Elizabeth Kirkland caressed her swollen belly. A warm smile shone on her face as she thought of the bright future her child would have. Her husband and herself had not planned for the baby, since they already had three other sons. Scott, who was nine; Ethan, eight; and Owen, the six-year-old. Since the birth of Owen, they decided that another baby would not be needed. She had already brought him three sons, so there was no need for a fourth. A girl, however, would be of help, but not enough to feed and care for four children. Besides that, the gender is impossible to determine. The name of her baby has hardly been discussed in light of the fact the infant's gender is unknown. Also, Elizabeth strongly believed that one could not name a child before one has seen his or her face.

Her soft, motherly gaze shifted from her stomach to glance at her hand that was currently being held by her loving husband, Charles Kirkland, before moving to look into each of her sons' face. None of them possessed her shining gold hair, instead variations of red and brown messy locks sprouted from their scalps. Scott and Ethan's feet could be seen beneath her bed, their snickering heard. She knew they were up to trouble, but she couldn't stand to yell at them right now. Owen stood on his toes beside Charles. He and his father looked so much alike. He was the only one of the Kirkland boys that seemed fascinated by the idea of having a baby brother or sister.

Elizabeth secretly hoped for a girl to bond with. A lovely little lady who wouldn't have to learn to hunt or kill. The boys, however, openly expressed their desire for a brother. Ethan and Scott made devious plans to torment him while Owen decided he would teach his brother the joys of gardening. Either way, four children would be more than-

Elizabeth's face contorted in pain as a particularly bad contraction came. They were becoming more and more frequent. Prior experience told her that the baby would be coming soon. She would finally get to meet that little soul that's been growing inside her.

Things began to get blurry as the pain would stab her, then subside for a few seconds. She saw Ethan's and Scott's red hair as they poked their heads from beneath the bed in unison upon hearing the sounds of her screams and coarse breathing through her teeth. A nurse came in to shoo the boys out, their nanny rounding them up to wait for the arrival of the next Kirkland. Ethan and Scott talked about what their brother's name would be, coming up with strange ones that would definitely not be her child's name. Owen's face was like a book to her; she could see the anxiety on his face. Unlike his brothers, he had never witnessed his mother about to give labour, and the poor sweetheart was so confused and worried for his beloved mother.

She felt her hand being squeezed by her husband, her legs being proped up to allow easier birthing. Her toes curled, sweat shining over her skin. Her hair became tangled and clung to her skin. Tears streaked down her lovely cheeks and she began pushing. She needn't be told when, experience told her. This baby wanted out now, and she couldn't tell him or her no.

Elizabeth heard her husband and the doula that had assisted her with both of her other sons' births telling her to breathe and when to push. She only half heard them, relying off her own knowledge and the child's persistance in leaving the womb. It took a long while, but Queen Elizabeth eventually felt the baby leave her body. She collapsed back on the mattress, sweat sticking her hair to her skin. She saw the small infant lifted in the trusted doula's arms, covered in red and held in white linens. The odd thing about this child from her other boys was that this one wasn't crying. Her first reaction was to panic, thinking she must have had a stillborn. However, when she questioned her husband on the matter, he assured her the child was perfectly alive.

Only a few minutes went by before she had the baby boy in her arms. Although the gender was a slight disappointment, Elizabeth particularly liked the infant's blonde whisps of hair crowning his head. She stroked the baby's face lovingly.

"Arthur..." She whispered, looking to her husband for his opinion on the name. King Charles nodded his approval. Elizabeth looked back to her newest son, kissing his forehead. "How do you like that, Arthur?"

Arthur opened green eyes for the first time, taking in the beautiful sweaty face of his mother. He still remained unnatually quiet, so Elizabeth simply sat up and breast fed the boy. The three older siblings remained outside their mother's bedroom, waiting until they were allowed back inside.

"He will grow into a fine young man." Charles said to his wife. One of his larger hands covered her thin fingers atop their bundled baby.

"I hope so." She smiled.

Elizabeth was granted an hour alone with her new son before the older boys grew too curious. They came into the room quickly, swarming her bed; all trying to get a good look at their new baby brother. Comments of all kinds came about the youngest Kirkland - how he was really small, his hair looked like Mum's, etc. until Elizabeth firmly yet gently shushed them, sensing that Arthur was becoming upset with all the new noises. It wasn't long before the three children were hurried off to bed. The newborn was placed in a cradle beside his mother's bed where she could easily keep an eye on him.

Thus, the castle went to sleep after a long and eventful day.