My goal was to finish the first draft by the end of the year! That means I have to write just over 1000 words per day now! Let’s go!!
You’ve met my Lyse’s Aunt Sophie here before. Let me know what you think of this chapter of The Daughter of the King…
Today, the two of them are Beyond the Manor Gate…
The smell hit her like a wave. There were no perfumes covering up the foul odor of unwashed bodies. Bodies that were slumped beside doorways, some without anything on their feet. Lyse pulled her scarf tighter over her mouth as wind howled down the narrow alley. Snowflakes began to fall and she noticed blackened toes on the man they passed, crumpled next to a barrel outside a tavern.
She tried to stop but her Aunt saw where she was looking. “We can’t help them all. We need to keep moving - that baby won’t wait long for us.”
“But…” Lyse’s voice trailed off as she paused for a moment; but followed her aunt as they continued to the urgent call for a midwife.
Aunt Sophie was not a midwife by trade. As far as Lyse knew, there were two midwives in the village, but both had been called away to other difficult births. This November full moon had brought on so many babies and the depth of the cold seemed to make them harder. Yesterday, the midwives came to her aunt looking for any spare supplies that she had.
They brought the news that more than half of the babies had died and two of their mothers. Lyse’s aunt clenched her jaw at the news and muttered about proper food and firewood. Aunt Sophie was determined to help somehow. Today, she told Lyse to collect some extra blankets from her rooms in the manor. Then, she marched off to the village, with Lyse close behind.
The two of them were not supposed to be in the village. Lyse’s father would be furious if he found out. That’s why her aunt paid the guard well to keep his mouth shut as they went through the gate at the side of the manor’s surrounding walls.
As they headed down to the village; Fritz, the young boy who kept the fireplaces clean in the manor ran up to them. He begged them to come and help his mother because she had been laboring with his baby sister or brother for two days. Sophie glanced back at Lyse and nodded. That’s why they were here now, moving quickly down this dark street, following the boy.
Fritz led them to a tiny house at the end of the street. Lyse was surprised at the size of the house. Hadn’t Fritz told her that he had seven siblings? Where did they all sleep?
When Fritz opened the door and guided them to his mother, Lyse had her answer. Two roughly built bunk beds leaned on the back wall in the one-room house. Three dirty faces peered down from the top bunk at the woman in the lower bed. The tired woman barely acknowledged their presence. She couldn’t even lift her head from the sweat drenched mattress.
“Fritz, is there any clean water?” The boy nodded at Aunt Sophie’s question. “Run and get some for your mother. Make sure the cup is clean if you can. Lyse, get that blanket we brought while I check on this baby.” Lyse bent to the bags they’d brought with them.
“My dear, what is your name?” Aunt Sophie’s soft voice seemed to echo in the silence of the room. Lyse noticed two identical little faces staring from behind a drape that tried to separate the two bunk beds from each other.
Another contraction crashed into the woman as she tried to speak through her cracked lips. “B…Be…Beth.”
“Well, pardon me Beth while I see what is happening down there with this little one that seems to be overstaying his welcome. Try to have some water.” Fritz returned with a small cup and he held it for his mother.
Lyse watched her Aunt lift the threadbare blanket from the woman’s lower body so that she could see in the dim light of the room. Her eyes met Lyse’s. “I see one foot. He’s backwards, but it’s too late to try to turn him around. Let me see if I can see the other foot. Can you bring that lamp over here Lyse?”
She grabbed the lamp and held it close to her aunt. “That helps, thank you. Yes, good, there’s his other foot. Fritz, fill a bowl with some clean water. Lyse, grab the soap we brought.”
Aunt Sophie scrubbed her hands carefully and put the towel under the woman. “Ok Beth, I’m going to try to hook my finger around his other foot and see if I can get the little one to slide out. Hold on now.” The exhausted woman just nodded her head and laid back. Lyse held her hand while Aunt Sophie tried to maneuver the baby.
“Ok! I managed to get the foot down.” Another contraction came and Beth squeezed Lyse’s hand so tightly that Lyse wondered if it had been crushed. “Push now Beth, I know you’re tired, but this should help now.” Aunt Sophie was gently tugging on the tiny legs along with the contraction.
“Grab that blanket Lyse! He’s almost out now! One more contraction and he…I mean she…will be here.” Quickly, Lyse unwrapped the blanket and left it beside her aunt as she lifted Beth up for another contraction.
The baby slipped onto the blanket at the end of the last contraction. Her skin was very pale. Aunt Sophie wiped the mucus away from the baby’s face and rubbed its belly. “Come on little one! You’re here now! Let’s go!” Lyse watched her aunt flip the baby over and rub its back, willing it to breathe. She struck the little back gently. “Come on now! Breathe!” Her eyes flicked to Lyse’s. “Check on Maman.”
Lyse turned to Beth, who had fallen back on the bed. Fritz was kneeling beside her motionless body. “Maman! Wake up!” Lyse realized that Beth was no longer moving. She shook her. “Beth! Your baby is here! Please! You have to wake up! Fritz! Take your brothers and sisters outside please. Quickly!” She nudged the boy aside as she tried to get closer to Beth to see if she was breathing.
Beth started to shiver. Lyse was relieved as she pulled a blanket across her. “There, now, let’s get some rest.”
“My…my ba…by. I can’t hear her. Where is she?” Lyse helped her sip some water and turned to her aunt.
“Aunt Sophie is just perking her up a little before we let her rest with you.”
Sophie was frantically rubbing the baby, whose skin showed no signs of pink anywhere. Lyse looked back to Beth, who was now asleep under the covers.
Her aunt shook her head at Lyse and gently wrapped the baby in a clean blanket. “There’s nothing I can do. The baby was too long trapped there. If only we’d gotten here sooner…” A tear fell down Aunt Sophie’s cheek.
Beth cried out as another contraction rattled her body. “Lyse, we aren’t finished yet, Beth has a little more work to do. Help her.” Lyse pulled Beth up and the three women leaned in to the last contraction.
“My baby. Where is she? Why haven’t I heard her cry?” Beth wheezed out.
“I’m so sorry. It was too long a struggle for the wee one. She didn’t make it. I’m so sorry.” Aunt Sophie laid the bundle down with her mother. “Where is your husband? Would you like us to send Fritz to get his father? You will need to name the child, surely.”
“They won’t let him come home yet. We will wait until supper time. Call in the children. I want them to see their sister.”
Lyse went to the door, where she realized Fritz was already huddled with the others.
“We didn’t hear the baby. The baby always cries. We didn’t hear the crying.” Tears were streaming down all of the dirty faces and Lyse’s heart broke. She knelt down.
“Your mother wants to see all of you now. Don’t rush her, she is very tired and weak. I’m so sorry, Fritz.” Lyse quickly wiped her own tear away as she followed the children to their mother’s bedside.
“Your sweet little sister has gone to God. Amelia will sleep now with our Lord, warm and safe in heaven. Won’t that be nice for her?” The twins didn’t seem to understand, they just peeked at the baby and crawled back into the other bed, whispering to each other. The other three were younger than Fritz, with only about a year between them. They understood and nodded. Each one in turn kissed the baby’s head and went into the kitchen to start making their supper.
“Fritz, my strong boy, when your father and brother come home from the quarry, can you meet them before they come in? I can’t see your father’s face when he learns of our sweet baby.” Beth sobbed as Fritz nodded.
“Maman, I made this for you. I saved a piece of wood from the manor…” he glanced at Lyse, worried that she wouldn’t approve of him stealing a precious piece of firewood. She just smiled. Lyse marveled at the intricate carved bird the boy handed to his mother. It was only about one inch long, but the details on it were exquisite. She could clearly tell that it was a hummingbird.
Aunt Sophie’s eyes sparkled as she noticed the tiny bird. “Fritz! You have a talent. We should make sure that you get more wood to carve!”
Fritz shook his head. “No, I need to work. It takes too much time away from my work to do this. I wanted to do it for my maman, just this once. She works so hard, all the time. I must help my father and my brother provide for our family.” He stood up, taller now, and Lyse noticed that he’d seemed to age five years all at once.
“I will go and catch my father and brother now. After I bring in some coal for the fire. And I’ll lift the big pot up so that the others can heat up that stew. You should rest, Maman. Please do not get up for now. Please, stay in bed.” His brown eyes pleaded with Beth’s and she allowed herself to fall back and sleep. She pulled the bundle close to her.
“Can’t we do something to help them, Aunt Sophie?” Lyse picked up the blankets and clothing that had fallen.
“I have already sent extra food to them last week. Your uncle was very displeased with me. I snuck a few eggs down with Fritz yesterday. There isn’t much more that we can do.” Aunt Sophie helped the children get the pot warming over the fire that Fritz had built up.
Lyse started to collect their things. She slipped one of the blue ribbons she always wore around the sleeping Beth’s arm when her aunt wasn’t looking. Lyse glanced one more time at the baby in the bundle and whispered a little prayer.
As the two of them wound their way back along the street, Fritz approached with his father and brother. They walked with purpose and sadness. Beth’s husband attempted to give Aunt Sophie a coin, but she refused. She placed it back in the man’s hand, along with two others, Lyse noticed.
“No, you go home now and take care of your Beth. I am sorry that we could not do more for her.”
The man looked at the coins and paused. Lyse noticed that he struggled to say something, but he just nodded and continued on with his sons.
Thank you for reading my excerpt!
Until next week, kindness always,
Shawna