On the Wings of the Storm

Chapter 22

It was a long night. Although Ceolwen had come to her time early, the babe was big and did not make it easy for its mother. The onset of her labour was deceptively slow at first, and she managed to lie down and rest in between contractions, but very soon they intensified. All through the night the twins and I took turns holding her hand and encouraging her, while labour pains coursed through her body.

Dawn painted the sky outside a delicate pink, then the sun rose in the sky, and still the child would not come. Poor Ceolwen lay on the bed, utterly spent, her blond hair matted with sweat and tears. Earlier on, she had cursed Erkenbrand in colourful terms, but now she was too exhausted even for that. Worried for her patient, Edlyn, the keep's midwife, had asked for Master Aethelstan's assistance, and now the two were conferring in low voices by the foot of the bed.

"The child is nearly here," Aethelstan told Ceolwen, "but you have to make another effort."

With a little sob, she nodded. We helped her sit up, to be better able to push, and already I could feel poor Ceolwen stiffening under the onslaught of another contraction. They lasted longer and longer, with hardly a pause in between. It was a battle fought just as hard and with as much raw courage as anything the men might have faced.

"I can't stand it any longer!" Ceolwen groaned.

"I can see its head!" Edlyn cried at the same time. "It's crowning."

And somewhere Ceolwen found the will to bear down one more time with all the strength she could muster.

"Yes!" the midwife exclaimed. "It's coming! Push!"

Suddenly it all happened very quickly. She bent over Ceolwen, pulling at something, and then a small grey bundle shot out onto the linen towel laid ready. Quickly Edlyn picked it up and wiped its face clear of the mucus covering it. A thin wail rose into the air, gaining strength rapidly.

Ceolwen had collapsed back onto the bed, but at the sound she struggled upright again. "My baby?"

Deftly the midwife cut the umbilical cord, and then carried the infant round the side of the bed. She beamed over her whole face as she laid it on Ceolwen's breast.

"You have a lusty son, my lady!"

"A son!" Ceolwen breathed.

With the midwife's help, she guided the baby to her nipple and the wails of protests cut off abruptly. Ceolwen stroked the fine down of his hair, and touched the tiny hands in wonder.

"He's so beautiful."

Already she seemed to have forgotten all the pain her son had caused her. I exchanged a glance with Aeffe and Leofe. Beautiful? Not the word I would have chosen for this wizened little thing with bluish-grey skin.

Ceolwen looked up at us with shining eyes.

"Absolutely beautiful," we all agreed.

After the baby had suckled for a while, Edlyn took him back to wash him and wrap him in a clean towel. She turned to me.

"Please, my lady, would you take him for a moment?"

I accepted the bundle gingerly. Never had I held such a tiny baby in my arms before.

She nodded to a chair next to the window. "Why don't you sit down while I help Lady Ceolwen clean up."

Taking great care with every step, I crossed the room and sat down where she had indicated. It was a hot, heavy day and the window stood open, letting in a light breeze, so I wrapped the cloth more tightly around the baby to make sure he would not catch a cold.