A/N: I'm skipping a few months, so now Namid is 7 ½ months pregnant. BTW Rakab's been with Marra during this time and thus are now lovers (Don't hate me for it!)
Namid sighed and looked at the picture in a golden locket round her neck. A few months before she had an artist make a portrait in the locket. It was almost a perfect image of the prince yet without the glint in Salem's eyes.
She had not seen Rakab for almost eight months, instead living with Salem, and had almost forgotten the sound of his voice or his touch. Ylva, her goddess, kept her in line however, and helped her in her times of grief when she would remember something and know she could never go back to the memory.
She spent her time with the wyvern queen, Oliza, talking with her over issues and such while little Chu'si played nearby.
Namid laughed, "I can't even see my feet nowadays!"
"That's what you get for marrying my cousin. But trust me, Namid; having a child is the best thing that could've happened to me. I'm not sure about you, though."
"We'll see after another two months." Namid replied.
Oliza smiled, "Yes, we'll see."
Namid stood on her feet shakily, and she sighed tiredly, "Well goodnight, Oliza. I'd best get this little one off to bed."
"Speaking of bed, come along Chu'si. Bedtime." She gathered the little golden-eyed child up and walked with Namid, talking in whispers.
Namid suddenly pitched forward and bit her lip as pain throbbed in her lower abdomen. Oliza bent down and tried to make Namid relax, when she saw the puddle of water at Namid's feet. Namid closed her eyes and felt tears spill down her cheeks as the pain worsened. Through the waves of pain, she managed to gasp, "What's wrong with me?"
"Your water broke and now your body is in labor. You're going to be all right, though, just wait." The wyvern answered.
"Labor?" Namid's heart quickened and her breath caught in her throat—this wasn't until the next two months. As the queen helped her to her feet and quickly into another room, she tried to keep calm.
Lying on a bed, she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and someone telling her to relax. "Sheila?" she whispered, voice so quiet, as the familiar woman appeared beside the queen.
The woman turned to Oliza and told her to take the crying Chu'si to its farther and to gather more healers. Turning back, to Namid she smoothed the hair from her face, "Oh, Namid," Sheila crooned, "Stress has done this to you and your babe." "Just relax now, and breathe deeply. Inhale and exhale." "Inhale and exhale…"
Namid did as she was told and suddenly she cried out, the pain so intense she gripped the edges of the bed with white-knuckled hands.
Sheila knew what to do, having seen her own mother deliver babies as a young teenager, and quickly gathered a few towels and two bowls, one of them filled with warm water and the other with cold water.
"Just breathe." Sheila ordered as more healers scurried up the hall. One of them took charge as Sheila explained.
The healer, an elderly woman, told the others to get towels and other supplies while she stood by Namid, giving support.
Sheila closed the door and heard the younger woman's gasps of shock and stifled screams, it hurt her that she couldn't stop the pain of childbirth, and that Rakab—if he was even alive— knew that she was now going to be a mother to another man's child.
Namid then groaned in pain, she felt as if her limbs were on fire as a squeezing pain entered her lower body. She bit back a scream as the pain only intensified, and she bit back a scream as sudden stabs of pain jolted through her frail body.
"Help me…please" Namid called out pitifully, her voice barely audible, her eyes fraught with pain and trust.
"Just lie down my daughter, and let me help you…" a voice whispered in her mind. It was Ylva, come to aid in another birth.
"Great Mother, please, I am in pain…"Namid whispered, wretchedly.
Namid found herself obeying and she saw a white paw place itself on her stomach and change into a human hand, a strange blue magic flowed through the hand to her body.
Salem paced outside the room, his face was full of concern and worry as he heard his mate's screams of pain and gasps of shock, but he couldn't enter the room until the healer's allowed him.
Bialas stood watching the man, "Namid is alright. She has a strong will!"
"She's in pain Bialas, my mate is in pain and I cannot help her!' Salem replied, facing the viper.
Seeing the pain in his eyes, he replied, "Sometimes, Salem, all you can do is wait."
"I cannot bear to lose her, or see her in this pain" Salem sighed.
"You love her don't you?" the viper whispered, blue eyes gazing absently at the walls.
"With all my heart" the cobra replied.
"Then if she dies tonight, will you let her go?" Bialas asked.
"My life shall follow" Salem said, such conviction in his voice that the young viper knew it was the truth.
"You are heir to the throne, my prince, you cannot forsake anything for love. Even your own life!"
"I lost her once, I'm not losing her again!" Salem cried.
"I lost my home for years until I found Sheeva Intre—" Bialas explained.
"Please don't make it any harder…" Salem whispered his voice choked with tears.
"You've got to understand she may die. Die and never come back."
"I understand!" Salem whispered roughly. "I understand completely."
Namid emitted a shrill scream of distress, unable to suppress the pain. Her body was on fire and she knew death was near by the black at the edges of her vision. She was dying and it scared her.
She screamed again in torture and lay against the bed in exhaustion, gasping for air. Shiela wrapped a blanket round a wailing babe, while soothing the weeping baby she faced the new mother with joy in her eyes, "It's a girl…"
Namid smiled weakly, "A girl…a girl…" "May I hold her?"
Sheila nodded and settled the babe in Namid's arms. The new mother felt tears well up in her eyes and a sting in her chest as memories flooded back to her.
Shiela took the babe and went to wash her, when Namid fell back into the blankets and took off the locket, opening it. A watery smile appeared as she met the eyes of the portrait.
Sheila turned back and gasped.
Namid's eyes had closed and her skin had taken on a whitish glow yet what the woman noticed most was the smile, a smile of the utmost peace.
Sheila bent to pick up a golden locket that had fallen near the bed and her eyes widened.
For inside was not a portrait of Salem.
But one of Rakab.
A/N: It doesn't end here however, so wait and see!