Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing related to The Chronicles of Narnia. That belongs to a bunch of other people, not me. Only original characters and plotlines are mine.

AN: Okay, a few things: I have no personal experience with being pregnant or giving birth. I've only stories to go with, as well as friends who have had kids, so if anything is wrong, I apologize.

Also, someone said that they hoped that this wouldn't be a "pregnancy story". I promise that only the first few chapters will be all about family life (pregnancy, babies, etc), and then things will start getting far more interesting. In the meantime, thank for reading and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 2: Queenly Duties:

Caspian had thought I'd been joking about making things difficult for him while I was pregnant. He quickly discovered that I had not been fooling around when I'd said it.

At first, things weren't so bad. Once Helen had obtained a nice herbal potion to help with the morning sickness (or at least make it tolerable), I was able to leave my room without having any problems. Best of all, and much to my relief, the potion was safe for the baby.

My early days of pregnancy were spent with Caspian in the throne room, where we oversaw the Royal Court and heard the complaints and problems of those that petitioned for a meeting with us. The courtiers seemed pleased enough to see me, and everyone offered their congratulations on my carrying a future prince or princess of the realm. From what I heard from Helaine and Helen, many women within the castle seemed set on knitting, sewing, and embroidering baby clothes for me, which I was very thankful for. Since there were no shopping malls in Narnia, everything was made by hand, and with dozens of ladies eager to dress a royal baby, that meant that I wouldn't have to make anything myself! That in itself was a blessing, because I couldn't sew to save my life.

As for the common people who visited to have their petitions listened to and decided on, they were as thrilled about the newest addition to the royal family as anyone in the Court. Some arrived with not only well-wishes, but also roughly made toys and trinkets. I received all of these with a smile of thanks, a gesture they all seemed to appreciate, even when Caspian and I didn't decide in their favor.

Obviously, there were a few mishaps while presiding over Court matters with Caspian, where I had to occasionally whisper a question or comment to him, and listen closely and carefully while he replied. Thankfully, rather than dominate the process with his own rulings, Caspian insisted that we work together to help our people. It was sometimes difficult to see eye-to-eye on everything, and there was the occasional squabble or two between us over one matter or another, but nothing that got us yelling at one another –well, at least not yet.

Then came the more interesting parts of being pregnant –not all of them good things.


I'd had several friends back in my world who had been pregnant, so I could remember a whole list of issues that I'd be suffering through while carrying my precious little one. I knew about cravings, of course, and swollen ankles, breast pain, and mood swings. From watching those same friends, I also knew about heartburn, gas and bloating, and the constant need to use the toilet.

Most of these symptoms were treatable with safe, herbal remedies. I had a bottle for heartburn, one for indigestion, and one for minor aches and pains, all of which were kept handy and full by a group of palace herbalists. Sadly, there was nothing to be done for bathroom usage, since my growing baby was the cause of those toilet visits, and mood swings would just have to be suffered through by not only me, but everybody around me. Evil as it may seem, I sometimes felt that, if I had to suffer through nine months of this, it was a little satisfying having others suffer it with me.

Helaine, my infinitely patient wardrobe mistress, now spent most of her days creating maternity clothes and adjusting them whenever my stomach expanded. I think she was happy to do it, though, since she always had an amused smirk whenever I whined about a gown being too tight around my swelling belly or over my breasts.

My faithful maid, Helen, did her best to keep me comfortable, and always hovered nearby, waiting to see if she could fetch me a cool cloth, a tidbit to nibble on, or a bottle of medicine for aches or pains.

And poor, dear Caspian was so patient with me, I felt obligated to have Aslan make him a saint.

My mood swings had been minor at first. Sometimes, I'd want to break down and cry for no reason, usually over a small thing that I would completely forget about later. The first few times this happened, Caspian did his best to comfort me, even when I told him that these feelings were fleeting and that he should just wait them out. But no matter what I said, he was always there with a handkerchief or a hug and kiss to make me feel better, and that only made me love him even more.

When my moods became increasingly unpredictable, I had to use a lot of will-power to keep from snapping people's heads off. Taking deep breaths helped a little, but cursing out loud whenever I was alone in my rooms was the best way to do it. I quickly became a source of entertainment for my bird friends, and often impressed them with my foul language. Fortunately, the ones who could speak didn't repeat what I said, nor did they tell anyone what I did while in my private quarters.

The servants and courtiers were quick to recognize whenever I was in bad mood, and learned to avoid me during those instances. Hallways cleared instantly, and the only ones who dared approach me were Caspian, Professor Cornelius, and Helen. My faithful maid/assistant was there with a cup of tea, something sweet, or a few bottles of soothing scented oils, all as a means to calm me down. Professor Cornelius knew that mood swings were to be expected, so he was always prepared for them, and Caspian was always so supportive that just looking into his eyes sometimes made me forget that I was upset. My husband also got quite good at dodging thrown pillows, whenever I really (and rarely) lost my temper.

But to me, the worst part was the pregnancy cravings. A lot of the food I wanted didn't even exist in Narnia, and it either made me angry, or want to burst into tears. When a woman wants chocolate or ice cream (or even chocolate ice cream) and can't have it, it tends to make her very unhappy. Although I didn't crave it often, when I did, it wasn't pretty for anyone. I'd managed four years in Narnia without chocolate, but to be pregnant and without it was almost enough to drive me insane.

Thankfully, most of my cravings could be dealt with by eating something else. I eventually developed a fondness for fruit, either dried, fresh, or candied, and often carried around a little satchel of them with me wherever I went. I think it amused Caspian whenever I snuck a bit of dried fruit during our audiences with petitioners or courtiers. But then, I was pregnant and constantly hungry, so no one said anything whenever they caught sight of me nibbling while listening to their worries or complaints.

When I wasn't busy being in the throne room or reading over documents in my study, I carried my goody bag outside to eat under the warm sunshine, where Caspian and I had our own personal garden. This large area was officially known as the Royal Garden, and no one was allowed in without royal permission. There were even guards stationed at the entrances, to assure privacy, so I was able to sit on a lovely white wooden bench-swing and breathe the floral scents that hung in the air. Best of all, there were a pair of Dryads actually living in the garden as its own special caretakers; this made the garden especially beautiful, and all the more prized, for everyone knew that Dryads grew the finest plants.

And it was in this garden that I had planted many of my precious white lilies, the ones graciously bestowed upon me by Aslan. I had set them adrift in the large circular fountain set in the center of the garden, and they had quickly taken root, scenting the air with their delicate fragrance. I had also planted a few in fountains and gardens around Cair Paravel, but the Royal Garden was where most of them had been set.

Even though I longed to spend most of my days smelling the flowers, I couldn't. The boredom would have driven me crazy within a week, and I was determined to try and help Caspian with his load of responsibilities as best I could, even when I was swelling up like a balloon.


"You should be resting," Caspian said, trying to take away the pile of paperwork that Trumpkin had brought in for me to glance over.

I gently smacked his hands away. "Stop that," I snapped, my tone gentle but firm. "You can't possibly finish these by the end of today, and I want to help. Besides, you won't let me sit with you in the throne room anymore, and I miss being busy."

Shifting grumpily in my chair, I tried to make myself more comfortable among the extra cushions that had been placed there. It had really upset me, the day Caspian decided that it wasn't a good idea for me to sit in on audiences anymore. He thought they were too stressful for me, and since my stomach was now the size of a beach ball, he didn't want me perched on my throne, for fear that one day some misfortune would happen –such as me not fitting into the seat, or possibly falling out of it. From the look in his eye, I could tell he was joking about the throne, but he was serious about my becoming overstressed.

That didn't stop me from doing paperwork, though. While Caspian sat and listened to people's woes, I sat at my desk in our suite and read through the written messages, letters, notes, and complaints that had been sent, and wrote out replies, with space left for either my signature and Caspian's. By the time my husband was done in the throne room, I managed to get halfway through the never-ending stacks of parchment.

Naturally, my efforts in paperwork were a surprise to him, but Caspian had accepted it, especially since it kept me sitting down for a while. He thought it the lesser of two evils, and let me keep going, since it was actually a pretty efficient way of managing things.

This morning, however, he'd taken one look at me and said it might be best for me to simply do nothing until the baby arrived, an event that was two months away.

"Caspian, you know perfectly well that if I don't do anything until the baby is born, I will go mad," I retorted as he again tried to take the paper out of my hand. "Please, let me do my duties!"

Helen, who was always hovering nearby and within earshot, came in with a tea tray and a scowl on her face. "Forgive me, Sire, but she's right. If she doesn't keep busy somehow, it'll only upset her. My sister, Helaine, sewed for hours on end when she was expecting Gael, and the funds she earned from selling her work helped pay the doctor."

I snorted and turned back towards the paper in my hand. "If I tried to sew, it would only end in my muttering curses and a pile of material good for only a rag bin," I said. "The same goes for knitting, embroidery, and patching holes in clothes. This is far better for me."

Seeing that he couldn't win, Caspian sighed in resignation. "Oh, all right. But the very month that the baby is due, you will do nothing that might risk harm to yourself or the child!"

Looking over at him, I saw the anxious look on his face and had to smile. He was adorable, a first-time father who worried for the health of me and our little one. His over-protectiveness was showing, but rather than annoying me, I found it endearing.

Setting down the document, I reached up and drew him down so that I could press a kiss to his cheek. "I love you," I said, smiling.

He blinked at me, then smiled. "As I love you," he softly replied, reaching for my belly to rub it, as had become his habit recently. As expected, the baby kicked, somehow recognizing its father's touch Grinning widely, Caspian bent forward and pressed a kiss to my large bump.

Helen sighed. "Tea is ready for you, my lady," she said, turning to leave. "Be careful to not eat all the crème puffs this time."

I pouted. "I only did that once," I muttered as the door shut behind her. "Although, they do look delicious…" They also happened to be the only thing that could conquer my chocolate cravings.

Caspian laughed and offered a hand. "Well, then, I suppose I can let you have my share of them –just this once, of course."

"That's what you always say," I said with a grin.

He chuckled and gently kissed me. "I know."


The more time that passed, the more miserable I felt. I was huge, uncomfortable, and had to sleep on my side, facing away from my handsome husband because we both liked it when he held me as we slept. Even worse, the baby was constantly kicking me, which made me very grumpy.

Actually, the worst thing about my being pregnant was that Felicia wasn't with me. Not long after my pregnancy was discovered, Drinian decided to take her to his own estate, three days' journey down the coast from Cair Paravel, so that she could learn all about the house and land that would be her new home.

"Of course, I'll be back after the birth," she'd said as I bid her goodbye. "You know I would rather stay here with you, but I have responsibilities, and must do this, before I grow so attached to the palace and you that I never leave again!"

Personally, I thought that wouldn't be a bad thing, having her with me at all times, but she really did need to know all about Drinian's properties, so I let her go. However, I had a sneaking suspicion that both Felicia and Drinian wanted to move to Cair Paravel permanently, and just couldn't think of a way of doing so without making it seem as though they were abandoning their duties to their estate. I knew that they'd think of solution, though, particularly since both Caspian and I wanted them with us for good.

With my dear friend gone, I found myself growing rather lonely, as I had no one else to talk to amongst the ladies of court. They only wanted the prestige and honor of spending time with the Queen, and though I did like to chat with them, I couldn't really talk to them as I would a trusted friend. Helen was there for me, of course, but I very much wanted a sympathetic ear rather than her no-nonsense attitude.

As the date of the baby's arrival drew close, I began to panic. I hadn't realized it at first, but once my due date dawned near, I saw that the chance of my dying in childbirth was a possibility. True, we had the magical healing cordial, but things like this tended to happen without warning. I could die in minutes or seconds, and that put a cloud over my thrill of being a mother.

When I confessed my secret fears to Helen, she shook her head and gave me some of her brutally honest advice. "His Majesty won't let you die," she said, looking at me as though I'd said something incredibly silly. "He will have that cordial nearby to treat you the minute you need it, and the finest midwives and physicians will be here to see to your needs."

At least she didn't tell me to not worry –given that I was going to be a new mother, worrying was part of the whole thing! I worried about the birth, I worried over the color scheme of the nursery (it was a comforting mixture of pale green, yellow and white, all neutral colors for a boy or a girl), and I worried over whether or not I would be raising this child right.

And considering that this baby wasn't in the television series or the books, I had to worry over whether or not this would be a good older sibling to Rilian. If this child was a son, he would be heir to the throne, and that would seriously set things off the right track. If it were a girl, then I wanted her to be a good older sister, and for her not to feel inferior to her brother, who according to Narnian law, would be King of Narnia. It was up to me to make sure that the two siblings grew up to love one another, and not want to kill each other.

To my disappointment, after his last appearance in my dreams, Aslan kept quiet during my pregnancy -no advice, no comforting words, nothing. It was nerve-wracking, but I guess he thought I could handle it, so that was why he didn't appear.

By the time my ninth month rolled around, everyone was on edge, impatiently awaiting the new arrival. And it would figure that, just when I was sitting down to breakfast with my husband and friends, my water broke.


Caspian, bless him, had been shocked when I told him that the baby was coming, and would have started panicking if Trumpkin and Professor Cornelius hadn't stepped in and dragged him out of the room, leaving me alone with Helen. My maid quickly had me up and changed into a soft linen nightgown, so that I could be more comfortable, then had me begin walking around while she summoned everyone needed for the birth.

As I paced slowly around the large bedchamber, I decided to go into the nursery, which stood a few doors down ours. There was a cradle and a bunch of baby things in our suite, but I wanted to look around the baby's room for some reason.

Like most rooms in the palace, the white walls had pillars and arches that created wide spaces between them. Three months ago, I'd ordered that these spaces be painted a soft yellow and pale green, the two colors alternating all around the room. The ceiling had been left white, to be filled in later on. But that wasn't what greeted me today. What I saw there instead made my jaw drop.

Rather than a blank yellow or green area standing between the pillars, there was now a beautiful mural. In the first, there were Fauns, Nymphs and Dryads dancing together in a glen, with trees, flowers, and a starry sky above and around them. There was even a beautiful stream trickling along the side, flowing off into the distance. A second scene had Centaurs studying an evening sky, clearly reading the stars for signs of what the future might hold. Third, a radiant meadow with Beasts that appeared to be chatting with one another, while a fourth had Mermaids swimming through the sea with dolphins and whales as their friends and playmates.

But the fifth scene was my favorite. In it stood a pure white unicorn rearing in a field of flowers, with a gryphon in the top left corner, flying in a clear sky. A Pegasus flew in the opposite direction of the gryphon, and was in the top right corner. All three creatures were looking benevolently into the room, as though to bestow their wisdom onto the child that would soon occupy the crib that stood in the center of the room.

"Ali!" cried a voice in the hallway. "Ali, where are you?" It was Caspian, and he sounded incredibly worried.

Turning towards the door, I poked my head out and saw him at the end of our hallway. "I'm here," I called, getting his attention. "What is it?"

Seeing me, his panic ebbed somewhat, but not totally. He raced to my side and put his arm around me, eyes looking alternately between my face and my stomach. "You shouldn't be wandering at a time like this," he chided me as we walked back to our room. "When Helen said that you'd left, everyone was worried that something horrible had happened."

I could see the fear in his eyes, and immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry. I was told to walk around, and I thought a visit to the nursery would be nice. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

By now we were back at the bedchamber, and I was surprised at the number of people that had gathered. Nausus was there, as he was a healer and a Faun that I trusted immensely, as were Helen and Helaine, who were there for support. There were also four or five women that I didn't recognize, but they were the finest midwives in Cair Paravel, so I supposed I was in good hands.

At that point, a contraction hit, almost sending me to my knees. Caspian caught me, and somehow managed to carry me over to the bed, even though I must have weighed a ton (with all the food I'd been eating, I probably did).

Laid upon the bed, I was immediately propped up against a large stack of pillows, with Caspian seated beside me holding my hand, even though everyone tried to get him to leave. When he glared at them, though, everyone pretty much shut up and decided to attend me anyway.

Now, I'd heard horror stories of women being in labor for many hours, or even days, before the baby arrived. Some gave birth within a couple hours or so, and lucky for me, I was one of those cases!

Of course, those few hours felt incredibly long to me, since I was the one in pain. Caspian tried to distract me by talking and asking ridiculous questions, but it didn't work for long. In the end, only one of his questions got through the seemingly endless waves of pain, and that was whether or not I liked the nursery. I had done my best to smile at him, and honestly answered that it was perfect. Part of me wondered why I hadn't thought of such decorations, but it might have been because I was busy trying to help my husband rule a country.

I don't know if it was my body's doing, or maybe Aslan decided to be merciful, but whatever it was, after sweating, panting, and crying out for over four hours, I was thrilled when the whole thing was over. The pressure and urge to push had been steadily increasing, and when I gave that last powerful shove with my insides, I felt the baby slide slowly out of me and into the hands of the waiting attendants.

"Majesty, it is a girl," one of the midwives said, smiling as the doctor held up the child for me and Caspian to see. Our daughter was wiggling, crying, pink and slimy, but she had to be the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

Glancing over at my husband, I saw tears of joy and pride in his eyes. When the baby was passed into my arms, his hands inched towards her, eager to hold our little girl. Well, too bad for him –I'd been the one to carry her for nine months, so I got first dibs.

"What should we call her?" I asked, looking up at him. We'd purposely not picked a name, instead choosing to wait until we saw our baby before naming it.

Caspian shook his head, his eyes dazed as he took in the sight of our first born. "I have no idea. I thought one would come to me, but I can't think of any right now."

Looking at her face, I saw her brown eyes drift closed and felt something pull at my heart. I so wanted to name her after Lucy, but I didn't want to burden my daughter with such a huge namesake. Maybe there was something similar out there, or perhaps I could make up something so that I could still call her Lucy as a nickname.

Then it hit me. "Luciana," I said, looking affectionately at my daughter. "Her name is Luciana -Lucy for short."

Beside me, Caspian chuckled and pressed a kiss to my temple. "Perfect."


AN: Awwww! More up next week! Review?