Page 205 of Serpent In White

A lion, a snake, and a mouse.

It makes me chuckle.

They each have their own bedrooms in the Den, because we all acknowledge our individual needs for solitude, though it’s very different from what I used to consider aneedback in the lounge. But they, Abdiel mostly, tend to stay primarily in our bedroom. Worshipping me with their love, which is so vibrant, it turns any previously dulled sensations into a spectrum of color.

And we still use the lounge… though solitude cannot possibly be had in a room where three men physically latch onto each other in ways so illustrious it makes me hard just thinking about it.

When I finally leave Abdiel to his work, I head out on my rounds, sauntering about the Expanse. I check in on a few lessons happening with the kids, who are learning various things, from math to reading and spelling. And in the higher classes, they’re bisecting frogs for biology.

It’s moments like these when I sit in fascination for a moment, marveling at all that Drake and I have made here.

There’s nothing quite like building something from the ground up. Nourishing it over time and developing it into a vast creation.

After that, I go to the fields and observe the farmers. Harvest was over a month ago, but that doesn’t mean the work simply stops. They're still working diligently on processing our yields, preserving what needs to be stored for winter. Which brings me next to the base of the mountain.

The Field of Influence.

Weaving in between the rows of harvested plants, I watch the Tribe. They’re training a few yards up, taking lessons of their own. Defense is the name of their game. It gives me a tingle of excitement, seeing all the newly recruited faces.

We’re more heavily protected than ever.Good.

As I wander up past the lab, I find my mind drifting to Rhiannon. It happens, actually quite often. I think of her a lot…

What we would have become, if it had been in the cards. But I suppose it wasn’t.

I like to think that in some other realm she’s still with us. That we’ve become a sort ofquartuple, if that’s even a word.We could make it one.

She would head up business with Lauris, helping Drake so that he doesn’t need to take on the world by himself anymore. It’s something we’ve all given into, after that brilliant, yet tragic, night we experienced up in the clearing.

I imagine that Rhiannon would have been someone I could talk to, relate to in our shared painful pasts. But in her memory, I’ve started weekly therapy sessions for fellow survivors, of any kinds of abuse. Many of the Regnum have joined me. We talk about anything and everything, really. Our feelings, our pasts, whatever is on our minds. It’s been massively helpful, and I have thePrincessto thank for that.

Continuing the journey up the mountain, my thoughts walk by my side. And as soon as I’m far enough away from everyone else, I allow myself to think about my plan… The one that sends my heart jumping wildly behind my ribs.

I’m going to ask Abdiel and Drake to marry me.

It’s an exciting notion, one I’m having for the first time, despite already having done this before.

But when I married my five ex-wives, I wasn’t excited. It was just something I did because I felt backed into a corner. It was nothing like the swarm of butterflies flitting through my esophagus I get when thinking about getting down on bended knee for the two most important people in my life.

We’ve been talking about the future a lot lately. Planning has always been a part of The Principality, and while divorcing the wives and going public with my new relationship lessened the question of anheirfor a few weeks, no one has simply forgotten about the topic.

Honestly, neither have I. It’s something I think about often.

What could it mean…?

Rhiannon would have birthed an heir to The Principality. I know she would have. Of course, it wouldn’t have beenmychild, genetically, but Drake’s or Abdiel’s.

I believe Mother sent us Rhiannon for that purpose. But then She took her away…What could that mean?

Does it mean we’re not meant to birth a natural heir? Or will there be some other girl who will help it happen?

For the time being, Abdiel will take over The Principality when Drake or I pass, since he’s much younger, and will hopefully be around for a long time.

I shiver. I don’t even want to think about what life would look like without my Prince.

Alas, after that, I suppose we’ll let Mother decide. She will lead us in the right direction for the great plan of this reality.

Proposing to my men is my main concern now, though I haven’t decided exactly when to do it. I was thinking maybe after the first snowfall, which could be in as early as a few weeks. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces…