air to the throne

Daughter

They were sleeping together in Zoya's bed on the 23rd.It was her due date and they had chosen it was the safest to stay together.At about 2:30am,Zoya woke up to a sharp pain in her abdomen,and shook Nikolai awake.They rushed,half naked,to the infirmary where Gala was tending to a weeping  17 year old who was sweating.At the end of her  bed lay a  small bassinet labelled 'stillborn' and underneath, 'Liliyana Petrova'. Suddenly,Zoya was on the floor weeping and staring at the baby.Her belly lolled on her chest as she cried harder and harder.When Nikolai finally led her away to a curtained bed,Gala felt her chest "Now what seems to be the problem?"

"I was having contractions."

"I'm sorry,Tsaritsa but that isn't the case.Are you sure that's what your felt?"

"Yes."Zoya said before she crumpled in the bed,overcome with pain from a contraction

Realizing that Zoya really thought she was having contractions,Gala figured something out "It's false labour,dear."she told her empathetically"Now go and rest whilst you still can before your child really does come."Gala slowed her heartbeat down as to relax Zoya's aching body,and the pair returned to the room,frazzled but laughing.

The next night,the pair slept in separate beds,Zoya had work to do in the morning as did Nikolai so they decided that was best.

At 8:01pm,Zoya screamed.The chair that she had been sitting on was soaked.She tried to dry it,embarrassed in front of an empty room.Nikolai ran to the door,along with Genya at his side and forced their way into the room.Seeing Zoya,who had inched her way onto her bed,and a toppled over chair in the corner,they ran to her.She had burnt a painting above her bed,and the drapes above her bed were soaked,the windows had been flung open and she was gasping for breath,fear echoing on the trio's faces.

They dragged Gala from a mother in the infirmary,but she had to go back at 9:30,leaving Zoya with only Genya and  Nikolai.Genya tried to sooth her nerves but it made little change.Finally,at 11:24pm,Gala came back with a team of expert healers,but had to leave soon after to sooth a mother giving birth to quadruplets.

At 12:07,when Zoya was successfully placed in the bath,she started screaming.One of the first sentences to exit her mouth was "I am never having sex with you,Nikolai Lantsov!". Two seconds later,a younger healer shouted "i see a head,i see it!"Zoya screamed as the baby inched it's way out of her body and,at last,at 12:35,a girl popped out.She cried and cried in her mother's arms,then handed to her adoring father,where she cried some more.One of the healers inquired about her name,and the couple answered "Lada Alina Nasylensky."