Page 44 of The Princess and Her Mercenary

Epilogue

5 Years Later

Awave hurtled up the sand, wetting everything in its path and touching the tips of the Ndari's feet. She was stretched out on the beach, leaning back on her elbows and gazing at the beautiful sparkling ocean stretched out for miles in front of her. She wore a royal blue bikini underneath a see-through white bathing suit cover that just reached her thighs. The back side of the cover was now wet from her sitting too close to the creeping tide.

"Mama!" A tiny voice hailed her from up the beach.

Ndari rolled onto her side and shaded her face as she squinted at her daughter who was running full tilt toward her, something waving in her tiny fist. Ndari grinned. She didn't know what her child was holding but she'd bet her crown it was gross. Natalia Mary Keane was just like her daddy. Loud, brash, irrepressible, and sometimes rather gross.

Ndari caught Natalia in her arms as she tripped over the sand. They both laughed and Ndari righted the four-year-old girl, dusting the sand off her knees.

"What do you have there, my little ducky?" Ndari asked.

"Seashell!" Natalia exclaimed. "With the guy still living inside."

And that was the piece of information that Ndari had been waiting for. Before she could scramble away a hermit crab was dropped into her lap. Natalia shrieked excitedly as the little arms began to poke out of the shell. Laughing like a maniac, Ndari leapt to her feet and scrambled away from the little creature. As much as she loved her daughter, she would never be able to play that game. The holding-live-creatures-in-her-hands-that-weren't-fluffy-and-cute game. Why was this child so attached to creepy, slimy and pokey things?

"Let's go up to the house," Ndari said, reaching out a hand for her daughter. "While we're waiting for your daddy, we can see if you remember what my favourite jewels are."

As they walked side-by-side up to the house Natalia rattled off a list. "Rubies, sapphires, diamonds!"

"You are such a smart little darling," Ndari exclaimed, beaming. "Make sure you tell your Uncle Sally all about the jewels next time we see him. It's about time he let you get your hands on some of those Crown Jewels."

Ndari had been living on this island with her husband and daughter for four years. This was their winter home. And it was paradise. Mary came to visit, but she never stayed longer than a few weeks at a time, though they asked her to stay for the entire winter. Ndari thought it was a combination of not wanting to overstay her welcome and her deep attachment to Ireland. Mary never seemed entirely comfortable being out of Ireland, though she did enjoy travelling once Keane got her used to the idea and Ndari showed her the joys of shopping around the globe. Natalia loved her grandmother, so they never stayed away from Ireland for long. They had a beautiful summer cottage in the same village as Mary and spent a lot of time together as a family.

Natalia was also rather attached to Ndari's family, particularly, and much to Ndari’s surprise, her sister, Alyssa. Since the birth of her niece, Alyssa had become downright friendly with Ndari, leaving old grudges behind. Natalia’s attachment to the Royal family led to them visiting the palace more often than Ndari would have thought. Somehow, as a wife and mother, the palace didn't feel quite as stifling as it used to.

Ndari helped Natalia out of her bathing suit and gave her a quick rinse in the tub before settling her down at the table with a bowl of macaroni and cheese and broccoli. Thank goodness her young daughter seemed to enjoy green vegetables, there was never a fight to get her to eat them. But it didn't hurt if they were smothered in macaroni and cheese.

When they finished eating, they went for a walk up the road to admire the sunset view. The island that Keane had chosen to settle his family on was owned by Ivan Vogel. Ivan owned a chain of them. He and Jaya lived two islands over. They weren't in residence right now, or it was more than likely that Ndari and Natalia would be staying with the Vogels. They tended to stay with Ivan and Jaya whenever Keane was out of town working. It was an arrangement that seemed to work out well for everyone. Ndari got to spend time with her best friend and Jaya got to spend time with her honorary niece. Keane was pleased to know that his wife and daughter were safe in the hands of his former employer.

But Jaya and Ivan were away on business, which left Natalia and Ndari to bond on their own. Though Ndari understood why Keane had to leave her behind, especially after the birth of their daughter, she still missed him terribly. Not a single day went by that she didn't gaze out at the ocean waiting for the sound of the chopper blades that would bring him home.

It had been a long and very quiet month without him. He had taken a lucrative contract in South America that isolated him and his team from civilization. Even their phone conversations were far and few between. Ndari was worried about him, but she tried to bury that concern so their daughter wouldn't see it.

"Time for bed little duckie," Ndari said a few hours later to her yawning child. Natalia put up her usual amount of fuss. She wasn't tired, she needed a glass of milk before bed, where was daddy? The comments and questions were endless but Ndari stood firm. Her daughter would go to sleep, mostly because Ndari was also tired and wanted to go to bed. Parenthood was exhausting business.

Ndari curled up on Natalia's bed with her, cuddling the child against her. She opened the book, The Princess and the Pea, and began reading. It was their favourite book. With her free hand she smoothed the hair back from Natalia’s face. As Ndari read the book, she could feel Natalia slowly starting to relax against her. By the time Ndari read the last page, her daughter was sound asleep. Ndari reached past her, placing the book on the nightstand, then she very gently slid her arm out from underneath Natalia, rolling the child onto her side. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and leaned over to kiss her ear. She would never get tired of this time with her daughter. Sometimes she ached at the thought of Natalia growing older and no longer wanting story time, no longer falling asleep in her mother's arms.

Ndari slid from the bed and left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She left it open just a crack in case Natalia woke up in the night. She made her way down to the living room and stood next to the massive floor to ceiling window. It was too dark for her to see very much, but there was enough moonlight filtering across the ocean that she was able to keep up her customary vigil.

Life had changed so much over the past years, yet Ndari didn't feel changed herself. She felt like the same Princess that had grabbed hold of an opportunity, a redheaded mercenary, and ran full tilt towards their destiny. They made a fantastic team.

In the beginning, before Ndari found out she was pregnant, she travelled with Keane all over the world. He was extremely careful with her, always making sure that she was nowhere near the danger. Ndari got to travel to new and exciting places, experience new cultures, and make wonderful new friends. She still enjoyed doing these things, but Natalia’s birth had definitely slowed her down. Now her focus was on motherhood.

As it turned out, Ndari was much less selfish than she had originally thought she would be when she became a parent. She had more than enough room in her heart for her husband and a daughter.

"When did you get home?" Ndari asked softly, smiling at the reflection of her husband in the window.

Keane slowly walked up behind her. He didn't touch her, he just looked at her like a hungry wolf looking at its favourite meal.

"Got home in time to see you put Natalia to bed."

"That's too bad," she said regretfully. "You could've tucked her in. She would've loved seeing you."

Though her words were somewhat chiding, the undeniable love in her voice took the sting away.

"If I'd gone in there, the kid would have been bouncing off the walls well into the night. As much as I want to see the little duck, I wanted to spend time with my wife more."

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