Freya

Eighteen

As Ewen slowly woke up the next morning he already had a sense of foreboding. The bed next to him was empty and he could hear Freya retching across the room. Her personal maid entered their chamber with her eyes downcast, carrying the all too familiar bucket. Ewen sat up fully, he was wide awake. Instructing the maid to leave them, he walked across to Freya.

As he reached her he noticed her gasp of pain as she reached for her belly.

'Is it starting?' he asked softly.

She looked up at him, a small frown on her face.

'I don't know,' she replied. 'I have had these pains on and off for a while and they disappear. The only difference this morning is that my stomach is not settled. Perhaps it is the richness of the dinner that is upsetting me.'

Ewen was not convinced but over the course of the morning Freya seemed to recover slightly and he saw little of her as the demands of the day overwhelmed him.

Before dinner he returned to their private chamber to change his shirt when he found Freya on the bed, the midwife in attendance. Ewen's anxiety returned full fold as he moved towards the bed.

'My Lord,' the midwife curtsied to him and stepped back so that Ewen could move towards Freya.

Freya smiled gently at Ewen. She was a little pale and had small beads of perspiration on her forehead. He lifted his hand to her belly and felt the tightness of it.

Turning to the midwife, Ewen asked, 'Is it time?'

The midwife looked flustered at being addressed directly by the king but her response was steady.

'It is still early my Lord,' she replied. 'Once we make the announcement of the Queen being in labour we have to move her to the birthing chamber and notify the officials who will attend the birth. It is the Queen's first child and first children are usually slow to arrive. It would be better for her Lady if she could manage a while longer before we make the announcement.'

Ewen stood in thought before he turned to Freya.

'You will have to be present at dinner for this to be feasible. Do you think you can manage?' he asked her gently.

Freya nodded her assent. She knew as well as Ewen did that once the royal birthing protocol began, Ewen would be forced to act as the king and not as her husband and lover.

Turning to the midwife, Ewen said, 'Your suggestion is a good one. The Queen and I will go to dinner now as is custom. As soon as we can leave without breaking decorum we will. Your services will be required again as soon as we return.'

The midwife nodded in understanding and left the chamber, replaced by Freya's personal maid who wiped her face and dressed her for dinner.

Ewen tasted nothing of the fine meal, his attention solely on Freya. She managed to maintain her composure throughout the evening and even managed to eat a small amount of dinner. Her lack of appetite she blamed on the pastries she had eaten with Augustus the previous day. Only once did Ewen see her suddenly move with the pain of a contraction but she covered her slip well by commenting on the strength of her sons kicking in her belly. It was still one of the longest meals Ewen had ever sat through and he was filled with relief when they could finally complete the final toast and retire to the privacy of his chamber.

The midwife was immediately there as instructed and she examined Freya.

'There is still a long time before this prince arrives,' she announced to Ewen and Freya. 'Let the Queen rest now before the real work begins.'

Both Ewen and Freya tried to sleep, but it was fitful and every time Freya moved Ewen was wide awake and alert. As the light turned grey outside, Freya began to feel the intensity increase. Her gasps of pain and the beads of sweat on her brow indicating the increased intensity. Ewen sent instructions immediately for the midwife to be summoned. He could no longer bear the wait and although he knew that his command would begin the protocol, he was too anxious about what lay ahead.

The news went out that the royal labour had begun and Freya was moved to the birthing chambers. The inner circle were summoned as was the priest and Augustus' ambassador from the west. Ewen stood in the chamber with the men looking at Freya. The midwife examined her in the presence of the witnesses and proclaimed that the birth was not immediately imminent but should be within the hour. Ewen could see that Freya was still managing the pain. He wished that he could do more than  stand there but protocol demanded his presence only. The midwife and her assistant were there to manage the birth.

As the hour progressed, Freya started to struggle more with the pain. Ewen noticed that the midwife had given her a drink to calm her and he was grateful for that small mercy. The men in the chamber talked cheerfully about matters of state and the potential alliances this birth could create.

Suddenly Freya was gripped in a particularly bad pain and groaned loudly. It seemed as if with barely a pause between them, the next pain hit her as hard. This time she screamed as she struggled to manage the combination of pains so close together. The midwife immediately moved down to examine Freya. The men in the chamber silenced as they moved forward to witness the next stage of the royal birth.

The midwife completed her examination and turned to Ewen.

'It is close now my Lord,' she said calmly.

Turning to Freya, she said softly, 'Breathe deeply my Lady. The pains will change soon and then you will feel the urge to push.'

Freya began to groan again as the next pain hit her. Ewen could see the colour leave her face and the tears run down her cheeks. He forced himself to stand dead still as the midwife moved again to give Freya some of the calming drink. This time Freya retched and couldn't keep the drink down. Instead she screamed again as the next pain hit her. Ewen couldn't watch any longer but in that chamber with protocol demanding it he forced himself to remain immobile as the midwife moved again to examine Freya.

'Your son is making his arrival, my Lord,' she announced calmly.

This time she left the covers off Freya so that the witnesses could see the royal birth first hand. Ewen looked only at Freya's face. Under his calm facade he struggled to maintain his composure as she gasped and struggled with the pain. Finally he heard the midwife instruct her softly to push. The witnesses moved forward as between Freya's legs a dark shape started to appear. The midwife encouraged Freya to push again. As the next contraction hit, Ewen saw Freya push with all her might as the dark head came out of her body. The next contraction freed the rest of the baby and he lay still between Freya's legs. Seconds later, the outraged cry of a newborn baby filled the room. The midwife moved then to cut the chord and pick up the baby.

Turning to Ewen, she announced with pride, 'Your son my Lord.'

She expertly wiped the baby's face and swaddled him before handing him to Ewen.

Ewen was completely overwhelmed. In his arms lay his heir, his shrill cries a reminder of his health and vitality. But Ewens concern was with Freya. He had never seen so much blood in his life. Even as he stood shocked, he heard her groan again and push out the after birth. The midwife moved forward then to cover Freya until the men left the chamber and she could clean the Queen up.

Ewen knew that protocol demanded a public display of the new heir. Turning first to the men in the room, he announced, 'Gentlemen, may I present my heir.'

The men present congratulated him and as was protocol wished the new heir long life and happiness.

Next Ewen stepped into the Great Hall where a crowd of nobles and other member of the castle were gathered. Holding up his son, he made the same announcement as he had in the birthing chamber. The peoples response was overwhelming. Outside Ewen could hear the church bells ringing out the good news.

Ewen had always thought that the day he had been crowned king had been the most overwhelming of his life. He had no idea then what it would feel like to have a son.