Heart of Stone

Epilogue

Nerves filtered through Patrice as she climbed out of the carriage. The journey to this day had been relatively easy. Jarek's recovery had been slow, and although he tried to hide it from her, Patrice knew that his body had frozen and that he was alive inside.

She knew because he'd had nightmares since that day. They weren't regular but frequent enough for her to take note of the days and what happened during them. Usually, it was when something drastic happened. The most recent was that another war had broken out on Earth.

The other kings had ventured to the land to assist the humans. Jarek was ready to leave until the other kings found out his little secret.

The nightmares were not enough to stop him from going to Earth. No, this was something vastly different. The little secret really was tiny, not that Patrice thought that when she pushed his fat head out two days earlier.

The newest addition was yet to be born when the war broke out, and it forced the kings to order Jarek to remain in his world. There was no risk to his life but they didn't want him to miss out on the birth. With Patrice heavily pregnant and the doctor advising that the baby had turned, they knew that it could happen at any moment and were not prepared to let him leave.

Jarek was grateful for their insistence, more so when Patrice went into labour within hours of their departure. He knew that he would have been on Earth when Arkyn was born.

The maid lifted Arkyn out of the carrier and held him out to her queen. Patrice smiled with her usual soft gratitude, taking her swaddled son into her arms.

Arkyn was asleep. He had been that way for most of the journey to the temple. Today was the day that he received his stakalis. Jarek looked at the beauty that had bewitched him. A year had passed since the day that he'd dropped the stone, a year since she'd save him. In return, she gave him unending love and in time, a son to carry on his legacy.

The time for his rule was not over. Jarek had many more years ahead of him. There would come a day when he would decide that he'd had enough and then the rule of this world would pass to Arkyn. Before that day came, he would learn about leadership, just as his father had done when he was a boy.

Jarek leaned down, kissing Patrice softly on the cheek. She'd come a long way from the grubby misfit who always had a scowl waiting for him. Patrice made a fine queen. She was everything that he needed her to be. Her kindness, the way that she cared, she required very little deportment. She made this world better. She made his world better.

His gaze lowered to the necklace that had been a wedding gift. The tip of his stakalis that had broken off was turned into a pendant. Patrice loved it and only ever took it off to bathe and sleep.

Arkyn yawned, his little eyes opened. Jarek smiled as his hand brushed over the tiny head. Lowering, he placed a gentle kiss on his son's forehead.

"Are you ready?"

Jarek looked up at his fair queen. Patrice gave him a reassuring smile.

"I was ready for today the day that we discovered you were pregnant."

Together they climbed the stairs to the temple entrance. Evander was waiting at the top, having arrived earlier to ensure all was running as it should be.

Since that day, things have changed in his world too. No longer a watcher, Jarek demanded that he attended to his duties as the world expected him to. It was standard for the next sibling to take on an advisory role to the king which Evander always tried to avoid. He'd taken a role in the watchers building, stating that the humans were growing smarter and bolder with every day that passed. He wanted to learn about them. He wanted to know about their advancements and what they were doing.