Obscure

.

The villagers of Orrander stood in awe as they watched the sky turn red at night with blue comets flashing down the sky in full speed.

"It's happening..."

"It's the curse. Our village has been cursed."

"Oh no!"

Scared about the uncanny and peculiar colours and movement in the sky, the villagers wailed in awe.

The king's royal announcer dashed his way into the King's chamber and bowed his head immediately his eyes and the King's eyes came into contact.

"Yes Cornelius and to what do I owe this rude visit, in the middle of the night?" The King stated adjusting his golden robe.

"Forgive me your majesty, but the villagers are in great dismay for the sudden misfortune that has fallen upon us."

"A misfortune?" the king repeated standing up.

"Yes your majesty, for the sky is red and strange lines keeps passing by, your majesty this is exactly as the sibyl prophecied two full moons ago" The royal announcer Cornelius stated, his hands shaking in fear.

The king breathed out and tightened his robe on his body, he flounced out of his room and head to the royal planetarium.

.

"This is outrageous... This is blasphemy! We're doomed!" the king breathed out shaking his head as he watched the sky.

Suddenly the door opened and the queen walked in with her dress sweeping the floor, her brows furrowed in worry.

"My lord." she called running towards the king.

"Please be careful, my queen" The king sighed.

"What is the meaning of this!" The queen asked.

The king sighed and shook his head in melancholy.

"Answer me my lord!." The queen yelled.

When she saw that the king wasn't ready to tend to her question, she turned to the royal announcer.

"Cornelius what is going on? The sky is strange and I keep hearing about a curse... Is this something I don't know of?"

Cornelius bowed. "Your highness, two full moons ago when you fell iill, a sybil visited Orrander and prophecied about a curse falling upon everyone that liveth in the village."

"And what is this curse?" The queen's eyebrow arched.

"The sybil stated that after the red turning of the sky and the strange passing lines, Orrander will forsee a great misfortune where once in every passing year, millions of children will be born but a child will bare a red marking on any part of his body, and that will serve as great misfortune because the sibyl announced that any child born with the red marking belongs to the beast of Orrander and should be annihilated immediately!"

The queen gasped.

"And I thought she was just being an imposter, I believed the sky can never turn red, but I spoke too soon!" The King sighed.

"Killing children because of a silly marking? I laugh not. This is outrageous" The queen scoffed.

The king turned to the queen. "My lady, I know you must feel vexed by this, but you've heard the stories about the beasts of Orrander, we should not make this a project of our smiles and put this into action." The king explained and the queen shut her eyes in sadness.

"Cornelius" The king turned to the royal announcer.

"Yes, your majesty" Cornelius bowed.

"Make this known to everyone in Orrander, that every pregnant maiden must be watched from now and henceforth, to prevent malodorous and foul things from happening in Orrander, every new born child must be inspected and the one with any red marking, be brought to the castle and be put to exile, and to those who will not be able to coat with this law, may leave Orrander and never return and to those who will fail to offer their child, will be killed by force along with their child, if the child happens to posses the red marking".

Cornelius bowed even lower. "For the people will hear this".

Cornelius left the room in full speed and the Queen almost fell to her feet but luckily the king caught her.

"My lord" she cried. "This is too much to take in, killing innocent children, you'll be staining your hands with blood"

"My queen, killing a single child and saving my people, or letting a child live and letting my people die..."

The queen wept even more and the king hugged her.

"We will get through this Adalind, just trust me" The king said and placed a small kiss on the queen's forehead.

*

The Royal announcer passed the King's New law to the people of Orrander and most of them were shocked by it, pregnant women wouldn't sleep at night, for they would stay up all night praying to the gods of Orrander to keep their child away from the red marking.

/

Two years passed with the curse over Orrander but surprisingly, no child with a red marking was ever found, every new born child was inspected and so was pregnant maiden, but all gave birth to children without any marking on any parts of the body and the people starts to believe that the curse over Orrander was just a prevarication.

The Queen got pregnant with the years passed and with her royal physician visiting her every single day, told the queen she will be giving birth In a few days. the King couldn't wait either.

But surprisingly the queen fell into labour two days before her due date and her royal physician was called into the castle along with some midwives to help deliver the child.

.

The delivery bell could be heard all over the small village of Orrander, as the people rejoiced with happiness of the Queen safe delivery of a male child.

"Finally an heir to the throne."

"Wow, this is amazing, a crown prince is born"

"An heir"

"The king must be so happy."

The village was filled with happy laughter and joy in air, all happy for the queen and her safe delivery of a male child.

Despite the village being joyful and happy for the queen, the castle was different.

It was quiet and gloomy, every maids, and eunuchs servants stood in front of the ball room, all heads bowed in sadness.

The midwives stood in shock in front of the queen who was lying on the floor looking very feeble and weak.

The Royal announcer Cornelius who delivered the news about the Queen giving birth to the villagers walked back into the castle to Recieve the sudden news.

"The queen's baby just died, it died immediately it came out".