A/N: I think this might be the first time I've ever written a birth in a story before…
-x-X-x-
A scream of agony rips its way out of Sansa's lips. She'd thought she knew pain. She'd thought she knew suffering. But this? This was beyond anything she could have imagined.
"You're okay Sansa. You're doing so well. Just keep pushing okay?"
Through hazy eyes, Sansa looks over at her fellow Queen and lets out a snarl.
"E-Easy for you to say… you haven't POPPED yet!"
Arianne bites her lower lip at that, her hands running over her own gravid belly. Both of them are so fucking fat at this point, Sansa can't help but think rather deliriously. Or no, not fat. Axel wouldn't want her to call them fat. But by the Seven are they pregnant.
Only, Arianne is still a couple weeks away supposedly. Sansa though… the baby is coming. Right now.
The Grandmaester and his assistants are here, along with half a dozen Septas and a bunch of other people besides. Arianne is seated halfway across the room, present but not too close to the action given her own condition. Meanwhile…
"You really are doing well, my Queen. So well."
Sansa's eyes flicker over to the woman who IS beside her… Margaery Tyrell. The Rose of Highgarden has a smile on her rather pale face, but it's not exactly reaching her eyes at the moment. Probably because Sansa currently has Margaery's hand in a death grip, squeezing the hell out of it whenever the pain gets to be too much.
Which… at this point is pretty much all the time now. And fucking good! Let someone else experience a fraction of her pain! Fuck, childbirth SUCKED! Why couldn't it just be nice?! Why couldn't it be as fun as the process was?!
Scowling suddenly, Sansa leers at Margaery, leaning forward as much as her current state will let her.
"You're next, Margaery."
Her lady-in-waiting blinks owlishly at that.
"I… I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. I'm next for… what?"
Sansa grins viciously. Margaery probably thinks she's just delirious. Which to be fair, she is. But also… she's dead serious.
"This. You're next for THIS. I'm going to have Axel fill you with his cum until you're womb is fit to burst! You're going to bear his child and feel this agony just the same as I am right now!"
Margaery blanches at that. Arianne sighs. Everyone else involved is smart enough not to say anything or comment on the conversation. Good, they're not important.
Dropping back into her pillows, Sansa lets out a sigh as she stares at the ceiling above her head. The worst part about this wasn't the pain, truth be told. No… the worst part was that Axel wasn't here.
Oh, Sansa got it of course. It had been several weeks now since Axel had decided to fly up to the Wall and assess the situation himself. Several weeks since he'd then subsequently returned to King's Landing with a hole in his armor and extremely grim tidings.
Not just any armor either. A hole in Valyrian Steel Armor. Through both sides. Now, there was no damage to Axel himself thanks to Daenerys' healing. Not even a fucking scar. But Sansa could imagine it well enough all the same from seeing the state of his armor and hearing what he'd gone through.
In the end, it was one of the main reasons she'd decided she was fine with this new wildling woman that Axel had apparently claimed. And to be clear, it was NOT a guarantee that she would be despite her and Arianne's rather casual approach to Axel's propensity for collecting concubines.
Wildlings were not… good people. Or so Sansa had always been taught growing up. But this wasn't like with Jon where her mind was poisoned by her mother. No, everyone in the North knew how bad wildling raiding parties could be.
There hadn't been a wildling army that marched on the Wall in over a hundred years, but that didn't stop small groups from slipping through and burning farms and pillaging villages. Sansa had grown up hearing very real tales of the North suffering at the hands of wildling savages, so when she'd found out that Axel had allowed them through the Wall and also apparently claimed one of their women, she'd been leery.
… But in the end, he'd talked her around. Just like he always did. These wildlings were a bit better by virtue of being led by a man who actually wasn't a wildling at all, but rather a deserter from the Night's Watch. They were also a little more palatable by virtue of being reasonable enough to bend the knee to Axel and submit to his authority.
Sure, the only other option was certain death, but some of what Sansa knew about wildlings in general said that there were entire tribes of the savages who would gladly choose certain death over submission. And finally, when it came to Val in particular, the wildling woman had apparently protected Axel's body while he was on death's door, even having him brought to her tent so she could tend to him herself.
So yes, Sansa had begrudgingly accepted the wildling woman's place in Axel's harem even if neither she nor Arianne had a chance to meet this 'Val' yet. She-
A fresh spasm of pain as the babe in her womb shifts about breaks through Sansa's thoughts and another agonized scream rips its way out of her throat. She'd been doing so well for a second there, taking her mind off things, but it couldn't last forever. And indeed, as the pain gets worse and worse, Sansa can only whimper and cling to Margaery's hand while pushing with all her might and hoping it will be over soon.
And then…
"SANSA! We're here! We're here!"
Axel's voice cuts through the pain and the haze over her mind like something straight out of her wildest dreams. Sansa blinks as she looks at her husband with unseeing eyes for a moment. Then, she focuses on him and scowls.
"… Get out."
That catches him by surprise.
"Wha- but Sansa!"
"NO! Get out! You did this to me, you bastard! You-!"
She knows she's being ridiculous. She knows she's being irrational. But fuck it, she doesn't care at this point! It hurts so damn much and… and…
Sansa blinks as the pain slowly begins to bleed away. She gasps as her body starts to feel a bit… numb. That… that's bad right? Panic clutches at her throat as she fears that this heralds the end of her life. Dead in the birthing bed from her first child.
Except when she finally looks down at herself… it's to see Daenerys Targaryen hovering over her with glowing hands. The same glowing hands that the former Dragon Queen has been using to heal the people of King's Landing whenever she has the time for months now.
Grandmaester Marwyn stands off to the side, eyes narrowed as he watches the scene.
"Fascinating…"
Meanwhile, Axel sits next to Sansa and offers her his hand with a smile.
"I can still go if you want, but I can also stay… if you want."
For a moment, remembering all the pain she'd been in a few moments ago, Sansa is tempted to send him out of the room anyways. Out of spite if nothing else. But… no. With a huff, she slaps her hand down onto Axel's, giving it a good squeeze. At the same time, she lets go of poor Margaery, allowing the Tyrell to retreat while she tries to shake feeling back into her stark white fingers.
From there things are almost too easy. Sansa lays back while Axel talks to her and Daenerys works her literal magic. And all that Sansa has to do in the end is push when she's told to push. Until finally, she feels something down below… give.
Before she can ask what's happened, an infant's cry splits the air and her child is lifted up from the bed. She… she's done it. She's given birth to Axel's firstborn.
"A healthy boy, Your Grace."
-x-X-x-
He was a father. Axel could hardly believe it, but then the proof was literally in his hands. Standing there in the Royal Nursery a week and a half after Sansa had given birth, Axel holds Jon in his arms as tenderly and carefully as he's ever held anything.
Meanwhile, in the cradle before him lies Jon's half-sisters… twin girls of Dornish descent who had come out of Arianne just a few days ago. Marwyn had postulated that the stress of watching the first part of Sansa giving birth had caused Arianne to come due a little earlier, in the end.
Fortunately, he and Daenerys were there from the start of that one. All thanks to the Seven, really. They'd been the ones to nudge him back to King's Landing the moment Sansa's labor had started. Axel would have gotten there earlier, but he stopped to pick up Daenerys on the way.
And he was glad he did too. Truth be told, Axel had long harbored intentions of making sure Daenerys was in the room when his Queens finally gave birth. Childbirth was terrifying after all… the prospect of the women he loved dying in a manner that he could do nothing about, all to bring the life HE'D seeded them with into the world… it was enough to give Axel nightmares.
But with Daenerys, suddenly the fear was greatly diminished. Her healing didn't just diminish the pain of the experience immensely, after all. It also made certain that even in the worst case scenarios, his Queens would come out the other side of the birthing bed fully intact and alive.
And now here he was, holding his firstborn, Jon Baratheon, Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, while Jon's sisters Alia and Deria both slept.
Axel's only regret was that he'd had to choose between Arianne and Asha when it came to who he could bring Daenerys to. The Seven had alerted him to both of their labors starting around the same time… and in the end, Axel had chosen to prioritize Arianne.
Only afterwards, just yesterday, had Axel been able to fly to Pyke and check up on Asha, as well as apologize to her. He wasn't going to keep such a thing from the woman, and he was fully prepared to have her angry at him for being willing to sacrifice her.
… But instead, Asha had just scoffed and held out their daughter for him to meet. Alys Greyjoy was her name, and Asha was so incredibly proud of her. It was funny because Axel had long since figured out that the Ironborn woman didn't really want to be pregnant. She just wanted an excuse to make him keep coming back to her.
And yet, that all changed once she actually had her girl in her arms. But then to be fair, Axel got it. He really, really did.
With that, in the span of a week and a half, Axel had gone from childless to having four children. Three was the expected number, but in the end he supposed he couldn't be surprised that Arianne had twins. She HAD seemed a little bit larger than Sansa, but Axel would never have said so out loud.
And to think it would be one boy and three girls as well. He almost wondered if the Seven had put their finger on the scales on that front along with helping him get to King's Landing in time to help his Queens with their births. His succession was secured now, after all. And while Axel was confident he would have more children going forward, both sons and daughters alike… Jon Baratheon would always be the oldest. His son. His heir.
Letting out a sigh, Axel slowly sets Jon down in his cradle as he smiles gently.
"Don't worry little guy. I'm not going to let anything happen to you or your sisters. But unfortunately, I'm also not going to be able to stay. I have to go soon… to secure a future for all of you. And once I'm done, we'll all live happily ever after."
The Night King was coming. The protections holding back the lion's share of his army were falling. Westeros had come together, the armies of all Seven Kingdoms riding north for the Wall. But nothing was certain. Nothing was guaranteed.
… Axel refused to fall though. He refused to let the Great Other and his Champion win. And as he departs from the Royal Nursery, shoulders squared and back straight, the King feels a faint whisper along his neck… the now-familiar presence of the Seven.
His gods were with him. His people were with him. And Axel Baratheon was long past ready to bring an end to all of this.
-x-X-x-
A/N: Yay babies!
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