The Forgotten Heir

Chapter 1: The Birth

"Your highness! The queen is giving birth to the new heir and requests that you witness the birth!" The queen's personal guard displayed a calm facial expression, but with closer observation, it was obvious that he was very nervous. After all, the future of kingdom resides in this child, so it seemed fitting to be in such a manner. King Reylof had been communicating with a courier, hoping to gain an ally with Tarehold, a neighboring kingdom. When the guard went on his rambles, both the king and the courier fell silent, ending the conversation until it could be continued further.
The king slammed his fist onto the arm of his luxuriously adorned throne, the annoyance and impatience obviously showing on his face, and exclaimed, "You are interrupting important business matters! Now leave and tell that wretch what I have just told you!" The guard's cautious look quickly turned to concern, and the tone in his voice faltered, showing disgust. How could someone so easily toss aside such an important moment in their life? This was the kings firstborn child, and should not be considered another obstacle in a daily routine! And how dare he call his wife such a thing, that isn't love!
"But your majesty," inquired the guard, "The queen insisted that you are present for the birth of your first-" The guard was suddenly cut off the kings rage. "If you interrupt me again, I personally will see to your execution! Now leave the hall before my swords tastes the blood flowing through your heart!" The guard bowed and apologized, leaving with speed soon after doing so. The frustrated king had returned to the conversation with the courier, hoping that he could salvage an ally out of this mess.
The guard opened the door to the queens room and was greeted by the pained screams of the queen. He could see her gripping the bed sheets with such strength that her knuckles turned a ghostly white. Her maids were crowded around her and scattering about the room, even leaving to different parts of the castle for different objects to help with the birth such as getting more water to keep her cool, getting cloth to bite on, and other such items. He approached the queen, trying to stay collected as he didn't want to cause any distress to her. "Where is he? Didn't I ask you to fetch him? Why isn't he here?" She said in a pained voice. It wasn't he
hard to tell those words were forced through her gritted teeth. The guard kneeled down next to the bed so that the queen could stay as comfortable as possible, saying in a saddened tone, "My deepest apologies queen Anabelle, the king was unable to bear witness to the birth as he was attending to important business matters. Even after telling me this, I tried to persuade his opinion, but to no avail, he only threatened me with my own execution." He was interrupted as he spoke by the queens
pain-induced growling followed by the occasional scream. A new onslaught of tears threatened to flood from the queen's eyes. "Thank you for trying Roland, the services you provide me daily are much appreciated. I've even begun to think you are more loyal to me then my own husband." The tears had forced their way out and spilled onto Queen Anabelle's cheeks. "The baby! It's nearly here," exclaimed one of the maidens, "One last push my dear, and the pain will begin to lessen, you can do this!"