August 1773
The earl of lithurm, Fredrick was in his bed chambers, his hands on his wife's belly, she was soon to be due, the mid wives told him it will be just some days before his son will finally be there, in his arms, his wife was a beauty. and she was from a family touched by the gods, they had powers to see the future, not exactly see the future sometimes it was just a premonition or a feeling, she was not accepted by his parents, and he vowed not to marry anyone else but her, so he waited, he was already too old, most of his peers had more than seven bairns now, but he didn't mind, as long as his beautiful wife was with him, as he still married her against all odds, and besides, his wife did not inherit such powers, so he tried to convince his parents that they she wasn't with weird powers or anything, but they remained adamant, and he was just as stubborn, his parents died three years ago, and after six months he wedded his beautiful Roxanne, it was tradition that the name Mary was passed on to the first daughters from her lineage as they will have great powers, usually seen at birth, signified by a bright star shaped birthmark on their back, but the name wasn't given to her, because well she didn't have any of such birthmarks and she was the only girl child of her parents with two brothers, so when she met her husband Fredrick, he was scared of what she represented, and what was said about her family, but when she assured him that she didn't have such powers, he had made up his mind never to leave her! ....
"My son, lord Fredrick said with pride, as he rubbed her stomach again, and watched his wife's smiling face...
Lady Roxanne lithum laid on the bed, she smiled at her husband, but she was unhappy within her, she was sure she was having a girl, but she couldn't tell her husband, he would ask her how she knew and if she told him about her dream, he would be heartbroken, thinking she lied to him, she sighed, this was really something she wanted to avoid, she remembered her dream...
She gave birth to a fair child, her full hair was a beautiful auburn hair, she had a rush lips, so red and full, she had dimples on her cheeks, and had a face that could challenge a goddess, and her husband though dissapointed, he learned to accept her, and she saw his curse, he would die in a terrible way, after her death, she was uneasy with that, she knew she had some powers after she met Fredrick and assured him that she was powerless, because she saw how bothered he was, and now the irony was that he was going to have a girl, with great powers, it made her unhappy,
"What if it's a girl my lord, are you suggesting that you will cast her out?, she asked him unsmiling, and saw him frown, he was not a very handsome man, but he stole her heart when she first laid her eyes on him, and she was prepared to stay with him, rejecting all her suitors, defying her parents, who in turn disowned her, but she stayed true to him, not minding the hate she got from his parents,
"Of course not, if it's a girl, you can always bear another child for me, so that way there would be no problem, he pronounced, as long as its from you, I will love that child, he assured her again, and when she sighed in relief, and smiled at him...
"But I'm certain it would be a boy!, he declared....
~Three days later....
Lady Roxanne was in labour, she was being encouraged by midwives and she pushed screaming in agony, she pushed again, as adviced by the women, and she shouted....
Lord Fredrick sat at his hall drinking with the men, they jested on how his babe would look, and they laughed hard, telling him his son had better take after his mother, or be ready to be an unmarried man forever, Fredrick wasn't listening to them, although he was laughing he was not fully attentive, his mind lingered on his wife and his son, she would be out of the room soon he assured himself, and she would be safe!,
A midwife appeared on the stairs after several hours, she walked to him with trembling legs, she knew he was going to be very mad, as he had been referring to the baby as he, and his son...
Fredrick rushed to meet her, and she said in a low voice as possible, con... congratulations my lord, she shook, and bowed,
"Yes?, yes it's okay, how is my son and wife he asked, and she pointed to them nodding and smiling, "Yes!, he exclaimed as he ran up stairs and everyone in the hall cheered,
Fredrick rushed into the bed chambers where he saw his wife hold his child, his wife's hair was bound back, from her very beautiful but weak looking face, he looked down, at the child, and smiled, his son, but the child was so beautiful so fair, he came closer...
"Congratulations my love, your daughter is healthy, Lady Roxanne said to him, and watched his smile fade, his face cast with a sadness she expected, and she said again, "Aren't you going to touch her?, you promised to accept the child no matter what, she said to his frowning face...
"I was..., I was so sure!, he said bitterly, then he tried to look cheerful, and smiled at her, but his face felt numb and frozen...
"Fredrick.., Lady Roxanne called out to him, then was quiet, and Fredrick knew at that instant that something was very wrong! she never dressed him by his name unless she wanted to say something he wouldn't like! she opened the cloth used to wrap the child and she pointed at the star shaped birthmark on their daughter's back, and he gasped in shock...
"How?...., you said.., you,,, he said retreating from them, how!, he shouted confused, he didn't want this, this wasn't what he wanted, a daughter, and worst of all a touched one! then he stopped as he saw the fear, and hurt look on his wife's face, she was all he had after her father had disowned her because of him, so he stopped, and he did promise to accept the child, but he didn't have to like her, so he went to his wife and took the child, she was a beautiful one, he thought then held her tightly, he would pretend he liked her for his wife's sake, and when she was recovered from having this child, she would have another for him, this time it was going to be a boy! he thought happily, it had to be a boy! he thought quietly as he rocked her slowly, and gave his wide a fake smile...
Lady Roxanne saw it all, she saw through the fake smile, and pretense, but she was assured by the dream she had, he was going to protect her at all cost, and that was okay for her, three days ago when she first discovered that she was going to have a girl, she discovered as well that she was going to die soon, at most she had just three summers, and she was sad, leaving them would crush her husband, and her daughter may not really understand at that moment, but it would affect her as well, and she won't have any other child, it would crush Fredrick because she was going to die at child birth!
she knew there was no changing the future, so she smiled at her family, accepting her fate, she won't cry, she won't wail, she would accept it willingly, something she knew her baby girl wouldn't do, she saw that she was strong willed just like her papa...
"She is Mary, Lady Roxanne said weakly,
"Nay, I want her to have your name, fredrick protested
"It's the tradition my lord, she has to bear Mary, it's the only thing I can give her from her maternal side, Lady Roxanne argued
"In that case, she would be called Mary Anne lithurm, Fredrick pronounced and looked at his wife's face, he would do just anything for her, for her to smile and be happy! he thought, he will never lose her.....