Leonidas had been pacing the coronation temple of the palace, waiting for Gorgo to be presented to him. He put his hand to one of the pillars, and he thought of his father and so many other men of his house that had paced the same floor, and touched the same pillar. He knew that it was normal to be tense and restless; Androcles himself had told Leonidas that on his own coronation day he was nearly sick with anxiety.

Leonidas was declared king by priests and his own father. He had no fear. He was ready; he had fought to the death to claim his birthright in the agoge, and had spent many years studying strategy, philosophy and the laws of Sparta. The people adored Leonidas; he and the Senate were rarely at odds. The Ephors...well, there had been no love lost between them. He cared not- a city could not be dependent on the whims of lecherous, demented old mystics.

The crown held no intimidation to him. The source of Leonidas's nerves was his queen, Gorgo herself.

She had left the marriage bed early in the morning, before Leonidas had awoke, and she had hidden away from him for the whole day. Did she fear him for the pain he'd caused the night before? Leonidas felt his stomach twinge at the thought. He hadn't known she would be hurt, but how was it to be avoided? Gorgo had become a wife and the queen of all Sparta within one full day. He understood that she would be overwhelmed; she had not been prepared from birth as he had, it must seem an enormous responsibility.

Still, it is not proper that she hide from him. That they had known each other for so long and she would still choose to hide from him was an ill-telling omen. Leonidas promised to himself that he would allay her fears the moment that they were alone together. For the sake of Sparta, he had to.

There was a slight comotion and Leonidas looked back up to the main palace. He could see several servants bustling about, heading toward him. Gorgo was among them. The breath caught in his throat and once more, Leonidas had to wonder if he had wed a woman or a goddess. Her body was draped in scarlet robes, the sway of the material flashing gold in the sun. The thin band of a Spartan queen's crown glinted in the bright daylight; Gorgo was his queen now.

She came to stand before him in the small temple, and allowed Leonidas to take her hands into his. "My queen," He breathed, touching her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

Gorgo smiled softly. "My king," she returned.

The priest, a wizened old man, approached them. Blessings to the gods were murmered, and both the king and queen were annointed with the oil of a flower the grew on the banks of the river Evrotas. Androcles moved forward to embrace his son and kiss his daughter in-law, blessing their union and thier future rule.

As it had been the day before, the king and queen were paraded throughout the city to greet their loyal following, and then treated to a great feast where they were entertained by the performers brought in by their guests, all foreign Greek rulers.

Unlike the day before, Leonidas and Gorgo were not able to slip off to be on their own. As the King and Queen, they were expected to remain for the entire celebration; to leave early would be considered rude. It would not be a wise thing to insult the other leaders on the day of their coronation.

All of Sparta depended on them now.

Several hours into the early morning, the celebration thankfully began to die down. Leonidas took Gorgo's hand and lead her from the grand hall, moving towards their bedroom. They both swayed slightly on their feet from the wine that had been served, but it could not be said that either of them were truly drunk.

Leonidas drew her into the royal bedchambers and brought her into his arms. "My queen, my life, my love..." He murmered against her throat as he kissed her. As king, custom dictated that he would not behave towards his wife as any other man. He would listen to her words, but not touch her; he would address her with respect or perhaps even admiration, but not with love or flowery prose.

When they were alone, they were free to simply be a man and a woman.

Gorgo giggled as his beard tickled her neck when he kissed her there. "Leonidas, husband...I am sorry that I hid from you, I was afraid..." She confided, her arms wrapped around his neck.

They swayed together in their embrace, almost as if dancing. He pressed his forehead to hers. "You had no need to fear me, Gorgo. I am sorry for hurting you last night, I never meant to hurt you."

She shook her head. "You did what a man must. I should not have run. I will not, never again."

Leonidas touched her long mane of hair and then moved his hands down to her waist. "Will it pain you every time?" He asked, concerned. An heir had to be born, but he did not think that he had it in himself to harm her every night.

Gorgo shook her head. "No. I spoke to the maidservants. They said that in time, the pain will come to pass. Pleasure will soon take its place." She added, her cheeks growing heated and red at his grin.

"You are sure of this?"

She nodded. "There were many servants attending to me today, Leonidas. Many of them were mothers, married for years. They claimed that it was fortunate we knew each other for so long before we had been wed, that it might aid us."

Leonidas brought her closer into his arms, and pressed his lips against hers. "My heart is yours, Gorgo. You are my wife and my queen."

She laughed as his hand brushed her hip. "Leonidas, Spartan king. You tease me!"

He nodded, feeling suddenly playful. "I am permitted to tease you, play with you, do all manner of things to you in the privacy of our chambers." He declared, reaching for her.

Gorgo sidestepped his advance. "If that is true, then I am allowed to do the same, my great king."

Leonidas lunged, and swept her into his arms, carrying her towards the bed. He carefully laid her down on the soft sheets, and looked over her. "You are a goddess in the form of a woman. Perhaps the most stubborn, maddening woman in all of Greece."

Gorgo laughed at him. "Yes, but I am your woman."

He came to lay on his side next to her. "My woman," he agreed. His large hand moved to rest on her hip. "Will it pain you tonight?"

Gorgo moved to lay on her back. "It may, but it will not be the pain of last night. You can have me, Spartan, if it will please you." She whispered to him.

Leonidas moved over her for a kiss. "Not tonight, Gorgo. It will never please me to cause you pain. Sleep, for tomorrow will be the first day of our reign. We will need to be well rested."

Gorgo frowned. "Leonidas? You do not-?"

He reached to her and stripped away her robe, leaving her naked on the bed. He removed his own robe and came to lay down beside her once more, molding his body to hers. In a gesture of possession, he cupped one of her breasts and then he laid his hand upon her womb to reassure her. "I do want you, Gorgo, but I hurt you last night. I will wait until your body is able to take me again. Sleep, my wife..." He implored, bringing her closer to him.

Gorgo put her hand over his and then, obediently, fell asleep with her husband, her king.