Michael stepped back and put his arm around Katherine’s waist. She waited for the cheers to die down, then spoke up. “There is one more who deserves recognition.” The people looked at each other and around the room. “Eli, will you come forward, please?”
The old man walked through the crowd with tears of pride welling up in his eyes. He knelt at the feet of the King and Queen. His bowed gray head almost seemed to shine in the shimmering sunlight. The room was absolutely silent, taking in the reverence of the moment.
Katherine stepped forward and handed the baby to Michael. He smiled and stepped back. Her eyes turned to look at the man who had been like a father to her all of her life. “Eli, please rise.”
He stood.
Tears obstructed her voice as she continued to speak, “My dear, dear friend. You’ve been like a father to me. You’ve taught by example what it means to lead. You put up with all my childhood antics, forgave all my mistakes, and tended to my wounded pride more often than not.” Snickers from the crowd.
“But do you know what you have done that meant more than anything else?”
“No, I do not, Your Majesty,” he said with surprise.
“You led the way for the people when I returned. It was you who first believed in God. Your example has opened the door for all the people you see before you.” She swept her hand across the room. There were many tears and quiet nods of agreement everywhere she looked.
“I’m nothing but a foolish old man, Katherine.”
She looked into his eyes with pure love in her voice. “A foolish old man who was willing to admit his foolishness and give it to God.”
The crowd clapped and cheered. Joyful celebration filled the room. God was not someone who lived far away and only accepted their sacrifices to hear prayer. He was here, in the joy and happiness of this day and this moment. God was in this man who, by his own example, gave up what he knew to follow something different.
“I am honored by your words, Your Majesty.”
Katherine drew her sword and held it in front of her. Hands on the hilt. Blade pointed toward the ground. It shone with God’s presence as she held it. The light made her face shine like the sun. Her smile lit up the room and made the light grow. “You deserve great honor for what you have done. Eli, you are truly a hero of Adven.”
With those words, she knelt on the ground. Every person in the room followed her example, even Michael with Sophia in his arms. Eli shook his shaggy head and raised Katherine to her feet.
“I am not worthy of such honor. Only God is.”
Michael stepped forward. After Katherine sheathed her sword, he passed Sophia to her. Then he turned to Eli. “You have spoken wisely, my friend. Give honor to whom honor is due. We wish to give you the greatest honor we can.” Katherine stepped forward again and placed Sophia in Eli’s arms.
She said, “We wish to dedicate our daughter to God today. We wish that you would be her teacher in all of His ways. Train her in the knowledge of who He is and what He stands for. Lead her to know Him as we do. Will you do this for us?”
Eli stood silently sobbing for a moment, overwhelmed by the King and Queen’s trust in Him. “I will,” he said when he’d regained composure.
Michael nodded and then spoke. “We are grateful that you have accepted this charge. Know that we trust you implicitly. Your advice has helped us on many occasions. It is for this reason that I ask you to be my chief advisor. You, along with Adam and Edwin, will help Katherine and I in all of our decision making.”
“I will do this also if that is what my king wishes.”
Michael then turned to the people. “What you have seen this day has been a moment in the history of Adven. Know that we will never be the same! It is my wish to build a church where we may worship the One True God. As more of Adven comes to know God, we will build other churches. Let it be proclaimed that Adven will become a nation that follows God! That is the desire of both Queen Katherine and I. We pray that the kingdom has peace and prosperity for many years, so that we all may learn and grow together. Praise God for His goodness!”
The people cheered once more and celebrated even more than they had before. The children laughed and chased each other around the room, under tables and around chairs. People danced and sang, praising God with their voices. Many simply cried, completely overwhelmed. A new dawn had come for Adven, and the darkness was being chased away even as Michael had spoke. Just like the love in Katherine’s heart lit up her sword, the joy in the people of Adven lit up the room.
“And now,” Katherine said with a laugh, “let the feast begin!”
The people flocked to the table, and the cooks began to bring in all the food that had been prepared. Sophia had been placed in her cradle and slept soundly, worn out already from all the excitement of the day. Michael placed his arms around his wife’s waist and pulled her close.
“Is it as you wanted? Adven will know God. The kingdom is at peace. Truly God is great.”
“Yes, He is,” Katherine said as she turned to kiss her husband.
The End
Epilogue
The crash of thunder obscured the creak of the door as it swept open cautiously. Soft pattering of little feet on the stone floor was further hidden by the downpour of rain outside the castle. Katherine felt a soft, yet insistent pat on her shoulder, attempting to pull her from her dreams. As she rolled over, another flash of lightning illuminated two sets of frightened eyes staring back at her.
“Can we sleep with you for a little bit, Mommy?” Sophia’s voice was a whisper, as if she was still trying not to wake anyone. “Solomon got scared of the storm.”
The queen smiled. “I take it you weren’t scared?”
A mass of bedhead hair swept back and forth in an emphatic no, which was then suddenly disrupted by a violent thunder crash. Solomon squeaked and jumped into Katherine’s arms, with his sister scrambling up behind him.
It was this final eruption of noise that brought Michael into the waking world. “Katherine?” he mumbled sleepily, as he struggled to rub the sleep from his eyes. When he took in his wife struggling to comfort two frightened children, he became instantly more alert. “What happened? Is everything all right?”
“Shh,” she softly scolded, “it’s just a storm. Nothing to get worked up about.”
He relaxed and opened his arms to embrace Sophia, who had snuggled closer to him the moment he’d awoken. She buried her face in his chest and burrowed deeper into the blankets. For a moment, the four of them simply listened to the rain pounding down outside and enjoyed the warmth of each other.
“Story?” Solomon lifted his eyes expectantly to Katherine. He still seemed so small for his age, snuggled here against her. But behind those eyes was an intelligence that she recognized. “Story?” he repeated, patting her hand to regain her attention.
“I’m sure your Father would love to tell you a story,” she said with a smile and a glance his direction. Sophia pulled away from Michael’s embrace enough to clap her own excitement. He tussled her already messy hair and laughed.
“Well, once upon a time…there was a beautiful princess.”
“Sophia!” Solomon said excitedly, pointing at his sister.
Michael chuckled, “No, not Sophia. This story happened before you or your sister were born.”
Sophia scrunched her face together in a puzzled expression, like she was trying to remember a time before she was born. Solomon merely nodded, although Katherine wasn’t sure if he completely understood.
But Michael continued his story anyway, catching their attention once again as he started speaking. “This beautiful princess lived in a castle and had all the servants and clothes and horses she could ever want.”
“Like me!” Sophia said excitedly.
“Yes, my dear,” Michael replied, “just like you. But those things didn’t make her happy.”
“They didn’t?” Sophia said, the puzzled expression returning.
“No,” he said solemnl
y. “Because she was all alone.”
“Alone?” Solomon said sadly.
“Where were her mommy and daddy?” Sophia said in a tone of accusation. Katherine smiled at her ferocity.
“They were gone,” Michael said.
“Bye-bye?” Solomon said with a little wave of his hand. His mother pulled him a little closer to her and nodded in response. Sophia looked from mother to father before snuggling into her father’s chest once more.
“This is a sad story, Daddy! Make it a happy story!” The little girl looked up into her father’s face as big crocodile tears dripped down her cheeks. A softer clap of thunder sounded in the background as if to punctuate her words.
“Oh, but this is a happy story, Sophia!” Michael assured her. “Because the princess only thought she was alone. Yes, her mommy and daddy were gone; but she still had someone who loved her very much.”
“Brother!” Solomon yelled excitedly, while pointing frantically at himself.
Katherine laughed at his enthusiasm. “No, not her brother, little man. Just listen and let Daddy tell the story.” Solomon nodded and returned his gaze to his father expectantly.
“The princess had met someone very special who loved her more than she loved herself. Someone who lived right here,” he said as he gently put his hand over Sophia’s heart. “Someone who was always with her, so she would never be alone.”
Both children looked up at him, waiting for the big revelation of who this person who lived in hearts was. Katherine smiled and met Michael’s gaze as he continued. “It was the One True God the same one we pray to every night and every morning.”
“Pray,” Solomon agreed, pressing his hands together in imitation.
“Yes, Solomon!” Michael pressed on with excitement filling his voice. “This same God who loved the princess more than anything; he loves us too. That’s why we pray to him.”
“What happened to the princess, Daddy?”
“Well, God knew that the princess was still lonely, even though he loved her so very much.” A glance to his wife and a sideways smile. “So, he brought her a friend. Someone who would be with her, so she never had to feel alone again.”
“A prince?” Sophia asked, bouncing up and down on the bed. Michael nodded, grin never leaving his face. Katherine merely beamed at her husband. “Did she marry the prince, Daddy? Were they in loooove?” She dramatically drew out the final word in a sing song voice, making Katherine laugh out loud.
“Yes, she did, my little princess!” Michael replied, tickling her until she collapsed on the bed in a fit of giggles. Solomon giggled along as well, which encouraged his sister to attempt her own tickle attack. Soon all four were engaged in a tickle war that lasted several minutes as the rain outside the window dissipated to a light drizzle and then to nothing at all. The moon finally came out from behind the clouds and illuminated the happy family in soft moonlight.
And then there was silence as the two children finally succumbed to the sleep they had been evading, snuggled in bed with their parents, safe and sound from the now finished storm. For a long time, neither King nor Queen spoke, simply enjoying this moment with their children.
“You never finished the story,” Katherine whispered as her heavy eyelids began to close.
“Hmm?” Michael murmured in response, turning his head to face his wife. “What did I forget?”
“Did they live happily ever after?” came the sleepy reply.
“Of course, they did,” Michael said, shifting slightly to move closer to her. “They lived happily ever after.” Gently, he pressed a kiss to her forehead as they drifted off to sleep.
What’s Next?
Continue the story with the next book in the Adven Trilogy: A Hope for Joy, available now on Amazon Kindle & Paperback!
Leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads! Your reviews help other readers find new books to enjoy.
Follow me on Facebook (@Kathleen.Bird.Author) and Instagram (@birdsthewords) for news, updates, reading recommendations and more!
To Love in Peace: 10th Anniversary Edition Page 18