Daisy made her way to the ruined remains of what had been Dragonstone's gods' wood. She could feel the faintest echoes of the trees that'd once been there. Maybe their roots were still there? She was curious. And Jon and everyone were busy mining dragonglass, her powers and being in a cave being mined sounded terrible, so here she was. She paused at the faint flicker of motion down the hall she was passing by.
Turning she came to a complete halt. There was a man, one of the servants, rocking back and forth, wringing his hands as he clearly debated coming up to her. Hanging onto his shoulder, half holding him back was a second, slightly older man. She brushed her hair behind her ear and kept her body language loose and unthreatening. "Hello, did you need something?"
Finally, the man jerked forward, bowing at the waist. "My wife is in labor, I beg your blessings. Please. It's our first child, there's no midwife. Please. I can't lose her. I'll sacrifice anything, Holiness!" Sweat was running down the side of his face. His terror practically wafting off of him.
Daisy felt a sudden jolt of panic. "I'm sorry, your wife is having a baby right now? Like right now, right now?"
"Her labor pains just began, but there's no midwife, and I…please, I'll do anything Holiness for her and the child to survive. Please." He dropped to his knees, bursting into tears as his knees hit the stone.
She opened and then shut her mouth. "Is anyone with her?!" Because you were supposed to have someone with you for giving birth! Right!?
"There's no women here, Holiness." The second man said, and shit, he was trembling. Dude had grey in his hair and was probably old enough to be her dad. "They fled before the Dothraki arrived. Alix's wife was too heavily pregnant for them to flee."
Daisy swallowed thickly. "So no midwife, isn't there a maester?"
The greying man shook his head, face tight.
She swallowed. Right, ok. Daisy reached down and grabbed the kneeling Alix's arms and dragged him back to his feet. "Go, help your wife, I'll help you. Ok, give me like thirty minutes and I'll come." She looked at the other man. "I'll need you to come with me."
Daisy looked over her shoulder at the older servant who was following her. His tension was actually horrifying, but if a woman was in labor she didn't have time to properly reassure him. "What's your name?"
"Gregor." His fingers were twitching at his sides.
She gave a quick nod. "Right ok, we're going to find someone who can actually help."
Gregor made a sound of sheer panic in the back of his throat as Daisy opened the doors and led them both straight into the map room where Daenerys was probably doing something important. The Dothraki guards liking her made getting around so much easier.
Daisy admittedly burst into the room. "Right, do you have a Maester, anyone with any medical..sorry healing training? You have to have healers for your army right?"
"Daisy." Daenerys looked surprised to see her, which was fair. "Is one of the Northern party injured?"
"No, one of your servants is in labor and there's no midwife." Daisy gestured helplessly, she was so not prepared for this.
Missandei spoke carefully. "It is not uncommon for those not of nobility to give birth with the aid of older women of their family instead of a midwife, your Holiness."
Daisy knew her face was a grimace. "That's part of the problem. Apparently, you two and I are the only women on this whole ass island. And I don't know about you, but I've never given birth before."
"Excuse me?" Daenerys was drawing herself up.
Daisy shoved on. "Lady's husband wanted me to bless the birth or something so nobody dies. Which I can't do, at all. Cause my mom was the one with power over life, not me. Very inconvenient, I'm aware. But unless you have someone with actual training it's us."
"My apologies your Holiness, but are you saying that you plan to assist with the birth personally? And that you wish for her Grace and I to accompany you with this endeavor?" Missandei asked a note of sheer disbelief in her voice.
Daisy nodded, the 'duh' radiating from her. "Yes, although if you have any healers that'd be ideal. If not, it's us." She knew it was a long shot, but worth a try. "Or if any of your Dothraki were girls in the past that'd be helpful maybe? At least if they had a kid or two before going warrior man."
"Are you implying that people's gender can change?" Tyrion's grip on his wine cup tightened like he thought someone was going to take it from him. Varys's eyes behind him widened in shock.
She winced slightly…she didn't have time to explain the concept of being transgender or genderfluid or just..frankly gender if they didn't have the concept already. She'd have cried in joy if there'd been a nice trans warrior dude who'd pushed a kid out at some point though. "Not a thing for you guys?" She would hug anyone who had an option that didn't involve her being the one with the most medical know-how.
/
Fitz was poking at his morning porridge. He was…he couldn't stop replaying memories in his head of how he'd spoken to Jemma after Mavath, or how after Ward dropped them in the ocean he'd lost his temper at everyone. No wonder Jemma had left him. He was just like his father, like Ward.
He frowned as Maester Wolkan rushed up to him. His nose wrinkled in disgust at the fluids on the man's robes. "What the hell?"
"I require your aid, if you have any knowledge on childbirth, please." Wolkan wrung his hands.
Fitz flinched, the one with medical training was the Doctor. "I'm not a midwife."
"Please, the mother and likely the child will die. She's been in labor for near a whole turn of the sun, the child is stuck. I think her pelvis was broken some time ago and has healed wrong. The child can't come out." Wolkan clearly saw the denial on his face, so he pressed. "You brought her under her Holiness's protection."
His mouth felt dry. "Talia."
"If you have any knowledge that could help, anything at all." Wolkan pleaded.
Fitz set his spoon down and nodded. "Alright, I'll need the moonshine from my workshop, and the….. iodine."
"Thank you, please, come quickly, there isn't much time." Wolkan grabbed his arm and pulled him urgently out of the great hall.
Fitz flinched at the sound of screaming and smell as he entered the birthing room. Absently he was aware it was one of Wolkan's chambers for the truly ill. He grit his teeth and moved quickly to Talia's side. "Talia." Consent, he wasn't the Doctor he needed consent.
Her face was red and sweaty as she looked at him, exhaustion leaving her movements sluggish. "Whaat?"
The slur was not a good sign. He swallowed and spoke, holding her eyes as he did so. "May I look at you so I can help?"
She nodded weakly. "Save my baby."
Fitz moved away from the skin-crawling emotion and quickly moved to the other end of the bed. He lifted the sheet off of her so he could see what he was doing.
It wasn't good. Some efficient probing of the cervical area, as well as of her belly and he found he agreed with Wolkan. There was a structural issue with the pelvis, it wasn't shifting apart as it should. Even a premature baby couldn't have been born vaginally. But one that appeared full term like this? Out of the question. He licked his lips nervously as he straightened. "Right, I'm going to need some things. And something to knock her unconscious."
/
Daenerys metaphorically rolled her sleeves up as she saw the woman struggling through contractions. She moved straight to the woman's side, taking her hand. "Breathe through it."
The woman shuddered as she breathed out through the contractions, her hand squeezing Dany's hand, hard. She was not a striking woman or a beauty but there was a sweetness to her, around Dany's own age really, her hair was a soft brown, her face round and freckled. If she hadn't been in pain, likely quite pretty really. As the woman came down from the pain her eyes opened and she clearly recognized Dany instantly. Her face paled in horror. "Your Grace!" Her eyes widened even more as she spotted Daisy. "Holiness!"
Daisy raised her hands in surrender. "Your husband is very worried about you." Her voice was soft as she approached before kneeling down on the other side of the bed. "I'm afraid the Queen here, Missandei, and I are all we've got for helping you through this. But you won't be alone ok?"
Daenerys stayed quiet, though not releasing the woman's hand, as she watched. It was…fascinating how unthreatening and small Daisy was willing to make herself without hesitation or discomfort.
"I don't…you're all too important…." The woman stumbled over her words, but she seemed less panicked.
Daisy smiled gently, it very much reached her eyes. "And yet we want to help you." She paused. "Which that was really rude of us to just come in like that, but your husband refused to step foot in here to warn you. So let's start this outright, my name is Daisy. And if I'm about to see as much of you as helping you bring your kid into the world means, you can ignore the whole 'Holiness' thing." Her tone was gently teasing.
Finally, the woman gave a faint nod.
"Good, so what's your name? Your husband was kinda blubbering too hard to give it." And Daisy's smile grew then.
"Tiffany, your…Daisy?" Tiffany blinked.
Daisy reached out and gently clasped the woman's free hand. "It's nice to meet you, Tiffany." She carefully gestured to Dany. "And a bit unneeded, but this is Daenerys, and behind her is Missandei. Daenerys sent some of her men with one of mine named Joran to find a midwife just along the coast. But that's going to take a while. So I'm afraid you're kinda stuck with us for a bit."
Dany spoke then. "Your pains are not too close together then?"
"No…I..my back was aching all day and…" Tiffany trailed off.
Dany remembered her own failed labor, at least what she'd been conscious for. "Have your waters broken?"
"Not long ago." Her face flushed brightly.
Daisy seemed to realize something. "Has anyone changed the sheets for you since then?"
Tiffany shook her head, her head tilting down shamefully.
"None of that, it happens to us all." Dany looked to Missandei. "Send for some new linens."
"Of course." Missandei stepped to the door.
Daisy's head turned towards Missandei. "And water, we're going to need a lot of water."
"Water?" Dany asked, her brow furrowing.
Daisy nodded. "I'm not a healer, but I know keeping everything as clean as possible is really important." She smiled at Tiffany again. "I can feel your baby's heartbeat, it's strong, just like its mother's and we're going to keep it like that."
"Oh…oh thank the gods." Tiffany's hand flew out of Dany's, her palm outwards as it covered her mouth, her eyes tearing up.
Dany looked around the small room as she half listened to Daisy quietly comforting Tiffany and gently tapping out her baby's heartbeat against the woman's arm. It was a small room, but there was a fire in the hearth and a certain warmth and sense of home to it.
"Holiness, they brought a barrel of water from down the hall, but how are we to get it in here?" Missandei asked as she ferried in a stack of folded sheets.
Daisy half floated half jumped to her feet. "I'll get it."
Dany turned her attention fully back to Tiffany. "Is this your first babe?"
"Yes, my husband and I didn't think we'd be blessed." She touched her stomach, a look of awe on her face.
And Dany smiled at the words. "I remember the feeling. My husband Drogo would hold me, and I'd never felt so happy." She swallowed, feeling the unasked question. "But he died, and our child died in my womb while I was unconscious." She pushed the memories away. "Come, let's get you on your feet so those sheets can be changed. A new shift as well likely."
"You don't have to help me, your Grace." Tiffany's eyes remained stubbornly on her chin.
Dany gently lifted the covers while offering her arm to help the woman out of bed. "I think Daisy was right earlier, you'd best forget the titles and call me Dany."
"Thank you." Tiffany accepted Dany's arm and let herself be helped out of bed.
Dany was careful as she guided Tiffany out of the bed. She didn't mention the way Daisy immediately was helping Missandei change the bed. It was practiced, and clearly, something Daisy had done before. Instead, she helped find a clean shift and helped Tiffany change. Partway through Tiffany stopped, clinging to Dany's arm as she hissed, breathing through a contraction. Dany rubbed circles on the woman's back, gently encouraging her to breathe.
/
Fitz cut the last stitch and then stumbled back till he hit the wall and slid down till he was on the floor. He could hear the baby crying, knew Talia's chest was still breathing, and he… he'd saved her hadn't he? Saved them both. But it hadn't been his knowledge he'd used. It was the Doctor's..but it was just his. He stared at his hands, they were bloody and he should clean them but…
"Are you well?" Wolkan's voice was so horribly full of joy and wonder. He'd been horrified when Fitz had first begun the c-section, his awe as he realized Talia would likely survive the procedure had been effervescent.
He swallowed back the bile at the back of his throat, hot tears running down his face. "I don't remember the last time I…saved someone just to save them."
"You performed a miracle this day." Wolkan squeezed his shoulder. "You should be proud."
Fitz's eyes wouldn't move from his hands, coated in another person's blood. He was supposed to be a hero, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd helped someone who wasn't Jemma. Really helped, not just…tossed a bone at someone because it was easy and cost little. Helped someone for no reason other than to help them. Not to achieve a goal, not to gain something, not because it was easy, just because it was the right thing to do. He wasn't a hero…he didn't think he had been for a long time.
/
Daisy dried the towel hanging by the fire with a flick of her fingers, steam rising from it in a giant poof. They were over fifteen hours in at this point, she'd stopped tiptoeing about using her powers a while ago. Also, her powers were dead useful at keeping things sanitary. "More ice chips?"
"You made a lot." Dany gave her a bemused expression. Though she did hold up the cup with ice chips up to Tiffany's mouth. Dany had ended up the one getting her hand squeezed and seated beside Tiffany.
Daisy shrugged easily, adjusting where her sleeves were rolled up. She'd discarded her outer jacket hours ago. Of course, Missandei and Dany were in similar states. No one had pretended to still have dignity around the time she and Missandei had cleaned Tiffany from her having pooped herself. "Keeping things clean and making ice, my special powers."
"I don't understand, how do your magicks work?" Missandei looked at her curiously.
She hummed. "I don't use magic, I don't have multiple powers, just one." Her lips twitched at the disbelief painted across the others' faces. "I control vibrations."
"I don't…understand." Tiffany panted from where she was coming down from another contraction.
Daisy wondered how to explain it…but…well they had time. "Reality is made of billions of infinitely tiny particles. We call them atoms. They're the building blocks of everything. The air, you, me, we're all made of them. And atoms move. It's like..galaxies inside of people. And I feel it, all the time." She waved her hand, letting a light thrum fill the air. "I can change those vibrations. I can force air to act like a physical wave that's nearly a wall to stop something like dragonfire from reaching me. Or I can make the atoms in the water speed up which heats it and it naturally turns to steam. Or slow those same atoms to freeze it. I don't…create, I manipulate what is already there. My mother's power was like that. She didn't create life, just could give or take it."
"Is that why you said your divinity is up for interpretation?" Missandei asked fascinated.
Daisy nodded, she reached out touching Tiffany's foot as the woman clearly started another contraction. She carefully ducked her head to check the progress. It was hard not to blanch at the…reality of birth. But that was not big enough for a baby… "You're doing really well."
"How do you not have a favorite language?" Tiffany burst out staring at Missandei in confusion as she paced up and down the side of the room, half leaning on Dany.
Missandei ducked her head slightly, a soft smile on her face. "There's a beauty to every language."
"But so many…" Tiffany huffed as she continued to walk.
Daisy laughed. "Don't look at me, it's impressive as hell you know that many. No idea how you know that many."
"I find every language has more in common with others than many assume." Missandei explained, genuine love for her skills there.
Dany was positively affectionate as she looked at Missandei. "Your ability to make the vilest statements politically competent is another language all on its own."
Daisy made a sound at the back of her throat. "I see the head." She looked up from where she was crouched between Tiffany's legs to check how dilated she was. "I think this is it." Daisy squeezed Tiffany's ankle. "Ok, you've totally got this."
The sound Tiffany let out was not happy. It was def a scream, a very unhappy scream. And based on Dany's face that grip on her arm was going to bruise.
Missandei was there than on Tiffany's other hand. She stared at Daisy as she rubbed Tiffany's back. Her whole brow rose, prompting her to do…something?
Daisy was pretty sure the part now was just catching the kid. "Ok, Tiffany, I'm going to need you to push with the next contraction."
"YOU TRY DOING THIS!" Tiffany screamed before slumping from her contraction. Panting, chest heaving, her face sweaty and miserable. "Pushing…ok. I can push. I can push."
Daisy grabbed a clean towel. "You've got this. Like a few pushes and this will all be over." She wanted to cringe…there were other bits to come out after this wasn't there? Like she remembered a blog post about people eating placentas…it'd been a joke then. It was suddenly a horrifying reality check.
"It's coming." Tiffany warned as her breathing changed, a sure sign her next contraction was here.
Dany wiped the sweat from Tiffany's brow. "You are so strong, you're going to meet your baby."
Tiffany wordlessly nodded, tears coming down her face as she breathed harder. Her lips pulled back, a cry of pain and effort coming from her throat.
Daisy felt her eyes widen as she saw the head moving, yet another gush of liquid. She let out a yelp of her own as she readied to catch the kid. "Almost there! Like two more! Two more!"
"I can…do…two more." Tiffany panted like she was trying to convince herself.
Missandei gently rubbed Tiffany's arm. "You are doing wonderfully." She dropped her hand, circling to where Daisy was as the next contraction started to hit.
Daisy wanted to scream too as the head came out, and she saw the shoulders. Her hand shot forward, supporting the slimy head. Oh god, oh god, oh god. "It's coming!" She used the towel to wipe the fluids and slime from the baby's face. And then the baby was sliding out, and Daisy caught it in the towel, gently pulling it the last few inches to keep the legs or something from getting stuck.
She stared down at the infant she was holding and something like joy and disbelief. The sound of a screaming baby had never been so joyful. Daisy beamed up at Tiffany. "You Did IT!" Breathless laughter left her as she hurriedly wiped down the kid. Which..so many fluids she was only partially sure on the identity of. Reaching over she grabbed her white jacket, swapping the dirty towel with her jacket.
She stepped forward, carefully offering the baby to Tiffany. "Hey, you have a baby." Daisy beamed, completely uncaring that she was crying as she passed the kid to its mom.
And Tiffany…she was radiant with joy as she sobbed, accepting her baby. It was one of the best things Daisy had ever seen. She sniffed, stepping back and turning to Missandei. "We need to do something with the umbilical cord right? And we should change out the towels under her."
"Alright." Missandei touched her arm.