"I don't think it's a good idea you going." This was at least the fifth time today Vivi had said this but I was still stuck in my conviction that it would be ok.
"Oh hush. It's going to be fine," I said as I piled clothes into a bag on my bed, "the baby's not due for another month, we're perfectly safe."
"Its not unheard of for babies to come early, and you could have gotten the date wrong."
"Look, me and Cardan want one last chance to be alone before our lives are completely uprooted, without having to worry about running things here." My suitcase was almost fit for bursting, and I strained to fit more clothes into it. I had not paid attention to anything I was putting in, and now feared I may have slightly over packed. "You have been watching far too much reality TV. Heather needs to start monitoring you."
"Its called reality TV because its rooted in REALITY Jude! You really need to be more cautious." Vivi crossed her arms under her chest and I could tell she was grinding her teeth through her closed mouth.
"We're going, and nothing you say is going to convince me."
"Fine. But do you at least have some plan for if the worse starts to happen? Nobody is going to be able to get to you out there."
Phew, I'd won. "On the very rare chance that I do go into labour, I'm bringing books on labour and delivery so me and Cardan can work it out." I said rather proudly, jumping up onto the suitcase and beginning the difficult task of trying to zip it up.
Vivi did not hide that she was absolutely done with my shenanigans and stormed out the room, letting out a rather frustrated, very non-human sound. I giggled to myself and jumped off of my suitcase in relief that I'd finally managed to do it up.
"Why does Vivi look like you just told her to get lime and raisin omelettes again?" Cardan was suddenly behind me, I hadn't seen him all day. I was in charge of packing for our little trip, and he was in charge of making sure the whole of faerie didn't burn down while we were gone.
"Oh, she's just being an overprotective big sister. She doesn't think it's a good idea us going, so close to the due date you know."
Cardan went pale, "Maybe she's right. Maybe we shouldn't go. This was a bad idea." Cardan was now spiralling, he was running a hand through his hair so fast I was sure he was going to rip all his gorgeous locks out in the next tug.
"Its going to be fine. The baby's not due for a month! We have plenty of time. And I want some alone time with you before we cast off into running a kingdom and running after a toddler." I walked over and grabbed a hand in mine, before gently squeezing it.
My reassurances seemed to help a little. Some colour returned to Cardan's cheeks, but I could still tell he was worrying like an old maid in a storm.
"I promise ok. Now lets go have some fun." I winked. Cardan responded with a small smile and kissed me gently on both cheeks before walking to the over stuffed bag on our bed.
"After you my Queen," Cardan said, bowing mockingly.
I giggled, "As you wish, my King." And strolled out of the door.
A few hours later we had arrived at our intended destination. We had taken the usual mode of travel, a few Marrowort steads, but had attached a carriage on them due to the fact I was no longer in a condition in which riding astride atop one wouldn't be a very good idea.
"Its beautiful..." I said, looking in awe at my surroundings. We were still in Faerie, but instead on one of the little islands just off of the coast, one I hadn't been to before. A small, cosy cabin lay in front of me with a small dusting of snow on its rooftops. The surrounding area was covered in tall, luscious evergreens, that had grown so tall I couldn't see the tops of them like I couldn't see my own feet.
"All for you my precious Jude," Cardan said, planting a feather light kiss on my cheek before taking my hand and leading me into the cabin.
The inside was just how I imagined it looked. The walls were all wooden panelled, and heavy, soft rugs were on every floor. To the room on my left, a large health was burning steadily, with a couch a metre or so in front of it. I couldn't wait to curl up in Cardan's arms, and warm my cold toes by the flames.
Cardan seemed amused by my awe and chuckled softly, before disappearing down a corridor I could only presume held our bedroom. I didn't follow him, and instead walked into the room with the hearth and noticed a small kitchenette to my left. My heart skipped a beat. Living in a castle, food was always prepared for me everyday, meaning I never had the chance to make Cardan a nice meal of my own. Well, this would change that.
I walked open and started opening the cupboards, surprised to find them chock full of food.
"Ooh, you've caught me. I wanted to make you a meal to show my love and appreciation for you," Cardan drawled from a few metres away, startling my snooping.
"You beat me to it. I wanted to make one for you."
Cardan chuckled again and walked up and wrapped his arms around me before whispering in my ear "Well, I know you like going first," a playful nip to my ear, "but let me have this one, and you can make me one tomorrow." His words slid right through all of my defences and I was clay in his hands.
I turned around, making a big show of pouting playfully. "I guess. But you have to give me a massage by the fire. My back hurts." He chuckled again, this time bringing his mouth to my lips and for a few moments I was lost in that touch.
That day I spent in Cardan's arms was probably one of the best we had had in a while. It certainly beat the one in which this baby was conceived. Due to the rareness of faerie children, we didn't do anything to actively stop a conception from happening, but had talked about how we both felt about it often. This particular night, we had had an argument about something so stupid I cannot even remember it now, but we had solved the misunderstanding with a rough bout of love making, that left us in bed past midnight that following night.
A few looks were thrown our way that following night by all manner of people, but when news came of my pregnancy a few weeks later, all was forgotten, and the castle was in celebration for the new heir.
In fact, the castle had been in celebration for their new heir for the last 8 months. We hadn't had a break much to our dismay. Hence we took this trip as soon as we could.
We woke at sunset, and spent the night in blissful harmony together. Reading, talking, cuddling. It all went by so fast, that when Cardan had confessed it was actually now dinner time and I was to get up and make food now, if I still wanted to. I was quite surprised. I told him, of course I still wanted to and set to work making him a meal he wouldn't forget.
I had seen Heather make this at least 10 times in my visits to the human world, but apparently I was not a visual learner. I had put far too much spice in it and I could see steam coming out of Cardan's ears when he took the first bite. He proclaimed it was delicious anyway, and didn't leave a scrape on his plate. I wasn't so courteous, and I ate as much as I did only because my belly insisted it.
Me and Cardan were sat by the fire again when I started getting cramps in my stomach. Cardan felt me tense, and looked me over in concern. I stated that the food must not have agreed with me, before rushing to the bathroom. When I came out, i dragged cardan into bed and we slept with his arms around me. Cardan usually liked to be the little spoon, but due to my belly, that became nearly impossible, so he agreed to let me take that position until I was back to normal again. I had kissed him, and we had fallen into our habitual love making, much as we had this night and the last.
I had read that babies start to cry when they sense their parents having sex as a sort of response to stop the creation of a sibling, so I was adamant that I was going to get as much uninterrupted alone time as I could get. Cardan certainly didn't seem to mind.
After tossing and turning for a while, I had fallen to sleep, only to be startled awake by a warm liquid on my legs. I sat up in confusion only to have my entire belly shoot with pain. I let out a strangled scream and Cardan shot awake.
"What is it? Are you ok?" He looked me over. At my arms clutching my rounded stomach and froze. I could see the blood draining out of his face and it was as if his soul left his body for a few moments. I pointed to my legs furiously, and when he finally was back to consciousness, ripped the blankets off me and stared. There was a large puddle surrounding me.
Fortunately it wasn't blood, but Cardan was shocked nonetheless.
"What's happening?" He stammered. I think he knew exactly what was wrong, but couldn't bring himself to say it.
"I think. I think my water just broke." I said breathlessly, before being racked with pain all up my back and stomach again. I squealed.
"What. What do we do? Do I fly back and get someone?"
"No you dimwit!" I practically screamed, "it'll be too late. You're going to have to help me deliver it." If Cardan could have gotten paler, he would have now. "Stop staring into nothing! I have-" my sentence was stopped by another bolt of pain through my lower abdomen, "I packed books. They're in our bag, get them!"
Cardan did as he was told and rushed to where we had discarded our bag across the room. The several moments he spent fumbling, I spent in immense pain and let out several obscene words I didn't even know I knew.
Cardan was soon back by my side on the bed, and dropped the books next to me like a faithful puppy. "Read them you idiot. I can't exactly read them in this situation!" Another bout of pain filled my senses.
Cardan picked one up hurriedly, almost flinging it off of the bed and flicked through it at an alarming speed. "It says here warm water may help sooth the pain."
When I could focus after another wave of pain, I yelled at him to run me a bath then and tried to pick myself off the bed. Cardan was back, minutes later, and gently lifted me up in his arms and set me down in a tub full of deliciously warm water. The book was right, it did help a little.
He had put me in, clothes and all, and per my instructions now struggled to pull my shorts and underwear off.
After a few minutes, he had succeeded, and slopped the wet garments onto the floor with a satisfying thwack.
Between my screams, Cardan rushed back to the room and returned with the books. "When contractions become less than a minute a part, start pushing." Cardan read, with probably the most serious expression I had ever seen on his face. I could tell he was still panicked. Adrenaline had put him in a steady survival mode I had often seen in deer, but at least he was helping.
Minutes past and I was soon on all fours in the tub pushing. Cardan had jumped in, fully clothed, and was now behind me shaking for dear life as we counted the pushes together. "7, 8, 9, 10." I gulped down a breath before going back into pushing. My screams only got more intense and then Cardan said, as if he was far away,
"I can see the head." I didn't reply to him and instead continued to push.
More minutes that felt like hours went past, and my voice was now hoarse from my screams.
"You better be ready to catch it back there," I said, rather hoarsely, and Cardan didn't respond. If it wasn't for his hard breaths that matched my own, I would have thought he had fled.
More minutes past and then something rushed out of me. Cardan made a noise of surprise and there was some splashing of water before an almighty scream to rival my own shot through my ears. At first I thought it might have been Cardan, but then it settled into a steady rhythm of crying. Our baby had been born, and we had done it all ourselves.
I slumped in relief in the tub, enjoying the reprieve from pain for a while. When I finally gathered the energy to turn around, I saw Cardan cradling the baby in his arms as if it had always been there, and gently washing it with water. He looked at the baby with a mix of adoration and shock and then gave me and expression I couldn't read it. He passed me our child, a girl, and removed himself from the bath tub. When that baby hit my arms, I finally realised what that feeling was.
Cardan lifted our daughter out of my arms to wrap her in a towel and I almost snapped at him. He chuckled and wrapped another towel over my shoulders.
Cardan left the room and returned with a clean, sharp knife in his hands, and cut the cord in one quick motion.
The best knife work I had ever seen from him. A few minutes later, Cardan took our daughter from me, as the last of the birth left my body.
I was absolutely exhausted, panting heavily, but was shivering. Cardan became slightly alarmed, and returning our daughter to my arms, carried us out of the bloody water and back into our warm bed. Cardan artfully stripped me with the skills of a lover, and replaced my clothes with a long night dress, before changing his own, sodden through outfit.
Soon I was safely cocooned in layers of blankets, with our baby at my breast. It had taken her a few tries, but she eventually latched, and Cardan slid into bed next to us, wrapping us safely in his arms.
I wasn't going to hear the end of this from Vivi.