The day hadn’t yet died when chaos split the walls of the royal chambers. Lady Gaia’s shriek tore through the marble halls like a cursed horn, her voice cracking as if her lungs would collapse with the force of it.
Her water had broken. It spilled onto the polished floor in a grotesque puddle, a thick and steaming trail that painted her shame across the room. She gripped the edge of her bed, her nails clawing into the silk sheets, face twisted between agony and rage.
“AAAAAAAAH!” she screamed, her guttural wail enough to freeze every maid in the vicinity.
The maidens rushed in, wide-eyed and trembling. Their voices rose like a pack of startled crows.
“The heir is on the way! The heir...Lady Gaia is in labour!”
Feet slapped against the marble as servants scrambled down the halls, shout
