Children of the Triforce: Retold
Chapter 7 – Delivery
Another month came and went, with Zelda spending all of her time in bed, resting. She continued to experience the worst of her symptoms thus far, including the dull pains, the fatigue, and the nausea. As always, she endured her suffering as best she could, trying to keep both herself and the baby healthy. Her only goal: to make it to the end of this pregnancy.
Finally, one night, about four weeks before she was due, Zelda woke up with a loud gasp. Her heart was beating fast, and her forehead was covered in sweat. She took several deep breaths in a desperate attempt to calm down.
Link heard his wife's stirring, and soon awoke as well. He lifted his head from the pillows, wondering what had caused her such distress. "What is it, sweetie?" he asked drowsily. "Another nightmare?"
Zelda nodded. "Yes, it was just another dream where-" She suddenly paused, feeling a strong pain surge through her middle. She immediately gasped again before grunting. "Ohhh!"
This gave Link some pause. That clearly didn't sound good. He soon rose up, now fully alert. "Zelda?" he asked. "What's the matter?"
Zelda didn't respond. Instead, she just clenched her teeth as she released another grunt. "Mmph…"
"Zelda?" Link asked, slowly growing more alarmed.
"Link," she breathed deeply. "I…I think I'm having a contraction…"
Link just gave her a curious look. That could mean any number of things. "Well, that's fairly normal, isn't it? You are in the final trimester, after all."
Zelda slowly nodded. "Yes, but this feels…different…"
Zelda then froze, her eyes going wide. A second later, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Her head flew back as she grasped at her belly, writhing around in pain.
This display sent Link's concern skyrocketing. He immediately reached for her, trying to console her. "Zelda? Zelda, what's wrong?"
"The baby!" she gasped loudly. "The baby's coming now!"
Link just blinked. Her due date was still a month away. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" she cried.
Link didn't need to ask twice. He could hear the urgency in her voice. This was really happening. "Okay, well let's hurry up and get you down to the infirmary," he told her.
"No!" she yelled back. "There's no time!"
Link just sighed, trying his best to remain calm. He wanted to argue that it was still too early for any of this to be happening, but after everything else that Zelda had endured, a premature birth was hardly surprising. Besides, he figured that this might be for the best. It just meant that the pregnancy would finally be over with that much sooner.
Just then, the door to their room opened, and a frightened five-year-old boy walked in. There was no doubt that he had heard his mother's cries of distress from across the hall. Even now she was still screaming and writhing in pain.
"Mommy?" he asked quietly.
Noticing an opportunity, Link called out to his son. "Cecil, go fetch the physician, and hurry!"
The boy looked scared, but he could sense the seriousness in his father's tone, and immediately did as he was told, dashing out the door.
As for Link, he planned to stay here and support Zelda in any way he could. The first thing he did was try to get her to calm down.
"Shh, it's okay, Zelda. The physician is on his way…"
"Link, it's far too early!" Zelda cried. "What if I lose the baby?" She soon started weeping. It was a thought that she couldn't bear to stomach after all this time.
"You won't," he assured her. "Just trust your body and listen to your instincts. We're going to get through this."
"Ugggh!" Zelda said, groaning again. She then released another yell as she suddenly reared her legs up on the bed. "Link, the baby is coming!" she stressed again.
With wide eyes, Link realized that Zelda was already starting to bear down. Whether he was ready or not, the baby was truly on the way out.
Link cursed to himself as he rose to his feet. Fortunately, he had been through this sort of thing twice before and he had a basic idea of what to do. If the physician couldn't make it here on time, then Link would just have to deliver the child himself.
He soon ran to the bathroom and began running some warm water into the tub. He then started assembling some of the things he would need. Blankets, towels, a pair of scissors…
"Link!" Zelda screamed. "Ohhhh…"
"I'm coming, Zelda!" he called back. He really did seem to be short on time. He was honestly surprised at how fast things seemed to be progressing, but in the back of his mind, he recalled that Kristin's birth had been significantly shorter than Cecil's.
Link rushed back to the foot of the bed where he promptly pushed the hem of Zelda's nightgown up to her knees. He then wrestled her underwear off and glanced in-between her legs. There, he spotted the baby's head already coming out.
There really was no time.
"I can see the baby, Zelda," he told his wife, still trying to stay calm for her sake.
"I need to push!" was all she said in response.
"Go ahead, sweetheart. I'm here for you," Link assured her.
Zelda began pushing, all while continuing to scream her lungs out. Link soon began to notice a lot of bleeding, but he just ignored it as he did his best to guide the child out of her.
"You're doing great, Zelda," Link tried to encourage her. "It's almost out."
"Link, this hurts so much," Zelda cried, the tears falling down her cheeks.
Link frowned. He wished he could do more for his wife, but he was basically helpless. All he could do was keep trying to encourage her. "I know, sweetie. Just keep pushing."
She weakly nodded before giving another big push. More blood leaked out, but this time, Link could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. With gentle hands, he carefully managed to slide the rest of the baby out of her.
"Zelda, I have the baby!" he said loudly. "It's here. It's another girl!"
Zelda didn't respond. Instead, she just collapsed on the bed from exhaustion. Her shoulders slumped as she slowly panted for air. She was beyond tired.
Link just tried to stay focused. He took his scissors and carefully cut the cord. It was at this point that the physician finally came rushing in the door. Link just looked at him while he assessed the situation. Within seconds, the doctor began issuing instructions.
"You take care of the child," he told Link. "I'll check the Princess."
With a single nod, Link carried his newborn daughter out of the room. He brought her into the bathroom where he gently began running some of the warm bath water over her frail, bloodstained body. As the water met the girl's skin, she released a tiny, weak cry.
Link just softly smiled at her. "It's okay, sweetie, daddy's here," he tried to say in a soothing voice. He continued to wash her as she squirmed around. Once the blood was rinsed away, he gently dried her off with a towel before wrapping her in a blanket. All the while, she continued to give quiet, weak cries.
Link just looked her over. She was small, so much smaller than her siblings had been. But of course, Link reminded himself that this was to be expected. After all, she had been born too soon.
With the baby properly cleaned up, Link carried her back into the bedroom, desperate for an update. "How is Zelda?" he asked.
The physician just frowned. "She's lost some blood, but she'll be fine."
Link gave a small nod as he glanced over to Zelda. She was still lying on the bed, recovering from her exhaustion. Thankfully, her breathing seemed to have returned to normal.
"Link?" she asked weakly. "Is the baby all right?"
"I think so," Link responded. "She's breathing, at least."
"Thank the Goddesses," Zelda whispered before closing her eyes.
"Call one of the servants to bring a stretcher," the physician instructed Link. "We should get both the mother and the baby down to the infirmary so I can do a proper examination."
Link just cradled his child close as he did what he was told.
Later that morning, the situation seemed to have settled down. Everyone was understandably a little tired from the night's events, but they were relieved to finally have some peace and quiet.
The physician had finished his examinations. The newborn baby was fine, but a little frail on account of being born too early. Zelda was healthy as well, but she had received some unfortunate news. It turned out that her womb had been heavily damaged during the delivery, and she would never be able to have another child. Link and Zelda didn't mind this so much though. They had three children now, and that was more than enough to satisfy them.
Zelda was currently sitting up in one of the infirmary's beds, cradling her tiny bundle of joy in her arms. They had decided to name her Kyla; her full title being Princess Kyla of Hyrule. Naturally, she was fast asleep in her mother's arms.
Zelda just smiled at her newborn. After everything she had been through, it almost felt surreal to be holding her like this. To know that her child was alive and healthy. To know that she herself was alive and healthy. She was truly grateful for all of it.
"She's so adorable," Zelda whispered, making sure not to wake the baby up.
"Yeah, she is," Link agreed with a small smile. Despite all of the trouble they had endured, Link couldn't deny that seeing this tiny child finally being brought into the world had given him some much-needed joy.
As Zelda continued to admire her baby, she suddenly felt her lip start to quiver, and she could feel her eyes start to well up with tears as well. Link just watched her, immediately growing concerned.
"Zelda?" he asked softly. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"
"Link," she choked quietly. "I…I regret what I said…"
Link just stared at his wife. "What do you mean?"
"When I said…that maybe I'd be better off I did lose the baby…I didn't mean it. I never wanted that to happen. I just wanted my baby to be safe and healthy. And now she's here, Link. She's finally here in my arms."
Link just sighed before producing a small smile. He then rubbed his wife's shoulder a bit. "I know you didn't mean it, Zelda. You were under a lot of stress at the time. You would never truly wish for something like that."
"I know," she choked out. "But still…"
"It's all right," he assured her. "It's all behind us now. The baby's here, and now we can finally move on."
Zelda just smiled before using one hand to remove the tears from her eyes. She then glanced up at her husband. "Link, can you come closer?"
Link just gave her a curious look but complied, leaning down next to her in the bed. Then, to his surprise, Zelda leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you for staying by my side throughout all of this. You were there for me when I needed you the most. You truly are my hero."
Link just ended up laughing with a grin. "Hey, what are husbands for?"
Zelda smirked back at him. "I'd say that you went above and beyond what is expected of a typical husband."
"Oh yeah?" Link asked, smirking back. "Then how about a few more kisses, Princess?"
Zelda just giggled. "Very well. Come closer, my hero…"
Unfortunately, just as the two of them were about to lock lips, there was a sudden knock on the door. For the sake of being professional, Zelda quickly withdrew, much to Link's dismay.
"Yes?"
The door opened, and the physician stuck his head inside. "Your father and the children have arrived," he announced. "Would you like me to let them in?"
Zelda smiled before glancing down at her baby, still fast asleep in her arms. "Yes, I think it's about time the kids met their newest sibling."
With a nod, the physician retreated from the doorway. A moment later, King Harkinian appeared, leading Cecil by the hand and carrying Kristin in his arms. He gave a proud laugh as he stared down at his daughter.
"So, this is the child who couldn't wait to enter the world, huh?"
"I'm afraid not," Zelda replied with a smile. She still remembered how terrified she had been when she realized that the baby was coming early, but she didn't care anymore. It was like Link had said: it was all behind them now.
Harkinian soon let go of Cecil's hand and set Kristin on the floor. The two of them then ran up to their mother's bedside, where Link was happy to help them up.
"It's another sister!" Cecil replied with a happy grin.
"That's right," Link said as he rustled his son's hair. "And since you're her big brother, we're counting on you to help keep her safe."
"Leave it to me!" he insisted, placing a fist to his tiny chest.
Meanwhile, Kristin cuddled up next to her mother, where she too could admire the baby. "It's Kyla," she said, pointing at the bundle.
Zelda laughed. "Yes, sweetie, this is your new baby sister, Kyla. I hope you'll treat her kindly."
"O'course, mommy!" the girl replied.
The family then gathered around, each one of them content to simply watch over the sleeping child in Zelda's arms. However, the commotion must have been too noisy, for Kyla soon awoke and began crying. Much like after her birth, her cry was still quiet and weak, as if it was a struggle just to produce sound.
Zelda merely smiled before holding the child close to her, making soft, soothing noises. She didn't care if her baby was frail. As long as she was safe and healthy, then Zelda was happy.
However, as Zelda managed to calm the infant down, she couldn't help but recall all of the terrible nightmares that she had experienced within the last year. With a heavy heart, Zelda closed her eyes, doing her best to push them out of her mind.
Much like the complications of her pregnancy, Zelda just wished that the worst of it was behind her.
Massive respect for Link here. I think if I ever witnessed a delivery happening that quickly, I'd be terrified lol.
Also YAY they finally have their baby now! I'm sure nothing bad will happen to this sweet and loving family ever again hahaha…(sweats nervously)