It was a sight to behold for the Amazons to see their princess completely pregnant while carefully riding her horse who is smart to walk slowly for Diana and the baby's sake, ignoring the half nude part she is, and soon, whispers and gossip came around the city with runners and such.
Some of the Amazons followed closely to the Healing Halls where Diana dismounted, and carefully flew slightly over the steps, landing and walking into the Healing Halls, where the guild of Amazon healers is staring in shock, with Epione smiling and walking forth, "Oh, congratulations, Princess! Did my instructions do well?".
Diana smiled so brightly, nodding with tears, "Yes, Epione. It was the most incredible, painless experience I ever had. They're kicking so eagerly and they're hearty...Steve truly had given a wonderful gift from the heavens, and Hera blessed it all...The magic was amazing...I really believe that it's a girl.".
"That's most wonderful, Princess. And you look like you're close to giving birth any day from the looks of it, and your breasts are looking plump and ready of preparing milk. Shall I absolutely check if I'm correct, and prove your belief?", Epione smiled.
Diana smiled even wider, "Oh, yes!", taking a seat on one of the healing chairs, and Epione went to work, gently prodding Diana's body over and under for the next several minutes, testing things, and after that, Epione replied, "Well, I got good news and sort of bad news.".
"Oh?", Diana bit her lip nervously, and Epione nodded, "The good news is that it's a healthy and hearty girl in there.", and Diana gave an overjoyed sob, "A daughter? Oh, I'm a mother to a daughter!", with tears before looking at her, "And the sort of bad news?".
Epione replied, "You are going to have a lot of personal time with her as it turns out that magic couldn't prepare your body naturally, so, your hips need to widen for the baby's head, and the preparation of the birth canal to be ready for a good delivery, as I can see that it would take 9 days steadily, as this was a fast conception and growth over 9 hours, from what my scroll says.".
"But other than that...?", Diana asked as Epione shook her head, "Hopefully, that'll be the only issue, but I must warn you, it'll probably be a bit more painful than a normal one since your body doesn't have even a few months to begin preparing.".
Diana blinked softly, "I see...How about foods and herbs that would help in the preparation?", as she can bear the pain as she has been through grueling trials of being an Amazon like being on hunts and such, and of course, being in man's world during war, but she would be better off if she has a bit more help, especially for her daughter to be born safely and well.
"That I can advise. I will write down the necessary foods and herbs for the palace cooking maidens.", Epione nodded with a smile, and Diana looked relieved, "Thank you, Epione...Tessa will be happy for that.", before wincing with a smile at a kick, "Yes, I'm talking about you, Tessa!".
Epione chuckled, "Tessa, huh? I wouldn't be surprised if she lives up to it during the birth, but all the same, it's a fine name, Princess. I will make the list quickly, as you will be eating for two, starting with breakfast. You must be hungry.".
A grumbling sound was heard along with a hand thump and a kick from the unborn baby girl, and Diana moaned, "Easy, daughter...She heard you...", and Epione smiled, "Certainly like you, Princess. Be back in a moment.".
And not too soon after that, Diana was given a scroll of Epione's advised foods and herbs, and left the Healing Halls, using a bit of flight to land besides Calista, her horse, turning and heading for the Palace, and upon making it home, she gave Calista to the stall headmaster and went to the kitchens, giving the scroll to the head cooking maiden, seeing that breakfast is starting off, walking into the grand dining room.
"Diana, Mother said you were busy, needing to do something important, and...oh!-", Carrie tittered quickly and excitedly as she sat near Hippolyta, staring at Diana with surprise and awe, and Hippolyta smiled softly, "I heard word from some of the guards...Everything went well, I trust? Am I a grandmother to a granddaughter or a grandson?".
"A granddaughter.", Diana smiled. "Thankfully. I... I don't know what I would've done if it was a son; perhaps it would've been fine had I still been with Steve in the world of men, but here... I wouldn't want to put you in a tough decision.".
"I think Hera made sure that wouldn't be a problem. Allowing a man a brief stay is one thing, but to let one be here permanently even if it was a child of ours...", Hippolyta shook her head. "No, no need to worry or waste energy on the thoughts, ones that will not happen. How did the others take it?", she wondered.
Diana replied, "Well, they certainly made quick time of eavesdropping and all at the Healing Halls when I went to check in with Epione, and so, I suppose she went to tell the rest of how to the others, but otherwise than that, they were surprised and stunned to see the sight of me being pregnant...My shirt and top undergarments don't fit anymore, I'd have to possibly borrow some of yours, mother, or be like this for the next 9 days.".
"9 days?", Hippolyta widened her eyes in slight surprise, "I'd think you'd be about to give birth any day now.", and Diana chuckled, "That's what Epione thought too at first, like I did, but she pointed out that my body is almost ready, but not certainly ready as my hips would need time to widen and prepare to fit my daughter's head, and for the birth canal to be natural to give her a good, smooth delivery, since it was 9 hours last night for her to be made and grow to the size and age she is now.", taking a seat on her usual soft cushioned chair, exhaling as she rubbed her baby bump.
Carrie, not understanding some of it, but has managed to understand other parts of Diana's explanation, and widened her eyes with an excited smile, "Wait, you're actually going to have a baby?! And Steve's the daddy? So, Steve's gift was all his love and energy to help you have a baby?", having learned in the kid-proof conversation with her mummy and daddy when she had seen babies and pregnant mommies occasionally on flights and traveling groups, was that a baby was made from both parents' love and energy.
"That's right. Don't know if you expected to be an aunt so soon...", Diana chuckled as Carrie shook her head. "Nope, not at all... so she'll visit Hera soon in a few years?", Carrie then asked as Hippolyta nodded, "Yes, we'll do the ceremony for her in a few years.".
Carrie smiled widely, "Fantastic!", as breakfast then is brought out to the three royals plus one, and so, with help of the adjusted clothes of some borrowed clothes from Hippolyta, Diana happily spent time with her family, and privately relished in her alone time with her unborn daughter, reading stories and such for the next 9 days, and she tried not to complain too much about discomfort and aches.
The advised foods and herbs by Epione helped greatly with the progression of Diana's hips widening, and the checkups of Diana's birth canal and vagina every day, with the unborn baby happily reaping the benefits of feeling safe, warm, and fed, and rested.
And at the end of the ninth day, Tessa lived up to her name as Diana went into labor all night, with Carrie gratefully asleep thanks to a sleeping herb through the sounds of Diana's echoing cries and shouts of pain.
In the birthing room where in the past, several palace attendants and all gave birth, is now Diana's turn, holding into pillows as Hippolyta wiped her forehead, "How much longer, Epione?! I want to push now! Skata!", as it's the Greek word for shit.
"Just a moment...!", Epione shouted at her. "Hera help me, I'm trying...", Diana grunted as she nodded; she was just wanting to get through this so fast once it started with just how much pain she was in.
Hippolyta replied reassuringly, "Breathe, daughter, you just need to be patient like you have been all night, and those past 9 days...", as she drew back some of Diana's sweat-soaked hair.
"I know, Mother...It really hurts!", Diana breathed and panted before crying out in pain from another contraction, feeling Epione check over her, and she looked up over Diana's legs, "That did it! Push, Princess Diana, push!".
Diana gritted her teeth as she pushed, moaning loudly and breathing heavily as she repeated for 40 minutes before suddenly shouting in pain, "Oh, by Hera, that burns something awful!", and Epione called out, "That's your baby crowning headfirst, that's a good baby! Almost there, Princess!".
"Hear that, Diana? Soon, you'll have your daughter in your arms!", Hippolyta smiled with tears, and Diana smiled a bit, tears in her eyes, and held out her hand and Hippolyta took it, nodding, determined to help encourage her daughter, supporting her through the pain.
Diana took a deep breath and then pushed, screaming out in pain for the next 20 minutes, repeating, barely realizing that the dawn is approaching the city, yet Hippolyta did, and at Epione's shout, "One more, and that's it!".
Taking a deep breath, Diana heaved and screamed out in pain as she felt finally empty, and she panted, collapsing back into the pillows, tears streaming in joy as an echoing, hearty cry of life was heard at the same time of the sun fully rising upon the city.
"Congratulations, Princess Diana, you got a beautiful girl!", Epione laughed as she handed the wiggling, crying, and damp baby into Diana's arms as she cried and sobbed in joy at first sight of her daughter, falling in love.
Diana shushed her newborn daughter, "Shh, it's okay...Mommy is right here...You're so perfect, my baby...my daughter...my Tessa...", as Hippolyta commented with a tearful smile, "Tessa, indeed. She lived up to her name, born at the same time as the sun rose upon the city...She's quite beautiful, just like you and Steve.".
Indeed, Tessa was revealed to have Steve's blond-ish brown hair, his nose, and eye shape, and even his ears, while having Diana's light blue eyes, skin tone, and face structure, and a mix of Steve and Diana's smile.
Tessa cooed, looking at her mommy, and Diana sobbed softly, "So, you were the one kicking in me the past nine days...Your grandmother's right...You're beautiful...my beautiful baby girl...I wish your daddy was right here to meet you, but hopefully, you might be able to meet him in your ceremony...".
"I think Carrie would like to meet her new niece.", Hippolyta suggested as Diana nodded. "She certainly does, considering the reason that she, in a way, is the reason why Tessa is here.", Diana smiled. Perhaps that was the reason why Carrie was brought to Themyscira; through the chain of events, to allow Diana to be a mother of her and Steve's child.
Epione smiled, "I'll ask one of the palace maidens to wake Carrie up, as the sleeping herb must have worn off by now. I must clean you up, and help you with the afterbirth.", leaving swiftly to the door, whispering instructions, and then closing the door.
Diana grunted softly as she passed the afterbirth, and Epione cut the cord, clipping close to Tessa's belly button, and threw out the afterbirth overseas to feed the fish through one of the open-air windows, and cleaned Diana up, tucking the blanket over her legs, as Diana held Tessa, washing her a bit with Hippolyta's given damp handcloth.
At a knock, a voice from one of the palace maidens replied, "I've brought Princess Carrie. Shall I let her in?", and Hippolyta called out, "Let her in.", and the door opened with Carrie walking in, and the door closed after her as Carrie was wide-eyed, staring quietly, walking closer to the birthing bed, and whispered, "Wow...She's really looking like you and Steve, Diana...What's her name?".
Diana smiled, "Her name is Tessa. Tessa, this is your aunt Carrie, my little sister and she's a princess of Themyscrica, just like you are.", and Carrie smiled even more at her little niece's curious glance at her, "Hi, Tessa. I promise I'd look over you, even if I am a kid, but princesses watch each other's backs, because that's what we do...That, and we're Amazons... If you were out there in my old world, would you have a middle name for her, and something with your last name and Steve's last name, Diana?".
"I wouldn't know about the middle name as it would have been Steve's honor to do that, but I wouldn't mind Prince-Trevor for her to fit in man's world. Yes, Tessa Prince-Trevor would have done fine, even without the middle name.", Diana replied.
Tessa gurgled at that before her belly grumbled, and she then whined hungrily, and Diana chuckled, bringing her closer to her breast where Tessa tucked in, suckling, closing her eyes as she enjoyed her first breakfast in the outside world.
Hippolyta smiled with a chuckle, "We will give some rest and some personal time for you, daughter, to enjoy with Tessa for the next week, and then there will be her presentation as third-born princess of Themyscira, and then it's normal routines and lessons for her until she turns five years old for her Amazon ceremony.".
Carrie giggled, "It wouldn't be boring around here, that's for sure!", and Diana laughed, and even Hippolyta had to chuckle in agreement, and so, Carrie and Tessa grew up in human aging over the next six years, and life indeed wasn't boring, with an adventure or such around the island every day.
Now, Carrie is 12 years old, already a remarkable prodigy in her classes and just had successfully hunted for the first time on her birthday recently and now is standing proudly with her mother and older sister, smiling at her niece who is now five years old, beloved and precious to all the Amazons as much as Carrie is, ready for the Amazon ceremony on her birthday.
Having her blond-ish brown hair grown into a beautiful braid, Tessa is a smart and sassy girl, sometimes mischievous like Diana, and sometimes charming like Steve, which is a combination that the Amazons get both amused yet exasperated at.
Tessa took a deep breath as she walked up to the fountain; having been forewarned that she might change a bit from Carrie, considering that she had quite a bit of her father's traits rather than two Amazonian mothers. Still, the girl tried to keep her composure, recounting the story from Carrie whom she looked up to more like a sister at times than an aunt.
Tessa really hopes that Hera would like her still, even though she knew that Hera blessed her mother and her father in magic and all, and even if it might not be a possibility, she would still like to meet her father, as she really asked so much about her father and heard Diana's stories about him, even if most are somewhat child-proofed, thanks to being in the second world war and all, it was still inspiring to hear that her father was truly a hero and a good man.
Her grandmother had just finished the customary questions, and now, Tessa is guided in by Chrysis who smiled at her gently, "Are you ready, young Tessa?", and Tessa nodded, "Yes, I am...", walking through the fountain's sacred water to a comfortable height, turning around and seeing all her community sisters, and most of all, her tearful yet proud mother's smile, next to her grandmother's warm smile, and her aunt's joyful smile.
"Good. I want you to lean back, let the waters start to lift you, let you flow amongst them. Close your eyes as well as you'll be submerged in a moment.", Chrysis replied, and Tessa leaned back, feeling Chrysis's hand on her back, resting in the waters, relaxing as she let the water flow around her, and took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, becoming submerged.
And as she had expected, a moment later, she found herself in Hera's realm as she looked around to see the Goddess waiting for her.
"Been some time since I've had so many of my daughters visit me in such a short while...", Hera chuckled as Tessa dropped to her knees. "Oh, Hera... how honored I am to be in your presence.", she whispered.
Tessa saw Hera's feet as she heard her footsteps come closer, and felt a gentle hand tilt her chin up, "Thank you, young one, it warms my heart that you have learned of me despite your origins, and you have learned quickly to be a royal of Themyscrica, and now it's your time to be an Amazon.".