The crowd was cheering so loudly that Ember had to raise his hand and call for silence in order to be heard for what he was about to say next.
"I wish to make another announcement!" he yelled and the room died to silence. Everyone gazed at him, and when he glanced around he saw there was a knowing look on the faces of Filton, Pablo and Melia.
"In honor of my marriage, and as a gift to my wife, I have decided to break the tradition of trade brides. From this moment on and for the rest of time, it shall be illegal! Anyone caught in such acts will be severely punished and those who have been traded as brides previously have every right to come forth and have their cases heard!"
The crowd's reaction was a mixture of good and bad, just as Ember had expected. Several women looked filled with relief while the men beside them looked fearful. Seeing these different reactions, Ember was certain of two things. He had done the right thing, but he was also going to have a lot of work on his hands sorting through cases.
Iris squeezed his hand, and as if she had read his mind, she whispered into his ear, "I will help you every step of the way."
Epilogue - Iris
3 weeks later…
Stretching like a feline in the huge four poster bed she now shared with her husband, Iris couldn't help but feel a warmth in her stomach remembering their love making the evening before. It had easily been as good as their wedding night, if not better. The king had always been an excellent lover, and yet he seemed to be coming up with new ways of pleasing her on a daily basis.
As soon as they had been alone in their bed chambers, Ember had begun to undress her. His deft fingers had unfastened the lacings of her gown with ease and the silky material had pooled around her ankles. Standing behind her, he had dropped into a crouch and placed a kiss upon each of her buttocks before urging her around to face him. Her fingers had hooked in his hair instinctively the moment his mouth came up between her thighs. His hands had cupped her buttocks, holding her in place and supporting her every time her knees threatened to buckle. His groans of pleasure had vibrated against her most sensitive area, and when he had released one buttock to slip a finger deep inside her sex, her entire body had erupted with pleasure. She'd been forced to ease off her grip on the roots of his hair when he'd gasped as if she had hurt him.
Having slipped his finger from her sex, he had groaned with delight and Iris's eyes had found his just in time to see him tasting her nectar on his finger.
In the next moment he had stood, undressing himself in record time before he'd stepped up to her. Iris had been half expecting him to carry her to the bed as he so often did, but last night, he had done something different, something that made the experience all the more pleasurable.
Standing in the center of the room, Ember had urged Iris's legs apart where she stood, and he had taken her right there and then. Kissing her with passionate yet soft kisses, he had slipped his rock-hard cock deep inside her. It had been all she could do to wrap her arms around his neck and hang on as he thrust forward and back, urging her on to her climax.
In the haze of pleasure she lost herself in, Iris had barely heard the beating of wings, but when she had opened her eyes for a moment, she'd noticed the orientation of the room had entirely changed. Glancing about for just a moment, she had realized in an instant that her feet no longer touched the floor. Ember's hands under her buttocks and her own around his neck had been the only things suspending her in midair.
The breeze had been swept up by Ember's wings and he had made love to her in midair, their climax coming almost in unison with Iris's scream erupting moments before Ember's groan of exclamation.
"What are you thinking about, my love?" Ember's voice caused her to jump, and her eyes flew open to find that he was leaning on his elbow beside her, gazing down at her as he stroked a strand of hair from her face.
"You were smiling to yourself," he explained when she looked up at him, confused. "What were you thinking about?"
"Last night," Iris admitted, and she felt heat begin to burn in her cheeks.
"Yes, last night was definitely something else," the king announced with a nod of agreement. The smile that spread across his face announced he enjoyed the memory as much as she did. Perhaps even more so. She could feel his cock hardening against her hip, and with a moan of pleasure, she reached for him.
Ember groaned the moment she gripped hold of his manhood. He closed his eyes for a moment, sucking in a deep breath before attempting to speak, "As much as I would love a repeat performance, I fear we must get out of bed and get to work."
Iris paused in her stroking to glower at him, feeling petulant.
"Do we have to?" She groaned. Ember leaned down and kissed the top of her head before nodding.
"We are royals," he pointed out with a sigh, "And we have a kingdom to run."
"It ran perfectly well on its own while we were away on our honeymoon," Iris responded. Another string of fond memories whipped through her mind of all the love making they had enjoyed in the small log cabin atop the white cliffs of the coast. It had been almost a week since their return, and yet she could still remember it like it was yesterday. Save for a maid who had come in to clean and cook for them, they had been left entirely alone. It had been bliss.
"We can't expect Filton to take care of everything for the rest of our reign," Ember said, though the tone in his voice said that he wished they could. "I promise we will get another break as soon as we can, but for now we have work to do," he added
Iris sighed, knowing he was right. Since their return they had spent most of their days sitting in the throne room, listening to complaints and disputes between rival families, farmers and even several slave brides who wished to be freed. It was both rewarding and annoying work, in equal measure.
"Please, come," Ember gripped her hip and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I can't sit in that awfully uncomfortable throne all day without you by my side."
"Fine," Iris huffed in return. She gave him a devilish stare then and added, "But you owe me!"
"Oh, I do, do I?" Ember returned her stare with a playful one of his own and in the next moment he was tickling her. No matter where on the bed she attempted to wriggle to, he seemed to have her, and she laughed until she cried, unable to do anything but throw herself at his mercy.
It wasn't until they heard a knock on the door that she was finally given a moment to catch her breath. They paused and looked at each other with a groan, already knowing it was Filton coming to tell them that their subjects awaited them.
The moment Iris stepped into the throne room that morning, she was surprised to find that it was almost entirely filled with women. The usual noblemen who seemed to attend every court event had been shoved off to the edges of the room, and in their place stood a rainbow of women in gowns of all colors and materials. Many of them appeared to be noble women with richly decorated head dresses and heavy jewelry around their necks, but several wore plain brown or grey clothing, standing at the back of the group and looking unsure whether they should be there.