Ch 37
The King opened his eyes, trying to sit up. "My wife, where is my wife? My son..."
"Right beside you, my love." River murmured, touching his arm gently.
He looked at her, realizing his surroundings and turning slightly red. "Please tell me I didn't faint."
"You've had a very stressful day, my love," River smiled, still looking exhausted.
"I feel like a fool. You were almost taken from me and all I can manage it the most cowardly of actions!" He frowned.
"You are certainly not a fool." River assured, "You had every right to faint."
A servant ran into the room, squeaking and bowing nervously, "Sire, a large crowd has gathered outside the gates. The people are worried for their Queen."
He looked between the servant and River. "What shall I tell them?"
"If you'd like, we can tell them of the birth of our son together." River murmured, smiling at him.
"You must stay in bed. Surely it's dangerous for you to do anything but rest now." He looked genuinely concerned for her.
"A walk to the balcony down the hall will not kill me, especially if I have your help." She murmured.
"With all respects, ma'am," Clara interjected. "I can't recommend leaving your bed. Your body need rest without exception."
River sighed, "Alright, But I want us to make the announcement together." She told the man, "For now, tell them that I am alright and resting, but don't tell them of our son."
He nodded and rose from the bed, "I'll be only moments."
"I'll miss every second you're gone." She blew him a kiss.
Clara frowned once he left. "Whatever happened to getting killed by bandits? You don't look at all in a hurry to leave."
River shrugged, adjusting herself on the bed, "I didn't realize you were so concerned about my leaving. Don't worry, I can take you home tonight, you don't have to stay with me."
"Yeah, but you've got three kids and a husband waiting at home." She pointed out. "I know you've got a time machine and all, but you've got what you wanted. Aren't they more important than finishing this story?"
"I think perhaps it's time I take a bit of a break from the Doctor." River looked away from her.
Clara stared in surprise, not knowing what to say without crossing lines she knew well to stay behind. "That's, um... Is there..." She stopped and gave up trying to find words.
"You can go wait in the TARDIS if you'd like." River murmured, "I'll tell everyone that you left."
She coughed awkwardly. "It'd be little weird that your midwife up and left, wouldn't it?"
"Not exactly. There are women all over having babies, and the hard part is over now. It wouldn't be completely unbelievable if you left."
"...Do you want me to go?" She asked, which was really what she was trying to get at. Maybe she'd accidentally said something wrong.
"It's up to you, but I don't plan on leaving for a while." She murmured.
"I'll, uh, I'll stay through the evening." Clara decided, wanting to ask how much was a while. River nodded, not saying much else.
The King returned shortly, quickly back at River's side. "There are a thousand wishes for your health and a thousand more."
"I'm very glad to hear it." She tried to give him a smile, though her mood had changed greatly.
"How's our son?" He looked at the toy affectionately. "He's very tired, he's had an exciting day." She murmured, wrapping the blanket tighter around the object.
"I don't think exciting is the word for it." He stroked the doll's face and kissed River's forehead. Before River could stop them, tears began to fall and for once, not pretend tears. "My love?" He looked at her. "Whatever is the matter?"
"I'm sorry..." She tried to hide her face, "I'm only worried about his health." She lied.
"The midwife said he'd be alright. Didn't you?" He looked to Clara.
Clara nodded, trying to figure out of River's tears were real or not. "As long as he get's taken good care of."
"We can do that." He assured. "I'm confident." River nodded, closing her eyes. "Perhaps you need to sleep." He fretted. "You have used so much of your strength today, already."
"Yes, I suppose that would be best." She murmured, trying to dry her eyes.
"Midwife, leave us." He shooed Clara away.
Clara quickly left, but not before making a face at the back of his head.
"I will stay with you and watch over our son while you rest." The King took his place back on the bed.
"No, darling, that's why we have servants. You have a kingdom to run." River pressed gently.
"He is not yet an hour old, I will not have him in the hands of anyone but us or the midwife." He retorted. "You are more important than any kingdom."
"You have been so sweet to me." She breathed, watching him, the weight of the crown pressing on her head.
"I have not acted any differently." He wasn't quite sure what she was talking about.
She smiled weakly, "Then don't trouble yourself with my words."
"You rest now." He urged again, moving to take the doll.
"No." River turned her body, holding the doll protectively, "I want to keep holding him."
"My love, you must rest."
River shook her head, "Will you get me water?" He nodded and left the room to fetch her a glass.
River jumped up, locking the door behind him and running to the TARDIS. Terra kicked at the sudden movement, bracing herself.
She ran to a closet on the side of the console room, grabbing a broken Teselecta that the Doctor had been working on. She hooked it up to the console, changing the outer image to look like a premature baby. She hadn't thought of this before, and at least the image wouldn't change if it's blanket was removed.
Tossing the doll aside, she wrapped the small, lifelike machine in the blanket, sliding back out of the doors and into bed. The machine wiggled in River's arms, just like a newborn would and produced small noises in response to touch and sound.
Brother! Terra couldn't tell the difference. River let her believe it was her brother, not wanting to explain the story.
The King returned with the glass, offering it to River. Once he returned, she let him hold the baby, falling asleep for several hours.
River woke when the servants entered with dinner, yawning and looking around the room. The King was too wrapped up in the little teselecta to notice and the servants to busy scurrying around to make the food look right.
"Are you happy, my love?" River whispered, a pang of pity hitting. He seemed to adore the little baby after only a few hours, and a part of her felt guilty for tricking him.
He looked up at her to acknowledge her being awake, the prop stealing back his attention. "As happy as a poor man is to gain a fortune." He grinned.
"How has he been?" She asked, glancing at the food.
"Better than expected, though I believe he wants a meal." He murmured.
"I can feed him." River held out her arms to take the baby. He delicately put it in her arms.
She smiled at the little machine, imagining he was Arthur, "Hello..."
Mechanic eyes clicked up to the source of the sound. River stared at the machine, realizing that it wasn't Arthur she was seeing, but another face she had seen before. When she had changed the image of the Teselecta, she had simply put on the first image of a baby she could pull from her mind. She hadn't taken the time to actually look at the face until now.
William blinked at her with her own eyes, reaching up to her as he was programmed to recognize her as his mother.
She was frozen, staring and taking in every little feature of the baby. His chest moved in small steady breaths something she'd never seen him do before.
"We should name him." The King said. "A good strong name will bring him luck."
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. She touched the baby's face, "Yeah..."
"Any proposals?" He looked expectantly at her.
"I want whatever you want." She murmured, too distracted by the "baby" in front of her.
"I'm fond of William." He suggested.
She sucked in a breath, "William..." She repeated.
"The name has been carried by great leaders in my family." He added.
"It's lovely." She nodded slowly.
"Are you hungry?" He asked, noticing the platters of seasoned meat.
"Oh, yes, very." The words finally pulled her eyes away from the baby. He shifted off the bed, retrieving a plate for her. "Thank you, my love." She murmured. "Have the servants brought the cradle in?"
"Not yet. He hasn't needed it yet."
"I believe, after dinner. It would be a good time for us to announce his birth to the kingdom."
"I told our subjects there would be news in the morning." He informed her.
"Ah." She nodded, "Perhaps your other son then?"
"He's had no interest in you since you came here, but I suppose." He didn't seem to approve highly of the idea, though.
"Perhaps we shouldn't trouble him then."
He relaxed at this. "He'll hear one way or another."
"I do think you should show a bit more compassion towards him. Despite his disinterest in athletic activity, he is very wise for his age and that could be very useful when it comes to running a kingdom." She sighed.
"Nothing is more useful than power and he'll get none of that from spending every hour in the library." He huffed. "Besides, he may well not be the one to run the kingdom next."
"Well, I don't think that's true. He could study battle strategies, see which crops would grow best in our kingdom, learn medical skills to teach the soldiers who go to battle. There are so many things he could do with his book knowledge, you must have more faith in him."
"He has yet to prove himself, or any of his 'skills' useful. He doesn't act on anything, he doesn't work." He crossed his arms.
"Perhaps it's because you haven't given him a chance." She pressed.
"I've attempted to make him work. I've sent trainers and pushed him outside. He responds to nothing."
"I could try talking to him. I know, he doesn't have much interest in me, but perhaps I can find a way to speak to him."
"Do what you wish, but there is little reason to."
"I do want you to break the news of his brother's birth to him."
"Fine." He said reluctantly.
"Thank you, darling."
He sighed and took a plate for himself. "Eat up, you must be exhausted."
River nodded, eating slowly. William's attention was drawn towards the food. River's attention was turned back to her 'son,' watching him closely for the rest of the meal. He seemed bothered by the smell of it, or at least its presence since he couldn't actually smell.
She finished eating, pushing the food away and going back to entertaining the baby. As a programmed newborn, he didn't actually do much but shift his gaze around and wiggle his arms. He yawned occasionally, but mostly just stared back at River.
There was a knock at their door about an hour later, a servant coming to clear away the food. "Can you call for the prince?" River asked.
The servant nodded and bowed to the three of them.
"And bring in the cradle." The King added.
River held the baby close to her chest as it started to "fall asleep." It wasn't long before the servant returned with the King's son trailing behind.
"Be gentle." River reminded the King. He huffed, posture stiffening.
The boy stared at the floor silently as the servant left. River glanced between the two, then sighed, deciding it would be best if she started, "Henry, your father and I wanted to introduce you to your brother."
He tiptoed over towards them, peering at the bundle. "He's early, isn't he?" He asked.
"Yes," River murmured, "He did come a bit early."
"What went wrong?" He looked her over as if she should've been injured.
"It doesn't really matter now." She shook her head, gesturing for the King to continue.
He looked between River and Henry with a frown. "We've named him William."
"Like my grandfather, and his grandfather." The boy commented.
The King looked away. "It is his now."
"Would you like to hold him?" River asked.
"If it's allowed." Henry nodded.
"Of course, it's allowed, he's your brother." River murmured, gently passing the baby to him.
"Don't drop him." The King added a bit harshly.
"Darling..." River sent him a glare, "He knows not to do that." He rolled his eyes.
Henry cradled the teselecta with textbook expertise. "You're very good at that," River commented.
"I've been reading about infants for a while." He replied.
"Really?" River smiled a bit, "How long have you been doing that?"
"Since you said you were going to have a baby." He murmured.
"My, I didn't know you had such an interest in the baby."
"You didn't ask." He pointed out. "And you've been away."
"Well, I was thinking, perhaps it is time for us to spend some time together as a family." She murmured.
"Doing what?" He questioned.
"Well, I thought you and your father could go hunting one day. We all could spend some time in the library and you could show us some of your favorite books. Whatever you'd like." She smiled.
"I don't... really enjoy killing animals for sport." He murmured, hesitant to push his preference.
The King huffed again.
"That's alright." She glared at her husband, "Darling, do you have a suggestion for something you and your son could do that he would enjoy?"
He muttered something under his breath.
"What was that, my love? I don't think I heard you." Her tone had a bit of an edge to it, a warning to him to behave.
"A carriage ride in the forest." He managed, though obviously, it wasn't what he'd said originally.
"That would be lovely." River smiled, "What a lovely idea."
"I like that better." Henry agreed.
"I'm glad. You two should do that soon."
"When you can join us." The King insisted.
"No, I want this to be an activity between father and son." She murmured, "It will be fun for the both of you."
The King snorted in disagreement. Henry just moved his attention back to his little brother. "He doesn't look much like father."
"Well, he came very early. I'm sure his features will develop as he grows older and he'll look more like your father."
"Your eyes." He pointed out softly. "And I think he'll have your curly hair."
She smiled softly "We shall see."
"Father's hair color." He noted, observing the very little hair on William's head.
"I think he has your father's jawline." She smiled at the King.
The man seemed to puff up a little at this. River beckoned him over and pulled him down for a deep kiss, murmuring in his ear, "Why don't you give your son a nice compliment."
He rolled his eyes, not as distracted as River had probably hoped. "I will when he's deserving of one."
"Please?" River pouted, kissing him again, "For me?"
"Like what?" He huffed.
"Anything you can think of."
He made a frustrated noise, though it wasn't quite a growl. "You... know a great deal for someone your age." He managed, though couldn't help but glare sharply at the floor the entire time.
"I-um...Th-thank you, father." The boy stammered.
The King let out a puff through his nose. "I don't see the point of that." He murmured to River.
"The point was to make him feel good. Plus, I found it very attractive." She purred.
"...If you wish to be alone, I can see that William gets settled to bed." Henry offered, feeling quite awkward.
"Hmmm, how does that sound to you?" River asked the King.
"I believe it would be good for him to rest. You must rest, too, wife." He added.
She nodded, "Don't worry, I will."
"The midwife said bed rest. You must stay in good health, so you must rest now." He insisted.
She sighed, "Darling, I'm fine."
"You said that when you first felt the labor pains start." He countered.
"So? Everything turned out alright."
"You nearly lost your life." He fretted.
"But I didn't." She huffed.
"I'm eternally grateful for that, but it will mean nothing if you were to get hurt. Please, my love."
She sighed, "Fine."
"Thank you." He smiled weakly. "...And to you for seeing to your brother." He said towards his son.
"You're welcome." The boy murmured, carrying the teselecta out.
"Your midwife must stay for a few days to see to your recovery."
"We'll talk about this later."
He hesitated but decided she was right and the topic could wait.
"I'm proud of you."
"Why?" He frowned.
River smiled, "You handled your son so well. However, you did lie to me."
"What do you mean?"
"You said he had no interest in me or the baby, but apparently, he did. He's been reading about babies ever since we announced my pregnancy." She murmured.
"He mentioned nothing to either of us until now." He pointed out, refusing to be called wrong.
She raised an eyebrow, "So you're saying that you had no idea he was interested in the baby?"
"If he was really interested why didn't he come speak to you about the pregnancy?"
"Because he's afraid of you."
"I see no reason for that." He sat on the bed and crossed his arms.
River sighed, "You can hardly get a compliment out without growling at him."
"So?"
"So that's no way to treat a young boy." She murmured.
"He's nearly twelve, he ought to have tougher skin by now."
"No, he shouldn't!" She was growing angry, "Besides, I'm sure this treatment is nothing new and it is how you have been towards him his entire life. I, however, will not let this continue, especially not with my son."
"William will be far from the disappointment Henry is." He scoffed. "Just give it time and he will bring honor to our kingdom."
"Henry could bring honor to the kingdom as well if you ever gave him the chance." She hissed.
"I did and he failed to be anything more than he is." He didn't like that River was trying to change his ways.
There was a soft knock at the door, and Henry entered once more, "I-I wanted to tell you that..." He trailed off, too nervous to continue.
"Well, spit it out." The King pushed.
"Philip, stop it." River snapped.
He glared back, falling silent.
"What is it you were saying, dear?" River's tone softened as she turned her attention back to Henry.
He shifted his feet and stared down at them, speaking in a mouse-like voice. "William's asleep now. The midwife has been put to watch him."
River nodded, "Thank you for telling us. I was thinking, perhaps tomorrow you could come in here and help me read him a story. I'll let you pick out whichever one is your favorite."
He nodded, a smile ghosting over his lips as he looked up at her finally.
"Alright. Well, then I'll see you tomorrow. Go and get some rest."
He nodded again and bowed slightly before scurrying off.
"Perhaps you should sleep in another room tonight." River glanced at the King.
"So you can rest better?" He frowned.
"If that's what you want to think, then fine." She huffed.
"What is your real reason?" He insisted.
"I'm disappointed in you."
"You just said you were proud. You're the one who's babying him." He recrossed his arms.
"I'm not babying him! I'm treating him like an eleven-year-old boy should be treated! If you ignore him and treat him the way you have then, of course, he'll never succeed. He'll be too afraid to even try. Can't you see that he just wants to connect with you."
"Don't tell me how to treat my son! His purpose is to become prepared to run this kingdom and clearly, he isn't going to. We have another heir, so there is no point in tending to a lost cause!"
River stiffened, "Get out."
"Fine then." He growled back, stalking out and shutting the door louder than necessary.
River waited about an hour before calling for Clara. She was led in by another servant and quickly left alone with her. "Do you want me to take you home now?" River asked softly, getting out of the bed.
"If it's not too suspicious." Clara nodded.
River nodded, locking the bedroom door just in case, and bringing her to the TARDIS, setting the coordinates. Clara looked like she wanted to say a number of things, but kept silent through the flight.
When they landed, she finally felt brave enough to ask: "Do you... want me to tell the Doctor anything?"
River closed her eyes, sighing, "No, thank you."
"Not that you might be gone for a bit?" She dared to push a little.
"Clara." River shook her head, "I said no."
She nodded, going to leave, but pausing in the doorway. "River?... Um, good luck. With everything."
"Thank you for your help." She nodded slowly.
"Anytime." She bid River goodbye and left the TARDIS.
