King Edward hated the kingdom of Lilac.

To him, it was a weak kingdom that got by simply relying on its allies. The worst part was that there wasn't a man in charge. It was just that stupid bitch of a queen and her even stupider bitch of a daughter. The queen had rejected his affections and chosen that idiot William over him. It was why he'd threatened war. Not only that, but her daughter had rejected his son in order to marry a simple peasant.

How insulting!

"Your Majesty?"

He looked up at the sound of his herald's voice.

"There is a man here who claims he can help you take revenge on the kingdom of Lilac."

"Send him in."

The young man had pale brown hair and a look of arrogance.

The king liked him already.

"Speak, fool. Or are you wasting my time?"

"Your Majesty, don't you want to know what their plans are first?"

"I'd love to know. Can you tell me?"

"They've locked up your son in the dungeon for the supposed murder of King William. They're planning to execute him after your visit in three months' time."

"Murder?"

This was news to him. His son had murdered the previous king?

Maybe the princess did have a good reason for rejecting his son…

"Is there anything else?"

"The harlot princess is pregnant with the peasant's baby. She clearly has terrible taste to choose him over your son."

"Not necessarily—if he killed William, then she has a good reason for rejecting him."

"Your Majesty, this woman must die! She humiliated and rejected m—I mean, your son!" King Edward narrowed his eyes.

"You're intending to use my army for your petty revenge?"

"Never!"

"Get out of my throne room!"

Jason ran out, fuming and planning his next step…

"How's the baby?"

Nikki sighed at the old woman's question.

It had been three months since her remarriage to Max, and she was now four months pregnant. A very slight bump was visible, but only if you knew to look for it. She loved the look Max got in his eyes every time he touched where their baby was growing—that was the best part of being pregnant. Otherwise, it was constant questions from the nobility about the baby and when it would be born and if they'd picked names yet.

Goddammit, just let me enjoy being married!

"Hey, Nik," Max greeted her, coming around the corner. "Neil wants to do a quick checkup. He sent me to get you."

"Oh. Okay!"

"We'll talk later," the old woman stated, walking away.

"Who the fuck was that?" Max asked once she was out of earshot.

"Some great-aunt of my dad's. I swear, I have more family now than I did when I was a child."

"That's how it works, right? Blood relatives come out of the woodwork when you can give them something."

"Sounds about right." She shrugged as they walked towards Neil's lab. "Why does Neil want to give me a checkup?"

"Because he's a nerd and he says that observing your pregnancy might benefit science in the future. He's already taken notes on every little thing that's happened related to the baby." They reached the lab and entered to see that Neil had set up his operating table with a… mattress?

"Oh, hello, you two!" he greeted them.

"What's with the mattress?" Max asked.

"That's for comfort. The old operating table was just plain wood—not good for an expectant mother. With the mattress, Nikki will be more comfortable while I take notes and do the checkup!"

"Sure." Nikki shrugged and climbed up onto the table with Max's help.

"Your belly is growing—that's good. It means you haven't miscarried yet."

"Jesus Christ, can you not be Captain Worst-Case-Scenario?!" Max groaned.

"Oh, no. Worst case scenario is that Nikki dies during childbirth. It's all too common, even in our modern age with all our advancements." The parents-to-be exchanged fearful and worried looks. "Now, something else I've noticed is that your breast size has increased during this time. I'm not sure about this yet, but I believe it's somehow related to feeding the baby."

"Exactly." Max had an annoyed expression.

"How do you know?"

"Because, genius, there are a lot more pregnant women outside the castle than there are inside. That's just the way it fucking works."

"Oh. Sorry. I've just never had the chance to observe a human pregnancy like this before, up close and personal." Max gave him a look that said not to get too up close and personal or they'd have some issues. "Anyway, based off this old textbook I found in the castle library, Nikki is now in what is called the second stage. She won't give birth until the end of stage three—perhaps a little earlier."

"Great. I already knew all that," Max muttered.

"Hey, I didn't!" Nikki protested. "Let me find out more so we don't end up with a two-headed baby or something!"

"We're not having a two-headed baby."

"Shut up!" she snapped, shocking him into stepping backwards. "Sorry. I've been feeling really pissy for a while."

"Oh, no. I get it. I completely get it. It's a part of this, I guess."

"Let's just try and get through the whole pregnancy without having a major blow-up, okay?"

Nerris was not the type to outright trust people. Years of running from various kingdoms that wanted her burned at the stake had taught her that. If you trusted the wrong person or people, they'd turn you over in a heartbeat if they thought they could make a quick buck. She had a good intuitiveness about who she'd be able to trust, which had saved her life on a few occasions. Some people were just flat-out untrustworthy, and one of those people was Jason.

She'd known Jason for over a year before he attempted to drug Nikki, and she'd viewed him as something of a sleaze-ball. Always flirting, offering to buy girls who were even moderately attractive drinks, and acting like he had more money than anybody else. Which, to be fair, was true. It still didn't give him the right to be the way he was.

More than once she'd referred to him as the Cockroach—always hiding, always listening, always causing problems. She actually preferred real cockroaches; at least she could get some use out of them in potions. There was no use in people like Jason. They'd betray you as soon as they helped you. She'd spotted him at Max and Nikki's second wedding and seen him leaving Lilac for Woodland soon after.

He can't be trusted.

Currently, she was brewing defensive potions in an old area of the castle. They were put into strong bottles that wouldn't break unless thrown with a certain amount of force at a certain angle. Any less and they'd bounce harmlessly into the hands of the enemy.

"Hey, Nerris?"

She turned at the sound of Harrison's voice. He was standing in the doorway.

"What is it, Harrison?"

"I was just wondering… if we're really going to war soon… could you teach me some defensive magic?"

She bottled and corked a potion.

"I never thought this day would come. I'll be happy to teach you. After all, the queen is putting me on guard duty for the princess because of my abilities. She says I can protect Nikki better than any normal guard!"

"Oh, wow! Really?"

"Yeah. I'll be protecting a princess and her unborn child!"

"So, uh, the lessons?"

"Right!" She tossed him a book. "Read up."

"Read? But what about awesome spells?"

"Harrison, you have a long way to go before you reach my level. It took years before I was able to do a lot of what I do."

"Aw…"

He still sat down and started reading the book.

"Presenting His Royal Majesty, King Edward Louis Thomas Pikeman the Third of Woodland!"

Candy stood tall as her enemy entered her throne room. Beside her were her daughter and son-in-law, both presenting the same front she was.

"Queen Candy," the king greeted her, bowing. "I trust you're well?"

"I am, thank you very much. And you?"

"Fine, fine." His gaze landed on Max. "Huh. So that's the man your daughter chose over my son?"

"Yes. Your talk is with me, not him."

"Right, right. So, what exactly is my son accused of?"

"Attempted sexual assault, assault, and murder." The king raised his eyebrows.

"I wasn't aware of that."

"He killed my late husband six years ago and tried to force my daughter. Not only that, but he attacked both her and my son-in-law."

King Edward appeared to be thinking it over.

"Please, Edward. Don't make our kingdoms go to war over what I did twenty years ago. It's the people of our kingdoms that would suffer. Let's let bygones be bygones and just have peace." She held out a hand. He accepted and shook it.

"You're right. Old grudges die hard. And I was worried about you having a female heir. Women can't rule alone."

"And she won't. She has Max with her."

Max waved at the king sarcastically and Nikki stifled a giggle.

"Well, then, I guess all that's left to do is draft and sign a peace treaty."

"More like an agreement. The treaty was the cancelled engagement."

"Right, Candy. So, my son will be executed?"

"Unless you say otherwise, yes."

"I want him home. After the news of the cancelled wedding came up, the queen of Flora was very interested in having my son marry her daughter."

"Well, that gets him out of our hair, then!"

The next day, as Queen Candy and King Edward worked out the details of the agreement, Max and Nikki stole away to have some time alone. For them, it was taking a walk in the garden, enjoying the sunshine and the massive variety of rare and exotic plants that grew. Nikki kept one hand on her slightly-swollen belly and the other was linked with Max's hand. It was peaceful, which was rare for them in the hustle and bustle of castle life.

"I loved being out here as a kid," Nikki told him. "This was where Neil and I spent most of our time—just being outside and being kids."

"That's how I spent my childhood after I met David. I was just a kid to him and not a slave or servant."

"It's funny how life works sometimes, right?"

"Like how I ended up the fucking prince of Lilac when all I wanted to do was steal a crown."

"And I ended up happily married with a baby on the way because you wanted to steal my crown. You still want it?"

"Nah. I got the whole princess. That's better than the crown."

"Aw!"

As they walked side by side, they didn't realize that they were being watched from the shadows. They passed a large tree and suddenly somebody darted out in front of them. The person was wearing all black and their face was covered, but they were also holding a knife and looking straight at Nikki.

Quick as a flash, they ran for the pregnant princess and Max stepped between them as a human shield. The knife dug into his back and the assassin, clearly shocked by what had just happened, ran out of the garden.

"Max?!" Nikki shook him.

"You okay?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"Who cares?! You've got a fucking knife in your back!" She helped him to his feet. "Let's get you to Neil before you bleed to death."

Cliffhanger!

I felt like writing sad stuff today. That's probably why the 'Everything Stays' one-shot went up before this did. That one is more emotional, however.

Also, the chapters are shorter because we're reaching the end. Writer's block is a bitch.

So long and thanks for all the fish!