All-natural forces were at the peak of demonstrating their powers. The sky was rumbling with the thunder and the rain that soaked the soil, till it's every grain was wet. The wind was bellowing with all its force taking down trees and the shelters of people of Warthford island.
"She is here! She has put her first step in this world!" The priest declared.
Cordelia and Ralph's hearts leapt in their throat.
"Is it..."
"A GIRL!" The priest affirmed.
Cordelia's motherly instincts pushed her towards the closed door. Her heart was overwhelmed with joy. Her granddaughter was here.
She was about to stand up and run to her princess and, her baby when Ralph held her hand tight.
"Ralph!" She said unbelievingly.
"What should we now do father?" He asked the old man.
The priest did not answer right away and closed his eyes again. When he opened his eyes after a minute, his pupils were dilated, as he stared into nothingness.
"This girl is born with a purpose. A purpose that only she can serve."
Cordelia was happy to hear it as now she had one more argument to make with her husband from her daughter's side.
"This girl's birth is planned by a force which is not the almighty God!"
All the colour drained from Cordelia's face as Ralph's hold on her hand tightened. They held their breath to hear the rest of the prophecy, praying that it would not turn into something unfortunate.
"She is born to tame the beast- uncontrollable and the most powerful. She will work hand in hand with the monster. She will beat every odd that will come her way to serve her purpose.
And..."
Cordelia shook in fright, the tears had frozen in her widened eyes. Ralph had his jaw clenched tightly, his heart beating fast in his chest.
"And... your daughter can never be happy because of this girl!"
The couple sucked a deep breath, not believing what the priest said. A couple of moments passed, and Cordelia broke down at last. The strong front she was showing all these months cracked from the bottom to upwards, resulting in a great collapse.
A lone tear rolled down Ralph's eyes as his body tensed more.
"Mother... why is the baby not crying?" The maid asked in worry.
Ralph's daughter panicked upon hearing that. She had not even touched her baby yet.
"My baby... mother..." She cried for help.
The old woman had seen such cases before, but when the baby did not move or cry even after slapping on the butt, she became worried.
"Let me see it." She mumbled distractedly and made the maid hold the baby.
She turned the baby so that her back came into her view and started rubbing it. The tension grew as the ladies panicked. The baby was not moving.
The old woman again turned the baby and placed her ear on her heart. She strained her ear while chanting prayers to god, but could not hear the familiar beating sound.
"Mother!" The young mother broke down in tears. All her happiness and the pain she had been through over the months were at stake.
The old woman then opened the baby's mouth which was yet to be cleaned of blood and blew air into it. She did it once, then twice, and after five more attempts, her tears symbolised her crushed hopes.
The amid looked horrified at the old woman. "M-mother?"
"NOOOOO!"
A loud gut-wrenching scream left from the lying woman's mouth, and she passed into unconsciousness, ascertaining solace in the darkness.
The old woman slumped down on the floor with disappointment as more tears ran from her eyes.
The people outside the room had heard that agonising scream of a young mother. They ran towards the room and, barged in after opening the door.
The scene that came into their view broke their hearts into pieces. Cordelia ran to her daughter while Ralph stood rooted to his spot, looking at the maid whose hands were covered in blood and an immobile bundle of flesh.
"What happened? Mother?" Cordelia asked in shock.
The old woman matched her gaze and said, "The God did not show his mercy on us, My Lady."
Cordelia's hands shot up to cover her mouth, but Ralph was unaffected by the outbreak of the news.
His eyes moved to the priest, and a silent communication transpired between them.
Nobody moved as only the sounds of cries echoed in the room, and outside it, nature was bellowing in rage or excitement?
The maid, who was also a good friend of the woman who had passed out in oblivion was not ready to accept the reality. No.. she was not ready to accept that the baby for whom her mistress had been through hell over the months had been born dead.
God could not be so cruel. He had to show mercy on his children. Frustration and pain, when mixed together, pushed a person to act in ways that they never imagined.
With determinant eyes, she stomped towards the window and opened it to let the gust of the cold wind and rain enter inside and smacked them on the faces.
Ralph covered his eyes when lightning struck a nearby tree burning it under the rain.
What lies in mother nature's mind was undecipherable, but this woman was determined to make the almighty listen to her complaint.
She held the still baby forward, and looking at the sky, yelled with anguish. "WHY? WHY?"
Cordelia was too worried for her daughter to stop the maid. Ralph was about to step ahead when the priest stopped him with a shake of the head.
"Do not interfere in the plan of destiny, My Lord!" He warned.
The old woman who was crying on the floor looked up through her teary eyes.
"What was her fault, huh?" The maid directed at the baby.
"Her mother and father might be at fault in your eyes but was that really a fault? have you ever told your children that love is a crime? If you have told it beforehand, then they might not have been the criminals, that they now are in the world's eyes.
But what was this innocent child's fault? She never asked her parents or you that she wanted to come into this evil world. Yet she was forced to, and now that she is already here, is this how she deserved to end her journey, even before it began?"
The sky growled loudly as if God was answering her plea.
"You have to answer me, my God! If nothing on this planet moves against your wish, then you have to answer me! You have to listen to my plea and cry of that mother who has not even touched her baby.
You can not be so unfair to this innocent soul. You have to give her what she deserves, you have to give her a chance of looking at this world, her parents, and her future. You can not rip away a child from her mother like this! You CAN NOT!"
The maid broke down in tears, her throat swollen after all the yelling. Suddenly her knees lost their ability of standing, and she slumped down on the floor with her head down as she cried hysterically.
After another devastating thunder, the wind slowed down its pace dramatically. The dark clouds parted, and the moon stepped out from behind their curtain, shining in its full glory.
Ralph, the old woman and the maid looked out at the sky in awe as the priest started chanting prayers while witnessing such an unnatural thing. Even Cordelia, who was trying to wake up her daughter, stopped.
The thunders still rumbled, but the rain stopped its attack. The lightning struck on other nearby trees, and all of them started burning like spitfires. The maid watched horrifyingly, confused and awestruck.
"Oh God! Please be kind!" The old woman pleaded.
The maid's heart leapt in her chest when she felt a light slap on her chest. Puzzled, she looked down. Her eyes widened in shock when she felt the slap one more time.
"The baby moved her hand!" She squealed in exhilaration.
"What?" The old woman scooted near her and placed her ear again on the baby's chest.
Her wrinkled face broke into a wide smile when she heard the faint thumping.
"My Lady... the baby... I can hear her heartbeats." The woman was overjoyed, announcing that.
Cordelia stood up to run and take her granddaughter in her hands, but one glare from her husband stopped her from where she was.
The old woman and the maid then rubbed the baby's back and slapped her butt thrice. They released their breaths, which they were not aware of holding, followed by the baby's cries that rang like a melody in the Longhurst palace.
The divine light of the moon bequeathed life in the baby as if the Moon Goddess wanted her to live against all the odds. The baby moved her hands and legs in the air as a celebration of new life.
The maid wished that the baby's mother was awake to witness this miracle. She happily turned to look at the baby's grandparents.
Cordelia was happy, chanting prayers silently with folded hands. The maid's smile faltered when she saw that not everyone was happy with this miracle.