Selfless Love

NOTE: Rockabye by the Clean Bandit was the inspiration for this chapter.

Childbirth is the most painful, most difficult thing a woman will ever endure... and Maximilian Calypse had to do it in a cold, dark, cramped prison cell. 

She didn't know who had taken her prisoner, but she knew that they were exceptionally good at hiding. She had been locked away for a little over three years. 

She didn't know she was pregnant and neither did the guards but when her pregnancy was confirmed by one of the captor's mages she was no longer subjected to physical punishment. They may be evil, but they were not so cruel as to harm a woman who was with child. 

Maximilian also knew that her husband would rescue her. Yes, it had been an excruciatingly long time since she had seen him but her faith in him never wavered. She had to believe that he would come for her and for their child.

Besides her son, that small flicker of hope was probably the only thing that had kept her sane over the past three years. 

Surprisingly, Maxi did not have to fight with her captors to keep her son after he was born. They never tried to take him from her, probably because they had no idea how to handle a newborn. Though Maxi didn't know much more than they did, her maternal instincts had served her well thus far. 
It broke her heart that Riftan had missed so many of their son's milestones. Maxi talked to him about his father so much that his first word had been a garbled version of "Dada." For someone so young he was very well spoken and highly aware of his surroundings. He had taken his first steps at just six months old, and he could now walk perfectly on his own. Maxi was beyond proud that her son was so strong, just like his father. And he looked just like him, a mini Riftan with bronze skin and hair black as ebony. The only thing he had gotten from her was her silvery blue eyes. 

Her baby was the most beautiful thing in the world, and she would do anything to keep him healthy and safe. Even if it cost Maxi her life, she would do so without hesitation, and not just because she was naturally reckless, now she was driven by a mother's instinct to protect her child no matter what. 

And if Riftan didn't come soon she may very well lose her life. Every day, since the day he was born Maxi transferred a little bit of her mana to her son. She knew the rations they received weren't enough for a growing baby, so her mana helped him grow and kept him strong and healthy. 

The prison rations had gotten smaller and smaller lately and certainly weren't enough for one person let alone two. Recently she had been giving her entire ration to her son so he could fill his belly. A lack of food and the daily use of her mana wore her out and she found herself lying in bed more and more throughout the day but she somehow managed to always find just enough energy to play with her son. 

It was almost noon and she had not yet risen from her small, tattered cot. She felt very weak and prayed and prayed that Riftan would come for them soon. As part of their morning routine Maxi sat her son in her lap and held her hand out to her son. He placed his tiny hand in hers. The two sat very still as a small trail of mana flowed from her palm to his. While she looked drowsy and sickly, he looked lively and more awake after the transfer.

She worried as she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up on little to no food. She was naturally thin, but a lack of food had caused her to not only quickly lose the small amount of extra weight she had gained during her pregnancy, but she figured she now weighed less than she ever had in her life. Please hurry Riftan, she thought as she soon drifted back to sleep.