Prologue: Born in Blood

"Emma, please! You'll be okay!" a man spoke forcefully through a haze of tears.
A woman looked at him sadly, tiredly, drained. Her voice was a whisper and the man had to lean in to hear it. "Please, let me go, Aaron. You'll be fine."
A great sob swelled from Aaron's throat. "Emma, please stay with me. I can't go on looking at him if you're not here. He's so much like you."
Emma gathered her strength and grabbed Aaron's hand. "Aaron, he lives so that I may live on in him. Care for our son. Protect him, love him, teach him to defend himself and care for those in need. Make him a great man. Like you."
"Emma..." Tears blurred her face and Aaron swept frantically at them, wanting to see every last bit of life in this woman. So much if her blood had spilled. Everything had gone right but then the blood came and-
"Aaron," Emma spoke with urgency. "Promise me now that you'll care for him. Promise me you'll make him to be you."
Aaron looked into the eyes of the woman he loved. "Yes," his voice came a whisper. "I will name him like that. For you."
Emma smiled. "Hold him for me."
Aaron quickly gathered up the small, weak newborn in his arms. "I will love him. Promise."
Emma sighed and closed her eyes. "The last thing I see. The last thing I'll ever see is you and our son. Aaron..."
He leaned forward and kissed her softly. He thought he could make out the words that came on her last breath. He slowly repeated them back. "Love you."
He stood, holding the baby tightly. Tears filled his eyes again and his vision darkened in anger. He raced from the tent and into the clearing, staring around wildly. The tribe's leader looked at him in shock as furious words tore themselves from Aaron's throat. "You couldn't save her!"
The leader crossed the clearing with a calming authority, but it had no effect on Aaron. "Calm, Aaron. We did what we could."
"It wasn't good enough," he snarled, his green eyes flashing. "I came to you in a time of need! What did you give me!? Not enough!" The baby in his arms stirred and began to cry. Aaron clutched him tighter as the leader reached for the child. "Don't you dare touch him, you bastard."
Without waiting for a reply, Aaron grabbed his bedroll from beside the medicine tent and raced out of the tribe's camp with tears streaming from his eyes. How could fate be so cruel? How could whatever god that watched him do such horrid things?
Finally, Aaron stopped and fell to his knees, his son still swaddled in the birthing cloth the tribe provided. He opened his bedroll clumsily and climbed into the sleeping sack with his child. Staring into his face, Aaron whispered to his son. "I need to name you. Your mumma wanted you to be like me. I need to think, little one. But whatever happens, I'll love you. Okay?"
The baby yawned and snuggled into his father's chest; blue eyes so much like his mother's, blonde wisps of hair as the same. 
"I'll love you."