In French

Chapter Twenty two

        Two more months passed and within them at some point Agate’s husband actually brought their two sons to court. They were terrified as they shakily bowed in front of me but I smiled encouragingly and picked up a conversation before allowing them to meet the future heir, little Dauphin August. I literally spent the entire day with them to try and ease them peacefully into their new life. Agate’s husband just left me to it, not bothered by his children in the slightest.

    One day I was sitting out on the lawn with my ladies in waiting when the pains in my back became so severe that I lay on my back and puffed air heavily out through my cheeks. “Anna?” Giselle questioned anxiously. “My Lady, are you ok?”

    The pain subsided slightly and I shook my head. “I-I think that I am in labor.” The pain had been getting progressively worse over the last three or four hours but I was sure that now was the time to head inside. I was not about to give birth in the middle of the royal gardens!

    “Are-are you positive?” Giselle whispered. "Is it not too soon?"

    “I know!” I whimpered as I pushed myself heavily into a sitting position. “I know I know I know. It’s too soon. Two months too soon. This is not good. I am scared,” I reached out and clutched her arm tightly. “I am so frightened, Giselle! What do I do?”

    Giselle froze for a few seconds in shock before collecting herself and projecting a cool, calm exterior. “Right, what we will do is get you inside and into bed. I will send one of the ladies to fetch the royal physician and midwife and everything will be quite alright.” She glanced over her shoulder and mouthed something and the other ladies started getting to their feet.

    I was stuck in a rut as my eyes welled with frightened tears: “too soon too soon.”

    “Come on then, Anna.” She was on her feet and offered her hands out to me. After coming back out of my horror induced trance I shakily stuck my arms up and grabbed her hands, permitting her to tug me to my feet. “Come on. We will get you to your bed. Come along.” As I got to my feet a wave of pain began piling through my back and lower abdomen making me moan slightly. “Come on, breathe through it, we will get you straight to bed.”

    “Wait,” I held a hand up, “let it pass and then we can move. It would not be-ah-it would not be right for me to move right now.” I managed through gritted teeth. My breathing was labored and I clenched my eyes shut as I tried to think through the rolling pain. When the contraction passed Giselle and I rushed back towards the palace ignoring anyone that attempted to speak to us on the way.

    I was undressed and then told to get into bed as the King and all other necessary people were informed of the situation. All the while Giselle did not leave my side and I made a mental note to not forget her loyalty for after the birth where I would praise her. When the midwife came she began mopping my brow and checked me out to see how far along I was in my delivery.

    Philip took his grand time coming and by then at least another two hours had passed. “My Lady.” He said as he strode in as if he had only just been informed. “It is too soon?”

    “Too soon,” I agreed through clenched teeth as another contraction made me turn my head to the side and moan in agony. “I am scared!” I blinked through tears. “What if-What if-”

    “No,” Giselle interrupted as she mopped at my brow. “No no no, that is not going to happen. There are no ‘what if’s’ My Lady. You are going to have a fine, healthy child by the end of the day.”

    “Yes,” the King agreed not attempting to come any closer to me. “Everything will be fine.”

    Time passed and the contractions began to slowly merge further and further into one big one that would be the grand finale. At some point my water’s broke and then some time later the midwife told me to push. “Stuck.” I heard her mutter from between my loud, guttural sort of shriek/moans. I could hear and feel my blood pounding away in my ears and neck. My tendons must have been popping they were that taught.