he held her in his hands. His face lit up as his eyes moistened threatening to flow down his face.

"...Isabella"

"What?"

"Doesn't she look like an Isabella" He said in a quiet voice.

Did he just name our daughter without even running the name by me? That....

"See she likes it." He said as he played with her little hands.

*Sigh*

"That's a nice name, Isabella it is." I said with a smile as I looked at the hulking man in front of me completely melt as he played with our daughter.