A/N: Yes, I know I have a thing about pregnancy/childbirth stuff (it's been that way pretty much my whole life), and I was worried that people would be sick of the subject, but some of Eska's fans on Tumblr urged me to write this. So I hope it's okay.

Akna, the village midwife, sighed in relief as she opened the door to her house at long last. Autumn was always a busy time for her (because the winters were long and there really wasn't anything else to do besides make babies), but this day had been exceptionally so. No sooner was she finished with one birth than she was called over to the next. It was well past dark now. She was exhausted and, since she hadn't had a chance to eat since this morning, starving.

Well, now she could get a well-earned rest! She hummed to herself as she heated water on the stove for instant noodles. There. Akna turned so she could sit down with her meal, and…

There was a hooded and cloaked figure standing in her living room, which had somehow gotten into her house without her noticing.

Akna's first thought was, "It's Death coming to collect me!"

Her second thought was, "Wait, am I really that old?"

Before she could make a sound, the figure said, "Your services are required, wise-woman."

Oh. Was that all?

Akna managed not to scream, but a kind of muffled squeak did escape. But she had always been quick to adapt (a valuable trait for anyone of the Water Tribe, but especially for a midwife), and asked, "Can I at least have my dinner first?"

"Take it with you. I've already waited long enough for you to get back."

And that was how Akna found herself being dragged through the all-but-deserted streets by one hand, while pouring noodles into her mouth with the other. At first, she thought it would only be a short walk to where they had to go, but once they reached the edge of the village, they continued walking at a brisk pace.

Akna assessed her situation. She had managed to grab her basket on the way out, which contained a knife and a pair of scissors. Therefore, if worst came to worst, she wasn't totally unarmed. As for her abductor…the voice had sounded male, and young, and he had an incredibly strong grip, but that was about all she could discern. He hadn't said even one additional word during the whole journey.

How much longer were they going to be walking, anyway? Her joints were not what they'd used to be.

Thankfully, the person noticed that she was lagging, and abruptly asked, "Can you walk any further?"

"I'm…not sure," Akna answered honestly.

"Then I will carry you," the man decided, and easily slung her over his shoulder, gathering up the basket in his free hand. (The empty carton of noodles was tossed by the roadside.)

Well, Akna supposed it was the thought that counted. Though he did seem to try to be keeping the jostling to a minimum as he continued his rapid clip through the darkness.

It was at about that time that she realized the large building which was a familiar site in the distance had suddenly become much closer.

The palace. There it stood, in all its icy imperturbability. This appeared to be their mysterious destination; somewhere she'd never dreamed of ever seeing for herself. But they had their own, highly-educated medical staff, of which surely even the lowliest servants could avail themselves. Why would anyone there need her?

Her assailant set her down by a side door, and warned Akna, "You are not to speak to anyone outside of what you witness here."

What had she gotten herself into?!

Akna half thought they'd be trapped in this maze of narrow hallways forever, but eventually they got wider and better-lit. Just as she would worried that her legs would give out again, they stopped at a very large and heavy door.

The man looked in both directions, and muttered, "Good, they stayed away like I told them." Then he knocked on the door and announced, "I'm back."

There was no reply, but he didn't seem bothered by that. He swung the door open anyway.

It was a very large room…probably bigger than Akna's whole house…but unlit except for the light from the hall. The man quickly closed the door, leaving them in total darkness until he got a lamp lit.

Now that Akna could see somewhat better, she was surprised at the relative sparseness of this room. The walls were bare but for a couple of animal skins and a mirror. The furnishings included a few dressers and trunks-all unadorned-, a small desk, piled with papers, and chair, a night table with a single book on it, and one enormous, curtained bed in the center of the room, next to the night table.

At that moment, a brusque voice cut through the silence.

"Are you displeased with my decor?"

The voice came from the bed, but the owner was still in shadow. Akna walked closer…and found herself face-to-face with the new young co-chieftain Eska, who was clad in a nightgown, glaring, and, most prominently, heavily pregnant. Her brother Desna was quickly revealed as he took off his hood.

Wow. That was…unexpected. Akna was momentarily at a loss for words. But wait a second…Eska was pregnant? There certainly had been no announcement to that effect, and just last month, there were photographs of the twins in the newspaper, taken during their seventeenth birthday celebration. No signs of pregnancy there either…granted, being in the newspaper, they had been rather grainy pictures.

"I did not want my brother to bring anyone," Eska was saying.

"Well, then what were you planning to do? Have the baby by yourself?" Akna blurted out, then mentally slapped herself. She was known in the village for being very blunt…another result of decades of midwifery…but if she had that attitude here, she might be imprisoned or even executed!

At any rate, Eska replied, "Yes," in a completely serious voice.

Again, Akna wondered why she hadn't sent for the palace doctor. But she decided to not ask further questions on the subject, and slid into professional mode. She had no idea what the proper etiquette for addressing royalty was, so she decided to just act like business as usual…albeit maybe a bit more polite.

"Your...My…what do I call you two, anyway?" Akna asked.

"Our names will suffice for now."

"Well, oookay then. I'll need to ask you a few things," she began.

Eska looked less than thrilled at the prospect of this, but, seemingly having resigned herself to Akna's presence, said, "Permission granted."

As Desna watched warily from the bedside, Akna ran through the normal questions, including: When had the contractions started? (during the morning audience, although Eska stated with a note of pride that she "didn't need to retire until after lunch") How far apart were the contractions? (About two minutes) and, after a brief pause, Was the father in the picture?

Eska and Desna exchanged glances, and Eska said, "He's not currently residing in the area."

It was obviously a sensitive topic, so Akna didn't pry further.

Then, after asking if there had been any difficulties during the pregnancy…Eska reported none…Akna went to the bathroom to wash her hands for the physical examination. Upon returning, she said, "Open your legs, please."

Eska growled at her and kept her legs clamped shut, while Desna went into a bending stance.

Akna blinked and said mildly, "Baby can't come out if you keep doing that, you know."

Eska looked up, surprised that someone was speaking so plainly to her…then snorted.

"You're more amusing than I thought you'd be," she stated. "Very well…but be quick about it."

A short time later, Akna said, "Well, it's a good thing you got me when you did, because it won't be long now at all!"

"Wonderful," Eska intoned. Then, speaking to Desna, she said, "I changed my mind. Bring him back up here so I can kill him." She offered no further explanation for this cryptic remark.

In any case, the head was down and properly engaged, and everything else appeared to be in order, so Akna made a return trip to the sink.

"You wouldn't happen to have any boiling water, would you? And some rubbing alcohol?" she asked after she got back to the bedroom once again. Desna said that he'd see what he could do, and stalked out.

Akna wasn't completely sure how to keep Eska at ease. For one thing, they were from completely different walks of life, and for another, she didn't have that much experience working with very young mothers. Accidents happened sometimes, of course, but usually only nobility had the luxury of marrying and having babies in their teens. The women in the village often waited until they were well into their twenties at least, since it just wasn't practical for a woman to marry until she was mature enough to run a household on her own.

Those girls who did get pregnant young tended to scream their heads off during labor and were difficult to keep calm. This was not the case with Eska. Whenever a contraction hit, she'd casually pick up a towel that was lying beside her and bite down on it, hardly making any sound at all. It was obvious she was nervous…one learned how to sense these things in this business, even with someone as unreadable as Eska…but all of Akna's attempts to get her to talk about it were met with stony silence. Finally, she stopped trying to talk at all, and sat there awkwardly while Eska picked up the book from the night stand and started to read. Now the title was visible: Dangerous Ladies: The Story of Princess Azula and Fire Lady Mai.

By the time Desna got back, grumbling about how people were getting suspicious, Eska had abandoned the book again, and, since the contractions were so close together, had kept the towel in her mouth for several minutes. A few minutes later, she spat the towel out and announced, "I'm getting an urge."

Akna, who was busy sterilizing her instruments, asked, "What kind of urge? Like you have to poop?"

"You could put it that way," Eska answered, but was prevented from saying anything more as she moaned and shoved the towel back in her mouth. Desna looked over at her worriedly.

"I think that's just your body's way of saying it's time to push!" Akna said, more for Desna's benefit than anything else, as she walked over to check.

"Isn't it your job to decide that?" Desna inquired.

Akna said gravely, "Son, I've been doing this for almost forty years now, but I've found that the body usually knows better than me. Now…"-talking to Eska-"what position would you feel most comfortable in? Squatting? Hands and knees?"

Eska looked annoyed at having to remove the towel again, but she responded, "I would prefer to lie down."

"Are you sure? It might take longer that way."

"I said. I would prefer to lie down."

And so she did.

The next half hour was probably the quietest birth she had ever attended. In the village, they were social affairs, with as many female family members and friends as could be crammed into the room all talking at once. But here, the only spoken words were Akna's encouragements and guidance. Her suggestion of having more people here was met with great displeasure, and she didn't even bother trying to ask Desna to leave. For his part, although his eyes were getting wider by the minute, Desna kept quiet and didn't pass out. Which was a lot more than could be said for most men that insisted on being in the birthing room.

As the birth grew imminent, Akna started to sweat. What would they do to her if the baby was stillborn…or worse, if something happened to Eska herself?

To her great relief, a few minutes later Eska was safely delivered of a healthy baby girl…small, but with a full head of hair and equally impressive set of lungs. Unfortunately, the latter alerted the people outside, and within a minute of the birth, there was pounding on the door.

Desna walked over like he had all the time in the world, opened the door, and informed whoever was outside, "Take one step into this room and you shall perish."

They didn't dare defy their chieftain directly, but one of the guards got a quick peek into the room, and ordered, "Get the Lady Malina!"

"Now we'll have to deal with Mother sooner than we would have preferred," Desna said drily. If Eska heard, she made no sign of it, since she was too focused on her baby.

"Well, offspring," she commented once the flurry of activity was over and Akna had retreated a short distance away, "It appears that we are stuck with each other for quite some time."

Desna had wandered over to look, and lightly rested a hand on Eska's shoulder. She looked back up at him with what could be something close to smile.

He remarked, "She has his nose."

"Yes, and his eyes," Eska mused.

(In fact, Akna had noticed almost immediately that the baby had green eyes, but had declined to mention it.)

"This could be a problem."

"Indeed. We should obscure her face in public." Eska took a breath, then continued, "But let's discuss that later."

She looked down and marveled, "I made this creature. I made this." For a short time, it looked like there were tears in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. Then she pronounced, "I will name her Kinalik." Both twins made a huff of amusement, like this was some sort of inside joke.

Eska looked over as Akna next, and said imperiously, "Midwife, come wipe my forehead. It's all sweaty."

If this were a village woman, Akna would have rebuked her for such a tone, but this time, she had to swallow her retort and do as she was bid.

Kinalik had just settled down to nurse when there was another commotion in the hall…more talking, and what sounded like wheels rolling.

"Guess who," Desna said. Eska just looked annoyed.

Then there was more knocking, and a female voice demanded, "Open this door at once!"

Eska, of course, couldn't open the door, and Desna didn't seem willing to do it either, so it fell to Akna.

As soon as the door was opened, a middle-aged woman with a badly twisted spine, immaculately dressed and coiffed despite the late hour and her deformity, rose from her wheelchair and hobbled as quickly as she could toward the bed, not even acknowledging Akna's existence.

"So it's true!" Lady Malina exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell anyone?!"

"I told Desna."

"You know what I mean, young lady!"

So Eska had been hiding her pregnancy, from everyone but her brother. Now a lot of things…their summoning of Akna from the village instead of their own doctor; the lack of people in the room; Eska's near-total silence during labor…all made much more sense.

Akna thought at first that Malina was concerned for her daughter's well-being, and was in full agreement that this had been a foolish and dangerous idea, but Malina had other reasons.

"I heard rumors about your loose conduct during your time in the South," she sniffed, "but I gave them no credence, because I knew I'd raised you to be better than that. Couldn't you have stopped to think this once? You have always been difficult, but this…this is unbelievable. Think of the example you're providing for other young girls in your new position! This will ruin your reputation, and no one will want to marry you now!"

"Good. I don't want to marry them either."

"How could you be so stupid?" Malina shrieked.

Kinalik started to wail.

"Oh, look. Now you've made the baby cry," Eska said, as blandly as if she were commenting on the weather.

At this point, Akna stepped in, saying in a rush, "Now we can't have arguing in a birthing room…it curdles the milk; everyone knows that!" She just may have made that up on the spot, but doubted anyone else would know the difference.

"You stay out of this!" Eska ordered. Then she turned to her mother, her rage becoming apparent.

"Perhaps," she said with a calm that belied the storm building, "If you had educated me at all on these matters in the first place, Mother, I would not have committed such an error! And you will show respect when speaking to your leader. May I remind you of the prison beneath our palace? I have been longing to throw someone new in there for months."

"If your father were still alive…"

"But he's not, is he?"

Eska was struggling not to show it, but she was clearly exhausted. Desna caught on to this and said tersely, "That's enough, Mother."

This brought Malina back to her senses somewhat.

"Of course. You're tired right now, and can't give this matter the attention it deserves. We'll talk again in the morning," she said as she let her son guide her to the door and back into her chair.

At the door, she turned her head and said, "Oh, and you are to stop reading that book. It's most inappropriate for a lady."

She was quickly wheeled away by her attendant, whom Akna hadn't even seen until now.

After an extended silence, Eska informed Akna, "You are dismissed. An escort will take you home, and your payment will arrive tomorrow."

To be honest, Akna had entirely forgotten about payment by now.

"Well, honey, if you're sure you'll be all right…" she replied.

"Don't concern yourself about our mother. We know how to handle her. And the servants will see to my well-being and the cleanup. Now get out."

Once again, Akna had to obey.

When she got home, she collapsed into bed and slept for most of the next day. An envelope had been slid under the door while she was asleep, and inside it she found more money than she could have ever imagined owning all at once. If she spent it carefully, it could last her for several years. And she thought that was the end of that.

But it wasn't.

Two days later, she received another summons. This time, it was in the middle of the afternoon, and she was led through the front doors. For the first time, she could truly appreciate the beauty of this palace. But even now, she wasn't allowed to linger for long.

Eska and Desna were in their usual spots in her room when Akna was admitted in. There was a new piece of furniture added since her last visit…a cradle, which held the soundly sleeping Kinalik.

"They wanted to move her to the nursery. I dissuaded them," Eska explained.

Akna raised an eyebrow, but asked politely, "So what appears to be the problem?"

It turned out that Eska had tried to get back to her normal duties too quickly, and was now running a fever. Akna palpated her abdomen, and sure enough, Eska winced when she reached the lower portion.

"I think you have a minor infection," Akna concluded. "Get lots of fluids, and see a doctor if it doesn't go away after a few days, or if it suddenly gets worse. And please stay in bed until you're fully recovered…you've just made it longer by getting up too soon. I'd advise to give it another week."

"That is not possible," Eska said briskly.

"Well, of course I can't make you do anything," Akna said as respectfully as she could while inclining her head, "But that's what I would recommend. At the very least, I'd hope you'd stay in bed until the fever's gone."

Instead of answering her, Eska said, "I have a proposal for you."

"Hm?" Akna asked.

Not wasting any time, Eska explained, "We want you to be Kinalik's nurse. You would be paid generously."

Once again, this was not what Akna had been expecting. No more worrying about running out of food during the dry spells. No more lonely nights. She would never be lacking for anything ever again.

But she couldn't accept. She had been called to bring babies into the world, not to raise them.

When she told them this, they both bristled.

"It would be very unwise to turn down such an offer," Eska warned her.

"I'm very sorry. But I do know of women who would be more suited for the task…if you don't…I mean, if you wanted to look outside the palace."

Eska turned to Desna and said, "Leave." He looked surprised-and a bit hurt-but did as she said.

When the door closed behind him, Eska looked directly at Akna and asked, "Why do you choose such a thankless line of work?"

"Why, I don't find it thankless at all! You see, my husband and I couldn't have children of our own, and then he died quite young…so I decided instead of being bitter, I'd help others. May I ask a question of my own?"

"You may."

"Why…why me?"

"I like you. You're not scared of me. Everyone else except my brother is either terrified of me, or…"

"Or they overlook you." Akna finished for her. It had to be difficult, being a female chieftain in her own right (co-ruler or otherwise).

Eska looked sharply at her and said, "Normally I would have you punished for presuming things about my life…but in this case, you are correct."

Akna thought back to how Malina had belittled her daughter, and only stopped when her son intervened. No wonder she'd kept her pregnancy hidden, if Malina's reaction was a typical one. It didn't excuse it, but it sure explained it.

She glanced over at the night table, where Eska had stubbornly kept her book out. It was common knowledge that both the Princess Azula and Lady Mai had had difficult relationships with their mothers. Perhaps Eska found them to be an inspiration..and perhaps Malina knew this.

There was something else that had been eating at Akna, after hearing some of the things that Eska had said…she decided to just go ahead and voice her concerns, even if it cost her her life.

"Sweetheart…were you raped?"

There was a long pause. Eska stared at her incredulously. Then, a horrible noise filled the air. Akna looked around in a panic. Was something wrong with the baby; was it choking or having a seizure? She was about to rush over to the cradle when she realized: it was Eska laughing. And from the sound of things, Desna had been listening by the door and was laughing as well. Shortly thereafter, there was a thud as he fell to the floor from laughing so hard, which made Eska start all over again. Meanwhile, the baby was quite affronted that her nap had been disturbed.

"That was amusing," she said when she finally got a hold of herself. "It must be the fever getting to me. But anyway, no need to worry. If any man attempted to force himself on me, he would be dead before he got his pants off."

"It doesn't always involve force."

"Yes, but trust me. That was not a thing that happened."

"Well…all right then."

Akna realized that her welcome was drawing to a close. So she packed her things, and said, "I'll try to get back to you about potential nurses, if you can give me a way to contact you."

"Just mail any correspondence to the palace. I will make it clear that there will be dire consequences if it's discarded accidentally."

"All right," Akna repeated.

"Farewell, wise-woman."