Her Graceful War Song

Rosalind sighed.

"If Thomas had not been by my side during those days, I don't think I could have survived. If you ever marry, you must find someone who truly loves you. Only someone who loves you will protect you through the storms of life," she said gently.

Elise smiled. "I believe in love. Mom and Dad love each other."

Her home was warm with love, and her life was full of good things. As a result, she believed deeply in love, family, and friendship.

Rosalind smiled softly. "Yes, your mother and father do love each other very much."

Eager to hear more, Elise asked, "Did the baby survive? How did you get through those days?"noveldrama

Every day, there were needles, medicine, and nourishing soups. Rosalind vomited so much that she felt dizzy and weak. She couldn't even get out of bed. Even standing to use the chamber pot drained all her strength. The baby took all her nutrients, but she could eat nothing herself.

Later, when the sickness was too much, she stopped taking the medicine meant to stabilize the pregnancy. Alice believed it was better to let nature take its course, and if the baby didn't come naturally, they would give Rosalind gentler medicine to end the pregnancy. That way, her body might bear it better.

This course of action had also been carefully considered and approved by Sebastian.

So, she stopped taking the strong medicine and relied only on nourishing broths and small bowls of millet porridge. Even then, she often vomited, but kept drinking more afterward. Everyone feared that without the medicine, the baby would be lost. The very next day, the bleeding started again, but still, she endured. By the fifth day, the bleeding had stopped.

The baby had not yet fully formed but showed a fierce will to live. The baby's strength, along with the love and care from her husband and mother-in-law, gave Rosalind courage.

Eventually, she vomited less and slowly managed to drink half a bowl of millet porridge and some meat broth. By the third month, her morning sickness was still severe, though mostly dry heaves. She could at least keep some food down.

This gave everyone hope.

And so, Rosalind endured-day by day—until the fifth month, when she stopped vomiting completely and her appetite returned.

Sebastian examined her and said the baby was now safe and stable. Everyone breathed a little easier, but their hearts were still heavy with worry. After all, childbirth was dangerous for a woman. Only when the baby was safely born could they truly relax.

Sure enough, trouble came. When Rosalind was eight months pregnant, she fell whilst on a walk. The pain in her belly was unbearable, so they sent for Sebastian at once.

A midwife had already been hired and was living in the house to care for her. The daily walks were the midwife's idea, as walking helped prepare the body for birth. Usually, Thomas would walk with his wife every day. But that day, Alice had called for a physician after experiencing a bout of dizziness, so Thomas had gone to tend to her.

When he didn't return for a long time, Rosalind grew worried about her mother-in- law and decided to go check on her. The midwife and her maid followed behind, but they didn't hold onto her, since she had always been steady on her feet.

Rosalind had only ever walked in her own garden, where every step was familiar. But after so long indoors, and with her swollen belly obscuring her view, she missed a small stone, stumbled, and fell.

The sudden accident frightened everyone. They quickly carried her back inside. The midwife examined Rosalind and found her water had broken, which meant she was going into labor early.

Sebastian was summoned again. Giving birth at eight months was premature. The baby was also in the wrong position. The midwife had been trying to correct this, hoping to have two more months to fix it.

But now, the situation had changed.

With skill and experience, the

midwife carefully reached inside to turn the baby into the correct position. It was terribly painful for Rosalind. Thomas stayed by her

bedside the whole time. No one

could convince him to leave, he was determined to stay with his wife.

Such a strong, brave man―yet when Rosalind was in pain, he cried in heartache.

After the baby was turned, Rosalind

was too weak even to speak. Her belly still ached, and though her water had broken, she was not yet ready to give birth. They needed to use medicine to start the labor and open the birth canal. That was Sebastian's job now.

There was no time to lose. They had to begin the birth soon or the baby might

suffocate.