Alone in the night…
Pepe was not there when Alleia returned to their lavish quarters, he had mentioned an evening engagement and she assumed it was with one of his male companions. Not that it bothered Alleia, she felt dreadfully hormonal and her little one was wriggling playfully. So she curled up, wearing Kane’s uniform, unable to eat, unable to sleep, restless and forlorn.
Absently she plunged her hands deep into the jacket pockets and found items forgotten therein. Curious, she sat up and pulled out the contents upon the sheets before her…
Discovering a tobacco pouch and tinderbox, a few coins, a handful of scrap parchment and three new arrow heads wrapped in oiled leather…
Unfolding the parchment Alleia discovered basic child-like attempts of writing, scribbled practiced alphabet and short simple words – Cat – Dog – Rock – Man – Kane … He had been trying to teach himself to write.
However, turning the parchment over, she uncovered a collection of sketches, charcoal and chalk. The hand drawn pictures were breathtaking, each one her portrait. They must have been drawn from memory, yet each one was so finely detailed, a mole on her throat, freckles, curved smile line, single nose ring. All tiny features carefully recalled.
An older, dog eared parchment was jumbled in with the rest, yet this portrait was not of Alleia… She frowned, a lock of hair tumbled free, a shot of jealousy cut through her core… His pictures clearly indicated an unspoken affection, yet her own reaction to the mysterious girl caused Alleia to question her own emotions…
It took a while to identify the last sketch and her jealousy subsidised as she realised the image as ‘The Child of Prophecy’… A gasp escaped her lips as she clutched the hair, realising that the blonde Curls must have once belonged to the most magical creature ever to have graced the land… Deep within her own womb, her unborn fluttered and twitched…
“You cunning bastard Kane…” Alleia mused to herself, carefully tucking the hair and sketch away…
Anne Harrison 21.02.17
Tatterhood 