The Monarch | ✓

Epilogue

"Queen," Isabelle offered in greeting. She had been waiting at the entrance to the Guard Den as soon as she saw Malia exiting the castle.

"Commander," Malia replied.

Malia shifted her hat downward, to see clearly against the bright sun. Victor was giving the new Guardians their orientation after Isabelle's introduction. Malia had welcomed them to the castle and the forces before they had begun. During her brief speech, her eyes had fallen on two of the Guardians, unlike the others. She had turned to Isabelle to see a grin that stretched across her face.

"Do you think they'll make it through training?" Malia asked, referring to the two new recruits from earlier.

"They wouldn't be here if they didn't think they could," Isabelle said. Malia nodded her head, hopeful.

"What are their names?"

"Jocelyn and Rowan."

"Do you know them well?"

"Not well," Isabelle answered, honestly. "But their older brother is a Guardian, and he's quite taken with his job. I think he may have inspired them."

"Who's their brother?" Malia asked. Maybe she had known him. 

She had gotten to know many of the Guardians during her frequent visits into the kingdom. She had especially taken time to visit the injured Guardians in their homes. She still stopped by the school, offering her help with books and supplies. She had ordered the placement of windows the week before. Their learning schedule would no longer be dependent on the weather.

"Oliver," Isabelle replied, nonchalant. 

Isabelle had known about the friendship that had grown between them since Oliver had first returned from the border. With Isabelle as Commander and Victor at her side, Oliver had been her source for Guardian questions. He'd even continued in her combat training.

She had been a quick study under his tutlege. They had even been planning to challenge Isabelle to a sparring match when Malia was finished her training. A friendly competition between Kaurtyn's most powerful women.

Malia smiled.

Victor turned, noticing them both and waved his hand to Malia. She waved back, urging him to continue on with the training. 

Seeing one of the new Guardians struggling with their stance, Isabelle put a hand on Malia's shoulder in parting, as she joined the group again. 

Malia turned back inside. By habit, she still stopped by the study each time she passed. She set her hat on the chair as walked through. She noticed the empty shelf spaces and resolved to visit the Advisory.  

When she opened the large doors to the room she had once dreaded, it echoed through the expansive space. She strode inside. 

The books from the empty shelf lay scattered around the large table that had once belonged to The Council. Now, there sat three chairs. One for the Advisor, and two for his guest associates or Counsellors called for consulting. She had been making an effort to fill those chairs with different experts from the kingdom. She wanted both the knowledge and the problems of the kingdom to be shared with her. 

She had already planned Subject gatherings in the auditorium. A way for anyone in kingdom to be involved in discussion and hear proclaimations first hand. 

She had even invited guests from Phelmor the week before. Tobias had suggested building a bridge to Phelmorians, offering help when needed. He led the charge himself, visiting the people of the kingdom, with a separate group of Guardians dedicated to the cause. The Counsellors had taken part too, volunteering their services to struggling homes. 

The figure in the chair put his pen down and leaned back in his chair as he watched Malia approach the throne in her cloak. 

She had made one compromise at Elena's request. While she still abhorred dresses, Elena had attached a train to an old royal jacket. Her father's attire for venturing out with the Guardians, not unlike the Guardian uniform itself. It even had a hold for her sword. Her father's sword she had first used in combat. 

The train flowed just behind her ankle. 

She took her seat and faced the three seats. Only one was occupied. 

Elias grinned opposite her. 

He wouldn't leave any of his new research or thoughts away. He always spoke his mind and she reveled in their discussions and debates that carried on late into the evenings. 

On the days Isabelle and Victor were able to tear them away from their seats, the four of them ate in the dining hall. Elena and Tobias joined them on occasion. Another empty room she no longer avoided. Now, it was a place where her family gathered. 

She opened the book that had lay beside her from the previous day's proceedings. It wasn't one she had lifted from the bookshelves in the study, but the one where she recorded her own thoughts and ideas. 

The ones she hoped to realize with Elias. 

"Let's begin," Malia said.