The moment Stara entered her chambers; she knew the potion had begun its work. A sharp pain twisted through her stomach. She stopped mid-step, gripping the doorframe as another wave of agony surged through her body.
Her lady-in-waiting turned immediately. "My lady?"
Stara forced herself to stand straight despite the pain.
"Go to the midwife's residence," she said urgently. "Tell her to come see me immediately."
She pressed a trembling hand against her abdomen.
"Something is wrong."
The maid's eyes widened. "Yes, my lady."
She hurried out of the chamber.
The palace slept.
Moonlight filtered through the tall windows when the chamber door finally burst open again. Lila and Aisha rushed inside. Aisha carried a basket lined with folded sheets. Stara lay in bed, her body trembling as she struggled to endure the brutal waves of labor.
Lila immediately rolled up her sleeves.
"Young girl," she said sharply to the maid. "Wait outside."
The maid hesitated. "But—"
"Go," Lila insisted firmly. "Do not wake anyone until I say so."
The maid looked from Lila to Stara, clearly frightened. "Her baby is supposed to come in four weeks," she stammered. "Not today."
"I have seen this before," Lila said calmly. She approached the bed and examined Stara quickly. "The baby is probably just in the wrong position. Aisha and I will massage her stomach and correct it."
She gestured toward the door.
"Now leave."
Reluctantly, the maid stepped outside.
The moment the door closed, Lila hurried to Stara's side. She performed a rapid examination. Then she leaned close and whispered, "I don't know what you did to bring the baby early, dear one… but now you must push."
Aisha quickly placed a thick cloth between Stara's teeth. Stara bit down hard. The pain was unbearable. Her body strained as she pushed. Her muffled cries filled the room.
"Push," Lila urged quietly. "I don't trust that your maid listened to me."
"We need to hurry, Mama," Aisha whispered.
Another violent contraction seized Stara. She pushed harder.
Outside the chamber, the maid paced nervously along the corridor. Her hands trembled. Something about the situation felt terribly wrong. The midwife's explanation replayed in her mind. But the sounds from the room were too intense.
"What if something is wrong?" she whispered anxiously. Her heart pounded. "I should tell the queen."
Without another thought, she ran down the corridor.
Inside the chamber, Stara screamed silently into the cloth as another surge of pain tore through her body.
"Just once more," Lila whispered. "Push."
Stara gathered the last of her strength. She pushed with everything she had. Then suddenly the cry of a newborn filled the room.
Stara collapsed against the pillow, exhausted. For a moment she could barely breathe. Then she heard it again. Her baby's cry. Her eyes slowly opened. Lila gently placed the small, blood-covered infant onto her chest.
"Congratulations," she said softly, "It's a girl."
Stara stared at the tiny face in awe. Her daughter, perfect and alive. Tears streamed down her face as she touched the baby's cheek. For one fleeting moment, the world felt peaceful.
Then Aisha spoke urgently. "We don't have time." She lifted the basket, "I must leave now."
Lila nodded. "Stara," she said quietly, "it's time."
Stara's heart shattered. She bent forward and kissed her daughter's forehead. "I love you," she whispered.
Before she could hold her any longer, Lila gently lifted the baby from her arms and placed her inside the basket among the sheets. The room suddenly felt unbearably empty. Lila moved quickly. From the basket she took the small lifeless body they had prepared. She placed the dead infant onto Stara's chest.
The weight felt wrong. Cold. And Stara's grief instantly exploded. She began to sob uncontrollably.
Across the room, Aisha climbed onto the window ledge. For a brief moment she looked back. Then she disappeared into the night with the basket.
Lila squeezed Stara's hand.
"Cry," she whispered, "Cry, my dear, as loud as you can."
Suddenly the chamber doors burst open. Queen Waridi rushed inside, followed by several royal women. Her face filled with shock at the scene before her.
"What happened?" the queen demanded.
Lila bowed slightly. "Lady Stara went into sudden labor, Your Majesty." She lowered her head solemnly. "But unfortunately, the baby did not survive."
Gasps of horror spread through the room. But Stara's grief drowned them all. She clutched the lifeless infant to her chest, sobbing with such raw agony that no one dared to question her sorrow. And far away from the palace, hidden within the night, a tiny newborn girl was carried toward a new life, one that might one day return to burn the kingdom that had tried to destroy her
...
The carriage had barely stopped when Omuro stepped down.
The sight before her made her heart drop.
Dozens of people crowded the courtyard outside the East Residence. Servants whispered nervously, guards stood rigid, and several noblewomen and men lingered with pale faces. Something was terribly wrong.
Omuro pushed through the crowd.
"Move." Her voice trembled with urgency.
Inside the chamber, the air smelled of blood and incense.
And then she saw it.
Stara sat on the bed, her body shaking with grief. In her arms lay the tiny, lifeless body of her child.
Omuro's legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed onto the floor.
"I'm late," she sobbed. "I'm too late."
***