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Description
Reika's Story: Rise and Fall
The autumn season had been brutally cold for the past few weeks, but thankfully the harvest had all been picked before the upcoming frost arrived. Winter was coming close, its cold fingers slowly rising to take hold of the town of Alrose. Wild life slowly made its way to shelter from the big cold, in hibernating and building up a comfortable home. Among them were the people of Alrose, cutting wood for their hearths and stocking provisions. One particular family was too busy to pay attention to the wind that blew against the shutters of their home.

"You're almost there." the midwife spoke encouragingly, peering into the cavity of a woman laying on the side of the bed. A man's hand gripped the woman's, sweat beading on his forehead and around his unshaven mouth. He felt just as nervous as his wife who was in the midst of giving birth to their first child.

Fear gripped him at the heart. There were too many stories of childbirth gone wrong where either the child or mother was lost. Worst case would be that they were both taken away from him. A loud agonizing groan brought Alfred's blue eyes back to the woman in his hand. Her usually neat light brown hair was disheveled and sweat soaked and her rose eyes were set in a determined stare at the midwife's head that was ducked under her dress.

"Goddess this child is stubborn!" Emma gasped, taking a break from her contractions to breath. She looked up at her husband, a twisted smile on her lips. "It must take after you."

Alfred's eyes crinkled, petting his wife's wet hair away from her face, "And if its anything like you, it will be just as determined to stay true to its nature."

"Alright, back to pushing. Come I can see its head." the midwife said and Emma went back to work. A few minutes later a baby's cry broke into the room. The midwife cut the umbilical cord and handed the babe to a servant to wash before it was presented to the mother, wrapped in a blanket. The baby cried only once before its blurry eyes opened up to reveal a pair of equally pink eyes as its mother. "A girl. What shall you name her?"

Emma and Alfred exchanged looks, smiling at each other. The man sat on the bed to cradle both his wife and child in his arms. They had long since decided on a name for if the child was to be a girl. "Reika." Emma said softly, looking down at the babe who decided to nap for the first time.

* * * *

The Amsel family had grown with the birth of Reika. Together with Emma's parents, they lived in a house in the town of Alrose. It was peaceful living for the time being. Emma did not work, but instead was a stay at home mother to nurse her only child with all the love she could provide. She was a kind mother who disciplined her daughter with a firm but caring hand. She was witty, sarcastic and knew how to worm her way out of many tough situations, especially high prices on goods and services. Emma's parents had raised a rather determined daughter who in turn was raising one just the same. It was startling to see how much alike they were, even at such a young age.

Alfred himself was set up to work in the town in clerical work and was a no-nonsense man. How he kept up with Emma's constant mischief was beyond anyone's knowledge, but the two loved each other either way. He was a man who grew up loving tradition and customs, but always had time to laugh at his wife's humor. He watched his daughter, with raven black hair like his own, grow up to be just like her mother. Reika was the curious type, always finding herself lost under furniture and wandering into the gardens where her grandparents chased her to bring back. Alfred didn't like to admit it, but sometimes he wondered if his daughter would grow up to be the little princess he had always wanted.

It was two months before Reika turned six that things began to go downhill for the Amsel family. A fight broke out between the two lovers, neither of which decided to tell in much detail to anyone else, not even their own daughter. On one warm autumn night, the little girl was perched by her bay window, unable to sleep from the heat. Something moved outside below her window and her pink eyes turned to watch her mother pulling a heavy suitcase. Her piked curiosity had the little girl rushing to go see what her mother was up to.

"Mama?" Reika called softly, not wanting to wake anyone up, from the open window on the first floor. She was already climbing down when her mother pulled her back inside.

"Get back inside Reirei, it's dark outside." her mother spoke just as quietly.

"Where are you going?" the girl asked, now openly confused.

Her mother smiled, but it was not her brilliant sunny smile that made any of her daughter's worries wash away like the ocean waves. It was twisted, and sad. She could see a glitter in her mother's eyes that showed she had been crying and still was. "I'm sorry sweetling."

"Mama..?"

"I have to go." she kissed Reika's head and sniffed. "Be safe, and keep your father out of trouble. Tell grandmama and grandpapa that I had no other choice." When she saw her daughter still confused, the older woman chuckled, running a hand in the girls short black hair. "I'm not going for long, don't fret." She swept her daughter into a tight hug, Rei returning it just as tight. The little girl knew better than to question her mother's intentions, she trusted her.

"So you'll come back, right?" Reika asked.

Emma nodded and propped her suitcase up by her hip, already turning to leave. "I promise."

Description
Reika's Story: Rise and Fall
The autumn season had been brutally cold for the past few weeks, but thankfully the harvest had all been picked before the upcoming frost arrived. Winter was coming close, its cold fingers slowly rising to take hold of the town of Alrose. Wild life slowly made its way to shelter from the big cold, in hibernating and building up a comfortable home. Among them were the people of Alrose, cutting wood for their hearths and stocking provisions. One particular family was too busy to pay attention to the wind that blew against the shutters of their home.

"You're almost there." the midwife spoke encouragingly, peering into the cavity of a woman laying on the side of the bed. A man's hand gripped the woman's, sweat beading on his forehead and around his unshaven mouth. He felt just as nervous as his wife who was in the midst of giving birth to their first child.

Fear gripped him at the heart. There were too many stories of childbirth gone wrong where either the child or mother was lost. Worst case would be that they were both taken away from him. A loud agonizing groan brought Alfred's blue eyes back to the woman in his hand. Her usually neat light brown hair was disheveled and sweat soaked and her rose eyes were set in a determined stare at the midwife's head that was ducked under her dress.

"Goddess this child is stubborn!" Emma gasped, taking a break from her contractions to breath. She looked up at her husband, a twisted smile on her lips. "It must take after you."

Alfred's eyes crinkled, petting his wife's wet hair away from her face, "And if its anything like you, it will be just as determined to stay true to its nature."

"Alright, back to pushing. Come I can see its head." the midwife said and Emma went back to work. A few minutes later a baby's cry broke into the room. The midwife cut the umbilical cord and handed the babe to a servant to wash before it was presented to the mother, wrapped in a blanket. The baby cried only once before its blurry eyes opened up to reveal a pair of equally pink eyes as its mother. "A girl. What shall you name her?"

Emma and Alfred exchanged looks, smiling at each other. The man sat on the bed to cradle both his wife and child in his arms. They had long since decided on a name for if the child was to be a girl. "Reika." Emma said softly, looking down at the babe who decided to nap for the first time.

* * * *

The Amsel family had grown with the birth of Reika. Together with Emma's parents, they lived in a house in the town of Alrose. It was peaceful living for the time being. Emma did not work, but instead was a stay at home mother to nurse her only child with all the love she could provide. She was a kind mother who disciplined her daughter with a firm but caring hand. She was witty, sarcastic and knew how to worm her way out of many tough situations, especially high prices on goods and services. Emma's parents had raised a rather determined daughter who in turn was raising one just the same. It was startling to see how much alike they were, even at such a young age.

Alfred himself was set up to work in the town in clerical work and was a no-nonsense man. How he kept up with Emma's constant mischief was beyond anyone's knowledge, but the two loved each other either way. He was a man who grew up loving tradition and customs, but always had time to laugh at his wife's humor. He watched his daughter, with raven black hair like his own, grow up to be just like her mother. Reika was the curious type, always finding herself lost under furniture and wandering into the gardens where her grandparents chased her to bring back. Alfred didn't like to admit it, but sometimes he wondered if his daughter would grow up to be the little princess he had always wanted.

It was two months before Reika turned six that things began to go downhill for the Amsel family. A fight broke out between the two lovers, neither of which decided to tell in much detail to anyone else, not even their own daughter. On one warm autumn night, the little girl was perched by her bay window, unable to sleep from the heat. Something moved outside below her window and her pink eyes turned to watch her mother pulling a heavy suitcase. Her piked curiosity had the little girl rushing to go see what her mother was up to.

"Mama?" Reika called softly, not wanting to wake anyone up, from the open window on the first floor. She was already climbing down when her mother pulled her back inside.

"Get back inside Reirei, it's dark outside." her mother spoke just as quietly.

"Where are you going?" the girl asked, now openly confused.

Her mother smiled, but it was not her brilliant sunny smile that made any of her daughter's worries wash away like the ocean waves. It was twisted, and sad. She could see a glitter in her mother's eyes that showed she had been crying and still was. "I'm sorry sweetling."

"Mama..?"

"I have to go." she kissed Reika's head and sniffed. "Be safe, and keep your father out of trouble. Tell grandmama and grandpapa that I had no other choice." When she saw her daughter still confused, the older woman chuckled, running a hand in the girls short black hair. "I'm not going for long, don't fret." She swept her daughter into a tight hug, Rei returning it just as tight. The little girl knew better than to question her mother's intentions, she trusted her.

"So you'll come back, right?" Reika asked.

Emma nodded and propped her suitcase up by her hip, already turning to leave. "I promise."