It had been almost nine months into her pregnancy. The baby was expected to arrive in the next couple of days. In her mind, she had always imagined it would be a great feeling. She would be excited and cuddle up with the one whom she would raise her child with. Ha; what a load of shit!

She was miserable. The swell in her stomach had reached the size of a large watermelon and made it so she could barely move. Her now massively swollen teats made movement even harder. Her back ached, and other parts of her body felt like they were flaring as well. Her mane got longer, nearly covering her face in the bright spectral hair. All of it sucked.

Over the pregnancy, other issues also happened. Morning sickness was easily the worst part, as the crackers made it so she was incredibly drowsy, and she would end up throwing up in bed. This wasn't an issue when she had her lessons with Didius, as Castus would wash the sheets while she was away. However, as it drew into the latter months, she went out less and less, which meant she had to move over or get out of bed completely while he washed them, which took a few hours.

Next was the cravings. They started coming in about month four and were easily the weirdest part of it. The requests were odd, and often random in nature. Figs drenched in garum fish sauce. Salted grapes with a shot glass of lemon juice. Sugar-fried pork. Bread stuffed with asparagus and anchovies. And some of these were the more tame ones. She didn't want to know what would happen if she ate these foods normally.

However, by far the worst part was the fact she was unable to use crackers. Sutura claimed they were bad for the baby, and deep down she knew the Medicus was right. However, poop sleep was also bad for it, so an in-between solution was devised. A runic earring, carved with runes that gave sound sleep to its wearer, with said wearer being her. It was a solution; not one she enjoyed, but one none the less. Still, not being able to use the crackers was a pain, and she was beginning to suffer a few withdrawal symptoms.

Fortunately, it wasn't like she went through this alone. Didius would occasionally come by, even when she was still doing her lessons, and read to her. Unlike the historical records and military treaties he normally lectured to her with, these were more interesting books, in her opinion. Legends about ancient heroes and some of their deeds. Some she had a feeling weren't real, like how a Terran named Hoofacles was able to tear apart a gap in a wall of cliffs that allowed a Pryhan fleet to retrieve an artifact that helped restore fertility to the farms around the capital. Others seemed plausible enough, like the voyage of an ancient Caesar by the name of Tiberius. They were entertaining at the very least, and he left her other books and scrolls for her to pass the time with.

Besides the old professors reading and Suturas checkups, she, of course, had Castus. He was always nearby in case she needed him. He brought her water, medicine if she needed it, her unusual food requests; whatever she asked for. It was a bit of a sore spot relying on someone else, but she had no choice at this point. Besides, he was kind, able to complete his tasks quickly, and was even courteous to her despite her near-constant whining.

"Uhhhhhhh…", she groaned, leaning back in her bed. The sheets were pulled up just below her stomachs swell, and her head was leaning against the wall. Her wings were spread out, reaching just off the bed. Resting on her stomach facing her sat one of the books Didius had given her, telling the story of how the city of Pryha was founded by the twins Damocles and Decius. To her, it was even cooler than Hearths Warming. If she wasn't so miserable, it would be a lot more interesting.

A knock on the door drew her attention off the book and toward the door. "Come in," she scowled. In came Castus with a small platter, on which was her latest strange request: A whole loaf of bread drenched in melted chocolate. Along with it was a cup of water and a small pot of nuts, which were supposedly good for the baby.

"Just bringing you your new request, Domina," he said, setting it down next to her bed. Rainbow set down the book and immediately began to stuff the bread into her mouth. Even after all this time, it was still amazing how fast she could down her pregnancy food. After it was all gone, about a minute, she leaned back against the wall. "Anything else you need, Domina?"

"N-no, Castus. Thanks." He bowed, then began to leave.

"I'll be outside if you need anything, Domina." As he left, Rainbow smiled. He appreciated her awesomeness, and he didn't mind the scars. Most of the creatures she had interacted with had shown some sort of reaction to her raking scars and glowing eye. Even Didius had cringed slightly when he first saw her. He saw how awesome she was, and didn't really care about what she looked lik-

*Splash!*

Rainbows ears flicked up in surprise, feeling a dampness down by her hind legs, just below the sheets. "Uh, Castus?" As he came in, she lifted up the sheets to look down. A massive wet spot had formed below the sheets, right by her marehood. Soon, Castus had arrived and also looked down the gap between the mattress and the silk sheet. His pale green eyes, normally partially closed and a bit lazy, widened in shock. Both knew what it was, and both had been somewhat dreading what it entailed.

The wet spot was her water. It had broken. And that could only mean one real thing:

The baby was coming. Now.

Next Chapter: 38~Pain of motherhood (PT.2) Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 46 Minutes