"Roses have thorns for a reason"

6|THE WORLD DEMANDS BALANCE

Happiness is a feeling that all have felt and all will feel. It's a part of life. And perhaps it might not be there all the time in the bodies of humans, but it will appear when it wants. Some might say that happiness is a form of magical property. Magic is a wild force that does what it wants, it has a will of its own and there is no telling what it might do next. Happiness is a feeling that one does not take lightly, it is something that those who have felt it cherish forever in their memories.

True happiness is not just happiness that comes and goes in waves. No, it will stay forever in the heart of mortals. A feeling that is just as wonderful as it is mysterious. Others have compared happiness, at least true happiness to the mysterious force of love. Who none can understand. Yet, perhaps one does not need to understand the force of love nor happiness to feel it within their bodies and allow it to travel through their veins and in their hearts. Perhaps it is a mysterious force or perhaps something else. And maybe none will be able to understand it to know it is there.

The night is bright. Not because the sun is in the sky, nor the moon for that matter. There is no light in the sky and yet the night is bright. Because of the happiness that is traveling through the town. This little village is welcoming a new life. It had taken a couple of hours of pain and suffering, and yet the new life is there. A baby girl has been born into the family and into the world. The happiness is so alive and bright that it lights up the night.

The baby girl was given a name, Josephine. Her healthy cries could be heard long distances as she entered the world. She did not go quietly and the village knew that she would be someone who would never give up. She is a fighter and just like her odd family, she would be the one that will never give up when she is backed up into a corner. Her future might not be told just yet, but her future is about to be revealed. With time it will. The happiness that her family feels running through them when she greets them is marcial and mysterious.

The world is somehow the strangest thing. And there are creatures and forces that mortal do not yet understand. They speak about it in myths and legends and yet never truly know the they live among other forces and creatures. Perhaps little do they know about it. For the world always has a plan. Sometimes it might not seem like it does, but it does have a plan. And when happiness is around like his one in the village, there needs to be something to balance it out. To keep the world alive and balanced.

Few might say it's unfair of the world to balance itself, yet they don't know the world is beyond their knowledge and magical forces are the only thing keeping it alive. That balance needs to happen to be able to keep the world from being damned. What none of them know is that the balance is about to destroy their lives forever. While the happiness is all around the village after the birth of baby Josephine, another dark shadow is not far from the village itself. Out on the field a shadowy creature walks the grassy field with dark intentions.

Around the creature the grass begins to whiter to the ground until it is dead. The grass nor anything does not stand a change when it comes to this creature and all dies in the presence of it. The shadow creature's red eyes stare at the village as it walks towards there. With that dark intention still in mind and it only grows more twisted with each and every second that passes by the world. With only eyes at the village, almost seeing the happiness that lives there during this dark night. Disgusted by how the bright that happiness is in that village.

Asherah smiles as she holds the baby in her arms. Never has she held a baby in her arms, and she wonders how it would feel like when she holds her own child with her bare hands. Little Josephine has fallen asleep after she got cleaned up and given to her mother. Then when the girl asked to hold her little niece she was granted that. Her brother, Declan is overcome with joy as he is tending to his exhausted wife. The two of them have gone through a lot and the woman has cursed him at least a hundred times.

Then again she was giving birth and the pain was so intense that she felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside out. It was the worst pain that she has ever gone through in her life. The midwife and Asherah's mother were there too guide her through it. Declan did not leave his wife's side. Even if it were not common for men to be there when their wife's give birth. Their family is not the most common of them all and he wanted to be there for her. Since, after all it was his fault that she carries his child.

A father he has become and Declan now has to tend to his wife and whisper sweet things to her. Childbirth is a dangerous thing and many women have fallen when delivering. His wife was strong enough to survive it and he has even planned for another child. He has no idea how she will take that idea since she did say that he will never touch her again after this night as she does not want to go through that pain again. One day he will be able to convince her to have another one as their little baby Josephine is the most adorable baby he has ever seen.

The man, Terra had not been there to welcome the little girl, and yet he knew that the new life had been entered into the world. He had guided the little girl. He would do anything to make that smile on Asherah's face appear. And as he looks at her now, holding her baby niece in her arms, he does wonder how she will be when their children will be born. Given that he is the King of life, he knows that he will one day have children on his own.

Despite him sometimes believing that all life is his family. Within his kingdom, the King of the Nature sits on his throne and watches the girl through his eyes. There is life everywhere and if one were to look, they would be able to see it. The King is able to watch the happiness within the family through the eyes of a spider that is in the corner of the wall. Waiting in it's web for food that it will feast upon. All life he can see and all life he can use to guide his eyes.

Then he blinks and the vision of the spider leaves him and once again he can only see the inside of the throne room in his castle. He smirks. "The new life has entered the world" He speaks. As he sits there, Terra does wonder how the girl is doing. The wonders that she must feel holding that baby and he does wonder how she will be the perfect mother to their children in the future. Though, first things first, she needs to become his and she needs to accept her whole destiny as a Queen.

"She is so calm with you" Her mother speaks to Asherah as she sees her daughter holding her grandchild in her arms. Instantly when the little baby Josephine came in contact with her aunt, she stopped crying and she fell asleep. Slowly moving every so often. The baby is calm with her. She holds her gently, but tightly enough to not drop her, though the girl does not harm her. Her bark brown eyes stare at the baby girl with wonder and love, that little girl has stolen everyone's hearts and she has been there with them for a very short period of time.

And she will be there for a very long time. "I never knew how wonderful this feeling is" She speaks. Asherah herself has wondered what it would be like to hold her own child when she carries one. "When I first held you, I knew that you would become the beautiful girl that you are today, your beauty is not just on the outside, rather the true beauty is what is on the inside and that is what truly matters" Her mother speaks to her, so softly to not wake the baby but loud enough for her daughter to hear her and understand her words.

"I know. The heart and the kindness is what makes us strong and we can never forget that. Holding onto hope is what brings us beauty within and doing what is true and just and right" She speaks. Looking at her mother, the girl can see that she somehow has changed. The brown eyed girl has no clue how her mother can be changed nor does she understand any of it, what she does know is there is a feeling within her that she cannot sake away from her.

As if there is something wrong. That she can feel. Her mother gives her a gentle smile. "Yes. Hope. Asherah, hope is the most powerful feeling that you can ever have. It is not love that is stronger. It is hope. For without it, we would not be anyone nor would we believe anything" Her mother says. She nods. "Of course. I will always hold onto hope and never let it go. Even if it will take all that I am from me, I know that I can trust the hope in my heart" She speaks to her mother.

Then she looks down at the baby in her arms and rocks it slightly, so gently to not wake her up but rather to keep her lulled in slumber. Her mother leaves to join her son and her husband who are there talking to each other. Their son's wife is asleep, after all the exhaustion that she has gone through, she truly did need it and her husband allowed her to. When she will wake, she will have more strength, but it will be some time before she will be able to stand and move around like normally and tend to her duties.

The husband and wife look at their son and wonder how they will be able to tell him and their daughter what happened to them. When they woke not so long ago by their son calling for help because his wife was in labor, they rushed to his side. Yet, they still kept their distance from their children. Tried to not touch them. For they were afraid that they would harm their children. After what happened to them, they have a right to be afraid. "How can we ruin their happiness by speaking of sins?" The woman whispers to her husband.

He sighs as they both turn to their son. "You did good. Being by her side, not many would have done that, my son" She speaks to Declan who looks at his parents. Unlike his sister, he can't sense that there is anything wrong with his parents. Maybe that is because he's so lost in his happiness of his daughter or because of something else, he can't sense it like she can. "Thank you, and you as well mother. I did not know you could do that" He thanks his mother who gives him a small smile.

"I have been through this two times before, my son. I know what she was going through and I could guide her" She says. His mother had indeed helped his wife when he could not. When she was on the brink of giving up, his mother had stepped forward and given the man hope when she had lost it all and was far too exhausted to give their daughter her life. Declan nods at his mother and then looks back at his wife. He holds her hand and looks at her as she sleeps. The way that she's so calm is beyond him.

It had not been that very long since she was screaming in pure pain. All that Declan wanted to do was to help her and take all the pain away from her. Rather he would feel that sort of pain than she would and he would willingly suffer if it meant that his wife and the love of his life did not have to go through that pain that she went through. He promised her, though did not speak of it out loud that he will always be there for her and he would protect her from all harm if only she is able to do this.

If she could overcome the pain and welcome their daughter into the world, then he would spend the rest of their lives trying to protect them and make them safe and happy and he would love them with all his heart. Never would he leave them and he would do all that it takes to keep them with him. Declan made that promise and he will not break it. Rather would he suffer than break that promise that he had made, and while no one hears his promise, he did make it.

The shadow creature that is out on the field and stalks even closer to the village is not the only dark thing that is near that happy family. Neither of them notice that in one of the windows, someone else is watching them. William stands there and watches them with pure anger in his eyes. Yet, the confusion and rage is not far behind. For he eyes the people that he had slaughtered not so long ago. He also looks at the girl that has taken his heart and crushed it. He will take revenge on her and her family.

Even if it will be the last thing that he does. Declan is not the only one that makes silent vow to himself as William makes one as well. He vows that he will destroy that family and all that happiness that they share, he promises to himself that he will have that girl for himself. The Devil will be his witness but he will have her as his, he will take her and make her his. Even when she does not want him. She will be his and only his and there will be nothing and no one that will be able to stand in his way.

When morning came, and the baby slept soundly with her mother who was wide awake now, Asherah went back to her own house. The exhaustion was biting at her and she could not even hold her eyes open for long. And as life began to bloom in the village during the morning, she headed to her house. She was far too tired to walk and wanted to get some rest. The night had been a long one and she had been there to help. The brown eyed girl will not admit it out loud yet she was afraid.

It is not the first time that she has witnessed childbirth but it made her realize since she will soon be wed to a man that she will have to go through that pain. While she would love nothing more than to have her own children, to hold them like she held her niece, she does fear this pain. She saw how painful it was and the screaming still echo inside her mind. Asherah does not know if she is strong enough to be able to go through all of that pain.

Even if it is to bring another life into this world. The girl is kind and she has been kind throughout her entire life. Yet, she does not tend to like pain that very much. Then again, it is in human nature to not like pain. Some do like pain. Though, she is not one of those people and she tends to avoid it. If that is cowardice then she will be that coward for she does fear pain and she does not want to go through it. Perhaps it is just her survival instinct inside her that tells her that she does not want to feel pain.

As soon as she enters her house, she is quick to go to her bed chambers. She does not even undress from her clothing before she lies down onto her bed and pulls the covers over her body. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like blowing on a candle and turns it off. Asherah's night has taken a toll on her. The girl did not spend that much time nor did she have any to think about Terra, the strange man that she met not so long ago.

The girl sleeps soundly, yet when she entered her house, she had failed to notice the shadow creature that was inside her house. She did not even take notice that every single flower that she had was withered and dead. Asherah had been far too tried to even look there and her eyes could not take any more. She had to go to sleep. But, that might just cost her her life. For the shadow creature walks into her bed chambers, so silently and soundly that it does not wake her. The glowing red eyes stare at the girl that lies there.

Asherah slightly stirs in her sleeps which makes the creature freeze in its track but she only changes her position on the bed. She is still fast asleep and does not appear that she will wake any time soon. As if she has no idea what might happen to her and the dangers that are going to happen to her if she does nothing and sleep like she does now. The shadow creature then stands in front of the bed and looks down at the girl where she sleeps, so soundly and softly with the beauty all around her. Then it stretches a hand towards her face.