Alexa screamed.
Labour was so much worse than she remembered this time around. A midwife and a number of clerics were with her.
Alexa's time at the Order of Light had been both reassuring and educational. For the first time in over a year, Alexa felt safe.
The order had determined that although Alexa had Medea's mark on her, Sextus did not. They theorised that Medea knew that certain people could sense a creature of black magic, or anyone with her scent and made a point of limiting her work to Alexa's transformation to werequeen. This way her children would be clean, and be able to go into places that are forbidden to those tainted by black magic or bearing Medea's scent.
The labour was not going well. But for the healing abilities of the clerics, alll the children would have been lost.
"It is as we feared," murmered one of the clerics out of Alexa's hearing. "Medea has sabotaged her. No doubt there is a specific flaw in Alexa's transformation that only Medea knows the secret to counter."
"Medea always had those she deemed disloyal killed."
"Not Jason."
"She murdered their children and killed his lover. I'd say she deemed that an adequate punishment."
"There's something else here too."
"Oh?"
"The sabotage... it was obviously intended to kill the children too."
The other cleric went cold.
"To prevent them falling into the hands of her enemies?"
"Then let us be glad we have thwarted her in this."
The women fell silent as they had their hands full with children. Six were born. Alexa shuddered as the last arrived, weak with exhaustion and loss of blood. Gwyn, who was there at Alexa's request, picked up the eldest of the six, a daughter, whom they had some time to clean up a little.
"Oh," Alexa sighed as she reached out to hold her. "My beautiful child. My dear... Honour."
Alexa sighed again.
"Thank... you..."
Despite the healing prowess of those gathered, those were Alexa's last words.
**********
"Mama?" Sextus inquired.
Gwyn sat down beside the boy who had the body and mind of a five year old.
"I'm afraid she's gone, honey."
"Gone?"
"To heaven," Gwyen said firmly.
"Oh."
"You have six new brothers and sisters though."
"I want Mama."
"I know, honey," Gwyn said, and wrapped her arms around the small boy to comfort him as he cried. "I know."
**********
Helen Hart pulled out the pile of envelopes from her draw. A couple were letters: for Sextus and Zac. Alexa's will, not that she had much, but it gave custody of her children to the Order, Alexa's children's welfare being the most impotant issue.
Amongst the papers was a list:
In the event I die before I have the chance to name my children officially, I ask that they are named according to the following:
Eldest daughter: Honour
Eldest son: Courage
Below those was a "girls list" and a "boys list". Some name were common to both, and all were virtues.
Helen smiled sadly to herself. She wished with all of her heart that they could have done something to save her body, but at least she knew they'd saved her soul.
The clerics began the task of cleaning up. Suddenly there was a gasping sound from the bed as the top sheet was sucked in.
"Alexa?" Alena Hart exclaimed.
She was at the head of the bed in a matter of seconds and wrenched the sheet away.
"She's alive!" exclaimed one of the clerics.
"Get Helen!" Alena commanded even as she laid her hands on the girl to tend to any healing needed.
**********
Hours later Alexa was laid up in bed when Helen came in.
"Well," Helen said smiling. "You're looking much better."
"Thank you. I feel better," Alexa replied demurely. "I feel a lot better, actually."
"And you should. Something remarkable has happened."
"Oh?"
"As you know, we anticipated the possibility that you might die. We prayed and tried everything we could think of," Helen said taking her hand. "The reversal of your transformation was the key, of this we were all certain, but nothing we did seemed to succeed."
Alexa nodded.
"I don't know if what we did prepared the way, or if God intervened directly, but in your death, your transformation was reversed and your life restored."
Alexa stared at her in shock.
"Reversed? I'm... I'm no longer a werequeen?"
"No, my dear. You're not."
Alexa opened her mouth, then closed it again, unable to say another word. Her eyes shined with hope and happiness and it was all she could do to reach over and give Helen a hug.
"Mama!" Sextus cried, running into the room.
"Sextus, darling," Alexa smiled.
Helen lifted Sextus onto the bed so he could give his mother a hug.
"Gwyn told me you gone to Heaven."
Alexa pused briefly.
"Well, I did, honey. Very briefly though, and then I came back again."
"Good. I missed you!"
"I missed you too."