Few things compared to Sherwood Forest in the bloom of springtime. The young bright yellow leaves on tree branches had ripened into a bright gold that shone proudly in the day's last sunrays. The forest floor around the river was covered in an abundance of brightly colored flowers, the river itself that had been strikingly bare now once again full of lilies and tree flowers dragged there by the wind. The water was still quite chilly, but the cold felt like a heavenly balm against her swollen, painful feet. Regina arched her back as she felt the nagging back pains that had been plaguing her for weeks intensified slightly, making her huff out in annoyance. The birthing wife had told her that it could be a sign of the baby preparing to make its way into the world, or just her body taking a practice run again. Nervous as she was, she hoped it was the former. The baby was still moving, but seemed to have calmed down considerably in the last few days, something that both unnerved Regina and gave her hope.

"You okay?" Robin's voice was gentle in her ear, his fingers massaging her lower back gently until the pain subsided partially, making place for the ever present uncomfortable ache that seemed to be Regina's constant companion. She sighed and dropped her head back to lie on his shoulder.
"Yeah, fine. Just … tired." She huffed. "Tired and huge and uncomfortable."
Robin pressed a soft kiss to the back of her head and moved his hands up from her lower back to massage her shoulders in strong, yet soft movements. "Is this nice?"
She nodded in reply and allowed herself to lean back against him more. Robin had not left her side since she'd first told him about her increasing discomfort she was experiencing. The strain on her back and belly had been bothering her for the better part of the week, but had become more insistent and regular since that afternoon, which the birthing wife had called a hopeful signal. Now watching the sun disappear behind the stark black of the lanky trees, she hoped that the night would bring some changes to her situation. She'd had more than enough of all the little complains that promised progress but had so far only let her down.
"You should get some rest." Robin told her softly, moving his hand down in soothing circles in her back. Regina huffed again in annoyance.
"Like I've done so much today." She answered, not so much snappy as tiredly. It was true that she was tired and that sleep called to her, but she didn't like feeling completely useless and powerless. It annoyed her. Robin chuckled softly, but slid his strong arms around her to rest on her belly and laid his head on her shoulder.
"You're preparing for the arrival of our baby, Regina. I'd say that's quite the feat."
"Hopefully I am." Regina answered miserably, earning another sympathetic chuckle and a soft circling on her stomach from her husband.
"The baby will come, dear, soon." He pressed another light kiss to the back of her head. "I promise. For now…" He took her lithe hands in his own and squeezed them softly.

"Look." He lifted her hand up to divert her attention to the beauty of the Sherwood forest stretched out before them: The sky was painted a swirling combination of red and orange, blazing with color as a flock of migrating birds was returning home once again. The day's last sunrays bathed the world in a bright golden glow, the leaves on the trees nearly lighting up as the sunlight touched them. Cicadas were electric, singing their shrill song as they were joined by many a lonely bird searching for a mate before the heat of summer would arrive. Regina smiled at the utter beauty stretched out before her.
"It's beautiful."
"Like you." Countered Robin. Regina could feel his cocky-but-loving grin against the back of her hair at his words and let out a soft chuckle.
"Now you're being sappy."
"We're having a baby. I'm allowed to." He answered casually, moving his hand back to her stomach as he tried to feel the sparse but apparent movements of their baby. He imagined finally laying eyes in the baby that he'd felt beneath her fingers and imagined in front of his eyes for many months.
"I love you." He mumbled against the back of her head. Regina sighed and closed her eyes, feeling the tiredness overtake her. Only after her eyed closed the found how tired she really was, sleep already dawning upon her minutes after her eyes had slipped closed.
"I love you too." She murmured and her voice must have sounded sleepy, because Robin trailed her fingers through her hair and started soothing movements against her temples.
"Just go to sleep, darling." He murmured softly against her skin, parting with a soft kiss. Regina sighed contently and even though the pains in her abdomen and back did not recede, managed to slip into a deep sleep surrounded by the safety of Robin's arms.

She woke lying in bed, covered with so many blankets that she was almost uncomfortably warm. Even though nights were light in the Sherwood Forest, she could tell that morning had not yet arrived and judging by Robin snoring next to her, it was either very late at night, or very early in the morning. Normally she'd wonder what had woken her up at such an impossible time, but the reason forced itself upon her rather obviously: a ripping pain her lower abdomen that had her grit her teeth at the force it wrenched its way through her body with. Her body didn't work with her as she tried to lift herself up from the bed and it was only when the strong force of pain let go of her body that she was able to sit up and really asses her situation properly. She remembered falling asleep in Robin's arms at around sunset, after which he had probably carried her towards their bed. He had clothed her in the slightly raffled but comfortable nightgown that she'd worn for the last moths because it felt comfortable around her stomach and sore breasts. She turned her head to Robin and smiled softly at his slight bedraggled state as he slept: his hair mushed and plucky, his body tangled in the sheets as if he was beast caught in a net and his open as he snored lightly.

She had just stretched her arm to arrange the stray lock of hair that sprung up defiantly, when another searing pain rose in her lower back and quickly rippled through her, gripping her abdomen in a hold that had her grit her teeth tightly. Her effort to stay quiet failed quickly as the pain intensified quickly, pulling a low moan of pain from her that was quickly followed by another, higher pitched one as the contraction continued running through her body. When the pain subsided she swung her feet from the bed, pleasant to find that between the fits of pain that ran through her body, she could move relatively well without pain. She carefully sat up on the edge of the bed, hoping that the change of position would lessen some of the pain that she knew would arrive soon.

The next surge of pain came faster than she'd expected and ran through her body with a force that made it impossible to keep the sounds of pain from escaping her throat. She gripped her stomach and bent over in an effort to relieve the strain, but it helped only a little. The pain was insistent, not wavering away but rather holding a tight grip on her for near a minute, before it finally subsided.

It was only when the pain had dissipated that she felt a soft hand on a stomach paired with even softer muttering of words in her ears. She turned towards the sound and found Robin sitting behind her, his hands rubbing her lower back soothingly, an expression of worry and sympathy grazing his features.
"Hey." Regina rasped out softly, her voice already starting slightly raw and tired. "Did I wake you?"
"Did you think I was going to sleep through my daughter's birth?" Robin quipped, earning a small chuckle from his wife.
"Still sure about the daughter thing?"
"Fairly sure, yes." He pressed a light kiss to the back of her neck and moved his hands up to her sides, feeling the tension and strain in her lower back. "How are you doing?"
Regina sighed as she leant back heavily against Robin. "I've been better." She turned her head so she could listen to his heartbeat. Calming, yet she knew he was probably nervous too. Still his presence behind her was pleasant. Something to anchor her while her body was seemingly largely out of her control for the time being.
Robin nodded in understanding. "Do you want me to get the birthing wife?"
Regina sighed. "It's the middle of the night."
"I don't think she'll blame you for it." Robin said, failing to keep the amusement away from his voice, which earned him a sharp look from his wife. "Baby's like keeping people awake in general, it's a bit of a thing. They-"

"Stop joking." Regina gritted as she felt another contraction rise up. To his credit Robin quickly sensed the change in his wife's tone and turned his words from clever quips to soothing murmurings as Regina worked her way through another contraction. He rubbed her lower back in movements that Marian had found particularly soothing during Roland's birth, hoping they would lessen Regina's as well. She didn't protest against them, so he assumed that it helped at least a little.

As he spoke his gentle encouragements, Robin did his best to keep the anxiety he was feeling from his voice. He was no fool: he knew the dangers of childbirth, knew how it had very nearly killed his mother when he came into the world. It was the reason he had stayed an only child; his father had been too scared to put the woman he loved in that kind of danger again. Robin understood his father and as his wife breathed and yet out a whimper as she fought through another contraction, he prayed to every god he could think of to keep her safe.

After the contraction subsided, he asked again if she'd allow the midwife to see to her. It was thanks to the elderly woman that his mother had lived to see him grow up and he trusted her more than the gods he could pray to. He let out a relieved sigh when she agreed and though he reluctantly parted with her, quickly set out to fetch the midwife.
"I'll be back soon." He promised, nearly tripping over his own feet as he ran from the tent.

The midwife had told her that she was definitely in labor, which Regina figured she should be happy about, but she could really only pay attention to the fact that the woman told her that it would most likely be several hours before she could start to bring her baby into the world. Regina had been very ready to strange the woman when she'd told her, but had been prevented from doing so by another ripping contraction that made anything besides groaning in pain a difficult feat to accomplish.

So she diligently breathed, moaned and groaned her way through hours of contractions that came both too slow and too fast at the same time. Robin was beside her the whole time, encouraging her to keep moving often while all she wanted was to lie in bed and be miserable until she could finally hold her baby. The midwife had retreated to give the pair some privacy and had told to call her if anything happened or she wanted to start pushing. Apart from her water breaking, what already felt like hours ago and from the contractions, little happened. It was discouraging to say the least.

"How long is it going to take?!" Regina moaned after yet another contraction. She was seated on the bed with Robin sitting behind her. The midwife had suggested a number of positions to make the contractions easier, but Regina's legs ached and sitting on the bed had quickly become her favorite, not in the least because it allowed Robin easy access to rub her back during contractions.
"Babies take time, dear." Robin told her softly and Regina grumbled in reply. Stating the obvious.

"It's all going to be worth it, Regina. When you see the baby's face for the first time you will forget all about the pain. You-"
"And what do you know about giving birth?" Regina snapped at him.

That shut him up.

"I want to push!" Regina had long since stopped trying to keep the volume down as she worked her way through the increasingly brutal pains that rippled through her body. She hoped that Roland wasn't a light sleeper, because the sounds that she made at the peak of her contractions were not something she wanted the little boy to hear. The pain in her abdomen had been bad before, but had become increasingly intense and had arrived progressively more often over the course of hours until there was hardly any time to catch her breath between them.
"Robin I want to push." She moaned and she barely registered Robin's soft-spoken reaction.
"I'll get the birthing wife." Robin supplied calmly, even if his heart was beating erratically and in both excitement and fear. Regina was a strong woman, he knew and to see her wrecked by the pains that her own body inflicted upon her made his heart twist in his chest. He continued rubbing her back until the worst of the contraction subsided and quickly scurried from the bed to fetch the birthing wife before the worst part of the next one could arrive.

When he returned with the midwife he found her sitting on the middle of the bed, her face contorted in pain as she let out a sound between a moan and a wail that rended his heart. Seeing his wife on the bed laboring through the contractions the same as she did when he was behind her made him feel increasingly useless. He was glad he brought the birthing wife, who had a far better idea of what do to then she had.

"I want to push." Regina repeated, sounding so tired and miserable that Robin could do nothing but move towards her as fast as he could, offering the only support that he could think of. The birthing wife calmly put her arsenal of towels, herbs, oils and things that Robin did not understand in the corner and moved towards Regina, whose face started contorting again as another contraction followed almost too quickly. "I want-"
"I know baby, that's okay." The birthing wife soothed as she quickly cleaned her hands with a towel soaked in all kinds of herbs intended to prevent the disease that was notorious for felling many a new mother. "Let's see if you're ready to push, okay baby?" The woman whisked away a few grey wisps of hair and moved towards the bed calmly, gesturing for Regina to lean back slightly against Robin, which she was happy to do.

"Okay dear, you're almost ready to bring this baby into the world. Just a little bit longer. Try not to push yet."
Regina groaned in frustration at the woman's words. She was tempted to either ignore the woman or smack her in the face for disagreeing with what her body was telling her to do. At the last moment, however, she remembered that this woman had seen many women through labor and that it would probably be wise to listen to her advice. So she worked her way through the next contraction, trying desperately not to work with the intense pressure.
"Okay honey that's wonderful." Praised the grey-haired woman, a small smile gracing her slim lips. "Your baby will be here soon, I promise okay? Just a bit more patience."

"I really want to push." Regina whimpered. She had worked her way through at nearly half a dozen contractions since the midwife had told her that it the baby would arrive 'soon'. Robin was still seated behind her and really the only thing still keeping her upright. He never ceased his soft encouragements and his soft rubbing of her back. "Please." She moaned brokenly, eying the birthing wife. The woman softly moved on the bed and checked her progress for what seemed to take hours.

"Okay baby, now things are going to get moving a lot faster." The woman told her softly, her voice reassuring and calm, the exact opposite of what Regina was feeling. "With the next contraction, go with what your body tells you do to, okay?"

Regina nodded and she had barely started speaking her reply, before another contraction gripped her and finally, finally she went with what her body had wanted her to do for what felt like hours: she bore down, gritted her teeth and pushed with as much force as her tired body could manage. The pain did not lessen any as she worked with it, but at least it felt as if the pain was finally serving a purpose beside making her feel miserable.

"Wonderful darling, take a rest." Praised the birthing wife as the contraction ended. Regina noticed to her relief that the contractions were not following each other as closely as they had before, as if her body was rewarding her for listening to it. She actually found the time to turn her head to face Robin for the first time since the contractions had gotten particularly intense. His eyes were red. He, her forest lord, her hunter who embodied fear in the hearts of many a city man, had been crying before their baby had even been born.
"You're so wonderful Regina, I love you so much." He rasped hoarsely, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She got a few minutes to just lie down and allow her husband's love to soothe the fear in her heart, before the contraction reared up again and her mind went to other places as she bore down again, determined to get the baby out as quickly as she could manage.

Perhaps it had been foolish of her to think that she'd actually start feeling progress after she'd started pushing, but she had worked and huffed her way through half a dozen contractions and the baby was still nowhere to be seen.
"You said the baby would be here soon." Regina moaned accusingly at the birthing wife, falling back against Robin with a touch of the dramatic flair that she could only have inherited from her mother. The older woman gave an empathetic smile and softly patted one of Regina's knees.
"It will be. I can already see her, soon you'll be able to see her too, honey. Just a little bit longer." The woman seemed completely untouched by whatever accusation or cursing Regina could throw her way. Robin quite admired it, but that was something he'd never let his wife know. In any story of the events that took place that night, Robin would diligently agree with his wife that the birthing woman was an annoying oaf.

"Okay push baby." The birthing wife instructed, as if Regina had any other plans as another contraction seized her body. She pushed down, gritting her teeth and letting out a wail that made the hairs on Robin's back stand on end. The contraction did not end when she expected it to and Regina nearly lost her breath as she forced herself to keep pushing through the length of it, even if the birthing wife was probably telling her not to. She let out a moan as the pressure morphed into an odd, painful sensation as she could feel the baby's head making its way into the world. It hurt and Regina grasped Robin's hand tightly to keep herself from pushing until the next contraction arrived.
Robin pressed a careful kiss to the back of her hair and soothingly rubbed her temples, unsure if Regina would allow his hands anywhere near the source of her pain.
"You're doing great, Regina. Almost over." He whispered as he tried to keep the fear at seeing his wife in such pain from his voice.

When the next contraction finally arrived it was a harsh one, rippling through her back and stomach with brutal force as if her body attempted to push the baby into the world on itself. Regina let out a loud wail at the expected, yet somehow still surprising force. She didn't even wait for the birthing woman's instructions, she simply bore down hard until the pressure got so great she let out a sob at the pain. Yet she gritted her teeth and continued to push until mercifully, the burning sensation subsided somewhat as she felt the force lessen between her legs as she finally felt the progress that she was making. She fell back against Robin's back and closed her eyes, exhausted. Robin continued rubbing her temples and murmuring nonsense that didn't really reach her ears.

"Okay that was the baby's head darling. It's got beautiful dark hair like your own." The older woman encouraged. Regina felt a warm towel pressing against her, which soothed the pain slightly. "Now it will probably be one or two pushes more and you'll be able to hold her. Ready dear?"

And she was ready, more than ready. With the next ripple of pain she grasped Robin so tightly that she was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to string his bow properly for a few days. She bore down and pushed as hard as she could manage, her cry of pain filling the tent until suddenly, finally, the pressure was gone and she watched the woman lift up a writhing, rumpled tiny little human being.
"You've got a beautiful daughter." The birthing wife announced with a bright smile.

Regina gasped at the sight of the baby. The baby that was actually there and fine and suddenly she remembered the tiny baby boy that hadn't been so lucky. Remembered how Cora had taken him away.
"Give her to me." She pleaded desperately and the birthing wife quickly complied, placing the writhing infant on her chest. Regina was dimply aware of the birthing wife asking Robin if he wanted to cut the cord and him shaking his head, apparently not willing to leave her. She figured the midwife would probably take care if it when it became necessary, but was too preoccupied with her newborn daughter to bother thinking about it. She watched the little girl writhing on her chest; All tiny eyes and tiny and tiny fingers and tiny limbs and she fell in love with the girl that very instant.

The baby was still relatively quiet, Regina realized and fear gripped her heart.
"Shouldn't she be crying?" She asked, panic already settling in heart at the idea of losing this beautiful baby that she already loved more than anything in the world. She bit her lip as she took in the sight of the baby lying on her chest, writing and sputtering as it was obviously not pleased. She lifted up one hand to touch the baby's back, feeling the slightly sticky but incredibly soft skin beneath her fingers as she started rubbing circles on the back nervously.
"Oh she will, believe me." The birthing wife replied and she was proven right only seconds after, as the baby's complaining sputtering transformed into a full blown wail.

The final sign that her baby was indeed healthy made tears spring to Regina's eyes and though she had little experience with children, her instinct took over as she sat up slightly and cradled the newborn in her arms.
"Oh baby." She sniffled, moving her hand through the tiny wisps of hair that were already drying and trying to curl up from her scalp. The baby continued writhing and crying softly, her "Oh honey I know." She murmured and suddenly a soft laugh erupted from her as she took in the sight of her beautiful daughter, because Robin had been right: A girl with ebony hair. The birthing wife quickly supplied a towel and draped it over the figure of the baby, but retreated towards the back of the tent for a few minutes so the brand-knew family could get acquainted. With the warmth of the towel draped over her back and her mother's warmth against her skin, the baby quickly calmed down, allowing Regina time to simply gaze at the infant laying in her chest. She was dimly aware of the small contractions still stuttering in her body as it got rid of the remains of her pregnancy, but she could hardly get herself to pay attention to it as she gazed at her beautiful daughter who she swore she'd give all the love her mother had never granted to her.

"She's beautiful." She had almost forgotten Robin sitting next to her and his sudden words surprised her. His voice was raspy and she could hear in this voice that tears were very likely streaming down his face as he took in the sight of his daughter. He pressed a kiss to the back of her head and carefully circled his arms around her. "You were so great Regina." She could hear him swallow heavily, his voice filling up with even more emotion as his hand reached out very slowly to stroke the back of the tiny baby that was starting to calm down as it laid on Regina's chest. "Look at how gorgeous our daughter is."

And Robin was right, because Regina didn't think she'd ever seen such a precious, beautiful baby before in her life: she had ebony hair, like herself, but as the hair dried it was apparent that she would probably have the same curly, hard to tame hair that Roland had. Though still colored a pink rather than anything else, Regina swore that she would grow up to inherit at least a bit of her southern toned skin that she had herself inherited from her father. She fell in love with the little trademark Locksley dimples on her daughter's tiny cheeks and secretly prayed that she wouldn't grow out of them. The baby let out a small sputtering sound as she started clumsily moving tiny limbs again and then, as if Regina had asked her, she opened her eyes.

Neither Robin nor Regina could have guessed the color of the baby's eyes. It wasn't the warm brown of Regina's eyes, nor the cool blue depth of Robin's. The color of their daughter's eyes could only be compared to the Sherwood forest: a bright golden color, the exact same as the beautiful colorful leaves that graced the treetops of the forest. The Sherwood forest had left its mark upon their daughter.
"Oh." Gasped Robin. "I don't think anyone won that bet."
She was mellowed and distracted by the sight of her baby, now taking in her environment with curious, beautiful shining eyes, so it took a while before the words registered. When they did, however, she frowned and turned around slightly to face Robin. "You bet on our daughter?"
"I did not. But many of my men did." Robin answered, his eyes twinkling and Regina pursed her lips, but before she could say anything Robin pressed a gentle kiss to them.
"Who cares about my men, milady? We have a daughter."
Regina smiled brightly as she turned her attention back towards their daughter, laying on her chest. "That we do."

She watched their beautiful daughter and allowed herself to close her eyes, tiredness overtaking her as she slipped in a light sleep.

"Regina dear. Wake up." Robin's voice was soft, but insistent in her ear. Regina slowly complied as she opened her eyes. She was still so, so tired and the ache in her body had not lessened much. Her sleep couldn't have been very long. She blinked away the sleep from her eyes and smiled tiredly as she saw the baby still laying on her chest. She had half-expected to wake up finding her in Robin's arms, but it was a pleasant surprise.
"How long was I asleep?"
"No more than fifteen minutes, I felt you needed to see this, Regina." He answered and smiled softly as he took in the wonderful sight that was playing out before him.

Regina let out a small gasp as she saw what Robin meant: her daughter was awake now and suckling at her skin as it was evidently in search of her breasts. Her tiny hands were feeling her mother's skin, while her legs clumsily but determinedly tried to push her little body forward towards her destination.
"Oh baby, are you hungry?" Regina whispered as she took the infant and lifted it up towards her breasts, gently guiding her daughter to what she was evidently looking for. It didn't take long for the baby to find her nipple and latch on, her fussing sounds stopping immediately as she started suckling contently. Regina gasped at the strange sensation, but quickly closed her eyes as she felt her body relax at the touch and she leant back against Robin, just watching her beautiful daughter while her husband murmured loving words in her ear.

The baby fell asleep almost immediately after she'd finished drinking her fill, her tiny body relaxing completely as she nuzzled against her mother's skin. Being born was a tiring event, it seemed. Regina herself felt worn out as well, her eyes closing longer and progressively more often as she leant back against Robin, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"You want to sleep?" Robin asked gently and Regina nodded sleepily. Robin gave a small smile and pressed a final kiss to her hair, before moving away from the position behind her and lifting the baby up in his arms as if it were something he'd done every day of his life. Robin had almost forgotten how long he'd been sitting behind his wife, feeling the strain in his legs and back set in, but he wouldn't complain about it. His wife had endured far more than he had and had granted him their beautiful daughter. He cradled the little girl in his arms and pressed a soft kiss to her head, much in the same way he would kiss the back of his wife's head often. As Regina watched him she felt the love for him swell and flutter inside her and she couldn't keep in a sleepy smile.

"I love you." She murmured. She barely caught his reply of 'I love you too, Regina, so very much', before she finally drifted away into a well-deserved sleep.

Both super nervous and super excited about this one. I really wanted to capture the spirit of the birth without boring you or like traumatizing anyone or something like that, haha. I tried to make it realistic, but I apologise if I got things wrong. Anyway, the baby's here! Yay! And yes she hasn't got a name because I can't decide on one. I hope you liked this chapter, stay tuned, because Roland will want to meet his baby sister!