Castle Gandalwell
April 10th, 1606

Lightning struck violently against the castle walls while the rain hammered outside. The outer courtyard was like a small lake as rain drops pelted the surface of the water.

The horses were restless as the marshals found it difficult to tame them. Nature stripped the trees of their foliage and broke their limbs, washing away animals from their homes and threatening to drown everything in sight with its vicious showers.

The entire castle was restless and uneasy from the sinister aura emitting from their majesty's quarters since she had taken her chamber at the start of the week. It was no surprise to them that on a disastrous night like this, the time had come.

The chaplain had prayed day and night for it to be over soon, asking for forgiveness for the sins of the world and praying for deliverance for their sinful queen who laid with a monster.

They would never admit it, but they were terrified of what was to come.

Emma's breath was ragged as she tried to bare the torturous pain that had overcome her body. It had torn through her limbs and muscles, ripped apart her organs and bones and finally reached her soul.

It felt as if her spirit was being wrenched from its helm.

"We need more wash cloths. It's coming!" The midwife shouted, sweat beading her forehead under the dim light of a single oil lamp. She was a middle aged woman but tonight she grew older as the crows feet deepened from the pressures of her job.

Emma's teeth clenched from an agonizing contraction and she finally let out a scream.

The cold outdoors was not enough to repress the fires that roared from Emma's bedroom as it had increased to that of a furnace.

Only a single window was left open and they had hung calming tapestries and images all over her chambers as to not upset her since this could harm the unborn child. There were also crucifixes in the room for spiritual support, though it was believed that they could not help in this case.

It was the norm to recreate the womb: warm, dark and quiet. This birth however, was nothing close to the norm.

The handmaidens bustled about to help with her delivery, gathering water and wetting wash cloths, each of them secretly carrying a rosary necklace to ward off the evil lurking inside their Queen's quarters.

They could all feel it; the supernatural. The queen was not giving birth to a child but a demon. The midwife in charge had planned however, even if it meant that she would lose her life in the process, she would murder this abomination as the fate of the world depended on it.

She was a woman of God afterall, specializing in child birth for over 30 years. After hearing the story of this child's conception, the rumors of its father's origin and feeling the malevolence emanating from the Queen, she had decided to cast aside her good character to do what she felt was necessary.

Syrus stood outside Emma's door, prohibited from going inside. His fangs ripped into his bottom lip as his jaws clenched from another one of Emma's ear shattering scream.

No man was allowed inside but he planned to go in anyway once the child was born.

It was still frightening to witness a woman give birth.

He had seen it once as a child after peeping on his expecting handmaiden and it had rattled his mind to the core, taking him years to fade the memory.

He wanted so badly to hold Emma's hand and help quell her suffering. But there was nothing he could do but lend his support from behind her door. He would try to sooth her later on after the delivery— after another part of Elias's soul had blessed this world.

"UGHHHHH!" Emma screamed again.

"I can see the head!" The midwife exclaimed.

"You're doing fine, Emma." Her handmaiden coached as she wiped the sweat from her Queen's forehead.

"I can't!" Emma cried, her eyes squeezing shut as her clammy hands gripped the bedsheets. Her hair was soaking wet and sticking to her face. She desperately tried to keep herself conscious as her legs shook violently.

Lightning shruck once more, startling the handmaidens who then shared terrifying looks between each other.

"Almost there, Your Majesty! Just one more push." The midwife coached, her gray hair a damp mess under her white bonnet.

Using all the strength she could muster, Emma heaved a great sigh before pushing forcefully, grinding her teeth while groaning in agony.

A noisy cry seemed to dull the rain outside as the newborn began to take its first breaths.

"It's a girl," The midwife said, staring at the child seriously. A handmaiden quickly cut and clamped the child's umbilical chord as it wailed loudly.

Emma, now in a state of deliriousness frowned as she watched the woman's face.

"What? What is it?" She questioned.

"It has the eyes of a demon!" The midwife said, withdrawing a dagger from her frock to position it at baby's throat.

"NO!" Both Emma and her handmaiden screamed but it was too late.

It was too late for the handmaiden as Syrus bursted inside at incredible speed just in time to bite open her neck and grab the baby before the woman fell to floor.

Screaming, the other handmaidens took off running from the chambers, leaving only Emma and her handmaiden, who had a look of horror on her face before fainting.

Syrus cradled the baby with one hand, gazing down into her eyes, her cries quieting as she met his.

There was blood from plastered around his mouth but he still smiled. Frowning only has a crestfallen thought crossed his mind.

She had been in the world for only a few seconds and already they had tried to take her life. What a cruel way to treat the heir to multiple thrones, he thought.

The blood from his chin dripped onto the baby's forehead, making her squint and she gave him a toothless smile.

"What is it, Syrus? You're crying," Emma panicked. She was too weak to lift her hands since she was sure to pass out soon.

"She has his eyes," His blood stained fangs stretched into a smile. "His real eyes," He finished, gazing into the red orbs of Elias's daughter.

It's here everyone! Rebirth Book 2!

So exited for you guys to see what's to come.

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