Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: So, what do you all think? Boy? Girl? And I think you'll be surprised, not necessarily by which one it is, but... I'll let you all find out for yourselves. And, keep in mind, what develops is something the river didn't anticipate, but may still try to use to its advantage; whether it succeeds or not...

Written: 2019 - Licia

Within the next hour, Elsa's labor had definitely progressed; her contractions were regular, and Honeymaren knew her cousin was moving from active labor into transition, as they crashed one atop the other, physical waves to mirror the waves that crashed on the shore around them. By the time two and a half hours rolled by, she had dilated fully and the babe was starting to appear.

"Gently, Elsa!" The Snow Queen tried her hardest not to bear down; teeth clenched, eyes screwed shut, every muscle in her body as taut as the strings of a lute, she squealed, squeezing her husband's hands as hard as she could. On instinct, she tried to shut her parted legs, but Honeymaren, situated between them as she helped deliver the babe, gently nudged them back with her shoulder. "It's right there, I can feel it, I can feel the head, Elsa," She gently pressed her fingers against her cousin's opening, the babe's head brushing gently against her fingers before disappearing and reappearing again several times, before finally it decided to stay, engaging within her. "Push, gently." She watched in the silent awe of a first time midwife as Elsa did as told, as the folds between her thighs parted slowly and a shock of blonde hair appeared.

Elsa let out a squeal at the burning sensation. She choked on a sob, turning to Hans. "Put it back! Please! Christian, put it back in!" He opened his mouth, only to be cut off. "Please, I don't want it to come out, I want to keep it inside, please..." He kissed her head firmly.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, you can't." He rested his forehead to hers. "Focus on pushing her out. That's it. That's all that matters, is pushing her out. Can you do that for me, love? Please?"

She shook her head, sobbing as the head continued to appear with each contraction. "Christian... it's ripping me apart..."

"I know, Charlotte, I know it is, and I'm so sorry, I wish I could take your pain," He kissed her hair. "but just remember, once it's over, our daughter will be here. This won't be for nothing." She nodded and sat up. She could feel the head continue to make its way out of her; Honeymaren held it gently, checking quickly that the cord had not wrapped around the babe's neck before telling her to push again.

Holding tight to his hands, she bore down as hard as she could. "Come on, Elsa, harder! Keep going! That's it! Keep going!" She tried her hardest to focus on Honeymaren's voice, as the other woman helped to guide her child into the world. "Harder, Elsa! Harder!" A squeal escaped her cousin, and the other woman involuntarily kicked out in pain.

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can, Charlotte, I know you can. You're strong."

She shook her head. "No, I can't... I'm not strong enough, Hans... I can't have this baby..."

"I hate to break it to you, Elsa, but you are having this baby." Honeymaren joked gently in a failed attempt to relax her. "Now push again."

Hans watched his wife struggle with the birth; he held her, giving her his strength, whispering encouragement, even as his mind worked overtime. Sure, she was small- despite her five foot seven frame- but women had been giving birth for centuries. It was ordained by the gods that women bear the children, for though they were the weaker of the sexes- something Hans was prepared to dispute to his dying day, having watched his wife endure what she had during these last few hours- their bodies were built to carry and birth. And yet, something still tugged at his heart.

Just because she is female, does not mean she is built for child-birthing. Yes, women smaller than her have given birth, and they have not had curses chasing them. In this instance though, this has nothing to do with the curse; this is about her physical makeup. Didn't Elsa say her mother had nearly died in childbirth when she was born? Some women are just not built to birth children. He shook his head, casting the thoughts aside. No, Charlotte is going to be fine. Women smaller than her have birthed healthy children and lived to raise them! She's strong, she'll get through this!

He silently prayed to whatever god was listening the he would be right. But what he, nor anyone else knew, was that there was something coming the river- nor the curse- hadn't counted on.

Another two hours, another set of pushing, harder, stronger.

Finally, with a burst of blood and fluid, the babe slid out of its mother and into Honeymaren's arms. A moment passed as the other woman quickly checked the baby over, strong cries reaching Hans' and Elsa's ears from between her legs, and after cleaning the babe and removing the fluid from the nose and mouth, she wrapped it in one of the blankets Vanja had left on the beach for them, before looking up at the couple with a smile.

"A girl."

A flash of relief at being done crossed Elsa's features, and her husband chuckled, softly, pressing a kiss to her head as the other woman stood, holding the baby out to show the new parents. "Charlotte, we have a daughter."

But the joy was short-lived.

"Elsa? Cousin, what is it?" Honeymaren watched as pain filled Elsa's features again, saw her wince and heard the squeal she tried so hard to suppress. "Vanja! Vanja, we need you!"

The older woman hurried into the cyclone at Honeymaren's cry, and was quickly handed the newborn. Whatever was going on outside the storm faded from the healer's mind as she cradled the newly born baby girl; she looked up, catching sight of the pain on Elsa's face as she fought against whatever was happening within her. "Honeymaren, what is it?"

The younger woman shook her head, trying to get Elsa to open her legs again, but the young Snow Queen refused. "I... I don't know, Elsa's not acting right. She already delivered the baby, she should be delivering the sac now, but she hasn't. Something's not right, Vanja, she... she's..."

"Elsa? Elisabeth, what's wrong? Talk to us!" He reached up, brushing his fingers against her cheek but she turned away, writhing in pain. Bruni, situated on her shoulder, studied her face and then turned back to the mound that was her belly and back. Hans watched the salamander. "What is it, Bruni?" But the salamander only squeaked and then scampered down his wife and onto her belly to peak over before hurrying back onto her shoulder and settling down, returning to his task of keeping her body temperature stable. That alone not only worried but unnerved everyone; for the little fire spirit to return to such a position and not move meant something else was either at play, or had gone terribly, terribly wrong. "Charlotte, talk to me, love."

But his wife didn't answer; instead, she snapped her eyes shut, gritting her teeth against the pressure once more building inside her; it grew, getting stronger, getting worse, as she realized her contractions hadn't stopped when the baby slid out between her legs. The scream she was trying so hard to swallow escaped her, and she strained, her body going completely taut as the pressure continued. Another scream escaped her throat, as what appeared to be another sac once more bulged between her legs and then ruptured; fluid once more burst in a spray, and Elsa instinctively bore down, pushing as hard as she possibly could.

"It can't be." Honeymaren's dark eyes glanced at the former prince, the words rushing from between her lips, watching with widened eyes at the head that had slightly popped out when the second sac ruptured. Even though she wasn't trained in midwifery, even Honeymaren knew that the only reason a woman who had just given birth would feel the need to bear down again, would feel such pressure again, would be if- "There's a second." Her whisper was more to herself than anyone else, but Vanja met her gaze, coming to the same conclusion, before turning back to the baby in her arms.

"Hans." Gently, Honeymaren reached down, holding her fingers against the small head that had begun to appear; heard her cousin's squeal at the burning once more making its presence known. "Hans!" Green eyes met hers. "Are they common?"

"What?" The former prince turned to the Northuldra, confused. His focus was solely on caring for Elsa, as it should be, and the question startled him, not fully penetrating his brain. "What are you talking about?"

Elsa's scream cut through the conversation and she sat up, letting out another high-pitched squeal as she bore down hard as she could. After several minutes, Honeymaren was finally able to speak, her voice cutting through Elsa's screams. It continued to appear, even quicker than the first, and soon she found herself gently cradling another small blonde head as it crowned between its mother's legs. "Do they run in your family? Hans!"

"Do... what..." Elsa choked out, gasping for breath. She began to shake even more violently than before, and it felt as though her heart were about to explode within her chest. She couldn't catch a breath, for the burning in her lungs. It felt as though her body was working against her, as though she had truly ripped in half from the waist down. Another contraction, another hard, difficult push, another scream.

Honeymaren glanced at her cousin before returning to her work, though her words were directed at the man behind her. "Multiples. Do you run in your family, Hans?"

He felt the world grind to a halt, despite the wind, despite the faint trembling of the earth and the crashing of the waves, his focus on his wife and the pain she was once more experiencing being pushed aside as Honeymaren's words finally exploded in his brain. Do they run in your family? Multiples... multiples... There was only one reason why she would be asking such a question, one reason his beloved wife would still be experiencing such pain, even though their daughter had been delivered- Gods, how could he have been so stupid!

"Mu... twins?"

His choked whisper was drowned out by his wife's bloodcurdling, heart-stopping scream as she once more sat up perfectly straight, holding tight to his hands, nails digging so deeply they could have struck bone, her legs parted wide, her belly heaving with each push. Strands of sweaty white hair stuck to her neck, chest and shoulders; her eyes were tightly shut, head thrown back as she strained to push what they now knew was a second babe into the world.

"Come on, Elsa! You're almost there!"

"I can't!"

"I know it hurts, Elsa, but you're nearly there! This one's coming a lot faster than the first, and that's good! One more! Harder, as hard as you possibly can! One more strong, hard push and this baby will be out, you'll be done!" Honeymaren accepted the blanket Vanja handed her, and watched as a shoulder popped out, followed not long after by a second. "Come on, Elsa! That's it, Cousin! That's it, let it go, Elsa! You're here, with Hans and Vanja and I and you're safe! The spirits are protecting you and your babies, now let it go!" She smiled softly as her cousin did as she was told, her primal, animalistic screams echoing on the wind and snow around them. "That's a good girl, Elsa! Keep going, you're almost done! One more!"

Finally, after hours of exceedingly hard, difficult labor, Elsa collapsed back in Hans' arms as the second baby no one realized she was carrying slid out of her womb into Honeymaren's arms in a burst of blood and fluid. Another strong healthy scream rang out, and Hans, tears gathering in his eyes, pressed a kiss to his wife's temple. Quickly checking the second baby, Honeymaren looked up at the couple. "Twins." She smiled softly at them. "Hope you don't mind being the only male in your family, Hans." A soft chuckle escaped her. "Our Elsa's given you girls."