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Note-the entire work is not erotic, so if you are simply looking for the sex scene, scroll to chapter two. Thank you for reading!
Chapter 1
It was another cold night in Greenwood Vale. While the snow was yet to arrive, everyone could feel it's presence clutching the breeze of the late-autumn air. Lanterns were lit bright in most households, and hearths were ablaze in an attempt to shut out the bitter draft. An impossible task, however. Greenwood Vale is a small village built beside the winding river Bord in the middle of the Greenwood forest, and in my opinion, once the wind from the Greenwood Forest blankets the town, there is nothing that can save you from its grasp reaching the vary marrow of your bones.

I would usually curl up beside my husband on nights like these; we would sit by the fire and talk about his work as a blacksmith and what new and interesting people he met today. He is quite an exceptional blacksmith. His work is known by all the closest towns outside the forest, and so he gets many adventurers to his shop seeking a new blade, or some repairs during their travels. Renley Stormshield is a good man and a hard worker, but he is in love with his work more than his wife. My friends tell me not to think this way, that he is dedicated to supporting his family. I am grateful for his passion for blacksmithing, and his popularity has gotten us through some otherwise difficult times economically for the rest of the town. However, these last few night, Renley has come home very late, which is unusual for him. He would say that had extra work to do, or that he went out drinking with the guys. I couldn't help but be suspicious, but being my husband, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Last night he was home at his regular time. I had made a nice meal for him, and the house was spotless. Through our lack of conversation over dinner, I could tell that something was up. I would ask questions about his day, and he would give minimal answers. Finally, I decided to bring up an issue that I had wanted to talk about for the last couple of weeks, but just had not found the time to do so. I started off by saying that I was very proud of him and the time he puts into his work, and that I was fortunate to have such a man. We were also very fortunate to have had such a good year when some of the other folks really suffered. This seemed to bring him to a better mood, so I sprung the proposal on him: I wanted to have a baby. Immediately his fork dropped from his hand, and his face looked shocked. I did not think it would be such a big issue, but clearly it was. We hadn't t had sex for a while, since lately he had been coming home late. And even though I was in the mood, he would brush me off and say he was too exhausted from his day. His response came in a short burst, and he simply said that we were not ready for that, and he did not want a child.

The sternness in his voice was new to me; he had never spoken to me like that, and so I was nervous that it might lead to a more physical reaction as well. He stood up quickly from his seat at the table, and all I could do was remain frozen and scared. He stormed out the door, not even grabbing his overcoat, and left me there shocked and confused. After a little while had passed, I got up and cleared the table, the went to go get prepared for bed. I didn't know if he would come home that night, or at all in that case, and I new that there was nothing I could do to bring him back. So, I fell asleep, still afraid that he would come in the night and beat me for thinking such thought of family when he hadn't expressed a desire for one. Had I been wrong to want a child?

The next morning came, and still no Renley. I decided that he had probably stayed at a friends house and then gone to work in the morning. I wine about my business as usual: Cleaning the house, purchasing food from the market, and finding some free time in between to knit a pair of warm socks for the up coming winter. Evening came, and still no Renley. Thought flew through my mind thinking he had found himself another woman. Frighteningly, it made sense since he would come home late and not be in the mood for intercourse. I wanted to think this wasn't true, but I knew his friends at the tavern would know, and he might just be there himself. For whatever reason, I took my wedding band off and left it on the dresser in our room; if he came home and saw it there, he might think that I was leaving him, but would he even care? I would be doing him a favour if indeed he was seeing another besides me. In any case, I had to go figure all this out, so I grabbed my coat and headed out the door.

The Tavern was bustling with people this evening, and the bartender looked like he had his hands full. I couldn't see Renley anywhere. Feeling a little relieved that there would be not confrontation for now, I located one of his good friends and went to ask him some questions. Unfortunately, he was much too drunk to answer coherently. While I was trying to get something scarcely understandable out of him, I noticed a young man that I didn't recognize, probably late mid to late twenties sitting alone at a table for four. Plenty of travellers come through the Vale, but he wasn't rugged like the rest. He had a sort of aura to him; he was staring at me, and when I met his gaze he motioned for me to come sit with him. A little taken aback by the invitation, I was hesitant at first to go to his table. But, since he looked like a traveller, he might have been to Renley's workshop today and he could at least tell me if he was at work or not. Still a little apprehensive, I decided to go and sit with him.

He greeted me politely, though if he was trying to swoon my I couldn't tell. His accent gave away that he was a traveller, and when I asked him about my Renley's shop, he said he had not been there. He was here to check out the new temple being built. I though he might have been a Cleric or a Paladin; with the he new temple being built, we had seen an influx of Clerics and Paladins in Greenwood Vale, many on a holy pilgrimage. However, he did not seem of the zealous sort, so I was intrigued as to his business with the temple. He asked my name, and I told him it was Gretchen Stormshield. He told me to call him Soren, and when I asked about his last name he said it was unimportant. However curious this made me, he quickly changed the subject my asking if he could order me an Ale, and I complied. He talked of his adventures in great detail; I was mesmerized at his ability to capture my attention so easily. He was truly an amazing story teller, I was so enthralled that I would gasp at the suspense he would create and feel pride in his victories. It felt like he as guiding me along my own story, even though I had never experienced such thing as slaying trolls and fighting in wild tavern brawls. It was like he was able to twist my mind to think I had actually done those things, but it was probably just the Ale distorting my reasoning.

We continued to talk; this man was suave with his words, and I could tell he was trying to swoon me, but with his voice was so inviting that I forgot all about my issues and commitments and could only focus on what he was saying. Renley never made the effort to tell me that I was beautiful. Come to think of it, I can't even remember the last time that he told me he loved me. But this young, handsome man before me was so effortlessly making me feel appreciated, that I was forgetting that I was married to Renley, and all I wanted was to be with Soren. It was like I was in a trance, and when he took my hand and led me up the stairs to his room, the part of me thinking in the moment wanted him to do exactly that.

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Chapter 2
I visioned him taking me up to his room. He would kiss me passionately while slowly peeling the clothes from my body. Then, he would romance me until the sun came up the next morning. But that's not what happened. When we arrived at the top of the stairs, he practically dragged me to down the hall and to his room. The picture frames seemed to jump out at me as if to warn me of a great danger ahead, but I brushed it off and focused on keeping my balance. He opened his the door to his room and brought me inside. Once closed, he threw me against the door and kissed me roughly on the lips. Oh gods, his lips were amazing. They were warm to touch, and melted together with mine in perfect unison. I considered the roughness just an act of foreplay, and decided to enjoy his dominance. We kissed fervently, and when he added his tongue my knees went weak. As I slipped, I felt both of his hands grip my ass, supporting me as well as giving a good squeeze that made me arch into his firm body. I could feel his member getting hard through his pants, so I stuck my right hand between us and started to caress his growing cock. He started moaning through our kissing, and the vibrations from his lips and tongues sent shivers throughout my body. I ran my left hand through his hair, and was surprised to find it soft, not oily. My imagination took over and I began thinking about what other hygiene this man was fond of.

He broke our lip lock and started to kiss just under my ear sending a rush of pleasure down my spine. Continuing down my neck, he slowly took time at each sensitive spot making me the one to now moan out in ecstasy. After reaching the bottom, he returned to my lips gently and guided me backwards towards the bed. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled myself tight to feel his penis grind against my vagina through our pants. He quickly swung me around and tossed me on the bed. I lay there, slightly biting my lip and waited for him to ravage me like I wanted so badly. Looking up at him I finally was able to notice his beautifully deep silver eyes. I got lost looking into them, and it was odd to me that he seemed to be staring past me, that it was hard to find directly where his gaze was pointed. He threw his coat on the ground and started to take off his shirt revealing a tight, chiselled stomach, and lines from his hips pointing like an arrow to the large bulge in his pants. Like I had suspected, his built chest was shaved clean, along with his abdomen. Curiously, his body was covered with random black lines that appeared at first like scars, but as I looked closer, they were just on the surface, and were not the remnants of battle wounds. I went to touch his waist, and inspect those strange markings, but he caught my arms half way and pushed them above my head. A bizarre feeling washed over me when his hands touched my wrists; it felt as if the melted into my skin, like there was no distinction between our beings.

I soon got distracted from that thought when he started to remove my coat and top. Effortlessly, he grazed them from under my body and over my head so that I was lying there with my breasts perked and exposed to him. While removing his belt, he looked down at me with his shining silver eyes with what I took to be total lust, but contained what felt like another desire; one for more than just my body. With his belt he tied my wrists together just tight enough that I could not writhe out of them. However, I did not feel the need to as he started groping my left breast and sucking on my right nipple. Again, upon his touch I felt an immediate connection that past through the bound of physical space, and I moaned loudly from the intense pleasure he was giving me. He replaced his mouth with his right hand on my breast and began to kiss down my stomach. Every time his lips left my body I could feel an cold impulse, like there was a current running between our bodies. He reached my pelvis and began to remove my pants and underwear, leaving my breasts to the open air. In one swipe, he took off both pieces of clothing, as well and my shoes and socks and threw them on the floor all the while burying his nose into the patch above my vagina.

He spread my legs and commenced to kiss my pussy that was already wet from all the stimulation. Masterfully, he maneuvered his tongue inside me, swirling around my clitoris. His right hand returned to my breast, but his left went elsewhere. Slowly, carefully, his left pointer finger started prodding at my asshole. This was foreign to me, and so naturally I responded by clenching. In response, he added his middle finger and swirled them both around the hole, waiting for it to relax. His tongue seemed to grow inside of my vagina, and he meticulously directed it at my g-spot, making me cry out. At that very moment he pushed his two fingers into my anal canal. He proceeded to move his fingers in and out of my ass, while his tongue continued to assault my pussy, and I squirmed on the bed from the intense rush I was experiencing, and I was getting close to my orgasm. Sensing that I was getting close, his fingers increased their speed in and out of my hole and his tongue felt like it was somehow dancing around in my vagina. My body braced itself for the coming climax, and as his tongue lashed over my g-spot once more, I couldn't hold it any longer. My back arched, and my pussy squirted its orgasmic juices all over his face. I laid back in pleasure, and twitched when he stood up and pulled his fingers from my asshole. I felt empty without his tongue foraging through my vagina, and his fingers sliding in and out of my ass. It was as if a part of me had been taken with him when he left.

He undid his pants and pushed them down along with his underwear revealing his erect penis. It was big, about seven inches long and two and a half wide. Much bigger than Renley's, and so at first I was a little nervous to have such a big dick inside my pussy. Without speaking, he grabbed the belt keeping my wrists tied together and pulled me up with his left hand. His right hand went to his face, gathering all of my sex juices that had sprayed on him when I came. He then wiped his hand off on his hard cock, lathering it with my fluids. Kneeling in front of him, I opened my mouth to receive his waiting dick. I wrapped my lips around his penis, and upon contact I immediately felt that his cock was cool, almost cold. I thought I could warm it up with my mouth, so I sucked while producing a lot of saliva to coat it with warmth. His cock was so big in my mouth that I couldn't take all of it, and I felt it start to hit the back of my throat. To compensate, my hands went to his scrotum and began fondling his balls. I knew I was doing a good job from the moans he was releasing from his mouth that vibrated all the way down to his penis. His hips started to push his dick slowly into my mouth, pushing it a little deeper each time. His thrusts increased in speed, and I started to gag as his cock slid down my throat. Through all of my efforts to make his penis warmer, it actually seemed to be getting colder, and it felt like I was sucking on a chunk of ice. My face was soon pressed against his neatly groomed patch of pubic hair, and he was face-fucking me hard. My mouth was open so that I could get some air, and my saliva was slopping all over his balls and inner thighs. I could feel his frozen cock starting to pulse in my mouth; he was getting close to coming and I wanted to swallow all of it for him. If my husband was fucking some whore on the side, I would act like one for this man.

Suddenly, he pulled out of my mouth. I gasped for air and closed my eyes, preparing for him to shoot his load all over my face. Instead, he grabbed my shoulders and pushed me against the bed. I was shocked that he had fought back his orgasm, and also a little sad that I wouldn't be able to swallow his seed. I wanted to taste him badly, and my mind was running with lust. He broke the silence with the first words since we had been at the table together. Bent over me with his penis hovering above my desperate pussy, he whispered,

"Gretchen. I want to know you inside and out."

Sliding off his tongue and onto my lips, his words penetrated my inner core and I let myself go, entirely his. I wanted to belong to Soren. He pulled the cover from the pillow and made a makeshift blindfold. Placing it over my eyes, he spoke the last words I ever heard him speak,

"Let me have you."

I placed my tied hands above my head and arched my back, waiting for his cock to be inserted into my vagina. Soft and cold, I felt the tip of his penis tease my pussy until he slowly pushed himself inside of me. It was a tight fit for his frozen member, but my love juices flowed freely creating a sufficient lubricant. He started to move in and out of me, going deeper with each thrust of his hips. His hands grasped my breasts and I envisioned him hunched over me with that same look of lust that I saw before he blindfolded me. I could hear his ragged breathing in rhythm with my own, and his deep moan would release from his mouth as mine would. We were truly entwined, as unified as two people can be. Once again, that mystical sensation of his skin moulding into mine swarmed my whole body, but much stronger this time, like every open piece of my skin was being kissed by his warm, moist lips. His frigid penis continued to fuck my wet pussy at an ever increasing speed and all I could do was beg for more. Strangely, I felt his cock start to rotate inside of me, like he was changing positions with his dick still pressed deep into my vagina, but I couldn't feel his arms or body attempt to move mine for his to slide underneath in the way that his cock was fucking me. At the same time, his penis started to grow inside of my pussy, and every push went deeper, grinding over my g-spot, until I could feel his cold cock push against the outside of my womb. The pleasure was intense, and his dick never slowed down its pace. I could feel it start to pulsate and I knew his orgasm was coming soon.

I was very confused, and starting to get a little scared at what was going on; I noticed that I could no longer hear his breathing, and I still only felt the bed cover underneath my skin and not him where he was supposed to be. I tried reaching for the blindfold, but there was a strong force holding my arms against the bed that I could not feel. All I knew was that I wanted the blindfold off desperately. I needed to see what was happening. With all my strength, I slowly inched my arms up against the force holding them back. An insane wave of ecstasy burst from my vagina as his cock fucked me hard. The sex was starting to feel painful against my pussy, but his penis was unrelenting. With all my effort, I yanked my elbows down and was able to grab the blindfold and rip it from my face. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I couldn't believe what I was seeing, or rather, what I was not seeing. My body was adjusted as if there was someone under me, and my vagina was spread like a thick cock was voraciously fucking it, but none of it was visible. In desperation, I sat up and swung my hands at where the penis was supposed to be, but I felt nothing. Hardly able to withstand the immense pleasure coursing through my veins, it took all my strength to remain upright. Carefully, I brought my hands to my vagina; to my dismay, I could feel myself touching it on the outside, but I was still being viciously fucked from the inside. The cock inside my vagina suddenly grew wider, stretching my pussy and I could see it starting to bleed. I bit at the belt tying my hands together, and suddenly, my asshole was being stuffed with much more than two fingers. I writhed back in pleasure and pain as the two frozen cocks pounded my pussy and ass. There was nothing I could do to stop it; my body started violently bouncing as the penises rhythmically fucked my holes. With their swelling, I knew the end was coming; abruptly, the fucking stopped and liquid fire scorched a path into my womb and stomach. My pussy sprayed more sex juice than it ever has, and from my mouth came a terrible screech, but was the voice of Soren, not my own. I lay there exhausted, stunned, and terrified, as my mouth moved on its own, once again using the voice of Soren to utter three deadly words,

"You are mine."
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Chapter 3
I had passed out on the bed in the tavern room; I woke up hoping to find Soren in the room with me in his warm embrace, the last night all just a crazy hallucination, the effect of bad ale. My heart sank when I saw that he was nowhere to be seen, and pain shot from my pelvic region confirming the events of last night. What was Soren? He couldn't have been anything human. The only conclusion I could come up with was that he was something demonic, and during intercourse, had possessed me. I jumped from the bed and hurriedly threw on my clothes. Quietly, I escaped from the tavern without attracting any attention and raced home. Entering the house, I noticed that Renley was home, sitting at the table and eating breakfast. He stood up and walked over to me; I stood in fear of what was to come.

Tightly, he embraced me and kissed my forehead while speaking about how worried he was when I didn't come home, that he had gone out looking in the night for me. He apologized for the all the late nights saying that he had been helping to build the temple since there was such a rush for it to be completed before winter. Because of these extra hours, he would come home exhausted and not in the mood for any sexual acts. Guilt washed over me like a flood; my husband hadn't been cheating on me like I had suspected, and I went out and acted like a whore to get back at him. What had I done? How could I have been so ignorant? I broke off from his warm clutch and lied to him saying I spent the night with one of the other wives whose husband was out on a journey, and that she needed some company. He said he was glad that I was safe now, and continued to say that he would be working on the temple quite often now at night and the next month would probably be more of the same. Leaving for work, he kissed me goodbye and said that he would come home after work for supper, then head out to the temple after from now on so that I needn't be worried about his absence.

When he had left, I leapt up the stairs to our bedroom to change out of these clothes, and to freshen up. I noticed my wedding ring on the dresser; pausing, the brutal memories last night pounded at my conscience. As the first step in righting my wings, I needed to put the ring back on and try to forget that night of deceit and adultery. I reached for the ring, and slipped it on my ring finger. Suddenly, searing pain shot up my arm emanating from the ring. I cried out in pain and ripped the band off and threw it on the ground. My finger was burned and was starting to bleed. I gripped it with my right hand and collapsed to my knees and wept. Not about the excruciating pain pulsing from my finger, but from the realization that I really was possessed by a demon, and could not touch such a holy symbol as a wedding ring.

Hours passed, and when the tears would come to my eyes no more, I pushed myself up from the ground. I was weak, and my legs trembled with every step, but I managed to make it down the stairs and to the hearth. Grabbing the tongs used to move the wood around, I made my way back up the stairs into the bedroom. Slowly, carefully, I picked up the ring with the tongs and felt a slight tinge in my left hand. With haste, I lifted the ring and dropped it into the top drawer of the dresser. Moving some clothes on top of it, I made sure that the ring was out of sight where Renley would not see it. I noticed that the wound on my ring finger was already starting to heal. A crazy idea entered my mind; I sprinted down to back to the fire and put the tongs back in their place. Kneeling down, I reached out my left hand to the small flames flickering amongst the coals. They seemed to beckon me closer; their dance a soft whisper inviting me in.

My fingers came dangerously close to the fire, and I wanted to retract my arm, but something else was pushing it forward against my will. Finally, my hand became immersed in the flames; my head tilted back and my vision went dark. Heat flooded my body, it circulated through my veins, but I knew I was not burning. My vision came back, and my body was wreathed in flames. No sound escaped my mouth; I simply stood up and looked at my reflection in the picture frame above the fireplace. I felt strong, and energy coursed through my blood with every heartbeat. My body was different. It no longer had the signs of age to it that I had been noticing, and all the hair was burnt from my body except that on my head. A soft voice spread through my mind and rang through every nerve in my body, whispering,

"Feel my power."

I willed the flames around me to stop, and they obeyed. The fire followed my orders. I concentrated my thoughts to my right hand and directed the fire there, and behold, they sprang up and formed a sphere in my palm like I envisioned. This new force raging within my bones gave me confidence, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could not stay with Renley. With even more assurance, I could feel Soren's life force woven into my sinew, I could sense his presence in my soul.

And I loved it.

The next month I spent going through the motions with Renley. He was such a good man, and I struggled with ending our relationship. I wanted desperately to walk out the front door, never to return, but I admit that I knew little of adventuring and what exactly lay beyond Greenwood Forest. So, I practiced creating fire in secret every day, increasing my experience with the little guidance I could sense from Soren moving within me. At night, when Renley was out building the temple, I went to the tavern to talk with adventurers about their quests and journeys. My knowledge of the outlying area grew as I socialized with those passing through, and with the funds Renley had saved I knew I had the means to make it on my own. I wanted to find a tutor, someone who could teach me the art of magic and fire, but no such thing existed in Greenwood Vale, and it would be much to dangerous to practice here as word travels quickly.

Causally, I would search through the markets for any spell books or scrolls without looking too suspicious, but none turned up. I was getting impatient with myself. I wanted to leave now, but there was also another factor holding me to Renley: I missed my cycle this month. I knew that the child wasn't his, since we hadn't been to bed since he started on the temple. Fear and excitement both were at the forefront of my mind when I though about the child being Soren's. I could feel it getting bigger inside me; a deep connection bound us together more so, I suppose, than any regular conception. It felt as though I had Soren nurturing inside me as a babe. I knew it was a boy, and I could feel him growing at a fast rate within my womb, however, my stomach never grew. What plagued my mind was that I knew I couldn't take a newborn out into the woods, which would delay my departure up to a year. I knew I loved the child, and would until the day I died, but I needed to leave soon; I hoped that Renley would take care of him and raise him well, despite it not being his own.

I made up my mind to have the child in Greenwood Vale, then disappear after that. I dreamed that one day I would return to the child, and we would be reunited once more. A deep throb in my gut told me that would never happen. Over the next month, in preparation, I started to create a secret stash of supplies so that I would be absolutely prepared for the day when the child came.

It was less than a month when the temple was finished, and of course I avoided the grand opening. If a wedding band shot pain through my body and burnt a scar into my finger, I didn't want to experience what effect getting near a holy church would have. Paladins and clerics started to flood the town; I stayed hidden indoors, afraid of their holy magic that they would sense the demon inside me. Renley was home every evening now, but thankfully my stomach had not grown at all. I could tell the baby was getting close, very close, like any second I could be doubled over on the floor in agony bringing Soren's child into the world.

Chapter 4
It happened a few days later. I was preparing dinner when if felt like a knife was stabbed into my stomach. Falling to the floor on my hands knees, I took long breaths to try to handle the intense pain. Fluid started to run down the sides of my legs; the contractions were not subsiding, so I fumbled my way onto my back, grasping at the table legs for support. Inside my womb, I could feel the child moving around trying to claw its way out of my stomach. Small swords tempted to tear through my abdomen, so I pushed with all my might to redirect the child so that he would come out the proper way, and not leave a gaping hole in my midsection. I screamed, and my muscles tensed around my cervix, squeezing the child down the birth canal. Through my shut eyes, I could see the bright light from the flames engulfing my body. I was in such agony that flames were spurting from every orifice, burning my clothes and lighting the table on fire.

I could sense Soren inside me. It was as if his hands were leading the child out into the world. It comforted me knowing that Soren wanted this child, and would help me through this excruciating process. Through my desperate screams, I could hear a faint voice telling me to breathe, and to push. Startled, my eyes shot open, afraid to see Renley looming over me. But when I opened my eyes, it wasn't Renley, but Soren, naked, and exactly the way I remember him. His image wasn't a solid form, but seemed to shift and flow. He was kneeling, and leaning over where the baby would come out, yet even though he was visibly apart from me, I could feel his touch caressing my body, trying to keep me calm. Me breathing became less ragged, and I focused on my contractions while staring deep into the silver pools of Soren's eyes. Even though his hands were holding the baby's head that was now protruding from the birth canal, I could feel his fingers interlocked with mine, somehow giving me a solid foundation to clamp onto through each contraction. Soren pulled the baby out with my final push, and as the flames retracted into my body, I noticed that the umbilical cord was split in two, one end attaching to me, and the other to Soren's stomach. The placenta quickly followed, and Soren detached the umbilical cord from the child; the end connected to him slinked back into his abdomen and disappeared from sight. Soren brought the baby to my arms, and I held my beautiful child for the first time.

Through the blood, I could tell that his skin was slightly red, and he had the same small black scars like his father. His eyes were also a dark silver that I got lost in. Poking from his head were two tiny horns. The child was silent, but breathed steadily; I ran my hand through the small patch of black hair on his head, and I pulled him close. It suddenly dawned on me that I would be leaving this baby behind. I clung to him for dear life, and my tears washed down his body and dripped from his tiny feet. Soren was running his hands through my hair; he was now kneeling behind me and my head was resting in his lap. I wanted to live in this moment forever, but I knew that by stating I was endangering the life of myself, and more importantly, my child. This child was a part of me, and I loved him more than anything in the world, but with me, he would not be safe.

I sat up and turned to face Soren. I kissed him passionately on the lips, proud of the child we had made together; he kissed back, gently, and I could feel his body seeping back into mine. I looked, and he was no more. Shakily, I stood up with the baby in my hands. The table had been incinerated during the birth, and the chairs were charred and black. There was an outline burnt into the floor where I had lain, and to my surprise, the floor was absolutely clean of blood and fluid. I made my way up to the bedroom and wrapped the baby in a blanket, laying him on the bed. He watched me with his big eyes as I darted around the room putting on clothes and gathering my hidden supplies. Finally, I opened the top drawer of the dresser to grab some final items when I remembered my wedding ring, and I got an idea. I ran down to the fireplace to grab the tongs. Carefully, I picked the ring up from the drawer and placed it on top. Then, I grabbed my gold necklace and pulled the jewel from it. Threading the necklace through the ring sent pain shooting up my arms, but I managed to clasp the two ends together, securing the ring in the loop. Now for the final test: Would the ring burn the child?

A small piece of me hoped that the holiness of the ring would not sear my child, that he wasn't tainted like I was. I was running out of time since Renley would be home soon for supper, so I picked up the necklace with the tongs and crept towards the child with it dangling in front. Cautiously, I lowered it towards him; his petite hands reached out for the ring, his eyes captivated by its glimmer and shine. I turned away, afraid to see my child in pain that I had afflicted upon him. Instead, I heard soft coos and the chiming of the chain being twisted and tossed. A tear fell from my eye. My child could still pursue holiness, and the demon inside me was not inside him. The realization dawned on me that I could leave the child to the church, where he could train to be a great warrior, or paladin or cleric, and not be bound to the life of Renley Stormshield, the blacksmith. With a new enthusiasm, I pulled the tongs away from the baby and went down to the kitchen to find a basket. Covering it with a towel, I dropped the ring in the bottom that would hopefully go unseen, and would remain with my child forever. I wanted him to have a piece of me with him; hopefully, he would know that I love him.

I picked up the child from the bed. He had fallen asleep while I was gone, and his skin had turned a darker shade of red, almost a copper colour. I embraced him one last time, then placed him in the basket I had prepared. Throwing on my new cloak, and drawing the hood, I gathered my things and opened the door. Lastly, I picked up the basket with my child in it and left the world of Gretchen Stormshield. A note was left on the bed for Renley explaining that I had left, and was not coming back. That I had discovered a new purpose in life and was off to pursue it. The note ended asking him to please not come after me, for I would not be found. I planned on searching out a new city, far from Greenwood Forest, and studying the arcane arts as Gretchen Darkbound. I had my whole life ahead of me, being in my mid twenties, and I wanted to explore the powers within me. As I approached the temple, my head started to feel like it was being compressed, and my body started to feel warmer with each step. With sheer will, I pressed on, and though I could feel my extremities start to blister, no amount of pain would stop me from my goal. Tears were streaming down my face as I left my child at the door of the temple, from the terrible pain of the holy power surrounding the temple, but mostly from the love of my baby. Even though the streets were dead at this hour with people in their homes enjoying their dinner and conversation, I knew someone would come by the temple soon, and my child would be brought inside to safety. For whoever found him, I left a note in the basket that read,

"This child is special, and has a fire inside of him that hungers for justice. I know that one day he will do great things. Please, take care of my little boy, and raise him to be a strong man. His name is Soren Lightsworn."

End of Prelude.

Thank you to all those who made it to the end! Feel free to comment; this is my first piece of work so I appreciate the feedback.

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