Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 241: Endurance

"A strong boy, Your Graces!" Camilla heard Mistress Guelders shout out from behind her eyelids, over the delighted cries of the other women. She opened her eyes so she could see her new son. He was in the midwife’s hands, kicking his little legs and howling in outrage.

Camilla stared up in relief and wonder. It was just as miraculous a sight as when Malcolm had been held up in front of her.

"Another boy." she heard William murmuring beside her. He smiled and kissed her forehead, tucking a knotted strand of hair behind her ear. "A brother for Malcolm. Well done, my darling."

The baby was loosely wrapped in clean cloth and placed in his mother’s arms. Camilla looked over him in astonishment, especially the beautiful, bow shaped little mouth.

"Good lord, husband! This is so unfair! Do you think any child I birth will ever have a hope of looking like me?" she exclaimed, trying to catch her breath.

William laughed, sounding delighted. "Don’t be jealous! Besides, his hair isn’t as fair as Malcolm’s." He traced a finger over the dark wisps plastered to the baby’s head. The child seemed to calm down slightly at the sound of his mother’s voice, squinting up at her and sucking on his fingers.

Camilla passed the baby over to his father and let herself fall back against pillows, still trembling over how fast and overwhelming baby William’s birth had been. She smiled gratefully at the other women in the chamber and reached up to give Mistress Guelders’s hand a squeeze to convey her thanks.

The pain between her legs was intense and the muscles in her back continued to scream from the effort. Camilla shook her head and tried to push all that aside as she focused on the child in William’s arms. The rest was unimportant -

Until a vicious pain tore through her belly and made her cry out.

William stared at her, eyes round. "What’s wrong?"

"I don’t know. I just-" Camilla tried to speak but her voice was cut off by another stab of pain. She writhed on the bed.

Mistress Guelders swiftly returned to her side, placing the back of her hand to Camilla’s forehead. "I’ll need to examine you, my lady. Can you describe the pain to me?"

"It feels..." Camilla groaned in agony, shutting her eyes tightly as tears started streaming down her cheeks again. When she could speak again, she managed to say, "It’s like...like a knife across my back." She tried to sit up again but she had no strength left in her trembling arms.

William quickly called for one of the younger midwives to take the baby he was holding. As soon as his hands were free, he helped raise her from the pillows. Camilla could see his face was stricken with fear.

Mistress Guelders pressed on her lower belly repeatedly as another sharp pain began to build. "This feels all wrong! It feels like it did when I was still in labour." Camilla squeaked fearfully, gritting her teeth and trying to keep as still as possible, while the midwife examined her.

"You are still in labour, Your Grace!" Mistress Guelders finally said.

"Wait, what?"

"I can feel a second babe, my lady. You’ve been carrying twins. And by what I can see, it shouldn’t be too much longer now before the second one is born. You’ll need to gather your strength to start pushing again soon."

Camilla heard those words as if her ears were stopped up with wax. They made no sense. She wasn’t having twins. The midwife couldn’t possibly be serious, she screamed in her head.

And if she was, how could she possibly sound so unruffled?

Mistress Guelders instructed one of her daughters to prepare more linen and request for an extra ewer of warm water to be brought to the apartments. She then continued chattering away to the royal couple about how it was always best for twins to be born quickly, preferably one right after the other, to avoid the mother getting too fatigued.

Camilla took in none of her words. Instead, she shrieked. "What did you...? How can - I can’t have two babies! I can’t!" She could hear how thin and high pitched her voice sounded. She clawed at William’s hands and turned to look at him in her panic. He looked just as shocked as her, his eyes rimmed red and his face devoid of all colour.

He cursed without restraint, then muttered an apology to the midwives for using such language in front of them. Then he cursed again.

Fortunately, Mistress Guelders remained very calm. "My lady, you’re not the first woman in the world to deliver twins unexpectedly and you won’t be the last. You’ll be absolutely fine. Now take a deep breath and start pushing again when I tell you to!"

Camilla stared wildly at the woman, trembling and feeling on the edge of hysteria. The midwife gave her a firm nod.

You’ll be absolutely fine.

Camilla could only focus on those words as she bore down again, despite her exhaustion. She could feel gentle hands continuing to knead her belly. She breathed out when the stabbing sensation ebbed slightly, then snatched in more air as pain began to build again and the midwife encouraged her to push.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed as she settled into a pattern, gasping and pushing like the midwife wanted. The pain had settled again into a fierce, unrelenting burn.

"I don’t think I can do this!" Camilla managed to cry out.

"Of course you can, dear girl. You’re doing it right now! You’re stronger than you think." Mistress Guelders’s voice reached her, sounding very confident.

Gasping in another breath, Camilla opened her eyes and saw the lined, matronly face smiling at her in encouragement. She could feel William behind her, one of his hands rubbing her shoulder and his lips kissing her hot cheek. Darla and Bridget were at the foot of the bed, their faces bright with excitement even while Bridget held the newborn boy in her arms.

"It won’t be long now, my lady! You’re so close." one of them called out. "Push at your next pain!"

Camilla screwed her eyes tightly shut and when the next dreadful pain began to rise and crest, she pushed as hard as she could. She could feel her nails digging into William’s hand but she couldn’t do anything but push. It was as if every thought and sensation she had, had tunneled to a single point in her body.

The blinding pain peaked across her belly and back. She panted, then growled as she felt her lower body give an almighty squeeze.

Silence. Then a high pitched little cry rang out.

Camilla fell back limply against the pillows and looked at the crying infant that Mistress Guelders was holding aloft.

"A healthy little girl, Your Highnesses!" the midwife announced, a genuine smile across her face. She quickly tied and cut the baby’s cord before passing her to Darla, who placed the little girl on a square of clean linen.

Camilla gaped at the child, not fully comprehending what she was seeing. Until that very moment, a part of her still hadn’t truly believed there was a second child inside her. She turned her head to look at William and found her husband was also staring at the second baby, open mouthed. He then looked back at her in amazement.

"I can’t...I...For fuck’s sake, my love! I can’t believe...you...two babies. You’re the most extraordinary woman." He shook his head in wonder, then began raining kisses on her lips and cheeks.

Camilla tried to smile, even as her breathing remained quick and shallow. She pressed the back of her hand against her damp forehead. "How...how were there two...?" she rasped, throat burning from screaming.

She felt William shift beside her, then the next moment he was holding a cup of ale against her mouth and carefully tipping it so she could drink. She swallowed a mouthful and sighed with relief as the cold liquid slid down her throat.

"Both little babes are a good size. Very well done, Your Grace!" one of the younger women called out. It may have been Darla, but perhaps it was Bridget. Camilla couldn’t really tell - her eyes were beginning to feel unbearably heavy. She shook her head, forcing herself to stay awake.

Another pain began to throb low in her belly, though not as sharp as before. Gentle hands rubbed and pressed at her, a calm voice telling her to breathe deeply and slowly. Camilla remembered this pain - it meant her body was emptying itself of the afterbirth. She kept her eyes on the two young midwives across the room, who were each examining a squalling, pink newborn.

Eventually, she turned slowly so she could face William in the bed beside her. He offered her more ale. After taking another sip, she murmured, "You look exhausted."

He gave her a bleary eyed grin and squeezed her hand in his. "Do I?"