The Broken Crown

Chapter 35

Adrianne

“It will not be long now,” Celeste said with a smile to her queen, who was seated in the middle of the room, chewing on some bread. It was becoming hard for her to keep anything down for anxiety. Her hands would graze her belly several times a day, and not move until she felt the proof of life kick her.

Adrianne smiled kindly to her lady-in-waiting, who had offered to stay in her confinement. “I hope not.”

When Celeste smiled, it lit up her face, so bright and naïve. Adrianne wondered if that was how her smile had once looked. “How can you even keep yourself so composed? I would be running around with excitement. Think of it: in a few days, you will be presenting your child as a royal prince to the entire court. Oh, it’ll be magnificent!”

“I can’t wait,” Adrianne said honestly, wishing she could jump out of her chair onto the green fields surrounding the city. But she could not. She had to be ladylike, and patiently await her fate, whatever that might be.

Celeste sighed, almost overbearingly. There was an energy to the young woman’s movements that Adrianne envied. “You are the most perfect queen,” she said admiringly. “And such a beautiful mother.”

Then suddenly, a cramp ripped through Adrianne’s body, and she let out a moan. Celeste’s eyes widened in equal amounts of horror and excitement. These cramps were becoming more and more frequent, starting that morning, and every time another hit, expectation would wash over both the ladies.

“Do you think…?”

Celeste didn’t get a chance to finish her question before Adrianne’s scream filled the room. Her eyes became wet with tears and she jumped out of her seat without thinking about it. Her inner thighs were strangely sticky and wet and she wanted to vomit. “I think… I think something’s happening.”

“What? What?”

“Water…” Adrianne moaned as another contraction hit her.

It took Celeste way too long for Adrianne’s liking to stand up. “Oh,” she breathed, and then she backed away. “I’ll go get the wet-nurse.”

“Hurry, please.” Adrianne’s voice was twisted in fear. It’s happening, she thought to herself and a nearly insane smile appeared on her face. After her lady-in-waiting had disappeared, she let out a crazy laughter.

Not long after, the door opened and in came the wet-nurse and the midwife. They seemed calm, chatting pleasantly, both of them old and slow.

“What are you still doing standing?” one of them asked as though what she was doing was stupid.

“What am I supposed to do?” Even to her, her voice was scared beyond belief. The smile of the midwife did little to calm her.

“Well, lie down, child.”

Adrianne did as she was told, afraid to do anything else. The two women began ordering about, sending Celeste to remove the covers of the bed and fetch some ale and tell the cooks to make dinner. “This will be a long night,” the midwife said darkly.

Adrianne grasped the amulet around her neck tightly. It had been specially blessed by a Servant to bring her good luck. She hoped the gods had heard the blessing, and she hoped it had been strong enough to summon the waters of the Mother, the strength of their waves, to help her through this night. It would be the longest of her life.

“Here. Open up.” The midwife was standing beside her with a serious expression a piece of dark wood in her right hand.

Adrianne furrowed. “What’s that?”