The princess screams within.
Productive screaming—she’s working through the labor and sounds as though she still has her strength. It’s a good sign, considering how heavy the curse lies in the air.
My hand pauses over the door handle.
This is the most vulnerable state a female can find herself in. Is it wrong of me to barge in there and demand to help her, even if I’m the only one who can? If she would never have agreed before the labor began, is it wrong to ask to help her now while she’s in such pain? Is the child’s life worth the invasion of privacy?
The hand she constantly held over her belly in my presence flashes into my mind, and I murmur a quiet prayer to the Fates. Not for their forgiveness, I’m still too numb to think about that possibility yet, but to give me the strength to leave this room if the princess throws me out. I shove the door open without another second of hesitation and step through the frame with the confidence of a healer who has attended hundreds of births and seen it all.
Three maids, a soldier, and the princess all turn to me in horror.
The soldier reacts first, his back turned away from the scene on the bed, and charges toward me as he moves to draw his sword. I knock him out the same way I did Tyton, letting him fall on his face in front of me and then stepping around his prone form.
One of the maids screams and runs, dropping the bundle of cloths in her hands in her haste. The youngest simply gulps, her eyes glued to the soldier as she trembles, her feet rooted to the floor.
Firna steps in front of the bed as though shielding the princess, her own gaze steady on mine. “Leave now and I won’t send the soldiers after you. I’ll give you a head start back to the ports and, if you’re quick, you’ll beat Prince Soren there.”
Airlie’s breathing changes, and she grunts under her breath as the next wave of a contraction descends upon her. Her back arches up as she works through it, oblivious to anything but her labor. The younger maid finally takes control of her own limbs and leans over the princess, mopping her brow with a cloth and trembling hands. The smell of incense and herbs is strong in the air, but they’re the wrong types, fragrant and pleasant but achieving nothing toward a healthy birth or pain management.
None of them have magic, at least not enough to feel when I reach out to the princess and wedge my power between her and the curse. It’s not enough to save the baby’s life, but it will buy me some time to convince them I mean them both no harm.
Firna doesn’t move, unblinking as her offer of a chance for freedom in exchange for the princess’s life stands.
I shake my head at her slowly, carefully, so I don’t startle any of them into doing something stupid. “I’m here for my fate.”
Firna swallows at my words, fear creeping into the tense lines of her shoulders as her eyes flick to the soldier’s sleeping body, but I shake my head again. “I’m not here to hurt them. I’m offering my help to them. The curse is here for the baby. I can feel it, and with how strong it’s pressing down on me right now, I’ll wager you all can too. I’ll help get the baby out without the curse touching it.”
My words are met with silence, Airlie’s breathing even once more as she rests between the pains, and I begin to count. I couldn’t forget the timeless processes of labor if I tried, my mind already moving through the teachings my own mother once gave me to properly attend births. The contractions are strong and long, so depending on when the next one arrives, I’ll know how long the princess has to make her decision.
Holding my head high, I stand and count calmly as I wait for them to decide. The young maid looks anywhere but at me, clutching the bowl of water and cloths as though they’ll save her from the evil witch. Firna waits, as still as I am, conflicting emotions warring over her features.
Finally, Airlie’s mind seems to clear, and she snaps, “Get out. Get out and go back to the cells to rot where you deserve to be for what you’ve taken from me!”
Firna’s eyes widen, but I ignore her, speaking only to the princess. “I have taken nothing from you, Princess. I’m here to help you and your baby.”
Airlie begins panting again, and I haven’t yet made it to one hundred. The baby is almost here, and if her body hasn’t begun pushing yet it’s only a matter of time before it will. We don’t have time to argue about this.
A truth to ease the way, one I would give only under such circumstances.
“I’ve attended hundreds of births, both here in the Southern Lands and during my time in the Northern Lands. I’ve helped every race—it never mattered to me who was birthing, only that they needed help. I’m your only option.”
She moans under her breath, tears streaking down her face, and that’s what forces the next words out of my mouth. “The last birth I attended was for the Sol Queen. Her son, the heir of the Seelie Court, was breech. She labored for three days, but I helped her deliver him safely. I will use my magic, but only against the curse, I swear it on the Fates themselves.”
That’s enough of an endorsement for Firna.
She steps aside, moving back even as she watches me closely. I have no doubt that she will step in if at any point she thinks I’m endangering the princess, but I’m also aware that I’ll knock her out if that moment comes.
I step closer to the bed, finally getting a good view of Airlie and the state she’s in. The bedding has all been removed, and she’s wearing a linen shift, her hair in a simple braid to keep it away from her face. I wait and watch as she writhes through the next contraction, silent until the calm falls over her once more.
“Do you want this baby or not?”
She looks at me with loathing, but there’s a fierceness to her that I haven’t seen before. A lioness crouching over the life of the babe in her belly, alive for now, and any doubts I may have had about her vanish. She’s not only strong enough to do this, she is determined enough to accept nothing less than the best for her child.
I pitch my tone low, calming and sure. “If you trust me to help, I will get him out alive.”
Her lip trembles, her composure wavering for just a moment, but then she says in a small voice, “Him?”
I nod. “I can feel him there. He’s healthy, and he’s fighting to get out and be here with you. Are you going to fight for him as well? I will fight at your side. I’ll help you break this curse once and for all.”
