[ IP ] Stroll Along the Wall

`` Have you told him?'' Serra had stopped walking when she asked the question, forcing Leah to stop as well. Leah had known this question would come eventually, had even suspected that Serra would ask it today. The two women had never been friends, visiting with Leah had never been one of Serra's preferred pastimes. 
 
 `` Tell who what?'' Leah turned her head to the side, feigning ignorance, working to suppress the nervousness she was feeling. Serra's eyebrows raised ever so slightly and her lips fixed into a small smile, almost a smirk. Leah crossed her arms protectively over her stomach and immediately dropped her hands to her side, `` stupid girl!'' she thought to herself. Had Serra noticed? 
 
 `` Leah dear, you ca n't hide something like that from me.'' Serra blinked slowly, her eyes conveyed understanding but Leah still did not trust her, even Daniel did not trust her and she was his sister. `` I've been through it, the morning sickness, the fatigue, you've stopped riding and I've noticed that suddenly you clutch the banister when you come down the stairs, all the little changes, numerous little clues.'' Leah fought the pangs of dread that were rising in her chest, Serra could n't be sure, not yet at least, Leah's stomach had not even begun to protrude, at least she did n't think it had. 
 
 `` There's also the clothes'', Serra continued, `` nothing like you used to wear, nothing revealing, it's summer and you're wrapped up in long sleeves. Why else would you suddenly cease parading around for everyone?'' Leah felt the anger rise but suppresed the urge to let Serra pull her into this game. 
 
 `` With the wedding only months away I have been trying to keep from letting my skin darken too much, Daniel has always stolen looks at the northern ladies with their porcelain skin. It is a small gift to him.'' 
 
 `` A gift?'' Serra's eyes narrowed and the sympathy left her voice, `` Is that how you refer to it? White skin and a round belly at the ceremony? Shaming my brother and yourself, that's what you would call a gift? How much longer do you think you can hide it? Another month, a few weeks more at the most. Will the clothes continue to cover more and more? Summer has only just started you know, you'll have to completely shut yourself inside until after harvest if you are to hide it. Once it is time for the ceremony, you will be as round as the pumpkins that go into the pies.'' 
 
 Leah felt tears welling up in her eyes. Daniel had tried to push the wedding forward when she had told him but his father had refused. The village had to finish the year's harvest, a wedding in the summer was bound to bring ill fortune. The Village Elder would not tempt fate with a celebration before the winter stores were harvested, not even for his son's wedding, even if he knew the true circumstances. He would be angry if he knew, he would have to bring the news to the Village Priest who may well refuse to condone the ceremony. She had known showing up to the her wedding, huge and rotund with a child in her belly would ignite a storm of gossip but no one would call the wedding off as she walked down the aisle. Daniel would not allow anyone to do that, not even his father. `` You're mistaken.'' Leah turned to walk away from Serra but the older woman persisted. 
 
 `` It'll ruin his reputation you know? The oldest male in our family has been the village elder for the last hundred years. No one will allow that, not when he ca n't show restraint with a foreign whore!'' Serra strode after her, only a few steps behind, her face flushed red with anger. Leah looked around for anyone who may have heard but none of the villagers were home, all were attending their fields, no one was there to hear the insults. `` You think I would say that with people around?'' Serra was now only a foot or so behind Leah, her voice becoming shriller with every step. `` You think I'm stupid like you? You wo n't ruin my family's name, I'll see to it. No foreign whore will keep him from...'' 
 
 Leah turned quickly to face Serra whose face changed from anger to surprise at the searing pain from the steel blade now buried in her abdomen. She let out small gasps of air as she tried to breathe, her eyes had a wild look of panic as her hands grasped at Leah's, trying to pull the knife from her belly. Leah pushed her to the edge of the bridge, twisting the knife as she went until Serra's upper half was leaned far out over the stone railing. 
 
 `` These clothes do hide a lot, my skin, the baby and this.'' Leah gave the knife one final twist and pushed Serra over the side into the river far below. 
 
 EDIT: Grammar and deleted a sentence.
