She didn't envy Sansa. Actually, Val never found a good reason to be.
Not even when, seeing the beautiful Queen for the first time in years, Jon's eyes sparkled with a shine unseen by her before, not even when they hugged tight, holding each other for dear life. Not even when Val saw how stunning the Wolf Queen really was. Young, beautiful and fertile.
That Val envied her.
When she missed her period for a couple of days, she didn't bother much and organized her cloths waiting for her blood to come. And when a week passed and nothing happened, Val truly considered if really could be with child. If her sore, swollen breasts were a signal of the life growing inside her now. When she told Jon that night, he looked at her with disbelief before asking if she was sure. She was, she said, her smile so big it hurt. They enjoyed the rest of the night by the fire, embracing themselves under the furs, imagining if it was a boy or a girl, how it would look like, how long it would take to be here. So many dreams they had already.
Those dreams were ripped from them only a forthnight after that night, when Val woke up in pain, bleeding in their bed.
The second time Val got pregnant it took almost half a year of trying for a baby, much longer than they expected. And for their sadness, she didn't even made halfway throught her pregnancy.
"It will happen, my love." Jon said kissing her head, caressing her shoulders. "Let's give it time."
Val let a tear drop.
"Aye, more time. " Her tone was humourless. "Are... Are we even made for this?" Val asked, holding herself, still refusing to put her hand over her belly.
"Of course we are, love." Jon's hands travelled from her shoulders to her under her belly button, where their baby was for now. "Let's enjoy it, above else. One day after the other. We never got this far before..."
It's true, they never stayed pregnant for this long before, and Val's anxiety and fear went throught the roof, every morning expecting blood on the sheets, expecting cramping and heartache. And everytime she remembered Sansa telling how she had three children already, the youngest of them only 2 years of age, she got jealous. A stupid, unreasonable and childish jealousy and envy that comes from wanting something so bad and never having it, only to see others having it as plentyful as it comes. It wasn't the Queen's fault, anyways. And the thought only saddened her more.
So, for weeks on end, Val kept her heart guarded, her hopes low, and lived each day slowly, one after another, just like Jon said. Until...
Until one night she felt it, clear as day, a distinctive kick. Imedialy she put her hands on her belly, calling for Jon.
"What it is, Val?" She didn't answer, she just took his hands and placed them under hers, pressing gently. And again, they felt movement, they felt life. They felt their baby for the first time. That night they made love sweetly, passionatly kissing each other and whispering sweet nothings.
So then, Val and Jon let down their walls and joyfully enjoyed every kick, every movement, every moon that passed, they celebrated Val's womb, full of life. The whole village happy for them, Tormund's wife even made the baby a quilt as a gift.
"My love, do you have everything we need?" Jon asked, taking of his working coat and hanging it on the wall.
"We are only missing a midwife" Val anwsered with a smile that had Jon rolling his eyes with a smirk on his face.
"Aye, Val. I'm going to arranged it tomorrow morning." He served himself some creamy soup and a piece of fresh bread, stuffing it in his mouth.
They decided it would be better if Val had another woman to help and guide her throughtout the process of birth, even if Val was called as a midwife more times she could remember. It would be her first baby, she'd like as much help she could have. So a friend of hers would come along with Jon to stay until the baby was here.
After the soup, Jon washed himself and fed the fire, making the room cozy and warm, before petting Ghost goodnight and laying on the bed with Val, hugging her, his fingers caressing her belly.
"He's heavy." Val said with a heavy breath. "It gets harder to catch my breath with this big babe of yours on my lungs." Jon and Val smiled, their eyes closed, waiting for the sleep to come.
"You don't bother your mother, babe. You've been cooking long enough now, its time to get out." They both laughed at Jon's tone. " You hear that, little baby? Its time to come out so papa can see if you have the beauty of your mother, if the Gods be good you'll be."
"You are being silly, go to sleep, Jon Snow! You have to be early morning at the road... And feed the horses for me, would ya?"
Jon chuckled, closing his eyes again. "Aye, love."
For three ours they slept, until Val felt a strong cramp that woke her up. Still in the haziness of her sleep, she tried to decide if she nedded to go birth a child or take a shit. Maybe both. When she had another one and then another one of those strong cramps, she woke Jon up.
"Baby? Jon, wake up." Her voice as calm as possible.
"Hun?" His sleepy voice anwsered.
"I... I think it's time."
"It's baby time? R-right now?" Jon's voice now alert as he sitted on the bed. "Should I go fetch the midwife?"
Val breathed throught her contractions, counting the time in her head. They were not far apart.
"I don't know..." She changed positions to seat on the bed and felt a gush of warm water come out of her, her waters gone. "I dont think you're going anywhere now."
Jon froze.
"What, what, what should I do?" He questioned.
Val let out a laugh.
"Jon, listen to me. Don't panic, aye? I'm fine, the baby is moving." She reassured him. "I know what to do and what's to come and I need your support. I need you here for me."
She could see his eyes soften.
"Aye, I can do that, love." He kissed her hands. "He heard his father, at least." They shared a big smile.
Val knew what she'd go throught, after her sister Dalla passed away while giving birth with only her as help, it scarred Val. She didnt think someday she would be capable of doing it right and help a birth woman, but life had other plans and when the midwives were fewer and fewer, Val found herself at someone's birth, and with the knowledge of older women she was not only more capable but more at peace knowing her sister's death had nothing to do with something she did or didn't do.
But right now, right now there was no looking back, she decided to only focus on the the most important birthing job she had; birthing her own baby.
For the next hour, under her guidance Jon prepared their room, fetched hot water, blankets, cloths, and kept the fire going and made sure she always had drinking water when nedded. While Val, moaned and squated and labored, each contraction stronger than the other, almost pushing her to her limits. She reached out a hand inside her and smile appeared on her sweaty face.
"Oh I can already feel the top of your head, my baby." Tears rolled down her face. "We are not to far from meeting you, my love."
Jon came closer, squating with her, reminding her to breath.
He would be lying if he said seeing Val in the last moments of birth, screaming her contractions away, grabbing him, asking for her baby to arrive quickly, didn't scared the hell out of him.
But when she gave that final, mighty push and all he could hear was a strong cry of a baby, Jon's world stopped in euphoria and happiness.
Bloodly, covered in vernix and crying her little lungs off, there was their daughter. With a head full of dark hair just like his.
"I can't believe we've done it, my love." Val cried, hugging the baby tighly into her chest. "I can't believe I am a mother, Jon. I made you a father, Jon." She cried.
Jon wiped tear after tear off his face and smiled at Val and their little baby, offering a warm fur blanket to cover them.
"She's so pretty, Val. Look at her." The baby no longer cried but only cooed into her mother's breast. Slowly oppening her eyes, looking around.
"I'm so glad its over It was so damn hard."
He kissed her forehead, over and over again.
"You've done it so well, my love. It's over, now. She's here."
"Aye." Val smiled, looking down at her baby, guiding her to her breasts to fed.
She was here, crying, feeding, moving her little arms and legs around, not used to the space to stretch out after many months in her mother's womb.
"Nora" Val whispered.
"What?"
"Her name. I was thinking about Nora."
"I thought we shouldn't name babies before they turn two." Jon's face was confused.
"Aye. But I don't want to wait any longer for anything about my daughter." Val hand touched the babe's head gently.
They both watched the little one nursing for a while before Jon whispered.
"Nora... I like it very much."
Tomorrow they would worry about everything else. Tonight the only thing that mattered was the tiny baby that they created together and loved so much.