After a few months, Elias learned other words.

Mum, dad, nanny, eat... One by one, he repeated the words he heard more often, so much that his fifth or sixth word was consort, even if so deformed that no one else had noticed what he was trying to say.

He also tried to say queen. After two to three tries, he gave up.

I also insisted much on the word mum, and, later on, mother. It was important, for me, that my son knew what having a family meant.

One of the first words he learned was also busy.

He grew up every day, and I couldn't notice the difference from a week to the next one. But every time I remembered how little he was the first time I held him in my arms, a proud warmth spread in my lungs. My son was really wonderful, smart, and pretty.

Most of the time, Elias stayed in his playroom. The chamber was completely covered by clean carpets, and his toys were all arranged in the centre so that he could reach them without the need of someone always passing him what he needed.

I would bring a book with me and read next to him, while he leaned his back on my leg and focused on his work without paying much attention to his surroundings.

Once, when he couldn't reach his favourite toy by simply stretching his arm, he rolled on the floor and tried again.

At first, I observed, amused his efforts and odd techniques. He was trying to roll towards the toy! It was funny, in its way.

He struggled and fought for quite some time before turning to me and then pointing at the toy.

First of all, I picked him up and turned him into a sitting position. Then, with my arm that was longer than his, I passed him the toy.

As soon as he started trying to break it, his favourite one at that, I realised that it was time for him to start learning how to walk.

Also, I needed a distraction to avoid the tantrums that were on the way, as the toy was on the brink to shatter.

«Elias, let's play together,» I said, and he immediately looked at me with his big blue eyes.

The toy was immediately forgotten, and I picked him up. Holding him by his torso, careful not to press too much on a single place, I made him stand up.

I kept him on the same spot for a minute or two until I sensed that he was standing on his feet steadily.

His eyes were full of wonder and curiosity, already analysing how he could use that new superpower.

I let him go, still keeping my arms around him.

He looked at me for a moment, and then he started swinging on his feet. He fell out of balance after a millimetre of movement, but I was ready to catch him.

Elias started giggling and clapping his hands, and I chuckled together with him.

The nanny just observed us from a corner, while the maids pretended not to see anything.

It was past the time when they would run to me in fear that I hurt the Prince. They had already understood that he was safe with me.

«Let's show it to your mother, next time,» I whispered. «She'll be so proud of us, you're turning into a big boy.»

«Motho.»

«Yes, that's right.»

He smiled and threw himself at me, certain that I would catch him without delay. His little arms surrounded my neck, and his hair moved in the air as he shook his head in his giggling.

His daily improvements were small but many. I was becoming boring to the other people.

I've started talking only about Elias, about what he did and what he said.

Even Thea would sigh sometimes. However, she listened to all my stories with hints of envy. She wanted to spend more time with us, but it wasn't her place.

She had the duties of a king to absolve from; only after she could spend time with her family.

After eating obediently on my lap, Elias started playing with food and making his spoon fall down repeatedly. His interest had shifted from the meal to something else, and there was no point in forcing him to eat more. It was impossible.

«Mother,» he said with a pout.

Thea hid a grin and bit her lower lip to stay solemn. She moved her seat closer to me and leaned her head on my shoulder.

«Yes?» she murmured when Elias could finally reach her face.

«What does my Prince want?»

«Hugga,» he whispered with a pout.

«All right, this Queen can oblige,» she said and picked him up. He was getting too heavy to be carried around, but she would always allow him on her lap in a sitting position.

Thea would sing for him while I just observed them.

It would have been just perfect if those evenings could last forever.

Being a father was hard and complicated, but completely worth it.

Even when my little Prince would run away from his duties.

«Dad!» Elias called me. «Dad, dad, dad...»

«What is it?» I inquired while picking him up.

The nanny warned me not to carry him around anymore, or he would grow up spoiled. Yet, I've never seen him ask anyone else to lift him. Especially not Theodora.

He was almost three and knew how to walk on his own.

«Mother is busy,» he complained.

«You love her more than me,» I accused him, and he immediately latched his arms around my neck.

«No, that's not true. But I want to see my mother too.»

«She's ruling, right now. One day, you'll do the same.»

«Oh, so will she teach me?»

«Maybe,» I shrugged, even though I was quite sure there was a whole line of teachers waiting for the little Prince to grow up a few months more.

Theodora didn't have time to teach him, but she was doing her best to see him regularly.

«When I grow up, I want to be knowledgeable like you,» he continued. «I don't want to be a King. I want to be a Consort.»

I chuckled, ignoring the glare from the nanny nearby.

«It's not as wonderful as you see it. What if you end up marrying a tyrant Queen? Not all the consorts in the world are as lucky as me.»

He pouted adorably, and I strolled towards my wife's office.

«Don't you want to be competent like your mother?»

«I don't know,» he shrugged.

I knocked at the door, and Elias opened his eyes in surprise and excitement. Regardless of his aloof words, he indeed loved his mother.

«Today, we'll be a bit of a distraction. However, don't tell anyone that we walked to the royal office. It's forbidden to come here without prior appointment.»

He kissed my cheek and waited to be leaned down before running to the desk. Theodora stopped working and lifted the kid on her lap.

«You two are always planning something to slow me down,» she complained before pecking our son's hair.

Her voice was low from the efforts of lifting our growing little Prince.

«What have you done today?»

«I've learned to dance,» he murmured. «It's boring, mother. Why does this Prince have to do that?»

«A King needs to show perfection to his people. You need to dance like the wind.»

«But it's boring!»

«Tomorrow you'll train with the swords, right?»

«Yes, mother. But it's boring with wooden toys. I want a real sword like father.»

«How do you know about his sword?»

«I saw him train with the teacher,» he pouted.

«I was trying to show him how grown-ups fight,» I explained. I couldn't predict it would have had that effect.

I wanted to give my son some motivation, not to make him ask a real sword to my Queen!

«I want to be fast like dad,» he continued, not sensing my thoughts nor Thea's blushing expression.

That was another consequence I hadn't predicted.

My wife gulped, suddenly envisioning who knows what scenes.

«I want to see too,» she exclaimed.

«I can show you, mother. But dad is better. And he has a real sword. I don't. It's not the same with wood, mother.»

«I didn't know my Consort was proficient with sword fighting,» she commented, grinning at me.

That night, Elias would be sent to bed a bit earlier than usual.

«I knew my dear husband exercises a lot, but I thought it was to maintain his figure. Seems like it's not just void training.»

«Oh, I can show you anytime, my Queen.»

«I'm looking forward to it.»

Meanwhile, Elias continued to sit on his mother's lap, oblivious to his parents' shameless exchange.

He observed Thea's face for a while, and then he touched her cheek with his little hand.

«Why is mother all red?» he asked.

I hid an amused chuckle while Thea just made up some excuse about excessive work and hot climate.