The King's Guard

Epilogue

With a sudden change in weather, snow blanketed the Kingdom of Lapia. Only a few days had passed since the ball, so the temperature drop was jarring.

Back in the gardens, Nathalie accompanied the king. It was nearing noon, and snowflakes were falling quietly.

Instead of her usual armor, she was wearing a winter cloak. It was strange to be without it and her sword, but she was certain her knights were more than capable of guarding the castle.

She rubbed her arms as she observed the frost-covered weeping willow. The ice dangling from the branches was beautiful and nearly took her breath away.

"Are you cold?" Gabriel asked. "We can go inside."

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me anymore."

"I believe I'll always worry about you." He put an arm around her, drawing her close.

She sighed with a smile. "Gabriel, when are we going to tell Adrien about . . . us?"

"I was thinking tonight, at dinner."

The Great Hall, as always, was incredibly loud and crowded at dinner time. The room was packed with palace servants and nobility alike.

While Gabriel had a few words with his son, Nathalie sat in her usual spot with the knights.

Harry leaned an elbow on her shoulder. "So, have you confessed to him yet?"

She regarded him with a raised eyebrow. "I don't recall telling you I had feelings for anyone."

"Try as you might, Captain, you can't hide your emotions from me. I can see right through you." He mirrored her expression. "Have you told him?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"You know why."

Nathalie crossed her arms. "Yes."

"Excuse me?" The other knights at the table straightened, eyes widening.

"You heard me."

"You actually confessed? Well, I'll be. I didn't think you had it in you. What was his reaction?"

"I don't see why it's any of your business."

He pouted like a child. "Captain, please-"

"Fine. He feels the same."

"No way. No, I won't believe it until I see it."

Only her better judgment stopped her from rolling her eyes. "Wait, then. It's the truth, Harry."

The rest of the knights seemed to believe her. Some of them clapped her on the back, making a racket. The great hall was loud enough that it wasn't much of a disruption, but her cheeks still reddened from embarrassment.

Harry looked at Gabriel, who sat on the other side of the room with Adrien. "Why aren't you sitting with him?"

"He wanted to speak with his son. Besides, as annoying as you all are, I am fond of sitting with you."

"That's not enough proof."

As a few minutes passed, the knights became absorbed in a far-fetched tale being told by Jagged Stone. She observed them with amusement before a gentle hand settled on her shoulder. Gabriel smiled down at her. "Nathalie, may I speak with you?"

Jagged broke off his story. Harry regarded her with excited eyes before looking at the king. "Your Highness, are you really-?"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

Harry cleared his throat. "Uh, are you two . . . together?"

The king stepped back so Nathalie could stand. "Yes, Lieutenant." He guided her away from the table, offering her his arm.

She caught sight of Harry leaning out from the table to watch, disbelief on his face. Luckily, the rest of the room was too distracted to notice, but several surprised expressions showed from the crowds of dining guests.

"Are we telling your son now?" she asked, self-conscious from the attention.

"Yes, and I was hoping you would come sit with us."

The prince's eyes brightened when he saw them in such a way that made her certain he already knew of the development between them.

She sat at Gabriel's left, across from Adrien. Though it was a different place from where she usually was, she didn't feel out of place. If anything, she felt more at home than ever.

"It looks like you already know what I'm going to ask, son," Gabriel began, "but how would you feel if-"

"If you courted Nathalie?" he interrupted excitedly, shooting to his feet.

More than a few heads turned at the commotion.

"Lower your voice, Adrien," the king told him with a patient smile.

"Sorry." He dropped back into his seat, though his enthusiasm remained. "But I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are, Adrien. Since you're my son, I wanted to know if it was alright."

"Of course, Dad!" he exclaimed, grinning as he barely kept his voice at an acceptable volume

"You don't even need to ask! Nathalie's been part of our family for as long as I can remember! 

Adrien turned to her. "You know that, right? You've always been like a mother to me. I wouldn't have made it this long without you."

She smiled, unable to reply as her eyes filled with tears. Instead, she opened her arms. The prince accepted the invitation, coming around the table to hug her.

"This is amazing, Nathalie!" An idea flashed in his gaze as he straightened. "Dad, can I announce it?"

Gabriel raised his eyebrows. "Of course. Are you sure you want to?"

"Yep!" To prove it, Adrien moved to the center of the table, facing the rest of the room.

"He's serious?" Nathalie shared a look with the king.

"Apparently so."

In an un-prince-like manner that would've earned him a reprimand in other circumstances, Adrien climbed atop the table. If that wasn't enough to draw attention, he took one of the metal cups and clanged a spoon against it until the room quieted. "I have an announcement!" he yelled, grinning.

She knew her face was bright red, and surprisingly, so was Gabriel's.

"We all remember the struggle we faced a few days ago when the Akumas attacked. During that, our knights bravely fought to protect us. I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank them." He paused. "One of these knights, our captain, nearly died to protect me and my father. Not only that, she has helped us both rediscover happiness. I am happy to say that, after many years, our kingdom will be made whole. I have a mother again, and one day -hopefully soon- Lapia will have a queen."

Adrien met her eyes, still addressing the room. "Please join me in congratulating King Gabriel and Captain Nathalie!"

"This is one of those challenges I was speaking about," Gabriel murmured over the applause.

She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder as he squeezed her hand.

She was home.