DG brushed her hands on her pants as she wobbled to her feet. Using a freshly packed box for support, she grunted and strained as she pushed herself up. She sighed and looked around at the boxes that still needed to be gone through and packed. It didn't seem like she'd been in the palace for that long, so how could she have accumulated so much junk. She ran a hand through her tangled hair and made a face. She pulled out a hair tie and pulled her dark hair back out of her eyes.
"Do you need anything Mrs. Cain?" A timid voice asked. DG looked over at Oliver and smiled. She shook her head slowly.
"I think I'm good here. You may leave if you have other matters to get to." Oliver bowed his head and backed out of the room quietly. He had been with the princess the entire day, helping her with the boxes and packing. It was time for him to leave to see his family. DG watched the loyal servant leave, sad that she'd have to say good bye to this all soon.
Cane had resigned his post as head guard shortly after the honeymoon. He couldn't see himself doing the same thing he'd been doing. He was getting older, his senses weren't as sharp as they once were/ He wanted to focus on a family, something he had avoided in the past. He was offered a spot as an instructor at the academy he graduated from. The headmaster also graduated in the same class as Cain and it was quite an honor to be asked by a close friend.
DG was with him in a second. She convinced her parents to allow her to be relieved of her princess duties in exchange for title of an ambassador. Living in Central City allowed her to be close to the people, allowing her the ability to walk and talk with the citizens of the O.Z. She'd had enough of stuff palace life and wanted to see more of the land.
Cain watched her from the doorway as she packed. It was hard to believe that over a year ago he stood in this room watching her unpack from her whirlwind trip. Now she was packing to leave in order to start a new life with him. He watched the way she moved around the room, carefully counting and calculating what she'd packed, what needed to be packed and what had to be left behind. She stopped short and closed her eyes tightly.
"Alright baby, you have to let mommy work." DG rested a hand on her swollen belly and rubbed it gently. She placed her other hand on her back, supporting the added weight.
"She is going to be just like her mother." Cain said firmly. DG opened her eyes and turned around. She offered a hand out to him. He gripped her hand tightly and took a few steps forward, wrapping an arm around her back.
"Just think, you'll give birth soon and then you will be off on your next adventure and journey." Cain gave a firm nod. DG shook her head vigorously and laughed.
"Oh no, no more adventures for me. I gladly hand that authority over to anyone willing to take that. I plan on moving into the city, having our daughter and living a simple, quiet life." She nodded firmly.
"We'll let her be the judge of that." Cain pointed to the baby inside of DG. She smiled and brought his hands towards her stomach, allowing him to feel the kicking of the little girl inside her. He looked at DG and watched her carefully. He'd always heard of women glowing during pregnancy, but he'd never seen it up close. He wasn't around much when Adora had been pregnant with Jeb, but he was certain she didn't glow.
Looking at DG, however, he could see her glowing. She glowed from the moment she woke up in the morning until her head hit the pillow at night. She was ecstatic about having a baby and it showed in everything she did. Cain raised a hand and brushed a dark strand of hair out of DG's eyes. A few curls had escaped the confines of DG's pony tail and even though her face looked worn and tired, she still looked beautiful to him.
It had been a trying battle for the both of them. Even after the wedding, DG still woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath and screaming out. Cain was always there for her, ready to calm whatever feared her most. Now, months after everything, DG was finally returning to a somewhat normal state. The color had started to return to her skin and her eyes weren't as dim as they had once been.
"You need to stop looking at me like that." DG said as she noticed his concentration on her. "People will talk." She said, giving him a knowing glance.
"What? We're already married." He said in defense. He pointed to her stomach. "You're pregnant. I think people know we do it." He said softly. DG smiled.
"Not that." She shook her head, her hair whipping back and forth. "They will start to talk about how you've gone soft." She gave him a stern look. "What would people back at the academy say when they find out that Wyatt Cain is a big old softy?" She rolled her eyes up as she turned to walk towards another box. She laughed as she felt him tackle her from behind.
"I'm sorry; did you say I was turning soft?" He
"I love you." He said. "I mean, really love you." He looked down at her and she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.
"I know. I love you too." Cain leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
"Why don't you take a break? Dinner will be done in a few minutes. You need to get away from boxes and bubble wrap and be with normal people." He took a step back and looked her up and down. "You look tired." DG yawned and nodded.
"I just have a few boxes left, and then I'll be down." Cain eyed her carefully. "We leave tomorrow; I kind of don't want to rush this. I want to take my time and say goodbye properly." Cain looked down and nodded.
"Just don't be long. I don't want your mother worried and if she worries she'll send Glitch." He shook his head. "And Glitch does not need to be around anything remotely similar to bubble wrap." DG laughed. He squeezed DG's hands before letting go. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips, placing a hand on her stomach. DG kissed him back and placed her hand on his.
"I won't be too much longer." She assured him. Cain pulled back and nodded. He walked slowly towards the door, looking over his shoulder. DG gave him a little wink before turning back towards her packing. Cain shook his head and turned out of the room, his boots leaving heavy imprints on the marble floor.
DG looked at the last few boxes in a pile next to the window. She dragged a chair over and sat down in a huff. She went through the first couple boxes, only discovering books she no longer had any interest in reading, photos of day long since past and nothing that no longer fit her. She tossed the unwanted items into a discard pile next to her. She looked down at the last box, wanting to just throw it away without even opening.
She sighed and reached down with her pudgy little hands, pulling the light box into her lap. She closed her eyes and hoped for something a little interesting. She opened her eyes and lifted the flaps carefully. Inside was something she hadn't quite expected. Packed away the day after the witch was defeated, DG forgot all about her clothes she wore as she traveled across the various lands of the O.Z. In all the hustle and bustle of the family reunion, she hadn't given it much thought as to what happened to her discarded wardrobe. She lifted out the dark blue pants and light blue top. The clothing looked as if she had just taken them off.
She had to laugh at the humor. She'd seen so much and had been through so much, yet these clothes hadn't aged one day. She ran a hand over the soft material of her leather jacket as she thought back to those events that happened so long ago it seemed. DG thought about what should be done with the items. Obviously, they were too small to fit into now, even if she were to lose all the baby weight. But she couldn't just get rid of the items. The feelings coursing through her body right now were hard to ignore. It was as if those items of clothing were a part of her. She brought the jacket to her nose and it smelled of the old DG. The DG that knew no pain, had no fear, and had been so wide eyed with optimism and hope.
She carefully folded up each item of clothing and placed them back into the darkness of the box. She tapped a finger on the box just as she felt a kick from within. She squirmed a little and shook her head.
"You really have to stop that." She let out a reach and stopped. That's what she would do. She would pack it all away and bring it out when her daughter was ready to hear. She would tell her all about what happened with her adventures and hopefully she would embrace the clothing the same way her mother embraced life in the O.Z.
"One day my little Claire, you will come to know what happened to your parents in this wonderful world. My journey may be over, but yours is just beginning."
This is the final chapter. Thank you for everyone who read the story and enjoyed it! I loved all the feedback! I am writing a sequel. It will be called "Royal Expectations" and will be about Azkadellia's rise to the throne as told to DG/Cain's daughter. Please keep an eye out!