Room for an Aubert... or Two?

[Caitrin de Archer]

Pushing open the door to the guest chambers, Caitrin let a small smile form on her warm lips. She sometimes didn’t appreciate just how lucky she really was. After all, Arthur didn’t have to do this for her. He had other things to worry about rather than her condition, but he still cared, and he still took care of the smallest detail. As promised, hers and Griff’s chambers were the closest to the physician’s chambers, and Caitrin was sure that would make her feel a lot safer when the time came to actually have her child. Looking round, all their things had been brought up for them by the servants of Camelot. They were going to be staying here for a few weeks at least, as Caitrin had only just entered the eighth month of her pregnancy, and she wouldn’t be able to travel straight after giving birth. She knew she would miss her home while she was here, but knowing the next time she would step foot on the de Archer estate would be with her baby just made her smile.

She led the way into the room and took off her travelling cloak, hanging it by the door. It was hard in a way to comprehend that this would be hers and Griff’s home for the next few weeks, and this would be where their child would be born. She placed a hand over her belly, which had now swollen so much she could no longer see her feet with ease. She was starting to tire more easily during the day with the load she was carrying, and even getting up to the chambers had left her slightly breathless. She wasn’t even sure if it was normal for her belly to be so swollen. The midwife hadn’t seemed concerned at all, so she could take comfort from that.

Sitting down on the bed, she finally looked back to her husband, giving him a wide smile. “Do you know how exhausting it is carrying our child round with us all day?” She was trying to be serious, but a warm giggle escaped her lips and ruined the effect completely. She lay back on the bed, her feet still on the floor and she just looked upwards at the top of bed posts. Arthur had shown them to the chambers they were staying in, though business of course had called him away. Caitrin knew that he was busy, so even the fact he came to take the time out to check that they would be well settled in their chambers made Caitrin feel rather privileged.

Caitrin sat up in their bed and looked back at Griff before looking around the room, “What do you think?” She asked, gesturing to the room. It was important to her of course that he too was comfortable here as well, after all, it was his child she was bearing as well. There would have to be preparations made before the child was actually due of course and Caitrin ran a hand through her hair, just thinking for a few moments, but found herself distracted by her husband. Even after all this time, and all that they had been through, he still took her breath away. Just when he looked at her in that way her heart fluttered, and she could feel her pulse quickening. Jesu, she hadn’t ever meant to fall in love, but she was glad that she had now, and she was glad that it had been Griff her heart had settled with. She couldn’t imagine loving anyone else as she loved Griff, and now they had been given this gift; this new life which was growing within her.

Smoothing a hand over her swollen belly, she looked back to Griff and gave him a gentle, content look. She was happy, and completely content with her life as it was now. “Not long now.” She said softly, looking down at her belly before raising her eyes teasingly to Griff, “Before our daughter is born.” She winked at him softly, of course she wanted a daughter, although she wouldn’t be too discontent to be bearing a son. However, it was a source of teasing between her and Griff, as he wanted a son, or at least she presumed he did as he kept going on about calling the child ‘mini Griff’ which would never happen, not as long as she had breath in her lungs.

Tags: Griff Aubert
Timeline: This thread jumps, starting off three months after the series 4 finale
Time of Day: Early Evening
Location: Caitrin and Griff's guest chambers

[Griff Aubert]

Griff had been rather surprised when Caitrin had informed him that they were going to be staying in the castle during the last few weeks of her pregnancy. He knew she and Arthur were close friends but he hadn't been expecting this. He had just assumed she would be staying at her uncle's house, that was her home after all - not that he was complaining. It was no secret that he and Rouland weren't the best of friends and he rather welcomed having some time not living with the man. He could only imagine how thrilled Rouland was at the prospect of a baby in the house, but Griff didn't care. He was far too excited about being a father. Of course he was still completely terrified and he'd already come to the conclusion that he wasn't allowed to hold it for more than thirty seconds in case he dropped it, and he wouldn't know what to do and Caitrin would roll her eyes and say something sarcastic but none of that really mattered. What did matter was that they were going to have a family - a proper family - and their child was going to be safe and loved and not grow up with complexes and spend all their time wasting their life in a tavern and being disinherited and everything he'd done because he was going to be a good father.

“Do you know how exhausting it is carrying our child round with us all day?”

As always, Caitrin managed to bring him out of his thoughts just before he ended up getting himself into a state and needing a drink. It was a certain talent she had, especially now she was giggling. He sat down on the bed next to her and just watched her, a small smile on his lips. Sometimes he'd look at her and couldn't quite believe how lucky he was and how she'd just come into his life and made everything better, made him better. "It's good for...some of your muscles, I'm sure." He replied and copied her action of falling back onto the bed (gosh this mattress was comfy), his hand finding hers and intwining their fingers.

“What do you think?”

He was too lazy to sit up now that she was, and the mattress was far too soft and warm for him to want to so he just stayed lying down, although having to strain his neck a shade to look at her properly. "I think this bed is nice." He said, letting his head fall against the mattress and shuffling his body slightly so he was lying further up the bed and possibly even more comfortable and relaxed and wondering if they could somehow take the bed with them without Arthur noticing... It was certainly something to think about when he wasn't too busy freaking out about having a life to be responsible for.

"Not long now, before our daughter is born.”

This comment prompted him to sit up with a questioning look about his face. "Erm," he shuffled over to Caitrin so he was now sat behind her with his legs either side, his arms wrapped around her and his chin resting againt her shoulder, "I think you'll find it's not long until our son is born. Mini Griff," he said proudly and kissed her cheek before adding, "Good name. Like his father."

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin had to agree with Griff, the bed was incredibly comfy. The room itself was quite grand, and it wasn’t something that Caitrin was too used to. Of course soon enough it would have their own personal touches added to the place. “We’re going to have to unpack soon.” She pointed out and sighed. They would be living here for the next few weeks, or however long it took the baby to arrive and for Caitrin to recover from the birth. In a way Caitrin was quite excited to unpack, because that was part of her preparations to become a mother. They had all the clothes and things for the baby, or at least she did. There were still some things to buy, but the market was nearby, so she was sure Griff could get her what she needed. “We’ll have to get a crib sometime soon as well.” That was a point, at the moment they had nowhere to put the baby if he or she made an unexpected arrival into the world.

As Griff wrapped his arms around her, she let her weight fall slightly into him. Not completely of course because she was quite a bit heavier than she was used to. It felt reassuring just knowing he was there, and that he was there to face this pregnancy with her; like a family should. That was what this baby would complete in their lies, now they would have someone else to care for, and their little family would begin. Caitrin already had family she cared for of course, like her Uncle, cousin, and then of course there was her extended family. Now she had given Lucan a chance she had been quite ashamed to find that she had completely misjudged him, however her misjudgements had been matched by Lucan, so it had been an apologetic conversation all round. However, the family she was on the verge of having was completely different as it was her family. She had her husband who she did truly love with every inch of her heart, and now they were preparing for their baby.

Caitrin sighed, they had been through this enough already, however she had started the teasing so she could hardly complain. “There is nothing on earth that would possess me to call my son Griff.” It wasn’t that she didn’t like her own husband’s name, but it would be utterly ridiculous to have two people in the same house with the same name. For one it would be terribly confusing. In short it wasn’t happening, and Griff would have to accept that. “So you will just have to choose another name if it is a boy.” She strained her neck a little bit to give him a small smile, but her eyes said that she was deadly serious about this.

At that moment however, the baby saw fit to intervene, and Caitrin gasped out sharply as she felt the baby kick her. It knocked the wind out of her slightly, and she flinched as the little one proceeded to kick her again. This would be one thing that she wouldn’t miss about being pregnant. The child was being quite active today, and Caitrin wasn’t sure why. However, it wasn’t a bad thing, as it reminded Caitrin that their baby was strong, and alive. She took one of Griff’s hands from where it was wrapped around her and placed it on the spot where the baby was kicking her. “Can you feel them?” She asked him softly, “He or she certainly has a strong enough kick.” If the baby was that strong within her then it only boded well for when the time came for her to give birth. The midwife had told her that if the baby was strong and healthy then the birth was made easier.

[Griff Aubert]

Griff had been enjoying a rather nice moment with his wife, and then she went and ruined it by saying they needed to unpack soon. He didn’t want to unpack, he wanted to stay here and be comfortable. Besides, there wasn’t any point in unpacking anyway. They’d only have to put it all back when they went back to their home so they might as well just leave it all packed and take things as they needed them. “Can we not just stay here? And not unpack?” No doubt Caitrin would have something to say about his request but he was allowed to be lazy and when it came to unpacking there were very few things that were going to make him anymore proactive.

In his opinion (and a very important opinion it was at that) Griff was a perfectly good name for a baby. It was a name of...strength and...manliness....and nobility and other such things. Why Caitrin wouldn’t jump at the chance of giving her child such a wondrous name was completely beyond him. They could hardly name their son after one of her relatives. Rouland was a silly name for a baby. “You don’t have a choice in this wife.” He teased, technically, he could name his child whatever he wanted and she’d just have to accept his decision because he was her husband, of course he’d never dare to force something on her by arguing that it was his right as a husband. First of all, he wouldn’t do that anyway, and secondly, Caitrin was the most stubborn and angry woman in the world and there was no way he’d get away with it.

It was a weird sensation, feeling what he assumed to be his child’s foot, it could have been their fist, or they could be head butting, elbowing, kneeing...there were a number of things they could be doing and that really wasn’t the point. This was his child, he could feel it moving. It was rather overwhelming. The idea of being a father still hadn’t really sunk in yet, it was different for him than it was for Caitrin, she was aware of their child all the time, whereas he was still on the peripheral but at least now there was some kind of connection, and fairly soon the child would be born and he’d be able to hold them and hopefully not drop them. It was a rather scary thought but a rather nice one as well. After everything they’d been through they were finally getting their family and their future together.

[Caitrin de Archer]

==Two Week Jump==

It was sometime into the night, but Caitrin Aubert couldn’t sleep. She had gone to bed early, and Griff had done the same, but now was snoring beside her and she hadn’t slept a wink yet. She had been having pains since her midnight wander the previous night, when she had run into Elyan, but now they were getting worse and worse. She had been able to sleep last night, but now she found herself almost unable to move. She groaned and turned over so she could sit with her feet hanging over the end of the bed. She put her hands on her belly, it felt like the pains she usually had with her flux, but these were so much worse. They were starting to strike every few moments and Caitrin groaned again, half wanting to wake Griff up. How was he still sleeping?

Nothing much had happened these past weeks, apart from Caitrin putting her foot down that if they did have a boy he would not be called Griff. Now it seemed that everything was happening at once. She wasn’t being noisy as she slipped out of bed in her chemise, but occasional groans passed her lips as pain ripped through her. Right, she needed help, even if this was just going to blow over and it wasn’t her proper labour she needed help.

Eventually she managed to make her way to the door, and looked at a servant who was passing by. How convenient. She didn’t care about the convenience right now, she needed help, and she needed it now. She could have woken up her husband, but he wouldn’t know where to go to get help she needed, and then she’d only end up getting annoyed with him. “Go and find Idris, tell her to get Brynn-“ She broke off as another contraction struck and groaned, “Tell her Lady Caitrin needs her immediate attention.” The servant looked white faced but rushed off all the same. Caitrin let out another sharp moan and slammed the door behind her. If that didn’t wake her husband up then she wasn’t sure what would. Not caring they were in the castle, for a few moments of stupidity, she lit the candle by her bedside with a quick whisper of the tongue and a flash of her eyes. She was breathing heavily, and she grabbed onto the bedpost at the end of the bed. Her heart was racing, but she couldn’t help it, she was starting to panic, so it was downhill from here.

Of course her child would come in the dead of night, of course it would be tonight when she had had no sleep. Then again, this could just be a bit of pre-labour pains, perhaps the child would not be with them tonight. Her brain was racing through a million scenarios all at once, but none of that mattered in one short instance. Caitrin quickly felt her chemise become wet and she looked down t the floor with a panic stricken face; her waters had broken. Barely seconds passed between that shock and her next contraction. This one was a deeper, and more painful sensation. Jesu, how could this get any worse? She was still just holding onto the bedpost with one of her hands, the other hand was cupping her belly. Her husband still had not woken, and if he was awake then he was doing a fabulous job of hiding it. Getting slightly annoyed, she looked up at him and half shouted, “Jesu, Griff get out of bed.” Another contraction struck and she pressed her lips together, resisting the urge to scream, “The baby’s coming.”

[Griff Aubert]

Griff hadn't managed to get to sleep until the early hours of the morning. Caitrin had been annoyed at him because she was being hormonal and pregnant and she'd only let him in the bed when he'd apologised for something he didn't actually remember doing. Now that he was finally wrapped in the warmth of the covers he wasn't in a hurry to leave, despite Caitrin trying to wake him up. What could be so important that meant he couldn't spend another two minutes in comfort?

"Jesu, Griff get out of bed."

He pulled the cover further up because if she couldn't see his face properly he could easily be asleep...that was his logic anyway. With a sigh he rolled over, Caitrin wasn't going to leave him alone until he at least acknowledged her instead of just ignoring her and trying to go back to sleep. "What?" He half muttered. He wasn't a morning person at all, and as this wasn't even morning yet he was definitely not in the mood to be bothered. Trying to wake himself up, he brushed his eyes with the bottom of his palm, getting rid of any sleep and stifling a yawn.

"The baby's coming."

...

Griff just stared at her. "Sorry what? That sounded a lot like you just said the baby's coming." Caitrin's expression wasn't making him feel any better. There had been a rather nice moment, just after she'd spoken, when he hadn't actually registered what she'd said. And then the panic started. He practically jumped out of bed and managed to get himself on the other side, croching on the ground in front of his wife. Right...now what was he supposed to do? He probably wasn't supposed to be panicking but he was going to do so anyway. "Right, it'll be fine Cait. Perfectly fine. Better than fine. Is any of this helping? What do you want me to do?" Needless to say, he already wasn't coping very well.

[Brynn Reade]

This was all happening rather quickly, Meghan had to admit, as she was hurrying through the corridors and up the stairs, towards the wing next to Gaius’ chambers, where she would find the young lady that had apparently just gotten into labour. From what she had heard it would be her first child, so there was probably not even need to hurry at all, as sometimes it could take the first child a day to get out, but then the presence of a woman versed in birth and its circumstances was sometimes the best medicine against panic. Nothing was worse than panic during childbirth. What a peculiar twist of fate, indeed. She truly had had different plans for the evening, and she only just had accepted her daughter’s plea to step in for a possibly ill midwife in a birth that might take place long after the same midwife had recovered, but ‘just in case’ – and now she was here, rushing to the young woman’s aid.

A far as she could see it, she had prepared to the best of her abilities given the short amount of time, carrying a little heap of clean sheets with her, while as soon as water was heated enough, it would follow her upstairs and would be brought towards the room. The only other thing Meghan could provide was her own personal knowledge of births, and she hoped it would be enough.
Really, the silly ideas Goosey had sometimes! Of course, having no other versed woman present during labour was very dangerous, but surely there could have been another than Meghan Reade, nothing but a kitchen maid. Having suggested her was an act of boldness she wasn’t used to by her daughter Brynn, not at all! But the time for arguing was over now, and she had accepted the task and would fulfil it, hopefully succesfully for both mother and child.

When she reached the door, she knocked softly, but then decided to go in right away, as now was clearly not a time to overobserve niceties. Inside she was greeted with a scene that was very much to be expected, but still very moving: A woman in her nightgown was standing next to the bed, supporting herself at the bedpost,while a young man, probably her husband, was trying to support her but had an air of helplessness and nigh-panic around him. That was bad… or at least not very helping. It didn’t come as much a surprise that men usually were kept away from their wives once they got into labour. How fierce and die-hard they could be, in this very moment, they were never of much use. Alright… but first things first!
”Mylady Caitrin Aubert?” she asked, doing a little curtsy. “I am Meghan Reade, my daughter sent me to help you.”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin Aubert was trying, and failing, to remain calm. She knew that this moment had been coming, Jesu, she had known it had been coming for months, but that didn’t make the shock of it any easier to bear. She was just clutching at her belly, and glaring at her husband, deciding that if he didn’t wake up soon then he would probably never wake up ever, ever again. Eventually though she saw him shifting, and if she had been in a better state she would have gone round the bed and made him get up one way or another. She hadn’t ever slapped him before, this seemed like a fitting time to start. It was his fault she was going through this pain wasn’t it? The fact Griff had woken up cut off her internal rant as she cried out again, clutching her swollen belly, “Get-out-of-bed.” She said through gritted teeth before what was going on had actually sunk in with him. She was saved the trouble of dragging him out of bed, because he was just suddenly in front of her. She blinked slightly, tying to concentrate on what he was saying. However, a small laugh did purse her lips as he knew at least that his words weren’t helping her calm down. “I just need you to be quiet.” She wasn’t being particularly sensitive, but then again, this wasn’t a situation which demanded sensitivity. She was in pain, and the quicker this baby was out of her then the better. She wasn’t particularly fond of pain, so the next hours or so were going to be fun.

She just looked on at her husband as her next contraction struck. She put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself and breathed out slowly. She wasn’t going to be able to stand up for much longer. For a few moments she thought she was stuck in this position, but she steadied herself and went back to clinging onto the bedpost as the door swung open. Her eyes darted to the door, she assumed this was Brynn’s mother, or at least she hoped she was. Caitrin couldn’t care less who she was right now, she just wanted this baby out of her. She nodded as the woman confirmed who she was. The woman’s formality struck her straight away, as this wasn’t exactly the most conventional of meetings. “Please, just call me Caitrin.” Another contraction struck and it knocked the wind out of her for a moment, but she quickly regained her strength, “Nice to meet you Meghan.” She inclined her head as best she could, and looked back to her husband. Now the time had come, she didn’t want him to go. She wanted him to stay in here, with her. However, menfolk weren’t allowed in the birthing chamber, it was bad luck, and Caitrin wasn’t taking any risks for the sake of their child. “I’ll see you, when I have our baby in my arms.” She shot her husband a wide smile. Griff stood up, and gave Caitrin a small peck on the lips, muttered something about staying calm and left the room. She watched him go and bit her lip. She didn’t want to go at this alone, well, not alone but without a familiar face. Then again, Meghan had been incredibly good to step in at such short notice. Jesu knows what would have happened if Caitrin had not come across Brynn in her chambers that very same morning.

“Do I- Need to lie down?” Caitrin managed, she didn’t know what the procedure was, she had heard many things about childbirth, but she wasn’t sure what to believe. Some women gave birth standing up, others in a bed. Caitrin wasn’t sure her knees would cope with hours of this torment, so she went to the bed slowly and managed to shift herself so that she was lying down. She looked to Meghan for guidance of course, she had no idea what she was doing, apart from the fundamentals obviously. For now, she was completely in this woman’s hands.

[Brynn Reade]

Even though her eyes were anything but trained for such things, Meghan quickly scanned the room and the lady’s condition for important signs about the state of the pregnancy. She noticed the night gown she was wearing was already wet down below, which meant the water had broken. That was not unusual, but not quite the norm on first births either. But then, it didn’t have to be a sign that something went wrong, it could even be fortunate for the woman if the labour didn’t tire her out for hours. She seemed uneasy enough, but that was only to be expected by any young woman going through this, and even more so for the first time. Apart from that the Lady Caitrin seemed to have all her wits about her however, as she offered her to let go of the titles for now. Meghan’s heart instantly went out to the young woman, and she swore to herself she would do anything in her power to make this birth as painless and easy as possible.”Very well then, Caitrin!” she agreed with a smile, then tread closer and watched as the young woman did the next highly reasonable thing: she dismissed her husband for the time being, without Meghan having to say a single word. For one doing this for the first time, Caitrin really was doing a great job indeed.

”You’ll be fine!” she promised her, as she saw the look she was sending after her leaving husband. Meghan herself had had her sister and two close maid friends to tend to each of her births, whether succesful ones or not, but this situation was rather different. It was none of her concern though, but Meghan really wondered where all of Caitrin’s female relatives were in such an hour of need. Amongst the ladies it of course was not the usual custom to stay with each other during childbirth, as this was still considered a rather uncourtly and… barbaric moment by some. Caitrin however, that Meghan had seen from the beginning, was of a different calibre.
”And we’ll do whatever you feel comfortable with. The contractions come quickly already, so pacing might not even be necessary”, she explained in a very calm voice, elaborating what she remembered hearing midwives say. “For now, I want you to lie down again anyway, as I want to examine the child’s position in your belly.”

That was a truly important part indeed, as all depended on whether the child was already hanging head down or not. If it hadn’t turned the birth would become so much more difficult and maybe even impossible. Some midwives knew tricks how to turn a baby around in the mother’s belly, but Meghan had no idea what to do to achieve that, so she fervently hoped all would be well.
Once Caitrin was savely situated on her bed, Meghan’s hands pushed up the gown and went on the tightly swollen belly, feeling for the outlines of the baby’s body inside. She even closed her eyes, to trust entirely in her hands. Ah, there! She clearly could feel the roundness of a little head under her searching fingers… and it seemed to have turned, that was good! But then her fingers hesitated, as they were feeling something else…something that shouldn’t be there. For a long moment, Meghan was confused, until a knowing smile spread over her face.
”Caitrin, I must ask you this… did you not know that you are about to give birth to more than one soul? Or did my daughter just fail to inform me?”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin hoped Meghan was right, she hoped everything was fine. She knew many horror stories about women in labour, but she knew she was young and healthy and that had to count for something didn’t it? She had wanted this little family for so long, and now she was nearly there. She couldn’t give up now. First things first of course, she smiled at Meghan as she went to lie back, trying to focus on something else which wasn’t the pain which was currently ripping through her, “Thank you for coming to attend me.” She said gratefully, now the time had come, Caitrin wasn’t sure she would have had the strength to do this alone, “I appreciate it.” She gave another soft smile and nodded once more at the woman as she pointed out pacing wouldn’t be necessary. “How long do you think it will be?” She asked nervously. She wasn’t expecting it to be over in a matter of moments, or even hours, but she had heard of women labouring for days and she didn’t really fancy that one bit.

The feel of someone else’s hands upon her body felt strange, but Caitrin didn’t have time to feel uncomfortable. For now it didn’t matter that she and this woman had only just met. She was here to help, and Caitrin appreciated that. She looked on at her as Meghan’s hands ran over her belly, it didn’t hurt, it just felt strange. Caitrin could feel her child stir again within her. It still felt strange to think that she would soon be holding the life that was so active in her belly in her arms soon. The muscles around her body almost felt like they had stiffened, and Caitrin bit her lip as another contraction ripped through her. Giving a short shudder, her eyes darted sharply up to Meghan, for any hint that anything was wrong.

More than one soul? Caitrin furrowed her eye brows at Meghan, what on earth was she going on about? For a moment, Caitrin just wanted to laugh, what was she suggesting? That Caitrin was expecting more than one child? For a moment time almost froze and Caitrin looked at her belly in another wave of sheer panic; she was having more than one baby? “T-theres more than one?” She asked hesitantly, her chest rising and dropping quickly. She had been told by some women that her bump was quite large, but she had never thought much of it. After all, every pregnancy was different. This fact of course didn’t make the news any easier to digest. She breathed out slowly and tried to steady her breathing once again. “Are you quite sure there's more than one? Jesu, how many are there?” She asked slowly, still not sure how she felt about this news. Of course she wasn’t angry or upset, she was just shocked more than anything. Oh, Griff was going to love this. He had been nervous enough about being a father, but now he was going to be father to more than one baby.

[Brynn Reade]

Inwardly Meghan tried to estimate the time between Caitrin’s contractions to get a rough idea about how long the birth would be taking. It was by no means any exact science, but if the intervals stayed roughly the same, it was a sign it could take a few hours still. That wasn’t anything bad, though, and as the water had already broken, Caitrin surely wouldn’t lie here for a day. And she was strong and healthy, there was really no reason for panic. ”Of course, Caitrin!” she replied, returning the warm smile. Slowly she could see why Brynn had insisted on this peculiar arrangement, as Meghan had to admit she liked this young woman, even though they had only just met. It might be the companionship between women having to go through such ordeals to give birth to a new life, but Meghan was not even in the mood to question this feeling. Caitrin and her had a good work basis, and they would need that in the following hours. There would be a moment when the young lady would feel like she couldn’t bear it any longer, and Meghan would have to guide her through this moment. Trust was crucial in this matter. “I am glad I can help you. Births are every woman’s touch-stone.”

Right as she was examining the belly, another contraction rippled through Caitrin’s body and Meghan retreated her hands for the moment, counting inwardly how long the contraction took. It was all going quicker then expected, and now she knew the reason why.
”Remember to breathe steadily, my dear”, she reminded her softly. “When you feel the contraction coming, take a deep breath and then let it out with the pain.”
There was no doubt of it now, but Meghan examined again just to be sure. Yes, there were too, one still higher up and not yet turned. That would probably happen once the other was out. Twins, how lovely, she thought with a bright smile. The birth of twins usually was getting on quicker than a normal birth, she had heard people say, because one fetus was pushing the other down. But how would Caitrin react to such news? For the moment she seemed more shocked than anything.

”I felt two”, she explained calmly, raising a hand to push a damp strand of hair from Caitrin’s face. “Don’t worry, one of them has already turned inside and seems ready to come out. Not right now of course, but soon.”
So she really hadn’t known. Well, that was not unusual, and even less with the midwife being ill. Had she been there, she probably would have examined the belly a few days ago. Her main job for now seemed to be reducing Caitrin’s panic and just being there, until the final contractions came that never seemed to cease. But they did, and when less than a minute lay between the current and the next, then would be time for pressing.
A soft knock on the door broke Meghan from her contemplative reverie, and just a second later, Brynn slipped through the door, carrying a bucket full of hot water. She exchanged a glance with her mother, then just stood next to the fireplace and waited for further instructions.
”It seems like our dear Caitrin is having twins”, Meghan told Brynn and the goosemaiden’s eyes started to gleam. “How wonderful!”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin knew that it was easier for Meghan to tell her to breath in and out slowly than it was for her to comply. She wanted to carry on hyperventilating, because it was easy. However, there was no point in having Meghan here if she wasn’t going to listen to her at all. She felt another contraction coming onto her, and she did as Meghan said, and breathed out slowly. Her hands were on her belly as she felt the contraction leave her. Now she had put a hand on her belly, she almost felt a connection to both of her children. She had always just thought that she was carrying one child, and she would have been happy with that. However, she wasn’t disappointed at the fact she was expecting twins. Once she thought about it, she was even more excited about becoming a mother.

She hadn’t noticed how hot, and sweaty she had become until Meghan pushed a strange of hair back from her forehead. She breathed out slowly again and ran a hand through her hair. The room didn’t feel warm, but she knew she still had energy to carry on, and give birth safely to both her children.”Just two?” She wasn’t saying that with an expectation of there being more, she just wanted to confirm her position. Right, she could handle two children, sort of. She was still getting used to the idea of twins, she had just expected to hold one baby in her arms, and to have either a son or a daughter and for that to be the end of it. However, there had been another little life hiding and growing within her, and she couldn’t help but smile, as if some part of her had suspected this piece of news all along.

Another contraction struck, and Caitrin breathed out slowly, but found her breath accompanied with a groan. Jesu, that one had hurt. “Well, at least they’re ready to come out.” She said lightly, and shifted slightly in her bed. Her eyes only moved from her belly when Brynn entered the room. She shot a smile to the young woman immediately, after all, now she did not feel alone at all in her hour of need. “I think I may need a bigger crib.” Caitrin jested, trying to focus on anything which wasn’t her impending pain. Her thoughts were dashing over the smallest of details. Did they have enough clothes for two children? She pressed her lips together and blinked a few times, how was Griff going to take this? “Don’t tell my husband.” Griff would just panic, and worry himself to death. Plus, she wanted this to be her news to deliver, “I want it to be a surprise.” She insisted softly with a smile before another contraction struck. They were becoming more painful, and Caitrin felt a bead of sweat run down her forehead.

[Brynn Reade]

Even though Meghan was far from feeling overly confident in this situation, she still managed to stay calm and considerate. Being the mother of three children and working in the kitchens helped a great deal with stress situations. And she was not only versed in receiving orders, to some extent she was also confident with giving them. She would just imagine Caitrin was one of her children, however preposterous that may sound. Truth be told, apart from the red tinge on her hair, there was probably no girl that could be more different from her daughter Brynn, both in personality and status obviously, but then when it came down to it, a title didn’t very much make a woman so much different. Not in such exceptional circumstances, matters of life, death and procreation, at least. These thoughts made it easier for Meghan to act well around Caitrin, and she noted with an inward pleased smile how the young lady seemed to at least try to follow her orders. This would be so much easier for them both, if they trusted each other.

”Yes, two!” she confirmed. “And it will be interesting to see if they’re identical or not.” A smile crossed the elderly woman’s face as she voiced her next thought. “You might not even have to decide between boy’s or girl’s name, as you could be graced with both.” She herself had never had twins, not even with those pregnancies that had failed. She supposed it was not meant to be, and it wasn’t so bad. Raising two children at once could be very demanding, and with the life she led, there had been little room for much childcare anyway. That was why Brynn had been stepping in from a very young age, looking after her siblings while her mother was occupied. It had turned her into a very responsible, grown up girl, but sometimes Meghan feared if she had become too sombre and serious, TOO responsible at times.
With the higher class it was different of course. Noble ladies didn’t have to work, they could spend much time with caring for their children, and so Caitrin would not be in much trouble. She also didn’t strike Meghan as one of those women wanting nothing to do with her offsprings.

It was a really good sign that Caitrin still seemed to find both breath and mood to joke a little around. Brynn felt encouraged to drop in on the conversation, seeing as she already had found talking to Lady Caitrin quite inspiring. “Well, didn’t you tell me the crib was already large? And of course…” for a moment a mischievous light lit up her eyes. “If you wish, we could hide the other one at first. So he sees only one, and then: surprise!”
Meghan shook her head at her daughter’s silliness. That must be really Alex’ rubbing of on her. Or Gwaine for that matter. With a watchful eye, she guarded Caitrin’s next contraction and noted the woman’s groan.
”They’re getting stronger”, it was more a statement than a question. “Brynn, please pass me one of the pieces of cloth”, she instructed and then gently dabbled Caitrin’s forehead. “Remember, it is no shame to scream. It DOES hurt, and it must hurt. That’s the way of nature.”

[Caitrin de Archer]

A small worry flashed over Caitrin’s features. Though her bump was apparently larger than it should be, she couldn’t help but wonder if her children would be smaller, because rather than one baby occuping her womb there had been two. “Will they be smaller than normal babies, do you think?” Caitrin asked nervously. She just wanted her children to be safe, and healthy, like any mother would. If they were small, then extra attentions would have to be paid to their needs so that they could thrive. “I’m not quite sure what I want now.” She said, thinking aloud more than anything. One girl and a boy would be nice, but twins of the same sex would be equally as desirable and Caitrin wasn’t sure that she minded that much. “We don’t really have any names yet anyway.” She pointed out with a soft smile. She had spent so much time telling Griff they weren’t naming their son after him, if it was a boy, that it had left little room for any other discussion.

As her contractions were growing in strength, Caitrin figured that she would not be able to concentrate or speak for very much longer to Brynn or Meghan. At Brynn’s words, Caitrin let out a small laugh in-between breathless sighs. “I think that would dampen the shock.” She said softly with a smile, “Or do you think that would make it worse?” She had no idea how Griff was going to react to this news, she hoped he would be pleased of course. However, if she had twin boys then he would of course insist on one being called Griff. Caitrin didn’t want her children to be named after family members, Jesu their families were bad enough. “Perhaps then you could take one of the babies, so that we might surprise him.” She managed another short laugh before turning back to Meghan and the task in hand.

Caitrin was struck at how tender Meghan was being towards her. The woman’s touch was gentle and reassuring, and Caitrin found that her panics had worn down somewhat. Breathing out slowly and nodded at Meghan dabbed her forehead, though a small grin pursed her lips. She didn’t want to scream, and there were two reasons for that. The first was that she wasn’t the kind of woman to admit she was in pain of any sorts, and the second reason was that Griff was on the other side of the door. If she started wailing away, and screaming, then she would never hear the end of it. Or it would just make him more nervous, Caitrin didn’t want to find out which.

Her next contraction was so strong that her fingernails dug into the bed, and the top half of her body jolted upwards, so that she was now sitting rather than lying down. She didn’t’ scream, but she let out a large groan, which tickled the back of her neck and would have come out as a scream if she had not pressed her lips together so furiously. It took her a few minutes to recover from the shock and pain of that contraction, and she found herself rather breathless. She hadn’t been naïve enough to believe that this was going to be easy, but Jesu it was hurting so much. Caitrin eased herself back into the pillows which were propping her up and let out a soft breath, “My husband is never touching me again.”

[Brynn Reade]

For someone dealing with birth for the first time, Caitrin was asking very smart questions, and Meghan had to admit she was impressed. It was always good to be informed, and the questions showed how deeply she would care for her children after the birth, when she even cared for them as much even now. Meghan cocked her head to think a little about the question of size. She had heard only some things about that, since in her own family, twins were not very common. It really must be something in the blood.”It could very well be they are both a little smaller, as they would have to share what your body provided for them. Sometimes one is taking more and the other gets even less”, she explained. These particularly weak and small babies often didn’t survive, that was the risk of a twin birth, even more than of a normal birth, but there were tricks that could prevent a bad outcome.
Meghan nodded at Caitrin admitting they had not settled on names yet. “Sometimes that is better. A name always entails something, like a legacy. You can’t really give a legacy to someone who you haven’t even seen yet.”

Despite the situation, Brynn found the image of lighting up the mood with a little fun talk rather appealing. If anything, it would be distracting Caitrin from her panic, as she had something else to occupy her mind with. Hiding one baby from her husband Griff seemed like just the prank Brynn felt Caitrin was capable off, and she was sure one day she would get it back tit for tat. “As I walked in, I saw him there with Gwaine”, she explained to the mother-to-be. “So maybe showing him only one first might be better, so he won’t think he’s seeing double.” Now wouldn’t that be amusing? Hmm… maybe not even that much. After a succesful birth, every father was drunk with happiness anyway, no need for him to be truly drunk as well!

While her daughter took on the task of bringing a little ease into this room – surprising for such a worrier, but then she always knew how to react to someone perfectly fine – Meghan kept a close eye on Caitrin’s state. She noted the girl’s fight for countenance and was once again impressed. She would have expected noblewomen, who were by no means used to hardship, to freak at such an amount of pain, but Caitrin hold herself strong like a seasoned warrior. Then again… it only would get worse. Meghan had also vowed not to scream, but in the end she had always, always done it.
She couldn’t help the dry chuckle that escaped her mouth at Caitrin’s exasperated words. “Believe me, this resolution will be gone within a day after the labour is done. Though of course, you will be given a respite of several weeks. Savour it, your body will need it.”

Of course, it was too early now to talk about the aftermath of births, they first had to go through the ordeal itself. “We’re getting there”, she tried to raise Caitrin’s spirits. “Believe me, your babies want as much out as you want to have them out. It won’t be very long now, it’s going quicker than I had expected.”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin had been expecting an answer like that from Meghan, and she was quite glad that the woman wasn’t mollycoddling her, and graced her with a straight answer. So yes, her children might be a bit smaller than the normal baby, which was all she was worried about. She hoped both her children were at least the same size, because then they would both have a chance. However, she didn’t want to worry about that now, she would deal with it when it came to it. Both her children could be born completely healthy, so getting herself worked up now would only make the birth more difficult. “Well, we’ll see when we meet them.” She said softly, and smiled up at Meghan. She wasn’t worried now, she was more excited than anything. She wanted to meet her children now, she’d been waiting long enough.

She was glad that Meghan was agreeing with the fact that she hadn’t named her children yet. She smiled at the idea of a legacy, but she supposed every child was. As she watched Brynn and Meghan interact, she hoped one day she and her children would have a similar relationship. She wanted to do everything right, and although she knew that it wasn’t possible to get everything right. So long as she had a better relationship with her children than she did with any of her family she would be quite content. “I think I just want to see their little personalities before I give them a name.” She admitted softly, as her fingers softly ran over her belly. She thought of her children in there, trying to get out. She wished they would be a bit quicker about it.

Gwaine was outside with Griff? Oh great! Caitrin had never met the man personally, maybe Griff had ensured that little fact, but she had never felt like she had missed out on much. Gwaine always just seemed to be Griff’s drinking buddy, though she supposed the fact he had someone who got him out of the house now and again wasn’t a bad thing. After all, they needed their space now and again. Was Gwaine the best person to be with her husband though now while she was in labour? Knowing him he would drag him off to the tavern and she would be here on her own. “Did he have an ale with him?” Caitrin groaned as she shifted her position on the bed. “Yes, we’ll just show him one baby, then the other.” She grinned softly at Brynn. Well, now their little scheme was planned they had to put it into action.

Caitrin wasn’t sure how much worse this pain could get. Her chest was heaving again, and her hair was already becoming drenched with her own sweat. She wasn’t sure what Meghan’s definition of quick was though. To Caitrin, it was anytime before morning. She wanted these babies out of her sooner rather than later, as soon s possible would be preferred of course. Caitrin shifted bck so she was breathing in and out slowly, trying to calm herself own. “How long do you think it will be?” She knew Meghan couldn’t give her an estimation to the minute, but an estimation to at least an hour would suffice. She had no idea how long labour took, and how long it would be until she would have to go through the most dramatic part of the labour. Her next contraction took her by surprise somewhat, and she cried out, it wasn’t a scream, but she had cried out nonetheless. Jesu, this was really starting to hurt. Her eyes were starting to moisten, but she quickly blinked away the tears, and began to breath out slowly, her eyes went back to Meghan, “Will I have to go through this twice?”

[Brynn Reade]

Again Meghan had to admit how pleased she was to see Caitrin react to it all so worldy-wise, even though there was probably nothing more trying for a woman in her life than childbirth. The pain would only increase and there were so many difficulties involved, yet her the girl was, facing the uncertainties head on and accepting them. There was no telling of course how long it all would last, but even for now a non-panicky patient was more than Meghan had ever hoped for. She was far too uncertain about this whole affair anyway, and yet she would have to play the strong, the wise one for the lady’s sake. Becoming a midwife had never been something the kitchen maid truly thought about as there were just so many things involved she shied away from. Being on constant alert for one. Midwives were often without a family for a reason, and Meghan loved her family more than anything. Even right now, she had had to give Gyrth and Elinor into some other mother’s care because she hadn’t known how long this would take. And then again, there was something… magical – in lack of a better and less dangerous word – about a child coming into this world, despite all the sweat and pain.

”Seeing their personalities first is a wise decision”, she complimented Caitrin with a fond smile. “And I am sure, whatever names it is you come up with, they will suit your children. I had to give in once with my choice, but now I see my husband has been more right with it than I. Our little boy is surely more a Gyrth than a Hal.” But then, most likely Caitrin would not be interested in the naming problems of a common family. Even though it could serve as a good distraction now, but by no means would Meghan try to dominate a conversation, that was neither her will nor her place. Caitrin would be able to decide for herself what she wanted to talk about, as long as there was still room for talking.

Brynn furrowed her brows in rememberance of the fleeting look she had been given both men as she had passed them by, far too occupied with not dropping the bucket of steaming hot water in her hands. Had there been ale or not? Probably yes, and she might simply not have noticed because Gwaine and a jug of ale simply went together in her mind, it was just part of the inventory.
”I don’t know about ale, Mylady” she confessed with a shrug and then chuckled. “But I do know about bread. He had the loaf of bread in his hands you forbade him before, mother, he must have seized the moment to return and get it.” Well, the bread had already been eaten away at, so they would not have been able to bring it up to the royal table anyway. It was like with a dog ruining your clothes, Brynn guessed though the comparison was somehow mean. Once there was a hole in it you could as well give it to the dog to play further with.

Meghan didn’t have much time to worry about said bread, as the next contraction hit Caitrin very fiercely, and she moved closer to see if the young woman was as comfortable as she could be. “You’re doing a very good job, my dear, just don’t forget the steady breathing”, she reassured her. “I would have to check your cervix first to be sure, but at the speed this is going both might be out within two hours, maybe even less.” The next question was even more difficult to answer, but Meghan wanted Caitrin to be prepared to the best of her abilities, so she would surely try. “Not quite”, she kept it vague, as she didn’t have much experience with twin births, if births at all, and was relying mostly on hearsay. “Mostly they come very quickly one after the other, it might just be one big pressing effort.”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Naming the children would probably be one of the main arguments between her and Griff, one that she would of course win. Perhaps as there were two they could name one each, but there was no way on God’s earth that Caitrin was going to let Griff name any of their children after him or his family. She wanted her children to be unique in both personality and name. Of course she would name her children after some people she had encountered, but they weren’t family members so it didn’t count. “Did it take you long to choose a name?” Caitrin asked Meghan curiously, if Caitrin and Griff did lock horns over names, it could be weeks until the children were finally named. “Me and my husband will probably bicker endlessly about names.” It was true of course, and although they would never fall out over a matter of names, it was still fun to muse about.

Why on earth was Gwaine stealing bread? The way Griff went on about him, it would make more sense for him to steal ale. Caitrin didn’t care now about one of the knights, she was just trying to focus on the task at hand. Maybe Gwaine might even calm Griff down, as if that were possible, but there was always hope of course wasn’t there? “As long as Gwaine doesn’t take him to the tavern, I don’t care.” She was only half joking, but she wouldn’t put it past the man to try and drag her husband off for a quick ale. She wanted Griff outside the door, so he could hear exactly what he was putting her through, also, she wanted him there so he could see her soon after the birth. It would ruin the first moments of their little family if someone had to be sent to try and find Griff in the tavern.

The time for feeling private and uncomfortable about this woman, who was practically a stranger, seeing her in such a state was over. “Check whatever you need to.” She said very sharply. Caitrin wasn’t one for feeling uncomfortable about such things, but she still felt a little odd about the situation. However, she just wanted her children to be safe, so she would let Meghan do whatever she thought was best. “I think one big effort would be preferred.” Caitrin mused softly. The estimate was to Caitrin’s liking, as it meant that her children would be here before dawn, and she might get some sleep at some point. Jesu, she was so tired, but she knew she had to keep going.

...

Over an hour had passed, and Caitrin was starting to feel tired. Her red hair was soaked with her own sweat, and everything just seemed to hurt. She was past words, she could just about scream or groan, and that was it. A part of her had almost forgotten the light at the end of the tunnel, that she would have her babies in her arms after this, but when she looked down at her bump she remembered, and somehow this was all worth it. She was still adamant that Griff would never touch her again, of that she was certain. Another contraction hit Caitrin like a tonne of bricks and she screamed outwardly, her knuckles white from the ferocity that she was holding the bed with. She was nearing the last stage of her labour now, she knew that, but that just meant that there would be more pain of course. Everything just hurt, and the pain was becoming unbearable. Jesu, being in the dungeons had been easier than this. She was breathless, but was trying so hard to do as Meghan had said, and keep her breathing steady. “Please- tell me- this is almost- over.” She was half begging, she just wanted these babies out of her now, she’d been in labour for long enough.

[Brynn Reade]

Meghan laughed when she thought about the amount of time it had took for her and her husband to settle on a name. The most unique thing was maybe that this battle had not been fought in so much words, more with glances and deeds. That was just how the Reade family worked, they never made much words about anything. The most important things were self-evident anyway. “My husband wanted one, and I wanted the other”, she tried to explain. “But there was not much verbal argument about it. In the end he won, because when he looked at my baby son, he called him ‘Gyrth’ and I was too weak to protest.”

A little taken aback by the sharpness of Caitrin’s voice, Meghan bowed her head and then gently parted the lady’s legs so she could take a look at what she wanted to see. The state of the cervix told her what she had been suspecting beforehand. It was not yet fully opened, but almost, so it would be another hour at least, another hour of increasing and increasing pain, until finally the two babies were born. It would all get hectic and very unpleasant for all that were involved, but such was the price of creating life. To get something, you always, always had to give, and the more you wanted, the more you had to sacrifice. And after all, in comparison, what was pain against giving birth to two new souls into this world?

--


“Go on, dear, we’re almost there!” Meghan’s voice sounded as exhausted as she felt, and it wasn’t even her having to go through the worst. Minutes had melted into hours without her noticing it, and she felt like just being one big bundle of nerves, focused on nothing but Caitrin and the signs her body gave. There was no time for doubt, no time for hesitation, and yet she felt both gnawing at her slowly. Had it truly been wise to place her in this position? Maybe she was forgetting important things and in the end it would be Caitrin that had to pay the price? No… she really couldn’t think that now! She needed to be strong, for this young woman who was going through so much pain. For her husband that had to be waiting somewhere outside, probably tearing something to shreds by now. And for herself as well. She had said she could do this, and now she had to stay true to her word, to herself. What Meghan Reade promised, she did keep. Always.


”When you feel the urge to press, when you feel that pressure on your lower abdomen that makes you feel like you want to relieve yourself – then tell me and we will go through the last stage together”, she said to Caitrin, squeezing her hand. The same thing had been said by her own midwife, even though she scarcely remembered that part, nearly delirious as she had been. “And breathe… always breathe, I know it is hard.”

[Caitrin de Archer]

Caitrin almost felt dizzy with pain, and she felt like the only thing she could focus on, between contractions, was her breathing. It seemed to take all her strength now to remind herself to breath in and out slowly, and to steady herself. It seemed like things were moving quickly now, but there was still a lot to get through wasn’t there, and Caitrin knew she had to keep her strength; the worst was yet to come. She had to keep telling herself that this would all be worth it, and that she would soon be holding her babies in her arms. Even now the prospect of motherhood hadn’t quite hit her; it had always been a distant daydream, a thought for her and Griff to amuse themselves with, but now it was real and happening before her eyes. She looked up at Meghan, and squeezed her hand, though she kept having to restrain herself, as she was sure she would break the woman’s hand before long. She was in pain, and squeezing the hand was an outlet of sorts.

To distract herself from the pain, Caitrin’s thoughts quickly ran to the babies which would soon be in her arms. She still didn’t know what combination of twins she wanted, and maybe it was best that she had only just found out. She hadn’t really had time to get over the shock before the full pain of her labour had been recognised. Now she considered it, and really considered it, she figured it would be quite nice to have one of each, a boy and a girl. Since infancy, Caitrin had been taught that children were supposed to carry on the family line. Though that had never been important to her or Griff, she wanted to continue the Aubert line through their little family, it was a legacy of sorts. She knew Griff wouldn’t care either way, but still.

Caitrin screamed out as another contraction pressed upon her, just after Meghan spoke. She squeezed the woman’s hand again, but there it was, the urge to relieve herself. It was almost like her body wanted to push. She froze for a few moments, Jesu, was this it? As she began to recover from the contraction, breathlessly she looked up at Meghan, “I felt it.” She managed, in-between pants. “Does that mean it’s close?” She asked, almost hopefully. She certainly wouldn’t be going through this ordeal in a hurry, so Griff wouldn’t be allowed near her bed for quite some time. It was a thought which would never be recognised of course, Griff had his ways, and Caitrin had her needs at the end of the day. Jesu, why was she even thinking of such things now? Shaking her head slightly, she looked back at Meghan, “What do I need to do?” She was getting the urge to push, or at least she assumed that was what the urge was. She wondered how women ever went through this ordeal by themselves, because if she had not had Meghan and Brynn here, she would have panicked even more than she was already doing. Meghan certainly had the calming effect.