Fin trudged up to the castle with his hands pressed in his pockets, his steps slow and heavy.

Annika eventually had told him enough about the Queen’s condition for him to realize the gravity of the situation. Eventually, she had also revealed that to cover their backsides, he still needed to talk to Jiho to firmly eliminate any controversy over Lady Iones’ marriage being acceptable to the Zinferan Emperor.

Fin had left Annika’s estate with the intention of both trying to talk with his friend, as well as to keep an ear out for news regarding the Queen.

Kraken trotted alongside the redhead for part of the journey before veering off on his own. The redhead was too lost in his own thoughts to think much on his feline’s vibrantly independent life.

As he stepped onto the castle grounds, he felt his magic surge through him, and then…

It started.

Fin stumbled and clutched his head as multiple terrified feelings and images flashed through his mind.

The Queen was in so much pain… her fear and agony rang the loudest in his head, and all at once he understood why Annika’s panic was so fevered.

Breaking out into a run, Fin charged towards his kitchen, his mind racing with the dread and despair of the castle occupants…

They were all so heartbroken…

His feet pounded down the grass as a new person’s intense fear broke into the flurry- and it made the witch need to stop and clutch his chest to catch his breath.

Eric.

Eric was terrified, and shouting, and crying.

Giving his head a shake, Fin tried to quiet the clamor in his head, he needed to help.

The cook began to move once more, his heart hammering in his chest, as he dashed down the East wall towards his kitchen.

He needed to hear what was happening from his aides.

Rounding the garden edge, Fin bolted up the pathway and burst into the kitchen that was in complete chaos. Ruby stood by the hearth waiting for water to boil, and a team of maids and Knights stood at the ready to help haul the buckets upstairs.

His arrival was almost completely missed, even by Hannah, Peter, and the kitchen Knights who stood off to the side talking as they worked on preparing what looked like seaweed.

The sight of the long smelly plant only added to Fin’s anxiety.

Katelyn ordered seaweed soup to be made for mothers that had given birth.

This meant she thought the babe was going to arrive soon.

“Mr. Ashowan!” Ruby’s startled voice snapped Fin out of his panic. “What are you doing here? You aren’t due to return until-”

“My mother is with the Queen?” he demanded while moving swiftly towards the castle door.

“Yes, she is, but- where do you think you’re going?!” Ruby was hot on his heels as he exited the kitchen and moved through the halls that were deathly silent.

“Eric must be upset. I’m going to check on him and then see if I can help my mother. I’ve been her aide since I was a child and can help.”

“Mr. Ashowan there is an army of maids at her disposal, you aren’t need-”

“Ruby!” Fin swung around, his pale sweaty face startling the already distressed Head of Housekeeping into silence. “Any advantage we can give to the Queen we need to. You know that as well as I do.”

There was something about the strange light in the cook’s eyes, his insistent tone, and his overall intensity that obliterated any objection the woman could think of on the spot.

Instead, the witch turned back around and continued his hasty stride to the servant’s stairwell. Ruby continued to follow him, occasionally calling out for him to wait, huffing as she went.

Fin heard Eric before they’d even made it to the second floor. The shouts and weeping along with a great deal of scuffling rang out in the otherwise quiet castle. Upon reaching the King and Queen’s corridor, the cook saw two Knights attempting to subdue the prince, while his governess stood off to the side, her hand clamped down over her mouth. Tears had soaked the woman’s face as Eric called for his mother over and over.

Fin didn’t want to startle the Knights by running to the child, but he walked quickly enough to create a breeze.

When the men finally noticed him, he was already in front of them. The Knights shared confused expressions before Fin dropped down and wrapped the flailing seven year old in his arms. Lifting the boy free of the guards with surprising strength, he backed away from the Queen’s door, and began pulling the child towards the servant’s stairwell.

“No! No! I want to see my mom! MOM! MOM!” Eric was shouting and crying, his small face nearly purple.

“Eric, you need to let your mom work!” Fin managed with a grunt as one of the Prince’s kicks landed dangerously close to his groin.

“She’s not working, she’s dying!” Eric hiccuped as he broke down in sobs. Fin clutched the boy even more firmly to himself. The child’s face was buried in his shoulder when the chamber door opened, and the King stepped out, his face ghostly pale. His eyes landed on Fin and his confusion made him blink several times. Then his gaze dropped down to his son in the witch’s arms, and he quickly looked back up.

They shared a nod of understanding before Norman slowly retreated back to the room, his expression grim.

Fin retreated around the corner of the corridor, but didn’t take Eric downstairs as he originally planned. Ruby, the governess, and the Knights stood motionless in their confusion. They knew the Prince had a close friendship with the cook, but for the King to trust him to console the boy spoke volumes.

“Your mom is working Eric, I promise. She’s working to bring your brother or sister into the world.” Fin explained when the child’s sobs had settled down enough for him to be heard.

“D-Dad told me a sec-secret.” Eric gasped as another surge of weeping overtook him. “Y-You can-can’t tell him I to-told you.”

After reaching the opposite end of the castle’s second floor in record time, Fin slowly sat down. His back leaning against the back South wall while he still held the Prince against his shoulder.

“I won’t tell him, what’s the secret?” he asked quietly.

“I-I’m going to ha-have a sister.” Eric wiped his runny nose on the back of his sleeve.

Fin managed a small smile. “So are you going to protect her from dragons?”

Eric sniffled and nodded.

“What about Kraken? Are you going to protect her from Kraken?” He brushed some of Eric’s golden curls away from his forehead.

“Kra-Kraken is go-going to protect her, too.”

“Hmm, you should probably tell him how you two plan on guarding the princess. Would you like me to call him?” Fin asked as residual sobs jerked through the child’s body.

“You can, you can call him?”

“I can. I just close my eyes like this.” The witch closed his eyes, and immediately reached out for the magical connection to Kraken. The cat felt far away, but that was one thing about a familiar... if their witch called them, they would always hear.

And they would always come.

Opening his eyes, Fin saw Eric’s tears continuing to spill down his cheeks, but the boy was at least less hysterical.

“Kraken is on his way, though he might take a little bit of time come. Would you be able to wait for him here?” the redhead asked gently.

“Wh-where are you going?”

“I’m going to go help your mum.”

At the mention of his mother, the Prince suddenly began crying a little louder. His governess had finally composed herself enough to appear from around the corner, and once the sound of his tears beginning again reached her, she hurried forward.

“You need to wait for Kraken here. When he arrives, tell him everything that’s going on, and he’ll help okay?” The boy nodded, but then threw his arms around the cook’s neck in a vice grip.

After hugging him back for a long moment Fin stared at the governess and gestured for her to come and take the lad.

Once safely stowed in the woman’s arms, the witch stood and strode back to the King and Queen’s chamber. The two Knights standing guard wore strained expressions as shrieks and grunts could be heard from within the room.

“Please tell Mrs. Ashowan I’m here to help.” His expression remained stony as the men glanced at each other, unsure of what to do. “Now!” he ordered, his voice carrying an unnatural boom.

The Knights didn’t have a chance to obey before the door opened and Ruby’s reddened face appeared.

“Your mother says to come in.” The woman’s voice was strained, and after setting foot in the chamber, Fin saw why.

The room was in complete disarray as maids fumbled around the Queen uncertain of what to do. Physician Durand stood by the fireplace questioning everything Katelyn was doing, and the King stood to the side of his wife, holding her hand as she doubled over her middle. His face was as still as a statue.

The moment Katelyn saw her son, relief flooded her eyes.

“I need everyone except the King and Finlay OUT of the room!” She called out over the chaos.

The beat of silence that followed her order was immediately offset by loud protests and arguments from everyone but the royal couple.

Fin met the King’s gaze then, and saw the distraught agony he was barely keeping under control. The man was barely aware of what was happening around him as the Queen’s grunts seemed to grow even more feral.

Katelyn looked up from her position between the Queen’s legs, and when she realized the King hadn’t heard her, she reached a bloodied hand out and gently touched his sleeve.

“Please, sire.”

The orders and disagreements continued to boom for another moment or two, before Norman finally turned his attention to Katelyn. It took him another breath to process the request.

“Everyone will obey Mrs. Ashowan this instant.”

The monarch’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet, and yet there was a hollowness that struck everyone deeply.

The maids filed out of the room first, followed by Ruby who announced loudly that she would remain outside the door should they need more towels, which Katelyn confirmed was a good idea. The last to leave was Physician Durand who looked uncertainly at the woman usurping his professional duty, but one look at the King’s face had him reluctantly heading out the door.

Once it was just the four people of them in the room, Katelyn summoned Fin over.

“There are more complications than I would like to deal with. The baby is breach, she’s early, and the Queen has lost a lot of blood. To top it off, the contractions are becoming weaker and her ankles are swelling.”

Fin felt sick.

The odds were bad.

His mother’s stern expression reminded him that it wasn’t over yet,and they had work to do.

With a snap of his fingers, towels began to stack themselves beside Katelyn, candles burned brighter, and his mother’s bag of instruments that had been jostled by one of the room’s former occupants suddenly began sterilizing themselves in the steaming water.

“Your highness, I may need to perform surgery on the Queen if we are to save the babe,” Katelyn explained as she rested her hand atop the woman’s belly. The golden glow appeared over her majesty, and when it disappeared, Fin could see the stress in his mother’s eyes.

“What about…” Norman cleared his throat and licked his dry lips. “What about Ainsley?”

The Queen suddenly reached out and grabbed Norman’s sleeve, her sweaty face had taken on a gray tinge, and her body had begun shaking from the stressful labor.

“Save her. No matter what, you choose our daughter, you hear me?” Her eyes were wide and wild with pain and delirium, and the King’s soul appeared to die as he stared back at his wife.

He suddenly dropped to his knees, and kissed the back of her hand that he still held. His tears beginning to fall.

“No.” Norman bowed his head over their hands. “No. You are not leaving us. Ainsley, we need you! We can’t, I’m sorry!” The King shook as he refused to look at his wife who was losing more and more energy with each passing moment.

Katelyn pursed her lips, a move that signified she had more bad news and Fin immediately took up the task of drying the instruments.

“Sire, I will need to operate regardless. The babe is stuck. If I leave them, they both will surely die.”

“Don’t give me those choices, you’re a damn healer you give them both an equal chance you understand me?” Norman’s voice suddenly surged in strength as he glared up at Katelyn, who had a brief sharp intake of breath before giving a small nod.

With one brief glance at Fin, she held out her hand, and wordlessly, he handed her the small blade and then gave the potent sleeping draft to the King to administer to his wife. There was no time to waste.

*

Norman stood by the open window, unable to continue watching the gruesome work happening behind him.

Everything was silent. Too silent.

Ainsley had taken the potent sleeping draft and had fallen into an unconsciousness that was too similar to the rest of the dead.

Occasionally the door would open and close as the bloodied towels were carried out and fresh ones were delivered, but other than that, there was nothing. No sound of life.

Staring out over his kingdom, Norman felt his hope slipping away with the day as night time settled over Austice.

He knew that things weren’t going well behind him, and before he could stop himself, he wondered if by the next dawn, his entire world would have come to an end…

Wondered if he would ever again see Ainsley’s smile, or feel her strong presence beside him, or share an afternoon nap with her and Eric in their bed. Wondered if he could keep being a King without his Queen…

And then, a weak cry broke out.

The cry of his daughter.