The King's Pryde, The End

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23

Part 24:

Six Months Later

Keiron stood on the parapet outside his throne room and flexed his wings as he looked out over the city perched on the side of the mountain. His city.

One year ago he had stood here and mourned the loss of the woman he loved. He had watched The Wanderer take flight, taking Gabriella out of his life. Had steeled himself to put his duty as king at the forefront and forget about love. Which hadn’t been hard, as his duties kept him busy during the day, but at night…

Loneliness had nearly destroyed him.

But the gods had smiled upon him and brought love back into his life. Jendaya with her sparkling eyes and compassionate soul had lightened him, showed him there was joy still awaiting him. The people, faced with losing a king they loved, had quickly showed their support of his triad with Jendaya and Chander. It had been a rocky few months, but above all the Pryderi were practical people. His love life had nothing to do with his ability to govern, which they had recognized.

Hearing footsteps, he turned to see his wife walking toward him. Her wispy dress floated in the light breeze and flirted with her legs.

She came up to him with a smile. Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss against his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and held her in place when she would have drawn away. Deepening the kiss, he thrust his tongue between her lips. She sighed and leaned into him, her hands sliding around his waist to grip his back. When he finally pulled back, she rested her head against his chest. “I was just coming to drag you out of here for some dinner. You’ve been at it all day.”

“Has Chander returned from the monastery?” He rested his chin on the top of her head and kept his arms lightly around her. “He was due back at least an hour ago.”

“Hmm.” She pressed a kiss against his throat. “My father and Maartehn are still safely ensconced with the monks, and their flight feathers are being clipped weekly. There’s no way they can leave.”

“Good. I want you to feel safe.”

She pulled back and looked up into his face. “I do, Keiron. I feel safer with you and Chander than I have in my entire life. No one has ever done that for me.” Her eyes glittered with tears. “I love you both so much.”

“As we love you.” Keiron pulled her close, giving her a tight, hard hug. Swallowing back the emotion clogging his throat, he murmured, “Let’s go get some food before Chander eats it all.”

Her laugh was a melody he wanted to hear the rest of his life. As he put his arm around her and walked with her from the throne room, he sent silent thanks to the deities for giving him another chance to love.

The King’s Pryde – copyright ©2007 Sherrill Quinn. All rights reserved.