Part 1: The Apple of Irithyll
"Shhh, child. Mother has work to do."
The voice was a soft coo that echoed around the small cabin, shimmering within the dark light of dawning night. It was mixed with both love and affection, and directed upon a small bundle of cloth blankets and flailing limbs. The telltale gurgling of a small child sounded, causing a smile to split along the woman's face, her expression glowering within the low light.
She turned, focusing once more upon the apple before her. Spell light fell from her fingers, fluttering with a physical energy that lightened the room in dim embers. Her gaze shifted, gracing the worn parchment pages of an old book of enchanting. She spoke the hallowed words, mixed the proper ingredients, and waited until the long awaited full moon reached its peak within the sky.
Under her careful ministrations, the apple changed. Its red edge shifted, hardening as her careful planning and caution took fruit, glimmering a strange purple hue. Shards of perfectly formed amethyst formed over the skin, penetrating deep into the ruby core. Slowly it crystallized, consuming the apple with its cold touch, drowning it with a raw beauty and savage execution.
But as the tanned woman leaned away, she smiled with both exhaustion and eagerness. What had once been an apple was now a solid chunk of amethyst, shimmering beneath her gaze in the light, glittering with untold beauty. She laughed, holding it under the light, examining its every contour and delineation, savoring the details.
Yet she blinked, surprised by the center of the purple orb. Deep within its mass, under inches of purple crystal and amethyst, lay the perfect core of solid amber the size of marble. She frowned, examining it again, twisting the object end over end as she pondered the possible outcomes and reasons for the magical mutation.
Her thoughts were cut off as a small cry sounded out, shattering her mind set. She sighed, laying the orb to the side before turning to confront her small child who withered within his small crib, demanding her attention with grasping fingers.
The new found mother laughed before reaching forward and grasping her child, carefully raising him to her arms before turning away from the orb.
"Come, little one. It is time my brave söturi had some sleep, no?"
The babe merely replied with a happy smile and a pleased gurgle, causing the woman to laugh and kiss her bundle of joy. She wrapped him as best she could, cooing as she did, before stepping away into their small bedroom for the night.
"It is time you went to bed, little Arwin."