--Oswald Perspective--
I sat at my desk in the back of the church, I was the only priest of this small village out near the border of Aston. It was nice to be away from all the zealotry this country was known for.
People out here lived simple lives, complicated things like fanatical devotion to the god Lumin were less pronounced here. Though assigned here as a priest, I had to follow the will of the Paladin order, the ruling body of Aston, and make sure any undesirable elements were not allowed to fester here.
This village had grown on me these last 5 years. When I first got here I had felt it was some manner of punishment, which was what it had meant to be. However, the freedom I felt when I got here was exhilarating. Coming to care for this village I decided, that I, Oswald Farrell would protect this village of Silvergrove in whatever ways I had available to me.
Those ways mostly involved keeping the village out of the eyes of the Paladin order. So I needed to be careful and keep anything that may raise suspicion away from the villagers. The priest before me had failed to do this, a simple book on a merchant caravan that had originated from Crosta was the cause. I was not sure of the exact contents, since it was destroyed when it was discovered. I could only guess it had something to do with dark magic.
The previous priest had not checked the contents before the villagers were allowed to read it, and the paladin order had discovered it. Everyone who even touched the book was burned alive as an example, along with the priest for failing in his duty. The trauma of that was still fresh in this village, any new books that arrived in caravans went through me without question.
That was what I was currently doing, reading through a new book that had arrived the other day. It was a simple one, just a manual on building techniques but one could not be too careful. Anything about dark magic or demons needed to be approved by the Paladin Order. Even just the words in a book not directly approved would be considered treason and anyone who might have read it would be executed. I had some immunity since there needed to be a judge of sorts, but if I failed in my duty I would be guilty of the same crime.
My reading was interrupted by a loud banging coming from the door of the church. It was quite late, no one would be visiting the church at this time. That indicated some urgency. One of the factors that allowed one to be a priest, was the ability to cast light magic. Making me at least currently, the only one capable of healing magic.
I jumped to my feet, dropping the book on the table without bothering to bookmark it, I could get back to it later. The door to the church was never locked, but I had little time to worry about that now.
The banging continued right until I opened the door. On the other side was Lilly, looking distressed and clutching her belly. She had beautiful red hair and was wearing a provocative dress that accented her cleavage. Her dress was loose. She had already taken off the corset she usually wears to highlight her curves while working at the bar, which gave me an indication of the location of the problem.
She was the local prostitute, the only one in Silvergrove. This late there was no doubt she had come here from work, though it was unlikely she had much luck in the way of customers tonight. The men had planned a hunt tomorrow, and the merchant caravan would be leaving at the crack of dawn. Not the best time for either to risk a hangover.
“Pkease yekp ne” she cried, clearly having been drinking. The smell of alcohol was quite pronounced.
This was not the time to think about her job or habits though, she would not come here without being in need.
“Come with me, let’s get you to the bed,” I said, trying to reassure her as I carefully wrapped her arm around my neck to give her some support.
The church had a room specifically for medical treatment, so we moved in that direction. I looked her over as we went to get a handle on her condition. Her drunken state would likely make it difficult for her to tell me what was wrong.
As I looked over her body I could not believe what I was seeing. Liquid was running down her leg, and her belly was enlarged.
Lilly was infertile and unable to have children, so why was she pregnant? And why was she in labor? I had seen her earlier in the day, playing with some of the local children. There were no signs of pregnancy then, anyone in the village would have noticed. Her water had broke so questions would have to wait.
Usually, I would have some time to prepare if I needed to help with a birth, though I was no stranger to emergency treatment. This sort of situation was new, but not something I could not handle.
We arrived at the medical room and she was barely conscious, I helped her onto the bed and laid her down. People here were well aware of the risks of drinking while pregnant and Lilly would also never allow a pregnant woman in the bar.
She was the village nanny, she cared for the children during the day allowing the parents to work in peace. This was part of the reason she was so well regarded here. She may be a prostitute, but she was far from the stereotypical one you would see in larger towns or cities.
The more I tried to process things, the more confusing things got. Though how this situation came to be mattered little at the moment. My task was clear and delivering babies was something I was more than capable of doing.
I grabbed some towels and put some pillows under her back to help get her in a more comfortable position, then moved to undress her lower half. Thankfully without the corset that proved easy, though I noted the markings along her sides that indicated she was wearing it not long ago.
It took an hour, but the birth was a success. A new life was brought into the world, and then a second. Twins, one boy, and one girl, both from a woman supposedly unable to bear children and with a term of seemingly hours if that.
There was no doubt that there was some divine significance to their birth. Lilly however, after the strain of the birth was already unconscious, though thankfully there were no complications other than her intoxication.
Her breasts were not swollen as they should be, and no sign of her lactating. In some other villages, this would be grave. Especially if no other woman were nursing. I had dealt with this before though, and thankfully even with my lack of preparation, I did have the ingredients I needed.
The newborns were both very healthy and so were their vocal cords, their hungry cries filled the church. I prepared some diluted goat’s milk and some other ingredients to add more nutrition. Magic was useful here to ensure the mixture was clean and free of contaminants.
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They quieted down quickly after getting their fill, I almost failed to prepare enough for their appetite. After making sure Lilly was comfortable and the babies nestled in a blanket nearby sleeping off their feast I was finally able to analyze the situation a bit more.
Lilly had always wanted children, it was part of the reason she ended up working as a prostitute, she had hoped that one day, she would just find herself pregnant. This was no secret, but the village was very aware of her condition.
The people here were much more open to adultery than in some other areas, though children born through adultery were still not something people wanted.
Lilly had traveled with caravans going from church to church and settlement to settlement to try to find a cure for her condition. She finally settled here after exhausting her options and accepting her fate. The people here accepted her more than others had, which made it a good place for her.
Though like the other priests she had visited, I had the same response for her. Vitality in the womb was easy to inspect through light magic. No vitality would mean no children. Yet an exception to that was right in front of me.
I checked her again for good measure. Her condition was still present, with no vitality in her womb. So how had she given birth? And how had she skipped the 9-month term normal for pregnancy?
I could only imagine her confusion and panic as she made her way to the church. There was no way she would have failed to notice she was pregnant if it were a normal one. Her drunken state and rapid pregnancy likely had her panicked.
But for now, I decided to move the children to my room, which neighbored the clinic, the smell in the medical room would wake them if left too long, and I had some cleaning to do, the birth had left quite the mess.
Morning came as I finished, I was not unfamiliar with needing to forgo sleep. It was part of the job, today I didn’t have any other tasks to take care of thankfully, so I could rest later. Or so I hoped.
Lilly now looked as she did the day before, thanks in part to my healing. Though I would not have expected her to have returned to normal this quickly. Her rapid pregnancy had stretched her skin to almost breaking point, I could only imagine the pain she felt from that. My healing had recovered her skin cleanly to its previous size.
I had prepared some food and plenty of water for when she woke. The twins were still sleeping, they had woken once in the night for another feeding, though I had been prepared in advance for that.
“Mmm,” Lilly roused finally, groggily rubbing her eyes and looking around.
“Good morning, sleep well?” I asked, almost smirking at the absurdity of asking that considering what she went through the previous night.
She looked at me and around the room with some clear confusion. “Did I…., drink too much last night Oswald? I am sorry, I can’t seem to remember anything, and my head is killing me.” She said before she brought a hand to her forehead, magic could not cure a hangover.
I grabbed a nearby glass of water and gave it to her, as well as the sandwich I had prepared. She smiled as she took it and chugged down the water before taking a bite of the sandwich without delay.
“Thank you, what happened? I would not have come here unless it was something more than too much to drink right?” She asked, grabbing a second glass of water from me.
I was unsure how to respond, she had no recollection she was pregnant the night before, should I tell her? Not telling her would be a big decision. Though if the people were made aware that she had given birth, it would cause all kinds of rumors.
Her rapid pregnancy was my biggest worry though. The paladin order would be interested in it without a doubt. My hands felt tied, for the children’s sake and hers.
“I think it’s best you don’t know, It was quite the night but you should be right as rain now.” Guilt knotted my stomach, there were no lies in what I said but hiding the truth like this was not something I liked to do, there was enough of it in all the censorship I had to do for the villager’s safety.
“I see,” she said, downcast, Likely thinking of embarrassing reasons for my silence, but it was for the best. For her and the village. Hiding the children from her was unthinkable, only their origin was best kept secret.
She would still be a motherly figure to them without a doubt. Keeping any children away from her was unthinkable in this village, which was a small consolation.
“Well thank you, I will not keep you, I am sure you will need some rest. I can see I took your entire night from you.” She said as she got up, she was a bit unsteady which was understandable considering the night she had.
Lilly left the church, nibbling on the sandwich I had made as she went. Simple thanks were all that was needed, I was well cared for in this community and she would likely bring some wine later. Of that, I had no doubt.
“Now what am I to do,” I thought. Naming them was easy. Lilly had often talked about what she would name her children if she ever had any, Alaster for a boy, and Alena for a girl.
It would be unlikely to raise suspicion if I named them as such since Lilly was the village nanny and was likely to be their primary caretaker. It was the least that could be done in the situation.
The next point was how they came to the church. Silvergrove was remote, and a very small community. Orphans were unheard of here. A father or mother passing happened before, but both parents passing had not been seen since I had taken my position. I did not want to lie either.
I could just call it as I saw it, some manner of divine intervention, but that would certainly bring the Paladin Order here. If they deemed the children were related to demons in some way, Silvergrove would cease to exist without a doubt.
I decided to just say it was a secret. Speculation was the best way to hide their origin. People would assume they were some unwanted children in a merchant caravan that visited. This a familiar story that has played out before, though not in recent years.
Having settled on their origin, I finally felt the weight of responsibility I had just taken on. I was now a father of twins, something I never dreamed of. I found myself almost chuckling at how I didn’t even consider the expected course of action as a priest, informing the Paladin Order. I grew attached to them even in just this one night.
As tired as I was, there was still work to do. Children needed a lot of care and attention, and while there were enough supplies for the previous night, it would not last long. After their next feeding, I would need to go to the market and get more supplies.
In a few days, I could get Lilly to help after the merchant caravan was far enough from the village. By then the story should easily fit, and Lilly could be with her children. Guilt plagued me as I thought about how their true mother was going to be their nanny. Someday I may have to come clean, until then I would need to carry this guilt.
Days went by, and the bags under my eyes were getting people’s attention. I had no doubt people had heard the cries in the church and rumors were likely flying. The merchant convoy was long gone so it was finally time to bring Lilly in to help.
She was by the bar, it was closed at this time, but it was also where she lived so it was not unusual to see her there at any time of the day. I could tell from her knowing stare that she heard some of the rumors and knew what I was there for.
“Hey Lilly, I need your help.” No sooner than I asked she got up and quickly walked past me, heading to the church without a word. I sighed and followed, while she might not remember the birth, I had no doubt mothers intuition was strong in her.
Once we arrived, faint crying could be heard in the back, they must of just recently woken up. Lilly was quick and moved to the back without a word. The spring in her step told me her emotions were high.
I was concerned she might realize something, but there was no way I could do this alone. The crying had already stopped when I got there, she sat on his bed and was lightly rocking both of them in each arm. Her experience was unquestionable, and the children seemed delighted by her.
“What are their names?” She asked.
I smiled, “Alaster is the boy, and Alena is the girl”.
She shuddered and looked up at me, tears in her eyes “Thank you” she said before setting Alaster aside and starting to feed Alena the baby food I had already prepared nearby.
I went and sat down in my chair as she worked her magic, feeling exhaustion overtake me. The last few days had been challenging. Raising children was no easy feat, I had to respect Lilly who didn’t even consider this a job.