The words escaped before he could stop them and the silence followed.
Falein just smiled patiently, like a father indulging his angry son.
"No?" Falein folded his arms over his chest. "Your majesty, I have several children. I watched my wife give birth multiple times and just like you, I paced restless, shaking with worry for her safety. And I nearly broke down every time I heard my wife scream. The first birth is always the worst."
Some of the tension eased from Ragnar's shoulders. His gaze drifted back to the chamber doors.
She was suffering because she carried their child. Because she loved him. Because she had chosen this future with him.
Another cry followed and it shattered the last of his restraint.
He moved to the door. He needed to reach her, needed to see her more than he needed air in his lungs. Now.
A servant stepped into his path. "Your Majesty—"
Ragnar brushed past him without slowing. The man nearly stumbled.
