Protector of the Crown

Epilogue

Epilogue

The kingdom of Arlington was finally at peace. King Richard was a good and honorable man who led the kingdom with integrity and purpose. No man, woman, or child needed to worry about being murdered by the King's agents in the night ever again.

It was as if a long curse had been lifted from the lands. The people felt free to smile once more, work their lands and earn their ways in life, and grow families in peace and not worry about their sons being taken at 13 to become Protectors against their will.

Deep in the country, on the very edge of the kingdom of Arlington, there was a beautiful couple that found great peace and joy in this new land. The couple did not easily blend in, their beauty and love made them noticeable from the moment they moved to their new lands. The couple found such joy in their modest country cottage and sprawling farm.

Their home was a simple cottage surrounded by bright and breathtaking gardens and an orchard the woman tended to herself. The home was two stories of blue and gray earthy stone. There was a chimney at the top that often smoked from the woman's cooking. Their home held a small kitchen, a sitting room, and plenty of bedrooms for the couple's ever growing family.

The beautiful young woman, who had glistening and vibrant auburn hair, sparkling emerald green eyes and glowing olive skin had a strength about her that  radiated from within. The woman was fit with sinewy and lean muscles that enhanced her natural grace. The woman was called Gemma. Her husband, who was called Jon, was a tall and extremely handsome man with striking muscles and warm tanned skin. He had unusual gray eyes and wild and unruly sandy brown curls that reached his collar. His wife was often seen running her fingers lovingly through his locks; it was as if she'd once been denied such a simple touch and took every moment she could to make up for times she was unable to. 

They had arrived a few months after the battle of freedom and immediately moved into an old cottage with over 100 acres that had been vacant for years. They made quick work to turn the overrun land into a beautiful, bright, and peaceful home. It became the envy of the town, admired by all who passed it. They were even more envious of the tender embraces the women and man were often seen in, dancing in the fields like they were free for the first time in their lives.

On the tenth anniversary of the Day of Remembrance, Jon and Gemma were once again the only locals who did not go to the village to celebrate two of the most beloved heroes of Arlington, Mia Luther and Prince Jackson Armstrong.

Instead of feasting in the village, they would be found on their farm with their beautiful family. In their time in the country, Jon and Gemma had created three beautiful children who were loved by the villagers, just as the village had grown to love Jon and Gemma as if they were their own.

Two years after their arrival, they were first blessed with a set of twins, Will and Richard. Both were boys who had their mother's shocking emerald eyes. Will was the spitting image of his father, save the eyes. He had wild sandy brown curls, a glowing smile, and tenderness about him that could melt the heart of the coldest of men. Richard was the more quiet and serious of the two and had his mother's auburn hair and glittering green eyes. He was larger than his brother and made a point to protect the innocent, including grasshoppers that were about to get stepped on. 

Three years after the arrival of the twins, a little girl joined the family; they called her Joan. She carried her mother's auburn hair, olive skin, and fiery personality, but had her father's stormy gray eyes. Her brothers and the village folk laughed at her ability to take control of any situation, even at her young age of five. All who met her adored her and she had her father wrapped around her delicate little finger.

Their life was a beautiful one indeed. They loved their friends, spent time outside among the wildflowers, rode horses in their fields and sunlight, and cared for their flock. It was such a simple life, but one they lived so beautifully. The women of the village would often talk with Gemma. They would tell her how jealous they were with how happy she was in her life and wished their own husbands looked at them like Jon did her.

In response to such comments, Gemma would simply look at her husband with adoring eyes, then smile at her loving children and say, "This life was once a dream that was just out of our grasp, but by a force I can only say was fate, I now get to wake up to the man who possesses my soul and love him and the children we created with all of my heart. How could you not be happy with a life like that?"