"Arinya!"
The room erupted into controlled chaos.
"I think," I gasped, reaching up to clutch Damar’s arm so hard my nails left marks in his skin. "They’re coming."
"What?!" They chorused.
"It’s still two days more," Damar said, his normally composed voice panicked.
"Ah, I have a history of giving birth before due dates, it seems." I tried to crack a joke, but another contraction ca, and my nails dug deeper, until he bled. "It seems," I wheezed. "These little ones can’t wait to see the world. They’re coming, and they’re coming today."
"What do we do?" Fenric asked, and I lifted my head, sweat beading on my forehead. "Don’t panic. Just... do like I instructed. First, take the babies to the nursery palace for Talia and Solin to take care of, and bring the rabbit midwife who helped deliver the last ti. As well as the midwife from the sea."
"I already have her on standby," Noah said. He looked just as worried and restless as he did the last ti.
But this ti, he planned to stay and not lose his grit.
Damar and Thalor were the ones who looked like they would faint from worrying.
"Now," I struggled to get up with Damar’s help. "Take to the room with the pool."
The water in the birthing pool was kept at a perfect, lukewarm temperature, steam rising in thin, wispy curls that danced against the stone walls.
But the most overwhelming sound wasn’t the splashing water—it was the high-pitched, non-stop chatter of the rabbit midwife.
"Move! Move, you big, useless lumps!" the bunny snapped, her long ears twitching with irritation as she shoved past Fenric’s legs. "Noah, I said hot linens, not lukewarm! Do I look like I’m bathing a kitten? And you—the scaly one—stop squeezing her hand so hard, you’re going to cut off her circulation! She needs her blood to move, not to be bottled up by your panic!"
Damar flinched, his silver scales actually rattling against each other. He was kneeling in the water behind , his arms trembling as he held my weight.
This powerful, terrifying Serpent, who could snap a bear’s neck without blinking, looked like he was about to pass out. His green eyes were dilated with a primal, helpless terror, and he kept burying his face in my hair, whispering things that didn’t even make sense.
"Ari... please... I’ll take it. Give the pain to . I can take it," he hissed, his voice cracking.
"Shut up, Damar," I wheezed, my head falling back against his shoulder as another contraction ripped through and got my blood pumping. "Unless you have a uterus... you can’t... take... shit!"
On my other side, Thalor was a wreck. The Sea Prince was gripping the edge of the stone pool so hard the rock was beginning to spider-web. His violet eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he was drowning on dry land.
"Is this normal?" Thalor gasped, his voice a frantic whisper to the sea midwife. "Why is she screaming like that? The water... is there too much blood? Arinya, look at ! Breathe!"
"Oh, for the love of the kingdom, soone muzzle his highness!" the bunny midwife yelled, splashing water at Thalor’s face. "She’s birthing twins, not dying! If you don’t stop vibrating, you’re going to cause a wave and drown us all!"
It was so chaotic, and I’d laugh if I weren’t on the verge of life and death.
Noah was the only one trying to maintain a shred of dignity, but even he was pale. He was pacing the small strip of stone floor, his tail lashing back and forth so fast it sounded like a whip.
"The triplets were faster," he muttered to himself, his jaw set. "Why is this taking longer? Midwife, is it the scales? Are the scales hurting her?"
"They aren’t even out yet, your highness. You being a worry-wart is not helping her!" the bunny barked.
I let out a soul-splitting scream. The pressure was different this ti. It felt like the very tide of the ocean was trying to force its way out of my core.
"Fenric!" I gasped, reaching out blindly. "I need... to stop screaming."
Fenric was there in an instant, but he didn’t offer a piece of leather. He shoved his own forearm in front of my mouth, his ruby eyes filled with a desperate, heartbreaking devotion. "Bite , Arinya. Take it out on . I’m right here."
This habit of his...
I didn’t hesitate. I sank my teeth into his arm as the final, agonizing surge took over. Fenric didn’t even flinch. He just watched , his own tears finally spilling over as he felt the sheer force of my pain through his own flesh.
"Now! Give everything!" the bunny midwife commanded, her voice finally dropping the sass for a tone of pure authority. "Push, Queen! Push!"
I pushed until my vision went white, until the heat of the room felt like a physical weight crushing . And then, the pressure snapped.
A loud, splashing sound followed, and then a cry—not a high-pitched cub’s yip, but a strong, lodic wail that sounded like a songbird.
"The first one is here!" the sea midwife cheered, lifting a tiny, wriggling form from the water. "It’s a girl."
Thalor let out a choked, ragged sob, his knees finally giving out as he slumped against the side of the pool.
But there was no ti to celebrate.
"The second! Don’t stop now, Queen," the bunny yelled. "One more! You’re almost there. Bring the other ho!"
But I felt weak, heaving, my mouth filled with Fenric’s blood. Why does this have to happen all the ti?
Why is my strength sapped?
My vision was swimming, but then I heard a loud call.
"Arinya!" It was Damar.
Damar, who was not very conscious during the last delivery, gave the strength to push the last cub. Right now, he was trying to give that sa strength, his eyes filled with a loud devotion that spoke a lot.
If I do not push, if I give up now, the baby will drown in . And if the baby drowned, the rest of this kingdom would drown as well.
Ah, I can’t... have that.
My baby... I want my baby safe and sound.
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