AN: In all honesty, when I started writing this loose collection of stories, I'd planned on skipping the birthing scene altogether because I don't know much of anything about childbirth except what I've read. The following scenes are the result of Google, other stories I've seen/read, and my imagination. I'm sure I've butchered the birth process, so for any moms and medical professionals out there, I humbly offer an apology;). Since I've had lots and lots of practice with trying to reconcile continuity issues on shows, I can simply say that any mistakes are the results of a) CQ's labor simply being unique given who she is; b) bad information on the part of YWY or the midwives; and c) the weirdness of ancient Chinese customs that have been lost to antiquity (or that never existed; so sue me;P).
When Chu Qiao had been faced with the decision of where she'd wanted to give birth, the decision had been an easy one. While she could've elected to have had the tent set up outside or in another area of Green Hills, she'd known that there was no other place that she'd rather bring her child into the world than in her husband's main chamber.
This was the place where their relationship had truly begun, the place where their love had blossomed once they'd become husband and wife, and the place where they'd made the life that was about to make its way into the world. This was the place where he'd taught her those early kungfu moves that had formed the bedrock of her training—and the place where he'd taught her a different set of techniques that had served them well in their married life together.
She'd also known that she wanted her husband to be present for the birth. While she knew that this was outside the norm in their society, she didn't care. Her marriage to Yuwen Yue itself was outside the bounds of what was supposed to be done in polite society, after all, so why should she care about other people's opinions about something as personal as the birthing process?
Besides, Chu Qiao didn't want Yuwen Yue to be there just for her own peace of mind. She could finally say with absolute certainty that she knew her husband and the way his mind worked. She could finally say that she understood that nothing in the world mattered more to him than her well-being and happiness. She could finally say that she placed the same high priority on his well-being and happiness, so she didn't see the point of denying themselves what they both wanted just because other people didn't like it. Had they listened to those people, they wouldn't be in this position, after all.
Her current position was less than pleasurable, but her husband's training methods over the years had prepared her well for this moment. Chu Qiao now knew that everything her husband did, he did with good reason, and this was no exception. She was glad that she'd had the strength to remain in a squatting position for as long as she had. The midwives had assured her that this would help the baby to shift into the proper position and to make the labor go faster.
Her attendants had also told her that every birth was different, so she grumpily wondered if she could've accomplished the same thing by simply laying in their bed all day. Since her water had broken, her contractions had become longer and harder with less time between them. Chu Qiao somehow sensed that her baby would be coming soon, but she refused to cry out for her husband. She knew that he would come for her as soon as he could simply because he always had.
Besides, women had been doing this for generations without their husbands being present, so what made her so special? Why should she long for her husband at a time when most women wouldn't be wanting their men present?
Because I need him, came the simple answer as the worst contraction yet sent her to her knees. I always have, and I always will.
Two of the midwives struggled to bring her back into a squatting position by wedging their shoulders under her arms and wrapping their arms around her waist. They accomplished their objective, but Chu Qiao was strong and quick enough to accidentally pull herself out of their grasp when the next wave of pain hit. She ended up back on her knees, angry at herself because she lacked the strength to do what she needed to do on her own.
Chu Qiao heard a pair of the double doors bang open and before she could even take another breath, her husband was just there. He crouched down behind her and effortlessly pulled her up into what her body sensed was the right position, holding her there with the same gentle, steady strength that he'd always used with her in her weakest moments. Her hands came to rest on his legs, which made an effective brace for her.
His hand settled across her abdomen so that he could softly massage it as he held both of them in a squat. His body formed a natural rest, supporting her so that she could use all of her strength to do what she knew she had to do.
Just like he's always done for me, she acknowledged.
Time lost all meaning for her, and she felt as if they were locked in this eternal embrace of pain and hope, weakness and strength, needing and giving. She was fire; he was ice. Her strength was fading; his strength was infinite. She strained with all of her might to bring new life into the world; he held onto her with the same implacable determination that he'd always displayed in their relationship.
I have to tell him, she thought as another contraction threatened to rip her apart. He has to know.
"Yuwen Yue," she grated out. "I...I need you. Can you feel it?"
His hold briefly tightened around her waist and she felt the barest brush of lips against the back of her neck. He leaned in closely and whispered into her ear.
"I love you, too."
One thing that Yuwen Yue had had drummed into his head from an early age was how important it was to be prepared. When he'd first learned that Xing'er was pregnant, he'd sought out all of the medical texts about carrying and birthing children that he could find. His grandfather had even chastised him for using the Eyes of God to search for texts outside of their homeland in order to get as diverse an opinion as possible.
Some of those texts had given him the courage to allow his wife to break generations of pregnancy tradition by remaining reasonably active and maintaining as normal a routine as possible. He'd also given the kitchen strict orders to serve his wife certain types of foods and to avoid giving her others; since Xing'er hadn't complained about her meals and seemed to be the picture of health, he considered that bit of preparation to have been a success.
What those texts hadn't been able to prepare him for, however, was how he would feel while holding his wife around her middle as she moaned and panted in agony. No medical document had told him about how terrible and wonderful it would feel to be able to sense both his wife and child moving at the same time as the latter prepared to make its entrance in the world.
Nothing has ever been able to prepare me for watching Xing'er suffering.
Mentally, he knew that the birthing process was proceeding at a normal rate. His mind knew that this would be over soon and that his wife would be perfectly fine afterwards. After all, he would allow no other outcome. But his heart…
Yuwen Yue tightened his hold on his wife as another contraction shook her and he felt her pushing with all of her considerable strength.
"That's it, Xing'er," he said softly in her ear. "Push. You can do it. I know you can."
"Of course...I can," his wife panted. "I am...Xing'er...wife of Yuwen Yue...mother of his...child...first...and only...wife of his household…holder of the…Wind and Cloud Decree..."
He felt his wife bear down again.
"You forgot 'wielder of Can Hong Jian'. Is the sword I gave you so unimportant to you?"
"Your sword's...what got us into this mess."
"Really? You didn't seem to be complaining at the time."
"Of course...I wasn't. Po Yu Jian is a fine sword...we both would've died...at the icy lake...if I hadn't been able...to wield it."
Yuwen Yue playfully growled in her ear, doing his best to distract her from the pain she was currently experiencing. Somehow she found the energy to turn her head around and to meet his eyes with her own wide-eyed innocent look that she knew drove him crazy.
"What did you think...I was talking about?"
"I thought you were talking about how we were going to have many more children together."
"Yuwen Yue! The way I feel right now...isn't convincing me...that I want to do this...ever again."
"Ah, Xing'er," he purred into her ear. "Could you actually resist me?"
"If I think about this moment…at that moment...then yes."
"Then I guess I'll just have to try harder."
"I'm definitely...going to be more picky...in the future."
"We'll see. I'm pretty confident in my abilities."
"The head's coming out," one of the midwives said. "I can see the top of it."
Yuwen Yue's easy humor disappeared in an instant.
"Xing'er, listen to me," he said seriously. "You're going to want to push, but you can't, not while the baby's head's coming through. Lean back on me and relax."
"I've never been more...relaxed in my life."
"I know it burns, Xing'er, but the worst of it will stop soon. The most important thing is that you do your best to not push. Relax. Center yourself. Breathe with me."
For Yuwen Yue, the rest of the world ceased to exist. Nothing mattered to him besides the woman in his arms and the baby that he knew had gradually begun to enter the world. The breath whooshed in and out of his lungs as he set what he knew would be a good pace for Xing'er to match.
He felt his wife brace herself as another contraction pulsed through her.
"Don't push, Xing'er. I know you want to. Come on, love. Let your body do what it already knows how to do. Breathe with me."
Yuwen Yue could sense his wife's formidable, stubborn will turning inward, exerting the tremendous control over her body that he knew that she could possess during training and battle. Just as he'd known her to do so many times before, his wife pushed aside the pain and did what needed to be done.
"The head's out," the midwife said calmly. "Everything's going great. Just a little bit longer."
"Alright, Xing'er; you can push now if you want to."
The midwife who had spoken knelt down on the floor and placed her hands beneath the head of their baby, ready to catch it as it left his wife's body. It did so fairly quickly, and Yuwen Yue allowed his head to drop down against his wife's as her body sagged with relief in his embrace. He looked down at their child—a son, his mind registered—before the midwives cut the cord and whisked the child away to tend to it.
"We have a son, Xing'er," he whispered tenderly to his wife as he straightened them both slowly up. "Thank you, my love."
"Any time," Xing'er said, exhaustion evident in her voice.
"I knew you'd come around to having more children with me," he said, smirking at his wife.
"Overconfident scoundrel."
"Only with you, Xing'er."
Yuwen Yue knew that his son was in competent hands, so he felt free to take care of his wife. He knew that she still had to deliver the afterbirth, but he figured that that could easily be done in their bed. Wordlessly he picked her up and carried her over to their bed and gently placed her down in the middle of it.
"I'll get blood on the blankets," Xing'er weakly protested as he straightened her out on the soft surface.
"That seems to be becoming a habit with you," Yuwen Yue said, smiling smugly down at his wife.
"It's been your fault every time," Xing'er said, looking up at him mischievously.
"I distinctly remember you getting yourself-"
A lusty cry rang out from their son, which his parrot instantly mimicked for all of Green Hills Courtyard to hear. The bird flew around excitedly while screeching out, "It's a boy! It's a boy! It's a boy!"
Yuwen Yue looked down at his wife, who shrugged.
"So much for the element of surprise," she said.
"Well, considering how freely the wine's likely to be flowing out there tonight..."
"Good point," Xing'er said sleepily, smiling at the loud cheers that rang out from all around the Courtyard.
"Son of Young Master Yue and Chu Da Ren, we pledge our lives to your service!" He Xiao's voice boomed out.
The rest of her Xiulis took up the cheer, bringing tears to her eyes.
"They love you, too," Yuwen Yue said as he gently leaned her forward, sat behind her on the bed, and leaned her back against himself.
He absentmindedly massaged her middle, knowing that that would help her body to deliver the afterbirth and to return to its normal state. Xing'er murmured in pleasure, not seeming to care why he was doing what he was doing. He knew that he'd shown a side of himself in front of the midwives that he'd only ever displayed around Xing'er, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
Yuwen Yue looked up as he heard footsteps approaching, looking on in wonder as one of the midwives approached with their son, who was wrapped in a white blanket. She placed the bundle in Xing'er's arms, allowing his wife to hold their son for the first time. His arms tightened around her middle in reaction, and she looked up at him, more stars in her eyes than he'd ever seen.
Not too long ago, I held Xing'er in my arms much like this and thought that life couldn't get any better, he thought, lifting up a hand to gently touch the dark cap of hair on his son's head. I've never been so glad to be wrong.