Be My Princess

The melodious cadence of the lullaby was in perfect synchronisation with the slow rotation of the carousel hanging above the crib.

The four-month-old baby boy whose traits were more and more taking after those of his father was battling sleep, stretching his tiny arms in an attempt to catch the now brought together teardrop medallion of the pendant hooked on one the toy okapis, as it went along the motion of the carousel.

Kat smiled with endearment. Sure their little prince would grow to resemble his father both physically and in character…

Two arms came to wrap around her waist and her smile widened when she felt a chin rest on her shoulder.

"Is he still not sleeping?" Angel asked.

"No. Our strong-minded Isaac is fencing with sleep because he has set his heart on catching the medallion today."

Angel chuckled. "Stubborn like his mother…"

Kat looked at her husband. "Like his mother? Really?"

Angel tilted his head to meet her eyes. "Who did not just accept to be betrothed to the crown prince and dragged us into a tedious dating period instead?"

Kat let out a sound of disbelief, but when she wanted to argue, Angel placed a finger on her lips and pointed at the crib with his eyes.

"He has fallen asleep…" he whispered.

For a moment, the parents looked at their sleeping child, and their hearts swelled up with a strong love for the little being they had brought into the world they had never experienced before. New at parenthood, both Angel and Kat still had a hard time leaving their child behind in order to fulfil their princely duties; so it was with great reluctance that they left their sleeping son at the care of the royal child-minder and walked out of the baby's room.

Once outside, they immediately spotted Peter waiting for them in the sitting area. The schedule of the day was calling for both the crown prince and his consort.

"What are we starting with, Pete?" Angel asked his guard when they had reached the bottom of the stairs.

Peter bowed then held up a paper. "As per the schedule Nswann-Mulap Chang has given me, we will start at the Ruund Federation of Athletics where Miss Natacha Irung is to receive a Medal of Merits from the crown prince and the crown princess." He started.

Natacha Irung was the first uRuund athlete to ever bring a gold medal at the Olympic Games back home. For that, the entire kingdom was overjoyed, and the Throne had decided to award the kingdom's 'Warrior Princess' with the highest prize a common uRuund citizen could receive.

"After the award ceremony, Your Highnesses are expected to attend the reception that has been organised at Musumb Art Gallery for the inauguration of the exhibition of Crown Princess Kat's artwork." The guard added.

"Thank you, Pete," Angel replied. "We will get ready and come down in an hour."

The guard bowed then walked out under the pensive gaze of the crown prince.

"What is it?" Kat asked.

"I think I now understand why my grandfather did what he did…" Angel said. "When I look at Peter's unwavering loyalty; how he always steps up to offer me his help even when I don't ask for it, I realise that he is truly the one man in all of Ruund that I can call a friend…"

"I understand your point of view," Kat replied. "Peter did help your case a lot during the Courtship Program… and, most of the time, against your will." She teased.

Angel chuckled. "He sure did…"

Angel looked at his wife and smiled. "It's an idea…"

"You seriously envisage making our children or grandchildren face the same trouble we went through because of a royal oath?"

"Given how well it has worked out for us, I will hardly call it trouble." Angel teased.

Kat couldn't help but smile. Things did work out well for them.

"You have a point there. But nothing guarantees that we will have the exact same outcome in the case of our descendants. If you really want to show your appreciation that way, let's leave it to God's will then.

"Let's wait and see what the children – both ours and Peter's – will grow to become; then when the appropriate time comes 'and' we find compatibility, we will choose either a maiden for our son or a suitor for our daughter among Peter's progeny." Kat counter-proposed.

Angel grabbed her waist and brought her closer to him. With his other hand, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifted it.

"I like that idea, my dear consort." He said as he slowly leaned. "Especially when you talk about us having also a princess…"

A gasp of surprise caused the couple to look in the direction of the balcony before Angel could reach her lips. Done with their tasks of preparing the princely couple's outfits, the handmaidens were rather dumbstruck at the unexpected intimate scene they witnessed as soon as they walked out of the bedroom.

More than a year had passed since their wedding, yet the maids were still not accustomed to the princely couple's spontaneous – so, by all means, unpredictable – demonstrations of affection.

Kat smiled and looked back at Angel. "We should go get ready."

It was obvious that Angel did not want to let her go; and even more obvious how reluctantly he released her from his embrace after placing a quick peck on her lips. As Kat took the stairs, he followed suit, and, with a smile holding a hint of nostalgia, he recalled of how great had been those two weeks during which it had been none other than the two of them in the villa overlooking the ocean that they had rented for their honeymoon on one of the islands of a tropical archipelago…