Chương 66: [Tales from Stormvast] A Mother's Choice

Tiena Padma had prayed to all the gods to grant her a healthy child. Zhurong to give her the strength to bear the pain. Nezha for an auspicious alignment of the stars. Xihe to ward her womb against all the ill humors that abounded the mortal realm, both rare and mundane. [Strength], [Dexterity], and [Constitution]. The standard trinity that any expecting mother would pray to. But Tiena's was no ordinary case.

For this was her sixth pregnancy after five miscarriages, and the Handmother had told her in no uncertain terms that this would be her last chance. And so, Tiena was at her wit's end to ensure that she carried this baby to term. And so, she prayed to all the gods. Fuxi for the [Intelligence] to perceive and understand all that was happening to her body. Shennong for the [Wisdom] to corral her turbulent emotions, lest the fetus suffer on her account.

And Nüwa for the [Charisma] to always say the right things, the better to keep herself in House Padma's good graces. Days turned to weeks, and weeks into months. Tiena's belly swelled and swelled, far bigger than it'd ever been. In fact, it had gotten so large that the Handmother came to her one day and said," Heaven has blessed you, child. This issue will surely be the harbinger of a millennium of prosperity for House Padma." Words to be proud of. But where she expected pride, Tiena felt only relief.

She cried then, right in front of the Handmother who looked away in secondhand embarrassment. She cried not tears of joy, but of simple gratitude. Gratitude to the gods for this one chance to bear a healthy child. But of course, the relief didn't last long. The anxieties came back in full force as the birth drew near. By the time her water broke, Tiena's belly was so distended that it was a wonder it didn't rupture along with the sac inside it.

A cadre of midwives rushed into her room then, led by the ever stone-faced Handmother. And as the elderly woman stepped to the bedside, she lifted her Gourd and asked," As this is your first birth, the labor will be long and painful. I can cast [Greater Serenity], if you wish. It won't shorten the labor, but it'll certainly numb the pain. Would you like me to do that?" Tiena wasn't born yesterday. She also saw the deliberately blank faces upon the midwives who now surrounded her in a circle.

She knew that this was a test, within earshot of a cadre of young women who couldn't wait to spread the gossip of how the First Consort of House Padma chose in the moment of her greatest dilemma. As such, the choice really was no choice. Tiena Padma recited another silent prayer to Zhurong, then steeled herself for what was to come. Out loud, she said," No, Handmother. I shall bear the heir of House Padma as nature once made me and as heaven intended." The Handmother's stony expression didn't change.

Yet the old woman gave the smallest of nods before laying her hand on Tiena's belly. The touch was cold, soothingly so against the fire that raged inside the mother-to-be. The labor was long and painful. Just as promised, just as heaven intended. Tiena's screams must have woken all the demon spirits of Leafell, let alone the whole house. Yet, in the end, those screams broke for long enough for her to hear the midwives' excited murmurs—and the tremulous wailing of a babe. Her babe. She wanted to see it.

Wanted to hold it. But the face that swam into her view belonged again to the Handmother. The woman's stone face did change then, betraying an unease that cut the celebration short. Tiena didn't understand at first. Until the pain came back with a vengeance, wringing more screams from her already ravaged throat. This second delivery was mercifully brief. Before Tiena knew it, she held two babes in her arms, bundled as tightly as if they were sticky rice dumplings. They were both boys.

And they were both the most beautiful creatures she'd ever laid eyes on." Leave us." The Handmother's command cut through the room, voice as cold as her touch. The midwives filed out in complete silence. Not a word of congratulations. Not one of them dared meet Tiena's eyes." Now," the Handmother turned to Tiena, and for one second, her stony eyes softened into something almost akin to pity. Tiena didn't like that. She didn't like it at all. The Handmother asked, "Have you decided on a name for your son?"

Son, singular. The breath caught in Tiena's throat, but she managed to choke out, "Hanza. Named after the lord husband's grandfather. But what of—" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The Handmother shushed Tiena with a look. She then removed one of the babes and walked out of the room, temporarily leaving the younger woman alone. Well, not alone. Tiena had the other child—the twin.

She now held him closer to her chest, gripped by fears that brooked no solace. The boy looked peaceful. Remarkably so for a soul torn out of his mother's womb mere moments ago. Indeed, he'd cried very little compared to his brother. Tiena would have looked upon his visage for an eternity if she could, but her vision soon blurred from tears unbidden. After some time, the Handmother returned, unaccompanied by her retinue. Hanza was gone from the old woman's arms, no doubt already passed off to the wet nurse.

The understanding hit Tiena with a pang of yearning, unseemly for a woman of her station. She tried to banish the thought, but was as successful at it as she was at stemming her tears. The Handmother leaned over and dabbed Tiena's face with a wet cloth. Her expression never changed as she gave her next command—the last one she would ever give to the First Consort of House Padma." When you're well enough to move, take this child to the Yellowspring Grotto, in the northernmost corner of Threestone Forest.

I would do it myself, but in order for the sacrifice to be recognized, it has to be performed by the birth mother. Once you're at the entrance to the cave, simply lay down the child and leave. Do not turn back for any reason. The spirit-gods of the nether realm do not take kindly to a renegade." For several excruciating seconds, Tiena couldn't speak. Her throat had tightened as if someone had closed a hand around it. In the end, it was all she could do to whisper," Is there no other way?"" There is not.

And you shouldn't need me to tell you that. Not since the invading army has crossed our borders, and not while the Kingdom of Leafell calls upon the noble houses to defend her. Your lord husband must not learn about this, do you understand? This ill omen must remain a secret shared only between the two of us, and you shall make it so by returning the twin to the nether realm." Tiena's bleary eyes welled with fresh tears.

Yet, even as her heart filled with horror and misery for herself and her guileless child—guilty only of the crime of being born one minute after his brother—she found it in herself to ask," What of the midwives? Don't they know—" The Handmother shook her head gravely." I already had the midwives taken care of." And that, more than anything, finally crushed the last of Tiena's desperate hopes. She knew then, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she must perform her duty. With alacrity, without complaint.

Lest the tragedy and loss of human life swell as much as her belly once had. She departed in the dead of night. The way was dark, and became ever darker as she ventured deeper into the forest. She dared not risk discovery by casting [Light]. Nor did she use [Cure Wounds] to ease her pain even if by a little. If anything, she welcomed the pain. It felt like just punishment for the monstrous deed she was about to perform. The grotto hid amidst a thicket, so dense as to paint everything in uniform darkness.

She'd nearly walked straight into the cave, before the sudden and palpable chill in the air told her in no uncertain terms: stop, this is not a place for the likes of you. And there, she hesitated. The nameless babe slept soundly in her arms. Not a murmur of complaint even while his mother had stumbled and dragged her feet through the dark forest. And even in the darkness, she could see his face as clear as day. Peaceful, innocent, the most beautiful thing in the world. And yet, the choice really was no choice.

Tiena Padma recited another silent prayer to Xihe, then turned her heart to ice. Out loud, she said," I'm sorry." She laid down the swaddled bundle. Turned around and walked away. She forced herself to go blank—to think nothing and feel nothing—as she stumbled and dragged her feet, back the way she'd come. But then… The cry of a babe. First a hesitant cough, then a full-throated wail once he'd realized the full extent of the injustice.

Such a peaceful child, far quieter than his brother, now cursing the world—cursing his mother—with every strength in his trembling body. The cry froze Tiena in her tracks. It broke her icy heart into a thousand pieces. She spun. Rushed back to the cave entrance. Didn't think, didn't feel. Only knew what she must do. As a mother, as a person, as Tiena Padma formerly of Blacksnake Hollow. She rushed to her nameless babe and picked him up. Held him close to her chest and cooed until his cry subsided.

Yet, even as the babe calmed down, the spirits all around made their presence known. Something called to mother and child from the cave's pitch blackness. To Tiena, it didn't sound like angry remonstrations against a renegade. Rather, it sounded like an invitation. Tiena stood for some time, weighing her options. She could go back to the house, where the babe—the accursed twin—would be taken from her arms and executed.

She could run away with him, but it would be a matter of time before the Padma men tracked them down. She could also leave him somewhere else, to face the mortal life and his own curse alone and motherless—a fate worse than death. Or… The depths of the Yellowspring Grotto called to mother and child. With sympathy for their plight. In invitation to make a different choice. It was perhaps the most terrible choice of them all… but at least Tiena and her son would face it together."

Forgive me, Hanza," Tiena said to the other son, the firstborn who'd long been plucked from her arms, "but I know you'll grow up with love and happiness, to spearhead a millennium of prosperity for House Padma. And I hope you understand that I do this for your brother— Shaza, named after my grandfather." With an apology to one son and a proclamation to the other, Tiena of Blacksnake Hollow stepped across the threshold and into the grotto.

The babe in her arms cooed softly, as the chill of the nether realm air swept across his face.