Chapter Twelve - STINA

                                    

                                          


                          
If people actually liked her, Stina might have been quicker at her job.
                          
	"Lady Stina, perhaps we should wait for Vika—"
                          
	"There's no time!" Stina shouted at Lady Heliva, swatting the stubborn elf's hands off her unicorn and guiding the creature to the stalls. "I have no idea when my mom will be back, and this unicorn is giving birth now!"
                          
	"But Lady Stina—"
                          
	Stina spun to properly glare at Heliva. "Excuse me for making this process uncomfortable for you, but I'm expecting company in an hour, and your unicorn doesn't look like she can hold out for much longer. Now get the supplies," she barked, pointing at the table in the corner, where the doctor's bag lay.
                          
	Heliva hesitated, but then the unicorn let out a pained whinny, and she jumped for the bag. "It's okay, Lyra—we'll have to settle for the daughter..."
                          
"Shh, Lyra," Stina murmured, stroking the unicorn's sweaty mane. She looked at Heliva. "How long has she been like this?"
                          
"For a couple hours."
                          
Flaming blazes, this foal was coming soon.
                          
"Mix warm water with the blue and red tonic," Stina ordered, snatching a few blankets from the pile stored in the barn and laying them on the ground. She guided Lyra onto the cushioning, positioning one leg slightly in front of the other. "When you're done, dip some towels into it and wring them out."
                          
Stina tugged on some gloves and did a quick exam, checking to make sure Lyra was indeed in labor. 
                          
Not that there was much question at this point.
                          
"Why did you wait until now to bring her?" she asked Heliva. The latter was shakily dipping towels into the concoction, and Stina grabbed them from her to do it herself. "Well?"
                          
"Maybe it's because I knew you'd treat me so poorly," Heliva muttered.
                          
Stina performed her most epic eye roll of the day. "Come on, Lady Heliva. Your most prized possession is clearly about to have a baby, and you hold off on bringing her because I'm not your favorite person in the world?"
                          
"She's not a possession," Heliva snapped, sounding more offended than Stina expected. 
                          
Stina softened her voice a bit. "I know. But not everyone sees it that way. I just assumed..."
                          
"That I was one of those stuck-up nobles?"
                          
"Pretty much."
                          
Heliva sighed. "Well, it seems like we both presumed things about each other."
                          
A panicked whinny from Lyra interrupted Stina's reply, and she spun to the unicorn. "The baby's coming!"
                          
Already she could see the tips of the hooves, and she hurriedly wrapped Lyra's tail so it wouldn't get in the way. "Come on, girl," she said. "You can do this."
                          
Heliva knelt at Lyra's front to comfort her, whispering similar encouragement.
                          
The foal's head started to crown, and Stina grabbed the legs and started to gently pull, helping the mother along. The process went along faster after that, and once the baby's shoulders were through, Stina let go and let Lyra take over.
                          
"Just one more push...," Stina said. "One more..."
                          
"Gah!" said a voice, and Stina looked over her shoulder to find Councillor Fitzroy shielding his face with his hand. "Why is there a unicorn birthing in your barn?!"