Alright, I got it done. It's technically midnight where I am, but I promised to get it done. I couldn't not write it.
10868letsgo: Yes! The baby is coming! So exciting!
DullReign82: Things are definitely going to change now!
white seprent: So exciting! The baby is almost here!
Enjoy!
Eddard Stark wakes when he hears feet running past the chambers he shares with his wife. It's still dark out, and he's not sure how long he had been asleep. Catelyn stirs next to him as he rises, pulling on a robe before going to the door. There's a knock just before he reaches it and he opens it to find Robb. He's breathing hard, and he looks disheveled.
"It's time." Robb breathes out. "Raya's going to have the baby."
Ned nods. "Did you send for Maester Luwin?"
"Yes. He's getting everything ready."
"Good. We'll be down shortly."
Robb nods before hurrying back down to his own chambers. Catelyn's already out of bed, pulling on her own robe and slippers. Ned nods to her as she moves past him, going to be with Raya. She had already decided she would be there for her good-daughter while she delivered the baby. Catelyn was fond of Raya, and while she had voiced her opinions about Ned's decision to marry her to Robb, she had seen how well they fit together. Despite the wedges they had between them during their first few months of marriage, she could see how much they cared for each other. Perhaps Robb would be lucky and find love with her after all. She knows how much her children had brought her and Ned together. Perhaps this was just what they needed.
Robb is sitting outside the room when Ned gets there. His other children, apart from Rickon are there with him. No doubt the ruckus and excitement had woken them. He pulls Sansa, Arya and Bran to the side, letting Jon sit with Robb. Ghost and Grey Wind are laying near the door to the room, both watching the movement in the hallway. Direwolves certainly were incredible creatures.
"You three go back to bed." Ned quiets their cries of indignation. "There's nothing you can do right now. Go try to get some sleep." He sends them back to their rooms, taking a seat next to Robb. He knows Robb would have preferred to be in the room with Raya. He had felt the same urge with the four births he had been present for. But Raya was in good hands. Maester Luwin had delivered all of Cat's children, and now he would deliver Raya's.
Raya feels as if she's being torn in half. The pain she had been in all day now felt like nothing compared to the pain she was in now. Lady Stark was there with her, dabbing at her face with a cold cloth. The pressure she had been feeling all day has increased. It's her baby, she realizes, trying to work his way out of her body. She desperately wants the pain to end, but Maester Luwin says there's still just a short while to go before it is over. Lady Stark had reassured her many times about Maester Luwin's capability to deliver her child. He had delivered all of Lady Stark's own children. Raya did not doubt his skill, she was more concerned about her own strength. She had not even pushed yet, and she was already exhausted.
"It's time for you to push now, my lady." Maester Luwin tells her.
Lady Stark takes her hand, squeezing it gently. "It will be over soon."
Raya takes a deep breath before finally pushing, crying out from the pain of her body stretching. It's the worst pain she's ever felt. Worse than the whipping, worse than the switch, worse than all the torture her father had put her through. Worse than losing her mother, worse than losing her brother. Worse than Ramsay's twisted actions towards her. Such a beautiful thing that came from so much pain. Perhaps that's the price for something so great. Beauty comes with pain. She had heard that once, one maid at the Dreadfort, one of Ramsay's favorites had said that. She thought it ridiculous. But what did she know of beauty?
The next hour of Raya's life is full of nothing but pain. She's tired, exhausted from the strain of pushing and the pain as her body forces her baby into the world. Lady Stark is there, offering her encouragements. Raya is glad she is there. Lady Stark had been nothing but kind to her, a wonderful help during her pregnancy. Raya had forgotten what it was like to have a mother, a kind, gentle hand there. She is glad to have such a strong, kind woman as her good-mother.
"I can't do it." Raya breathes, panting in between waves of pain. "I can't do it anymore."
Lady Stark shushes her. "You can. You are the strongest woman I have ever met. You survived sixteen years at the Dreadfort. You can do this."
Raya squeezes Lady Stark's hand as another wave of pain hits her, this one the most intense. She's sure she's being torn in half now, her body nearly lifting off the bed at the force of the pressure.
"The head is nearly out. Just a few more pushes, my lady." Maester Luwin tells her. It's almost done. It's almost over. Lady Stark was right. She had survived her childhood. She could survive this.
Raya pushes as Maester Luwin tells her, determined now to bring this child into the world. The pain is no less, but she fights it now, pushing it aside as she had during her punishments. Lady Stark keeps encouraging her, and with one final push the pressure between her legs eases. She takes a deep breath, falling back on the bed. It's silent in the room for a breath before a sharp wail replaces Raya's screams of pain. Raya nearly laughs with delight. Her child was here. Her child is with her now.
Lady Stark kisses her head, smiling at her. "You did it."
Maester Luwin cleans the baby, making sure everything is right before looking to Raya and Lady Stark. "It's a boy."
Raya smiles an exhausted smile. She had been right. She has a son now. Lady Stark dabs at her face with a cool cloth again, wiping away the sweat from her exertion. Maester Luwin swaddles the child before handing him to Raya. Raya takes him, Lady Stark showing her how to hold him.
Lady Stark looks down at her grandson. "Oh, he is beautiful."
Raya smiles down at him, holding him close to her chest as Maester Luwin cleans her up. "Yes, he is." She feels tears welling in her eyes. "My beautiful boy."
Lady Stark smiles at her fondly. "I will go and tell Robb the good news."
Raya nods, unable to tear her gaze from her son as Lady Stark rises, leaving the room. All three men waiting outside look to her as she steps out of the door. Ned is there with Robb, and Jon as well. Grey Wind and Ghost raise their heads as she exits, giving her inquisitive looks that match the ones from the men next to them. Robb stands to his feet, conveying the same emotions she's sure Ned had felt at Robb's own birth.
"It is a boy. You have a healthy son, Robb."
Robb breathes a sigh of relief, pulling his mother into a hug. He has a son. Not even a year married, not even Lord of Winterfell yet and he already has an heir. Raya had given him a son. He pulls away from his mother a little. "And Raya?"
Catelyn smiles at her son. "She did wonderfully. She certainly is a strong woman."
Robb smiles, breathing a sigh of relief. Raya is alright. There had been no complications as he had feared. He's eager to see her, to meet his son. He would have been in the room with her if it had been appropriate, but he had been stuck outside, listening to her pained screams. When they had stopped, he had swore his heart stopped with them. It had seemed an eternity had passed before he had heard the first cry of his son. For just a moment he had feared the worst, but all had been alright.
The door to the room opens again, Maester Luwin stepping out. "She is ready if you would like to come in."
Robb turns to his father who gives him a smile. "Go. Meet your son. Be with your wife. We will come by in the morning."
Robb nods, turning and going into his room. Raya is propped up on the bed, holding a bundle in her arms. He's never seen her look quite like she looks in that moment. The fire is roaring hot in the fireplace, the candles still lit about the room giving it a soft glow. Robb pauses for a moment, looking at Raya in the light. She seems to glow, more alive than he'd ever seen her. She's smiling, a soft, genuine smile at the bundle in her arms. Their son.
She looks up at him as he steps closer, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Our son."
Robb moves so he's sitting beside her, wrapping an arm around her. He looks down at his son, feeling his heart swell as he looks at the tiny bundle. He feels tears well in his eyes as he looks down at his son. His son. The words seem foreign in his mind. He'd been waiting for this day for nine months and still the words seem strange to him. He feels Raya's head shift, leaning against his arm as she looks at him.
Raya can see the love in Robb's eyes as he watches their son. Love. It's a strange concept to her. She doesn't remember what love feels like. She had seen it between Lord Stark and his wife, between the Stark children and their parents. She had seen it between the Stark children as well. But Raya could not remember what it was like to love, what it was like to feel loved. She did not think it would be possible for her and Robb to find love. She would have been happy accepting care, devotion, desire. But love had never been an idea for her in this marriage. But now, looking at Robb as he stares at his son she feels something. Something warm in her chest, something that chokes her, brings tears to her eyes as she stares up at her husband. She feels her heart fluttering in her chest, her stomach in knots. It's not like the nervous energy she'd had when she met Robb for the first time, nor when she had married him. Not the nervous feelings she'd had on their wedding night, the night their son was conceived. Not the nervous energy she'd felt when Robb had discovered her scars, nor the nervous feelings she'd had telling him the truth. This was something different, something foreign to her. No, it's not completely foreign. She'd felt it looking at her son too. She knows exactly what it is.
Robb turns his gaze to her, looking down at her with the same look he had been giving their son. She feels a tear slip down her cheek, the words leaving her lips without needing any prompting. No force, no second thought as she tears down the last of her walls, bearing her heart right in front of him. "I love you, Robb."
Robb smiles down at her, leaning down to kiss the tear that's sliding down her cheek away. "I love you too." He leans down further, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
"Does he have a name, my lord?" Maester Luwin asks once they break apart.
Robb looks down at his son. He and Raya had discussed names a few days prior. They had put it off in fear of something happening, but they had given in and chosen their names. One for a girl, and one for a boy. "Edrick. His name is Edrick Stark."
Maester Luwin nods, bringing a cup over to Raya. "Milk of the poppy, my lady. For the pain."
Raya nods, looking up at Robb. "You'll have to hold him."
Robb nods, taking Edrick from Raya. He seems so small to Robb as he holds him in his arms. He supports his head as he had been taught to do with his siblings, looking down at the sweet face. He's got a tuft of dark hair already on his head. Perhaps he would take more after Raya after all. The bundle is warm in his arms, alive. He had pictured holding his son in his arms so many times. He'd dreamed it even. But those dreams had been nothing compared to holding his son.
Maester Luwin leaves them after Raya drinks the milk of the poppy. Robb knows he won't sleep again. The King would arrive in a matter of hours, the night nearly over now. He would have been glad to stay with his son, but as heir to Winterfell he had a duty he would have to do. The King would excuse his wife's absence, his father had told him. But his would not be so forgiven.
"Give my apologies to the king." Raya mumbles, the milk of the poppy doing its work as she already begins to drift off.
Robb kisses her head. "I will. Get some rest. You've done enough hard work today."