Here we are! The final chapter!

Fiyero was used to waking up alone, though he missed the days where he would wake up and his wife would be wrapped in his arms. He pushed himself up and yawned, sliding into his slippers and twirling his robe around his shoulders. He shuffled out of the room and down the hall to the nursery.

It had been two weeks since the birth of his son, and the whole castle was still getting used to him. The nursery door was ajar, and he peeked his head inside. Elphaba was sitting in the rocking chair, though she wasn't holding the baby. He walked over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Elphaba frowned and shrugged him off. This wasn't a new gesture. Elphaba had started closing herself off from everyone a few days after the birth. She didn't want Fiyero to touch her, and the only time she held her son was when she was feeding him.

The king knelt next to the chair. "Tell me what you need, Fae. Please."

Elphaba turned away.

"Elphaba, talk to me. What do you need from me? I'll do anything."

Without warning, she burst into tears. Her sobs woke Esaias, who also started crying. The king quickly collected his wife into his arms and held her close. Elphaba fought to get away, but the two of them ended up sitting on the floor, with her still wrapped protectively in her husband's arms.

"Shh, it's okay, Fae," Fiyero whispered, though he doubted she heard him over their son's cries.

"Your Majesties?"

Fiyero looked up to see Xizi standing in the doorway, holding one of Elphaba's slips.

"Xizi, please stay here with the prince," Fiyero said, standing up and effortlessly lifting Elphaba into his arms.

"Yes, sire," the young girl curtsied.

Fiyero carried his wife back to their room and gently laid her in the bed. Her sobs had died down to an occasional whimper and she met his eyes with a glassy gaze.

"I will have Caeta cancel all of my meetings today. I will stay with you and Esaias."

"No."

"You don't want me to stay with you?"

"… Yes."

"Yes… you do want me to stay with y- Fae, please tell me what you want from me. I want to help you, but I can't unless you tell me what's wrong."

The queen looked down at her hands and sniffed. "I… I don't know what's wrong. Ever since Esaias arrived, I haven't been feeling like myself. I feel like a completely different person and I don't like it." She looked at him again. "I can't bond with him."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't feel that special connection with Esaias I thought I would feel as a new mother."

Fiyero tried so hard to understand what his wife meant, but he really couldn't. And he still didn't know how he could help her.

"I'm hungry, but I can't eat. I'm overemotional and I've snapped at the servants more times than I can count. I'm still in so much pain and I can't sleep. And I still look pregnant! I don't know how to explain or express what I'm feeling and I… I don't want to feel like this anymore."

"Is it because of the weather? Are you feeling overheated?"

"Yes, but there's more to it than that. I... I don't know if I like him."

Now he was really confused. "You don't like our son?"

"I love him, I know I do, but I don't know if I like him. I don't know why I'm feeling like this, and I can't… express it."

He had more questions, but decided that a better idea would be to simply hold her. She allowed it, but didn't return the hug or snuggle closer to him. She cried herself to sleep, and when she woke an hour later, she was alone. She pushed herself up and slowly shuffled back to the nursery, where her junior dresser was still keeping a vigil over the prince.

"Your Majesty," Xizi smiled, curtsying when she saw the queen. "The prince has been sleeping peacefully this whole time, but he may wake up hungry in a little bit."

Elphaba slowly walked over to the crib, and Xizi respectfully stepped aside. She peered down at the sleeping baby, reaching down and gently running her finger over his soft cheek, watching the steady rhythm of his chest rising and falling.

"Does Your Majesty want breakfast?"

"Yes," Elphaba murmured, her eyes never leaving her son.

Xizi curtsied and left. Esaias' eyes slowly opened and he looked up at his mother. His fists opened and closed, his signal that he was hungry. Elphaba gently lifted him into her arms and fed him. Esaias contently studied his mother's face as he ate, his large, innocent eyes staring into hers.

"You're very hungry today, aren't you?" she whispered, a soft smile on her lips. She felt a wave of unconditional love wash over her as she gazed down at the little life she and Fiyero had created.

"Fae."

Elphaba looked up at her husband's voice. "Hi." She finished nursing and put Esaias on her shoulder to burp him.

"Do you feel like going out to the gardens?" he asked, helping her fix the top of her nightgown and robe.

"I requested breakfast…"

"We can have it together out there."

"You didn't eat?"

"No. I had some things I had to take care of if Caeta was going to clear my schedule for the rest of the day. Plus, I wanted to eat with you."

"Breakfast outside… sounds nice."

Fiyero smiled and called for one of the nursemaids. He gently helped his wife up and lifted their son into his arms and kissed his forehead.

"Your Majesties," the nursemaid curtsied as she entered the nursery.

"Please watch over the prince while the queen and I have breakfast."

"Yes, sire." The young woman gently took the prince as the monarchs left for the gardens.

The next day, after Elphaba fed and changed Esaias for the fourth time that morning, she called one of the maids to prepare a lavender bath. She hadn't had a soothing bath in almost three weeks, normally opting for quick showers, but she really needed some time to herself.

As she laid in the warm, sweet-smelling water, she felt her muscles and mind relax for the first time since the birth. For the first time in a while, she was beginning to feel like herself again. When she came out, dressed in a deep purple gown, she went to the nursery, but frowned when she saw the empty crib.

"Where's the prince?" Elphaba asked, slightly alarmed, when the nursemaid came in with clean linins.

"He's with the king, ma'am."

"But… he's in a council meeting."

"His Majesty came in and took the prince with him. That's all I know, ma'am."

Elphaba frowned and hurried away to her husband's office. Then she did something she hadn't done in a long while; she knelt down and squinted through the keyhole. For a moment, she was transported back to a time, not that long ago, when she would watch the royal events from her secret hiding place. And what she saw nearly took her breath away and melted her heart.

Fiyero sat at the head of the table, with their son protectively wrapped in a sling against his body. His shirt was unbuttoned, allowing Esaias' cheek to rest against his bare chest.

She could tell that the counselors clearly weren't expecting this, but what were they going to say? She couldn't tell if the baby was awake or not, but she saw her husband periodically look down to check on him. She would hear Esaias' soft vocalizations, then Fiyero would gently rock him until he stopped, all without interrupting the flow of the conversation. Other than the rocking, he sat still for the rest of the meeting.

She covered her smile, feeling tears well in her eyes. She had truly married the sweetest man in all of Oz.

"My queen?"

Elphaba abruptly turned, seeing a footman standing over her. "Yes, Quirk?"

"Are you… alright?"

She inwardly cringed, realizing how weird her current position must look to the servant. "Yes."

He offered her his arm to help her up, but she refused, and instead, used the wall to push herself back to her feet.

"Shall I… tell the king you wish to speak to him?" the footman asked cautiously.

"No. No, I… don't want to interrupt his meeting."

"As you wish, madam," Quirk bowed, a glint in his eye as he continued his walk down the hall.

The door opened and the counselors filed out, all bowing to the queen.

"Sir Mikal," Elphaba called as the last counselor left the room.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Did the king tell you why he brought Esaias to the meeting?"

The older lord smiled brightly. "Well, he said that it was because he believed that it wasn't too early for the young prince to learn his royal duties, but I sensed there was something more."

"What is that?"

"Becoming a father has changed the king for the better. From what I've observed, he is now calmer in these meetings, which can get rather heated at times. I believe that the presence of the newest royal helped keep tempers in check. Also, he seems more relaxed and grounded. He wasn't fidgeting as much as he used to. And I must say, I enjoyed being the first person to receive an official handshake from my future king. And I'm not sure if His Majesty is aware of this, but his father did the exact same thing with him and Princess Hannalyn when they were newborns."

Elphaba's lips twitched into a slight smile. "Thank you, Sir Mikal."

"Of course, ma'am."

She happily strode into the room, gaining the attention of her husband and son.

"Fae?" Fiyero blinked. "What are you –"

He didn't get to finish, since the queen gently cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. They only pulled apart when Esaias let out an indignant cry, letting his parents know that he didn't appreciate being squished in between them.

"I love you," Elphaba whispered against Fiyero's lips. "So much."

"I love you, too."

She looked down at her son and took his hand, her smile growing when she felt him grab her finger with a strong grip. "Did you enjoy your first council meeting?"

Esaias responded by spitting up.

As the weeks wore on, Elphaba slowly began to feel like herself again. She felt more at ease and less irritable, and she resumed tutoring Mistary and Kov in the library, but most importantly, she was bonding with Esaias.

Esaias, now two months old, was a very happy and vocal baby, and loved being the center of everyone's attention. Fiyero continued to take him to counsel meetings whenever he sensed that Elphaba needed a break, and made sure his voice was heard during the votes.

Currently, the monarchs were resting in their room. Fiyero laid on the bed, with Esaias sleeping safely next to him. Elphaba was sitting by the window, going over paperwork for her charities and public appearances. She heard the clock chime and looked up from her work at her husband, who hadn't moved from his spot the entire time.

"Yero, you've been staring at him for the past two hours."

The king blinked, then oriented on his wife. "Huh?"

The queen chuckled and walked over to the bed, gently lowering herself onto the opposite side. "If we let him sleep too much now, he won't want to sleep tonight." She leaned forward and kissed the baby's cheek, gently rousing him. Esaias stirred and slowly opened his eyes, and, clearly not liking being awoken from a perfectly good nap, scrunched up his face in preparation to let out a loud wail.

Elphaba quickly lifted him into her arms and rocked him against her shoulder, dissipating his desire to cry. He slowly calmed, but stayed awake, much to Elphaba's relief.

"Let's go outside," she suggested with a wide grin.

September in the Vinkus brought perfect weather. The royal family spent the rest of the afternoon in the gardens, sitting on a soft blanket and enjoying the sun. Esaias watched in interest as Fiyero shook a small rattle above his head. Elphaba sat back and watched the two. She loved watching her husband and son bond.

After a quick feed and diaper change, the family relaxing continued. Now freshly changed, Esaias was content with trying to stick his feet in his mouth as he laid in his mother's lap.

That night, once Fiyero finished up the last of his daily paperwork, he went up to the nursery. The door was closed, but he could hear Elphaba humming a familiar tune. It took him a moment to recognize it, but once he did, he quietly opened the door and peeked inside.

Elphaba was standing by the window, the wide-awake baby resting on her shoulder as she gently bounced and rocked him. She continued to hum the soft melody before her voice quietly sang into his little ear.

"La nuit tombe et nous sommes là toutes les deux. Les lucioles brillent d'un millier éclats. Reste près de moi tu feras un rêve joyeux. Juste là dans mes bras ce soir."

She hummed the melody again, rubbing soothing circles on Esaias' back. Esaias vocalized with her, clearly not getting that the purpose of the song was to lull him to sleep.

"I thought you would be tired after your long day," she whispered tiredly through a yawn. "I sure am."

Fiyero slipped in and gently wrapped his arms around his wife. Elphaba inhaled sharply, startled, then slowly relaxed into her husband's embrace.

"Have you come to help?" she asked, craning her neck to look up at him.

Fiyero gently rocked his wife, placing his hand on top of hers, resting on Esaias' back. "It's magic when you are here beside me. Close your eyes and let me hold you tight. Everything that I could ever need is right here in my arms tonight," he sang in a deep voice.

Esaias looked up at his father before giving his parents a long yawn. But his eyes still refused to close.

"Sounds of day fade away. Stars begin to climb," Fiyero continued.

"La musique dans les airs. Doucement nous bercera," Elphaba joined in, hugging her son closer. "Mon amour sera toujours là. Même au loin de moi. C'est doux de t'avoir. Juste là dans mes bras ce soir."

She looked up at her husband and nodded, and they repeated the final verse together.

"My love is always with you, whether near or far. How sweet to hold you right here in my arms tonight."

Finally, the prince's eyes fluttered closed and he fell asleep. After receiving good night kisses from his parents, he was laid in his crib, sucking his thumb.

"Thank you," Elphaba whispered.

Fiyero smiled. "I love moments like this."

"When he's asleep? I do, too."

"Yes, that, but also moments when we're all together… as a family."

Elphaba wrapped her arms around her husband as they tiptoed out of the nursery and back to their own bedroom. As they laid in bed together, Fiyero found himself humming the lullaby as he held his wife.

"It's magic when you are here beside me. Close your eyes and let me hold you tight. Everything that I could ever need is right here in my arms tonight," he mumbled softly, tracing invisible patterns on her arm.

Elphaba chuckled softly and slowly turned to face him. "How sweet to hold you right here in my arms tonight."

The couple smiled and shared a kiss before falling asleep in each other's arms, humming the melody softly to each other.

THE END.

Thank you all for coming on this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed it!

I'm thrillified to announce that there will be a sequel to this story, "I Go On With You". I'm working on it right now, with plans to begin posting at the beginning of July, so keep your eyes peeled.