Settling herself back into daily life and returning to her hospital and orphanage, she found herself catching up on all the stories the little children needed to tell her and reading charts after charts of the patients in the hospital and going over their care. She may have had apprentice healers, but she was head healer, and she made sure her patients received the best of care.
The Princess was one of them, so heavily pregnant she had taken to visiting her instead, often only being allowed to sit with her. She laughed inwardly, knowing full well how it felt to have another healer & midwife act as if their own expertise needed to be set aside simply because they were heavy with child.
Instead, she had taken to visiting and bringing sweets at times, gossiping about others, even when Alexandria rolled her eyes at her, she was glad to have her so close.
The fateful day of The Princess' labor, she had been there and sat with her in the early stages, massaging at her lower back, trying to get her to drink her raspberry leaf tea, making sure they did all they could to ease her through the first stage of labor. She kept her as warm as she could, feeding her a weak gruel simply to keep her energy up, but as a first time mother, they both knew Alexandria would be laboring long, and just as she had suspected when it came to first time twin births, one babe was breech.
Despite the apprentices offering to trade places with her to give her a chance to rest, her determination to remain with the Princess showed her apprentices to only come when called.
When Alexandria stopped wanting to drink and eat, her concern grew. The first babe, born facing down, but arms raised proved why Alexandria had labored so.
Covered in her and the newborn babe's fluids, she was quick to tell her, "You have brought a little girl into the world Princess…another princess is born…" and smiled at the quiet child, tiny as can be, and checked on her, "Ten toes, ten fingers…." She called and made quick work to wash and ready the babe.
"You will shrink down some Princess….'' When Alexandria went limp, she placed the newborn princess in her bassinet and carefully moved all the pillows aside and made sure to keep her airway clear.
"Princess….Princess….the gods old and new…." she whispered and called for the apprentices.
"Hot water…blankets…bring some…wormwood….and henbane- Alexandria can hate me for ruining her first milk for her babes, black cohosh as well.." she added and watched them go.
While Alexandria went in and out of consciousness, she worked with the princess, pulling her foot to her shoulder and gripping her hand and using her own body as a crux for those final pushes. Having gotten her to have a few good drinks of the black cohosh infusion, her labor pains came with more insistence. Carefully, she placed Alexandria's hand on the head of her baby. "a full head of hair, not like the first…" she murmured encouragingly and finally the babe came, small and just as quiet, she found the little one struggling to catch its first breath.
Covering Alexandria and keeping her warm, she folded the babe into her arm, sucking the fluid from its lungs and with her arm protectively over its little wrapped body, she swung downward and upward, gently breathing into its little chest, watching it rise and fall. "Come on little one….show your mother how much you want to see her." and tried again. Using her pinky to pull free anything she could feel, she tried once more, and breathed into the babe's lungs, swinging him up and down when finally the meek little whimper emitted.
Letting out a shaking laugh, she kissed the babe's forehead. "Welcome to the world little prince…."
This time she handed the second babe to the apprentices, ordering them to keep both clean and warm. "Twins like to be put together, keep them as such." and worked on Alexandria, climbing up onto the bed, mucking her way through her blood. It always looked like a lot, but this time Aviva remained concerned, and gripped The Princess’ chin, listening for her breathing, and sighed heavily.
“Nida…” and swallowed hard, “Find some parchment, quill and ink…” she called to the apprentice healer.
It was Aviva herself who washed and dressed her. The bed mat had been changed, to a clean one, filled with mellow-sweet grass. She sat with her, keeping her lips wet and was reminded of her much similar situation, weakened by the birth of Lucien, but before that…how The Princess had guided her through such a troubling pregnancy, with Veda.
“Return to your little ones Princess…” and gently placed each babe in bed with her, tucked into her, comforted by the heat and scent of her.
It was then, exhausted, not having seen Seth or her children, she glanced at the parchment before her, knowing what she needed to write, and who to.
I am bereft of kind words. I have labored with Alexandria, two days on, and she has brought into the world two babes, a girl born first and a boy, tinier than his sister, but strong.
I can only wonder if you knew where your sister had traversed to, or how you did not know to come looking for her when she did not return. She was heavy with child the last you saw her I am sure.
She is not well, as I sit with her, she does not awaken. The labor has left her sapped of all energy and the longer she sleeps, the more I worry. Do not doubt her care, she is being watched by myself and myself alone. Your new niece and nephew, the little royals are well…all ten toes and ten fingers…a good omen.
She will remain in Barley, I will not have her moved until she is up and moving, and I deem it so. Tell your people Caspian, tell them to pray for their Princess, for she is good and just, and of your blood.
Prayers for your sister Caspian,
She closed the letter, sighing heavily as she glanced at the blood-soaked bed mat, and felt a surge of protective energy. She wondered if showing Caspian how his sister had suffered, if he would listen to her pleas.
“Nida…send the mat along with the missive. Let King Caspian see what the Princess has endured.”
origamiaround
germansingergirl
prguitarman