New Life (Chapter Two)

It wasn't intentional, but... Lenna couldn't help but stare. The massive outer walls of the temple were unlike anything the farmgirl had ever seen, all white stone and intricate carvings. Were the cart not trundling along at its own, steady pace, she might have gawked still longer, but even her momentary glimpse afforded her a view of a masterful frieze of the Birth of the World. The marble visage of the Goddess lay back, face contorted with pain as she waged her struggle to bring forth the planet that had grown healthy in her divine womb. Lenna knew the legend well - the story reminded people that birth was the greatest of struggles, and the noblest, and that even the goddess was not immune to pain. It was a pious tale... but as the girl clutched at her slowly swelling abdomen, it didn't provide much in the way of comfort.

But then the pictures were behind her, and the cart was briefly cast into darkness as it rolled through the tunnel cut into the thick walls. The Delubrum Praegrandis was the lifeblood of the realm, the house of the Goddess Church itself, and the scattered lords and kings of the land had spared no expense in ensuring it would be safe and secure. And neat, Lenna thought with a certain degree of satisfaction - at the very least, the smooth stone road had fewer nauseating bumps to it than the dirt ones of the countryside. The walls around fell away, revealing a courtyard of similar craftsmanship, with statues and delicate engravings covering nearly every surface. She couldn't see much of his face, behind that bushy white beard of his, but Lenna knew that Old Man Greg would be staring too.

"Welcome, revered daughter." Lenna almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden speech - she'd missed the priestess initially, her white-and-gold gown blending in uncannily well with the surroundings. She was smiling at Lenna, gesturing politely to the ground beside her as she repeated herself. "Welcome, revered daughter, to the White Temple. Your guardian has our thanks - we were informed of your coming, but you have made... admirable time. Consider this a token of our appreciation."

The woman tossed Greg a small cloth satchel, but the farmer didn't besmirch the holy woman's word by opening it on the spot. Money was money, but he had little use for worldly things, at his age. He simply nodded, and gave a whiskery smile to Lenna, who gave a shaky one in return.

"It be yer stop, missie. Don'tcha go embarrassing tha' white sisters, ya hear?" He proffered a weathered hand, which Lenna shook, hesitantly at first, then more firmly, and with a nod of affirmation.

"Well, you know me. All I can do is try, right?" Lenna stomped her feet one or twice, getting the blood flowing after three weeks spent almost entirely sitting or sleeping in the back of a rickety cart. Then, happy for a chance to really stretch her legs at last, she hopped out of the back of the wooden conveyance, landing on the great flagstones of the courtyard...

...and very nearly falling flat on her face, saved only by the steadying hand of the priestess on her shoulder. Lenna blushed furiously, hands again darting to her stomach - it had continued to spill forward over the course of the last weeks, the toned dome pushing out almost four inches from its original position at its 'peak'. It wasn't noticable under her clothes unless she leaned backwards, or let her tunic settle around it, but it was heavy, and it seemed to throw her off balance every time she made a major movement. Lenna wondered if she would still be able to run. And if she could... how long would that last?

Old Man Greg gave a genial wave as he turned the cart around, that wrinkled, merry man's last nod doing as much to straighten her back as the support of the priestess at her side. The girl attempted to mirror the expression, giving the priestess a smile as the taller woman took her by the hand and led her forward.

She wasn't sure what she should be doing, or saying. Maybe she should have fought it. Run away, somehow. But she hadn't. And so... this was her home now. For better or worse.