A/N: This chapter contains a non-graphic depiction of childbirth.

The central chamber of Sky Haven Temple was dark, save for the single candle I'd lit on the long table at the center. It was either very late or very early, and I wasn't sure that it actually mattered either way.

I breathed deeply through my nose as I paced across the room. My shaking hands ached from clenching them so tightly with every contraction.

I'd been up for a while, ever since the contractions first woke me up, and I hadn't been able to relax since. Even though I was certain those were the real thing, I still had yet to wake up either Martin or Ma. Everything suddenly just felt so terrifyingly real. I was actually having Martin's baby. It was really happening.

The little one squirmed. Putting my hands on my middle, I whispered, "It's all right, sweetheart. Everything's all right."

I heard footsteps come from one of the side halls into the main room. Turning, I saw Martin standing in the doorway of the passage that led to our room. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and looked at me with tired eyes.

"Mara?" He asked. "Why are you up this early?"

"I think the baby is–"

Another contraction hit. My hands desperately clutched my belly and I gasped as the muscles tightened. Martin's hurried footsteps thundered toward me over the stone floor. My heart pounded and he put his arms around my shoulders. When the pain finally died away again, he led me back to our room and sat me down on the bed, propping me up on some pillows.

"I'll get Juliana," he said, hastily kissing my forehead before hurrying out of the room once more.

A small smile touched my lips as I watched him go through tearing eyes. I twisted the fabric of my nightdress between my fingers.

"I haven't seen him this flustered in a while," I murmured. "That means that he loves you. A lot."

I felt a small kick in response and let out a wet laugh.

Martin returned moments later, Ma in tow. She'd just woken up, and her dark hair was a mess. Both of them hurried over to my side.

"How are you feeling?" Martin asked, stroking my hair. I leaned into his touch and sighed.

"At the moment? Fine."

Ma bent down to check between my legs. A moment later, she looked up at me again and said, "You still have a long way left to go, darling. Try to relax for the time being."

"Wonderful," I groaned, letting my head fall back against the pillows.

She left again, promising to be back later to check on my progress. Martin sat beside me on the bed edge of the bed, holding onto my hand. Although his face was deceptively calm, his fingers were tense around mine. I wasn't faring much better, even though I'd had months to prepare myself for what was about to happen. The pain didn't scare me, nor did the birth itself, but the thought of actually holding my child...

"What's wrong?" Martin asked, giving me a worried look. He'd seen me shaking.

I took an unsteady breath. "I've been reassuring you for months that you'll be a good father, but... What if it isn't you who should be worried? What if it's me? You're kind, warm, and patient, while I'm..." Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling onto my cheeks as I looked up at him. "What if our baby hates me?"

"No, no, Mara," Martin gasped, brushing the tears away from my face. "Don't say that. Why wouldn't your own child love you?"

"I don't exactly make it easy."

Martin looked me right in the eye as he said, "You give yourself too little credit. It's never been difficult for me, or for your parents. Why should this little one be any different?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. I could only hope that he was right. The alternative was almost too painful to contemplate.

Pain ripped through me again and I let out a sound somewhere between a snarl and a scream as I fought to push. Night had fallen again, or so I'd been told, and it was almost over. After trying any number of different things, including yet more agitated pacing, I'd settled for squatting beside the bed with Martin supporting me. My legs trembled.

"I've got you," he whispered into my ear. I nodded, barely able to do much else. I knew he'd keep holding me. He still held onto my hand, even though I was sure I must have already broken his. I felt him press his lips against my sweat-covered temple.

"I've got the baby's head," Ma said as the latest contraction ended. When I looked down at her, she gave me an encouraging smile. "You're so close. Just a few pushes more."

"Just a few more," I echoed. It felt like I was being torn in half.

I glanced over at Martin. Even though anxiety was etched into his features, there was a light in his eyes that I could only describe as joy. He was so ready for our child. The one he thought he'd never deserve. The one I thought I'd never have.

Another contraction, another struggle to push. I gritted my teeth so hard I almost thought they might crack and my breath rushed out between them in a sharp hiss.

"You're doing so well, love," Martin whispered in my ear as the contraction subsided.

"I'm trying not to set anything on fire. Let me tell you, that's harder than you'd think."

Martin's responding chuckle was cut off by Ma's voice. "This is it. One more push should do it."

One more push. Every inch of my body was shaking from the effort of hours of labor. One more seemed nearly impossible. But as the contraction flared, the pain once more rearing its head, I fought for it with every ounce of strength I had left.

I'd survived the streets of Balmora. I'd survived the fires of Mehrunes Dagon's realm. I'd survived the Shivering Isles, the ogres of Pale Pass, Alduin the World Eater, and Hermaeus Mora's machinations. I'd survived losing my parents, losing Martin. I had them all back and, if I could just make it through the next few moments, I'd have my child as well. For the first time, it seemed like there really was some justice in the world.

The final push might have felt impossible, but I'd done the impossible. It was nothing.

I gave one last scream of defiance and felt something slip out from inside me. Slumping back against Martin, I closed my eyes, gasping at the almost unbearable relief from the hours of pain. He lowered me slightly so I was sitting on the floor and my back was resting against the side of our bed.

Then I heard a wail, the sound roaring like thunder in my ears. My eyes snapped open.

"Martin," I breathed. "That's…"

He was looking away and his gaze focused on something that I couldn't see. There were tears in his blue eyes and a soft, trembling smile on his face. I pushed myself up straighter with shaking arms, ignoring the discomfort I felt at the action.

Ma held a small, squirming baby covered in blood in her arms. As I watched her clean the child and bundle it in a blanket, I sucked in a sharp breath, then another. I shook all over. Martin's arms tightened around me. Ma looked down at us then, smiling. She slowly knelt before us.

"A boy," she whispered as she handed him to me.

The weight of him in my arms was so terribly, impossibly real. I cradled him against my breast and stared down at him for a long moment before I started to cry.

Our son was tiny and red and absolutely perfect. Gods, he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life. His eyes were screwed shut as he wailed. A fine down of brown hair covered his little head.

"Shh, darling, shh," I murmured, my voice trembling. "It's all right. Your mama has you. You're safe."

He quieted, his face unscrunching a little, and opened his newborn-gray eyes. Whether they would stay gray or turn blue I couldn't yet tell. All I knew was that he was staring up at me with what almost looked like curiosity. The focus I saw in them was… intense. Too intense for a newborn, I was fairly sure. Those were dragon eyes. Not much of a surprise, looking at where he'd come from.

"Hello, Baurus."

He blinked at me and I let out a sound halfway between a chuckle and a sob as I pressed a kiss on his forehead. Glancing up, I saw Martin gazing down at us with the most fragile look on his face that I had ever seen.

"This is your father," I whispered, turning Baurus toward him. Martin reached over and carefully stroked our son's hair. He let out a soft, shaking laugh.

"Mara, he's perfect."

I snorted. "Of course he is; he's your son."

"He's yours as well," he reminded me.

I fell silent. He was my son. Healthy, alive. My impossible, impossible boy...

Ma appeared at the edge of my vision, bending down beside the three of us to see her grandson.

"There don't appear to be any complications, thank the Nine." She smiled and stroked Baurus soft cheek. "He looks just like you did when you were born, except for the hair."

I laughed quietly.

Martin looked at my mother and said earnestly, "Thank you, Juliana. For everything."

She turned her attention to him. Blinked. "Of course."

The two of them helped me get up, change into a fresh nightgown, and wash my face. I felt a bit less monstrous once I had and I was curled up in bed with my son in my arms. Ma showed me how to properly nurse him and left soon afterward.

I had no idea how late it was as Martin and I sat there watching our son. Baurus had fallen asleep soon after I'd fed him. He lay in my arms, quiet and peaceful. Even though I was exhausted as well, I didn't want to close my eyes for fear of opening them again and finding he'd been nothing more than a dream.

"I still almost can't believe he's real," I whispered, not wanting to wake him.

Martin kissed my cheek and replied just as quietly, "He's real, I promise you. And look at how happy he is in your arms."

"He's still got time to change his mind." Still, I smiled down tiredly at the little boy.

"I can take him if you want to sleep," Martin said.

"Well, if you're offering..."

He helped me lie down and took Baurus into his arms. I watched them in silence for a few moments, my husband and my son. My heart felt so full that I almost thought it might burst. With tears threatening to spill over and a trembling smile on my face, I closed my eyes and finally succumbed to sleep.

In the end, I couldn't stand to stay in bed for long. I was up and about soon enough, much to both Ma and Martin's frustration. Days past, and no complications decided to rear their ugly heads. I never left Sky Haven, though. My son kept me tethered.

Baurus was a-month-and-a-half old. I walked with him through the temple's halls, taking it easy. Lydia smiled at us as she hurried past, toward the training yard. Everyone in Sky Haven had long since seen the baby. Da responded much as Ma had, telling me how much Baurus looked like me. That may have been true, but I could still see a great deal of Martin in him. His eyes, however, remained gray with no signs of changing. How quickly were they supposed to change anyway?

I started to walk past Alduin's Wall and abruptly stopped, turning toward the massive carving. Baurus stared up at it as well.

"That's how your father and I met, dii mal gein," I told him as I pointed to the design symbolizing the Oblivion Crisis.

I looked over at the Wall's final panel and the Akaviri's depiction of the "Last Dragonborn." Baurus made a soft noise in my arms and I gently kissed his forehead.

If I was the last Dragonborn, how could my son have those eyes?

I rocked him gently in my arms and hummed a lullaby. It was the same one that Ma used to sing to me when I was little, although somewhat more off-tune. He didn't seem to mind, though, because his eyelids began to droop. Soon he was asleep.

After a few minutes, I heard footsteps behind me. Suddenly a pair of warm arms wound around my waist. I smiled when I felt lips press against the side of my neck.

"How is he?" Martin whispered in my ear.

"Asleep," I replied, just as quiet. Glancing back at him, I caught a glimpse of Martin's soft smile as he gazed down at his son. I leaned my head back against his shoulder. "If I could just keep you this relaxed forever, that would be fantastic. You're so happy right now."

"I'd be happy living with you and our son in obscurity on a farm somewhere for the rest of our lives." He hesitated. "But you wouldn't."

I sighed. "No, I wouldn't. I can't just leave the Empire to die; not when there's actually something that I can do to save it." I looked down at the baby in my arms and murmured, "He's the first Septim to be born in over two hundred years. It would feel wrong to just leave the Ruby Throne empty when he exists. When you exist. I have to do this."

"You sound so certain."

I shook my head. "Nothing is certain. Not really. But I'll be with you no matter what happens, I swear."

"I'll hold you to that," he said, giving me another light squeeze.

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat behind us. Looking back, I saw Delphine standing on the other side of the hall. I carefully handed Baurus to Martin and made my way over to meet her.

"Anything?" I asked her.

She nodded and said, "My contacts think they can get us in touch with King Ajani. It might take a few weeks, but..."

"We need him. Hammerfell was the only province to fight the Thalmor to a standstill," I pointed out. "Besides, the Dominion has Valenwood and Elsweyr, as well as the Isles. We need allies, and the Redguards are our best bet."

"What about Skyrim and Morrowind? You mentioned something about them, too."

"I'm not worried about Skyrim, and all I need for Morrowind are those reports. Do you have them?"

The Breton wordlessly held out a sealed scroll to me.

Even with the bad blood between the Dunmer and the Empire, there had to be something I could do to get them on our side. The country was run by a council of the Great Houses. Redoran, from what I'd heard, was practically in charge. Their leader was the famous Nerevarine, savoir of Morrowind. Talise, according to what Esbern remembered of the order's records, had also once been a Blade. Sent by Uriel Septim the Seventh to Vvardenfell. It was almost odd how everything always seemed to come back to him. Regardless, I was certain I could use the connection to my advantage.

The Telvanni would be harder. The wizard lords always hated leaving their damned towers, and certainly wouldn't do it for duty or honor like House Redoran. No, we'd have to get their attention first. Neloth inducted me into their House after I helped him on Solstheim, so there was that, and there were the dragons as well. There were also the Sigil Stones Martin and I took from my collection in the basement of Benirus Manor. We'd need them, all right. If it came down to bargaining with the wizards, I'd do it.

The problem lay with the last three Great Houses. Sadras replaced Hlaalu after I left the country, so it was an unknown to me, and could side in either direction. Indoril and Dres… Normally we'd never stand a chance against either of them. The two most conservative, nationalistic houses had always been a problem. But maybe their desire for revenge would outweigh their hatred for once.

I broke the seal on the scroll and unrolled it to examine the contents. Inside was a copy of the old reports regarding Thalmor activity in Blackmarsh near the beginning of the fourth era, reports that implicated them as an influence in the invasion of southern Morrowind by the Argonians. Something I was sure the Great Houses would love to have confirmed. I grinned as I read through it.

"Talos bless you for this, Delphine."

The Blade rolled her eyes. "That wasn't easy to come by, just so you know."

"I didn't think it would be, but it's exactly what we needed," I told her, rolling the reports back up. "Now, we might actually be able to win them over."

"I hope you can. I do. It would be nice to see those Thalmor bastards taken down a few pegs."

I glanced back at Martin. He still stood over by Alduin's Wall and his attention was completely on Baurus. I noticed his soft smile as he gazed down at the bundle in his arms.

"There are worse things to be than a bastard," I told her in a quiet voice.