A month later Navarre found himself at his wits end. In Isabeaus presence he felt fulfilled and joyful. They'd had one long fight but that was only when Navarre had returned home to find her missing. She was at the market and had lost track of time. She made it up with the food she had gotten and teased him from his dread that she'd been kidnapped. "I've made it this long without your protection," she laughed. He had to admit she was right, but that still didn't make him feel less protective of her.

The Bishop had become irritable and irrational. Demanding more meetings with Navarre on more taxes, more programs for the poor, and finding missing people.

"We must link families back together and help them get through difficult times," the Bishop said. Marquet was in charge of missing persons and he and a small squad were frequently out of Aquila. This suited Navarre just fine. Marquet was beginning to try to overthrow his authority. The longer he was gone, the better.

"I'm setting up a new tax to help the poor," the Bishop said.

"If you raise the taxes any more, there will be nothing left to tax, your grace" Navarre said calmly. The Bishop looked at him coldly.

"Are you so unfeeling towards the less fortunate?"

"No, your grace, if i passed a beggar man i would teach him a skill, so if i lost my wages, he could still get some. You've seen my work in the prisons. I don't believe in punishing the masses because of the incompetence of the few. More taxes will just mean more poor," Navarre explained. "Particularly, since the taxes rarely go to the poor."

The bishop glared at him for a moment, narrowing his eyes.

"Tell me Navarre, you've recently married. Why haven't we met your new bride?" he asked, mockingly. The rest of the room snickered. Navarres bride was an infamous creature that people had only seen once, but spoke of as if she were seen everyday. Isabeau considered this her crowning achievement.

"My bride went to visit family," he said smoothly. (His bride was currently in bed, eating snacks and entertaining herself with visions in her imagination.)

"Odd, you letting her go alone," the Bishop questioned in genuine confusion.

"Not alone, her brother came to collect her. I can hardly leave at this moment," Navarre said. Isabeau would have laughed to hear what a liar he was becoming. It was a semi honest answer though. The peasants were growing unruly under these taxes.

"Yes, troubling times we live in," the Bishop agreed. Navarre could barely keep himself from rolling his eyes. The troubling times were directly caused by the Bishop's greed. No one would side with Navarre though, for they benefited from these new taxes.

So, he disagreed, but not enough to be forced to resign. He had a wife to care for now. He tried to keep his mind in the meeting and away from last night.

He wanted to go home.

Oxoxoxoxox

He knocked a little tune on the door. Isabeau had requested specific knocks to tell her what to expect. Navarre thought this was very clever. A happy tune when he was alone. Knock two times when he was not. Knock 6 times if he was with a dangerous person, like the Bishop or anyone who reported to him.

Isabeau ripped open the door with a jubilant smile and the smell of food in the air.

"Hello, my love!" she said gayly. He loved her more in that instance. He was pleasantly surprised whenever his heart expanded to contain more love. She kissed him deeply and pulled him inside. He lifted her up, the joy bursting in his soul. He gave her a quick spin to press the door close with her.

Food was quickly forgotten as she kissed him more heatedly. He could hardly deny her enthusiasm in this activity. She kissed him greedily and he complied with her unspoken demands.

He would crawl on his knees through hell for this woman.

Some time later, they were sitting naked on the bed, eating. Navarre loved the feeling of her skin on his. He would lean on her, pull her to lean on him, or sit behind her with her between his legs. Anything for the touch of her. It filled a void in his soul.

"Do you want a boy or a girl first?" Isabeau asked him, straddling him as he leaned on the head board. He thought for a moment, running a hand up and down her thigh. He needed a boy, to carry on his line, and give his father's sword too. But a curly haired, rambunctious little daughter was the only thing he wanted. One with a shrieking, mischievous laugh, who loved her Papa.

Papa?

That was new.

He knew that to have children he had to be a father. That was the nature of it. But he'd never thought of what that entailed, precisely. Not simply to sire offspring, but to be a Papa. His heart seemed to grow to love Isabeau more. Surely it could handle a few fair haired children to call out Papa with excitement.

Maybe not, as his heart clenched with longing at the thought.

"I realize men want sons, but I like to hear your thoughts anyways," Isabeau smirked at his continued silence.

"A daughter," Navarre said, suddenly, sitting up straighter, "I want a little girl who calls me Papa. She could have your laugh and tendency to follow me around!" Isabeau laughed at the vision, but he continued. "I could sit her on my lap and teach her to read! We could name her Aria!" Isabeau smiled at his proclamation, and the excitement in the vision he painted. They would probably have a boy later, but it seemed like he wanted a daughter to christen him as a Papa.

"What about you?" He asked, eyes alight, with his hand on her hips and drawing circles with both his thumbs.

"With such an idyllic picture, a daughter sounds fine. I would still want a boy. I need to pass down my trickery, and I worry your Aria will be too noble for that. But my Matteo? He'll grow up wild!" she laughed with a mischievous expression. Navarre envisioned a son covered in mud

and leaves running through his house. Leaving splatters and debris in his wake. He'd tan that boys hide. But it was endearing if he imagined a daughter doing it.

"You'll have to temper me," he told Isabeau, "I'm worried I'll have favorites." She chuckled.

"I'm sure you will, it will just change to whoever is nicest to you at the time. You'll be tricked and played into anything they want," she teased. He laughed at the idea of three or four pairs of blue eyes begging him. They would win, and more often than not. For them he wouldn't be Captain Navarre. He would be Papa.

"Then you'll have to temper me from giving them anything they want, or being unreasonably cross," he grinned, thoroughly enjoying this conversation.

"Well now I'm more worried you'll favor the children over their mother," Isabeau teased again. He could only laugh at the ridiculousness of that statement.

"How ridiculous," he said, moving her off of him, to kneel in front of her, "you are mine first and foremost. You are my best reason for living." Tears sprang into her eyes, alarming him for a second before she threw herself at him.

He was a lucky man. Aria, Matteo and their siblings were lucky to have such an energetic mother.