Lady of Nyv

As all of the men thanked Dom and Kol, as well as inspected the beast, Ona turned to check on Maevyn. She was shocked to find that the girl was not where she had left her.

She frantically searched the nearby area, finally finding her curled up at the base of a tree, grasping her abdomen. Her face was contorted in pain.

“What’s wrong?” Ona demanded.

“My stomach hurts.” Maevyn moaned, her voice catching on the last word.

“I cannot help you when you’re curled around yourself. Can you stand?”

Maevyn managed to pull herself to her feet. Once standing, she leaned against the tree for support, still grasping her abdomen.

“You’re bleeding!” Ona gasped. “Where are you hurt?”

“I’m not hurt.” Maevyn whined.

“Then why are you bleeding?”

“Something is wrong.” She cried, tears falling down her cheeks.

“What do you mean? I cannot help you if you are not being honest with me.” Ona begged.

“I am with child.” Maevyn blurted. Her face turned crimson after she confessed.

Ona’s eyes widened.

“Is that why your father sent you with us?”

“Yes.”

Maevyn collapsed onto the ground suddenly. She screamed in agony as the blood flow increased, making it more visible to Ona.

She pulled the girl into her lap, wiping the hair away from her damp forehead.

“Kol, bring me my water skin!” She called.

Kol obeyed, bringing the water skin to her without question. When he saw Maevyn his face turned white.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Ona and Maevyn said in unison.

“Ona, there’s a lot of bleeding. I can help her, you just need to tell me what’s wrong.”

“She is losing her child.” She shot back.

Kol stepped back in surprise.

“She was with child?”

“Yes. Now leave us be.”

Kol returned to the other men and Ona helped Maevyn drink from the waterskin.

T’wasn’t until the sun was setting that the bleeding had sufficiently subsided and Maevyn was able to walk once again.

Ona helped the girl rinse her clothing to try to rid them of the blood stains. They managed to get most of them out, but there was still a slight shade of red visible in some areas.

“T’will fade to a brown in time.” Ona reassured the skeptical girl.

After Maevyn was redressed, she approached Ona by the fire.

“Thank you for today, M’Lady.” She said quietly.

“You needn’t thank me.”

“I would have died had you not been there.”

“I may have saved you from dying, but I know that the pain will not subside so easily.”

“I feel no more pain.” Maevyn responded, confused by Ona’s statement.

“You lost a child today, Maevyn. That is not something that you will ever forget, and t’will hurt for a long time; longer than you can ever imagine.”

Ona watched as the girl’s eyes flooded with tears.

“I loved him so much, M’Lady.” She whimpered.

“Who? Your baby?”

“No. The farm boy.”

Ona nodded, understanding fully now. She pulled the girl’s head to her chest, allowing her to cry into her shirt as she rubbed her back.

“My sincerest apologies, dearest Maevyn.” She breathed.

The two huddled by the fire for a few moments before Ona could feel the girl falling asleep.

“Let’s get you to bed.” She whispered.

Maevyn stood and Ona walked her to where her belongings sat against a tree.

“Will you stay with me?” Maevyn asked, her glassy blue eyes locking with Ona’s.

“Of course.” She replied.

The two settled down at the base of a tree and fell asleep nearly instantly.