Ever since I was little, it's been the same for me. Things around me change, but my life has been constantly the same. It's because I was born the son of a knight, not just any knight either, the commander of the king's guard. The expectation placed on me, as his first son, was to succeed him. So, every single day since I was big enough to hold a toy sword, I've been training. Now, I'm the strongest knight in the kingdom.
My father died of sickness two years ago, when I was sixteen, and my mother followed a week later from the same cause. That left my little brother, Ludwig, and I alone. He was eleven at the time, and he was already as serious as a person could be. He had always been the rational one.
After the plague that had rid my parents of this earth the country decided that just in case there was another plague that would wipe out the only member of the royal family remaining, they had to give him a wife so he could have a child. He was too young to marry at the time, but it was approaching fast. In just a week, he would turn eighteen, as old as I am now. His wife would be the girl I had loved all my life, Elizabeta Hedervary, the daughter of a high ranking knight.
Elizabeta is the most beautiful girl in the entire kingdom. She was a tomboy when she was younger, her father let her play in the training yard. I would take off with her to play all throughout our childhood. We played heroes, pirates, and king. We got caught sneaking into the castle a few times, and out of the barracks even more. She had stopped speaking to me since it was announced that she would marry the prince, Roderich, a year ago.
I sat at the table in the house I shared with Ludwig. I pushed around the food on my plate, discouraged about what would come in the following days. There would be festivals across the country celebrating his coming of age. Then, a few days later, even more festivals to congratulate him on his marriage. It left a sickening hole in my heart, I was actually going to lose her, if I hadn't already.
Ludwig, who was cleaning up the kitchen, threw a rag at me. "Gott, Gilbert! If you really love Elizabeta, then do something about this!"
My brother really gets me, so much that it's annoying. "What can I possibly do? She's promised to the prince, verdammt noch mal..."
"There's an old custom that allows an of-age knight to challenge a prince for his crown, and his betrothed," Ludwig mentioned.
"Tell me more."
"You challenge him, then you go through three trials. One for intelligence, one for strength, and one for heart. The challenges change each time, so I can't help you there. The one who loses is exiled from the country, never to return."
I nodded, "Okay, I'll do it."
"Gilbert! But what if you lose?" He asked nervously.
"I'll never be happy if I have to see them together all the time anyway," I said surely.
My bruder fell silent, I thought of it as a victory. After I finished eating, I grabbed my sword and strapped it to my hip, then slid a few knives into my boots, shirt, and then put one at my belt. I grabbed my cloak, settling it over my shoulders, then set out for the castle. I pushed my way through a crowded marketplace, but I got stopped by my friends.
"Ah! Bon de vous voir, Gil!" Francis strode toward me and gave me a hug, "You haven't left your house in days!"
Antonio exclaimed, "I would hide too if I had to face losing my love. I couldn't bear losing my Lovi!"
"Not now guys, I've got a plan."
"A plan?" Francis asked.
"You'll see, but I have to do it now, or else I won't get to the prince before he gets busy for the day."
"Are you going to...?" Antonio did the sign for death, pantomiming cutting off someone's head.
"No! I wouldn't assasinate the soon to be king! Trust me, this is good!" I brushed them off and began running to the castle gates.
Heracles, one of my laziest guards, was sitting by the gate with cats covering his lap. I woke him from his nap so he could let me in. He was too tired to ask questions. I rushed in, through the garden, up the steps, and into the throne room. Roderich sat on his throne, looking bored. It was a daily ritual to have the king sit on the throne for a while, to let citizens raise complaints, give gifts, etcetera. People were scattered around the room, chatting about various things.
"Ah, Commander Bielshmidt. I haven't seen you about recently. Where have you been?" Roderich asked.
"I've had a lot on my mind recently..."
"Oh really? And what have you been thinking about?" Roderich asked, he looked smug and condescending.
I looked straight into the prince's eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke. "Sir, I've been thinking that I want to be king. I challenge you for your title."
Roderich and everyone else in the room was stunned into silence, then the prince spoke, "I have heard of such a custom...are you sure you want to do this? You will be banished when you fail."
"If."
"What?"
"If I fail, my liege. And I wouldn't be challenging you if I didn't think I had a chance in beating you," I said.
"Impudent fool! You deserve a public lashing for such disrespect!" Roderich said loudly, my guards surrounded me quickly, raising their swords to my kneck.
Suddenly, my sword was in my hand and raised, "Now, you lot may be older than me, bigger than me, and nastier than me, but have you ever even once defeated me with a sword? I would back off before someone regrets it."
"Is that a threat?" Roderich asked.
"Maybe," I said, looking him in the eyes again.
"Stop all of this nonsense!" Elizabeta strode into the hall. She was wearing a spring green dress, her hair had a crown of pink flowers in it. She looked absolutely gorgeous, but such beauty was wasted on the prince.
"Elizabeta! What are you doing here? I thought you weren't supposed to be back from your trip to the country for a few more days," Roderich said.
"I came back early so I could see the entirety of the celebrations. I heard some commotion and I'm met with a petty arguement between squabbling men," Elizabeta scowled at us. Roderich met that look with a blank face, but I knew better and looked at the floor. I knew that if you challenged her look, she'd turn her anger directly on you.
"Roderich! I thought, as a prince, you were supposed to brave these sorts of challenges. It shows you are weak, uncomfortable, and cowardly! You think, as a leader, you cannot best your subjects? Who are they going to believe in? You, their hesitant king? Or Commander Bielshmidt, the man who considers himself better than the king, and speaks so boldly?"
Roderich stared incredulously at his fiance, he couldn't believe a woman was speaking this way to him. I flinched when she called me by my formal title, instead of the name I had heard her call every day in our childhood. I was jealous of the cowardly man on the throne who had the priveledge of being on a first name basis with the woman of his dreams.
She turned on me, "And you! Why do you claim to be better than the man I am betrothed to? Explain such a ridiculous notion to us all!"
I looked up at her, "You wound me. I believe I am better because that man, if you can eveen call him that, is weak. He cannot see how the people in the village feel. He doesn't know how to handle himself in a dire situation. He doesn't know what it's like to work hard!"
Elizabeta stared levelly at me, "But he's kind. He means well with every move. He's the smartest man in the kingdom. Much more than someone who only knows how to swing a piece of metal."
"Maybe it's been a bit since we've held a conversation, LADY Hedervary. I know quite a bit, as most anyone in the city may tell you," I said. The girls in the room blushed furiously, as I had flirted with them all just to ease my boredom. The men in the room smiled an nodded, as I had had many conversations of strategy and intelect with them.
She flushed red, "What did I tell you about calling me that, Commander?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, LADY Hedervary. Refresh me?" I teased.
She glared and advanced on me, it was a clear way since the guards had been dismissed, "francba, Gilbert! You know I hate-"
I was laughing, "Gott, Lizzy! Don't take everything so seriously. I don't think I'd ever forget that you hate your title, as I've been smacked with a pan a million times for calling you that."
She blushed, then scowled, "Gilbert, this is a serious thing! You have to take back what you said."
"You don't believe in him?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
She scowled, then looked at Roderich, "On second thought, you two should go through with this."
Roderich descended from his throne and shook my hand, "I accept your challenge. The games will take place in a week. I hope that's to your liking, Commander."
"It's fine, my liege. I'll take my leave now, thank you," I spun on my heel to leave the hall, I had to prepare for the intelligence test, after all I definitely wasn't as smart as the current prince. As When I passed through the doorway, I felt someone grab my arm and drag me into an empty room of the castle. I turned and saw that Elizabeta was looking at me angrily.
"Why the hell did you do such a reckless and stupid thing?"
"We've known each other forever Lizzy, have I ever been calm and collected?"
She looked at the ground, "But when you lose you'll have to leave the country."
"If. Verdammt, why does everyone think I'm gonna lose?"
"Because you are. There's no way to win against him!"
"I could at least beat him in strength," I growled.
She huffed, "Roderich is stronger than you think. He recieves lessons from his private fencing tutor every day, and has for five years."
I let it slide, but I was still angry that she didn't acknowledge my ability, as she knew how long I had been training. "What about heart?"
"Heart is basically about how many people like you, and it will only come to that if you tie with him in intelligence and strength. There'll be an election in the town square."
I rolled my eyes, I couldn't believe she had no faith in me at all. She didn't regard my strength. She didn't think people liked me. She didn't think I was smart. Well, that's a blow to my ego that I didn't need. She had been staying in a seperate tower in the castle since the plague though, and hadn't entered town often. She didn't know how much I had changed to try to rival the soon-to-be king.
"Whatever. Can I go now?"
"Gilbert, please...please don't do this. I don't want you to lose and have to go away. I'm just nervous for you."
"Liz, what if I win? Have you even thought that it's a possibility?"
She stood quiet, her hands clutched at the front of her dress. Elizabeta was looking at the floor, almost ashamed. "Gilbert, I don't think you'll win because you won't."
"I thought we were friends, Lizzy. I thought you'd at least think that I had the slimmest of a possibility to win," I turned away from her. "I didn't think, however, that you'd support me. I was right about that." I walked out of the room before she could say anything, I heard her collapse into a chair and begin to cry.
A week passed quickly, as I was studying and practicing the whole time. I heard that Roderich was doing the same, but less extensive. I walked to the castle once again, but this time people followed me in flocks. They stared at me, who they had known for so long, I suppose they were wondering if I had lost my mind.
As I walked through the courtyard, Roderich greeted me. We shook hands, then proceeded into the castle to a room that was closed off from everyone else. It was a written test, I guess they were trying to trip me up, hoping I wasn't literate. The questions were relatively easy, but the last one was difficult. It was a question about what the country's founder had left for his descendents to treasure. It was something that only the men descending from his line would know, and that was Roderich.
After we had finished, they graded the papers. I felt like I was back in grade school, which was an awful memory of boredom and stifling hot classrooms. They concluded that I had only missed that one point, but notified me that it wouldn't become public knowledge that I had come so close, all that would be announced was that he won. I nodded, knowing that I would look like a sore loser if I pointed out the technicality of that question.
We left the room, heading for the court yard once again. They announced that Roderich had won that round to the public, which was met by a roar of applause. I saw Elizabeta sat, pale and nervous, on a bench a hundred yards away. Without saying hello, Roderich and I proceeded to go to the guard's barracks so we could use their sparring ground. My guards didn't look me in the eye, and I knew that they had to be loyal to their king, so I didn't press anything upon them.
I took my place on one side of the yard, he took his on the other. A man holding two sheathed swords walked out to Roderich, handing him one of the swords. The man then walked to Gilbert and held out a sword, a smile on his face, "We have provided you with a sword, Commander."
I smirked at the man, "Who do you think I am? I own at least ten swords, I don't need that." My brother wormed his way out of the crowd and ran to me. He held a sword in his hand, the sword I had loved and admired for a long time. It was my father's, the one he had promised to me at my birth. I drew it and stroked the blade, happy that my caring for it had kept it in such good shape.
"Commander, I'm suprised you don't honor my hospitality. My men are offering you a sword, are you telling me you don't trust us?" Roderich asked mockingly.
"I apologize, my liege. It's just that I haven't yet found an opponent worthy of the use of my father's dear sword, I thought that perhaps you may give it a good fight."
"That is your father's sword?" Roderich asked, surprised.
"Of course it is, but it hasn't gotten use since his death during the plague," I answered.
He smirked, "Then I will honor the late Commander with this fight."
A referee stepped into the middle of the yard as the man with the extra sword walked off. "No killing, that is the only rule," then the referee backed off so he wouldn't be caught in it.
Roderich made the first move, lunging quickly, aiming for my right arm. I slipped away from it easily, jabbing him in his open side with the hilt of the sword. He made a quick cut toward me, meaning to slash through my side, yet I rolled under it and cut his shirt open simultaneously. He made another attempt to get me by slashing downwards, I guess me was meaning to cut open my shoulder, but I dodged it easily. His sword plunged into the ground, and I pushed it in further with a free hand. He was knocked off kilter, so I kicked him in the stomach, sending him on his back, and plunged my father's sword into the ground next to his head, which pinned the prince to the ground by his shirt.
He was huffing, apparently already exerted, while I was breathing easily. "Sloppy moves, my liege. If you remain in high standing, you may want to hire a new tutor, as your swordsmanship was the worst I have ever seen. I was wrong to bring out my father's sword."
The prince's face was red from exhaustion and embarrassment.
The referee walked out and took my wrist, raising my arm in the air, "The winner of the second contest is Commander Bielschmidt!"
The crowd roared louder than before. I was a bit surprised by the response, but I smiled at them anyway. I glanced at Elizabeta, who hadn't seen me fight in a while. She looked surprised, but not too surprised. She was actually smiling a little. My heart fluttered and I grinned wider.
I slid my sword from the ground, letting the prince up. He shook my hand once again, and I have to admit I was tired of his handshakes. It was just plain annoying. "The election will be tomorrow. The votes will be counted by Lady Elizabeta." I saw Lizzy twitch when Roderich said 'Lady'. He turned on his heel, heading back inside the castle.
I sheathed my father's sword and hung it at my hip, and no sooner was I rushed with about ten different girls running up to hug me. They all squealed and giggled, sliding their hands all over me. "Oooo! We'll vote for you Gilbert!" and "I hope you get to be king!" were a few of the common phrases. I pushed them off of me, and a moment later I was swarmed with several of my troops and their children who praised me on the fight, they also promised to vote for me.
About an hour later, everything was calmer, as much of the crowd had dispersed. Elizabeta walked up to me, "Can I walk with you?" She looked uncomfortable and a bit upset.
"Sure, but I'm just going home," I answered.
"Can we...can we go to that bakery we'd sneak out to when we were little? The one with the old woman who'd give us free pastries," she was looking at the ground, unsure of what I'd say.
I smiled though, as I was glad she was giving me more attention than usual and was actually trying to do something normal with me. "Sure, but she moved away during the plague. Her son is still there making those pastries though. I'll buy."
She grinned at me, then took my hand and led me through the streets, "Good, because I forgot my purse."
I laughed, "You mean you dumped it in the river, but kept the money?"
She slid a sly smile at me, "Maybe. But you know, I don't look so good with a purse anyway."
I felt people looking at us as we walked, because she was holding my hand, but it felt almost natural for me. "Remember when we used to hold hands and run through town, hang out at the fountain, and climb up onto the roofs so we could pretend to be the king and queen?"
She half-turned and smiled at me, "And our dads would climb up after us and drag us back down. And our mothers would put us in cleaner clothes and seperate us again, each saying that the other was a bad influence."
I laughed, "They weren't necessarily wrong there."
She was quiet for a second, then let go of my hand and turned completely to me, stopping. I noticed we were at the fountain. "My mom never liked you, but my dad did. He planned to get me to marry you when we were older. He died from the plague, so my mom put her plan into action. She dolled me up, taught me manners, and convinced the prince's advisors to betrothe me to him."
I was stunned, "Your dad..."
"He wanted us to marry, yeah." She laughed, as if that was a ridiculous idea, but it trailed off sadly, "Yeah, he always said that you had a certain something that made you respectable...my mom never saw it, still doesn't see it."
I laughed, "Your mother really hates me."
"You know, she loved your father when they were young, but he chose your mother instead. She doesn't want me associating with anyone who's the offspring of the woman who took your father from her," Elizabeta kicked the dirt in front of her. "It's unfair..."
"Wonder what she'll think if I become king and I have to choose a wife from anyone in the city. I wonder if she'll want you to still marry a king."
"She won't. But she's done arranging my life, so it doesn't matter."
"Ha! Take that Mrs. Hedervary!" I laughed.
Elizabeta laughed, and I realized that the conversation was strange, but then she looked at me and smiled and it didn't matter that it was strange. "You know, I'm voting for you tomorrow."
"You are?"
"Yeah, I never really like Roderich anyway. It was all for my mother. I'm sick of that though, so I'd rather be single...or not, if I the right guy asks for my hand." She looked at the ground, her eyes covered by her bangs.
"You find the right guy?" I asked.
"Maybe, we'll see. Now let's go!" She pulled on my hand again, and we were soon at the bakery.
The owner smiled and handed us a bag of free tarts, "It's good to see the two of you again. It's been forever since you came to my shop."
"Thank you sir, we'll come by again when we've finished these!" Elizabeta said cheerfully.
We left soon after and somehow we ended up at the place where we would climb onto the roof from. It was like we were taking a trip through our childhood playgrounds. "You wanna climb up?" I asked, looking up at the makeshift step ladder we had built out of crates when we were younger, somehow they were still there and mostly intact.
"I-I'm wearing a dress, you'll be able to see up it," she exclaimed, blushing furiously.
"Easily solved, I go first and help you up. So, you wanna?"
She smiled and nodded, "Go on up."
I climbed over the boxes swiftly, pulling myself up easily. I then lay down on my stomach on the nearly-flat roof, reaching my arms down to help her up. She handed the tarts up first and I lay them next to me, then she reached up and grabbed my hands. I pulled her up quickly, and we moved ever so tenderly, as to not alert the resident of our presence, over to look out over the city. There was always the most beautiful sunset from the tops of buildings. We pulled out some tarts and began to eat, smiling softly as we watched the sun set.
"You know, the only reason I thought you would lose is because I thought you would take the sword they had offered you. It was tampered with so it would break easily."
I looked at her for a moment, "So you thought that I would only lose because they cheated?"
She nodded, "I believe in how strong you are, and most everyone really likes you."
After an hour or so, we lay back and looked up at the sky, which was now dark and starry. There was a full moon, which partially lit the streets along with the lights that dotted the sidewalks. A child that was out walking with her family looked up and saw us, she waved and smiled. People looked up every now and then after that, smiling and waving, not interrupting the comfortable quiet that came with us at peaceful moments like this. She was still holding my hand and we sat pretty close, but it was comfortable.
Around midnight, the man who owned the house came outside and yelled up at us, "We're going to bed now, so we'd appreciate if you two did too. Come back anytime, but I think it's about time you two went home."
"Okay, we will!" I yelled back. I scooted off the roof, landing gracefully on the ground.
Elizabeta looked down uncertainly, "It's been a while since I jumped down from somewhere..."
"I'll catch you then," I said, holding my arms out to do so.
She hopped down, landing in my arms. We embraced for a moment, then backed away from eachother. A pink tint was added to our cheeks. "Goodnight, Gil. I'll see you tomorrow then." She pressed a light kiss to my cheek, then ran out of the alley and back to her room in the castle.
I smiled, hands in my pockets, as I walked home. My day had been pretty good overall, especially since Lizzy and I hung out. When I reached home, my brother was waiting up, he simply raised his eyebrow at me when I got in, then went to bed. I followed his actions and went to bed myself.
The next morning, I woke up having slept well. I ate a full breakfast, smiling as I ate. I wasn't all that confident in the election, and I was even less confident that Elizabeta wouldn't abandon me if I lost, but the previous day was still making me happy. After I had cleaned up and dressed, I exited the house and walked to the square, my brother trailing behind me.
We successfully made it there, but we were soon flocked by people. Ludwig wandered off to meet Feli, his boyfriend. They shook my hand, hugged me, and rattled me around. They were laughing and partying, although it was still morning. There was a voting box on a table on a platform in front of the fountain, hundreds of adults from all over the city were streaming in to put their vote into the large voting box.
Elizabeta sat in a chair by the box. She was looking worriedly down at her hands, almost as if she might start crying. My heart sped up as I wondered why she looked this way, I almost didn't notice that I was walking toward her. I stopped before I reached the platform and she noticed me.
"Gil..." She said miserably.
"What's wrong?"
"Anyám...she..." Elizabeta sniffed.
"What is it? I'll try to help Lizzy, I swear."
"Anyám wants me to fix the election so Roderich wins and you'll be banished. If I don't, she'll disown me and leave the country herself. She's the only family I have left Gil...but you're my only friend," Elizabeta's voice cracked and she wiped a tear from her eye.
I was quiet a moment as I looked at the cobblestone ground, then I looked up at her. "I don't want you to be away from your mother. I lost mine, so I know how it'll feel. I bet he'll win anyway, so just announce that Roderich won. I'll be fine in another counrty."
She looked at me, completely shocked, "You'd give up everything...just so I could keep my mother here?"
"Well, yeah, you're important to me, Liz."
She nodded slowly, "Okay..."
I walked away, leaving her alone again. The results would be announced later that night, at seven, and the loser would be expected to leave the city at nine. They had to be out of the country after a week. I made my way back to my house. Instantly as I entered the door, I began to pack.
I didn't pack much. I brought out a pack and set it on my bed, shoving a few extra pairs of clothes, as much money as I had, my father's sword, an extra pair of boots, and a few other things to remind me of home. As I worked through my stuff I found a lot of stuff with sentimental value.
I found an old book my mother used to read me when I was younger, it was filled with stories of adventure and wonder. I found my first wooden sword, my father made it for me when I was three. I found an old sheet I used to use as a cape when me and Elizabeta used to play knights. I found a small portrait my family had posed for, it was a rough sketch for the painter that I had been allowed to keep. The last thing I found was a platinum brooch that was shaped like a tulip, a gift from Elizabeta for my fourteenth birthday. I hadn't ever worn it before, but I had kept it because I knew that she loved tulips and I wanted to have something that she loved.
I put the book and the picture carefully in my bag, closing it after them. I then pinned the brooch to my shirt, as I needed the courage that the gift could give me when I was going to be booted from the kingdom in a few hours. Pulling my cloak on, I left the house again. I headed in the opposite direction than the square, toward the forest on the outskirts of town. My feet sped up under me, and I pulled the hood up over my hair.
"Hey! Where are you going Gilbert? Are you skipping town," a man asked.
"I'll be back in time for the results, I've just got a place I need to be," I yelled back, beginning to run.
I reached city limits and kept running. My feet carried me deep into the forest, over streams, past boulders, and around the few dusty paths. I finally reached the largest tree in the forest. Around the base was a garden full of tulips and cornflowers, nothing else. I curled my hands around the ladder Elizabeta and I had made to climb the tree easier. After I made it up the ladder, I sat on one of the many platforms we had built in the tree.
I hadn't been to our tree in ages, but I could remember ever branch of it. I remembered everything we had carved into the bark. I knew exactly how many boards we had used to create everything. I knew how many tire swings we had added, how many telescopes we had installed, how many secret hideaways we had carved out. I remembered how often we had nearly fallen out of the tree, how many cuts we had gotten, how many broken bones.
I traced the very first thing I had ever slashed into the tree, "Home of Gilbert and Elizabeta". We had slept in the branches of the tree at least a year out of our lives, we had loved it to death. It was a place that no one else knew about, and it was ours. It was more of a home to me than the house I was raised in, all because Elizabeta had helped me build it. It tore me up, having to leave this place.
It was getting dark, so I descended the tree. Before leaving, I picked a few tulips. They were going to be my farewell gift to Elizabeta. Tulips only grew here in the entire country, and she never visited this place anymore. The only reason we had them here was because she had saved her allowance up and bought a small bag of seeds from a travelling mercant. They had multiplied over the years, which made her beyond happy. I hid the flowers in my cloak and began to run back.
As I reached the square, I noticed people were waiting for me. The whole city seemed quiet. Roderich smiled at me pompously, "I thought you may have run away, Commander Bielschmidt."
"Sorry to disappoint you, my liege, but I just had some old business outside of town. I was sick of the attention."
"Who did you meet, and where did you go?"
"I didn't meet anyone, I just went to look at an old tree," I said.
Suddenly, Elizabeta yelled from the platform, "I can't do it! I can't lie about the results." She burst into tears.
Roderich walked onto the platform, putting his hand on her back to try to comfort her, "Well, if you aren't going to lie about it, who won? Please enlighten us, Lady Hedervary."
"Gilbert won. In fact, you only got eight votes, Roderich," she said loudly. Roderich looked like he had been completely blindsided.
I walked onto the platform as Roderich staggered back from shock. I walked toward her, and she wiped her tears as I approached. "Gil...I couldn't lie...I couldn't do it," she said quietly.
"Why couldn't you?" I asked softly, continuing the whispered conversation.
"Because...as soon as I saw you when you walked into the square...you were wearing the brooch I got you. You remembered something like that, and you cared enough...My mother never cares about making me happy, but you try."
I pulled one of the flowers out of my cloak, "I guess you know where I went, huh?"
She took the flower and smiled, "Our home..."
One of my guards yelled from the crowd, "Hey! Don't you have to pick a wife now, King?"
Several of my other men began to laugh, and some of the girls in thr crowd began primping and trying to get my attention. I felt Elizabeta wilt beside me as I looked out over them. I glanced back at her, watching her stare at her favorite flower and holding it close to her heart as if it was helping her remain standing.
I turned back to them, "I chose my queen a loooong time ago!" I called back.
"Oh yeah, who's the lucky lady?" An old woman yelled from the group.
I took one of Elizabeta's hands and turned to her, "Well, hopefull she'll have me. Am I the guy you were waiting to ask you, Lizzy?"
"Is that a proposal?"
"Sure is," I said, smiling.
"Good, because you were," she said, putting her arms around my neck and leaning up to kiss me. I held her close to me around my waist, kissing back easily. My heart fluttered in my chest and I found myself grinning.
"I love you Lizzy."
"And I love you, Gil."
"LONG LIVE THE KING," my new subjects chanted. "AND HIS QUEEN!"