Shalom POV

I woke up to the sound of a baby crying, followed by frantic shooshing. On reflex I rolled over and smothered my face in a pillow. It seemed like my life had this constant background noise of crying for the last few weeks. Then my eyes flew open with the realization that the cries belonged to my baby and the soft, desperate whispers were coming from my wife.

"Hush, hush, Barkley. Please, let your daddy sleep; he has a very big day today," Shel whispered to our son as she bounced around our room.

I stretched and sat up in bed, taking her in as she was too focused on Barkley to notice that I was awake. She had insisted from the very beginning that he should sleep in his own room but I wanted my heir to be close by at all times while we were sleeping. I was not leaving anything to chance after all the troubles we had just trying to conceive a baby. If it weren't for Kile telling us about the artificial fertilization we probably wouldn't even have a baby or any hope for one. "Good morning beautiful," I said to her, finally drawing her attention to me.

"Oh!" She started, momentarily forgetting to rock Barkley. "I'm sorry if I woke you; I was just about to take him out for a feed."

"I need to get up anyway. No better alarm clock than a crying newborn," I joked as I slid out of bed and walked to my closet to change. For the morning I would just wear a typical suit. I still had one last meeting with Mom and Dad before the coronation. I would save shaving and doing my hair for when I had to get ready for the ceremony.

Shel was feeding Barkley from a bottle when I emerged from the closet. "Hey, where's my kiss?" she asked sarcastically.

I smiled and jogged over to her and gave her a long, lingering kiss. "I love you, woman," I whispered against her lips.

"I love you too," she answered. Barkley pulled away from the bottle when he heard how close my voice was to him. "I think he loves you too."

"Be good for Mommy, Barks. Don't throw up too much."

"Go be king," she bade, blowing me a kiss as I left the room.

Mom and Dad were looking the most relaxed that I'd ever seen them look before a meeting. Dad winked as Mom reached up to fix his tie. Even if it didn't need fixing, Mom went through the motions of smoothing out his suit. I expected Dad to say something sappy about it being their last meeting but maybe this was something they would actually miss. Maybe they were actually a little melancholic about this being their last day on the job.

"Ready for the big day?" Dad asked, clapping my shoulder casually.

I smiled at them, thinking about the other times Dad asked me that. He asked me that the morning I got married and again after I told them that Shel had gone into labor. I gave him my customary answer. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"You're ready," Mom said quietly, squeezing me from the other side. "You really think we would throw you into this if you weren't?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," I argued. "You and Dad weren't ready to be king and queen."

Dad smiled sadly. "We didn't really have much of a choice."

Uncle Aspen walked into the waiting room and shook Dad's hand and then embraced Mom. "You both ready to start?"

We all took our places. Uncle Aspen would open the doors and then step back for Mom and Dad to go through and I would follow behind them. The next time I did this it would just be Shel and myself following Aspen. My body shook with nerves and excitement.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Mom said, winking at me.

"Actually Aspen, could you give me a couple minutes with Shay?" Dad asked suddenly. Mom smiled quietly at me and followed Uncle Aspen out, leaving me alone with Dad. "I'll make this quick or I'll cry," he prompted. I laughed; Dad was always the crier between him and Mom. Especially when it came to him being proud. "It's been an honor to see you grow and mature these last twenty-five years. I know that growing up here isn't easy and I know that you've had your fair share of difficulties these last few years but your perseverance inspires me. You will be a great king. And if you don't remember anything that I've told you, try to remember this one thing: clear eyes, full heart; can't lose."

My whole body seemed to warm up at his words. He had always used that quote for us growing up. I don't know where it was from but it seemed to be his number one piece of advice for us. "I'll try to remember that Dad," I vowed.

"Now let's go make you a king, okay?" He clapped me on the shoulder and then knocked on the door, signaling for Mom and Uncle Aspen to walk back in.

We walked into the main conference room, taking our seats before all of the other advisers. Uncle James gave me a wink and Uncle Carter nodded reassuringly to me. The Secretary of Office read the opening regards and we went through the role call for each adviser, my knee bouncing nervously under the table the whole time. I was suddenly questioning why we scheduled this coronation for when my wife was still on maternity leave but then again, Barkley was a shy baby that refused to be born until Dr. Ashlar was forced to induce Shel.

And just like that I was distracted by thoughts of my son and wife and had missed several minutes of the meeting. Luckily no one seemed to notice and my father was halfway through the process of getting things in motion. This was supposed to be a shorter meeting with Dad just finishing up some last minute orders of business before kicking off my reign. In reality, it would be a few weeks before my father was completely done working.

"Appeal for another three year funding plan for the community food programs in Carolina, Honduragua, St. Georges, and Whites. Can I get a motion?" Dad read aloud.

"Motion," Mom said, writing something down on her legal pad. Since Shel was on maternity leave, Mom would definitely still be working for the next several weeks. I wondered if it would be weird for Dad to not be working while Mom is still working full-time.

"Can I get a second?"

"Second," the adviser for education answered.

Dad went through several more motions and then the time came that had me shaking in my seat. "Now, before I attend to the last item on today's agenda, I would like to take this moment to just thank all of you gentlemen. I came into my reign young but even so, we accomplished more than any other king of Illéa. That doesn't matter to me though. What matters to me is how you all have given me nothing but your full support and upmost loyalty over the years. Through thick and thin, you gentlemen – and ladies – have supported myself and my queen and we thank you. We truly would not have been successful as monarchs without all of your hard work and dedication and it was been a pleasure to be your king."

Several advisers offered their own thanks and nodded their heads. Some of the women were even misty eyed, including Mom. "Now, on to what I think we all have been waiting for," Dad said, rising from his seat for this one appeal. "Appeal for Her Royal Highness Princess Shel Augustine Schreave to succeed Her Majesty America Singer Schreave and His Royal Highness Prince Shalom Maddox Schreave to succeed His Supreme Majesty King Maxon Calix Schreave as king on this date, effective immediately. Can I get a motion?"

Mom also rose and all of the other advisers rose with her until I was the only one still sitting. "Motion," she said, beaming at me, water pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"And can I get a second?"

Uncle Aspen cleared his throat and spoke loud and clear, "Second."

After the meeting, I was walking up to my room to see Shel when a small auburn-haired five-year-old stopped me by grabbing me from behind. I recognized the familiar sound of my niece's laughter as she tried to contain her giggles after startling me. "Now that couldn't be my little Magpie, could it?" I asked, playing dumb. That just made her laugh harder. "I think it is." I suddenly turned and scooped her up so that she was hanging over my shoulder.

"No! Uncle Shay!" she squealed loudly in my ear.

"Oh, thank goodness," I heard from behind us. Amber rushed toward us, a look of relief of her face. "Sandrine, what did I say about you running off like that? This is a big palace; it's harder for me to find you than in our house in Morocco."

I smiled at her and dipped Sandrine dramatically to scare her more, never once lessening my grip on her small body. "At least we know that if she's not stirring up trouble with Khalil she is with me."

Amber rolled her eyes. "I still don't know where she is," she moaned. "Some day you'll understand."

"It's kind of hard to lose the heir to the throne AC," I reminded her.

"You say that now," she said, pulling Sandrine from my shoulder and setting her on the ground. "Come on little one, it is time for lunch."

Sandrine pouted and crossed her arms. "Mama I want you to carry me," she protested.

"Mama can't carry you. Your brother is quite in the way," Amber patiently explained, running a hand over her protruding stomach absently. "Besides, you walked yourself all the way up here, surely you can walk yourself back."

"Fine," Sandrine huffed, stomping off in the direction of their suites.

Amber looked at me apologetically. "Sorry about that. I'm sure you probably want a break before all of the craziness begins."

"Seriously," I agreed. "It's just as crazy as the wedding except this time I don't get a nice, long vacation on a beach afterward."

"Nope. You're just condemned to a lifetime of making people miserable."

I started walking in the direction of my room and was surprised when Amber matched my stride. "Hey AC, you sound a little jealous. Are you sure you don't want to be queen?" I asked sarcastically.

"You're really funny," she laughed. "I wouldn't even be here right now if it weren't for the baby."

"Well thanks for staying sis."

She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Don't thank me. Thank Kile for his impeccable timing in knocking me up." She still smiled a bit though and I knew she was excited to be having another baby. It wasn't planned and they found out while they were here visiting for Annie's birthday but after hearing that there was another baby on the way, Kile wanted them to remain at the palace in case Amber had any complications like last time. Luckily this time her blood pressure was holding steady and she could only attribute it to the fact that she wasn't worrying about running a country. It also gave Mom and Dad peace of mind that their grandchild wouldn't be born in Amber and Kile's bedroom in Morocco like Amber wanted.

"Maybe the next big day we have will be your wedding, big sis," I joked.

Amber snorted. "Yeah, right, and we'll have flying pigs as our guests. Seriously Shay, sometimes you do actually have a sense of humor."

I just shook my head at her and stopped outside my bedroom door. "I'll see you later, okay? Dressed up a bit more, maybe?"

"What? I can't wear sweatpants and a t-shirt to a coronation?"

I was ready to give her a snarky response but waved her off instead, walking inside my room. Shel emerged from her bathroom when she heard the door open and close. "Hey, how'd the meeting go?"

"Well…" I hedged, shrugging out of my jacket, "I think it went pretty well Your Majesty."

Her face lit up and she threw her arms around me, immediately trapping my mouth in a passionate kiss. She pulled back slightly breathless. "We're really king and queen?"

"I mean, we need to go through all the pomp and circumstance later today but as of about twenty minutes ago…yeah, we're king and queen." Her smile was victorious as she leaned in for another kiss, this time being a bit gentler than the last one. "I love you," I told her.

"I love you too."

Amber

I knocked on the door to Shel's room before entering. Once upon a time, this would have been my bedroom. It had once belonged to my grandmother Amberley when she was queen. I used to find it strange that Mom and Dad never moved into the king and queen suites until Mom said that following my grandparents' deaths it would have been too painful. So they remained vacant for the next king and queen.

"Amber, what are you doing in here? Don't you need to get ready?" Shel asked me from her seat at the vanity.

"My hair and makeup is all done. I just need to put on my dress," I explained, sitting on a settee nearby.

Shel nodded as one of her maids inspected her hair. "You may want to hold your breath, ma'am," she warned, holding a can of hairspray at the ready. I held my breath as she quickly sprayed my sister-in-law's dark tresses.

"I know how you feel," Shel said as the cloud of chemicals dissipated. "I'm waiting until the last possible moment to put mine on so that I don't run the risk of getting milk all over it."

"Then don't look at any of our family members during the ceremony because they'll all be crying."

"Oh, I know. My mom has already been to see me today. Let's just say that I had to change my bra and my robe."

I laughed, thinking about those days to come. The baby woke up as my hand stroked my belly through the satin robe I was wearing. "Shel Augustine Schreave, future Queen of Illéa lactates during coronation. It does make for a good headline." Shel chucked a makeup brush in my direction, biting down on her lip nervously. "You'll be fine," I assured her.

"You'll be watching?" she asked timidly.

"Yup. From my obligatory seat in the front row. Amazing how a normal citizen just magically gets VIP access to the most important event of this century," I teased.

"A normal citizen who just happens to be the eldest daughter of the best king and queen of this country to date. Seriously Amber, what if I can't live up to your mom?"

I shook my head and approached her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders so that we could look at each other through the mirror. "You shouldn't have to worry about living up to my mom. You are your own queen. I mean I wasn't going to do the same stuff as her. You just have to find your niche. Besides, you have a few weeks before you really start working."

"Oh Barkley, holding things up already," Shel sighed, unable to hide the smile she wore automatically whenever talking about her son. She reached up and held my arm that was crossed over her chest, both of our cheeks touching.

"You're so cute! Smile!" one of her maids said, lifting the small camera Shel kept in her room and snapping a picture of the two of us. Over her shoulder I caught a glimpse of Mary steaming the gown, apparently holding back tears. Maybe she was just being sentimental for this day. After all, she had helped my mom the morning of her wedding and coronation. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to prep another queen for her coronation.

I stayed with Shel for the majority of the morning, only leaving for a few minutes to put on my dress and make sure Kile had Sandrine all put together. Luckily Parrah was more than happy to help him, the two of them understanding my desire to spend my morning with Shel. I walked with her downstairs to the narthex of the Great Room. Shay was there all dressed up in his uniform. "Look at all those medals you didn't earn," I joked, brushing his shoulder.

He smiled appreciatively at me but he only had eyes for his wife. It really was like their wedding day all over again. He approached her and took her hands in his. "You look beautiful, Queen Shel."

"You look pretty handsome yourself, King Shalom."

"I'm going to go take my seat," I said, checking the time on my watch. "Don't mess up, okay?" I kissed Shalom's cheek before running inside and taking my seat in the front row between Kile and Win. I looked down the row and waved to Khalil and Annie. She had Barkley clutched safely in her arms, bouncing him slightly. "Where's the fiancé?"

Win rolled her eyes at my suggestive tone. "He had a performance today so he's coming later for the party."

"How did he manage to escape this?"

"Maybe because he's not officially royal yet."

I huffed and crossed my arms. "I'm not royal either. I abdicated!"

"It's not too late. I'm sure no one would notice if we snuck out and left two seats open in the front row," Kile whispered in my ear. I knew he didn't like these things anymore than I did since we had spent our childhoods there in those seats at countless boring functions of state.

"No. We should stay for Shay and Shel."

"Team Shael for the win," Annie called quietly, making us all burst out laughing.

The bell choir in the back started playing the opening chimes for the ceremony then and Mom and Dad walked in from the side, right on cue. Their elbows were linked comfortably and they shared a warm smile as they assumed their positions in front of the audience. I couldn't begin to imagine how bittersweet this moment was for them. They were officially giving up their thrones, thrones they had occupied soundly for over twenty years.

Shalom and Shel entered then, Shel walking a few paces behind Shalom. Everything was timed and rehearsed to the second and it was all being executed perfectly. As Mom placed her crown on to Shel's head Kile reached over and held my hand, assuming that this would be the hardest part for me to watch. I smiled over at him though because I had made my decision and watching my brother become king, I couldn't bring myself to regret it. My daughter was sitting in my love's lap and our baby stirred in my belly. We had found our home in Morocco, helping and caring for people who couldn't afford to help themselves. That was what I was happiest doing, not making all of that happen from a distance.

The crowd rose to their feet as Shel and Shay faced us for the first time as king and queen. In the corner, Mom and Dad shared a long kiss, their first act as people free from the proper constraints being royal put on them. I knew that Silvia was shaking her head somewhere in the back but I also knew that Mom absolutely didn't care. I could only hope to love Kile that much when we were their age.

I looked over at him though and squeezed his hand, knowing that I did not have to worry about that one bit.

Maxon

I walked through our bedroom, sliding my gloves off and sitting on the edge of the bed. America was meandering about the room, wiping her make-up off with a dreamy expression on her face. "What?" she asked when she caught me staring.

I shrugged my shoulders and smirked at her. "Nothing. You're just so beautiful," I complimented easily. Telling her she was beautiful seemed as natural as breathing.

"Please," she snorted as if to prove that she was anything but. "I'm getting more gray hair every day, I have lines all around my face, and my boobs are starting to sag even more than they already did thanks to the five children you wonderfully made me breastfeed."

"You didn't have to breastfeed them!" I called to remind her as she walked into the bathroom to throw her wipe away. I stood and met her halfway back to the bed, placing my hands on her hips and forcing her to turn and face her reflection in the mirror. "Your gray hair is hard earned from years of serving your country well and those lines are on your face from laughing and smiling your way through life. And, well, I loved you when your cup size was much smaller than it is currently so don't get me started on your breasts."

"That's true, I suppose," she whispered, reaching up to hold my forearms. "You've been much kinder to my assets than I ever was. Imagine the scandal if you'd tried to fondle them on our first date."

I laughed out loud. "Please, you hardly fondled me, my love. You're lucky we could have those five kids after the damage you caused."

"Damage?" she repeated. "Maxon Schreave, you cannot possibly fool me now, after twenty years of being your lover, that I did any damage." She pulled herself out of my arms so that she could look at me properly. We just stared at each other for a long time, communicating without having to say anything. "Will you miss it?" she asked me suddenly.

For the last few weeks I had been keeping my emotions concerning Shay's ascension tucked away. I didn't even confide in America because I was scared that if I dwelled on it too long, I would convince myself that I wasn't ready to step down. And maybe part of me wasn't ready but no matter what it was time for Shalom to step up. "No," I told her honestly.

She raised her eyebrows like she didn't believe me. "Really? You're not going to miss the days of working from sun up to well after sun down? You're not going to miss the security briefings, budget meetings, speeches, obligatory public appearances, the crabby advisers?"

I laughed and wrapped my arms tighter around her waist reflexively. "I'm going to miss having the ability to protect my family no matter what. I'll miss seeing you all dressed up in your hand-made dresses in budget meetings and I'll miss hearing you deliver the most eloquent speeches. I'll miss seeing you woo the citizens of this great country every time you so much as step through the front gate. I'll miss seeing you stand up for yourself and our beliefs in front of crabby advisers. And as for the long hours; one thing that will never change is that at the end of the day, no matter what, I'll know that you'll be waiting for me in our bed." I cupped her cheek gingerly, stroking my thumb across her soft lips. "Is it bad that I'm just excited for a vacation?"

"Yeah, maybe we'll finally get to go on that vacation you promised me twenty years ago," she quipped, smiling slyly.

"Hey, I thought you enjoyed our mini vacations."

"I did," she answered, sliding away from me. She walked over to our wall of our pictures and lifted one of the frames and carried it over to the chest at the end of the bed. "Now it's time to pick our next adventure."

I joined her in front of the picture frame and chuckled when I saw it. "I still can't believe you framed this."

She wound an arm around my waist and I held her hand at my hip. "You said you wanted peanut butter finger prints on your desk when you were proposing to me; I'd be damned if I didn't frame the map that your youngest graced with her favorite snack."

"Are you sure it's wise to just pack up and leave so soon after Shay becomes king?"

She snorted. "He's been king for what, three hours and you're already fussing about it? This is exactly why we're leaving. Besides, Shel's maternity leave doesn't end for another couple months so we won't be going anywhere until after that."

"But the rest of the kids…"

America rolled her eyes at my worrying. "Let's see. Amber, who is now married – or in some semblance of a marriage – who is pregnant with her second child and lives in Morocco apart from us anyway surely doesn't need our help. And then next is Khalil who doing just living here, being trained by Aspen to be head of security. He has all of Illea's military and arsenal at his fingers; that can surely protect him better than his mommy or daddy. Win is getting married to that director of her ballet so she has someone else to take care of her. And Annie, well…she is Barkley's godmother. She'll be around to help Shel and to keep the palace from being too peaceful. So to answer your question as to whether or not it's okay for us to leave is: who the hell is going to stop us?" She then took my free hand in hers and held it over the map. "Now close your eyes, take a deep breath, and where ever your hand lands is where we'll go."

I looked into her silver eyes, holding just as much youthful excitement in them as they did twenty-five years prior. I thought back to one of our many mini-vacations that I had taken her on and then closed my eyes, placing my finger down on the cool glass over the map.

"Stop whatever it is that you're doing right now," I said as I walked into our study, Shalom perched on my hip and Amber holding my free hand.

America started as my voice interrupted the peace that our study had been in. She immediately took her hands away from her bump where they had been resting and picked up a folder. She couldn't fool me though; I knew she had been talking to the baby and not actually working. She had only just started showing but already I could tell that something was different about her this time. She was calmer, happier…she seemed to be more at peace with the idea of being the home for a child for nine months. Maybe because it was just one child this time. "What kind of trouble do you have cooked up for me?" she asked, her eyes smiling at me.

"Just a really little, teeny tiny vacation for the afternoon with these two," I said, nodding at the twins. We'd barely had any down time in the last few weeks and they were getting restless. It was time for a break.

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows inquisitively. "We both have early meetings tomorrow morning. Where could we possible be going that we would be getting back in time?"

I smiled and sat Shalom down in her lap. "There's a big game on TV this afternoon that I was hoping to watch."

"Ah, I should have known this would be about football."

"It's not all about football. I want to watch the game with my family; something I have not been able to do yet."

She chewed on her lip, considering. "Will there be nachos?"

"What kind of queso do you want?"

"Chicken wings?"

"Mild or spicy?"

"Strawberry tarts?"

"So many you might cry," I teased, smiling at the memories.

She rolled her eyes and dramatically closed the folder of stuff she had been working on. "Very well, then. Let's go watch this game."

I cheered and swung Amber up on to my shoulders. "Woo hoo! Did you hear that little girl? Mommy is finally taking a break!"

"Oh please," she sighed. She switched off her desk lamp and lifted Shalom into her arms to carry him. "That coming from the man who works well past midnight every night and gets up at seven every day to continue doing work."

"It pays off though," I argued as we walked down to the movie theatre. "Because now I can take my family on vacation for the afternoon." I smiled wickedly at her and held the door to the theatre open for her when we got there. She collapsed on the plush couch and I left the twins with her as I went in search for the remote.

Finally I joined them and had the game playing. "I like these commercials," she said, accepting a glass of water from me. "They're funny this year."

"Nothing satirical with the king and queen?" I asked, referring to the commercial we'd seen the year before with cartoon versions of them promoting a popular sports drink. A maid walked in with a cart full of everything I had asked for from the kitchens, smiling at us graciously before leaving.

"Daddy, how you play football?" Shalom asked quietly, staring up at me.

I laughed, trying to figure out how I could possibly explain such a complicated game to my two-year-old son. He was giving me the doe eyes though and it was nearly impossible to resist. I started explaining the basics in as uncomplicated a way as possible. As I continued talking, my voice got quieter and Shalom got sleepier. Just when his head lulled onto my elbow as he fell asleep, I looked over to see Amber curled up against America in the exact same position as her brother.

America looked at me, her gray eyes piercing. "Your eyes look like chocolate," she whispered after we stared at each other for a while.

I smiled and reached for her hand. "I'm surprised you remember that. You were a tad bit inebriated, love."

"You made me drink all of that alcohol!"

"It was Marlee's idea!" I said, defending myself. "I was all for you going to see Doctor Ashlar."

"Which would have ended fantastically for me. Your dad would have thrown me out along with Paige."

"Nah. I would have smuggled you down to the kitchens."

She laughed and shook her head. "Great. And then I could have served you and Kriss breakfast everyday."

"No. I would have stayed single and spent my evenings sneaking down to the kitchens to see you. We would have been Max and Meredith."

"Meredith?" she repeated, raising her eyebrows. "That would have been my fake name? Please, Maxon, don't name any more of our kids."

"What's so wrong with Meredith?"

She snorted again. "You would have seriously demoted from America to Meredith? Besides, if Max spent every night in the kitchens, Prince Maxon would be falling asleep at his weekly budget meetings."

I shook my head and brushed some of Amber's wild red hair away from her face. "I already do that as it is. The advisers would be suspicious if I managed sitting through one without nodding off."

"Sounds like me at my weekly housekeeping meetings."

I reached my hand out and started rubbing her shoulder. "You should start thinking about maternity leave, love."

"No way!" she refused, sitting up abruptly. The ruckus alerted Amber, the little girl shifting slightly in her sleep. America settled herself back down. "No. I didn't go on maternity leave with Amber and Shay until after my third trimester began. And that was with twins. I'm only eighteen weeks now."

"I was merely suggesting that you start thinking about it, dearest. No matter what, you're still making a baby. Even if it's only one, it is no less a feat."

"Says you, who is impressed with everything I do." She pushed one of her feet between mine, rubbing my ankle lightly with her toes. "I will prove to you that I still possess the youthful vigor of my seventeen-year-old self."

A smile crept onto my face as I could only guess what she was talking about. I played along though. "And how will you do that, my love?"

"Sex," she said, breathing the word into my ear, her voice sending shivers up my spine. "Lots and lots of sex."

"Maybe that maternity leave should start soon," I whispered back. "Maybe we can convince your mom to take the twins for a weekend." As if she had just remembered that our two young children were sleeping in our arms, she sighed and backed away from me. Despite her joking that she still had a lot of energy and was not yet consumed with fatigue from her pregnancy, I could see the circles growing under her eyes. "You're not wearing makeup today," I observed.

She blushed and looked away. "Yeah. I overslept and we didn't have time for it."

"I like you better with no makeup," I said, stroking her cheek.

"I look horrible. Pale, splotchy, the opposite of how a queen should look…"

I shook my head. "No. You look like the America I met in the gardens. The America I fell in love with. And I think that with or without makeup, you are no less extraordinary."

"You're speaking in lyric, my king. You must really want sex," she said, a mischievous glint in her eye. She pulled away from me and leaned her head on the back of the plush seat. "Too bad you hijacked the afternoon for the football game and not for the important matter of caring for your wife."

"Hijacking the afternoon was done with the intention of giving my queen a break," I pointed out. "Anything else is just an extra bonus."

Amber sat up suddenly and rubbed her eyes, taking a moment to look at the bright screen before looking between us. "Play with Uncle Aspen?" she asked me.

I smiled and brushed some of her hair back from her face. "Sure. He's on duty on the third floor; have Officer Avery take you there. You know who he is, right?"

"He outside!" Amber cheered, jumping to her feet with excitement. "Come Shay-Shay!"

Shalom stirred, swatting at her as she eagerly pounded his shoulder. "Noooo…" he groaned.

"Shay, come!" she yelled vehemently, kicking his shin playfully. That woke him up and without another word he was chasing after his big sister.

America raised her eyebrows at me and then snuggled closer, taking the space the kids had been occupying. "And there they go," she whispered.

"With Officer Avery…" I added. "You know what that means?"

"We're alone?"

"We are alone," I confirmed. "Are you worried at all about the caste absorption we announced on the Report Friday?"

She shrugged. "We'll know tomorrow morning when we get the paper. For now I would like to enjoy my time with you." She smiled mischievously and flipped the TV off, deftly climbing into my lap. "I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered, stroking her thighs.

The next morning we woke up and took breakfast on our balcony. The twins weren't awake yet. America joked about how we had to be the only parents in the country who didn't mind waking up before their kids. My butler brought me the paper on our breakfast tray. My hand trembled slightly as I lifted it off the silver tray and inspected the front page. "America, look at this!" I exclaimed, startling her in the middle of her taking a sip from a cup of tea. She walked around the table and propped her head on my shoulder as we both looked at the front page. A smile crept on my face as she read the headline. "The King and Queen We've Been Waiting For: Long Live King Maxon, Long Live Queen America."

Amber

I jolted awake at the sound of something hitting my bedroom door. I groaned and turned to my other side, instinctively reaching for the side of the bed Kile slept on. It was vacant though and I remembered vaguely him mentioning going to the hospital this morning to work. Taking months out of his life as a doctor was starting to make him tick so I didn't protest. I was half asleep at the time anyway.

Just as I was starting to drift back to sleep again, there was another thud on my door. "What in the world…" I growled, getting out of bed and walking to my door. As I opened it, a small tennis ball bounced at my feet. Looking across the hallway I saw my father sitting against his bedroom door, legs stretched out in front of him, tossing the tennis ball at my door. "Two days out of the job and he's already turned into a mad king," I joked, closing my door and sitting against it on the floor.

Dad smiled and caught the tennis ball easily when I tossed it back to him. "Remember when you were little and we did this every Sunday morning with Fitz?"

"It was always one of the highlights of my week," I said, thinking back to those lazy mornings where Shay and Mom were still sleeping and I had precious alone time with my daddy. "It's not the same without a dog," I groaned, catching his toss out of habit.

"Once you and Kile leave I'll look into getting another one. Something will need to keep your mother occupied. Otherwise I'm scared she'll do something like renovate the whole palace."

"Mom and free time are not friends, are they?" I asked, a small smile forming on my lips.

"I'm not sure she knows the definition of free time," Dad answered.

I laughed and picked at a stray piece of fuzz on the tennis ball. "Are you happy Daddy?"

Dad leaned his head back against the door, staring up at the ceiling with a wistful smile on his face. "Happy doesn't come close to describing how I feel right now." Dad looked more relaxed then than I had ever seen him and I couldn't help but smile at that. "I'd be happier with some coffee though," he said suddenly, jumping to his feet and walking down the hallway. He was barefoot and still wearing his flannel pajama pants and cotton shirt, nothing at all similar to what he had to wear around the palace when he was king. He greeted every guard with a wave though and in turn they bowed. Some things not even a coronation could replace.

I watched him pass Kile at the top of the steps. They both greeted each other with a warm handshake and a smile. When Kile approached my room and noticed me sitting on the floor he gave me a curious look. "What are you doing?"

I started laughing then and suddenly I found it difficult to stop. Kile knelt down in front of me and rubbed one of my ankles lightly. He just sat there, waiting for me to stop laughing. Finally my laughs slowed enough for me to get out one sentence. "I'm being a princess."