The Beauty of Courage

~ Epilogue ~

One year later

Isaiah stretches out and groans, his hand grasping at empty air. He wipes the sleep out of his eyes and sits up, a frown gracing his brow. "What are you doing?"
"I am getting dressed," Sophia answers. She smiles at him from where she stands, still in her night dress. Isaiah shakes his head as she speaks.
"No, I asked what are you doing? The answer is getting back in bed. It's early hours. Even your court will not have arisen yet."
"I do not remember any of my court being Queen. I have different duties to the rest of them."
"Your only duty this moment is to come back to bed. No one will expect to see you till at least midday, if at all the day after your wedding."
"Is that an order, my King?"
"It's a request, my Queen." He rolls his eyes. "Please Sophia, I am not ready to share you so soon after finally getting you to myself." 
Sophia sighs softly, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "I was not going to get dressed. I simply am not used to sleeping in. Being royal and having a young child do not lend themselves to a lazy nature."
"You are still too far away, I cannot hear you." Isaiah announces, reclining once again, his head against the pillow. He closes his eyes and does not see Sophia shaking her head with amusement. However he does feel the bed dip slightly as she slips back in next to him. He opens one eye slightly and peeks at the beauty beside him. "That's better. I can hear you now."
"That is a shame. It means you missed all those lovely endearing things I said to you. How will you know my heart now?"
"Snake." Isaiah hisses when she pinches his side.
"At least this time you haven't woken up with a knife to your throat."
Isaiah opens his eyes fully and stares at her. She goes quiet at her words, meaning only to reference their past and not another. Her chin drops to her chest and she bites her lip. "Stupid words, can we please forget them."
"Of course." Isaiah touches her chin and lifts it up. "I would never want to do anything to anger you my Queen." He kisses her before she can react. "We are safe together, remember that. I will never harm you and you will never harm me. We are a marriage of love and choice."
Sophia cuddles into him and he wraps his arms around her. Just as he's falling back asleep he feels her slip out of bed again. He groans loudly. This time he gets out of bed also and catches Sophia by the wrist. "Sophia," he drags out her name in a soft voice, "must we argue so early in the day."
"I see no need to, you have decided to join me in getting out of bed." She smiles at him, eyes twinkling. "Now I suggest we go for a ride somewhere the court will not find us for you are naive if you think they will not come looking for you."
"For me? Why?"
Sophia tilts her head to the side slightly, a measure of condescension in the quirk of her lips. "You are King, and my court have always wished and been more familiar with a king. You are soon going to see how they will push us apart where before they were pushing us together. You are not going to let them sway you into thinking you are more worthy than I to rule." She pauses. "Are you?"
Isaiah laughs and then laughs again louder. "Surely they are not that stupid?! I am firmly going to remain at your side supporting you for the rest of my life. They can not separate us no matter how hard they try. However I think they will have other motives first."
"Oh, and what would they be?"
"People tend to like the idea of spare heirs. Keeps the throne safe."

Five years later
Isaiah gives the appearance of listening and most are fooled by his thoughtful and occasional nod. The Lord speaking most certainly is, he inflates with importance thinking he has the King's sole focus. Instead Isaiah drifts from thoughts of his wife to thoughts of his children before momentarily being drawn into the present.
He blinks as it falls silent in the room and he clues into the fact that they are all waiting for his response. Isaiah makes eye contact with Navi who shakes his head. "I will take your words into consideration, have we covered everything for today?"
Navi drops his head into his hand with exasperation.
"Your majesty, a decision is needed today. The Queen has made it clear she trusts you to ascertain whether this is how to proceed."
Isaiah's mouth tightens and he regrets his distracted state. Trust Sophia to leave him to make decisions she does not wish to attend to. Navi clears his throat and speaks. "I do believe Sophia is positive about proceeding."
"I see." Isaiah pauses. "Then I am in agreement." He stands, halting any attempts at further conversation. Before anyone has a chance to move Isaiah vacates the room, whistling for his dogs. They quickly fall into step around him.
He heads first for the nursery, ignoring the tutting of the wet nurse as he sweeps past her and scoops his daughter up into his arms and presses a kiss to her soft forehead. He murmurs quietly to her about her beauty and brilliance. The women watching the children stop their tutting and shake their head at the besotted King. They had been expecting his arrival. Sophia had given them fair warning. Isaiah turns and kneeling down catches the charging three year old in his other arm and squeezes him close. When he doesn't feel the third jumping on his back he glances up, momentarily disconcerted.
"Her majesty has Tiberius with her. I believe she is watching his riding lesson."
"She promised to wait." Isaiah grumbles and ruffles the hair of the middle child. "Shall we join her? I think you are old enough to sit on a horse,my boy." His grin matches his son's. At only three years old his resemblance to Isaiah is striking.
The young child's governess moves closer. "Perhaps not a suitable outing for the princess as of yet. It is time for her nap." Her firm tone has Isaiah obediently returning the child. Regardless of his years as King, some still have the familiarity of his years as a boy serving the former King.
"One of these days you will not notice me taking her."
"I sincerely doubt that, your highness."
Isaiah gently touches the blonde head of his daughter and with reluctance steps back. The governess takes pity on the doting father. "After the princes' lesson she will be well rested and I see no reason why you cannot take her for a stroll."
Isaiah inclines his head once, hiding his amused smile. "I will return with your permission," he softly says, "you will dress her for outside." Then he swiftly sweeps the boy into his arms and carries him from the room, ignoring the boy's laughing protests. The dogs grumble at his feet, warning their master to be more careful.