Fiyero opened his eyes. It was morning, and he had slept through the night. The doctor had permitted him to get out of bed a week ago, and he had been trying to rebuild his strength by going for long walks and going up and down the stairs. It tired him so much that he fell asleep every night the moment his head touched the pillow and fell into a dreamless sleep.

The day before, he had woken up from his afternoon nap to a wonderful sight - Elphaba changing in the room, unaware that he was awake, but as he looked around, he realized that he had no such luck today - she was nowhere to be seen.

Just then, the door to the bathroom opened and the green girl walked in. Her hair was pulled up loosely into a bun, and she was dressed in nothing except for a towel wrapped around her body.

She stood before the mirror, turning her face left and right, perhaps looking for pimples or blemishes, though Fiyero had never known her to be vain.

Still, in front of the mirror, she dropped the towel, and Fiyero gulped. She might have heard him, for she turned around, and Fiyero quickly closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, she was still undressed. From the bed, he could see her back and long legs. He missed running his hand down her back and caressing her curves and soft skin. He missed the moans that she gave when he touched her.

In the mirror, the front of her body was revealed to him. She cupped her breast with her right hand, thumbing her nipple as her eyes fluttered close. Her other hand slid down her flat stomach and she touched herself between her legs, smiling to herself. She switched hands, her right going to her clit while her left hand smeared her juice on her skin. She moaned as she gyrated her hips to the motions of her fingers, and Fiyero felt himself getting hard.

"Fae."

She turned around and raised her brows as she looked at him. It seemed that she was not surprised to see him awake. She smiled as she sauntered over and climbed onto the bed grinning.

"Good morning, peeping Tom," she teased him.

"You knew that I was awake?"

She smiled cheekily. "And yesterday too."

He groaned and she laughed.

She straddled him and kissed him. "Enjoying the show?"

"I don't want to just see; I want to touch you. I want to make love to you right now."

"Really?" She raised her brows again.

"I'll recover faster if I'm not so tense, and making love to you relaxes me. And this is definitely better exercise than walking all around the castle." She laughed. They kissed again, and he cupped her breast, his thumb touching her nipple until it pebbled.

Elphaba smiled, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him kiss her neck as he continued to knead her breasts. He kissed lower, flicking his tongue over her nipple.

"I missed this, " he admitted and she giggled.

His hand slid down her back to between the cheeks of her buttocks and caressed the flesh there.

"Oh, Yero," she moaned and kissed him, her tongue tangling with his. His palm rubbed circles against her nipple and moved lower.

He sucked hard on her neck as two of his fingers went between her folds and stroked against her clit in a walking motion and she whimpered.

"Do you like this?" he asked hoarsely as he felt her juice coating his fingers. She nodded, her mouth parting slightly. He moved lower, his fingers dipping into her. He curled his fingers, and she squeezed her eyes shut, rocking and moving with his fingers.

"Oh, Yero. Yes," she hissed with pleasure as her hand went to her nipple, pinching it.

He added another finger, and Elphaba shivered slightly. She opened her eyes, pupils flush with lust, her hand trailing down his injured chest gently.

"Yero."

"Yes?"

"I want you. I want you inside me."

She helped him with his pants, freed his cock, and sank into him without another word. She pressed her palms on the headboard of their bed with Fiyero holding her waist. On other days she would be too shy for this position, too shy to let Fiyero see her breasts bouncing and her legs wide open. But she wanted him to see her that day. She wanted to see the hunger in his eyes. Fiyero pulled her close, his mouth closing on her tit and she moaned at the sensation. She closed her eyes and threw her head back as she bounced on him, feeling every inch of him inside her, how well he fit inside her. She gyrated her hips and Fiyero moaned.

He moved one hand to her back, while his other hand went to her clit, stroking her, and Elphaba shivered. He increased his pressure, his other hand squeezing her buttocks. He felt himself coming, and he tried to slow down, but Elphaba was moaning, her flesh tight around him, and a violent shudder coursed through him and he came inside her too early.

She opened her eyes in surprise, still trying to catch her breath, her cheeks red from the exertion.

He groaned in embarrassment.

"Was it something I … did I do …" Elphaba tried to find the words.

"No, it's me," he admitted. "I know that's thoroughly disappointing."

"Disappointing?" She raised a brow.

"Alright. I know that it was more than disappointing. It wasn't even two minutes. "

Elphaba laughed.

Fuck.

" I'm just… give me a moment. Give me five minutes, and I'll do better this time. I still can blow your mind. " He struggled to sit straight up.

She put a hand on his chest.

"Yero, take it easy. "

"But that was a terrible performance!" He babbled in horror.

Elphaba giggled and she leaned down and kissed him.

"I was not laughing at you, Yero. It's not a performance. "

"Yero. Fiyero." She said his name so endearingly he had to smile.

"So you're not disappointed."

"I suppose things do happen sometimes. Moreover, you're still recovering."

"My doctor will have a heart attack if he knows that I'm involved in such strenuous exercise. "

"Will he?"

Fiyero noticed her poker face.

"Did you know something that I don't? Did he say anything?"

Elphaba tried to keep a straight face. "Well, your father did ask if you still can have children and the doctor said that you can and you're allowed to do whatever you want so long as you take it easy. Just no horse riding for now. "

"My father. " He facepalmed. "Did he know that all the wounds are above my waist?" Elphaba laughed, and he pulled her down and kissed her hungrily, his hand going down her curves and then he froze.

"Yero? Is everything alright?"

"When was the last time you bled? "

"Yero, that's a personal question. " Her face turned red.

"So your monthlies is late. What if you're pregnant? It'll mean that you were with child even before we went to the Thousand Year Grassland. "

"Me? But I don't have any morning sickness."

"I don't know. What if you are?" A smile broke across his face. "You do know how babies are made, don't you?"

"Of course I do. " She pouted.

"And we have been doing a lot of that, having a lot of sex."

"But It's not that easy to get pregnant. I'm not with child."

"It'll be a girl. She'll have your eyes and your hair. Or maybe my eyes and your hair. She'll be our little princess, our little girl."

"Were you even listening to me?"

He kissed her again. "I love you. We should get a midwife to look at you. "

She folded her arms across her chest. "I'm not pregnant." But her voice faltered.

He kissed her again. "I still love you. And five minutes is up. And we can always make a baby now if you are not pregnant."

"Do you think they will find her?" Liir asked when the other children had gone to bed.

Elphaba looked away from the window.

"Your papa will if anyone can." She turned back to the window, as if she stared hard enough, she'd be able to see her husband and eldest in the distance, coming back to her.

It was only after a while that she realized Liir was still in the room.

"Is everything alright, Liir?"

"Nor doesn't hate you, Mama."

"Did she say anything to you, Liir?"

Liir shook his head. "But she always said that we have the best parents in Vinkus."

The words made her smile.

"Thank you, Liir." She opened her arms and Liir went to her.

"Can I join Papa tomorrow to look for Nor? I'm fast on my horse, and I can see far."

Elphaba smiled at his offer.

"Papa might be too far away for you to join him, but I guess you can do it if he comes back, or if we are sending out another search party."

"I'll find her, Mama. I don't want to be king next time."

Elphaba sighed inwardly. "Your grandpa is still healthy. We don't have to decide who is next in line after your papa. Not yet. But rest assured that it will be a family decision when the time comes."

Liir nodded.

"You should go to bed, Mama."

"Why are you nannying me?" she teased her son.

"Papa said that I have to take care of you when he is not around."

"Thank you, Liir. I think I will sleep soon."

"I'll be at Manek and Irji's room if you need me, Mama." The two youngest boys were still sharing the same bedroom. "Or if you just want some company," he added.

Elphaba nodded. Suddenly, it seemed that Liir had grown up in the last few hours since Nor had gone missing.

"Goodnight, Liir."

"Goodnight, Mama."

It rained the next morning, heavy torrential rain that turned the ground muddy and reduced visibility drastically.

Fiyero's parents came over after breakfast despite the rain and kept the children entertained, and Elphaba was grateful for that. She could not focus on the children, and she kept losing track of the conversation that they were having. She walked from one end of the room to the other and repeated, until Fione told her to take a walk outside.

"Not in the rain, " she explained to a confused Elphaba. "In the castle. Kiamo Ko is big enough. " And it was only then that she settled down.

They brought the children to the kitchen to bake, and the sieving and kneading distracted her from her thoughts.

"Can we bake a chocolate cake? It's Nor's favorite," Manek asked.

"Of course, " Elphaba said with a smile.

But still, there was no news or sign of Nor or her father by the time the chocolate cake was ready.

The rain stopped in the afternoon, and she let the children go outside to play while she sat in the shade with a book. Their happy screams and squeals filled the air, and it made Elphaba smile momentarily. After that, they went to the stables and the children fed the horses and helped the stablehands with some mundane chores. But Elphaba could not help but keep looking at the empty stalls that were previously occupied by Candy Floss and Lollipop. Soon darkness fell and they went inside for a simple dinner.

Elphaba's in-laws left, and she sent the children to bed early. Her back was aching, and there was a tightness in her chest. She could stand staying here doing nothing but waiting for news. Perhaps tomorrow she would ride out with Liir and search for the girls. She tried to sleep, but she tossed and turned in her bed and sleep eluded her. The air was cool, but it felt as if she could not breathe. She got out of bed and tried to walk off the tightness in her chest. she touched her belly subconsciously. The new addition was supposed to bring the number of children in the Tiggular household to five, but now it seemed that the baby might never have the chance to meet their eldest sister. If they did not find her, she would never see her little girl anymore.

"My little girl," Elphaba said to herself as she felt a tear drop. "My Nor…" she clamped her hand to her mouth to stifle the sobs. And then she heard the shouts from outside.

She ran down the stairs, and she was almost to the door when it slammed open to reveal Fiyero. The search crew was gone, most probably he had dismissed them so that they could go back to their families. And next to him was Nor, looking tired but no worse for wear.

"Nor!" Elphaba cried as she went to her daughter and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, Mama," Nor said.

Elphaba shook her head. "It's alright. I'm so glad that you're back. You silly girl. Why must you leave? You know that we'll love you no matter what."

Nor looked at the floor.

Elphaba shook her head again. "You must be tired, sweetheart. Why don't you go take a bath? I'll bring up supper for you."

She stood up and looked at her husband.

"Where's Gerrie?"

Fiyero nodded. "She's with her family now." He squeezed her hands and then he wiped the tears on her cheek with his thumb. "I told you that I'll bring her back," he whispered.

"I knew that you would." Elphaba smiled.

"Nor?" Someone called from the stairs.

Elphaba turned around. The three boys were standing at the stairs.

"You're back!" Manek exclaimed as he ran down the stairs with Irij and crashed into Nor. "We've been waiting for you. We've baked a cake and we're waiting for you to come back so that we can have it together! It's a chocolate cake!"

Nor burst into tears.