Devin was delighted when Laila told him the news. A son or a daughter! So soon! He saw himself teaching his child to walk, to do things, having walks in the forest. Laila did not share his excitement, her body was changing and she didn't even know if it was normal. She was alone in the forests, with no experienced woman to guide her trough, how was she supposed to know what she had to do? While Devin made plans she was the one worrying about anything that could go wrong. Her own mother had died on childbirth, what if it happened to her too? However, there was no way to stop it, her belly kept growing and she felt heavier every day. She knew the moment was close and it only made her more terrified. She had prepared some things she thought she might need, but she wasn't sure about anything.
She woke up one day feeling uneasy, was it all starting already? Devin was still peacefully sleeping by her side, and she shook him.
-It's time.- she told him.
-What do you want me to do?
-I don't know!- terror crept in her voice.
Devin calmed her down and promised her he would go to the nearest town to try to find a midwife. He accommodated her the best he could and set off on their plow horse. Laila was left alone, and when the labor pain started she was petrified. She started crying, cursing, regretting having sent him away. Why wasn't he arriving? She could feel the baby inside her fighting to get out. Instinctively, she looked for a better position, and pushed along. She no longer cared about where her husband was, her only worry was to help that new life start. She was pain, but she was also strength and will. When she finally heard her child crying she couldn't believe it, it was over, she had done it! She took a blanket and wrapped him over. It was a boy. A lovely boy, she could not wait to show it to Devin.
While her wife was in labor Devin was trying to hurry to the closest town. However, it had been raining a lot and the river he was supposed to cross had doubled his size. He lost time trying to find a safe crossing, and when he found it, he knew it wasn't safe enough, yet, he had to try, Laila was counting on him. The horse looked at the rushing water, terrified, and reared. Devin spoke soft words to him, until he convinced him to start crossing the river. The current was strong, though, and the horse lost his feet. Devin soon found himself drowning under a swirl of water, his last thought on his wife and the child he would never know.
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