The birth of Elyria had barely settled into memory when Charlotte's turn came, and this one did not begin smoothly. Charlotte's body had never been as resilient as the others. The blessings she had received throughout her life had granted power, protection, and influence far beyond what most saints could ever hope to wield, but power always carried a cost. Each blessing had drawn something from her in return, shaving fragments of vitality away over the years in ways that were not always visible at first glance. What remained was a body far more fragile than Elyra's or Elena's, one where even simple exhaustion took longer to recover from.
Childbirth, as the healers quietly warned Noel, would not be easy.
