An Endless Supply Of Rubies

Checkmate IV

Fanfic: An Endless Supply of Rubies Ch 5, Tudors | FanFiction

A/N: Childbirth was incredibly dangerous in Tudor times. There was little to no medical care for pregnant women. Women who delivered deformed children or daughters were thought to be entirely to blame.

7 September 1533

Amelia and Charles had fallen into a comfortable routine. She would wake up every morning with her head resting on his chest, one of his arms wrapped around her, and their legs intertwined. Amelia felt safe and warm in Charles's arms, especially as the temperatures began to dip as autumn approached. Charles loved waking up next to his wife. On the mornings that he woke up before her, he would spend a moment enthralled by the peaceful expression on her face before gently kissing her.

Over the past few months, Amelia had grown to love England. If the day was nice, she was outside riding with various ladies from court, attending celebrations hosted by her father, or exploring the royal libraries with Constance. Charles spent the majority of his time at court.

In the evenings, they would always have supper together, if there was no feast that night, and would then spend hours talking before they headed to their bedchamber.

Today, however, was different. Amelia sensed that there was change in the air when she left her chambers that morning.

"Lady Amelia!" a voice cried out. A young groom, maybe no older than fourteen, came running towards her. He stopped in front of her and bowed, gasping for air.

She smiled. "It is alright, take your time," she responded.

He stood up straight. "The Queen..." he began, "the Queen has gone into labor."

Surprise spread across Amelia's face. "Thank you for telling me," she said, and started the long walk across the palace to the Queen's chambers.

During the walk, she began to ask herself questions. Would she have a new sister or brother? Would they survive? Would the Queen survive? What if neither of them survived? Would her father remarry?

For some reason, her thoughts then turned to herself. She realized that she was supposed to start her monthly courses soon, but then remembered that the last time she had them was before she was married. That meant that she had missed her last two courses. Amelia ran through the list of symptoms that the Anne had complained about during one of their tea times. Her breasts felt sore, and in the recent mornings, she had started to feel a tiny bit of nausea. Sometimes, she felt a little dizzy and disoriented as well.

Her hand went to her stomach. Did it feel a little swollen? Perhaps it did. Perhaps she was pregnant. She had to be. It was the only explanation that she could have.

She turned quickly, looking for someone, anyone, who she could ask where her husband was. Instead, she collapsed, hearing people shout just before she hit the floor unconscious.

It seemed as though his life had fallen apart. One moment, Henry was expecting to welcome the birth of his son, and would have all of his family at his side. The world was about to be firm in his grasp. The next moment, his wife had given birth to a healthy baby girl, and his favorite daughter had collapsed in the hallways of the palace.

He remembered the crushing disappointment he had felt when Amelia had been born. It was similar to the way he felt now. But it took little time for him to fall in love with her. When she had returned to him, she seemed more mature than other women her age, and was much more educated. She was charming too, and a great advantage for Henry to have in his court.

Henry could tell that Charles really had fallen in love with his daughter. He sat at Amelia's bedside, stroking her hand and hair, pleading that she would wake up soon and that whatever had happened was a one-time incident.

In a short time, Amelia's eyes flickered open, and she looked around her chamber to see her husband, father, and Dr. Linacre surrounding her.

"Are you feeling better, my lady?" Dr. Linacre asked her, stepping forward to stand closer to her bed. Henry had called him as soon as he had heard that had happened to his daughter.

She smiled. "I feel just fine, Dr. Linacre. In fact, I feel wonderful," she responded. Amelia turned to look at her husband. "I have great news, husband. I am with child."

Charles's jaw dropped, and for a moment, he couldn't move. She was pregnant? With his child? He could feel his heart skip a beat as a smile plastered his face. Charles wrapped his arms around Amelia and kissed her deeply.

At this moment, Henry left the chambers, remembering how excited he was when Catherine and then Anne had told him of their pregnancies. He decided to let the new family have their moment, and he would congratulate them later.

"You know that I love you, right?" Charles whispered, his eyes locked on Amelia's.

She smiled and nodded in return, a few tears running down her cheeks as she placed a hand over her stomach. Charles kissed her once more, placing his hand over hers. Though Amelia was afraid, happiness swelled in her heart. She would never be alone again.