"Thayet, I really don't-" Daine sat up, but the Queen just pushed her back against the pillows on the bed.

"Hush."

"But…"

"No, Daine. You cannot wander around Corus, Seven months pregnant, with a shape-shifting baby."

"But other women do it!"

"Other women don't have to change form every three minutes! Look at you! You're exhausted! Daine, you can't keep going like this." Thayet frowned in frustration.

"But… I'll be bored!"

"You won't have time to be bored! You'll be focused on the baby! You have less than eight weeks to go!"

Daine pouted. "I don't have to shift THAT often!" But her body betrayed her as her lower half changed to that of a fish. She scowled as Thayet smiled in victory. "I demand that my husband has to endure this too. If I have to do it, so does Numair."

"Doesn't it tire you?"

"Hmm?" Daine looked up from the book she was reading, just having changed from her waist downwards into a mountain goat. She'd previously been a dolphin, less than a minute before.

Her husband tried to explain. "I mean, shifting forms so quickly. How do you do it continually? Isn't there a maximum amount of times you can change in a given time period? And doesn't being two creatures make it harder? Because you have to hold onto both shapes?"

"Of course it's tiring! And being more than one thing does make it harder. But I have to bear it. The alternative is not ideal." For a moment she looked scared. The couple tried not to mention that if Daine didn't keep changing with the baby, it could kick its way out of her womb. Numair shifted off of his chair and onto the bed beside her. He wrapped an arm around her, and held her tight. She was shaking slightly, and for now, her whole body was human. She curled against his side, letting a handful of frightened tears slide down her cheeks. He stroked her hair gently, making soft shushing sounds.

"You'll be fine, love. I promise. Thayet has her own personal midwife looking after you now. You're in good hands. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." He kissed her forehead, then her mouth.

When he released her from the kiss, she sighed. "I'm just scared. But excited, too."

"Seven weeks." Numair swallowed.

"Yup." Daine nodded.

"Will it hurt much? OW!" She slapped him.

"Gods Numair! Of course it will! Have you ever tried giving birth?!"

"Technically, that isn't physically possible…" He stopped talking when he saw her face. "Sorry. What will you do if the baby shifts during the birth?"

"I have no idea. I hope it doesn't. When I sat back months ago, and thought about motherhood, I didn't imagine giving birth as a sheep, or any other animal." She giggled, slightly manically, and Numair guessed it was just nerves. "What if it IS a sheep? Do you think I should have an animal healer in the room, just in case?"

He grinned at her. "I really don't care what it is. It's ours, and I will love it, even if it's a… frog, or a… duckmole."

"Good. Because knowing our luck, it will be."

A/N- I know this took a while, but school and stuff distracted me, and I didn't have time to update 'till now. Short chapter. Sorry ^^