The screams filled the air. Kat was breathless and alone, shouting bad names to the wind. She thanked the spirits of the world for the possibility of concealment. She begged to be hidden, despite her many sounds. When the pain was no longer bearable, when it seemed to tear her apart, she felt relief. It appeared as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from her. Right then, she heard a sharp cry. Gathering herself, she sat up and held the little figure crying in her hands. It’s a boy, she noticed, and he was bloody and covered with fluids, but alive. More alive than any of her other three babies when born. She pondered over a name. Stroking his delicate skin induced many feelings in Kat. She could sense the power and wisdom radiating through him. It was evident, at least to someone like her, that her baby was the most special being in the land. He then opened his eyes, of a light green like his father’s. At the memory of her lost love, Kat began to cry. Her future was unclear, her baby would likely abandon her, and she would be completely and irrevocably alone. How could she ever let this beautiful, powerful and gentle creature out of her grasp? The mere thought of allowing him to go now, just to go grab a blanket to cover her bloodied legs, was already unbearable. That’s when Kateryn decided the most desperate thing in the world. The one thing no one was ever foolish enough to accomplish. The one thing that could kill the whole land if completed: she decided to flee with him. How could she give him away to that relentless city? The heads in Thornfell would develop him in their own ways. Upon his return, Kat would not recognise him anymore. She would never have known him, never have embraced him in her motherly arms. How could any woman follow through with these rules? Kat found her wits and got up. Nearly falling, she managed to take a few steps and go to the altar. She prayed to the spirits of the night, to the strength of the souls she managed every day, to the wind and the earth, to aid her. First, she begged for a name. It struck her moments later: Brian. It means strength, for what he will need to endure; power, for the decisions he must make and the position he should take; and force, for the capability to do what’s right. Brian of Nighthallow, he would have been. However, she decided she would change his name, as well as hers. As soon as she regained her strength, she would take a small boat and flee. She’d travel to the coast of Spiritside and find a nice patch of woods to hide her and her lovely Brian. But she knew she needed to act fast. The other Death Bringers would be sensing this birth very soon and would demand that Kat let go of her child. She ran to the other side of the cabin, lighted by the crackling fire, and gathered her belongings. She found a pan and cleaned the baby, giving him her breast for milk. Afterwards, tired and dirty, Kat washed her trembling body with the pan she’d left on the floor. Gathering her things, an hour later, she left her cabin, the place she had found love and lost it, in the hopes of finally finding a better place. Outside, the sun was almost rising, and Kat could feel the chill in the air. She pressed the baby against her body, using herself as a shield to shelter him. There was no one in sight, only trees and mist, and the recurrent sound of the birds in the sky. Kat found her horse and hung the baby in her chest. She fled into the misty forest, towards the sea, never to be seen again.