Chapter 35.

Leila lay ever so still as she woke the next morning before anyone else. She could hear the bird chirping outside and found that it was one sound she had not missed in the palace until now. The fresh spring scent of flowers, the bird chirping in the trees, and the cool mountain air all told her she was home. The excitement of being home woke her early. Silently, she walked around the house her family had built for her. She looked at the detail of the trim on the railing of the staircase and the stones evenly placed to make the fireplace. Her dad must have spent every waking moment since she left working on her new home.

Leila and the children passed the next three days being lazy and lounging around the house. Elena on the other hand was lost with what to do since she was not needed to clean and cook. Elena slowly was adjusting and found Phillip to be quite entertaining as she often joined him on his many walks to the lake. Each time they would leave, Leila caught Nalick smiling.

"Why do you smile like that each time?" Leila asked Nalick.

"It just makes me happy to see they are forming a friendship," Nalick replied, picking up Tim and swinging him around causing him to giggle louder and louder.

"What do you know?" Leila interrogated him. Nalick had told her that he had many talks with Gabor over how, not only his life, but that of everyone he cared for, especially his children, would turn out.

"I can't tell you," Nalick teased. "You don't believe in fate."

Leila pouted and Tim stopped giggling to run to her.

"Daddy, make mommy smile," Tim told Nalick.

Nalick walked over to Leila and nicely sat down next to her, he began to pretend he was going to tell her as he quickly picked her up and began to tickle her. Leila could not help but laugh and Tim joined in trying to tickle her also. When they finally stopped, Leila stared at Nalick; behind the sparkle, he did know something more about Elena and Phillip.

"What would you say to someday having Elena as a daughter-in-law?" Nalick hinted.

"Really? You know that? And what about the children we will have some day?" she asked.

"There's so much I am going to miss, but at least I know what will happen," Nalick explained as Tim began his run of the house.

"It is at least some consolation for the fate I have been dealt." Leila rested her head on his chest. It was hard to be so convinced of fate as Nalick had been to believe that everything would be okay.

"What if Anatolio decides that he doesn't want to wait ten years and finds someone else?" Leila asked without looking up at him as he stared at the top of her head.

"He won't," Nalick replied looking into the woods.

"But how can you be so sure?" Leila asked. Nalick was still staring ahead as she tried to catch his attention. "He has been avoiding me now for days. He didn't even want to come to our wedding. In fact I can't remember the last time he even came within two feet of me."

"He loves you as much as I do. He's not going anywhere. He will wait. He promised me that he would wait for you and when the day comes, he will step up and take care of everybody," Nalick explained finally looking down at her. "It was the deal we made years ago and every day I see in his face that there is no way he would ever break that deal."

I hope so, she thought dreading that Nalick's fate would someday be reality quicker than either of them wanted it to be. Nalick gently stroked her head taking in the complete serenity around them. This was the life he had always wished for. No nobles or lawmen asking for decisions or neighboring kings and armies to deal with, just his wife and their children enjoying the spring in the mountains. Even though Nalick only had ten years with the beautiful woman in his arms, he was content and always would be.

"Two more days until the wedding," Leila said, changing the subject. "I have been half tempted to have you cleaned until you sparkle as revenge, but around here it doesn't matter as much. Besides, I don't think you could keep spotless on the walk to the church."

"That wasn't my policy," Nalick said, defending himself. "I have always liked you just the way you are. That was all Mauves doing." Leila pulled her head up from his chest and nodded sarcastically.

That night after the children were tucked in bed and fast asleep, Leila returned downstairs to find Nalick sitting on the hill outside their back door. Leila walked over and sat down beside him. It was chilly outside as it was every spring. The days were warm and the flowers in bloom but after the sun set, there was the nice cool reminder that it was not yet summer. Nalick wrapped his arms around her as he looked into the sky.

"You once told me these are the same stars we see in Lexia. Are you sure? They seem so much brighter here and there are so many more," Nalick said, breaking the silence.

"You see right over there?" Leila pointed to the left. "Those three stars. If you sit on the balcony at home and look straight up into the sky, you see them." Leila rested against him. Her heart began to race feeling him so close, but then thoughts of their short future began to muddle her happy feelings.

"Tell me what our life together will be like," she said with a childlike innocence. The sadness was building within her again. Leila needed Nalick to rescue her from the part of her new life she now dreaded.

"We will be happier than any person in the whole world," Nalick began.

"In a year, we will have out first son. He will luckily have your brains and beauty along with my strength. He will have your kindness and your eyes so that everyone in Lior will not fear him as they do me. He will learn the most from you and everyone will again praise my choice in asking you to marry me. But don't worry. After him we will have a daughter who unfortunately will have many of my characteristics." Leila smiled and patted his hand in sympathy.

"We will come here to the mountains at least twice a year so that our children will grow up knowing what it is like to be free from the palace. Through our lives we will continue to travel and yet still find time to be home doing everything we love. You will even help Roger from time to time as his couriers just cannot match up to your skill. The only courier that will ever come close will be Tim. Years from now, he will gladly watch over the safety of our family." Leila again nodded and rested against Nalick as he talked. His picture of the future easily calmed her sadness. "We will be happy every single moment. Our life together was always meant to be. I promise you will never regret the decision you made to stay in Lexia." Nalick wanted to hold her against him like that forever.

Leila huddled close to him in the cold as the breeze blew up from the lake. Leila closed her eyes. It felt like the first time she brought him home when he sat with her looking at the stars near Roger's base. He was so cautious and timid around her, afraid she would disappear. Leila could still sense a part of him feared losing her, but now it was for a completely different reason.

"I don't want this moment to end," Leila complained. Nalick pulled her closer and rested his head on hers. Gently he stroked her hair as he too remembered their first trip. Leila held back tears.

"You don't need to worry," he said quietly. "I promise at least a hundred more of these moments to you."

Leila reached up and gently touched his cheek. There would be many more moments together, but they were limited. As they sat there longer, both knew that they needed to go to bed. Slowly, Leila stood, and Nalick followed her to bed.

It felt like she had just fallen asleep when Leila noticed a small hand tapping hers. Leila cautiously opened her eyes to find she was face to face with Ruth. Leila could only slightly make out from the curtains that the sun had just begun to rise, and it was indeed morning.

"How about you rest a little longer?" Leila whispered lifting the covers.

"No, play," Ruth demanded loudly. Leila felt Nalick sit up.

"I'll take her," he said quietly. "You get more rest."

After sleeping less than an hour, she was not comfortable in Nalick's absence. Quietly, she walked into the living room and found Nalick in a chair with Ruth in his right arm fast asleep. Nalick was sitting and watching the sun as it hit the water on the lake below and did not notice Leila approaching.

"How long has she been asleep?" Leila whispered.

"Almost as soon as we got out here," he replied pulling her onto the left side of his lap. Leila curled up in his open arm and rested her head on his shoulder closing her eyes. Nalick smiled and kissed her forehead. Within moments Nalick had a sleeping girl on each side of his lap. For once in his life, he realized how lucky he was to have found such complete happiness.

Down below their home on one of the older trails, Roger and Anatolio approached Leila's family home. Roger stopped within viewing distance of the home, yet still hidden by the trees. Anatolio pulled his horse next to Roger and looked through the picture windows into the home.

"Someday, they will be yours," Roger commented.

Anatolio nodded as he watched Leila sleep. She seemed like an angel as her eyes lightly fluttered. She felt safe and protected in Nalick's arms. Roger and Anatolio sat for some time just watching. Nalick was a great man in Anatolio's eyes, and a great husband and father as well. Anatolio inadvertently smiled as he looked again at Leila. He had spent the past days with Roger being taught more tricks and how to better care for Leila as she was bound to get into more trouble over the years. But they also spent a large amount of time talking. The only person who he really trusted for advice was Nikias, but on the subject of Leila, he could not talk about. Roger had listened and advised him as best he could.

"Will she ever trust me like that?" Anatolio asked quietly.

"She already does," Roger replied. "I can see it in her eyes when she looks at you. Somewhere inside of her, she loves you. She might not understand those feelings, yet, but give her time."

"What about Nalick?" Anatolio asked. "Won't he be hurt once she figures this out?"

"Not in the least. We already talked about this," Roger explained.

"You asked Nalick about Leila falling in love with me?" Anatolio asked in shock. He would never be so brash with his king or the topic of another man's wife.

"Yes and why not? I wanted to know where he stood on it. And actually, he hopes that one day he can see you both fall in love. Then at least he can be reassured that when he dies, things will be all right," Roger added. Anatolio stared now at Nalick and not Leila. Again, Anatolio was impressed and wondered if he would ever be good enough to replace Nalick.

"He's leaving you not only Leila, but also his family. I hope you are up for the task."

Chapter 36.

The next day, Leila was left alone as she got ready for her second wedding. Elena had dressed the children, who were busy helping their grandparents with the decorations. A large tent had been set up near the lake by her brothers and chairs for all the guests were set. All the women were busy helping Kay prepare food for everyone. Leila's mother and father watched all their grandchildren as they each tried to help as much as possible. Before Leila got dressed, she quietly slipped through all the chaos to see the wedding tent before the guests arrived. Leila silently walked down the middle aisle and stopped every now and then to touch a ribbon or smell a flower. She had gone through with one wedding already, but she remembered very little as she was exhausted from the week leading up to it. Leila seriously tried to take in every little piece she saw and commit it to memory. She turned quickly as someone coughed in the back of the tent.

"Not getting ready yet?" a familiar voice asked. Leila smiled at Roger quickly hurrying to hug him.

"It's not for a few hours," she replied.

"Your mother figured you had run off again and since Nalick couldn't come look for you, I figure I should," Roger explained. "Anatolio is worried about you."

"I'm fine, just a little sad," Leila replied, knowing it was no use lying to him.

"This is your wedding day. You can't be sad. You should be happy," Roger explained. Leila nodded but did not smile.

"Come on kid, I'll walk you back to the house. Your mother left your dress for you on your bed." Roger put his arm around her and began to walk her back up to the house. "Ten years is a long time. There is no need to worry now about it. Just think, it hasn't even been ten years since you chased Erich home, and yet, it feels like a lifetime has passed."

As they neared the house, Leila quickly hugged him again before opening the door. It felt like she had known Roger forever; however, it had only been eight years. He was right that ten years would be a long time. Roger waved as she shut the door and went to her room. Lying on the bed was a long off-white dress that had been sewn by her mother. Leila smiled picking up the delicately made dress.

Slowly, Leila slipped into her wedding dress. She could remember when she was ten and her oldest brother got married. She complained for hours that her mother was making her wear a dress, but as soon as she put it on it all changed. Leila spent hours twirling in the dress watching the hem swirl around her. As Leila slipped into the dress her mother made, she again could feel the magic of it. It lifted her spirits as she looked at every detail her mother had included. Leila noticed the small purple flowers on the hem. This was her real wedding.

Leila was ready long before the guests started to arrive. She sat and tried her best to occupy herself with anything she could find but her thoughts continued to drift back to Nalick and what her life would be like without him. As she continued to wait, she climbed upstairs into the room Ruth had been sleeping in. She could see every detail of her old room was completely mimicked even down to where the windows were. Leila walked to the nearest window and slowly felt the lace on the curtains. They were the original curtains from her room, just freshly washed. While sitting on the bed, Leila stared at the pattern the quilt pieces made. As she lay on the bed and felt lost as to why she could not be happy on her wedding day, she wished she could see Erich if even for just a moment just to be reassured she was making the correct choice.

Leila was interrupted from her thoughts as she heard Anatolio calling her name. She stood and walked to the staircase. As she took one step, she stopped as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. I can't do this, she thought. If I marry him, then I agree to let him die. The tears continued to trickle. She had finally found love again, only to find it was temporary. Ten years is not enough time. I can't do this again. I can't lose my love. Leila leaned against the wall searching in her mind for alternatives.

At the bottom of the stairwell Anatolio stood watching her. Tears flowed freely down her face. Slowly he approached her and stopped on the step below her so that he stood eye to eye with her.

"I can't do this," she said to him barely even a whisper. "By marrying him, I sign his death warrant."

"This was never your choice," Anatolio explained.

Leila began to cry more. "How could he do this to me? I don't want to be alone again." She began crying harder. "If I just stay here," she started, but she stopped as Anatolio gently took her face in his hands. Ever so gently, he leaned close to her face. His lips gently touched hers.

"You will never be alone again," Anatolio promised, staring into her eyes while wrapping his arms around her. Anatolio could not contain the love her already felt for her and held onto her tightly. "I will always be there for you."

Leila looked deep into his eyes. The boy she normally saw back was gone. In his place stood a man. For the first time, Leila could see him for who he was. With his tight grip around her, Leila realized Anatolio was right. He had not left her alone since the day she first entered Lexia. Anatolio gently wiped her tears away as he regretfully let go. She had stopped crying, and he could see the change in her eyes.

"We need to get you to your wedding before you are late, my queen," Anatolio said while adding a bow.

"Nalick would understand if I told him I got lost on the way," she joked as he smiled and took her hand to lead her down the stairs and outside. Her hand fit perfectly in his.

Anatolio and Leila walked in silence to the tent by the lake that was filled with her family and friends. As she neared the open doorway, Anatolio stopped. Leila turned to him, and he smiled as Ruth ran to greet her. Ruth handed Leila flowers as Anatolio quietly slipped into the tent before she could protest. Ruth led the way between the seated guests. Her parents proudly watched her walk their way. Leila smiled as Anatolio moved and stood beside Nalick. Leila stopped near the front of the tent, and Nalick turned to greet her at Anatolio's prompting. Leila slowly moved near Nalick and as he took her hands in his she gazed intently up at him. She could see no fear or regret in his eyes- just complete happiness. Leila knew then that even though her life was not going to be exactly how she wished, she was certain as everyone had promised, she would be happy.

Epilogue.

A week and ten years after their wedding in the North Country, Nalick woke early for his trip with Phillip to Dria. They had been planning the trip for months and Phillip was eager to leave the palace for some peace and quiet after the birth of his first son. Nalick carefully checked his desk before having breakfast. The letter he had written Leila was still there waiting. Everything was in order to transfer power to Leila for the next five years until Connor reached his fourteenth birthday and could claim the throne. Sadly, Nalick ate before walking upstairs to say goodbye to his sleeping children.

The first door he opened had an unmade empty bed in it as Nalick had expected. Tim was always up before everyone else training as hard as he could so that Leila would allow him to take easy runs from Roger's courier station. The next room was that of Connor, the heir to the throne of Lior. Connor was nestled between his covers quietly sleeping. Nalick sat beside him and watched his eye lids flicker. To an outside observer, they would see Connor as Nalick's child, but beyond his head of dark hair, there was little resemblance. Every day Nalick could see more and more Connor was growing into the person Gabor had promised to Nalick before he was even born. Nalick had no reservations leaving his country to him knowing Connor would live up to every expectation. Nalick kissed him before checking on each of his other children: Isabella, Jeffrey, Nathanial, and Ava. Except for the youngest, they all had his dark hair and tan skin, though they all displayed a mixture of his and Leila's personalities.

Somberly, Nalick returned downstairs to Leila still in bed asleep. She had asked him to wake her before he left, but he just could not do so. If he did, Leila would be able to read his eyes and know what was going to happen. He sat for over an hour watching her sleep. Every now and then Nalick would gently stroke her face or hair, trying to will himself to stand and leave her for one last time. Gently he touched her stomach knowing she was pregnant with the one child he would never meet. Nalick wiped the tears from his eyes as he again tried to stand.

"Goodbye my love," Nalick said silently to Leila and his unborn child. Gently he kissed her forehead before he forced himself to stand. He was not afraid of dying and had accepted his fate the day he first saw her, but it was difficult to give her one last goodbye. Leila was everything he could have ever hoped for in life. He could have never found someone as bright, loving, and caring as she was. Even after he was gone, she would still be the bright light that their children depended on. Leila was the best wife and mother, and Nalick was proud to have married her.

"You will never be alone," he added, slowly walking away.

As he stopped at the door to their wing of the palace, Nalick gave one last look around. It had been his home his entire life, but it never really felt like a home until he had found Leila. The quietness around him was in stark contrast to the normal chaos of six children, aged from three to fifteen, running around. Nalick sighed as he could hear Phillip down the hallway. Nalick quietly closed the doors, hoping that in future years his children would still remember him. Hastily, Nalick tried to be more cheerful, so that Phillip would not notice.

Leila woke from her sleep to find Nalick had already left. Leisurely she sat and yawned. Leila had asked him to wake her before leaving but again he forgot. Leila slowly stood and wrapped her robe around herself walking to the kitchen to get a cup of tea. It would still be an hour or two before any of the children beyond Tim would be awake. Unlike her normal morning which she spent in the garden, for some reason Leila felt like sitting on the balcony. Leila stood by the rail and looked down below at Nalick and Phillip checking the cart filled with their supplies for their trip. Phillip noticed his mom and eagerly waved to her. Leila waited for Nalick to turn to her also, but he did not.

Leila's hands began to shake, and she set her tea down on the seat. She knew what this meant. She had been waiting since their anniversary the week before. Leila continued to watch, but he did not look up. Leila was so caught in the thoughts racing through her mind she didn't hear Tim and Anatolio approaching from inside their home. Tim joined his mom and watched his dad below.

"He's not coming back," Tim said the same thought running wild in Leila's mind.

"No," she replied quietly. "He's not."

Anatolio moved to Leila's right while Tim stood on her left. Anatolio placed his arm around her hip, and Tim placed his around her shoulder. The two men supported Leila while she was doing her best not to break down. Below as the cart moved to the gate, Nalick turned and glanced one last time at his home and wife. Above Leila stood with Tim on one side and Anatolio on the other. Nalick was sad to see her one last time, but happy to see she was not alone. His plan had worked; he had made sure of it. Leila would never be alone again. Nalick had seen the future, and in time she would be happy with Anatolio. Nalick did not regret his choice, to stand beside her.

Acknowledgements: As with any work of fiction, there are many people to thank along the way.

First off- to you the reader. Thank you for taking the time to read this story. I have been writing as long as I can remember, but you are the first to actually read my works. If you liked it please leave a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, your own blog, my blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. The greatest help you can provide to keep a writer going is supporting them through spreading the word about their books and leaving them with a few encouraging words.

Secondly, and not any less important, I'd like to thank my husband who has pushed me to finally let other people read my works. This novel was written over five years ago; while he was at work on Saturday mornings, I was at home with nothing to do but write (we only had one car at the time). So I set out to see if I could write a novel. Five weeks and 180,000 words later, I had done it. Thanks to his encouragement, I have continuously edited to make it to the point I am at today and finally have the courage to publish it. Thanks hubby for all the encouragement and nudging along the way.

Third on my list are my finishing touch people- cover artist, beta readers, and editors that have made my novel a better read for all that followed. A special thanks to my editors Morissa Schwartz, David Calver, and Eric Boler. Thank you for all your help making the story better and catching all those oops moments. Thank you Wicked Cover Designs for a wonderful cover and making this process feel so much more real.

Last is my family and kids that take time to let mommy write and edit as an ongoing hobby that has now resulted in a published book. Thanks to my mom and dad, my husband, and my kiddos AK and KB.

Coming Soon Febuary 2012- a new series by B. Kristin McMichael The Legend of the Blue Eyes

ONE.

"Auntie, I'm leaving now," Arianna Grace called into the busy diner kitchen from the stairwell. Her dark blond ponytail bobbed up and down as she jumped back onto the next step to avoid a passing worker. The short, black-haired woman in the middle of the mob of people, dirty pans, and food only nodded. To avoid the early dinner crowd Arianna hurried out the back door of the diner into the alley. It was Friday; the one day of the week Arianna did not help with the diner run by her guardians, Aunt Lilly and Uncle Dean.