Nyris said "Mimsey" 11 times in the previous chapter. Hope no one got too drunk!

Nyris couldn't stop wiggling when her father picked her up from camp on Friday. Elphaba was already in the car, and the three of them drove to the hospital.

"Mimsey's better?" she asked, clutching his hand as he led her down the hallway.

"Yes, Butterfly. Mimsey's much better, but still very tired," Geri nodded.

"I'll be gentle."

He squeezed her hand as he opened the door and led her inside. Villy was sitting up against the pillows, dark circles under her eyes, and her frizzy hair fanning over the pillows, though bits stuck to her forehead and the back of her neck.

"Hi, Mimsey."

She turned her head, immediately brightening and slowly pushing herself up more. "There's my special girl." She opened her arms and Geri lifted their daughter onto the bed. "I've missed you so much, Jellybean."

Nyris lightly wrapped her arms around her stepmother. "I've missed you, too, Mimsey. I was very good for Elphie."

"I know. She told us how grown-up you were being. I'm so proud of you."

Nyris snuggled closer and giggled when Villy kissed her hair. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

She looked down. "You still have a round belly."

Villy chuckled. "Yes. It will take some time for it to go back down."

"When are you coming home?"

"Tomorrow. Your baby brother and I are both ready."

"Where's the baby?"

"Here," the proud father said, gently lifting the swaddled newborn out of the bassinet. "Would you like to hold him?"

"Uh-huh!" She shifted and held out her arms, wiggling her fingers.

"Do it just like we practiced with your baby dolls, okay?"

"Okay." Her eyes trained on the tiny, sleeping bundle placed in her arms. "Wow," she whispered. "His nose is tiny, but his cheeks are fat. He looks like a potato." She peeked under his hat. "He has hair like Mimsey's. And he smells nice. He's okay."

"His name is Chozon. Chozon Zuro Moxx."

Elphaba watched the entire scene from the doorway, smiling at the little family. The newborn opened his eyes and yawned. A beat and he let out an ear-splitting wail, not recognizing who was holding him.

Nyris stiffened, but didn't move her arms. "You can take him back now, Papa."

"Wait, Geri," Villy said. "Nyris, this is Chozon's first time meeting you, so he's a little nervous. Can you help him see that it's okay?" She ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. "Could you introduce yourself?"

She nodded and gently rocked the baby in her arms, exactly how she rocked her baby dolls. "Hi, baby. It's okay. I'm your big sister, Nyris. You don't have to cry anymore."

Slowly, the baby's cries died down and he looked up at her, studying her face.

"Big Sister's here now. I'm super nice, and not scary. Shh, you're okay."

"He remembers your voice," Geri smiled.

Villy wiped the tears from her cheek, choosing to blame her unbalanced hormones. She kissed her daughter's hair, hearing the camera click. Nyris kissed her baby brother's forehead, and Geri snapped another photo as Chozon yawned.

"He has big eyes," she whispered. "Do you love him, Mimsey?"

"I do," Villy nodded.

"And you still love me, right?"

"With all my heart. I have plenty of room for both of you."

"Okay. Good."

Geri looked up. "Elphaba, could you take a photo of us, please?"

The green girl took the camera as the family posed for the photo. "One… two… three!" She snapped the photo of the smiling faces. "Beautiful!"

"Alright, time to go, Butterfly," Geri said.

Nyris gently handed her baby brother to her stepmother. "Bye-bye, Mimsey," she said, giving her a hug, which Villy quickly returned.

"Bye-bye, Jellybean. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." She gave her a kiss before shimming down and bouncing over to her father.

"I'm driving them back home, then I'm running to get food. Do you want anything?" Geri asked.

Villy adjusted the sleeping baby in her arms. "Where are you going?"

"Um… probably Meadows."

"I'm so sick of this hospital food. Can you get me the meat lovers pizza with extra pepperoni and sausage?"

"How many slices?"

"The whole pie. And make sure you get some food for yourself."

He chuckled. "Of course."

"Thank you, honey."

"Bye, Miss Villy," Elphaba smiled, giving her boss a side hug.

"Bye, Elphaba. Thanks for everything."

"Wow," Elphaba gasped, her head sticking out the car window as the manor came into view.

"Welcome home," Fiyero chuckled.

"This is… wow. It's even bigger in person." She jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped, not even waiting for Fiyero, and hurried inside. The door seemingly opened on its own, and she jumped back, but relaxed when a middle-aged woman appeared from behind the door.

"Welcome to Brennecke Manor, Miss Thropp. My name is Madame Willeama. I'm the housekeeper."

"Madame Willeama was my favorite nanny growing up. It seemed fitting that she be gifted with this promotion," Fiyero smiled, coming up behind Elphaba and wrapping an arm around her waist.

The housekeeper curtsied. "Your Highness."

She led them inside, and Elphaba noticed all the staff lined up to greet them. Fiyero recognized some, but most were new. They were all very polite, trying not to stare too long at their future princess's skin.

"I've prepared tea in the parlor," she added, leading the couple into the room, where a tray of tea and butter biscuits was waiting for them. "You can rest here, and your things will be brought up and unpacked in your rooms."

As modern as the Vinkus was, there were some traditions and customs that couldn't be ignored. The monarchs were making a huge exception by letting Fiyero and Elphaba move into the manor a week before their wedding. Fiyero had won the battle, saying he wanted to keep Elphaba protected, and while the press and paparazzi had been leaving her alone in the apartment the royals were renting for her, he knew people would get antsier as the date drew closer. But they were commanded to sleep in separate rooms until they were married, an okay price to pay for the extra security.

"If you'd like, I can provide you with a tour of the manor when you're ready."

"We'd love one in a few minutes. Thank you," Fiyero smiled.

She curtsied and left them to relax.

"How many staff members are there?" Elphaba asked, helping herself to a biscuit.

"Twenty. I requested the least number I could. It's a big manor, and I knew you wouldn't want a lot of people here in the beginning."

She kissed him. "My thoughtful fiancée."

Once they rested and recuperated enough, they found Madame Willeama for the tour. She showed them the dining room, drawing room, the Grand Ballroom, the Small Ballroom, tearoom, kitchens, and staff living quarters.

"I'm sorry, how many bedrooms?" Elphaba blinked.

"Ten total, Miss Thropp, not including the Master Bedroom. Six in the North Wing, and four in the South Wing."

Fiyero was about to make a comment about putting those bedrooms to good use, but a pinch from Elphaba shut him up. But he did make mental notes of which corridor corners would be perfect for stealing secret kisses, both before and after their wedding.

"Shall I show you the gardens, or would you prefer to walk on your own?" Madame Willeama asked.

"I think we can explore on our own," Fiyero smiled, taking her hand and pulling her away with a wave of thanks over his shoulder.

Elphaba recognized the statues and ponds from the photos, and loved the rose bushes on the west side of the house. The couple gaily swung their hands, feeling like they were back at Shiz, carefree and young in love. When they returned to the parlor, they found a package waiting for them on the table. Fiyero opened it to find more paperwork from his parents and bit back a groan.

"The more we do now, the less we'll have to do later," Elphaba said as they got set up.

On the top was a royal protocol packet for Elphaba.

"Mom wants to start your royal training as soon as possible," Fiyero mused as Elphaba flipped through the thick packet.

Her eyes widened. "This is a lot."

"I'll help you. It's the least I can do after you got me through Shiz."

They went through it together, with Fiyero giving her mini-quizzes and helping her make flashcards.

"Now, royal greetings. When you're with me, you only have to curtsy to Mom and Dad, and monarchs from other countries outside of Oz. Everyone else will genuflect to us. If you're alone, you have to curtsy to 'all blood royals', and there's a lot of us," he explained, referencing the family tree page.

"That makes sense."

"That rule changes once we have a child. As the mother to the heir to the throne, your rank increases, and everyone will have to genuflect to you, regardless of blood."

Elphaba nodded, wordlessly continuing to go through the papers.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said, realizing they had both been silent for a while.

Elphaba's lips twitched. "I think you'll make a great father."

"Fae –" He blinked and lowered his voice. "Are you pregnant?"

She shook her head. "I just remember seeing you and Nyris together when we were watching her for Miss Villy and Geri."

"I remember watching you two together, too," he smiled.

"Remember how you played with Nyris, took her bike riding, and let her paint your nails?"

"'Let' is a pretty strong word. It implies that I permitted it. She didn't give me much of a choice. But I admit, she had me wrapped around her little finger, and I was okay with it."

"I really miss them."

"I know. I miss them, too."

"Not as much as me."

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "I wasn't aware this was a competition."

Elphaba chuckled, fixing her ponytail. "We both have our own families now, and we may not see each other for a long time. Miss Villy just had a baby, and I'm about to have all these new royal responsibilities. And we'll have children of our own. Not enough to fill ten rooms, mind you," she added quickly. "But I don't want to lose touch."

"We won't. We'll make time. They'll make time. We'll both make it work."

"I know we will." She held out her hand.

"What's that for?"

"You owe me a penny."

Fiyero chuckled and pulled a green penny from his pocket, delicately placing it in his fiancée's waiting palm, and closed her fingers around it, covering them with his.

"Come on, everyone! It's starting in seven minutes!"

"Coming, Geri!"

"Coming, Papa!"

Geri smiled as his daughter marched into the living room. "Hi, princess."

"You're silly, Papa! Elphie's becoming the princess!"

"I know. But you still look pretty as a princess."

Even though they were unable to attend the wedding – despite receiving a personalized invitation from Elphaba and Fiyero – the Moxx's still decided to dress up for the occasion. Chozon was seven months old, and Villy didn't think traveling long distances would be ideal. They wrote to the royal couple that while they were beyond grateful for the invitation, they would be showing their support from the comfort of their living room, listening to the live broadcast.

Nyris twirled, modeling her tulle, cerulean party dress. Villy had braided her hair into an elegant fishtail braid. It took a while, since the seven-year-old wouldn't sit still, but came out beautiful. Geri heard his son's babbles and wife's whispers before they appeared in the living room.

"We're ready," Villy said, entering with the baby on her hip. "I just hope he doesn't spit up on his suit."

Geri insisted on wearing matching emerald green suits with his son, and Villy offered no complaints. "He'll be fine. You look beautiful." He took Chozon from her arms, who laughed and smacked his little hand against his cheek.

"Thank you," Villy said, fixing the ribbon on her honey dress and lightly running her hands through her curls. She reached out to examine her husband's suit and paused on his eschew tie. "Why are your ties always like this?" She untied and redid it properly.

He gave her a sly smile. "Maybe I like it when you fix my ties."

"In that case, maybe I like fixing them." She brushed her lips against his with a grin. "You look handsome."

"I told you I can pick out my own clothes."

She rolled her eyes, remembering her joke of how she was always picking out his suits for fancy events. They would have deep discussions (re: arguments) over why he couldn't pair certain colors and patterns together. It always ended with Villy saying it wouldn't matter to her what he wore, but he always ended up taking her advice, letting her smirk at all the compliments he received.

"Yes, I've taught you well," she chuckled, going over to the couch and sitting next to Nyris. "Are we sending a photo to Elphaba and Fiyero?"

"I didn't have time to set up my tripod, and the broadcast starts in soon, so we can take one after."

"Okay."

Geri tuned the radio to the correct station and went to join his family on the couch. Chozon grunted and reached for Villy, who quickly complied, sitting him on her lap and nuzzling her chin against the top of his head.

"It's very staticky," she frowned. "Will we be able to hear anything?"

He got up and fiddled with the dial and antenna, and the static slowly cleared, giving way to a clear fanfare.

"Good morning. This is Arran Yoh, and welcome to our live broadcast of the Vinkun royal wedding. Today, His Royal Highness, Prince Fiyero Liir Tigulaar, will wed Miss Elphaba Melena Thropp. The ceremony will begin promptly at noon, but immense crowds have already started to gather on the streets, and guests are arriving and taking their seats in the abbey. The royal guard is already lining up, preparing to escort their prince, and the marching band is tuning their instruments for the procession."

"This is so exciting!" Nyris squealed.

The family listened as the announcer described the procession and the parade, and they heard the marching band in the background.

"I've just received word of key people arriving at the abbey. We have Ealieah Ganslot at the abbey. Ealieah?"

A click and a new, female voice spoke. "Thank you, Arran. It's eleven forty, and our key people are beginning to arrive at the abbey. Members of the royal family are beginning to arrive, Lord and Lady Ussev, Their Graces, the Duke and Duchess of Restwater, and Dowager Duchess of Kvon Altar have all arrived together."

"Where's Elphie?" Nyris frowned.

"She's coming, Butterfly," Geri reassured her.

"The maid of honor, Miss Galinda Upland, has just arrived, a vision in light blue," Ealieah continued, and they could all hear the smile in her voice.

"Galinda!" Nyris bounced, and Chozon clapped at his sister's enthusiasm.

"The Wizard's press secretary is a close friend of our princess-to-be, and while she's serving as a maid of honor, she's also serving as the Wizard's official representative."

Villy hid a smile at a secret only she knew.

"She will stand at the door to the abbey to assist the bride. In a few minutes, the prince and his best man are due to arrive. But until they, we have some of our government officials, as well as other officials from across Oz."

"Do you think Elphaba's father is there?" Geri blinked. "In an official capacity?"

Villy turned. "The Governor of Munchkinland? I don't know. Kicking her out is what brought her to me. I don't think parents go to the weddings of their disowned children, even if it's a royal wedding. He might have sent a representative, but I know Elphaba didn't willingly invite him."

"Do you know what her dress looks like?"

"She described the multiple sketches she got to choose from, and said she was leaning towards the long-sleeved trumpet gown with a long train. But I don't know what the official decision was."

"Their Royal Majesties, King Raal and Queen Amalie, have arrived," the radio voice interrupted. "They're talking to Ms. Upland, and she must have said something funny. They're not going into the abbey, so I believe they're waiting for the prince."

Chozon started fussing, and Villy gently bounced him on her lap. When that didn't help, she adjusted her hold to allow him to stand on her legs. He let out an unexpected scream and started crying.

"I just fed and changed him. I think he's just tired," Villy said, letting him rest his head against her neck and gently rocked him. The skin-to-skin contact calmed his cries to occasional whimpers.

"Are you gonna put him down for a nap?" Geri asked.

She softly caressed his face, and Chozon quickly grabbed her finger, babbling softly as he stuck it to his mouth, and she felt the little teeth starting to poke through his gums. "Teething makes him fussy." She shifted him in his arms and rocked him, kissing his forehead. "Did you just want a cuddle?" she asked as he calmed. "I think he's fine now."

"And here's our prince! You can hear the crowd cheering in excitement! He takes a moment to wave to the crowd before heading in with his best man and parents. And next, we have – one moment," Ealieah said, and there was a moment of silence. "I've just received word that the bride is en-route to the abbey!"

Nyris wiggled. "Elphie's coming! Elphie's coming!"

… … … … …

Elphaba smiled and waved to the gathered crowd as her car drove down the route to the abbey. She was glad the veil covering her face helped shield her nervous expression from the crowd, who all thought she was the happiest person in the world. And she was; she was marrying the love of her life, but she also felt nauseous because of the nerves.

"Only focus on the positives, Elphaba," she muttered to herself as the car slowed. "You're marrying Fiyero. Today is about the two of us."

One of the guards came and opened the door for her, and Galinda stepped forward to help her out. The crowd cheered and she heard the furious clicks of the cameras, glad the veil also dimmed the flashes.

"You look beautiful," Galinda smiled, squeezing her hand and handing her her bouquet of blue hydrangeas.

"Thanks, Glin. So do you," Elphaba blushed, turning to wave to the crowd.

The blonde stepped behind her to straighten her train and carry it into the abbey for her. The princess-to-be could still hear the cheers of the crowd as she waited outside the closed door to the sanctuary. Her best friend gave her arm a quick squeeze before slipping in through a side door to take her place at the altar.

She heard the fanfare and everyone rising from their seats to prepare for her entrance. As the procession music played, the doors slowly opened, revealing her to everyone inside. Willing herself to relax, she took a deep breath and began the long walk down the aisle.

She felt like the walk took longer than it did during their rehearsal. It was probably the combination of her dress, all the people staring at her, her faint awareness that there was someone in the abbey quietly relaying her every move over the radio waves to all of Oz. and her desire to reach Fiyero as quickly as possible, but not wanting to trip. But the music showed no signs of ending, so she took her time, savoring every second of the moment.

Finally reaching the altar and stepping up the three steps to the large dais, she handed her flowers back to Galinda before turning to Fiyero. He reached out and lifted the veil from her face. Her heart melted at the unadulterated adoration in his eyes. They licked their lips in tandem, now both fighting a laugh and the urge to kiss right that second. They supposed they would wait a few more minutes.

Elphaba felt her heart hammering in her throat as the minister spoke about love, life, and other things she probably wouldn't remember later. She had no idea why she and Fiyero had to stand through the speech, which felt longer than it actually was.

"Will you, Prince Fiyero Liir Tigulaar, take Elphaba Melena Thropp, to be your lawfully wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her, and keep her, and, forsaking all others, remain true to her, as long as you both shall live?" the minister finally asked.

"I will," Fiyero nodded with a smile.

"Will you, Elphaba Melena Thropp, take Prince Fiyero Liir Tigulaar to be your lawfully wedded husband? Will you love him, comfort him, and keep him, and, forsaking all others, remain true to him, as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Elphaba grinned.

They exchanged rings, and waited not-so-patiently for the minister to say the reason they both came there.

"Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

The prince grinned as he pulled his wife into a kiss. He tried not to make it look as hungry as he felt, but it lasted longer than everyone thought it would.

"Your Royal Highness," he whispered against her lips.

"It'll take some time to get used to that."

"We have all the time in the world, my love." He took her hand, turning to the crowd.

"Presenting Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Fiyero and Princess Elphaba Tigulaar," the herald announced and a fanfare sounded to a cheering crowd.

He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back as they stepped down the dais, genuflecting to the king and queen, before making their way to the aisle and out the doors. As soon as they emerged, the crowd went crazy, and loud wedding bells filled the air. Elphaba fed off of Fiyero's energy and waved with him. The last time people had cheered for her like that was Galinda's fundraiser in the park for the shop, and it was amazing to experience that feeling again.

"Thank you, my prince," she smiled as Fiyero helped her into the carriage.

"Of course, my princess." He sat and kissed her hand and they were off for their drive to the reception hall.

After hours of food, dancing, speeches, and fun, the couple returned to Brennecke Manor, exhausted, but still feeling the adrenaline pumping through their veins. Fiyero insisted on carrying her, bridal style, through the threshold, and Elphaba made no complaints as he lifted her into his arms and carried her into their official residence. As soon as her feet touched the floor, she kicked off her heels with a relieved sigh.

"We're home!" she smiled, stealing another kiss. "And we can sleep in the same bed!"

"We can do more than just sleep."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm gonna take a leap of faith and say you're not referring to talking with our mouths."

"We can do whatever you want." He nuzzled his nose against hers. "It's almost midnight, but we have all the time in the world."

One more chapter!

I'm graduating college today! Technically, I graduated last year, but didn't get to walk due to COVID, but my college is having the ceremony now! Reviews make wonderful congratulatory presents!