Part 12
Three months came and went, and now a year had passed. Xena and Gabrielle, both 16, were heavy with child. Ares, 19, was anxiously awaiting the birth of his child with Xena. Eve, Chloe, Serenity, and Dawn were thriving and growing more beautiful each day. Eve was 4, Chloe, 3, Serenity, 2, and Dawn was 1.
Joxer and Gabrielle had been anxiously awaiting their baby's birth. They were excited because they were due the same time as the queen. They had planned and waited and hoped to become with child, and finally, they were going to be parents.
Xena, who was feeling mild pains of labor, kept to herself on this day. She was tired and sore and wanted to sleep, but she couldn't with the pain that came and went every half of an hour or so.
Xena smiled when she thought of her children. Eve was practically a young adult if you judged her by her mannerisms. She would talk the best she could with appropriate usage of words, and she never raised her voice unless she had a good reason. Her hair hung down her back now, it was the darkest brown, just like her mother's. It was practically black. Her eyes were the like deep pools of water. They were a magnificent blue, like her mother's. Chloe had that same dark hair and blue eyes. Her hair was a bit shorter seeing as she was a year younger than Eve. She was a happy child who like to play and get dirty. Of course, the servants didn't like that because they bathed her nightly. Serenity was just beginning to get into the dirt. Before she turned 2, she wouldn't touch mud, now, she practically had it caked on every time you would turn around. She too had dark hair and blue eyes. Finally, little Dawn. She was just as beautiful as her mother and her sisters. She had dark hair and blue eyes, but she was just a little thing. She was toddling her steps, and when she tried to run, she'd fall, causing a lot of crying because all she fell on were the big steps in front of the palace. For some reason, she thought that was the only place to run.
Gabrielle walked down the hall and into Xena's room with a knock on the door.
"Hi Gabrielle." Xena said with a soft moan.
"How long?" Gabrielle asked.
"All morning. They're a half of an hour in between." Xena said.
"Okay. I'll get the midwife." Gabrielle said.
"No. Will you stay with me? Please? Just for a little while, then you can get the midwife." Xena said. Gabrielle nodded.
"Okay." She said. Xena smiled.
"You make a beautiful pregnant woman, Gabrielle." Xena said with a smile. Gabrielle grinned.
"So do you." She said.
"I can't believe I'm having my fifth child. I'm only 16. This is all that I'm ever going to do. Well, that is unless I give my king a son." Xena said.
"Don't you let him make you have children. That should be your choice." Gabrielle said.
"He's king, Gabrielle . . ." Xena said.
"And you're queen." Gabrielle said.
"I love the children. I wouldn't mind to have more. It's just that it seems he just loves me because I produce a child every year for him. But, I can't produce a son . . . therefore he thinks I'm useless." Xena admitted.
"That is not true! Do you here me? You are useful. You are the most amazing woman I've ever met, and I'd give anything to be like you. You have the most wonderful personality, Xena. You have wonderful children, you have a good husband, although he doesn't show he loves you sometimes, I've heard him talk at night. He talks to the servants about how wonderful his wife is, how brilliant, beautiful, and sweet she is. He talks about how incredible his daughters are and that he feels it is him that can't produce a child with you." Gabrielle declared.
"He said all of that?" Xena asked with tears in her eyes. Gabrielle nodded.
"He loves you Xena." She said. "We all love you. You have so many people that care about you and the children. You have me. I'm your friend. You're my best friend, Xena. I love you."
"I love you too, Gabrielle." The queen said with a smile. The two hugged, and Xena felt another pain go through her.
Within the hour, Xena was pushing hard and the midwife was preparing her for delivery. Gabrielle was holding Xena's hand and Ares, once again was pacing the halls and the children were with him out there. He didn't have any priests this time, he was hoping all the faith he had, he could offer to the gods for a son.
The midwife saw the baby's head crowning. She looked at Gabrielle who looked as well. She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw that the head was blue.
"What's wrong?" Xena asked the midwife. The midwife didn't answer.
"Just push Xena. Come on." Gabrielle said. Xena pushed hard and she felt the baby slide out of her and saw the midwife wrapping something up. She held it close and carried it over to the washing basing on the table. Xena saw her massaging the baby and she saw it was blue.
"What's wrong?" Xena asked with a sob.
"Your son is dead, my queen." The midwife said. Xena broke down into tears. She had a son, but he had died.
"Let me hold him!" Xena ordered. She looked to Gabrielle who was crying. She had her face buried in her hands. The midwife as the queen ordered. She handed the baby to Xena. Xena held the baby who was bundled in a blanket. She looked him over. He was a boy. He was so cold, so blue. She started to sob again. She kissed the top of his head.
"Could you leave us?" Xena asked Gabrielle and the midwife. "They nodded." They left the room. Ares stopped the midwife.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Ares asked.
"You had a son." The midwife said softly. Ares looked pleased but his face fell.
"Had?" he asked.
"The child is dead. I'm sorry." She said before she walked off. Gabrielle lingered behind and sat with Xena's other four children. Ares couldn't go in to face Xena. Not yet. He just stood there outside the door and closed his eyes.
Xena looked toward the sky.
"Gods, you have never given me a son before. But you give me one now. He's dead. Why? Do you do this to torment me?" she asked. She started to feel the tears subside. She looked back to her baby. "I'd have named you Solan." She said. She heard thunder outside, up in the sky. "Gods, please don't take my son. Please give him back to me. This was my chance to bear a son. I love my son, no matter what. I just want to see him grow up. Please, don't deny me that." She started to cry again, and with that prayer, she felt her son start to move and breathe in her arms. She looked down and saw he was no longer blue. He was starting to look normal and his little blue eyes were opening. He didn't cry though. He looked up at Xena and he blinked a few times. Xena smiled. "Thank you, Gods." She said softly. "Thank you."
Xena put her finger down to the baby's hand and he grasped it with his fist. He squeezed her finger, and Xena knew, her son was okay. He then began to cry.
Three months came and went, and now a year had passed. Xena and Gabrielle, both 16, were heavy with child. Ares, 19, was anxiously awaiting the birth of his child with Xena. Eve, Chloe, Serenity, and Dawn were thriving and growing more beautiful each day. Eve was 4, Chloe, 3, Serenity, 2, and Dawn was 1.
Joxer and Gabrielle had been anxiously awaiting their baby's birth. They were excited because they were due the same time as the queen. They had planned and waited and hoped to become with child, and finally, they were going to be parents.
Xena, who was feeling mild pains of labor, kept to herself on this day. She was tired and sore and wanted to sleep, but she couldn't with the pain that came and went every half of an hour or so.
Xena smiled when she thought of her children. Eve was practically a young adult if you judged her by her mannerisms. She would talk the best she could with appropriate usage of words, and she never raised her voice unless she had a good reason. Her hair hung down her back now, it was the darkest brown, just like her mother's. It was practically black. Her eyes were the like deep pools of water. They were a magnificent blue, like her mother's. Chloe had that same dark hair and blue eyes. Her hair was a bit shorter seeing as she was a year younger than Eve. She was a happy child who like to play and get dirty. Of course, the servants didn't like that because they bathed her nightly. Serenity was just beginning to get into the dirt. Before she turned 2, she wouldn't touch mud, now, she practically had it caked on every time you would turn around. She too had dark hair and blue eyes. Finally, little Dawn. She was just as beautiful as her mother and her sisters. She had dark hair and blue eyes, but she was just a little thing. She was toddling her steps, and when she tried to run, she'd fall, causing a lot of crying because all she fell on were the big steps in front of the palace. For some reason, she thought that was the only place to run.
Gabrielle walked down the hall and into Xena's room with a knock on the door.
"Hi Gabrielle." Xena said with a soft moan.
"How long?" Gabrielle asked.
"All morning. They're a half of an hour in between." Xena said.
"Okay. I'll get the midwife." Gabrielle said.
"No. Will you stay with me? Please? Just for a little while, then you can get the midwife." Xena said. Gabrielle nodded.
"Okay." She said. Xena smiled.
"You make a beautiful pregnant woman, Gabrielle." Xena said with a smile. Gabrielle grinned.
"So do you." She said.
"I can't believe I'm having my fifth child. I'm only 16. This is all that I'm ever going to do. Well, that is unless I give my king a son." Xena said.
"Don't you let him make you have children. That should be your choice." Gabrielle said.
"He's king, Gabrielle . . ." Xena said.
"And you're queen." Gabrielle said.
"I love the children. I wouldn't mind to have more. It's just that it seems he just loves me because I produce a child every year for him. But, I can't produce a son . . . therefore he thinks I'm useless." Xena admitted.
"That is not true! Do you here me? You are useful. You are the most amazing woman I've ever met, and I'd give anything to be like you. You have the most wonderful personality, Xena. You have wonderful children, you have a good husband, although he doesn't show he loves you sometimes, I've heard him talk at night. He talks to the servants about how wonderful his wife is, how brilliant, beautiful, and sweet she is. He talks about how incredible his daughters are and that he feels it is him that can't produce a child with you." Gabrielle declared.
"He said all of that?" Xena asked with tears in her eyes. Gabrielle nodded.
"He loves you Xena." She said. "We all love you. You have so many people that care about you and the children. You have me. I'm your friend. You're my best friend, Xena. I love you."
"I love you too, Gabrielle." The queen said with a smile. The two hugged, and Xena felt another pain go through her.
Within the hour, Xena was pushing hard and the midwife was preparing her for delivery. Gabrielle was holding Xena's hand and Ares, once again was pacing the halls and the children were with him out there. He didn't have any priests this time, he was hoping all the faith he had, he could offer to the gods for a son.
The midwife saw the baby's head crowning. She looked at Gabrielle who looked as well. She felt her heart skip a beat when she saw that the head was blue.
"What's wrong?" Xena asked the midwife. The midwife didn't answer.
"Just push Xena. Come on." Gabrielle said. Xena pushed hard and she felt the baby slide out of her and saw the midwife wrapping something up. She held it close and carried it over to the washing basing on the table. Xena saw her massaging the baby and she saw it was blue.
"What's wrong?" Xena asked with a sob.
"Your son is dead, my queen." The midwife said. Xena broke down into tears. She had a son, but he had died.
"Let me hold him!" Xena ordered. She looked to Gabrielle who was crying. She had her face buried in her hands. The midwife as the queen ordered. She handed the baby to Xena. Xena held the baby who was bundled in a blanket. She looked him over. He was a boy. He was so cold, so blue. She started to sob again. She kissed the top of his head.
"Could you leave us?" Xena asked Gabrielle and the midwife. "They nodded." They left the room. Ares stopped the midwife.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Ares asked.
"You had a son." The midwife said softly. Ares looked pleased but his face fell.
"Had?" he asked.
"The child is dead. I'm sorry." She said before she walked off. Gabrielle lingered behind and sat with Xena's other four children. Ares couldn't go in to face Xena. Not yet. He just stood there outside the door and closed his eyes.
Xena looked toward the sky.
"Gods, you have never given me a son before. But you give me one now. He's dead. Why? Do you do this to torment me?" she asked. She started to feel the tears subside. She looked back to her baby. "I'd have named you Solan." She said. She heard thunder outside, up in the sky. "Gods, please don't take my son. Please give him back to me. This was my chance to bear a son. I love my son, no matter what. I just want to see him grow up. Please, don't deny me that." She started to cry again, and with that prayer, she felt her son start to move and breathe in her arms. She looked down and saw he was no longer blue. He was starting to look normal and his little blue eyes were opening. He didn't cry though. He looked up at Xena and he blinked a few times. Xena smiled. "Thank you, Gods." She said softly. "Thank you."
Xena put her finger down to the baby's hand and he grasped it with his fist. He squeezed her finger, and Xena knew, her son was okay. He then began to cry.