Long night

I could see that the world was crumbling
Nothing is ever as it seems

I tried to run but my feet were frozen
Tried to scream but there was no sound
In my head voices echoing
Girl you should know better by now

(Blackmore's Night: 25 Years)


Maeve woke up from a nightmare, all covered with sweat. She opened her eyes to the darkness and for one terrible moment she just lay there, unable to move. She calmed down slowly, recognizing her chamber in the fortress they had built for themselves in Erethia and feeling Sheridan sleeping next to her. Everything seemed all right... exept her mind, or the part of it, which told her often strange things, refused to exept this as true.
Danger, danger! something in her head was screaming and it didn't stop, although Maeve tried to quiet it.
Frightened, she got up from her bed, as quietly as she could, and looked round her. Everything seemed to be in order and there was nobody in the room exept her and Sheridan, but she still felt that something was terribly wrong. She could feel eyes looking at her, searching...

"No... you can't... you won't..." she whispered, concentrating hard on imagining an invisible, but strong wall around herself and Sheridan. She tried with all will, but she could feel the defense she was building fading away, with the strange attack growing stronger.

Panicking, Maeve glanced around the room caught the sight of a mirror hanging on the wall. She tried once more, staring in the mirror and calling all the ancient gods to help her.

"Please... please help me... to save Sheridan... help me..." she whispered, staring into the mirror and concentrating only on keeping her wall. The pressure was strong, but this time she managed to withstand. And as she concentrated and the pressure begun to ease slowly, something strange appeared in the mirror. Dark figure, glowing candles, strange symbols... Maeve tried to look deaper... and everything fell into darkness.

Maeve's cry woke Sheridan up. He jumped from the bed, looking for his sword, prepared to defend his wife from the enemy... exept there was none. There was no sigh of anyone entering the chamber when he slept and everything was as always... exept for Maeve, who was lying on the floor.

He knelt beside her, calling her name and rubbing her cheek gently until she opened her eyes.

"Oh, Maeve, I was so worried... you suddenly screamed and... what happened?" he asked, still shocked and not understanding what was going on. "I almost thought..." Sheridan went on, helping Maeve to stand up.

"Sheridan, I..." she started, but than she only gasped "The baby. It's coming."
"It's too soon. We thought..." Sheridan wanted to protest, but the sight of his beloved wife in pains didn't let him finish the sentence.
"I'll bring Lovyan. Everything will be all right. Just wait." he said backed out quickly.

Sheridan ran to Lovyan's chamber and woke her up.
"Please come quickly. It's Maeve. The baby... it's coming now."
"But it's too soon. This is..." Lovyan started to reply, but then she took a closer look at Sheridan's face and understood that she certainly shouldn't make him worry more than he already did. "...it will be all right." she finally said and smiled at him in a way she thought would calm him... at least a little bit.

"But... she's in pains and..."
"Don't worry, I'll handle it." Lovyan said, sounding more confident than she really was.

Followed by Brighid, Lovyan rushed to Maeve's chamber to help the young woman, leaving Sheridan behind the door.

Though Sheridan knew that there was nothing he could do here, not knowing anything about these woman matters and he would only make things worse for Lovyan, being left behind and having to hear his beloved wife scream in pains didin't make him worry less. Time passed and every minute seemed like hour for him. Finally the door opened and Lovyan came out of the chamber, holding a baby.

"How is she? And the baby?" Sheridan immediately asked.
Lovyan hesistaded for a moment. "You have a son." she said, handing him the baby.
Sheridan looked at his newborn son with a smile. "He is so small..." he said quietly. "But he looks just like Maeve. Her pale skin, her hair..."
"...and your eyes." Lovyan smiled mildly.
After all the fear Sheridan was so happy that he had a healthy son, that he wanted hug Lovyan, but he didn't. After all, she was still holding the baby.
"And Maeve? How is she?" he asked.
"She is...fine." Lovyan replied, looking away from Sheridan. "She is just tired and needs rest." Lovyan was trying to sound confident, but it didn't fool Sheridan.

"I want to see her." he said. "And I want to be by her bed when she wakes up and be the fist one to congratulate her."
Lovyan sighed. She knew Sheridan well enough to know that when he wants something, he can be really stubborn and lets nothing to stop him from getting it.
"Maeve will be all right," she said, "but she need time to fully recover. And you shouldn't worry if it takes longer that you expect, that wouldn't help her. Everything's in God's hands now..." she finished mostly to herself. She didn't tell Sheridan that the baby was born too early and it nearly costed both the boy and his mother their lives.