Honor of the Dragonborn

Twins

"The twins are coming?!" Sofie cried excitedly.
"Probably," Krinna said with a grimace.
"I got the travel packs!" Blaise yelled running off to his parents' bedroom.
"Talk to me love," Vilkas said gently with his hands on her shoulders.
"Was that a practice contraction or are we talking the real thing?" Sudia asked calmly.
"No idea," Krinna grumbled. Vilkas felt the tension leave her muscles for the moment.
"We should get everything ready either way," Vilkas said, looking around the room. That had been the plan anyway, Vilkas reminded himself as he tried to stay calm... it might not actually be time yet... "everyone knows the plan?"
"We're spending the week with Uncle Farkas!" Sofie nodded. Farkas chuckled and nodded.
"I'll go get Danica and Frailia and meet you at Breezehome," Lydia said. She scooped Jergen from where he had been curiously toddling behind her and handed him to Farkas.
"We've got it here," Farkas told him with a grin, "stop lookin' so scared, she'll be fine," he added with a teasing smirk. Vilkas started to protest that he wasn't worried, but that would be a lie that his brother would see right through.
Blaise returned with their packs, and Krinna and Vilkas hugged Sofie and Blaise before Vilkas shouldered both packs and they headed out the door. Lydia took off at a jog, but Sudia stayed with them.
"I know I wasn't in the plan, but I'm here to help however you need," Sudia reminded them comfortingly.
"I would really appreciate having you there," Krinna smiled. She sounded excited, but Vilkas could tell she was as nervous as he was too.
"Aye," he agreed, "I've read everything I could, but I'm smart enough to know when to defer to experience."
"Good, then I'll take these," Sudia decided with a grin, hefting the packs away from Vilkas, "and you take your wife."
"Alright," Vilkas nodded, smirking a little in spite of his nerves.
"I can walk for now," Krinna said hesitantly.
"Are you sure love?"
"Yeah, I'll let you know if I change my mind."
"Walking now will probably do you good," Sudia agreed, "speed things up."
"Alright," Vilkas nodded again. He took Krinna's hand and they set off on their short walk toward Whiterun.
About half way there Krinna stopped in her tracks, with a grimace on her face and all her muscles tensing. Vilkas moved to rub her back, ready to support her if she needed. After about half a minute it passed.
"Do you need anything my love?" Vilkas asked worriedly.
"Yeah, my bed at Breezehome," Krinna replied reaching to take Vilkas's hand again. She gave him a nervous smile, and Vilkas let her lead them at a quicker pace the rest of the way up the hill.
They made it the rest of the way to Whiterun and had just made it in the door at Breezehome when Krinna winced and froze.
"I need the bathroom," she announced before letting go of Vilkas's hand and heading urgently to the chamber pot in the washroom.
"That's pretty normal," Sudia reassured them both, "your body's getting rid of waste so you've got room for pushing out the babies," she explained as she and Vilkas waited by the door to the washroom. Then to Vilkas she added, "I wouldn't get too worried until her water breaks. I'll go see what we're working with upstairs."
Vilkas nodded and looked back to Krinna as Sudia made her way upstairs. It felt strange to not give Krinna privacy for this, but he knew well that privacy was the last thing on his wife's mind right now, and he was too worried to let her out of his sight. He was glad Sudia was there... he'd read everything about the birth process, but Sudia's calm, motherly attitude was helping put them both at ease. Vilkas imagined Tilma and Frailia had done the same for Lydia and Farkas, but he could tell that Krinna was more comfortable with Sudia.
When Krinna was finished, she wiped herself off, and was just standing up when a sudden gush of liquid spilled over the chamber pot. Krinna just stood there blinking for a moment, then she swore.
"Krinna?" Vilkas stepped into the washroom worriedly.
"I'm assuming that was my water..." Krinna said slowly. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were wide and she looked like her heart and mind were both racing. "Lydia's broke when she got out of bed for something... it was about like that..."
"Alright love," Vilkas nodded, "let's get upstairs, Sudia's up there and Danica should be here soon." He hurried in to take her arm as she kicked her cotton pants aside, letting her long, oversized shirt hang down to cover her.
She walked steady enough out to the living room, but then stopped when she looked at the stairs.
"I can't do stairs right now," she admitted, her voice was a little shaky now.
"Not a problem love," Vilkas said gently as he scooped her into his arms. She was a lot heavier than she used to be, but he could still manage.
When they got up stairs Sudia had already put the new thick cotton pads and towels down over and around the bed. He was just about to set Krinna down when he heard Lydia open the door downstairs and she and Danica came quickly upstairs after them.
"Her water just broke," he told them all as Krinna's body tensed again in his arms.
"You're sure?" Danica asked. Vilkas set her down in the bed and tried to rub her back like Farkas had suggested. Once the contraction subsided Krinna let out a deep sigh and described what had happened that she thought was her water breaking.
"Ah, yep, that's what it sounds like," Sudia nodded when she was done. Danica nodded in agreement.
"And over the chamber pot of all things! Lucky you," Lydia laughed.
"Yeah, lucky me," Krinna grumbled. Vilkas noticed her attitude had shifted since getting her upstairs; nervous excitement had been replaced by a grumpy seriousness. If he remembered what he'd read, that should mean she was getting ready for more serious labor to begin... and, since her water just broke, Vilkas figured that was a good thing.
Danica checked to see how far along she was, which Vilkas could tell made Krinna uncomfortable.
"Sorry," Danica apologized as Krinna winced. "She's got a long way to go, but she's definitely started dilating," she commented with a nod. Then she cast a spell and focused on Krinna's belly for several moments. "The babies are looking good too," she added when the spell faded. "I'll come back and check in a bit."
As Danica walked back out the door, Sudia fixed Vilkas with a scrutinizing look.
"Alright, my boy," she said in an almost challenging tone, "this is the part where most men get useless and go wait outside."
Vilkas was a little taken aback... was she trying to get rid of him?
"I'm not going anywhere," Vilkas replied firmly. His voice came out almost in a growl and he sat down on the bed beside Krinna, gently taking her hand. To his surprise Sudia laughed.
"I knew I liked you! Krinna, you picked a good one," Sudia grinned.
"I know, now both of you shut up," she grumbled. Then she grimaced as everything tensed again. Vilkas helped her roll onto her side and moved the pillows to make her as comfortable as he could.
"You can do it love," he said gently as Krinna began to tremble in pain.
"Don't fight the contraction, try to relax and let the muscle do its job," Sudia advised, "your womb is a big muscle, and it has to contract to push the babies out. It's just like any other muscle when you move it... except you've never really used this muscle so it hurts like a bitch."
"I could have told you that last part," Krinna snapped.
Vilkas knew better than to respond to that and simply began trying to rub her back. Then Sudia showed him where he could apply pressure at certain points on her back, and that sometimes helped her pain. Other times he just held her arm or leg or completely lifted her at whatever angle they could find that helped with the pain.
And so the hours passed.
Nothing gave her relief for long, and it seemed like whatever helped with the last contraction didn't help with the next.
Frailia sat downstairs on standby, as Sudia and Lydia hurried back and forth, getting fresh cotton pads or more pillows, or water. Lydia at one point brought Vilkas a stamina potion which he chugged gratefully in between contractions. Danica came in several times to check, but each time it was the same; "progress, but still a ways to go."
Vilkas has no idea how much time had passed. The contractions had started out relatively far apart, Krinna would have a few minutes to rest between each one, but now there was less than a minute between each one.
"Vilkas," Krinna panted.
"I'm here love."
"Vilkas... I... I can't do it."
"Yes you can love," Vilkas assured her in a gentle voice.
"I can't," Krinna choked, "I can't take this anymore." Vilkas had never heard his wife sound so tired and hopeless. He would have been thoroughly panicked, except that this was part of the emotional indicators Farkas had pointed out to him; 'when she's ready to give up, she's almost done,' Farkas had said.
"You can do it my love, you're almost there," Vilkas assured her. "You're doing great, Krinna. You're amazing. You can do it. We're almost there." Vilkas repeated words of encouragement as he held her at the current most comfortable position.
Danica came back in to check and finally it was something different.
"Alright, Krinna, when you feel like you need to push, work with the next contraction and push as hard as you can."
Vilkas helped her sit up into an almost squat with her arms holding each of her knees, and she pushed. She took a moment to breath between the contractions, and then she pushed, her determination returned. Vilkas stayed behind her, against her back, giving her something more solid than the bed to push against. He once again lost track of time, he had no bearing on how long she was pushing, but then she cried out in pain and Sudia cried out in excitement.
"You're almost there Krinna, push!"
With another determined push Vilkas saw the crown of a little head emerge into Sudia's waiting hands. Then the rest of the body followed in a gush of blood, but the cry that met their ears was the most beautiful sound Vilkas could imagine at that moment.
"It's a girl!" Sudia announced excitedly. Krinna let out a breathless laugh of joy for a moment, but then the next contraction hit. Lydia stepped in quickly to take the baby so Sudia and Vilkas could focus on Krinna. They'd already agreed that Lydia could serve as a wet nurse if Krinna took too long to push out the next twin.
"Alright love, one more," Vilkas encouraged. Krinna took a deep breath, her eyes clenched shut, and the pushing continued. This time it didn't take as long.
"Here we are, Krinna push!" Sudia exclaimed. Krinna did, and then Vilkas saw the second baby's head emerge, then the whole baby was in Sudia's waiting hands as even more blood gushed.
"And a boy!" Sudia announced excitedly. Lydia brought the little girl over to Krinna and Fraila stepped in to show Krinna how to nurse while Danica checked the boy.
Then Krinna delivered the afterbirth, and Sudia let Vilkas cut the umbilical cords.
"Is it supposed to still hurt?" Krinna groaned quietly as the girl let go and Lydia helped her bring the boy to her breast.
"Yes, your womb needs to contract back to its normal size, and the faster it does that the faster the bleeding stops," Danica explained.
"Nursing will make it shrink up faster too," Sudia added, "which also hurts... but it's good for getting the bleeding to stop."
"Great," Krinna nodded sarcastically, wincing again as the boy began to suckle.
Vilkas sat down beside her on the bed and he finally got to hold his daughter... she was so tiny... her face was red and a little puffy looking, and she had fine wisps of dark hair.
"Hello my love," Vilkas said tenderly. She blinked up at him with dark blue eyes, and Vilkas's heart melted. He looked over to Krinna who was looking back at him with a tired but happy smile. "She's got your eyes love," he told her happily.
"And your hair it looks like," Krinna replied quietly, "both of them do..." she looked down to their son who was still nursing. "He's got the same eyes she does, I think."
Vilkas leaned closer to look at the boy who was blinking in confusion while he nursed hungrily.
"Aye love," Vilkas agreed with a warm smile, "they're beautiful."