Lost Dreams

He held her hand in fascination. Her belly swelled from the life they had created together. Beads of sweat dripped down either side of her temples, her face in grimace as she pushed to deliver their child. The love between them has been forbidden, unheard of. He smiled, his memories drifting back to nights along the Lake where they would meet in secret. Passionate touches and soft kisses, all done under the guise of the moon, leading them to this moment. “M’lord, the babe is coming with this push, please hold the lass” said the old croon he had commissioned to help. He nodded his head and grabbed his lovers hand tighter, whispering reassurances to her, awed by her strength as she bore down and gave a push to end all pushes. The room around them filled with cries of the newborn baby. “A girl my love, you’ve given me …” his words Cut short by the sudden cry of his partner. “Sir, there is a second babe!” the old woman shouted out, with eyes wide he looked down at the hand he was holding , she was fading and he could see the effort diminishing from her face. “My Moon, please do not give up on me, you’ve given my most precious gift , I need you here, our children, they need you to hold on, fight this battle, I love you” he whispered to her, placing a gentle kiss on her head. She looked at him, the brilliance of her blue eyes searing through him, and he could tell her fire was back. She held his gaze, and again she pushed. He looked just as the old woman caught the child. Another girl. Two beautiful daughters, born under the full moon. Their cries in tune with one another. Each looking for their mother’s milk , and the companionship of her sister. “My lord, would you care to hold the babes while I cleanse the lady” asked the croon. He looked down at his lover, the faintest of smiles on her face as she nodded at him. He walked to the two bundles, wrapped in blankets he had shipped in secret from across the sea. “Two , Moon, two of the most beautiful treasures I have ever seen” he said to her. “Tell me, my love, what do they look like?” He heard her softly ask. He looked at her and smiled. “The first, she has a small patch of gray hair, wise beyond her age if I do say so myself, and her eyes, they mirror yours, the deepest blue, yet so bright, with the poutiest lips of a child. The second, well, she resembles her father. Thick chestnut hair, and the greenest eyes , and my does she hold her self in such a serious way.” He mused. She chuckled lightly, “what shall we name them my Darling?” Gently, he placed his second born child back in basket the old woman had lain out for her. He went and sat next to his lover. “Well”, he said, pulling the blanket back so Mother could see Daughter, “ she reminds me of her mother already, her very essence is you.” “I will call her Coralee” he said. She smiled, “my sweet Cora, I bet you are hungry.” He placed the child in her arms, and walked back to his Second daughter. Taking his place beside the bed he asked “And this surprise my love, what shall we name her” He watched as her eyes shifted over their child, love radiating from her as she maneuvered to place the baby at her other breast. “The moon is full, and she is of her fathers likeness, so I believe I will call her Novalynn” she answered. He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Taking in the full vision of the woman he loves and the children they had created together. It was then that the fear hit him. This feeling he had, the wholeness, it could not be discovered or he would surely lose all 3. She sensed his change immediately, her eyes searching his, an understanding settling In behind them. “Bring me my bag” she told him. He walked to the small table and grabbed the item she was looking for. He placed it on the bed. “Inside, you will find 2 gems, one an onyx, like the lake where our love was forged, and the second an opal, like the moon we hid under night after night. Place them in my hands under each of the babies” He did as she asked. “Our children must be protected” she whispered. And then she began to sing. Her native language vastly different from their common one. Her voice strong and soft, sweet and tyrannical. Words he could not understand, yet pulling him. He knew of her powers and how she could use them for good or evil. She always chose the good, determined to keep balance in her world and his. So he just watched and listened mesmerized. As the song finished she opened her hands. Two necklaces spilled from the sides of her palms, one for each baby. “If your brother discovers the children, or me…” her words stopped short with the sob In her breath. He leaned in and kissed the top of her head. “He is not my brother, only a fool with aspirations to unseat me and lead my people in my place, he has changed from when we were boys, never my brother to begin with, his motives never more clear then they are now” he grunted. “You, woman, come here” he gestured to the croon who had been cleaning her tools from the birth. “Yes my lord” she replied. He looked at his lover , knowing his next words were going to hurt them both in a way that neither could ever describe. But it was the only way he could protect his children until he threats were at bay and he knew he could reveal their existence to the world. “Deeper in the wood, there is another cottage, past the small creek , hidden in a grouping of willow trees. Take the children and hide.” He commanded. His lover began to cry, he felt her shoulder shake under his hand. He looked down at her. She pulled their children in, understanding crossing her face, couple with pain and determination. “Their names are Coralee and Novalynn” she whispered. Gently she placed them in front of her on the bed. She picked up the newly forged necklaces and placed a kiss on each one, before setting them inside the blankets. “Keep my children safe, Mother” she said to the woman. The old woman nodded. She too, knew the ways of the world as it stood, and what she had witnessed this evening. She gathered her belongings, packed her small cart. The man helped his lover from the bed. Each of them carrying a sleeping bundle from the cottage. Quietly they handed the old woman their children. Tears streaming from their faces they kissed the daughters goodbye. The old woman had been traveling for some time when she could smell ash in the air. She stopped the cart and looked through the trees. The flames were visible even from this distance she had ridden. A sob broke free from her heart as she gave her old horse the whip. Mourning the loss of love , and Lost Dreams.