Chapter 3: ???????????? ℭ???????????????? ???????? ????????????????

????n unmovable fixture of this cave there he stood one mortal man against dozens of birds, their jagged teeth shredding into his soft flesh and tearing through his nerves the man wincing in pain would not bend an inch. This man made an oath to protect and he would be consumed entirely before breaking that oath.

The babe lay in the shadow of her savior, wailing as blood streamed down her arm the Carodula swarmed towards her savagely wishing to sink their teeth into her person.

Abruptly that babe felt her little heart sink, for the first time she was experiencing fear and she was drowning in it. Time itself for her seemingly slowed so that could stare at that contorted bird's mouth for what felt like minutes. 

She would drown in horror upon the sight twice over incapable of thought she was no longer a babe nor queen only a vessel of fear then abruptly time would normalize its pace as she saw dozens of icicles fall upon and impale the carodula the bird so close to her that its blood would splatter across her face.

The mouth of the cave would flood with snow as winter rushed to guard its queen within seconds the babe did what the father could never have done with no effort the flock of birds had been subdued 

The Carodula lay scattered across the ground crowing and squirming as the cavern's floor filled with their blood 

Linus would turn to look at his babe blood streaming down his face a grizzly sight for the babe she would sob profusely as he went to embrace his little life tucking her little head into his arm and rocking her in his arms consoling the poor thing.

"Shhh, Shhh now Cyrenaica we're safe now."

Bleeding profusely Linus would drape himself against the wall of the cave, his babe still in his arms panting, spent from his rush of adrenaline closing his eyes and waking some hours later to free himself and child from the icy cavern filled with death.

Emerging from the mouth of that cave enveloped in blood his own, however some from the carodula his sword in hand babe in the other he would walk bewildered down the mountainside before reaching their village. 

Approaching from the mountain they would both stare at their homeland, a collection of charming homes made from stone and mud. Some of them, however, were made entirely from dirt as they dug into nearby hills. Few homes had any doors, wood was rare in the land of winter and therefore was extremely expensive, however they all had fireplaces substituting wood with dried moss and grass. Many would stay in comfort throughout the ruthless winter a testament to the versatility of human ingenuity.

He walking with haste so as to be seen by few people, children would gasp in shock as they saw the grizzly sight until eventually a friend of Linus would rush to their assistance, "Linus by god what happened to you out there? Were you attacked by a mammoth?!"

"Carodula, we're fine we only need to be left alone, thank you." Linus would respond vexingly before storming into their small cottage.

He would finally let the babe out of his embrace, She didn't know however, soundly asleep. Linus would think to himself "Well, At least I don't have to worry about a thousand shards of ice falling upon me whilst she's asleep. God forbid I'm asleep when that little thing wakes up."

Linus would smirk to himself staring at her, Before turning his gaze away from her and to the fireplace he would stare into the fire losing track of reality fading away to his memories, he would remember taking his wife right where he sat, in front of the heat from this fireplace many moons back before thinking to himself that his little savior may have been conceived that night.

Looking towards his babe soundly asleep, He would then think of his wife and all of the times he had arisen before her, and how he would watch her conflicted if she would be more beautiful laying there in her sleep or if he had woke her up to taste her yet again but rarely would he overcome by a sense of selfishness, Now he'd think to himself "What wouldn't I do just to tell her I love her again." Linus would inhale bereaved

Then he'd look at his babe with a sense of abhorrence wishing to choke the babe where she lay, snarling his nose at her before remembering the vow he gave to his wife, Tears streaming down his face yet again a rarity for a man like Linus who hadn't shed a tear since he was a little boy. He would remember his vow to his wife and how they were their last words together.

He would only now realize how he couldn't obey his oath to the woman he loved more than life itself, only now he realized that whilst he knew that the babe was Innocent of any wrongdoing he could never look at the life he made without remembering the only life he ever wanted. He realized he couldn't raise this babe alone and he could never find another to fill the void that was in him, Linus knew if he wanted to honor his wife's final wish there was only one thing he could do.

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He would grab their own personal blanket and wrap it around their child carefully cradling her fragile neck and looking into her resplendent eyes with solace, "I do love you, You won't ever truly hear me say it Cyrenaica, but I do."

Carrying her outside to a home he knew could protect her and raise her, a man he didn't trust but then again who could he trust to raise his child for him, and protect her from man and evidently herself? no one.

Arriving at his doorstep in front of them lay a wooden door, a symbol of prestige and high standing in the community in the blanket he placed two notes one of them was to be opened when Cyrenaica was a young woman the other read;

????y heart bleeds for two,

I feel as if a sledgehammer is crashing into my heart exposing my very soul, I spiral downwards into an abyss from which I can not return.

 I feel my dignity and heart sink to a place that I can not find. I am at the mercy of all things distressing.

 Despite how large I am, I shrink to the size of a grape encircled by a giant's hand, then I deliver myself to weakness because the pain of remembrance is my only reprieve. And then the hammer arises again to strike another blow equally as defiling.

Until my hearts throbbing subsides, and I am left feeling weaker than the last time the curse of love visited me. Craving no other embrace save for the one whom I am enduring this torment for, and that's because when I think back, I think of the smiles she gave me.

 The fluttering and an overwhelming tsunami of joy, each wave vaster than the one before it, crashing against my defenses and flooding even the deepest abyss with a feeling insatiable. 

that is the curse of love.

Returning to his home Linus would lay on his feet, grab his dagger and impale himself in the heart blood spurting out from his chest he collapsed on the floor dead.

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