Edelweiss

Epilogue

Ten years later

"Zipporah,.."

"Mmgh..." I moan, refusing to open my eyes and lose precious seconds of overdue cuddle time with Basil. I press closer against his chest and snake my arms around. He chuckles lightly.

"Edelweiss, it's nearly eight o'clock."

"So..?" On cue, our bedroom door is flung open and three sets of feet thunder in. I brace myself for the impending impact, "Ach!" The combined weight of our three children land squarely on top of me.

"Guten Morgen!!" They chorus. I finally open my eyes.

"Kids, get off of Mutti. C'mon." Basil coaxes. Lanzo hops off of me and takes a seat at the foot of the bed, grinning. Yet seven year old Jochen attaches to me and our five year old daughter Nele tucks in between me and Basil. I chuckle, trapping Jochen and Nele with one swoop. The burst into giggles.

"Good Morning, darlings," I croon, "Sleep well?"

"Ja," Lanzo answers, "I'm ready to go to the lake house!" I give him a look over and tsk.

"You still need your socks and shoes, Lanzo." I explain. He has a habit of forgetting or misplacing said items, or refusing to wear them. Lanzo sighs, caught.

"You can take them off once we get there," Basil reassures before sitting up, bringing the others with him, "What about you two? Are you ready for the lake?" As they carry on about the Royal Mountain and Lake retreat, I roll off the bed and call up Rosine to help Lanzo, giving each child and Basil kisses before going to get ready.

"It'll be the perfect time to tell them." I whisper excitedly, pulling out a a sealed bag with folded up sonograms and test results. Our fourth child is on the way- a third little boy- and I've been waiting for the best moment to finally pull a reveal on Basil.

I shower and get dressed, pulling together my purse and checking bags. I stash the papers inside my purse and then exit, corralling the kids so Basil can get ready. I do Nele's fine reddish brown curls in twin braids and generously apply sunblock on everyone. The kids inherited my sensitive skin, and we've already been teased about how scarlet our sunburns get.

"We're ready!" Basil announces, sprinting down the stairs. I pick up Nele and, seeing everything in order, head out. The limo is already waiting. Really, we rarely use royal transports but Kunibert insisted.

An hour later we arrive at the retreat and the kids pull me and Basil along to the shoreline. We dress down to our swim suits and spend a few sunny hours in the lake. I get out and drape a towel around me, "Why are you getting out, Mutti?" Jochen asks.

"I've got to take a break and warm up. You all can keep swimming." I answer. This piques Basil's curiosity, as planned. I normally refuse to leave the water, and outlast everyone else.

"Are you feeling alright, Edelweiss?" He questions. I sit down in one of the beach chairs.

"Ja. I just have to take it a little more easy." He studies me so closely I can see the gears in his head turning.

"Are you trying to tell me something, Zipporah?" I smile.

"I'm under doctor's orders to take it easy for at least five more months."

"What-?" I pull out the papers as he gapes, realization clicking on. He starts beaming.

"Four months. It's a boy." He launches out of the water and I squeal, suddenly drenched again when he lifts me up into his arms and spins me around, kissing me all over. The kids gawk, confused and grossed out, before Lanzo speaks up.

"What is going on?" Basil sets me down.

"You're going to have another little brother." Basil clarifies. Lanzo and Jochen light up, whooping for joy.

"Yes!!"

Nele tumbles over to us and I pick her up, "A wittle bruder?"

"Ja, Nele. You're going to be a big sister soon." She starts giggling and I set her down, watching her closely as she toddles off to join her brothers.

"How long have you known?" Basil asks, placing his hand over my stomach, which is just beginning to grow. I laugh.

"Three months. I wanted to keep it a surprise." I explain, kissing him sweetly. He pulls me closer and returns it more passionately.

"You are magnificent, Zipporah." He praises, kissing my jawline. I giggle this time.

"You say that every day." He turns me around so that we're facing each other. He places his hands on my waist and leans down.

"Because you are that and more, Edelweiss," We kiss again, "I love you, Zipporah."

"I love you most."

Thanks for reading! Special shout outs to HerImperialMajesty99 and me_Tehreem! You guys are amazing!

~Uilosris