Festina Lente

Chapter One Hundred & Ten: The Unexpected

2nd of April 1537 - Palace of Fontainebleau, Paris

The news had spread quickly when the Dauphine of France went into labour, the excitement in the air was hard to ignore as the palace repaired for the birth of the future heir to the throne. 

There were high hopes that the Dauphine would have a son this day, that the line of Valois would be further secured and that the future king would have an heir of his own. 

That after the death of Prince Francis all was not lost, that the line of Valois could survive past King Francis; that the new Dauphin would have an heir of his own in a matter of hours. 

Henri was the same age now as Francis had been when he had been murdered, great care had been taken to make sure that what happened Francis would not be repeated. 

The Dauphin had gone hunting that morning to celebrate the news that his son would be born that day, he had vowed to gift his wife a new fur coat for her efforts before he had disappeared for the day. 

Today was his victory, something that his own brother had not been able to achieve; his line would continue past him, he would have an heir for when he became king. 

Shut away in her rooms, Catherine screamed as she laboured to bring her son into the world; her much needed and desired son that would secure her position; she would be hailed for her victory in giving Henri a son. 

The dark room where she laboured was filled with ladies of the court, her own ladies staying close to her mistress as she tried to push her baby into the world; the process was slow and several of the ladies whispered that the Dauphine was not trying hard enough. 

The labour was slow to process and Catherine cursed, clutching at the bed sheets as she tried to force her baby out; she didn't understand what was taking so long, surely it could not be this difficult to birth a child. 

Clarice had done it, she was about to have her fourth child and Catherine couldn't understand why her labours were taking so long; she didn't even think that Queen Elisabeth's labours had taken this long. 

"You must push Your Highness," the midwife urged the Dauphine, the labour had started early that morning and now they were pushing into the afternoon with no sign of anything happening. 

Catherine screamed, throwing her head back as she tried to force the baby from her; frustration growing as she wanted this to be over.

"What do you think I am doing?" Catherine snarled glaring down at the midwife as if she wasn't trying with all her might to push the baby from her body; she had been trying since her water had broken that morning. 

The midwife pursed her lips at the way that the Dauphine spoke to her, she had delivered both of Queen Elisabeth's children; the Queen had not treated her that way when she had laboured with Aubert and Yolande. 

The Queen had been fine spirits when she had been delivered of both her children, she had rewarded those who had helped her birth the Prince and Princess greatly for their services. 

The light outside slowly slipped away as the day left them, the Dauphin returning from his hunt to the news that his wife had still not delivered their child into the world. 

Catherine gritted her teeth as she continued to push, her ladies doing their best to wipe away the sweat from her face as she laboured; she screamed and cursed, wanting it to be over so that she could hold her son. 

It was close to midnight when the room was filled with the screams of a newborn, there was a hush over the chamber as the midwife took the baby in her arms; a sense of uneasy that was hard to ignore coming with it.