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Charlotte must have known that he was nearby.
During the first couple of hours, she made an effort to stifle her screams for his sake, not wanting him to know how much she was suffering, but as her labour dragged on, she no longer had the strength to pretend and her agonized cries tore through the apartment.
He longed to be by her side.
He knew that he could be of no real use in a birthing chamber but he could give her his hand to squeeze when the pain became too intense, or perhaps he could help bathe her to cool her.
He didn't know how long he sat in Charlotte's apartment, deaf to anything his brothers might have said to him and keeping his gaze trained on the heavy velvet curtains that separated the room from Charlotte's bedchamber. It was probably a matter of hours, but it felt as though he had been there for days, the sound of her screams in his ears. From time to time, one of Charlotte's ladies, usually Marie or Aimee merged to bring him news, but all they ever said was that it was going as well as it could be expected to, and that Charlotte was bearing up, and he could only take their word for it, as he had only the vaguest idea what to expect.
They had not needed to summon Doctor Hatteclyffe, which he took as a good sign.
After what felt like an eternity, he heard Mistress Granger's authoritative voice demand that clean linen be brought to her and, moments later, a slapping sound and a wailed protest.
Mistress Granger said something else, but he couldn't make it out. He listened intently for Charlotte, hoping to hear her say something that would indicate to him that she was safe.
Before he could process what was happening, he heard Charlotte cry out again, more loudly than she had before and then there was a flurry of panicked movement.
He ran into the room, and was by Charlotte's side in moments, slipping one arm under her shoulders and taking her hand in his, squeezing it encouragingly. Her face was pale and drawn with pain. One of her ladies must have braided her hair when her labour began, in order to keep it out of her eyes, but more than half of it had fallen free by now, and it clung to her face in loose tendrils.
"What's wrong?" He demanded without looking at away. He only had eyes and ears for Charlotte. He winced involuntarily as her grip on his hand tightened painfully but he wouldn't pull away from her. He could see that the muscles in her belly were tight with the effort of pushing their child into the world.
Mistress Granger scarcely spared him a glance, evidently deeming it a waste of time to try to send him out of the room and focusing her attention on Charlotte.
"You need to push for me, m'lady," she instructed briskly, massaging the swell of Charlotte's belly gently. "I can see the head crowning... the little one has a fine head of dark hair."
Charlotte didn't respond to Mistress Granger's words, and she barely seemed to notice that Edward was by her side. She instinctively pushed, trying to force her muscles to expel the child in her womb. She gasped for breath, aware that somebody was gently sponging her forehead with a damp cloth. With a final push, her baby was pushed out into the world and into Mistress Granger's waiting hands, and a second, indignant wail filled the room.
"You have a fine son, m'lady...Your Majesty," Mistress Granger amended, with a glance at Edward. She sighed inwardly, hoping that, if it became known that the King was present when his mistress gave birth to their latest child, it would not inspire other men to follow his example.
Men were happy to get women with child, and especially delighted when they were presented with strong sons, but in her experience, they were all squeamish when it came to childbirth, even those who thought themselves strong and brave.
"A new son for England," Edward said, awed, as Mistress Granger lifted the crying baby, wrapped in the finest linen, up so that he could see him. He had never before seen one of his children just after their birth, before the women could wash them and make them presentable but, despite the smears of blood and other fluids he could not identify, he thought that he had never seen anything as awe-inspiring a sight as that of his new son in the minute of his birth.
He leaned forward to kiss Charlotte, hugging her to him as gently as he could, not wanting to hurt her. She was limp in his arms, exhausted, but she gave him a tired smile.
"You're the bravest person I know," he told her, meaning every word of it.
It took several moments before his mind caught up with him, and he remembered what he heard before Charlotte's renewed cries prompted him to run to her side.
"I heard a baby cry... before our son was born..."
"That you did," Mistress Granger agreed, beckoning Isabel forward with an imperious finger. His sister-in-law held another baby in her arms, and she was clearly doing her best to remember that, as a lady, she should behave with dignity and not giggle over the fact that the bundle she cradled had gone unnoticed until now. "Your new son has an older sister."
"Two of them," Edward's mouth was agape, and he could only stare at the second baby.
"A boy and a girl." Mistress Granger confirmed, passing the baby boy in her arms off to Marie and directing her to wash her and wrap him well.
It took Edward a few minutes to recover from the shock and for his head to clear and, when it did, he could see that Isabel's efforts to keep from giggling had failed, and that several other ladies were struggling to hide smiles, clearly finding his confusion very amusing.
"Are they laughing at me?" He asked Charlotte. Although he could see the funny side, he couldn't resist giving the giggling ladies a little scare, and he hoped that he was successful in concealing his amusement and keeping his voice gruff, so that they would think that he was truly offended by the idea of any jesting at his expense. "Are your ladies laughing at their King?"
"Yes," Charlotte agreed, amusement lighting up her eyes. "And you deserve it."
"True," Edward agreed, pressing kisses to her forehead, cheek and lips, thinking that he must have looked foolish indeed to be so caught up in the flurry of activity around Charlotte that he couldn't recognize that he had heard a baby cry before he entered. One day, it would be a funny story to tell their new children... their twins. He could scarcely believe that they were now doubly blessed. "Thank you, mon couer," he kissed her again. "I don't know how to repay you for this."
"You don't need to repay me." Charlotte insisted, a twinkle in her eye. "I'm as happy about them as you are!"
Mistress Granger bustled forward to address Edward. "If you'll excuse us, Your Majesty, I'm sure that Lady Charlotte would like to wash, and change into a clean nightgown. We also need to change the bedding." The babies were clean now, and wrapped in fine coverings, so it would not do to allow their mother to hold them and get them dirty.
"Go ahead," Edward invited, helping Charlotte sit up and then moving her pillows to support her but having no intention of leaving the room.
When he saw Mistress Granger hesitate, her lips becoming so thin that her mouth was almost like a line in her face, he gave her a wide grin. "I can assure you, Mistress Granger, that it's nothing I haven't seen before."
She probably would have liked to argue, but she knew better.
Within half an hour, Charlotte was washed, her hair re-braided and she was dressed in a clean nightgown. Mistress Granger handed her a tonic for the pain and Charlotte downed it without the slightest hesitation or reluctance. The bed coverings were stripped, and bundled up to be washed, and the bed was remade with fine linen sheets and silk coverlets. Edward helped Charlotte back into bed, arranging the pillows so that she could sit comfortably, ready to receive their children.
The boy was slightly larger than the girl. His hair was very dark, and he already had a lot of it. The ladies had smoothed it down when they washed him, but wisps of it still stuck up around his head. His tiny hand wrapped around Edward's finger in a strong grip when it was offered to him, and he didn't seem to have any intention of letting go any time soon. It was with some difficulty that Edward was able to free his finger so that he could pass the baby boy to Charlotte for her to hold.
The girl was a tiny, perfect little bundle, nestling contentedly in Edward's arms as soon as she was handed to him. Her dark hair was soft and she had her mother's hazel eyes. Her skin had a faint pink flush to her dimpled cheeks.
"She's a perfect York rose," Edward declared, smiling adoringly at her as she dozed off in his arms. "And our son is already a handsome young man."
"What should we call them?" Charlotte asked.
"Our little boy is Arthur," Edward insisted without hesitation. "We're building our very own Camelot and he should represent that. His brothers are already named for other warriors. Edmund for my brother and William was a king of war, a king of conquest. But now we have peace and so our boy shall be Arthur. As far as our little girl is concerned, considering the trouble she caused, I think that you should be the one to name her, mon coeur."
Charlotte bit her lower lip in concentration as she looked at their girl, wondering what name she could give her.
She could've called her Isabel or Anne, but they didn't seem to suit her. She didn't look like an Izzy or a Belle, nor an Annie. Briefly, she entertained Elizabeth, remembering how she'd once wanted to name a daughter so, but with Elizabeth Woodville claiming to be queen, she'd never give that name to her daughter.
"Eleanor," she said at last, settling on her mother's name. She only had a few memories of the woman, but she knew she'd have been a fierce fighter for herself and her, as her daughter. Yes, it might be that if she were still alive, then most likely her children would not exist and the Cousins' War would have taken a vastly different turn. But she was her mother and it was only right to honor her in such a way.
"Eleanor," Edward tested the name. "Princess Nora. I think it's got a ring to it."
Her heart skipped a beat, hearing his words. Was he planning to announce their marriage? If so, why hadn't he said anything to her?
"Mon coeur," Edward's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Do you not like it? We can change it."
"No, I love it," Charlotte whispered, smiling down at her baby girl, who burbled in return, trying to brush aside how Edward had called their daughter a princess, which in all honesty should have been her title. "I think she likes it."
"Eleanor it is, then," cradling baby Nora carefully in one arm, Edward lay down on the bed next to her, so that the babies could be held close to one another.
─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────
Mama's rooms were a flurry of excitement when they entered, yet as always his Mama's ladies curtseyed as they walked past them. When they entered Mama's bedroom, she was lying in bed in her white nightgown with one of his new siblings in her hands, the other was with their Papa, who was standing next to the bed rocking from one foot to the other.
"Your Grace," the four of them muttered, bowing slightly, before running up to the bed and jumping on it in their excitement.
"Children, children," the king chided lightly with a laugh. "I know that you are all excited, but you must be careful, your Mama is tired and sore and you must be extra careful with her and your new siblings."
"Yes Papa," Edmund said solemnly. "We will be."
"What are their names Mama?" Caitlin questioned from next to him, straining her neck slightly to get a better look at the baby in their mother's arms. He saw that the baby in their mothers arms had a head full of dark hair, just like Caitlin's.
"This is Eleanor," Papa said bending down slightly so that they could see the baby in his arms. "she's named after your Mama's mama. We will call her Nora."
They nodded. Edmund remembered she had died when his own Mama was very small.
"And this is Arthur," Mama added with a smile. "He is named for the King Arthur of the legends."
"I like it," Lily hummed in approval, moving the blanket so she could look at her new brother more closely.
"We are glad for your approval, little lady," Mama said with her own laugh, before yawning slightly.
"You are tired, mon coeur," Edward said looking at Charlotte with a slightly concerned look, he did not want to alarm the children, yet a part of him feared for her health, the birth of twins took far more of a toll on the mother than that of a single birth. It was a well known fact, he would make sure that every precaution be taken with her health in the coming weeks.
"A little," Charlotte agreed with a nod and a smile, of course she was tired. It was only the day before that she had bought two children into the world. "But I am fine, truly."
"You should rest," his tone left no room for argument, she would rest whether she wanted to or not, yet neither of them could help but notice the disappointed faces upon their children's faces as Edward said his words. "I will bring the children back to you tomorrow, I promise."
Charlotte could do nothing but nod her head at his words; she could no longer fight the tiredness that was all but consuming her. "I will have Mistress Granger bring our new additions to you when they are in need of feeding. Lily, would you like to hold one of your new siblings to the nursery."
"Oh yes, Papa," Lily exclaimed taking Nora into her arms, her disappointment quickly forgotten.
Charlotte was asleep before they had even left the room.