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Even though Meghan was greatly touched by the scene unfolding before her eyes, the magical moment of a mother seeing her child for the very first time, she didn’t allow herself to give in to her feelings just yet. She tried to stay as focussed as she could, as she still had to worry about the next little worm that wanted out. He or she would probably be smaller, as she had heard the stronger one came out first. Then again, the whole birth had been going rather swiftly, so Meghan was sure the other child had been pushing its sibling further down, which meant it had quite the will of its own.
But of course, she couldn’t hold back the bright smile than spread over her own face, when Caitrin reacted so excitedly and simply: joyful of having a daughter. Meghan herself had also wanted a daughter for her first child, and her wish had been granted in Brynn. She didn’t love little Gyrth any less of course, but Brynn and even more Elinor simply were her heart’s delight.

”Brynn, hold the womb so the baby won’t turn inside again, please”, she reminded her daughter of her duties, who bashfully tore her eyes from the little wonder that still bawled a little, so forcefully being drawn from the warm and cozy place it knew. Too bad Caitrin couldn’t hold her just yet, but she had to focus on the second child now. Meghan had only just placed the little girl into the crib, when Caitrin was struck with another contraction. First the afterbirth slipped out, the only connection that had held the twins together. Meghan forced her mind to concentrate, but she knew it would be easier this time. Caitrin didn’t need any more instructions, and also the pain would be less than before. With one last, almost demanding cry, the young woman delivered her second child into this world, and like before Meghan was there to support it and free it from the umbilical cord.

Brynn’s eyes had been fixed on her mother’s movements while she held Caitrin’s hands down gently, and so she was the first one to see about the second born’s sex. “The second is a boy, Mylady!” she exclaimed with a little chuckle. “Now you can quarrel on with your husband about the names!”
A girl and a boy, how delightful indeed, and probably every mother’s wish once she couldn’t decide. Now she didn’t have to.
”And it is as healthy as the first!” Meghan announced after listening to the little worm’s crying. Quickly she cleaned it with some of the still warm water and a soft cloth, then decided the moment was right.
”Here you go, Mylady!” she said softly and gently placed the little boy, wrapped into warm and clean sheets, inot the waiting mother’s arms. “Brynn, please bring the other while I wash Caitrin and take away the soaked sheets.”

What followed now was mostly work for those who helped, but the mother had done her share and could just lean back and enjoy the moment. As soon as Caitrin was a bit more presentable, which would take no more than another minute, they would call for the father.

They were entering the critical phase now, Meghan knew that, the phase where it was almost over, but just not yet, and where usually every woman was pushed way beyond her limits. Caitrin seemed to be no exception and Meghan prayed for her and also for herself to be strong. Sometimes harsh words had to be used once the spirit of the parturient was waning. Meghan remembered her own faltering all too well, especially after knowing the baby would be stillborn. Where was the use in giving birth to something that was not living? But the choice had been an easy one to make in the end: Giving birth or die trying, and she already had had two beautiful children at that time who needed their mother. For them she had been keeping going. That was another reason why first births could be difficult: sometimes the mothers-to-be didn’t feel like they had something that was more worth living for than living through this excrutiating pain.

With every contraction that jolted through Caitrin, Brynn’s grip became stronger and more secure. She soon found out what to expect from Caitrin’s body once it contracted, how she would rear and how best to prevent it. Truly, when she had got up this morning, she would not have expected how the day would turn out. That she would help a lady through labour just because Idris had been too busy to fulfil one of her usual chores… it was almost to be called crazy when you thought about it. Gladly though, Brynn didn’t have much time to think. Her muscles started to ache from her effort of keeping the lady down and she knew her hands would ache in the morning too. But that was all worth it, right? She would help in bringing two new lives into this world, and she would learn important things for when it would be her time one day.

Meghan sensed Caitrin’s oncoming panic and she shifted a little, so she could look her in the eye, locking her gaze. “Shh, nothing is wrong my dear. Keep on pushing! The little worm is squeezing its way through, that is all!” Her voice rose a little in pitch when Caitrin’s next pushing effort showed one half of the little one’s head. “Head’s almost through, just push once more, Caitrin!” she egged the young lady on. Maybe it would take two or three more for the baby to be fully out, but once the head was out, anything else seemed almost effortless in comparison. Meanwhile Brynn gently dabbed the young woman’s forehead in a short respite, to keep the beads of sweat from running into her eyes. She herself felt thoroughly soaked as well, from the woman in labour leaning against her and from her own efforts of keeping her down.

Another contraction struck and Meghan exitedly exclaimed: “Head’s out, now give the shoulders a good squeeze!” The elder woman’s hands darted forward to cup the tiny, slippery head of the newborn, then waited for the next contraction.

People said that the worst torture one could go through was to see someone else suffer. At least someone you vaguely cared about. Alright, the time of torture was – hopefully – well past for them all now, but Meghan still thought this notion to be right. Giving birth was probably the worst torture nature had invented by itself, without the help of any sick human mind. Looking at it like that, not thinking about the happiness and elation that followed afterwards, you could almost be sure never wanting to go through this again, and Meghan was almost relieved she was now past the childbearing state. Hopefully this experience won’t be too traumatic for Caitrin, as Meghan had heard stories of women who shied away from everything concerning children and bearing them because of the bad experience they had made at their first birth. Normally, the mind was set to make you forget the worst of it, but it didn’t always work. Then again, Caitrin had all the characteristics of a fighter, Meghan thought. She would be fine.

Her hand hurt from the constant violent squeezes Caitrin had been giving it for the last hour, but Meghan knew tht was just a fraction of the pain the other woman was going through right now and so she didn’t detract her hand, nor did she say anything. From what she could tell, the cervix was fully opened now, and all they had to wait for was that urging sensation that made Caitrin want to push.
And there it was!! After a particularly long and painful contraction, Caitrin confirmed that she had felt the urge. Now things finally got into the last stage! Mobilising all her energy, Meghan tried to give her voice the most encouraging tone she could muster and smiled. “Yes, it is very close. Now, this is what you do!” she started to explain, thinking back on the instructions, she herself had been given. She wouldn’t be able to go through them to tee, but it was the direction that counted anyway, right?

”Make sure your back is firmly planted against the back of the bed, through the cushions, and that you have a good standing with your propped up feet. Brynn, come here!” She demanded firmly and Brynn tread closer towards the bed, giving Caitrin an encouraging smile of her own. “Climb onto the bed next to Caitrin and hold her other hand and her arm, to further steady her.” Brynn did as she was told and took Caitrin’s damp hand, squeezing it softly.
Then Meghan returned her attention to Caitrin. “You probably already feel the next contraction coming. Take a deep breath and when the contraction is on you, push! Don’t worry, your body will know how to. The contractions will now come quicker and quicker, use the small respites to gain your breath.”
It felt like Meghan had never talked so much in her whole life than in these las two hours. But it was necessary, some things simply were not self-evident.

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.”

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.”

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.”

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?”

Brynn couldn’t suppress a smile at Gwaine’s obvious surprise. Did it really mean so much to him whether she called him Mylord Knight or not? Didn’t he know she had meant to do it only in jest? Then again, maybe that was not some kind of joke he understood, even though it was fairly common in her family. They always resumed to formalities when they wanted to mock someone, it was like saying: ‘Listen, mister,” if her mother suddenly started to call her husband by his last name, like his seargant did. And her father sometimes called her ‘young goosemaiden’ instead of Brynn, when he wanted to get a point across. That was exactly what Brynn had tried to do, getting her point across by resuming to a higher level of formality, however jokingly.
”Since when did you get so silly?” she retorted and shrugged with another grin. In her eyes, it really was silly to speak over things that most likely never would come to pass, like Alex hurting her in that sort of way. He might be very busy lately, and thus their relationship had become a little distant, but that didn’t mean there was anything wrong with them, right? Great. Now she was starting to worry and overthink… thanks Gwaine, indeed!

Gwaine’s reaction to the tale of Gyrth’s injury was warming Brynn’s heart right away. She had known Gwaine had grown a little fond of her rascal brother, through teaching him a few tricks, but she hadn’t imagined the extent of his worry. Usually Gwaine didn’t show so much care, right? Only if he wanted to charm someone, and that he would want to charm Gyrth was of course out of question. She was glad she could ease his worry easily, as Gyrth was certainly on the mend.
“It is really nothing to worry about, and you should know that is saying something, coming from me!” she said and squeezed his arm. Then a chuckle escaped from her lips and she shook her head in wonder. “That might just be what caused this scene, I fear. He was being very tough and secretive about it all – probably wanted to stay in the knight role and not mind the pain – but what we got out of him was that he played wyvern hunt with the equerry’s two sons. The horses were the wyverns”, she concluded with a slight eyeroll.

They hadn’t even found out about all of this until the evening, when Brynn had brough the little ones to bed. Gyrth had had a purple bruise in the shape of a horseshoe on his ribcage, and yet hadn’t said one word. Torn between admiration and annoyance, Brynn had thought it best to inform her mother, even though Gyrth had begged her not to. “He was very brave, you know”, she mused, completing her line of thinking. “I think he wanted to impress us all with his knightly stamina. Must have had you in mind.”
While they passed by another couple, Brynn craned back her head and looked up at the nightly sky, wondering about the funny ways of life. Who would have thought that one day a little servant boy would come in close enough contact to a knight to not only get a little playful trainging from him, but also use him as a distinct role model.


“Yeah, you run the business singlehanded, don’t you?” she felt in the mood to tease him. “For the other hand you need to down your next ale.” Behind this teasing lay great affection and gratitude though. Brynn was glad for having Gwaine in her life, a constant reminder of not becoming to sombre and thoughrful. Before he had become her friend, Camelot had been a home because she had been born there, and Alex and her family was there. But he made it even more so, even though or just because he had been a foreigner, coming into all their lives.

Brynn had always been more a thinker than a doer, and as such she felt a little bit lost in this situation. She had felt relatively safe before, her resolution had been made, she would try to sneak out of Camelot and that was that. She knew there would be no second try, should she get caught once, but that was part of her decision. Now however the situation had changed, and she needed to reconsider some parts of her plan. But time was wasting, she could not ponder much. She would have to improvise, and she always hated improvising. Of course, she was somehow glad she would now not have to go through this alone, and she wondered how on earth she could deserve such a friend as Idris, but still… the situation was far from being ideal. There was no one to blame however, least of all Idris herself. It would be a good training for her spontaneity in any way. She simply had to stop worrying now. Worry made you slow.

“Alright, thank you!” she whispered, quickly reaching for Idris’ hand and squeezing it. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you. No complaints! This is going to be our very own adventure, comparable to anything our king and his knights would have to go through!” It sounded so grand when you put it that way, almost exciting. It surely would be an exciting story only to hear, but it was a completely different thing when you lived it. When it was your life and wellbeing at stake.
Now the next steps had to be considered carefully. The way to the gate of course went across the courtyard, a very convenient fact for the guards who would watch over this open space, but not so very convenient for Brynn and Idris now. The courtyard might be deserted at this time of night, but they could still be discovered.

“Maybe it’s even good we’re a pair now”, she whispered, while she beckoned Idris to follow her and then pressed herself against a wall, peeking around the corner to see if someone was waiting there in front of the door that lead to the outside. “One of us can always look if the coast is clear. I doubt the door is locked, but it’s very thick. We wouldn’t hear if someone’s waiting outside until we actually tried to open it.”
They would have to think of a good explanation should they be halted. Maybe not everyone would think of two servants trying to flee right away, because when it came down to it it was a stupid thing to do. Maybe that would be their trump card in the end? Brynn’s heart already started to beat heavily against her ribcage, even though the trickiest part was yet to come. She really wasn’t one for adventure, but now she had to be.