The seventh child

Chapter 1

The rain poured down hard on the ground, it grabbed at the dirt on the ground and carried it away. Rayne thought it fitting that the rain always washed away what one did not need but the rain was no comfort for her today; her mood today was uncertain and the ache in her heart worsened by the day. She could feel it fester and grow and she knew not how to stop it. She was surrounded by family but she was alone; none understood her and most feared her. Her brothers and cousins tried to tease her and get under her nerves but she had been trained to ignore them early on; they tried though and she knew in her heart that they were serious about what they said to her and about her.

She did not follow the traditional family genes; she was tall and slim. Long hours of practice with the soldiers kept her figure slim and trim, her eyes were the shade of the clouds above her; grey. Her hair hung to her waist in streams of silver, her family had a variety of hair colors but the eyes stayed the same; green. A gift from the earth expect her; she knew that she was different and she would try to convince herself that her uniqueness made her special but it was hard to believe when she could look into another’s eyes and see the truth there.

Born to be the seventh child of the seventh son made her (or so they believed) the child of prophecy; the parchment on which it was written was vague and half missing. Whether on purpose or not she did not know but she did know that she longed for a normal life; she watched her female cousins grow and were courted or married off by their fathers. She was pretty, her face was heart shaped, her eyes almond shape and breasts that made men look twice until the looked up and saw her eyes and hair; and then they turned away in fear. She was eighteen now, long in life to not have at least known what it was to be lusted after or to have a man tell her he loved her. Even if he didn’t it still would have been nice to hear, she did not know what she would do if one ever did but she still longed for it.

Sighing she sat down on the edge of the wall. Her feet dangled over and she watched the water rain down into the moat surrounding her home; the castle housed all family members of her clan. It was what the Elder had degreed long ago that any born or married into the family was to live under his roof. She thought it a silly law but she knew why, her family had great power over the earth. A long line of druids that was passed on every generation but the seventh child was blessed with more power, a longer live and one ability that the excelled at better than the rest. Her father could charm anyone or anything with a word, sometimes a thought; he could make them jump off a tall cliff if he wished it.

His father could work any metal; he was a wonderful blacksmith but what him so great was the power that went into each weapon her made. She could hear him now working in the smithy, the clang of his hammer molding another blade; she spent a few years working with him. She had cherished the time for he had treated her just like the rest of his apprentices; he never looked at her with fear or jealousy in his eyes. Only pride when she handed him her first blade, it had been a simple dagger but she had molded it with her own hands.

She had spent days crafting the weapon, the constant clang of the hammer against the anvil had been soothing and watching the metal take shape had her heart leaping with excitement. The day she had held it up to him he had taken it from her small hands, weighed it in his large fingers, looked at it from tip to tip and had grinned at her. “Good job lass, a fine blade and it needs a hilt.” He had told her.

He had chosen a hilt with a Celtic cross on it, he had made her slip it on and tie it together. She had needed a little help but he had only grinned at her as his larger hands had engulfed hers to strap it together but she had merged her hands with his so that she knew what he was doing. The blade now rested at her side, her first and last blade. The elder had told her that she was not to go back and work with metals; it was not for a woman. She had been ten and feared him, she had not gone back but she was stay outside and visit with him in his smithy and watch him work.

Even know hearing his hammer brought a smile to her face until she remembered his father; the animal charmer. No animal was feared by him, he had but to hold his hand up and a hawk would swoop out of the sky and land on his outstretched hand. She had watched him once face a bear, she had feared for him but the elder had held her back. The bear had reared up ready to strike but a gesture of his hand had the bear going back to all fours and walking away like they weren’t there. The elder had looked at her hard and said words to her that rang in her ears for days.

“We do not kill if we do not have to.” His voice was harsh and cold as if he was scolding her.

He father of the animal charmer could predict and sometimes control the weather and his predictions were never wrong; it made it easier on the villagers to know when to plant and if a flood would come. Him and his father had made their family rich off the crops they grew for his father had a green thumb. He could grow anything, anywhere and make a flower bloom just from his touch. It was a useful talent that many farmers relied upon and even their king would ask him to come and see to his own crops. It was a great honor to be called in front of the king one she hoped she would be able to do but doubted because of her gender.

Women were not taken seriously and take had made her even more determined to prove them wrong, women bore more pain and suffering that any male did. They bore children and a lot more then a man did, she gritted her teeth and focused on the rain, she leaned back and let the rain kiss her face. She had to go see the elder later, she knew not why but whenever he called her to his study it was to tell her that she had done something that was not good for the clan or that she needed to be more like a woman. The elder, she gritted her teeth again till her jaw hurt. She thought of him as a man who carried too much and was not up to the times, he was the eldest and everyone respecting him and his orders he gave. He was the first of the seven sons and he had the power to heal any sickness, weather it was a small sniffle to a plague there wasn’t anything he couldn’t cure. She heard his steps even before she saw him out of the corner of her eye.

“Am I late in our appointment?” She said never looking at him.

“No but you should not be out here in the rain, your mother was worried about you and asked me to see to it that you came down from the wall.” His voice was as cold as ever.
“I am sorry granddad but I wish to remain here, I am not in the mood to be inside at the moment.” She looked at him now and saw the fear she hoped was not there.

“You will come down from the wall and dry yourself!” He boomed.

She simply stood and walked over to him, he was as tall as she. His build that of a seasoned warrior, strong shoulder but she could see the fatigue in his eyes and felt the fear he was holding back.

“I told you granddad that I do not wish to be inside at the moment.” She faced him directly her challenge in the air.

A few quiet moments passed before he went to grab her arm, she twisted away and danced back.

“Do no test me now; I am not in the mood.” He warned.

“I am staying here until this mood passes.” She said sitting back down on the edge of the wall.

She looked up at him and saw the anger there but she ignored it.
“I will not miss our appointment.”

They locked gazes for long minutes before she felt his energy rise, with a way off her hand it dispersed into the air.

“You are no longer a match for me; you can tell my mother that I am fine.” She said dismissal in her voice as she turned her gaze back at the horizon.

Kane watched his youngest grandchild as she sat on the wall the rain soaking her to the bone; he had felt her mood when he had climbed the stairs. Loneliness was eating at her and he siblings never gave into their constant teasing, it was a wonder she was still sane. With the power she held she could level his castle and all that was in it with a wave of her hand but she hadn’t and he knew deep in his heart that she wouldn’t. She valued life over death; he had seen her save many others that he would have let perish. She was kind at heart but the loneliness was making her bitter. He did something out of character and sat beside her.

“I know the loneliness you feel.” He said his voice soft.

“I doubt you do.” She snipped.

“I was the first you know, many looked at me the way they look at you now.”

“With fear and jealously in there eyes, I can feel it to the core of my soul. Though they are family I feel like a complete stranger.” She said her voice harsh.

“It was many years until none looked at me with loathing, when my seventh son was born I was relieved that I was no longer alone.” He sighed.

She looked at him now; her eyes cautious and stormy and he continued.

“I knew he would be a great man just as the rest of my sons are but he too felt the loneliness of being different.”

Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. “Yes I am sure they all did but are any of them female?” Her voice dripped with anger.

“Did anyone of them choose this fate? Did anyone ask them the simple question of what they truly wanted? No, it was given to them and they were and are expected to be as they are!” She stood now and glared at him.

“I am not some weeping women who will cry at a broken nail, nor will cling to my mothers skirt when I am afraid. You need to understand that none of the other six will understand that I can never have a normal life, children at my feet, a husband I can lean against when the world seems to large.”

She sighed heavily and walked away, he could only stare at her as she nearly ran away. He never really understood her until she yelled at him, guilt swamped him and he looked down at the rain splashing in the moat. He was male, though he could have a family and children. No man would ever look at her other than a woman born from a druid family and that doomed her from ever having children clinging to her skirts, he got up and walked back down to his study. He never felt as low in his long extended life as he did now.