Chapter 2: Chapter 1 – Pain

In a hot Summer day, a woman is struggling to give birth to a baby. Visibly weakened by the harsh labor, she's clutching the bed sheets with her hands as she's trying to push as hard as she can. Two female servants are assisting her to deliver the baby.

"Push, push!" says one of them much older than the other.

Using every bit of her power, the woman pushed one more time and a healthy cry of a baby echoes all over the room. The older servant cuts the umbilical cord with a sharp knife and ties the baby's belly botton. The younger female servant wraps the baby in a piece of cloth then places him into his mother's arms.

That's how I was borned into this new world, as what it was supposed to be a Higher Existence. It was weird to experiment everything as a baby. At first all I felt was a very comforting feeling, like a sweet sleep in a very comfortable bed after a hard day of work. But then I felt like I was woked up brutally by a cold wind that made me fell out of bed. I started crying instinctively, I just couldn't control myself. After a while, I've realised that my cry is a little bit strange. I tried to move my hands and feet but, even if I could feel them, it seemed like someone tied me up like a sack of potatoes. I stopped crying and opened my eyes well, to see what's going on.

"Congratulations, it's a boy!" says the old servant as this was not the first time she delivered a baby.

"Congratulations, Madam!" adds the younger servant girl.

"I will name him Andrew, after my own father. Where is Jacob? Call him in!" ordered the Madam.

"He's outside, by the door. I will get him right away, Madam!" the young female servant responded.

The first thing I saw was a huge woman face that looked at me full of love. Her sickly pale face, blond messy hair, sweaty forehead and heavy breath, which betrayed the poor condition in which she was, were in serious contrast with her proud and strong gaze. My previous memories were still unclear, as I couldn't remember many details, but there was a strange connection between us. I knew since the moment I saw her that she is my mother in this life.

The young servant girl opens the door and a tall slim man close to middle age comes in. From the way he is dressed and from his manners, you can easily see he is the butler and not the father of the child. He was on an errand, but he rushed in to the mansion as soon as he got the news. A little bit nervous he takes his hat off, almost like a father that sees his newborn son for the first time. Revealing his salt and pepper hair, hat in hand, he's approaching the bed. The baby's big and crystal clear eyes seem like they observe everything around.

I quietly observed the room I was in. Several persons were around me. We were in a big room, well-ventilated and bright. They were talking in a strage foreign language. I tried to say a few words in my own language, but I couldnt say anything more than baby language. Obviously I needed some period of adjustment if I wanted to speak even my own language, much less theirs that I could not comprehend. I couldn't understand them, but I watched them attentively.

"I don't have much time left. I can feel it. It's not enough that this child is born without a father, now he will lose his mother too. It won't be easy for him at all, but I know he will be ok since he is his father's son!" said the Madam in a weak voice.

"Madam..." whispered Jacob, the butler, in a pained voice.

"Jacob, I leave Andrew in your care. I know how loyal you were to Ferdinand and I expect you to show the same loyalty to his son. With you by his side, he won't lack a father figure to teach him what it means to be a real man."

"Have no worry, Madam. I made a pledge to your husband, and I intend to keep it until my last breath. You husband was not only my Lord but also an old friend, with who I've been through thick and thin. Not only that I will be loyal to the Young Master, but I will love him like my own son."

"As a mother, nothing can comfort me more than knowing that my son will be in good and capable hands. My poor little baby! Mother loves you so much, but I won't be able to see you grow up into a man." said the woman, caressing her baby's face.

Soon after, the woman drew her last breath. The baby, as if he was aware of his mother's death, starts crying as soon as she dies. The butler picks Andrew up and gently swings the baby to soothe him.

***

I started to cry again, instinctively, as I felt my mother's death. I knew she wont die in the real sense of the word, but it still hurt that I won't be able to see her again. Even if I had my memories from my past life, that woman was still my mother in my curent life. Not even an adult can stop crying during the death of his parent, much less someone stuck in the body of a baby.

"There, there! Don't be afraid, little one, this Jacob will take care of you."

"Jacob, give him to me." said the young servant girl.

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She leaves with the baby and goes to a more quiet room to brestfeed him. Everyone knew about his mother's poor health, that there were very few chances that she would survive after birth. That's why they carefully selected a nanny for the baby, way before his birth.

I was still seriously affected by my mother's death, but I was also tired and extremly hungry. The nanny pulled out one of her breasts and swinged it right into my face. In my previous life, such an action would have aroused a completly different part of my body. But, as a baby, all it aroused was the rumbling of my little stomach. I started drinking the milk, which seemed more delicious and nutritious than ever, with the gluttony of a begger that hasn't ate anything for days.

Very soon after, I fell asleep with a full tummy. I was drowsy and I tried to resist it, as I was used to being tired and to sleep late in my previous life, but for some reason I just couldn't. I felt more exhausted than ever before.

She placed the child in his little bed and got out of the room. Jacob was waiting for her at the door.

***

"How is he? I will take it from here." says the butler.

"He's good and healthy, like any other new born baby. I fed him and I left him sleeping in his bed." the nanny replies.

"Praise the Gods! At least the child is healthy. That's the only good thing out of all this misey!"

"Yeah, poor little one..." says the nanny as she goes to her own chores.

Jacob enters the room and sits down near the baby's cradle. He's watching over the child in deep thought. His gaze is unfocused, remembering the old days. He is fourty years old to this day, but has no kids of his own. The life he led, most of it alongside his Lord, made his hair go white since he was thirty years old. Even his Lord barely left one offspring behind, much less a rogue like him. He is used to getting the short stick in life and he could take care of himself since he was just a boy. Being an orphan himself, but not having the privilege of a good background, he knew how hard life is without parents. Very few things could make him scared, as he never felt fear for his life once he became an adult. But now he fears for the young Lord's safety, much more than he ever felt fear for his father's safety.

"It won't be easy at all, given the situation... You left us too soon and unexpecting, my Lord! Everything would've been much easy if you were still alive... There are many vultures circling the ruins of this House, salivating to feed on our corpses. But don't you worry, old friend, for as long as I'm still standing no one will touch the House of Rosevind!" thought Jacob as his eyes radiated a cold, blade sharp glint.

***

Next door the nanny is feeding her own child, a three months old little boy. Her husband died a few months ago in the same war that took the life of Andrew's father, Ferdinand Rosevind. He was a soldier in the Lord's army. There were many other women that could have filled in the role of the nanny, but her background and the fact that she had a young boy of her own made her the perfect candidate. Even she is aware of the huge oportunity she and her son were blessed with.

"Eat well, my son! You must grow big and strong, to aide our Young Lord. Your father was an extraordinary man, I'm sure you will follow in his footsteps and you'll be the Young Lords' right hand man. There is no longer any family head to watch over this family and the Young Lord won't be able to lead this House for the near future. All the responsability will fall on us, his retainers. There are very few people that are loyal to the House of Rosevind, but we still have a small number of capable ones that can hold their ground against anything that comes our way. Not to mention that monster of a man. As long as we have Jacob, the House of Rosevind will not fall apart. This Household has a rich history, but we will be part of its future!" said the nanny, as she brestfed her son.

***

The sound of the bells annouce the death of Mara Rosevind, the wife of Ferdinand Rosevind. All the people from the Rosevind Territory are mourning. Both the Lord and his wife have treated them well until their last breath. But now a period of instability will surely follow and some of them have some mixed feelings. Others are more confident, knowing fully well that the retainers will not let the House of Rosevind fall so easily. One thing is for sure, only time will tell if the Rosevind Castle will completly colapse or if it will shine once again against all odds.

"Uwaa, uwaaa, uwaa!" both babies were woked up by the sound of the funeral bells.

Their caretakes completly forgot about the funeral bells. Both watchers, Jacob and the nanny, took their respective kid in their arms to calm them down.

At first, the sound of the bells took me by surprise. As I recovered from my stupor, I stopped crying while Jacob swung me around. But the sad look in his eyes made me remember where I was and what happened. I remembered the look on my mother's face and I started crying once again. Her death hurt me more than I was expecting. Maybe my baby instincts affected me more than I knew. In that moment, the fact that I was aware of my surroundings wasn't doing me any favour. This is not was I was expecting from my new life

My reincarnation was supposed to be a reward, not a punishment. I begun thinking that I was tricked, this world doesnt even look like a world in which a Higher Existence lives. At that time, I realised that sometimes ignorance really is a bliss. Pain was the first thing I experienced when I opened my eyes. Will pain also be the last thing that I will feel in this second life of mine?