"It's not a bet if you know you're going to lose."

--- one month later ---

I snapped awake as a small weight squished the furs down next to Bryn. "Sky, let me sleep..." Bryn groaned.

"Shhhh, you'll wake Andy!" He hissed back, and leaned over me to check if I was asleep.

I kept my eyes closed, and smiled mentally.

"Alright... she's still asleep. Good. Get up, sis! We've got work to do! Come on!" He shook her, and jumped off the bed.

She groaned. "Fucking... fine... wait a second, I'll get dressed."

"Firstly. I'm six summers old, I can handle seeing you naked, so just Get dressed quickly, cause we're in a hurry. Secondly. I'm your brother, so again, I can handle it, so again, hurry. Thirdly. I'm in a hurry, so You need to hurry up, because patience isn't my strong suit." He tapped his foot impatiently, and I could picture him crossing his arms and staring imperiously at her.

"Firstly, I'm bigger than you. Secondly, I'm older, and thirdly, I sleep with an axe." A metallic whir and a loud 'THUNK', like an axe meeting a floorboard, preempted his squawk of fear and quick retreat.

He growled at her, and ran out. "Brat!"

She chuckled and got dressed swiftly, kissing my cheek. "I know you're awake, lover, and I love you for making sure not to burst his bubble. Sleep, I'm sure it's nothing." She said, and hopped out, pulling on her boots.

I smiled. "He's adorable." I mumbled sleepily.

She smiled. "Maybe a little."

---

I stepped into a pair of pants, pulled on a loose-fitting tunic, and held my stomach carefully as I opened my door, only to be met with a very shiny and see-through axe.

I blinked slowly, and looked through it. Sky grinned that giant grin, and turned the axe, handing me the handle. "That's yours!" He said happily.

I hummed. "Thank you, little one..."

"Its strong, just as strong as a metal one! I checked!! It can cut metal! It won't shatter!" He assured me.

I nodded and slipped it into my belt. "Thank you, little one... what's that for?" I rubbed his skull, and slowly walked towards the sitting room.

I sat in front of the hearth slowly, and smiled at Sky, patting my lap. "Come here, little one."

He crawled into my lap, and I smiled. "You're very thoughtful, Sky. You'll make a woman very happy someday, you understand? But I'm tired, so let's get some sleep, okay?"

He nodded, and curled up next to me on the pile of furs, and I leaned back, getting comfortable. My feet immediately started to hurt around my ankles, and I grumbled, kicking them up onto the hearth. The soreness went down, so I relaxed again.

Sky laid his ear against my stomach. "I can hear his heartbeat, you know." He hummed.

"Is that so? What's it sound like?" I asked, yawning.

He started tapping my wrist in a quick tattoo, and I smiled, falling asleep to the sensation of three heartbeats.

---

I looked up, opening my eyes, and smiled. "Bryn? Babe?" I called out.

She appeared quickly. "I'm here. What's wrong? Do your feet hurt? Your neck? What's wrong?!"

"Dear, calm down... I need a plank of wood... I need to carve the Birth-Runes, remember? Seven months?" I reassured her.

She nodded. "Right, right, okay."

She ran out and returned soon with a small, thin rectangle of cedar. I nodded, and slowly pricked my finger, before breathing deeply. I prayed to Freyr and Frigga as I painted the runes as accurately as my clumsy, gently-shaking fingers could.

She held the wood still, and I smiled. "Thank you..." I finished the Perthro, pointed downwards to facilitate an easy birth, representing an open passage for the child.

I handed the wood to her, and smiled. "I need wool, my love... and a small loom." I said softly, sucking on my finger to stop the bleeding.

She nodded and kissed my cheek. "Right away, my love... Sadie already had them prepared."

She placed what I asked for in my lap, and I smiled. The wool was already carded. I attached it to the spinner, and started moving the wheel.

Soon enough, I had a long thread of wool. I waited until I had 3 Hand's lengths, and stopped spinning.

I pulled it off, and pulled a piece of metal from the fire, burning three hands lengths away from each other. I placed them in a fresh pot of boiling sea water, and when they were completely clean, I pulled them out.

Bryn handed me red and black dye, and I dipped one in each, leaving the third white. I handed them to Bryn. "If you'd hang those to dry?"

She nodded and carried them to the tree outside, hanging them in the lowest branch. She sat next to me after putting everything away, and I cuddled into her chest, smiling. "So close..." I smiled.

She chuckled. "Mm. So close... Hey, I've been meaning to ask... What did Tyr mean, 'Bless the Child in my Blood'?" She asked suddenly.

"In the Tyr Clan, we have a tradition. The mother of the child goes hunting, and if she brings back the blood and pelt of a wolf or other predator within three days, the child is blessed by Tyr, and given strength and power." I explained softly.

She snorted. "I think that's a matter of your parentage, really..."

I frowned. "Tyr's blessing is not a joke. He wanted to bless our child specifically, which means this time he'll be paying close attention. That's why I left some wolves. My mother did this for all but one of her children, and we were all... strong. Except Donny." I said simply.

She blinked. "Oh. I'm sorry... tell me about him, please. I want to know more. Unless it's too painful-".

"He was born weak, and very small. He was left in the woods, but crawled back, and so the Gods allowed us to keep him. For a while. He died in his sleep, in his fifth summer. His lungs just... quit. He suffocated not ten feet from me, and there was nothing I could've done." I closed my eyes as the memory came back like it was yesterday, not twenty years ago.

"I woke up when he started seizing, and tried to hold him down, help him, but his claws got my cheek, flaying it open, and so I called mama, but she just cried, and papa held her as the seizing stopped... and then Donny stopped." I said softly, laying my face in her neck to hide my tears.

She nodded and pet my hair. "I'm sorry, my love..."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault. He should've survived. The healers said if I'd known how to help him, he'd still be here. 'If you'd have been more like a girl should, and learned to heal, you could've held his tongue, so he didn't swallow it. If you'd have focused on Herbs, instead of Swords, he'd still be here, Little one,' They said. And I believed them. Because it's true. I could've saved him, if I knew what I know now-"

She shushed me. "That's a terrible thing to say to a little girl! Your mother and father should've beaten the idiot half to death! It's not your fault! You were young, and even if you'd have learned healing, you wouldn't have been able to hold his tongue once he started seizing. That fool should've kept his mouth shut." Bryn snapped, and kissed me sweetly.

I smiled. "It's alright... I accepted it a long time ago. I wasn't put here on the land to save him. His fate was set by the Norn to teach me a lesson."

"What lesson, my love?" She asked softly, kissing salty tears off my cheeks.

"That I couldn't live my life believing I was invincible. That I couldn't believe I was better than I was. That I couldn't save everyone, and I couldn't save anyone if I didn't try." I said, and kissed her back, smiling sadly.

She chuckled. "No one can save someone if they don't try."

"Exactly. I thought I could, when I was that age. I thought I could just want something, and it would happen." I chuckled sarcastically.

The baby kicked, and I grunted. I pet my stomach. "Easy, baby Magnus... all is well. It's not time for you to come out yet..."

"Magnus?" Bryn asked me.

I blushed. "Yes... I wanted to name him after my father and mother."

"Magna, Magnus. Heh. That's how they met, hmm?" She chuckled. "I don't know, though... do you like the name Magnus, little one?" She placed a hand on my belly.

He kicked her hand directly, making me grunt. "Please stop that, baby, it hurts your poor mama..."

He stopped bucking for now, and I breathed deeply. "Thank the gods..."

"I liked the idea of Perseus, or Jason, but I think if he's going to conquer the North and England, he should have a Northman's name, you know?" She asked.

I hummed. "True... but something the Saxons and Romans can pronounce. I want them to be able to say his name correctly when they plead him for their lives." I grinned savagely.

She chuckled. "True... So a Strong, Simple name..."

"Mm."

"What about Maximus?" She grinned.

I hummed. "Maximus... Maxie. Max. I like it. How about you? Maximus?" I stroked my swollen belly gently.

He squirmed gently, and settled with his head pointed downwards.

"Uh-oh... no, no, nononono, max, you're not coming out just yet-" I waited, my breath held, and nothing happened. "Oh thank the gods..." I breathed out.

Bryn chuckled. "A bit of a scare?"

"Mm." I nodded, and closed my eyes.

---

I growled and clutched Ansar's shoulder, leaning over slightly.

He dropped his burden of iron pokers, and picked me up, ignoring the fluids on his chest and arms as he carried me swiftly, but carefully, to the Hall.

He set me down in the small pool I'd had set up, after Sadie and my mother had told me that giving birth in warm water would help it to hurt less, and shock the baby less.

I kissed his cheek, and shooed him out.

He took the boys, and exited swiftly, his eyes worried, but thankful for the 'get out free' card I'd given him.

I stripped with Bryn's help, and leaned back as the baby kicked even harder, a little annoyed now, I assumed.

I dipped a finger in a small bowl of dye, and painted the symbol Perthro on my stomach, pointed downwards to facilitate an easy birth, representing an open passage for the child.

Bryn burnt the Rune-Wood, and poured the ashes into a horn of ale, and handed it to me. I chugged it, and grimaced. "That's almost sacrilege, against all good ale." I coughed.

She went to reply, but my cough had upset little Maximus. He started squirming, and I gasped as I realized he had Claws, which were flailing about.

"Oh no, Maximus, please calm down, you have claws, just calm down, I'll hold you in my arms soon, okay? I'll even try to sing for you, baby boy, okay?" I tried to bargain with him, but he didn't listen, and I grunted as his claws started to rip my womb from the inside. "I'll never-grr-complain to you again, mother... of you went through half of this with me and my brothers..." I grunted.

She chuckled. "Of darling... it hasn't even started yet."

My eyes widened. "What?" I asked fearfully.

She sighed. "The birth starts in a few hours, after you've opened a little more. Don't worry, you can handle it. You're my daughter, after all. Focus on the baby. Don't think about the pain, you'll just tighten up, and that's the opposite of what we need. Okay?"

"HOURS?!?" I squealed, grunting as he cut me again.

"Think of the baby, and what he'll look like. Who he'll take after. What his favorite color will be. Will he be a lady-killer, or sweet and innocent? Will he be battle-born? Think about his destiny.-" She kept talking, while Sadie, Nadia, and Bryn massaged my body gently, relaxing me, and their voices and touch becoming a soothing backdrop to my fading consciousness, as I focused completely on the baby in my stomach.

He calmed slightly once I did, and I smiled. "Such a cute baby, I bet... you'll look like your other mother, but with my eyes... my fangs and claws... her skills. You'll be a son of Thor, won't you? Or maybe a mixture of both? Who knows? We'll see, won't we, baby Maximus?" I pet my belly slowly, and smiled as he seemed to fall asleep, almost.

---

The white thread from our Three was used to tie off the placenta, and mother cut it with a simple slice of her claws, setting it aside, and handing the bloody baby to Nadia, who gently poured water over the infant, whose screeches were mighty, loud, and even tenacious. She smiled and kissed his nose as soon as it was clean, and handed him to Bryn, who gasped and kissed his nose as well, and kissed his hands when he reached for her.

I reached for the bundle. "Give him to me... I want to hold him..."

"Lover, you need to rest-" she started.

"Give him to me." I snapped. She gently laid the bundle in my arms, keeping her hands under him to both steady him and to keep a hand on the little ball of adorable sunshine.

He was crying quieter now, more of a disgruntled growl than anything else. I moved the blanket, and smiled. He was perfect. Bright blue eyes, and a cute little lock of blonde hair. His claws were shorter than I remember Donny's being, but otherwise healthy. He didn't have any teeth yet, but that was fine.

"He's beautiful... my adorable Maximus..." I kissed his nose, and then his forehead. I laid him against my chest, and he fell asleep, just like that. I blinked. "Is that okay? Is he okay?" I asked, worried.

Mother chuckled. "It's fine. He's tuckered out after screaming like that... he'll sleep off an on for a little while. You'll need to hunt down that Wolf for him first thing tomorrow morning."

I nodded, and yawned. "Can I sleep to?"

"Ha!" She chuckled. "First, you'd like to leave the bloody water, yeah?" She asked archly.

I smiled and handed the baby gently to Bryn, grabbing Nadia and Sadie's shoulders, standing slowly, before my knees folded under me.

Mother caught me, and picked me up, smiling. She dried me off gently, and placed me in my bed, while Nadia and Maximus laid next to me, cuddling. Bryn started cleaning, from what I could hear. I closed my eyes, and slowly fell asleep.