The Cruel King and The Captured Queen

Chapter 18 - Part 1 -The Pain

I scream endlessly, the searing pain rips through my stomach. I clench my thighs refusing to allow the child to come early. The midwife had arrived shooing out the younger ladies leaving only a few left inside my chambers. Helena being the eldest of several children had experience being in a labour room. She is the midwife's greatest asset.

Here I am trapped between the persistence of the midwife and my enemy, Helena, doing everything I can to stop my baby from arriving before Margaret. Most of the women stand awaiting idly at the walls, nervous of my constant screams. But Helena was prepared, she ignores all my angered that I have focused towards her.

"Get Lady Margaret now!" another scream escapes from my growl as I order Helena, through gritted teeth.

Helena takes a cloth, and pats the sweat from my brow, "She's on her way your Majesty, just breath." Her nervousness begins to make me suspicious, this only infuriates me more.

"I am breathing," I snap at her.

"Please push your grace," the midwife begs again for me to cooperate.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" I scream as another wave of pain rips through me.

This woman knew when these pains were to come, she could feel them from my belly.

"Where is she?" I demand in another panicked growl towards Helena, as she dares to approach me.

"Shhh, it's ok. Margaret will be here soon," Helena pats my arm, and I flinch away from her in disgust.

"Helena, why isn't she here?"

She looks towards the door, and back at me lowering her head, "Your Majesty, I don't know." A lie, it's another lie. She knows! This is all part of Chadwick and her's plan.

Another pain rips through me, "Ahhhhhhhh!"

The midwife's voice booms over my screams, "Your Majesty, you need to remain calm for the child."

I glare at the woman, hatred oozing from me, "My child is not leaving my womb until she arrives."

The midwife stands up, and grips my shoulders, looking me head in the eyes, "Please your Majesty, Lady Margaret is coming." I shake my head ignoring her reasoning, she doesn't know of the danger my child will be in.

The woman's face becomes softer as she takes in my fear, "She wouldn't want you to cause harm to the child for her."

"Ahhhh! She's supposed to be here," I whine in pain. If I kept holding in any longer, I don't know what damage I will be doing.

"I know," she whispers in some sort of empathy.

The door opens, and a maid comes rushing in, closing the door behind her in a panic. She looks back and forth at the situation in the room, she seems uncomfortable. She shuffles over towards the nervous ladies, my stare following her every movement. Offering a letter to one of the ladies, Helena rushes over towards them and takes a note from her trembling hand.

"What is going on? Ahhhhhhh!" I try to understand what has just transpired, "What did the messenger say?"

With a hasty unfolding of the letter, the maid rushes out of the room. Tucking the message into the apron, she turns to me with a blank face.

"Please your Majesty, she will be here soon, just focus."

She's lying, she's hiding something. No one would dare enter this room with a letter if it wasn't important. Is the maid on Helena's side, or are we in danger?

"Ahhhhhhh!" constant pain rips through me, and I snarl, "Stop lying dammit."

"Your Majesty!" the midwife gasps, scolding me for my temper.

Helena trembles nervously, refusing to look towards me, as my piercing stare eats at her conscious.

Her lip trembles, opening, and shutting then, she actually speaks, "Claire, she's been attacked."

Attacked? Who, Margaret? This is all Helena's fault, she knew I wanted her here, and she knew Margaret, would be in her way. I'm in danger now, grave danger.

"What!" I boom out in a gasp, "Ahhhhhh!"

Helena rushes to my side, I lean forward screaming from pain, "We can deal with this when the prince is born, for now, push."

My body in this position involuntarily begins forcing the baby from me. I feel him slipping as he wiggles.

I gasp in panic, and defeat, "No! Ahhhh! She has to be here!"

The midwife pushes me forward my head now pressing between my raised knees.

Helena suddenly becomes bold, "Claire enough, she's not coming."

"Silence Helena," I growl at her in order from between my legs, "You had something to do with this, didn't you?"

"Please, I would never," she stutters nervously.

The way she is quick to respond has me wondering, how tightly she is involved in Margaret's attack. Did she plan this initially or had they found out about my suspicion?

"Liar," I screech, and pain rips through me as my body forces me to push, "Ahhhhh!"

"She's delirious, the queen's delirious," Helena begins to chant around the room. The effort is pointless as the midwife, and I are the only ones listening.

The pain becomes unbearable, I feel my child forcing himself from my womb, "Ahhh!"

The midwife rubs my back as she holds me in place, "Queen Claire, I need you to focus. When the baby is born, we will discuss this. Now push."

Shaking my head in defiance, I cry as the pain rips through me, "Ahhh! No, no, no! Ahhhhhhh!" Only able to repeat myself from lack of energy I sound like a lunatic.

"It's coming," the midwife confirms my fears.

Helena moves towards me, taking the place of the midwife. I cry endlessly in defeat as my body responds to the child, and pushes him from me.

"Ahhhhh!"

My vision fades, and slowly the world spins as I lean into Helena. She holds me from falling sideways, off the bed. I had no energy left, my life is in her hands. The world fades from my eyes, and my eyelids flutter closed.