In Baski's bedroom, Danika sprawled on the bed screaming in agonizing pain. After yet another strong push, she panted in heavy exhaustion.
“Push, my queen, PUSH!” Baski shouted from in-between her spread legs.
“Can't...can't...” Whispers came from her overtired body. Queen Danika shook her head from side to side. She had been pushing. Now, she was so tired, she just wanted to sleep.
“Danika!” Baski shrieked in worried panic. “You can't give up now; you were doing a good job!”
“My princess, please...” Sally pleaded, holding Danika's hand. She stayed beside the other woman, offering comfort.
“Tired... Tired..” the queen could only manage, her pain-filled eyes closing, and opening...and closing again.
Kedo, the medicine man, and two of his apprentices, joined Baski. Whatever they were doing there was hurting Danika so much. In fact, her whole body was one giant pain; she had no idea where one stopped and the other began.
There was a crowd outside Baski’s bedroom. The ministers. The people of Mombana. They are all waiting for the good news of the birth of the prince, even as they made happy jubilation noises at the victory of Mombana in the sudden war that erupted. King Lucien walked past them and entered the bedroom.
Baski’s face was one of relief as they all turned and saw the king. “My king! Thank the gods you’re here!” she gasped.
He strode toward the queen, whose eyes opened at the sound of the door opening. “L-Lucien!” she cried, tears in her eyes as she saw her king.
“Dearling,” he said, taking the spot Sally vacated immediately after she saw him. “What is going on?” That curt question was directed at Baski.
“She won’t push!” the woman began.
“Danika, dearling, you have to help get the baby out,” he said in the gentlest voice ever, his eyes peering down into her tired ones.
“I hurt!” she cried in a tired voice. “He does not...want to come...out. He’s being so...mean to me, Lucien.”
“I’m here now,” he kissed her sweaty forehead. “I’m here now, dearling. He needs help to get out. He needs mama’s help to get out, dearling. Try again, Dani?”
“Okay, okay, okay.” Each word was a hot breath from her nose, but her king’s presence had renewed her strength.
She followed Baski and Kedo’s instructions: pressing down when they asked her to, holding her breath when they asked her to, and pushing when they asked her to. The king was right there, holding her and comforting her.
The cry of the prince filled the air.
Baski carried out a small bundle and raised him in the air with tears of joy spilling from her face. “You did it! Oh, my queen, you did it!”
Behind the door, there were jubilation and shouts of joy at the sound of the baby’s loud cry.
While holding his woman, the king’s eyes were transfixed on the baby, whose vociferous, piercing shrill was so loud in the air. His eyes tracked Baski’s eyes as she hurried forward and placed the baby in the queen’s arms.
At the sight of the baby, Danika began weeping like a child. This time, it was tears of indescribable joy. A great feeling of love watched over her as she held her baby.
“It is worth it. The pains...the aches, everything. He is worth it!” she cried, staring up at the king. “Take a look at our baby, my king.”
The king wasn’t able to speak. He could only caress the baby’s forehead in reverence. The child had the bluest eyes the king had ever seen—even bluer than his.
A few minutes later, the king held his baby for the first time. Indeed, it was worth it. The most handsome boy ever born. His heart was filled with so much love for the small bundle that had gone to sleep in his arms.
Tears filled his eyes for the second time today, not caring at all about the people in the bedroom.
It was tears of joy and love. For the first time in over sixteen years, he felt complete.
In Salem, very heavy rain was beating the ground hard. The people of Salem didn’t bother to stay in the shelter; instead, they were seen in the rain, dancing and singing in happiness.
In the tower of Baski’s bedroom, Remeta and Corna were grinning so hard, filled with so much joy. Remeta ran from the bedroom towards Prince Declan’s bedroom.
Declan was in bed with his princess. They were smiling in awe, staring out of the window at the furious drumming of the rain and its buzzing sounds. At Remeta’s knock, he dressed, rushed to the door, and threw it open.
“The prince is here! The prince has arrived!” Remeta shouted giddily. She was dancing with the little boy he had heard so much about named Corna.
Declan didn’t dispute them because he had been filled in about their spiritual eyes. “Really? He brought the rain?”
They nodded vigorously, grinning at him.
Declan knew how badly his big brother wanted this child. It didn’t matter that his mother was the daughter of Cone. For the child to bless this dry land with heavy rain on his arrival, indeed, he must be a blessed heir. Declan was speechless and happy at the same time
“Send the message to the king, Prince Declan. Let him know our land is wet again!” Remeta said to him.
Declan is all too happy to send the message. In the minutes that followed, he wrote down the message on a scroll, tied it in waterproof nylon before he strapped it to the messenger bird, and nudged the bird to the direction it should take.
The four of them stood under the rain with huge smiles on their faces as the bird flew away towards Mombana.
King Lucien was very happy when he read the message. His happiness spread towards the others when they read it too. It was raining in Salem. It was as great news as the birth of his child. It was as great news as the news of Vetta’s survival.
The people of Mombana entered Baski’s bedroom one after the other to gift the newborn baby. The crowd was so much that they had to be chased away with the promise to be allowed visitation on the morrow because the queen and the baby needed rest.
Night descended; the queen was breastfeeding her child in the cushion of the king’s strong arms while he watched with a huge smile on his face that hadn’t abated since the birth of his child. They have named him too.
Prince Nikolai Rainier De Leon. That is the name of the prince.
Nikolai means ‘Victory of the People’ because he’s indeed the victory of the people of Salem and Mombana. Rainier, not only because it had the ‘rain’ on its name but also because it means ‘A judgment warrior.’ The prince is indeed a warrior who came out on the day of war and victory. As an heir to great thrones, he is a judgment on his own.
As Prince Nikolai nursed, the king gave the queen the good news of Vetta’s survival.
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