And so it begins, like any other average day in Cobble Stones, the sun shone in the bright blue sky, horses trotted along dirt pathways, creatures hustled and bustled giving life to the settlement, trying their best to be polite and maintain their tax rates to a minimum and there was just another vulgar quarrel between the competitive Blacksmith families of the Silversmiths and the Goldsmiths in the market.

They hated each other, ever since the first taxes on iron metal forging had been issued. They were extremely skilled in the Art of Black-Smithery and were the two competitive leading Blacksmith businesses in Cobble Stones. Hence, they were always trying to outshine, outclass and outmanoeuvre each other. Instead, of avoiding the expensive taxes such as Shouting Tax, Cursing Tax etc. both of the families went out of their way to unleash all the shouting and cursing vulgarities that they could think of whenever they happened to encounter each other.

"What brings you to the market?" spat Zerrin Goldsmith, glaring disapprovingly at Rodger and Martha Silversmith. His wife Claudine Goldsmith stood next to him, holding their giggling baby boy – Gyllene Goldsmith. Zerrin Goldsmith had inherited his family's Goldsmith Forge ten years ago which was built on the opposite road of the Silversmith Forge. He was a fifty year old man, with a bulky, strong frame. He had golden hair which was fading white on the sides but his smooth face and muscular body made it seem like he was ten years younger.

"Why do you ask?" retorted Rodger Silversmith, glaring back at Zerrin Goldsmith. Rodger Silversmith like his nemesis was fifty years of age but instead of a golden mane on his head, he had bright silver strands. He was a short shrewd man who had inherited his family's Silversmith Forge twelve years ago. Two years earlier than when Zerrin Goldsmith inherited his family business.

According to the Traditional Law of Blacksmiths, the average age of inheriting the business was sixty as this was the age when a Blacksmith had mastered all levels of metal heating and forgery. Thus, inheriting a Blacksmith business at such a young age demonstrated exceptional skill and maturity that was fairly rare in the Blacksmith Industry, and both Zerrin Goldsmith and Rodger Silversmith had achieved this, making them the youngest Masters of Blacksmiths. But the two year gap between them, placed Rodger Silversmith as the youngest Master of Blacksmiths and Zerrin Goldsmith as the second youngest which meant that Rodger Silversmith's skills were much more noteworthy and this increased the Silversmith Forge status.

"This is a market! It's public property, not your hovel of a house!" Martha Silversmith spat back at Zerrin. Martha Silversmith was a forty year old woman. She had plain brown hair and was fairly tall compared to the average height of the other women in Cobble Stones and even taller than her own husband. She had married Rodger Silversmith when she was eighteen but unlike Zerrin's wife who had also married at the age of eighteen and was able to conceive four girls and one boy, Martha struggled to conceive throughout her married years. She was told from her family Doctor –Doctor Sutherland that she had a five percent chance of conceiving. She had wept nights and mornings and in her desperation, she had gone to numerous fortune tellers, shamans, priests all over Terram, to help her in her plight to denounce Doctor Sutherland's diagnose but they all sadly revealed, she had no hope of getting pregnant.

She was infertile.

But this year everything had changed, a miracle had occurred. She had been feeling eerie and ill – vomiting every hour and everywhere, she stepped her foot in. Her husband noticed and grew deeply concerned. He advised and dragged her to visit Doctor Sutherland and it was such a fortunate visit because Doctor Sutherland revealed that she was in fact pregnant!

As soon as she found out that she was round and pregnant. She rushed back to each and every one of the shamans, fortune tellers and priests who had predicted her eternal infertility, and smugly humiliated them. They had all apologised profusely and prophesied her baby would be a strong healthy boy and this made the entire Silversmith family content.

"Don't speak to my husband like that, Martha!" cried Claudine with contempt. She cuddled her baby boy closer to her chest. "You'll upset my baby boy!"

"Are you the only one with a baby boy?" retorted Martha, condescendingly.

"Of course not! But unlike you I have had several children," said Claudine too sweetly that it came it came out spiteful. "Giving birth is a tough business Martha –especially when you are old and never had one before."

Martha was unsettled by the comment, usually she would immediately retort back with an insult of her own but this time she stood silent, biting her lip. Her fists were clenched to her sides as she thought nervously about Claudine's words. Ever since she had gotten married into the Silversmith family, she was pressurised by her parents and in-laws to give birth to a baby boy.

The legacy and reign of the Silversmith Forge depended on her and she had tried and tried but every month she had her menstrual cycle and the Silversmiths were disappointed but she was more than disappointed.

She was devastated.

She knew the Silversmiths loved her, they liked her fierce loyalty but they continuously compared her with Claudine Goldsmith, who popped out babies like a light switch. When she was about to accept the fact that she could not have a child and that perhaps Rodger should find another wife, she had discovered she was pregnant and the Silversmiths loved her even more.

But, the truth was she was already forty and had never given birth before. Her body was weak and aging, her joints and bones hurt and sometimes when she felt the baby kick, she lost all her strength and wanted to collapse. She heard the gossiping and rumours about her that spread through Cobble Stones and Terram. Many of them said that she was no longer young and her time for childbirth had long past and she would lose her life or her baby while giving birth.

But, Martha was a Silversmith and she had her pride. She held her chin high in spite of the rumours. For seven months, she pretended to be unfazed by the intimidating glares and dark comments and walked the streets of Cobble Stones with a self-confidence that only a true Silversmith mother had. She convinced herself all she needed was her husband and the delightful approval of the Silversmiths.

She would give birth to a healthy boy and no-one could stop her –not even Claudine Goldsmith's comments.

Martha was about to retort with a smug insult but she heard her husband defend her instead.

"Old or young what does it matter?" snapped Rodger. He had a low tolerance for Goldsmiths, especially when they insulted his wife. "My wife is having our first baby and it's a boy!" he exclaimed with beaming pride. "Didn't you have to have ten daughters before you gave birth to your son?"

"Ten!" exclaimed Claudine, aghast. "I only had four daughters before I had Gyllene here."

"Four or ten, it's all the same if it isn't the first," said Rodger. "We will have our first son and he will be called Arian Silversmith like my ancestor who founded the Silversmith Forge," he delightfully smiled, holding his wife's hand. "He will continue the Silversmith family name and be the best Blacksmith since my greatest grandfather."

"Do my ears need to bleed of your disgusting history," spat Zerrin, turning green at the beaming expression that Rodger had. "Arian Silversmith was never a worthy Blacksmith!"

"Zerrin Goldsmith, you dare insult my outstanding ancestor!" exclaimed Rodger, furiously.

"My ancestor Shiney Goldsmith has insulted your ancestor until his dying breath, why wouldn't I do the exact same? The Law of Traditional Blacksmiths states that the past must be continued to the present," said Zerrin, smugly.

"What do you know of the Law of Traditional Blacksmiths?" snapped Rodger. "Your name was inscribed two years after mine as a Master of Blacksmiths, obviously the Law of Traditional Blacksmiths holds me in higher regard than you and you should be aware that my son will continue this!"

"Hah! Two years means nothing! I'll show you my son will be inscribed and acknowledged by the Law of Traditional Blacksmiths before yours!" said Zerrin, adamantly.

"We will see about that! It's in the Silversmith blood to be acknowledged by the Law of Traditional Blacksmiths earlier than average –You will see it for yourself Zerrin, my son Arian will be the first Blacksmith anointed at the age of THIRTY!"

"That's if he doesn't die, stillborns happen often to aging wives," said Claudine, with unpleasant sweetness.

Martha gasped.

"How dare you curse my baby?" said Martha, dangerously. Her motherly instincts kicking in. "I will fight you tooth and nail and ensure that you Goldsmiths are exiled from the Blacksmith Industry."

"And how will you do that?" asked Claudine, incredulously.

"I will show you with my fist!" yelled Martha, about to punch Claudine square in the face but before she could she felt her baby kick. Hard.

"Martha?" asked Rodger, concerned about the sudden change of colour on his wife's face. She was rather pale. "Are you alright? You were using your fist to honour the Silversmith name but you stopped midway?"

"Arghh," screamed Martha, answering her husband in pain. She rubbed and stroked her stomach as she felt her first contraction. "I think it's the baby," she said, after the pain in her abdomen ceased.

"Is it time?" asked Robert, uncertain. He glanced at his wife's face, then at her stomach then on the floor. There was a some watery fluid on the ground, it seemed to becoming from his wife's dress.

Martha followed her husband's gaze and she smiled in nervous excitement. "It's the baby, it's our son. He is ready to fight in this world to bring delight to the Silversmith family."

"Oh, my," said Rodger, panicky, moving his head frantically in all directions while he helped his wife stand. "Someone call Doctor Sutherland! My wife is having our baby boy!"