Here is the epilogue I promised! I've had so much fun writing this story, and I hope you've liked reading it! I am sad to be done writing, but I plan to write some one shots for this story.

-owl

Kate woke with a start, the sound of running footsteps rousing her from her sleep. Her lady's maid was approaching the bed, running her hands down her skirt as though nervous. Kate sat up in the bed before Serena could say anything.

"Your highness," she said with a nervous tremor in her voice. "The queen requests you in the drawing room immediately."

Kate's eyes narrowed. Why was she needed so urgently, and why so early in the morning? "Alright, I'll get dressed then meet Mother in the drawing room," she said as she threw back the duvet and got out of bed.

Serena shook her head. "I'm afraid to say, my Lady, but the queen wishes to see you immediately."

A flash of fear shot through Kate at those words. "Alright, then. Thank you for telling me."

Serena nodded and left the room as Kate herself also left her room to make her way to meet with her mom. The castle was empty, she didn't see a single servant or other worker anywhere. In fact, she didn't see anyone until she made it to the drawing room where her mother was sitting on one of the sofas.

Jenny looked up when Kate came in. and she knew that something had happened. The look on her mother's face was too empty to signal anything else. Kate sat down next to her mother, barely aware she was still in her night dress.

"What happened?" she asked quickly, her voice hushed.

A single tear fell from her mother's eye as she spoke. "Your father —" she broke off with a sob. "Your father died last night."

"What?" Kate wasn't sure she had heard her right, but the now numerous tear tracks on her mother's face confirmed what she had heard.

"I will take care of planning his funeral, darling, if you begin working on your coronation." Jenny's words were quick, as though she was trying not to let her sorrow reveal itself in her voice.

"OK, I can do that." Kate knew that it was going to happen at some point, her father had been king of the country for forty-five years. He was bound to pass soon. Even so, she was not ready.

"I'm going to set the funeral for three days from now." Jenny's voice cut through Kate's thoughts. "That should give your sisters time to travel, as well as any of our subjects who wish to pay their respects."

Kate nodded in agreement. "Then we can have my coronation two days after that, so Ziva and Abby don't need to make the journey twice."

Her mother gave her a sad smile. "That sounds like a wonderful plan. I will start sending messengers out with the information."

Kate was once again roused by running footsteps, Serena again. Hopefully this would not become a pattern. The morning light was weak, casting only faint shadows from the windows. Serena made her way through the door just as Kate stood to look out the window. It was a cloudy day, which fit Kate's mood very well.

Serena carried with her a long black dress with a modest neckline and devoid of embellishments. The dress, Kate knew, had long sleeves, and would reach the floor, all in the blackest black fabric she had ever seen. Today was her father's funeral.

Serena helped her into the dress, no words being spoken between them while Kate dressed. The dress was made of silk, and hung on Kate's body evenly.

Once they were done, Serena broke the silence. "Your sisters should be arriving any time now. I believe they and their husbands will be escorted directly to the library to join you and Queen Jennifer."

Kate nodded and left her room, her head held high. The castle was not entirely devoid of life, she noted as she walked, there were servants and guards that she would occasionally pass, but it was as though everyone had lost the will to do their jobs when the king had died.

When Kate reached the library, both of her sisters were there, each in their own black dresses. Abby wore an almost carbon copy of the dress that Kate wore, though her sleeves only went to her elbows. Her hair was out of her regular pigtails, instead hanging loose around her face. Ziva had chosen to wear a dress that fell just enough to barely brush the floor, and her arms were entirely bare. King Tony and Sir McGee were standing by the window, talking in hushed voices to each other.

The girls looked up when they heard the door open, and Abby immediately dragged Kate into a hug once she was close enough. Ziva was also pulled into the hug, and the way she didn't try to fight it was a sign of how much this was getting to her. They stood like that for a long while, the three sisters holding on to each other.

They hadn't broken the hug yet when a soft 'aww' came from the doorway. The three of them stepped apart and looked to see their mother, who had entered the room.

Jenny stood in her own black dress that covered her from her wrists to her neck and all the way to the floor. She had entered the room with a small, sad smile on her face. "Do you three remember when you first met?" she asked. "The three of you couldn't be in so much as the same room unless Jethro or I were there."

The three girls smiled back, remembering the day they met. They couldn't say anything, though, before the chapel bells began ringing, signaling them that the funeral was about to start. Before they filed out of the room, Kate pulled Abby aside and took two black silk ribbons from the pocket.

"Abby, wear your pigtails, Dad would want to see them." she said as she handed the ribbons to her sister.

Abby nodded and after she fixed her hair, all six of them left the room.

The funeral had been two days prior, now Kate was being dressed for her coronation. Her dress was a mix between royal blue and royal purple. Gold stitching was around the sweetheart neckline of the bodice of the dress, the ends of the sleeves, the sash across her waist and the bottom of her skirt. The skirt pooled at her feet, and the sleeves were a sheer, tulle-like fabric that reached her wrists.

Unfortunately, her sisters would not be able to process down the aisle behind her, it was the thing she had always wanted to have happen during her coronation. Firstly because Ziva was a queen in her own right, and secondly, because Abby wouldn't do it without Ziva. It had been planned that Jenny and the bishop would be waiting at the dias in the throne room for Kate to approach — on her own — after which the crown would be lifted from her mother's head and placed on hers.

"Are you ready, my Lady?" Serena asked, stepping back after she patted down the last piece of fabric that was out of place.

Kate gave herself a once-over. "In theory." she answered. "I have known for the last nearly twenty years that I would be the next queen, I guess I never really accepted that my father would have to die for me to ascend."

Serena didn't get a chance to respond when there was a knock on the door. She left Kate to open it, where, waiting on the other side, was Abby and Ziva. Both girls launched themselves towards Kate. Or, rather Abby launched herself, dragging Ziva along with her. Serena gave a short bow and left the room, letting Kate be with her sisters.

"Are you excited Kate?" Abby asked, pulling the three of them over to Kate's bed and sitting down.

"Sort of," she responded. "I'm looking forward to being queen as that is what I have been trained to do for the last twenty years."

Ziva had a thoughtful look. "There is a difference, Kate. Admittedly, I only had a year to prepare to be queen, but there is a huge change in mindset once you are given a crown."

Kate nodded. "I will keep that in mind." she said, but her next words were cut off with another knock on the door.

Serena poked her head into the room after Kate called for the person to enter. "My Lady, it is time for the ceremony to start."

"Alright," Kate said, and the three girls followed Serena out the door.

They kept a quick pace as they walked through the castle towards the throne room. Once they were there, Ziva and Abby made their way to their spots in the front of the room. Serena also went to her spot near the back of the room.

Kate stood alone in the hallway facing the heavy oak doors of the throne room. They had practiced this yesterday, the doors would open a minute after she got into her place. Then she would walk the aisle to the dias.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the doors being pulled open by two of the guards. Her minute was up. Kate took a deep breath before taking one step, then another. Slowly she made her way to the front of the room, passing the amassed people of her country, all here to see her become queen.

Finally she made it to the front, her mother and the bishop standing there, waiting for her. She was acutely aware of the hundreds of eyes trained on her as she took the last few steps and knelt on the cushion set there for her.

The bishop approached her, his steps even. He carried nothing in his hands, but as he spoke, he took Kate's hands in his.

"Are you, Caitlin, willing to take the oaths of Meadth?"

"I am willing."

"Do you promise to listen to your people and keep their best interests at heart?"

"I do."

Do you promise to lead your people fairly and justly through all that should come to pass?"

"I do."

"Do you accept the responsibility of queenship of this country, and live for your people?"

"I accept."

He smiled at Kate as Jenny came forward, then he took the crown from her head and placed it on Kate's. "Then it is my duty to place the crown on your head, and be the first to call you Queen Caitlin of Meadth. Long live the Queen!"

His last words echo once around the cavernous room before the cry was taken up by the people. 'Long live the Queen' surrounds Kate and she smiles as she begins the procession out of the throne room and into the ballroom.

Once everyone had made it there, Ziva and Tony, Abby and Tim, and Jenny approached her. Jenny looked as though, with the crown no longer being hers, a weight had been lifted.

"Congratulations, Queen Caitlin." Tony said in a teasing tone, giving her a bright smile. "I'm sure your reign will be long and prosperous."

Ziva hit him lightly on his chest. "Tony," she hissed. "Do not pretend like you often speak or use fancy words like that. We all know you too well."

The rest of the group burst out laughing, and before anyone could add anything to the conversation, a small hand was clutching Kate's. She looked down to see her nephew, Abby's youngest son, Eugene, standing next to her. Kate smiled down at him, just as her other hand was caught by another small one. This time it was Ziva's only child, and Kate's only niece, Tali.

Kate bent down to give both of them hugs, but once she was that close to the pair, Tali grabbed the crown from her head and ran off, a trilling laugh echoing behind her. Eugene laughed too, watching the looks of shock on the faces of Kate and the others standing with her.

Tony started laughing along with Eugene, bending down for a high-five. Once he straightened up, Ziva grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards her.

"Go find your daughter," she hissed at him, a deep frown in her face.

Tony nodded to the group and left to track down his wayward daughter. They could see him weaving his way through the crowd, and could hear him calling for Tali. Kate started laughing as Tali snuck up behind Tony and launched herself at his legs, nearly knocking him over.

Kate knew that time would pass as she learned the ins and outs of being queen, but she was not alone, her family would be by her side.