The palace infirmary was already clearing a room when Brad arrived with Ann in his arms and the midwives met them at the door.
"Put her here," one of them said, pointing to a prepared bed.
Brad lowered Ann carefully to the bed and she blinked a few times as her vision started to settle.
"I'm fine," she mumbled. "I just got myself a little too heated, that's all."
"No," Brad said flatly. "You collapsed during a council session. That is not fine."
The midwife placed a hand on Ann's shoulder.
"Lie back, Your Majesty."
Ann obeyed with nothing more than a resigned sigh, more because she was too tired to argue than anything else.
The ultrasound scanner hummed softly as one of the midwives ran the hand piece over Ann's stomach and she watched on the screen as the pups shifted under the surface.
"Their heartbeats are strong," the midwife said. "All three of them seem fine and there's no physical indicators of any distress."
Ann let out a slow breath. "Good."
Another midwife checked the image from a different angle and frowned slightly.
"They are moving down, though. That is definitely a little earlier than we expected."
Ann's eyes snapped open.
"What?"
"Don't worry, it's not a problem yet," the midwife said calmly. "It just means they're getting ready to make an appearance. It won't be too long now until they're here and causing all sorts of chaos."
"What?! No…they can't! It is too early," Ann said. "They are not supposed to come yet. There's still too much to do."
The midwife chuckled softly.
"Babies don't wait to fit into you schedule unfortunately, Your Majesty. They come when they are ready, not when you are ready."
Ann stared at her for a few seconds before sighing heavily.
"I'm not ready at all."
"I can tell," the midwife said, not unkindly. "Which is why you need to rest. Your body is working far harder than you are, and you are already doing too much for a single pup pregnancy, never mind three."
Brad folded his arms at the end of the bed.
"You heard her, Ann. It's officially on the midwives orders now."
Eva and Coral slipped into the room then, both of them catching their breath and they looked like they had run the whole way.
"Is she all right?" Eva asked.
"She's stable, and the pups are fine." the midwife said. "But she's clearly exhausted. She needs to stop pushing herself like this."
"See?" Brad said. "Everyone agrees with what we've been telling you for weeks."
Ann glared at him.
"You're enjoying this too much."
"I am also enjoying this," Maeve purred, "Bed? Mandatory?! Yes. Fucking. Please."
Coral stepped closer to the bed with a firm expression plastered on her face.
"You scared half the council and all of us, you know."
"They deserved it," Ann muttered sullenly.
"I didn't say that they don't deserve something to get their arses into gear, "Coral said. "I'm just saying that you can't keep doing this to your own body. We need you alive and preferably conscious."
Eva nodded.
"Adam will lose his mind if he hears you passed out in a room full of nobles who were shouting at you."
"Ugh," Ann grimaced, "Please don't tell him. He'll be insufferable."
"If you get up before we say you can, he will be the first person to hear about it." Coral warned, wagging her finger threateningly at her and Brad nodded in agreement next to her.
"We absolutely will."
Ann glared at them both again but it accomplished nothing.
The midwife finished her scan and stepped back.
"The babies are fine for now. But you need to rest. No long meetings. No shouting at people who are not worth your energy. From now on, you can take short updates only, from your bed."
Ann made a face.
"But I have work to do."
"You have three pups who are almost ready to be born," the midwife replied. "That is work enough."
"She is right," Maeve said smugly. "Let other people shout at the nobles. Adam loves shouting."
Ann rolled her eyes, which only made her head feel heavier.
"Fine. How long am I under house arrest?"
"Until we say otherwise," the midwife answered sternly, "And if you ignore that, we will have Brad carry you back in here again."
She wasn't even allowed to walk back to her own room on her own.
Brad took one arm, Coral took the other and Eva walked ahead, making sure no one stepped in their path.
"This is unnecessary," Ann muttered. "I can walk perfectly fine."
"You're still walking, we aren't stopping you from walking," Coral grinned happily, "You're just not walking alone."
"If a noble even looks at you the wrong way in the hallway, I'll throw them down the closest set of stairs." Brad added darkly.
"Please make sure that you warn me first so I can watch." Eva snorted.
"You are all ridiculous." Ann sighed as she shook her head
"You love us," Maeve said. "And more importantly, I love this. Bed. Blankets. Maybe snacks. This is the best order you have been given EVER."
By the time they reached her room, Ann was too tired to fight anymore. Brad opened the door and Coral and Eva guided her to the bed, refusing to let go until she was sitting down safely.
"Lie down," Coral said.
"I can sit." Ann frowned.
"Lie. Down." Eva repeated slowly and with meaning, "Or I am opening a direct channel to Adam and telling him that you fainted in a council room and tried to walk it off."
Ann hesitated as Brad raised an eyebrow.
"I'll even add in the part where the noble called you unfit."
"You would not," Ann gasped in horror. She knew exactly what would happen if they did.
"We absolutely would," all three of them answered at the same time.
Ann stared at them, then slowly eased herself back against the pillows muttering angrily to herself.
"Traitors."
Coral adjusted the blanket with a little smile.
"We're responsible traitors though."
Eva set the tablet on the bedside table within reach.
"Look, see? You can approve things from here, but you're only allowed to work in short bursts. No full sessions. I'll just remove wifi access if you ignore that order."
Brad moved to the door.
"I'll post two guards to make sure that there's no nobles, no unannounced visitors, and no one arguing about titles."
Ann sighed, but some of the tension left her shoulders.
"Fine, but just for a little while."
"For longer than a while," Maeve said. "We are not getting up unless the castle falls or the water breaks."
Ann closed her eyes for a moment.
"Just an hour then."
"Longer," Coral said.
"We'll see," Ann replied but she was fast asleep ten minutes later.