On her last day on Earth, it snowed.
Born in the land of perpetual cold, the scenery had become more than just a familiar sight; it meant home. To have it bid her farewell…was a blessing.
So tired she had been, in life, and now that eternal sleep finally come to claim her…
...She went peacefully.
---
Her first awareness of her new life was the extreme pain of entering the world. In a dream, she drifted to a melody, only knowing but not acknowledging, as if consciousness itself was simply a concept. There, she saw many strange things, ventured through many times and sights; yet remembered none.
Perhaps that was a lie. She did remember; many things, in vivid fragments of a state where she could not understand the full meaning of what remained within her. She could remember the sensation of that elusive melody wrapped around her being like a delicate cocoon. And - remember, she could, the shadows of her previous life that she could only futily run until death in.
But all that mattered little, to the pain of life. The natal warmth and comfort which she had resided in for the past few moments was disturbed by the sudden loss of it. Her skin, new and fresh, felt as if everything around her was fire, and the high keening noise pierced the air was drawn out by the searing sensation from deep in her chest. She was sure, at that moment, that death before birth would have been more preferable to the pain of coming into the world.
The crucible, called life, began to burn once more for her.
---
His child’s birth, should have been assisted by the village midwife. However, a massive blizzard suddenly blew into the mountain valley and completely cut Vel and his wife’s home from the village.
Ah, not that it mattered that much.
Vel was first and foremost a learned man, his path lit by the Origin. He had at least learned the theory on how childbirth went.
Theory.
Any thought of that flew out with the blizzard at the sight of Rinyan’s pallor becoming impossibly paler as the contractions began to come in earnest. The midwife had given them a bit of instruction, initially, on what to do when Rinyan’s contractions began, but it was expected that the older woman would be around to handle the rest. None of them had prepared for the sudden onset of winter storms, leading to the predicament that they were in.
Shivering, Vel pulled himself together, and prepared hot water with his magic. Behind him, Rinyan was on all fours on the makeshift bed, a pile of pillows and blankets to help her prop her body up. Though she was trying to keep her voice quiet, he could tell from the small noises and the constant shivering that it was extremely painful. To help soothe her, he used a cloth soaked with the warm water to wipe the sweat on her body and stood by her side as much as possible.
The labor continued until late in the night, the storm intensifying to the point that Vel wondered if the walls would collapse around them. He found himself constantly on edge, energy gathering around him in case he needed to maintain his wife’s stability.
A high pitched cry announced the end of the ordeal. At first, Vel did not hear it, for the storm outside had reached its peak, rattling against the ancient wood of the small home. It was not for long though, as he quickly felt Rinyan collapsing forward, her entire body relaxed.
“Vel…” Rinyan’s voice was soft, barely audible, but he heard it. “...Please show me…”
After arranging Rinyan against the pillows, he went over and realized that rather than one, there were two infants weakly crying in amniotic fluid. A girl and a boy. On the forehead of one of the girl was a small red oval.
“Rin! They’re twins!” In a hurry, he gathered both of them in his arms, not caring of the fluid that was staining his shirt and handed them over to Rinyan. She held them to her closely, her frail arms seemingly smaller than usual against the two bodies. A tired, but satisfied, smile crossed her face as she held them close, allowing them to seek a nipple to suckle on. As they began to feed, the female infant opened her eyes slightly, showing a pair of crescent of gold. Vel couldn’t help but shiver…
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“They’re beautiful…”
Vel only nodded. For now, he did not know if it was a good or bad omen, that child. He would have to cast a small glamour on her to hide the mark on her forehead, at least, until she learned to do it herself.
---
The storm began to die down at dawn, and later in the morning it was completely quelled, leaving the feet of the house deep in a meter and a half of white. The village midwife - Nanna, who was worried - came as soon as it was possible to traverse through the weather with her reindeer. She was a woman in her late 40s and appeared small and stocky. After hearing that Rinyan managed to properly deliver not just one, but two infants, she spent a bit of time giving her a check up as well as helping the couple with some household chores. Vel was fixing up some stew in the cooking area, using meat from the storage of prey he had hunted a few days ago. There was a lot, and the mountain’s cold winters were helpful in keeping them from spoilage.
“The two infants are very healthy, but you should keep watch on your wife’s condition. She lost a good deal of blood and should keep to bed rest for the next week or so and eat well.” Nanna spoke while Vel gave her a warm bowl. Her eyes were twinkling. “You did a rather good job, want to try being my assistant?”
“You flatter me,” Vel grinned, knowing it was just a joke. “But I’m sure it was just luck. How is the village?”
“The storm was a strong one, one of the larger trees near the village was split, so the men have been busy moving it out. Thankfully there wasn’t any damage that won’t be repaired within a few days.” Nanna scooped some of the stew and ate a spoonful. While Vel and Rinyan were considered outsiders to the village, Vel’s vast knowledge and surprising tracking ability had come in handy many times. Rinyan was also extremely skilled with crafts and medicine, and her bright smile and soft beauty was like a small sun in the dark and cold north. It was no small wonder that the couple managed to endear themselves to the normally closed off villagers.
“Once Rinyan’s comfortable, I’ll head over and give a hand.” After covering the lid of the pot, Vel went off to get ready for the trip over to the village, leaving Nanna in the kitchen area.
Nanna remembered when the couple first appeared. The two of them were foreign sights in the land of ice and snow and were not familiar with the environment. It was as if they were fleeing something from deep in the southern lands.
As she had spent most of her life within the northern areas, she rarely saw people who looked like Vel, and as for Rinyan, it was a first.
Vel was like the people from the western areas in the south, his appearance a mixture of softness and hardness that was very pleasing to the eye. His skin, unlike the colorless Hakkur, was a warm copper tone, and his eyes were like sharp fragments of amber that sometimes were bought by her people from rare traveling merchants to make beautiful jewelry. Though his hair in the dark appeared as a deep russet, in the sun, she had seen it shine brightly, like the color of blood against snow.
Rinyan, though, looked more like the Hakkur in skin. Her entire body appeared almost colorless, and if she wore white, Nanna was sure she would have a hard time discerning her from the snowy landscape. The only color that appeared on Rinyan was the tinge of pink on her cheeks and the bright violet-blue of her eyes, invoking the stories of spirits that Nanna listened to when she was a child. When she first saw Rinyan, she was sure her hand would pass right through her; yet when she touched Rinyan’s skin, it was as solid and warm as any human’s.
Finishing the bowl, Nanna placed it in the sink and traced the symbols carved onto the edge. It flickered for a moment, and water suddenly ran from the faucet.
The other major service that Vel and Rinyan provided the village was ritualcraft.
Anyone with a consciousness could utilize magic on a small scale; however, the creation of magical tools required the ability to understand the theory behind it. Though Nanna had once dreamed of going to the south and bringing back ritualcraft knowledge, the steep price for such education and the organizations that dominated the regulations made it impossible, and she could only give up.
When Vel and Rinyan appeared, it was their ability to imbue ritualcraft into objects that opened a foothold for them in the village. In return for the home and land they now lived, Vel and Rinyan outfitted the village homes with basic magic tools that severely improved the life of the villagers. In addition, Vel turned out to be an extremely good shot and tracker, rivalling even the more seasoned hunters in the village; ever since they appeared, the Hakkur clan that inhabited the village had only seen fortune.
Filling up another bowl full of stew and pouring some warm milk into a cup, Nanna climbed upstairs to the room that Rinyan and her infants were resting in. The estate that had been given to the couple had been rundown for years, yet now it was beautifully restored. She couldn’t help but spend some time glancing around every time she came. It was easy to see that the couple loved the place dearly.
Rinyan was cooing at the two bundles in her arms, her body propped up with pillows. She was covered with layers of furs and blankets and appeared to be in danger of being lost in them.
“Nanna!” Rinyan looked up to see the midwife enter, her large eyes sparkling as she greeted the older woman with a bright smile. Gently, she shifted her body, so that the bundles were visible. “They’re sleeping so peacefully.”
The two infants stirred a little at their mother’s words. Nanna set the stew and milk onto the small table next to the bed and bent over. The two had been cleaned and dried off before being neatly swaddled in some clean linen. The girl, like her mother, had a small white tuft of hair, while the boy had a dark, almost black, one. The girl seemed to react, her eyes opening slightly to reveal a golden tone - like her father.
“Have you thought of names for them?”
Rinyan smiled. “Yes, the little girl is Rhina and the boy is Rhiyun.”
As if reacting to her name, Rhina’s eyes opened, staring at Nanna with a steady gaze. The midwife couldn’t help but shiver a little.