After Anastasia and Cinderella made peace and the prince and Cinderella were finally remarried, a new chapter of their lives began. Anastasia married a duke, Richard, from a neighboring kingdom and became pregnant shortly after the wedding.
4 months into her pregnancy, Anastasia woke up in the middle of the night feeling sharp pain. When the pain subsided, she rolled over to go back to sleep. Almost immediately, she was seized with unbearable contractions coming one on top of the other. Gripping her small stomach, she cried out for Richard. Upon turning on a lamp he saw that blood was beginning to stain their white sheets. He grabbed his coat and ran for his horse, leaving Anastasia in the hands of a maid. He rode off into the night for the doctor, but was struck and killed by an oncoming carriage. Anastasia waited all night enduring contraction after contraction until help finally arrived. She and her baby both miraculously survived, but she remained weak as she mourned the loss of her beloved Richard.
Cinderella and the prince found out she was pregnant around the time Richard died. They invited Anastasia to live with them in their palace, and both women bonded as their bellies grew with each passing day. Cinderella was expecting a boy, and Anastasia a girl.
It was a difficult pregnancy for both women. Anastasia experienced multiple bleeding episodes and scares, still weakened after losing Richard. Cinderella had gone into early labor twice in a mere 3 months, the doctor saying only that her womb was unstable. The prince was afraid to leave the palace for fear that something would happen to his beloved wife in his absence. However, in her 5th month Cinderella seemed to be gaining both her strength and her livelihood back again, and the doctor became hopeful she would carry to term.
As Anastasia's due date drew near, Cinderella noticed she was becoming more and more anxious. Braxton Hicks continued for weeks on end, draining Anastasia's strength and patience. Cinderella invited her on a horseback ride through the wooded areas of the kingdom to distract her from the upcoming delivery.
The two women rode through the forest, laughing and talking about the future and how they would raise their children. They were nearing the river when the heavily pregnant Anastasia felt a twinge of pain. Thinking it was just another Braxton hicks, she continued on and said nothing to Cinderella. 15 minutes later, she felt a slightly stronger twinge, maybe more of a cramp. Each Braxton hicks seemed to become stronger, and before long Anastasia found herself out of breath after each one. She rubbed the underside of the stomach, she breathed in and out to a rhythm, and she rocked back and forth on her horse. Really just trying to do anything to relieve the worsening cramps that were demanding her attention. Cinderella, riding up ahead of her, chattered on, unaware of what was going on behind her. After 2 hours of riding, rocking, rubbing, riding, breathing, wincing, riding, rubbing, and so on, Anastasia experienced the most painful contraction she had ever experienced thus far, even through the Braxton hicks and the near miscarriage. She cried out in agony, beads of sweat dripping from her forehead onto her tightening belly. She grabbed at her stomach, praying for the contraction to subside. She barely noticed Cinderella rushing forward, dismounting her horse and running to help Anastasia down from hers. Practically falling into Cinderella's arms from the high saddle, both women hit the ground with a thud. Anastasia, still enduring the contraction, curled her entire body around her stomach as she held her full abdomen in her hands.
When the contraction finally subsided, Cinderella had gotten up from the ground and had moved to help Anastasia stand. Both horses had run off and with both women in too delicate a condition to chase after them, they were alone in the middle of the forest. Anastasia sat up, leaning against a tree for support. She could already feel the baby descending, even this early into the labor. However, neither one of them wanted her baby to be born in the woods. With her contractions still more than 10 minutes apart, they decided the best thing to do was to walk towards the castle with Cinderella's support for as long as possible until the next contraction, and so on.
Anastasia, still firmly holding her belly, was able to slowly stand up with Cinderella's help. They walked for 14 minutes before Anastasia was once again consumed with a painful contraction. They continued this way for miles, finally coming into familiar area not too far from the castle. Anastasia's contractions quickened to 5 minutes apart lasting almost 45 seconds. 3 minutes after her previous contraction, they neared the river. Anastasia was astonished to feel another wave of pain so soon, and as she bent over to cradle her belly in her shaking hands she watched a gush of water soak the ground below her. As her water broke and fluids poured out of her, she leaned even more heavily on a straining Cinderella. She was definitely in hard, active labor. As the pain began to subside, she noticed the look on Cinderella's face.
Cinderella had been having small twinges for a few miles, but said nothing because she knew Anastasia needed her help. As Anastasia's water broke, she helped lower her down to the ground to ride out the pain. She then put her hands on her much smaller 6-month belly as cramping began to overtake her as well.
Anastasia looked up from the ground after her water had broken to see probably the scariest sight of the afternoon so far. She watched helplessly as Cinderella helped her own tightening stomach, then let out a heart-wrenching cry of agony. They both looked on in horror as Cinderella's own waters broke, along with blood that soaked the ground beneath her. The strain of Anastasia's laboring body had obviously been too much for Cinderella, and it was obvious she was in unstoppable early labor. As her clean blue skirt turned red, Cinderella stood up straight, wiping the tears from her eyes. Holding her continuously contracting stomach with her left hand, she pulled Anastasia back up and onto her shoulder with her right. Anastasia looked at her, dazed and confused. Cinderella sadly responded, "My baby boy's already too far gone. I can still save your baby girl."
Anastasia stumbled beside her for a whole 6 minutes until another contraction sent her writhing on the ground yet again, clutching her rock- solid belly with both hands. Cinderella leaned up against a tree to rest, allowing her own contractions to consume her for the time being. This continued until both women were utterly exhausted, and Anastasia's contractions only grew closer and closer together.
When Anastasia's contractions were coming at a rapid 3 minutes apart, they reached the palace wall. Anastasia was picked up and carried by the first palace guard, clutching her sweat- soaked belly as she felt her baby dropping lower and lower. Cinderella was met at the castle doors by Prince charming, who held her in his arms as they collapsed to the ground in sobs. They held her small bump as her contractions quickened and their baby boy, whom they named Jacob, was stillborn a few minutes later.
Anastasia was finally in a palace bed upstairs. She felt her strength draining with each of her contractions, coming almost a minute apart. Cinderella, still reeling from her own tragic loss, made her way up the stairs with the Prince's help. She finally stumbled to Anastasia's bedside, sitting down next to her full- term belly. She placed her hand on top of Anastasia's, and they felt her stiffened uterus as the baby continued to drop with every contraction.
Anastasia gripped Cinderella's hand through the difficult birth, until finally her daughter was born. Upon having her daughter handed to her, the dying Anastasia planted a kiss on her forehead before placing her in Cinderella's bloody lap. Cinderella held the child with one hand and held Anastasia's hand with the other as Anastasia took her last breath.
The orange- haired baby girl grew to become a strong and gracious ruler of the kingdom when she was older, surpassing other nations and marrying her true love. Both Cinderella and Prince Charming loved her until their deaths many years later, as well as the entirety of her kingdom. And her name was Anastasia.