Chapter 9

"EPILOGUE – HAPPILY EVER AFTER"

Right after their stunning announcement, Neal and Peter left the ceremony and went back to Neal's quarters, mainly to talk about this new direction in their relationship. Like the audience in the courtyard was slightly shocked by Neal's very first decision as a king, he and Peter were shocked and surprised (in equal parts) by their reaction to it. None of them two would have thought it would turn out this way, with cheering and joy accompanying their very first kiss.

They barely had made it into Neal's room, when Peter grabbed the younger man, spun them around and pinned Neal to the heavy oak door with his body, snapping his hips ever so slightly against the younger man's.

"You, my king, are one very crazy guy."

"Well, Milord, I'll have you know", Neal snapped his own hips in retaliation, and for a short second he reveled in the soft groan coming from the other, "you aren't that far behind me."

Somehow, they managed to move over to the doorway to the bedroom, but before they got any further, their actions were halted by someone knocking on the door. Both men put some space between each other, apparently not used to have people know about their true feelings, and finally Neal called out: "Come in!"

The door opened, and to the big surprise of both men, Duchess Sara Ellis and Countess Sophie Covington entered the room, dropped into a curtsey and rose back up to their full height. Before either Peter or Neal could speak, Sara held a hand up.

"Your Majesty, Lord Burke, please hear us out." She motioned to the table by the window. "And please have a seat."

Gentlemen they were, Peter and Neal pulled two more chairs out, indicating for the royal women to take a seat as well. The women did and the two men followed suit.

"Before we explain our plan, please take our congratulations." Sara looked from Peter to Neal, then over to Sophie to urge her to continue. "The two of us saw it the minute we saw you together at the dinner."

"Saw what?"

"That you, Your Majesty, and Lord Burke are soulmates. I was raised in the believe that you feel it deep down here", Sophie gestured to the lower part of her chest, "if the man or the woman you just have met is the "right one". And apparently the two of you have found the other part of their heart and soul."

She ended the short explanation with a smile and both men couldn't help but return it, even though theirs was a bit more watery than hers.

"So, Duchess Ellis, you talked about a plan?"

Fortunately, Elizabeth had warned her about Peter's "talent" for jumping to another topic, especially when the initial one approached the point where he might have to open up about his emotions in public. Otherwise, she either would have been surprised, or worse, she would have taken it as a personal attack on her.

"Yes, I did." She turned slightly to face Neal. "Right before you proposed to Lord Burke, you mentioned that you have no idea on how to continue the bloodline." Neal nodded. "Well, that's where Countess Covington and I come into play."

"How?"

"May I start with an explanation, Milords?" Both men nodded, and Sophie took a deep breath. "You might know that I was engaged before, but my husband-to-be died before we got married. I never thought that I would ever have the chance on having a family on my own now, but then I realized what was going on between the two of you and thought to myself: This is your chance! Back home, my oldest brother is already on the throne, and he would be more than happy to know me as far away as possible."

"Almost the same goes for me. I'm just the Duchess no one really ever wanted. Don't get me wrong, my mother and my elder sister loved me dearly, but they both are dead and I have no real support in my own family."

"So, what are you proposing?"

"We are aware that this might sound downright crazy, but that's almost always the case with changes." Sara looked up, her eyes willing both Neal and Peter to believe her next words. "We, Sophie and I, are offering you to bear your children in exchange for letting us live here on court. We are aware that this borders on infidelity, but we would do our best not to interfere too much with your married life."

"As Lady Ellington has told us, we would be something like an extra spice in your bedroom."

"Honestly, ladies, I'm not sure if it might work…"

"…but you have to admit that this is definitely the only way to get the bloodline secured. If I remember correctly, we wouldn't be the first kingdom to have such a practice running." Neal saw Sara nodding in approval, apparently she had read the same story. "King Arthur of Camelot did the same, well, according to the old tales. His wife couldn't conceive and so he invited his first knight into their bedroom."

"As you see, this is the same, only vice versa."

Peter still wasn't convinced. Sure, what Neal and Sara said made sense, even to him, but today was already bordering on being too much to take for him, and now, they came up with this offer too.

"You don't mind if I keep thinking about it for some days?"

"No, Lord Burke, absolutely not. We understand that today has given you a lot to think about it, but we just wanted you to let you know that there's always a solution for any problem out there."

Before any of the men could add anything, the two women left the room, leaving the equally stunned new king and his first knight in their wake.

Several days later, the kingdom was having the next festivity. Neal and Peter were about to get married and while the new king had played it cool so far, he couldn't conceal his excitement and nervousness any longer when Mozzie came into the room.

"Hey, mon frêre." Mozzie took one look at his friend. "What's gotten into you? Don't tell me you have second thoughts about marrying Burke."

"No, Moz, it's just – I feel like I'm bursting from the inside out from excitement. I have a feeling how a woman must feel before the wedding night, since I think I'm experiencing the same."

"You mean like Nina on her wedding day?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Remember how giddy she was? Back then, I thought that she was going crazy, but now…"

"…it feels so real for a change."

"Yes, it does."

Blake came in and gave Mozzie a slight disapprovingly look for interrupting the king in his preparations.

"Well, I'll be on my way, but before I go, here's my wedding gift for you." He placed a small box in Neal's hands. "Neal, my friend, my brother, I'm proud of you. Proud of who you have become so far." He clapped Neal on the shoulder and before the younger man could say anything, he was out of the door.

"Do you want me to leave, Neal?"

"No, Billy, we have to get ready. I don't want to keep Lord Burke and the other guests waiting."

While Blake was picking up the last garments to complete his wedding outfit, Neal opened the box, revealing a beautifully crafted, heart-shaped ruby, surrounded by tiny drops of diamonds. Beneath the jewel, Neal found a piece of paper with the words "The Heart of a King" on it.

A couple of minutes later, Neal was ready - in more than one way. Accompanied by June, Mozzie and Blake, he made his way over to the already familiar courtyard, where Father Shepherd was going to join them in the holy union of matrimony. What Neal surprised the most after his announcement of choosing Peter was the fact that nearly everyone in the kingdom seemed to approve of his choice and that they all had no problem with having a king and a prince consort in lieu of a queen. June, Ellen and Mozzie all held a speech to the High Council, which probably also did a great deal to get this show on the road.

Once again, the crowd in the courtyard began to cheer, and that prompted Neal to take a first look on his husband-to-be. Peter was once again dressed in his burgundy-red dress uniform, but this time he wasn't wearing the hat belonging to the Commander of the King's Guards, but that reserved for the prince consent, like the uniform in a deep shade of red with white fur adorning the brim. And to Neal, he was the most handsome thing he ever had laid eyes on it.

Peter's feelings were on the same path. By now, it was probably obviously to anyone in the kingdom that Neal had penchant for the color blue. This time, he was combining the royal blue dress uniform only reserved for the king with a bright white, frilly shirt, finishing the outfit with a hat similar to his own, with the royal sigil of the House of Bennett and a deep blue shade as the only differences.

The whole wedding went down pretty fast (for that both Neal and Peter were thankful), and sooner than later, the newlyweds went back to their new quarters to have an unforgettable wedding night.

Two years later

Standing at one of the windows of the throne room, King Neal Caffrey-Burke looked down to the courtyard, where Sara was carrying around their first-born daughter, Princess Charlotte Grace. Even though he had his reservations at first, Peter was on board with the plan of the two women as soon as the wedding was over. They didn't know (and if it would have been possible, they had no desire to know) who of them was Charlotte's father, but it seemed that no one in the kingdom seemed to care either.

Movement on Sara's right brought Neal out of his reverie, and he saw Sophie approaching the other woman. Like Sara, Sophie had moved to the court and was taken into the big, sometimes slightly dysfunctional family. Right now, she was seven months pregnant with Royal Baby #2, and Neal felt some kind of pride swelling in his chest.

"What's on your mind?"

Instead of answering Peter, Neal motioned to husband to join him at the window.

"That's", he indicated the two and a half women below them, "by far my biggest achievement. Sorry, my love, OUR biggest achievement. No glorious win in a battle, no diplomatic gain, as big as it might be, could rival the fact that we have found each other, and that we have friends like Sara and Sophie."

"I have never heard more beautiful words, Neal. And yes, you are right, there's nothing in this world that I could love more than you and our kids."

AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER…