I gasped hard. Clutching the ladies' in waiting's cloth so tightly, I could've sworn it'd rip any moment from now. The contractions ravaged me, pain blooming so fierce it blurred the world around me. I screamed. So hard I could feel my throat get dry and sore.
My nails ripped into the silk, my toes curling as warm blood spilled and ruined the prestine sheets beneath me.
"My Sovereign, the body opens as the gods will it-" said the male physician "strain not against their hand,your grace" he added
My breath grew sharp with wrath as his final words slipped free. I had endured these hours since dawn, felt my reason wane and falter—yet he dared to utter them with such thoughtless ease.
"You will hold your tongue, or I will see you thrown from these halls like the fool you are!" I spat, every word sharpened by rage. "I have endured the wrath of gods within my own flesh, and you dare whisper instructions as though you command life itself? You are no master here—you are a servant to my body, and my body answers to no man!"
Every gaze in the room pinned me in place, each pair of eyes carrying it's own silent verdict.
I could sense the chamber itself holding its breath, fear creeping into the hearts of all who dared meet my eyes. They longed to vanish, to be anywhere but before their queen in her wrath.
"My Queen… I beg you," he stammered, eyes downcast, voice almost breaking. "For the mercy of the River Gods, the Sphinx Gods, and the Serpent Gods, permit this lowly servant to ease your suffering. I care only for your safety, Your Grace, and I would despair if harm werefall you or your children
And before I could utter another word, it felt as though the gods immediately repaid me for having treated the male physician in such a harsh manner.
"Oh heavens!!!!" A blood curling scream escaped my mouth, my breath heavy. Sweat dripping. Body strained "I can't...." I whimpered. This was the weakest I felt. I was beyond unpleased with myself. But what was there to do except accepting the situation at which I was put.
"Your grace, breathe!" I could barely tell one from Another at this point,my vision was blurred. They kept speaking...but all I could hear was a ringing in my ears, I could tell my consciousness was slipping away.
"Your grace, you mustn't give in, your stronger than this, it'll all be over, be a little stronger-"
The contractions hit me like lightning striking flesh. I screamed, a sound that ripped through the chamber and shook the walls. The ladies-in-waiting fell to their knees, hands pressed to their hearts, muttering frantic prayers to the Sphinx gods for the safe delivery of my children. I could not stop. The scream clawed its way out of me, tearing my chest, tearing my sanity, tearing the very air apart.
Pain and terror twisted together, almost too much for me to bear, yet I pushed, screaming with everything I had left, my body trembling on the edge of collapse. Each birth was its own hell, yet with each cry, each tiny body slipping into my hands, my heart swelled with a ferocious, shattering joy.
When it was over, I collapsed, trembling, soaked in sweat and blood, four tiny lives cradled against me. My chest heaved, lungs burning, but I laughed through the exhaustion, tears stinging my eyes. Four children. Four miracles ripped from the edge of agony. I was broken, yet whole; destroyed, yet alive. I had survived the impossible.