Fanfic

Harry, a guard on Traitors Hill was taking a small on duty nap when screams interrupted his slumber. A man wearing the coat of a healer in training tried to race out of the Noble�s Wing of Traitor�s Hill. Harry knew that trick well and went to stop the man. The man was gasping for breath and his hands were soaked in blood. �You idiot!� he snapped at Harry. �I�m trying to birth a baby and I need my healer�s equipment! Now if you please?
�Nope, you�re not getting through here that easily. I know that trick!� Harry said firmly, blocking the door.
�Here�s a pass from the Warden himself. Now , will you let me through?� The man said with an exasperated sigh as Harry moved.
When the man returned, Harry asked, �Who�s giving birth?�
�Delia of Eldorne.� The man snapped as he ran back into the room. Harry whistled, impressed. This was no minor criminal; Delia of Eldorne had committed high treason to the crown not even a full year ago. Suddenly he was struck with a horrible thought.
�The father isn�t�� he gulped hard and, finding he couldn�t say the name, whispered �the sorcerer.�
The healer sighed. �I don�t know; I don�t really keep track of the inmates sex lives; it doesn�t interest me much!� After a pause he added, �But I�m sure magic will be done to tell once the baby�s out.�
Barely a half-hour later, the chief mage at Traitor�s Hill examined the baby girl. The baby had a bunch of strands of raven-black hair. The eyes were a dark blue that called deep ocean depths to mind. Her skin was pale as a ghost, and made her eyes and hair even more striking. The mage whispered some words over the baby and a cloud of mist poured over her head. The mist shifted and swirled, revealing a picture of a man with brown-black hair and dark blue eyes. The image of Roger of Cont� smiled evilly. The guards around them stepped away and hastily drew the sign against evil on their chests.
The mage cast away the image forcefully and drew moisture into his paper-dry mouth. �D-Did the mother name the child?� he asked the novice healer who had delivered the baby.
�Yes.� The healer said softly. �She said it was named Astrosa. She also mentioned that she never wanted to see it again.�
The warden stepped forward now. Well, what do we do about it? We can�t keep it here; Traitor�s Hill isn�t for infants.�
�Well, is there any family that�ll take the baby? Eldorne and Cont� are both high nobility; isn�t there anyone that�ll take her?� a guard asked.
�I�m afraid not.� The warden said with a sigh. �The mother was disowned from Fief Eldorne, and the Cont�s�well, obviously they won�t take a daughter of two people who tried to kill them.�
�A convent?� someone else asked.
�I�ll check it out.� The warden said with a sigh as everyone left the room. �For the time being, put a spare crib from when Justin, my son, was little in Miss Eldorne�s room. If she complains, point out that traitors to the crown do not always get their way.�

*~*~*

A week later, the warden was in distress. He had written to every convent in Tortall. None would take the daughter of Roger of Cont�. He had no clue what to do; only traitors stayed here. Technically, little Astrosa wasn�t a traitor; she was just sired by two of them. Convents were where girls belonged, but no convent would take her. Finally, Astrosa did something that left the warden no choice about what to do.
Delia of Eldorne was screaming at the guard that she didn�t want a baby, something she did almost daily. The guard lost his temper and struck her across the face. Suddenly, the air in the room was very heavy. Blood-red fire flared around Astrosa and the guard as she lifted him four feet off the ground and cut off his air. The guard later said that it felt as if red-hot hands had been clutching his neck. Luckily, the magic stopped when another guard saw what was happening and yelled. The man was unhurt, but it was a close thing.
The warden sighed with sadness. He hated to do it, but Astrosa was dangerous if she couldn�t control her amazing power. He signed a warrant to have her permanently institutionalized at the Asylum for the Mentally Deranged.