Alaric didn't wait.
He strode through the corridor, Daphne cradled tightly against him. He could feel her trembling.
"Stay with me, Princess," he murmured, his voice breaking. "Don't you dare fade on me now."
She clutched his shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks. "It's too early, Ric…"
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Then he'll be early. But he'll live, you hear me? Both of you will."
Katherine pushed open the heavy doors ahead. "Here! Set her down here!"
The chamber was already prepared, the sheets, the herbs, the copper basin.
Alaric laid Daphne down gently, brushing the hair from her face as the midwives rushed in.
Katherine gripped his arm, "Let them work. Stay close, but let them work."
He nodded, though his entire body screamed against the command.
The midwives surrounded the bed, speaking in urgent tones. Daphne's cries filled the chamber, each one slicing through his heart like a blade.
