The weather is extremely cold, and now in the far east, Princess Mary has her fantasy life and her belly that is already too big to be bigger.
She was forced to hobble, and even walking became a luxury in recent days. The severe contractions were as painful as a tsunami hitting the rocks, and her spirit almost collapsed.
Those maids who arrived in Novgorod on orders from Rurik took on the important task of taking care of the Mercian princess.
When things have developed to this point, it is very obvious that the child in her belly is only one step away from being born.
Rurik was busy with his own major career and objectively alienated this wife and concubine. Considering his identity, he really shouldn't pay too much attention to her. She was a prisoner of war, and the treatment she received today was purely a reward from the Prince of Rus. She is also a flag, including the child in her belly.
It was indeed his own flesh and blood, and Old Otto also knew that he was looking forward to this grandchild, hoping it would be a baby boy.
Since last night, the pain in her stomach has made Mary feel that things are very different. Those maids panicked and claimed that the Princess of Mercia was about to give birth to a prince!
When Rurik got the news in the early morning, he hurriedly ran into Mary's bedroom with complicated emotions.
In front of her, she was lying on a wooden bed, covered with a thick blanket.
Her face was covered with sweat, and her whole face always gave people a serious feeling of weakness.
"Sir..." The servant who was taking care of her immediately stood up and retreated when he saw the prince's arrival.
"It doesn't matter."
Rurik raised his hand to signal them to continue, and walked up.
Weak girls always give people strong sympathy. Although she is a female prisoner and her bloodline is questionable, she is indeed the princess of Mercia who once enjoyed British hegemony. A generation of strong countries fell into weak ones, and the princess moved to Novgorod, two thousand kilometers east. The child she would give birth to would be the heir to the throne of Mercia.
Mary kept gritting her teeth. According to Europeans of this era, it was normal for a woman of her age to have children.
But in Rurik's opinion, she was still too young, and the possibility of dystocia for such a woman to be a mother was too great.
He pulled Mary's hand out of the blanket and put it against her face: "Are you okay? You are very weak..."
Mary slowly opened her eyes, reluctantly He forced a smile, his eyes twitching as if he wanted to say something.
Rurik quickly put his ear to it.
Her eyes were filled with tears and her tone was soft: "I...have been in pain for a day. I have tried hard, but I...I am weak. I am an unclean woman. This must be God's treatment of me. Punishment."
"You..." Rurik stood up straight, his expression of pity suddenly turned serious, "Absurd, I am the son of Odin, you will give birth to the child safely."< /p>
"But I... am not one of Odin's dependents. The Lord is punishing me and letting me suffer this kind of suffering. Everything is fate. I should have been there beforeDie years ago! I...my life is a joke. ”
It became difficult for her to speak. After speaking a long sentence in front of her, she became very angry.
Rurik hurriedly patted her face, trying to calm her confusion. The woman woke up.
Mary opened her eyes again, and the situation was still the same.
Rurik began to glare at the maids, making them kneel down one after another.
"You all stand up! Get me some honey water. If she loses her strength, she won't be able to give birth to the baby at all! ”
They got the order and hurriedly prepared honey. Rurik became increasingly aware of the seriousness of the situation. Unexpectedly, Mary suddenly stretched out her hand and grabbed Rurik’s arm. She clearly had something important to say. .
"Rurik, I...this is my destiny. If I am really dead, burn me...according to your etiquette. I am your woman after all, maybe Odin will accept my soul. But my children, both male and female, are heirs of the royal family of Mercia. As you said, you will support this child to be the new King of Mercia. ”
“Yes, this is my decision. It doesn't matter whether you are actually Wiglaf's daughter or not. Ironred of Northumbria, that fellow knows you are with me. There are also some Frankish nobles who also know that the princess of Mercia is in my hands. "
"Ah, that's good. A smile appeared on her chapped lips, and she breathed a sigh of relief: "It's time to give the child a name." "
"What do you call him? ”
“I’ve already thought about it. The boy's name is Reglaf, and the girl's name is Reglafnis. "
What does such a name mean? Rurik figured it out easily.
He looked at Mary's trembling eyes: "You are indeed taking revenge on those two men. ”
She smiled with great relief: “I am an unclean woman, but my child is not.” My children are also your children, let my children create another kingdom. Just..."
"Just what? ”
“Children must be baptized and receive religious membership. "
"Is this... really necessary? You can actually think of this level?" Rurik asked.
"It is very necessary! Her eyes seemed to have suddenly grown two knives, "Any king who wants to gain a foothold in Britain must at least believe in the Supreme Lord." Even if those nobles are hypocritical and unclean, this must be the case. If I do die, please tell... tell the kids. His mother loves him, he is the only heir to the throne of Mercia, and the new Mercia must... form an alliance with Rus. Isn't this what you want? It's the reason why you have kept me until now. ”
These words were deafening, Rurik couldn’t believe that these words came from her mouth.
Looking back and thinking about it, she had become a man’s toy, and her mind was full of thoughts. It's all revenge. She is indeed forbearing enough, so she is not a cowardly idiot. It's just that she is naturally weak. If she were a man, she would definitely become a good one.A Machiavellian tough guy. Rurik felt a little guilty because he clearly hurt her. If she hadn't been pregnant now, she wouldn't be facing a life-or-death dilemma.
No! The matter is not that serious yet
"Don't say depressing words. You are too weak. Drink some honey water in a while and everything will be fine. I want you to be the Queen of Mercia."
"I hope so. If I... Rurik." Mary squeezed out another word: "Do you know Caesar Che?"
"Caes Caesar? You?! No, it's not that extreme."
"No matter what, you must protect your children, they are your flesh and blood. You must know that, since you know, I hope you will do it then. You are... my only man."
After saying this, she became weak and fainted, leaving Rurik scratching his head.
Where is this "toiling all day long"? Rurik guessed that she didn't want to expose the fact that she was having a difficult childbirth, so she had been keeping it to herself for two days or more.
Suffering from extreme pain all the time, even the strongest person can die from exhaustion!
The honey water finally came, and Mary was forced to drink some, but the effect was really limited. At this moment, Rurik desperately hoped for a bottle and a hose to deliver glucose directly to her blood vessels.
With this experience, Mary’s difficult childbirth could no longer be hidden.
Rurik had no clue about this kind of thing. Fortunately, there was a stable woman here in Novgorod, and my wife Niya also took action herself.
Mary has been working hard with the help of a group of so-called experienced old women, but it seems that everything is in vain.
Niya couldn’t understand at all. This woman opened two fingers and there was no change, as if there was an invisible force blocking the window for new life to come into the world.
At this time, Niya realized that the noblewoman whose only son Rurik spared from the battlefield was originally unclean, but the child in her belly was sacred. Or the evil force is resisting and wants to strangle the child and the mother together.
This was a decisive battle. Niya quickly called the concubines and maids under Rurik’s command, hoping to use them to chant the prayer mantra passed down by the Russians since ancient times and pray to Freya, the god of fertility. Dispel evil and pray for the safety of mother and child.
The girls watched the eldest sister they were all familiar with suffering here, and they all sang with tears. She is a good sister, with a naturally noble status, understands Latin, and teaches everyone how to please men (Rurik). Now...
Mary still has not given up, her face is sometimes red and sometimes pale. . The more than twenty women gathered indoors had no clue, and the men waiting outside the door were even more helpless.
Rurik and Otto waited with livid faces. It was quite cold outside. There was a clay pot in front of them and lit wooden blocks to keep warm.
John Ingvar was ordered to pray for Mary. To be honest, he despised this unclean woman. Whether voluntarily or not, this woman had a very bad and improper relationship with her father and brother. To be punished according to the lawPunishment, even the gentlest punishment, was to be sent to a monastery to do asceticism for the rest of his life.
Mary kept wailing, and the women kept encouraging.
Caesarean section is a caesarean section. In Mary's current condition, only such an operation can allow her to give birth to the child safely. But wait! Is this kind of medical technology available across Europe? Even if the child can be cut out successfully, the mother will undoubtedly die.
Rurik thought back to what Mary said to him, and they were clearly his last words.
Another whole day of tossing, immersed in all kinds of pain, but the child still hasn’t come out.
Things are already very dangerous. Maybe the child will be suffocated to death in the mother's belly.
At night, Rurik had no intention of sleeping peacefully. With bloodshot eyes, he stayed in the cubicle and huddled up to take a nap.
The night was already very late, and a burst of crazy noise woke him up.
A maid went crazy and broke into Rurik's bed and shouted: "Blood! A lot of blood! Mary..."
Disaster struck when Rurik finally Breaking into Princess Mary's room, she was already covered in blood. A room full of oil lamps made the room very bright and highlighted the horror of blood.
Heavy bleeding caused by difficult labor? No!
Rurik rushed forward, half-knelt beside her, and put his finger against her nose, and she lost her breath.
He was startled suddenly, his right hand hurriedly reached into the bedclothes, and his big hand directly covered her heart, but there was no movement...
Niya was so frightened that her whole body trembled, those The maids who insisted on chanting the incantation also shrank in fear.
"What happened?" Otto suddenly broke in.
Rurik quickly turned his head and tried to suppress his emotions: "She is dead."
"Ah?! No! Where is the child? Both the mother and the child are dead."
"The child is still alive for the time being, that must be the case. It's just..." Rurik gritted his teeth, "This is her fate. She is unclean, but the child is innocent. She expected this. Everything, entrust me to save this child no matter what. "Dad, you should understand what it is."
Otto was surprised by this sudden situation, and he felt sad at the same time as an old leader. tolerance. Otto ordered all the female relatives to evacuate in an old voice, and the wooden door was immediately closed.
Mary was as calm as if she was sleeping. She tried her best, but she did not die of exhaustion, but the most terrifying hemorrhage during childbirth.
Amniotic fluid embolism? Dirty amniotic fluid enters the circulatory system and causes cardiac arrest in a very short time.
The death is so sudden that the unborn child who has lost the maternal supply can survive for a short period of time. If you hesitate for a while, the child will really be hopeless.
A piece of linen covered Mary's face, and at the same time Rurik pulled out a sharp steel sword...
"Reglaf, the true king of Mercia. You My mother has done her best. Now, my father is here to save you!”
Rurik is here!The caesarean was completed silently, and a baby boy was held out by his father with trembling hands. For a moment, the airtight room was filled with continuous baby howls, which were heartbreaking.
......
Everything is over, Mary's young life is over.
Maybe this is fate!
As Hanukkah and the Slavic winter solstice festival approached, one of his wives and concubines died unexpectedly.
Mary's body was taken care of decently, and she was completely wrapped in a piece of colorful linen. Rurik decided to follow her last wishes and cremate them according to Viking customs, so that Paradis Wouldn't accept her unclean soul, maybe Odin's Asgard would be willing to.
Rurik washed his hands, and he was in a daze.
The newborn Reglaf was temporarily held by his grandmother Niya. Medved also rushed to the sleeping house immediately to find a wet nurse for the child.
Rurik wiped his face with snow, and the cold allowed him to barely calm down. He found John Invall, who was waiting for orders, and slapped the frightened young man in the face.
"My lord, she is the princess of Mercia. You actually..."
"This is Caesar, you should know very well. You see, your god punishes the unclean Soul, but forgave Reglaf. This child is Reglaf, and he is also the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Mercia. Tell me, is it allowed according to your rules and conditions? p>John Invar hesitated for a while.
"Give me a happy word."
"Yes. I am a northern priest appointed by my teacher, and I am qualified to baptize."
" Then do it quickly! Do it tomorrow!"
"Yes."
Russians and Slavs are not particular about funerals in three days, and neither group cares about funerals. form.
The incident happened very suddenly, but the Russians and local Slavs in Novgorod, who were habitable, were not concerned about the death of a woman. In fact, many Vikings, including the Russians, felt that the dead slave was just a captured slave. He was a toy of the Duke, and he died as soon as he died.
This is indeed the case, so Mary was very low-key when she was alive.
The next day, Rurik tried hard to stay awake after not sleeping all night.
A baptism ceremony was being held in the room with a simple cross. John Ingvar, a Dane whose religious membership belonged to the Frankish Hamburg diocese, personally baptized the newborn Reglaf. The pottery urn served as a baptism ceremony. A basin and an earthenware cup make the Holy Grail. When the well water was blessed, it became holy water, the water was heated to a warm temperature, and John Invall completed the ceremony with the child's screams.
Maids from Britain became temporary nuns, and some were kidnapped from the Kingdom of Mercia. They witnessed the birth of a little prince just like the legendary Caesar. Perhaps this child would indeed become a man of the hour in Mercia because of his Viking ancestry.The maids lamented his poor birth and hoped that everything would be fine.
For John Invall, he must write a letter to his teacher Eskil in person to make a truthful report. Now this matter is not difficult. For the great cause, the teacher relies on building a monastery in the free Hedeby. The Principality of Rus happens to have shops there, so the letter will be delivered smoothly.
Finally, when Reglaf’s identity was recognized by the Diocese of Hamburg, his religious status was granted. If this child had the opportunity to go to Rome when he grew up and get official witnesses, he would be the irrefutable king of Mercia. Even if he did not control a clear territory, he would be the legitimate king of Mercia. As for matters after baptism, it was not within the jurisdiction of John Ingvar, a young priest.
On this afternoon, a small fire tower was erected on the shore of the frozen lake.
The cross pendant made of Mary’s silver and the cut off brown hair are the holy relics Mary left to her son. Rurik deliberately left these objects to his son Reglaf, so that he could use these objects to remind his future heirs: Your eldest brother is Zhengshuo of the Mercian royal family and will not compete with you for the power of Rus. .
More than 3,000 people gathered for the princess's funeral. Whether it was a funeral or a happy event, it was indeed a major event. The locals lacked entertainment and even regarded participating in the funeral as a kind of entertainment.
Neither the king nor the prince of Mercia had such a funeral after their death in battle.
Many people said that the Duke went too far in caring for a slave girl in this way. Some people said that the woman was a noble and had given birth to a child for the Duke, so she should be honored. The largest number of Slavs are simply watching the excitement. They see it freshly, thinking that the funerals of Varangian nobles are no different from Slavic funerals. A fire burns away the ashes and returns to dust, and the soul goes to a beautiful place. place.
Rurik held a torch in public and looked at the man wrapped in cloth on the top of the tower.
"Mary, everything is over. I hope you will be reborn and live happily in a new world."
The torch was thrown into the firewood, and slowly the entire wooden tower began to burn.
People looked at all this solemnly, and a baby's cry attracted everyone's attention.
The person crying was none other than the infant Reglaf. He was held by his grandmother Niya, who also had tears on her face.