Regal [h.s au]

Epilogue

I stood on the top of the cliff like I had been doing every single day for five years. Instead of losing hope, it only blossomed and grew stronger. The wind swept my thick hair away from my face, the brown locks swaying and getting tangled. My green eyes were firmly focused on the horizon that had already begun to lose its blue colour and turn orange thanks to the setting sun. I knew the time was running out, but I never left before the last bit of light disappeared and I was left in darkness.

I wondered if she would be able to recognise me. At twenty-nine, I looked different than I did eight years ago. My features were mature and my jawline got even sharper, muscles more ripped and visible under my clothing. But underneath all of it was still beating a heart of that innocent young prince powered by kindness and tenderness I had never truly lost despite all of my suffering and temptations I had to fight with.

I still smelled like a meadow filled with flowers, her favourite scent.

My focused eyes suddenly widened slightly when I noticed something on the horizon. I took a few tentative steps towards the edge of the cliff to see better, my heart beginning to beat faster. I gulped thickly as my mouth went dry, lips parting in slight shock. I tried to remain calm because I didn't want to get my hopes up, I had been wrong before after all. Many ships passed by daily through the harbour, but they were mostly trading ships, besides, none of them would ever come this late.

I strained to see the billowing flag, raising my hand and pressing the side of my hand to my forehead, shielding my eyes from the brightness of the setting sun. I grew impatient with each minute as the ship slowly approached the shore, standing on my tip toes as if it would help me to somehow determine if the ship was of some random lord or perhaps it carried someone very valuable to me.

My eyes clouded with tears when I saw the flag the ship had. It was pristine white with a single red rose pattern sewed in the middle. For the first time in years, I truly had hope that I shall fall asleep with a smile on my face the following night.

"And then what happened, grandpa?" Adam, my seven-year-old grandson asks, his deep brown eyes looking innocently into mine.

"Shh, let him talk!" His nine-year-old sister, Emilia, protests, shifting a little in my lap.

"Pardon me, little ones, but I am tired. I will tell you more about my adventures tomorrow, alright?" I say and gently lift Emilia off my lap, letting her feet touch the ground.

"You promised to teach us a few sword tricks, don't forget!" Adam cheerfully says and kisses my cheek before jumping off my desk, making me clutch my chest in worry.

"Of course. Your father will never be as good as I am, but don't tell him that. He is as temperamental as his mother," I jest, giving each of them a kiss before they run out of my chambers, their screams and laughter echoing down the corridor.

Letting out a tired sigh, I stand up from my chair, closing my worn out leather notebook filled with my scribbles and memories. For more than forty years, I've made sure to jot down everything I deemed important in a few lines. This has to be my sixth or seventh notebook so far. I said once I want to keep my best memories written down so my children can one day hear about my adventures; I am thrilled my wish came true.

All three of my children are now adults and I cannot help but wonder when did the time fly by so fast. Only yesterday my little girl was just a toothless energy ball running around and my two twin boys were small bundles of joy learning how to talk.

The love of my life returned to me just like she said she would. Amelia and I got officially married and I finally made her my queen; I remember how beautiful she was that day, I remember her playful grin and the light in her eyes. I remember how happy I was.

We had a good life, Amelia and I. We loved each other so much and made sure to tell each other that every single day. We named our first child and my heiress, Annemarie, after my mother. Our twins are named Henry after my father, and Harry after me considering Amelia insisted on it. The three of them are my pride and my babies, no matter how old they are.

My first born, Adam, still has a special place in my heart. After decades, I am still not over losing him, but it did get easier to live on. My son Harry named his little boy after the brother he never had a chance to meet and truly made me and his mother cry that day. 

Amelia and I ruled our kingdom together and made it strong, powerful, and prosper. Amelia even gave rights to women living in it and always made sure to promote equality in her public speeches. Her ideas weren't always welcomed with joy and approval, especially from men, but she never stopped spreading awareness.

The day she died, so did a large piece of my heart.

It was a peaceful death; she went to sleep one night and never opened her pretty eyes again. I mourned for weeks, but I knew she had a fulfilled life and the thing that gave me comfort was knowing that she died old and happy. She often made sure I know how happy she was because we were both aware our time on this world was running short.

I will live with the memories of her until the day I die. I will treasure them and pass on the stories about our life to my grandchildren so they could pass them on to theirs. I want them to know how one amazing woman changed my life and made me stronger, made me the man I am today.

Most of my friends are dead now and I only have Niall left. Even though he is barely walking and his memory is getting worse with each day, he is still always by my side. Despite his memory problems, he never forgets about Silas and tends to ask me about him a lot. It's always difficult to tell him he's gone.

Zayn and Lillian are living with me in the castle. They moved back to Solis a few years after my Amelia had arrived, deciding not to be separated ever again. Zayn's health has deteriorated in the past few years, but Lilly still has her youthful energy and spends her days taking care of him now that Sofia and their other two daughters are all grown up and have children of their own.

"I love you," I whisper as I look at Amelia's portrait hanging on the wall of my bedroom with tears in my eyes. She was thirty years old when it was painted, full of life and beautiful. She remained the same all her life. I reach up and let my fingertips lightly graze over the canvas, trailing over her hands clasped in front of her stomach. "I will see you soon, I can feel it."

I remember the day I met my Amelia. Part of me knew my life was going to change and I was correct. If I had to do it all over again, I would.

"I believe my adventure has only begun," I said that day.

And truly, our love was an adventure.

👑 The End 👑

a/n: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you are satisfied with this ending because I wanted it to be bittersweet. The story started with a young and innocent prince Harry and it ended with an old and mature king. It started at the beginning of his adventure and this is how it ended. A massive thank you for giving this book a chance! - J ❤

For those of you who don't know, I have a new Harry fanfic up on my profile and it's based off Greek mythology. It's called Myth, so check it out if you're interested! :) xx