The Tale of the Lotus Heart novel Chapter 32

One hundred years. We spent one hundred years on Floral Island like that. Our peaceful little life was protected under the watchful eye of Goddess Peony. She kept the unwanted visitors away and let us relax in peace. I'd become a pro at gardening and making remedies. I even found that I had a knack for growing rare plants with my spiritual energy. I was living up to my name as a prodigy. Yong seemed more relaxed too. He's long been healed completely, and his spiritual energy was even boosted from being around such spiritual plants all the time.

I was in the garden, tending to my rare plants when I felt it. Something popped in my stomach before a rush of liquid fell between my legs. A painful cramping began between my hips as I tried to stand. I groaned as I held my stomach gently.

"Aivi! Aivi, what's wrong?" Peony asked as she rushed to my side. The pressure eased up before coming back. It felt as if my stomach was hardening and tightening on its own. I had the strong urge to push as I yelled out and squeezed Peony's hand in mine.

"What happened?" Yong asked as he rushed over.

"The baby is coming. Help me get her to the birthing room," Peony said quickly. Yong cradled me before flying us to the birthing room Peony built next to the main hall for me. After laying me on the plush bed, Peony called some fairies over for assistance.

"Yong, get out," she said sternly.

"But-"

"Yong, I'll be fine," I breathed heavily before another contraction had me yelling out for a different reason. I squeezed the nearest fairy's hand for dear life as I went with my instinct and pushed. Yong hesitated before leaving the room. Peony lifted my dress over my hips before pushing on my stomach gently. I groaned and yelled as my body morphed in a way I wasn't used to in order to push the child out. After about an hour of cringing, withering in pain, and pushing, the pressure finally let up slightly as a crying baby caught my attention. I panted with relief as I let go of the fairy's hand. Peony sighed as she held the baby for me to see.

"It's a boy," she smiled. After clipping the umbilical cord, she cradled him. She was about to hand him to me when I felt the pressure build again.

"Something's wrong," I said before I felt like pushing again. Peony handed the child over before going back to her position at my hips.

"There's another one. The head is already coming," Peony said. I didn't have time to be surprised as I was pushing again. After another 15 minutes and pushing and screaming, the second child was out too. Peony clipped the cord before wrapping the second child in a blanket.

"It's a girl," Peony informed me. The pressure finally disappeared completely and I was able to truly breath again.

"Got any more in there?" Peony joked as the first child was finally handed to me. Yong was allowed to come back in after my long dress was covering me once again. He looked to Peony and smiled at the little bundle. Peony handed our daughter to him before he came to my side. A look of confusion crossed his face when he saw the bundle in my arms. Peony only chuckled before patting his shoulder.

"Aivi had twins. A boy and a girl," she told him. He looked less confused and more surprised.

"Twins?" He asked. I could only nod. It surprised me too.

"What should we name them?" I asked him. The boy in my arms cried and flailed as he tried to get closer to my chest. I chuckled before letting my dress down to breastfeed him. Once he was successfully latched, he calmed down and opened his eyes for me to see. I was taken aback by his lavender colored eyes.

"Floral Goddess! Multicolored birds, auspicious clouds and a rainbow are all circling the island," a fairy rushed in to inform us.

"The twins are blessed to be met with such good birth signs," Peony said easily.